Dame Jenni Murray is the Radio 4 show’s longest-serving presenter
Dame Jenni Murray has said it’s “very strange” to be hosting her final Woman’s Hour, as she prepares to leave the BBC Radio 4 show after 33 years.
She added she was “much cheered” by receiving the gift of a farewell chocolate cake from celebrity chef and fellow broadcaster, Mary Berry.
Dame Jenni, 70, is the 74-year-old show’s longest-serving presenter.
One of her final guests, MP Harriet Harman, praised her “tremendous legacy”.
Her finale celebrated the legacy of the programme – which “offers female perspectives on the world” – and looked back at some of her most memorable interviews.
These included chats with figures as varied as Bette Davis, Margaret Thatcher, and her favourite singer Joan Baez – “the peak of my career”, Dame Jenni said.
She announced in July that it was “time to move on”.
Opening her final time in the Woman’s Hour chair, Dame Jenni said: “Good morning and welcome to Women’s Hour.
“And yes, it does feel very strange to be saying that for the last time after 33 years!”
Novelist and poet Jackie Kay saluted her for “holding up a mirror to the real world and everything that’s been going on in it.”
Dame Jenni signed off by thanking all of the listeners, who she described as “a vital part of the Women’s Hour family”.
She also thanked “the three men in my family – David, Ed and Charlie”, who she added had “given endless support”.
What did she achieve?
Departing Woman’s Hour presenters Jenni Murray (left) and Jane Garvey, in 2016
Dame Jenni received her damehood in 2011, in recognition of her Sony Award-winning broadcasting contributions.
During a three decade-career on the show, the departing host also interviewed fellow Dame, Judi Dench, and Saoirse Ronan; as well as Margaret Atwood and Kate McCann.
In 2006, she announced on-air that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer. On her return to work the following year, Dame Jenni spoke about her hair loss and the importance of hair in defining femininity.
Mohit Bakaya, controller of Radio 4, praised her for tackling “important issues” and having “difficult conversations about the experiences of women”.
“I want to thank her for her wonderful commitment to Woman’s Hour, to Radio 4 in general, and for the passion she has shown for the topics explored during her time on the programme,” said Bakaya, around the news of her departure this summer.
The corporation’s outgoing director general, Tony Hall, added that “the radio airwaves won’t be the same without her”.
Who is the new presenter?
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Earlier this month, it was announced that Emma Barnett will be the new presenter of Woman’s Hour.
The 5 Live and Newsnight presenter will fill the shoes of Dame Jenni, and her co-host Jane Garvey – who has also decided to step down from the end of the year.
Unlike the current arrangement, where Garvey and Dame Jenni share presenting duties, Barnett will be the main host from Monday to Thursday each week.
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An additional presenter will be appointed to host the Friday and Saturday editions in due course.
Barnett is already associated with the Radio 4 programme, presenting its late-night spin-off and regularly chairing the Woman’s Hour Power List.
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