LEGENDS OF NEWS with DERMOT MURNAGHAN

Julia Somerville charts the hard yards of reporting her way up through smoke-filled newsrooms to become one of the few female faces to read the news in the 1970s and 80s. She recalls landing the Nine O'clock News, the rigid BBC presenter culture, and the liberating move to ITN. Along the way come the defining moments: covering Thatcher’s rise, watching the Berlin Wall fall live on News at Ten, and presenting 9/11 live on LBC. Julia and Dermot also relive their own News at Ten and lunchtime-news years together, including the days after Diana’s death. Julia reflects on privacy, tabloid intrusion, her work with the Government Art Collection, and why returning to the BBC to front Rip Off Britain has felt like coming home. Follow Dermot: X: @DermotMurnaghan and @LegendsofNewsInstagram: @legendsofnewspodcast

Nick Robinson, one of Britain’s most recognisable broadcasters and political journalists, joins Dermot Murnaghan to look back over a career that began at Piccadilly Radio and led him to the BBC’s Today programme. He talks about the early inspirations that led him into journalism, the personal tragedy he had to overcome, and the moments that have defined his decades on the political frontline. Follow Dermot:Instagram: @legendsofnewspodcastX: @LegendsofNews@DermotMurnaghanFollow Sassy+: Instagram: @sassyplus_/ LinkedIn: in/sassy plus/ TikTok: @sassyplus_ A Sassy+ original podcast series

Martha Kearney, one of Britain’s most respected political journalists, joins Dermot Murnaghan to reflect on a career that’s taken her from the phones at LBC to the BBC’s Today programme. She talks about covering elections from the battle bus, reporting through the peace process in Northern Ireland, and interviewing leaders from Thatcher to Blair.Martha recalls the chaos of early commercial radio, the moment Margaret Thatcher turned on her, and the brutal 3am starts that came with fronting Britain’s flagship news show. She reflects on how politics, journalism, and public trust have changed — and what it still means to hold power to account.Follow Dermot:@DermotMurnaghanInstagram: @legendsofnewspodcastX: @LegendsofNewsFollow Sassy+:Instagram: @sassyplus_/LinkedIn: in/sassy plus/TikTok: @sassyplus_

Tim Marshall, one of Britain’s most experienced foreign correspondents and bestselling authors, joins Dermot Murnaghan to discuss how punk rock, politics, and a passion for maps shaped his career. From leaving school at sixteen to reporting from war zones and writing the global phenomenon Prisoners of Geography, Tim reflects on four decades of journalism and geopolitics.He recalls bluffing his way to Paris as a correspondent who could “barely say bonjour,” and covering seismic events from Bosnia to Baghdad and Kabul. Tim explains why geography still defines power, how the world’s borders shape conflict. He also talks candidly about burnout, the reality of war reporting, and rediscovering his voice through writing.Follow Dermot: @DermotMurnaghanInstagram: @legendsofnewspodcastX: @LegendsofNewsFollow Sassy+:Instagram: @sassyplus_/LinkedIn: in/sassy plus/TikTok: @sassyplus_www.sassyplus.comFor more information email: [email protected] @Sassy+ original podcast series Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

From the newsroom of Grampian TV to anchoring News at Ten and launching BBC Breakfast Time, Selina Scott’s career is packed with moments that changed the face of broadcasting. She recalls the leap from regional reporting to national television, the pressure of covering the Falklands War live, and the intensity of fronting breakfast TV under constant tabloid scrutiny.She talks about joining ITN to read the News at Ten, her move to the BBC, and breaking into American television with CBS while still presenting The Clothes Show. Along the way, there are unforgettable behind-the-scenes stories — including an extraordinary dinner with the future King Charles on a remote Scottish island.Follow Dermot:@DermotMurnaghanInstagram: @legendsofnewspodcastX: @LegendsofNewsFollow Sassy+:Instagram: @sassyplus_/LinkedIn: in/sassy plus/TikTok: @sassyplus_A Sassy + original podcast series