Julia Somerville: Accidental newsreader, breaking news, and Rip Off Britain

Legends of News

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Sunday, 7 December 2025 - 58 minutes

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

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