LEGENDS OF NEWS with DERMOT MURNAGHAN

Adam Boulton looks back on a career spent covering British politics at the highest level, from TV-am’s chaotic early days to three decades at Sky News.

He recalls interviewing Margaret Thatcher and meeting figures including Ted Heath, Jim Callaghan, Harold Wilson and Alec Douglas-Home, plus the rough-and-ready reality of political reporting when “there were no barriers outside Number 10”.

Adam charts his route into journalism via Washington, the BBC World Service, and the early promise — and panic — of TV-am, where he became political editor in his mid-20s.

At Sky News, Adam explains why impartiality mattered to him, why he says he never faced editorial interference from Rupert Murdoch, and how he helped build a Westminster operation designed to go live fast and report what was known as events unfolded.

He discusses the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of spin and special advisers, and why he believes political access has tightened over time.

Adam and Dermot also revisit the 2010 leaders’ debates — how they were secured, the “empty chair” threat, and what Adam thinks they achieved — before returning to the hung parliament and his notorious on-air row with Alastair Campbell.

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Dermot brings you an end-of-year selection box of standout moments from Legends of News, a small sample of the stories that defined the podcast’s first year, including:

• John Sergeant on Margaret Thatcher, the RAF flight to Moscow, spilled crockery and a legendary live on-air encounter

• Natasha Kaplinsky OBE on the BBC Breakfast call-up, life on the sofa and the hierarchy written into contract

• Sir Trevor McDonald on Air Force One, American presidents and why listening matters more than confrontation

• Nick Owen MBE on prostate cancer, the decision to go public and the impact of speaking out

• Selena Scott on Princess Diana behind the scenes, press pressure and candid encounters with the future King

• Julia Somerville on ITN, News at Ten and returning to screen after major brain surgery

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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A Sassy + original podcast series

Kirsty Young is one of the most distinctive voices in British broadcasting. From reading continuity announcements on BBC Radio Scotland to hosting Desert Island Discs, Kirsty recalls breaking TV news tradition by standing up behind the newsdesk, interviewing Tony Blair on launch night, and anchoring live as 9/11 unfolded — including an on-air interview with her husband in Manhattan.

They explore what it means to find your voice as a journalist, the privilege of covering Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, and the power of music to reveal the truth about people. Kirsty also reflects on how Channel 5 News rehearsals prepared her for launch night, and why the chaos of live breaking news still excites her.

Kirsty also reveals:

• Why she never watches herself back on TV
• How radio remains her first love
• The thrill of “finding her tribe” when she first walked into a newsroom

For more information email: [email protected]

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He’s survived bombs, interviewed dictators, and come through ten near-death experiences — yet John Simpson has never stopped chasing the story.

In this episode, the BBC’s World Affairs Editor unpacks more than half a century of frontline reporting. From his unlikely break at the BBC in 1966 to revolutions, wars, and encounters with world leaders.

He recalls covering the Northern Ireland Troubles in the early 1970s, the fall of the Shah in 1979, and later wars in the Falklands, Iraq and Afghanistan.

He recalls the chaos of Baghdad as the city fell in 2003, and the unforgettable flight that brought Ayatollah Khomeini back to Iran. Alongside the global events are personal costs — shrapnel wounds, hearing loss, and the toll of constant danger — and his belief that talking through trauma kept him going.

He also reveals:

• Why presenting the news nearly ended his career
• The shock of witnessing Saddam Hussein’s execution
• His enduring affection for Iran, even after being banned

For more information email: [email protected]

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She reported from the wreckage of Lockerbie, was held at gunpoint in the Balkans, and interviewed a dictator accused of ethnic cleansing.

Carole Walker looks back on three decades as a BBC correspondent — from the horror of war and terrorism to the collapse of the Soviet Union and the political earthquakes that reshaped Britain.

She also reveals:

• The surreal moment a Moscow doctor pulled a bug out of his wall before speaking freely for the first time
• How it felt watching statues of Soviet power hauled down in Moscow’s squares
• What life was really like on Tony Blair’s 1997 battle bus
• The night David Cameron realised he’d lost Brexit — and his job
• Why younger generations turning to TikTok for politics leaves her uneasy

For more information email: [email protected]

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.