LEGENDS OF NEWS with DERMOT MURNAGHAN cover art

LEGENDS OF NEWS with DERMOT MURNAGHAN

LEGENDS OF NEWS with DERMOT MURNAGHAN

By: Legends Of News
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About this listen

Legends of News is a gripping, deeply personal podcast hosted by award-winning broadcaster Dermot Murnaghan, exploring the golden era of television news through the voices of those who shaped it.


With over four decades in the newsroom himself, Dermot invites fellow household names to reveal what it was really like in front of the camera when the world changed in real time.


Through candid conversations, listeners are granted a front-row seat to history: from breaking global events to chaotic newsrooms, unforgettable interviews with world leaders, and the occasional live blooper.


As history echoes through current events, these news giants reflect on how the past informs the present—and share where life has taken them now.


Legends of News is a warm, revealing, and inspiring chronicle of the stories that must not be forgotten

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

Legends Of News Politics & Government
Episodes
  • Carole Walker: Covering wars, the horror of Lockerbie, and interviewing Milosevic

    Carole Walker: Covering wars, the horror of Lockerbie, and interviewing Milosevic
    Aug 22 2025

    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: LegendsofNews@Sassyplus.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
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    56 mins
  • Dr Sian Williams: BBC News, Hillsborough, the breakfast sofa years, and becoming a psychologist

    Dr Sian Williams: BBC News, Hillsborough, the breakfast sofa years, and becoming a psychologist
    Aug 1 2025
    In this episode, Dermot Murnaghan welcomes broadcaster and psychologist Dr. Sian Williams for a conversation about journalism, resilience, and the deeply human side of news.
    From her early days in Liverpool newsrooms to becoming one of the youngest editors on Radio 4 and eventually a trauma psychologist, Sian shares stories of imposter syndrome, newsroom sexism, learning to run in flat shoes, and why being a good journalist starts with listening. She also discusses her shift into psychology, driven by witnessing the mental toll of trauma — both on those in front of the camera and those behind it.
    Sian also reveals:
    • The night she realised journalism isn’t about scoops — it’s about holding fragile stories with care
    • How being mistaken for a guest at a screen test led to a job as a BBC News presenter
    • What it meant to be embedded in Liverpool during the Hillsborough disaster — and why it changed her


    For more information email LegendsofNews@Sassyplus.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    59 mins
  • Christa Ackroyd: Breaking glass ceilings, covering the Yorkshire Ripper and the power of regional TV

    Christa Ackroyd: Breaking glass ceilings, covering the Yorkshire Ripper and the power of regional TV
    Jul 26 2025

    From a decade of men-only bars and newsroom sexism, Christa Ackroyd fought her way to the front line of British journalism.


    In this episode, Dermot Murnaghan sits down with pioneering journalist and broadcaster Christa Ackroyd for a deeply personal and wide-ranging conversation about local journalism, resilience, and the role of women in news.


    Christa reflects on her trailblazing career in regional television, including two decades dominating the airwaves across Yorkshire on Calendar and Look North. She shares the emotional story of reporting the Yorkshire Ripper murders at just 19 years old, her battles against misogyny in the newsroom, and how the Brontë sisters shaped her drive to defy expectations.


    Christa also reveals:


    • How newsroom sexism nearly kept her off air during the Gulf War — and how she fought back
    • The moment she realised journalism wasn’t about scoops, but about standing with the voiceless
    • How Richard Whiteley, granny knickers and laughter shaped 20 years of legendary broadcasts
    • Why she believes regional news has lost its soul
    • The lesson she learned from the Brontës: break rules, challenge power, and don’t wait to be invited
    • Why she wants her gravestone to read: “Just one more thing…”


    For more information email LegendsofNews@Sassyplus.com

    Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
    Show More Show Less
    43 mins
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