Emma Barnett is leaving Woman's Hour

[PuppetQueen]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-68574142

I know she was a bit marmite when she first started at Woman's Hour, but I quite like her now.

I wonder who will be joining Anita on Woman's Hour, once Emma leaves in April?

Whopping, have you tried the World Service?

I'm not sure what it is like during the day, but I catch the overnight stuff when I can't sleep.

I tend to switch to audiobooks on Borrowbox (free for a lot of libraries) or audible or Radio 3 (I must give that Swiss Channel a go).

@Madcats , I catch it when I can't sleep. I can remember a time when I was struggling to sleep and I kept hearing a repeat of something that had already been repeated on Radio 4 and I hadn't enjoyed it the first time.

Nuala McGovern on Monday-Wednesday. Assume Anita Rani is given Thursday as well as Friday then. I give it a few more years and then it slowly descends into irrelevance. Am annoyed as both are very lightweight and don't even seem very interested in their guests, not even that they don't research but they don't listen to their guests' responses and change questions or adapt their line of discussion. Very frustrating to listen to.

The best I can say is it could be worse. But I see it largely retreating into "you go girl!" and #bekind territory.

Am so disappointed that Nuala McGovern is to be permanent new host. I fear that I will not be tuning in any more as I found her v insipid and the radio version of "Take a break" magazine.

Same. I found her very difficult to listen to when she was on when EB was on maternity leave. It was like she knew nothing at all about the people she was attempting to interview, as if she hadn't bothered to learn the first thing about them.

Yes! She is just a lazy presenter- doesn't research and doesn't listen. Just utters bland platitudes. Unless she likes the interviewee's outfit. In which case she'll ask about their shoes or something equally unimportant to a radio audience.

Am now cringing at Anita Rani, badly, interviewing Men at Work guy and the author- Grace- of the viral post about a man sitting next to her on an empty bus. He tried to link the issue of male entitlement to previous piece about smart 'phones and porn access. Anita completely missed it. Just says yeah, no, throughout, not really any helpful contributions.

I like Anita Rani on Countryfile but was a bit omg this morning when she was discussing smartphones with someone who is campaigning to not let under 16's have access to them. The statistic is that 1/4 of all 5-7 year olds have smart phones and Anita actually said 'well you can't blame the parents can you'. I was apoplectic at that, funnily enough she backtracked about 5 minutes later.....can't think why, sure a flurry of infuriated people messaging in probably helped...

I also had a go at listening today but couldn't bear it. Somehow it's worse now knowing it'll either be Anita Rani or others at the Anita Rani end of the spectrum.

Listened for decades to the brilluant Jenni Murray and Jane Garvey but it completely changed when Emma Barnett took over and was more like an aggressive Jeremy Paxman style news programne so barely listen. Maybe theyve realised its lost its heart and will be inspired to reficus so mire balanced interesting and less depressing and intense.

I stopped listening to WH on the days Nuala McGovern was on when she was covering for EB. Dreadful interviewer, just had a list of banal set questions which she stuck to regardless of what the interviewee said in reply, and didn't seem to understand or have any interest in anything a tiny bit complex. So disappointed she is taking over.

EB certainly had her failings but she was intelligent and could be a really good interviewer if she didn't have too much of a personal drum to bang.

There are some really good women broadcasters so why are we being fobbed off with NMcG? Feels like another case of the Greg Wallace phenomenon where the BBC has decided for reasons unknown that we ought to like him and give him endless work although I have yet to meet anyone who can stand him.

Agree with everyone else has said about Nuala McGovern. Really did not enjoy her when she covered Emma’s maternity leave.