Dame Jenni Murray retiring

[tilder]

Just that really. With best wishes to Jenni on your retirement (you never know, she might read FWR).

Will be interesting to see who picks up the role.

There's a point at which neutrality just helps to reinforce tyranny or whatever. At some point, surely, it's the media's responsibility to point out that the emperor has no clothes on?

Wasn't there an article about this highlighted here just the other week? It's the pretence of neutrality that's got us into this situation. It's what happened with the climate debate, when for years the BBC insisted on balancing every climate change believer with a denier 'for balance', giving the impression that climate change was far less clearcut than it is.

Isn't that what happened when the Women and Equalities Committee called in people like Alex Drummond (beardy man in a skirt and earrings) and decided to suppress their 'you have to be joking' response and go for something neutral, leading to the shitshow we have now with the GRA etc?

I think the best interviewers have always had their own POV. Justin Webb on Today (Radio 4 news) is very clearly GC and hasn't damaged his credibility by being so. I like Garvey's slyness and wit but her unwillingness to push this really disturbs me. I know she's part of a team in an organisation that was captured long ago. Perhaps, if she feels she can't speak out, she should resign and then do so. There'd be a lot of people who'd want to employ her.

Yes, put like that, I agree.

At the same time, is it similar to how more GC women have to hide behind secret twitter accounts and here, afraid of speaking the truth?

Jenni, hasn't been allowed to be involved in those debates since she spoke out. That could mean JG genuinely sits on the fence, or does what I do in public, and give the impression of sitting on the fence, diplomatically dipping my toe on the GC side where it's possibly to be as biologically relevant as possible without being given straw man responses, in order to remain part of the debate.

Oh, good luck if you're reading Jenni. I hope you'll feel able to say what you really think now.

^This

*possible

I don't think Justin Webb is GC. I think that during his long spell of working for the BBC in the US he came across the US form of identity politics and didn't like what he saw. He's since seen it get imported into the UK and has been speaking against it. I think he'd be quite comfortable with a number of the GC lines of argument without "being GC" as such.

I liked listening to Jenni - she had a calm authority and wide experience.

Be interesting to see who they replace her with...it could potentially be a big factor in whether or not I continue listening.

I'm confused by comments about Jane Garvey not getting the gig. She already has it, doesn't she? She's been co-presenter on WH for years (alternating on the days Jeni Murray doesn't present). I wondered about Aasmah Mir who used to present Saturday Live with Richard Coles - unless she's already moved on to another show and I've missed it.

I honestly don't think they'd dare put a TW in there. It will be someone who believes! though.

TheGirl, Jane Garvey's already presenting three (?) days a week. She may get the other two if she wants them — although from some of the things she says on Fortunately she's not hugely enamoured of WH — but as she's 56 and the BBC are trying to attract younger viewers the probability is that they'll be looking for someone younger. Emma Barnett's 35 and much more full-on punchy than Garvey. They could make an interesting team.

Love JM. When I was a first year student, she was guest of honour at a women's event that I helped organise. She was absolutely formidable.

Part of me is happy that she's leaving the BBC. I hope she will be free to say what she feels. My fantasy is that she will form a new political movement with JKR and the Baroness, to push back against the erosion of our rights.

Jane Garvey is from the Radio 5 Live stable, isn't she? They are all very woke over there (that's where Victoria Derbyshire first got her high profile gig on the breakfast show, pretty sure JG took over from her). That station should be at the forefront of defending women's right to have sex segregated sports - if any broadcasting body has extensive knowledge of the differences between male and female experiences and abilities in sport, it's that one. And yet.....

I have no doubt that the TRAs will be lobbying R4 to include a transwoman presenter for Woman's Hour. On the other hand, I don't think WH has ever had a presenter from an ethnic minority background. Either way, I can see WH becoming tiresomely focussed on identity politics, rather than on matters that effect all women as a class.

@1WildTeaParty

I was very sorry to hear that news this morning.

Has she been pushed/frozen out?

She's 70, hopefully she simply decided it was time to retire from that job.

I doubt we've heard the last from her - hoping she'll now be able to engage more freely with issues concerning women.

Best wishes anyway, Jenni

Where does Emma Barnett stand on GC stuff? I can't remember

Where does Emma Barnett stand on GC stuff? I can't remember

I don't know if she has publicly said where she stands but I one heard her give the Lib Dem leader a good grilling on the subject when she stood in on Woman's Hour once.

I don't think I've been very aware of her, but I've just watched the start of this and like what she says.

@Binterested

I shudder to think who will replace her.

I’ve got my bets on already. Or the dance the show/rename it ‘people’s hour’

All the best to Jenni. I've loved her since I was a child and she was on South Today. I don't agree with everything she says, but I always enjoy her intelligence and humanity.

Around 16 mins in, in that video is very pertinent to feminism.

I shall miss Jenni very much but I do look forward to hearing more from her too!

You are right of course @ErrolTheDragon - it is a reasonable age to retire but she doesn't sound ready for that , and I'm finding it difficult to accept as her choice!

(This has come after the fuss about her having her own views and in a time when she seems to be being kept from certain hot topics)

You are amazing Jenni - I'll be wishing you well (and back in my home) long after October.

@Shedbuilder

Sad to read this news. I'm not sure about Jane Garvey. I subscribed to the Fortunately podcast Garvey does with fee Glover to see if I could get more of a handle on her and even though they're supposed to be being themselves and are free of the usual rules there's not a lot of evidence of feminism there.

Garvey seems to be more interested in home and cooking and cleaning and pedicures than she does in any kind of politics, sexual or national. I get the feeling she'd read a lot of stuff on here and sigh and think we're as bad as the TRAs and go off and bake a cake. She seems to me to be one of the 'can't you all just be reasonable?' brigade.

Emma Barnett has taken a much harder, more feminist line despite a long association with the Telegraph.

Jane Garvey is already the co-host - why are people suggesting she gets Jenni's job?

To say Jane isn't a feminist is absolutely ridiculous. Don't you listen to the programme daily? If you just listen to the weekly round up you won't get a clear picture of either of them.

Temporary name change as somewhat outing, but I was interviewed by JM last year on WH on a segment about maternity leave. Was so excited to meet her (that's why I agreed to do it!) and was a bit disappointed to find she was in London and I was in a booth in media city.
My dad's feminist credentials crept up from a near-zero starting point when he asked how she was because he'd "not seen Jenni for years" this friendship should have been divulged a bit earlier IMO

She lived near Manchester for years botsy, wonder if she’s moved - her son was at school there (my friend once snogged him)

@TheGirlOnTheLanding

I'm confused by comments about Jane Garvey not getting the gig. She already has it, doesn't she? She's been co-presenter on WH for years (alternating on the days Jeni Murray doesn't present). I wondered about Aasmah Mir who used to present Saturday Live with Richard Coles - unless she's already moved on to another show and I've missed it.

Aasmah has already jumped ship and can be heard M, T, W &Th on Times Radio breakfast with someone called Stig.

If Jenni were a man they'd be keeping him on until the age of 80 or 90. But this is the misogynistic BBC and even women considered as eminent as the Dame and Grande Dame of broadcasting, feminist Jenni are only there on sufferance and will be told off like naughty schoolgirls if they take a 'wrong' step outside the permitted margin.
Yes, as someone said, Jane Garvey already has the job, doing three days a week Mon-Wed while Jenni does Thurs - Friday. I think that's it anyway. And Jane has clearly been openly feminist but must step more carefully these days than she used to and is constantly apologising for her 'privilege'. It's unbelievable to say she is only interested in cookery and home side of things rather than politics. It's quite the opposite. She has been quite deft about handling tricky topics lately and clearly had to toe the line rather than speaking her mind.

Emma Barnett has also been there already - was the woman's editor at the Telegraph until she turned up on Woman's Hour, standing in for the regular two but soon left for higher BBC jobs. She was so loud and brash the first time I heard her on Woman's Hour I said What the hell? Why's she shouting? And turned it off. They also had one on from Radio 1 once with the same effect. She sounded like a shouty teenager or youth DJ. I expect that's what will replace the softly spoken Jenni, knowing how the BBC is chasing youth.

That's Stig Abell, who was the editor of the Times Literary Supplement until this new director job on Times Radio. He's quite lefty / wokey.

I really like Emma Barnett. I dont know if she is GC but I think she would be a good choice.