Jenni Murray RIP

[Niminy]

Former BBC Woman's Hour presenter Dame Jenni Murray dies at 75 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpwj8e25ddgo

Sally Feldman is a former WH editor. She was interviewed by Nick Robinson on the Today programme las Friday about her friend Jenni Murray. Unfortunately Harriet Harman was also a guest.

RIP

Hero.
RIP

Agree @maltravers A very disappointing ‘tribute’ from Jane Garvey. It does say ‘as told to’ rather than written by, so who knows if it’s been sanitised.

I’m not sure if this has already been posted, but the Guardian obituary covers JM’’s position on ‘trans issues’ well I think. Outlines them without judgement, although this line says a lot. “A day later, the BBC warned Murray that “presenters should remain impartial on controversial topics covered by their BBC programmes”, effectively silencing any discussion of the issue on Woman’s Hour.” (My emphasis)

www.theguardian.com/media/2026/mar/22/dame-jenni-murray-obituary

Margaret Mitchell was female though. I get what you mean. In Mitchell's case she based Rhett on the abusive husband Red who raped her, and the weird scene in the book may have been an unhealthy coping mechanism.

The first report I read of her passing sad she had died on the 12th of March but family had just released the information a week later.

I have wondered on how they were able to keep it private for so long.

It really got to me. Because I'm a sucker for a bit of a deep South romance.

But yes, Scarlett was carried forcibly and unconsentingly upstairs by Rhett, and 'taken', in the parlance of the day, and wakes up wildly in love.

It's the message. That if a man ignores a woman's protestations and lack of consent, she'll cave, willingly, and lovingly.

I went from thinking GWTW was a great romantic story, to hang on a minute...

On here actually. When someone pointed it out.

Yes, it's like Mr Rochester or Heathcliff : hardly the dreamboats they're often made out to be. I still love GWTW, but as you say, that awful scene tarnishes the whole book..
I know some people argue that maybe Scarlett consented when they got upstairs, especially as it says she starts kissing him back on the landing, but even if she did, Rhett clearly took her up precisely because he knew, at least at that point,,that she didn't want to.

There's now a celebration of her life on Woman's Hour.

So, will they be allowed to give an honest account or will inconvenient aspects be suppressed?

Is the presenter new? I didn't recognise the name (but am not a regular listener).

The presenter, whose name escapes, me is a regular but presents less frequently than McGovern and Rani.

They went on and on and on about JM's fearlessness and being willing to ask difficult questions and yet, that characteristic that led to the end of her career was completely ignored.

They even ended by talking about her lasting contribution being to give women a voice and to enable them to discuss taboo subjects.

In its way, that was shameful.

To add insult to injury, they've now got a "women and birthing people" guest on talking about maternity care. At least the presenter referred to "pregnant women"

I think it was Feldman on an interview who made it seem as though the trans issue [actually women’s issue that women are distinct from transwomen (males)], which Jenni had brought up, was Jenni not being quite as good as she usually was. (My paraphrase, unfortunately I can’t re-find it to listen to, but I think someone else on this thread heard it too.)

Woman’s Hour this morning was talking about her and her qualities including how she stood up for women.

Shamefully no mention was made about how she was in fact so brave in standing up for women that she dared state the fact that women are different from transwomen (males) in the experiences and needs, only to be punished for doing so by the BBC.

The shame was theirs not hers.

They very obviously avoided any mention of her leaving and the reasons for that. Very disappointing and it must be hurtful for her family, who presumably know the truth.

Sorry, I missed your post before.

It was shameful. It was the elephant in the room. They might try to argue that they wanted to praise Jenni by recounting only her golden moments. But when she stood up for women by saying women are not interchangeable with transwomen (males), that was a crowning achievement.

They might argue that they were talking about her special on-air interviews, and this was said in an article, but to my mind they should not have omitted it.

I had to turn it off after the first 10 minutes. Could tell which way it was heading.

Was it on WH with Jenni that Windy Illiaboy talked about the shaving of legs?

Yes, this is the leg-shaving episode. India Willoughby basically misunderstands.

This why I have pretty much permanently turned off R4: it reached a point of complete (and often preachy) predictability.

Another absolutely lovely and trenchant article by Julie Bindel

https://archive.ph/xDVDm

https://unherd.com/2026/03/how-the-bbc-betrayed-jenni-murray/?edition=us

Thank you. I am so glad she has spoken out about this.

The comments were great though, lots of them correcting this

This is a great article and a much needed antidote to the rewriting of history that is happening over the appalling way the BBC treated one of their finest broadcasters.