Woman’s Hour: Jane Garvey quits after 13 years

Broadcaster will present own interview series instead

Jane Garvey (BBC / Guy Levy)

Jane Garvey has announced she is quitting Woman’s Hour, just weeks after her co-host Jenni Murray said she was also leaving the Radio 4 show.

Garvey will leave at the end of the year and go on to host her own Radio 4 interview series in 2021.

The broadcaster, who has presented the show for 13 years, said: “It’s been a real privilege to play a small part in the history of this very special radio programme.

“On one unforgettable day, I interviewed David Cameron in the morning, and Mary J Blige in the afternoon. There’s no other job like it.”

Garvey said that celebrity interviews were not the only reason fans tuned into Woman’s Hour, but also because the programme “still talks about the subjects and challenges no one else goes near”.

“I’m very proud of our relationship with the audience and the trust they place in us,” she said.

Jenni Murray (AFP via Getty Images)

As well as Garvey’s interview series, she will also become a “regular late-night fixture, along with Fi Glover”, with their Fortunately podcast arriving on the Radio 4 schedule.

Murray had announced at the end of July that she was leaving the Radio 4 show after more than three decades. Her last programme will be on 1 October.

The 70-year-old is the longest serving presenter in the show’s 74-year history.

The BBC said new presenters will be announced in due course.

Additional reporting by PA.