Dame Jenni Murray, former BBC Woman's Hour presenter, dies at 75

Broadcaster Dame Jenni Murray, who hosted BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour for more than three decades, has died at the age of 75.

Dame Jenni joined the programme in 1987 and left in 2020 as its longest-serving presenter.

BBC director general Tim Davie paid tribute to her as "a broadcasting icon", while Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya described her as "warm, fearless and beloved by listeners".

"During her decades at Woman's Hour, she helped shape the national conversation with intelligence, rigour and a remarkable ability to connect with audiences," Bakaya added.

"Jenni leaves an indelible legacy on generations of listeners. We are profoundly grateful for her outstanding contribution to Radio 4, and she will be deeply missed."

During her 33 years on the show, the formidable presenter conducted memorable interviews with female figures as varied as Bette Davis, Margaret Thatcher, Hillary Clinton and Margaret Atwood.

Dame Jenni announced on air in 2006 that she had been diagnosed with breast cancer.

In his tribute, Davie said the news of her death was "incredibly sad".

"Dame Jenni was, simply put, a broadcasting icon," he said. "Throughout her three groundbreaking decades on Woman's Hour, Jenni created a safe space for her audience thanks to her warmth, intelligence and courage.

"We shall all miss her terribly. Her legacy endures in the countless conversations she started, the many issues she championed and the lives she touched."

Dame Jenni had a grammar school education in her home town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire, before going on to study French and drama at the University of Hull.

She began broadcasting in 1973 on local radio in Bristol, before presenting BBC TV's South Today between 1978 and 1983.

She worked on BBC Two's Newsnight and Radio 4's Today programme before taking over from Sue MacGregor on Woman's Hour, which is dedicated to "women's voices and women's lives".

She once said it was no surprise that she had chosen to champion women's issues in the media as she "recognised very early on that girls did not have it as easy as boys did".

Vintage Murray moments from the show included a confrontation with Mrs Thatcher about her childcare policies, a flirtatious interview with actor Jack Nicholson, challenging Edwina Currie about her affair with John Major, and asking Hillary Clinton how she could forgive her husband Bill's infidelity.

Other highlights included an interview with her favourite singer Joan Baez - "the peak of my career", she once said.

As well as speaking to her listeners about her breast cancer diagnosis, she also spoke openly about her weight loss surgery and the menopause.

In 2011, she received a damehood in recognition of her contribution to broadcasting, and also won two Sony Awards and was made a member of the Radio Academy Hall of Fame during her career.

Dame Jenni made a cameo appearance in BBC satire W1A in 2015, interviewing Hugh Bonneville's character Ian Fletcher on a fictional episode of Woman's Hour.

In 2018, she pulled out of an Oxford University talk amid a backlash over comments she made about transgender people.

On Dame Jenni's final episode in 2020, novelist and poet Jackie Kay saluted Dame Jenni for "holding up a mirror to the real world and everything that's been going on in it", while MP Harriet Harman, praised her "tremendous legacy".

The broadcaster ended her final programme with Helen Reddy's feminist anthem I Am Woman.

During her career, she also wrote for newspapers including the Daily Express and Daily Mail, and published several books.

They included Memoirs of a Not So Dutiful Daughter and a guide to the menopause titled Is It Me Or Is It Hot In Here?