Martha Kearney | |
|---|---|
 Kearney in 2014 | |
| Born | (1957-10-08)8 October 1957 (age 68) Dublin, Ireland |
| Education | Brighton and Hove High School George Watson's College |
| Alma mater | St Anne's College, Oxford |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, presenter |
| Notable credit(s) | Woman's Hour Newsnight The World at One |
| Spouse | |
| Parent(s) | Hugh Kearney (1924–2017) Catherine "Kate" Murphy[1] |
Martha Catherine Kearney (born 8 October 1957) is a British-Irish journalist and broadcaster. She was the main presenter ofBBC Radio 4's lunchtime news programmeThe World at One for 11 years.
In April 2018, Kearney joined the presenting team of the early morningToday programme. In February 2024 she announced her intention to step down fromToday after the2024 United Kingdom general election,[2][3] and she did so on 18 July 2024.[4] She is to stay with Radio 4, hosting a new series calledThis Natural Life and continuing to present episodes ofOpen Country.[3]
Kearney was born inDublin, and brought up in an academic environment; her father, the historianHugh Kearney, taught first atSussex and later atEdinburgh universities.[5] She was educated at St Joseph's (later St Wilfrid's) Catholic School,Burgess Hill, Sussex, during her primary-school years. Her secondary education was first, briefly, at the privateBrighton and Hove High School, and then at the privateGeorge Watson's Ladies College inEdinburgh. From 1976 to 1980 she readclassics atSt Anne's College, Oxford.[6]
Kearney began her career as a phone operator on phone-in programmes at the London commercial radio stationLBC andIndependent Radio News in London. She was a reporter on the AM programme before becoming a political correspondent when she covered the1987 general election. In 1988 she joinedA Week in Politics onChannel 4 as a reporter.[7] In 1990 she moved to theBBC's political programmeOn the Record.
In 1998, Kearney became a regular presenter of BBC Radio 4'sWoman's Hour. In 2000 she became political editor ofBBC Two'sNewsnight programme. She presentedNewsnight and its weekly consumer survey of entertainment and culture,Newsnight Review, with increasing frequency. She was a candidate to succeedAndrew Marr as the BBC's political editor in 2005, but lost out toNick Robinson.
Kearney featured in a spoof segment of the BBC comedy seriesTime Trumpet, titled "Honey, I Shrunk Martha Kearney", in whichJeremy Paxman, in a fantasy version ofNewsnight, interviewed her when she was a third of her normal size. She also featured later in the episode in a spoof report fromNotting Hill.[8] In 2006, she presented with her father a Radio 4 series on the history of universities in Britain,The Idea of a University.[9]
Kearney presented her finalWoman's Hour on 19 March 2007 and her finalNewsnight on 23 March 2007. She became the main presenter of Radio 4's lunchtime news programmeThe World at One on 16 April 2007. She presentedNewsnight Review which becameThe Review Show from 2006 until 2014.
Kearney was nominated for aBAFTA award for her coverage of theNorthern Ireland peace process in 1998. She was, withJenni Murray, 2004 TRIC radio presenter of the year, and won aSony bronze award for a programme onchild poverty.[10] She was awarded Political Commentator of the Year byThe House magazine in 2006.[11] In 2014 theVoice of the Listener & Viewer awarded her its Best Individual Contribution to Radio award.[12]
In 2013, Kearney won her episode of theGreat Comic Relief Bake Off competing againstClaudia Winkleman,Ed Byrne andHelen Glover.
In 2015, she took part in the 50th anniversary celebrations ofThe World at One.[13]
Kearney joinedToday on Radio 4 in April 2018 as a main presenter, swapping posts withSarah Montague.[2]
OtherBBC work includesThe Secret World of Lewis Carroll (2015) forBBC Two.[14] Other BBC work includesBeing The Brontes (2016) for BBC Two,[15]The Great Butterfly Adventure (2016) forBBC Four,[16]The Books That Made Britain (2016) forBBC One,[17]Great Irish Journeys (2017) forBBC Four,[18] andMAKE! Craft Britain (2017) forBBC Four.[19]
She has also presentedTalking Books[20] for theBBC fromHay Festival interviewingKazuo Ishiguro andMarlon James amongst others.
In February 2024, Kearney announced she would leave theToday programme, after the 2024,General Election. Her replacement isEmma Barnett.[3][21] Kearney's last day onToday was 18 July 2024;[4] she is to stay with Radio 4, hosting a new series calledThis Natural Life and continuing to present episodes ofOpen Country.[3]
In 2004, Kearney was a judge for theBaillie Gifford Prize for Non-Fiction (formerly the Samuel Johnson Prize for non-fiction). She chaired the Prize's judging panel in 2020.[22] In 2005, she chaired the judges for the women-onlyOrange Prize for Fiction.[23]
Kearney chaired the judges for the 2012Hippocrates Prize for Poetry and Medicine and in 2013 was a judge for the ManBooker Prize.[citation needed]
Kearney was President of theClassical Association, 2013–14.[24]
Kearney's husband was an executive producer of the Academy Awards nominated short documentaryWatani: My Homeland. In the run-up to the ceremony Kearney described her preparations for the "red carpet" withEddie Mair on the Radio 4PM programme.
Kearney is a keenbee-keeper and has made the BBC programmesWho Killed The Honey Bee (2009) forBBC Four,[25]The Wonder of Bees (2014) for BBC Four[26] and a two-part nature documentaryHive Alive (2014) alongsideChris Packham forBBC Two.[27]
In 2023, it was announced that Kearney had joined Camphill Milton Keynes Communities as their patron. The charity was home to her brother-in-law for more than 30 years, and she is supporting them to launch their £15m capital campaign.[28]
In March 2025, Kearney was appointed as a trustee of theBritish Museum.[29]
Kearney married Chris Shaw, senior programme controller atChannel 5, in 2001 inDiss, Norfolk.[30][31][32] The couple live inWortham, Suffolk.[33]
| Media offices | ||
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| Preceded by | Main presenter:The World at One 2007–2018 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Political Editor:Newsnight 2000–2007 | Succeeded by |
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| Other | |
