Emma Barnett shows a no-nonsense commitment to politics in her first Woman's Hour
Emma Barnett could hardly have hoped for a more auspicious start for her first morning as the new lead presenter of Woman’s Hour on Radio 4. She expressed her hope that there would be more space for listener interaction in the programme, with more people emailing and texting in their thoughts to be read out on air.
And, as it turned out, they did, and the first person to have a message read out was none other than The Queen, expressing her support and admiration for the programme that has been running since 1946.
"As you celebrate your 75th year, it is with great pleasure that I send my best wishes," Her Majesty wrote. "You have witnessed and played a significant part in the evolving role of women across society... I wish you continued success in your important work as a friend, guide and advocate to women everywhere."
And then Barnett introduced Mel C singing an acoustic cover of Here Comes the Sun, which Barnett said was played in the hope that “this year has got to be better, at least a bit.”
It was an extremely strong beginning. Barnett has been a stand-in presenter for Woman’s Hour many times before, but this was the first time she sounded fully confident and in control of the programme, which is now her very own. Woman’s Hour is significant, as The Queen says. Its presenter has to be able to honour its long history as well as keeping it fresh and relevant for the future. Woman’s Hour gets a lot of criticism for even having the temerity to exist, so its presenter needs to stand ever-ready to defend its purpose and move it forwards.
How will Emma Barnett do that? In a recent interview, she said she wanted to include more politics in the programme, extending more invitations to male politicians, while doing fewer live cooking features, which she wasn’t as keen on.
Well, politics was certainly here, and it was welcome. First there was an interview with the former government advisor Sonia Khan, talking about her undignified dismissal from Downing Street when she was escorted out by police. This interview was interesting but felt a bit too long, and the following very promising piece, in which Barnett spoke about a range of topics with Jeremy Hunt and Richard Ratcliffe, the husband of Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe, seemed a little truncated by comparison.
To finish with some light relief, Barnett picked up the royal theme again by interviewing Imelda Staunton, in a cheery mood, about her upcoming role as the Queen in The Crown; the time she sang at the Queen's 90th birthday party (“This was the line-up,” she said, “Shirley Bassey, Kylie Minogue, and who?!”); and the importance of live theatre.
It was a joyous way to end. And this was only day one, so there's time for the programme to perfect its balance in pursuing a new, more political direction. Woman's Hour has been accused of being tentative in its coverage of some particularly hot political issues, not least in the debate over gender identity. It's too early to tell which way Barnett will go on that, but she certainly seems to have made a practical, no-nonsense start to the political side of things. It's already clear that Woman's Hour has changed, setting out an invigorating beginning to a new era for a long-loved programme.