LEGENDS OF NEWS with DERMOT MURNAGHAN

About LEGENDS OF NEWS with DERMOT MURNAGHAN

Legends of News is a gripping, deeply personal podcast hosted by award-winning broadcaster Dermot Murnaghan, exploring the golden era of television news through the voices of those who shaped it. With over four decades in the newsroom himself, Dermot invites fellow household names to reveal what it was really like in front of the camera when the world changed in real time. Through candid conversations, listeners are granted a front-row seat to history: from breaking global events to chaotic newsrooms, unforgettable interviews with world leaders, and the occasional live blooper. As history echoes through current events, these news giants reflect on how the past informs the present—and share where life has taken them now. Legends of News is a warm, revealing, and inspiring chronicle of the stories that must not be forgotten Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy (https://acast.com/privacy) for more information.

Publisher

Legends Of News

Category

news

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

21 May 2025

Latest episode

11 Jan 2026

Latest episodes

19 of 21 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   11 Jan 2026

   Adam Boulton: Building Sky News, covering Westminster, and how political journalism has changed

   Adam Boulton looks back on a career spent covering British politics at the highest level, from TV-am’s chaotic early days to three decades at Sky News. He recalls interviewing Margaret Thatcher and meeting figures including Ted Heath, Jim Callaghan, Harold Wilson and Alec Douglas-Home, plus the rough-and-ready reality of political reporting when “there were no barriers outside Number 10”. Adam charts his route into journalism via Washington, the BBC World Service, and the early promise — and panic — of TV-am, where he became political editor in his mid-20s. At Sky News, Adam explains why impartiality mattered to him, why he says he never faced editorial interference from Rupert Murdoch, and how he helped build a Westminster operation designed to go live fast and report what was known as events unfolded. He discusses the fall of the Berlin Wall, the rise of spin and special advisers, and why he believes political access has tightened over time. Adam and Dermot also revisit the 2010 leaders’ debates — how they were secured, the “empty chair” threat, and what Adam thinks they achieved — before returning to the hung parliament and his notorious on-air row with Alastair Campbell. Follow Dermot: X: @DermotMurnaghan and @LegendsofNews Instagram: @legendsofnewspodcast

2. 

   21 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Legends of News: Best of 2025 – Favourite moments from our first year

   Dermot brings you an end-of-year selection box of standout moments from Legends of News, a small sample of the stories that defined the podcast’s first year, including: • John Sergeant on Margaret Thatcher, the RAF flight to Moscow, spilled crockery and a legendary live on-air encounter • Natasha Kaplinsky OBE on the BBC Breakfast call-up, life on the sofa and the hierarchy written into contract • Sir Trevor McDonald on Air Force One, American presidents and why listening matters more than confrontation • Nick Owen MBE on prostate cancer, the decision to go public and the impact of speaking out • Selena Scott on Princess Diana behind the scenes, press pressure and candid encounters with the future King • Julia Somerville on ITN, News at Ten and returning to screen after major brain surgery Follow Dermot: X: @DermotMurnaghan and @LegendsofNews Instagram: @legendsofnewspodcast For more information email: LegendsofNews@Sassyplus.com

3. 

   7 Dec 2025TRANSCRIPT

   Julia Somerville: Accidental newsreader, breaking news, and Rip Off Britain

   Julia Somerville charts the hard yards of reporting her way up through smoke-filled newsrooms to become one of the few female faces to read the news in the 1970s and 80s. She recalls landing the Nine O'clock News, the rigid BBC presenter culture, and the liberating move to ITN. Along the way come the defining moments: covering Thatcher’s rise, watching the Berlin Wall fall live on News at Ten, and presenting 9/11 live on LBC. Julia and Dermot also relive their own News at Ten and lunchtime-news years together, including the days after Diana’s death. Julia reflects on privacy, tabloid intrusion, her work with the Government Art Collection, and why returning to the BBC to front Rip Off Britain has felt like coming home. Follow Dermot: X: @DermotMurnaghan and @LegendsofNews Instagram: @legendsofnewspodcast

Inside a recent episode

Legends of News: Best of 2025 – Favourite moments from our first year

Published 21 Dec 2025 · Transcript excerpt

[…] President you and my mother the only people who have ever thought I was clever but then he said I'm going to take you on a tour of the West Wing and the Oval Office and I must confess that at that point I didn't see the benefit of this until later on I thought wow I was being shown around the West Wing by a sitting president of the United States and I was taken into the Oval Office and we talked about who he saw in the Oval Office and what he did and who he liked and who he didn't like and one of the funniest things I remember is he kept referring to me as sir Trevor sir Trevor and I said to him I said you know Americans do this to remember your name and I said you know Mr. […]

Who has been a guest on LEGENDS OF NEWS with DERMOT MURNAGHAN

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• Anne Diamond OBE
• Sir Trevor McDonald
• Jonathan Dimbleby
• Joanna Gosling
• Natasha Kaplinsky

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

5.0 / 5

1 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 22 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

45

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

0

Questions about LEGENDS OF NEWS with DERMOT MURNAGHAN