Emma Barnett
Emma Barnett | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 5, 1985 Salford, England |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, broadcaster |
| Years active | 2007–present |
| Known for | Hosting Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4 (2021–2024), BBC Radio 5 Live presenter, columnist for The Sunday Times |
Emma Barnett (born 5 February 1985) is a British journalist and broadcaster known for hosting Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4 between 2021 and 2024.
Her broadcasting career includes six years at BBC Radio 5 Live starting in 2014, following a three-year tenure at LBC. From 2016 to 2020, Barnett presented the station’s mid-morning weekday show. Prior to her radio work, she held editorial roles at The Daily Telegraph, initially as Digital Media editor before becoming Women editor. Between August 2016 and 2020, she contributed a column to The Sunday Times and co-hosted Sunday Morning Live on BBC One from June 2017. In the autumn of 2017, she appeared as a presenter on ITV’s live debate series After the News. Barnett was also a frequent presenter on the BBC’s current affairs programme Newsnight from 2019 until 2022. In March 2024, she declared her intention to leave Woman's Hour in order to join the presenting team of BBC Radio 4’s Today show.
Early life and education
Born in Salford, England, Barnett is the daughter of Jewish parents Ian, a commercial property surveyor, and Michele Barnett. She grew up as an only child. Her grandmother escaped Nazi Austria by fleeing from Wiener Neustadt. Raised in Broughton Park, she attended Manchester High School for Girls, an independent school. Barnett graduated with a BA in History and Politics from the University of Nottingham in 2006 and completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Journalism at Cardiff University in 2007.
In 2010, Barnett’s father received a prison sentence exceeding three years for running brothels across Greater Manchester, continuing illegal activities despite having a suspended sentence beforehand. Her mother was given a suspended sentence for money laundering connected to this operation. Authorities uncovered emails exchanged between Barnett and her father referencing his brothel enterprise. While Barnett chooses not to publicly discuss her father’s conviction in detail, she has described the ordeal as deeply traumatic and referred to it as a “long, horribly bumpy road to forgiveness.”
Career
Following her postgraduate studies at Cardiff University, Barnett launched her journalism career at Media Week in 2007 before joining The Daily Telegraph in 2009. She became the publication’s inaugural digital media editor and subsequently took on the role of women’s editor. In 2012, she initiated "Wonder Women," a digital section for The Telegraph, which featured contributors such as Cathy Newman from Channel 4 News. Additionally, Barnett chaired both the UJIA Jewish media network and UJIA Skirt Network aimed at Jewish women.
Barnett transitioned into radio presenting with LBC, where she worked until early 2014 before moving to BBC Radio 5 Live. Starting November 2014, she hosted the station’s Hit List, showcasing leading online news stories. By September 2016, she made history as the first woman since Shelagh Fogarty and Victoria Derbyshire to hold a solo daily morning slot on BBC Radio 5 Live.
In April 2014, Barnett served as a judge for BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour power list; she had previously been its youngest occasional presenter. She has produced documentaries for Radio 4 and authored the 'Tough Love' advice column in The Sunday Times Magazine beginning August 2016, openly discussing personal struggles related to her father’s legal troubles involving brothel operations.
In March 2018, Barnett co-hosted the podcast series Irreplaceable: A History of England in 100 Places for Historic England, which earned a nomination for a British Podcast Award. By March 2019, she had become a regular presenter on BBC Two's Newsnight. That same year saw the release of her book Period. It's About Bloody Time, addressing her experiences with endometriosis.
Barnett assumed the role of main presenter on BBC Radio 4's Woman's Hour starting January 2021. Early into her tenure, controversies arose including a guest withdrawing due to alleged antisemitic comments and public criticism over an interview perceived as notably adversarial with the Muslim Council of Britain's Secretary General. In June 2021, musician Sinéad O'Connor publicly condemned Barnett’s line of questioning concerning mental health during an interview.
In January 2022, Barnett began hosting Emma Barnett Meets on Bloomberg, conducting interviews with prominent personalities such as Al Sharpton, Anthony Fauci, and Tim Berners Lee.
Announcing her departure from Woman's Hour in March 2024, Barnett revealed plans to join BBC Radio 4's Today programme as a presenter following the 2024 General Election, succeeding Martha Kearney. Her debut edition aired on 15 May 2024.
Awards
Barnett has twice been recognized by the Radio Academy’s 30 under 30 list and was included in Red magazine’s 20 under 30 Hot List in 2011. During her tenure at The Telegraph, she received accolades such as Digital Journalist of the Year from the Association of Online Publishers and was named Digital Writer of the Year at the Online Media Awards in 2011. In 2012, she won Best Newcomer at the Arqiva commercial radio awards; later honors include Broadcaster of the Year awarded by the Political Studies Association in 2017 and Radio Broadcaster of the Year from the Broadcasting Press Guild in 2018. In recognition of her contributions to Woman's Hour, Barnett earned the Gold award for Best Speech Presenter at the Audio and Radio Industry Awards in 2022.
Personal life
Barnett met her husband Jeremy Weil during their studies at the University of Nottingham. They married in 2012 at London’s New West End Synagogue located in Bayswater. The couple has two children—a son born in 2018 and a daughter born in 2023—conceived following five rounds of IVF treatment alongside one miscarriage. They currently reside in south London’s Brixton, having relocated there from Notting Hill in 2013.
While identifying as an Orthodox Jew, Barnett is not strictly observant and holds complex views regarding both Orthodox and Reform Judaism. Despite embracing feminist principles, she has expressed discomfort with women serving as rabbis. She has volunteered with British Jewish welfare organization Norwood and was previously affiliated with the Women's Equality Party.
Health
Barnett has openly shared her experiences living with endometriosis and related inflammation issues. In August 2024, during an interview on BBC Radio 4 with Kirsty Young, she discussed managing chronic pain and highlighted the personal difficulties posed by these health conditions.