Kirsty Young: 5 News, Desert Island Discs, and a Life in Broadcasting

Kirsty Young is one of the most distinctive voices in British broadcasting. From reading continuity announcements on BBC Radio Scotland to hosting Desert Island Discs, Kirsty recalls breaking TV news tradition by standing up behind the newsdesk, interviewing Tony Blair on launch night, and anchoring live as 9/11 unfolded — including an on-air interview with her husband who was in Manhattan.

They explore what it means to find your voice as a journalist, the privilege of covering Queen Elizabeth II’s funeral, and the power of music to reveal the truth about people. Kirsty also reflects on how Channel 5 News rehearsals prepared her for launch night, and why the chaos of live breaking news still excites her.

Kirsty also reveals:

Why she never watches herself back on TV
How radio remains her first love
The thrill of “finding her tribe” when she first walked into a newsroom

00:02:00 – Landing her first job as a BBC Radio Scotland continuity announcer
00:04:55 – Moving from radio into Scottish television news and early nerves
00:06:22 – Advice for aspiring journalists in today’s “attention economy”
00:09:17 – Why tone and trust are at the heart of great journalism
00:12:27 – The moment she felt she’d “found her tribe” in a newsroom
00:15:03 – Launching Channel 5 News and standing up behind the desk
00:16:30 – Interviewing Tony Blair on launch night and finding confidence
00:20:49 – Moving to ITN and realising she didn’t quite fit
00:22:50 – 9/11: going open-ended live with 30 seconds of script
00:24:15 – Interviewing her husband live from Manhattan during the attacks
00:31:45 – Desert Island Discs: Tom Hanks moved to tears and Bill Gates’ Willie Nelson story
00:48:26 – How Young Again lets her work around her health condition

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