1. Emma Barnett was born on 5 February 1985 and is a British broadcaster and journalist who presented Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4 from 2021 until 2024.
23 Facts About Emma Barnett
1. 2.
In March 2024, Emma Barnett announced she would step down from Woman's Hour in April, to join the BBC's long-running Today programme, as part of their presenting team.
3.
Emma Barnett was born on 5 February 1985 at Hope Hospital in Salford to Jewish parents, Ian, a commercial property surveyor, and Michele Emma Barnett and is a single child.
4.
Emma Barnett's grandmother fled Wiener Neustadt, Austria, to escape the Nazis.
5.
Emma Barnett attended Manchester High School for Girls, a private school.
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Emma Barnett took a postgraduate course in journalism at the Cardiff School of Journalism, Media and Cultural Studies.
7.
In 2010, Emma Barnett's father was sentenced to three years and eight months in prison for operating brothels in the Greater Manchester area, following a prior eight month suspended sentence in 2005, after which he had continued to operate the brothels under other people's names.
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Emma Barnett's mother received a suspended sentence for money laundering related to income from the brothels.
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Emma Barnett launched The Telegraphs digital section, "Wonder Women", in October 2012 with contributors such as Cathy Newman of Channel 4 News.
10.
Emma Barnett became chair of the UJIA Jewish media network and of the UJIA Skirt Network, a networking group for Jewish women.
11.
In March 2018, Emma Barnett began a series of podcasts for Historic England entitled Irreplaceable: A History of England in 100 Places.
12.
In January 2021, Emma Barnett became the main presenter of Woman's Hour on BBC Radio 4.
13.
In June 2021, Sinead O'Connor complained about how Emma Barnett had questioned her about her mental health during a Woman's Hour interview.
14.
In March 2024, Emma Barnett announced she was stepping down from Woman's Hour in April, to join the presenting team on BBC Radio 4's Today and replacing Martha Kearney, who was leaving the programme after the 2024 General Election.
15.
Emma Barnett presented her first edition of Today on 15 May 2024.
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Emma Barnett was named in two consecutive annual lists of the Radio Academy's 30 under 30 list.
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Emma Barnett made the 20 under 30 Hot List feature in Red magazine in 2011.
18.
Emma Barnett was named best newcomer at the Arqiva commercial radio awards in 2012.
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Emma Barnett was named Broadcaster of the Year in 2017 by the Political Studies Association and Radio Broadcaster of the Year in 2018 by the Broadcasting Press Guild.
20.
Emma Barnett won the Gold award for Best Speech Presenter at the 2022 Audio and Radio Industry Awards for her work on Woman's Hour.
21.
Emma Barnett met her husband, Jeremy Weil, when they were both studying at Nottingham University and married at the New West End Synagogue in Bayswater in 2012.
22.
Emma Barnett is an Orthodox Jew but, religiously, is not very observant, and is ambivalent about both Orthodox and Reform Judaism.
23.
Emma Barnett has volunteered for British Jewish welfare charity Norwood.