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» Sarah Kennedy

 

Factfile

In  2005 Sarah  was voted one of the top thirty most powerful people on British Radio by a Radio Times panel and

 was awarded the MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours List.

 

In 1998 Sarah  published a thriller, Charlotte's Friends.

Sarah has also published collections of listeners' tales;  Terrible Pets (1996)Terrible Twos (1998) and Brief Encounters (2001) Cats (2002)

In 1997, she first coined the term ‘White Van Man’ for which she is now famous.

Kennedy’s partner since 1997 is Adrian McGlynn, a horse racing executive who lives in Bedfordshire while she works in London.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Early Days

 

Born in East Grinstead, Sussex in 1950, Sarah's father was a stockbroker and her mother a nurse. She studied for two years at drama school, becoming a drama teacher. She was a Matron at Copthorne Preparatory School in West Sussex. In her twenties she married a member of the armed forces.

 

Sarah began her radio career as an announcer on the British Forces Radio BFBS based at Singapore.

 

Aged 26 she joined Radio 2, reading news bulletins and presenting the popular Sunday armed forces request show Family Favourites.

 

Sarah closed Radio 2 down for the very last time after reading the 2am news on 27th January 1979. The station  began broadcasting 24 hrs later that morning.

 

Sarah left Radio 2 in 1981 to become a presenter on  ITV's new practical joke show Game for a Laugh along with co-hosts Henry Kelly and Jeremy Beadle. She went on to take part in various other TV shows including The Animals Roadshow, Busman's Holiday and Animal Country.

 

Early Breakfast

She came back to Radio 2 in 1992 presenting the weekday early morning show. Here, Sarah playes a wide range of records and shares stories with listeners about her 'dearly beloved' her old Aunt, the cat and the house.

She picked up up the nickname 'Bunty Bagshaw' reflecting her 'jolly hockey sticks'

 

In 1995, Kennedy received a prestigious Sony Gold Radio Award.

 

Listeners ended letters to Sarah with 'Love the show'. She mentioned that this made her sound a bit like Steve Wright. People then started writing in 'Steve Wrights to you', which has since been shortened to SW's; meaning 'love the show'.

 

Media

Over recent years Sarah has been in the news with articles written about her slow speech, so-called on air political incorrectness as well as her personal appearance.

 

 

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Audio© BBC

 

Nightmare, Chanel Tights and Convoy GB 14.10.02.

Steady on, naturists 27.02.04.         Regroup

Tired Sarah 13.07.07.

Still tired

Enoch Powell quote 15.07.09.

Monitored by a man 22.07.09.

 

"Re-group tomorrow, if spared."

Sarah Kennedy's  parting words daily on Radio 2.

 

Photograph copyright BBC

 

 

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