Hot seat Laverne’s route to radio’s most revered show

Lauren Laverne caught the eye of Radio 4 bosses after guest editing Woman’s Hour in 2014.

A year later, she was offered a job hosting an 11pm spin-off, Late Night Woman’s Hour, which offered a racier alternative to the main show, complete with the f-word

and frank discussions about sex.

She has also conducted interviews as a host of BBC Two’s The Culture Show, but remains best-known as a music presenter, with her distinctive Sunderland accent filling the airwaves each weekday morning on 6 Music and in the corporation’s Glastonbury coverage.