Carolyn Quinn has been a much loved voice on BBC Radio 4 for decades. She started out in broadcasting “as a hobby”, by getting involved with hospital radio at Charing Cross Hospital. It was an unlikely beginning to a journalism career that has stretched over five decades and seen her hosting some of the nation’s best known and important radio shows. After taking a degree in French, Carolyn joined the BBC Local Radio reporters’ scheme. She moved to the BBC’s political and parliamentary team in 1989 and became a Political Correspondent on TV and radio in 1994. In 2004 Carolyn joined the presenting line-up on Radio 4’s Today programme, staying with Today until 2008. From 2001 she was also a...
Carolyn Quinn has been a much loved voice on BBC Radio 4 for decades. She started out in broadcasting “as a hobby”, by getting involved with hospital radio at Charing Cross Hospital. It was an unlikely beginning to a journalism career that has stretched over five decades and seen her hosting some of the nation’s best known and important radio shows. After taking a degree in French, Carolyn joined the BBC Local Radio reporters’ scheme. She moved to the BBC’s political and parliamentary team in 1989 and became a Political Correspondent on TV and radio in 1994.
In 2004 Carolyn joined the presenting line-up on Radio 4’s Today programme, staying with Today until 2008. From 2001 she was also a regular presenter of BBC Radio 4’s PM programme while becoming the main presenter of Radio 4’s The Westminster Hour in January 2007, stepping down in March 2023. She has also presented Radio 4’s overnight election programmes covering the referendums as well as general and local elections. All that means she has had a front-row seat for political events, from Blair to Brexit to Covid and beyond but as a live broadcaster she has also covered a wide range of non-political domestic and foreign affairs topics and has fronted documentaries.
Much respected by her peers, Carolyn was the first woman elected Chair of the Westminster Press Gallery in 2011.
Carolyn’s skills at chairing and moderating debates mean she’s in demand as a host for book and product launches, front of audience events, Q&As and audio projects including podcasts and audio books requiring a warm and experienced broadcast voice.
