Joan Bakewell

Joan Bakewell’s broadcasting career continues into its fourth decade with her series for BBC Radio 3: Belief. She also appears on Radio 4’s Saturday Live, BBC 1’s Daily Politics, and GMTV’s Sunday programme. Her latest play was broadcast on Radio 4 in 2007. Her first novel will be published early in 2009.

Joan’s three areas of interest are : the arts, religion, and old age. She was BBC television’s arts correspondent throughout the 80’s, and was later on the board of the National Theatre, The Aldeburgh Festival, and Friends of the Tate. She is currently Chair of the theatre company Shared Experience and also of The National Campaign for the Arts.

In the 90's Joan presented Heart of the Matter on BBC 1 – a programme that dealt with moral and religious dilemmas of our times. A selection of her interviews for her radio series Belief was published in 2005. In 2003 she began a column for The Guardian called Just Seventy.

In 2007 she published “The View from Here: Life at 70”. She currently has a weekly column in The Independent each Friday.  

Joan also chairs conferences and seminars and is a highly skilled conference facilitator and after dinner speaker. She has a wealth of experience hosting events and award ceremonies, both at home and abroad.