Samira Ahmed wins broadcasting award months after BBC equal pay victory

Samira Ahmed has won an award naming her audio broadcaster of the year, months after claiming victory in her equal pay claim against the BBC.

The Front Row presenter beat Radio 4’s Paddy O’Connell, podcaster George The Poet, and radio DJs Roman Kemp and Dave Berry to the prize at the Broadcasting Press Guild awards today.

A London employment tribunal found in January that Ahmed should have been paid the same as fellow presenter Jeremy Vine for their work on Newswatch and Points Of View respectively.

Ahmed won the award both for her radio work and the podcast she hosts for Intelligence Squared, How I Found My Voice.

According to TV journalist Scott Bryan, Ahmed told the awards ceremony that she had considered applying for the BBC director-general role that is currently up for grabs but that she loves radio broadcasting too much.

Former BBC Radio 2 newsreader Moira Stuart received a standing ovation as she accepted the Harvey Lee award for outstanding contribution to broadcasting.

The gong, which was announced ahead of the ceremony, recognises her five decades in broadcasting.

BPG chairman Jake Kanter said: “I’m proud to say that, for the second year in a row, a record number of votes were cast for the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards, which is testament to the enduring qualities of the BPG and the continued vibrancy of British television.”

The awards are voted for by journalists who write about television and radio, and the winners were announced during a ceremony at Banking Hall, central London.

Picture: Yui Mok/PA Wire

Topics in this article : BBC