The BBC confirmed today that veteran newsreader Moira Stuart will read the news on Chris Evans’ Radio 2 breakfast show when it starts on Monday.
Sixty-year-old Stuart will return to read bulletins for Evans, who is taking over from Terry Wogan, after previously being dropped from the BBC’s roster of newsreaders.
Evans said today: “It doesn’t get any better than Moira Stuart. The voice, the authority, the style, the class, plus a side of her the majority of people have never seen before.
“She’s funny, she’s cheeky and dare I say it – ever such a little bit naughty.”
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Stuart’s departure, in 2007, after more than 30 years at the corporation led to accusations that she had been a victim of age discrimination.
The BBC has since come under increasing fire for alleged ageism. In July, the sacking of 66-year-old Arlene Phillips from her role as a judge on BBC1’s Strictly Come Dancing – to be replaced by 30-year-old singer Alesha Dixon – sparked over 2,000 complaints in 24 hours.
Mark Thompson, BBC director general, then called on BBC management to hire more older women, including a newsreader, to counter accusations of ageism.
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