Sue MacGregor

Sue MacGregor was born on August 30, 1941, in Oxford, Oxfordshire, England, UK. Her parents were Scottish, and she was raised in South Africa where her father served in the Royal Army Medical Corps during the Second World War. She attended Herschel Girls’ School in Cape Town and later studied at the École de commerce in Neuchâtel, Switzerland, and the House of Citizenship in England. MacGregor began her career as a typist at Australia House in London and then briefly worked as a junior secretary at the BBC, where she received induction training in broadcasting methods. She subsequently returned to South Africa and started her broadcasting career with SABC’s English-language radio service.

MacGregor joined the BBC again in 1967 as a reporter for ‘The World At One’. She gained significant recognition as the host of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Woman’s Hour’ from 1972 to 1987. Her career continued to progress when she became one of the presenters of the ‘Today’ programme on BBC Radio 4 in 1984, a role she maintained until 2002. During this period, she was appointed an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 1992 Queen’s New Years Honours List and a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2002 Queen’s Birthday Honours List for her contributions to radio broadcasting. Her autobiography, ‘Woman of Today’, was published in 2002, detailing aspects of her personal and professional life.

Following her departure from the ‘Today’ programme, MacGregor continued her broadcasting work, hosting ‘The Reunion’ on BBC Radio 4 from 2003 to 2019. She also chaired the popular book programme ‘A Good Read’ on BBC Radio 4 for seven years, reviewing approximately 500 books before stepping down in late 2010. She is an honorary graduate of several universities, including the University of Nottingham, Nottingham Trent, and Dundee, and has served as a trustee for UNICEF and the John Ellerman Foundation. Throughout her career, MacGregor has been noted for her distinctive interviewing style and ability to engage with a wide range of guests.