Libby Purves
- Prizes judged
Libby Purves is a journalist and radio presenter of long-standing who has worked for an eclectic roster of media outlets, including the BBC, the Times, the Oldie and Yachting Monthly.
As the daughter of a diplomat, Purves had an international schooling in such far-flung places as Israel, Bangkok, South Africa, France and Tunbridge Wells. In the early 1970s, she began a career in radio, which included a spell as a reporter on the BBC’s influential Today programme. She has also written numerous books, including 12 novels. Her career has been marked by her independent-mindedness, including releasing a statement after she was fired as the Times’s theatre critic stating it was ‘not my decision in any way. At all.’ She is also a nuanced but fervent supporter of gay rights.