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Sarah Montague

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Sarah Montague
As conference chair at the NHS Confederation annual conference (2011)
Born (1966-02-08) 8 February 1966 (age 58)
Guernsey, Channel Islands
Alma materUniversity of Bristol
Occupations
  • Stockbroker (former)
  • Journalist
  • Radio & television presenter
AgentNoel Gay
Known for
SpouseSir Christopher Brooke
WebsiteBBC webpage

Sarah Anne Louise Montague, Lady Brooke (born 8 February 1966),[1] is a British journalist and presenter of the BBC Radio 4 current affairs programme The World at One.[2] For 18 years, prior to April 2018, she was a regular presenter of another radio programme, Today.

Early life

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Montague was born to John Montague, a Colonel in the British Army, and Mary (née O'Malley) on Guernsey, a British Crown dependency and one of the Channel Islands. After attending Blanchelande College, a local independent school for girls, she read biology at the University of Bristol, gaining a BSc.[3]

Career

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Montague's first occupation was as a stockbroker for County NatWest and then a Eurobond dealer with NatWest Capital Markets in London.[4] She then went into business in London with the owner of men's clothing retailer Charles Tyrwhitt.[5]

Montague began her journalistic career with Channel Television in 1991. She joined Reuters in January 1995 and then became business correspondent for Sky News in January 1996.[4]

She joined the BBC during October 1997, and presented Newsnight, Breakfast and BBC News, before joining the Today news programme on BBC Radio 4 in 2002.[1][6] She presented the first programme on BBC News 24 with Gavin Esler on 9 November 1997. She has also presented HARDtalk on BBC News.[7] In December 2008, she hosted BBC World's Nobel Minds in the library of the Royal Palace, Stockholm. The 2008 Nobel Prize winners in Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, Economics, and Literature had a round-table discussion on issues of global concern and their own contributions to the world of knowledge.

On 6 November 2010, Montague broke a strike at the BBC called by the National Union of Journalists. She arrived to present the Today programme at 3:30 am, along with fellow presenter Evan Davis, not crossing the picket line.[8][9] On 15 July 2011, she again broke an NUJ strike by presenting Today with Justin Webb, again by arriving early.[10]

In 2013 she was awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Letters by the University of Sussex and in 2015 she was awarded the honorary degree Doctor of Laws from the University of Bristol.[11]

After 18 years, she left Radio 4's flagship current affairs programme in April 2018 to take over the lead on the lunchtime news broadcast The World at One from Martha Kearney.[12] She was earning much less than her male colleagues, with John Humphrys earning more than four times her salary.[13] She described herself as "incandescent with rage" when she found out she was earning less than other presenters.[14][15][16] In January 2020 Montague revealed that she had received a £400,000 settlement and an apology from the BBC for her unequal treatment.[17][18]

In 2018, she was criticised for misattributing the Electoral Commission's findings that the Vote Leave campaign broke the law in the 2016 referendum, thereby protecting several government ministers from pressure to resign. She repeatedly referred to “these allegations”, when they were, in fact, the findings of the statutory body charged with protecting the 2016 referendum and the integrity of UK elections.[19] The Electoral Commission finding and fine were overruled in court in July 2019.[20] The defendant in the court case said "This raises serious questions about its [The Electoral Commission's] conduct both during and after the referendum."

Personal life

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In April 2002 Montague married businessman Sir Richard Christopher Brooke at Chelsea Register Office. The couple had met while Brooke was setting up a hotel in Holkham, Norfolk.[4] In 2012 her husband inherited the Brooke baronetcy, becoming the 12th baronet.[21][22]

In 2014 they were guests at a party co-hosted by then-Prime Minister David Cameron, with whom Brooke had attended Eton College.[23] The couple live in west London and have three daughters.[24] Montague also has an older stepdaughter.[25]

References

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  1. ^ a b Who's who
  2. ^ Fullerton, Huw (30 March 2018). "Sarah Montague leaves BBC Radio 4's Today programme after 18 years". Radio Times. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  3. ^ Debrett's People of Today 2005 (18th ed.). Debrett's. 2005. p. 1155. ISBN 1-870520-10-6.
  4. ^ a b c Leonard, Tom (21 June 2002). "'I'm all mouth – I like feisty discussions'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  5. ^ "Sarah Montague". Chartwell Speakers. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  6. ^ Wells, Matt (29 November 2001). "Today loses its velvet voice after 18 years of male jibes". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  7. ^ Steve Keen on BBC HARDtalk [good sync]. 25 November 2011. Archived from the original on 18 December 2021 – via YouTube.
  8. ^ Nikkhah, Roya (6 November 2010). "BBC calls on unfamiliar faces to struggle through strike action". Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  9. ^ Mendick, Jonathan Wynne-Jones and Robert (6 November 2010). "BBC's top stars in bitter split over strike". Retrieved 28 April 2020 – via www.telegraph.co.uk.
  10. ^ Deans, Jason (15 July 2011). "BBC strike disrupts news programmes". The Guardian. Retrieved 30 September 2015.
  11. ^ "Public and Ceremonial Events Office. Honorary Degrees. Sarah Montague". University of Bristol. 10 February 2015. Retrieved 4 April 2024.
  12. ^ Furness, Hannah (30 March 2018). "Sarah Montague signs off Today programme with final jibe at John Humphrys". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 3 July 2018.
  13. ^ Sawyer, Miranda (1 July 2018). "Trouble at the Today programme: is it losing its grip?". The Guardian. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  14. ^ "Sarah Montague: I was incandescent with rage over Today pay gap". The Daily Telegraph. Press Association. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  15. ^ Montague, Sarah (8 April 2018). "Sarah Montague on her gender pay gap: I'm furious about being paid less than men at the BBC". The Sunday Times. Retrieved 8 April 2018. (subscription required)
  16. ^ "Radio 4 host 'incandescent with rage' over pay". BBC News. 8 April 2018. Retrieved 8 April 2018.
  17. ^ "Sarah Montague: Radio presenter confirms £400k pay settlement with BBC". BBC News. 20 January 2020. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  18. ^ Perraudin, Frances (20 January 2020). "Sarah Montague wins £400,000 from BBC over unequal pay". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  19. ^ Freedland, Jonathan (20 July 2018). "The will of the people? These Brexit ideologues are destroying democracy". TheGuardian.com. Retrieved 20 January 2020.
  20. ^ "Darren Grimes: Brexit campaigner wins appeal against £20,000 fine". BBC News. 19 July 2019. Retrieved 17 May 2020.
  21. ^ "Norton Priory Museum & Gardens". nortonpriory.org. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  22. ^ Heath, Martin (5 July 2023). "Official Roll of the Baronetage". baronetage.org. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  23. ^ McSmith, Andy (18 December 2014). "Andy McSmith's Diary: The enemy within Chequers at Sam Cam's delayed 40th". The Independent. Retrieved 1 July 2018.
  24. ^ "My week: Sarah Montague". theguardian.com/. 16 March 2008. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
  25. ^ "Sarah Montague – Inspirational Woman!". changingpeople.co.uk. 21 May 2013. Retrieved 29 June 2023.
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