Media needs to retain opportunities for ‘working-class voices’

Media Needs to Retain Opportunities for Working-Class Voices – Lorraine Kelly

TV presenter Lorraine Kelly highlighted the importance of including working-class voices in the media, warning that “if you’re only going to hear elite opinions we’re never going to get anywhere.”

Career and Current Challenges

Kelly, a daytime host with a national TV career dating back to the mid-1980s, appeared on BBC’s Desert Island Discs to discuss recent ITV cutbacks. From 2026, her show will be cut to 30-minute episodes airing 30 weeks a year. She described the changes as “seismic” but part of ongoing “regime changes” she has experienced throughout her career.

“Things have to change. I have been through so many regime changes in my life. For me this is just another one, but it’s seismic.”

She expressed deep concern about the impact on her close-knit team, stating, “We’re hoping that we can save as many jobs as we can, that’s the aim right now. But you know what, it’s just the world we live in.”

Challenges of Working-Class Representation

Kelly, who was raised in Glasgow and later moved to East Kilbride, revealed she was “crushed” when initially rejected by the BBC due to her working-class Scottish accent. She was ultimately hired by TV-am after an Australian producer did not recognize her accent.

“I really worry about working-class people not being given the opportunity that I had.”

Summary

Lorraine Kelly stresses the urgent need for media to preserve and promote working-class voices, sharing personal experiences of overcoming barriers linked to her accent and background.

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Radio News Hub — 2025-11-02