Hunter Davies, Dame Jenni Murray and Jeremy Paxman join 2024 Saga Magazine cruise

The journalists will be giving a number of talks and Q&A sessions on Saga’s Canary Islands' cruise departing from Portsmouth on January 5.

About Jeremy Paxman

Paxman is an award-winning journalist, author, and television presenter who amongst other things presented the BBC’s Newsnight programme for 25 years and was the well-known host of University Challenge for 29 years. He is the author of numerous documentaries and documentary series, including one on his own Parkinson’s diagnosis - story he broke to the world through his monthly column in Saga Magazine in 2021. 

He has also written ten books, including: The English - Portrait of a People; The Political Animal; On Royalty; The Victorians, and Empire - What Ruling the World Did to the British.

Paxman’s sessions will be on his career, entitled ‘A Life in Questions’ after his memoir, and on ‘Politics, the Royals and me’.

About Dame Jenni Murray

Murray joined the BBC in 1973 in Bristol, moving from local radio to regional television in Southampton and then to Newsnight in London. She joined Radio 4’s Today programme in 1985 and Woman’s Hour in 1987, where she stayed for 33 years, leaving the BBC in 2020, the year of her 70th birthday. She’s the author of several books and in addition to her monthly column for Saga Magazine, she also writes a weekly column for The Daily Mail.

Dame Jenni Murray will be talking about the ‘Women of Britain we should all know about’ and ‘Women of the world we all need to know about’.

About Hunter Davies

Davies is one of the best-known and most prolific authors with over 100 books including the only authorised biography of the Beatles. He joined the staff of The Sunday Times in 1960 and went on to hold numerous roles there.

Davies writes several columns including a witty one for the Sunday Times’ Money section, a football focused one for the New Statesman and one for Saga Magazine about love in old age.

In keeping with that, he will be speaking about finding love in older age, and The Beatles. He will also host a 30-minute ‘audience with’ Q&A session and a Cocktail Party for guests too, where he’ll be joined for his talks by the new love of his life, Miranda, who has featured in his Saga column and who is an artist and author.

Co-ordinating the onboard programme is Louise Robinson, editorial director of Saga Magazine. ‘I get hundreds of letters every month from readers complimenting our journalists for their wonderful writing. They love their wit, knowledge and insights and they can really see themselves represented in the magazine – something they sadly don’t see much of elsewhere after the age of 50.

‘I’ve no doubt the guests on the cruise will really enjoy the sessions and put great questions to our speakers,’ she added.