Anna Foster

This article is about BBC Radio 5 Live presenter Anna Foster. For the BBC Radio Newcastle presenter, see Anna Foster (broadcaster).

Anna Foster
Born1979 (age 45–46)
South Shields, Tyne and Wear, England
OccupationPresenter

Anna Foster (born 1979) is an English news reporter and presenter. She presented the drive time programme on 5 Live until 2021 and currently presents the BBC News at One and is the BBC's Middle East correspondent in Beirut.

Early life and education

The daughter of a surveyor father (who also served as a magistrate) and a mother who worked as a nurse, she and her brother were born in South Shields.[1][dead link‍] Educated in South Shields, while attending South Tyneside College doing her A-Levels, she worked as a Saturday girl on Metro Radio. She went on to study English at Collingwood College at Durham University, where she worked on student radio. She then undertook a postgraduate certificate in journalism at City University London.[1]

Career

On graduation she joined the BBC's trainee reporters scheme. She then joined BBC Radio Cleveland as a reporter for three years, before becoming a news presenter, and then co-presenting the drive-time show. She then joined BBC Radio 5 Live as a regional North East reporter, before relocating to London as a weekend news presenter, and also presenting on Newsbeat.

Foster joined the BBC Radio 5 Live Weekend Breakfast show on 23 April 2011, replacing Rachel Burden who moved to the weekday 5 Live Breakfast team alongside Nicky Campbell on 3 May.[2]

On 14 November 2012, Foster became the Wednesday-to-Friday co-presenter of 5 Live Drive (4–7 pm) alongside Peter Allen; Louise Minchin was the Monday and Tuesday co-host. Foster subsequently became the permanent co-host, alongside Tony Livesey who replaced Allen in October 2014.

Foster left Drive on 12 August 2021 to take up a new role as BBC Middle East correspondent in Beirut.[3][4]

In May 2024, the BBC announced that Foster was one of six well-known BBC presenters to start presenting the BBC News at One from its new home at Salford studios at the beginning of June 2024.[5]

Personal life

She married fellow radio presenter John Foster in October 2009 at Crathorne Hall near Yarm, North Yorkshire;[1][dead link‍] they have a son and a daughter.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b c Administrator, journallive. "Interview: Anna Foster, breakfast show presenter on Radio Five Live". www.thejournal.co.uk.
  2. ^ "Anna Foster joins 5 Live Weekend Breakfast". BBC.
  3. ^ "Anna Foster announces departure from BBC Radio 5 Live". RadioToday. 24 June 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  4. ^ "BBC Radio 5 Live". Twitter. 12 August 2021. Retrieved 13 August 2021.
  5. ^ "BBC News at One to start broadcasting from Salford on Monday 3 June". BBC Media Centre. 30 May 2024. Retrieved 25 May 2024.
  6. ^ "Anna Foster hopes to help other mothers with the loneliness of pregnancy and miscarriage". inews.co.uk. Retrieved 3 September 2023.

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