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Radio 4 journalist and Mastermind presenter John Humphrys to speak at University of Kent at Medway along with Adam Boulton from Sky News

He’s normally the one dishing out the questions – whether to political leaders on Radio 4’s Today programme or to quivering wrecks in the Mastermind chair.

But the boot will be firmly on the other foot when John Humphrys takes part in this year’s Bob Friend Memorial Lecture hosted by the Centre for Journalism at the University of Kent’s Medway campus.

Bob Friend was a journalist who worked on Sky News when it started in 1989. He died from lung cancer in 2008, and the University of Kent’s Centre for Journalism hosts an annual lecture in his memory.

Veteran broadcatser John Humphrys grilled Jason Dunn-Shaw on the Today programme.
Veteran broadcatser John Humphrys grilled Jason Dunn-Shaw on the Today programme.

The centre also has a Bob Friend Memorial Scholarship which awards one first-year journalism student with £3,500 and a fully-funded four-week internship at Sky News.

Sky’s Adam Boulton will join Mr Humphrys at this year’s lecture in the Pilkington Building on March 2.

Mr Boulton visited Medway during November’s by-election where he interviewed Medway Messenger editor Bob Bounds on polling night.

Sky News' Adam Boulton at the election count at Medway Park
Sky News' Adam Boulton at the election count at Medway Park

Mr Humphrys, 71, started his journalism career at TWW, a commercial television channel based in Wales.

He joined the BBC in 1966 as the district reporter for Liverpool and the Northwest.

As a foreign correspondent, he covered the resignation of Richard Nixon in 1974.

He went on to be the main presenter of Nine O’Clock News and joined Today in 1987.

The executive producer of Sky News, Neil Dunwoodie, will attend to present the scholarship to the winning student.

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