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Hello and welcome to Women of Balls, where I, Katie Balls, speak to today's trailblazers.

My guest today has worked for the BBC for almost 50 years and is one of the UK's most recognisable broadcasters.

She joined BBC Radio Scotland in 1976 as a graduate researcher.

After several years in radio, she switched to television, first behind the scenes and later as a presenter.

She went on to present shows such as Breakfast Time and The Late Show.

Her 1990 interview of Margaret Thatcher was a landmark moment in her career.

She went on to interview many more key figures across British politics on the program she is best known for, News Night.

Having joined in 1993, she stood down from presenting the show following last year's general election.

She now presents front row and the reunion, documentaries including icons of style,

and she is in the process of finishing her third novel. My guest today is Kirsty Walk.

Kirsty, thanks so much for coming on the podcast. I've been trying to get you on for some time.

You're a very busy lady, but luckily me leaving the country, I think, has meant that we've managed to finally find the date. That spread me on.

Now, to begin, we always ask the same question, which is, would you describe yours as a happy

childhood? You grew up in Scotland, I think your father was a solicitor and your mother, a schoolteacher.

Yes, and mum was at home. She was a former school teacher, so I grew up with mum at home.

It was a happy childhood.

I can remember a couple of funny things.

I can remember I had this fantastic little suitcase that my grandmother had given me.

And it must have been one day, and I can remember this, there must be one day when I was about four or five,

...