Sarah Cullen (6 October 1949 – 22 January 2012) was a British radio and television journalist who worked for ITN, as well as

BBC Radio 4 BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...

's ''

Today Today (archaically to-day) may refer to: * Day of the present, the time that is perceived directly, often called ''now'' * Current era, present * The current calendar date Arts, entertainment, and media Films * ''Today'' (1930 film), a 1930 A ...

'' programme. Remembered for her red hair and volatile temperament, Cullen forged a reputation for reporting from the street, and undertook many assignments in

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ga, Tuaisceart Éireann ; sco, label= Ulster-Scots, Norlin Airlann) is a part of the United Kingdom, situated in the north-east of the island of Ireland, that is variously described as a country, province or region. Nort ...

, including covering events during the closing days of

The Troubles The Troubles ( ga, Na Trioblóidí) were an ethno-nationalist conflict in Northern Ireland that lasted about 30 years from the late 1960s to 1998. Also known internationally as the Northern Ireland conflict, it is sometimes described as an "i ...

Life and career

Born in

Newcastle upon Tyne Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...

, Cullen's father was the manager of a quarry in

County Durham County Durham ( ), officially simply Durham,UK General Acts 1997 c. 23Lieutenancies Act 1997 Schedule 1(3). From legislation.gov.uk, retrieved 6 April 2022. is a ceremonial county in North East England.North East Assembly �About North East E ...

while her mother taught mathematics at a

teacher training college A normal school or normal college is an institution created to Teacher education, train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high s ...

. Her grandfather was John Bradley, editor of the '' Scottish Catholic Herald''. She was educated at the Sisters of Notre Dame convent school, a boarding school at

Southport Southport is a seaside town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton in Merseyside, England. At the 2001 census, it had a population of 90,336, making it the eleventh most populous settlement in North West England. Southport lies on the Irish ...

, before studying for A-levels at a sixth form college in Cambridge. She was a student at

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

from 1968 to 1972, graduating with a

BA degree Bachelor of arts (BA or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts degree course is generally completed in three or four years ...

in English. She interrupted her studies from 1970 to 1971 to take a paid sabbatical year as editor of the University of London student newspaper then titled '' Sennet''. Cullen joined ITN as a graduate trainee in 1972. After being sent for a brief period at the ''

Liverpool Daily Post The ''Liverpool Post'' was a newspaper published by Trinity Mirror in Liverpool, Merseyside, England. The newspaper and its website ceased publication on 19 December 2013. Until 13 January 2012 it was a daily morning newspaper, with the tit ...

'', she worked as a scriptwriter and desk editor for the broadcaster, before auditioning as an on-screen reporter. She was one of ITN's first female reporters along with

Carol Barnes Carol Lesley Barnes (13 September 1944 – 8 March 2008) was a British television newsreader and broadcaster. She worked for ITN from 1975 to 2004. Early life Barnes was born in Norwich, and attended St Martin-in-the-Fields High School for ...

Joan Thirkettle Joan Thirkettle (14 September 1947 – 11 May 1996) was a British television journalist, radio personality and writer. She was one of the first female reporters to work for ITN, and was part of a team which won the broadcaster a Royal Televisio ...

and Sue Lloyd-Roberts, and was appointed their Home Affairs Correspondent in 1983. On one occasion, her reporting was teased in a review for ''The Observer'' by

Clive James Clive James (born Vivian Leopold James; 7 October 1939 – 24 November 2019) was an Australian critic, journalist, broadcaster, writer and lyricist who lived and worked in the United Kingdom from 1962 until his death in 2019.PM'', and was the recipient of a Bronze

Sony Radio Academy Award The Radio Academy Awards, started in 1983, were the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. For most of their existence, they were run by ZAFER Associates, but in latter years were brought under the control of The Radio Academy ...

as News Reporter of the Year in 1994. She joined the morning ''Today'' programme in 1994. During her career she developed a talent for getting the so-called "real voices" of people onto radio and television through her news reports, going out into the street to interview members of the public. Often she would be sent out to gauge opinion on issues of government policy, where she would seek out those who were most likely to be affected by a particular decision. She was also sent to Belfast on many occasions to cover issues relating to

, and would employ the same news gathering technique, often venturing into so-called "no-go" areas of the city to speak to ordinary people caught up in the conflict. During one late-night visit to Belfast she was seized by members of the

Provisional IRA The Irish Republican Army (IRA; ), also known as the Provisional Irish Republican Army, and informally as the Provos, was an Irish republicanism, Irish republican paramilitary organisation that sought to end British rule in Northern Ireland, fa ...

who had heard she had been interviewing locals in the Falls Road. On that occasion she was ordered to telephone a senior editorial manager in London because the group's commander was unconvinced by her BBC credentials. Stephen Mitchell later recalled the telephone call: "Before I had fully woken up a man with a very strong Irish accent was explaining that he was with the Provisionals, that he and I had met years before when I was working in Belfast, and he was demanding to know whether I could vouch for this 'mad woman’ who had been found talking to people on the Falls Road in the middle of the night and who was claiming to be from the BBC." Mitchell verified her identity to which the IRA man replied: "Thank God, we can let her go. I was afraid we would have had to keep her and she’s terrifying." For another series of news reports she went to

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

to investigate the city's

illegal drug trade The illegal drug trade or drug trafficking is a global black market dedicated to the cultivation, manufacture, distribution and sale of prohibited drugs. Most jurisdictions prohibit trade, except under license, of many types of drugs through ...

, and gathered her material by befriending a young woman who was a drug addict. After spending almost a week working undercover she helped the woman through the rehabilitation process. Cullen left the BBC after being diagnosed with

ovarian cancer Ovarian cancer is a cancerous tumor of an ovary. It may originate from the ovary itself or more commonly from communicating nearby structures such as fallopian tubes or the inner lining of the abdomen. The ovary is made up of three different c ...

in 1998, and underwent chemotherapy. She suffered further health problems later in life. Her memoirs of her early days at ITN, ''In Praise of Panic'' were published in 1982.

Personal life

Cullen married fellow journalist Kieran Devaney in 1986. The couple had a son, Tom, and the marriage was dissolved in 1998.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Cullen, Sarah 1949 births 2012 deaths Alumni of University College London British journalists British radio journalists British television journalists BBC newsreaders and journalists ITN newsreaders and journalists People from Newcastle upon Tyne