Have you been watching much TV away from news this year, and do you in general?
Well, I don’t usually watch too much TV. My thing was always going out, playing golf and running, and the TV was on in the background. I work in television, and sometimes you need a break. But that has all changed. I’ve watched a lot in lockdown.
Were there are any shows you enjoyed that you didn’t expect to?
I don’t usually watch things that have loads of series, because I never believe that I’ll have time to commit to them, but Money Heist absolutely blew my mind. I’ve got into New Girl on Netflix too, which is quite funny. I’m enjoying The Undoing, I’m enjoying Roadkill … but I feel like, as soon as I start getting into something, everyone starts talking about something else.
Was there a show that everyone else loved but you couldn’t get on with?
I’ve been so picky. There’s a part of me that really sticks my heels in when it comes to following crowds. Schitt’s Creek, I think, everyone says that it takes time and I’ll really love it, but I’m resisting.
Who would you say has been the ultimate TV villain of the year?
Do you know who I’m loving at the moment? Ruth Wilson. I interviewed her and Idris Elba for Luther a while ago, and she was a brilliant villain in that. I love how menacingly wicked she is on His Dark Materials, and she does it with such elegance. I read the books and loved them.
Who was your most memorable interviewee during lockdown and beyond?
I interviewed a young nurse called Lucy Duncan, who found a man in his 70s slumped over his wheel. He had been isolating, and he’d driven and crashed into a car. She got him to hospital and stayed with him, and we interviewed her the next day, saying: ‘You helped a guy, what a lovely story’, but during the interview she revealed that, just an hour before, he’d passed away. That really affected me. We’ve all had our moments where a certain story has sort of stopped us. It’s always the personal human interest stories that you remember. Lucy Duncan left an enormous impression on me.
I’ve also been filling in for Emma Barnett on 5 live this summer, ahead of my new show in January which I’m absolutely delighted about. One of the things that came out of Black Lives Matter and the aftermath of George Floyd’s death was an interview with a woman who was looking for a job and was discriminated against because of her surname. It wasn’t an obviously English-sounding name. But when she changed it, with the exact same CV, she was shortlisted. That interview got so many people talking.
How has the practical side of broadcasting changed for you, what have been the biggest challenges to doing your job in this period?
It’s the fact that we’re not sitting in a room with anyone any more. We’re not looking them in the eyes, and feeling that shift when they respond to a question, which makes interviews more intuitive and personal. I miss physically being around people. There’s a lot to be said for the physical reaction to a question. We’re learning to adapt, but it’s a challenge.
From January 2021, Naga Munchetty will present the 10am-1pm slot on BBC Radio 5 live
