The TV and radio presenter on a surprising history of menswear design at the V&A, classic Billy Connolly routines and her favourite London venue
DJ and TV presenter Lauren Laverne grew up in Sunderland and started her career as lead singer in the Britpop band Kenickie. In 1998, she moved into broadcasting, with stints on MTV, Channel 4 and Xfm, where she was the first woman to host the station’s breakfast show. She now presents the BBC 6 Music breakfast show and has hosted Radio 4’s Desert Island Discs since 2018. From 22 to 26 June, she will host coverage of the Glastonbury festival on 6 Music and BBC TV. She is married with two sons and lives in London.