Anna Cookson

Anna Cookson is a British radio presenter, working at BBC Radio Kent.

Background

Cookson was raised in Eltham, London.^[1]

Career

Very early in her career, Cookson taught children in Tanzania for a short period. She attended university in Nottingham, staying in the city because she worked at the BBC there. As of 2007, Cookson was a presenter at Passion Radio in Oxford.^[2] While at Passion Radio, she was heard on the station's breakfast show.

From 2008 until 2010, Cookson was a broadcast journalist at radio stations owned by the Global media group, and in the early 2010s she spent brief periods as a presenter at local radio stations in the Home counties.^[3]

Cookson was a presenter at QVC television in the UK from 2010 until 2013.^[3] As of 2010, she stood in on the early breakfast show on BBC Radio Oxford.^[4] She presented on Premier Radio in the 2010s. She also sat in for other presenters on BBC Radio London during the 2010s. Cookson presented programmes on BBC Radio London^[5] during holiday periods, starting in 2015^[6] and ending in 2017.^[7] As of 2016, she was heard on LBC.^[8] As of 2017, she was a reporter at BBC Radio 5 Live.^[9]

In mid-2017, Cookson joined BBC Radio Kent to present the weekday breakfast show with John Warnett.^[10]

In late 2018, she was joined by Ian Collins as co-presenter, who took over from John Warnett.^[11] In 2020, as a result of changes to BBC Local Radio made in response to the coronavirus pandemic, the length of the show was extended, and the show was broadcast between 6am and 10am; Cookson also became the sole presenter of the show.

Cookson is the co-author, alongside her father Paul Cookson, of a play aimed at children that explores the parable of the Good Samaritan in a modern way.^[12] She is also the author of two novels.^[13] In November 2019, she began being a national ambassador for the Neighbourhood Prayer Network.^[14]

Personal life

Cookson likes travelling and running. She is married.^[14]