Lucy Ash
{{Short description|British broadcaster, journalist and author}}
Lucy Ash is a British documentary-maker, journalist, broadcaster and author. Her work mainly appears on BBC platforms.
Much of her work has focused on former Soviet countries. She has also focused on prisons considerably in her work.{{Cite web |title=Lucy Ash |url=https://jerwoodartsarchive.org/person/lucy-ash/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Jerwood Arts |language=en-GB}}
Background
Ash attended Camden School for Girls in North London. Between the ages of 12 and 16, Ash spent part of every summer staying with a French family.{{Cite web |first=British Council |title=Why should I learn a language? |url=https://wales.britishcouncil.org/sites/default/files/why_should_i_learn_a_language_-part3.pdf |access-date=10 June 2025 |website=British Council}} She attended the University of Oxford from 1980 to 1983, where she studied English Language and Literature at New College.{{Cite web |last=Ash |first=Lucy |title=Lucy Ash {{!}} LinkedIn |url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/lucy-ash-491b825/?originalSubdomain=uk |access-date=28 May 2025 |website=LinkedIn}}{{Cite web |title=Reflections from New College Society’s Visit to Berlin {{!}} New College |url=https://www.new.ox.ac.uk/news/reflections-new-college-societys-visit-berlin |access-date=2025-05-30 |website=www.new.ox.ac.uk}}
Broadcasting career
Ash's work in radio started in Russia, where she worked as producer in the BBC's bureau in Moscow from 1990. In 1994, she moved back to London, where she reported considerably from former Soviet states for the programme Eurofile on BBC Radio 4. In 2002, Ash received an Amnesty International UK Media Award for an edition of Crossing Continents on BBC Radio 4 which focussed on Israel/Palestine, and in 2004 she was again given the award for another edition of Crossing Continents.
In 2011 and 2012, Ash presented a series of ten programmes on BBC Radio 4 which looked at how young people in Europe were dealing with the political and economic crises affecting them.{{Cite web |title=BBC Sounds - Generation E - Available Episodes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/b01m28zh |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}}
As of 2010{{Cite web |title=BBC World Service - Programmes - 7 years in a Cuban jail |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/programmes/2010/10/101015_outlook_paneque.shtml |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=www.bbc.co.uk |language=en-GB}} and 2013, Ash was a presenter of Outlook on the BBC World Service.{{Cite web |title=BBC World Service - Outlook, "My Ice-Pick Lobotomy" |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01jg62f |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} Also in 2010, Ash presented an edition of This World on BBC Two which focused on the stealing of brides in Chechnya.{{Cite web |title=BBC Two - This World, Stolen Brides |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00tf1w8 |access-date=2025-05-31 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} Also in 2013, Ash began being a trustee for Jerwood Arts,{{Cite web |title=Lucy Ash |url=https://jerwoodartsarchive.org/person/lucy-ash/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Jerwood Arts |language=en-GB}} an organisation funding early-career artists.{{Cite web |title=What We Do |url=https://jerwoodartsarchive.org/what-we-do/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Jerwood Arts |language=en-GB}} In 2014, Ash presented an edition of Our World on BBC World News and BBC News, examining Crimea following the Russian annexation of the territory.{{Cite web |title=BBC News - Our World, Reclaiming Russia's Paradise with Lucy Ash |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b04c49p1 |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=BBC |language=en-GB}} In the mid-2010s, Ash presented editions of Crossing Continents on BBC Radio 4.{{Cite web |last=Ash |first=Lucy |title=(1) from:LucyAAsh crossing continents - Search / X |url=https://x.com/search?q=from%3ALucyAAsh%20crossing%20continents&src=typed_query&f=live |access-date=28 May 2025 |website=X}} She reported for From Our Own Correspondent throughout the 2010s.{{Cite web |title=Search - BBC Programme Index |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/80/40?order=-last&q=%22lucy+ash%22+from+our+own+correspondent#top |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk}}
Ash continues to present editions of Crossing Continents and Assignment on the BBC World Service.{{Cite web |last=Ash |first=Lucy |title=Lucy Ash {{!}} Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/bbclucyash/ |access-date=28 May 2025 |website=Facebook}} She also continues to produce reports for the BBC News website. She reports regularly for From Our Own Correspondent.{{Cite web |title=Search - BBC Programme Index |url=https://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/search/00/40?order=-last&q=%22lucy+ash%22+from+our+own+correspondent#top |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=genome.ch.bbc.co.uk}} She occasionally writes for non-BBC outlets; in February 2025 she wrote for the Church Times.{{Cite web |last=Ash |first=Lucy |title=How Russia’s Orthodox Church supports Putin’s war |url=https://www.prospectmagazine.co.uk/world/russia/69180/how-russias-orthodox-church-supports-putins-war |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=www.prospectmagazine.co.uk |language=en}}
From March 2023 until May 2025, Ash held a fellowship at Institut für die Wissenschaften vom Menschen (Institute for Human Sciences), during which she examined the Russian Orthodox Church under President Vladimir Putin.{{Cite web |date=2023-02-28 |title=Lucy Ash |url=https://www.iwm.at/fellow/lucy-ash |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=IWM WEBSITE |language=en}} She is a member of the Committee of Supporters for the RAW in WAR Anna Politkovskaya Award.
Writing career
On 3 October 2024, Ash's book The Baton and the Cross: Russia's Church from Pagans to Putin{{Cite book |last=Ash |first=Lucy |title=The Baton and the Cross: Russia's Church from Pagans to Putin |publisher=Icon Books |year=2024 |isbn=1837731837 |publication-date=3 October 2024 |language=English}} was published; the book examined the history of the Russian Orthodox Church.{{Cite web |title=Amazon.co.uk |url=https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baton-Cross-Russias-Church-Pagans/dp/1837731837 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20241004022854/https://www.amazon.co.uk/Baton-Cross-Russias-Church-Pagans/dp/1837731837 |archive-date=2024-10-04 |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=www.amazon.co.uk |language=en-us}} The book was shortlisted for a book prize.{{Cite web |last=Crawford |first=Pippa |date=2025-05-04 |title=‘The Baton and the Cross’ by Lucy Ash Shortlisted for the Pushkin House Book Prize 2025 |url=https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2025/05/04/the-baton-and-the-cross-by-lucy-ash-shortlisted-for-the-pushkin-house-book-prize-2025-a87437 |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=The Moscow Times |language=en}}
Personal life
Ash married the broadcaster and author John Kampfner in 1992. Ash can speak fluent French and Russian. She resides in London.{{Cite web |title=Lucy Ash |url=https://felicitybryan.com/fba-author/lucy-ash/ |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=Felicity Bryan Associates |language=en-GB}}
References
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Category:Alumni of the University of Oxford
Category:People educated at Camden School for Girls
Category:British radio presenters
Category:BBC Radio 4 presenters