# Janet Street-Porter
**Janet Street-Porter** (born Janet Bull in 1946) is an English journalist, broadcaster, and television producer and executive who has worked in British media for more than five decades, first as a fashion journalist, then as a pioneer of youth television, later as editor of *The Independent on Sunday*, and since 2011 as a regular panellist on ITV's *Loose Women*.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/66230/janet-street-porter) • [2](https://www.itv.com/loosewomen/articles/janet-street-porter) She holds a BAFTA for originality and a CBE.[2](https://www.itv.com/loosewomen/articles/janet-street-porter)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | Janet Bull, 1946, London; British nationality[3](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01200778/officers) |
| Print career | *Petticoat* magazine, then the *Daily Mail* from 1969 and the *Evening Standard* from 1971 as fashion editor[4](https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp14414/janet-street-porter?displayStyle=thumb) |
| Signature television work | *Network 7* on Channel 4, which won the BAFTA award for originality in 1988[5](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-independent-on-sunday-editor-1.201655) |
| BBC role | Head of Youth and Entertainment Features at BBC2 from 1988, commissioning series including *Red Dwarf*, *Rapido*, and the *Rough Guide* strand[4](https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp14414/janet-street-porter?displayStyle=thumb) • [6](https://www.jla.co.uk/conference-speakers/janet-street-porter/) |
| Newspaper editor | Editor of *The Independent on Sunday* from 1999 to 2001, then editor-at-large[7](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/nov/19/realitytv.broadcasting) • [8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet) |
| Awards | BAFTA for originality (1988); Prix Italia for *The Vampyr* (1993); Fellow of the Royal Television Society (1994)[8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet) |
| Current work | Regular panellist on *Loose Women* since 2011; columnist for *The Independent*; one-woman show *Still Off the Leash At 80* touring from September 2026[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/66230/janet-street-porter) • [9](https://observer.co.uk/culture/interviews/article/janet-street-porter-i-was-a-self-improver-i-have-lists-of-every-book-ive-read) |
## Early life and print journalism
Street-Porter grew up in Fulham, west London, where her mother worked as a dinner lady and her father as an engineer.[10](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jul/17/this-is-going-to-be-a-real-hatchet-job-isnt-it-janet-street-porter-on-bitchiness-backstabbing-and-her-remarkable-career) She studied architecture at the Architectural Association, a prestigious London college with a demanding entrance examination and portfolio requirement, but left midway through the course after discovering journalism.[8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet) • [11](https://www.scotsman.com/news/janet-street-porter-is-off-the-leash-at-80-and-on-her-way-to-scotland-with-a-live-show-8950989)
Her first job was at the girls' magazine *Petticoat*, where she was offered a post as home editor with freedom to write about design.[6](https://www.jla.co.uk/conference-speakers/janet-street-porter/) • [11](https://www.scotsman.com/news/janet-street-porter-is-off-the-leash-at-80-and-on-her-way-to-scotland-with-a-live-show-8950989) She joined the *Daily Mail* in 1969 as deputy fashion editor and columnist, moved to the *Evening Standard* in 1971, and worked there as fashion editor for four years.[4](https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp14414/janet-street-porter?displayStyle=thumb) • [5](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-independent-on-sunday-editor-1.201655) In 1973 she began hosting a daily show on LBC, Britain's first commercial radio station.[12](https://www.performingartists.co.uk/artistes/janet-street-porter)
## Television: LWT and Network 7
In 1975 she moved to [London Weekend Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/london-weekend-television) (LWT), where she gained celebrity as the presenter of *The London Weekend Show*, a pop and youth program.[5](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-independent-on-sunday-editor-1.201655) She had been approached by John Birt at LWT to work as a television presenter, and during her LWT years she also worked on *The Six O'Clock Show*, on *Saturday Night People* alongside [Clive James](https://www.edgepedia.org/clive-james) and Russell Harty, and with Auberon Waugh on *Around Midnight*.[8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet) By the early 1980s she was known for her directness as a presenter, her brightly colored glasses and hair, and her London accent, and she became a regular target for the tabloids.[8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet)
**Network 7.** She became a producer in 1981, gaining a BAFTA nomination with *Twentieth Century Box*, and then edited *Network 7* on the newly launched [Channel 4](https://www.edgepedia.org/channel-4).[12](https://www.performingartists.co.uk/artistes/janet-street-porter) • [9](https://observer.co.uk/culture/interviews/article/janet-street-porter-i-was-a-self-improver-i-have-lists-of-every-book-ive-read) The program, a youth culture and current affairs show, used music video techniques: varied camera angles, strong graphics, young presenters, and "infobars", a stream of information running along the bottom of the screen.[8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet) It spawned a new breed of "yoof" programs that cut as fast as pop videos and featured on-screen text, and it won her the BAFTA award for originality in 1988.[5](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-independent-on-sunday-editor-1.201655) Alan Yentob, later creative director of the BBC, said of it: "It completely broke all the rules... Its stylistic devices and spirit have got integrated into the rest of television since then."[7](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/nov/19/realitytv.broadcasting)
## The BBC years
In 1988 Street-Porter joined the BBC as head of her own youth television department, recruited from LWT's *Network 7*.[5](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-independent-on-sunday-editor-1.201655) • [13](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/17496020221105821) As Head of Youth and Entertainment Features at BBC2 she commissioned numerous popular series, including the sitcom *Red Dwarf* and *Rapido*, and created formats such as *Rough Guide to Careers*, *The A to Z of Belief*, and *Reportage*; she also devised and produced *The Full Wax* with [Ruby Wax](https://www.edgepedia.org/ruby-wax).[4](https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp14414/janet-street-porter?displayStyle=thumb) • [12](https://www.performingartists.co.uk/artistes/janet-street-porter) She built the department from scratch into a team of 350 people.[6](https://www.jla.co.uk/conference-speakers/janet-street-porter/) In 1991 her role was extended to include commissioning entertainment shows, and in 1994 she moved to a new post as head of independent productions for the BBC's entertainment group, responsible for about 35 series at a time, from *This Is Your Life* to *Fantasy Football League*.[8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet) • [12](https://www.performingartists.co.uk/artistes/janet-street-porter)
Her reworking of the German romantic opera *The Vampyr* won the Prix Italia in 1993 and received an Emmy nomination.[8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet) • [12](https://www.performingartists.co.uk/artistes/janet-street-porter) She left the BBC in 1994, later complaining that her creativity was being stifled by bureaucracy, and had a brief, unhappy spell at L!ve TV, the Mirror Group's cable venture, where technical problems and clashes with head of television [Kelvin MacKenzie](https://www.edgepedia.org/kelvin-mackenzie) led to her departure.[5](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-independent-on-sunday-editor-1.201655)
In August 1995 she was invited to deliver the MacTaggart Memorial Lecture, the opening speech of the Edinburgh International Television Festival; she was only the third woman in the festival's 20-year history to do so, after Christine Ockrent in 1988 and Verity Lambert in 1990.[8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet)
## Editor of the Independent on Sunday
In July 1999 Street-Porter was appointed editor of *The Independent on Sunday*, succeeding Kim Fletcher in what was her first major print journalism post.[5](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-independent-on-sunday-editor-1.201655) The appointment drew comment precisely because her CV included no prior executive role on a newspaper; she defended it by saying that if newspaper experience were the basis for handing out such jobs, "I don't think anybody would be editing a newspaper."[14](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/jul/05/5) Critics had warned she would make the paper "wacky", but it remained a sober read during her tenure.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/nov/19/realitytv.broadcasting)
She left the editor's post in 2001, relinquishing it to become editor-at-large in 2002, writing comment columns for *The Independent* and *The Independent on Sunday* as well as travel features.[8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet) • [1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/66230/janet-street-porter) • [12](https://www.performingartists.co.uk/artistes/janet-street-porter) For three years from 2002 she also conducted interviews for [Bloomberg Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/bloomberg-television) with media figures and people from the arts, transmitted in over 20 countries.[12](https://www.performingartists.co.uk/artistes/janet-street-porter)
## Broadcasting and panel work
Street-Porter has appeared on discussion programs including *Question Time*, reality shows including *I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!* and *Celebrity MasterChef*, where she reached the final, and panel games including *Have I Got News for You*.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/66230/janet-street-porter) • [2](https://www.itv.com/loosewomen/articles/janet-street-porter) Since 2011 she has been a regular panellist on the ITV lifestyle and chat show *Loose Women*.[1](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/66230/janet-street-porter)
She has also presented numerous series on a wide range of subjects, from contemporary British art to walking, cooking, and architecture, including *Travels with Pevsner*, the walking series *Coast to Coast* and *As the Crow Flies*, and *Cathedral Calls*.[2](https://www.itv.com/loosewomen/articles/janet-street-porter) • [8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet) The seven-part 1999 program *As the Crow Flies* followed her effort to cover the 350 miles between Edinburgh and London by walking in a straight line.[8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet)
## Writing, walking, and stage
Street-Porter has written two bestselling memoirs, *Baggage* and *Fall Out*, and two self-help guides, *Life's Too F***ing Short* and *Don't Let the B*****ds Get You Down*; her other books include *Coast to Coast* (1998) and *As the Crow Flies* (1999).[9](https://observer.co.uk/culture/interviews/article/janet-street-porter-i-was-a-self-improver-i-have-lists-of-every-book-ive-read) • [8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet) She has worked as a travel writer for the *Observer* and *The Mail on Sunday*, restaurant critic for *Vogue*, and walking columnist for the *Sunday Times*.[12](https://www.performingartists.co.uk/artistes/janet-street-porter)
Her interest in the outdoors extends to formal roles: she was president of the Ramblers' Association between 1994 and 1996 and later served as its vice-president.[7](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/nov/19/realitytv.broadcasting) • [12](https://www.performingartists.co.uk/artistes/janet-street-porter) She is an honorary fellow of the [Royal Institute of British Architects](https://www.edgepedia.org/royal-institute-of-british-architects), reflecting her original training, and has commissioned two houses by leading architects.[15](https://www.janetstreetporter.com/cv)
She has performed a one-woman show on and off since her Edinburgh Festival debut in 2003 with *All The Rage*; her new show, *Still Off the Leash At 80*, tours the UK from September 2026.[9](https://observer.co.uk/culture/interviews/article/janet-street-porter-i-was-a-self-improver-i-have-lists-of-every-book-ive-read) • [12](https://www.performingartists.co.uk/artistes/janet-street-porter)
## Personal life
Street-Porter has been married five times, most recently to the restaurateur Peter Spanton; "Street-Porter" is the surname of her first husband, the photographer Tim Street-Porter.[9](https://observer.co.uk/culture/interviews/article/janet-street-porter-i-was-a-self-improver-i-have-lists-of-every-book-ive-read) • [10](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jul/17/this-is-going-to-be-a-real-hatchet-job-isnt-it-janet-street-porter-on-bitchiness-backstabbing-and-her-remarkable-career) The *Encyclopedia of Television* records her earlier marriages as Tim Street-Porter (divorced 1975), Tony Elliott (divorced 1978), Frank Cvitanovich (divorced 1988), and David Sorkin (married 1996, divorced).[8](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet) She divides her time between homes in Norfolk, Kent, and London.[9](https://observer.co.uk/culture/interviews/article/janet-street-porter-i-was-a-self-improver-i-have-lists-of-every-book-ive-read)
## References
1. [Janet Street-Porter, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/people/66230/janet-street-porter)
2. [Janet Street-Porter, ITV Loose Women](https://www.itv.com/loosewomen/articles/janet-street-porter)
3. [JANET STREET-PORTER LIMITED, officers, Companies House](https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/01200778/officers)
4. [Janet Street-Porter, National Portrait Gallery](https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp14414/janet-street-porter?displayStyle=thumb)
5. [New 'Independent on Sunday' editor, The Irish Times (1999)](https://www.irishtimes.com/news/new-independent-on-sunday-editor-1.201655)
6. [Book Janet Street Porter, JLA Speakers](https://www.jla.co.uk/conference-speakers/janet-street-porter/)
7. [The Guardian profile: Janet Street-Porter (2004)](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/nov/19/realitytv.broadcasting)
8. [Street-Porter, Janet, Museum of Broadcast Communications encyclopedia](https://www.museum.tv/tv-encyclopedia-16/street-porter-janet)
9. [Janet Street-Porter: 'I was a self-improver...', The Observer (2026)](https://observer.co.uk/culture/interviews/article/janet-street-porter-i-was-a-self-improver-i-have-lists-of-every-book-ive-read)
10. [Janet Street-Porter on 'bitchiness', backstabbing and her remarkable career, The Guardian (2025)](https://www.theguardian.com/media/2025/jul/17/this-is-going-to-be-a-real-hatchet-job-isnt-it-janet-street-porter-on-bitchiness-backstabbing-and-her-remarkable-career)
11. [Janet Street-Porter is off the leash at 80, The Scotsman (2026)](https://www.scotsman.com/news/janet-street-porter-is-off-the-leash-at-80-and-on-her-way-to-scotland-with-a-live-show-8950989)
12. [Janet Street-Porter, Performing Artistes](https://www.performingartists.co.uk/artistes/janet-street-porter)
13. ['It was Bauhaus without realising we were Bauhaus': BBC women and Youth and Entertainment programming in the North, Sage Journals](https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1177/17496020221105821)
14. [Inexperience no barrier, says editor Street-Porter, The Guardian (1999)](https://www.theguardian.com/uk/1999/jul/05/5)
15. [Janet Street-Porter CV](https://www.janetstreetporter.com/cv)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Society and history › Broadcasting and journalism › Broadcast organizations and stations › Broadcasters as people › Broadcast journalists and news presenters › Broadcast journalist roles and subfields › Surnames Mc to W*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 12, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license