Upper Room Evening with Hugh Pym
The Upper Room is one of St Michael & All Angels’ three 2026 Charities.
For its second ‘Evening With …’ event of the year, on Thursday April 16th in St Michael & All Angels Church, it is delighted to bring you the BBC’s Health Editor Hugh Pym, one of the UK’s most respected voices on health and social care, in conversation with his former BBC colleague Torin Douglas.
Admission free, but please book a seat and make a donation if you can. See details and booking.
Please note: It starts at 7pm. Doors open at 6.30pm. There will be free admission at the door.
Hugh’s career began as a radio reporter in the 1980s, and after working for various media outlets, he joined the BBC in 2001. Between 2008 and 2014 he held senior roles in their Economics team, reporting on the UK’s plunge into recession, followed by the global meltdown triggered by the collapse of Lehman brothers and the dramatic Government banking bailouts.
Hugh’s book Inside the Banking Crisis: The Untold Story provides unique insights into one of the gravest challenges faced by any British government in peacetime: a staggeringly large bill had to be paid to stave off disaster. Britain could scarcely afford it, but doing nothing might have seen cash machines closed, depositors panicking and troops on the streets.
In 2014, Hugh moved into the role of BBC Health Editor, where he quickly became known for the clarity, balance and depth of his reporting on issues ranging from NHS policy and public health crises to medical innovation and social care reform. Over the course of the Covid-19 pandemic, he became one of the most familiar faces on TV News, reporting almost daily on the unfolding story of the pandemic as it progressed from the first cases in the UK through two national lockdowns, the vaccine rollout and finally ‘Freedom Day’ in July 2021.
In the years since, Hugh has continued to cover issues of national interest, including the long-term impact of Covid-19, NHS capacity and waiting lists, staffing shortages, industrial action and evolving public health policy.
Hugh’s approach to health issues is very hands on: he frequently visits hospitals to talk to staff on the frontline, and in January this year he revealed that in order to investigate the growing interest in gut health and impact on ageing he had put himself forward for testing. Following an analysis of his own gut biome, he has embarked on a special diet plan designed to help him age better. We look forward to an update on April 16th!
Hugh will be in conversation with Torin Douglas, the former BBC Media Correspondent.
