Welsh broadcaster and author Teleri Bevan (1931–2020; aged 89) was the founding editor of

BBC Radio Wales BBC Radio Wales is a Wales, Welsh national radio station owned and operated by BBC Cymru Wales, a division of the BBC. It began broadcasting on 13 November 1978, replacing the Welsh opt-out service of BBC Radio 4. As of August 2022, the stat ...

. She was also the author of three nonfiction books including ''Esmé: Guardian of Snowdonia'' (2014), a biography of Welsh conservationist

Esmé Kirby Esmé Kirby (born Esmé Cummings, 31 August 1910, Croydon, died 18 October 1999, Snowdonia), was a conservationist who formed the Snowdonia National Park Society in 1958 to ensure the mountains would be protected from future development. Her pa ...

Early life and education

Bevan was born near

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth (; ) is a University town, university and seaside town and a community (Wales), community in Ceredigion, Wales. It is the largest town in Ceredigion and from Aberaeron, the county's other administrative centre. In 2021, the popula ...

in Wales in 1931. She later studied at

Bangor University Bangor University () is a Public university, public Research university, research university in Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales. It was established by Royal charter, Royal Charter in 1885 as the University College of North Wales (UCNW; ), and in 1893 ...

in Bangor, Wales.

Career

Journalism

Bevan began working for the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

in 1955, where she acted as a presenter, producer, and editor. In 1978, Bevan was named the first editor of BBC Radio Wales. Her appointment to the role was a source of controversy, with some criticizing her decision to cancel the popular programme ''Good Morning Wales'' and replace it with a new morning programme titled ''AM''. However, Bevan eventually increased in popularity. In 1981, Bevan became the deputy head of programmes, and in 1985, she became the head of programmes for BBC Wales. Throughout her career, Bevan interviewed a wide variety of influential people, including

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

and

Indira Gandhi Indira Priyadarshini Gandhi (Given name, ''née'' Nehru; 19 November 1917 – 31 October 1984) was an Indian politician and stateswoman who served as the Prime Minister of India, prime minister of India from 1966 to 1977 and again from 1980 un ...

Literature

After retiring from broadcasting, Bevan began a second career in nonfiction writing. In 2004, Bevan published a memoir of her broadcasting career titled ''Years on Air: Living with the BBC''. Bevan's second book, ''The Ladies of Blaenwern'' (2010), told the history of the Welsh musical group The Dorian Trio, and was nominated for the January Book of the Month by the

Welsh Books Council The Books Council of Wales (; previously known as the Welsh Books Council) is a literature advocacy organisation in Wales. It was established in 1961, and today it is funded by the Welsh Government. The council's aims are to promote the interest ...

. In 2014, she published ''Esmé: Guardian of Snowdonia'', a biography of Welsh conservationist Esmé Kirby.

Death

Bevan died in November 2020.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bevan, Teleri Welsh women writers Welsh women radio presenters Welsh journalists British women journalists Welsh radio presenters 1931 births 2020 deaths Alumni of Bangor University