Felicity Baker — Alumna of the Year 2024

Felicity Baker has worked in news for the BBC for 16 years, covering stories from the coronation of King Charles to the war in Ukraine and last year’s 80th anniversary of the D-Day Landings, to the Corporation’s coverage of the Eurovision Song Contest and Glastonbury. It is Felicity’s personal story, though, that has recently put her in the spotlight.

The GDST’s Alumna of the Year and Wimbledon High School alumna Felicity Baker has a warm, easy manner, a quick smile and a great speaking voice. “Quite a broadcast voice,” as she puts it. The perfect package, you might think, for a career in broadcast media.

Living with a stammer

Felicity also has a stammer. Her stammer is something she never thought she would talk about beyond her family and closest friends. It is also something that most people would never know, because she manages it so well. Even more surprising, her stammer is the very thing that led to her – at huge personal risk – putting herself in front of the camera for the first time, to help others, after a lifetime of feeling anxious herself.

Looking back at her school days and early career, she says, “I was living in constant fear of being revealed as a person who stammered. For years, that was my biggest fear, particularly at school. When you’re 11, you want to fit in and just be like everyone else. I was desperately trying to appear like I was fluent. And the sleepless nights I had over that caused me a lot of stress when I was younger.

“And [at work] I was terrified that people would think I wasn’t good at my job, that my stammer would impede my career. I put so much pressure on myself.” And she really does put pressure on herself. After school, she completed a degree in English and then went on to do a Masters at RADA, something she believes may have been about “proving a point to my younger self to say ‘I can actually do this.’” 

Felicity was determined to break into broadcast journalism, and says, “I kept applying to the BBC and eventually… it was actually my stammer that got me the job there. I owe everything to having that because I got into the BBC through the Extend Scheme*.” “I was living in constant fear of being revealed as a person who stammered.

“After more than ten years there, during which time Felicity’s career blossomed – from her start as a broadcast assistant on the Andrew Marr Show, then onto BBC Westminster, BBC Breakfast and later as a senior journalist at BBC News at One, Six and Ten, before becoming Royal Producer –a chance conversation with news anchor Sophie Raworth led to Felicity’s ‘big reveal’. Sophie, a long-time, trusted colleague (and fellow GDST alumna, from Putney High School) was stunned to learn that Felicity stammered and encouraged her to talk about it. 

Facing her fears

And so Felicity’s first piece about stammering, a short news piece in the lead-up to former US President Joe Biden’s inauguration (who talked about his own stammer), appeared on the BBC in early 2021. Such was the response, it wasn’t long before Felicity was asked to produce and front I Can’t Say My Name, a 30-minute documentary film about stammering, which aired just a few weeks later. 

Looking back at the whole experience, Felicity says, “It was terrifying. Absolutely terrifying. It was definitely the scariest thing I’ve ever done, and I still can’t quite believe I did it. I’d never done anything on screen before, so that was my first time in front of the camera. It was all very new to me, but it changed everything and I’m forever grateful for that documentary. 

“Stammering is something that I’d hidden for so long. I was really worried about the reaction from social media – because it’s not always a very pleasant place – to the point where I nearly pulled out a few days before and wasn’t sure I could go through with it. Anyway, we did go through with it, and I don’t think I saw a single negative reaction to it. Actually, it was all really positive. “It was amazing. I realise now that speaking about stammering helps other people be more open about it. I never thought I’d be in a position to help anyone else – but that’s been a real privilege.”

Felicity now finds herself very much in demand, and tells us that a followup documentary to I Can’t Say My Name will be airing shortly. Alongside her day-to-day work at the BBC, she is a Trustee of Action for Stammering Children, has set up the Stammering Support Network at the BBC, and works closely with the Michael Palin Centre for Stammering (Sir Michael Palin gave his name to the Centre and became Vice President of Action for Stammering Children in 1993). She also visits schools, including her alma mater, Wimbledon High School. 

When asked what advice she gives at her school talks, and to others through her work in stammering, Felicity says, “I think the main message I go with is that I wish I’d spoken out a bit earlier. I have no regrets about the way I’ve done it, because everything has worked out for me. But if I could offer advice to people, it would be to be more open, but also to be kind to people, because you never know what they are dealing with behind the scenes. “I had no idea that being open about things can help so much. So, even though it was really difficult for  me to do it – I still find stammering uncomfortable to speak about – the reaction I had from the public made it all worthwhile, so I’ll keep doing it.” She pauses for a moment before adding, “Always be brave. I think that’s the thing.”

GDST Life Alumnae Magazine