Celebrity Guests Revealed for 2024 Saga Magazine Cruise

Jeremy Paxman, Dame Jenni Murray, and Hunter Davies join 2024 Saga Magazine cruise

Following the successful Saga Magazine cruise earlier this year, the publication’s famous columnists, Jeremy Paxman, Dame Jenni Murray, and Hunter Davies, are set to join Spirit of Adventure on an early 2024 cruise to once again regale guests with their stories. 

Led by the magazine’s award-winning editorial director, Louise Robinson, the celebrated journalists will be giving a number of talks and Q&A sessions on Saga’s Night Skies of the Canaries cruise departing from Portsmouth on 5 January 2024.

About Jeremy Paxman

Jeremy Paxman is an award-winning journalist, author, and television presenter. Having started his career covering The Troubles in Northern Ireland, he then spent time reporting from around the world, and went on to present the BBC’s Newsnight programme for 25 years and was the well-known host of University Challenge for 29 years. He is the author of numerous documentaries and documentary series, including one on his own Parkinson’s diagnosis - story he broke to the world through his monthly column in Saga Magazine in 2021. 

Jeremy has also written ten books, including: The English - Portrait of a People; The Political Animal; On Royalty; The Victorians, and Empire - What Ruling the World Did to the British.

Jeremy’s sessions will be on his career, entitled ‘A Life in Questions’ after his memoir, and on ‘Politics, the Royals and me’.

About Dame Jenni Murray

Dame Jenni joined the BBC in 1973 in Bristol, moving from local radio to regional television in Southampton and then to Newsnight in London. She joined Radio 4’s Today programme in 1985 and Woman’s Hour in 1987, where she stayed for 33 years, leaving the BBC in 2020, the year of her 70th birthday. She’s the author of several books and in addition to her monthly column for Saga Magazine, she also writes a weekly column for The Daily Mail.

Dame Jenni Murray will be talking about the ‘Women of Britain we should all know about’ and ‘Women of the world we all need to know about’.

About Hunter Davies

Hunter Davies is one of the best-known and most prolific authors with over 100 books to his name including the only authorised biography of the Beatles. He is also a much-loved journalist and columnist having joined the staff of The Sunday Times in 1960 and going on to hold numerous roles there.

A man of many talents and interests, Hunter writes several columns including a witty one for the Sunday Times’ Money section, a football focused one for the New Statesman and, of course, one for Saga Magazine about love in old age.

 In keeping with that, Hunter will be speaking about finding love in older age, and The Beatles. He will also host a 30-minute ‘audience with’ Q&A session and a Cocktail Party for guests too, where he’ll be joined for his talks by the new love of his life, Miranda, who has featured in his Saga column and who is an artist and author.

About Louise Robinson

Starting her career as a local journalist, Louise soon found herself on Fleet Street working her way up to develop and edit one of the most profitable weekend supplements with the Daily Express’s S magazine, before jumping ship to World of Cruising magazine and then on to Saga Magazine.

Guests wishing to join the Night Skies of the Canaries cruise can book online at saga.co.uk/cruises or by calling 0808 304 4199. This 15-night all-inclusive cruise departs Portsmouth on 5 January 2024 on Spirit of Adventure heading for the Lanzarote, Tenerife, La Gomera, La Palma, La Coruña, Cadiz, and Madeira. Prices start from £3,283 per person and Saga recommends booking early as they anticipate that this cruise will fill up quickly.

Nigel Blanks, CEO of Saga Cruises, said: “This year’s Saga Magazine cruise proved so popular, we’re hosting another one in January 2024. Our guests thoroughly enjoyed hearing the journalist’s stories as well as getting the chance to meet them in person, and we have no doubt with Jeremy Paxman, Dame Jenni Murray, and Hunter Davies on board that this next cruise will also be a huge success.” 

Louise Robinson, Editorial Director of Saga Magazine, said: “I get hundreds of letters every month from readers complimenting our journalists for their wonderful writing. They love their wit, knowledge and insights and they can really see themselves represented in the magazine – something they sadly don’t see much of elsewhere after the age of 50. 

“I’ve no doubt the guests on the cruise will really enjoy the sessions and put great questions to our speakers.”

To co-ordinate with the cruise, a specially curated art exhibition of Saga Magazine’s most famous front covers will also be on-board, including those featuring Dame Helen Mirren, Ricky Gervais, Dame Judi Dench, Rob Brydon, Jennifer Saunders, and Kamala Harris.

Saga Magazine is available at all good outlets, or readers can subscribe here. 

For further information, please contact sagatravel@headlandconsultancy.com.