Lord Melvyn Bragg to be Honoured at Oxford’s Encaenia Ceremony

Domus Fellow of St Catherine’s College, Lord Melvyn Bragg, will be among those honoured at this year’s Encaenia ceremony, taking place on 25 June. Encaenia is the University of Oxford’s annual celebration at which honorary degrees are conferred on individuals of exceptional achievement and contributions to society. The ceremony also commemorates the University’s benefactors and is traditionally held on the Wednesday of ninth week in Trinity Term.

Lord Bragg, CH, FRSL, is a renowned British broadcaster, author, and parliamentarian. He was made a life peer in 1998, taking the title Baron Bragg of Wigton in the County of Cumbria. His career began at the BBC in 1961, where he joined as a trainee. He quickly rose through the ranks, becoming editor of BBC Two’s first arts programme, New Release. In 1978, he became both editor and presenter of the acclaimed South Bank Show, a role he held for over three decades.

He also presented BBC Radio 4’s Start the Week from 1988 to 1998, and has hosted the long-running programme In Our Time since its launch in 1998.

In addition to his broadcasting work, Lord Bragg is a prolific author with an extensive body of work spanning fiction, non-fiction, and screenwriting. His contributions to literature and the arts have earned him numerous accolades, including a BAFTA Fellowship in 2010. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and holds honorary fellowships from both the British Academy and the Royal Society.

To learn more about the history of Encaenia, click here.