Nancy Wigginton, better known as Nan Winton, recently died at the age of 93. She was the first woman to read the news on BBC television. The journalist was admitted to Dorchester County Hospital on 8th May. This occurred after a fall at her home in Pymore Lane, Bridport, Dorset.

 

She passed away in Dorchester County Hospital on 11th May after her condition worsened.

 

 

An inquest into her death was opened and adjourned at Bournemouth coroner’s court on Thursday, 16th May 2019. According to Coroner’s officer Ken McEwan, Ms Wigginton had “become frail and had been falling frequently”.

 

On the day of admission to hospital, she fractured her femur and had surgery the following day. But she was later taken into critical care when her heart, kidneys and the respiratory system began to fail. She died in the ward, and the cause of death was congestive heart failure, hypertension and frailty of old age.

 

A full inquest into her death will take place at the court on 29th January 2020.

 

 

Nan Winton, who was divorced, was a continuity announcer for the BBC from 1958 to 1961. She also worked on programmes including Town and Around and Panorama.

 

She began reading the 6 pm news in 1960, and also read the weekly bulletins on Sunday evening. However, viewers reportedly found a woman reading the news unacceptable. She was then removed from the role in 1961 but remained a television and news reporter.

 

Nan Winton was also a regular panellist on the radio panel game show Treble Chance. She remained the only woman to have read the national news on BBC TV until 1975 when Angela Rippon began working as a newsreader.