Radio 4's Woman's Hour is 'too middle class and there's too much cooking', says new presenter

Jane Garvey, who joined the flagship Radio 4 programme in October, claimed it also focused too much on the problems women faced.

Instead, the show should highlight the positive aspects of being a woman, she said.

The 43-year-old mother of two, who joined the show from Five Live, said Woman's Hour should be more upbeat to attract younger listeners.

"One of my bugbears about it would be - and they know this --that there is too much about the negative side of being female and not enough about the many good factors,"' Miss Garvey told The Guardian.

"I would also like to have less middle-class ladies talking about cookery. Although there is nothing wrong with cookery. I think there is a massively middle-class bent to every programme on Radio 4.

"Find me a programme that isn't like that."

Miss Garvey replaced Martha Kearney, who now hosts Radio 4's The World At One, as one of Woman's Hour presenters last year. Jenni Murray also hosts the show, regarded as one of the best loved on radio.

Many listeners have not been impressed with the newcomer.

On website message boards some branded Miss Garvey "ill at ease," while others complained she was "awkward and unfriendly and aggressive."

Before joining Woman's Hour, Miss Garvey, who is married to BBC presenter Adrian Chiles, copresented Five Live's drivetime show with Peter Allen on weekday afternoons.

She was criticised on that show for reading out on air a message which called Tony Blair a "tosser."

Woman's Hour, which was first broadcast in 1946, goes out at 10am on weekdays.

Miss Garvey defended her approach to presenting the show, saying: "I'm not going to sound like Jenni Murray and if I did there would be no point in me doing it."

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Too Many Cooks: 'I would also like to have less middle class ladies talking about cookery,' she said