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John Allen has been a journalist for over 30 years. He started his career working as a reporter and sub-editor for a local newspaper, and went on to join the BBC in 1972 as a sub-editor in the radio newsroom.

John has worked on daily news output on every BBC national radio network, and he was editor of Radio 4's Six o'Clock News.

He also has experience as a programme producer and was duty editor on Today, Radio 4's morning current affairs programme.

He was involved in the first radio broadcasting of parliament and later edited daily reporting of parliament. He has organised general election coverage and produced an annual news review of the year.

In 1994, John became the BBC's executive editor, radio news, and he was responsible for all news bulletins and summaries on Radio 2, 3, 4 and Radio 5 Live.

He collected a Sony award for BBC radio coverage of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales and has represented the BBC on the Radio News Programmes Committee of the European Broadcasting Union, where he was deputy chairman.