Helena Merriman
NationalityBritish
OccupationJournalist
EmployerBBC
Notable workTunnel 29
Children2
Websitehelenamerriman.com

Helena Merriman is a journalist and broadcaster. She is the creator of the BBC Radio 4 podcast Tunnel 29 and author of the book of the same title.

Tunnel 29

Tunnel 29 was a 10-part podcast series, launched by the BBC in October 2019, revealing how a group of young men tunnelled under the Berlin Wall in the early 1960s to smuggle people out of East Berlin.[1] The podcast had over 3 million listeners.[2] It won the Best Radio Podcast and Best Moment awards at the British Podcast Awards 2020: "A beautifully crafted and well-timed podcast that tunnelled right into our hearts. The series gathered TV and press coverage across the world, and helped bring the medium – and an incredible story – to a brand new audience. Brilliant work."[3]

The book Tunnel 29: The True Story of an Extraordinary Escape Beneath the Berlin Wall was published by Hodder & Stoughton in 2021 to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the building of the Berlin Wall.[4] It was named one of The Economist's best books of 2021.[5] Writing in The Guardian, Philip Oltermann described the book as a "thrilling page-turner".[4]

The television rights were acquired by Sister. Other bidders included See-Saw, Temple Hill and Endeavor[6]

Personal life

Merriman attended Alleyn's School, an independent school in Dulwich, London.[7] She is married with two children. She lives in London.[8]

In 2018, Merriman was diagnosed with otosclerosis, a genetic condition that causes loss of hearing. The condition, affecting the hearing in her right ear, was brought on after the birth of her second child. After an operation to restore her hearing, she is able to hear again but suffers with extreme tinnitus. The problem was the genesis of an idea for Room 5, a podcast.[9]

References

  1. ↑ "The week in radio and podcasts: Intrigue: Tunnel 29; The Food Chain". the Guardian. 20 October 2019.
  2. ↑ "Will the BBC's Berlin Wall podcast hit lead to a more informal Radio 4?". the Guardian. 8 December 2019.
  3. ↑ "Winners 2020". British Podcast Awards.
  4. 1 2 "Tunnel 29 by Helena Merriman review – escape to the west". the Guardian. 27 August 2021.
  5. ↑ "The best books of 2021". The Economist. 11 December 2021.
  6. ↑ Grater, Tom (20 February 2020). "'Chernobyl' Producer Sister Wins High-End Bidding War For Hot Podcast 'Tunnel 29'". Deadline.
  7. ↑ "Alumni Sounds". Alleyn's School. 21 January 2022. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
  8. ↑ "About". Helena Merriman.
  9. ↑ "How my pregnancy led to a life-changing diagnosis". BBC News. 4 January 2022.
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