He was Head of Arts at LWT from 1982 to 1990 and Controller of Arts at LWT from 1990. He is also known for his many programmes on BBC Radio 4, including "Start the Week" (1988 to 1998), "The Routes of English" (mapping the history of the English language), and "In Our Time" (1998 to present), which in March 2011 broadcast its 500th programme. Bragg's pending departure from the "South Bank Show" was portrayed by "The Guardian" as the last of the ITV grandees, speculating that the next generation of ITV broadcasters would not have the same longevity or influence as Bragg or his ITV contemporaries John Birt, Greg Dyke, Michael Grade and Christopher Bland.