Highlights
- Amol Rajan is stepping down from Radio 4’s Today after nearly five years
- He plans to launch his own company but will continue some BBC work
- He will still host University Challenge and the Radical podcast
- His replacement has not yet been announced
Leaving Today after five years
Amol Rajan is to leave BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, saying he wants to start his own company. He confirmed he will continue working with the BBC on non-news projects, including presenting University Challenge and the Radical podcast.
Rajan said leaving Today “might be mad” but added he was excited to move into what he called the “creator economy”. The BBC said a new presenter would be announced in due course.
BBC editorial rules would likely have prevented him from staying on a news programme while running his own company.
His journey at the BBC
Rajan joined Today in March 2021 and presented the programme for nearly five years. He effectively took over from John Humphrys, who had left 18 months earlier, during a period when the show ran with fewer presenters.
Before Today, Rajan was BBC News media editor. He also appeared as a guest presenter on programmes such as The One Show and stood in for presenters on BBC Radio 2.
‘Time to get my coat’
Announcing his decision, Rajan said: “The pips have sounded, and it’s time to get my coat.”
He praised the Today team as “the best of the best” and said he was proud of Amol Rajan Interviews, which has aired on BBC Two in recent years.
He said he would still present “Britain’s oldest TV quiz” and “most exciting podcast”, but added that he wanted to build his own company, inspired by his childhood hero Del Boy and a desire to be an entrepreneur.
Changes at Today
Rajan is the third presenter in two years to leave Today, after Mishal Husain and Martha Kearney. They were replaced by Anna Foster and Emma Barnett.
The programme’s other presenters are Justin Webb, who joined in 2009, and Nick Robinson, who replaced James Naughtie in 2015.
Today editor Owenna Griffiths described Rajan as an exceptional talent with strong intellectual range and humour. Radio 4 controller Mohit Bakaya said Rajan brought distinctive energy and curiosity to the programme.
Before joining the BBC, Rajan was editor of the Independent from 2013 to 2016.
