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''Today'', colloquially known as ''the Today programme'', is a long-running British morning news and current-affairs
radio programme
A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode.
Radio networ ...
on
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
. Broadcast on Monday to Saturday from 6:00 am to 9:00 am, it is produced by
BBC News
BBC News is an operational business division of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) responsible for the gathering and broadcasting of news and current affairs in the UK and around the world. The department is the world's largest broad ...
and is the highest-rated programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks. In-depth political interviews and reports are interspersed with regular news bulletins, as well as ''
Thought for the Day
''Thought for the Day'' is a daily scripted slot on the ''Today'' programme on BBC Radio 4 offering "reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news", broadcast at around 7:45 each Monday to Saturday morning. Nowadays lastin ...
''. It has been voted the most influential news programme in Britain in setting the political agenda, with an average weekly listening audience around 7 million.
History
''Today'' was launched on the
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
's
Home Service
Home Service is a British folk rock group, formed in late 1980 from a nucleus of musicians who had been playing in Ashley Hutchings' Albion Band. Their career is generally agreed to have peaked with the album ''Alright Jack'', and has had an ...
on 28 October 1957 as a programme of "topical talks" to give listeners an alternative to listening to
light music. The programme's founders were
Isa Benzie
Isa Donald Benzie (4 December 1902 – 25 June 1988) was a British radio broadcaster. She played a key role in the launch of ''Today'' on BBC Radio 4, and served as its first senior producer.
Early life and education
Benzie was born in 1902 in ...
and
Janet Quigley
Janet Muriel Alexander Quigley MBE (1902–1987) was a British radio broadcaster associated with the ''Today'' programme and ''Woman's Hour''.
Life
Quigley was born in Belfast in 1902, in the then United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. Sh ...
. Benzie gave the programme its name, and served as its first ''
de facto
''De facto'' ( ; , "in fact") describes practices that exist in reality, whether or not they are officially recognized by laws or other formal norms. It is commonly used to refer to what happens in practice, in contrast with ''de jure'' ("by la ...
'' editor. It was initially broadcast as two 20-minute editions slotted in around the existing news bulletins and religious and musical items. It became part of the BBC's Current Affairs department in 1963, and started to become more news-orientated. The two editions also became longer, and by the end of the 1960s it had become a single programme two hours in length that enveloped the news bulletins and the religious talk that had become ''
Thought for the Day
''Thought for the Day'' is a daily scripted slot on the ''Today'' programme on BBC Radio 4 offering "reflections from a faith perspective on issues and people in the news", broadcast at around 7:45 each Monday to Saturday morning. Nowadays lastin ...
'' in 1970. In May 1977, Radio 4 controller
Ian McIntyre cut it to two 25-minute parts, filling the gap with ''
Up to the Hour''. The new format was unpopular with BBC staff, including
Peter Donaldson
Peter Ian Donaldson (23 August 1945 – 2 November 2015) was an English newsreader on BBC Radio 4.
Early life
Donaldson was born in Cairo, Egypt, and moved to Cyprus in 1952 at the time of the overthrow of King Farouk. He was a frequen ...
who on at least one occasion openly ridiculed the programme on air. It also provoked comments in the diary columns of the daily newspapers. From July 1978, ''Today'' returned to its previous length and ''Up to the Hour'' was dropped.
Jack de Manio
Giovanni Batista "Jack" de Manio MC and Bar (26 January 1914 – 28 October 1988) was a British journalist, best known as a radio presenter.
Life and work
He was the son of Jean and Florence de Manio. His father was an Italian aviator, who died ...
became its principal presenter in 1958. He was held in affection by listeners, but became notorious for on-air gaffes (announcing a documentary on
Nigeria
Nigeria ( ), , ig, Naìjíríyà, yo, Nàìjíríà, pcm, Naijá , ff, Naajeeriya, kcg, Naijeriya officially the Federal Republic of Nigeria, is a country in West Africa. It is situated between the Sahel to the north and the Gulf o ...
titled 'The Land of Niger' as 'The Land of Nigger', and referring to
Yoko Ono
Yoko Ono ( ; ja, 小野 洋子, Ono Yōko, usually spelled in katakana ; born February 18, 1933) is a Japanese multimedia artist, singer, songwriter, and peace activist. Her work also encompasses performance art and filmmaking.
Ono grew up i ...
as "Yoko Hama, or whatever her name is", for instance).
In 1970 the programme format was changed so that there were two presenters each day. De Manio left in 1971, and in the late 1970s the team of
John Timpson
John Harry Robert Timpson, (2 July 1928 – 19 November 2005) was a British journalist, best known as a radio presenter.
Early life
Born at Ridgeholme, 53 The Ridgeway, Kenton, Middlesex, he was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, a boys' ...
and
Brian Redhead
Brian Leonard Redhead (28 December 1929 – 23 January 1994) was a British author, journalist and broadcaster. He was a co-presenter of the ''Today'' programme on BBC Radio 4 from 1975 until 1993, shortly before his death. He was a great lover ...
became established. Timpson had been critical of the content, style and professionalism of ''Today''—describing it once as "not so much a programme, more a way of telling the time" and being filled with "eccentric octogenarians, prize pumpkins, and folk who ate lightbulbs and spiders".
In the late 1970s and early 1980s, under editors
Ken Goudie
Ken or KEN may refer to:
Entertainment
* ''Ken'' (album), a 2017 album by Canadian indie rock band Destroyer.
* ''Ken'' (film), 1964 Japanese film.
* ''Ken'' (magazine), a large-format political magazine.
* Ken Masters, a main character in ...
and
Julian Holland, ''Today'' made moves to broaden its appeal away from broadcasting a lot of national politics with London-centric bias. Presentation was split for a time between London, usually by
John Timpson
John Harry Robert Timpson, (2 July 1928 – 19 November 2005) was a British journalist, best known as a radio presenter.
Early life
Born at Ridgeholme, 53 The Ridgeway, Kenton, Middlesex, he was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, a boys' ...
, and from Manchester, usually by
Brian Redhead
Brian Leonard Redhead (28 December 1929 – 23 January 1994) was a British author, journalist and broadcaster. He was a co-presenter of the ''Today'' programme on BBC Radio 4 from 1975 until 1993, shortly before his death. He was a great lover ...
. The objective was to make it more of a balanced, national programme. The on-air humour of the two presenters and the split of locations made the programme very popular and influential. Brian Redhead was quoted, "If you want to drop a word in the ear of the nation, then this is the programme in which to do it." This pairing lasted until Timpson's retirement in 1986. Other presenters during this period included
Libby Purves
Elizabeth Mary Purves, (born 2 February 1950) is a British radio presenter, journalist and author.
Early life and career
Born in London, a diplomat's daughter, Purves was raised in her mother's Catholic faith and educated at convent school ...
in the late 1970s.
John Humphrys
Desmond John Humphrys (born 17 August 1943) is a Welsh broadcaster. From 1981 to 1987 he was the main presenter for the '' Nine O'Clock News'', the flagship BBC News television programme, and from 1987 until 2019 he presented on the BBC Radio 4 ...
and
Sue MacGregor joined the rotating list of presenters in 1986.
Peter Hobday, who had first broadcast on the programme in the 1950s, was a regular presenter from the early 1980s and a favourite with listeners because of his relaxed, urbane style.
By this time the programme was benefiting from publicity gained after it became known that Prime Minister
Margaret Thatcher
Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher (; 13 October 19258 April 2013) was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1990 and Leader of the Conservative Party from 1975 to 1990. She was the first female British prime ...
was a regular listener. Ministers thus became keen to go on the programme, but the tough, confrontational interviewing they encountered led to accusations that the BBC was biased. Criticism was particularly directed against Redhead, who was often seen as being on the left. Chancellor
Nigel Lawson
Nigel Lawson, Baron Lawson of Blaby, (born 11 March 1932) is a British Conservative Party politician and journalist. He was a Member of Parliament representing the constituency of Blaby from 1974 to 1992, and served in the cabinet of Margaret ...
accused him, during a live interview in 1988, of having been a Labour voter all his life. The style of the male interviewers was analysed and contrasted with the approach of MacGregor, who was alleged to be giving subjects an easier time. The 'Big 8.10' interview that follows the 8 o'clock news had become an important institution of British politics, a position it retains.
After
Brian Redhead
Brian Leonard Redhead (28 December 1929 – 23 January 1994) was a British author, journalist and broadcaster. He was a co-presenter of the ''Today'' programme on BBC Radio 4 from 1975 until 1993, shortly before his death. He was a great lover ...
died in January 1994,
James Naughtie
Alexander James Naughtie FRSE (surname pronounced ; born 9 August 1951) is a British radio and news presenter for the BBC.
Between 1994 and 2015, he was one of the main presenters of Radio 4's the '' Today programme''. In his 21-plus years ...
became a member of the team. Peter Hobday presented the programme regularly until 1996;
Sarah Montague
Sarah Anne Louise Montague, Lady Brooke (born 8 February 1966),''Who's who'' is a British journalist and presenter of the BBC Radio 4 current affairs programme ''The World at One''. For 18 years, prior to April 2018, she was a regular presenter ...
replaced MacGregor in 2002.
Carolyn Quinn was a regular presenter until 2008 as was
Edward Stourton until 2009. Other more occasional presenters include the BBC's
Stephen Sackur
Stephen John Sackur (born 9 January 1964) is an English journalist who presents ''HARDtalk'', a current affairs interview programme on BBC World News and the BBC News Channel. He was also the main Friday presenter of '' GMT'' on BBC World News. ...
and
Tim Franks.
Evan Davis
Evan Harold Davis (born 8 April 1962) is an English economist, journalist, and presenter for the BBC. He has presented ''Dragons' Den'' since 2005.
In October 2001, Davis took over from Peter Jay as the BBC's economics editor. He left this ...
and
Justin Webb
Justin Oliver Webb (born Justin Oliver Prouse, 3 January 1961 in Portsmouth, Hampshire) is a British journalist who has worked for the BBC since 1984. He is a former BBC North America Editor and the main co-presenter of BBC One's '' Breakfast ...
were the newest regular presenters to join the roster until
Mishal Husain
Mishal Husain (born 11 February 1973) is a British newsreader and journalist for BBC Television and BBC Radio. She is the main Sunday presenter of the ''BBC News at Ten'' and ''BBC Weekend News'' and one of the main presenters of BBC Radio 4's ' ...
in 2013. Husain became the second regular female presenter when
James Naughtie
Alexander James Naughtie FRSE (surname pronounced ; born 9 August 1951) is a British radio and news presenter for the BBC.
Between 1994 and 2015, he was one of the main presenters of Radio 4's the '' Today programme''. In his 21-plus years ...
began to cover the
Scottish Independence referendum as a ''
Good Morning Scotland
''Good Morning Scotland'' ( gd, Madainn Mhath Alba) is a Scottish breakfast radio news programme. It is broadcast on BBC Radio Scotland weekdays from 06:00 to 09:00. Established in 1973, it is the longest-running radio show broadcast from Scotl ...
'' presenter for two days a week, and across the BBC's output. Naughtie returned to ''Today'' before the
2015 general election.
[Jason Deans and Josh Hallida]
"BBC's Mishal Husain to join Today"
''The Guardian'', 16 July 2013
On 7 July 2015, the BBC announced that
James Naughtie
Alexander James Naughtie FRSE (surname pronounced ; born 9 August 1951) is a British radio and news presenter for the BBC.
Between 1994 and 2015, he was one of the main presenters of Radio 4's the '' Today programme''. In his 21-plus years ...
was to leave the programme, to become a Special Correspondent for
BBC Radio 4
BBC Radio 4 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC that replaced the BBC Home Service in 1967. It broadcasts a wide variety of spoken-word programmes, including news, drama, comedy, science and history from the BBC' ...
. Two days later,
Nick Robinson was announced as Naughtie's replacement. In April 2018,
Martha Kearney
Martha Catherine Kearney (born 8 October 1957) is a British-Irish journalist and broadcaster. She was the main presenter of BBC Radio 4's lunchtime news programme ''The World at One'' for 11 years, and in April 2018 became a presenter of the ear ...
joined the team in a straight swap with
Sarah Montague
Sarah Anne Louise Montague, Lady Brooke (born 8 February 1966),''Who's who'' is a British journalist and presenter of the BBC Radio 4 current affairs programme ''The World at One''. For 18 years, prior to April 2018, she was a regular presenter ...
, who left to take over Kearney's old role as lead presenter of ''
The World at One
''The World at One'', or ''WATO'' ("what-oh") for short, is BBC Radio 4's long-running lunchtime news and current affairs programme, produced by BBC News, which is currently broadcast from 13:00 to 13:45 from Monday to Friday. The programme de ...
''.
On 19 September 2019,
John Humphrys
Desmond John Humphrys (born 17 August 1943) is a Welsh broadcaster. From 1981 to 1987 he was the main presenter for the '' Nine O'Clock News'', the flagship BBC News television programme, and from 1987 until 2019 he presented on the BBC Radio 4 ...
hosted his last edition of ''Today'', after 32 years on the show. His last major guests were former Prime Ministers
David Cameron and
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
, as well as drag personality
Dame Edna Everage
Dame Edna Everage, often known simply as Dame Edna, is a character created and performed by Australian comedian Barry Humphries, known for her lilac-coloured ("wisteria hue") hair and cat eye glasses ("face furniture"); her favourite flower, t ...
.
Current presenters
Former presenters
The longest serving presenter on Today was
John Humphrys
Desmond John Humphrys (born 17 August 1943) is a Welsh broadcaster. From 1981 to 1987 he was the main presenter for the '' Nine O'Clock News'', the flagship BBC News television programme, and from 1987 until 2019 he presented on the BBC Radio 4 ...
, who presented the programme for 32 years and 260 days between 1987 and 2019.
*
Jack de Manio
Giovanni Batista "Jack" de Manio MC and Bar (26 January 1914 – 28 October 1988) was a British journalist, best known as a radio presenter.
Life and work
He was the son of Jean and Florence de Manio. His father was an Italian aviator, who died ...
(1958–1971)
*
Robert Hudson (1964–1968)
*
John Timpson
John Harry Robert Timpson, (2 July 1928 – 19 November 2005) was a British journalist, best known as a radio presenter.
Early life
Born at Ridgeholme, 53 The Ridgeway, Kenton, Middlesex, he was educated at Merchant Taylors' School, a boys' ...
(1964, 1970–1976, 1978–1986)
*
John Tidmarsh (1968–1969)
*
Douglas Cameron (1970–1974)
*
Robert Robinson (1971–1974)
*
Barry Norman
Barry Leslie Norman (21 August 1933 – 30 June 2017) was a British film critic, television presenter and journalist. He presented the BBC's cinema review programme, '' Film...'', from 1972 to 1998.
Early life
Born at St Thomas’s Hospital ...
(1974–1976)
*
Desmond Lynam (1974–1975)
* Paul Barnes (1975–1977)
*
Brian Redhead
Brian Leonard Redhead (28 December 1929 – 23 January 1994) was a British author, journalist and broadcaster. He was a co-presenter of the ''Today'' programme on BBC Radio 4 from 1975 until 1993, shortly before his death. He was a great lover ...
(1975–1993)
*
Gillian Reynolds
Gillian Reynolds (née Morton; born 15 November 1935) is an English radio critic. After writing for ''The Guardian'' from 1967 to 1974, she was the radio critic for ''The Daily Telegraph'' for over 42 years, from 1975 to 2018. She then continued ...
(1975–1976)
*
Nigel Rees
Nigel Rees (born 5 June 1944 near Liverpool) is an English writer and broadcaster, known for devising and hosting the Radio 4 panel game '' Quote... Unquote'' (1976–2021) and as the author of more than fifty books, mostly works of reference on ...
(1976–1978)
*
Libby Purves
Elizabeth Mary Purves, (born 2 February 1950) is a British radio presenter, journalist and author.
Early life and career
Born in London, a diplomat's daughter, Purves was raised in her mother's Catholic faith and educated at convent school ...
(1978–1981)
*
Hugh Sykes
Sir Hugh Ridley Sykes (born 12 September 1932) is an English industrialist and investor, noted for championing regeneration in and around Sheffield.
Early life
Sir Hugh was born in Bristol. He was educated at Bristol Grammar School and Clare Col ...
(1978–1982)
*
Peter Hobday (1983–1996)
*
Jenni Murray
Dame Jennifer Susan Murray, (''née'' Bailey; born 12 May 1950) is an English journalist and broadcaster, best known for presenting BBC Radio 4's ''Woman's Hour'' from 1987 to 2020.
Early life
Murray was born in Barnsley, West Riding of Yorks ...
(1985–1987)
*
Sue MacGregor (1984–2002)
*
Anna Ford
Anna Ford (born 2 October 1943) is an English former journalist, television presenter and newsreader. She first worked as a researcher, news reporter and later newsreader for Granada Television, ITN, and the BBC. Ford helped launch the British ...
(1993–1999)
*
Edward Stourton (1999–2009)
*
Carolyn Quinn (2004–2008)
*
Evan Davis
Evan Harold Davis (born 8 April 1962) is an English economist, journalist, and presenter for the BBC. He has presented ''Dragons' Den'' since 2005.
In October 2001, Davis took over from Peter Jay as the BBC's economics editor. He left this ...
(2007–2014)
*
James Naughtie
Alexander James Naughtie FRSE (surname pronounced ; born 9 August 1951) is a British radio and news presenter for the BBC.
Between 1994 and 2015, he was one of the main presenters of Radio 4's the '' Today programme''. In his 21-plus years ...
(1994–2015)
*
Winifred Robinson (1996–2000)
*
Sarah Montague
Sarah Anne Louise Montague, Lady Brooke (born 8 February 1966),''Who's who'' is a British journalist and presenter of the BBC Radio 4 current affairs programme ''The World at One''. For 18 years, prior to April 2018, she was a regular presenter ...
(2001–2018)
*
John Humphrys
Desmond John Humphrys (born 17 August 1943) is a Welsh broadcaster. From 1981 to 1987 he was the main presenter for the '' Nine O'Clock News'', the flagship BBC News television programme, and from 1987 until 2019 he presented on the BBC Radio 4 ...
(1987–2019)
Newsreaders
Among the newsreaders are
Chris Aldridge, Viji Alles, Charles Carroll, Mark Forrest, Caroline Nicholls,
Alan Smith,
Tom Sandars, and Jane Steel.
Editors
*
Jenny Abramsky
Dame Jennifer Gita Abramsky, (born 7 October 1946) is a British media producer and philanthropist. She was chairman of the UK's National Heritage Memorial Fund (NHMF). The NHMF makes grants to preserve heritage of outstanding national importanc ...
(1986–1987)
*
Phil Harding (1987–1993)
*
(1993–1997)
*
Rod Liddle
Roderick E. Liddle (born 1 April 1960) is an English journalist and an associate editor of ''The Spectator''. He was an editor of BBC Radio 4's ''Today'' programme. His published works include ''Too Beautiful for You'' (2003), ''Love Will Destr ...
(1998–2002)
*
Kevin Marsh (2002–2006)
*
Ceri Thomas (2006–2012)
* Jamie Angus (2013–2017)
*
Sarah Sands
Sarah Sands (''née'' Harvey; 3 May 1961) is a British journalist and author. A former editor of the ''London Evening Standard'', she was editor of ''Today'' on BBC Radio 4 from 2017 to 2020.
Early life and education
Sands was born in Cambridge ...
(2017–2020)
* Owenna Griffiths (2020–present)
Guest editors
Beginning in 2003, for over one week at the end of December, guest editors have been invited to commission items for one edition of the programme. These usually reflect their social or cultural interests and at the end of each edition the guest editor is interviewed by a member of the regular presenting team about the experience. Guest editors participating in the inaugural year of this feature were
Monica Ali
Monica Ali FRSL (born 20 October 1967) is a British writer of Bangladeshi and English heritage. In 2003, she was selected as one of the "Best of Young British Novelists" by ''Granta'' magazine based on her unpublished manuscript; her debut nove ...
,
Thom Yorke
Thomas Edward Yorke (born 7 October 1968) is an English musician and the main vocalist and songwriter of the rock band Radiohead. A multi-instrumentalist, he mainly plays guitar and keyboards and is noted for his falsetto. He has been descri ...
,
Stephen Hawking, and
Norman Tebbit, who is a frequent critic of the programme. Since its inception, notable guest editors have included:
David Blunkett
David Blunkett, Baron Blunkett, (born 6 June 1947) is a British Labour Party politician who has been a Member of the House of Lords since 2015, and previously served as the Member of Parliament (MP) for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough ...
, who used the programme as an opportunity to 'turn the tables' on John Humphrys in 2005;
Rowan Williams
Rowan Douglas Williams, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, (born 14 June 1950) is a Welsh Anglican bishop, theologian and poet. He was the 104th Archbishop of Canterbury, a position he held from December 2002 to December 2012. Previously the Bish ...
, the
Archbishop of Canterbury, whose appearance on 29 December 2006 encompassed discussions of his growing concerns about the 'justification' for the invasion of
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
, Britain's role in the affair, and the consequences for British armed forces; and
Peter Hennessy
Peter John Hennessy, Baron Hennessy of Nympsfield, (born 28 March 1947) is an English historian and academic specialising in the history of government. Since 1992, he has been Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary Unive ...
, who, on 28 December 2007, led a visit to
HMS ''Vigilant'' (a British
Trident
A trident is a three- pronged spear. It is used for spear fishing and historically as a polearm.
The trident is the weapon of Poseidon, or Neptune, the God of the Sea in classical mythology. The trident may occasionally be held by other mari ...
submarine) alongside its base at
Faslane. Others including
Queen Noor of Jordan
Noor Al-Hussein ( ar, نور الحسين; born Lisa Najeeb Halaby; August 23, 1951) is an American-born Jordanian philanthropist and activist who is the fourth wife and widow of King Hussein of Jordan. She was Queen of Jordan from their marriag ...
(2005),
Bono (2004) and
Sarah, Duchess of York
Sarah, Duchess of York (born Sarah Margaret Ferguson; 15 October 1959), also known by the nickname Fergie, is a member of the British royal family. She is the former wife of Prince Andrew, Duke of York, the younger brother of King Charles III ...
(2004) have also pitched in for this one-day editorial stint to promote their causes and interests.
Notable features
''Today'' regularly holds an end-of-year poll. For many years this took the form of write-in votes for the Man and Woman of the Year. This was stopped after an episode of organised
vote-rigging in 1990, but was soon revived as a telephone vote for a single Personality of the Year. A further episode of vote-rigging, in favour of
Tony Blair
Sir Anthony Charles Lynton Blair (born 6 May 1953) is a British former politician who served as Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 1997 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007. He previously served as Leader of th ...
in 1996, forced the programme-makers to consider more innovative polling questions. In 2004 listeners nominated candidates for a
peerage, in 2005 the question was set of "Who Runs Britain?" (though this, too, turned out to be rigged). Recent years have also included nominations for a "Listener's Law" (which an MP agreed to sponsor as a parliamentary bill, although he did not support the winning nomination, which he thought was not appropriate), and, in 2006, nominations were sought for the law that listeners would most like to see repealed.
In ''Thought for the Day'', featured since 1970, a speaker reflects on topical issues from a theological viewpoint, the editorial responsibility lying with BBC's Religion and Ethics Department (a point often made on the ''Today'' programme). Notable contributors to the slot have included Rabbi
Lionel Blue
Lionel Blue (6 February 1930 – 19 December 2016) was a British Reform rabbi, journalist and broadcaster, described by ''The Guardian'' as "one of the most respected religious figures in the UK". He was best known for his longstanding work wi ...
, the academic
Elaine Storkey
Elaine Storkey (''née'' Lively; born 1944) is an English philosopher, sociologist, and theologian. She is known for her lecturing, writing and broadcasting.
Early years and education
Born Elaine Lively on 1 October 1944, Storkey is the eldest of ...
, the Sikh
Indarjit Singh
Indarjit Singh, Baron Singh of Wimbledon (born 17 September 1932), sometimes transliterated Inderjit Singh, is a British journalist and broadcaster, a prominent British Indian active in Sikh and interfaith activities, and a member of the ...
and
Richard Harries
Richard Douglas Harries, Baron Harries of Pentregarth, (born 2 June 1936) is a retired bishop of the Church of England and former British Army officer. He was the Bishop of Oxford from 1987 to 2006. From 2008 until 2012 he was the Gresham Profes ...
, the former
Bishop of Oxford
The Bishop of Oxford is the diocesan bishop of the Church of England Diocese of Oxford in the Province of Canterbury; his seat is at Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford. The current bishop is Steven Croft, following the confirmation of his elect ...
. Over the years the slot has featured an increasing number of speakers from religions other than Christianity, though Christian speakers remain in a substantial majority. In August 2002,
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
professor
Richard Dawkins gave a non-religious
humanist
Humanism is a philosophical stance that emphasizes the individual and social potential and agency of human beings. It considers human beings the starting point for serious moral and philosophical inquiry.
The meaning of the term "human ...
thought for the day; however, this did not replace the regular thought and was broadcast an hour later as an alternative thought.
In 1983 the long-running "
Prayer for the Day", which had always gone on air at 6.50am, was moved to 6.25am and replaced by a "Business News" slot. It was later moved out of ''Today'', in the face of protest from listeners, to 5.43am where it is still received by an appreciative audience.
The programme has a regular slot for sports news and items, 'Sports Desk', between 26 and 30 minutes past each hour, regularly presented by
Garry Richardson
Garry Richardson (born 1956/1957) is a British radio presenter. He presented the Sunday morning sports programme '' Sportsweek'' on BBC Radio 5 Live until 15 September 2019, and remains a sports presenter on the weekday morning ''Today'' show o ...
,
Jonathan Legard or
Rob Bonnet
Robert Bonnet (born ) is a BBC sports journalist. He has presented bulletins across the BBC News Channel and BBC World News and presents '' Extratime'', an interview programme on BBC World and BBC News. Bonnet is currently one of the main sports ...
and occasionally by
Alison Mitchell
Alison Mitchell (born 17 January) is an English-Australian cricket commentator and sports broadcaster, working for the BBC, Australia's Channel 7 and the Australian Open among others. She was the first woman to become a regular commentator on the ...
,
Karthi Gnanasegaram or Chris Dennis. If
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
is in session the previous day there will be a summary at about 06:50 (Yesterday in Parliament) presented by two from
Robert Orchard, David Wilby, Rachel Hooper and Susan Hulme.
Journalist and historian
Peter Hennessy
Peter John Hennessy, Baron Hennessy of Nympsfield, (born 28 March 1947) is an English historian and academic specialising in the history of government. Since 1992, he has been Attlee Professor of Contemporary British History at Queen Mary Unive ...
has made an assertion in one of his books that a test that the commander of a British
nuclear-missile submarine must use to determine whether the UK has been the target of a
nuclear attack (in which case he has
sealed orders which may authorise him to fire his nuclear missiles in retaliation), is to listen for the presence of ''Today'' on Radio 4's frequencies. If a certain number of days (said to be three) pass without the programme being broadcast, that is to be taken as evidence that the orders must be executed. The true conditions are of course secret, and Hennessy has never revealed his sources for this story, leading Paul Donovan, author of a book about ''Today'', to express some scepticism about it. However, the
longwave
In radio, longwave, long wave or long-wave, and commonly abbreviated LW, refers to parts of the radio spectrum with wavelengths longer than what was originally called the medium-wave broadcasting band. The term is historic, dating from the e ...
signal of Radio 4 is capable of penetrating to surface depths where submarines can rise, although it does not have the range required to be heard at this depth far from the UK's coastal waters.
Message boards
In 2001, the ''Today'' programme created a system of message boards allowing the users of its web site to challenge thinking on current affairs with all those contributing. Available statistics indicate the amassing, over five years, of up to 18,000 separate discussions –
topic threads – sometimes with as many as 3,000 contributions per thread. However, on 16 November 2006 the programme changed its board policy so that only the producers of ''Today'' could start a thread, but all contributors could still join in with them. This action appeared to have been unattractive to past contributors and, it seems, many stopped dealing with ''Today'' in favour of other outlets. After the changes there were fewer contributions, but, on occasion, contributions made by the public were featured on-air in the ''Today'' programme. Message boards dedicated to the ''Today'' programme were discontinued around mid-2008 and listeners were invited to use the general BBC 'Have Your Say' board.
[Have Your Say](_blank)
BBC News (1 January 1970).
Podcast
A podcast, ''Beyond Today'', was launched on 29 October 2018. Presented alternately by
Tina Daheley
Tina Daheley (born ) is a British journalist, newsreader and presenter who works for the BBC, both on television and radio. She currently reads the news on '' The Radio 2 Breakfast Show'' with Zoe Ball, often contributing to discussions during ...
and
Matthew Price
Matthew William Price (born 5 June 1972 in Hampstead, London) is a British journalist who currently works as Chief Correspondent for the BBC Radio 4 Today programme.
Education
Matthew Price was educated at The Haberdashers' Aske's Boys' Schoo ...
and aimed at a younger audience, the production team contains the same number of women from black and ethnic minority backgrounds as it does men.
Controversy
''Today'' found itself in the midst of controversy again in 2002, when its editor
Rod Liddle
Roderick E. Liddle (born 1 April 1960) is an English journalist and an associate editor of ''The Spectator''. He was an editor of BBC Radio 4's ''Today'' programme. His published works include ''Too Beautiful for You'' (2003), ''Love Will Destr ...
wrote a column in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' that was extremely critical of the
Countryside Alliance
The Countryside Alliance (CA) is a British organisation promoting issues relating to the countryside such as farming, rural services, small businesses and field sports, aiming to "Give Rural Britain a voice".
History
The Countryside Alliance ...
and which raised questions about his own impartiality. In the article, he wrote that catching "a glimpse of the forces supporting the Countryside Alliance: the public schools that laid on coaches; the fusty, belch-filled dining rooms of the London clubs that opened their doors, for the first time, to the protesters; the Prince of Wales and, of course, Camilla ... and suddenly, rather gloriously, it might be that you remember
hy you voted Labouronce again." He resigned from his post on ''Today''.
In the summer of 2003, ''Today'' once again found itself at the centre of allegations of political bias, this time against a Labour government. The controversy arose after ''Today'' broadcast a report by its correspondent
Andrew Gilligan
Andrew Paul Gilligan (born 22 November 1968) is a British policy adviser and former transport adviser to Boris Johnson, the Prime Minister between 2019-22. Until July 2019, he was senior correspondent of ''The Sunday Times'' and had also served ...
. The report alleged that a dossier the British Government had produced to convince the British public of the need to invade
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...
had been "sexed up" (deliberately exaggerated), and that the government had known this prior to publishing it. In his live 2-way (interview with presenter John Humphrys), just after 6.07 a.m., Gilligan asserted that the dossier and the Government "probably knew" that one of the main claims in the dossier "was wrong". Gilligan's
anonymous source for the claim was Dr
David Kelly, a key adviser on biological weapons who had worked in Iraq – though it was never established whether Dr Kelly had actually used the words Gilligan attributed to him. In the furore that followed Gilligan's report, David Kelly's name became public and he was forced to appear before the Foreign Affairs Select Committee. Shortly afterward he was found dead having presumably committed suicide. In the ensuing public inquiry (the
Hutton Inquiry
The Hutton Inquiry was a 2003 judicial inquiry in the UK chaired by Lord Hutton, who was appointed by the Labour government to investigate the controversial circumstances surrounding the death of Dr David Kelly, a biological warfare expert and ...
), which reported in January 2004, the BBC was heavily criticised. This led to the resignation of the BBC's chairman,
Gavyn Davies, the Director-General,
Greg Dyke
Gregory Dyke (born 20 May 1947) is a British media executive, football administrator, journalist, and broadcaster. Since the 1960s, Dyke has had a long career in the UK in print and then broadcast journalism. He is credited with introducing ' ...
, and Andrew Gilligan.
On Friday 5 November 2010, the programme failed to be transmitted due to 48-hour strike action at the BBC. Transmission continued the next day, in spite of ongoing industrial action, as
Evan Davis
Evan Harold Davis (born 8 April 1962) is an English economist, journalist, and presenter for the BBC. He has presented ''Dragons' Den'' since 2005.
In October 2001, Davis took over from Peter Jay as the BBC's economics editor. He left this ...
and
Sarah Montague
Sarah Anne Louise Montague, Lady Brooke (born 8 February 1966),''Who's who'' is a British journalist and presenter of the BBC Radio 4 current affairs programme ''The World at One''. For 18 years, prior to April 2018, she was a regular presenter ...
decided to break the strike.
Criticism
"Radio 4 on the whole is good for using serious female presenters, but the ''Today'' programme lets it down badly", commented former ''Today'' newsreader
Alice Arnold Alice Arnold may refer to
* Alice Arnold (broadcaster)
Alice Arnold (born 1962) is a British broadcaster and journalist. She was a newsreader and continuity announcer on BBC Radio 4 for more than twenty years until the end of December 2012. ...
early in 2013, pointing out that Sarah Montague was (then) the only female presenter among the regular presenters. During 2010, editor
Ceri Thomas acknowledged that the gender balance was not ideal, but faced criticism for saying in an interview that the programme was not going to be the "first place you'll see those changes because it's just too tough an environment for novices, frankly". Radio 4 presenter
Mariella Frostrup
Mariella Frostrup (born 12 November 1962) is a British journalist and presenter, known in British television and radio mainly for arts programmes.
Early life
Frostrup was born in Oslo, Norway, to Peter and Joan Frostrup, but moved with her fam ...
described the men involved in running the programme in an interview as "a bunch of misogynists", but later retracted this statement by saying she had been "careless" in her vocabulary.
In 2011, ''
Guardian'' journalist
Kira Cochrane
Kira Cochrane (; born 1977) is a British journalist and novelist. She is the Head of Features at ''The Guardian,'' and worked previously as Head of Opinion. Cochrane is an advocate for women's rights, as well as an active participant in fourth ...
and colleagues researched the female–male ratio in the British media for a month. Concerning ''Today'' they found 83.5% of the contributors were male and the remaining 16.5% female. The issue was thought important enough for culture minister
Ed Vaizey
Edward Henry Butler Vaizey, Baron Vaizey of Didcot, (born 5 June 1968) is a British politician, media columnist, political commentator and barrister who was Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries from 2010 to 2016. A memb ...
to request a meeting with the BBC in January 2012, and for Director-General
George Entwistle
George Edward Entwistle (born 8 July 1962) was Director-General of the BBC during 2012, succeeding Mark Thompson. After a career in magazine journalism, he joined BBC Television in 1989, becoming a producer with a primary focus in factual and ...
, at the start of his brief period in charge of the BBC, to advocate that the next new ''Today'' presenter should be female.
An interview with
David Cameron conducted by John Humphrys in 2006 received 200 complaints concerning Humphrys' aggressive approach and "excessive" interruptions.
[James Silve]
"'Humphrys could see me off too'"
''The Guardian'', 10 April 2006 Ceri Thomas became the programme's editor shortly afterwards, and was asked about this issue. "I'm not going to rule out the confrontational interview as it is on occasion necessary...
l the evidence we've got shows that the audience is overwhelmingly behind John Humphrys in general and support our right to do
his
His or HIS may refer to:
Computing
* Hightech Information System, a Hong Kong graphics card company
* Honeywell Information Systems
* Hybrid intelligent system
* Microsoft Host Integration Server
Education
* Hangzhou International School, in ...
kind of interviews."
In a 2012 article decrying the BBC's attitude to science reporting, ''Guardian'' science columnist Martin Robbins wrote: "The ''Today'' programme claims to be serious, but seems to work on the basis that the best way to enlighten viewers is to take two people and force them into a sort of intellectual-masturbation death match.
Graham Linehan
Graham Linehan () (born 22 May 1968) is an Irish television writer and anti-transgender activist. He created or co-created the sitcoms ''Father Ted'' (1995–1998), ''Black Books'' (2000–2004) and '' The IT Crowd'' (2006–2013). He has also ...
appeared on the show last year to discuss
his adaptation of ''
The Ladykillers'' and found himself ambushed by questions that weren't just hostile, but sometimes completely bizarre."
Expert Women's Days, intended by the BBC as a training exercise intended in part to increase the number of female interviewees on ''Today'', took place in several locations in 2013.
[Maggie Brow]
"BBC to hold Expert Women's Days in Salford, Glasgow and Cardiff"
''The Guardian'', 18 March 2013
See also
*
Greatest Painting in Britain Vote The Greatest Painting in Britain Vote was a survey made by BBC Radio 4's ''Today'' programme in Summer 2005 with the aim of discovering the best-loved painting in Britain, in the manner of 100 Greatest Britons and The Big Read
The Big Read was a ...
, a ''Today'' listener poll in 2005
* ''
PM'', Radio 4's early evening stablemate to the ''Today'' programme
* ''
The World at One
''The World at One'', or ''WATO'' ("what-oh") for short, is BBC Radio 4's long-running lunchtime news and current affairs programme, produced by BBC News, which is currently broadcast from 13:00 to 13:45 from Monday to Friday. The programme de ...
'', Radio 4's afternoon stablemate to the ''Today'' programme
* ''
The World Tonight
''The World Tonight'' is a British current affairs radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 4, every weekday evening, which started out as an extension of the 10 pm news. It is produced by BBC News and features news, analysis and comment on domes ...
'', Radio 4's late evening stablemate to the ''Today'' programme
* ''
Roundabout East Anglia'',
BBC East
BBC East is one of BBC's English Regions covering Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, northern Buckinghamshire, and the majority of Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire and Essex. It is headquartered in The Forum, Norwich since 2003. It wa ...
's
regional opt-out from the ''Today'' programme in the 1970s
* ''
Morning Sou'West'',
BBC South West's
regional opt-out from the ''Today'' programme in the 1970s and early 1980s
References
External links
Official website*
''All Our Todays: Forty Years of Radio 4's "Today" Programme''. Book review''Thought for the Day'' official site
*
The Today Programme– Review and analysis at the Journalism Now! project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Today (Bbc Radio 4)
1957 radio programme debuts
BBC Radio 4 programmes
British radio breakfast shows