Raworth to host Andrew Marr Show as BBC hunts for full-time replacement
News presenter will take over Sunday morning slot in January and could be given the role permanently
SOPHIE RAWORTH is to take over Andrew Marr’s Sunday morning interview show on the BBC.
Marr recently announced that he was leaving the corporation for commercial radio and a job as a columnist for New Statesman.
The BBC said Raworth will replace him “on an interim basis” from January and a formal recruitment process will begin in the New Year.
However, sources did not rule out the possibility of Raworth taking the job on a permanent basis. The new show will be titled Sunday Morning until a fulltime presenter is confirmed.
Raworth, 53, will continue to present the six o’clock and 10 o’clock news bulletins on BBC One.
In a note to staff, Jamie Angus, the BBC’S controller of news output, said: “Sophie has done a fantastic job standing in on the show before, and she’s much loved and respected by audiences on BBC One, for her work on the six and ten [o’clock news], and for her role in presenting major national events.” He added: “The show will be temporarily called Sunday Morning and Sophie will present [it] while we recruit a permanent presenter.
“The [show] will then relaunch with the new presenter, title and look.”
Favourites for the role include Laura Kuenssberg, who has told friends she is keen to leave her role as political editor of the BBC next year, and Emma Barnett, the presenter of Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and BBC Two’s Newsnight.
Emily Maitlis, Victoria Derbyshire, Nick Robinson and Zeinab Badawi have also been linked with the job, while Andrew Neil has not ruled out a return to the corporation.
Marr will present his final show on Dec 19.
Explaining his reasons for leaving the BBC, Marr said he wanted more freedom to express his political opinions.
In addition to shows on LBC and Classic FM, the 62-year-old is to become chief political commentator of the Leftleaning New Statesman.
Raworth has never shared her political views and has avoided any accusations of bias during her lengthy career with the BBC.
According to the most recent BBC pay disclosures, her salary for 2020-21 was between £280,000 and £284,999.
Raworth’s first show will be on Jan 9.