Prue Leith among line-up of Radio 4’s Christmas guest editors
Five guest editors, including Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith, will take over BBC Radio 4’s Today Programme during the festive period.
Other guests this year include Margaret Atwood, author of The Handmaid’s Tale, Sir Jeremy Farrar, director of the Wellcome Trust, Britain’s first black female bishop Rose Hudson-Wilkin, and Evan Spiegel, co-founder and CEO of Snap, the company behind Snapchat.
They will guest edit the Radio 4 Today Programme between 26 and 31 December. Each programme will include an interview with the guest editor themselves.
For the past 17 years the Today Programme has handed over the editorial reins to high-profile public figures during the week between Christmas and New Year.
The guest segments will include high profile interviews, including with 17 year-old environmental activist Greta Thunberg and former England capital Sit Andrew Strauss.
Each editor will have the support of Today producers and reporters to bring their ideas to air and to make sure they adhere to BBC editorial guidelines.
The Today programme has welcomed a variety of guest editors over the years, including Prince Harry, Baroness Butler-Sloss, David Hockney, Angelina Jolie, Lord Mervyn King, Baroness Trumpington, Benjamin Zephaniah, Melinda Gates and Stephen Hawking.
Owenna Griffiths, editor of the Today Programme, said: “Since they were first introduced back in 2003 guest editors have become an indispensable annual event, bringing novel ideas and unexpected perspectives to the familiar world of daily news.
“At the end of this exceptional year, I believe we have a line-up that will help us to make sense of 2020 as well as bringing a little welcome festive cheer.”