New hosts of BBC's Newsnight FINALLY revealed nine months after Kirsty Wark stood down as presenter of the iconic late night politics show
Kirsty Wark stood down as presenter of Newsnight after 30 years back in July last year, and now after nine months the BBC have finally confirmed her replacements.
The BBC stalwart, who presented on Thursdays and Fridays, has been replaced by two men.
On Thursdays, BBC Radio 4 presenter Paddy O'Connell will host, while BBC 5 Live broadcaster Matt Chorley will step in on Fridays.
They will join Victoria Derbyshire, 56, who is the lead presenter of the late night politics programme hosting Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
The pair join an illustrious list of prominent journalists who have presented Newsnight including Jeremy Paxman, Emily Maitlis and Evan Davis.
Chorley, 42, who was the political editor of MailOnline from 2012 to 2015, is a stand-up comedian who joined BBC 5Live last year, after he was poached from rival Times Radio.
He said: 'I'm so excited to be joining Newsnight, a programme with such an incredible history which has been reinvented by Victoria and the brilliant team in the last year.'
'If you've ever shouted at the news 'well what does that mean?' the moment you hear that electric guitar of the Newsnight theme, you know you're going to get answers.'
'After spending the week skulking about in Westminster, what better way to spend Friday night than passing on all the gossip and intrigue I've picked up, joined by smart, funny and surprising guests?'
O'Connell, 59, will already be familiar to listeners of BBC Radio 4 where he presents the live Sunday morning show Broadcasting House. He also presents Newscast on BBC Sounds at the weekend with Laura Kuenssberg.
Newsnight marks his return to BBC Two where he previously anchored Working Lunch and Battle Of The Brains. He also provided commentary for the VE Day parade.
He said: 'Newsnight is the programme I've watched since I was eighteen and I'm awed to be joining the team growing the audience with the cracking work of Victoria Derbyshire.'
'Ten thirty pm is now the breaking news hour for the new world order, and I'll be there every Thursday in a frenzied news cycle turning to the best guests as we're all looking for answers.'
Jonathan Aspinwall, Executive Editor of Newsnight, said: 'I'm thrilled to welcome Paddy and Matt to the Newsnight presenter team alongside Victoria Derbyshire.'
'With their sharp insights, expertise, and unique personalities, they'll add depth and flair to the biggest stories of the day.'
'They join the programme at an exciting time, with our TV audience growing by over thirty percent. Newsnight's smart analysis and forensic interviews continue to reach more people across all our platforms.'
'I'm excited to see Paddy and Matt join Victoria as we celebrate 45 years of Newsnight.'
Both presenters have been presenting on the show on an ad hoc basis since the departure of Kirsty Wark in July, but have now been confirmed as her permanent replacements.
The pair join an illustrious list of prominent journalists who have presented Newsnight including Jeremy Paxman , Emily Maitlis and Evan Davis
Victoria will continue to present Monday to Wednesday with insights from Newsnight's Political Editor, Nick Watt. Faisal Islam and Katie Razzall will also continue to present regularly.
Last May the political show changed its format to focus more on live insights and interviews, and less on expensive investigations and pre-recorded VTs.
It comes as Wark spoke out last month against the rise of opinionated presenters at the BBC, insisting it is not the role of broadcasters to share personal views.
The 70-year-old TV presenter, who stepped down from Newsnight last year after three decades on the programme, said: 'We are not the story,' and called for the BBC to remain 'a trusted friend' amid ongoing debate over impartiality.
Her remarks, made on The Spectator's Women With Balls podcast, come in the wake of controversy surrounding Gary Lineker's political commentary on social media, and wider concerns about personality-led journalism on Radio 4's Today programme.
The Match of the Day host faced disciplinary action in 2023 after describing the Conservative government's immigration policy as 'immeasurably cruel' and likening the language used to that of 1930s Germany.
The row prompted a review of the BBC's social media guidelines, with new rules requiring all presenters - not only those in news and current affairs - to observe impartiality.
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