Hats off to Ceri Thomas, editor of the Today programme, promoted to Head of News programmes, taking Panorama and Newsnight under his wing also. It comes after the Savile scandal left several executive holes in the BBC’s top structure.
But who will step into Thomas’s shoes at Today? “Jasmin Buttar is obviously in pole position but she needs to rein in Evan Davis, who is constantly interrupting guests,” says my BBC watcher. Buttar is currently the deputy editor of Today.
The other suggested candidate is Alistair Burnett, editor of The World Tonight. “He has the experience, temperament and intelligence,” says my source. However, Burnett is having a rare moment of indecision, having
yet to appoint a successor to the programme’s veteran presenter Robin Lustig, who stood down in December.
A wild card is Ed Stourton. The much-loved presenter, who departed Today in 2008 in a huff because his bosses wanted to make the programme more lighthearted, knows the news programme’s weaknesses as well as its strengths.
More from today's diary:
