ANDREW Marr has announced he will be leaving the BBC after two decades - leaving the question of who will fill his vacant Sunday morning slot.
There is a litany of BBC personalities, both current and former, seemingly in the running to take on the prime position as the corporation’s lead interviewer.
READ MORE: Five times the BBC's Andrew Marr got it wrong on Scotland
Here’s a look at some of the runners and riders to replace Marr:
Laura Kuenssberg:
The news that Kuenssberg was to leave her role as the BBC’s political editor broke at the same time as the news that Sarah Smith was to leave as the Scotland editor.
Smith has now moved over the Atlantic to work as the new North America editor, but news of Kuenssberg’s new role has still not landed.
No stranger to controversy or allegations of bias, Ladbrokes have Kuenssberg as the current favourite to replace Marr, with odds at 2/1.
Andrew Neil:
The former chair of GB News left in a storm of ignominy engulfing both him and the increasingly far-right channel, which he had proudly founded and repeatedly claimed would be impartial.
Neil was furious that the executives at GB News would not give him more of a say, something the BBC may be happy to do with the top brass reportedly having held discussions with him.
Whether Neil lost too much credibility to front the “impartial” BBC during his stint at GB News, which was as embarrassing as it was short, is hard to say.
Nick Robinson:
At 3/1, Ladbrokes currently have Robinson as the second favourite to take over from Marr, after Kuenssberg.
Robinson has already replaced Marr once, taking over as BBC political editor in 2005 after the Scot’s exit from the role.
He has been tasked with key roles for the BBC in the past, including hosting the final leaders’ debate ahead of the 2019 General Election.
Emily Maitlis:
Maitlis, the current anchor of BBC Two’s Newsnight, is among the contenders to take Marr’s vacant seat.
The award-winning broadcaster has taken on some important jobs for the BBC, including leading the infamous interview in which Prince Andrew claimed sexual assault allegations against him couldn’t be true as he had long ago lost the ability to sweat.
However, whether Maitlis will be deemed too political a pick, considering her past “infractions” against Brexiteers including Dominic Cummings and Rod Liddle, is yet to be seen.
Zeinab Badawi:
A less high-profile pick than the others listed so far, bookmakers Coral’s have nevertheless put Badawi as their favourite to take over Marr’s job, offering odds of 2/1.
She has won many awards and is well known on the international stage, currently serving as the president of the prestigious School of Oriental and African Studies in London.
The presenter of BBC Global Questions and HardTalk, Badawi has also filled in for Marr in the past.
Piers Morgan:
Surely an impossible pick if the others on this list are deemed too political, Morgan is nonetheless being mentioned here and there.
Despite storming off Good Morning Britain never to return after he was challenged on air, Morgan has resisted mountains of rumours of his joining GB News.
However, reports say the presenter is in talks with Rupert Murdoch about launching yet another new news channel, so Ladbrokes odds of 10/1 seem a little too low.
Victoria Derbyshire:
A former host of Newsnight and Panorama, Derbyshire was “devastated” when the BBC axed her eponymous show in 2020.
The award-winning broadcaster was shortlisted to replace David Dimbleby on Question Time, a role which ultimately went to Fiona Bruce.
After a stint on I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here she’s recognisable to the general public, and has largely steered clear of the political controversy in which some of the other hopefuls have become embroiled.
Clive Myrie:
With 4/1 odds being offered by Ladbrokes, Myrie is far from an outside bet.
The host of the popular quiz show Mastermind, and its celebrity version, has also become a regular on BBC News over the past decade, filling in for Huw Edwards on the 10 o’clock slot every Friday.
Myrie has also managed to largely avoid political controversy in his career, which would make him a good fit for the BBC role.
Emma Barnett:
The Telegraph reports that Emma Barnett, a presenter of Newsnight and Woman’s Hour, is a “leading contender” to take on Marr’s role.
Barnett stood in for the Scots journalist while he was being treated for cancer in 2018, and reportedly impressed executives at the BBC.
The paper’s promotion of Barnett may be unsurprising though considering she is its former digital media, and later women’s, editor.
Amol Rajan:
The BBC’s media editor has also been mentioned in connection with the vacant post left by Marr.
Rajan was the editor of The Independent from 2013 until it dropped its print business altogether to focus on online output.
He is more commonly heard on radio than seen on the television, having presented shows on Radio 4 since 2017, and having filled in for big hitters on Radio 2 such as Jeremy Vine, Simon Mayo, and Zoe Ball.
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