List of Today programme guest editors

The Today programme on BBC Radio 4 in the UK hands over the editorship of the flagship programme to notable outsiders for the week between Christmas and New Year. This is the full list of the individuals involved since the practice was started in 2003 by Peter Hanington.^[1]

2003 guest editors:^[2]

• Monica Ali
• Norman Tebbit
• Thom Yorke
• Gillian Reynolds
• Stephen Hawking

2004 guest editors:^[3]

• Bono
• Richard Branson
• Anthony Minghella
• Sarah Ferguson, Duchess of York
• Onora O'Neill, Baroness O'Neill of Bengarve

2005 guest editors:^[4]

• David Blunkett
• Anna Ford
• Queen Noor of Jordan
• Steve Chandra Savale, member of the band Asian Dub Foundation
• Sir John Bond, Chairman of HSBC

2006 guest editors:^[5]

• Yoko Ono
• Sir Clive Woodward
• Zac Goldsmith
• Rowan Williams
• Allan Leighton

2007 Guest Editors^[1][6]

• Stella Rimington
• Damon Albarn
• Peter Hennessy
• Sir Martin Evans
• Richard Lewis, Samantha Gainard and Paul Amphlett of Dyfed-Powys Police as nominated by Today Programme Listeners^[7]

2008 Guest Editors^[8]

• Zadie Smith
• Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor
• Jarvis Cocker
• Sir Win Bischoff
• Zaha Hadid

2009 Guest Editors^[9]

• Martin Rees
• David Hockney
• Tony Adams^[10]
• PD James
• Robert Wyatt
• Shirley Williams

2010 Guest Editors^[11]

• Diana Athill
• Colin Firth
• Sam Taylor Wood
• Richard Ingrams
• Dame Clara Furse

2011 Guest Editors^[12]

• Sebastian Coe
• Mo Ibrahim
• Tracey Emin
• Sir Victor Blank
• Baroness Boothroyd
• Stewart Lee

2012 Guest Editors^[13]

• Mass Observation
• Sir Paul Nurse
• Melinda Gates
• Dame Ann Leslie
• Benjamin Zephaniah
• Al Murray

2013 Guest Editors^[14]

• Sir Tim Berners Lee
• Michael Palin
• Eliza Manningham Buller
• Antony Jenkins
• PJ Harvey

2014 Guest Editors^[15]

• John Bercow
• Tracey Thorn
• Mervyn King, Baron King of Lothbury
• Lenny Henry
• Elizabeth Butler-Sloss, Baroness Butler-Sloss

2015 Guest Editors^[16]

• Michael Sheen
• Sir Bradley Wiggins
• Miriam González Durántez
• David Adjaye
• Baroness Jane Campbell
• Lord Browne

2016 Guest Editors^[17]

• Nicola Adams
• Carey Mulligan
• Helena Morrissey
• Sally Davies
• John Shields, a member of the programme's staff, edited a broadcast from Hull, looking forward to Hull UK City of Culture 2017^[18]

2017 Guest Editors^[19]

• Tamara Rojo
• Prince Harry
• Ben Okri
• Baroness Trumpington
• AI Robot

2018 Guest Editors^[20]

• David Dimbleby
• Kamila Shamsie
• Martha Lane Fox
• Angelina Jolie
• Chidera Eggerue
• Andrew Roberts
• Outer Space

2019 guest editors:^[21][22]

• Grayson Perry
• Brenda Hale
• Greta Thunberg^[23]
• George the Poet
• Charles Moore

2020 Guest Editors^[24]

• Lewis Hamilton
• Prue Leith
• Margaret Atwood
• Evan Spiegel
• Sir Jeremy Farrar
• Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin

2021 Guest Editors^[25]

• Raheem Sterling
• General Sir Nick Carter
• Mina Smallman
• James Rebanks
• Dr Jane Goodall
• Jacky Wright
• Lord Dobbs

2022 Guest Editors^[26]

• Ian Botham
• Jamie Oliver
• Nazanin Zaghari-Ratcliffe
• Björn Ulvaeus
• Sir Jeremy Fleming
• Anne-Marie Imafidon
• Dame Sharon White

2023 Guest Editors^[27]

• Andrew Malkinson
• Ellie Goulding
• Dame Emma Walmsley
• Hanif Kureishi
• James May
• Professor Jason Arday - sociologist, writer and fundraiser
• Dr Nicky Fox - Associate Administrator for NASA’s Science Mission Directorate

References

1. "Guest Editors Christmas 2007". Today. BBC Radio 4. December 2007.
2. "New team of editors to take over at Today". BBC Press Office. 23 December 2003. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
3. "Bono to edit BBC radio Today show". BBC News. 8 December 2004. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
4. "Blunkett to turn table on Humphrys and Today asks: "Who runs Britain?"". BBC Press Office. 28 November 2005. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
5. "Today Guest Editors 2006". Today. BBC Radio 4. 20 December 2006.
6. "Radio 4: Today announces this year's guest editors". 27 November 2007. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
7. "Police team win guest editor spot". WalesOnline. Media Wales. 29 March 2013. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
8. "Guest editors 2008". Today. BBC Radio 4. 5 January 2009.
9. "Today guest editors 2009". Today. BBC Radio 4. 10 December 2009.
10. "Guest editor: Tony Adams". Today. BBC Radio 4. 30 December 2009.
11. "Today guest editors 2010". Today. BBC Radio 4. 26 November 2010.
12. "Today guest editors 2011". Today. BBC Radio 4. 12 December 2011.
13. "Today guest editors 2012". Today. BBC Radio 4. 26 November 2012.
14. "Radio 4's Today announces guest editors for 2013 festive period". BBC Media Centre. 20 November 2013.
15. "BBC Radio 4's Today programme announces guest editors for 2014 festive period". BBC Media Centre. 29 November 2014.
16. James Gill (28 December 2015). "Michael Sheen delivers powerful closing remarks as Today programme guest editor". Radio Times. Immediate Media Company.
17. Jasper Jackson (13 December 2016). "BBC Radio 4's Today programme announces all woman guest editors for 2016 festive period". Guardian News and Media.
18. "Boxer Nicola Adams joins Carey Mulligan on the Today programme's first all-female line-up of Christmas editors". Radio Times. Immediate Media. 27 December 2016.
19. "Prince Harry and robot to edit Radio 4's Today Programme". BBC News. 23 November 2017.
20. "Festive Highlights for 2018 on BBC Radio". BBC Media Centre. 22 November 2018.
21. "Greta Thunberg to guest edit Radio 4's Today programme". BBC News. 23 November 2019. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
22. Jim Waterson (23 November 2019). "Greta Thunberg to guest edit BBC Radio 4's Today programme". The Guardian. Guardian News and Media. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
23. Samuel Osborne (28 December 2019). "Greta Thunberg to interview David Attenborough in special 'Today' show edition". The Independent. ESI Media. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
24. "Lewis Hamilton, Prue Leith and Margaret Atwood among Today guest editors this Christmas". Standard. 30 November 2020.
25. "BBC Radio 4's Today programme announces distinguished Christmas Guest Editor line-up including professional footballer Raheem Sterling". BBC. 25 November 2021.
26. "BBC Radio 4 announces Today Christmas guest editors". BBC. 28 November 2022.
27. "BBC Radio 4's Today programme announces Christmas Guest Editor line up including musician Ellie Goulding and presenter James May". www.bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 5 February 2024.