Question Time: who will replace David Dimbleby?

Veteran presenter says now is ‘the right
moment’ to step down after 25 years hosting show

One-Minute Read

The 79-year-old, who has chaired the show since 1994, said he
would leave at the end of the year and that it was “the right
moment” to go. 

Dimbleby began his broadcasting career more than 57 years ago
and is the longest-serving presenter of the topical debate
programme.

BBC director general Tony Hall called him “a titan in British
broadcasting” and a “champion of the public”.

But who will replace Dimbleby in the hotseat?

Kirsty Wark

A strong favourite with the bookies, Newsnight
presenter Wark has “already voiced her desire to take on the
role”, revealing in an interview last month that she would be
up for the job if Dimbleby were to step down, ITV reports.

She told Good Housekeeping magazine: “I think there will be many
people when David Dimbleby decides he doesn’t want to do it any
longer.

“I think I will be one of them, but I’m sure lots of people will
throw their hats in the ring for that.”

The 63-year-old has co-hosted BBC Two’s Newsnight since
1993 and began her television career in 1982.

Jeremy Paxman

Another Newsnight veteran, Paxman was famed for his
aggressive interviewing tactics when tackling politicians on 
the current affairs programme, which he presented from 1989 to
2015.

The 68-year-old has also hosted the panel game show
University Challenge since 1994, which makes him the
longest-serving current quizmaster on British TV, The Sun reports.

His other presenting gigs include the Tonight
programme, Panorama, the BBC News at Six and
Breakfast Time, the newspaper adds.

Emily Maitlis

Fellow Newsnight star Maitlis could also be in the
running to replace Dimbleby, having fronted news programmes across
the BBC as one of the corporation’s “go-to presenters to cover big
stories”, says the ITV news site.

The 47-year-old has presented bulletins on BBC One, BBC News
Channel and BBC World, and took on the job as a regular presenter
on Newsnight in 2006.

She has previously spoken of her gentler interview style, and
said she had made the decision not to ask questions which sounded
“rude or aggressive” after Paxman left the show in 2014.

Victoria Derbyshire

The Bafta-winning journalist and presenter, who also works for
the BBC, is thought to be on the shortlist, according to the
Daily Mail.

The 49-year-old “won plaudits for making video diaries of her
treatment for breast cancer”, the newspaper adds.

Andrew Neil

Metro puts the odds of Scottish journalist
Andrew Neil becoming the next Question Time host at
10/1.

The Daily Politics presenter is known for his extensive
knowledge on a range of subjects and, like Paxman, often adopts an
aggressive interview style to bully answers out of his
interviewees.

Neil presents This Week, which follows directly after
Question Time on BBC One on Thursdays.