If you're a Radio 4 native but can't stand the current Today presenters ...

[quitethenight]

... have you found an alternative breakfast news programme that you prefer?

I grew up with the Today programme on in the kitchen every school day morning and have woken up to it almost every working day of my adult life. But I don't like the current presenters and now get frustrated listening to it. Where do I go from here?

Sarah Smith (North America editor) would be great. I've thought that too, but prefer Anna Foster.

Emma Barnett was the wrong choice completely. I agree.
Emma has completely changed the tone of the programme.
She's approachable and to be fair I have heard her tear into interviewees. Yes, but the fit was never right, and she talks over the person she's interviewing. I was thinking earlier how AF & JW sounded like a team, as did AR & NR, but EB didn't with her co-presenter.

I didn't like ED on Today but he's ok on PM.

I don't think Sarah Smith has a pleasant radio voice, but otherwise she's good.

I find her a bit too croaky for an early morning tbh - I do like her though and enjoy Americast with her on

Same as Lyse Doucet tbh. Think she’s great but I don’t think she has a presenters voice

@Bruisername , I've got used to both their voices (it took time) but neither of them 'look' like their voices.

I think I first became aware of LD when it seemed that the news was heavily featuring the plight of refugees and I found the unfamiliar accent too much.
For some reason I expected SS to look like Nicola Sturgeon.

I like both of them as journalists but the Beeb tends to push one subject too hard for too long.

It's funny that none of the impersonators on Radio 4 can do Lyse Doucet but they do do give it a hopeless go from time to time.

So listening now and Justin and Johnny are chatting with guests about the muppets and it’s all very natural

i I can’t imagine it working so well with EB tbh

True. It was a nice easy conversation.

I really enjoy Anna's tinkling voice having not heard her before and her presenting and questioning is excellent. But Emma Barnett? Oh dear. She sounds disinterested and offhand. It is just her style but it is not a good fit for Today. I agree, she can let her own view be known in the way she reacts and questions. I hope Mishal is getting a bit of a lie in. Justin still has a tendency to fade to mumble. Amol is brilliant. Nick still strives for drama and still misses the target. Simon is great when he's on and, obviously, is all over the business stuff.

Forget to mention, Johnny Diamond. With that name, you'd expect a R2 late night DJ-vibe but he is superb. One of my favourites. No, he IS my favourite voice on Radio 4 and deserves much more to be heard. Go, Johnny, go,go,go!

I think you meant Jonny Dymond, @Mikeonfreeserve .

I bloody love Justin Webb. His podcast Americast is even better. Emma Barnet and Anna Foster and bright intelligent women with enquiring minds. Amol used to annoy but I’ve grown to rather like him, he is astoundingly intelligent.
I am a radio 4 fanatic though .

I like Justin as I feel he gets the right balance between being downright rude to some politicians (as with Nick Robinson) and pressing the point.

I like Anna - she straight forward and doesn't pull her punches.

I even like Emma because she can be very strong when necessary. But at times she comes across as a bit lightweight.

I can't bear Amol. He gabbles and can't say his 'Ts' - everything is 'twenny'.
And on U Challenge he can be quite rude and patronising to the teams. As well as gabbling and speeding up at the end to give the losing team an advantage.

I disliked Amol when he began. While he may be intelligent, he's nowhere near as intelligent as he seems to think he is and 'astoundingly' seems quite an exaggeration.

I like Justin because he is firm without being aggressive.
I like Nick because he is aggressive but I don't think I'd like him as a person off-air.

Anna is great. I also like Simon Jack. They both seem to do the job well without being a 'personality' bigger than the show.

On the subject of apt names, Katie Razzall is a great name for a Culture Editor.

On University Challenge, I've noticed he pronounces some words/ names incorrectly - words which are common parlance, often, especially for anyone with some 'education'.

I don't know if he drops his Ts as a way of trying to be more 'accessible' or if it's his usual way of speaking.

I don't think he is especially intelligent - no more than many graduates.

I don’t think he fakes his accent with dropped Ts etc. I think for him it is natural. I also thinks he now speaks a bit more clearly than he did at first. Sometimes his speech is slurred and too fast to hear though. I do not think however that just any graduate would be as clever or quick as he is.

I do not think however that just any graduate would be as clever or quick as he is. Me neither.
He'd have probably graduated about 22 years ago when there were far fewer graduates. There's also a big difference in the percentage of graduates who do well.
There's probably a difference between a Cambridge degree and a degree from university that used to be North Thingyshire Technical College.

And on U Challenge he can be quite rude and patronising to the teams.
I quite like this. Normal service has been resumed!
He was cringingly nice to the students to begin with, as if trying to ingratiate himself, but he occasionally goes Paxo on them now.

There are millions of graduates as quick as he is.
My kids' friends for starters, all around his age.

Paxo never spoke so fast that you couldn't hear the questions.

I wonder if the producer has ordered him to try to whip everyone up into a frenzy in the final 3 minutes?

Oh come off it!

I used to be so happy when it was Michal Hussein and Justin Webb presenting Today, I knew my morning was in safe hands. Still miss Michal but I like Anna Foster and Amol. Nick isn't entirely to my taste and I really don't like Emma. But both of them are in the John Humphries abrasive role (only presenter I've ever written in to complain about, I think he became a caricature of himself) rather than the Jim Naughtie role (I loved Jim).

I'd like Sarah Smith to be a main presenter, she is excellent. Katya Adler has been mentioned a lot as well but presumably she doesn't want it.

I loved John Humphries and Jim Naughtie as a combo.

Yeah, they were a good balance.

Speaking of presenters, I'm shocked at today's news.
Dame Jenni Murray: Former BBC Woman's Hour host dies at 75 - BBC News