BBC Radio 4’s Sarah Montague and Martha Kearney will do a straight job swap, with Montague taking over lead presenting duties on World At One and Kearney joining the Today programme’s main roster.

The changes will take effect next month.

Kearney, who has presented World at One for more than a decade, described the move to Today as a “thrill”, while Montague said that after 18 years on the show she was “ready for a new challenge”.

BBC controller of daily news programmes, Gavin Allen, said: “Sarah and Martha are brilliant journalists and we’re delighted they will continue to analyse and drive the news for our many millions of radio listeners”.

BBC Radio 4 controller Gwyneth Williams added: “Both Martha and Sarah are formidable presenters admired by millions of loyal Radio 4 listeners.”

Former BBC Newsnight political editor and Woman’s Hour presenter Kearney, said: “I have woken up to the Today programme for as long as I can remember so it’s a thrill to be joining the BBC’s flagship news programme.

“After 11 happy years on the World at One, I’m looking forward to a new challenge – to draw on my years of political journalism but also to explore my other interests on air too.”

Montague is a former Sky News and BBC News channel presenter and a regular presenter of BBC World’s Hardtalk for 20 years. She has been a presenter on Today since 2001.

She said: “I am very excited to be moving to the World at One. It is a programme I have long admired and, much as I love the Today programme, after 18 years on it, I am ready for a new challenge and looking forward to the experience of presenting a programme when I am awake.”