Newsnight presenter takes up high-profile radio news slot, starting at end of October

Evan Davis has been confirmed as the next host of Radio 4’s PM programme, replacing Eddie Mair as the presenter of one of the highest-profile slots on the station.

Davis, who has been host of BBC Newsnight since 2014, is a former presenter of the Today programme and remained involved in radio via his work presenting Radio 4’s The Bottom Line and other work for the broadcaster.

He confirmed his new job on Twitter, saying he would start at the end of October.

Mair left the PM programme earlier this year after two decades to move to the commercial station LBC.

Davis’s departure open ups a top presenting job on Newsnight. Davis currently shares hosting duties with Emily Maitlis and Kirsty Wark – both of whom have been linked to the Question Time hosting job.

The BBC media editor, Amol Rajan, took the unusual step of publicly confirming that he had also been in discussions to take the PM job in a series of tweets on Thursday morning.

“Only because I now have reason to believe it will be misreported, let me take the unusual step of clarifying that I’m not the next chief presenter of PM,” he tweeted. “I was sounded out about it, but in several conversations with the boss class we agreed that it wasn’t right for me or, more importantly, for our ultimate bosses, the licence fee payer.

“Plus, there are clearly a lot of people who would be infinitely better. So good luck to whoever has the terrifying job of succeeding the great @eddiemair.”