Anna Foster named as new presenter on Radio 4's Today

BBC News presenter Anna Foster will become the fifth member of the presenting team for BBC Radio 4's Today programme, a roster depleted to four permanent members since Mishal Husain's surprise decision to leave the BBC at the end of last year.

- Michael Savage

BBC insiders said that her skill in reporting in the Middle East meant she had been hugely rated for some time. This was brought home by her live anchoring from Beirut last autumn after Hassan Nasrallah, the longtime leader of Hezbollah, was killed in an Israeli airstrike.

The BBC News at One presenter will begin presenting Today from next month, alongside Justin Webb, Nick Robinson, Amol Rajan and Emma Barnett.

Many had expected the post to go to the BBC's Europe editor, Katya Adler. Both she and Sarah Smith, its North American editor, have previously stepped in as Today presenters. The royal correspondent, Jonny Dymond, and the business editor, Simon Jack, had also presented the show recently, but appointing one of them would have left only one woman on the regular roster.