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New presenters for BBC’s Newshour

December 17, 2025

The BBC World Service daily news programme, Newshour, has announced that Leila Nathoo and Rajini Vaidyanathan will join the presenting line-up in the new year. Newshour, the BBC World Service flagship news programme, brings its global audience interviews, breaking news and analysis of the day’s events from around the world.

Nathoo joins the World Service from BBC Westminster, where she has been based since 2017. As a Political Correspondent, Nathoo covered every twist and turn in British politics, including the UK’s withdrawal from the EU and the government’s response to the Covid pandemic. She has reported on five prime ministers and three general elections for BBC News – across TV, Radio and online.

For the past two years Nathoo has been a regular presenter on flagship news and discussion programmes on Radio 4 – including Today, PM and Westminster Hour – and on BBC 5Live. She has also previously spent time as Africa Correspondent in Nairobi and reported for the BBC from Delhi.

Vaidyanathan will be expanding her presenting role to work jointly across BBC World Service English and the BBC News Channel. She brings a wealth of international reporting experience to Newshour, including investigations and interviews with world leaders. Most recently she was the BBC’s South Asia correspondent, reporting on India’s general elections, the uprising in Sri Lanka and the Rohingya refugee crisis.  Previously, Vaidyanathan was based in Washington DC as a presenter and correspondent, reporting on the 2008 and 2016 US presidential elections of Barack Obama and Donald Trump from campaign to inauguration. Now, a regular host on the BBC News Channel, she also presents weekend bulletins on BBC One.

Newshour broadcasts on the BBC World Service – the biggest international English language station in the world, with an audience of over 80 million listeners worldwide.

Tim de Faramond, Editor of Newshour, says: “There’s never been a more important time for public service broadcasters to deliver fair and incisive journalism to audiences, and I’m thrilled that our listeners will be able to enjoy the expertise and sharp interviewing skills of Leila and Rajini as they guide them through the biggest events shaping our world.”

Nathoo said: “I’m thrilled to be joining the World Service and the Newshour team. I can’t wait to be speaking to millions of listeners around the world to help bring clarity and insight on the biggest international stories. Newshour is a must-listen for anyone wanting to understand global events and I’m so excited to be a part of it.”

Vaidyanathan added: “As a foreign correspondent for many years, Newshour was always an essential part of my world, as a listener and contributor. I often appeared on the show from far flung locations and stories, so it’s a huge honour to join the fantastic team as a presenter. I’ll continue to present on the BBC TV news channel, and I am excited to find ways to collaborate and serve audiences on all platforms.”

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