BBC reporter Alan Johnston is to return to work this week as the new presenter of From Our Own Correspondent for BBC World Service.
Johnston, who was kidnapped in Gaza last March and spent 114 days as a hostage, will return to work next weekend.
He will present his first edition of From Our Own Correspondent on Saturday 26 January at 2:05am and Sunday 27 January at 0:05am, 11:05am and 3:05pm.
BBC reporter Kate Adie will continue to present BBC Radio 4’s version of From Our Own Correspondent, which is geared towards a British listenership.
Johnston has regularly contributed to the programme as a foreign correspondent in the Middle East, Central Asia and Afghanistan.
Following his release from captivity last July, an entire edition of the programme was given over to his story.
Commenting on his new job, Johnston said: “I hope that the show might benefit from having a regular presenter, and one who has both contributed to it and been a fan for many years.
“The structure of the programme will stay the same however – the extraordinarily successful FOOC formula would be very hard to improve.”
First broadcast in 1955, From Our Own Correspondent was created specifically to give BBC foreign correspondents a forum to provide background to news stories.
Email pged@pressgazette.co.uk to point out mistakes, provide story tips or send in a letter for publication on our "Letters Page" blog
