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July 26, 2024

Hugo Rifkind to succeed Matt Chorley as Times Radio morning presenter

Chorley announced in May he was leaving Times Radio for the BBC.

By Bron Maher

Times columnist Hugo Rifkind will take over from Matt Chorley as a weekday morning presenter for Times Radio.

Rifkind, who has written for The Times since 2001, will host the News UK-owned station between 10am and 1pm Mondays to Thursdays.

Rifkind is already a Times Radio presenter, having hosted a Saturday morning show since the broadcaster launched in 2020. He was nominated for the Best Speech Presenter prize at the audio and radio industry ARIAS awards in 2024.

He said: “I have adored presenting on Times Radio on Saturday mornings these past four years, and I couldn’t be more thrilled to be moving over to weekdays.

“I was a huge fan of Matt Chorley’s show, and he’s left big shoes to fill. I’m looking forward to getting stuck in, making the show into even more of an unmissable landmark for news and politics addicts than it has been until now.”

Chorley announced in May that he would be leaving Times Radio for BBC Radio 5 Live after more than eight years with News UK. His original intention was to join 5 Live ahead of an anticipated October election but instead kept broadcasting on Times Radio through the campaign period for the surprise July polling date.

Tim Levell, programme director of Times Radio, said of Rifkind’s appointment: “Hugo’s Saturday morning show has been one of the delights of the Times Radio schedule. Our listeners love his intelligence, wit and curiosity.

“This new show will mean even more people get to enjoy him. And its focus on all the big news and political developments of the morning will ensure our listeners stay across the latest as they go about their day.”

Times Radio said it announce its plans for filling Chorley’s Friday slot and Rifkind’s Saturday show “soon”.

Rifkind will continue to write his weekly column for The Times as he starts in his new role on Monday 9 September.

Another major Times Radio appointment this year has been former Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil, who had been due to begin in September in the run-up to the UK and US elections but instead started on 3 June, a month before polling day. He took on a one hour slot at 1pm on Mondays to Thursdays.

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