It’s been claimed that two of the BBC’s biggest radio stars have gone months without co-presenting their show today due to ‘a clash of egos’.
Nick Robinson, 61, and Emma Barnett, 40, are both hosts of BBC Radio 4’s flagship Today programme on the station.
However, the pair have not presented on air together for over 90 days according to The Times – and have also only co-hosted on 13 occasions since Barnett joined in May.
The Today programme airs six days a week, year-round, and has close to six million listeners.
Former Woman’s Hour presenter Barnett was the latest addition after Amol Rajan, 41, joined longtime presenters Robinson and Justin Webb, 64, four years ago.
But while Rajan and Robinson now front the Today podcast together, there is a suggestion that there’s been ‘tension’ between Robinson and Barnett.
‘Nick has his views about the programme and can be quite blunt,’ one source told The Sun.
‘Every time [Barnett] is on, she is paired with Justin or Amol because it’s amicable.’
They added that Robinson and Barnett were ‘going to have to appear together again at some point because they are a team’.
However, Metro understands that both broadcasters’ schedules have been out of the ordinary lately following Mishal Hussain’s departure in December.
The programme also attempts to pair deputy presenters with regular presenters where possible, which is harder when the team is currently one short.
Anna Foster, a former Middle East correspondent and 5 Live presenter, has been hired as her replacement, with schedules expected to settle after her arrival.
This also means Robinson and Barnett should be heard again on air together in the near future.
Hussain left after 11 years with the programme, and has since departed the BBC altogether for Bloomberg where she is editor-at-large of its Weekend Edition and hosting a new interview series.
As news of her exit was announced, she said: ‘My time at the BBC has involved many memorable moments, going to places I would never otherwise have seen, witnessing history and being part of live, national conversation on Radio 4.
‘I will always be grateful for the opportunities the BBC gave me, and wish the organisation and everyone who is part of it the very best.’
Hussain had worked for the BBC for 26 years and had presented the BBC News at Six and Ten, as well as on its news channels.
Barnett started out with the corporation in 2014, working for BBC Radio 5 Live for six years before moving over to Women’s Hour on Radio 4 in 2021. She also regularly presented Newsnight between 2019 and 2022.
Robinson has been with the BBC since he was a production trainee in 1986, bar a three-year move to ITN in 2002, working on Newsround and Crimewatch before moving onto more senior jobs with On the Record and Panorama.
He became political correspondent in 1996 and political editor after his return in 2005, where he has also worked across The Daily Politics and Newsnight, as well as serving as part of several election night teams.
Metro has contacted the BBC and representatives for Emma Barnett and Nick Robinson for comment.
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