Maitlis & Brown join News 24 presenting team

BBC London News presenter Emily Maitlis is to undertake two new major roles for BBC News.

The Ex-Sky News presenter will present the evening 7pm-10pm slot on BBC News 24 alongside Special Correspondent Ben Brown and will also join the current presenting team on BBC Two’s Newsnight.

Emily and Ben’s new roles with BBC News 24 follow a period of sustained growth for the channel. BBC News 24 is now the UK’s leading continuous news channel, with 5.5 million viewers per week.

Newsnight has been BBC TWO’s flagship current affairs programme since 1980 and is watched by 6.5 million viewers a week.

Maitlis and Brown take over the News 24 presenting slot from Jane Hill and Chris Eakin, who both remain with the channel. Hill will be re-united with Matthew Amroliwala whilst Eakin will present the bulletins between 10.30pm and 1am.

Commenting on the appointment, Emily Maitlis said:
“This is a great move for me. I would have given up an arm and a leg to work at Newsnight, so I’m rather pleased I don’t have to. I’m hugely looking forward to working with Ben on News 24; there’s so much energy and so many new ideas on the channel at the moment, it feels like the right place to be.”

Ben Brown said:
“I’m thrilled to be joining the News 24 team of presenters. The channel is riding high at the moment, and has a tremendous energy. I hope I can add to that with my knowledge and experience of almost twenty years of international affairs. I also hope to present from the field when the major stories arise.”

Head of Television News for the BBC, Peter Horrocks said:
“This is great news for both viewers and BBC News. Ben and Emily are extremely accomplished broadcasters, and personify the best traditions of television journalism