Sarah Sands named editor of Radio 4’s Today Programme

After five years in the role, the editor of the Evening Standard, Sarah Sands, is to join the BBC as editor of Today, Radio 4’s flagship news and current affairs programme.

Evgeny Lebedev, the owner of the Evening Standard, announced the news on Monday. He said: “The Evening Standard has been a huge success under Sarah’s editorship, and she has been a vital part of the team.

“Sarah will leave with our very best wishes for her new role.”

Sands joined the Evening Standard in 2009, and has also held other senior editorial roles for Reader’s Digest, the Daily Mail and the Sunday Telegraph.

“I am very grateful to Evgeny for his support of this newspaper and guarding it against all the head winds of the industry,” she said.

“It has been an absolute pleasure to work for him and to be part of a first rate professional team.”

The Today Programme currently draws in around 7.1 million listeners a week, according to the latest Rajar figures.

Sands will take on her new role this year and will replace Jamie Angus. A new editor for the the Evening Standard will be appointed in due course.