Amol Rajan

About

Amol Rajan is a Radio 4 Today programme presenter, host of University Challenge, and presenter of the acclaimed Amol Rajan Interviews series.

Career

Amol began his media career as the mic boy for The Wright Stuff on Channel 5, before progressing to researching and helping present the programme during its 2006-7 series.

The Independent

In 2007, Amol joined The Independent, where he served in various roles, including news reporter, sports correspondent, columnist, and comment editor. He also wrote a column for the Evening Standard and was a restaurant critic for The Independent on Sunday. In 2013, at the age of 29, he became the youngest Editor of a broadsheet newspaper in Britain and the first from an ethnic minority in over a century. He later became Editor-at-Large as the paper transitioned to a digital-only format.

BBC

In 2016, Amol joined the BBC as its first Media Editor, leading journalism on media and technology globally. He has provided holiday cover for Radio 2 presenters, presented The Media Show on Radio 4, and occasionally presented BBC One’s The One Show. His documentary work includes The Imperial Inversion of Cricket, Archive on 4: Rivers of Blood, and The Decline of the West. He has also appeared on numerous programmes, including Question Time, Masterchef, Great British Menu, Newsnight, The Daily Politics, The Andrew Marr Show, and Celebrity Mastermind.

Notable Projects

In 2021, Amol presented a 2-part TV documentary and a 10-part podcast on Britain’s Royal Family. He has conducted numerous interviews for his television show, Amol Rajan Interviews.

Books

• Twirlymen: The Unlikely History of Cricket’s Greatest Spin Bowlers (2011): Explores the history and artistry of cricket’s spin bowlers.
• Rethink (2021): Based on his podcast, this book features contributions from major international figures on improving life post-pandemic.

Personal Life

Amol is the co-founder of KEY Sessions, a charity for inner-city teenagers in London. A huge fan of reggae and cricket, he plays for the Authors XI as a batting all-rounder. He lives in London with his wife and three children.