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Edward Stourton is to be the presenter of ´óÏó´«Ã½ Radio 4's Sunday programme taking over from Roger Bolton, who is stepping down at the end of January after 12 years in the role.

Edward Stourton said: "What an exciting time this is to inherit Roger's chair. The place where religion meets news and current affairs matters more today than it's ever done. I know the Sunday team well and am hugely looking forward to working more closely with them."

Radio 4's Head of Religion Radio, Christine Morgan, said: "We are delighted that Edward will be leading the programme at a time when religion is so high on the news agenda and there is such a wide interest in issues around belief. He brings vast religious knowledge and experience to the programme."

Edward is well-known to Radio 4 listeners as a presenter of documentaries and current affairs programmes and he has also been a regular presenter of Radio 4's Sunday programme in recent years.

He has also worked for many years on programmes made by the Religion & Ethics Radio department, including chairing the discussion series Iconoclasts, and, earlier this year, he presented A River Runs Through It, a three-part series about the lives of people who live and work on the River Jordan.

Edward will also present a new three-part Radio 4 series, Defining The Decade, which looks back at three defining moments of the past 10 years – the advent of Google, 9/11 and world leaders' acceptance of the theory of global warming. It begins on 15 December.

Edward reports on foreign affairs for the Today programme, where he was a presenter for nearly 10 years, and he also works on The World At One and The World This Weekend.

He has also worked on television programmes such as Panorama, Correspondent, The One O'Clock News as well as documentaries about religion.

Radio 4 Publicity