Amol Rajan reveals ‘panic attack’ before Radio 4 Today debut

New Today programme presenter Amol Rajan has revealed he had a ‘full-on panic attack’ the night before his debut on the Radio 4 current affairs programme.

Mr Rajan, who is also the BBC’s media editor, said he managed only an hour’s sleep before arriving for his first shift on the flagship show at 3.45am this morning.

The married father-of-two thanked his wife, colleagues and a few late-night glasses of rum for helping him get through his ordeal.

Mr Rajan, 37, tweeted: ’10pm last night I had a full-on panic attack. Worked myself up into a frenzy, catastrophising about first shift on @BBCr4today.

Amol Rajan makes his debut on Radio 4’s Today programme with fellow presenter Justin Webb

‘Had 3 massive rums and a bit else. Got 1hr kip, in at 3.45. Survived. Thank you so much for all the niceness and constructive criticism…’

He added thanks to fellow host Justin Webb and ‘the whole team for looking after me’, as well as special thanks to his wife ‘who sorted me out’.

How India-born Amol Rajan became the first non-white editor of a UK broadsheet paper

Amol Rajan was born in Calcutta, India, in 1983 but moved to London with his family when he was aged just three, and lived in Chiswick and Hendon before they settled in Tooting.

He worked at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office on his gap year before studying English at the University of Cambridge and editing the student newspaper Varsity.

Amol Rajan with his father, P. Varadarajan

His professional media career began as a researcher on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, before he joined The Independent newspaper.

There, he rose up the ranks to become the youngest editor of a broadsheet in British history, aged 29 – as well as the first non-white editor.

The cricket enthusiast then moved onto the BBC in 2016, where he has held positions including media editor, Radio 2 host and now a presenter on Radio 4’s Today programme.

The father-of-two, who is married to academic Charlotte Faircloth, also writes for magazines including The Spectator, GQ and New Statesman.

Webb responded on Twitter, joking: ‘3 rums. Imagine how good Amol will be when sober.’

The response from listeners was also very positive, with one tweeting that they would ‘never have guessed’ about his nerves from what they heard on the show this morning.

Another said: ‘You sounded a lot less like a Today newbie than most new presenters do – however experienced they are as broadcasters.’

And a third tweeted: ‘Very pleased to hear @AmolRajan on the BBC 4 Today programme as I was out pounding the street today.

‘A different voice, an interesting person and a sharp mind, let’s hope he turns out to be able to interrogate the people and issues we face in 2021.’

Mr Rajan, who recently finished as presenter of Radio 4’s The Media Show, will now host the flagship breakfast programme with Mr Webb, Mishal Husain, Martha Kearney and Nick Robinson.

His first show saw him interview Mayor of London Sadiq Khan, Business Secretary Kwasi Kwarteng and the owner of a Bolton cafeteria reopening thanks to the easing of lockdown restrictions.

While continuing as the corporation’s media editor, Mr Rajan will also present a new interview series for BBC Two and a two-part royal documentary.

On March 11, Mr Rajan became the first new Today presenter to be appointed since the departure of John Humphrys in September 2019.

The programme had continued since then with four hosts, along with occasional cover presenters including Sarah Smith and Simon Jack.

Mr Rajan began his career as a researcher on Channel 5’s The Wright Stuff, before becoming editor of The Independent newspaper, then joining the BBC in 2016.

Speaking in March, the BBC’s director of news Fran Unsworth said: ‘Amol conducts interviews with sharpness and grace, and I’m delighted we’ll be able to showcase that to the widest possible audience.’

And Mr Rajan said at the time: ‘Today is one of the most powerful institutions in British journalism; and the prevailing winds of our time make its job, and influence, yet more vital.