Kirsty Wark: Who are the Newsnight presenters and who could take her spot next?

Kirsty Wark has announced that she is stepping down from Newsnight.

The presenter has been hosting the BBC programme since 1993 but said she will leave after the next general election.

Making the announcement, the 68-year-old said it would be a "massive wrench" to leave.

Read more: Victoria Derbyshire says 'Newsnight' is 'one of the best jobs in British journalism'

She said in a statement that it had been "an enormous privilege to be involved in such a rigorous, creative programme with a wonderful, talented, bunch of colleagues".

"There’s not a day when I don’t look forward to coming to the office, and every day I learn something from the team about all manner of things, from aspects of American foreign policy to how to make a great mojito," she said.

So who will Wark be leaving behind? And could any of them take over?

Victoria Derbyshire

Last year Victoria Derbyshire became one of the lead presenters on Newsnight.

When the news was announced, she said she was "so delighted to be joining the legend that is Kirsty Wark and the talented Newsnight team under new and ambitious leadership".

"This is a special opportunity to take on one of the best jobs in British journalism and help shape the programme’s future," she said.

The 55-year-old is known for her extensive work on the radio and had her own self-titled current affairs programme, which aired from 2015 to 2020.

At the end of that year she competed on I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, becoming the fourth celeb to be eliminated.

Faisal Islam

Islam, 46, was the economics editor of Channel 4 News, and in 2006 was named Young Journalist of the Year at the Royal Society of Television Awards.

He was the political editor of Sky News from 2014 to 2019.

The journalist has been presenting instalments of Newsnight since 2020.

Who could take over from Wark?

While Derbyshire and Islam are assumed to be in the frame, viewers also have a few other ideas for who could step into Wark's shoes.

One name to come up on social media is Joanna Gosling, who was on BBC News and also presented the Victoria Derbyshire programme on Fridays.

The presenter signed off from BBC News in January, as she was among those taking voluntary redundancy ahead of a merger between the broadcaster's international and domestic news channels.

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