University challenge

Don't really like Stephen Fry particularly but agree yhe diction is important and he definitely has that. Clive Anderson also.
Yes.

How about Stephen Fry? His diction is excellent.

Agree with those who said Clive Anderson, he would've been marvelous. Still miss Bamber.

I don’t think they favour Clare Balding. From memory ( I could be wrong) she lost a contract with them which upset her because she had mortgages to pay etc.And, at the same time she found that she had thyroid cancer ( thankfully now cured). But being freelance she diversified and showed how adaptable she could be. DH told me that she started commentating on rugby and the close knit rugby community were amazed by her knowledge of the sport. From then on she went from strength to strength. I met her a couple of times way back and she’s a genuinely lovely person. I’m pleased that she’s done so well. But think I read that she now has a hearing problem.

It seems to me that the BBC has favourites, first Clare Balding everywhere, then Evan Davies and now Amol Rajan. There must be younger clever people who could have filled the bill.

I always have some difficulty in understanding what Amol is saying. He doesn't speak clearly. So he is not a good choice for me, unfortunately.

It needs to be someone with good diction and a clear precise voice when asking questions.
Amol Rajan has none of these attributes!

Septimia

I don't like the way Amol Rajan presents Today - it's too casual for a serious news programme.

I shall see how he is on University Challenge but if I don't like the way he does it, I shall forgo my efforts to answer the questions and not watch. If viewing figures drop seriously maybe they'll find someone with more gravitas.

Is the main part of the show not the questions and answers though?

Yes, it is the lack of gravitas, Septimia that is particularly annoying on the Today Programne, you are right.

I can't say I like him much, but I will keep an open mind.
If viewing figures drop, then the programme might sadly die a death.

I don't like the way Amol Rajan presents Today - it's too casual for a serious news programme.

I shall see how he is on University Challenge but if I don't like the way he does it, I shall forgo my efforts to answer the questions and not watch. If viewing figures drop seriously maybe they'll find someone with more gravitas.

The more I read about him the less I like him. I reckon he will be jettisoned after one season.

He gets paid that much they have to find him something to do.
He is as thick as 2 short planks

Less than two years ago he appeared on a celebrity series of University Challenge.

He failed to name the artist Francis Bacon, incorrectly pinpointed an American city and opted for tuna when asked to identify types of goldfish.

I don't think being less of an academic matters . A presenter who attracts the masses is more important. Remember this is the BBC who are constantly dumbing down.

Surely it’s an insult to the contestants if the quizmaster is a bit academically challenged?

Anne Hegerty would have been my first choice but then she’s not a BBC rising star.

Current salary £300.000; expected to rise further.

lemsip

Amol Rajon was on Richard Osman's House of Games show and he couldn't get anything right, just didn't seem to understand the show

I've just rewatched some of those, he really was useless. But good-natured with it. Hope he manages to figure out the rules of UC in time.

Perhaps he came at the right price for the cash-strapped BBC.

Gosh yes - I remember that!

Amol Rajon was on Richard Osman's House of Games show and he couldn't get anything right, just didn't seem to understand the show

I don't mind Amol Rajan but I do have a problem with his enunciation.

I said to DH yesterday ‘they can gave anyone except Amol’ and who do we get Amol ☹️

Let’s hope he doesn’t ask any questions relating to royalty as he has a hatred of royalty. And I thought the BBC was supposed to be impartial.

I hoped for the brilliant Emma Barnett.

He'll Rajan need some elocution lessons before the autumn.
After all it worked for Thatcher. She lowered her voice and sounded more important.

Poor Jeremy. His speech is quite slurred now

Amol Rajan was a topic on Gransnet when he started on the Today Programne. Some of us were struggling to like him but some were obvious admirers.

Sadly I can't warm to him at all. I'm sure he's fine in real life to sit and chat with but he's very "matey" for Today and speaks very quickly in a way that is often rambling.

I also wish he would stop his mock self-effacing anecdotes. It seems to me that he's pretending to be the ordinary person on the street whilst somehow pointing out his superiority at the same time. I'm not sure how he does it but it feels very fake.

However, if he can stick to the job in hand and can enunciate... ?‍♀️

I like Amol Rajan, enjoy his radio work and the in-depth interviews he has done on TV - Billie Jean King recently. I really hope he makes a go of this.

I don't think he'll be caustic as Paxman has been and will encourage the students to do their very best. It'll be interesting to watch.