Anna Ford Retiring after 900 years of reading the news

Anna Ford is retiring in April at the age of 62.

Didn't we already know this? Isn't that the main reason why the BBC let her take part in ITV News' past presenter thing? Is there a link where you read this story?

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2005/10/30/nford30.xml&sSheet=/news/2005/10/30/ixhome.html

Yes, we knew she was going to retire, but not when. Thanks for the tip-off, chris.

**Cue speculation on presenter reshuffle**

My stakes would be (to take lead role):

Darren Jordan 2/1
Jane Hill 3/1
Sophie Raworth 3/1
Simon McCoy 7/9
Phillip Hayton 8/1
Fiona Bruce 12/1
Mishal Hussein 12/1
Natasha Krapinsky 15/1
Joanna Gosling 18/1
Jon Sopel 18/1
Louise Minchin 20/1
Maxine Mawhinney 25/1

Combos

Darren leads the 1, but the second presenter will be:-

Jane Hill 1/3
Sian Williams 2/1
Jon Sopel 5/1
Joanna Gosling 5/1
Louise Minchin 7/1
Peter Sissons 10/1
Michael Buerk 25/1
Trevor Mc Donald 50/1

Sophie and Fiona share the 1: 12/1

John Suchet and Trevor McDonald share: 150,000/1

Here's the BBC News Online story
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/tv_and_radio/4390160.stm

Wasn't there a rumour a few months ago that the 1pm News would be replaced with a News 24 simulcast?

I wouldn't like to see that, though I'd have no problem with the BBC1 bulletin being simulcast on News 24 (which only shows a 30 min signed summary at 1pm - they could just as easily sign the One o'clock News!).

I think it would be confusing to do a simulcast of the 1 on BBC1 and N24. If they used the N24 studio it would look wrong/confusing on BBC1 and vice versa. It's not such a problem for the ITV NC because they are "penny-pinching" enough to use only one set for both!

EDIT:
Those were nice articles about Anna in the Telegraph and BBC On-line. I will certainly miss her reading the news. I do hope she is offered something useful to do by one of the main broadcasters. It would be a shame if she disappered from mainstream TV entirely.

I have to say, I think Anna has been fading over the past few months. I think its about time she retired sadly.

What a loss, to the BBC especially. She is one of the best newsreaders IMO.

Her newsreading has been starting to slip in recent months but she has been a fantastic presenter for the BBC and will be missed!! Personally I'd like to see Sophie Raworth moved to the One, with Jane Hill taking over on the Six!!
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That's it from me for the last time, so it's goodbye from me to the One o'clock News!

Unless there is a major reshuffle across the nationals, I imagine Darren Jordan will take the lead on the One, with Jane Hill as the second presenter. Otherwise, my money would be on Jane Hill to take the One as main presenter and for a reshuffle to take place on News24 with Susanna Reid coming in full time.