As the news broke that David Dimbleby would be stepping down from Question Time after 25 years, big names from the world of news and current affairs are already being rumoured to take the job.

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But who will succeed the host and become the fourth presenter to helm one of BBC1's flagship political programmes?

Question Time (BBC, EH)

One of the frontrunners is Newsnight presenter Kirsty Wark after she indicated her interest in a recent interview with Good Housekeeping.

Wark commented: "I think there will be many people [applying] when David Dimbleby decides he doesn't want to do it any longer. I think I will be one of them, but I'm sure lots of people will throw their hats in the ring for that."

Victoria Derbyshire, who has her own eponymous BBC daytime current affairs show, is also one of the names to be rumoured, alongside speculated stars including Today's John Humphrys, former BBC political editor Nick Robinson and newsreader and anchor Huw Edwards.

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Or perhaps University Challenge presenter Jeremy Paxman could take the top job? He certainly wouldn't take any nonsense from the audience or panellists...

Jeremy Paxman, Getty, SL
Jeremy Paxman, Getty, SL

Meanwhile the likes of Evan Davis, Kirsty Young, Emily Maitlis, Jeremy Vine and Andrew Marr are names that could potentially be in the mix.

Citing that it was "the right moment to leave", Dimbleby added that he was "not giving up broadcasting" and wanted to "return to my first love: reporting".

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There have only been three presenters of Question Time since its inception in 1979: Robin Day, Peter Sissons and Dimbleby, who is the longest-serving host in the show's history.

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