PM (Radio 4)
| Genre | Current affairs |
|---|---|
| Running time | Weekdays: 60 minutes Saturday: 30 minutes |
| Country | UK |
| Language(s) | English |
| Home station | BBC Radio 4 |
| Hosted by |
Eddie Mair Carolyn Quinn |
| Edited by | Joanna Carr |
| Recording studio |
BBC Television Centre (until Dec 2012) Broadcasting House (Dec 2012 onwards) |
| Air dates | since 6 April 1970 |
| Opening theme | PM Theme |
| Website | PM |
PM, sometimes referred to as the PM programme to avoid ambiguity, is BBC Radio 4's long-running early evening news and current affairs programme.
PM is broadcast from 5pm to 6pm from Monday to Friday and from 5pm to 5:30pm on Saturdays. On weekdays it is followed by another news programme, the Six O'Clock News. The weekday editions are usually presented by Eddie Mair.
PM launched on 6 April 1970, with its first presenters, William Hardcastle and Derek Cooper, promising a programme that "sums up the day, and your evening starts here". It made history for being the first radio news programme to feature its own theme tune. Three have been used, with the last ending in 1997 in the aftermath of the death of Princess Diana.
The First two PM theme tunes were by John Baker and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop.
Notable presenters after William Hardcastle included Steve Race, Brian Widlake, Robert Williams, Chris Lowe, Joan Bakewell, Susannah Simons, Rachael Heyhoe Flint and Valerie Singleton (a former Blue Peter presenter — in pre-interview chats, junior ministers "inevitably" claimed that they still had their Blue Peter badge).
During the late 1970s and early 1980s, the programme's main presenter was Gordon Clough, who would typically prepare for the programme by completing the Times, Guardian and FT crosswords.
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