The Yorkshire-born 41-year-old reporter has been with the BBC for 20 years, including a decade reporting on Westminster for television and radio. Mason applied for the job just a week ago, after the BBC bosses abandoned the initial hiring process at the last minute and quietly advertised the role again. He had been offered jobs by other rival media outlets and the BBC wanted to keep him on public service broadcasting after Times Radio tried to secure his services. He will take up the job at the end of May, replacing Kuensberg who is resigning to be the presenter of the BBC’s main morning political interview on Sunday. He held the position in one of the most difficult times for the BBC’s political production, where he had to face unprecedented public scrutiny of his journalism and production style. Mason said he was happy to be taking on “the most outstanding job in British radio and television”. He added: “I climb on the shoulders of giants like Laura [Kunessberg]Nick [Robinson] and Andreas [Marr] with a trace of horror and a load of excitement and excitement. Leading the best team of journalists in the business to the best news coverage of the batch is something I would never even dare to dream of. I look forward to starting. ” Currently hosting BBC Radio 4 Any Questions? but will leave this position in the summer. Jonathan Munro, interim director of BBC News, said: “Chris has been a great correspondent at a great time in British politics. His calm, penetrating analysis and characteristically honest style were invaluable to the public when navigating complex stories. “His ambition and vision for the role of political writer is really exciting and I wish him every success in his new position.”
