‘Worried’: BBC presenter Amol Rajan considers raising children in India as UK has ‘big problems’

Speaking to broadcaster Gyles Brandreth on the Rosebud podcast, BBC presenter Amol Rajan said he was considering moving his family to India due to what he described as “big problems” in the UK. Rajan, who presents BBC Radio 4’s Today program and University Challenge, said he was “very worried” about the future of the country and was rethinking where his four children should grow up.He added that while he still loved England, he was not sure it was still a place “making history”, in contrast to what he described as a vibrant and rapidly changing India.

What he said about India

India feels “exciting and dynamic in a way that the UK doesn’t always feel”, Rajan said, pointing to its young population, rapid economic growth and expanding workforce.India is a country “in the making”, he said, adding that he wanted his children to spend some time there so they could experience it first-hand and decide for themselves where they want to live in the future.

Concerns about Britain’s ‘big problems’

Rajan said he was concerned about the direction the UK was heading, describing the country as a place with “huge problems that need to be solved”.He said that while he believed Britain was currently the best place to raise children, he was unsure of Britain’s long-term cultural and global relevance compared with previous decades such as the 1960s and 1970s.He also contrasted Britain’s current influence in culture, politics and global affairs with its past, suggesting it no longer has the same momentum.

career change

Rajan also revealed that he will quit the BBC Radio 4 Today program to start his own digital career in the creator economy.He said the early morning nature of broadcast news has been challenging, especially alongside family life, and hinted at a desire to move to a healthier, more flexible lifestyle.

Who is Amol Rajan?

Amol Rajan is an Indian-British journalist and broadcaster. Born in Calcutta and raised in London, he is best known as the presenter of BBC Radio 4’s Today program and BBC Two’s University Challenge.He was a former editor of The Independent and is considered one of Britain’s most prominent media figures. Rajan is married to scholar Charlotte Faircloth, and the couple have four children.