Journalist and presenter Mark Urban  has confirmed his departure from the BBC after 35-years with the broadcasting giant. 

Addressing social media followers on Sunday, Urban, 63 - best known for his appearances on Newsnight alongside Jeremy Paxman - announced he will part ways with the BBC within weeks after deciding it was 'time for a change.' 

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, he wrote: 'Personal news. I’ll be leaving the BBC at the end of May. Newsnight in its current format will end then, so most posts will go. 

'I decided not to apply for other BBC jobs. Working there for 35 yrs has been life defining: an eyewitness to history collaborating with such brilliant colleagues. But it’s time for a change.' 

Newsnight will soon show more live debate shows as it takes inspiration from Question Time and appoints a new editor amid a battle to regain lost viewers.

Journalist and presenter Mark Urban has confirmed his departure from the BBC after 35-years with the broadcasting giant

Addressing social media followers on Sunday, Urban announced he will part ways with the BBC within weeks after deciding it was 'time for a change' 

Urban is currently Newsnight's diplomatic editor and occasional host of the long-running current affairs show

The news and current affairs programme will be led by Jonathan Aspinwall, who has worked for the corporation for 27 years and currently runs BBC News Podcasts.

He will become executive editor four months after the BBC decided to cut more than half of the show's 60 staff and reduce it to 30 minutes to save £7.5million.

Urban had worked alongside Paxman for more than 20-years before the outspoken presenter's departure in 2014. 

He is currently Newsnight's diplomatic editor and occasional host of the long-running current affairs show.

The BBC is trying to make £500million of savings in the face of high inflation and a licence fee freeze, while battling to reverse falling audience numbers in recent years.

Viewers have nearly halved to 300,000 since 2020 - with Jeremy Paxman's final show in 2014 attracting 1.1million, although this was double the average at the time.

The BBC said Aspinwall – who edited Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg - will 'lead Newsnight as it evolves into a debate, discussion and interview-based programme'.

He currently runs BBC News Podcasts including Newscast and Newscast TV, Americast, Ukrainecast, The Global Story and The Shamima Begum Story series.

Victoria Derbyshire has been confirmed as the main presenter of the BBC's Newsnight

Newsnight bosses are set to take inspiration from Question Time, presented by Fiona Bruce

Newsnight's new executive editor is Jonathan Aspinwall, who joined the corporation in 1997

After joining the BBC in 1997, Aspinwall has held senior editorial roles across TV, radio and digital such as BBC Breakfast deputy editor, World TV senior news editor and Radio 5 Live's Late Night Output editor.

He said: 'I'm delighted to be joining the brilliant and talented Newsnight team ahead of the UK and US elections.

'We'll be building on Newsnight's formidable reputation for the biggest interviews and sharp analysis. I can't wait to get started.'

Bosses hope the relaunch, understood to be scheduled for May, can take inspiration from Question Time which tours the UK holding debate shows with live audiences.

Earlier this month Newsnight – which airs on BBC Two - had two live programmes from Doncaster and Paisley which saw small groups of voters get the chance to ask MPs questions.

And a source familiar with the plans told The Times: 'We'll keep on doing those, though they won't be weekly occurrence.'

Victoria Derbyshire has been confirmed as the main presenter after Kirsty Wark said last October that she would leave the show after the next election, having presented it for three decades.