The show also spun off a programme called iPM, which allowed listeners to engage in discussions and influence content through a blog.
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".
Notable presenters after William Hardcastle included Steve Race, Brian Widlake, Robert Williams, Chris Lowe, Roger Cook, 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[1]).
In 2008 the programme renamed its financial news slot "Upshares, Downshares" and used the title music of the television drama Upstairs, Downstairs, composed by Alexander Faris.
In 2009, variations on the tune performed by PM listeners in a variety of styles from bossa nova to heavy metal[7] became a regular feature.
Analogous programmes include PM on ABC Radio National in Australia and All Things Considered on NPR in the United States.