The launch of The World at One was part of a wider change in BBC news and current affairs coverage; more journalists were arriving from Fleet Street and replacing a more sedate and collegiate culture.

[1] The programme had attracted criticism as it seemed to blend together news and current affairs, and break down the distinction made between reporting and interpretation.

Hardcastle did not want to do the programme every day, so Andrew Boyle suggested he share the job with William Davis, another presenter whose career did not wholly depend on the BBC.

Other stand-in presenters have included Brian Hanrahan, Guto Harri, Laura Trevelyan, Stephen Sackur, Carolyn Quinn, James Robbins and Mark Mardell.

Many reporters and producers have spent some time working on the programme, including Sue MacGregor, Kirsty Wark, Jonathan Dimbleby, Roger Cook, George Alagiah, Jenny Abramsky, Roger Hearing, Sian Williams, Kirsty Lang, Martin Fewell, Shelagh Fogarty, David Jessel, Nick Ross, Ben Bradshaw, Juliet Bremner, Susannah Simons, Pallab Ghosh and Martha Kearney.

[citation needed] The World This Weekend is a weekly news and current affairs programme broadcast from 13:00 to 13:30 on BBC Radio 4 every Sunday.