BBC's 'Today' programme partners with Octopus

Cassell Illustrated has signed a publishing partnership with BBC Radio 4’s “Today” programme, to publish the programme’s first official book along with two others.

The partnership between the Octopus Publishing Group division and the early morning news programme will include three books. The Today Programme Puzzle Book which will publish on 6th September retailing at £12.99 followed by Best of Today: 60 Years of Broadcasting Conversations, Contradictions to the Nation on 4th October, with an r.r.p. of £20.

Romilly Morgan, commissioning editor at Octopus, acquired worldwide rights from the BBC via Luigi Bonomi at LBA Books Ltd.

The Best of Today will mark the 60-year anniversary of broadcasting the most popular radio programme to the nation, according to an Octopus spokesperson. This compendium will celebrate the programme's “world-class journalism which has scrutinised the headlines, held those in power to account and enlightened their audience with stories that have shaped and changed our society”.

The book will be broken down into thematic chapters, covering the "60 most pivotal events broadcast on the programme": Rebellion, Revolution & Protest, Political Landscape, War & Conflict, The Arts & Culture, Social Change, Science, Technology & Engineering and Natural World, Climate & Space.

With an introduction from the presenters Mishal Husain and Nick Robinson and a foreword by the editor of the programme, Sarah Sands, on the art of programming the show, this book also provides a "behind- the-scenes insight" into the programme, which attracts around 7 million listeners each morning.

In the Today Programme Puzzle Book readers can tackle the ‘Puzzle for Today’ brainteasers, with 250 questions "set by the greatest puzzle masters in the world" including Mensa, the University of Cambridge's NRICH project, the UK Mathematics Trust, Japanese Puzzle Master and many more.

This is the first official book from the "Today" programme, and includes a foreword from Sands on the joy of puzzles in the world of today, along with introductions to the puzzles by from the BBC science editor, Tom Feilden.

Sands described the current affairs programme as “a national institution” and said that the 60th anniversary book “gives a unique insight into the modern history of the UK”.

She revealed that the puzzle title “defeats all our presenters, so we challenge the British public to pit their brains against our puzzle masters”.

Bonomi said: “When Romilly Morgan came up with her idea for a compendium on the very best interviews from the "Today" programme, both myself and my colleagues at the BBC were blown away with it. It deserves to be a huge success.”

The “Today” programme recorded its highest ever audience figures in February 2017, reaching 7.45 million weekly listeners.