The team behind BBC Radio 4’s Today, the UK’s biggest and most influential news programme, is launching a new weekly podcast, continuing the conversation with Today listeners after the programme comes off air.

Landing every Thursday on BBC Sounds and Radio 4 from 5 October, listeners to The Today Podcast will join Amol Rajan, Nick Robinson and guests as they give their take on the biggest stories and give a behind-the-scenes insight into how the programme is made.

Amol and Nick are two of the UK’s best-known journalists and regular presenters of the Today programme.

The Today Podcast is a bold commitment from the BBC to continue to build the Today brand following the launch of The Today Debate with Mishal Husain last year, regular co-presentation outside London and this August’s listener Guest Edits.

The new podcast sits at the heart of the BBC’s strategy to grow BBC Sounds and increase digital listening. The platform recently saw huge growth with a record 216 million plays of on-demand radio and podcasts in the latest quarter.

The Today Podcast will showcase Today’s journalism and give more time for context and analysis.

Nick Robinson says: "I love presenting Today - a fast moving, agenda setting, daily news programme - but I can’t wait for the chance once a week to slow down, take a breath, kick off my shoes and reflect on what’s really happening in the world beyond the headlines, without ever needing to look at the clock and say ‘I’m sorry, that’s all we’ve got time for’."

Amol Rajan says: "Well, this is exciting. I am a podcast fanatic. Recent years have shown there is massive global demand for the intellectually ambitious, deeply humane and mischievous conversation which podcasts can provide. Helpfully I like Nick a lot and respect his intellect. Everybody’s invited and there will be plenty of input from the Today community – and beyond."

Owenna Griffiths, Editor, Today and Executive Producer, The Today Podcast says: "With Amol and Nick, the conversations we have about stories and ideas off air are as interesting and challenging as the interviews on the Today programme and I’m really excited this podcast will open up those conversations to our listeners."

Mohit Bakaya, Director of Speech and Controller of Radio 4 and 4Extra, says: "The Today programme remains essential daily listening every morning for millions of listeners on BBC Radio 4. However, one often wants to go deeper on certain stories than time allows so I’m pleased that Nick and Amol can now get an opportunity to really get their teeth into the most important and often complex stories of the week, providing the insight, analysis and context one expects from Radio 4."

The Today Podcast will drop first on BBC Sounds, each Thursday from 5 October, and will then air at 11pm that evening on Radio 4.

The podcast is presented by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson. It is produced by Tom Smithard, edited by Jonathan Aspinwall and Louisa Lewis. The executive producer is Owenna Griffiths. The BBC Radio 4 commissioner is Rhian Roberts.