Raheem Sterling is to guest edit BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, exploring social mobility and the role of sportspeople in society.
The Manchester City and England player is one of several public figures who will take the editorial reins in the week between Christmas and New Year.
He is the first active footballer to do so, although Tony Adams, the former Arsenal and England captain, filled the role in 2009, seven years after he retired from the sport.
The former Archdeacon of Southend, Mina Smallman – whose daughters Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman were murdered in a London park in 2020 – will use her guest editorship to highlight the role of chaplaincy in times of need, as well as examining support for victims of crime and looking at the Reclaim the Streets movement.
James Rebanks, the sheep farmer and author who recently accused the BBC of failing farmers with the content of Countryfile, will consider the role of urban farms.
General Sir Nick Carter, the outgoing Chief of the Defence Staff, will feature reports on Afghanistan and alternative ways of treating post-traumatic stress disorder in ex-service personnel.
