Damon Albarn teams up with former spy

Blur frontman Damon Albarn and former MI5 director-general Dame Stella Rimington are to edit BBC Radio 4 's 'Today' programme over the Christmas period.

Each of the celebrities picked for this year have already given an indication of the direction they would like their edition of 'Today' to take.

Following Thom Yorke's lead - he edited the radio show two years ago - Albarn is to examine recycling, and consider whether the UK can learn anything from the way the African nation of Mali deals with its rubbish.

Rimington, who was head of MI5 for four years until 1996, says she will look at declining trust in politics, and said she "couldn't resist" the opportunity to focus on "some of the issues that I think are important".

Previous editors have included Bono, Yoko Ono and Professor Stephen Hawking.

The guest editors are given a say in up to half of their particular three-hour broadcast, but their ideas and stories must still meet the BBC's guidelines for independence and impartiality.