Harriet Cass and Charlotte Green to leave Radio 4

Two of Radio 4's most familiar voices, Harriet Cass and Charlotte Green, are to leave the station.

The pair, who between them have clocked up more than 70 years at the BBC, will leave next year after taking voluntary redundancy.

Their departures are a result of a shake-up in Radio 4's presentation team, which is being reduced by two posts to a team of 10.

Green, who said she had "thoroughly enjoyed" her 34 years at the corporation, has famously been gripped by fits of giggles while on air, notably after hearing the oldest-known recording of a human voice during a news item, which caused her to chuckle as she read the next story about Hollywood screenwriter Abby Mann. She went on to apologise.

She said: "I'll miss the buzz of live radio, but I'm really looking forward to getting involved in new projects.

"Radio 4 listeners have always been very warm and appreciative of what I've done, whether doing the shipping forecast, reading the news or taking part in the News Quiz."

Cass, who first joined the BBC in 1972, said: "The BBC was my first job and I thought it would be interesting for a few months. Forty years later, it's time to do other things."

Station controller Gwyneth Williams said they had made an "immense contribution".