Olympian Laura Kenny to guest edit Radio 4's Today

Frank Cottrell-Boyce's programme, broadcast on Christmas Eve, will look at the role reading can play in shaping children's lives and find out at what happens to a child's brain when they are read to. Boxing Day will see Dwayne Fields edit a programme with items on homelessness and the value to communities of volunteering. Sir Sajid Javid's programme on 27 December will include items on the benefits and risks of artificial intelligence (AI) as well as the BBC children's programme Grange Hill. Professor Irene Tracey's programme on 28 December will see her explore developments in chronic pain relief, as well as the role that universities play in society. The quality of children's television, including an examination of the move from public service broadcasters to unregulated online platforms, will be among the topics explored on 30 December by Baroness Floella Benjamin.