EXCLUSIVE: The BBC’s search for its next head of news has entered the home stretch.

Deadline understands that the BBC is conducting a final round of interviews for the role this week. Four candidates are said to be in the frame to replace Deborah Turness, who dramatically resigned last November amid an explosive editorial scandal over Donald Trump.

BBC News insiders said Jonathan Munro, who has been acting leader of the news unit since Turness quit, is among the shortlisted contenders. Channel 4 News editor Esme Wren is also thought to be in the mix, according to sources at ITN.

Two other women are understood to be among the final four. Newsroom speculation has alighted on Rachel Jupp, the BBC’s director of news documentaries and long-form journalism, and Rhuanedd Richards, the BBC’s interim director of nations. BBC Scotland director Hayley Valentine is not thought to be a candidate after she was linked to the news job over the summer.

Munro, Wren, Jupp, and Richards were contacted for comment. The BBC declined to comment on the recruitment process, which has been ongoing for nearly three months. Matt Brittin, the BBC’s director general, is expected to make a decision imminently.

As with any recruitment process, sources cautioned that there is always the potential for a late surprise. The last time the BBC was hiring a news chief, Turness initially ruled herself out, only to change her mind at the eleventh hour after being persuaded by Tim Davie, the former director general.

Multiple sources told Deadline that the BBC’s search has not been straightforward, with some high-profile external candidates preferring to remain in their current roles rather than face the unrelenting scrutiny of running the UK’s biggest newsroom.

David Rhodes, the executive chairman of Sky News, was among those who counted themselves out of the race. Louisa Compton was promoted to director of news, digital and audience trust at Channel 4 amid widespread speculation that she was a strong contender. David Merritt, senior executive editor at Bloomberg, held talks about the BBC job but decided to remain at 3 Queen Victoria Street.

The successful candidate will inherit a newsroom that is embracing online storytelling, but morale is low amid ongoing cuts at the BBC. BBC News announced in June that it was canceling shows like Radio 4’s The World Tonight to save £25M ($33.5M), but the division still needs to find another £25M of savings in the coming months, meaning many journalists are bracing for more bad news.

BBC News was also battered by editorial scandals last year. The corporation pulled Gaza: How to Survive a Warzone after the documentary was narrated by the son of a Hamas minister, while it was engulfed by an almighty crisis over a Panorama film about Donald Trump, which misleadingly edited the speech he made ahead of the Capitol riots in 2021. The latter cost Turness her job and resulted in a $10 billion lawsuit from the U.S. president, which the BBC is fighting in a Florida court.

The BBC’s next director of news will report to Brittin, as well as working closely with Rhodri Talfan Davies, the deputy director general. Turness earned up to £450,000 in the post.

A job ad for the role said: “The director of news will be responsible for sustaining and strengthening BBC News’ reputation for trusted journalism; upholding editorial excellence, impartiality and standards across all output; delivering universal reach and relevance for UK audiences; and strengthening reputation, reach and sustainable revenue in the dynamic global media environment.”