The Radio 4 (and 7 or 4 Extra) stakes

The Guardian's first chalkboard of runners and riders for Controller Radio 4, when Helen Boaden moved out in 2004, had four names - and Mark Damazer wasn't among them. The four were Roger Mosey, tipped to get it because of his close relationship with Jenny Abramsky, Peter Horrocks, Anne Morrison and Graham Ellis.

Their first stab at the 2010 R4 stakes re-offers Roger Mosey and Graham Ellis. And adds George Entwistle, Mohit Bakaya, Tim Suter, Jenni Russell, Richard Klein, and Peter Barron. And speculates on Bob Shennan and Adrian Van-Klaveren.

Last time and this time, it looks like Mark Thompson's call. You need someone who's read more than "3 for 2" holiday books; who's been to a play in the West End without a band; who can work with the big beasts of News; and there'll be a better weighting for a woman.

Roger Mosey is busy until 2012 with the London Olympics - and Radio 4 would mean a pay cut. Graham Ellis has plenty to do making efficiencies in his radio production teams. George Entwistle has BBC politics and Newsnight in his background - but Durham, not Oxford University. He's responsible for tons of TV output as "Knowledge" commissioner, but might fancy the profile Radio 4 would give him. Mohit Bakaya would love the pay rise - he's been on Damazer's commissioning team for two years, and Night Waves and Front Row before that. A contemporary of Ed Balls at Oxford, he's brother of BBC non-exec Samir Shah, and, at rising 45, is probably the right age.

Tim Suter has been away from the coalface at Ofcom and consulting for rather too long. Richard Klein could transfer from BBC4 at about level money, but he doesn't have any obvious radio DNA. Jenni Russell was last at the BBC as a job-share editor of The World Tonight, with Prue Keely. She seems to enjoy her current role as a commentator - and that would have to end. Peter Barron left Newsnight a couple of years ago for Google UK; he was a BBC news trainee, and had a spell at C4 News - the legacy is playing in a band with Krishnan Guru-Murthy, which doesn't sound very Radio Four. I think the Guardian were just covering themselves by adding Bob Shennan and Adrian Van Klaveren to the line-up; I'm surprised they didn't do likewise with Roger Wright, who has delivered interesting speech and formats to Radio 3.

Other names: There's speculation at TVC that Roly Keating, another big brain/safe pair of hands, with good contacts and communication skills might be persuaded, but he's getting a fair whack for setting up the Digital Archive. In the hunt for women, Mary Hockaday, currently running the Multimedia Newsroom at Television Centre, has strong radio credentials. At World Service, Gwyneth Williams' role as head of English Networks, has been squeezed by Peter Horrocks' restructuring. Wags I know have suggested a Peter Donaldson/Bryan Perkins job-share - on the grounds that they know the schedule as well as anyone, and there's not much imperative for change.

The list will have to grow before it shortens to the three or four who will face Thommo.