It is the bedrock of why people come to us.". ", "Whilst we of course want new listeners to discover Radio 2, we are focused on providing the 14.5 million people who tune in each week with a brilliant range of programmes, hosted by some of the UK's best-loved presenters. So Drivetime was seen as the only option for the desired diversification. In 2018, the BBC forced Mayo to share his hugely popular Drivetime show with Jo Whiley, to get a female presenter on the Radio 2 daytime schedule. He became famous for having read the nine o'clock news on 15 October 1940 when Broadcasting House was hit by a German bomb: Belfrage carried on as if nothing had happened. Taking over from Sara Cox (replacing Evans), Mark Goodier (in for Bruce), mentioned that he would be followed by Vanessa Feltz (instead of Vine) and then Craig Charles (depping for Wright). John Peel3. Published: Monday, 27th February 2023 at 11:40 am. Kay, who is married to Strictly Come Dancing presenter Tess Daly, is best known for fronting Channel 4s T4 and ITV programmes including All Star Family Fortunes, Just The Two Of Us and Beat The Star. But soothing instrumental light music, middle of the road classics, and a weekly soap opera were the mainstay when the station opened in 1967. Addressing Radio 2 listeners in the Radio Times, former BBC producer Trevor Dann said: "If you're seething about the high-handed way the bosses are treating you, don't bother writing to complain, because they don't care what you think. Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said Kay was picked as a hugely talented, warm and witty host who is already a firm favourite with listeners after filling in for other hosts. Her 21 years spent as presenter on Radio 2s Big Band Special won her most acclaim, and in 2004 she returned to the show to play the trombone as part of the BBC Big Band itself. "So it's difficult to say to anyone in a job they enjoy that it's time for them to go - especially if the reasons are not explained. Legendary radio presenter Janice Long has died aged 66 following a short illness. And while GB News has attracted and retained some top talent, such as Eamonn Holmes, former BBC presenters Andrew Neil and Simon McCoy did not stay for long. Putting sport on Radio 2 was a clever move by BBC management. Terry Wogan2. The Sound of Music was a fitting start for the station, now devoted to light music. Sheila was something of an enigma. This list may not reflect recent changes. A rambling house of bed sits and flats in Belsize Park was the setting, where young things rubbed shoulders with more sensible characters. Starting with music presenting, news reading, and. His Eurovision commentaries were, of course, legendary! The 51-year-old presents the show from Monday to Wednesday alongside co-presenter Dan Walker. Lewis Carnie issued a statement expressing pleasure that Radio 2 is still Britains most popular radio station, a gloss that one insider likened to the Black Knight in the film Monty Python and the Holy Grail, exuding positivity even as each limb is hacked off. A leading showbusiness agent, though stressing that he knows of no such specific moves or negotiations, says: If I were a commercial radio rival to the BBC, Id conclude that what has happened with Evans and Mayo has shown how the all-powerful Radio 2 might be taken down. Now, how they do it, who they choose, when they choose - that's where the argument comes. Please review our, You need to be a subscriber to join the conversation. For tickets, visit www.bbc.co.uk/radio2. Pogus Caesar (now a film maker, photographer and author) Simon Lederman (now at BBC London 94.9) Tony Butler (now at Gold Birmingham) Windrush E. Smith. "This presenter weighed that offer up, but ultimately decided that the platform they have on the BBC was more compelling than the cash. Although audiences, and even journalists, often regard structural changes in broadcasting as boring, the shake-down (or, as some see it, meltdown) at Radio 2 was shaped by three backroom bureaucratic decisions. While some DJs view the songs as an occupational threat to their on-air monologues, shes one of those with specialist enthusiasm and knowledge, and it was impossible sometimes not to detect a critical cringe as she introduced Drivetime playlist hits that clearly wouldnt be let near her iPod. She sometimes also features on The World This Weekend; a current affairs weekend programme. the Radio 4 Woman's Hour presenter Jane Garvey, in the past an occasional fill-in . The 72-year-old, who started at the BBC in his early 30s, said he would always be proud of his association with the BBC and Radio 2, but that he wanted to continue his career in a slightly different way in the next few years. Brian Redhead12. The 80s were Terrys heyday as his early evening chat show on BBC 1 really took off. Lord Hall of Birkenhead, the BBC director-general, warned that this might become a poachers charter, tipping rivals off about how much to bid. Bruce will present his final 9.30am-to-midday show on 3 March. Maitlis has also accused the BBC of "both side-ism" - in other words, providing a superficial balance. The big political interview, which was to become a regular feature of the show, often made the headlines. To mark this, the Official Charts Company has created a chart featuring the most streamed song released in each year since the inception of the chart back in 1952. Radio 4 presenter Sue MacGregor, former presenter of Woman's Hour and the Today programme, finished third, while Annie Nightingale - who became the first ever female DJ on Radio 1 in 1969 - took fourth. In May this year, Simon Mayo, after eight years on the Drivetime show, was joined by Jo Whiley, in a pairing that proved to irritate fans of both their previous solo shows. Disneys multi-award winning musical brings Elsa and Annas story to the stage with incredible special effects, jaw-dropping scenery, and all the songs you know and love, starring Samantha Barks as Elsa. A lot of that is driven by the need to reduce costs, and therefore a lot of people have simply taken voluntary redundancy (VR) and left by choice.". The BBC has always been a timorous beastie. "They couldn't give me any reason other than, they just wanted a change.". ", He points out: "Career development for everyone is cyclical - the people who are now moving on once replaced someone who made way for them. For young people in 1967 the old service was a turn off, BBC surveys of the time proved that. The show will be broadcast from the BBC Cymru Wales broadcast centre in Cardiff, and the tender opens today for production companies to pitch for the show, which will launch on air in January 2023. But he said he understood the need to freshen schedules and attract younger audiences. After a few years, the 4 strong writing team got it right, the press and public loved it, but it fell victim to the huge cuts underway in the BBC in 1980, and Radio 2 never again broadcast a daily drama. At its height in 2008, 8.1 million people were listening, beating Radio 1 in the ratings war. 2023 BBC. This list may not reflect recent changes . It's tough. This week it was announced she will present the coveted Radio 1 breakfast show as part of the station's new talent Christmas line-up. Failure to comply with any clause can result in the BBC being fined up to 250,000. Mahfuz riad. Read about our approach to external linking. At the end of the show, Radio 2 presenter Sara Cox will be joined on stage by Pudsey, with Radio 2 presenters also in the audience watching the show. I'm on 6 Music six days a week [but] the Radio 2 show was performing well," he said earlier this week. In July 2017, when the income of top BBC presenters was published for the first time, Garvey said: Radio 2 extraordinarily male and entirely pale and big salaries. In further interventions, she publicly urged the BBC to sack one of the stations big boy beasts. The DJ will usher in Radio 2s new weekday pop quiz to replace Bruces popular PopMaster format as well as continuing his own radio show which he has fronted since 2018. Steve says: Im thrilled to mark this years National Album Day on BBC Radio 2 by playing top tunes from some awesome music debuts. Sounds Of The 60s with Tony Blackburn is a 7digital production. As the memory of flower power faded the Radio 2 daily soap Waggoners Walk went on air. It was a terrible mistake to force the BBC to reveal its top talent salaries, and I suspect this problem will only get worse.". If his pay was reduced, it may have given him another reasonable cause to feel unease at the BBC. Wright continues to present his Radio 2 Sunday Love Songs programme as well as specials on the station. Radio 2 broadcasts (8 October) a newly extended version of Terry Wogan: In His Own Words which first aired in April this year, 50 years after Terry broadcast his first ever breakfast show on the BBC in 1972. Only a sadomasochistic porcupine would bring on the next generation in this way. Announcing his exit from weekday afternoons earlier this year, Steve Wright said: "My friend and boss Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said she wanted to do something different in the afternoons." Radio 2 will also broadcast each decades charts from 1960-1999 during the Sounds Of The 60s/70s/80s/90s shows on Saturday and Sunday 11 and 12 November, alongside a one-off programme on BBC Sounds - Most Streamed Songs of the 50s - to showcase the songs from 1952-1959, presented by Paul Gambaccini (BBC Audio production). Our timeline explores the highs and lows of the station that rocked the nation. Scott Mills will launch his new weekday afternoon show on Radio 2 on Monday 31 October, from 2pm-4pm. Radio 2 is going through a particularly tumultuous time, while many of the biggest names in news and podcasting have been lured away. Some licence payers may find this behaviour ironic, given the way in which BBC news presenters routinely mock Government departments and businesses who reply that no one is available to speak about a controversial issue. But, if the new schedule, resulting from a combination of choices and accidents, is to succeed, it will require the audience to adapt quickly from the porcupine decades to the year of the rabbit. Vernon Kay will replace Ken Bruce on his mid-morning weekday slot on BBC Radio 2. Others think the BBC should let its biggest names leave rather than offer huge sums to keep them, and grow a new generation of stars instead. Bruce first joined the corporation in 1977 as a BBC Radio Scotland presenter and his first regular slot on Radio 2 was the Saturday Late Show in 1984. James Purnell, a former Labour cabinet minister, is Director, Radio and Education, while Bob Shennan is Director, Radio and Music, but the heads of the networks (including Lewis Carnie at Radio 2) actually report to a third person, Graham Ellis, who is Controller, Production (Radio). Eddie Mair10. Meanwhile BBC Radio 1 will broadcast the most streamed songs released from 2000-2022, presented by Jack Saunders (BBC Audio production). Radio 2 History 1990-99 New presenters during this . The most publicised was the order from the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport that the BBC must publish the names of anyone paid more than 150,000 per year. The Evans drop may counterintuitively be good news, as it gives Ball a lower starting benchmark. Humphrey Lyttelton9. The Weeknd? The song spent 17 weeks at No. The 48-year-old presented his own BBC Radio 1 show between 2004 and 2012, and another on Radio X between 2015 and 2017. The storylines were laden with social issues and a permissive attitude to sex, but the approach didnt quite fit the mood of the cash strapped 1970s. In fact, said Goodier breezily, the only regular presenters on today are Simon and Jo at 5pm!. Jenni Murray11. Vernon Kay will be replacing Bruce on his mid-morning Radio 2 slot, the BBC has confirmed, however Kay's new show won't launch be launching until May 2023. In this first instalment, he meets three DJs from across the networks line-up - Tony Blackburn, Zoe Ball and Rylan - who discuss a range of topics including their first encounters with the BBC (Saturday 15 October). Bruce announced he was leaving the BBC in January before confirming he would be moving to Bauers Greatest Hits Radio in April to present a new mid-morning show from 10am to 1pm. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to the Radio Times View From My Sofa podcast. by Dick Bentley, No One To Read Out The News: A BBC Tragedy and Were Frightfully BBC by the Western Brothers, What it Feels Like To Broadcast by Gert & Daisy, All For Ten Shillings A Year (about the Licence Fee) and We Cant Let You Broadcast That! John Peel 3. Most importantly to what has happened, Clause 1:36:2 of the Ofcom licence requires the BBC to reflect the diversity of the United Kingdom, and Clause 1:37 to make demonstrable year-on-year progress towards greater diversity both on and off air. On 22nd October, announcing his departure from Radio 2, Mayo tweeted: Ive loved working with the exceptional Jo Whiley and when the show was reconfigured, she was my first and only choice., That is true but, perhaps due to diplomacy or the Twitter space limit, that isnt the full story. The July 2018 list, covering the period before their pairing, placed Whiley in the 170,00 to 179,999 band and Mayo on between 340,000 and 349,999. On the Monday Mayo tweeted that he was leaving Radio 2, it was school half-term in many areas, so the stations schedule was filled with stand-ins for vacationing regulars. Past Presenters. The easy going music and chat style was still new to British listeners, but it quickly proved very popular. BBC Radio 2 - Past Presenters. Bruce will present his final 9.30am to midday show on March 3, the BBC confirmed. Both have left their BBC radio jobs in recent years. Read about our approach to external linking. - BBC News Find out more about Tony. Enjoy this party classic with an updated RT twist - fun for all the family! The BBC Concert Orchestra has been performing live editions of Friday Night is Music Night since the programme began in 1953, and a one-off highlight came from EMIs Abbey Road studio when Jo Wiley met the legendary Stevie Wonder. Scott says: A brand new era begins for me at my new home, BBC Radio 2. Stand-in presenters known to have covered the show include: Ray Moore David Hamilton Sarah Kennedy Ed Stewart Johnnie Walker Richard Allinson Jonathan Ross Alex Lester Ken Bruce Aled Jones Graham Norton Sara Cox Michael Ball Fearne Cotton Matt Lucas Mark Goodier Richard Madeley Ryan Tubridy Patrick Kielty Gary Davies Nicki Chapman Vernon Kay He is a familiar face on Radio 2 having previously filled in for presenters including Zoe Ball, Steve Wright, Rylan Clark and Dermot O'Leary. Paul Hollingdale was the first voice to be heard on the new station, complete with American style jingles, news, requests, and the shipping forecast. It could be be a formidable line-up of broadcasters, with the benefit of putting a previously older-bloke station at the front of the diversity curve. Amazing music played by an amazing line-up - thats Radio 2 today. , Albums coming in 2023: Ed Sheeran, Miley Cyrus, Mimi Webb and more, Battle of the pop girls - it's Miley Cyrus vs Lana Del Rey, Libianca talks People, collaborating with J Hus and Dave and more, Ed Sheeran announces release of acoustic album Subtract, 10 years in the making, Matilda The Musical makes it three weeks at Number 1, Who is Mae Stephens - the 19-year-old behind viral hit If We Ever Broke Up, Official Trending Chart: Pink, Niall, Mae Stephens and more, Americana albums to look forward to in 2023, It's Gorillaz vs. Gracie Abrams for this week's Number 1 album. Published: Saturday, 3rd November 2018 at 8:00 am, Its a lot of change for listeners to accept at once, Simon Mayo to leave Radio 2 after 17 years, he was leaving to join Virgin Radio in 2019, the announcement of Zoe Ball as Evanss successor, publish the names of anyone paid more than 150,000 per year, strongly criticised the BBC for its handling of this issue. https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Category:BBC_Radio_2_presenters&oldid=1082437726, Template Category TOC via CatAutoTOC on category with 101200 pages, CatAutoTOC generates standard Category TOC, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 13 April 2022, at 05:17. Try 12 issues for 1 today - never miss an issue. As newspaper reviewer on Breakfast Time in 1983 he declared his support for the Conservative party and was never asked to present BBC radio programmes again. Bruce has suggested he will be leaving the BBC earlier than intended. 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