THE BBC RADIO 2 PRESENTERS TO HANG UP THEIR HEADPHONES
Graham Norton – December 2020
Graham Norton seemingly kicked off the mass departure of BBC radio stars when he quit his Saturday morning slot.
The presenter began hosting his Radio 2 show in 2010, after Jonathan Ross left, but after a decade he left.
In a statement at the time, Graham said: ‘Obviously I’m sad to be stepping away from my Radio 2 show.
‘I’ll miss being a part of the Wogan House family, as well as the listeners and their lives.
‘I’d like to thank my producer Malcolm Prince and all the teams I’ve worked with for a great decade of radio.
‘Happily with the chat show, Eurovision and Drag Race the BBC continues to be my perfect TV home.’
The chat show host then joined Virgin Radio UK in 2021 to host shows on Saturday and Sunday.
Paul O’Grady – August 2022
Paul O’Grady hosted a Sunday show for 14 years on BBC Radio 2, but quit in August of last year.
The host was unhappy about being asked to share duties with Rob Beckett, 37, which saw the comedian taking over for two three-month stints each year.
He told fans: ‘And the reason I’m leaving because everybody’s asked me this. It’s because I wasn’t really happy with the 13 weeks on/13 weeks off business.
‘So, I did the honourable thing and I honoured my contract, gave my notice and now I’m off.’
Speaking to Metro in February, he admitted: ‘I was disappointed because I’m a great believer in continuity.
‘If you go off for 13 weeks and somebody else comes on, the listeners don’t know when you’re back on.’
He also questioned Radio 2’s desire to appeal to younger audiences, saying: ‘Radio 2 has changed, it’s not what it was.
‘They’re trying to aim for a much younger audience, which doesn’t make sense because you’ve got Radio 1. Radio 2 was always for an older audience’.
Paul went on to join Boom Radio for a Christmas Day special and had been due to join the station permanently in May – however he tragically died in March at the age of 67.
Steve Wright – September 2022
Steve Wright presented Steve Wright in the Afternoon on Radio 2 for 23 years, before the show came to an end last year.
While he remained on the network, hosting Sunday Love Songs, along with a new Serious Jockin’ podcast, his afternoon show was replaced by a new show with Scott Mills.
Radio 2 fans deplored the decision with the BBC saying it was seeking to ‘try something different’.
As he exited Wogan House in July, Steve told reporters it was ‘nice of you to come over’, adding: ‘That’s the way it goes… You know, sometimes people want you, sometimes they don’t.
‘Sometimes they want to make changes, give you another offer, and that’s okay, I understand that, I really understand that.’
Craig Charles – June 2022
Craig Charles presented his show Craig Charles’ House Party on Saturdays from 10pm to midnight since 2014.
But his Radio 2 show was axed last summer, sparking uproar from fans.
Craig said in the announcement from the BBC: ‘Every party must come to an end and although I’m packing up my Trunk of Funk on Radio 2, I’ve loved bringing the party to its funky listeners each Saturday night.’
He continued with his how on BBC Radio 6 Music each weekday (1-4pm) and on The Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show (Saturday nights, 6-9pm).
Vanessa Feltz – July 2022
Vanessa Feltz quit BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio London after nearly 20 years on air in July last year.
Breaking down on her early morning breakfast show as she announced the news to her listeners, the star, 61, said she would ‘try not to cry’.
She said: ‘I have something to tell you, and I know you already know that I love you – oh I knew I was going to cry but I’m going to try not too…’
‘It has been an honour to share the early hours with you.’
However, Vanessa later claimed her exit was because she was a woman over the age of 60.
Speaking about Ken Bruce’s departure in January on This Morning, she said: ”I can’t speak for him but I imagine that it’s a feeling of some sense of ageism at the BBC.’
She claimed that older presenters are ‘not valued in the same way’, adding: ‘The music isn’t as appealing ’cause they’ve changed it to appeal to a younger crowd they’re so desperate to get.’
Ken Bruce – March 2023
Ken Bruce also jumped ship from the BBC after 45 years for commercial rival Greatest Hits Radio, declaring: ‘I’ve done everything it is possible to do at Radio 2’.
At the time the Scottish broadcaster, 72, said ‘the time is right’ for him to move on from the weekday mid-morning show he’s presented since 1986 – with just a two year gap between 1990 and 1992 – having first walked into the corporation in 1977.
In January, he informed his 9 million listeners he was leaving, but insisted he is not retiring, but heading into commercial radio and taking his much-loved PopMaster quiz with him.
But in September Ken revealed he decided to jump ship before he started to become ‘bitter and entrenched’, saying: ‘It was a long time and I thought I’m doing the same thing every day.’
His slot was then taken over by Vernon Kay, but lost 1.4 million listeners in its first three months without Ken.
Claudia Winkleman – March 2024
This month, Claudia Winkleman announced she will be quitting her Radio 2 show after 15 years on air, with Romesh Ranganathan set to take over.
The presenter, 51, shared the news with her listeners during her show admitting she wishes to spend more time with her children.
She shares Jake, 20, Matilda, 17, and Arthur, 11, with her film producer partner, Kris Thykier, 50, who she married in 2000.
Claudia joined BBC Radio 2 in 2008 to host comedy quiz series Hot Gossip before moving to Friday nights to host the Claudia Winkleman Arts Show.
In 2016, she began presenting Claudia On Sunday and moved to her Saturday morning slot in February 2021, replacing Graham Norton.
Claudia’s final show will broadcast in March, after which she will be replaced by Romesh from April.
The media personality explained how it had been an ‘absolute privilege’ to host the show as she thanked her listeners.
