Radio 2 listeners say Sara Cox is a 'joy to wake up to' as she launches her first Breakfast Show with star guest Tom Hanks after replacing axed Scott Mills

Radio 2 listeners have said Sara Cox is 'a joy to wake up to' as she launched her first Breakfast Show on Monday. 

It was announced in April that the presenter, 51, would take over the Breakfast Show, after Scott was sacked after it was discovered he had been the subject of allegations of 'serious sexual offences' against a teenage boy under 16.

Sara, who has Hollywood actor as her first star guest, opened the show with asking listeners to give her 'some love'. 

She said: 'It is 6:31am. It’s The Sara Cox Breakfast Show! Monday 6th July 2026. Hello to your howdys, to your dafts of…come on! You know the nonsense I love.'

'I’m actually alright! This is nice isn’t it, it’s nice isn’t it. Sophie and Whitney are already regretting watching the footie. More on that in a bit.'

Sara kicked off the show with 's About Damn Time as the opening track. 

She playfully told listeners: 'No message in the music, don’t be silly! No, come on, that's too self-indulgent.'

Sara also played a snippet of the intro to At Last by Etta James.

She said: 'It is a Monday and my first show, with your favourite DJ, me. Feeling a little bit clingy as per. I want some love.'

And Sara was met with support as Gary Barlow sent in a sweet message. The singer said: 'Congratulations on your new show Sara! All the best from Take That'.

Fans took to X and wrote: 'What a joy to wake up to Sara Cox @BBCRadio2 Breakfast Show'.

'It's Sara Cox first Radio 2 Breakfast Show tomorrow at 6.30am for anyone interested. I'm really looking forward to it. She stood in a few times for Scott Mills and she was great, so I personally think she will smash it!' 

'Sara Cox break a leg for tomorrow. Assuming you're already in bed trying to sleep! Will be listening.' 

'Iconic Radio 2 host Sara Cox begins her new Breakfast Show on July 6th. Hoping it goes very well.' 

Another listener missed Scott Mills. They wrote: 'New presenter today. Miss you Scott Mills'. 

Despite the gravitas surrounding the position, Sara said she wasn't overthinking her new role as she said before her first show: 'It's huge, but I'm ready. I'm not nervous because I know I can do a good job. 

'I don't want to sound arrogant, but I've been doing radio for 28 years now.' 

During his guest appearance, Tom gave Sara a Hollywood introduction. 

He said: 'Ladies and gentleman, I'm Tom Hanks and for the first time ever I am in a morning broadcast on BBC Radio 2 with perhaps the most popular young woman to be on the airwaves and this her premiere edition of breakfast in the morning with my friend Sara'. 

Sara told him: 'I've been doing radio for 28 years Tom. This ain't my first rodeo. However, it's still a big deal. It's the biggest radio show in Europe. My knees are knocking a tiny bit, do your knees still knock first day of a new movie?'

Tom replied: 'I'm going to tell you right now, no-one knows what they are doing on the first day of a motion picture because on the first day you are just trying to get used to everything.

'You have a self consciousness. By day three you have not been fired, that is a big thing. By the third day you know everybody's name and you are all in this together.' 

The Sara Cox Breakfast Show on Radio 2 featured a new format after the presenter stepped into Scott's radio slot after his sacking. 

Scott was questioned under caution by police in 2018 but the case was rejected by the Crown Prosecution Service in 2019 due to a lack of evidence. The BBC admitted that it knew about the allegations as far back as 2017.

In May, Daily Mail's Katie Hind revealed Scott is suing the BBC after it axed him.

Scott believes he was unfairly dismissed and his legal team at the London-based firm Level Law has been corresponding with the corporation, his employers for 28 years, for weeks.

Friends of Scott believe he was used as a 'scapegoat' by the BBC's then outgoing director-general Tim Davie, who took a zero-tolerance approach after a string of recent scandals relating to Huw Edwards, Gregg Wallace and Jermaine Jenas.

One said: 'Scott is devastated, but he is also furious. He has lost not just his job but also something he loved over a police investigation which was dropped many years ago. He has lawyers. They are aggressive, and they are determined to get justice for him.

'Scott feels wronged, and there is a view that the BBC used him as a scapegoat to show that by sacking him the BBC has been cleaned up from past scandals such as Huw Edwards and Jimmy Savile.

'Essentially, Scott wants to clear his name. He wants to come out and tell his story but he can't do that until the legal fight comes to a close.

'Being fired has broken him. His mental health is in a very fragile place and, to him and his legal team, it feels totally unjustified, so they are fighting the BBC. There is an obvious claim for unfair dismissal here. Decisions like this ruin lives, and this one has ruined Scott's.'