Radio 2 loses nearly half a million listeners since weekday relaunch
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Daily Record
a day ago
- Daily Record
Zoe Ball's departure triggers loss of half a million BBC Radio 2 listeners
BBC Radio 2 has lost nearly 500k listeners in recent months after Zoe Ball's exit from the breakfast show in December BBC Radio 2 has seen a significant drop in its audience, losing nearly half a million listeners since introducing its revamped weekday line-up earlier this year, according to recent figures. The BBC station had replaced its renowned breakfast host, Zoe Ball, with Scott Mills after she stepped down from the position due to family commitments. The station had an estimated weekly audience of 12.62 million across April to June of this year, down from 13.11 million in the previous three months. It is the lowest total for Radio 2 since the current method of measuring listeners was introduced by research body Rajar in autumn 2021, following a break during the Covid-19 pandemic. The latest statistics are the first complete set of quarterly data reflecting changes made to the station's weekday programming, which took effect at the end of January 2025. Among the changes was Mills stepping in as the new breakfast show host, replacing Zoe. Other alterations included Trevor Nelson taking over the afternoon slot and DJ Spoony launching a late-night show from Monday to Thursday. Zoe presented her final breakfast programme on December 20 last year, after nearly six years in the role. Gaby Roslin and Mark Goodier temporarily hosted the show throughout January until Mills officially took over. Zoe announced last November that she would be stepping down as host of the Radio 1 Breakfast show to "focus on family". The broadcaster shares two children, Woody, 23, and Nelly, 14 with her ex-husband, Norman Cook, better known as Fatboy Slim. Announcing her decision live on air, Zoe said: "After six years of fun times alongside you all on the breakfast show, I've decided it's time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter." She also expressed her excitement about her replacement being Mills, telling listeners: "Scott and I go way back to our Radio 1 days, when he was doing early mornings before me. He's been a close friend for years, and I'm beyond thrilled it's him taking over the Breakfast Show." She continued: "Breakfast has always been his dream, and what a year he's had - from racing around the world to his beautiful wedding to Sam. He's not only a blooming brilliant producer but one of the best in radio. I can't wait to tune in on the school run!" Radio 2's weekly audience has dropped by nearly two million over the past three years, falling from 14.53 million in April–June 2022. Despite the decline, it's still one of the most popular radio stations in the UK. The audience for the Today programme is down very slightly from 5.70 million in the previous three months, but up from 5.47 million in the equivalent period a year ago. This period has seen a number of veteran DJs disappear from the Radio 2 airwaves, such as Ken Bruce, who left to join Greatest Hits in March 2023; Steve Wright, who died in February 2024; and Johnnie Walker, who died in December 2024. Despite the loss of listeners, Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: "I'm hugely proud that in a quarter where Radio 2 shone a light on Eurovision, celebrated Elaine Paige's 60 years in showbusiness, launched the RHS Radio 2 Dog Garden at the Chelsea Flower Show, and presented a VE Day 80 concert, Radio 2 firmly remains the UK's most listened to single radio station." "Congratulations to Scott Mills, whose Breakfast Show remains the number one breakfast show in the country, and Vernon Kay, whose weekday mid-morning show continues to be the most listened to programme on UK radio, with a weekly audience of 6.6 million," she continued.
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- The Herald Scotland
Radio: A reminder that medieval politics was a dangerous business
'He's not just a skull,' the Reverend Andrew Doarks, the church's current rector pointed out on Radio 4 on Sunday evening. 'People call it the head because he's got a bit of vertebrae .. And there's an ear … And there are bits of skin still on him. So, we call him Simon's Head.' And where, you might ask, is Simon's body? That will be in Canterbury Cathedral where, instead of a head, Simon of Sudbury is buried, it is said, topped by a cannonball. The headless Archbishop, or rather the Archbishop's head, was the latest subject in Radio 4's Illuminated slot. Don't Lose Your Head! was a reminder that medieval politics was a dangerous business. Simon of Sudbury had gone into the church and proved himself useful by negotiating peace treaties with both the French and the Scots (we're more than two centuries before even the Union of the Crowns here). But then Simon found himself trapped at the Tower of London when the Peasants' Revolt kicked off over the poll tax. He was decapitated and his head was used for a kickabout. (No link is made to the Lionesses at this point, which may be the only time that hasn't happened on radio this week). The rebels also nailed Simon's mitre onto his detached noggin. Lovely. Presenter Robin Markwell's documentary had things to say about corporality and spirituality, but this was at heart a pleasingly straightforward, if gruesome, slice of history. There was a lot of it about on Radio 4 this week. Scottish writer Laura Cumming's new series Speed of Light - stretched across the week at 11.45am - saw her examine the early years of the history of photography and its role in recording history. In the process it also made history. This was a quiet, unassuming series. Just Cummings's words and voice, accompanied by a spot of music. But the result was fascinating; particularly on Monday and Tuesday when she revealed the importance of Scots-born photographers in the visual history of both the United States of America and Canada. Monday's programme explored the work of American civil war photographer Alexander Gardner - born in Paisley - who photographed the Battle of Antietam. Gardner also took the famous 'cracked-plate' portrait of Abraham Lincoln just two months before the President's assassination by John Wilkes Booth. Booth, by the way, was a well known actor whose face was familiar to many in the United States via photography. That familiarity ultimately didn't help the actor. He was gunned down by Union soldiers 12 days after he killed the President. The power of the photograph in action, you might say. On Tuesday Cumming headed north to examine the work of another Paisley buddie, William Notman who emigrated to Canada in 1856, where he pursued his interest in photography, taking photographs of Buffalo Bill, Sitting Bull and Canadians both grand and ordinary; from the country's first Prime Minister, Sir John Macdonald, a fellow Scot, to moose hunters and the men laying the country's railways. New to me, his photographs are, you have to say, a delight and such is Cumming's way with words you don't mind that you can't see them on the radio. Her descriptions are vivid. But they do push you to Google them. It's worth the effort. Either Notman or Gardner would be a good exhibition subject for the Paisley Museum when it finally reopens, by the way. As Alison Rowat has already noted elsewhere in The Herald, Scottish writer Irvine Welsh has been on the publicity circuit in support of his new novel Men In Love, a sequel to Trainspotting. (I'm about two-fifths of the way through it as I type this. It's very blokey, very Welshy, very readable.) On Saturday morning - the day before he turned up on Channel 4's Sunday Brunch (see Alison's column) - he was on 6 Music talking to Chris Hawkins about Oasis, his 'serial raver' days, his guilty love of disco when he was a punk and this moment we are currently in. 'They're pretty dark times right now. The internet has not been kind to us," Welsh said, condemning the power of this billionaire elite. 'You think to yourself, 'This is horrible, but what is it that is good in life?' And what's good in life is love.' Dig deep enough and you'll find that every old punk is a disappointed hippy at heart. Listen Out For: Stuart Mitchell's Cost of Dying, Radio 4, August 6, 11pm If the idea of attending the Fringe brings you out in hives then you can always get your comedy quotient on Radio 4. Scottish comedian Stuart Mitchell, a regular on Radio Scotland's comedy panel show Breaking the News, has a new Radio 4 series which begins with a look at end-of-life care. Might be a challenge to make that funny, but Mitchell is up to it.
Scottish Sun
a day ago
- Scottish Sun
BBC disaster as Radio 2 loses half a million listeners after Zoe Ball quits and is replaced by Scott Mills
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) BBC Radio 2's presenter switch-up has seen the channel lose half a million weekly listeners. Back in December, former Radio 1 broadcaster Scott Mills, 51, was revealed as Zoe Ball's replacement as she took a break from the plum presenting spot. Sign up for the Entertainment newsletter Sign up 7 BBC Radio 2's listening figures have plummeted since a presenter switch up Credit: PA 7 Scott Mills took over the Breakfast Show slot, yet listeners have dropped as the year goes on Credit: Supplied 7 Zoe Ball quit her Breakfast Show in December Credit: PA 7 Zoe has since returned to the BBC Radio 2 fold with The Zoe Ball Show, which airs every Saturday Credit: PA At the time Zoe, 54 - who had been absent from a handful of shows due to issues off air - told how December 20 would be her last early-morning programme after six years as she chose to "focus on family." Listeners were quick to spot three clues she was set to up sticks, including a family tragedy. She has since returned to the BBC Radio 2 fold with The Zoe Ball Show, which airs every Saturday. Yet between April and June 2025 the station has lost half a million listeners compared to figures from three months earlier. Scott took over in January 2025. Between January and March 2025, 13.11million listeners tuned into the station overall. Yet during the most recent time period reviewed, this dropped to 12.62million. Specifically for the Breakfast Show, figures marked 6.45million average weekly listeners from January to March. Yet between April and June, this has dropped to 6.22million. Zoe Ball says it's 'lovely to be back' as she returns to BBC Radio 2 after stepping down from breakfast show ALL CHANGE Zoe's last BBC Radio 2 Breakfast show was on Friday, December 20 - with "plenty of fun and shenanigans" ahead of Christmas. Yet at the time, Zoe said she would remain on BBC Radio 2. She said: 'After six incredible years on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, it's time for me to step away from the very early mornings and focus on family." Telling her listeners about her decision, she said: "I've decided it's time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter. Zoe Ball's career so far Zoe was born in Blackpool and is daughter of the children's TV presenter Johnny Ball and his wife Julia. She appeared on television at a young age as part of the studio audience of the Saturday morning children's show, Saturday Superstore when her father was a guest. The star began her career in broadcasting as a presenter on the pre-school programme Playdays. After various behind the scenes roles, she earned a spot as a regular host of Top of the Pops, when she alternated with the likes of Jayne Middlemiss and Jo Whiley. In 1996, she was chosen to front BBC One's saturday morning show Live & Kicking, which led to stints on The Big Breakfast on Channel 4. But she maintained a huge presence on the radio as she was chosen to be the co-host of BBC Radio 1 Breakfast alongside Kevin Greening in October 1997. Zoe was later appointed the sole host of the show in a groundbreaking move by the corporation as she was the first female DJ to hold the post. The presenter chose to leave the station in March 2000 to start a family, where she was succeeded by Sara Cox. As a mainstream face in TV through the noughties, she hosted a range of huge programmes for ITV, including the Brit Awards in 2002, Extinct in 2006, and both Soapstar Superstar and Grease Is The Word in 2007. In mid-2002, she returned to radio when she joined Xfm (later known as Radio X), when she was the voice of the weekday drivetime show until December 2003. In 2004, she stood in for Ricky Gervais while he filmed the second series of The Office. In October 2005, she appeared as a contestant on the third series of Strictly Come Dancing, where she was partnered with Ian Waite, The star impressed viewers with her footwork and the duo waltzed into third place. In 2011, she returned to the franchise as she took over as the host of the magazine spin-off show, It Takes Two. She also filled in for Claudia Winkleman on the main show in 2014, when The Traitors star took leave after her daughter suffered serious burn injuries. After 10 years fronting the show, Zoe announced she was quitting her role on BBC Two in May 2021. Zoe's journey in BBC Radio 2 started in 2006 when she fronted specialist documentaries. Over the years she sat in for names such as Dermot O'Leary, Ken Bruce and Chris Evans. After several shake-ups, she returned to the station on a permanent basis when she took over Dermot's Saturday afternoon slot between 3pm and 6pm. In October 2018, Chris Evans moved to Virgin Radio and he personally announced that Zoe would take over his popular slot. She started presenting the breakfast show on 14 January 2019. "We've shared a hell of a lot, the good times, the tough times, there's been a lot of laughter. And I am going to miss you cats." She added she would also miss her colleagues, saying they were "like family to me". The early morning presenter added: "But I won't miss the 4am alarm call, if I'm completely honest. "You know I love you all to bits." 7 Zoe quit the early morning slot to 'focus on family' Credit: BBC 7 She is now back on the channel with a Saturday show Credit: PA
