Paul O’Grady has quit his BBC Radio 2 show after 14 years on air.
The news comes after a recent change up at the station saw O’Grady sharing his Sunday show slot with comedian Rob Beckett. Each took turns to host the show in 13 week stints.
"I’ve loved doing my Sunday afternoon show for the last 14 years and I’m going to miss my listeners, as well as the fun I’ve had with my producer Malcolm Prince, but I feel that now is the right time to go”, O’Grady said.
The 67-year-old’s Sunday show gained loyal regular listeners and included features such as Lost TV Theme and Thank You Letter Of The Week.
“We wish Paul the very best of luck and hope to work with him again in the future”, BBC Radio 2 tweeted.
Some fans of the show have expressed their disappointment at the news, insinuating O’Grady had been swapped in favour of younger presenters like Beckett, who is 36.
One user replied to the BBC’s tweet saying: “Another presenter pushed out, the end is near for the station.”
Another wrote: “What is the management doing to Radio 2? First Simon Mayo, then Graham Norton, Steve Wright, Paul O’Grady. Who next Ken Bruce? Liza Tarbuck? Tony Blackburn? We’re losing the best. I don’t want a ‘90s obsessed Radio 2 full of ex Radio 1 DJs.”
Others were keen to defend the station’s decision: “The point everyone seems to be missing here is that there’s a natural migration of listeners from R1 to R2 and then beyond.
“R2 has to periodically refresh its line-up to keep up with its listener demographic,” they added.
Producer on the show, Malcolm Prince tweeted saying “It’s been such a privilege to work with him all this time” adding the tag “#NotTheSameWithoutYou”.
O’Grady’s last show will air on Sunday 14 August. The new official host for the show has not yet been announced.
