BBC Radio 2 is undergoing a major schedule shake-up in the new year after Zoe Ball announced she is leaving the breakfast show after six years “to focus on family”.
The broadcaster, 53, confirmed her departure on Tuesday’s show and revealed that Scott Mills would replace her in the new year, although she will remain on the station, details of which are yet to be shared.
Speaking about his new role, Mills shared in an official statement: “Zoe and I have been such good friends now for over 25 years and have spent much of that time as part of the same radio family here at Radio 2 and also on Radio 1.
“She's done an incredible job on this show over the past six years, and I am beyond excited to be handed the baton.
“It feels ever since recording my first shows as a kid for an audience of one, my mum, all roads since have led to this amazing opportunity. It really is a lifelong dream come true to follow in the footsteps of Sir Terry, Chris and Zoe to be the new presenter of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.”
It’s not just the Breakfast Show seeing a shake-up. Trevor Nelson, who currently hosts Rhythm Nation from Monday to Thursday, will take over Scott Mills’ weekday 2-4pm afternoon slot starting in January.
DJ Spoony, known for hosting The Good Groove since early 2022, will step into Nelson’s former slot, shifting his Friday night show to a new Monday-to-Thursday schedule.
Radio 2 weekday schedule
How the schedule will look during the week from January 2025
Midnight to 3am - Oj Borg
3am-4am - Dance Sounds of the 90s with Dermot O’Leary (Mondays and Fridays), Pick of the Pops by Mark Goodier (Tuesdays and Wednesdays), Dance Sounds of the 90s with Vernon Kay (Thursdays)
4am-6.30am - Owain Wyn Evans
6.30am-9.30am - Scott Mills
9.30am to midday - Vernon Kay
Midday to 2pm - Jeremy Vine
2pm-4pm - Trevor Nelson
4pm-7pm- Sara Cox
7pm-9pm - Jo Whiley (Mondays to Thursdays), 7pm-8.30pm Michelle Savage (Fridays)
8pm-9pm - Michelle Savage (Fridays)
9pm-10pm - The Blues Show with Cerys Matthews (Mondays), The Jazz Show with Jamie Cullum (Tuesdays), The Folk Show with Mark Radcliffe (Wednesdays), The Country Show with Bob Harris (Thursdays), Sophie Ellis-Bextor (Fridays, 9pm-11pm)
10pm to midnight - DJ Spoony (Monday to Thursday), The Rock Show with Shaun Keaveny (11pm to midnight, Fridays)
Meanwhile, Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco, originally a BBC Sounds commission, will expand from one hour to two, bringing her feel-good party vibes to Friday nights from 9-11pm.
The singer joined Radio 2 in 2020 following the lock down success of her Kitchen Disco’s, which were watched by millions of viewers all over the world during lockdown.
In 2021, she also raised over £1m for BBC Children In Need after embarking on a massive Kitchen Disco Danceathon on Radio 2, dancing non-stop for an incredible 24 hours.
Speaking of her new slot, the Murder On the Dancefloor hitmaker said: “I can’t wait to bring my Kitchen Disco to Friday nights on Radio 2, when we will wave goodbye to the past week and bring on the weekend together in true disco style.”
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 says: “I am delighted to bring Sophie’s iconic Kitchen Disco to complete the perfect party night on Radio 2 whether you are going out out or staying in in.”
Radio 2 weekend schedule
How the schedule will look during weekends from January 2025
Midnight to 1am - Romesh Ranganathan For the Love of Hip Hop (Saturdays), Johnny Marr’s Great British Groups (Sundays)
1am-2am - Sounds of the 60s with Tony Blackburn (Saturdays), Dance Sounds of the 90s with Vernon Kray (Sundays)
2am-3am - Sounds of the 80s with Gary Davies (Saturdays), 2.30am-3am Sounds of the 90s with Fearne Cotton (Saturdays), Top Brass (Sundays)
3am-4am - Pop Top 10 Shaznay Lewis (Saturdays)
4am-5am - Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco (Saturdays), Radio 2 in Concert (Sundays)
5am-6am - Radio 2 in Concert (Saturdays), Tracks Of My Years (Sundays)
6am - Sounds of the 60s with Tony Blackburn (Saturdays), Good Morning Sunday (6am-9am, Sundays)
8am - Dermot O’Leary (Saturdays)
9am - Love Songs with Michael Ball (Sundays)
10am-1pm - Romesh Ranganathan (Saturdays)
11am-1pm - Paddy McGuiness (Sundays)
1pm-3pm - Pick of the Pops Mark Goodier (Saturdays), Elaine Page on Sunday (Sundays)
3pm-6pm - Rylan on Saturday (Saturdays), Sounds of the 70s with Bob Harris (3pm-5pm, Sundays)
5pm-7pm - Rob Beckett (Sundays)
6pm-8pm - Liza Tarbuck (Saturdays)
7pm - Tony Blackburn Golden Hour (Sundays)
8pm-10pm - Sounds of the 80s with Gary Davies (Saturdays), The Paul Gambaccini Collection (Sundays)
10pm to midnight - Sounds of the 90s with Fearne Cotton (Saturdays), Radio 2 Unwinds with Angela Griffin (Sundays)
Ball announced her departure to listeners on Tuesday and said: “I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter. You know I think the world of you listeners and it truly has been such a privilege to share the mornings with you.”
The 53-year-old took over the Radio 2 morning programme in 2019 from Chris Evans and became the first female host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show in 1998, a post she held until 2000.
She also co-hosted the BBC’s Saturday morning children’s magazine Live & Kicking alongside Jamie Theakston for three years from 1996.
In an official statement, 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. It’s been a privilege. I think the world of you listeners and I’m grateful to my bosses here for their support, especially this year.
Ball said her last show will be on December 20: “Just in time for Christmas with plenty of fun and shenanigans. While I’m stepping away from the Breakfast Show, I’m not disappearing entirely – I’ll still be a part of the Radio 2 family, with more news in the New Year.
“I’m excited to embrace my next chapter, including being a mum in the mornings, and I can’t wait to tune in on the school run!”
She was the BBC’s highest-paid on-air female presenter in 2023/24 with a salary between £950,000 and £954,999, ranking her second on the list of top-earning talent behind Gary Lineker, according to the corporation’s annual report published in July.
Ball has presented the BBC spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, and ITV’s reality competition show Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream.
