BBC Radio 2 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the

BBC The British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) is a British public service broadcaster headquartered at Broadcasting House in London, England. Originally established in 1922 as the British Broadcasting Company, it evolved into its current sta ...

. It is the most popular station in the United Kingdom with over 14 million weekly listeners. Since launching in 1967, the station broadcasts a wide range of content. The 'About Radio 2' BBC webpage says: "With a repertoire covering more than 60 years, Radio 2 plays the widest selection of music on the radio - from classic and mainstream pop to country, folk, jazz, musical theatre, soul, hip hop, rock 'n' roll, gospel and blues." Radio 2 broadcasts throughout the UK on FM between and from studios at

Broadcasting House London Broadcasting House is the headquarters of the BBC, in Portland Place and Langham Place, London. The first radio broadcast from the building was made on 15 March 1932, and the building was officially opened two months later, on 15 May. T ...

and

Maida Vale Studios Maida Vale Studios is a complex of seven BBC sound studios, of which five are in regular use, in Delaware Road, Maida Vale, west London. It has been used to record thousands of classical music, popular music and drama sessions for BBC Radio 1, ...

in central London. Programmes are broadcast on

FM radio FM broadcasting is a method of radio broadcasting that uses frequency modulation (FM) of the radio broadcast carrier wave. Invented in 1933 by American engineer Edwin Armstrong, wide-band FM is used worldwide to transmit high fidelity, high-f ...

digital radio Digital radio is the use of digital technology to transmit or receive across the radio spectrum. Digital transmission by radio waves includes digital broadcasting, and especially digital audio radio services. This should not be confused with In ...

via DAB,

digital television Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using Digital signal, digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an ...

and

BBC Sounds BBC Sounds is an Over-the-top media service, over-the-top audio streaming media, streaming and download service from the BBC that includes live radio broadcasts, Streaming media, audio on demand, and podcasts. The service is available on a wide ...

. According to

RAJAR Radio Joint Audience Research Limited (RAJAR; ) was established in 1992 to operate a single audience measurement system for the radio industry in the United Kingdom. RAJAR is jointly owned by the BBC and Radiocentre. RAJAR's predecessor was c ...

, the station broadcasts to a weekly audience of 13.6 million with a listening share of 14.3% as of December 2024.

History

1967–1986

The network was launched at 5:30am on Saturday 30 September 1967, replacing the

BBC Light Programme The BBC Light Programme was a national radio station which broadcast chiefly mainstream light entertainment and light music from 1945 until 1967, when it was replaced by BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2. It opened on 29 July 1945, taking over the ...

, with some of the Light Programme's music shows transferring to the newly launched

BBC Radio 1 BBC Radio 1 is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It specialises in modern popular music and Contemporary hit radio, current chart hits throughout the day. The station provides alternative genres at night, including ...

. The first show had started on both Radio 1 and Radio 2 but continued with ''Breakfast Special'' presented by Paul Hollingdale as Radio 1 separated at 7am for

Tony Blackburn Anthony Kenneth Blackburn (born 29 January 1943) is an English disc jockey, singer and television presenter, whose career spans over 60 years. Blackburn first achieved fame broadcasting on the pirate stations Radio Caroline and Radio Londo ...

. The first record played on Radio 2 was the title track to the 1965 film ''

The Sound of Music ''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, '' The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...

'' by

Julie Andrews Dame Julie Andrews (born Julia Elizabeth Wells; 1 October 1935) is an English actress, singer, and author. She has garnered numerous accolades throughout her career spanning over eight decades, including an Academy Award, a British Academy Fi ...

. Radio 2 was allocated the Light Programme's

longwave In radio, longwave (also spelled long wave or long-wave and commonly abbreviated LW) is the part of the radio spectrum with wavelengths longer than what was originally called the medium-wave (MW) broadcasting band. The term is historic, dati ...

and FM frequencies, while Radio 1 used its

mediumwave Medium wave (MW) is a part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM broadcasting, AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. Duri ...

frequencies. In early years, much programming and music was common to both stations, particularly on the shared FM frequency. Radio 1 was targeted at the audience of

pirate radio Pirate radio is a radio station that broadcasts without a valid license, whether an invalid license or no license at all. In some cases, radio stations are considered legal where the signal is transmitted, but illegal where the signals are rec ...

stations, whereas Radio 2 settled down as a middle of the road station playing laid-back pop and rock, folk and country, jazz and big-band music,

easy listening Easy listening (including mood music) is a popular music genre and radio format that was most popular during the 1950s to the 1970s. It is related to middle of the road (MOR) music and encompasses instrumental recordings of standards, hit s ...

, light classical music and oldies, with significant amounts of comedy and sport. Radio 1 continued to take some FM airtime from Radio 2 until being allocated its own, separate FM frequencies in the late 1980s. Notable broadcasters on Radio 2 in the 1970s and 1980s are Tom Edwards and Ray Moore, who both presented the early breakfast show,

Terry Wogan Sir Michael Terence Wogan (; 3 August 1938 – 31 January 2016) was an Irish radio and television broadcaster who worked for the BBC in Britain for most of his career. Between 1993 and his semi-retirement in 2009, his BBC Radio 2 weekday brea ...

on breakfast, replaced by

Ken Bruce Kenneth Robertson Bruce (born 2 February 1951) is a Scottish radio and television presenter. He hosted a weekday mid-morning show on BBC Radio 2 between 1986 and 1990, then again from 1992 to 2023. Since April 2023, he has presented the same s ...

and later

Derek Jameson Derek Jameson (29 November 1929 – 12 September 2012) was an English tabloid journalist and broadcaster. He began his career in the media in 1944 as a messenger at Reuters and worked his way up to become the editor of several British tabloi ...

; Jimmy Young and his lunchtime current affairs show; David Hamilton on mid-afternoons and John Dunn at what became known as drivetime. In its early years, the station, as the Light Programme had done, played a large amount of specially-recorded music because of

needle time Needle or Needles may refer to: Crafting * Crochet needle, a tool for making loops in thread or yarn * Knitting needle, a tool for knitting, not as sharp as a sewing needle * Sewing needle, a long slender tool with a pointed tip * Trussing needle ...

restrictions imposed by the Musicians' Union. On 6 January 1975, broadcasting hours for Radio 2 were reduced due to budget cuts at the BBC. The 5am – 2am schedule was scaled back to a 6am start-up from Mondays to Saturdays, and 6:55am on Sundays. The station closed down at around 12:30am each day. However, from 29 September 1975, the closedown was brought forward to 12:10am on weekdays and 12:33am on Saturdays and Sundays. There were exceptions, especially over Christmas and New Year periods, when hours would be temporarily extended. The pre-1975 schedule was reinstated on 1 April 1978. On 23 November 1978, the station moved from longwave to

medium wave Medium wave (MW) is a part of the medium frequency (MF) radio band used mainly for AM radio broadcasting. The spectrum provides about 120 channels with more limited sound quality than FM stations on the FM broadcast band. During the daytim ...

. On 27 January 1979, Radio 2 became the first national 24-hour radio station in the UK.

Frances Line: 1986–1996

The first half of the 1980s had seen presenters such as

Kenny Everett Kenny Everett (born Maurice James Christopher Cole; 25 December 1944 – 4 April 1995) was an English radio Disc Jockey, DJ and television entertainer, known for his zany comedic style. After spells on pirate radio and Radio Luxembourg in the m ...

, David Hamilton and Steve Jones increasingly feature more contemporary pop music in their playlists. In response to the controversy these changes had caused in some circles,

Frances Line Frances Mary Line OBE (22 February 1940 – 13 October 2021), whose married name was Frances Lloyd, was a British radio executive. From 1990 to 1996, she was Controller of BBC Radio 2, the first woman to hold the post and only the third to run ...

, head of music, repositioned the station in April 1986 to appeal exclusively to the over-50s, introducing older presenters and basing the playlist around nostalgia,

and

light music Light music is a less-serious form of Western classical music, which originated in the 18th and 19th centuries and continues today. Its heyday was in the mid‑20th century. The style is through-composed, usually shorter orchestral pieces and ...

. As a result, David Hamilton quit the station at the end of 1986, claiming the music policy had become "geriatric" although Terry Wogan's replacement,

, did appeal to an older demographic. Although popular with its target audience, the policy alienated many younger listeners who had listened to both Radio 1 and Radio 2, and the station's audience fell. In 1990, in the year that Line become controller, the station suffered two further blows. It lost its

signal to allow for the launch of BBC Radio 5 (later replaced by

BBC Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts mainly news, sport, Talk show, discussion, interviews and phone-ins, and is on air 24 hours a day. It is the principal BBC radio station Broadca ...

), and BBC Radio's sports coverage, which had been broadcast on the stations's MW frequencies, moved with the frequencies to the new station. The late 1980s saw the launch of "gold" spinoffs from

Independent Local Radio Independent Local Radio is the collective name given to commercial radio stations in the United Kingdom. As a result of the buyouts and mergers permitted by the Broadcasting Act 1990, and deregulation resulting from the Communications Act 2 ...

stations across many parts of the UK, playing classic pop and rock. Despite these stations only being available on MW, they still took some of Radio 2's audience, so with the station's audience in decline, a change of emphasis was needed and in 1992, the weekday daytime music policy was slightly adjusted with pre-1950 music primarily confined to Sundays, and the network's playlist of light classical music was reduced following the launch of Classic FM in September 1992. Radio 2's profile was boosted by the return of Terry Wogan at the start of 1993, but following the generational shift at Radio 1, commercial radio, helped further by the 1993 launch of

Virgin Radio Virgin Radio is a branding of radio stations broadcast in Canada, France, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Italy, Romania, Turkey, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates and Oman. As of April 2024, there were over 40 stations globally. The stations ...

, had taken the highest share of the national audience by the mid-1990s.

"The Nation's Favourite" – 1996 onwards

Line was replaced by James Moir in 1996. Moir repositioned Radio 2 with a largely AOR/contemporary playlist by day, aimed at a more mature audience than Radio 1 (which, post-

Britpop Britpop was a mid-1990s United Kingdom, British-based music culture movement that emphasised Britishness. Musically, Britpop produced bright, catchy alternative rock, with significant influences from British guitar pop of the 1960s and 1970s. B ...

, was again starting to focus on a young audience) but still embracing new music, and more specialist broadcasting by recognised genre experts in the evenings. Unlike the early-1990s repositioning of Radio 1, in which the BBC lost many well-known names, many former Radio 1 presenters stayed with the corporation and moved across to Radio 2. Radio 2 has the highest listening figures of any station in the UK, its schedule filled with broadcasters such as

Sara Cox Sara Joanne Cyzer ( born 13 December 1974), better known as Sara Cox, is an English broadcaster and author. A presenter on BBC Radio 2, she has been hosting the station's drivetime show since January 2019. She previously presented BBC Radio 1's ...

Jeremy Vine Jeremy Guy Vine (born 17 May 1965) is an English television and radio presenter and journalist. He is best known as the host of his BBC Radio 2 lunchtime programme which presents news, views, interviews with live guests, consumer issues and popu ...

, Mark Radcliffe,

Trevor Nelson Trevor Ricardo Nelson, MBE (born 7 January 1964) is an English DJ and radio presenter. He is best known for presenting a range of shows across BBC Radio. Early life Born in Hackney to a family of St Lucian heritage, Nelson attended Centra ...

Jo Whiley Johanne Whiley-Morton (born 4 July 1965), better known professionally as Jo Whiley, is an English radio DJ and television presenter. She was the host of the long-running '' Jo Whiley Show'' on BBC Radio 1 and has since been presenting her weekd ...

Paul Gambaccini Paul Matthew Gambaccini (born 2 April 1949) is an American-British radio and television presenter and author. He is a dual citizen of the United States and United Kingdom, having become a British citizen in 2005. Known as "The Great Gambo" and ...

Gary Davies Gary Davies (born 13 December 1957) is a British broadcaster. From 1982 to 1993 he was a BBC Radio 1 disc jockey and a regular presenter of ''Top of the Pops''. As of 2025, Davies can be heard on BBC Radio 2 presenting Saturday night show ' ...

Zoe Ball Zoe Louise Ball (born 23 November 1970) is a British broadcaster and presenter. She was the first female host of the Radio 1 and Radio 2 breakfast shows for the BBC, and in 2024 was confirmed as the second-highest paid BBC presenter after G ...

and Bob Harris. As well as having most listeners nationally, it ranks first in many regions above local radio stations. BBC Radio 2 played to 27% of the available audience in 2006. Logo BBC Radio 2

In February 2007, Radio 2 recruited Jeff Smith, director of UK and International programming at Napster and a former head of music at Radio 1, as its new head of music. Smith joined the network on 26 March. In the first quarter of 2011, Radio 2 was part of an efficiency review conducted by John Myers. His role, according to Andrew Harrison, the chief executive of RadioCentre, was "to identify both areas of best practice and possible savings." On 29 July 2013, Radio 2 changed its "sonic logo" for the first time in 15 years, replacing the one composed by US jingle company GrooveWorx with a new seven-note melody composed by British composer and producer

Jem Godfrey Jeremy "Jem" Godfrey (born 6 October 1971) is a British music producer, keyboardist and songwriter. In the early 1990s he was a producer at BBC Radio 1, before going back to Virgin Radio (where he had had his initial break) to head up the prod ...

. This coincided with the launch of a new jingle package produced by Godfrey in association with Wisebuddah Productions, marking Radio 2's second new package in as many years. Radio 2 has run several "pop-up" DAB services to cover special events, the first being BBC Radio 2 Eurovision, providing coverage of the

Eurovision Song Contest 2014 The Eurovision Song Contest 2014 was the 59th edition of the Eurovision Song Contest. It took place in Copenhagen, Denmark, following the country's victory at the with the song "Only Teardrops" by Emmelie de Forest. Organised by the European B ...

. The station returned in 2015 for coverage of that year's contest. Others include BBC Radio 2 Country covering the C2C: Country to Country festival and BBC Radio 2 50s, a service dedicated to music programmes covering the 1950s. During 2018, Radio 2 had numerous presenter reshuffles. In May, drivetime host

Simon Mayo Simon Andrew Hicks Mayo (born 21 September 1958) is an English radio presenter and author who worked for BBC Radio from 1982 until 2022. Mayo has presented across three BBC stations for extended periods. From 1986 to 2001 he worked for Radio ...

was joined by evening DJ Jo Whiley in a new format. The move proved unpopular with listeners, and by October 2018, Mayo announced his intention to leave the station, later adding that this was so he could help launch the new classical music radio station

Scala Radio Magic Classical (formerly Scala Radio) is a British digital radio station owned and operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. The station was launched in March 2019 as Scala Radio and broadcasts nationally on DAB Digital Radio, via Smart speaker, app, a ...

in March 2019, and would continue his

Radio 5 Live BBC Radio 5 Live is a British national radio station owned and operated by the BBC. It broadcasts mainly news, sport, discussion, interviews and phone-ins, and is on air 24 hours a day. It is the principal BBC radio station covering sport i ...

film review programme. Mayo and Whiley's last show together was broadcast on 20 December 2018, while Whiley moved back to her evening slot, with Mayo's final show on Radio 2 broadcast on 21 December. Sara Cox was later announced as the new drivetime host, starting on 14 January 2019. In September 2018, Chris Evans announced that he was leaving ''

The Radio 2 Breakfast Show ''The Radio 2 Breakfast Show'' (also known as ''The BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show'') refers to a range of programming on weekday mornings on BBC Radio 2 since the station's inception on 30 September 1967. The show's longest serving host to date wa ...

'' to join

. He was replaced by former ''Radio 1 Breakfast'' DJ Zoe Ball on 14 January 2019. In 2022, the station announced that their annual music festival Radio 2 Live in Hyde Park would not be returning to London's Hyde Park in 2022, but would take place over two days at Temple Newsam Park in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

, with acts such as

Kaiser Chiefs Kaiser Chiefs are an English indie rock band from Leeds who originally formed in 1996 as Runston Parva, before reforming as Parva in 2000, and releasing one studio album, ''22'', in 2003, before renaming and establishing themselves in their cur ...

Simple Minds Simple Minds are a Scottish Rock music, rock band formed in Glasgow in 1977, becoming best known internationally for their song "Don't You (Forget About Me)" (1985), which topped the ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' Billboard Hot 100, Hot 100 ...

and the station's ''Kitchen Disco'' presenter

Sophie Ellis-Bextor Sophie Michelle Ellis-Bextor (born 10 April 1979) is an English singer and songwriter. She first came to prominence in the late 1990s as the lead vocalist of the indie rock band Theaudience. After the group disbanded, Ellis-Bextor went solo and ...

appearing, but it was cancelled due to the

death and state funeral of Elizabeth II Elizabeth II, Queen of the United Kingdom and the other Commonwealth realms, died on 8 September 2022 at Balmoral Castle in Scotland, at the age of 96. Elizabeth's reign of 70 years and 214 days was the List of monarchs in Britain by length of ...

. The following year, it was announced that Radio 2 in the Park would place in

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

's Victoria Park, headlined by

Kylie Minogue Kylie Ann Minogue (; born 28 May 1968) is an Australian singer, songwriter, and actress. Frequently referred to as the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Princess of Pop", she has achieved recognition in both the music industry and fas ...

, and featuring

Bananarama Bananarama is an English pop group formed in London in 1980. The group, originally a trio, consisted of friends Sara Dallin, Siobhan Fahey, and Keren Woodward. Fahey left the group in 1988 and was replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan until 1991, when ...

Rick Astley Richard Paul Astley (born 6 February 1966) is an English singer, radio DJ and podcaster. He gained fame through his association with the production trio Stock Aitken Waterman, releasing the 1987 album ''Whenever You Need Somebody'', which sol ...

Sam Ryder Sam Ryder Robinson (born 25 June 1989) is an English singer, songwriter, producer, composer and social media personality. He rose to prominence in 2020, after posting music covers on TikTok, during the COVID-19 lockdown in the United Kingdom, f ...

James Blunt James Blunt (born James Hillier Blount, 22 February 1974) is an English singer, songwriter and musician. He is known for his songs "You're Beautiful" and "Goodbye My Lover". As a British Army captain in the aftermath of the Kosovo War, Blunt ...

and

Tears for Fears Tears for Fears are an English pop rock band formed in Bath in 1981 by Curt Smith and Roland Orzabal. Founded after the dissolution of their first band, the mod-influenced Graduate, Tears for Fears were associated with the synth-pop bands o ...

. Also in 2022, Steve Wright announced that he was to be stepping down from hosting his afternoon show after 23 years.

Scott Mills Scott Robert Mills (born 28 March 1973) is an English radio DJ, television presenter and occasional actor. He is best known for presenting the '' Scott Mills'' show on BBC Radio 1 from 2004 to 2022 and since then, on BBC Radio 2, where he has be ...

was to replace him, although Wright was to continue hosting his long running ''Sunday Love Songs'' show and would also host some special programmes for the station. In late 2023 he was announced as the new host of ''

Pick of the Pops ''Pick of the Pops'' is a long-running BBC Radio programme; it was based originally on the Top 20 from the UK singles chart and was first broadcast on the BBC Light Programme on 4 October 1955. It transferred to BBC Radio 1 (simulcast on BBC Rad ...

'' on Saturday afternoons. On 7 February 2024, the BBC announced plans to launch a new Radio 2 spin-off station on DAB and online via

. The Radio 2 spin-off would focus on music from the 1950s, 60s and 70s in a bid to entice some of the station's former listeners back. On 10 April 2025 Ofcom provisionally indicated that it would reject these plans, saying the proposed station "would create a significant adverse impact on fair and effective competition" with "particular significance on the independent

Boom Radio Boom Radio (also Boom Radio UK) is an independent, commercial, national radio station in the United Kingdom. Owned by Boom Radio Ltd, the station is aimed at baby boomers, the generation of people born between 1946 and 1964. Launched on 14 Febr ...

". On 19 November 2024, Zoe Ball revealed that she would be stepping down from hosting the Breakfast Show on Friday 20 December 2024. It was announced that Scott Mills would be taking over as the new host in 2025. The new Scott Mills Breakfast Show launched on Monday 27 January, with Trevor Nelson taking over the station's afternoon slot on the same day.

Current position

The station's audience is now primarily adults over the age of 35 (82% of listeners) although in recent years it has attracted younger listeners. Its daytime

playlist A playlist is a list of video or audio files that can be played back on a media player, either sequentially or in a shuffled order. In its most general form, an audio playlist is simply a list of songs that can be played once or in a loop. ...

features music from the 1960s to various current chart hits, album and

indie music Independent music (also commonly known as indie music, or simply indie) is a broad style of music characterized by creative freedoms, low-budgets, and a do-it-yourself approach to music creation, which originated from the liberties afforded by in ...

. The station's appeal is broad and deep, with accessible daytime programmes and specialist programmes of particular types or eras of music. In 2009, Radio 2 again won the Music Week Award for National Radio Station of the Year, an award it won for several consecutive years. Weekday evenings have historically featured specialist music, including

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Its roots are in blues, ragtime, European harmony, African rhythmic rituals, spirituals, h ...

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk horror ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Fo ...

blues Blues is a music genre and musical form that originated among African Americans in the Deep South of the United States around the 1860s. Blues has incorporated spiritual (music), spirituals, work songs, field hollers, Ring shout, shouts, cha ...

country A country is a distinct part of the world, such as a state, nation, or other political entity. When referring to a specific polity, the term "country" may refer to a sovereign state, state with limited recognition, constituent country, ...

reggae Reggae () is a music genre that originated in Jamaica during the late 1960s. The term also denotes the modern popular music of Jamaica and its Jamaican diaspora, diaspora. A 1968 single by Toots and the Maytals, "Do the Reggay", was the first ...

classic rock Classic rock is a radio format that developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, it comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the early-1990s, primarily focusing on comm ...

show tune A show tune is a song originally written as part of the score of a work of musical theatre or musical film, especially if the piece in question has become a standard, more or less detached in most people's minds from the original context. Th ...

s and biographies and documentaries on musical artists and genres. Previously, this specialist programming ran from 20:00–midnight but now runs only from 21:00–22:00. Radio 2 hosts both the

BBC Concert Orchestra The BBC Concert Orchestra is a British concert orchestra based in London, one of the British Broadcasting Corporation's five radio orchestras. With around fifty players, it is the only one of the five BBC orchestras which is not a full-scale sym ...

and the BBC Big Band. '' Sounds of the 60s'' remains a regular fixture on the Saturday schedule, as does ''

Sounds of the 70s ''Sounds of the 70s'' is the name of a BBC radio programme, currently broadcast on Sundays on BBC Radio 2, with the ''Sounds of the Seventies'' name also having been used by BBC Television for a number of themed music compilations, now repeate ...

'' on Sundays. On 5 October 2013, these two shows were joined by ''Sounds of the 80s'', which was originally hosted by

and broadcast on Friday from 22:00–midnight. In May 2018

took over this show, with Cox was hosting a live 22:00 to midnight slot from Monday–Thursday, until she moved to drivetime on 14 January 2019. As part of a schedule change in July 2022, ''Sounds of the 80s'' moved back to Saturday evenings from 20:00–22:00. On Sundays, the schedule reverts closer to its old style, with a focus on

and show tunes, with programmes like ''

Elaine Paige on Sunday ''Elaine Paige on Sunday'' (often referred to on air as ''EPOS'') is a British radio programme broadcast on BBC Radio 2 on Sunday afternoons from 1:00pm to 3:00pm, that is hosted by the actress and singer Elaine Paige. The show launched on 5 Sept ...

''. Radio 2 does not broadcast complete works of

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

or offer in-depth discussion or drama, although some book readings, comedy and arts coverage remains on the station.

's weekday lunchtime show covers current and consumer affairs in an informal manner, a style pioneered by Jimmy Young. Until the launch of Radio 5 in August 1990, Radio 2's medium wave frequencies carried the majority of BBC Radio's sports coverage. Like all domestic BBC radio stations, Radio 2 is funded by the television licence fee and does not carry advertising. The

Greenwich Time Signal The Greenwich Time Signal (GTS), popularly known as the pips, is a series of six short tones (or "pips") broadcast at one-second intervals by many BBC Radio stations to mark the precise start of each hour. The pips were introduced in 1924, gene ...

(also known as "the pips"), which is normally broadcast on Radio 4 and the

World Service The BBC World Service is a British public service broadcaster owned and operated by the BBC. It is the world's largest external broadcaster in terms of reception area, language selection and audience reach. It broadcasts radio news, speec ...

, is broadcast at 07:00, 08:00 and 17:00 on weekdays, 07:00 and 08:00 on Saturdays, and 07:00, 08:00 and 09:00 on Sundays. Radio 2 moved its studios from

to the adjacent Western House (renamed Wogan House in 2016) in 2006. Although the majority of programming comes from London, some shows are broadcast from other cities around the UK, including

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. For many years, the network's overnight presenters, such as

Janice Long Janice Berry (née Chegwin; 5 April 1955 – 25 December 2021), known professionally by her first married name Janice Long, was an English broadcaster who was best known for her work in British music radio. The first female presenter to have a ...

and Alex Lester, were based in Birmingham, but made the move to London in April 2008. Since May 2018, the weekday overnight show, now presented by

OJ Borg Oliver James Borg D'Anastasi (), known as OJ Borg (born 4 April 1979), is a British radio and television presenter employed by the BBC. Career Radio Since May 2018, Borg has presented BBC Radio 2's weekday overnight programme 12–3am. He also ...

has been broadcast from Salford. In November 2022, the BBC confirmed plans for Radio 2 and 6 Music to move out of Wogan House, and move back into studios at the nearby BBC Broadcasting House in London. On 18 February 2024, "The

Collection" was the final Radio 2 show, and radio show altogether, to be broadcast from Wogan House after 18 years. Radio 2 broadcasts news bulletins from a studio in Broadcasting House. All bulletins are broadcast 24 hours a day, except Saturday nights at 11pm and some special events. The station's newsreaders also provide bulletins for 6 Music. Since April 2025, Radio 2 has been simulcasting overnight news bulletins from the World Service via Radio 4.

Current presenters

* Richie Anderson *

Michael Ball Michael Ashley Ball (born 27 June 1962) is an English singer, presenter and actor. In 1985, he made his West End debut as Marius Pontmercy in the original production of ''Les Misérables''. In 1989, he reached number two in the UK Singles C ...

Kate Bottley Kate Bottley () is a Church of England vicar in North Nottinghamshire, a role which she combines with her other roles of journalist, media presenter and reality television star. She appears frequently on British radio and television as well as i ...

Rylan Clark Ross Richard Clark (born 25 October 1988), commonly known as Rylan Clark, is an English broadcaster and television personality. He came to prominence as a contestant on the The X Factor (British series 9), ninth series of the television talent s ...

Fearne Cotton Fearne Cotton (born 3 September 1981) is an English broadcaster and author. She began her career in the late 1990s as a children’s television presenter for GMTV, CITV and CBBC. She went on to present various television shows, including ''To ...

Jamie Cullum Jamie Paul Joseph Cullum (born 20 August 1979) is an English jazz-pop singer, pianist, songwriter and radio presenter. Although primarily a vocalist and pianist, he also accompanies himself on other instruments, including guitar and drums. He h ...

DJ Spoony John St John Joseph (born 25 June 1970), also known as Johnathan Joseph and professionally as DJ Spoony, is a British DJ, radio and television presenter. He is a member of the UK garage production trio, the Dreem Teem. Spoony also presents ...

Owain Wyn Evans Owain Wyn Evans (born 9 March 1984) is a Welsh broadcaster and drummer. He hosts BBC Radio 2's early breakfast show and previously presented weather bulletins on ''BBC Look North'', ''North West Tonight'' and ''BBC Breakfast''. Evans is also a ...

Mark Goodier Mark Goodier (born 9 June 1961) is a Zimbabwean-born British radio disc jockey and broadcaster best known for his time on BBC Radio 1 between 1987 and 2002. He had two spells presenting the station's Top 40 singles chart, from September 1990 ...

Angela Griffin Angela Mellissa Griffin (born 19 July 1976) is an English actress, television presenter and director who has been active on British television since the early 1990s. She is best known for portraying the roles of Fiona Middleton in the ITV soa ...

* Bob Harris *

Vernon Kay Vernon Charles Kay (born 28 April 1974) is an English broadcaster and former model. He presented Channel 4's ''T4'' (2000–2005) and has presented various television shows for ITV, including '' All Star Family Fortunes'' (2006–2015), ''Ju ...

Shaun Keaveny Shaun William Keaveny (born 14 June 1972) is a British broadcaster who presented the Breakfast Show on radio station BBC Radio 6 Music for 11 years, and the afternoon show for a further three years. Early life and education Keaveny grew up on ...

Cerys Matthews Cerys Elizabeth Matthews (; born 11 April 1969) is a Welsh singer, songwriter, author, and broadcaster. She was a founding member of Welsh rock band Catatonia and a leading figure in the " Cool Cymru" movement of the late 1990s. Matthews now ...

Paddy McGuinness Patrick Joseph McGuinness (born 14 August 1973) is an English comedian, actor, writer, and television presenter. He rose to fame with the help of fellow comedian Peter Kay, who invited him to appear on the television comedy series '' That Peter ...

Jason Mohammad Jason Mohammad (born 17 September 1973) is a Welsh radio and television presenter currently working for the BBC. He is the host of '' Final Score'' on BBC One on Saturday afternoons. Personal life Mohammad was born and brought up in Cardiff to ...

Dermot O'Leary Seán Dermot O'Leary (born 24 May 1973) is a British-Irish broadcaster. He presented the television talent show ''The X Factor'' on ITV from 2007 until its final series in 2018, with the exception of 2015. Since 2021, O'Leary has presented ITV' ...

Elaine Paige Dame Elaine Jill Paige (born Elaine Jill Bickerstaff, 5 March 1948) is an English singer and actress, best known for her work in musical theatre. Raised in Chipping Barnet, Barnet, Hertfordshire, Paige attended the Aida Foster Theatre School, m ...

* Mark Radcliffe *

Romesh Ranganathan Jonathan Romesh Ranganathan (born 27 March 1978) is a British comedian, actor, and presenter. His style of comedy is deadpan and often self-deprecating. Ranganathan has made numerous appearances on television comedy panel shows and has been a ...

Liza Tarbuck Liza Tarbuck ( ; born 21 November 1964) is an English actress, comedian, and television and radio presenter. Early life Liza Tarbuck was born in Liverpool and grew up near Kingston upon Thames. She is the daughter of comedian Jimmy Tarbuck an ...

* Michelle Visage *

Stand-in presenters

These presenters do not have permanent slots on Radio 2 but regularly sit in for shows on the network. The list does not include regularly scheduled presenters who also stand in for other shows. * Nihal Arthanayake (sits in for ''Good Morning Sunday'') *

Ros Atkins Roslyn Atkins (born 1974) is an English journalist and DJ who is analysis editor for the BBC. He presents '' Outside Source'', ''Ros Atkins on the week'' and ''Ros Atkins on..'' on BBC World News and the BBC News Channel. He also presents on r ...

(sits in for Jeremy Vine) *

Matt Baker Matthew James Baker (born 23 December 1977) is a British television presenter. He co-presented the children's television show ''Blue Peter'' from 1999 until 2006, BBC One's '' Countryfile'' since 2009 and ''The One Show'' from 2011 to 2020, wi ...

(sits in for ''Good Morning Sunday'') * Edith Bowman (sits in for Sara Cox, Jo Whiley ''Sounds of the 80s with Gary Davies'' and ''Sounds of the 90s with Fearne Cotton'') * Ellie Brennan (sits in for OJ Borg, and Owain Wyn Evans) *

Tina Daheley Tina Daheley (born ) is an English journalist, newsreader and presenter who works for the BBC, both on television and radio. She currently reads the news on ''The Radio 2 Breakfast Show'' with Scott Mills, often contributing to discussions durin ...

(sits in for Jeremy Vine) *

Victoria Derbyshire Victoria Antoinette Derbyshire (born 2 October 1968) is a British journalist, newsreader and broadcaster. Her eponymous current affairs and debate programme was broadcast on BBC Two and the BBC News Channel from 2015 until March 2020. She has ...

(sits in for Jeremy Vine) *

Joel Dommett Joel Patrick Dommett (born 8 June 1985) is an English comedian, television presenter and actor. After beginning his career as an actor, and appearing in various television shows including '' Casualty'' and '' Skins'', he embarked on stand-up com ...

(sits in for Romesh Ranganathan) *

Nick Grimshaw Nicholas Peter Andrew Grimshaw (born 14 August 1984), nicknamed "Grimmy", is an English broadcaster and author. He became known for having hosted a variety of shows on BBC Radio 1. He is also known as a television presenter for his Channel 4 rol ...

(sits in for Jo Whiley and Rylan on Saturday) * Oliver Hides (sits in for Owain Wyn Evans) *

Alex Jones Alexander Emerick Jones (born February 11, 1974) is an American Far-right politics, far-right radio host, radio show host and prominent conspiracy theorist. He hosts ''The Alex Jones Show'' from Austin, Texas. ''The Alex Jones Show'' is the lo ...

(sits in for Romesh Ranganathan and Dermot O’Leary) *

Gary Kemp Gary James Kemp (born 16 October 1959) is an English songwriter, musician and actor, best known as the lead guitarist, backing vocalist, and principal songwriter for the new wave band Spandau Ballet. Kemp wrote the lyrics and music for all 2 ...

(sits in for ''Sounds of the 80s with Gary Davies'') *

Beverley Knight Beverley Knight (born Beverley Anne Smith, 22 March 1973) is an English singer, songwriter, actress and radio personality. She released her first album, ''The B-Funk'', in 1995. Heavily influenced by American soul music icons such as Sam Cooke ...

(sits in for ''Elaine Paige on Sunday'') *

Simon Le Bon Simon John Charles Le Bon (born 27 October 1958) is an English singer. He is best known as the lead vocalist and lyricist of the new wave band Duran Duran and its offshoot Arcadia. Le Bon has received three Ivor Novello Awards from the Briti ...

(sits in for ''Sounds of the 80s with Gary Davies'') * Bronwen Lewis (sits in for Owain Wyn Evans) *

Moby Richard Melville Hall (September 11, 1965), known professionally as Moby, is an American musician, songwriter, record producer, disc jockey, and animal rights activist. He has sold 20 million records worldwide. AllMusic considers him to be "amo ...

(sits in for ''The Blues Show with Cerys Matthews'') *

Huey Morgan Hugh Thomas Diaz Morgan (born 7 August 1968) is an American musician best known as the former frontman of rock/hip hop band Fun Lovin' Criminals. Morgan performs both vocals and guitar and combines rock, hip hop, jazz, reggae, and funk influences ...

(sits in for ''The Blues Show with Cerys Matthews'') *

Paddy O'Connell Guy Patrick "Paddy" O'Connell (born 11 March 1966, in Guildford, Surrey) is an English television and radio presenter. He presents BBC Radio 4's '' Broadcasting House'' programme and '' Newsnight''. He is also an occasional presenter of the '' ...

(sits in for Jeremy Vine, Liza Tarbuck, OJ Borg,) *

Melvin Odoom Melvin Kuuku Odoom (born 30 July 1980) is a British radio DJ and television presenter. Alongside Rickie Haywood-Williams and Charlie Hedges, he presented the Kiss (UK radio station), Kiss FM breakfast show (2009–2018) and since then, on BBC R ...

(sits in for ''The Good Groove with DJ Spoony'') * Andi Oliver (sits in for Trevor Nelson and The Good Groove with DJ Spoony) * Connor Phillips (sits in for OJ Borg and Richie Anderson) * Steffan Powell (sits in for Owain Wyn Evans) *

Ellie Taylor Eleanor Jane Taylor is an English comedian, television personality, actress, and writer. After appearing as a contestant on '' Show Me the Funny'' in 2011, Taylor has appeared on numerous television shows, including '' 8 Out of 10 Cats'' (2011 ...

(sits in for Sara Cox) * Josh Widdicombe (sits in for Romesh Ranganathan) * Phil Williams (sits in for OJ Borg) *

Emma Willis Emma Louise Willis (' Griffiths; born 18 March 1976) is an English broadcaster. She is known for her television and radio work with Channel 5, BBC, ITV and Heart FM.

(sits in for Dermot O'Leary, Romesh Ranganathan and Sara Cox)

Travel presenters

* Richie Anderson (weekday afternoons, Monday to Thursdays only) *

Sally Boazman Sally Boazman is a British radio traffic news reporter on the national radio station BBC Radio 2. Her reporting introduced live reports from motorists on mobile phones and lorry drivers on CB radio. Boazman has presented Radio 2's weekend trav ...

(Saturdays) * Ellie Brennan (weekday mornings) * Jules Lang - stand in travel presenter * Orna Merchant (Sundays) * Bobbie Pryor (weekday afternoons, Fridays only)

Regular contributors

Those listed below, regularly appear on shows as contributors but don't present a programme themselves. * Sarah Jarvis (medical expert, on Jeremy Vine's show) * James King (film critic, on Jo Whiley's show – alternate Tuesdays) * Martin Lewis (financial expert, on Jeremy Vine's show) * Terry Walton (gardening contributor, "Radio 2's Official Allotment" on Jeremy Vine's show)

Notable former presenters

Sarah Kennedy Sarah Mary Kennedy MBE (born 8 July 1950) is a British retired TV and radio broadcaster. She presented her daily early morning radio show, ''The Dawn Patrol'', on BBC Radio 2 from 1993 to 2010. She is also a relative of John F. Kennedy In t ...

(1993–2010) * Paul Hollingdale (1967–1970) * Pat Doody (1967–1971) * Eric Robinson (1967–1971) *

Kenneth Alwyn Kenneth Alwyn Wetherell (28 July 1925 – 10 December 2020) was a British conductor, composer, and writer. Described by BBC Radio 3 as "one of the great British musical directors", Alwyn was known for his many recordings, including with the Lo ...

(1967–1972) * Barry Alldis (1967–1973) *

Simon Bates Simon Philip Bates (born 17 December 1946) is an English disc jockey and radio presenter. Between 1976 and 1993 he worked at BBC Radio 1, presenting the station's weekday mid-morning show for most of this period. He later became a regular prese ...

(1973–1976) *

David Gell David Gell (23 August 1929 – 8 December 2023) was a Canadian radio DJ and television presenter. Born in Canada, he worked for radio station CFAC in Calgary before relocating to Europe. He was a DJ on Radio Luxembourg, and later on the BBC ...

(1967–1977) * Robin Richmond (1969–1980) * Bob Christie (1969–1976) *

Sam Costa Samuel Gabriel Costa (17 June 1910 – 23 September 1981) was an English singer, entertainer and broadcaster. Initially a popular singer in the dance band era and a comic actor on the show ''Much-Binding-in-the-Marsh'', he was later a disc ...

(1967–1981) * Alberto Semprini (1967–1982) * David Symonds (1979–1982) *

(1981–1983) * Tom Edwards (1968–1984) * Pete Murray (1967–1984) * Tony Brandon (1970–1985) * Steve Jones (1979–1985) * David Hamilton (1967–1973; 1975–1986) * Ray Moore (1967–1988) * Stuart Hall (1982–1988) * Peter Dickson (1983–1989 plus one week as a stand-in in 1999) * Billy Butler (1988–1990) *

Simon Dee Cyril Nicholas Henty-Dodd (28 July 1935 – 29 August 2009), better known by his stage name Simon Dee, was a British television interviewer and radio disc jockey who hosted a twice-weekly BBC TV chat show, ''Dee Time'', in the late 1960s. Aft ...

(1988–1990) *

Peter Clayton Peter James Clayton (25 June 1927 – 10 August 1991) was an English jazz presenter on BBC Radio, jazz critic, and author. From October 1968 until his death in August 1991, Clayton presented jazz recordings, interviews, studio performances, and ...

(1970–1991) * Teddy Johnson (1967–1992) *

Keith Fordyce Keith Fordyce Marriott (15 October 1928 – 15 March 2011) was an English disc jockey and presenter on British radio and television. He was both the first presenter of the ITV television pop music programme '' Thank Your Lucky Stars'' in 1 ...

(1969–1992) *

Judith Chalmers Judith Rosemary Locke Chalmers (born 10 October 1935) is an English retired television presenter who is best known for presenting the travel programme '' Wish You Were Here...?'' from 1974 to 2003. Early life Chalmers was born in Gatley, Cheshi ...

(1990–1992) * Graham Knight (1988–1991) * Bill Rennells (1978–1993) *

Anne Robinson Anne Josephine Robinson (born 26 September 1944) is a British journalist and television presenter, best known as the host of BBC game show ''The Weakest Link'' from 2000 to 2012, and again in 2017 for a one-off celebrity special for ''Children ...

(1988–1993, stand-in for Jimmy Young 1993–1998) *

John Sachs John Sachs (born 3 May 1957) is a British commentator, television presenter and voiceover artist. He narrated the original series of ''Gladiators'', and was a longtime DJ on London's radio station Capital London. Sachs spent 12 years on Capit ...

(1991–1993) * Barbara Sturgeon (1992–1993) *

Adrian Love Adrian Love (3 August 1944 – 10 March 1999) was a British radio presenter, remembered for his ''Love in the Afternoon'' programme on BBC Radio 2. Early life Adrian Love was born in York on 3 August 1944 to Cicely Joyce (née Peters) and music ...

(1987–1994) *

Mary Marquis Mary Elizabeth Marquis (born 11 March 1934), born as Mary Elizabeth Caughie, is a former leading interviewer and presenter on BBC Scotland from the mid-1960s, and became the face of the network's evening news programme ''Reporting Scotland'' un ...

(1968–1988) * Peter Haigh (1967–1970, 1988–1995) * Charlie Chester (1968–1995) *

Alan Dell Alan Dell, born Alan Creighton Mandell (20 March 1924 – 18 August 1995), was a BBC radio broadcaster, associated in particular with dance band music of the 1920s, 1930s and early 1940s. Formative years Dell was born in Cape Town, South Afri ...

(1967–1995) *

Gloria Hunniford Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford, OBE (born 10 April 1940) is a television and radio presenter, broadcaster and singer from Northern Ireland. She is known for presenting programmes on the BBC and ITV, such as '' Rip Off Britain'', and her regula ...

(1981–1995) *

Katie Boyle Caterina Irene Elena Maria Boyle, Lady Saunders (; 29 May 1926 – 20 March 2018), usually known as Katie Boyle, was an Italian-born British actress, writer, radio announcer and television personality. She became best known for presenting the E ...

(1968–1996) * Wally Whyton (1969–1996) *

Martin Kelner Martin Barry Kelner is a British journalist, author, comedian, singer, actor and TV presenter, whose primary career is in radio presenting. He has spent over 40 years hosting radio shows, mostly for the BBC, in particular Radio Leeds. He has ...

(1984–1996) * Chris Stuart (1985–1996) *

(1985–1997, with wife Ellen from 1992 to 1997) *

Angela Rippon Angela May Rippon (born 12 October 1944) is an English broadcaster, former newsreader, writer and journalist. Rippon presented radio and television news programmes in South West England before moving to BBC One's ''BBC Nine O'Clock News, Nine ...

(1985–1997, stand-in presenter) *

Robbie Vincent Robbie Vincent (born 9 June 1946) is an English radio broadcaster and DJ. As a champion of jazz, funk and soul music in the UK during the late 1970s he made an important contribution both live in clubs and on radio. In 1995 he was voted Independ ...

(1997 only) * Debbie Thrower (1995–1998) * John Dunn (1967–1998) * Benny Green (1967–1998) *

Bob Holness Robert Wentworth John Holness (12 November 1928 – 6 January 2012) was an English-South African radio and television presenter and occasional actor. He presented the British version of '' Blockbusters''. Early life Holness was born in Vryheid, ...

(1968–1974, 1985–1998) *

Charles Nove Charles Alexis Nove (born 29 June 1960 in London, England) is a British radio broadcaster and voice artist, who currently presents the weekday breakfast show for classical music station Magic Classical. Earlier in his career, he was a newsreader ...

(1981–2012) * David Allan (1968–1999) *

Pam Ayres Pamela Ayres MBE (born 14 March 1947) is a British poet, comedian, songwriter and presenter of radio and television programmes. Her 1975 appearance on the television talent show '' Opportunity Knocks'' led to appearances on other TV and radio ...

(1996–1999) *

Des Lynam Desmond Michael Lynam (born 17 September 1942) is an Irish-born British television and radio presenter. In a broadcasting career spanning more than forty years, he has hosted television coverage of many of the world's major sporting events, pr ...

(1970–1980, 1998–1999) * Jackie Bird (1998–2000) *

Alan Freeman Alan Leslie Freeman MBE (6 July 1927 – 27 November 2006), nicknamed "Fluff", was an Australian-born British disc jockey and radio personality in the United Kingdom for 40 years, best known for presenting '' Pick of the Pops'' from 1961 to 20 ...

(1997–2000) * Cliff Adams (1967–2001) * Jack Docherty (2000–2001) *

Katrina Leskanich Katrina Elizabeth Leskanich ( ; born April 10, 1960) is an American musician and the former lead singer of the British pop rock band Katrina and the Waves. Their song "Walking on Sunshine (Katrina and the Waves song), Walking on Sunshine" was ...

(1998–2000) * Sheila Tracy (1977–2000) * Sir Jimmy Young (1973–2002) *

Andy Peebles Robert Andrew Peebles (13 December 1948 – 22 March 2025) was an English radio DJ, television presenter and cricket commentator. Life and career Born in Hampstead, London, Peebles attended Bishop's Stortford College. He began as a nightclub ...

(1998–2002) *

Alan Keith Alan Keith, OBE (born Alexander Kossoff; 19 October 1908 – 17 March 2003) was a British actor, disc jockey and radio presenter, noted for being the longest-serving and eldest presenter on British radio by the time of his death aged 94. Back ...

(1970–2003) *

Sybil Ruscoe Sybil Ruscoe DL (born 8 August 1960 in Wem, Shropshire, England) is a British radio and television presenter. Ruscoe began her career on the ''Express & Star'' newspaper in Wolverhampton. She moved to Radio Wyvern, Beacon Radio, then BBC Radio ...

(2003–2004) * Don Maclean (1990–2006) * Brian Hayes (1991–2006) *

Sheridan Morley Sheridan Morley (5 December 1941 − 16 February 2007) was an English author, biographer, critic and broadcaster. He was the official biographer of Sir John Gielgud and wrote biographies of many other theatrical figures he had known, including ...

(1990–2006) *

Helen Mayhew Helen Mayhew is a Great Britain, British radio presenter and producer, specialising in jazz music. Mayhew started with the BBC, and then moved to 102.2 Jazz FM at its launch, then rejoined the BBC where she presented her own weekly show, and fina ...

(1997, 2004–2006) * Richard Baker (1986–2007) * Nick Barraclough (1992–2007) * Canon Roger Royle (1984–2007) *

Russell Brand Russell Edward Brand (born 4 June 1975) is an English comedian, actor, podcaster and media personality. He established himself as a stand-up comedian and radio host before becoming a film actor. After beginning his career as a comedian and la ...

(2006–2008) *

Humphrey Lyttelton Humphrey Richard Adeane Lyttelton (23 May 1921 – 25 April 2008), also known as Humph, was an English jazz musician and broadcaster from the Lyttelton family. Having taught himself the trumpet at school, Lyttelton became a professional ...

(1967–2008) * Matthew Wright (2006–2008) *

Michael Aspel Michael Terence Aspel (born 12 January 1933) is an English retired television presenter and newsreader. He hosted programmes such as '' Crackerjack!'', '' Ask Aspel'', ''Aspel & Company'', '' Give Us a Clue'', '' This Is Your Life'', '' Strange ...

(1968–1974, 1986–1999, 2009) * Jon Briggs (newsreader and continuity) (1996–2009) * Mo Dutta (1995–2009) *

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

(2007–2009) * Malcolm Laycock (1995–2009) * Pete Mitchell (2006–2009) * Jonny Saunders (former drivetime and weekday breakfast sports reporter) (2006–2011) * Emma Forbes (2009–2010) *

(1976–1983, 1993–2010) *

Mark Lamarr Mark Lamarr (born Mark Jones; 7 January 1967) is an English comedian, radio disc jockey and television presenter. He was a team captain on ''Shooting Stars (1993 TV series), Shooting Stars'' from 1995 to 1997, and hosted ''Never Mind the Buzzcock ...

(1998–2010) *

Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English broadcaster, film critic, comedian, actor, writer, and producer. He presented the BBC One chat show '' Friday Night with Jonathan Ross'' during the 2000s and early 2010s, hosted his ow ...

(1999–2010, 2014–2018) *

Suzi Quatro Susan Kay Quatro (born June 3, 1950) is an American singer, bass guitarist, songwriter, and actress. In the 1970s, she scored a string of singles that found success in Europe and Australia, with both "Can the Can" (1973) and "Devil Gate Drive" ...

(2008–2010) *

Dale Winton Dale Jonathan Winton (22 May 1955 – 18 April 2018) was an English radio DJ and television presenter. He presented the shows '' Supermarket Sweep'' from 1993 until 2001 and again in 2007, the National Lottery game show '' In It to Win It' ...

(2000–2010) *

Steve Harley Stephen Malcolm Ronald Nice (27 February 1951 – 17 March 2024), known by his stage name Steve Harley, was an English singer-songwriter and frontman of the rock music, rock group Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel, Cockney Rebel. The band achieved ...

(2000–2008) *

Michael Parkinson Sir Michael Parkinson (28 March 1935 – 16 August 2023) was an English television presenter, broadcaster, journalist and author. He presented his television talk show '' Parkinson'' from 1971 to 1982 and from 1998 to 2007, as well as other ta ...

(1996–2007, 2011) *

Alan Titchmarsh Alan Fred Titchmarsh (born 2 May 1949) is an English gardener, broadcaster and writer. After working as a professional gardener and a horticultural journalist, he became a radio and television presenter and a novelist. Early career Alan Fred T ...

(2006–2011) * Colin Berry (1973–2012) *

Melanie Sykes Melanie Ann Sykes (born 1970) is an English former television and radio presenter. She is best known for co-hosting '' Today with Des and Mel'' with Des O'Connor and '' Let's Do Lunch'' with Gino D'Acampo. She also co-hosted ''Going Out with Ala ...

(2010–2012) * Brian D'Arcy (2007–2012) *

Mike Harding Mike Harding (born 23 October 1944) is an English singer, songwriter, comedian, writer, broadcaster and musician. Early life and education Harding's father, Louis Arthur "Curly" Harding, a navigator in the RAF, was killed in the Second Worl ...

(1997–2012) *

Aled Jones Aled Jones, (born 29 December 1970) is a Welsh singer, radio and television presenter, and actor. As a teenage chorister, he gained widespread fame in 1985 with his recording of " Walking in the Air", which reached No 5 in the UK pop chart. He ...

(2006–2012) * David Jacobs (1967–2013) *

Steve Lamacq Stephen Paul Lamacq (born 16 October 1964), sometimes known by his nickname Lammo (given to him by John Peel), is an English disc jockey, currently working with BBC Radio 6 Music. Lamacq was appointed Member of the Order of the British Empire ( ...

(2007–2013) *

Stuart Maconie Stuart John Maconie (born 13 August 1961) is an English radio DJ and television presenter, writer, journalist, and critic working in the field of pop music and popular culture. He is a presenter on BBC Radio 6 Music where, alongside Mark Radc ...

(1998–2013) *

Lynn Parsons Lynn Margaret Parsons (born 27 June 1961) is a British disc jockey. Career Having graduated from college with an OND in electronic principles, Parsons started her career working in the television industry, where she was a sound engineer and l ...

(1998–2014) * Fran Godfrey (newsreader) (1990–2014) * Dave Pearce (2011–2014) * Richard Allinson (1997–2014) *

Alan Dedicoat Alan Dedicoat is a British announcer from Hollywood, England, for programmes on BBC One. He is known as the "Voice of the Balls" on the National Lottery programmes, providing a voiceover for the draws since 1995. He was a BBC Radio 2 newsread ...

(newsreader) (1986–2015) *

Rebecca Pike Rebecca Pike is a British journalist currently Head of Digital Media at Liberty Global. Previously she worked as Radio and TV business presenter for the BBC. Early life Pike was born in Lewisham, London. She attended Bedales School and Magdalen ...

(business news reporter) (2006–2015) *

Ed Stewart Edward Stewart Mainwaring (23 April 1941 – 9 January 2016), known as Ed "Stewpot" Stewart, was an English radio broadcaster and TV presenter. He was principally known for his work as a DJ on BBC Radio 1 (particularly the Saturday morning ' ...

(1980–1983, 1991–2006, 2007–2015) * Sir

(1972–1984, 1993–2015) * Desmond Carrington (1981–2016) *

(1999–2017) * Alex Lester (1987–2017) *

Brian Matthew Brian Matthew (17 September 1928 – 8 April 2017) was an English broadcaster who worked for the BBC for 63 years from 1954 until 2017. He was the host of '' Saturday Club'', among other programmes, and began presenting '' Sounds of the 60s'' ...

(1967–2017) *

Diane-Louise Jordan Diane Johnson (born 28 June 1960), better known by her stage name Diane-Louise Jordan, is a British television presenter. She was the first black presenter of the children's television programme '' Blue Peter'', being involved in the programme fr ...

(2012–2017) *

Clare Balding Clare Victoria Balding (born 29 January 1971) is an English broadcast journalist and author. She currently presents programmes for BBC Sport and Channel 4, and previously for BT Sport. She also formerly presented ''Good Morning Sunday'' on BBC ...

(2013–2017) *

Lynn Bowles Lynn Bowles (born 1963) is a Welsh broadcaster and a former traffic weekday mornings reporter for BBC Radio 2. Early life Bowles was born in Splott, Cardiff, Wales in 1963, and is the youngest of three siblings. Her father, Cliff, was a marine e ...

(travel, weekday mornings) (2000–2018) * Paul Jones (1986–2018) *

Rachel Horne Rachel Horne ( Gibson) is a Northern Irish newsreader and journalist. She presented the BBC children's news programme '' Newsround'' from 2002 until 2006. She also presented BBC News' business bulletins on the BBC News Channel and travel news o ...

(travel, weekday mornings) (March–December 2018) * Matt Williams (Drivetime Sport reporter) (2010–2018) * Nigel Ogden (1980–2018) * Frank Renton (1995–2018) * Moira Stuart (newsreader, weekday breakfast) (2010–2018) *

(2001–2018) * Chris Evans (2005–2018) *

Vassos Alexander Vassos Alexander Georgiadis is a British sports reporter, presenter, author and endurance runner. He is currently the sports presenter of '' The Chris Evans Breakfast Show'' on Virgin Radio. Alexander hosted the parkrun podcast, he is a motivat ...

(Breakfast Sport reporter) (2011–2018) * Carol Kirkwood (2012–2019) ( breakfast show weather presenter) * Don Black (2013–2020) *

Bill Kenwright William Kenwright (4 September 1945 – 23 October 2023) was an English theatre and film producer. He was also the chairman of Everton Football Club for nearly two decades, from 2004 until his death in 2023. Early life Kenwright was born in ...

(2010–2020) *

Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), known professionally as Graham Norton, is an Irish comedian, broadcaster, actor, and writer. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for the comedy chat show ''The Graham Norton Show'' (2007–present) ...

(2010–2020) *

Jools Holland Julian Miles Holland (born 24 January 1958) is an English pianist, bandleader, singer, composer and television presenter. He was an original member of the band Squeeze and has worked with many artists including Marc Almond, Jayne County, To ...

(1999–2020) * Clare Teal (2006–2021) *

Anneka Rice Anne Lucinda Hartley Rice (born 4 October 1958), known professionally as Anneka Rice, is a British television and radio presenter, journalist and painter. She began her broadcasting career with the BBC World Service and later moved to childr ...

(2012–2021) * Angela Scanlon (2018–2021) * Rangan Chatterjee (2021–2022) *

Craig Charles Craig Joseph Charles (born 11 July 1964) is an English actor, comedian and radio presenter. He is best known for his roles as Dave Lister in the science fiction sitcom ''Red Dwarf'' and Lloyd Mullaney in the soap opera ''Coronation Street'' (2 ...

(2014–2022) *

Ana Matronic Ana Kirby (; born August 14, 1974), known by her stage name Ana Matronic, is an American singer, best known as the co-lead singer for the pop rock band Scissor Sisters. Career Matronic joined Scissor Sisters, founded by Jake Shears and Bab ...

(2014–2022) *

Paul O'Grady Paul James O'Grady (14 June 1955 – 28 March 2023) was an English comedian, broadcaster, drag queen, actor, and writer. He achieved notability in the London gay scene during the 1980s with his drag persona Lily Savage, through which he gained ...

(2009–2022) *

Vanessa Feltz Vanessa Jane Feltz (born 21 February 1962) is an English television presenter, broadcaster, and journalist. She has hosted numerous versions of her own chat shows and appeared on various television shows, including ''Vanessa'' (1994–1998, 202 ...

(2011–2022) * Janey Lee Grace (1999–2022) * Tim Smith (1999–2022) * Ricky Wilson (2021–2022 with a regular series, also a stand-in presenter) *

(1984–2023, previously a stand in presenter, 1980–1983) *

Johnnie Walker Johnnie Walker is a brand of Scotch whisky produced by Diageo in Scotland. It was established in the Scottish burgh of Kilmarnock, East Ayrshire in 1820, and continued to be produced and bottled at the town's Hill Street plant, once the world's ...

(1998–2024, previously a stand in presenter, 1997–1998) *

Claudia Winkleman Claudia Anne Irena Winkleman (born 15 January 1972) is an English broadcaster and writer. She has been nominated three times for the British Academy Television Award for Best Entertainment Performance for co-presenting the BBC One dancing compet ...

(2008–2024) * Steve Wright (1996–2024) *

Rob Beckett Robert Anthony Beckett (born 2 January 1986) is an English comedian, actor, and presenter. He was a co-host on the ITV2 spin-off show '' I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here! NOW!'' from 2012 to 2014. Since 2016, Beckett has been a team captain ...

(2022–2025) * Phil Williams (2023–2025)

Controllers/Head of Station

Controversies

Presenter

attracted controversy before she left the station in 2010. In May 1999, she gave a "bizarre" performance while standing in for Terry Wogan, blaming the incident on a lack of sleep the previous night. Her slurred speech throughout her show on 13 August 2007 also made the headlines. She blamed a sore throat and later took a month-long break. It was later reported that Kennedy was recovering from pneumonia, and she returned to work on 10 September. In October 2007, she was reprimanded after joking that she had almost run over a black pedestrian because she could not see him in the dark. The BBC later apologised for the comment. She was also "spoken to" by BBC bosses after praising

Enoch Powell John Enoch Powell (16 June 19128 February 1998) was a British politician, scholar and writer. He served as Member of Parliament (United Kingdom), Member of Parliament (MP) for Wolverhampton South West for the Conservative Party (UK), Conserv ...

during a show in July 2009, describing him as "the best prime minister this country never had". On 16 October 2008, an episode of '' The Russell Brand Show'', co-hosted by fellow Radio 2 presenter

was recorded for transmission at a later date. The show included

and Ross leaving four prank messages on actor

Andrew Sachs Andreas Siegfried Sachs (7 April 1930 – 23 November 2016), known professionally as Andrew Sachs, was a German-born British actor. He made his name on British television and found his greatest fame for his portrayal of the comical Spanish waite ...

' answerphone, including offensive remarks about Sachs' granddaughter and use of foul language. The programme was subsequently broadcast on 18 Octoberpartially censoredhaving passed the various pre-transmission checks from the programme's editors. Initially, the programme only received a small number of complaints regarding Ross' bad language; however, the incident was reported a week later by ''

The Mail on Sunday ''The Mail on Sunday'' is a British conservative newspaper, published in a tabloid format. Founded in 1982 by Lord Rothermere, it is the biggest-selling Sunday newspaper in the UK. Its sister paper, the ''Daily Mail'', was first published i ...

'' and a public outcry soon ensued. The case was referred to both

Ofcom The Office of Communications, commonly known as Ofcom, is the government-approved regulatory and competition authority for the broadcasting, internet, telecommunications and mail, postal industries of the United Kingdom. Ofcom has wide-rang ...

and the

BBC Trust The BBC Trust was the governing body of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) between 2007 and 2017. It was operationally independent of BBC management and external bodies, and its stated aim was to make decisions in the best interests of ...

, and in the interim, Ross and Brand were both suspended for 12 weeks from all BBC programmes pending investigation. Soon after these announcements, Brand announced his resignation from the BBC, shortly followed by the controller at the time, Lesley Douglas. Ross was suspended from the BBC without pay for 12 weeks. In July 2009, longtime presenter Malcolm Laycock announced his resignation live on air following a long-running dispute over the content of his show, '' Sunday Night at 10'', and issues regarding his salary. On 9 August 2022,

quit his Sunday afternoon show after fourteen years, making public that he was not happy with a schedule change which saw

fill his slot for thirteen weeks before O'Grady was scheduled to come back.

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* * * {{Authority control Adult contemporary radio stations in the United Kingdom 2 Radio stations established in 1967 Radio stations in the United Kingdom 1967 establishments in the United Kingdom