麻豆约拍 Radio 2, the UK鈥檚 most listened to radio station with 13.3m listeners each week (RAJAR Q3 2024), announces schedule changes, with exciting new shows to be launched in January 2025.
Scott Mills will be the new presenter of the legendary Radio 2 Breakfast Show each weekday morning, moving on from the weekday afternoon programme (2-4pm). The news follows this morning鈥檚 on air announcement that Zoe Ball has decided to step down from the programme after six years, but will remain on the station - more to be announced soon.
Scott says: 鈥淶oe 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.鈥�
鈥淚t 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.鈥�
Zoe says: 鈥淪cott and I go way back to our Radio 1 days, when he was doing early mornings before me. He鈥檚 been a close friend for years, and I鈥檓 beyond thrilled it鈥檚 him taking over the Breakfast Show. Breakfast has always been his dream, and what a year he鈥檚 had - from racing around the world to his beautiful wedding to Sam. He鈥檚 not only a blooming brilliant producer but one of the best in radio. I can鈥檛 wait to tune in on the school run!鈥�
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 says: 鈥淚t's a privilege to welcome Scott to the Radio 2 Breakfast Show. He鈥檚 a multi-award winning broadcaster who has been working in radio since the age of 16 and I know he can鈥檛 wait to get started on the biggest Breakfast show in the land! Earlier this year he won the Gold award for Best Music Entertainment Show for his afternoon programme on Radio 2 at the industry鈥檚 most prestigious awards ceremony, the ARIAs (Audio & Radio Industry Awards), and I'm delighted he will now be waking up millions of listeners each weekday at Breakfast.鈥�
Trevor Nelson, who currently presents Rhythm Nation each Monday - Thursday (10pm - midnight), is the presenter of the 2-4pm weekday afternoon show from January.
Trevor says: "It鈥檚 going to be great being on daytime. It鈥檚 the ultimate privilege as a broadcaster to entertain the nation on the biggest station in the UK every day. I鈥檓 looking to have lots of fun and will be bringing a bit of soul to the new show. Regular listeners will be pleased to know that my 鈥榞uess the artist鈥� game Five Seconds to Name will be coming with me, so hopefully newbies will enjoy playing along."
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 says: 鈥淚'm thrilled to be able to move Trevor into Radio 2鈥檚 weekday daytime schedule. A true radio pioneer, Trevor is loved by his listeners, and I鈥檓 looking forward to hearing him bring a touch of hugely popular soul, funk and R&B to weekday afternoons.鈥�
DJ Spoony will extend his weekly edition of The Good Grove (Friday nights - 9-11pm) to four weekly shows on Monday 鈥� Thursday nights (10pm 鈥� midnight).
Spoony says: 鈥� What a dream to be able to host eight hours of The Good Groove each week on Radio 2, presenting the Radio 2 audience with some of the best dance and soulful gems from over the last 60 years on the UK鈥檚 most listened to radio station. It doesn鈥檛 get bigger than this! 鈥�
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 says: 鈥淚鈥檓 so pleased to be able to extend The Good Groove to four nights a week. DJ Spoony is a warm and knowledgeable broadcaster, whose passion for the music shines through in every track he plays.鈥�
Sophie Ellis-Bextor鈥檚 Kitchen Disco, an original 麻豆约拍 Sounds commission for Radio 2, will be extended from one to two hours, seeing Sophie bring her non-stop party to Friday nights from 9-11pm.
Sophie says: 鈥淚 can鈥檛 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.鈥�
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 says: 鈥淚 am delighted to bring Sophie鈥檚 iconic Kitchen Disco to complete the perfect party night on Radio 2 whether you are going out out or staying in in.鈥�
Biographies
Scott Mills launched his broadcasting career aged 16 at Power FM, a local commercial station in Hampshire, making him the youngest permanent presenter on mainstream radio. Scott moved to GWR FM in Bristol, followed by Piccadilly Key 103 in Manchester before later joining Heart 106.2. Scott joined 麻豆约拍 Radio 1 in 1998 as host of the Early Breakfast Show and went on to host many different shows across the station before launching the Scott Mills Show in 2004 and later fronting The Official Chart Show in 2018. Scott first presented on Radio 2 in 2017, when he hosted a show from 10pm 鈥� 2am during Sara Cox鈥檚 Dance-A-Thon for Comic Relief, and was then a regular voice on the station. In 2019, Scott also began hosting a weekly show with Chris Stark on 5 Live, presenting his final show in August 2022. Scott joined Radio 2 permanently in October 2022 to present the weekday afternoon show (2-4pm).
The following month, Scott undertook 鈥楾he Great Scott TreadMills Challenge鈥� over 24-hours, raising over 拢1 million for Children in Need. Scott has been a part of the 麻豆约拍鈥檚 Eurovision presenting team since 2011, and with his 鈥楨urovision husband鈥� Rylan, has also presented Radio 2鈥檚 coverage of the Eurovision final since 2022. Scott also appeared on Strictly Come Dancing in 2011, and earlier this year, won 麻豆约拍 One鈥檚 Celebrity Race Across the World with his husband Sam Vaughan.
Trevor Nelson started his broadcasting career on London鈥檚 Kiss FM in 1985, later joining 麻豆约拍 Radio 1 where he presented the first ever national R&B show The Rhythm Nation from 1996 to 2013. From 2007, Trevor also presented the Breakfast show on the newly launched 麻豆约拍 Radio 1Xtra and, the following year, he launched a weekly soul and RnB show on Radio 2 whilst also presenting shows on Radio 1 and 1Xtra.
Trevor moved onto mid mornings on 1Xtra, launching Trevor Goes Old Skool every Sunday (11am-1pm) in 2018, which he will continue to present. In 2019, Rhythm Nation was extended to Monday to Thursdays (10pm-midnight) on Radio 2.
Trevor鈥檚 annual festive soul extravaganza Soul Christmas, which takes place at the Royal Albert Hall, will be broadcast on Radio 2 on Christmas Eve.
In 2010 Trevor was awarded with the Gold Lifetime Achievement Award for Services to Broadcasting at the Sony Radio Academy Awards. Earlier this year, Trevor won the prestigious Gold award at the prestigious ARIAs (Audio and Radio Industry Awards), for Best Coverage of an Event for his Windrush 75 special. He is also the recipient of an Ivor Novello Gold Badge and has won numerous honours including four MOBOs and an MBE in 2002 for his work with the Millennium Volunteers
DJ Spoony kicked off his radio career at Kiss 100 in 1997, and with his Dreem Teem music production partners Mikee B and Timmi Magic, joined Radio 1 in 2000 to bring UK garage to a national audience. They subsequently won a Sony Radio Academy Award later that year. Spoony also hosted Radio 1's Weekend Breakfast show between 2003-2006 at the same time as a six-year stint presenting 麻豆约拍 Radio 5 Live's football phone-in '606'. He also presented 鈥淪poony Meets鈥︹��, a series where he profiled and interviewed footballing legends. Spoony was awarded the British Empire Medal in the 2023 New Years Honours list for services to charities through music during Covid-19.
He joined Radio 2 in February 2019, presenting a variety of specials across the station. In January 2022, The Good Groove with DJ Spoony ran as a four-part series on Radio 2 later that year becoming a weekly show every Friday night (9pm-11pm). Spoony raided the dance music vaults of the past 60 years for a Friday night set of classic soul, Motown, Philly, R&B, soul, garage and hip hop. In 2024, Spoony curated Garage Classical 30, a concert held at the Royal Albert Hall to commemorate 30 years of UK Garage, which was later broadcast on Radio 2.
Having started out as lead singer in Theaudience, Sophie Ellis-Bextor shot to fame as a vocalist on Spiller's huge number one single, Groovejet in 2000, and her solo worldwide smash hit, Murder On The Dancefloor in 2001. After being featured in the film Saltburn, the song was a hit once again, giving Sophie her first top-ten first entry in the Billboard Global 200 chart. In 2020, her Kitchen Discos - performed at home during lockdown - were watched and enjoyed by millions around the world. Sophie joined Radio 2 in 2020 following the lock down success of her Kitchen Disco鈥檚, which were watched by millions of viewers all over the world during lockdown. In 2021, Sophie also raised over 拢1m for 麻豆约拍 Children In Need after embarking on a massive Kitchen Disco Danceathon on Radio 2, dancing non-stop for an incredible 24 hours.
About 麻豆约拍 Radio 2
麻豆约拍 Radio 2 is the UK鈥檚 most listened to radio station, with a weekly audience of 13.3 million (RAJAR Q3, 2024) and The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show the most listened to Breakfast show in the UK with 6.3 million listeners (RAJAR Q3, 2024). Vernon Kay (Monday-Friday, 9.30am-12pm) hosts the biggest radio show in the UK. The network鈥檚 presenters include Michael Ball, Zoe Ball, Rob Beckett, Tony Blackburn, OJ Borg, Revd. Kate Bottley, Rylan, Fearne Cotton, Sara Cox, Jamie Cullum, Gary Davies, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Paul Gambaccini, Mark Goodier, Angela Griffin, Bob Harris, Vernon Kay, Shaun Keaveny, Cerys Matthews, Paddy McGuinness, Scott Mills, Jason Mohammad, Trevor Nelson, Dermot O鈥橪eary, Elaine Paige, Mark Radcliffe, Romesh Ranganathan, DJ Spoony, Liza Tarbuck, Jeremy Vine, Michelle Visage, Jo Whiley, Phil Williams and Owain Wyn Evans.
At the 2024 Audio and Radio Industry Awards, also known as the ARIAs, Scott Mills won Gold for the Best Music Entertainment Show, 21st Century Folk won Gold for the Best Music Special, Windrush 75 won Gold for Best Coverage of an Event, and The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show won Bronze for the Best Music Breakfast Show. Plus, Cerys Matthews won the Best Blues Broadcaster Award for the third time at the annual UK Blues Awards and has been elected into the UK Blues Hall Of Fame.
KA2