Who will replace ken bruce on bbc radio 2 this spring? Vernon Kay is the new host of BBC Radio 2’s mid-morning show, which will debut in May.
Full article available at : https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2023/radio-2-spring-highlights/
Vernon says: “I’m absolutely over the moon to be handed the microphone to present the mid-morning show on Radio 2, and what an honour to follow in the footsteps of the mighty Ken Bruce. I look forward to playing some of the best music in the world whilst in the company of the Radio 2 listeners who I feel I’ve got to know over the last 18 months. It’s a dream come true to join the Radio 2 family and I can’t wait to start.”
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 says: “Radio 2 is home to some of the UK’s best loved presenters, and I’m thrilled to welcome Vernon to mid-mornings on Radio 2. He’s a hugely talented, warm and witty host who has already proved himself to be a firm favourite with our listeners when he’s presented many and varied shows across the station. I can’t wait to hear his brilliant new show.”
Who will replace Ken Bruce on bbc radio 2 this spring?

In addition, this Spring, Radio 2 will feature a stellar lineup of brilliant live music (including a Country extravaganza), world exclusive interviews, and exciting new programming.
Vernon Kay is the new host of BBC Radio 2’s mid-morning show, which will debut in May. In addition, this Spring, Radio 2 will feature a stellar lineup of brilliant live music (including a Country extravaganza), world exclusive interviews, and exciting new programming.
When will Ken Bruce’s replacement be starting on BBC Radio 2 ?
Vernon is already well-known to Radio 2 listeners, having previously filled in for The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, Steve Wright in the Afternoon, Rylan on Saturday, and Dermot O’Leary. He also hosts BBC Sounds and Radio 2’s Dance Sounds of the 1990s. Vernon began his radio career at Radio 1 in 2004, where he hosted Saturday and Sunday mid-morning shows. Vernon hosted Radio X’s mid-morning show from 2015 to 2017.
Vernon has been a regular face on TV for the past 20 years, having presented shows such as All Star Family Fortunes (ITV), Formula E coverage (C4) T4 (C4) This Morning (ITV), and numerous game shows for ITV such as Vernon Kay’s Gameshow Marathon, Drive and Splash! He’s also hosted three network shows in the United States for ABC and NBC, and he finished third on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! in 2020.
Vernon will be speaking with Zoe Ball live on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show next week.
Ken Bruce’s final show on Radio 2 will be broadcast on Friday, March 3, following his announcement in January that he would be leaving in March.
Gary Davies, host of Radio 2’s much-loved Sounds of the 80s (Saturday, 8-10pm), will host the show beginning Monday, March 6, and will continue until May. Gary will also introduce Radio 2’s new weekday pop quiz show. ‘OOH’ Gary Davies fans will be able to hear him on Radio 2 six days a week for the foreseeable future, as he will continue to host Sounds of the 80s (Saturday 8-10pm), which he has hosted since 2018.
Radio 2 Celebrates Country will broadcast the annual Country to Country festival from Friday, March 10 to Sunday, March 12. Since 2013, the network has been the broadcast partner for C2C, the largest country music festival outside of the United States, and it is now celebrating its tenth anniversary. Bob Harris, the host of Radio 2’s Country show, will be broadcasting from London’s O2 again this year, but Radio 2 will also be bringing the best from C2C in Glasgow, presented by Edith Bowman.
Helen Thomas says: “No other radio station in the UK delivers the incredible range of music that Radio 2 brings its listeners each and every day. This March, we’re again putting the spotlight on Country Music at the C2C festival in both London and Glasgow; we’ll be featuring an exclusive interview with the legendary Van Morrison on the Blues Show and we’ll be bringing listeners the biggest and best-loved songs from theatreland in Big Night of Musicals. You can hear it all live on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds, or catch up by listening at a time of your choosing on BBC Sounds.”
Bob Harris, who hosts both the C2C festival and the network’s coverage from the O2 arena in London, will be joined this year by rising country star, Breland. Thomas Rhett, Lady A, The Zac Brown Band, Lainey Wilson, and dozens more will perform on the main stage, as well as three days of performances on the Radio 2 stage at Indigo. Radio 2 is broadcasting live from the Fab Room at the O2 with hosts Bob Harris, Breland, and Bobbie Pryor, with a show that includes Friday night performances, live sessions from Elvie Shane, Randall King, Mackenzie Porter, and others, and interviews with Lady A, Midland, Morgan Evans, and Matt Stell (3-6pm, Saturday 11th March). On Sunday, the show will include live performances from Zac Brown and Old Crow Medicine Show, as well as highlights from Saturday night at the O2 in London and interviews with Zac Brown, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mitchell Tenpenny, and Lindsay Ell (8-10pm, Sunday 12th March). Inserts and packages from Edith Bowman in Glasgow, as well as highlights from Friday’s Radio 2 showcase at King Tut’s, will be featured on both shows. This is a BBC Audio production.
Edith also hosts a Radio 2 showcase at Glasgow’s King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut on Friday 10th March, featuring three festival artists Caroline Jones, Kameron Marlowe, and Kezia Gill performing in front of a small audience. The showcase will be available on BBC Sounds as an hour-long special beginning Saturday, March 11, and will be broadcast on Radio 2 at a later date. BBC Sounds is a Radio 2/BBC Audio commission.
BBC Sounds will have the full set from Thomas Rhett and extended highlights of Lainey Wilson and Jordan Davis (available from 12pm on Saturday 11 March); the full set from Lady A and extended highlights of Midland & Morgan Evans (available from 12pm on Sunday 12th March); and the full set from Zac Brown, plus extended highlights from OCMS & Mitchell Tenpenny. For the next 30 days, all BBC Sounds content will be available (from 12pm, Monday 13 March).
Steve Wright: They Don’t Normally Sing Country, which will be available in a BBC Sounds collection on Monday, February 27th, will be an additional treat for country fans. Sara Cox – When Country Goes Pop, Edith Bowman’s Country Movies, Steve Wright’s Country Story Songs, Trevor Nelson’s Country Soul, Steve Wright’s Country Love Songs, Hillary Scott’s Gospel Hour, and C2C: 10th Anniversary Headliners are among the shows that will be featured.
Bob Harris’ The Country Show (9-10pm, Thursday 9 March) will feature Jordan Davis and Ashley Cooke as guests, and the show the following week will feature highlights from Sunday night at the O2 (Thursday 16 March). The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show will feature Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson, and Breland, and Jeremy Vine’s show will be broadcast live from Glasgow, where he’ll be chatting with Edith Bowman and featuring a live performance from Lindsay Ell, who is performing at C2C in the city.
Cerys Matthews’ Blues Show presents a world exclusive interview with the legendary Van Morrison, in which the superstar discusses his love of the blues, the artists he most admires, and the history of skiffle (9-10pm, Monday 13 March). Van’s most recent album features him reimagining classics from the late 1950s, a time and style that saw Lonnie Donegan become a global phenomenon in the aftermath of his signature hit, Rock Island Line. That song, and others like it, had a profound influence on the young Ivan Morrison as he grew up in Belfast, and with Cerys’ help, he travels back in time to discuss its impact on his own musical ambitions and how it helped to introduce blues to a wider global audience. He also discusses his live performances, his domestic life in Northern Ireland in the 1950s, his current attitude towards his classic back catalogue, and much more in a wide-ranging interview. Cerys will be performing music by Van and other well-known blues artists who had a significant influence on his music. BBC Audio created the audio.
The Story of the 12″ Single, presented by Jo Whiley, commemorates the 40th anniversary of the release of New Order’s seminal single Blue Monday in March 2023. It rose from humble beginnings to become revered and immortalised in history as the best-selling 12″ single of all time. With this anniversary as a jumping off point, Jo and some special guests celebrate the 12″ – a format that conjures up images of DJs on turntables but has a story spanning many genres and decades.
Big Night Of Musicals, presented by Samantha Barks and Layton Williams and staged by The National Lottery at the AO Arena Manchester, will be broadcast in a special 90-minute programme on BBC One and a programme on BBC Radio 2 for the second year in a row (8-10pm, Sunday 26 March). For a spectacular celebration, the show brings together the biggest shows from the world of theatre. Jason Manford, a comedian, presenter, and singer, will be on stage introducing performances from some of the bestselling West End Musicals and touring shows, including We Will Rock You The Musical, Wicked, Matilda The Musical by The Royal Shakespeare Company, Newsies by Disney, Shrek the Musical UK and Ireland tour, The Bodyguard The Musical, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King And I. Aspects Of Love will also give a special performance, with musical theatre star and Radio 2 presenter Michael Ball. Samantha and Layton will be given exclusive backstage access to interview the night’s stars for the Radio 2 show. It will be available for 30 days after broadcast on BBC Sounds. This is a TBI Media production.
Tony Blackburn: Your Soul Mate returns this Easter on Good Friday, 7 April, and Easter Monday, 10 April, bringing listeners his favourite soul tracks. This is a BBC Audio production.
“I can’t think of a better way to spend the Bank Holiday weekend than with the wonderful Radio 2 listeners playing my favourite soul tracks from across the decades,” Tony says.
Also at Easter is a Queen celebration to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the release of their self-titled debut album and their first single, Keep Yourself Alive. There is a listener vote to find out What’s Your Ultimate Queen Song?, with the results revealed in a countdown chart hosted by Steve Wright on BBC Sounds from Friday 31 March and broadcast on Radio 2 on Monday 10 April at 4pm; plus Queen: The Fans Story, an hour-long show that hears from a variety of musician fans during their Jubilee year. The show includes personal memories and stories from Belinda Carlisle, Richard Marx, Lisa Stansfield, Shani Twain, Tom Chaplin, and others, as well as current frontman Adam Lambert. There will be fascinating insights and compelling stories that will transport listeners through the decades of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign (7-8pm, Monday 10 April). This is followed by Queen At The BBC, which features the band talking to BBC presenters over the years, as well as their music being played on vinyl and heard in BBC sessions. The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, which took place in 1992 at Wembley Stadium, will be broadcast on Monday, April 10th (8-9pm). BBC Audio productions only.
This Spring, The Jazz Show with Jamie Cullum returns to the BBC’s legendary Maida Vale studios for a series of special live sessions.
To commemorate Nina Simone’s 90th birthday – singer, pianist, activist, and one of the most important figures in twentieth-century music – Jamie has invited three of his favourite singers to perform some of her classics. Omar, a UK soul legend and actor, as well as rising star Cherise and Samara Joy, who won Best New Artist at this year’s Grammys, are all scheduled to perform and discuss why Miss Simone’s music is so timeless.
A modern-day icon is also honoured, as US vocalist José James takes a break from his European tour to pay tribute to Erykah Badu’s genius. The revered musician is backed by an all-star band as he performs classics from the Queen of Neo Soul’s songbook. A production by Folded Wing.
With a weekly audience of 14.3 million, BBC Radio 2 is the most-listened-to radio station in the United Kingdom (RAJAR Q4, 2022). With a 7.14 million audience, the Zoe Ball Breakfast Show is the most listened to breakfast show in the UK (RAJAR Q4, 2022). Michael Ball, Zoe Ball, Rob Beckett, Tony Blackburn, OJ Borg, Rev. Kate Bottley, Ken Bruce, Rylan, Fearne Cotton, Sara Cox, Jamie Cullum, Gary Davies, Paul Gambaccini, Angela Griffin, Bob Harris, Vernon Kay, Cerys Matthews, Scott Mills, Jason Mohammad, Trevor Nelson, Dermot O’Leary, Elaine Paige, Mark Radcliffe, Romesh Ranganathan, DJ Spoon
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