BBC Radio 2‘s Zoe Ball, the company’s highest-paid female presenter, has revealed she’s stepping down from her high-profile breakfast show position after six years. The announcement, made during her Tuesday broadcast, marks another major shift for Britain’s most listened-to radio station.
“After six incredible years on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, it’s time for me to step away from the very early mornings and focus on family,” Ball told her audience, per Deadline. She added, “I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter. You know I think the world of you listeners and it truly has been such a privilege to share the mornings with you.”
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Ball told her audience, “We’ve shared a hell of a lot, the good times, the tough times, there’s been a lot of laughter. And I am going to miss you cats… But I won’t miss the 4 a.m. alarm call, if I’m completely honest.”
Ball’s program, which attracts 6.28 million listeners despite a recent decline of 146,000 viewers, will conclude on Dec. 20, “just in time for Christmas with plenty of fun and shenanigans,” according to the BBC. Her replacement will be Scott Mills, who currently hosts Radio 2’s afternoon slot.
Endorsing her successor, Ball stated: “Scott and I go way back to our Radio 1 days, when he was doing early mornings before me. He’s been a close friend for years, and I’m beyond thrilled it’s him taking over the Breakfast Show. Breakfast has always been his dream. He’s not only a blooming brilliant producer but one of the best in radio. I can’t wait to tune in on the school run!”
The transition represents part of a broader reorganization at Radio 2, which reaches approximately 13.3 million weekly listeners. Trevor Nelson will assume Mills’s afternoon position, making history as the first Black presenter in the station’s daytime schedule, reports The Guardian.
Mills, who transferred from Radio 1 to Radio 2 in 2022, expressed enthusiasm about his new role: “Zoe and I have been such good friends now for over 25 years and have spent much of that time as part of the same radio family here at Radio 2 and also on Radio 1. She’s done an incredible job on this show over the past six years, and I am beyond excited to be handed the baton.”
Ball’s career with the BBC began in October 1997 as co-host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show alongside Kevin Greening. She made history a year later by becoming the first woman to host that program solo. Her journey with Radio 2 included hosting documentaries, various shows, and the Saturday early morning breakfast show before taking over the flagship breakfast program from Chris Evans in 2019, reports Deadline.
The departing host’s influence extends beyond broadcasting achievements. According to the latest BBC annual report, she commanded a salary between ยฃ950,000 ($1.2M) and ยฃ954,999 last year, ranking second only to Gary Lineker among the corporation’s top-paid presenters.
Ball’s exit follows a brief absence from broadcasting over the summer when Mills temporarily assumed her duties. She returned in September amid speculation about her future with the station. While leaving the breakfast show, Ball will maintain her connection with Radio 2, with details about her new role expected early next year, according to The Guardian.
The broader programming changes include DJ Spoony expanding his weekly The Good Groove show to four nights weekly, Monday through Thursday, while Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s Kitchen Disco will double in length to two hours on Friday nights.
Helen Thomas, Radio 2’s head, praised Ball’s contribution via the BBC: “Zoe has woken up the nation on Radio 2 with incredible warmth, wit and so much joy since January 2019. I’d like to thank her for approaching each show with as much vim and vigour as if it were her first. I’m thrilled that she’ll remain an important part of the Radio 2 family.”
Ball’s television work includes hosting Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two and ITV‘s Mamma Mia! I Have a Dream. Reports suggest she may pursue additional television projects with her son Woody following their joint appearance on Channel 4’s Celebrity Gogglebox, per The Guardian.
