Scott Mills on battle to win over Radio 2 listeners and replacing Zoe Ball

Scott Mills has been announced arsenic the replacement for Zoe Ball connected Radio 2's coveted Breakfast Show slot

Today Scott Mills was announced arsenic the new big of BBC Radio 2, replacing Zoe Ball who has held the presumption for six years

Zoe broke the daze quality to listeners unrecorded connected aerial connected Tuesday morning. The fashionable presenter said it has been a “privilege” to stock her mornings with listeners arsenic she announced her departure. She has fronted the greeting programme since 2019 aft taking implicit from Chris Evans.

Announcing the quality she said: “Okay, you beauteous bunch, I person immoderate news. After six years of amusive times alongside you each connected the meal show, I’ve decided it’s clip to measurement distant from the aboriginal alarm telephone and commencement a caller chapter. You cognize I deliberation the world of you all, listeners, and it genuinely has been specified a privilege to stock the mornings with you, to spell done life’s small ups and downs.”

Just minutes later, Zoe's replacement was already announced arsenic Scott Mills. As the baton was handed over, a thrilled Scott told listeners: “It feels ever since signaling my archetypal shows arsenic a kid for an assemblage of one, my mum, each roads since person led to this astonishing opportunity. It truly is simply a lifelong imagination travel existent to travel successful the footsteps of Sir Terry, Chris and Zoe to beryllium the caller presenter of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.”

The quality travel aft Scott told the Mirror however helium had to enactment to triumph implicit immoderate of the station’s ‘hardcore’ listeners aft helium joined Radio 2.

Despite proving himself with a 24 twelvemonth agelong astatine sister presumption Radio 1, Scott admitted helium had a ‘big enactment to follow’ erstwhile helium was asked to measurement into the shoes of vigor titan Steve Wright successful July 2022 - ending Steve’s ain 23 twelvemonth reign. Tragically conscionable 16 months aft the switch, Steve passed distant from a ruptured tummy ulcer astatine the property of 69. Scott was 1 of galore DJs astatine the presumption to articulation the outpouring of tributes, calling the precocious big ‘an implicit legend.’

Scott, 51, admitted immoderate of Radio 2's loyal listeners were taken aback by the alteration and were hard to please.

“I’ve been connected the vigor for hundreds of years truthful if you were 20 and you listened to maine connected Radio 1 and you’re present 40, you mightiness person travel implicit to Radio 2 with me,” said Scott. “Then I deliberation you’ve got your hardcore, person ever been listening to Radio 2 fans. Now it feels that I’ve been connected agelong capable for them to beryllium like, ‘Oh, we bash rather similar him now.’ Maybe they’d ne'er listened to maine earlier you know?”

“People bash similar a routine,” added Scott. “I deliberation there’s a conception of the assemblage who person moved crossed with maine and it’s ever bully to hear. There are radical who substance successful oregon erstwhile you conscionable them, who accidental ‘Oh I utilized to perceive to you connected Radio 1’’ - it’s the aforesaid with Vernon Kay.”

Scott felt his presumption astatine the presumption cemented astatine the station’s yearly Radio 2 successful the Park festival, held successful Leicester past year. Surrounded by listeners and the station's star-studded DJ line-up Scott said helium yet felt he’d recovered his place.

“It felt truly peculiar to me. It was the archetypal large happening I’d done here. I’d been connected since November the twelvemonth earlier but maine and the different DJs hadn’t each got unneurotic successful that time. That was the archetypal event, the archetypal clip that I thought, ‘This is simply a flippin’ large spot to enactment and everyone is amazing’. I had specified a large time. I was drinking each the wines with Tony Blackburn, I was having an implicit blast with Michael Ball, who is hilarious, and hanging retired with Owain Wyn Evans and Rylan Clark backstage. It was awesome.

“Everyone was lovely, and I’m not conscionable saying it. I don’t get to spot a batch of radical due to the fact that they are connected weekends oregon they are connected successful the evening and it’s radical I’ve known for years similar Jo Whiley but I ne'er spot her. It truly made maine feel, arsenic the caller lad I guess, that I was yet portion of the family.

“Every time is astonishing here. It’s the champion job. Radio 2 is conscionable massive, it feels massive. It’s an honour and joyousness to beryllium portion of.”

Scott was called upon to screen Zoe Ball’s Breakfast amusement pursuing the decease of her parent earlier this year. Speaking successful September, Soctt said the buzz of unrecorded vigor was inactive worthy the aboriginal starts.

“I get a buzz everyday. A 4am alarm is not that overmuch fun, but erstwhile it comes to 6.30am and you commencement playing the opening euphony to the amusement I inactive get that thrill. The adrenalin is inactive there. It feels large to beryllium connected aerial each day.

“I’ve got much sensible arsenic I’ve got older. I would spell retired and spell consecutive into Radio 1 for aboriginal breakfast. But not anymore! You’ve got to prioritise slumber and workout adjacent erstwhile you consciousness similar you can’t beryllium bothered. It’s rather unusual however rapidly you set to aboriginal mornings if you person to.”

Discussing Scott's caller relation today, Zoe said: “Scott and I spell mode backmost to our Radio 1 days, erstwhile helium was doing aboriginal mornings earlier me. He’s been a adjacent person for years, and I’m beyond thrilled it’s him taking implicit the Breakfast Show.

“Breakfast has ever been his dream, and what a twelvemonth he’s had – from racing astir the satellite to his beauteous wedding to Sam. He’s not lone a blooming superb shaper but 1 of the champion successful radio. I can’t hold to tune successful connected the schoolhouse run!”.