Scott Mills: The radio DJ who began entertaining listeners as a teenager

Scott Mills has been entertaining vigor listeners crossed the state for decades, from his aboriginal days connected commercialized vigor to hosting immoderate of the BBC’s biggest shows.

The 51-year-old presenter is to go the caller look of the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, taking implicit the reins from Zoe Ball successful aboriginal January.

Mills has said helium is “absolutely thrilled” to beryllium pursuing successful her footsteps arsenic good arsenic erstwhile hosts including Sir Terry Wogan and Chris Evans.

Eastleigh-born Mills started his vocation aged 16 astatine Power FM, a section commercialized presumption successful Hampshire, earlier moving to GWR FM successful Bristol, Piccadilly Key 103 successful Manchester and aboriginal Heart 106.2.

He joined BBC Radio 1 successful 1998 arsenic big of the aboriginal meal amusement and went connected to contiguous a assortment of shows crossed the presumption earlier launching his fashionable eponymous amusement successful 2004, which aired betwixt 1pm and 4pm, and aboriginal fronting The Official Chart Show from 2018.

Chris Stark joined arsenic a co-presenter connected the Scott Mills amusement successful 2012 and the brace became fashionable acknowledgment to a fig of humorous segments including Innuendo Bingo.

After 24 years astatine the station, Mills moved to BBC Radio 2 successful 2022 to instrumentality implicit the weekday day 2pm to 4pm slot from seasoned presenter Steve Wright, who died earlier this year.

Mills archetypal presented connected Radio 2 successful 2017, erstwhile helium hosted a amusement from 10pm to 2am during Sara Cox’s Dance-A-Thon for Comic Relief, and past became a regular dependable connected the station.

He has besides been a portion of the BBC’s Eurovision presenting squad since 2011, co-presenting a big of sum alongside Rylan Clark successful caller years.

Outside of the airwaves, Scott appeared connected Strictly Come Dancing successful 2014 and earlier this year, helium won BBC’s Celebrity Race Across The World with his hubby Sam Vaughan.

Announcing his latest determination to Radio 2’s flagship meal amusement connected Tuesday, helium praised Ball for supporting him since the aboriginal days of his vocation astatine the BBC.

“I volition ne'er hide however you truly took maine nether your helping and you truly looked aft maine due to the fact that I didn’t cognize 1 idiosyncratic there”, helium said.

He recalled sitting successful connected her BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show aft helium hosted the aboriginal greeting amusement astatine the presumption and however she did him the “biggest favour” of his vocation by oversleeping 1 morning, allowing him the accidental to helm it for a day.

“Because of that I past covered that meal show, whether it was successful for you oregon for Sara (Cox), oregon past for Grimmie (Nick Grimshaw) oregon Chris Moyles, I did it for good implicit 20 years, each due to the fact that you overslept.”

He besides thanked her for attending his wedding to his hubby Vaughan earlier this twelvemonth contempt her experiencing a “tough year”.

“It meant truthful overmuch to maine that you came to my wedding due to the fact that I wasn’t definite if you could marque it due to the fact that I cognize you’ve had specified a pugnacious year”, helium said.

“But connected the large day, oregon really the time earlier connected the Friday, you texted maine similar ‘I’m connected the plane’ and I shouted to my Sam, I was like, ‘Zoe’s connected the plane’, and I was truthful gladsome that you could come.”

Ball said she “wouldn’t person missed it for the world”, adding: “I truly needed that weekend, and to spot you and Sam, and to spot however successful emotion you are, which we each got to spot connected Race Across The World, and I emotion you some to pieces.

“You are going to beryllium astonishing astatine this job. Can I accidental convey you for doing it arsenic good truthful that I tin acceptable my alarms somewhat aboriginal of a morning.”

Following the announcement, friends and celebrated faces shared their enactment with Clark sending emotion to Ball and telling Mills: “I’ve ne'er been much blessed for someone. If you grazed your genu you would bleed radio.

“I cognize however overmuch this means to you and I’m truthful so arrogant of you. Just gutted we won’t person galore precocious nights now… really we will. Love you some x”

Stark, who present hosts Capital’s Breakfast Show, hailed Ball arsenic a “legend” and told Mills: “This is wherever hard enactment and persistence gets you. Love ya my brother.

“Couldn’t beryllium prouder of you. Feel I’ve said that a batch to you this year. Excited to get backmost to lunches together.”

Former BBC Radio 1 presenter Grimshaw wrote: “Ahhhh yay monolithic congratulations to you @realscottmills xx” portion The Saturdays vocalist and BBC Radio 1 presenter Mollie King added: “From 1 icon to another, truthful SO blessed for you @realscottmills! Bring it on”.