Zoe Ball quit BBC Radio 2 with listeners at two year high before Scott Mills takeover

BBC Radio big Zoe Ball near her meal amusement astatine the extremity of past twelvemonth and caller figures uncover that the programme saw an summation successful its assemblage soon earlier her last broadcast

Presenter Zoe Ball near her BBC Radio 2 amusement with her largest assemblage for astir 2 years, according to figures.

The vigor host, 54, fronted her last meal show for the presumption backmost successful December aft six years successful the role. She had announced her departure weeks anterior aft an extended absence implicit the summer, which came pursuing the decease of Zoe's precocious mother Julia Peckham successful April past year.

It's present been announced that the flagship amusement saw an summation successful its assemblage soon earlier her last broadcast. An mean of 6.8 cardinal listeners tuned successful to her amusement each week crossed the last 4th of past year, according to probe assemblage Rajar. This is up 9 percent connected the erstwhile 3 months and is the highest fig for the amusement since the commencement of 2023.

Zoe - who teased that she volition inactive stay successful the Radio 2 "family" - was absent from the airwaves for portion of the summertime of 2024. She returned concisely connected on August 8 earlier coming backmost full-time from September 23.

Radio 2's Breakfast Show remains the most-listened to programme successful the UK astatine that clip of day, up of chap BBC shows arsenic good arsenic commercialized rivals similar Chris Evans connected Virgin Radio and Jamie Theakston and Amanda Holden connected Heart. Radio 2's wide assemblage saw a akin leap to that enjoyed by Zoe, averaging 13.6 cardinal crossed the 3 months to December, up 3 percent some connected the erstwhile 4th and year-on-year.

Scott Mills, 51, has since taken implicit arsenic host from Zoe connected the Breakfast Show, making his debut connected January 27. The adjacent acceptable of Rajar figures, owed to beryllium published successful May and covering the archetypal 3 months of this year, volition springiness an aboriginal denotation of whether helium has held connected to her audience.

BBC Radio 2 caput Helen Thomas said that she was "thrilled that Radio 2 remains the astir fashionable vigor presumption successful the UK" and is "immensely proud" of the station's schedule. She added: "Zoe Ball continued to big the UK's astir listened to meal show, and Vernon Kay celebrates fantastic figures which proceed to grow."

Radio 4's assemblage slipped to 9.0 cardinal successful October-December 2024, down 7 percent connected the erstwhile 3 months but a autumn of lone 1% connected the equivalent play successful 2023. PA adds that Rajar's findings besides show, for example, that Greg James' meal amusement connected BBC Radio 1 is up 4 percent year-on-year from 3.9 cardinal to 4.1 million; nary comparable figures for the erstwhile 4th are available, due to the fact that of a alteration successful the programme's transmission time.

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