There’s a big vacancy going at Radio 2 after the BBC abruptly sacked Scott Mills as host of the weekday breakfast show.
Mills, who stepped in to host the programme after Zoe Ball left in 2024, was fired by the corporation after allegations about his personal conduct.
There’s now a big question mark surrounding who will be recruited as Mills’ full-time replacement. Since the 53-year-old DJ was taken off the air last week, resident Radio 2 stand-in Gary Davies has been hosting the show – but it’s a sure bet the BBC are lining up a household name to take on the role.
Whoever is hired will certainly have big shoes to fill, and will join an exclusive list that includes former breakfast show hosts Ball, Chris Evans, Ken Bruce and Terry Wogan.
The station’s first fixed breakfast host, in 1970, was John Dunn, with Wogan replacing him in 1972, kicking off what was 28 years at the wheel. However, this was spread across two stints – the first from 1972 until 1984, and again from 1993 to 2009, when Evans took over. Other hosts have included Derek Jameson and Brian Hayes.
Below are the main contenders running through who could replace Mills in the role.
Vernon Kay
By some bookmakers’ estimation, the man in pole position to take over from Mills is another BBC Radio 2 host, Vernon Kay. Born in Bolton, Greater Manchester, Kay, 51, has been an enduring figure in and around British radio, having hosted the mid-morning slot on Radio 2 since May 2023, when he took over from Ken Bruce. Previously, Kay presented his own show on Radio X, and is known for his live coverage of Formula E racing.
In 2020, he starred on the ITV reality series I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here!, ultimately finishing in third. Last month, BBC Radio 2 station head Helen Thomas stated that Kay’s programme was “the most listened-to show on UK radio”, attracting 6.7 million listeners each week – making him a strong contender for Mills’s former role.
Sara Cox
BBC listeners are also likely to be familiar with Sara Cox, who has worked with the corporation since the Nineties. Cox hosted a succession of programmes on BBC Radio 1 between 1999 and 2014, the most high-profile of which was the breakfast show (from 2000 to 2003). Taking over the role from Zoe Ball, Cox, 51, initially prompted a growth in listenership, earning Radio 1 its largest breakfast audience ever.
After leaving the station, she went on to enjoy a fruitful career on Radio 2, hosting a variety of programmes that led to her taking over the drivetime slot from Simon Mayo in 2019. On television, she is known for presenting The Great Pottery Throwdown, Back in Time For…, and her own ITV series The Sara Cox Show.
Dermot O’Leary
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Sometimes, the most obvious choices are the best ones, which is why producers might be considering asking Dermot O’Leary, 52, to replace Mills. Firstly, the former X Factor host has been a trusted Radio 2 fixture since 2004 and is the very definition of “a safe pair of hands”, worming his way into listeners’ hearts with his impassioned dancing to Bruce Springsteen on his show’s live streams.
Secondly, he already presents a breakfast show on the station, but on Saturdays. Whether he’d want to have five very early mornings rather than one remains to be seen, but there’s no doubt listeners would welcome him with open ears.
Rylan Clark
Rylan, 37, is more than capable of hosting the breakfast show. He is a favourite among current Radio 2 listeners thanks to his upbeat Saturday afternoon show, and could no doubt nab some listeners from Radio 1 with his cheeky wit, which would make him an ideal candidate in producers’ eyes.
But let’s address the elephant in the room – he is good friends with Scott Mills, with the pair’s camaraderie particularly becoming a welcome presence on Radio 2’s Eurovision coverage in recent years. This could throw an awkward spanner in the works should he be offered the role. If he does take over, though, it’ll be the biggest appointment yet for someone whose career began as a joke contestant on The X Factor.
Gary Davies
There’s an element of always the bridesmaid, never the bride, for Gary Davies – a 68-year-old veteran broadcaster who cut his teeth on Radio 1 in the 1980s and is now Radio 2’s resident stand-in when things go awry. He stepped in when Ken Bruce left the station, but kept the seat warm for Vernon Kay, who started a few months later, and has now done the same following Mills’ abrupt firing.
Maybe this is his time – he’s essentially been doing successful trial runs for the station since 2017 and listeners clearly feel comfortable in his presence. But with ratings at the forefront of producers’ minds, it could be that they want more of a household name to take on the role.
Clara Amfo
Clara Amfo, 41, has been a fixture of British TV and radio over the past decade-plus, having joined BBC Radio 1Xtra in 2013, as host of the weekend breakfast show. In 2015, she succeeded Fearne Cotton as host of the BBC Radio 1 mid-morning show. She is also known for hosting Radio 1’s Future Sounds series between 2021 and 2024, having taken over the role from Annie Mac.
The big reasons Amfo is being considered a contender are that she is familiar with the BBC, a well-known household name, and is currently available. Addressing her decision to leave BBC Radio 1, Amfo said last year that she had felt “completely satiated” by the job and wanted to avoid it becoming a “chore”. On television, Amfo is known for presenting at the Brit Awards, Top of the Pops and The One Show.
Romesh Ranganathan
Whether you like it or not, Romesh Ranganathan, 48, is everywhere – from Prime Video’s Last One Laughing and The Weakest Link to BBC Radio 2, where he hosts Saturday’s lunchtime show. Given that he’s already proven himself to be a safe pair of broadcasting hands, the comedian would be a wise choice for Mills’ breakfast show replacement.
What could stop him, though, is his workload. With projects airing on Sky, ITV and the BBC, as well as his upcoming stand-up tour and stint in the West End, the daily Radio 2 slot may be one job too many for the hard-working Ranganathan. The man does have a family!
Richie Anderson
While prime time presenters like Vernon Kay, Sara Cox and Rylan Clark may spring to mind when thinking of Mills’ potential replacement, the role could be the perfect gear change for travel news reporter Richie Anderson. The former footballer, 38, joined Radio 2 in 2019 as its weekday mornings travel news reporter before switching to afternoons 16 months ago.
Like Mills, he competed on Strictly Come Dancing (before being voted off fairly early) and later joined the presenting team for the BBC’s coverage of Eurovision, commentating on the semi-finals with Sara Cox last year. A reliable and infectiously sunny voice on Radio 2, Anderson certainly has what it takes to take over from Mills – if the station is willing to give him a chance.
