Vernon Kay joins BBC Radio 2: Ken Bruce replacement confirmed - and what will Bruce do next?

Ken Bruce announced in January that he would leave his regular mid-morning slot on BBC Radio 2 when his contract comes up for renewal at the end of March. The BBC scrambled to replace Bruce. whose show is the most listened to slot on UK radio, and last month the station announced that presenter Vernon Kay will fill Bruce’s shoes.

The BBC then announced that Bruce would be leaving the show early, with his final day being Friday 3 March. Bruce began hosting his mid-morning show in 1986 - but after more than 30 years, and his features such as PopMaster, The Love Song, and Tracks of My Years, became staples of his slot. But after so long with BBC Radio, he decided it was time for a career move - the 72 year old will join Greatest Hits Radio in April.

He was rumoured to have been offered a £500,000 contract by Greatet Hits, which would be more than £10,000 more than he was paid by the BBC last year. Is is the latest of several big stars to jump the good ship BBC - he follows the likes of Graham Norton, Paul O’Grady, Steve Wright, Vanessa Feltz, Craig Charles, and Simon Mayo in leaving the station

There had been plenty of speculation over who would replace Bruce, and now, more than a month after the announcement, it looks like the station has landed on its newest star.

When did Ken Bruce quit BBC Radio 2?

Bruce announced his decision to leave his morning show on air on Tuesday 17 January - he explained that he will leave the station when his contract expires in March. It was later revealed that Bruce would be joining rival station Greatest Hits Radio in April.

He said in a statement: "Nothing stays the same forever and I have decided the time is right for me to move on from Radio 2 when I reach the end of my current contract in March. It’s been a tremendously happy time for me.

“I’ve made many friends and worked with many wonderful colleagues. However, I feel that after 45 years of full-time broadcasting on BBC Radio it’s time for a change.”

Bruce has hosted his morning show for more than three decades -  beginning in the 9.30am-12pm slot back in 1986 before taking a break in 1990. He returned to the slot in 1992 and has continued in the role for the last 31 years. Bruce’s show is the most-listened to in all of UK radio, with an average of 8.7 million tuning in and his replacement has big shoes to fill.

Who will replace Ken Bruce on BBC Radio 2?

After weeks of speculation, it has been confirmed that Vernon Kay will replace Bruce on the mid-morning slot. Thos who had been rumoured to be taking on the role included X Factor star Rylan Clark, fellow Radio 2 presenters Gary Davies and Zoe Ball, and Little Britain star Matt Lucas.

Kay is a TV and radio presenter and former model - he is best known for presenting the quiz show All Star Family Fortunes from 2006-2015. He appeared on season 20 of I’m A Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here, coming in third place.

He has been involved in radio since 2004 when he joined BBC Radio 1 - Kay has also covered for Rylan on Radio 2, and been a regular on Zoe Ball’s show since March 2022. Kay is married to model and presenter Tess Daly.

Taking to Twitter today (24 February), BBC Radio 2 tweeted: “We're delighted to announce that Vernon Kay will be taking over the mid-morning show on Radio 2 later this year!” Kay has retweeted the post. He is expected to begin hosting the show in May.