Sara Cox insists 'it's still Radio 2' and defends Vernon Kay as ratings plunge

25 August 2023 , 23:01

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Sara Cox (Image: www.danielkennedy.com)

DJ Sara Cox insists Vernon Kay is the right fit for BBC Radio 2, despite the station losing a million listeners since Ken Bruce left.

Vernon, 49, took over the mid-morning show from 72-year-old Ken in May. And Sara, 48, who has hosted Radio 2’s drivetime slot since 2018, rubbished the idea Vernon is too young for the audience. She said: “He’s not 21, arriving with his cap on backwards on a skateboard. He’s knocking 50 and greying beautifully. He’s older than Ken was when he started.

“It may feel like [Radio 2] is getting in all these young ’uns, but we’ve still got all the legends on there. People move on and get replaced.” Sara admitted it was a “shocker” when Ken quit the station after 37 years. But she told woman&home magazine: “When change happens, it feels really big in the moment and within days, you’re like, ‘It’s fine… it’s still Radio 2’.”

Vernon Kay (PA)

The DJ added: “With Radio 2, I felt like I’d really worked for it and it’s genuinely my dream gig. The last few years, my career has got even better. It’s ripened. I’m very fortunate in the way it’s panned out." Sara, 48, also told how she had cut down on her drinking and said women should be body positive in 2023.

She told the publication: “I’ve not got time for thinking about what bit of my body I hate. Women need to stop talking about that. I’m just grateful that, touch wood, things work and that I’m here. It’s why I don’t fret about ageing.” The shock move for Bruce to leave, announced in January, follows a number of high-profile departures and reshuffling at BBC Radio of recent, including Scott Mills leaving BBC Radio 1 after 24 years at the network to join Radio 2 for a new weekday show.

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The radio DJ took over the 2-4pm slot from presenter Steve Wright, who stepped down from his afternoon show at the end of September after 23 years. Wright continues to present his Radio 2 Sunday Love Songs programme as well as specials on the station. The late Paul O’Grady also quit his Radio 2 Sunday afternoon show, which he presented for around 14 years, because he was not happy with a schedule shake-up which saw him share the slot with comic Rob Beckett. And Vanessa Feltz also quit her morning show.

* October’s woman&home is on sale from August 31.

Mark Jefferies