Scott Mills named next host of Radio 2 Breakfast Show after Zoe quits

Scott Mills will replace Zoe Ball on the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show following her departure next month. Scott, who currently hosts a show in the afternoon, stood in for Zoe when she was missing earlier this year.

Zoe Ball has announced she is stepping down from hosting the Radio 2 breakfast show after six years in December. The 53-year-old took over the Radio 2 morning programme in 2019 from Chris Evans.

Announcing the news on air, she said: “I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter. You know I think the world of you all listeners and it truly has been such a privilege to share the mornings with you…”.

She was the first female host of the Radio 1 Breakfast Show in 1998, a post she held until 2000. She also co-hosted the BBC’s Saturday morning children’s magazine Live & Kicking alongside Jamie Theakston for three years from 1996.

In an official statement, she said: “After six incredible years on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, it’s time for me to step away from the very early mornings and focus on family. It’s been a privilege. I think the world of you listeners and I’m grateful to my bosses here for their support, especially this year.”

Ball said her last show will be on December 20, adding: “Just in time for Christmas with plenty of fun and shenanigans. While I’m stepping away from the Breakfast Show, I’m not disappearing entirely – I’ll still be a part of the Radio 2 family, with more news in the New Year.

“I’m excited to embrace my next chapter, including being a mum in the mornings, and I can’t wait to tune in on the school run!”

Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: “Zoe has woken up the nation on Radio 2 with incredible warmth, wit and so much joy since January 2019, and I’d like to thank her for approaching each show with as much vim and vigour as if it were her first. I’m thrilled that she’ll remain an important part of the Radio 2 family.”

Ball has presented the BBC spin-off show Strictly Come Dancing: It Takes Two, and ITV’s reality competition show Mamma Mia! I Have A Dream