Who Will Replace Scott Mills As Radio 2 Breakfast Host? 7 Potential Choices
The world of British entertainment is currently reeling from the news that Radio 2 host Scott Mills has been abruptly fired from the BBC amid allegations about his personal conduct.
As reports about exactly what led to Mills’ exit begin building up, speculation is also rife about who will be taking over the vacant slot as host of the Radio 2 breakfast show, which he had occupied for just over a year.
With the BBC remaining tight-lipped for the time being, we’ve rounded up seven of the most likely contenders who could take over the role…
Vernon Kay
Since taking over from Ken Bruce’s morning slot on Radio 2, Vernon Kay’s show has been steadily growing its audience, with the station’s boss Helen Thomas claiming recently that his is the “most listened to show on UK radio”.
Vernon certainly seems like the most obvious pick for the job, particularly after bookies named him their top pick immediately after the news broke of Scott’s sudden exit.
Sara Cox
Like Vernon, Sara Cox has been widely reported to be a heavy favourite for the breakfast gig.
Sara has been the host of the coveted drivetime show on Radio 2 since 2019, and had her slot extended by a whole hour three years ago.
It’s worth pointing out that Sara does have early-morning presenting experience as she was Radio 1’s breakfast host for three years in the early 2000s, taking over from Scott Mills’ Radio 2 predecessor, Zoe Ball.
Gary Davies
In addition to his own 80s-centric show on Saturday nights, Gary Davies is a regular stand-in on Radio 2, and has been filling in for Scott Mills since last week, when he was first taken off air.
Gary has been part of the Radio 2 family for almost 10 years, and previously served as the interim host of Ken Bruce’s mid-morning show before Vernon Kay was appointed its permanent presenter.
Clara Amfo
During her years presenting on Radio 1, Clara Amfo became an absolute favourite of listeners, presenting iconic slots like the chart show, the live lounge and her own mid-morning slot.
Having since progressed to slightly more “grown-up” presenting work on the likes of The One Show, Clara would be a great fit for Radio 2’s flagship breakfast show, and has been named in the press as a strong contender for the job.
Rylan Clark
Given his reality TV background, winning over Radio 2 listeners was something of an uphill battle for Rylan Clark when he joined the station as a weekend presenter in 2019, but he pulled it off.
Rylan has also regularly co-presented shows with Scott Mills, most notably commentating with him at the Eurovision Song Contest, so there’s an argument that he’d be a good fit to take over from his former co-host on the Radio 2 breakfast show.
Trevor Nelson
Trevor Nelson has been a mainstay across the BBC’s various radio stations for the last 30 years, joining Radio 2 in 2008.
In the years since, he’s hosted a variety of different shows at the station, and is currently its weekday afternoon host, occupying a slot previously held by Scott Mills himself, before he took over from Zoe Ball at the helm of the breakfast show.
Liza Tarbuck
After 14 years, Liza Tarbuck hosted her final weekend show on Radio 2 just a few weeks ago.
Upon her exit, controller Helen Thomas said the “door at Radio 2 will always be open for her”, and given her popularity with listeners, we could definitely imagine a world where her newly-open schedule puts her at the top of the wishlist for new breakfast show hosts.