Claudia Winkleman has announced she is to step down from her Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 2, and will present her last weekly programme on the station in March 2024.
Comedian, author and actor Romesh Ranganathan – who currently presents For The Love Of Hip Hop for Radio 2 and BBC Sounds – will launch a new Saturday morning show from April 2024.
Speaking live on air, Winkleman explained her decision to listeners stating: “I absolutely love Radio 2 and it’s been a privilege to host the Saturday morning show for three years. I will miss our amazing guests, our brilliant listeners and the one and only Sally Traffic. The truth is my children are growing up inordinately fast so I have decided to follow them around at home before they leave for good. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who works on the show, I will continue to visit with badly made biscuits and will pester the bosses to present the odd special.”
“I couldn’t be happier that Romesh is taking over Saturday mornings on Radio 2. He is brilliantly laugh out loud funny, and I’ll listen every single week as my kids beg me to leave them alone.”
Claudia first joined Radio 2 in Spring 2008 to host Hot Gossip, a comedy quiz series, before moving to Friday nights to host the Claudia Winkleman Arts Show.
In 2016, the Strictly Come Dancing host presented Claudia on Sunday, and then moved on to Saturday mornings in February 2021.
Guests on the show have included Ant & Dec, Michael Bublé, Brian Cox, Minnie Driver, Emily Eavis, Noel Gallagher and Tom Hiddleston.
Following the announcement of Claudia’s departure, Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 said via a press release: “I’d like to thank Claudia for entertaining her millions of listeners each Saturday morning with such sparkling wit and great warmth. Radio 2 listeners can rest easy as we’re working on a plan for some specials in the future, so watch this space!
“I’m delighted to welcome Romesh to his new Saturday morning show on Radio 2. Judging by the audience’s reaction to him at Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester this year, he’s already a firm favourite with our listeners. Like Claud before him, he’ll guarantee your Saturday mornings continue to be an appointment to listen.”
In his own statement, Ranganathan said: “In my many years working as a maths teacher thinking ‘what would happen if I gave this up’, I never imagined I’d be sandwiched between Dermot O’Leary and Steve Wright on the UK’s most popular radio station every Saturday morning. I’m grateful to Claud for wanting to spend more time with her kids, and enabling me to spend less time with mine, and I look forward to finding out what the nation is up to at that time, as well as speaking to some familiar faces. It’s going to be fun. Probably.”