4 November – BBC Radio 2 (and BBC Radio 4) begin broadcasting in stereo in South East England. Stereo was rolled out to the rest of the country over subsequent years.[2]
Kenneth Alwyn replaces Eric Robinson as host of Melodies for You.
3 April – Terry Wogan joins to present The Radio 2 Breakfast Show. He replaces John Dunn who moves to afternoons. Breakfast Special disappears from the airwaves and a new early morning show is introduced, resulting in BBC Radio 2 starting the day on weekdays and Saturdays 30 minutes earlier, at 5am – Sunday broadcasting still commenced at just before 7am.
1 October – Sam Costa replaces Kenneth Alwyn as host of Melodies for You. Kenneth had hosted the show since the start of the year as Kenneth himself leaves the station.
6 January – Broadcasting hours are reduced due to budget cuts at the BBC. The former 5am to 2am schedule is reduced to a 6am start up Mondays to Saturdays, 6:55 on Sundays, and an earlier closedown time of around 12:33 each day. The cuts also see the weekday afternoon show, presented by David Hamilton, broadcast on both BBC Radio 1 and BBC Radio 2, as Hamilton rejoins the station.
29 September
The station closes slightly earlier, concluding its day at around 12:10am Mondays to Fridays, and at 12:33am on Saturdays and Sundays.
BBC Radio 2 stops being available on VHF/FM for an hour on weeknights when it lends its VHF/FM frequencies to BBC Radio 1 between 11pm and midnight. Previously, it had been available on Long Wave only (apart from some VHF simulcasts on BBC Local Radio stations) between 10pm and midnight between October 1971 and December 1974, when various progressive rock shows on BBC Radio 1 were given the higher-quality waveband.
1 April – Broadcasting hours are extended to a 5am and 2am schedule when the budget restrictions were eased and the pre-1975 broadcasting hours are reintroduced.
23 November
Radio 2 moves from 1500m (200 kHz) long wave to 433 & 330m (693 & 909 kHz) medium wave as part of a plan to improve national AM reception, and to conform with the Geneva Frequency Plan of 1975.[5]
22 December – Industrial action at the BBC by the ABS union, which started the previous day, extends to radio when the radio unions join their television counterparts by going on strike, forcing the BBC to merge its four national radio networks into one national radio station from 4pm and called it the BBC All Network Radio Service. The strike is settled shortly before 10pm on Friday 22 December 1978, with the unions and BBC management reaching an agreement at the British government's industrial disputes arbitration service ACAS.[6][7][8][9]
27 January – BBC Radio 2 closes down for the final time and at 5am, Radio 2 begins continuous broadcasting 24-hours with You and the Night and the Music filling the overnight hours.
3 October – Kenny Everett rejoins the BBC to present a Saturday morning programme.
4 October – All Time Greats with Desmond Carrington is broadcast for the first time, as Desmond joins the station.
6–31 October – For four weeks, Radio 2's overnight show, You and the Night and the Music, is replaced by 2's Company with features a blend of music, drama, talks and documentaries from all the radio networks.
15 January – Pete Murray presents his final show as he leaves the station.
20 January – Ahead of changes to the schedule, following the decision not to renew the contract of long-standing presenter Ed Stewart,[11] the year-long revival of Music While You Work ends and Gloria Hunniford takes over Ed's slot the following week. Steve Jones replaces Hunniford on the lunchtime show.
21 January
The overnight schedule is revamped. The station's original overnight show, You and the Night and the Music, is replaced by the return of Nightride and a new 60-minute programme, A Little Night Music which is presented by that night's duty newsreader rather than having a regular, named presenter.
Ken Bruce becomes a regular presenter as he joins the station when he takes over as the new host of the Saturday late-night show.
29 April – BBC Radio 2 launches a summer sports and entertainment programme. Called Summer Sounds, the programme mixes sports coverage with music, guests and entertainment. The programme is broadcast MW only with the usual Sunday afternoon schedule continuing on VHF/FM.[12] Previously, Sunday sports coverage had been restricted to a 30-minute early evening round-up programme most weeks, but in the previous few years, as more summer sport moved to Sunday, special longer programmes had been broadcast increasingly frequently.
13 January – Robin Boyle replaces David Jacobs as host of Melodies for You.
28 September – A Little Night Music is broadcast for the first time. Airing daily between 3am and 4am, it replaces repeats of programmes previous broadcast on Radio 2. Instead of having a regular or named host, the programme is presented by that night's newsreader.
BBC Radio 2 changes the format of Sounds of the 60s. The show is no longer hosted by a single presenter and instead a different artist from the era presents the programme each week.
May – BBC Radio 2's summer Sunday afternoon sports and entertainment programme Summer Sounds is renamed Sunday Sport. The show now has a greater emphasis on sports coverage although music remains part of the mix.
December – David Hamilton leaves. He says that his reason for going is because the music policy had become "geriatric" following a repositioning of the station, under the influence of new Head of Music Frances Line, to appeal to over 50s with a playlist of nostalgia, easy listening and light music.
January – Sport bulletins are broadcast at breakfast for the first time. Previously, apart from a racing bulletin, sports news did not commence until lunchtime.[citation needed]
Chris Stuart replaces Ray Moore as presenter of the early show when the latter becomes ill suffering from cancer, as Ray himself leaves the station before his death the following year. Moore had presented the show since 1980; Stuart, previously a breakfast show presenter on BBC Radio Wales, has often covered for Moore since 1985. Graham Knight joins the station to present the weekend early shows.
17 September–2 October – The 1988 Summer Olympics is the last Olympic Games to be broadcast on Radio 2. It is also the final time that any substantial sports coverage is broadcast on a BBC national FM frequency. Unlike for previous Summer Games, coverage is restricted to inserts into regular programmes as opposed to special Olympic programmes.
24 September – Simon Dee joins and takes over Sounds of the 60s.
29 September – BBC Radio 1 'borrows' BBC Radio 2's FM frequencies on a weeknight for the final time following the start of a programme of switching on transmitters to allow BBC Radio 1 to broadcast full-time on FM which, at this time, was available to two thirds of the UK.
1 October – BBC Radio 2 begins a series of Sunday afternoon performances of works by Gilbert and Sullivan. The 12-week series, which runs until Christmas, replaces the station's usual Sunday afternoon schedule.[15]
30 December – BBC Radio 1 'borrows' BBC Radio 2's FM frequencies on a Saturday afternoon for the final time.
6 January – BBC Radio 2 becomes available on FM on Saturday afternoons for the first time. A new music schedule is created, with Katie Boyle presenting a two-hour programme, while sport continues on MW.
25 March – At 7pm, BBC Radio 2 becomes available on FM 24/7 for the first time after the final ever 'borrow' of its FM frequencies from BBC Radio 1.
29 March – Ahead of major changes to BBC Radio 2's output, Brian Matthew goes Round Midnight for the final time.
31 March – Sounds of the 50s, presented by Ronnie Hilton, is launched, a new programme dedicated to hits of that decade and Brian Matthew takes over as host of Sounds of the 60s.
2 April – The changes to weekday programming begin that day. Ken Bruce launches a new late night programme with Judith Chalmers joining the station to replace Ken at mid-mornings, a weeknight late night jazz show called Jazz Parade is launched as a replacement for Sounds of Jazz and a weekday guest afternoon slot is introduced featuring a different personality choosing their favourite music each week.[16]
6 April – The first edition of The Arts Programme is broadcast. It airs on Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings between 10pm and midnight.
2 June – Ahead of the ending of sports coverage on Radio 2, and the consequent cessation of sports news on the FM waveband, the 10pm evening round-up starts to be aired only on MW. The change also sees the weekday late evening round-up moved from 9:55pm to just after the 10pm news.
30 June – All sports desks from 10am onwards are now only broadcast on MW with just the first three desks of the day, aired at breakfast time, still carried on FM.
8 July – Wimbledon is broadcast on BBC Radio 2 MW for the final time. From the following year, the event will be broadcast on BBC Radio 5.
15 August – BBC Radio 2 begins to wind down its transmissions on MW ahead of the launch of BBC Radio 5, which will occupy BBC Radio 2's MW frequencies, by broadcasting a daytime information service providing advice about how to listen to Radio 2 on FM.
25 August – Sport on 2 is broadcast for the final time.
26 August – Sport is aired on BBC Radio 2 for the final time when the final sports bulletin on Radio 2 is broadcast at 10:02pm.
27 August – At midnight, BBC Radio 2 stops broadcasting on MW, thereby becoming the first national radio station in the UK to broadcast only on FM.
16 September – The Sunday Hour is revamped. Instead of coming from a different church each week, the show now becomes a studio-based programme with Roger Royle as presenter.
1 January – Chris Stuart takes over the late night 10pm to Midnight show.
7 January – Ken Bruce takes over the Early morning 6:00–7:30am show.
August – Peter Clayton hosts his final shows for the network, presenting Jazz Parade until his death on 10 August.
20 December – Derek Jameson leaves The Radio 2 Breakfast Show after presenting it for five years.[17] and the final weekday lunchtime serving of Our Kind of Music takes place.
25 December – Norma Major, the wife of Prime Minister John Major, was a guest presenter on BBC Radio 2, where she had presented a programme playing some of her favourite seasonal music.[18]
29 December – Ahead of a major programme shake-up, Graham Knight presents the weekend early breakfast show for the final time.
In a major shake-up of the daytime schedule, Brian Hayes takes over as host of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show from Derek Jameson who moves to a new late evening slot to launch a new show, co-presented by his wife Ellen who joins the station. Ken Bruce returns to the mid-morning show following Judith Chalmers' departure and Ed Stewart, who rejoined the station the previous year, takes over as the mid-afternoon presenter.[19] Weekend changes see Melodies for You move to early evenings and Barbara Sturgeon replaces Graham Knight as presenter of the weekend early shows, as Barbara herself joins the station. The weekday music policy is slightly adjusted; Sunday afternoon output is branded Vintage Years, while John Sachs presents a Sunday morning show with a comparatively modern playlist compared to most of the station's other output at the time.
Radio 2 launches the Radio 2 Top 20 Easy Listening Album Chart, broadcast each Monday during Ed Stewart's show.[20]
April – Alex Lester becomes the permanent early morning presenter (a slot previously hosted on rotation by the station's announcers and newsreaders) and in July, Steve Madden becomes the permanent overnight presenter, a slot which had similarly been hosted by the presentation team on rotation since the late 1970s.
28 June – BBC Radio 2 provides fifteen hours of coverage of the first annual National Music Day, presented by Ken Bruce.[21]
23 December – Brian Hayes presents The Radio 2 Breakfast Show for the final time.
4 January – Terry Wogan returns to the station with Wake Up to Wogan and Sarah Kennedy also makes a return to take over the early show, which later becomes known as The Dawn Patrol.
3 April – Shortly after midnight, BBC Radio 2 airs the final edition of its weeknight jazz programme, Jazz Parade. It is presented by Digby Fairweather and features the BBC Big Band conducted by Barry Forgie.[22]
1 October – Martin Kelner rejoins after four years away to present a Saturday afternoon programme and to stand in for other presenters. This show, along with documentaries and concerts broadcast after it, represents a tentative attempt to appeal more to the "Beatles generation", which the station is encouraged to appeal to in the 'People and Programmes' report published in February 1995.[23]
19 November – Although he is still billed in Radio Times until 10 December, Charlie Chester is likely to have presented his last BBC Radio 2 show on this day, before he had a stroke[27] after which he could not walk or speak.[28]
March – Jim Moir replaces Frances Line as controller and begins repositioning the station to attract a wider audience of over 35s, many of whom have moved to commercial radio following the repositioning of BBC Radio 1 three years earlier. He introduces a daytime playlist consisting of AOR/contemporary music with specialist programmes airing during the evening and at the weekend. Nostalgic/easy listening music is now heard on to Sundays only. The move is successful and people flock to the station and by 2001 BBC Radio 2 replaces BBC Radio 1 as the most listened to station in the UK.[citation needed]
30 March – Steve Wright joins the station, to present weekend mid-morning shows, including the launch of Sunday Love Songs.
29 March – Bob Harris joins, to present a Saturday late night programme "for the discerning music fan".[29]
3 April – Derek and Ellen Jameson present their late night programme for the final time, as they leave the station.[30]Richard Allinson joins the station, and takes over the late show from the following Monday.
5 April – Pick of the Pops returns to the BBC. The programme is aired on Saturday afternoons with Alan Freeman returning and joining the station as the host. The programme had last been on BBC Radio 1 at the end of 1992 and throughout most of the intervening period it had been broadcast on Capital Gold in the London area only.
31 August – Regular scheduled programming on the BBC's radio and television stations was abandoned to provide ongoing news coverage of the death of Diana, Princess of Wales. BBC Radio 2 airs a special programme from BBC Radio News, which is also carried on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 3, BBC Radio 4, and BBC Radio 5 Live.[31] BBC Radio 2 broadcasts live coverage of the funeral six days later.
2 October – John Dunn presents his final drivetime show after 22 years, as he retires from radio broadcasting due to ill health.[33]
5 October – A major overhaul of the schedule sees many new faces joining the network, including the singer Katrina Leskanich, Jackie Bird, and former BBC Radio 1 presenters Lynn Parsons, and Andy Peebles who present overnight shows on weekdays and weekends respectively, replacing Steve Madden and Charles Nove. Johnnie Walker joins the station as a regular presenter hosting the afternoon drivetime show (Monday to Thursday) with Des Lynam presenting the show on Fridays. Sally Boazman joins, and becomes the station's first official travel news presenter for weekday afternoons.
3 April – Sounds of the 70s is broadcast for the first time, a new Radio 2 show dedicated to the hits of that decade, and is presented by singer Steve Harley. [34]
26 April – Johnnie Walker is suspended from his drivetime show and the station after allegations concerning a drug problem appeared in the Sunday tabloid, the News of the World.[35]Richard Allinson presents the drivetime show during Walker's absence, while Tom Robinson stands in on his Saturday afternoon show.
2 August – It is announced that ITV has signed BBC sports presenter Des Lynam on a four-year contract to become their main football presenter.[37] This means he will no longer present his Friday drivetime show.
14 October – Managers at BBC Radio 2 reinstate Johnnie Walker after he is fined £2,000 by magistrates for admitting possession of cocaine.[38] He will return to the airwaves on 6 December.[39]
6 December – Johnnie Walker returns to the station after being suspended.
10 May – For the first time, BBC Radio 2 becomes the UK's most listened to radio station, overtaking BBC Radio 1.[40] It has held that position ever since.
1 October – BBC Radio 2 starts broadcasting a weekly album chart show. The one-hour programme was broadcast on Monday evenings and is presented by Simon Mayo who joins the station.[41]
25 November – After 42 years on air, Sing Something Simple broadcasts for the final time.
20 December – Sir Jimmy Young presents his final lunchtime programme after 50 years of broadcasting, as he leaves the station, (as Jimmy himself retires from radio broadcasting).[42]
March – Richard Baker takes over as host of Your Hundred Best Tunes following the death of Alan Keith. Brian Kay briefly replaces Richard as host of Melodies for You with Sheridan Morley taking over the show the following year.
5 June – Johnnie Walker announces that he will be taking time off air for a while to undergo treatment after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.[44] During his time away, the show will be presented by Stuart Maconie and Noel Edmonds (who made a brief return to radio).
28 August – The weekly edition of Pick of the Pops with Dale Winton ends although bank holiday editions of the show continue to be broadcast.
29 August – Desmond Carrington presents his last weekend edition of All Time Greats, as he moves to weekdays to present The Music Goes Round on Tuesday later Friday nights.
4 September – Dermot O'Leary joins, and starts hosting his Saturday afternoon show.
5 September – Elaine Paige joins, and starts hosting her Sunday lunchtime movies and musicals show Elaine Paige on Sunday, replacing Desmond Carrington who moves to Tuesday and later Friday evenings.
18 September – A year after BBC Radio 2 stopped broadcasting a weekly edition of Pick of the Pops, the programme returns on a regular basis on Sunday afternoons with Dale Winton returning as host.
28 February – Johnnie Walker announces he will leave the Drivetime show after seven years. He will present his last show at the end of March, as Johnnie himself moves to weekends to replace Ed Stewart on Sunday afternoons.[48]
31 March – Johnnie Walker steps down from drivetime hosting.
16 April – Ed Stewart presents his final Sunday afternoon show as he leaves the station for a while.
21 January – Your Hundred Best Tunes is broadcast for the final time. The programme ended after 47 years on air and was replaced a week later by Melodies for You with Alan Titchmarsh joining the station to present the programme.[51]
4 April – Bob Harris announces he will take a break from his shows for a while, when he receives treatment for prostate cancer.
8 April – Roger Royle presents his The Sunday Hour programme for the final time, after 17 years as its host as he leaves and retires from the station. He is replaced the following week by Brian D'Arcy, as Brian himself joins the station.
2 December – Michael Parkinson hosts his last ever Parkinson's Sunday Supplement show, and leaves the station.
24 December – Ed Stewart rejoins for the last time and hosts his first ever Christmas Junior Choice show as it broadcasts on Radio 2 for the first time.
9 April – Trevor Nelson joins, and brings his Rhythm Nation show to the station.
16 October – An edition of the Russell Brand Show, co-hosted by fellow BBC Radio 2 presenter Jonathan Ross is recorded for transmission at a later date. The show includes Brand and Ross leaving four prank messages on actor Andrew Sachs's answerphone including offensive remarks about his granddaughter and use of foul language. The programme is subsequently broadcast on 18 October, partially censored, having passed the various pre-transmission checks from the programme's editors. Initially, the programme only receives a negligible number of complaints regarding Jonathan Ross' bad language; however, after the incident is reported a week later by The Mail on Sunday, a public outcry soon ensues. The case is referred to both Ofcom and the BBC Trust and in the interim period, Ross and Brand are both suspended for 12 weeks from all BBC programmes pending investigation. Soon after these announcements, Russell Brand announces his resignation, as he leaves the station. shortly followed by controller Lesley Douglas. Jonathan Ross was suspended from the BBC without pay for 12 weeks.[55][56]
30 October – Controller Lesley Douglas's resignation is announced, as she leaves the station.
24 January – Jonathan Ross returns to the station and the BBC after being suspended.
27 January – Bob Shennan is appointed as Controller following the resignation of Lesley Douglas.[57] He will take up the position in February.
February – Bob Shennan replaces Lesley Douglas as Controller, as he joins the station.
13 March – The station confirms plans to overhaul its weekend schedule from April. This will include Paul O'Grady, Alan Carr and Emma Forbes joining the network to present shows, while the Saturday afternoon comedy hour will move to Thursday evenings, as Pick of the Pops with Dale Winton moves from Sunday afternoons to 1–3pm on Saturdays from 4 April. The changes will also see Johnnie Walker present Sounds of the 70s on Sunday afternoons.[58]
5 April
Sounds of the 70s returns to the airwaves on a regular and permanent basis with Johnnie Walker as presenter. The programme and been on air on an ad hoc basis since 1999.[59]
Paul O'Grady joins to present a new Sunday teatime show – Paul O'Grady on the Wireless – as part of the weekend schedule changes.[60]
25 April – The first edition of the Saturday evening show Going Out With Alan Carr is broadcast.
22 May – The BBC says that Jonathan Ross's show will no longer be broadcast live following complaints about a joke he made on an edition of the programme which some listeners interpreted as being anti-gay.[61]
30 May – Mo Dutta leaves the station after 14 years of broadcasting.[62]
2 August – Clare Teal takes over from Malcolm Laycock on Sunday nights.
15 August – Malcolm Laycock criticises the network's management for abandoning its older listeners and claims he was constructively dismissed by the station, although BBC Radio 2 denies this to be the case. Laycock resigned from his position following a long-running dispute with his producer over the content of his show, and because of issues regarding his salary.[65]
7 September – Sir Terry Wogan announces that he will step down as host of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show on 18 December, as Sir Terry himself moves to weekends on 14 February 2010.
18 December – After 28 years (in 2 separate stints), Sir Terry Wogan presents his final breakfast show.[66]
20 December – Michael Ball leaves his Sunday mid-morning slot for a while.
14 February – Sir Terry Wogan rejoins the station for the last time, to host his Sunday mid-morning show Weekend Wogan.
11 March – BBC Radio 2 confirms plans to overhaul its schedule from April. This will include moving two of its longest-running shows, Big Band Special and The Organist Entertains to different time slots, and switching its comedy hour from Thursday to Saturday evenings – the second time it has done this in 12 months.[73]
30 March – Desmond Carrington's show broadcasts for the last time on Tuesday evenings, as it moves to Friday evenings from 9 April. Jamie Cullum's Jazz show replaces Carrington's in this slot from 6 April.
9 April – Desmond Carrington hosts his first Friday evening edition of The Music Goes Round.
30 April – It is reported that Emma Forbes has quit as co-host of the Saturday night show Going Out with Alan Carr after a disagreement with her bosses over time off. She is replaced with Melanie Sykes.[74]
17 July – Jonathan Ross leaves the station for a while.
3 September – BBC Radio 2 announces that presenter Sarah Kennedy had left the network after 17 years of broadcasting. By then she had been absent from the show for a few weeks (her last show was on 13 August) and would not return to the programme (as Sarah herself retires from broadcasting), before the schedules were reorganised in October. Lynn Parsons acts as the show's stand-in presenter for its remaining time on air.[76]
24 September – It is announced that Tony Blackburn will join the station on a permanent basis, taking over from Dale Winton on Pick of the Pops on Saturday afternoons. He begins on 6 November.
2 October – Graham Norton joins and takes over the Saturday morning show from Jonathan Ross.[77]
30 October – Dale Winton presents his final Pick of the Pops programme and leaves the station.
6 November – Tony Blackburn joins the station and replaces Dale Winton as the regular host of Pick of the Pops.[78]
22 June – BBC Radio 2 hosts 2DAY, a day of 12 hour-long programmes to promote some of the station's specialist output normally reserved for evenings and weekends.[82][83]
28 August – Alan Titchmarsh presents the final edition of Melodies for You, as he leaves the station. The programme, dedicated to popular classic and light music, and part of the station's Sunday schedule since it launched in 1967, was scrapped as they wanted to change its format for representing the genres.[84][85]
28 January – Zoe Ball steps down from the Saturday weekend breakfast show hosting, as she leaves the station for a while.[87] She will be replaced on 25 February by Anneka Rice.[88]
12 May – Liza Tarbuck joins, replacing Alan Carr and Melanie Sykes and begins presenting her first regular show.[92][93]
September – BBC Radio 2 ends the practice of having its own team of newsreaders. This role was taken on by journalists. As a result, Colin Berry and Charles Nove both leave. Berry had been a newsreader for the station since 1973.
17 October – BBC Radio 2 axes folk presenter Mike Harding after 15 years with the network. He will host his last show on 26 December.[94]
20 January – The Sunday Hour is doubled in length but moves from Sunday evenings to Sunday mornings, At the same time, Clare Balding joins the station, and takes over from Aled Jones as host of Good Morning Sunday, and Michael Ball hosts his first ever Sunday night show.[95]
23 September – Big Band Special is broadcast for the final time.
5 October – Sara Cox joins the station to host Sounds of the 80s, a new programme dedicated to hits of that decade.[97]
1 November – Paul Gambaccini's America's Greatest Hits is dropped from its Saturday night slot after the presenter was arrested as part of the Operation Yewtree investigation. Gambaccini himself took the decision not to go on air following media interest in his arrest.[98][99] He returned to the station a year later after it is decided that he will face no charges.
7–10 April – As part of the BBC's celebration of the 20th anniversary of Britpop, Steve Lamacq and Jo Whiley present a week of former BBC Radio 1's long-running The Evening Session on BBC Radio 2.[100]
8 & 10 August – Sally Boazman presents her final travel news reports for weekdays, as she moves to weekends, while Bobbie Pryor presents her final travel reports for weekends, as she moves to weekdays.
11 & 16 August – Bobbie Pryor presents her first travel reports for weekday afternoons, Orna Merchant joins the station as the new travel news reporter for weekends, while Sally Boazman presents her first travel reports for weekends.
15 August – Jonathan Ross returns after four years away.
October – Radio 2 stops broadcasting a full overnight schedule for a while as part of cost-cutting measures. The 3am to 5am weeknight slot broadcasts repeats of weekly shows.
27 March – Newsreader and continuity announcer Alan Dedicoat presents his final bulletins for the network after 28 years of broadcasting as he retires from the station.[101]
8 November – Sir Terry Wogan hosts his last ever and final Weekend Wogan show, and leaves the station due to ill health and before his death two months later.
Trevor Nelson brings his Rhythm Nation R&B show to Saturday nights. He had previously presented a Wednesday weekday evening Rhythm Nation soul show for the station, and Fearne Cotton joins.
28 October – Desmond Carrington presents his final show after 36 years of broadcasting. As he retires from the station. He would die just over three months later.[104]
31 December – Tony Blackburn returns, and was rehired by the BBC.
9 January – BBC Radio 2 announces that all remaining overnight live programming will be dropped for a while as part of cost-cutting measures. Consequently, the After Midnight programme, will be axed in favour of repeats of shows such as Sounds of the 60s and Pick of the Pops, while an automated service titled Radio 2 Playlists will air in the 2am and 5am slots.[105]
21 January – Dermot O'Leary hosts his final Saturday mid-afternoon show.
1 February – Clare Teal presents Desmond Carrington – All Time Great, a special tribute show celebrating the life of Desmond Carrington who died that day.
25 February – Brian Matthew presents his final edition of Sounds of the 60s on BBC Radio 2, following his retirement due to ill health and his death two months later, and Anneka Rice hosts her final Saturday weekend breakfast show as Anneka herself leaves the station for a while.[106]
4 March – Tony Blackburn succeeds Brian Matthew as presenter of BBC Radio 2's Sounds of the 60s. The two-hour show also moves to the earlier time of 6am, and Zoe Ball rejoins the station on permanent basis to host a new Saturday mid-afternoon show, while Dermot O'Leary takes over from Anneka Rice on Saturday weekend breakfast.
26 March – Bob Harris presents his final weekend overnight show.
1 April – Anneka Rice rejoins the station on permanent basis to host her new Saturday weekend late-night show The Pick of Radio 2
2 April – Ana Matronic presents her first ever Sunday weekend late-night Disco & Dance Devotion show.
9 June – Gary Davies joins, and returns to BBC Radio after 23 years away.
30 September – The 50th anniversary of the launch of BBC Radio 2 (and BBC Radio 1) is celebrated.[108] The two stations air a joint 90-minute show presented by Nick Grimshaw and Tony Blackburn, and BBC Radio 2 reconstructs the first ever BBC Radio 1 show on Sounds of the 60s.
26 November – Clare Balding hosts Good Morning Sunday for the final time as she leaves the station.[109]
25 December – Anneka Rice presents her first ever Christmas Junior Choice programme, replacing Ed Stewart (who died the previous year).
4 February – Good Morning Sunday is relaunched and extended into a three-hour programme, presented by Kate Bottley and Jason Mohammad as Jason himself joins the station.[110]
29 March – Lynn Bowles, who has been reading travel news on weekday mornings for the station since the year 2000, leaves to rejoin BBC Radio Wales, and she is replaced the following week by Rachel Horne who joins the station as the new travel news presenter for weekday mornings.[111]
8 May – Long-running specialist music programmes The Organist Entertains and Listen to the Band are broadcast for the final time, the former had been on air since 1969 as Nigel Ogden and Frank Renton both leave the station.[112]
10 May – The final edition of the Radio 2 Arts Programme is broadcast, ending after 28 years on air.
11 May – Sara Cox steps down from hosting Sounds of the 80's.
14 May – A new weekday evening and overnight schedule launches. Jo Whiley joins Simon Mayo to present an extended drivetime show as Matt Williams himself leaves the station while Jo's evening slot was occupied by specialist music and documentaries. Sara Cox launches a new Monday to Thursday late-night show and live overnight broadcasting returns with a new midnight to 3am show presented by OJ Borg as OJ himself joins the station.
18 May – Gary Davies replaces Sara Cox as presenter of Sounds of the 80s.
18 June – The Radio 2 Rock Show with Johnnie Walker broadcasts for the first time.
3 October – Mark Radcliffe takes a break from radio broadcasting for a while to receive treatment for tongue cancer and lymph nodes, and it is announced that Zoe Ball will take over as presenter of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show in January 2019.
22 October – Radio 2's unpopular Drivetime Show with Simon Mayo and Jo Whiley is to finish at the end of the year after a backlash from listeners, Jo will move back to an evening slot in January 2019, while Simon will leave BBC Radio 2 but he will continue his BBC Radio 5 Live film review programme.[114]
29 October – It is announced that Sara Cox will replace Simon Mayo on drivetime and the show will move back to its two-hour slot from 5pm to 7pm in January 2019.
8 November – It is announced that Rylan Clark will replace Zoe Ball on Saturday mid-afternoons in January 2019.
13 December – Sara Cox hosts her final Monday to Thursday late-night show.
14 December – Moira Stuart reads the news on BBC Radio 2 for the final time as she leaves the station to join Classic FM.[115]
17 December – The Radio 2 Rock Show with Johnnie Walker broadcasts its final Monday night show as it moves to weekends.
21 December – Simon Mayo leaves.
22 December – Zoe Ball presents her final Saturday mid-afternoon show as she moves to weekdays.
Other major changes to the schedule take place. Sara Cox replaces Simon Mayo as presenter of the drivetime show. The programme returns to its two-hour format from 5pm to 7pm and her Half-Wower feature broadcasts for the first time.[118]Jo Whiley follows with the return of her Monday to Thursday evening show, the specialist music programmes move to 9pm and Trevor Nelson replaces Sara Cox as presenter of the Monday to Thursday late-night show with his programme Rhythm Nation. Weekend changes see Rylan Clark replacing Zoe Ball as host of the Saturday mid-afternoon show as Rylan himself joins the station and the Saturday evening slot being filled by some of the displaced weeknight specialist shows, as The Radio 2 Rock Show with Johnnie Walker now moves to Saturday nights.[119]
25 January – BBC Radio 2 confirms that Johnnie Walker will be taking a break from radio broadcasting for a while to receive treatment for a heart condition.[120]
23 December – At 10am that morning, newsreader Mike Powell presents his debut bulletins for the network.
19 March – BBC Radio 2 launches its fourth decades show, Sounds of the 90s, presented by Fearne Cotton, a new programme dedicated to hits of that decade.[121]
28 March – Huey Morgan takes a break from Radio 2 broadcasting for a while and The Radio 2 Rock Show with Johnnie Walker also takes a break from the Radio 2 airwaves for a while.
April – Due to COVID-19, BBC Radio 2's news bulletins come from BBC Radio 5 Live. Three minute bulletins are broadcast on the hour with extended five minute bulletins at breakfast and on early weekday evenings.
3 January – Clare Teal presents her final edition of The Swing and Big Band Show and leaves the station after 15 years of broadcasting.[124] and Anneka Rice hosts her final Sunday late-night show as she also leaves the station.
4 January – Vanessa Feltz's show begins at a new time of 4am[125] and Jo Whiley's Shiny Happy Playlist feature broadcasts on her weekday Monday to Thursday evening show for the first time.
6 April – The Radio 2 Breakfast Show begins a new jingles package produced by Wise Buddah Productions. The company have also created new jingles for Claudia Winkleman's Saturday mid-morning show.[127]
9–11 April – Following the death of Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, BBC Radio 2 abandons half of its regular Friday, Saturday, and Sunday weekend programming in favour of simulcasting the BBC Radio News special programme and from 5pm, the station broadcasts a revised schedule for the rest of the day and over the weekend.[128]
19 June – Ana Matronic hosts her final Disco & Dance Devotion show as she leaves the station.
1 July – Steve Wright announces he will step down from his afternoon show in September. He will be replaced by Scott Mills. Wright will continue to present Sunday Love Songs for the station, while his afternoon co-presenters Janey Lee Grace and Tim Smith will both leave the station. Mills' new show will air from 2–4pm, giving Sara Cox an extra hour on her drivetime show.[131][132]
8–9 July – Tony Blackburn's Golden Hour broadcasts its final Friday night show as it moves to Sundays, Sounds of the 80s also broadcasts its final Friday night show as it moves back to Saturday, Sounds of the 90s also broadcasts its final Friday night show as it also moves to Saturday, and The Radio 2 Rock Show with Johnnie Walker broadcasts its final Saturday night show as it moves to Friday.
15–17 July – Radio 2 launches a new weekend schedule that sees Angela Griffin, DJ Spoony, and Michelle Visage presenting regular shows as they join the station and Visage's Handbag Hits feature broadcasts on her Friday night show for the first time, The Radio 2 Rock Show with Johnnie Walker moves to Friday nights, Sounds of the 80s moves back to Saturday nights, Sounds of the 90s also moves to Saturday nights, and Tony Blackburn's Golden Hour moves to Sunday nights.[133]
28 July – Vanessa Feltz announces that she will leave her early morning show the following day, and the station at the end of August after 11 years of broadcasting.[134]
29 July – Vanessa Feltz hosts her final weekday early morning show.[135][136]
9 August – It is announced that Paul O'Grady will step down from his Sunday afternoon show at the end of its 13 week run.
14 August – Paul O'Grady presents his final Sunday afternoon show and leaves the station after 13 years of broadcasting. He would die seven months later.[137]
8–19 September – Following the death of Queen Elizabeth II, BBC Radio 2 abandons half of its regular scheduled programming in favour of simulcasting a BBC Radio News special programme, and the station broadcasts a revised schedule from 9 to 11 September, and on 19 September the day of her state funeral, while BBC Radio 2 Live in Leeds 2022 is cancelled.
30 September – Steve Wright hosts his final afternoon show,[138][139] as Janey Lee Grace and Tim Smith both leave the station.
3–28 October – OJ Borg presents an interim weekday afternoon show on BBC Radio 2 between Wright's departure and Mills' arrival.[140]
4 October – It is announced that Owain Wyn Evans will replace Vanessa Feltz on the weekday Early Breakfast Show from January 2023. The show will be presented from Cardiff, making it the first weekday Radio 2 programme to move out of London.[141]
31 October – Scott Mills begins presenting his weekday afternoon show and Sara Cox begins presenting a three hour version of her drivetime show.[142]
9 January – Results of the '21st Century Folk' initiative launched in February 2022 are revealed along with plans for the station to celebrate Tony Blackburn's 80th Birthday. It is also announced that Phil Williams will present a new overnight show from 12am to 3am every Monday as OJ Borg moves to four nights a week in the same slot. The start date of Owain Wyn Evans' tenure on the Early Breakfast Show is pushed back from January 2023 to 13 February 2023.[143]
17 January – Ken Bruce announces that, at the end of March, he will step down from hosting his mid-morning show after 31 years, and leave the station.[144]
13 February – Owain Wyn Evans begins presenting his early breakfast show, the first show to be broadcast live from Cardiff on the station.[145]
24 February – Vernon Kay is announced to be taking over the weekday mid-morning slot from Ken Bruce in May. Bruce's last show is announced to be on 3 March 2023 with Gary Davies presenting during the interim period. Plans are also announced for the station's Radio 2 Celebrates Country initiative including coverage of the C2C Festival.[146]
3 March – Ken Bruce presents his final mid-morning show, as he leaves the station after 40 years to join Greatest Hits Radio.
6 March – Gary Davies begins presenting an interim mid-morning show and the 'Ten to the Top' quiz feature broadcasts for the first time, replacing PopMaster.
15 May – Vernon Kay begins presenting his weekday mid-morning show.
7 February – The BBC announces plans to launch a new Radio 2 spin-off station on DAB and online via BBC Sounds. The station will focus on music from the 1950s, 60s, and 70s in a bid to entice some of the station's former listeners back.[150]
10 and 11 February – Steve Wright presents his final editions of Pick of the Pops and Sunday Love Songs before his death a day later.
18 February – Radio 2 broadcasts from Wogan House for what is intended to be the final time after 18 years as the station moves into its new studios in Broadcasting House.
2 June – Michael Ball presents his first Sunday Love Songs, and Paddy McGuinness joins.[citation needed]
6 July – Mark Goodier takes over as presenter of Pick of the Pops from Gary Davies, who had temporarily replaced Steve Wright, following his death in February.[151]
12 August – Scott Mills temporarily takes over as presenter of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show while Zoe Ball takes an unannounced six week absence.[152]
26 August – BBC Radio 2 broadcasts three programmes paying tribute to Steve Wright on what would have been his 70th birthday. The shows are presented by Vernon Kay, Liza Tarbuck, and Paul Gambaccini.[153]
6 October – Johnnie Walker announces that due to ill health, he is to leave the station after 26 years at the end of the month, bringing his broadcasting career to a close after 58 years. [155]
25 and 27 October – Johnnie Walker presents his final editions of The Rock Show and Sounds of the 70s.
1 and 3 November – Shaun Keaveny joins the station to present The Rock Show and Bob Harris takes over Sounds of the 70s.
19 November – Zoe Ball announces that she is to step down as host of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show in December after six years presenting.[156] At the same time, a new weekday daytime schedule is announced which sees Scott Mills succeed Ball as host of The Radio 2 Breakfast Show while Trevor Nelson's Rhythm Nation will come to an end as Trevor Nelson moves to replace Mills on the afternoon show. It is also announced that DJ Spoony will move his show The Good Groove to the weekday late night slot, replacing Rhythm Nation and Sophie Ellis-Bextor will move her Kitchen Disco to The Good Groove's former Saturday late night slot.[157]
19 December – Ofcom writes to BBC Radio 2 to give notice that it intends to conduct a full competition assessment into its expansion plans.[158]
20 December – Zoe Ball presents her final breakfast show for the station.
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^"Jazz Parade". 25 March 1993. p. 122. Retrieved 5 January 2019 – via BBC Genome.
^"Public sets a challenging programme: Corporation pledges to listen to audience views as consultation finds many feel sense of alienation", The Guardian page 2, 16 February 1995
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^"Charlie Chester ill", The Times page 1, 23 November 1995
^"Chester moves on", The Times page 26, 26 June 1996