Radio 2’s Steve Wright to take over Pick of the Pops from Paul Gambaccini
RADIO 2’s Steve Wright is taking over the station’s Pick of the Pops, with Paul Gambaccini moving to a new Sunday evening show.
Steve, 68, will start the Saturday slot on October 21 and will continue to present his Sunday Love Songs.
He was replaced on his weekday show last September after 23 years by Scott Mills.
He said: “Pick of the Pops is such a legendary show. Gambo brilliantly made it his own over the last seven-and-a-half years — and now it’s my chance to give it a go.”
Paul’s new show will see him rediscover forgotten tracks from the 1950s onwards.
The 74-year-old said: “I am delighted I will have the opportunity to present neglected gems from the past century.”
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Radio 2 will celebrate Paul’s 50th anniversary as a national broadcaster with a special in October.
The move follows official audience data that revealed BBC Radio 2 has lost more than one million listeners since Ken's Bruce's departure in March.
Meanwhile quarterly Rajar figures show his new show on Greatest Hits Radio reached three million listeners a week between April and June.
carried out analysis of audience figures with the help of radio consultancy Hallett Arendt.
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It found that the mid-morning show on Radio 2 attracted 8.3 million listeners during Ken's tenure.
However, since new host Vernon Kay has taken over, the numbers are down to 6.9 million listeners.