Paul O’Grady: Why he quit BBC Radio 2 and who else has left the station in the past two years

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Over the past two years, BBC Radio 2 has also seen the devastating departure of Steve Wright and Ken Bruce

Paul O’Grady is reportedly set to become a host at a rival radio station less than year on from quitting his role as a presenter on BBC Radio 2. The 67-year-old, famed for his comedic talent and for his love of pets, first joined the station in 2009 as a guest on Elaine Paige’s Sunday show.

It wasn’t long before the comedian became a regular voice on our devices after landing his own two-hour long programme, Paul O’Grady on the Wireless, which was broadcast on Sundays from 5–7pm.

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In August 2022, O’Grady announced that he would be stepping down from his role after 14 years due to an unprecendented scheduling change that meant he was sharing a slot with Rob Beckett.

He told Metro: "Radio 2 has changed, it’s not what it was. They’re trying to aim for a much younger audience, which doesn’t make sense because you’ve got Radio 1. Radio 2 was always for an older audience."

His emotional last show aired in the same month on Sunday, August 14. Beckett has since replaced him full-time. Paul has now revealed that he will be working at Boom Radio over the Easter weekend.

Speaking to The Daily Mail, he said: "It’s great to be working with the team at Boom again. It already feels like my new radio home. My producer Malcolm and I are looking forward to our special TeamPOG show on Easter Sunday - who knows, this could be the start of a regular gig."

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In April, the nation witnessed the historic departure of Ken Bruce, who left Radio 2 for a new venture -  to present a new radio show on commercial station Greatest Hits Radio.

Last September, Steven Wright also signed off from his final Radio 2 afternoon show where he thanked his listeners for tuning in for the last 23 years.

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