Scott Mills was sacked from BBC Radio 2 following an allegation of personal conduct. The BBC issued a statement saying it obtained new information about Mills that contradicted the broadcaster's culture and values. Vernon Kay and Sara Cox are frontrunners to replace Mills on the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, with odds of 3/1, according to reports.
Vernon Kay delivered bad news to his Radio 2 co-star Gary Davies upon returning from holiday, revealing he pulled his back lifting furniture and cannot play golf. Kay suffered a painful injury to his back and spine after jumping down two steps at the BBC canteen before his show. He and Davies discussed playing golf together, but Kay said they cannot because the course does not have buggies and he has a bad back. Kay said he can't do it anymore after the injury, realizing he is of an age where he must be more careful.
Funny story, my mum back in the day was sitting her driving test and she went through the whole test and right at the end the examiner said 'you've failed,' because she didn't have her seatbelt on. It was two days after that law went into action. You'd think the examiner would just say 'Remember the new law'.
On air, Vernon Kay revealed that his Radio 2 co-star Janine Maya-Smith has banned him from talking about his Saturday morning bacon sandwich. Kay was left exclaiming why would you say that after Maya-Smith remarked that he stands exactly like his dad. Kay also told his Radio 2 co-star Jeremy Vine you're unbelievable after Vine claimed people at the gym build muscles by simply scrolling on their phones.
Kay said he would get fired if he commented on a listener's story about her mother failing a driving test in 1983 due to not wearing a seatbelt. He also playfully remarked that he will tell people Jeremy Vine turns people's televisions off from a distance, after Vine confessed to using a remote to control a neighbor's TV in a hotel. Kay remained silent when Vine mentioned the sacking of colleague Scott Mills on his show.
Do you know what I did? I leaned out my window with my remote and I taught him that every time he puts the TV volume up above six it mysteriously turns itself off, and he couldn't work out what was going on. And it was a victory for the little man. It was one of the most satisfying moments of my life. The remote worked on his TV as well.
Food topics sparked lively discussions on Kay's show. He said he touched a nerve during a discussion about hot cross buns. A listener named Rachel from Brandon, Suffolk, wrote to Kay complaining about changing flavors of hot cross buns. Kay and his colleagues were ranking various types of sourdough bread on air, which he described as controversial.
Kay's personal life and health became topics of conversation with colleagues. His Radio 2 colleague Gary Davies apologized to Kay's wife Tess Daly after Vernon opened up about his health issues affecting his ability to do garden work. Kay made a cheeky biased confession on Instagram, praising his wife Tess Daly's swim shorts design as the comfiest he has ever worn.
Sorry Tess, sorry!
Jeremy Vine discussed government guidance on screen time for children, suggesting public opinion on children using smartphones could become as critical as attitudes towards smoking.
Firstly, do you say, 'Well, that's impossible', or actually, 'About time, too'. And are we getting to the point where, I mean, for example, Vern, I was on the train the other day and there were two young, quite young children with their dad. The dad was on the phone, both of them had a device, both of them were about four, six-years-old. Is it going to be like seeing children smoking? Where you would not hesitate to say, 'Put that out', even if it's not your child.
When I've been to the gym, there are people who think you build muscles by simply scrolling. Yeah, they don't do any exercises at all, and the weird thing is, they've got more muscles than anyone. And they're just walking around flexing. Oh, it must be drugs.