BBC Radio 2 has announced that Welsh presenter Owain Wyn Evans will host the all new Early Breakfast Show, taking over from Vanessa Feltz who stepped down in July. The show will be recorded at the BBC Cymru Wales broadcast centre in Central Square, Cardiff, making it the first live Radio 2 weekday programme to move out of London as part of the BBC’s Across The UK plans.
Following the announcement, Owain said: “When I asked my parents for a pair of turntables and a mixing desk from a DJ shop in Llanelli when I was 13 I never allowed myself to dream that one day I'd have my own show on Radio 2! I can’t wait to help kick start the day on Early Breakfast live from Cardiff. Bore da dahlings as we say in Wales!”
Rising star Owain has had a busy few months, appearing on Wales' Home of the Year, Freeze the Fear, as well as continuing his regular weather presenting role at the BBC. He also occasionally co-presents alongside Carol Vorderman on BBC Radio Wales.
Head of Radio 2, Helen Thomas, called Owain the "perfect host" for the Early Breakfast Show. She said upon the announcement: “I’d like to welcome Owain to the Radio 2 family. His deep connection with Wales is obvious and I’m delighted he will be broadcasting live from Cardiff every weekday morning. His warmth and wit make him the perfect host to set up the day for our listeners right across the country who have clearly and warmly taken him to their hearts each time he has presented in this slot.”
Meanwhile, Rhuanedd Richards, director of BBC Cymru Wales said: “I’m delighted that Radio 2 listeners will be starting their weekdays in Owain’s company - live every weekday from BBC Wales’ home in Cardiff’s Central Square. Having started his career as a presenter here in Wales, it’s wonderful news that he’ll be taking to the airwaves from Cardiff and waking listeners across the UK. Croeso Owain!”
Owain has worked as a television and radio presenter for over 20 years, and began his broadcasting career at the age of 18 as a children's news presenter at BBC Wales, before moving on to become a weather presenter across the UK.
A keen drummer since the age of seven, Owain shot to international fame when, during lockdown in 2020, he produced a video of himself drumming to the BBC News theme tune, which was viewed tens of millions of times around the globe. This was the springboard for his incredible record-breaking 24-hour Drumathon for Children in Need, which raised over £3.8m, making it the most successful 24-hour challenge in the 41-year history of BBC Children in Need.
The tender is now open for production companies to pitch for the show, which will launch on air in January 2023. You can get more celebrity news and other story updates straight to your inbox by subscribing to our newsletters here.
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