Zoe Ball’s BBC Radio 2 replacement has reacted to his new appointment as breakfast show host.
On Tuesday (19 November), it was revealed that Ball would be leaving her role after six “incredible” years – a position she joined after replacing Chris Evans in 2018.
Mills, who stood in for Ball when she took a break to care for her mother, will become the ninth person to host the show, which has previously been led by Ken Bruce and Sir Terry Wogan, who died in 2016.
The DJ reacted to his hiring shortly after Ball’s announcement, stating: “Zoe and I have been such good friends now for over 25 years and have spent much of that time as part of the same radio family here at Radio 2 and also on Radio 1.
“She’s done an incredible job on this show over the past six years, and I am beyond excited to be handed the baton.”
He said that it feels “all roads have led to this amazing opportunity” ever since he recorded his ‘first shows as a kid for an audience of one – my mum”, and called it “a life-long dream come true to follow in the footsteps of Sir Terry, Chris and Zoe to be the new presenter of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show”.
Mills joined Radio 2 in 2022 after presenting on Radio 1 for 24 years.
When he left the station, he emotionally told his listeners: “I’ve been on Radio 1 for 24 years, that’s insane. Would I love this to go on forever and be forever young? Yes, ‘cause I still feel that but it can’t. But I actually think that I’m not too sad because I don’t think it’s the end, you know.”
The DJ, who joined Radio 2 to replace Steve Wright two years before his death, will begin his tenure as breakfast show host on 20 December. Mills’s weekday afternoon slot will be hosted by Trevor Nelson from January 2025.
In the last few years, Mills has fronted the BBC’s Eurovision coverage alongside his friend and fellow Radio 2 DJ Rylan, who also reacted to the presenting shake-up.
On X/Twitter, Rylan, who replaced Ball’s Saturday afternoon show when she became the breakfast host, wrote: “Zoe we love you loads thank you so much for shaping Saturday afternoons for me and being the best wake up for the past six years.
“Scott, I’ve never been more happy for someone. If you grazed your knee you would bleed radio. I know how much this means to you and I’m so so proud of you. Just gutted we won’t have many late nights now….. actually we will. Love you both.”
Ball said of her departure: “I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter. I’m excited to embrace my next chapter, including being a mum in the mornings, and I can’t wait to tune in on the school run!?
Addressing her listeners, she said: “We’ve shared a hell of a lot, the good times, the tough times, there’s been a lot of laughter. And I am going to miss you cats.”
She added she would also miss her colleagues, who are like “family” to her.
