Broadcaster Vanessa Feltz will be joining TalkTV next month as the new presenter of the drivetime show, it has been announced. The news comes after it was confirmed she'd be standing down from her radio shows on the BBC following nearly 20 years on the broadcasters stations.
The 60-year-old will be replacing Jeremy Kyle as the presenter of TalkTV's three-hour drivetime show from September 5 - where she'll be hosting every weeknight from 4pm. Meanwhile, Jeremy, 57, is set to host a new primetime show on the network launching in the autumn.
The news was revealed on Twitter on Monday afternoon (August 22) with TalkTV posting: "Award winning presenter and people’s champion Vanessa Feltz is the new host of TalkTV’s drivetime show. Tune in to feel the full force of Feltz from 4-7pm every weeknight from 5th September".
Vanessa said of her new role: “The allure of a retirement reclining on a chaise longue while the fragrant Ben (Ofoedu, her partner) peeled me a grape was fleeting. While there are politicians to be tackled, fat cats to be flattened, scams to expose and lovely listeners to champion, it’s my mission to breathe fire into the microphone.
“After an elegant sojourn at the BBC, I am effervescent with joy at the invitation to unleash my hitherto hidden side on Talk TV. I will relish full-throttled debate and the chance to have a personal passionate point of view at last. Even better, I’ll be at the reins of drivetime. Lord what luxury.
“After years of 3.30am starts, I’ll have a show without an alarm clock involved. If I terrified Mayor Sadiq Khan so acutely he never dared set foot in my studio on almost no sleep, tune in to see what I can achieve on a full eight hours shut-eye.”
News UK broadcasting president Scott Taunton said: “Vanessa Feltz is not only a world-class broadcaster, she’s also a national treasure. I’m delighted that she is joining the brilliant talent roster at TalkTV. With no alarm clock needed, I’m sure our viewers and listeners will be getting the full force of Feltz.”
In July, Vanessa announced to her listeners that she would be leaving her shows on both BBC Radio 2 and BBC Radio London and was stepping down to catch up on a "decade's deficit of beauty sleep". She joins Paul O’Grady and Steve Wright, who have also both left their Radio 2 shows in recent months.
Vanessa started her stint on Radio 2 Early Breakfast Show in January 2011 from 5am to 6.30am and her programme was then extended to 4am from January 2021. She will present her final Breakfast Show on BBC Radio London on Friday, August 26.
