Radio 2: Claudia Winkleman/Romesh Ranganathan announcement

02 December 2023 - Press release

Claudia Winkleman announced this morning live on Radio 2 that she has decided to step down from her Saturday show (10am-1pm). Claudia will present her last weekly programme on the station in March 2024.

Comedian, author and actor Romesh Ranganathan, who currently presents For The Love Of Hip Hop for Radio 2 and BBC Sounds each Saturday morning (midnight – 1am) will launch a new Saturday morning show (10am – 1pm) in April 2024.

Claudia says: "I absolutely love Radio 2 and it’s been a privilege to host the Saturday morning show for three years. I will miss our amazing guests, our brilliant listeners and the one and only Sally Traffic. The truth is my children are growing up inordinately fast so I have decided to follow them around at home before they leave for good. I’m incredibly grateful to everyone who works on the show, I will continue to visit with badly made biscuits and will pester the bosses to present the odd special.

"I couldn’t be happier that Romesh is taking over Saturday mornings on Radio 2. He is brilliantly laugh out loud funny, and I’ll listen every single week as my kids beg me to leave them alone."

Romesh says: "In my many years working as a maths teacher thinking ‘what would happen if I gave this up’, I never imagined I’d be sandwiched between Dermot O’Leary and Steve Wright on the UK’s most popular radio station every Saturday morning. I’m grateful to Claud for wanting to spend more time with her kids, and enabling me to spend less time with mine, and I look forward to finding out what the nation is up to at that time, as well as speaking to some familiar faces. It’s going to be fun. Probably."

Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 says: “I’d like to thank Claudia for entertaining her millions of listeners each Saturday morning with such sparkling wit and great warmth. Radio 2 listeners can rest easy as we’re working on a plan for some specials in the future, so watch this space!

“I’m delighted to welcome Romesh to his new Saturday morning show on Radio 2. Judging by the audience’s reaction to him at Radio 2 in the Park in Leicester this year, he’s already a firm favourite with our listeners. Like Claud before him, he’ll guarantee your Saturday mornings continue to be an appointment to listen.”

Charlotte Moore, Chief Content Officer, BBC, says: “Claudia is one of the BBC’s most loved presenters and I’d like to thank her for all the laughs she’s given us as we’ve started our weekends on Radio 2 over the past three years. I really look forward to joining her for series two of The Traitors in the new year as well as Strictly Come Dancing next Autumn.

“Romesh is hugely popular with BBC audiences so I’m thrilled that he will be bringing his own unique sense of humour to Saturday mornings on Radio 2. I can’t wait to hear his new show.”

Claudia first joined Radio 2 in Spring 2008 to host Hot Gossip, a comedy quiz series, before moving to Friday nights to host the Claudia Winkleman Arts Show. In 2016, Claudia presented Claudia on Sunday (7-9pm) and then moved on to Saturday mornings in February 2021. Guests on the show have included Ant & Dec, Michael Bublé, Brian Cox, Minnie Driver, Emily Eavis, Noel Gallagher and Tom Hiddleston.

Multi award-winning comedian Romesh Ranganathan is best known for fronting such series as The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan, The Ranganation, Rob & Romesh Vs, A League Of Their Own, Asian Provocateur, and as the presenter of BBC One’s The Weakest Link.

Romesh is also host of his own Radio 2 and BBC Sounds show For The Love Of Hip Hop, which saw him win the prestigious Radio Academy ARIA Gold award for Best Specialist Music Show in 2023. Romesh also co-hosts hit podcast Wolf & Owl with Tom Davis which has seen them perform to sell out audiences at their live shows.

A Sunday Times Bestseller with his autobiography Straight Outta Crawley: The Memoirs Of A Distinctly Average Human Being, Romesh had his second book As Good as It Gets: Life Lessons from a Reluctant Adult published worldwide in October 2020. 2023 saw Romesh turn his hand at writing for a younger audience in his debut novel, Lil’ Muffin Drops the Mic.

Romesh’s last tour The Cynic’s Mixtape sold out across the UK including fourteen nights at London’s Eventim Apollo, culminating in a taping at his hometown venue The Hawth in Crawley, which was released on Netflix in 2022. As well as launching his new show on Radio 2 in April, 2024 sees him embark on Hustle, his biggest tour to date which includes two nights at London’s O2 Arena.

Romesh will continue to host For The Love of Hip Hop, which he launched in 2021, produced by Folded Wing, for Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.

Romesh Ranganathan will continue to be produced by TBI Media.

To hear Claudia’s on air announcement, you can live rewind on BBC Sounds until 1pm and listen back after broadcast here.

BBC Radio 2 is the UK’s most listened to radio station, with a weekly audience of 13.5 million (RAJAR Q3, 2023). The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show is most listened to breakfast show in the UK with an audience of 6.5 million (RAJAR Q3, 2023). The network’s presenters include Michael Ball, Zoe Ball, Rob Beckett, Tony Blackburn, OJ Borg, Rev. Kate Bottley, Rylan, Fearne Cotton, Sara Cox, Jamie Cullum, Gary Davies, Paul Gambaccini, Angela Griffin, Bob Harris, Vernon Kay, Cerys Matthews, Scott Mills, Jason Mohammad, Trevor Nelson, Dermot O’Leary, Elaine Paige, Mark Radcliffe, Romesh Ranganathan, DJ Spoony, Liza Tarbuck, Jeremy Vine, Michelle Visage, Johnnie Walker, Jo Whiley, Phil Williams, Claudia Winkleman, Steve Wright and Owain Wyn Evans.