2025 in British radio

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This is a list of events taking place in 2025 relating to radio in the United Kingdom.

Events

January

• 1 January
  • BBC Radio 2 counts down listeners' 40 top Elvis Presley songs in Your Ultimate Elvis Song, with "Suspicious Minds" voted as their favourite.[1]
  • To celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Shipping Forecast, BBC Radio 4 recreates old versions of the broadcast read by a number of famous people, including Ruth Jones (in character as Nessa from Gavin and Stacey), Dame Ellen MacArthur and Eddie Grundy.[2]
  • Jazz FM airs a day of programmes dedicated to bandleader Quincy Jones under the title Q Year's Day.[3]
• 3 January – Technical problems disrupt Jo Good's Late Night Jo programme on BBC Local Radio, preventing the majority of the show from being networked. The show is broadcast for 20 minutes throughout the network before the problems lead to dead air being heard on the majority of stations. While BBC Radio London, albeit with some further minor interruptions, continues to take the show, the rest of the network switches to BBC Radio 5 Live.[4]
• 4 January
  • Ian Shepherd joins Central Radio to present weekend breakfast.[5]
  • Former Key 103 presenter Jonathan Miles joins Happy Radio UK to present a weekly show on Saturday evenings.[6]
• 4–5 January – Adil Ray presents the second and third of his three festive programmes for Smooth Radio.[7]
• 6 January
  • Aaron Paul begins presenting breakfast on BBC Radio London from Mondays to Thursdays; Riz Lateef continues with the show on Fridays.[8]
  • Kirsty Gallacher joins the Gold network to present Gold Radio Drive on weekdays.[9]
• 7 January – A power outage at Frisk Radio forces the breakfast show presenters Andy and Steph to present their content using a mobile phone.[10]
• 9 January
  • Lauren Laverne announces she is stepping down as presenter of BBC Radio 6 Music's breakfast show; Nick Grimshaw will take over the show, while Laverne will move to presenting mid-mornings.[11]
  • Global Radio announces that local and regional programming on Smooth Radio, Capital and Heart in England will end, with all three channels airing a nationwide schedule for England.[12]
  • Bauer Media Audio UK announces it is acquiring Clear Channel Europe.[13]
• 10 January – Bauer Media Audio UK reaches a deal to acquire Star Radio in Cambridgeshire and rebrand the station as Hits Radio.[14]
• 11 January – Rod Liddle joins Times Radio to present Saturday mornings.[15]
• 12 January – Mel Giedroyc joins Magic Radio to present a Sunday morning show.[16]
• 13 January
  • Nemone temporarily takes over as presenter of BBC 6 Music Breakfast until Nick Grimshaw begins presenting the show in February.[17]
  • Lyca Radio partners with Southall Travel to mark the brand’s 40th anniversary, offering three couples the chance to win a holiday in the Maldives.[18]
• 17 January –
  • Happy Radio UK becomes the official radio partner of Manchester's AO Arena.[19]
  • Appearing on Heart Breakfast, presenter Jamie Theakston announces that he is "cancer free" and will return to the programme from Monday 20 January.[20]
• 18 January – Pianist and educator Nikki Yeoh joins Jazz FM to present a Saturday evening show from 10pm–12am, while regular presenter Chris Phillips moves to the earlier shot of 6pm–9pm, replacing Sarah Ward who retired from broadcasting at the end of 2024.[21]
• 25 January – Gaby Roslin joins Magic Radio to present a Saturday mid-morning show.[22]
• 27 January –
  • The Scott Mills Breakfast Show debuts on BBC Radio 2, while Trevor Nelson begins presenting weekday mid-afternoons.[23][24]
  • Gok Wan joins Magic Breakfast to co-present alongside Harriet Scott.[25][26]
  • BBC Radio Wales confirms that Wynne Evans will be taking a break from his show following controversy over a remark he made during the Strictly Come Dancing tour earlier in the month.[27]
• 29 January –
  • The BBC World Service announces it is cutting 130 jobs as part of £6m of cost-cutting measures during the next financial year.[28]
  • Frisk Radio announces plans to expand its coverage from north east England to north west England from April.[29]

February

• 3 February –
  • Kate McCann becomes weekday co-presenter of the breakfast show on Times Radio, alongside Stig Abell.[30]
  • Joe McGrath takes over as BBC Radio Manchester's breakfast presenter, succeeding Anna Jameson.[31]
• 15 February – Anne Marie McAleese presents her final edition of BBC Radio Ulster's Your Place And Mine, which she has presented since 1991.[32]
• 21 February – Heart and Capital stations in England will end all local and regional programming, and will then be networked 24 hours a day. The current level of local news and information opt-outs will be retained. Scotland and Wales will retain their non-networked programming.[33]

March

April

May

• 23–25 May – BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend is scheduled to take place at Sefton Park, Liverpool.[34]

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

Station debuts

Terrestrial

Online

• March – CRFM West[35]

Small-scale multiplex switch-ons

• 25 February – South Hertfordshire[36]

Closing this year

Programme debuts

• 10 January – Together with Gareth Malone, an eight-part series introducing new listeners to classical music, on Classic FM.[37]
• 11 January – Next Level with DanTDM, a weekly series presented by YouTuber DanTDM looking at video game soundtracks on Classic FM.[38]
• 27 January – The Scott Mills Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2.

Podcast debuts

• 13 January – James O'Brien Daily, featuring highlights from his LBC phone-in, on Global Player.[39]

Changes of network affiliation

Continuing radio programmes

These programmes are still running as of 2025. They are listed by the year they were first broadcast.

1940s

• Desert Island Discs (started 1942)
• Woman's Hour (started 1946)
• A Book at Bedtime (started 1949)

1950s

• The Archers (started 1950)
• Pick of the Pops (started 1955)
• The Today Programme (started 1957)

1960s

• Farming Today (started 1960)
• In Touch (started 1961)
• The World at One (started 1965)
• The Official Chart (started 1967)
• Just a Minute (started 1967)
• The Living World (started 1968)

1970s

• PM (started 1970)
• Start the Week (started 1970)
• You and Yours (started 1970)
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (started 1972)
• Good Morning Scotland (started 1973)
• Newsbeat (started 1973)
• File on 4 (started 1977)
• Money Box (started 1977)
• The News Quiz (started 1977)
• Feedback (started 1979)
• The Food Programme (started 1979)
• Science in Action (started 1979)

1980s

• In Business (started 1983)
• Sounds of the 60s (started 1983)
• Loose Ends (started 1986)

1990s

• The Moral Maze (started 1990)
• Essential Selection (started 1991)
• Essential Mix (started 1993)
• Up All Night (started 1994)
• Wake Up to Money (started 1994)
• Private Passions (started 1995)
• In Our Time (started 1998)
• PopMaster (started 1998)
• The Now Show (started 1998)

2000s

• BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (started 2000)
• Big John @ Breakfast (started 2000)
• Sounds of the 70s (2000–2008, resumed 2009)
• Dead Ringers (2000–2007, resumed 2014)
• A Kist o Wurds (started 2002)
• Fighting Talk (started 2003)
• Jeremy Vine (started 2003)
• The Chris Moyles Show (2004–2012, resumed 2015)
• Elaine Paige on Sunday (started 2004)
• The Bottom Line (started 2006)
• The Unbelievable Truth (started 2006)
• Radcliffe & Maconie (started 2007)
• The Media Show (started 2008)
• Newsjack (started 2009)

2010s

• The Third Degree (started 2011)
• BBC Radio 1's Dance Anthems (started 2012)
• Sounds of the 80s (started 2013)
• Question Time Extra Time (started 2013)
• The Show What You Wrote (started 2013)
• Inside Science (started 2013)
• Friday Sports Panel (started 2014)
• Stumped (started 2015)
• You, Me and the Big C (started 2018)
• Radio 1's Party Anthems (started 2019)

2020s

• Frank Skinner's Poetry Podcast (started 2020)
• Newscast (started 2020)
• Sounds of the 90s (started 2020)
• Life Changes (started 2021)
• Romesh Ranganathan: For The Love of Hip Hop (started 2021)
• The News Agents (started 2022)
• Ten to the Top (started 2023)
• Love Songs with Michael Ball (started 2024)
• Radio 2's The Week-est Link (started 2024)

Ending this year

• 2 January – Trevor Nelson's Rhythm Nation (2019–2025)
• 15 February – Your Place And Mine (1991–2025)[32]

Deaths

• 28 January – Andy Ball, reporter and presenter (BBC Radio Merseyside).[40] (death reported on this date)

See also

• 2025 in the United Kingdom
• 2025 in British music
• 2025 in British television
• List of British films of 2025

References

1. "BBC Radio 2 listeners vote Suspicious Minds as their favourite Elvis song". Radio Today. 1 January 2025. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
2. Glynn, Paul (28 December 2024). "Gavin and Stacey's Nessa to read old Shipping Forecast". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 28 December 2024.
3. Gilbert, Mark (22 December 2024). "Anton du Beke and Quincy Jones among Jazz FM's Christmas attractions". Jazz Journal. Retrieved 22 December 2024.
4. Martin, Roy (4 January 2025). "Late Night Jo interrupted by technical problems across BBC Local Radio". Radio Today. Retrieved 4 January 2025.
5. Martin, Roy (23 December 2024). "Ian Shepherd joins Central Radio in Lancashire for weekend breakfast". Radio Today. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
6. Martin, Roy (5 January 2025). "Former Key 103 presenter Jonathan Miles returns to Manchester airwaves with Happy Radio UK". Radio Today. Retrieved 5 January 2025.
7. Martin, Roy (23 December 2024). "Adil Ray joins Smooth Radio as guest presenter this Christmas". Radio Today. Retrieved 23 December 2024.
8. Martin, Roy (16 December 2024). "Aaron Paul to host BBC Radio London Breakfast". Radio Today. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
9. Martin, Roy (1 January 2025). "More presenters for Gold Radio as Kirsty Gallacher and Simon Rimmer join". Radio Today. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
10. Martin, Roy (9 January 2025). "The show goes on via mobiles as Frisk Radio presenters suffer power outage". Radio Today. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
11. Savage, Mark (9 January 2025). "Lauren Laverne to step down from 6 Music breakfast". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
12. Martin, Roy (9 January 2025). "Global introduces new 'nations strategy' and drops local and regional shows in England". Radio Today. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
13. Martin, Roy (9 January 2025). "Bauer to buy Clear Channel Europe for $625 million subject to approval". Radio Today. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
14. Martin, Roy (10 January 2025). "Bauer buys Star Radio to rebrand as Hits Radio Cambridgeshire". Radio Today. Retrieved 11 January 2025.
15. Martin, Roy (8 January 2025). "Times journalist and former BBC broadcaster Rod Liddle gets new show on Times Radio". Radio Today. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
16. Martin, Roy (13 November 2024). "Mel Giedroyc to host Sunday morning request show on Magic Radio". Radio Today. Retrieved 13 November 2024.
17. Martin, Roy (9 January 2025). "Nick Grimshaw gets back on breakfast at the BBC as Lauren Laverne moves to mid-mornings". Radio Today. Retrieved 9 January 2025.
18. Martin, Roy (13 January 2025). "Lyca Radio Network announces huge Maldives giveaway for listeners". Radio Today. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
19. Collins, Steve (17 January 2025). "Happy Radio becomes official radio partner for AO Arena Manchester". Radio Today. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
20. Fatima, Zahra (17 January 2025). "Jamie Theakston says he is 'cancer free' on return to radio show". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
21. Martin, Roy (13 January 2025). "New Saturday evening shows on Jazz FM following Sarah Ward's departure". Radio Today. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
22. Martin, Roy (6 January 2025). "Bauer poaches Gaby Roslin for weekend show on Magic". Radio Today. Retrieved 6 January 2025.
23. Martin, Roy (14 January 2025). "Date set for the launch of The Scott Mills Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2". Radio Today. Retrieved 14 January 2025.
24. McIntosh, Steven (27 January 2025). "Scott Mills: Radio 2 breakfast presenter 'overwhelmed' on his first show". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
25. Collins, Steve (30 October 2024). "Gok Wan to join Harriet Scott as new Magic Breakfast co-host". Radio Today. Retrieved 1 November 2024.
26. Martin, Roy (27 January 2025). "Gok Wan starts on Magic Radio Breakfast with Harriet Scott". Radio Today. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
27. Buckland, Charlie (27 January 2025). "Strictly: Wynne Evans 'taking time off' BBC Radio Wales show". BBC News. BBC. Retrieved 27 January 2025.
28. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cpql1vvdn58o
29. https://radiotoday.co.uk/2025/01/frisk-radio-plans-expansion-from-the-north-east-to-the-north-west/
30. Martin, Roy (16 January 2025). "Kate McCann to co-host breakfast on Times Radio with Stig Abell". Radio Today. Retrieved 17 January 2025.
31. Martin, Roy (2 January 2025). "BBC Radio Manchester puts Joe McGrath on Breakfast". Radio Today. Retrieved 2 January 2025.
32. "Radio Ulster: Anne Marie McAleese to leave Your Place and Mine". BBC News. BBC. 14 December 2024. Retrieved 14 December 2024.
33. Global introduces new 'nations strategy' and drops local and regional shows in England, Roy Martin, Radio Today, 9 January 2025
34. Martin, Roy (28 January 2025). "BBC Radio 1 announces Liverpool for its flagship live music event". Radio Today. Retrieved 29 January 2025.
35. Martin, Roy (13 January 2025). "CRFM plans to launch extra service for West Cumbria". Radio Today. Retrieved 13 January 2025.
36. Martin, Roy (17 December 2024). "South Herts small-scale DAB sets launch date". Radio Today. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
37. Martin, Roy (7 January 2025). "Classic FM welcomes Gareth Malone for new eight-week introduction series". Radio Today. Retrieved 7 January 2025.
38. Martin, Roy (8 January 2025). "YouTuber DanTDM joins Classic FM to present new video game music series". Radio Today. Retrieved 8 January 2025.
39. Martin, Roy (14 January 2025). "James O'Brien gets a daily podcast with his best bits for Global Player". Radio Today. Retrieved 15 January 2025.
40. Martin, Roy (27 January 2025). "BBC Radio Merseyside presenter and reporter Andy Ball has died". Radio Today. Retrieved 29 January 2025.