Angela Scanlon named for Radio 2 Drivetime; Ben Earle named for Country Show

Angela Scanlon will take over BBC Radio 2’s weekday Drivetime programme in November, filling the slot Sara Cox left when she moved to Breakfast. The station has also named Ben Earle to present its weekly Country Show following Bob Harris’s departure. The appointments settle two presenter vacancies for listeners, although Radio 2 has not given an exact first broadcast date for either new regular run.

Scanlon’s programme will air from 16:00 to 19:00 on weekdays, according to BBC News. She was among the presenters who covered Drivetime over the summer after Cox left the slot. RadioToday also reported the appointment on 28 September and said the summer shows preceded her move into the regular role.

Scanlon returns to a regular Radio 2 slot

Scanlon is already familiar to the station’s audience. She hosted Radio 2’s Sunday early morning programme from 2018 to 2021. She has also presented Weekend Breakfast on Virgin Radio UK, RadioToday reported. Her previous television work includes The One Show and Your Home Made Perfect, while she took part in Strictly Come Dancing in 2023, according to BBC News.

The Drivetime vacancy followed Cox’s move to Radio 2’s Breakfast Show. During the intervening months, Scanlon was one of several presenters heard in the afternoon slot. BBC News named Joel Dommett, Jason Manford, Ellie Taylor, Alex Jones and Gary Davies among those who filled in. The appointment gives Scanlon a weekday programme after that period of rotating hosts.

Radio 2 controller Helen Thomas said Scanlon was ‘incredibly warm and quick witted’ and had proved popular with listeners during the summer. Thomas described Drivetime as an important programme for people travelling home and beginning their evenings. She thanked the presenters who had hosted the slot since Cox moved to Breakfast.

A new presenter for the Country Show

The station’s other appointment puts Earle, one half of British country duo The Shires, in charge of the weekly Country Show. RadioToday says the programme airs on Thursdays from 21:00 to 22:00. It has not reported a start date for Earle’s regular run, so the announced appointment does not establish which edition will be his first as permanent presenter.

Earle brings experience as both a musician and broadcaster. He has presented a weekly programme on Absolute Radio Country for the past five years, according to BBC News and RadioToday. RadioToday also reported that he first filled in for Harris on Radio 2 in 2019. Earle said he was ‘truly honoured’ to be asked to present the show.

Thomas cited Earle’s knowledge of country music, enthusiasm for the genre and experience in music and radio when explaining the choice. In comments reported by BBC News, she said those qualities made him an ideal successor to Harris. The appointment follows a period in which Darius Rucker presented the Country Show; RadioToday reported that Thomas thanked Rucker for his recent work on the programme.

Harris presented Radio 2’s Country Show for 27 years before announcing his departure in June. RadioToday reported that he stepped down because of ill health after saying he needed to concentrate on getting well. His long tenure makes the change a significant one for the programme’s regular audience, which has heard his presentation of country music since 1999.

What listeners know so far

The two appointments were announced on 28 September. Scanlon’s weekday Drivetime run is planned for November, with the programme scheduled for three hours each afternoon. Earle has been named for the Thursday Country Show, but the available reports do not specify when his regular presenting run begins. Listeners awaiting either presenter’s first scheduled programme will need a further timetable from Radio 2.