Zoe Ball has addressed the BBC’s controversial decision to put Paddy McGuinness and Michael Ball in charge of the Sunday morning shows on Radio 2.
Listeners are less than impressed with the station’s replacement for late radio legend Steve Wright, who passed away in February at the age of 69. Michael, 61, will take the reins hosting Steve Wright’s Love Songs, while the former Top Gear presenter, Paddy, 50, will present a new show.
Zoe took to Instagram to share her delight with her 703,000 followers as she shared a promotional BBC photo of funnyman which she captioned: “Welcome. Bolton Massive.” But the switch up hasn’t gone down well as some listeners have vowed to ‘boycott’ the station after the decision was made.
Paddy impressed radio bosses when he recently stepped in to cover Vernon Kay’s pop quiz Ten To The Top while Vernon was off fundraising for Children In Need. Paddy has also sat in for Rylan Clark on Saturday afternoons and presented two shows over the Easter weekend.
While Michael and Paddy can’t wait to get started with their new shows, it seems not everyone is impressed with the new line-up. One fan fumed: “Oh FFS, I’m off to Greatest Hits and Planet Rock then.” Another commented: “Michael Ball… possibly… Paddy McGuinness… the man with the most annoying voice on TV/radio… no wonder people are going to be switching off.”
A third chimed in: “Seriously @BBCRadio2 can you not find fresh talent from local radio instead of awful ‘celebrities’. No wonder folk are turning off.” “Paddy bloody McGuiness, Jesus? What’s he got on the BBC. That bloody grating voice! I listen to Heart,” said a fourth. A fifth pointed out: “You gave Paddy Top Gear. You’ve cancelled it. You gave Paddy A Question of Sport. You’ve cancelled it. Some might say he’s not as popular as he thinks he is…” While a sixth joked: “April Fools Day was yesterday.”
However, other fans seemed pleased with the announcement with one sticking up for poor Paddy and saying: “I’ve loved listening to Paddy recently – very happy to read this.” A second said: “I think it’s a wonderful choice, I’m sure Steve would approve.” While a third suggested: “I think Paddy should pick up the Sunday teatime slot instead of Rob Beckett. He has a good mix of humour and energy that would suit that slot really well.”
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