Scott Mills has been fired from his role at Radio 2 following allegations about his personal conduct, bringing his three-decade career with the BBC to a sudden end.
The corporation said on Monday that “while we do not comment on matters relating to individuals, we can confirm Scott Mills is no longer contracted and has left the BBC”.
Mills hosted his breakfast show for the final time on Tuesday, telling his listeners, “see you tomorrow”, at the end of the show. However, presenter Gary Davies stepped in to host his shows for the remainder of the week, much to the confusion of regular listeners.
According to BBC News, Mills was told at the weekend that his contract with the BBC had been terminated. The Independent understands that staffers at Radio 2 found out about Mills’s sacking on Monday morning, with BBC’s director of music, Lorna Clarke, sending out a statement to staff.
“I wanted to personally let you know that Scott Mills has left the Breakfast show, and the BBC,” the memo read.
“I know that this news will be sudden and unexpected and therefore must come as a shock, not least as so many of us have worked with Scott over a great many years, across a broad range of our programmes on R1, 5Live, R2 and TV.”
Clarke continued: “Of course, it will also come as a shock to our audience and loyal breakfast show listeners too. I will update everyone with more information on plans for the show when I’m able to. While I appreciate many of you will have questions, I hope you can understand that I am not going to be saying anything further now.”
The Independent has contacted Mills for comment.
Mills, 53, joined the BBC in 1998 to host Radio 1’s early breakfast show, before moving to Radio 2 after 24 years to take over its afternoon slot. In November 2024, he was announced as the new Radio 2 breakfast host, replacing Zoe Ball.
His show was the UK’s most listened to breakfast programme and in February, he posted his highest figures since taking over the slot in January 2025 – the show reached a weekly audience of 6.5 million listeners in the final quarter of 2025, according to Rajar.
Mills was one of the highest-paid presenters at the BBC, with his 2024-2025 salary revealed to be between £355,000 and £359,999.
Mills had been lined up for high-profile presenting roles later this year, including Race Across the World: The Detour – a companion podcast to run alongside the BBC show’s new series from Thursday. Mills won the celebrity version of the show with husband Sam Vaughan in 2024.
He was also expected to return to front the BBC’s Eurovision coverage alongside Rylan Clark, having covered the competition for BBC Radio 2 in previous years.
Mills started his DJ career on Power FM, his local Hampshire commercial radio station, when he was 16.
After sending in demo tapes and successfully hosting a week’s worth of shows, he was given the “graveyard slot” of 1am to 6am, becoming the youngest permanent presenter on mainstream commercial radio.
He worked at GWR FM Bristol and Manchester’s Piccadilly Key 103, as well as being one of the first hosts on Heart 106.2 when it debuted in 1995, before being hired by the BBC.
While at the BBC, he raised £1.2m for Children in Need after undertaking a 24-hour treadmill walking marathon.
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