{"id":480647,"date":"2026-06-07T10:53:22","date_gmt":"2026-06-07T10:53:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/480647\/"},"modified":"2026-06-07T10:53:22","modified_gmt":"2026-06-07T10:53:22","slug":"legendary-bbc-radio-host-bob-harris-to-step-down-from-shows-due-to-ill-health","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/480647\/","title":{"rendered":"Legendary BBC radio host Bob Harris to step down from shows due to ill health"},"content":{"rendered":"

Legendary broadcaster Bob Harris is to step down from hosting his BBC Radio 2 shows due to ill health.<\/p>\n

Harris first joined the station in 1996 and has been a trusted voice for music lovers, presenting acclaimed programmes on Saturday evenings, Bob Harris Country and Sounds of the 70s.<\/p>\n

Over his career, Harris has helped shape Radio 2’s specialist music output and introduced generations of listeners to emerging talent alongside established stars. A passionate advocate for country, folk, Americana and singer-songwriters, Harris has also played a significant role in the growing popularity of country music in the UK.<\/p>\n

In a statement, Harris said: “It\u2019s incredible to think that my broadcasting career has spanned almost 56 years. I am very fortunate to have spent my entire working life doing something I love so much. I am a massive BBC loyalist, and I\u2019m grateful that I have always been given the freedom to build my programmes in my own way.<\/p>\n

“Most of my time on air has been spent with my fabulous family at Radio 2 and it has been such a joy to broadcast on this world-class radio station. I am so proud that The Radio 2 Country Show has played such a massive part in propelling Country to become the fastest growing music genre in the UK, and presenting Sounds of the 70s on Sunday afternoons has been a real pleasure and made my time here the most special of my entire life.<\/p>\n

\"Bob<\/p>\n

Bob Harris.\u00a0BBC\/Ray Burmiston<\/p>\n

“But more than anything, I want to say thank you to my listeners. I have put everything I have into every show I\u2019ve ever done, and it\u2019s all been because of you. Your love and loyalty mean more to me than words can ever say.<\/p>\n

“I am so sorry that my health issues are forcing me to step down, but I realise that I must concentrate on getting myself well again. This has been one of the hardest decisions of my life, but I would never want to be doing programmes knowing that I am unable to give you 100 per cent.<\/p>\n

“I am going to miss you, and I love you very much. Thank you for listening.”<\/p>\n

Harris presented his last episode of Sounds of the 70s on Sunday 8 March, and his last Radio 2 Country Show on Thursday 2 April.<\/p>\n

Helen Thomas, head of Radio 2, said: “I would like to say a sincere thank you to Bob, a true radio legend, for many years of very special shows on Radio 2. Bob has hosted The Radio 2 Country Show since 1999, becoming a trusted and respected tastemaker as the genre exploded in popularity.<\/p>\n

“Since taking the reins of Sounds of the 70s, he has filled the show with love, laughter and captivating stories of being at the heart of the music scene throughout the decade.<\/p>\n

“Bob is adored by the Radio 2 family and his listeners, and we are all going to miss him and his weekly shows very much. Everyone at Radio 2 sends Bob and his family our love and support.”<\/p>\n

Read more:<\/p>\n

Shaun Keaveny will officially take over as host of Sounds of the 70s each Sunday (3-5pm), in addition to hosting the Radio 2 Rock Show (Fridays 11pm-midnight) after deputising in the Sounds of the 70s slot and various other shows on Radio 2 during the past year.<\/p>\n

Keaveny said in a statement: “As long as I can remember, I\u2019ve loved the music of the 70s. My mum reckons Rocket Man was all over the radio when I was born in 72\u2026 guess who was playing that on the original Sounds of the 70s at that time\u2026 ??<\/p>\n

“It was the thrill of my life to meet Bob, the man who has done more to maintain the spirit of Rock, Roll and Radio than almost anyone. I consider it not just an honour but a mission, to continue Bob\u2019s work of showing the world the greatness of the music of that special decade. Somewhere, every week, some kid hears Won\u2019t Get Fooled Again for the first time!<\/p>\n

“You did that for me Bob, and millions like me. We\u2019d like to say Thank You For the Music, you\u2019ll always be our Rock n Roll Doctor.”<\/p>\n

Darius Rucker will continue to host The Radio 2 Country Show (Thursdays 9-10pm) in the interim.<\/p>\n

The BBC has also announced it’s all changing on Saturday nights, with a focus on Radio 2’s much-loved decade shows and presenters.<\/p>\n

Sounds of the 80s, presented by Gary Davies, will be brought forward by two hours and will now broadcast from 6 to 8pm. While Sounds of the 90s, presented by Fearne Cotton, will move to 8 to 10pm each Saturday night.<\/p>\n

\"Fearne<\/p>\n

Fearne Cotton.\u00a0BBC<\/p>\n

And at 10pm, Vernon Kay, host of the UK\u2019s most listened to radio show (weekdays, 9.30am \u2013 noon) with 6.6m listeners each week (RAJAR Q1 2026), will present Dance Sounds of the 90s.<\/p>\n

Listeners will also enjoy a double helping of Dermot O\u2019Leary, who will continue to present his popular Saturday Breakfast Show (8-10am) as well as Alternative Sounds of the 90s (11pm\u2013midnight).<\/p>\n

Helen Thomas added: “Saturday nights on Radio 2 will continue to be the UK\u2019s most popular Saturday night in, with the best possible nostalgia led soundtrack, featuring the biggest hits and broadest range of tracks from the 80s and 90s, courtesy of Gary, Fearne, Vernon and Dermot.”<\/p>\n

Check out more of our Audio<\/a> coverage or visit our TV Guide<\/a> and Streaming Guide<\/a> to find out what’s on. For more TV recommendations and reviews, listen to The Radio Times Podcast<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Legendary broadcaster Bob Harris is to step down from hosting his BBC Radio 2 shows due to ill…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":480648,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[146,85,46,409],"class_list":["post-480647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-music","tag-entertainment","tag-il","tag-israel","tag-music"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=480647"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/480647\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/480648"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=480647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=480647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=480647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}