Zoe Ball is in talks to join streaming giant Netflix after announcing she would be stepping down from BBC Radio 2.
The DJ and presenter, 54, announced she was quitting her breakfast show earlier this month to ‘focus on family’, handing over the reins to her ‘bestie’ Scott Mills.
And the star is already considering her career options, including a return to TV.
The presenter is no stranger to TV and has previously appeared in Celebrity Gogglebox, The Masked Dancer and, in 2023, as the frontman of the talent show Mamma Mia!.
But now Zoe is considering ‘getting back to her TV roots’ The sun.
A source told the publication: ‘After all, she sees her contemporaries like Claudia Winkleman, Tess Daly and Davina McCall appearing on primetime shows.
Zoe Ball is in talks to join streaming giant Netflix after announcing she would be stepping down from BBC Radio 2
The DJ and presenter, 54, announced she was quitting her breakfast show earlier this month to ‘focus on family’ as she handed the reins to her ‘bestie’ Scott Mills
But now Zoe is considering ‘getting back to her TV roots’, having previously appeared in Celebrity Gogglebox, The Masked Dancer and, in 2023, fronting talent show Mamma Mia!
‘It seems there’s never been a better time to be a woman in TV presenting in your 50s, and Zoe already brings with her a huge following.’
Zoe became a household face after rising to fame in the 1990s by presenting BBC One children’s show Live & Kicking and Top Of The Pop.
In 2019 she took over hosting the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, but has now announced she wants to reduce her work commitments.
And it looks like Zoe won’t have to rush into anything, as it looks like she’ll be taking on a behind-the-scenes role.
As one of the company’s top earners, Zoe is sacrificing a £950,000-a-year job by quitting her radio show.
But she is not leaving the BBC and it is widely expected that she will continue to receive a large – albeit reduced – salary.
A source told The Ny Breaking: ‘It all feels like smoke and mirrors.
‘Zoe is well-liked in high society and the work is demanding; getting up at the crack of dawn for five days is difficult.
In 2019 she took over hosting the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, but has now announced she wants to reduce her work commitments
Zoe will host her final gig on December 20 before Scott, who currently presents Radio 2’s weekday afternoon show from 2pm to 4pm, starts fronting the program from early January.
‘But the truth is she’s getting a brand new show for which she’ll be paid hundreds of thousands of pounds, despite her listening figures having plummeted.’
Zoe will host her final gig on December 20 before Scott, who currently presents Radio 2’s weekday afternoon show from 2pm to 4pm, starts fronting the program from early January.
Announcing the news to listeners on her morning show, she said: ‘After six years of fun times with all of you on the breakfast show, I’ve decided it’s time to leave the early alarm calls behind and start a new chapter. ‘
The veteran presenter said she was ‘delighted’ to unveil her good friend Scott as her replacement, telling listeners: ‘Scott and I go way back to our Radio 1 days when he would do the early mornings before me. He has been a good friend for years and I am very happy that he is taking over the Breakfast Show.
‘Breakfast has always been his dream, and what a year he has had: from racing around the world to his beautiful wedding to Sam. Not only is he a brilliant producer, he’s also one of the best on radio. I can’t wait to take part in the school run!’.
Reactions to the announcement on social media were mixed, with one listener branding him “such a terrible replacement,” while another called this morning’s announcement “horrific news.”
Others have vowed to switch off as a result, with one saying it was ‘time to find another station’.
Still others were more favourable, with comments including ‘fantastic news’ and ‘huge congratulations’, while describing him as ‘as talented’ as Zoe.
Scott joined his friend on her show following her announcement and said he was ‘extremely excited’ to become a host (pictured in November 2022)
Scott joined his friend on her show following her announcement and said he was “extremely excited” to become a host.
He said: ‘Zoe and I have been such good friends for over 25 years now and have spent much of that time as part of the same radio family here at Radio 2 and also on Radio 1. She has done a fantastic job on this show the past six years, and I am beyond excited to be handing over the baton.
“It feels like since recording my first shows as a child in front of an audience of one, my mother, all roads since then have led to this amazing opportunity. It really is a lifelong dream come true to follow in the footsteps of Sir Terry, Chris and Zoe and become the new presenter of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.”
Ball was the BBC’s highest-paid female presenter in 2023/24 with a salary between £950,000 and £954,999, putting her second behind Gary Lineker on the list of top-earning talent, according to the company’s annual report published in July was published. .