Ken Bruce has left his listeners “bawling” today as he bid an emotional final farewell to BBC Radio 2 after 31 years.
The Scottish radio broadcasting veteran announced back in January that he would be stepping down from his late-morning slot on BBC Radio 2 after hosting the primetime show for over three decades from 1986 to 1990, and then again from 1992 to 2023.
The 72-year-old said he would “always be proud” of his association with the BBC and Radio 2.
But Bruce explained that he wanted to continue his career “in a slightly different way in the next few years”, and confirmed that, to do this, he’ll be moving to Greatest Hits Radio in April to present a brand new mid-morning show.
It was announced last month that Bolton-born presenter and TV personality Vernon Kay would be taking over from Bruce after the revered host’s departure on Friday 3 March.
Taking to the airwaves for the final time, Bruce’s final show saw send-offs from long-time listeners and fellow broadcasters.
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He also repaid the kindness showed to him throughout his career, by going on to thank his listeners, the production team at Radio 2, and the BBC – the latter of which he claimed on Twitter last month “decided wants me to leave [Radio 2] earlier” than planned, after he had “intended fulfilling my contract until the end of March”.
“Thanks to all who’ve sent any kind of message of congratulations or good riddance,” Bruce told his listeners in his final message.
After what had been an emotional couple of hours, Bruce then directly addressed his former employer, stating: “And to the BBC, I’ve been here for a long time and, apart from the occasional vaguery, it is still the finest broadcasting organisation in the world.”
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Bruce then had the tough task of picking the songs to signing-off his last ever show.
He chose a medley of ‘Golden Slumbers’, ‘Carry That Weight’, and ‘The End’ that all end the legendary Abbey Road album by The Beatles, just as his BBC career came to an end.
What a class act Ken Bruce! Perfect last show – self deprecating, total professional and top fella ❤️
As his final show drew to a close, social media was flooded with messages of support for Bruce and memories of his career from both listeners and famous faces.
One fan shared said on Twitter: “Having a bit of a cry at Ken Bruce playing The Beatles’ Golden Slumbers, Carry that Weight, The End, at the end of his last programme for BBC 2. Pass the tissues please.”
Another added: “I didn’t expect to have a little midday cry over this, but here I am. Thank you, Ken Bruce.”
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A third simply said on Twitter that they were “bawling” at Bruce’s sign-off.
Vernon Kay will take over from Ken Bruce in May, with DJ Gary Davies will fill the gap between Bruce’s departure and Kay’s first show, the BBC has confirmed.
We're delighted to announce that Vernon Kay will be taking over the mid-morning show on Radio 2 later this year! 🧡 pic.twitter.com/IVm3xYbOpw
Kay is well-known for fronting various shows on Channel 4’s T4 throughout his career, as well as several ITV shows including All Star Family Fortunes, Just The Two Of Us, Beat The Star, and Splash!, for competing in reality competition show I’m A Celebrity… back in 2020, and has lots of experience on the airwaves too.
The 48-year-old presented his own BBC Radio 1 show between 2004 and 2012, and then went on to host a show on Radio X between 2015 and 2017.
Featured Image – BBC
Trending
Manc music legends James announce MASSIVE hometown show
Danny Jones
Greater Manchester music legends James have just revealed a massive hometown show here in the city centre as part of a landmark domestic arena tour.
Daisy bucket hats at the ready.
James is arguably the epitome of what it is to be the understated, underdog British band; they’ve gone about the business of making quality music somewhat quietly for several decades now, but they’ve had a fresh wave of interest over the past year or so
Having opened up for the likes of Catfish and the Bottlemen’s comeback shows, not to mention playing multiple big festival slots in recent months alone, they’ve now announced a huge run of UK arena shows – and nowhere does a James crowd quite like us Mancs.
Details have been announced for our 2026 UK arena tour, and we’re delighted to be joined by very special guests @dovesmusicblog with tickets going on general sale this Friday at 9:30am. Access the ticket pre-sale on Wednesday via our official store: https://t.co/DwpGrAUESZ NBL x pic.twitter.com/A4CWVpCooL
Announced as part of the celebrations around their Nothing But Love ‘best of’ LP, which pulls tracks from James’ whopping 18 studio albums, the new run of UK arena shows in 2026 follows on from numerous noteworthy shows this calendar year.
In addition to the aforementioned outdoor gigs, like their stunning sold-out night at The Piece Hall in Halifax – not too far from frontman Tim Booth’s hometown in Yorkshire – the indie veterans also celebrated a huge landmark in 2025.
Surpassing the milestone of 40 years as a band, with a lineup that’s remained largely intact and only really grown in terms of live session players and touring bandmates.
The new “definitive” greatest hits record also includes two brand-new songs in ‘Wake Up Superman’ and ‘Hallelujah Anyhow’, both of which are produced by Leo Abrahams, who worked with the band on their long-awaited number one album Yummy in 2024 – a feat loooong overdue if you ask us.
As evidenced by the sheer amount of new material they continue to put out and the almost non-stop touring, they remain one of the most prolific artists in the country. FACT.
You can see the rest of James’ upcoming tour dates, including a healthy number of Northern stops in the likes of Liverpool, Leeds and more.
James UK arena tour dates 2026
Fri 2 Birmingham Utilita Arena
Sat 4 Leeds First Direct Bank Arena
Tues 7 Aberdeen P&J Live
Wed 8 Glasgow OVO Hydro
Fri 10 Newcastle Utilita Arena
Sat 11 Liverpool M&S Bank Arena
Mon 13 Cardiff Utilita Arena
Tues 14 Nottingham Motorpoint Arena
Fri 17 London The O2
Sat 18 Manchester Co-op Live
With James returning to Manchester for their Co-op Live arena debut next April, along with a sensational support slot from fellow local legends, Doves (I know, how lucky are you lot?!), you can bank on this one selling out quickly.
General admission goes on sale this Friday, 10 October at 9:30am, so you’d better be ready to grab yours in a flash.
You can find the ticket link HERE, and we’ll see you in the crowd for a good ol’ singalong.
Featured Images — Ehud Lazin/Press shots (supplied)
Trending
Electronic icons Kraftwerk announce first Manchester gig since 2017
Danny Jones
Pioneering German band Kraftwerk have announced their first UK tour since 2017, with fans having to wait almost a decade for another Manchester gig.
Thankfully, they’ll be heading back down the Autobahn and across the channel for a return to our shores soon enough with a long-awaited list of British and Irish live dates.
Kraftwerk remains one of the most groundbreaking groups in the electronic scene to this day, having paved the way for generations of new artists to keep experimenting with the genre in the 50+ years since their formation.
Heading back to Manchester early next year, die-hards will no doubt snap these tickets faster than you can say ‘Das Model’.
For anyone unaware of these veritable legends of electronica and the world of alternative/Euro-synth pop, Kraftwerk formed all the way back in 1970 and went on to shape the modern music industry, bridging the gap between music and the digital age.
Best known for tracks like ‘Computer Love’, ‘The Robots’, ‘Pocket Calculator’ and the aforementioned on named after the national motorway network, they spearheaded futurism in the musical landscape from the outset.
It seems only fitting, therefore, that their upcoming highly anticipated return to the UK comes as part of their ‘Multimedia’ tour.
While they have played a number of live shows all over the globe this year, including an extensive run in the US, next spring will be our domestic visit from Kraftwerk in nine long years.
Credit: Press shot (supplied)
You can see the full list of UK and Ireland tour dates – including a handful of Northern gigs – down below:
Spanning a total of 15 UK dates, as you can see, there will also be tickets to see Kraftwerk nearby in the likes of Liverpool and with our mates over in Sheffield.
Kraftwerk legend Ralf Hütter famously played a set inside our city’s velodrome at the National Cycling Centre for Manchester International Festival (MIF) back in 2009, and has collaborated with the event on multiple ocassions.
In fact, that very performance was seen as a turning point for MIF, so the Manc Kraftwerk connection speaks for itself; O2 members can obviously get pre-sale, but general admission tickets go live from 9am this Friday, 10 October.
Emily Sergeant -
3rd March 2023 
