Graham Norton has confirmed that he’s leaving his weekend shows on Virgin Radio after three years.
The Irish presenter has hosted The Graham Norton Radio Show on the station since 2021 alongside Maria McErlane.
Announcing the news of his departure live on Saturday’s show, Graham said: ‘It is my final weekend of shows here at Virgin Radio.’
Graham added that he’s not leaving Virgin Radio completely but will be stepping away from the weekend schedule with immediate effect.
His final weekend show will be Sunday, February 25.
Graham Norton has confirmed that he’s leaving his weekend shows on Virgin Radio after three years
Graham is reportedly in the running to take over Steve Wright’s Love Songs on BBC Radio 2 following the veteran DJ’s death.
Wright, 69, was found dead at his £2million London flat days after reportedly speaking with BBC bosses – and ahead of a meeting to allegedly discuss a comeback on a new ‘pop nostalgia’ Radio 2 spin-off station.
And while the broadcaster had been unceremoniously ousted from the coveted afternoon slot on the station in 2022 after 23 years, he had continued to record the weekly Steve Wright’s Love Songs, with the most recent edition airing last weekend.
Wright had fronted the show since 1996 – featuring classic romance tracks, along with dedications and real-life love stories.
The final edition, which had been recorded, will not air. But reports suggest that the BBC plans to keep Love Songs going in some form with a new presenter.
Among those suggested by media insiders include singer and presenter Michael Ball, Davina McCall and Graham, who presented a Saturday show for a decade until he defected to Virgin Radio in 2021.
Ball already presents a show on Radio 2 on Sundays, meaning he may have to forgo the 11am slot if he wishes to step into Wright’s shoes. McCall, meanwhile, has sat in for Claudia Winkleman, who is set to leave her Saturday mid-morning show in March.
Grant Michaels, director of talent agency Encanta, says the BBC is stuck between trying to shake up the station’s male-heavy line-up and avoiding alienating Radio 2’s already dwindling audience
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