2025 in British radio

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This is a list of events taking place in 2025 relating to radio in the United Kingdom.

Events

January

• 1 January
  • BBC Radio 2 counts down listeners' 40 top Elvis Presley songs in Your Ultimate Elvis Song, with "Suspicious Minds" voted as their favourite.
  • To celebrate the 100th anniversary of The Shipping Forecast, BBC Radio 4 recreates old versions of the broadcast read by a number of famous people, including Ruth Jones (in character as Nessa from Gavin and Stacey), Dame Ellen MacArthur and Eddie Grundy.
  • Jazz FM airs a day of programmes dedicated to bandleader Quincy Jones under the title Q Year's Day.
• 3 January – Technical problems disrupt Jo Good's Late Night Jo programme on BBC Local Radio, preventing the majority of the show from being networked. The show is broadcast for 20 minutes throughout the network before the problems lead to dead air being heard on the majority of stations. While BBC Radio London, albeit with some further minor interruptions, continues to take the show, the rest of the network switches to BBC Radio 5 Live.
• 4 January
  • Ian Shepherd joins Central Radio to present weekend breakfast.
  • Former Key 103 presenter Jonathan Miles joins Happy Radio UK to present a weekly show on Saturday evenings.
• 4–5 January – Adil Ray presents the second and third of his three festive programmes for Smooth Radio.
• 6 January
  • Aaron Paul begins presenting breakfast on BBC Radio London from Mondays to Thursdays; Riz Lateef continues with the show on Fridays.
  • Kirsty Gallacher joins the Gold network to present Gold Radio Drive on weekdays.
• 7 January – A power outage at Frisk Radio forces the breakfast show presenters Andy and Steph to present their content using a mobile phone.
• 9 January
  • Lauren Laverne announces she is stepping down as presenter of BBC Radio 6 Music's breakfast show; Nick Grimshaw will take over the show, while Laverne will move to presenting mid-mornings.
  • Global Radio announces that local and regional programming on Smooth Radio, Capital and Heart in England will end, with all three channels airing a nationwide schedule for England.
  • Bauer Media Audio UK announces it is acquiring Clear Channel Europe.
• 10 January – Bauer Media Audio UK reaches a deal to acquire Star Radio in Cambridgeshire and rebrand the station as Hits Radio.
• 11 January – Rod Liddle joins Times Radio to present Saturday mornings.
• 12 January – Mel Giedroyc joins Magic Radio to present a Sunday morning show.
• 13 January
  • Nemone temporarily takes over as presenter of BBC 6 Music Breakfast until Nick Grimshaw begins presenting the show in February.
  • Lyca Radio partners with Southall Travel to mark the brand's 40th anniversary, offering three couples the chance to win a holiday in the Maldives.
• 17 January –
  • Happy Radio UK becomes the official radio partner of Manchester's AO Arena.
  • Appearing on Heart Breakfast, presenter Jamie Theakston announces that he is "cancer free" and will return to the programme from Monday 20 January.
• 18 January – Pianist and educator Nikki Yeoh joins Jazz FM to present a Saturday evening show from 10pm–12am, while regular presenter Chris Phillips moves to the earlier shot of 6pm–9pm, replacing Sarah Ward who retired from broadcasting at the end of 2024.
• 25 January – Gaby Roslin joins Magic Radio to present a Saturday mid-morning show.
• 27 January –
  • The Scott Mills Breakfast Show debuts on BBC Radio 2, while Trevor Nelson begins presenting weekday mid-afternoons.
  • Gok Wan joins Magic Breakfast to co-present alongside Harriet Scott.
  • BBC Radio Wales confirms that Wynne Evans will be taking a break from his show following controversy over a remark he made during the Strictly Come Dancing tour earlier in the month.
• 29 January –
  • The BBC World Service announces it is cutting 130 jobs as part of £6m of cost-cutting measures during the next financial year.
  • Frisk Radio announces plans to expand its coverage from north east England to north west England from April.

February

• 3 February –
  • Kate McCann becomes weekday co-presenter of the breakfast show on Times Radio, alongside Stig Abell.
  • Joe McGrath takes over as BBC Radio Manchester's breakfast presenter, succeeding Anna Jameson.
  • Radio News Hub launches a worldwide hourly news service, delivering news to radio stations in their native languages.
  • Greatest Hits Radio Scotland's breakfast show, Ewen and Cat at Breakfast, is given a breach from Ofcom over a live interview with comedian Ford Kiernan on 10 September 2024 in which he used offensive words.
• 4 February – Talksport is announced as the official partner of the 2025 British & Irish Lions tour to Australia.
• 6 February – RAJAR listening figures for the final quarter of 2024 indicate a 23% increase in the number of listeners to Times Radio compared to the same period in 2023, with 604,000 average weekly listeners, while GB News Radio, the simulcast of the television channel, saw a 23% decline over the same period, with 468,000 weekly listeners. Talk Radio saw a 13% decline to 504,000.
• 7 February – Dan Draper, Alice Hopkins and Cloe Lee are confirmed as the next three presenters to present Radio 1's Friday Early Breakfast on a monthly basis, with Draper fronting the show in February, Hopkins in March and Lee in April.
• 8 February – Jermaine Jenas returns to radio as a football commentator for Talksport; it is his first radio appearance since he was sacked by the BBC over complaints about his workplace conduct.
• 10 February –
  • BBC Local Radio's The Late Show begins a week of live broadcasts from pubs around the UK named The Queen Victoria.
  • The national Hits Radio breakfast show airs on stations in the north east while the local breakfast presenters take a week's break.
• 11 February –
  • BBC Asian Network confirms some schedule changes as it prepares to move operations to Birmingham, with Bobby Friction moving from weekdays to weekends, and Amber Sandhu heaving the station.
  • Wise Buddah Productions produce a new jingles package for BBC Radio 2, including for The Scott Mills Breakfast Show featuring the House Gospel Choir.
• 12 February – Bauer Media announces it is selling its stake in media platform Octave to News UK, ending the two companies' year-long joint venture.
• 14 February – DH One rebrands as 100% Whatever Westcountry.
• 15 February –
  • Kay Wright is appointed Head of BBC Midlands, overseeing radio, television and online content in the East and West Midlands areas.
  • Anne Marie McAleese presents her final edition of BBC Radio Ulster's Your Place And Mine, which she has presented since 1991.
• 17 February –
  • Ofcom grants talkSPORT permission to switch off seven of its 18 mediumwave transmitters, reducing its AM coverage from 92% to 88% of the UK population.
  • Lyca Gold confirms that Sarita Sabharwal is to present a regular weekend show starting later in February.
  • BBC Radio Scotland presenter Janice Forsyth announces she is stepping down from presenting after being diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's disease.
• 18 February –
  • BBC Radio 2 announces a new spring schedule, which includes a new Saturday afternoon show for Zoe Ball from May and moving Pick of the Pops from Saturday afternoons to early Sunday evenings, also in May. Rob Beckett will also leave his Sunday afternoon show in April, while Richie Anderson will present a new Sunday overnight show from April.
  • Erewash Sound has improved its signal output after securing a £5,500 grant for new transmitting equipment.
• 19 February – Absolute Radio Country hires Nashville radio presenter Kelly Sutton to present The Nashville Show, airing from Sunday to Thursday evenings.
• 21 February – Heart and Capital stations in England broadcast local and regional programming for the final time.
• 23 February – Musician Darius Rucker joins Absolute Radio Country to present the first of four two-hour programmes in which he shares his favourite music, as well as stories from his career.
• 24 February –
  • Heart, Capital and Smooth go entirely national throughout England after losing their final regional programmes. JK and Kelly Brook present a national Heart Drive on weekdays, while Will Manning presents a national Capital Drive and Jenni Falconer presents a national Smooth Breakfast. The current level of local opt-outs will be retained. Scotland and Wales will retain their non-networked programming.
  • Smooth Radio makes a few schedule changes, which includes Darren Parks presenting The Smooth Sanctuary on weekday evenings.
  • XS Manchester relaunches as Radio X 90s.
  • Rob Ellis joins Radio X 90s to present weekday mid mornings.
  • Capital and Capital Dance launch their spring schedules for 2025.
  • Stephanie Hirst joins Greatest Hits Radio 60s to present a weekday lunchtime show.
  • BBC Local Radio launches its 2025 Make a Difference Awards, with the awards covering the whole of the UK for the first time.
• 25 February –
  • A new BBC audio website and app will replace BBC Sounds for users outside the UK later in 2025, with listeners overseas only able to access the BBC World Service and BBC Radio 4 once the changes take place.
  • The BBC Board apologises for what it describes as "missed opportunities" to tackle "bullying and misogynistic behaviour" by former BBC Radio 1 DJ Tim Westwood.
  • BBC Radio 1 joins forces with radio stations from four other countries in Europe for Europe's Biggest Gig.
• 27 February – Charlotte Moore announces her departure as BBC Chief Content Officer; she will leave the post later in the year.
• 28 February – At 1pm, Global completes its withdrawal from broadcasting on AM when it switches off its last remaining MW transmitter, in North Wales and Cheshire which had carried Smooth Radio North Wales and Cheshire.

March

• 1 March –
  • Adil Ray joins Smooth Radio to present Saturday mid mornings following his guest appearance over the New Year. His show is followed by Tina Hobley, who adds Saturday afternoons to her Sunday afternoon slot.
  • Olly Murs co-presents a Saturday morning show for Heart alongside Mark Wright as part of the station's new spring schedule; the schedule changes also see Vicky Pattinson join Heart to present a Saturday afternoon show.
• 2 March – Dave Lee Travis joins Heritage Chart Radio to present a show on Sunday mornings.
• 3 March – Bauer Media Audio UK rebrands Star Radio in Cambridgeshire as Hits Radio.
• 5 March – Ellie Davis is appointed as Deputy Content Manager at Virgin Radio.
• 7 March – House Party Radio is added to DAB in north Birmingham.
• 8 March – Nation Radio South becomes available on DAB in Sussex.
• 10 March –
  • The BBC announces that Anna Foster will join Radio 4's Today programme from April.
  • Sky News signs a new deal with Independent Radio News to continue providing news and sport content to commercial radio in the UK.
• 14 March – BBC Radio 5 Live has agreed a deal to provide exclusive coverage of Formula 1 during 2025, 2026 and 2027.
• 17 March – Summaya Mughal takes over as breakfast presenter at BBC Radio Nottingham while regular presenter Verity Crowley is on maternity leave.
• 18 March – Tindle Group announces is intention to acquire South East Radio in Ireland.
• 19 March – The Rayo app's Skip Track feature, allowing premium subscribers to skip up to six tracks an hour on live radio, is to be discontinued, its owners have confirmed.
• 20 March – Bauer announces plans to network a single breakfast show across its Hits Radio network from 9 June, with further details to follow.
• 21 March –
  • BBC Radio 1 presenter Jamie Laing raises more than £2m for Comic Relief after completing his Comic Relief Ultra Marathon Man challenge of running five marathons in five days.
  • BBC Radio Wales DJ Aleighcia Scott reaches number one in the iTunes Reggae Chart with her first Welsh-language single, "Dod o’r Galon".
  • Pippa Taylor announces her departure as producer of Radio X's The Chris Moyles Show to take up the role of senior executive producer at Heart.
• 28 March – The BBC has "decided to rule out" placing adverts in some of its podcasts for UK listeners.
• 31 March –
  • Absolute Radio, Kiss, Kisstory and Magic Radio will transfer to the DAB+ format, allowing the stations to begin broadcasting via DAB in stereo.
  • Kiss Fresh is rebranded as Kiss Xtra.

April

• 18 April – Laura McGhie joins BBC Radio 5 Live to present overnights on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from Glasgow, sharing the overnight slot with Dotun Adebayo, who will continue to broadcast from London during week. The programme will also be simulcast on BBC Local Radio, as well as BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Scotland and BBC Radio Ulster.
• 22 April – Ed James joins BBC WM to present weekday mid-mornings.
• 25 April – Zoe Ball presents Elaine Paige: 60 Years in Showbusiness, a world exclusive concert honouring the career of Elaine Paige on Radio 2.
• 28 April – BBC Asian Network is scheduled to complete its move to Birmingham.

May

• 23–25 May – BBC Radio 1's Big Weekend is scheduled to take place at Sefton Park, Liverpool.

June

• 9 June –
  • Bauer is scheduled to begin networking a single breakfast show across its Hits Radio network in England and Wales.
  • Hits Radio North East breakfast presenters Steve and Karen are scheduled to begin a nationwide breakfast show on Hits Radio 90s.

Station debuts

Terrestrial

• 20 February – Virgin Radio Britpop, a pop-up station playing hits from the Britpop era and available on DAB in London.
• 31 March –
  • Greatest Hits Radio 70s
  • Greatest Hits Radio 80s
  • Hits Radio 90s
  • Hits Radio 00s

Online

• 13 February – Bridget Jones Radio, a pop-up station launched by Bauer to coincide with the release of the film Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, on Rayo.
• 17 February – PRIDE FM, an online station supporting the UK's LGBTQ+ community.
• March – CRFM West

Small-scale multiplex switch-ons

• 25 February – South Hertfordshire

Closing this year

• 14 January – Halton Community Radio (2008)
• 4 March – Tone FM (2013)

Programme debuts

• 10 January – Together with Gareth Malone, an eight-part series introducing new listeners to classical music, on Classic FM.
• 11 January – Next Level with DanTDM, a weekly series presented by YouTuber DanTDM looking at video game soundtracks on Classic FM.
• 27 January – The Scott Mills Breakfast Show on BBC Radio 2.
• 2 March – Sunday Roast, weekly show presented by Olivia Attwood and Pete Wicks, on KISS.
• 14 March – Trust Me, It's a Classic, a five-part series presented by Alexander Dragonetti, on Classic FM.
• 18 March – Home Front with Russell Quirk, a 12-part series on the subject of property, from Radio News Hub. (programme details announced on this date)
• 25 March – What's Up Docs?, a new health and wellbeing programme and podcast presented by Chris and Xand van Tulleken, on BBC Radio 4 and BBC Sounds.

Podcast debuts

• 13 January – James O'Brien Daily, featuring highlights from his LBC phone-in, on Global Player.
• 18 February – Oops, I Peed My Pants – Breaking the Silence on Female Incontinence & Pelvic Health.
• 17 March – Bloomin' Legends, a history podcast presented by Johnny Vaughan and Gavin Woods, on Global Player.

Continuing radio programmes

These programmes are still running as of 2025. They are listed by the year they were first broadcast.

1940s

• Desert Island Discs (started 1942)
• Woman's Hour (started 1946)
• A Book at Bedtime (started 1949)

1950s

• The Archers (started 1950)
• Pick of the Pops (started 1955)
• The Today Programme (started 1957)

1960s

• Farming Today (started 1960)
• In Touch (started 1961)
• The World at One (started 1965)
• The Official Chart (started 1967)
• Just a Minute (started 1967)
• The Living World (started 1968)

1970s

• PM (started 1970)
• Start the Week (started 1970)
• You and Yours (started 1970)
• I'm Sorry I Haven't a Clue (started 1972)
• Good Morning Scotland (started 1973)
• Newsbeat (started 1973)
• File on 4 (started 1977)
• Money Box (started 1977)
• The News Quiz (started 1977)
• Feedback (started 1979)
• The Food Programme (started 1979)
• Science in Action (started 1979)

1980s

• In Business (started 1983)
• Sounds of the 60s (started 1983)
• Loose Ends (started 1986)

1990s

• The Moral Maze (started 1990)
• Essential Selection (started 1991)
• Night Waves (started 1992)
• Essential Mix (started 1993)
• Up All Night (started 1994)
• Wake Up to Money (started 1994)
• Private Passions (started 1995)
• In Our Time (started 1998)
• PopMaster (started 1998)
• The Now Show (started 1998)

2000s

• BBC Radio 2 Folk Awards (started 2000)
• Big John @ Breakfast (started 2000)
• Sounds of the 70s (2000–2008, resumed 2009)
• Dead Ringers (2000–2007, resumed 2014)
• A Kist o Wurds (started 2002)
• Fighting Talk (started 2003)
• Jeremy Vine (started 2003)
• The Chris Moyles Show (2004–2012, resumed 2015)
• Elaine Paige on Sunday (started 2004)
• The Bottom Line (started 2006)
• The Unbelievable Truth (started 2006)
• Radcliffe & Maconie (started 2007)
• The Media Show (started 2008)
• Newsjack (started 2009)

2010s

• The Third Degree (started 2011)
• BBC Radio 1's Dance Anthems (started 2012)
• Sounds of the 80s (started 2013)
• Question Time Extra Time (started 2013)
• The Show What You Wrote (started 2013)
• Inside Science (started 2013)
• Friday Sports Panel (started 2014)
• Stumped (started 2015)
• You, Me and the Big C (started 2018)
• Radio 1's Party Anthems (started 2019)

2020s

• Frank Skinner's Poetry Podcast (started 2020)
• Newscast (started 2020)
• Sounds of the 90s (started 2020)
• Life Changes (started 2021)
• Romesh Ranganathan: For The Love of Hip Hop (started 2021)
• The News Agents (started 2022)
• Ten to the Top (started 2023)
• Love Songs with Michael Ball (started 2024)
• Radio 2's The Week-est Link (started 2024)

Ending this year

• 2 January – Trevor Nelson's Rhythm Nation (2019–2025)
• 15 February – Your Place And Mine (1991–2025)

Deaths

• 28 January – Andy Ball, reporter and presenter (BBC Radio Merseyside). (death reported on this date)
• 25 February – Henry Kelly, 78, reporter and presenter (BBC Radio 4, LBC, Classic FM)
• 26 February – Tim Jibson, 76, radio presenter (BBC Radio Humberside, Viking FM) and businessman (owner of KCFM). (death reported on this date)
• 4 March – Bill Dare, 64, radio and television comedy writer. (death announced on this date)
• 22 March – Andy Peebles, 76, radio DJ (BBC Radio 1), television presenter (Top of the Pops) and cricket commentator.

See also

• 2025 in the United Kingdom
• 2025 in British music
• 2025 in British television
• List of British films of 2025