Vernon Kay expressed his sadness over the departure of Gary Davies from the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show during the presenter's final week before Sara Cox takes over. In a brief exchange on Monday morning, Kay told Davies he would miss their golf chat.
Gary Davies' Temporary Tenure
Gary Davies stepped in for Scott Mills in March after Mills was fired following the BBC's discovery of a 2016 police investigation into allegations of a historical sexual offence involving a person under 16. Davies hosted the show on a temporary basis for several months.
During his final Monday programme, Davies said: "A great start to my final week on the Breakfast Show. Sara [Cox] taking over on Monday. Big thank you to all our stars on the show this morning."
Vernon Kay's Farewell
When Vernon Kay arrived for his own show, which airs at 9:30 am each weekday, he remarked to Davies: "Hey, it's your last week." Davies responded: "I know. You gonna miss me?" Kay replied: "Of course I am. Gonna miss the golf chat."
Sara Cox's Permanent Appointment
The BBC confirmed in April that Sara Cox, 51, would take over the Breakfast Show on a permanent basis. Cox said: "There are not enough adjectives to really sum up how I'm feeling about being trusted with such an iconic show but let's start with ecstatic, honoured and incredibly chuffed. It's been a dream to host the Breakfast Show since I joined Radio 2 and it feels like a bit of a full circle for me."
She added: "I've had the most glorious seven years of my career on Teatime so thank you to my brilliant Teatime listeners who hopefully will join me at Breakfast for excellent music and all my usual nonsense plus some superstar guests."
BBC Reaction
BBC Radio 2's head Helen Thomas said she was "delighted" that Sara would take on the role, adding: "Sara is adored by her millions of listeners at Teatime, and having regularly deputised in the slot, I already know she'll build a brilliant rapport with the Breakfast audience and get the nation going each morning with her trademark warmth and humour."
Fellow broadcaster Trevor Nelson also offered his congratulations, saying: "You are gonna smash it girl. So well deserved. Absolutely love her on radio, and she's gonna smash it."
