Liza Tarbuck quits BBC Radio 2 after 14 years: ‘I want my weekends back’
Liza Tarbuck, whose Radio 2 show is appointment listening for millions of people, has announced that she has quit her beloved BBC programme after 14 years.
The 61-year-old broadcaster said she is stepping down from her Saturday evening slot as she “wants her weekends back”.
Tarbuck has presented the 6pm to 8pm show every Saturday evening since 2012. In a handwritten note posted on Instagram, she described the slot as feeling like a “private members club”, adding that it was “the stuff of dreams”.
“Thousands of people enjoyed each other’s company like great friends,” she wrote on Instagram while sharing the news. “Thank you for letting me in, it’s been a privilege.”
Tarbuck will be replaced by Shaun Keaveny until the end of March, but the BBC said a permanent presenter would be announced in due course.
Radio 2 boss Helen Thomas praised Tarbuck, saying she was “beloved by everyone at the station”.
“Every Saturday evening, Liza created a truly magical, fantastical world. The door at Radio 2 will always be open for her,” said Ms Thomas. “Liza will be hugely missed and we wish her the very best of luck for the future.”
Tarbuck’s fellow Radio 2 stars sent messages of support in the wake of the news, with Jo Whiley writing on Instagram: “This is terrible news for us all. Just mentally trying to recalibrate my Saturday evenings.”
She said that “no one cared more about their listeners” than Tarbuck, adding: “As a fan, I am bereft. Thank you for the music and chat, the love and support LT. The broadcaster’s broadcaster – much love.”
Rylan wrote: “I’m gonna miss you so much. Genuinely. I’m so lucky to have worked with you for so long. Thank you for making me cackle on and off air. I love you.”
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Meanwhile, Keaveny said Tarbuck “stands among the greats”. “You’re my hero shoulder to shoulder with Terry [Wogan], Steve [Wright], all that lot. You did it best,” he wrote.
Tarbuck – the daughter of comedian Jimmy Tarbuck – launched her career in 1987, when she was cast in the comedy series Watching.
In 1999, she replaced Kelly Brook as host of The Big Breakfast, after Brook had stepped in to take over from Denise van Outen. Tarbuck presented the Channel 4 series with Johnny Vaughan for one year before quitting. Her acting credits include Extras, French & Saunders and the Charles Dickens adaptation Bleak House.
Radio 2 has faced major changes in recent years, with the departure of several famous names.
Zoe Ball quit the breakfast show in December 2024 after five years, saying she was “knackered” from the 4am starts. Scott Mills stepped in to replace the broadcaster, who returned to host a new slot a few months later on Saturday afternoons. She left the show in December 2025, and was replaced by Emma Willis.
In March 2023, veteran host Ken Bruce – who hosted the 9.30am to midday show for more than 30 years – left to start a new show on Greatest Hits Radio. His old BBC slot was taken over by Vernon Kay.
Other DJs who have left the station in the past six years include Simon Mayo and Graham Norton, with Paul O’Grady also stepping away from his programme ahead of his death in March 2023.
While the breakfast show, as well as Kay’s new slot, have lost listeners in the wake of Ball and Bruce’s respective departures, Radio 2 remains the UK’s most popular radio station, with 12.8 million listeners each week.
