Liza Tarbuck is exchanging her microphone for a potter’s wheel, joining a growing list of prominent presenters departing the BBC. The move comes after intense listener backlash earlier this year when she left her beloved Saturday evening Radio 2 show, with fans describing her departure as a “national disaster” and a cultural loss that they argued deserved parliamentary discussion.
Tarbuck hosted the popular program for 14 years, transforming it into one of the most entertaining shows in British radio history. Her unique blend of unstructured conversation and eclectic music selections—spanning nine decades within a single broadcast—attracted a dedicated audience of two million listeners. The show consistently received higher engagement than any other program on the station, with Tarbuck reportedly handling up to 50 messages per minute.
Reflecting on her time at the station, Tarbuck admitted she also felt a profound sense of loss. “I was bereft about it, too,” she said, acknowledging how much she missed the daily interactions. “I miss angsting over the playlist. I miss the texts and emails. For two hours every weekend, we were a proper gang.”
I actually enjoyed her radio show back in the day. Does she really miss the stress of handling fifty messages a minute?
After that massive listener backlash, surely the BBC owes her a proper apology? This feels like a soft landing.
Honestly, I prefer pottery to these boring chat shows. She will do brilliantly on the wheel.