Back in January, the iconic presenter announced he’d be leaving the BBC after 40 years at the corporation, amid something of a mass exodus at Radio 2, which has seen several key figures at the station leaving their show or the station in general in the past year.
Speaking to the Daily Mail ahead of launching his new show on Greatest Hits Radio, Ken claimed he chose to leave Radio 2 when, months away from the end of his two-year contract, he’d not been approached about renewing it.
“I wanted it to be my decision,” he explained. “There was no pressure and I’ve been more appreciated in the last 10 years at the BBC than I was in the first 25. But I decided to go.
“I think I did surprise them, but the fact was I hadn’t been offered any continuation at that point. They then said, ‘Well, we were going to offer you another three years’.”
However, by that point, Ken had signed his deal with Greatest Hits Radio, and insisted he “didn’t want to get into a bidding war”.
While it was initially announced Ken would host his Radio 2 slot until the end of March, this was eventually cut short, which the host made clear at the time was not his decision.
“That was disappointing,” he admitted. “I thought, ’Come on, you can trust me. I’m not going to do a Dave Lee Travis [and] start badmouthing everybody, because I had a lovely time at the BBC. So it was all a bit... unnecessary.”
He previously said: “It’s entirely within the BBC’s right to ask me to step away a little early. But for the sake of 17 days, which was all that was remaining [on my contract], it seems a shame.
“My belief is that, when I’m given a contract, I work to it and complete it. Over the last 46 years, I haven’t had very much time off, I’ve attempted to turn up whenever I’m required to turn up. So my natural feeling as a broadcaster is if I’ve got 17 days to do, I want to do them.”
He earlier told the Daily Mail that he “wasn’t given any real reason that I understood” by the BBC for the decision to have him host his final programme earlier than intended.
A statement from the BBC said: “Ken decided to leave Radio 2 and it’s always been known he’s leaving in March.
“Returning to Wogan House [the station’s headquarters] for a week after a month of broadcasting the Piano Room sessions at Maida Vale provided a natural break. We wish Ken all the best for the future.”
Following his Radio 2 exit, Ken will begin hosting a new show on Greatest Hits Radio in April, where he will continue to present his hugely popular music quiz segment, Popmaster.
Meanwhile, Vernon Kay will take over Ken’s mid-morning Radio 2 slot from May onwards, with Gary Davies filling in until then.