Ken Bruce reveals he is ‘worried’ for the BBC’s future 18 months after he was axed from Radio 2

Ken Bruce has revealed he ‘worries’ for the future of the BBC a year and half after he was axed from the corporation.

The 73-year-old left the BBC in April last year for Greatest Hits Radio with fans following him to the Bauer Media-owned radio station.

Since the Scotsman joined its team, after leaving the BBC and his Radio 2 show, this new employer has seen an increase from 5.8million to 7.5million since last year’s 2023 report. 

In September last year he said he made the decision to leave for the rival station because he felt it was ‘time for a change‘. 

He was asked to leave before his contract ended, after informing bosses of his intention to depart, which he found ‘petty’ and ‘disrespectful’. 

‘I do worry for the future of the BBC’: Ken Bruce speaks on his worries for the corporation

‘It’s a slow organisation to turn around’, Ken Bruce said of the BBC in an interview

Now, Mr Bruce, who spent 31 years presenting his mid-morning show, has said he worries for the future of the public broadcaster, saying it’s a ‘slow organisation to turn around’

He told the Sunday Times: ‘I do worry for the future of the BBC. I think it needs to watch where it is going. 

‘Commercial radio is really healthy, it is growing and growing and growing. And I just think it’s difficult to reinvent something [the Radio 2 schedule] that has been successful for many years. 

‘It’s a slow organisation to turn around, like a supertanker. It needs people with vision to make sure it goes the right way.’

During the interview he took aim at decision making process at the BBC, describing a move to shuffle him away from his mid-morning show and onto a late-night slot as ‘political’.

Ken first moved to mid mornings in 1986 and – after a brief stint on late nights for less than a year in 1990 and then into early mornings – he returned to mid mornings in January 1992 where he presented for over 30 years until his departure in 2023. 

In 2020 Simon Mayo, 65, joined Greatest Hits Radio after 17 years at the BBC to host his now famous Album Show every Sunday at 1pm, before also returning to daily radio and The Simon Mayo Drivetime Show in March 2021

Ken Bruce said the BBC is a like a ‘supertanker’ and needs people with ‘vision’ to go forward

For the last five years Greatest Hits has had a history of poaching popular members of staff from BBC Radio 2

In 2020 Simon Mayo, 65, joined the station after 17 years to host his now famous Album Show every Sunday at 1pm, before also returning to daily radio and The Simon Mayo Drivetime Show in March 2021.

 Mr Bruce told the newspaper that the licence fee is a model which works but ‘needs someone to come out and defend it’ adding that he doesn’t think there are a lot of people who have been doing that. 

He also shared some advice to the new generation of radio presenters saying people don’t have to ‘talk a lot to make an impression’ adding you can do so ‘in three words or a sentence’.

The BBC has been approached for comment.