Vernon Kay is the new host of the mid-morning show on BBC Radio 2, and will launch his new show in May. And this Spring, Radio 2 presents a stellar range of brilliant live music (including a Country extravaganza), world exclusive interviews and exciting new programming.

Vernon says: “I’m absolutely over the moon to be handed the microphone to present the mid-morning show on Radio 2, and what an honour to follow in the footsteps of the mighty Ken Bruce. I look forward to playing some of the best music in the world whilst in the company of the Radio 2 listeners who I feel I’ve got to know over the last 18 months. It’s a dream come true to join the Radio 2 family and I can’t wait to start.”

Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 says: “Radio 2 is home to some of the UK’s best loved presenters, and I’m thrilled to welcome Vernon to mid-mornings on Radio 2. He’s a hugely talented, warm and witty host who has already proved himself to be a firm favourite with our listeners when he’s presented many and varied shows across the station. I can’t wait to hear his brilliant new show.”

Vernon is already familiar to Radio 2 listeners as in recent years he’s covered for The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show, Steve Wright in the Afternoon, Rylan on Saturday and Dermot O’Leary. He also presents Dance Sounds of the 90s on BBC Sounds and Radio 2. Vernon kicked off his radio career at Radio 1 from 2004 – 2012, where he presented Saturday and Sunday mid-morning shows. From 2015 – 2017, Vernon presented the mid-morning show on Radio X.

Vernon has been a regular face on TV for the past 20 years, having presented a variety of shows including All Star Family Fortunes (ITV) Formula E coverage (C4) T4 (C4) This Morning (ITV) and numerous game shows for ITV including Vernon Kay’s Gameshow Marathon, Drive and Splash! He’s also hosted three network shows in the US for ABC and NBC and he came third when a contestant on I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here in 2020.

Vernon will be talking to Zoe Ball next week live on the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

Following Ken Bruce’s announcement in January that he had decided to leave Radio 2 in March, his last show on Radio 2 will be broadcast on Friday 3 March.

From Monday 6 March, Radio 2 favourite Gary Davies, host of the network’s much loved Sounds of the 80s (Saturday, 8-10pm), will present the show until May. Gary will also usher in Radio 2’s new weekday pop quiz. ‘OOH’ Gary Davies fans will be able to listen to him on Radio 2 six days a week for the next few months as he’ll continue to host Sounds of the 80s (Saturday 8-10pm), which he has fronted since 2018.

Radio 2 Celebrates Country as the annual Country to Country festival comes to the UK from Friday 10 to Sunday 12 March. The network has been the broadcast partner for C2C – the biggest country music festival outside the USA – since it began in 2013 and is rolling out the red carpet for its tenth birthday. Bob Harris, host of Radio 2’s Country show, is once again broadcasting from London’s O2, but new this year, Radio 2 will also be bringing the best from C2C in Glasgow, presented by Edith Bowman.

Helen Thomas says: “No other radio station in the UK delivers the incredible range of music that Radio 2 brings its listeners each and every day. This March, we’re again putting the spotlight on Country Music at the C2C festival in both London and Glasgow; we’ll be featuring an exclusive interview with the legendary Van Morrison on the Blues Show and we’ll be bringing listeners the biggest and best-loved songs from theatreland in Big Night of Musicals. You can hear it all live on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds, or catch up by listening at a time of your choosing on BBC Sounds.”

Bob Harris hosts both C2C festival itself and the network’s coverage from the O2 arena in London, and this year he’ll be joined by rising country star, Breland. On the main stage will be Thomas Rhett, Lady A, The Zac Brown Band, Lainey Wilson and dozens more besides, including three days of performances on the Radio 2 stage at Indigo. Radio 2 is live from the Fab Room at the O2 with hosts Bob Harris, Breland and Bobbie Pryor with a show featuring performances from the Friday night, plus live sessions from Elvie Shane, Randall King, Mackenzie Porter and more, and interviews with Lady A, Midland, Morgan Evans, Matt Stell (3-6pm, Saturday 11th March). On Sunday, the show will feature Zac Brown live from the main stage, highlights from Saturday night at the O2 in London and interviews with Zac Brown, Old Crow Medicine Show, Mitchell Tenpenny and Lindsay Ell (8-10pm, Sunday 12th March). Both the shows will include inserts and packages from Edith Bowman in Glasgow and highlights of Friday’s Radio 2 showcase at King Tut’s. A BBC Audio production.

Bob Harris says: “If I can’t be in Nashville, then compering the C2C festival in the UK is where I want to be! I couldn’t be happier than catching up with so many of the artists who’ll be performing here, finding out what they’ve been up to and what’s in store for their year ahead and, of course, hearing them perform quite simply the best genre of music in the world! Hear it all on Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.”

Edith also hosts a Radio 2 showcase at the King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow - recorded on Friday 10th March and featuring three of the festival artists Caroline Jones, Kameron Marlowe and Kezia Gill performing to a small audience. The showcase will be available as an hour long special on BBC Sounds from Saturday 11 March and broadcast on Radio 2 at a later date. A Radio 2/BBC Audio commission for BBC Sounds.

BBC Sounds will give Country fans even more to get excited about as they will have the full set from Thomas Rhett and extended highlights of Lainey Wilson and Jordan Davis (available from 12pm, Saturday 11 March); the full set from Lady A and extended highlights of Midland & Morgan Evans (from 12pm, Sunday 12th March); the full set from Zac Brown, plus extended highlights from OCMS & Mitchell Tenpenny. All the BBC Sounds content remains available for 30 days (from 12pm, Monday 13 March).

A BBC Sounds collection available from Monday 27 February will offer a further treat for country fans with Steve Wright: They Don’t Normally Sing Country, Sara Cox - When Country Goes Pop, Edith Bowman’s Country Movies, Steve Wright’s Country Story Songs, Trevor Nelson’s Country Soul, Steve Wright’s Country Love Songs, Hillary Scott's Gospel Hour and C2C: 10th Anniversary Headliners.

Country stars Jordan Davis and Ashley Cooke will be Bob Harris’ guests on The Country Show (9-10pm, Thursday 9 March) and the show the following week will feature highlights from Sunday night at the O2 (Thursday 16 March). Thomas Rhett, Lainey Wilson & Breland will be appearing on The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show. On his show (12-2pm), Jeremy Vine will be chatting to Edith Bowman and featuring a live performance from Lindsay Ell who is performing at C2C in the city.

The Blues Show with Cerys Matthews presents a world exclusive interview with the legendary Van Morrison, in which the superstar discusses his love for the blues, the artists he most admires and the history of skiffle (9-10pm, Monday 13 March). Van's latest album features him reimagining classics from that late 50s era, a time and a style which saw Lonnie Donegan become a global phenomenon in the wake of his signature hit, Rock Island Line. That song - and others like it - had a profound influence on the young Ivan Morrison growing up in Belfast, and with Cerys' help he goes back to that time to talk about its effect on his own musical ambitions and how it helped to introduce blues to a wider global audience. In a wide ranging interview he also talks about his live performances, his domestic life in the Northern Ireland of the 1950s, his current attitude towards his classic back catalogue, and much more. Cerys will be playing music from Van himself and from much loved blues figures of the past who had such a profound influence on his music. Produced by BBC Audio.

Cerys said: “I’ve been a huge fan of Van’s music for years, so I was thrilled when he agreed to have a chat with me about the Blues – there’s so much for us to talk about!”

The Story of the 12” Single, presented by Jo Whiley, marks March 2023 as 40 years since the original release of New Order’s seminal single Blue Monday. From a low key start, it went on to be revered, and to find its way into the history books as it became the biggest selling 12” single of all time. With this anniversary as a starting point, this programme sees Jo, and some special guests, celebrate the 12” – a format that conjures up images of DJs on turntables but has a story encompassing many genres and decades.

For the second year running, Big Night Of Musicals - staged by The National Lottery at the AO Arena Manchester – will be broadcast in a special 90-minute programme on BBC One and in a programme on BBC Radio 2 presented by Samantha Barks and Layton Williams (8-10pm, Sunday 26 March). The show brings together the biggest shows from the world of theatre for a spectacular celebration. Comedian, presenter and singer, Jason Manford, will be on stage introducing performances from some of the bestselling West End Musicals and touring shows, including We Will Rock You The Musical, Wicked, The Royal Shakespeare Company’s Matilda The Musical, Disney’s Newsies, Shrek the Musical UK and Ireland tour, The Bodyguard The Musical, and Rodgers & Hammerstein’s The King And I. There will also be a special performance from Aspects Of Love, featuring musical theatre star and Radio 2 presenter, Michael Ball. For the Radio 2 programme, Samantha and Layton will be given exclusive backstage access to interview the stars taking part on the night. It will be available on BBC Sounds for 30 days after broadcast. A TBI Media production.

This Easter, Tony Blackburn: Your Soul Mate returns on Good Friday, 7 April, and Easter Monday, 10 April, with Tony bringing his favourite soul tracks to listeners. A BBC Audio production.

Tony says: “I can’t think of a better way to spend the Bank Holiday weekend than in the company of the wonderful Radio 2 listeners playing my favourite soul tracks from across the decades.”

And also at Easter, is a celebration of Queen to mark the 50th Anniversary of the release of their eponymous debut album and their first single, Keep Yourself Alive. There is a listener vote to discover What’s Your Ultimate Queen Song?, with the results revealed in a countdown chart hosted by Steve Wright on BBC Sounds from Friday 31 March and broadcast on Radio 2 on Monday 10 April at 4pm; plus Queen: The Fans Story where, in their Jubilee year, this hour long show hears from a variety of musician fans. Sound-tracked by some of Queen’s biggest hits, the show features personal memories and stories from Belinda Carlisle, Richard Marx, Lisa Stansfield, Shania Twain, Tom Chaplin, and more, plus current frontman, Adam Lambert. There will be fascinating insights and compelling stories taking listeners through the decades of Queen’s reign (7-8pm, Monday 10 April). This is followed by Queen At The BBC which features the band themselves talking to BBC presenters across the decades, with their music being played on vinyl and hearing them in BBC sessions. The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, which took place at Wembley Stadium in 1992, will be broadcast on Monday 10 April (8-9pm). All BBC Audio productions.

The Jazz Show with Jamie Cullum makes a long-awaited return to the BBC’s legendary Maida Vale studios for a number of special live sessions this Spring.

To celebrate what would have been the 90th birthday of Nina Simone – singer, pianist, activist and one of the most important figures in 20th century music – Jamie has invited three of his favourite singers to interpret some of her classics. UK soul legend and actor Omar, rising star Cherise and Samara Joy, winner of Best New Artist at this year’s Grammys, are all scheduled to perform, and give their opinions on why Miss Simone’s music is so timeless.

And a modern day icon is celebrated too – as US vocalist José James takes a break from his European tour and pays tribute to the genius of Erykah Badu. An all-star band backs the revered musician as he takes on classics from the Queen of Neo Soul’s songbook. A Folded Wing Production.