Arms wrapped around each other posing for a photograph with wine and pint glasses littering the table, you’d be forgiven for thinking the group were just a gang of old pals catching up.
But the gathering, clustered together in a Scottish hotel bar, included BBC’s top radio talent team including Rylan Clark, Jo Whiley, Kristen O’Brien, Jeremy Vine, Owain Wyn Evans, Edith Bowman, Paddy McGuinness and Vernon Kay.
asserted
gathering → wrap → Clark
The picture was taken in September after Corporation bosses ordered the presenters up to Scotland for Radio 2 In The Park, the broadcaster’s big annual festival weekend.
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bosses → take → Park
It was a chance to show the world how united the station was in the wake of a seemingly endless string of scandals – and to the thousands gathered to celebrate Radio 2 in Stirling Park, everything appeared perfectly fine.
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everything → show → Park
Headliners at the 30,000-capacity event included singers Chaka Khan, Simple Minds and this year’s Celebrity Traitors contestant, James Blunt.
asserted
Headliners → include → singers
But after their sets were complete, the Radio 2 stars headed back to their hotel.
asserted
stars → head → hotel
And this bar meet-up, I am told, actually became an act of rebellion by the presenters against their employers amid escalating tensions that are threatening to rip Radio 2 apart.
asserted
that → tell → Radio
Vernon Kay, Paddy McGuinness, Edith Bowman, Owain Wyn Evans, Jeremy Vine, Kristen O’Brien, Jo Whiley and Rylan Clark in Scotland after Radio 2 in the Park
Scott Mills’s departure after 14 months at the coveted Breakfast Show slot caused a massive shake up and led to veteran broadcaster Sara Cox being drafted in as his replacement
Indeed, many of the station’s top talent are said to be angry at BBC bosses for the way their close friend, Scott Mills, was unceremoniously sacked from his Breakfast Show in April.
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friend → cause → April
‘Staff and presenters were equally upset about the Scott situation and how it was handled,’ a source inside the station told me.
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source → handle → me
‘When they did Radio 2 In The Park, that was the first time presenters were all together and discussed how angry they were by it all.
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they → do → it
‘They all care about him, and most of them didn’t want to be there and chose to leave the site and just chill in the hotel bar instead of watching the headliners which usually presenters watch on the side of the stage.
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presenters → care → stage
It was a sign of the times and just how little support people feel like giving right now.’
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people → feel → times
My source added: ‘There is a lot to unpack; the general feeling at Radio 2 is not a good one and it all started with Scott and how badly they treated him.’
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they → add → him
Mills, 53, would typically have led the party at Radio 2 In The Park with his Wonder Years DJ set, but six months earlier he had been sacked after historical allegations of serious sexual assault against a teenage boy emerged.
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allegations → lead → boy
The case had been investigated by police in 2018 and dismissed by the Crown Prosecution Service in 2019 – Mills has since launched legal action against the BBC for unfair dismissal.
asserted
Mills → investigate → dismissal
I am told that the decision led by the head of the station, Helen Thomas, is widely considered ‘unfair’ by many at Radio 2, and prompted what has been described as a period of ‘low morale’ at the BBC’s most popular radio station.
asserted
what → tell → station
Most upset by Mills’s sacking, I am told, was his best friend and Eurovision co-presenter, Rylan Clark.
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friend → tell → sacking
The pair had worked on the song contest for seven years together
‘Staff are also still angry because they haven’t been told anything about Scott,’ my source said.
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source → work → Scott
‘It’s been six months and people still really miss him.
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people → miss → him
‘It’s heartbreaking because nobody got a chance to say goodbye and they really feel for him because Radio 2 was his dream.’
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Radio → ’ → him
Most upset by Mills’s sacking, I am told, was his best friend and Eurovision co-presenter, Rylan Clark.
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friend → tell → sacking
The pair had worked on the song contest together for seven years, after Rylan joined Radio 2 and Scott took him under his wing.
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Scott → work → wing
They went on to host the podcast Scott & Rylan’s Pop Top 10, where the pals ranked pop culture moments.
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pals → go → moments
My insider continued: ‘When Rylan came back from Eurovision in May [which he hosted without Scott], he kept himself to himself and wasn’t happy because of how the Scott situation was handled.
uncertain
situation → continue → himself
It’s his best friend, and usually they dive into everything and embrace it, but the feeling is that he didn’t really do that this year.
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he → ’ → that
‘At Radio 2 In The Park you could tell he wasn’t really interested and was keen to get back to the hotel, and there was talk that he still wasn’t happy with the BBC.’
uncertain
he → tell → BBC
Last week, 38-year-old Rylan, who found fame as a contestant on the 2012 series of X Factor, was hailed a ‘saviour’ at the station for speaking out about bosses and his low pay as a presenter.
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who → find → presenter
On the Alan Carr podcast Life’s A Beach, he told listeners how he was forced to miss one of his Saturday afternoon shows on Radio 2 in June because his flight home from a holiday in the south of France was cancelled.
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flight → tell → France
Despite veteran DJ Mark Goodier agreeing to step in, Rylan revealed BBC bosses still ‘had a right go’ at him.
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bosses → agree → him
After Rylan joined Radio 2, Mills took him under his wing.
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Mills → join → wing
They went on to host the podcast Scott & Rylan’s Pop Top 10, where the pals ranked pop culture moments
‘It weren’t [sic] my fault there was a French air traffic control strike,’ he told Celebrity Traitors’ winner Carr.
asserted
he → go → Carr
‘What am I supposed to do?
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I → suppose → ?
P*** off, for the money they pay me.
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they → p → me
It was a move that brought him much praise among station staff, one of whom told me: ‘Rylan has full support for the comments; everyone loves him.
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everyone → bring → him
He’s not afraid to speak his mind and stick up for people – he’s seen as a real saviour among employees.’
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he → ’ → employees
Scott’s departure after 14 months at the coveted Breakfast Show slot caused havoc for Radio 2 and led to the veteran broadcaster Sara Cox being drafted in as his replacement.
The quick change meant her previous Drivetime slot was left empty for five months, with guest hosts filing in across the summer months.
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hosts → cause → months
The rolling roster included comedians Joel Dommett, Jason Manford and Ellie Taylor; DJ's Mark Goodier and Gary Davies, and TV presenter Alex Jones.
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roster → roll → comedians
And after both Dommett and X Factor’s Dermott O’Leary, who already hosts his own Radio 2 Saturday show, reportedly turned the job down, bosses eventually landed on Strictly Come Dancing star Angela Scanlon, 42, as the permanent host to start in November.
uncertain
bosses → host → November
It was a decision, sources told me, that was not favoured by others at the station and sparked fresh unrest.
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that → tell → unrest
Even the wife of veteran DJ Oliver James Borg D’Anastasi, known as OJ Borg, who has hosted the midnights to 3am slot for eight years – shared her frustration online about Scanlon’s appointment.
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who → know → appointment
One fan called Steve commented on Instagram: ‘Wow, what a kick in the balls to OJ Borg, he’s an absolute genius when he sat in on Drivetime recently, love his ability and attitude to interact with the listeners, his mid-afternoon mastermind is a game changer shame on the BBC.
‘
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mastermind → call → BBC
…and 23 more, not listed.
The Aporia
