Mayo: It’s time 2 go
DJ quits BBC after getting co-host
SIMON Mayo has quit Radio 2, months after Jo Whiley joined him as a co-host on Drivetime.
Mayo, 60, had fronted the show since 2010, but bosses added Whiley to the line-up in May. Fans were critical, prompting bosses to issue a statement urging them to “give it a chance”. Yesterday, Mayo said he is “sad to leave the show, sad to leave Jo”. Whiley, 53, is to get a new slot.
Dismissing rumours of a rift, Mayo added: “I’ve loved working with the exceptional Jo.” Mayo, at the station 17 years, joked that he had thought he would be “dragged out aged 120, but circumstances change”.
He plans to focus on writing, after signing a new two-book deal, saying “other radio adventures beckon”.
Mayo will still host Radio 5 Live’s Film Review with Mark Kermode, 55.
Whiley is set to front a 7-9pm weekday slot on Radio 2.
The BBC will announce who will takeover Drivetime later in the year.