Legendary broadcaster Ken Bruce has taken to the air again in his first show since his shock departure from BBC Radio 2 – with loyal fans celebrating his triumphant return.
The veteran Scottish presenter, who had over eight million listeners, kicked off his new show on Greatest Hits Radio today, weeks after his last with the BBC.
The show begin with the Beatles1969’s Come Together – the opening track of the band’s Abbey Road album – Ken welcomed listeners, saying, “There you are,” before adding, “Quality music all the way … you’ll love it.”
His return delighted fans on social media with one saying, “King Ken is back and suddenly the world is a better place,” while another said, “The Pop Master himself @RealKenBruce is back on @greatesthitsuk. How I missed him.’
The 72-year-old Bruce not only returned to the British airwaves, but also revived his popular Popmaster music quiz, which he transferred to the BBC after filing the long-standing segment.
New show: The Scottish radio presenter, 72, had the last day of his Radio 2 slot – which aired from 9.30am to 12am for more than 30 years – in March before moving to Bauer’s Greatest Hits Radio on Monday (pictured in 2019 )
‘King Ken’ is back: Fans are taking to social media today to express their joy at Bruce’s new show on Greatest Hits Radio
Before his performance, Bruce teased what listeners can expect from his new show, saying, “There’s no better way to celebrate my forty-five years of radio than with a new adventure and a brand new show on Greatest Hits Radio.”
“I say brand new, but there will still be PopMaster, me and my musings and all the great records you know and love from the 70s, 80s and 90s.”
Bruce had the last day of his mid-morning Radio 2 slot – which aired from 9:30am to 12am for over 30 years – in March before moving to Bauer’s Greatest Hits Radio.
The bitter split stunned his audience and came amid a growing ‘ageism’ spat at the BBC, with the company letting some of its biggest veteran stars go to refresh Radio 2’s image and attract a younger audience.
But Bruce fans say the Beeb shot themselves in the foot with the decision, with people on social media saying they’re dumping Radio 2.
One said, ‘Hooray. back on the radio today on Greatest Hits Radio. back on at 10am. Not for me anymore.’
Others wondered how many listeners the BBC would lose, with one saying: ‘#BBCradio2 is about to become a ghost town’, while a third added: ‘Good to hear #KenBruce back on the radio – the loss of Radio 2 !’
But some have claimed to be having trouble listening to the show, amid claims that Ken’s massive fan following had caused Greatest Hits Radio’s app to crash.
One of them said, “Did Ken Bruce break the Premium Login?” All I get is “Something went wrong! Please try again” on the website and the app won’t connect either.”
Another added, “Unable to login to a Planet Radio app or site. I suspect this is a stampede of people signing up to listen to Ken Bruce ad-free on GHR. There is clearly a problem with the premium system…”
New venture: Ken Bruce has revealed he is ‘struggling’ with how his working day hours will change after leaving the BBC
Listeners seemed to struggle to listen to Ken Bruce’s first show with Greatest Hits Radio via the app, with some on social media saying the online service had crashed (above and below)
Some listeners got a ‘something went wrong’ warning when they tried to tune in to Ken Bruce’s new shot this morning
In a familiar feel to fans of his former Radio 2 show, Bruce’s Popmaster returned at the same time from 10:30am to 10:50am.
When Bruce left the BBC in March, after more than 40 years with the company, he chose the medley of Golden Slumbers, Carry That Weight and The End that closes the 1969 record to end its long-running stint.
When asked how he felt ahead of his first show, he told BBC Breakfast: “It’s a fresh start, it’s something different in a new place, that’s always good for someone to try something new, so there I’m ready to go.’
He added, “There’s a certain aspect of strangeness to, yes, I look around the studio I’m in and it’s not quite the same as it was.”
The DJ, who was the first frontman of the Breakfast Show, took over from Sir Terry Wogan on Radio 2 in 1985.
Bruce later moved to mid-morning in 1986 and after a brief stint of late nights and early mornings, he returned to mid-morning in January 1992.
The BBC announced that Sounds Of The 80s presenter Gary Davies will present the morning show from March until TV presenter Vernon Kay takes over Bruce’s Radio 2 slot at a future date.
The radio legend’s return to the UK airwaves comes next he revealed that he “struggled” with how the hours of his workday will change after leaving the BBC.
When asked if there are any adjustments he’s had to make since moving to Bauer, Bruce said, “I’m struggling to work out my day.
Details: His new show will air from 10am to 1pm and will feature PopMaster, which Bruce has taken over from the BBC for trademarking the long-standing segment
Bruce welcomed viewers to his new show with the 1969 Beatles hit Come Together. It came weeks after his shock departure from BBC Radio 2 (Ken is pictured on his previous show)
“I think I’ll go to bed an hour later because I just have to cram everything into the remaining hours of the day.
“Once I get my body clock, good. I think it will be fine, but I love to lie in bed half an hour longer every morning.’
The radio DJ added that he will be “looking for lunch” at 12.30pm when he is on air and joked that there will be a “problem with the microphones” during this time.
He also said his new radio show will be “much the same” after leaving the BBC and that he has no plans to introduce “massive great bells and whistles” to the format.
Bruce added, “It’s just going to be fun stuff to keep people engaged, to get people to listen and participate in the show, it’s just going to be the same as before, just in a different place.”
After joining BBC Radio Scotland in his thirties in 1977, he went on to appear on several other shows with the company.
When asked how he felt about moving a workplace after more than 40 years, Bruce said: ‘Well I have a lot of friends who are still in the BBC who have worked for the BBC for a long time, and yet I have I’m very, very warm to the BBC.
‘I think it’s a great organisation. It was just about time for me to leave and now… it’s been several weeks and I’m really looking forward to doing a month or two, maybe a year or two, maybe a decade or two on Greatest Hits Radio.’
Bruce said he also has “plans” to expand into other avenues before adding that he’s not as young as he “used to be.”
Going further, after joining BBC Radio Scotland in his thirties in 1977, Bruce said of the BBC: ‘I’m still very, very warm to the BBC. I think it’s a great organization. It was just time for me to leave’
The BBC announced that Sounds Of The 80s presenter Gary Davies will present the morning show from March until TV presenter Vernon Kay takes over Bruce’s Radio 2 slot at a future date.
Bruce said he was seen as ‘the young pretender’ when he first ran the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, succeeding ‘the great’ Sir Terry Wogan in 1985.
He added, “I got quite a bit of criticism, but you just have to get through it and people are always comparing something they’ve been listening to for a long time with something that’s brand new and they’re not familiar with.”
Bruce later moved to mid-morning in 1986 and after a brief stint of late nights and early mornings, he returned to mid-morning in January 1992.
He added: ‘I don’t give advice to other broadcasters, (Sir Terry) refused to give me any advice…I asked him for it, he wouldn’t do it.
“So I don’t think I need to give advice, but this will pass is all I can ever say… if it doesn’t go as well as you’d like it to, it will get better soon.” Don’t worry, keep going.’