BBC Radio 2 presenter Rylan Clark has expressed frustration over his BBC salary after a French air traffic control strike left him stranded in Nice, forcing him to miss one of his shows. Speaking on Alan Carr's Life's A Beach podcast, Clark, 37, joked about his pay and thanked licence fee payers.
Stranded in Nice
Clark, who has hosted a show on BBC Radio 2 since 2019, was unable to attend one of his programmes earlier this year because of the strike, which prevented him from flying back from Nice, France, on the morning he was due on air. He admitted his timing had not been brilliant but noted there were worse places to be stuck.
During his first appearance on the podcast since 2022, Clark said: "I was stranded in Nice, ain't it terrible? What a terrible place to be stranded, in the south of France. It was terrible. It was my own fault, like, radio have had a right go because, me being me, I was like, 'I'll just fly home on the morning of my show.'"
Joke About Salary
Clark then joked about his BBC pay, saying: "Weren't my fault there was a French air traffic control strike. What am I supposed to do? Walk? P*** off for the money they pay me. Thank you licence payers."
His comment came before a significant announcement for the broadcaster and the former X Factor contestant.
Children in Need Role
It was recently announced that Clark would join the presenting line-up for the BBC's annual BBC Children in Need fundraiser. He will appear alongside Alex Jones and fellow BBC Radio presenter Sara Cox in the flagship fundraising show next month.
Clark expressed his delight at the role, six years after first appearing on Children in Need. He previously raised money for the campaign, including singing non-stop for 24 hours in 2019 in a segment known as BBC Radio 2's Great Ka-RY-Oke Challenge.
He said: "What an honour to be joining the BBC Children In Need presenting team this year. When I took on my challenge in 2019, I had the privilege of meeting young people at a project funded by BBC Children In Need and heard how important that support was to them and what a huge difference it made to their lives. I can’t wait to be part of the show on 13 November, to shine a light on some incredible young people and raise lots of money to help ensure every child has someone by their side when they need it most."
