Vernon Kay came close to using an expletive live on BBC Radio 2 during his mid-morning show on June 24, 2026, while discussing littering with colleague Bobbie Pryor. The incident occurred as they talked about the Wombles, the fictional characters known for collecting rubbish.
Vernon Kay's Near-Swear Moment
During the segment, Bobbie Pryor revealed she used to dress as a Womble, and a listener named Tracy sent a photo of herself and her twin sister in similar costumes. Tracy remarked it was 'of a time', to which Vernon replied: 'When picking up litter was cool.' Bobbie countered that it's 'still cool', and Vernon agreed, adding that litter-picking is 'cooler now'.
Vernon then said: 'It really is, and we need to do it because a lot of people take our communities for granted and just chucking...' He paused before adding: 'Rubbish everywhere.' At that point, he appeared to catch himself, exclaiming: 'Ooh, nearly! Oh, so close! Janine (his producer), I was so close! 'Cos it annoys me, you see. It gets my back up. I don't want to live in your garbage, and no one else does. Take it home; find a bin and put it in. It's really easy.'
Previous On-Air Swearing Incident
This is not the first time Vernon has faced such a situation. In 2025, he apologised after swearing live on air while discussing Sara Cox's Great Northern Marathon Challenge. After an advert, a voiceover said: 'Go Sara, go, you're doing fabulously… Sara's Great Northern Marathon Challenge continues.' Vernon responded: 'It does indeed! Bloody hell.' He quickly corrected himself: 'I mean flipping hell, oh gosh. Sorry, sorry, I apologise, I apologise.' He attributed the slip to being moved by a boy's story earlier in the show.
Disappointment at the ARIAS
Vernon also recently spoke about his disappointment after losing an award at the 2026 ARIAS, where he and his team were nominated. His producer Janine commented: 'Honestly, what a privilege. We were saying how lucky we are to just spend an evening with some amazing, creative, fantastic people in the radio world and to just enjoy celebrating their successes. Amazing.' Vernon, who did not attend the event, joked: 'That's Janine politely saying, "We're absolutely gutted that we lost". Well done, Janine, you're such a professional. I wouldn't have said that.'
