BBC Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay stepped in after traffic reporter Jules Lang struggled with a word during his Friday morning show, leading her to declare "I'm done" live on air.
On-air slip-up
Jules was reading travel news when she had trouble with one word, admitting: "That's unlike me." Vernon responded jokingly: "It's not unlike this show." Jules then said: "It's the beast….That'll be it…[laughing]…I'm done."
Vernon asked: "You're finished? Given up?" Jules confirmed, replying: "That's it. I've had enough." Vernon said: "I like you Jules, I like you. Imagine if we did that, P Mac…let's just leave it, let's get [Jeremy] Vine in early."
Maida Vale announcement
Earlier in the week, Vernon announced on his show that BBC Radio 2's Piano Room in Maida Vale, North London, was closing its doors. He reassured listeners that the feature wasn't "disappearing" but would move to a new location.
He said: "Tracks of My Years today is taking a break, but it's still available on BBC Sounds and, of course, on the iPlayer with the mighty Alex Jones, celebrating 20 years of The One Show with The One Show special tomorrow night, Friday, an hour-long show. And the reason why is because we're diving into the Maida Vale studios for the very last time. Piano Room isn't disappearing, but it's gonna be in a different piano room. We're closing the doors on Maida Vale."
Historic studio's future
Maida Vale studios had been open since 1934 and hosted acts including Nirvana, the Beatles, Beyonce, David Bowie, and Led Zeppelin. The site was purchased by Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer, as reported by The Standard in 2023.
Lorna Clarke, Director of Music at the BBC at the time, said: "Maida Vale has played such an important part in the BBC’s history, and its significance in popular culture is huge. We are so pleased to secure a sale which looks to continue the bright, vibrant future of music making in this iconic building — not only providing new studio spaces but jobs and an education facility. We look forward to being able to continue to deliver world-class music to BBC audiences with our new tailor-made BBC Music Studios in the wonderfully rich cultural district of London’s East Bank."
