Scott Mills has been dismissed from his role as presenter of the BBC Radio 2 breakfast show following an unspecified breach of personal conduct, ending a 27-year career at the corporation. The decision, announced on Monday, was taken with unusual speed in the final days of Tim Davie’s tenure as director general, which ends on 2 April.
Mills, who turned 53 on Saturday, had hosted the breakfast show since January 2025, attracting 6.5 million weekly listeners. He last presented on Tuesday 25 March, telling listeners he would return the following morning. Instead, stand-in Gary Davies covered the rest of the week, and the BBC subsequently confirmed Mills’s sacking without detailing the allegations.
The abrupt termination is rare for the BBC, which typically suspends presenters under investigation. Recent examples include Huw Edwards, who remained on leave during lengthy police inquiries, and Wynne Evans and Kaye Adams, whose contracts were cancelled after disputed misconduct claims. The speed of Mills’s departure suggests the BBC legal department took a rapid view on ending his contract, worth approximately £355,000 per year.
Mills began his BBC career on Radio 1 in 1998, hosting breakfast shows before moving to afternoons. He later transferred to Radio 2, presenting early afternoon and early evening slots before taking over the breakfast show. He also appeared on television, presenting Top of the Pops and the National Lottery draw, and competing in Strictly Come Dancing.
The BBC has not commented further on the reasons for Mills’s dismissal. Rhodri Talfan Davies will serve as interim director general from Friday until 18 May, when former Google executive Matt Brittin takes over permanently.
