Sara Cox has praised her "incredible team" at BBC Radio 2, days after reports claimed staff on her breakfast show had been left "on edge" by her habit of "naming and shaming" mistakes live on air.
The 52-year-old presenter took over the breakfast show in July, following Scott Mills' departure from the BBC. While the programme has been well received, The Daily Mail reported last week that the production team had been made "uncomfortable" due to Cox publicly calling out slip-ups, sometimes naming the culprit.
Cox's praise for her team
Speaking to The Sun this week, Cox had only positive words for the team she works with on Radio 2's breakfast show.
"The reaction's been great. We have the best listeners in the world and I have the best job in the world," she said.
"I've got an incredible team, a brilliant bunch of people like me who are massive radio geeks, and I love it."
Reports of behind-the-scenes tension
Reports of restlessness behind the scenes emerged last week, when The Daily Mail reported to have heard recordings from now-archived episodes of the breakfast show in which Cox noted that a guest was on the wrong microphone.
She then called out her team for "messing with the mic" before calling out the producer by name for not coming to fix the set-up quickly enough.
A source told the publication: "Everybody is on edge because she keeps pulling people up when there is a mistake that goes out on air and then throwing them under the bus, it's unfair and not part of the team spirit."
BBC response and Cox's background
A BBC spokesperson told The Standard: "Live radio is at its best when it feels spontaneous and real, and this was simply a lighthearted, on-air moment between colleagues. Sara's warm, lively presenting style and great relationship with the breakfast team are genuine – and that authentic chemistry is exactly what our millions of listeners tune in for every weekday morning."
Cox took over the morning radio programme in early July, having presented at the BBC for 26 years. She had previously hosted the drive time programme on Radio 2, and opened her new era at the breakfast show with Lizzo's "About Damn Time".
Cox was announced as the new host for the weekday breakfast slot in April and permanent replacement for Mills. Mills was sacked by the BBC shortly before it emerged that the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into the 53-year-old in 2016 over allegations of serious sexual offences involving a boy aged under 16 between 1997 and 2000. He denied wrongdoing and the case was dropped due to insufficient evidence.
