Sara Cox to present Radio 2 Drivetime show

Sara Cox will be the new presenter of the BBC Radio 2 Drivetime show, taking over from Simon Mayo and Jo Whiley.

The appointment comes after Mayo, the voice of Drivetime for eight years, announced he was leaving following just a few months co-presenting with Whiley.

Cox was the favourite to take over the 17:00 to 19:00 slot, having lost out to Zoe Ball for the breakfast programme.

The presenter said she was "beyond chuffed" to take on the flagship music and chat show.

Drivetime had been extended to three hours under Mayo and Whiley, running until 20:00, but Cox's arrival signals a return to its original two-hour duration.

"I've been proud to be part of the Radio 2 family for a few years now," Cox said.

"The opportunity to present such a big show as Drivetime - playing fantastic music and hopefully making people smile as they cook tea or head home after a day's graft - is the icing on what is already a very brilliant cake.

"I'm beyond chuffed to be given this role."

The BBC has not yet announced when Cox, whose currently presents Radio 2's 22:00 to midnight show on Monday to Thursday, will begin presenting Drivetime.

Trevor Nelson takes over that slot, moving from 20:00 to 22:00 on Saturday night. He will also continue to present on BBC Radio 1 Xtra.

"To present eight hours a week of the music I love on BBC Radio 2 is a dream come true for me," he said.

Meanwhile Whiley moves to the 19:00 to 21:00 weekday slot.

The station added Whiley as a Drivetime co-host in May - a move which led to a huge backlash from the audience.

Her addition came after Radio 2 was criticised for its lack of female presenters.

Lewis Carnie, the head of Radio 2, said: "Sara is hugely popular with the Radio 2 audience and I have every confidence that she'll make the new Drivetime show her very own."

Cox worked on Channel 4's The Big Breakfast, MTV and various other shows before joining BBC Radio 1 in 1999.

She went on to launch the network's Sunday Surgery and she presented the breakfast show for more than three years, taking over from her friend Zoe Ball.

The presenter first appeared on Radio 2 in 2011. She has also stepped in to host the Radio 2 Breakfast Show when Chris Evans has been away in recent years.

Cox landed her own show on Radio 2 in 2013 by launching Sounds of the 80s, which she presented until earlier this year.

In 2017, Cox raised a £1,242,624 for Comic Relief by taking part in a non-stop 24-hour Dance Challenge to 80s music.

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