Inside Scott Mills’ troubled past after 25-year BBC career ends – and who might replace him

Scott Mills‘ sudden departure from the BBC leaves a big vacancy at Radio 2.

The radio DJ, who hosted the flagship breakfast show for just over a year, joined the BBC in 1998 to host Radio 1’s early breakfast show, before moving to Radio 2’s afternoon slot in January 2025, after 24 years.

© BBC/Ray Burmiston

Scott Mills has been sacked from the BBC

On Monday, the BBC confirmed that the 53-year-old no longer works at the company. This came after reports that Scott had been sacked over “allegations about his personal conduct”.

During his 25-year career with the broadcaster, Scott has been very candid about his personal life, including his relationship with alcohol and how his boyfriend’s death impacted his work. 

Scott’s relationship with alcohol after the death of his boyfriend 

In a 2012 interview with Now magazine, Scott opened up about his struggle with alcohol after the devastating death of one of his first serious boyfriends, Mitch, from a drug overdose in 2001. 

Speaking about Mitch’s death, Scott said: “I was 26 and we spent every minute together… It was truly awful,” adding that the police were waiting for him after his Radio 1 show. “They told me he’d died. I couldn’t process it.”

© BBC/Owen Scurfield

Scott has been open about his relationship with alcohol

“As it dawned on me, it got worse and worse and worse,” he continued. “I started smoking that day and I haven’t stopped since.”

In his grief, Scott began to use alcohol to cope while hosting his Radio 1 early morning show. 

He would “wake up at 2.30am, do the show, come home and go back to sleep,” before waking in the evening to “drink two bottles of wine or a bottle of spirits in front of the TV”.

© BBC/Ray Burmiston

Scott leaves a significant vacancy at BBC Radio 2

“It was a way to escape,” he explained.

Scott shared how he ended up going on air while drunk. “That could have been a massive [expletive]up for me. Even I would’ve sacked me,” he said, adding that Radio 1 knew about Mitch and that Scott was “having a bad time”. “It was a proper wake-up call,” he said. 

Experience of anxiety

Scott has been open about his experiences with anxiety over the years and has suffered with panic attacks and a history of depression in his family. 

“I still get a little wave [of anxiety] every now and again,” he told The Times last year. “I’m just an anxious person. I used to suffer terribly with it and I seem to be able to handle it better now.”

Who will replace Scott Mills? 

Scott’s departure comes just over a year after he took over from Zoe Ball as host of the Radio 2 breakfast show.

© BBC/Ray Burmiston

Scott took over from Zoe Ball last year

He leaves behind a significant vacancy. But who could take over the flagship slot in his place?

Vernon Kay is the bookies’ favourite to take over Scott’s Radio 2 show. The 51-year-old currently hosts a mid-morning show on Radio 2, which according to the station’s head Helen Thomas is “the most listened to show on UK radio”, drawing 6.7 million listeners each week.

© ITV

Vernon Kay is a favourite to replace Scott

Other presenters tipped as potential replacements include DJ Gary Davies, who unexpectedly stepped in for Scott last Wednesday, Rylan Clark, Clara Amfo and Radio 2 host OJ Borg, who hosts the weekday overnight show.