Sara Cox made her debut as the new host of BBC Radio 2's Breakfast Show on Monday, July 6, 2026, taking over the reins after Scott Mills was fired in March. The 51-year-old DJ kicked off her first show with Lizzo's 'About Damn Time,' a tongue-in-cheek nod to her takeover.
Cox thanks stand-in Gary Davies
Cox expressed gratitude to Gary Davies, who had been filling in since Mills' departure. 'For the past few months, a legend has been doing breakfast, and we can't not say thank you to him this morning,' she said on air. 'He was parachuted in. He did a proper shift. The one, the only, you love him, Mr Gary Davies.'
Davies stepped in after Scott Mills, 53, was abruptly fired from the national broadcaster in March following allegations over his 'personal conduct.' Mills was sacked shortly before it emerged that the Metropolitan Police launched an investigation into him in 2016 over allegations of serious sexual offences involving a boy aged under 16 between 1997 and 2000.
First show features football and well-wishes
Cox also played 'Three Lions' by David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and The Lightning Seeds following England's match against Mexico at the Men's World Cup. The game at the Azteca Stadium was a nail-biter for England fans, with pubs open late to allow fans to watch the early morning kick-off.
Feeling a little nervous, Cox read out some well-wishes from listeners, encouraging fans to keep the texts coming. 'It is a Monday,' she said. 'It's my first show, and your favourite DJ, me feeling a little bit clingy, as per, and I want some love.'
Fellow DJs share support
Fellow DJ Joe Ball revealed that Cox 'hates' hearing good luck messages, which she shared on the Dig It podcast with Jo Whiley. 'I just wanted to send her all the love and wish her so much luck with that,' Ball said. 'She's going to be brilliant, I keep having people running into me saying "Oh wow, we're looking forward to Sara". So I just want to say good luck Sara. I know she hates people saying good luck to her, but I'm saying it anyway.'
Ball added that Cox even wanted to switch off her phone to avoid the flood of messages, suggesting 'it's probably because it makes you nervous.' Jo Whiley responded, 'She has wanted it for a long time, she'll nail it.'
Husband's football spoiler mishap
On air, Cox recounted her husband Ben Cyzer's attempt to watch England match highlights without spoilers. 'Spoiler alert, I might mention the football just for six seconds, and then come back to me, but my husband last night slept downstairs so I could get a good night's sleep, and he was like, "I'm gonna wake up in the morning, I'm gonna watch the footy highlights, so don't tell me who won, don't tell me the score or anything",' she said. 'So he's laying in the front room and he just wakes up, and he hears a football fan coming down the street.' The loud fan revealed the final score, leaving her husband shouting 'no' at the spoiler.
Music and first guest
Cox also played 'Stupid Song' by Olivia Rodrigo, 'Don't Stop Me Now' by Queen and 'Finally' by CeCe Peniston ahead of her first guest appearance on the show, Hollywood actor Tom Hanks.
Previously, Cox hosted the station's teatime weekday slot (4pm-7pm). She was announced as the new host for the weekday breakfast slot (6.30am-9.30am) in April as the permanent replacement for Scott Mills. Listeners can tune in to Sara Cox's breakfast show on BBC Radio 2 and BBC Sounds.
