Ken Bruce has just announced he’s leaving Radio 2!

[HannahinHampshire]

Says it’s entirely his own decision. End of an era for me

Perhaps he still thinks it is the 1980s and that it is his job to witter over the records, thus preventing teenagers from taping them!

Would be amazing if they got Phil Williams in his slot.

OMG yes to that being one of the best intros

Isn’t Ken replacing Mark Goodiers morning show?

Ohh I see! I hadn't realised that was the plan! Shame, I like MG, and I really enjoy the Top 10 at 10 feature

So is it the official plan, then, that older people are just shoved away from BBC radio and expected to move to commercial radio? Even though they pay their licence fees, proportionately more than younger people do? Yes, I know the fee isn't levied on the radio stations, but that's what funds them.

I don't think so. But popular music has been made for over 70 years now and there's no way that all of it can be played plus all the new music being produced. And there are so many genres today. So the BBC produce 'Sounds of the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s', the folk show, the blues show, the rock show, the jazz show, various programmes like Trevor Nelson's rhythm nation, Elaine Paige showtunes etc all on R2 plus 6music plus the Asian network. I think they accept that not everyone will like everything they produce but hopefully everyone will find something that they like. And if they don't like music there's R4 or R4 extra.

I get that they can't play every track that's ever been recorded, but they so often seem to play lots of the same ones again and again. Surely they could have a more representative selection from a wider range of years?

There's a lot of prejudice surrounding when music was released (it works both ways, with younger people deriding old stuff and older people scorning the newer releases; but a good, popular song is the same regardless of when it was made - there's great, OK and terrible music from every decade.

Surely the whole point of a radio presenter is that they (and their producer/assistants) play music that you may not have heard before and widen your knowledge of all that's out there? If they're just going to play the same old stuff that's on everybody's 'mixtapes' anyway, why bother?

I think the daytime DJs on R2 do play a mix of old and new but the new songs on the playlist do seem to be repeated on every show. I think that's been true for decades though, I remember R1 being the same in the 80s.

The problem most people on MN seem to have is with the DJs rather than the music but that's just personal taste. I liked Terry Wogan and he was very funny but he was too laid back for me in the morning. I hated Chris Evans and was glad he left whereas I find Zoe Ball OK. She can be a bit over the top with guests but I find her quite funny at times and I like her liveliness in the morning. But other people can't stand her. I like Liza Tarbuck and find her very funny but I hate a lot of the music she plays, so I guess the R2 controller can't win!

That was a lovely final show - thank you Ken! See you again in May on Greatest Hits.

That really was top notch - exactly as you would have expected from Ken. He was very gracious about it all - going as far as calling the BBC the greatest broadcaster in the world (iirc); but there was the inevitable sadness in his voice that you'd expect under the slightly awkward circumstances. I liked the clip that Jeremy introduced of Ken broadcasting 40 years ago; his voice didn't sound any different from today!

When Terry Wogan left, I remember Ken starting his show very emotional, saying "We will not see his like again". The same of you, Ken; the same of you. I'm just so glad that he's only moved and not retired - GHR here I come!

I only caught the last 30 minutes, he was great!

can’t believe Vermon Bighead Kaye has got the gig though. Feels like such a travesty.

I understand that R2 has to move with the times, but Ken is truly irreplaceable and a huge loss to the BBC. His last show was every bit as good as you would expect and I have been singing ‘carry that weight’ all day. Unfortunately, I won’t be listening to him on GHR because I simply cannot bear radio adverts.