Vernon Kay has announced his replacement on BBC Radio 2 after experiencing a loss of 1.3 million listeners.

The 49-year-old presenter is taking a break to participate in an ultra marathon, running from London’s Victoria Park to Bolton Wanderers’ stadium, all for the benefit of Children In Need.

The news was shared on BBC Radio 2’s Instagram through an entertaining video featuring Vernon contemplating potential stand-ins. 

In the video, he humorously considers options like Noel Edmonds and Mr. Blobby before making a phone call to fellow northern presenter Paddy McGuinness, 50, who is saved in his mobile as ‘the OTHER Kay.’ Vernon asks Paddy to “host the quiz,” to which the No Likey No Lighty star agrees, initially referencing Family Fortunes before clarifying that he’s needed as a stand-in on BBC Radio 2.

Last month, radio industry body Rajar reported a significant drop in Vernon’s listenership, with a loss of 1.3 million listeners since he took over the mid-morning show, averaging 6.9 million tuning in between June and September 2023. 

In contrast, during the same period at Greatest Hits, Vernon’s predecessor Ken Bruce, 72, increased the audience for his new show by 800,000 to reach 3.7 million.

Previously he said he had left the BBC after three decades in the same slot because it was ‘time for a change’ and it felt ‘like the natural culmination of some planning I’ve been doing’.