Emma Willis admits nerves ahead of first BBC Radio 2 show

Emma Willis hosts her first regular Saturday afternoon show on BBC Radio 2  this weekend and has admitted she’s “feeling the pressure”.

The presenter is taking over the 1pm – 3pm slot following Zoe Ball’s departure from the show last year after just seven months on air.

Speaking on BBC TV’s The One Show last night, Willis told hosts Clara Amfo and Roman Kemp that while she is excited, stepping into a slot previously held by Ball, it has brought understandable nerves.

She said the challenge was reframing the moment, so it did not feel like directly replacing a radio icon.

“I’m super excited but I’m a bit nervous because it’s Zoe Ball,” Willis said. “Taking over her show but I just have to think it’s not taking over her show, let’s not think of it like that because that would terrify me.”

During the conversation, Willis praised Ball’s standing at the station, calling her “the queen of Radio 2,” a comment that prompted Kemp to joke that she might already be overthinking the situation. Willis agreed there was pressure, particularly given Ball’s popularity with listeners.

She also revealed that Ball had personally reached out ahead of her first show, offering reassurance. “She sent me a message, ‘it’s going to be great, you’re going to be fine,’ and I said, ‘OK, thank you’,” Willis said, adding that audience loyalty to Ball inevitably adds expectation.

Despite the nerves, Willis said she is looking forward to the two-hour programme and the chance to focus on the audience. “It’s two hours of radio, what could possibly go wrong,” she joked. “It is a lovely slot, I’m super excited. I have been on Radio 2 for a couple of years so it’s familiar territory, but I just want it to be all about the listeners.”

Emma became a regular stand-in on Radio 2 in 2019, and her previous radio experience includes co-hosting with Stephen Mulhern on Heart for 6 years.

When it was announced in December that Emma would be taking over the slot, she said: “I’m very much looking forward to spending my Saturday lunchtimes with the Radio 2 audience and I’ll happily be the filling to a Romesh and Rylan sandwich!”