Reverend Richard Coles, 60, says he is 'sad and frustrated' over his 'rushed' exit from his BBC Radio 4 show

Reverend Richard Coles has been left feeling ‘frustrated and sad’ over the way his BBC Radio 4 exit has been handled after 12 years on air.

The clergyman, 60, is departing Saturday Live – which he co-hosts with broadcaster Nikki Bedi – after the show was relocated from London to Cardiff.

Richard’s final show will be on Saturday and he has now addressed his exit for the first time, admitting it feels ‘a little bit rushed’.

He told The Guardian newspaper: ‘If you leave a programme after 12 years, a gentler process would have been nice. But what happens happens.

‘It just feels a little bit rushed. It’s been frustrating for me having to wait for an announcement, and now it’s my last programme on Saturday. I’d rather have had a longer goodbye to listeners.

Sad goodbye: Reverend Richard Coles has been left feeling ‘frustrated and sad’ over the way his BBC Radio 4 exit has been handled after 12 years on air

‘It just feels a bit sad. I’m sorry to go; I’ve loved the programme, I’ve loved the people I’ve worked with, and it’s been a big part of my life. I shall miss it.’

Richard said that it is a ‘shame’ the programme is unable to remain in London as he admitted he believes that the show is ‘doing really well’ there.

The decision to relocate the show comes as part of the BBC’s wider plan to move some key jobs and programmes out of London – to make the corporation more reflective of the UK as a whole.

A BBC spokesperson told the publication: ‘Richard has been brilliant on Saturday mornings and very much continues to be part of the Radio 4 family.

‘We look forward to working with him on future projects.’

Richard’s exit comes amid a mounting ‘ageism’ row at the BBC following a major shake-up at sister station Radio 2.

It was revealed earlier this week that Paul O’Grady has joined a rival radio station eight months after quitting BBC Radio 2.

Moving on: The clergyman, 60, is departing Saturday Live – which he co-hosts with broadcaster Nikki Bedi – after the show was relocated from London to Cardiff

The presenter, 67, hosted a Sunday show for 14 years on the BBC station before he quit the station amid a mass exodus of popular talent at the corporation.

He will now be reprising his show on Boom Radio and will host his first Sunday show on Easter Sunday alongside regular sidekick, long suffering producer Malcolm Prince.

Paul’s move comes just two weeks after fellow broadcasting veteran Ken Bruce hosted his final Radio 2 show before starting a new position at Greatest Hits Radio, another commercial station, next month.

He said: ‘It’s great to be working with the team at Boom again. It already feels like my new radio home. My producer Malcolm and I are looking forward to our special TeamPOG show on Easter Sunday – who knows, this could be the start of a regular gig.’

New role: Paul O’Grady has joined rival radio station Boom eight months after quitting Radio 2 following an ageism row

The Liverpool-born star enjoyed more than a decade at Radio 2 hosting the Sunday afternoon show.

But the host was unhappy about being asked to share duties with Rob Beckett, 37, which saw the comedian taking over for two three-month stints each year.

Speaking last month, Paul confirmed the schedule’s shake-up was the reason behind his departure.

He told Metro: ‘I was disappointed because I’m a great believer in continuity.

‘If you go off for 13 weeks and somebody else comes on, the listeners don’t know when you’re back on.’

He also questioned Radio 2’s desire to appeal to younger audiences, saying: ‘Radio 2 has changed, it’s not what it was.

‘They’re trying to aim for a much younger audience, which doesn’t make sense because you’ve got Radio 1.’

He added: ‘Radio 2 was always for an older audience’.

Ousted: The presenter, 67, hosted a Sunday show for 14 years on the BBC station before he quit the station amid a mass exodus of popular talent

New home: He will now reprise his show on Boom Radio and will host his first Sunday show on Easter Sunday alongside regular sidekick, long suffering producer Malcolm Prince

In the past three years, BBC Radio has also lost big-hitters Graham Norton, who quit the station just before Christmas in 2020 but whose talk show is broadcast on BBC One, and Simon Mayo.

Radio 2 has been trying to woo younger listeners with fresh talent including ex-Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, RuPaul’s Drag Race UK judge Michelle Visage, Waterloo Road actress Angela Griffin, and DJ Spoony, while also reducing the bill it pays some of its big-hitters.

Bruce was the latest star to depart Radio 2, hosting his final show earlier this month after 31 years.

He accused bosses of hastening up his departure following his move to commercial radio.

The 71-year-old Scot Tweeted ahead of his final show: ‘I will be presenting my last show on Radio 2 next Friday.

‘I had intended fulfilling my contract until the end of March but the BBC has decided it wants me to leave earlier. Let’s enjoy the week ahead.’

Out with the old: Radio 2 fans have accused the BBC of ageism as a string of older DJs step back, including Paul O’Grady, Steve Wright, Ken Bruce and Simon Mayo

A Radio 2 spokeswoman said: ‘Ken decided to leave Radio 2 and it’s always been known he’s leaving in March.

‘Returning to Wogan House for a week after a month of broadcasting the Piano Room sessions at Maida Vale provided a natural break. We wish Ken all the best for the future.’

Bruce is being replaced by presenter Vernon Kay, 48, as part of Radio 2’s bid to rejuvenate the station’s line-up.

Other veteran stars including Vanessa Feltz, 61, Craig Charles, 58, and Simon Mayo, 64, announced their departures over the past months, having been replaced by younger stars, sparking complaints from listeners, accusing the station of ageism.

Steve Wright, 68, also left his weekday afternoon show last year, replaced by former Radio 1 DJ Scott Mills, 49.

It comes amid a wider ‘brain drain’ after journalists Dan Walker, Jon Sopel, Emily Maitlis and Andrew Marr all ditched the corporation for high-paid jobs at rival broadcasters including LBC and Channel 5, where they are not bound by the BBC’s strict impartiality rules.

Radio 2 is still the UK’s most popular station, but its overall weekly audience has fallen by 580,000 to 14.29million.

The BBC has lost more over-45s (798,000) than those aged 15-44 (479,000) in the last year.

Commercial stations have gained 802,000 over-45s, an increase of 4.2 per cent.

Radio 3 has suffered the biggest station-wide drop, down 6.3 per cent to 1.8million, while Radio 1 – home to DJs including Greg James and Clara Amfo – is down 4.6 per cent to 7.7million listeners a week. Radio 4 has dropped 3.8 per cent to 10million.

Overall, the weekly reach of radio in the UK is up from 49.4million to 49.6million per week.

Boom Radio is an independent UK radio station aimed at baby boomers and bosses hope to lure Radio 2 listeners put off by the introduction of younger DJs.

On Christmas Day, Paul hosted a one-off show which pulled in a record number of listeners to the station.

Speaking about Paul’s new show, Boom co-founder Phil Riley says: ‘It’s a testament to the success of Boom Radio that a broadcaster like Paul, at the top of his game, has agreed to join us for this Easter special.

‘We know our audience loved him at Christmas, so it’s great to have him back.’

Paul’s Easter Sunday show on Boom Radio starts at 2pm.