Strictly's Tess Daly throws support behind husband Vernon Kay's big move away from Radio 2
Vernon Kay is well settled into his role hosting a weekday morning show on BBC Radio 2, after his taking over the role was previously mired in controversy. The 50 year old star replaced radio legend Ken Bruce in May last year, and was trolled by Ken's fans, before reportedly losing 1.3 million listeners in the slot.
Ken, 73, had previously revealed he was stepping down from presenting his mid-morning show on the station after 31 years – and moved to Greatest Hits Radio. Then the negative comments began, with fans of Ken saying Vernon was too young for the role. “It’s the best trolling I’ve ever had,” he admitted at the time.
But, earlier this year, Vernon announced a big move away from Radio 2, as he's making his return to the British stage taking on the role of Wishee Washee in the Wycombe Swan's production of Aladdin. It follows his panto debut in Cinderella in 2022, when he won the award for Best Panto Newcomer at the UK Pantomime Awards for his performance as Dandini.
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Vernon has the full backing of his wife Tess Daly and their daughters for the show, which promises "a dazzling brand-new digital set using LED screens with animated scenes and mesmerising effects plus all of the usual ingredients you would expect to see for a truly memorable pantomime."
Sharing the news of his latest role, Vernon said: "Yep, they'll be coming along. I think the last time I did it, the kids were there every other show." He also detailed how involved his family got previously, explaining: "Our eldest daughter knew the words better than me! She came out socialising with the cast and all that kind of stuff, and that was really good."
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And it turns out the decision to hit the panto scene again was a group choice. Vernon continued: "And that's one of the main reasons why I'm coming back and doing it again, because we had a big family meeting and I said, 'What do you think about panto? ' And it was unanimous, all the kids and Tess were like, 'Yep, you've got to do it'."
Vernon explained more about his involvement this year in PR material for the show, saying:“The Master of the Dad Joke is back! I’m so excited to be returning to the Wycombe Swan, my local theatre, in Aladdin this year. It’s a fantastic story, an absolute classic. I can’t wait to get back on the stage for all the panto madness. Great song and dance, lots of audience interaction and amazing slapstick. Expect a whole lot of high paced, high tempo full of energy and blink and you miss it action. I’ll see you there!”
