Zoe Ball in tears and 'so proud' of Scott Mills as he takes over BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show
Zoe Ball has expressed her pride for Scott Mills as he took over the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, an event marked by the temporary renaming of Stockport to Scottport. The 51 year old DJ took over the reins from Zoe, who announced in November that she was stepping down to "focus on family", after replacing Chris Evans in 2019.
Mills' debut show on Monday morning was celebrated with messages of support from celebrities and the mayor of Greater Manchester's town of Stockport "officially renaming" the town. During Scott's show, Zoe said in a message: "Hello you, it’s me Zoe. I think I’m more excited about your first show than you will be right now. I keep getting really tearful. I’m so proud of you, I just need you to know that. You are so born to do this."
Earlier in the show, the mayor of Stockport, Suzanne Wyatt, told Mills on air she sanctioned the changes to the town, which included the signage and information screens at the railway station being renamed for the day. The bridge over the M3 at Fleet Services was also renamed for the day.
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"I’m very happy. I think it makes people smile. The more we can do to make people smile, the better," Ms Wyatt said.
Mills was also presented with a Scottport sign to remember the moment, which was sent down on an early Avanti West Coast train after the company helped organise the switching of the signs with the show’s new traffic and travel reporter Ellie Brennan.
Stockport station manager, Lisa Magee, certainly made an unforgettable gesture for radio DJ Scott Mills, revealing that her team had been "working so hard right the way through the night" to temporarily transform Stockport into 'Scottport'. She enthused, "A whole new town, a whole new name, just to welcome Scott Mills."
The overwhelmed presenter, who once lived "quite near" Stockport, called the transformation "bonkers" and "like a fever dream," while expressing his gratitude to the station team.
The Northants Sings Out choir, who were finalists on Britain’s Got Talent, also serenaded Mills with a medley of songs which were altered to celebrate the radio host. Among the tracks they tweaked the lyrics to included The Only Way Is Up by Yazz to “the only way is Scott”, Donna Summer’s Hot Stuff to “Scott stuff”, and Spice Girls’ Stop to ‘Scott right now’.
A stunned Mills said: “That is brilliant. That is so good. Thank you.”
But the tributes didn't stop there. As Mills concluded his shift, when he handed over to Vernon Kay at 9.30am, Tess Daly, Vernon's wife and the host of Strictly Come Dancing, sent a message to Mills announcing she would have to switch allegiances to him from Kay because she is from Stockport.
She cheekily declared, "Hiya Scott, Tess here. Firstly, huge congratulations on being the host of Radio 2’s Breakfast. It is absolutely brilliant. Up until now, Vernon has obviously had to be my favourite show on Radio 2, but now that I know I am from Scottport, well, I think my alliance might have to shift, starting from now."
Robbie Williams and Davina McCall were among other stars who showered Mills with celebratory messages. Robbie joined Mills on air to thank him for playing the new version of "Rock DJ" as his first song, saying: "Go get ’em kid."
While Davina sent her best wishes to Mills, calling him an "amazing broadcaster" and expressing her long-time fandom with the words: "Scott, it’s Davina. Oh my goodness you are amazing! I love it. How long have I been a fan, Scott? Like forever. I know how much this means to you. I know how hard you have worked throughout your entire career, and I also know what an amazing broadcaster you are."
Echoing one of her catchphrases from her time as Big Brother host, Davina added: “I am so happy for you, Scott Mills, and, brace yourself, I’m coming to get you.”
Overwhelmed by his new role, Mills confessed he's still trying to grasp it all, admitting: "It's quite hard to process that this is happening" as he kicked off his new show.
"If I think too much about the previous occupiers of this show, it becomes mind-blowing to me, for a kid who wanted to be on the radio but wasn’t sure he had the self-confidence to be able to actually do it", he shared. "The aim here is to make you smile, to bring up your mood, to make you shoulder and head dance in bed, or in the shower, or in the car, or in the kitchen, and to keep your spirits up on mornings when maybe you don’t feel so great."
