‘I’ll be going to bed an hour later’: Ken Bruce ‘struggling’ to figure out new work schedule after BBC move

Bruce begins his new radio show today (3 April), after leaving the BBC last month following a decades-long career at the corporation

Ken Bruce has expressed his concerns over a “struggle” related to his new Greatest Hits Radio stint.

The radio DJ uttered his final words on BBC Radio 2 last month, after 31 years with the station. He starts his new show with Bauer on Monday (3 April), where he will present the 10am to 1pm show.

Speaking to PA ahead of the new role, Bruce admitted he’s still trying to get used to his change in routine due to the new working hours; he previously hosted the 9:30am to 12pm show for Radio 2.

“I’m struggling to work my day out,” he said, adding: “I think I’m going to be going to bed an hour later because I just have to squeeze everything into the remaining hours of the day.”

He continued: “Once I get my body clock, right. I think I’ll be all right, but I’m really enjoying having a half-hour extra in bed every morning.”

The 72-year-old radio DJ added that he will be “looking for lunch” at 12.30pm when he is on-air and joked there will be a “problem with the microphones” during this time.

He also said his new radio show after leaving the BBC will be “much the same” and he is not looking to introduce “massive great bells and whistles stuff” into the format.

Bruce added: “It’s just going to be nice things to keep people engaged, keep people listening, and taking part in the show, it’ll just be much the same as it was before just in a different place.”

The DJ launched his new show with a song choice that directly addressed his inherited listeners who had followed him from the BBC.

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After joining BBC Radio Scotland in 1977 in his thirties, he went on to several other shows at the corporation.

When asked how he was feeling about the move from a workplace after more than 40 years, Bruce said: “Well, I’ve got lots of friends still working at the BBC and who worked at the BBC for a long time, and still I’m very, very warm towards the BBC.

“I think it’s a great organisation. It was just time for me to leave and now… it’s been quite a few weeks and really, I’m looking forward to doing a month or two, maybe a year or two, maybe a decade or two, on Greatest Hits Radio.”

Bruce said he also has “plans” to branch out to other avenues before adding he is not as young as he “used to be”.

The BBC announced Gary Davies, host of the station’s Sounds of the 80s will present the mid-morning show from March until TV presenter Vernon Kay takes over Bruce’s Radio 2 slot at a date in the future.

Bruce said he was seen as “the young pretender” when he first fronted the Radio 2 Breakfast Show, taking over from “the great” Sir Terry Wogan in 1985.

He added: “I did get a fair bit of criticism but you just have to ride that through and people are always comparing something they’ve listened to for a long time with something that’s brand new they’re not familiar with.”

Bruce later moved to mid-mornings in 1986 and after a brief stint on late nights and early mornings, returned to mid-mornings in January 1992.

“I don’t give advice to other broadcasters, [Irish broadcaster Sir Terry] refused to give me any advice… I asked him for it, he wouldn’t do it,” he added.

“So, I don’t think I should give advice, but ‘this will pass’ is all I ever can say… if it’s not going as well as you might like, it’ll get better soon. Don’t worry, keep at it.”

Additional reporting by Agencies