Zoe Ball is in discussions to join streaming giant Netflix after announcing she would be stepping down from BBC Radio 2. 

The DJ and presenter, 54, announced she was quitting her breakfast show earlier this month to ‘focus on family’ as she handed over the reigns to her ‘bestie’ Scott Mills.

And the star is already considering her career prospects including making a return to TV. 

The presenter is no stranger to TV and has previously appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox, The Masked Dancer and, in 2023, fronting talent contest Mamma Mia!.

But now Zoe is looking at going ‘back to her TV roots’ according to The Sun.  

A source told the publication: ‘After all, she sees her contemporaries like Claudia Winkleman, Tess Daly, and Davina McCall appearing on prime-time shows.

Zoe Ball is in discussions to join streaming giant Netflix after announcing she would be stepping down from BBC Radio 2

The DJ and presenter, 54, announced she was quitting her breakfast show earlier this month to ‘focus on family’ as she handed over the reigns to her ‘bestie’ Scott Mills

But now Zoe is looking at going ‘back to her TV roots’ having previously appeared on Celebrity Gogglebox, The Masked Dancer and, in 2023, fronting talent contest Mamma Mia!

‘It seems there’s never been a better time to be a fifty-something woman in TV presenting, and Zoe already brings with her a huge following.’

Zoe became a well known face after shooting to fame in the 1990s, presenting BBC One’s children’s show Live & Kicking as well as Top Of The Pop.

In 2019, she took over hosting the Radio 2 Breakfast Show but has now announced she wants to reduce her work commitments.

And it appears Zoe won’t have to rush into anything as it appears she will be taking on a more behind the scenes roll. 

As one of the corporation’s top earners, Zoe is sacrificing a £950,000-a-year job by stepping down from her radio show.

But she isn’t stepping away from the BBC and is widely expected to remain on a hefty – albeit reduced – salary.

A source told The Daily Mail: ‘It all feels like smoke and mirrors.

‘Zoe is loved by the upper echelons and the job is demanding – five days getting up at the crack of dawn is hard.

In 2019, she took over hosting the Radio 2 Breakfast Show but has now announced she wants to reduce her work commitments 

Zoe will host her last slot on December 20 before Scott, who currently hosts Radio 2’s weekday afternoon programme from 2 – 4pm, begins fronting the programme from early January.

‘But the truth is that she will be handed a plum new show for which she will be paid hundreds of thousands of pounds, despite her listening figures dropping mᴀssively.’

Zoe will host her last slot on December 20 before Scott, who currently hosts Radio 2’s weekday afternoon programme from 2 – 4pm, begins fronting the programme from early January. 

Announcing the news to listeners on her morning show, she said: ‘After six years of fun times alongside you all on the breakfast show, I’ve decided it’s time to step away from the early alarm call and start a new chapter.’

The veteran presenter said she was ‘thrilled’ to reveal her good friend Scott, as her replacement, telling listeners: ‘Scott and I go way back to our Radio 1 days, when he was doing early mornings before me. He’s been a close friend for years, and I’m beyond thrilled it’s him taking over the Breakfast Show.

‘Breakfast has always been his dream, and what a year he’s had – from racing around the world to his beautiful wedding to Sam. He’s not only a blooming brilliant producer but one of the best in radio. I can’t wait to tune in on the school run!’.

Reaction to the announcement on social media was mixed, with one listener branding him ‘such a terrible replacement’ while another called this morning’s announcement ‘horrific news’.

Others have vowed to switch off as a result, with one saying it was ‘time to find another station’.

Yet others have been more favourable, with responses including ‘fantastic news’ and offering ‘huge congratulations’ while describing him as ‘equally talented’ to Zoe.

Scott joined his friend on her show following her announcement and said he was ‘beyond excited’ to become host (pictured in November 2022) 

Scott joined his friend on her show following her announcement and said he was ‘beyond excited’ to become host.

He said: ‘Zoe and I have been such good friends now for over 25 years and have spent much of that time as part of the same radio family here at Radio 2 and also on Radio 1. She’s done an incredible job on this show over the past six years, and I am beyond excited to be handed the baton.

‘It feels ever since recording my first shows as a kid for an audience of one, my mum, all roads since have led to this amazing opportunity. It really is a lifelong dream come true to follow in the footsteps of Sir Terry, Chris and Zoe to be the new presenter of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.’

Ball was the BBC’s highest-paid on-air female presenter in 2023/24 with a salary between £950,000 and £954,999, ranking her second on the list of top-earning talent behind Gary Lineker, according to the corporation’s annual report published in July.