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Radio Listenership Soars for Most BBC Breakfast Shows
5 Feb
Summary
- Most BBC breakfast radio shows saw listener increases in late 2025.
- Radio 4's Today programme experienced a slight decrease in listeners.
- Radio 2 has lost nearly two million listeners since autumn 2021.
Audience figures from late 2025 indicate a positive trend for most BBC radio breakfast shows, with notable increases reported for Radio 1, Radio 2, Radio 3, and Five Live.
Greg James on Radio 1 and Scott Mills on Radio 2 saw their listener numbers climb in the October-December 2025 quarter. Scott Mills achieved his highest figure since early 2025, though still slightly below Zoe Ball's previous record.
The breakfast programs on Radio 3 and Five Live demonstrated growth both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year. Radio 3's average weekly audience rose by 22%, while Five Live's increased by 16% compared to the previous quarter.
Conversely, Radio 4's Today programme experienced a marginal decline, with its average audience standing at 5.47 million, a slight drop from the preceding quarter and a 5% decrease year-on-year.
Despite these individual show fluctuations, Radio 2 remains the UK's most popular station with 12.71 million weekly listeners, though it has seen a significant drop since autumn 2021. Radio 2's head highlighted strong listener engagement and Vernon Kay's show as the most listened to in the UK.
Overall station audiences for Radio 3 and Radio 4 also grew in the latest quarter. Commercial rival Greatest Hits saw a substantial 20% year-on-year decrease in listeners, while Times Radio and GB News reported mixed results.
