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The BBC Radio 2 Book Club has had quite the history over the years, with a variety of different hosts.
It initially started in 2013 as Simon Mayo’s Book Club . Hosted on BBC radio 2, his first pick was the book Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer ..
Simon hosted the book club until April 2018. The final episode was April 9th, 2018 at which point a major schedule change was implemented by BBC Radio 2.
It relaunched later that year, hosted by Sara Cox on her late-evening show, where she would also interview various authors. This essentially became a book club discussion programme, although it changed hands again in January 2019 with Jo Whiley as the new host.
There have been numerous other hosts over the years and it has jumped around the schedule. It was pat of Zoe Ball’s Breakfast Show for a period, for example. Sara Cox also returned to host it in 2024. Despite the various hosts over the years, our list contains all of the book club picks made by those hosts combined as one, for simplicity.
BBC Radio 2 Book Club
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BBC Radio 2 Book Club F.A.Q.
When are new picks made by the BBC Radio 2 Book Club?
Books are usually picked sporadically over the course of the month by the BBC Radio 2 Book Club, and promptly listed above.
Who was the original host of the BBC Radio 2 Book Club?
Simon Mayo, who hosted it from 2013 until April 2018.
Did Simon Mayo continue his book club picks outside of BBC Radio 2?
While the book club ended, Simon Mayo kept involved in the book world via media. He started a book podcast titled “Simon Mayo’s Books of the Year”, which is a regular podcast with sporadic release dates – not always monthly. Simon hosts the podcast with Matt Williams, and they bring on an author to interview them about their book
Where can I see a list of every BBC Radio 2 book club pick?
The above list contains every BBC Radio 2 Book Club pick since its inception, updated when new books are picked.
How many different hosts has the BBC Radio 2 Book Club had?
Simon Mayo hosted the book club from 2018 through April 2018. Sara Coxrevived it in October 2018, then Jo Whiley hosted the BBC Radio 2 Book Club from January 2019 to 2020. Steve Write was the host via his afternoon show for a period, and Zoe Ball also hosted it on her breakfast show. Sara Cox took it oevr again in October 2024, making it five distinct presenters over the years, and a variety of different time slots.
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