Graham Norton has announced that he is leaving his Virgin Radio show.
The presenter has hosted a show on the station every Saturday and Sunday morning, alongside Maria McErlane, since 2021.
But today (February 24), he revealed that he is leaving that position, almost immediately.
"The show isn't quite the normal show today because I have a bit of an announcement to make. I'm kind of off. I'm leaving weekends here at Virgin Radio," he announced live on air.
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"It is my final weekend of shows here at Virgin Radio. I'll still be kind of popping up on the station from time to time. But my regular Saturdays and Sundays, I'm stepping away."
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Although Norton stated that he won't be leaving the station completely, he didn't explain specifically in what capacity he would continue to appear in the future.
Angela Scanlon will be stepping in to cover the show for the next few weeks, while "exciting announcements and guest hosts" are expected to drop soon.
Explaining his decision, Norton stated that: "I've worked weekends between here and the old place for 13 years, and my life has changed a bit. So I just thought, well, I want my weekends back."
In an official statement, he added: "I’ve had a brilliant time here with Maria, Show Chef Martha along with my guests and the rest of the team on the Graham Norton Radio Show with Waitrose, but I am looking forward to having my weekends off for the first time in 13 years! It’s certainly not a goodbye, I’ll still be popping up here from time to time on Virgin Radio, and I’m looking forward to returning when I do."
Virgin Radio Content Director Mike Cass said: "Graham Norton has delighted Virgin Radio's weekend listeners for the last three years. He steps back from the weekend show with our thanks and with our delight that he remains part of the wider Virgin Radio family. His are big boots to fill, and we'll be announcing the owner of those feet in the weeks to come."
Meanwhile, The Graham Norton Show has just wrapped up another series of airing every Friday night on BBC One, and will air the first of two compilation episodes the week after next (March 8).
Elsewhere, Norton can be seen on Saturday nights on ITV1 hosting Wheel of Fortune, as an alternating judge on RuPaul's Drag Race UK vs the World season 2 on Friday nights on BBC Three, and he's also the host of LOL: Last One Laughing Ireland, which dropped last month on Prime Video.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he's covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I'm a Fish.
