Ed Miliband and Lord Howard to guest present Radio 2's Jeremy Vine show

For three days each, beginning on Monday 9 July, Ed Miliband and Lord (Michael) Howard will front the programme, which attracts a weekly audience of 7.42 million, making it the BBC’s most popular news and current affairs programme. Ed Miliband will host the show on Monday 9, Tuesday 10 and Wednesday 11 July and Michael Howard will present on Thursday 12, Friday 13 and Monday 16 July.

Lewis Carnie, Head of Radio 2, says: “I am delighted that triumphant returner Ed Miliband and Radio 2 newcomer Lord Howard will be presenting the Jeremy Vine show for three days each in July. Ed Miliband set the bar high last summer and I’m sure Lord Howard will be equally as entertaining”.

Phil Jones, Editor of the Jeremy Vine show says: "Ed Miliband went down so well with the listeners last year we thought we just had to invite him back. This follows a tradition of Radio 2's popular current affairs show being occasionally guest-presented by prominent politicians. It began with figures such as Neil Kinnock and the late Charles Kennedy. Political coverage is the bedrock of the programme and this is a sign of how important politics is to BBC Radio 2, especially at such a key time in the nation's history. Each day we will cover the big stories that affect our listeners and continue to inform, educate and entertain the Radio 2 audience."

Lord Howard says: “I’m grateful for the opportunity to present the Jeremy Vine show on BBC Radio 2. As a young man I was offered the opportunity of becoming a disc jockey in the United States, which I regret to say I turned down. Now at last I can fulfil that ambition, as well as seeing what it’s like to be the journalist who forces politicians to answer the questions.”

Ed Miliband says: “I’m very flattered to have been asked back to present Radio 2’s Jeremy Vine show. My death metal career has really taken off since my performance with Napalm Death on the show last year but I wanted to give something back to the place where it all began.”

The Jeremy Vine show is the biggest news and current affairs programme on UK radio and sees Jeremy and guests discuss the news headlines.

Recent guests of the show have included former US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, speaking about modern fascism; Hollywood actor Rose McGowan on Harvey Weinstein; MPs Michael Fabricant and Chuka Umunna on the EU customs union; former White House Director of Communications, Anthony Scaramucci, and vegan activist Joey Carbstrong, who called Jeremy out on his ham sandwich.
Last year in Songs My Son Loved, Jeremy met four bereaved mothers whose sons were lost in conflict and learnt more about the soldiers through the music they loved.

In regular show feature, What Makes Us Human? the greatest artists, academics and thinkers are asked what it means to be human. Former guests include the microbiologist who helped to discover the Ebola virus, Peter Piot; comedian and author Shappi Khorsandi; actor and broadcaster Tony Robinson; novelist Marian Keyes and humanitarian and former hostage, Terry Waite.

Dr Sarah Jarvis often joins the show to discuss health matters and Terry Walton regularly provides listeners with gardening tips live from his allotment in Wales.

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