Desmond Carrington to step down from The Music Goes Round

BBC Radio 2 presenter Desmond Carrington has announced that he is to step down from his presenting duties on the network.

The legendary broadcaster, who began his weekly Radio 2 broadcasts in 1981 and celebrated his 90th birthday in May, will present his final edition of The Music Goes Round on Friday 28th October at 7pm, which will feature some of his favourite songs and artists.

Signing off The Music Goes Round on Friday 30th September, Desmond Carrington said:
“And now for a bit of difficult news, my friends. I wasn’t too well after my 90th birthday and it has been a bit difficult to carry on with the 36 happy years I’ve had making ‘the music go round’, so reluctantly – but I hope sensibly – I’m going to hang up my headphones at the end of October and say ‘enough is enough’. Seventy years on the air since 1945 isn’t a bad record, and it is now time to welcome someone younger.

“So I have another four Friday editions of The Music Goes Round left to enjoy during October and I do hope you'll be able to join me for each one of them. In the meantime, my grateful, grateful thanks to producer Dave Aylott and thank you for having us at your place. As for Golden Paws Sam, his days of singing to a pussycat audience are gone now but he still has human admirers, and he knows it. Join us all again please next Friday here on BBC Radio 2. So, bye just now from Desmond Carrington.”

Desmond is retiring due to ill health, having battled cancer and Alzheimer’s disease for several years. He suffered a second heart failure on Christmas Day 2015 and was operated on within two hours. He was back behind the microphone just 10 days later with neither Radio 2 management nor his audience aware of what had happened.

Controller of Radio 2 Bob Shennan said, “I want to thank Desmond for his extraordinary contribution to Radio 2 over four decades. He is a unique broadcaster and has always been a central character in the Radio 2 family. We will miss him, as will his adoring audience.”

Desmond was first heard on BBC Radio in 1946 as a member of the BBC Drama Repertory Company. His weekly Friday evening programme, The Music Goes Round, has been broadcast on Radio 2 for 35 years. The show, which was originally called All Time Greats, first aired on Sunday 4 October in 1981 with Desmond as presenter.

Tony Hall, BBC Director-General said, “Desmond has made a huge contribution to BBC Radio as part of his remarkable 70-year career. He is a natural broadcaster who exudes great charm, and his weekly programme brings joy to listeners both at home and around the world. On behalf of everyone at Radio 2, the BBC and all of his millions of listeners, I’d like to thank him for his incredible service and wish him well.”

You can listen to Desmond's Friday show on BBC iPlayer Radio.