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Radio 2 Johnnie Walker Retires 

Johnnie Walker

The BBC radio presenter Johnnie Walker has announced he is hanging up his headphones after a 58-year career because of ill health. 

He will step down from presenting Sounds of the 70s and The Rock Show on BBC Radio 2 at the end of this month. 

The 79-year-old made the announcement live on air on Sunday, telling listeners that he would make his final shows "as good as I possibly can". 

He will be replaced on Sounds of the 70s by Bob Harris, while Shaun Keaveny will be the new presenter of The Rock Show. 

Walker has pulmonary fibrosis, which is scarring of the lungs. The condition makes breathing difficult. 

During his show on Sunday, he read out a letter from a listener whose dad had loved the show, but had passed away in 2022 due to pulmonary fibrosis. 

"Now, that leads me to be making a very sad announcement," he said. 

"The struggles I’ve had with doing the show and trying to sort of keep up a professional standard suitable for Radio 2 has been getting more and more difficult, hence my little jokes about Puffing Billy, so I’ve had to make the decision that I need to bring my career to an end." 

Walker began his radio career in 1966 on Swinging Radio England, an offshore pirate station, before moving to Radio Caroline. 

He joined BBC Radio 1 in 1969, and joined Radio 2 in 1997 where he has remained ever since.

6 October 2024

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