Who could replace Scott Mills as Radio 2's Breakfast Show host?

It's been just over a year since Scott Mills took over presenting the UK's most listened to breakfast show.

His sacking, over allegations related to his personal conduct, leaves something of a headache for BBC Radio 2 executives.

It's a prized role that does not regularly change hands - his predecessor Zoe Ball left after almost six years, Chris Evans hosted the show for almost nine years and Terry Wogan was the programme's longest-serving host, with more than 27 years, across two stints.

All of this means it's unlikely the station had begun exploring the process of finding a successor.

So who might be next? Here are the runners and riders:

Vernon Kay is one of the favourites to replace Mills.

He hosts the mid-morning show on Radio 2, which is the biggest show in the UK with 6.7m listeners.

He's a well-known figure, and was trusted with a key slot when he replaced Ken Bruce.

But he only started as the host of the mid-morning show in May 2023, and may not want to move so soon. Executives also might not want to move one of the station's biggest names twice after less than three years.

If he does move to the breakfast show, executives will also then need to find a new host for the mid-morning show.

Sara Cox offers a strong blend of experience and personality.

She's hosted breakfast shows before - between 2000 and 2003 she was the host of Radio 1's breakfast show and since 2012 has been one of the stand-in presenters for Radio 2's show.

She's also one of the station's biggest names, having worked on a variety of shows, and since 2019 she has presented the weekday teatime show.

It's arguably a more comfortable slot than the demanding early mornings of the breakfast show, and her drive-time seat has recently been extended from two to three hours.

Similarly to Kay, if Cox is to replace Mills it would create another major gap in Radio 2's schedule.

He's certainly a well-known and mainstream figure, whose media career spans everything from reality TV to podcasting.

Clark's worked with the BBC since 2018 and hosts a three-hour show on Radio 2 on Saturday afternoons.

He's also worked closely with Mills as co-host of the BBC One Eurovision semi-finals.

The presenter also has a broad appeal, having won a Bafta last year with Rob Rinder, for Italian travel series, Rob & Rylan's Grand Tour. He has also appeared on Channel 4's Gogglebox and in 2023 he stepped down after four years of presenting Strictly Come Dancing spin-off It Takes Two.

Mills hosted his last show on Tuesday and since then, veteran broadcaster Gary Davies has stepped in to present it.

Davies regularly stands in for other presenters like Vernon Kay and Rylan Clark when they're on holiday.

He also hosts his own show on Radio 2 - Sounds of the 80s - on Saturday nights, having worked for the station since 2017.

Having started his radio career in the mid-80s with stations including Radio 1, Virgin Radio and Century Radio, he is clearly a familiar voice for Radio 2's listeners.

She's the woman of the hour and would be a big, bold choice for Radio 2.

She's already hugely popular with audiences through hosting shows like Strictly Come Dancing and The Traitors, and has a distinctive, warm and slightly chaotic style that could make the breakfast show feel fresh and different.

She's also recognisable, trusted and entertaining across a wide range of age groups.

The question is whether she'd want it. Breakfast radio is a daily, high-intensity commitment and her career is heavily tied up with television, not least her new chat show.

Balancing both might be a stretch, and Radio 2 would need a huge time commmitment to make it work.

Greg James is, on paper, one of the most compelling candidates.

He has been hosting the breakfast show on Radio 1 for more than seven years and understands the unique demands of the slot better than most.

If he moved to Radio 2, this would follow a well-worn path previously trodden by Chris Evans and Zoe Ball, who hosted its breakfast show having previously done the same for Radio 1.

But timing is everything and James remains central to Radio 1's identity - moving him now could leave a significant gap there.

Grimshaw - or Grimmy as he's also known - has worked in radio for a number of years, having spent 14 of them at BBC Radio 1 presenting a number of shows including the breakfast show between 2012 and 2018.

He left the radio station in 2021 and subsequently took on the role of presenting BBC Radio 6 Music's breakfast show. Alongside that he also hosts food podcast Dish with chef Angela Hartnett.

The 41-year-old's specific experience of hosting the coveted breakfast slot across different platforms could put him in a position to seamlessly take over from Mills, should the Radio 2 bosses come calling.

Clara Amfo, who is currently a presenter on BBC TV's The One Show, spent years as a key voice on Radio 1.

She stepped down from her radio role at the end of 2023, staying within the BBC but moving into a broader mix of projects.

That arguably puts her in a good position for something like this - she's experienced, recognisable and not tied to a daily radio slot, so a move to Radio 2 could feel like a natural next step.

Since leaving her radio show, she's built a varied portfolio across TV, and may want to return to the airwaves.

There are also other radio DJs who could take over the slot from Mills including Emma Willis who hosts a Saturday show on Radio 2.

Trevor Nelson and OJ Borg also host shows on the station, although its bosses could choose to entirely refresh the show and bring in a fresh face like Capital's Jordan North or 33-year-old The One Show presenter Roman Kemp.

On the flip side, they could play it very safe and bring in a veteran DJ like Tony Blackburn whose radio career spans more than 60 years.

Or maybe the BBC will find a way to lure back Chris Evans - who might be tempted for round two on the show that was so successful in the 2010s.