The BBC's official stance on Liza Tarbuck stepping down from her Radio 2 slot is that she would "like her weekends back". An emotional Liza said it was the "stuff of dreams" being able to make "two hours of radio feel like a private members' club." But off-mic, rumours are swirling that she didn't quit - she was axed.

Fans are musing on Reddit that it "sounds like she was let go", noting that she left without a farewell show and appears to have quietly disappeared from the airwaves. Her last programme aired on January 17, with no explanation given. Even her stand-in, Shaun Keaveny, said she would be back soon, suggesting the situation took everyone by surprise, fans and insiders alike. He is to cover the slot until the end of the month.

One Redditor commented: "Unless someone from the inside or someone who knows exactly what happened, it will be hard to get to the actual reason why she stepped down. It might just be because she wanted to have her weekends. Possibly let go, she's been on for 14 years."

After iconic presenters like Chris Moyles, Phil Taggart and Kaye Adams were given the chop, the BBC seems to be haemorrhaging its most famous faces at an alarming rate. Zoe Ball, of course, handed in her notice in December 2025, while film critics Simon Mayo and Mark Kermode left the BBC back in 2022 to start their own podcast.

A lot is to do with budgets, of course. Mayo said he and Kermode were "way too expensive" for the publicly funded broadcaster to afford.

It worries me that aside from outright sacking some of its most famous voices, the BBC either can't afford or won't put enough effort into keeping others.

Without the steady narration of veteran radio legends at the helm, who is to steer the ship? It's all well and good replacing them with bright young things, but older listeners will soon tire of the same Top 40 hits they're bombarded with on Heart FM hitting the BBC airwaves.

The BBC needs to do more to keep its presenters - those who have been there for decades - happy. After all, those listeners are the reason the BBC manages to carry on, as evidenced by the sudden steep drop in listening figures since stars like Ken Bruce signed off for the final time.

The PopMaster legend used to regularly attract around 8.1million listeners, but since being replaced by Vernon Kay, that figure has plummeted to 6.6million.

The BBC Radio 2 breakfast show, previously hosted by Zoe Ball, lost more than 360,000 listeners since her exit. In July 2025, it was reported that Scott Mills' show, in comparison, received record low listening figures, losing 600,000 people as the audience dipped below 13million for the first time.

So many stars are instead switching to the commercial station Greatest Hits Radio, where they get a better salary than at the Beeb. But it means the most loyal fans are losing out, and that's not fair.

Liza's fans have been left distraught knowing that a staple of their evenings has now been snatched away after 14 years, as she told fans it was a "privilege" to entertain them for more than a decade.

Her Radio 2 co-star Jo Whiley said on Instagram: "As a fan, I am bereft. Thank you for the music and chat, the love and support LT. The broadcaster's broadcaster - much love."