The Reverend Richard Coles has said he will be saying goodbye to his BBC Radio 4 show Saturday Live following a decision by the broadcaster to relocate the programme to Cardiff.
Coles was previously a member of the popular 1980s pop group, the Communards who produced hit songs like Don't Leave Me This Way.
The public figure, who was previously a Vicar with the Church of England, revealed that he's disappointed with the way the BBC has handled the situation, giving very little publicity to the final show.
Coles will say farewell to fans of Saturday Live after 12 years of doing the show.
Expressing his disappointment in the BBC show change, Richard Coles told the Guardian: “If you leave a programme after 12 years, a gentler process would have been nice. But what happens happens.
"It just feels a little bit rushed. It’s been frustrating for me having to wait for an announcement, and now it’s my last programme on Saturday. I’d rather have had a longer goodbye to listeners.”
“It just feels a bit sad. I’m sorry to go; I’ve loved the programme, I’ve loved the people I’ve worked with, and it’s been a big part of my life. I shall miss it."
A BBC spokesperson said of the decision: “Richard has been brilliant on Saturday mornings and very much continues to be part of the Radio 4 family. We look forward to working with him on future projects.”
This move comes as the BBC looks to move programmes away from London in a strategy to spread more of its offerings across the UK.
In a statement by Coles, he said: "After more than a decade on Saturday Live the time has come to do something different, spend some time on other projects and get my weekends back. I look forward to reappearing on the network in the future and wish the best to Nikki as Saturday Live continues."
Why are you making commenting on The National only available to subscribers?
We know there are thousands of National readers who want to debate, argue and go back and forth in the comments section of our stories. We’ve got the most informed readers in Scotland, asking each other the big questions about the future of our country.
Unfortunately, though, these important debates are being spoiled by a vocal minority of trolls who aren’t really interested in the issues, try to derail the conversations, register under fake names, and post vile abuse.
So that’s why we’ve decided to make the ability to comment only available to our paying subscribers. That way, all the trolls who post abuse on our website will have to pay if they want to join the debate – and risk a permanent ban from the account that they subscribe with.
The conversation will go back to what it should be about – people who care passionately about the issues, but disagree constructively on what we should do about them. Let’s get that debate started!
Callum Baird, Editor of The National
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here