The Beeb’s veteran host, Bill Rennells, aged 92, is firing back at the network for pulling the plug on his New Year’s Eve radio gig.

Rennells, known for steering the Harmony Night call-in show, allowing folks in Berkshire, Kent, and Oxford to dial in their favourite tunes, is taking a swing at his ex-bosses for what he labels a ‘cruel’ move.

The former Radio 2 presenter spilled to The Sun, saying, “The gamut of adjectives for axing our beloved Harmony Night leads with ‘cruel’. Our final night was a tearjerker. It’s bonkers, they axed us at our peak.”

Before the Beeb made the final call, claiming it wasn’t due to cash crunches, Dilys Bound, who spearheaded the petition, hailed the show as a ‘lifeline.’ She added, “For many listeners, life’s about to get a lot lonelier.” The public outcry mirrored this sentiment, calling it ‘heartbreaking’ and ‘gut-wrenching.’

Facing the backlash, the BBC hailed Bill for his dedication but stuck to their guns, blaming changing ‘audience habits’ for the show’s demise.

Their spokesperson dished to the outlet, “Bill’s dedication to Harmony Night and his years as a sports voice at BBC Radio Oxford are appreciated. Our commitment stands strong for localised radio services. We’ve maintained all 39 Local Radio Stations without cutting their budgets. However, listeners want content on their terms, pushing us to invest in local digital news and ramp up local content on BBC Sounds.”

Bill’s BBC journey kickstarted in ’70 as a news producer at Radio Oxford, before jumping to Radio 2 in ’78. He hustled through various slots, eventually helming Nightride for a solid 14 years until ’93, returning to Radio Oxford in 2011.