Liza Tarbuck has spoken about leaving her long-running Radio 2 Saturday evening show, joining a wave of high-profile presenters departing the BBC station. Her 14-year tenure had built a devoted following, and her exit prompted an outpouring of grief from listeners, making her the latest in a string of big names to leave Radio 2 in recent years.

The show drew an audience of around 2 million and received roughly 50 listener messages per minute, more than any other Radio 2 programme, thanks to its freewheeling chat, eclectic music spanning nine decades and irreverent links into news bulletins. Tarbuck, 61, had been at Radio 2 on and off for 36 years; her final episode aired in January, though her departure was only confirmed in March via a handwritten Instagram farewell. She follows other recent leavers including Ken Bruce, Zoe Ball, Simon Mayo and the late Paul O'Grady, and says she has not ruled out a return, though funding music rights for any future show remains an obstacle. She is now turning her attention to a new pottery-based project.