Liza Tarbuck has announced she is stepping down from her Saturday evening BBC Radio 2 show after 14 years.

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The 61-year-old broadcaster, who has presented the 6pm to 8pm show every Saturday evening since 2012, said she is quitting the programme as she’d like her weekends back.

Shaun Keaveny, host of The Rock Show, will present the slot until the end of March, but the BBC said they will announce "further plans" in due course.

Posting on Instagram, Tarbuck said: "We made 2 hrs of radio feel like a private members club, that's the stuff of dreams. Thousands of people enjoyed each other's company like great friends... Thank you for letting me in, it's been a privilege."

Commenting on the post, Keaveny wrote: "Liza, you stand among the greats. You're my hero shoulder to shoulder with Terry, Steve, all that lot.

"You did it best. I'm keeping my battered bowler hat under the table in case you grace us with another round of radio brilliance. All my love xxx."

Radio 2 boss Helen Thomas praised Tarbuck for creating "a truly magical, fantastical world" every Saturday evening.

She continued: "She was beloved by everyone at the station and all her listeners, and the door at Radio 2 will always be open for her. Liza will be hugely missed and we wish her the very best of luck for the future."

Liza Tarbuck
Liza Tarbuck. Getty Images

Tarbuck, who is the daughter of comedian Jimmy Tarbuck, got her first big break on TV in 1987 when she landed a role in comedy series Watching.

She went on to appear in the first of the six Victoria Wood-penned anthology comedy plays Mens Sana in Thingummy Doodah in 1989, and also guest-starred in Extras, the Ricky Gervais comedy. Later, she appeared as Mrs Jellyby in the BBC One adaptation of Bleak House (2005).

Tarbuck also co-hosted The Big Breakfast in 1998 alongside JohnnyVaughn, before stepping down from the Channel 4 show after a year in the role.

More recently, she has appeared in Channel 4's comedy-drama The Change and BBC Two comedy series Upstart Crow.

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RadioTimes.com senior trends writer Molly Moss. She is sitting outside wearing a black top, holding a white teacup with a smily face on it to her mouth
Molly MossTrends Writer

Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.

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