Getty ImagesDJ Jordan North has added more than 400,000 listeners to the Capital Radio breakfast show’s ratings in his first six months as host, new industry figures show.
The former I’m a Celebrity contestant left BBC Radio in February and joined commercial radio in April.
His show attracted 2.96 million listeners in its third season in 2024; 2.55 million in the last three months Hosted by his predecessor Roman Kemp.
North’s Radio 1 breakfast show rival Greg James has enjoyed similar growth, adding around 400,000 listeners to 4.3 million between July and September, according to industry ratings agency Rajar.
However, these numbers are not directly comparable because of James’ performance extended by half an hour During this period, the temporary time slot is 07:00-11:00, aiming to attract young viewers who get up late during the summer vacation.
North hosts the Capital Breakfast Show with Chris Stark and Siân Welby from 06:00-10:00. The trio added 261,000 listeners in the first three months and a further 151,000 this season.
Their data does not include the capital Scotland, which has its own breakfast program and daytime schedule.
Burnley-born North previously worked with James at Radio 1, hosting the station’s drive show alongside Vic Hope. She’s now presenting the program alongside Made in Chelsea’s Jamie Laing.
Speech-based breakfast shows, including BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast and BBC Radio 4’s Today, also saw increases in listenerships during a busy news quarter, which included the UK election and Donald Trump’s assassination attempt.
The “Today” program increased by about 385,000 people compared with the previous season, and the total number of listeners reached 5.85 million.
BBC Radio 5 Live’s breakfast show, hosted by Rachel Burden and Rick Edwards, gained 180,000 listeners, taking its total audience to 1.58 million.
Meanwhile, BBC Radio 3’s breakfast show attracted 866,000 listeners, an increase of around 115,000 on the previous season.
But there’s less good news for other breakfast shows.
BBC Radio 2’s Zoe Ball lost 146,000 listeners to 6.28 million during her season An unexpectedly long break from the show.
The Kiss breakfast hosted by Jordan Banjo and Perri Kiely also dropped by about 218,000 people. Their audience now stands at 721,000 people.
In the quarter when Ronan Keating left the network, The Magician’s Breakfast Show lost around 170,000 listeners, reducing the show’s audience to 890,000.
Ball’s Radio 2 presenter Vernon Kay continues to have the most popular radio show in the UK. His morning show grew to 6.8 million viewers in its most recent quarter.
