Jarvis Cocker is returning to BBC Radio 6 Music as part of a schedule shake-up, with Beth Ditto also announcing a new weekend slot. Find all the details below.
The Pulp frontman will sit in for Iggy Pop as he takes an extended break from the radio station to focus on music projects. The latter is set to return to 6 Music in 2027. Cocker will be on air on Sundays between 4pm and 6pm, starting on April 5.
In a statement, Cocker said: “Why am I returning to 6 Music? Well… I’m looking forward to working for the greatest independent radio station in the world once more. When you’re asked to look after Iggy’s show, are you really going to say no?
“I’m looking forward to discovering lots of great new music. But mostly: I miss you. Tune in from April 5th. That’s an order.”
Pop said: “The news is true, after 12 years at 6 Music I’m going to be taking a break for a while. I’ve got some other stuff I’ve got to do but I’ll be back. I’m pleased to say Jarvis has agreed to return to the station for a year as my cover – cool, thanks Jarvis.”
Cocker originally joined 6 Music to launch his ‘Sunday Service’ show in 2010, before departing in 2017. At the time, he told listeners: “It’s not goodbye, it’s just farewell.” The singer then sat in for Pop with a festive edition last Christmas, titled ‘Solstice Service’.
Gossip frontwoman Ditto, meanwhile, is moving to the Saturday morning slot between 10am and 1pm from April 4.
“I really can’t wait to be with you on Saturday mornings, playing the music I love and soundtracking the weekend together. It’s gonna be a dream,” she commented.
Ditto currently joins Nick Grimshaw on his breakfast show every Tuesday for a segment called ‘What Would Beth Ditto Do?’. She also presents the ‘Indie Forever Disco’ show on the station.
Samantha Moy, Head of 6 Music, added: “BBC Radio 6 Music is home to some incredible broadcasters, and we’ve been honoured that over the years, Iggy Pop, Jarvis Cocker and now Beth Ditto have shared their love of music with us all. We will miss Iggy – there is no doubt of that – but he will return.
“To keep us in the best of company, it’s wonderful to welcome Jarvis back and Beth Ditto to weekends on 6 Music.”
Iggy Pop released his latest studio album, ‘Every Loser’, in 2023. The following year, he teamed up with Slash on the track ‘Awful Dream’. He recently joined forces with Anna Calvi on ‘God’s Lonely Man’ from her upcoming collaborative EP, ‘Is This All There Is?’.
In other news, the line-up for this year’s BBC Radio 6 Music Festival in Manchester has been revealed. It includes Bloc Party, Yard Act, Kelly Lee Owens, Courtney Barnett and more.
Meanwhile, Cocker is continuing to tour with Pulp in support of their Number One, Mercury-shortlisted album, ‘More’. This summer, they’ll play their “only major UK headline concert” at Manchester’s Wythenshawe Park before topping the bill at End Of The Road 2026. They’ll headline Mad Cool Festival in Madrid, too.
Pulp have been nominated for Group Of The Year at the BRITs 2026, which take place later this month. Elsewhere, the band have contributed to the star-studded new ‘Help(2)’ charity album in aid of War Child.
Last week, the Sheffield group played a live session for BBC Radio 2’s Piano Lounge, where they covered ABBA’s ‘The Day Before You Came’. Cocker also made an appearance on the hit CBeebies show Bedtime Stories last Friday (February 6).
He recently teased that Pulp “might write some more songs” together. The update came after his bandmates Nick Banks and Candida Doyle told NME that they were “not itching” to make another new album. “An EP, maybe, or a single,” Doyle said.
When NME asked Cocker last summer if fans could expect a follow-up to ‘More’, he responded: “Maybe. We tried to not have a concept for this record or think, ‘This is it, this is our last gas’. I used to think that a lot.
“I had this weird thing that when an album was mixed and finished where I’d think, ‘Oh, I can die now and it would be OK’. That’s a terrible way to think about your life, really. I didn’t feel that with this record.”
