Sara

Sara Cox has landed a new deal after her hit series The Marvellous Miniature Workshop was recomissioned for a bumper new series – with DOUBLE the number of episodes

Presenter Sara Cox has officially cemented her status as the BBC’s golden girl after landing a major new television deal just days after being unveiled as the new host of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show.

In a move that proves the broadcaster is firmly betting on the 51-year-old star, the Beeb has handed Cox a bumper new contract for her hit series, The Marvellous Miniature Workshop.

Insiders say the move is a “huge vote of confidence” in Sara, who is now arguably one of the most in-demand women in British broadcasting. The BBC One show, which Sara hosts, has been recommissioned with more than DOUBLE the number of episodes. It will also be extended from 30 to 45 minutes.

The crafting show is seen as a “new Repair Shop” for the channel and was a big hit when it launched at the end of last year. A BBC insider said: “This is a massive show of faith in Sara who is going down a storm with audiences – and the BBC is backing her all the way.”

The show sees Sara and a team of expert miniaturists recreate cherished buildings and locations tied to contributors’ personal histories. BBC bosses have upped the show from eight to 20 shows.

Sara said: “I’m absolutely over the moon about the new series of Marvellous Miniature Workshop, it’s easily the most heartwarming and wonderful programme I’ve ever been involved with. I can’t wait to hear more stories, help unearth more memories and watch our superb miniaturists breathe life back into places long since gone or neglected.”

The show – which was nominated for a Royal Television Society award earlier this year – is made by EarlyBird, the newly launched production company founded by Dom Bird.

Bird, who is also the executive producer of Gladiators and The Apprentice, said: “I’m delighted Sara’s returning to BBC One for this new run.

Seeing audiences respond so positively to The Marvellous Miniature Workshop has been a real pleasure and I’m thrilled that the BBC has commissioned EarlyBird to deliver this super-sized order.

These extended 45-minute episodes will enable Sara to immerse viewers even further into the extraordinary artistry of our miniaturists, showcasing the programme’s exceptional ability to capture the magic in the minutiae.”

Rachel Platt, commissioning editor for BBC Daytime added: “We’re delighted to be able to bring back this absolute treat of a series with an extended run and run time. Sometimes small things need bigger packages.”

News of the new TV deal comes after Sara was announced as Radio 2’s second female breakfast host, after Zoe Ball. It came after Scott Mills was sacked by the BBC over an investigation into serious sexual offences involving an underage boy.

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BBC Radio 2 presenter Sara Cox, who has just landed the biggest job on the station, has been married to husband Ben Cyzer, with whom she shares two children, since 2013

Newly announced BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show presenter Sara Cox has always been open about her home life, previously sharing a “depressing” revelation about her marriage to husband Ben Cyzer.

The broadcaster, who is set to replace Scott Mills on the nation’s biggest radio show, struck up a relationship with advertising boss Ben back in 2006, a year following the breakdown of her first marriage.

The BBC Radio 2 host tied the knot with Ben in 2013, and together they’re parents to daughter Renee and son Isaac. She’s also mum to Lola from her earlier marriage to DJ Jon Carter.

Yet Sara, aged 51, has disclosed a nightly struggle she endures with Ben. Speaking on her Teen Commandments podcast, which she co-hosts with Clare Hamilton, Sara revealed that Ben’s snoring regularly drives her to escape to another bedroom.

She explained: “This is my issue that I’ve got with Ben in the night if I wake up, just him breathing is annoying. Not during the day, I just mean any slight noises.”

“You know on a wildlife documentary when they have a shot of an animal that’s on high alert for a predator? I feel like I’ve got that heaving in the middle of the night, I can just hear the tiniest [noise]…it’s just so magnified in the middle of the night.

“I think there’s a bit of anxiety in there. I remember in my twenties if I woke up at like half one, I probably wouldn’t have been in bed at half one, but if I woke up in the middle of the night and it was like 3am, in my twenties I’d be like, ‘Yeah, I’ve got loads of time to sleep, amazing’. Now I’m 50 I go, ‘F**k, it’s three, I’m not going to sleep, I’m never going to get back to sleep again’.

“So I need to tap into that twenties energy of thinking, ‘I’ve got loads of time to sleep’.”

When questioned about managing her partner Ben’s nocturnal disturbances, Sara Cox revealed: “I nudge him, he’s really patient, he’s great about it, and then we just keep sleeping in separate rooms, which is a bit depressing.”

Sara has just revealed how “ecstatic” she feels to take the reins of the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show, after its former host, Scott Mills, was axed from the role last month.

“There are not enough adjectives to really sum up how I’m feeling about being trusted with such an iconic show but let’s start with ecstatic, honoured and incredibly chuffed,” she shared.

The star, who currently hosts Radio 2’s weekday Teatime show and will begin fronting the Breakfast Show in the summer, added: “It’s been a dream to host the Breakfast Show since I joined Radio 2 and it feels like a bit of a full circle for me.

“I’ve had the most glorious seven years of my career on teatime so thank you to my brilliant Teatime listeners who hopefully will join me at Breakfast for excellent music and all my usual nonsense plus some superstar guests. I honestly can’t wait to wake the nation up with the biggest most fun breakfast show ever.”

BBC bosses are poised to offer Sara Cox the Radio 2 Breakfast Show job after Scott Mills’s sacking, insiders told The Sun. 

Sources said veteran broadcaster Sara, 51, was seen as the “heir apparent” for the role — which is widely regarded as the best job in radio. 

Mills, who had hosted the show since January 2025, was dismissed last month. 

It came after new information about a police investigation over alleged sex offences with a boy aged under 16 in 2018 came to light at the BBC. OJ Borg and Gary Davies have filled in since Mills left the station. 

Insiders said they expected Sara, who joined the BBC in 1999 as a Radio 1 DJ, to be offered the job this summer. 

A source said: “Sara is the heir apparent for the Breakfast Show job. 

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“Since Scott left, she has been the name which has been discussed as the best candidate and everyone at Radio 2 is saying she will be offered it. 

“Sara has made a huge success of her drivetime slot and is hugely popular at the station, plus she’s hosted the Breakfast Show as a stand-in before. 

“The BBC won’t be rushing this through as they want the dust to settle. But Sara is the one in line and, as far as her colleagues are concerned, she is the best person for the job.” 

Sara, who began a TV career in the 90s, featured on Radio 2 as a cover host for various shows in 2012 while still working for Radio 1.

The mum-of-three landed her first permanent Radio 2 show, hosting Sounds of the 80s on Saturday nights, the following year. 

She went on to replace Simon Mayo as the drivetime presenter in 2019 and stood in on the Breakfast Show in 2025. 

That year, she was chosen to complete a Children in Need challenge and raised over £11.5million after walking and running 135 miles in five days. 

She said of working for Radio 2: “It’s sort of my dream job.” 

SCOTT SPOTTED

By Emily-Jane Heap 

SCOTT Mills is seen for the first time since being sacked by the BBC. 

The star, who was axed as Radio 2 Breakfast Show host, was out walking walked his dog with his husband Sam Vaughan. 

Mills, 53, confirmed he was quizzed by police in 2018 following an allegation of a historical sexual offence against a boy under 16. 

The case was dropped due to a lack of evidence. 

But Mills was sacked last month after new information came to light, the BBC said. 

He was allowed to keep his job for almost a decade despite the BBC being made aware in 2017 of an ongoing probe.