Radio 2 has been accused of launching a replica of Ken Bruce’s Popmaster quiz in the morning slot he used to host.
The legendary Scottish DJ left the station last week after more than three decades and moved to rival Greatest Hits Radio.
The BBC has since moved to create an alternative to Popmaster, bringing Bruce’s 10:30 show show to its peach audience. iNews reports.
Radio 2 stars Zoe Ball and Richie Anderson were among the first players in the morning show Ten To The Top unveiled by Gary Davies, with elements similar to Popmaster.
The game asks two contestants ten questions in a manner similar to pop music, in a manner similar to its predecessor.
Veteran DJ Ken Bruce will retire from his popular BBC Radio 2 show in April and will be succeeded by Vernon Kay
According to the new formula, participants receive extra points if they answer the questions in the correct order.
In the Ten to the Top Quiz, participants can score double points for a question after playing ‘The Joker’.
Social media listeners called the quiz “a copy.”
One person tweeted: ‘What rubbish is this on Radio 2? Don’t mind Gary Davies, but there’s absolutely no point in holding a quiz that resembles a Poundland Popmaster.”
Another added: ‘It’s a copy of the Popmaster Champions League! Anyway, back to GHR.”
Other players insisted the scoring system was “confusing” and made it harder to compete.
The quiz continues as Vernon Kay takes over Bruce’s old slot in the schedule and has become a firm fan favorite.
A BBC spokesperson said: “Radio 2 listeners have enjoyed a weekday music quiz at 10.30am for decades and this will continue with our brand new quiz, Ten To The Top, for our new morning show.”
Radio 2 has been accused of ageism following the mass departure of some of its most famous presenters.
Steve Wright, 68, Paul O’Grady, 67, Vanessa Feltz, 60, and Simon Mayo, 64, have all parted ways with the station in recent months.
A source told The Sun: ‘Ken is Europe’s most listened to DJ and has nothing left to prove at the BBC.
“He’s had an incredible time there and is so thankful for the loyalty of all his listeners.
“But in recent years there has been a shift in direction, with a drive to attract a younger audience.”
Last month it was reported that Bruce had left Radio 2 because he felt ‘unliked’ by bosses – who couldn’t reassure him about a new contract, even if they wanted to keep him, BBC insiders say.
A source claimed that despite a desire to stick with the DJ – Britain’s most popular radio presenter – a ‘mix-up’ meant he was told nothing. This would have helped him join commercial rival Greatest Hits Radio.
The unexpected announcement of the 71-year-old presenter’s departure would now have sparked controversy at the BBC, as many see it as completely avoidable.
A well-placed source said: ‘They definitely wanted to renew his contract, but due to a mix-up, nobody told him. He’s a proud man and didn’t want to ask. When he told them he was leaving, they all said, “but we were about to offer you a three-year contract”… Bit late.’
But another source close to the station disputed the contract claims, saying: ‘Ken was reassured on more than one occasion that his future on Radio 2 was secure.’
The Scottish star is said to have been upset by the way the company had stopped presenter Steve Wright’s long-running show last year to appeal to younger listeners.
Bruce also allegedly asked bosses to stop letting him play ‘tuneless dance music’, but received no good response to his pleas.
The Radio 2 insider told the Mail: ‘Ken felt unloved. Part of the problem was that our target audience is “easy-going moms” but never hear who they are or what they want! We started playing a lot of tuneless dance music and Ken had begged them not to let him play again, but apparently his emails never got any replies.’
The source, who accused bosses of “sleeping behind the wheel,” added: “(Wright’s departure) just focused. When they fired Steve, they hadn’t considered the effect this could have on the rest of the presenters.’
Bruce has been with the BBC for 45 years – 31 of them presenting his Radio 2 mid-morning programme. But loyal listeners are increasingly fed up with what they see as a shift to a younger audience.
