Shaun Keaveny has announced that he is leaving BBC Radio 6 Music after 14 years of presenting on the station.

Sharing a statement this afternoon (June 11), the broadcaster said of his departure: “Things change, places change, people change, and it’s time for a change, after 14 years (it will seem longer to many) I’m leaving 6 Music.”

It has not yet been confirmed who replace him, but the BBC said a new afternoon schedule will be announced in due course.

Keaveny joined 6 Music and the BBC in early 2007, hosting the late evening show. In April that same year, he moved to host the 6 Music Breakfast Show until December 2018, when he bid farewell to over a decade of early starts and was replaced by Lauren Laverne. From January 2019 until now, Keaveny has presented the Afternoon Show (1-4pm).

Sharing a message with his listeners, Keaveny said: “You have been there through births, marriages, deaths, divorces, get-togethers, break ups, great sandwiches, bad curries, deceased pets, the lot. You have been unceasingly funny, always kind, always there with pendantry or support for even the silliest feature idea.”

Going on to say that he “will be back with something soon”, Keaveny invited his listeners to “buy me a pint in the Open Arms later, and remember, I love you”.

Matt Everitt, who presents the daily music news on Keaveny’s show, took to Twitter to share a few words about his co-worker’s departure.

“It’s hard to know what to say about @shaunwkeaveny’s news today,” he wrote. “I knew there would be an outpouring of love for him and what he’s done on @BBC6Music, and that’s down to how much listeners feel like they really know him personally. Which they really do.

“This is my point. I’ve worked with @shaunwkeaveny every day for 13-ish years (20 if you count pre-6 Music) and people who love his show come up to me and ask, ‘What’s he really like?’ and I say, ‘You already know. That person you hear on the radio, that’s really Shaun’.

This is my point. I’ve worked with @shaunwkeaveny every day for 13-ish years (20 if you count pre-6 Music) and people who love his show come up to me and ask, “What’s he really like?” and I say, “You already know. That person you hear on the radio, that’s really Shaun”. 2/

— Matt Everitt (@matteveritt) June 11, 2021

“‘What?’ People ask, ‘Is he that funny, that daft, that exasperated, that quick-witted, that grumpy and that lovely in real life?’ and I always say, ‘Yes. He really is’.”

He continued: “Then people ask, ‘So there’s no script?’ to which the answer is, ‘Seriously? You think someone wrote that bobbins?’ No, what you hear is the real Shaun. And that’s why he’s so special and so loved.

Then people ask, “So there’s no script?” to which the answer is, “Seriously? You think someone wrote that bobbins? No, what you hear is the real Shaun. And that’s why he’s so special and so loved. 4/

— Matt Everitt (@matteveritt) June 11, 2021

“And that’s why I love him too. There’s a lot more to say, but this’ll do for now. It’s been more fun than you could ever possibly imagine – playing music and making jokes with my best friend every single day. For an actual job. How brilliant is that? And how brilliant he is”

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— Matt Everitt (@matteveritt) June 11, 2021

Samantha Moy, Head of 6 Music called Keaveny a “broadcaster extraordinaire”, as well as “MC of Middle Aged Shout Outs, presiding judge of the Small Claims Court and landlord of the Open Arms.”

May continued: “From night time to breakfast time to lunchtime, Shaun has created a world on 6 Music that is distinctly his own and which has been a joy to share. His listeners, fellow presenters and all of us at 6 Music will miss him. When he leaves us in September, it will be with a huge amount of love and the warmest of wishes for his next wonderful adventure. Thank you, Shaun.”