Scott Mills

Mills began his career at the age of 16 as a DJ on his local Hampshire commercial radio station, Power FM, after barraging the station with demo tapes.{{cite web|publisher=BBC Press Office |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/radio1/scottmills.shtml|title=Scott Mills Official BBC Biography |date=August 2004|access-date=26 June 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070915061027/http://www.bbc.co.uk/pressoffice/biographies/biogs/radio1/scottmills.shtml |archive-date = 15 September 2007}} Mills was given an opportunity to present a week's worth of shows, and based on the success of this, he was immediately offered the 'graveyard slot' of 1:00 am{{snd}}6:00 am (six nights a week),{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/content/articles/2007/08/01/clubbing_scottmills_feature.shtml|title=Alright Treac - Scott's in Town|work=BBC Cornwall|date=10 August 2007|access-date=7 October 2008}} making him the youngest permanent presenter on mainstream commercial radio. Mills later moved to the late afternoon 'drive time' slot.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/cornwall/content/articles/2007/08/01/clubbing_scottmills_feature.shtml|title=Alright Treac - Scott's in Town|work=BBC Cornwall|date=10 August 2007|access-date=7 October 2008}}

Mills moved from Power FM to GWR FM Bristol, staying with the station for two years, before joining Piccadilly Key 103 in Manchester, starting on the late-night slot before moving to the mid-morning show. In 1995, Mills began to work for the new London station Heart 106.2.{{cite web|publisher=BBC Radio 1 |title=Scott Mills Biography |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/scottmills/biography_scott.shtml |access-date=26 June 2007}}

Mills has provided various voice-overs, including the voice of the specialist of the in-store radio station Homebase FM,{{cite web |title=My name is Scott part two|publisher=BBC Radio 1 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/scottmills/feature_mynameisscott_parttwo.shtml|access-date=1 August 2007 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080309043956/http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/scottmills/feature_mynameisscott_parttwo.shtml |archive-date = 9 March 2008}} the voice-over for Blockbuster Inc.'s in-store infomercial channel Blockbuster TV, and the voice-over for The VH1 Album Chart on the UK television channel VH1.{{cite web|title=The VH1 Album Chart|url=http://www.mtv.co.uk/channel/vh1/music/01102007/album_download_charts|access-date=1 January 2008|archive-date=22 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071222102644/http://www.mtv.co.uk/channel/vh1/music/01102007/album_download_charts|url-status=dead}}

Mills joined BBC Radio 1 in October 1998 to present the early breakfast show which was broadcast between 4{{nbsp}}am and 7{{nbsp}}am. In January 2004 Mills moved to a weekend afternoon slot, which was followed by a further move later that year to the weekday early-evening slot which was vacant due to Sara Cox's maternity leave.{{cite web|publisher=Unofficial Mills|title=Unofficial biography of Scott Mills|url=http://www.unofficialmills.co.uk/team/scott.php|access-date=26 June 2007}} Cox did not return and Mills became a permanent presenter of the early evening programme which was renamed The Scott Mills Show. The programme moved to an afternoon slot in April 2012 when Mills swapped presenting duties with Greg James.{{cite news |date=28 February 2012 |title=Radio 1 schedule: Scott Mills and Greg James to swap |publisher=BBC Radio 1 |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/17191591}}

Whilst at Radio 1, Mills also provided holiday cover for other presenters as well as hosting The Official Chart between June 2018 and August 2022.

On 1 July 2022 it was announced that Mills would be leaving Radio 1 after 24 years to replace Steve Wright in Steve Wright in the Afternoon on BBC Radio 2.{{Cite web |last=Evans |first=Connie |last2=Clarke |first2=Naomi |date=2022-07-01 |title=Scott Mills leaving Radio 1 to replace Steve Wright on Radio 2 |url=https://uk.news.yahoo.com/scott-mills-join-radio-2-163416139.html?guccounter=1 |access-date=2024-11-28 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-GB |agency=PA Media}} Scott Mills replaced Wright in the weekday afternoon slot on 31 October 2022.{{Cite news |date=2022-07-02 |title=Scott Mills to replace Steve Wright on BBC Radio 2 afternoon show |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-62010156 |access-date=2024-11-28 |work=BBC News |language=en-GB}}

While being a regular daytime show host on BBC Radio 1, Mills hosted shows on Radio 2 as a cover presenter.

On 20 March 2017, he hosted a late-night show from 10 pm to 2 am for Sara Cox' Dance-A-Thon.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08j8rx4|title=BBC Radio 2 - Sounds Of The 80s with Gary Davies, With Scott Mills|publisher=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=7 April 2019}}

On 28 May 2018, he presented a Bank Holiday Monday show, Radio 2 Remix, from 4 pm until 7 pm.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0b4ntwz|title=BBC Radio 2 - The Radio 2 Remix|publisher=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=7 April 2019}} Immediately preceding the Radio 2 show, Mills presented from 1 pm on Radio 1, being one of the first{{clarify|date=August 2024}} people ending a show on Radio 1 and starting one on Radio 2 at the same day.{{Cite web|url=https://radiotoday.co.uk/2018/05/scott-mills-does-the-double-on-radio-1-and-radio-2/|title=Scott Mills does the double on Radio 1 and Radio 2|website=RadioToday|date=23 May 2018|language=en-GB|access-date=7 April 2019}}

In April 2019, Mills was a stand in for Rylan Clark on Radio 2's Saturday afternoon show from 3 pm to 6 pm.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m00040tq|title=BBC Radio 2 - Rylan On Saturday, Scott Mills sits in|publisher=BBC|language=en-GB|access-date=7 April 2019}}

From 2021–2022, Mills was the regular stand-in for Ken Bruce.{{Cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m0014wwb | title=BBC Radio 2 - Ken Bruce, Scott Mills sits in with Griff choosing Tracks of My Years }}

On 1 July 2022, it was announced that Mills was to join Radio 2 permanently to replace Steve Wright in the Afternoon at the end of September 2022. Mills' new show, running from 2-4 pm, debuted on 31 October.{{Cite web |title=BBC Radio 2 Autumn Schedule Changes |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/2022/bbc-radio-2-autumn-schedule-changes/ |access-date=2 July 2022 |publisher=BBC |language=en}}

On 19 November 2024, it was announced that Mills would replace Zoe Ball as the presenter of Radio 2's breakfast show. He presents that show as of 27 January 2025.

On 17 October 2019,{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2019/scott-mills-5live|title=BBC - Scott Mills to present Saturday morning show on BBC Radio 5 live - Media Centre|publisher=BBC|access-date=16 November 2019}} it was announced that Mills and his Radio 1 co-presenter Chris Stark would start hosting a show on BBC Radio 5 Live. The show was part of the station's new weekend line up starting on 9 November 2019. The show was broadcast between 9am and 11am. The final show was on 20 August 2022.

On 14 May 2009, a musical based on Mills' life was announced, to be performed at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2009. The musical ran for three nights between 11 and 13 August at the Pleasance One Theatre.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/scottmills/musical.shtml |title=Scott Mills The Musical - Radio 1 Pages |publisher=BBC |access-date=16 July 2014}} The musical was born from an internet rumour that Mills would perform in Rick Rolling The Musical as Rick Astley and other 1980s musicians. He denied this rumour on his radio show, and listeners' suggestions to create a musical based on his life became a reality. Some songs for the musical were composed and sent in by listeners to his radio show. The musical is available for viewing on the BBC Radio 1 website.{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/scottmills/musical/video.shtml |title=Radio 1 - Scott Mills The Musical - Home |publisher=BBC |date=24 February 2007 |access-date=14 August 2009}}

Mills was challenged to do a one-man show at Edinburgh Fringe in 2010 by his co-hosts and production team.{{cite web|date=8 July 2010 |url=http://newsblog.threeweeks.co.uk/post/Scott-Mills-to-return-to-the-Fringe.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100714100818/http://newsblog.threeweeks.co.uk/post/Scott-Mills-to-return-to-the-Fringe.aspx |title=Scott Mills returns to the Fringe |archive-date=14 July 2010}} The Bjorn Identity was a parody of The Bourne Identity, telling the story of Jason Bjorn with the music of ABBA.

In addition to his radio work, he has also appeared on various television shows, playing both as a character and as himself. His main acting role was as reporter Paul Lang in the BBC medical drama Casualty, appearing in episodes in both 2006 and 2007.{{cite web|publisher= Holby.tv Fansite |title=Scott Mills appearances |url=http://www.holby.tv/db/index.php?id=44,1879,0,0,1,0 |access-date=12 July 2007}} He also had a cameo in the BBC Scotland soap opera River City after praising the show highly on his radio show.{{cite news|work=The Scotsman |title=Radio One DJ bids to give River City a wider show|last=Innes |first=John |date=22 September 2004 |access-date=12 July 2007 |url=http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/scotland.cfm?id=1109272004}} He also appeared as a police officer in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks in 2008. {{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p012gr18/p012gr6h |title=Scott visits Hollyoaks |date=26 June 2008}}

Mills has appeared as a contestant or guest on programmes including Mastermind, Supermarket Sweep, Children in Need, Most Haunted and Never Mind the Buzzcocks, and has appeared in the show Identity, hosted by Donny Osmond.{{cite news |last=Wilson |first=David |title=Guess who |work=The Guardian |date=25 August 2007 |url=http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/david_wilson/2007/08/guess_who.html |access-date=5 September 2007 | location=London}}

He narrated the music TV show The Pop Years which, coincidentally, was also narrated by fellow BBC Radio 1 DJ Edith Bowman. He has presented high-profile programmes including the Wednesday night National Lottery draw on BBC One and his own pilot (featured on the radio show) of Reverse-a-Word.{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm1668586/|publisher=IMDb|title=Scott Mills Filmography|access-date=26 June 2007}} He has narrated Dating in the Dark on Living. In February 2008, he presented Upstaged on the newly re-launched BBC Three.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/upstaged |publisher=BBC |title=Upstaged |access-date=9 February 2008}} He also hosted a BBC Three television show called Radio 1 on Three, inspired by his radio show.

In February 2011, Mills presented a documentary for BBC Three called The World's Worst Place to Be Gay?.{{cite web | url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00yrt1c | title=The World's Worst Place to Be Gay? | access-date=19 February 2011 | publisher=BBC}}

Mills appeared on series 12 of Strictly Come Dancing and his dance partner was Joanne Clifton, sister of Kevin, who also dances on the show.{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/news/strictly-come-dancing-2014-radio-1s-scott-mills-confirmed-to-hit-the-dancefloor-9690573.html|title=Strictly Come Dancing 2014 line-up: Scott Mills confirmed to hit the dancefloor|work=The Independent|date=26 August 2014}} They came 11th in the competition after being eliminated in week 6.

Mills won, alongside Stark, the first episode of the two-episode Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars (2016) with their robot Arena Cleaner, which was a collaboration with Dave Moulds, who drove Carbide, second place in the preceding series. This was broadcast over the Christmas and New Year period 2016.{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/latestnews/2016/robot-wars-celebrities |title=Celebs commence battle in BBC Two's Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars |publisher=BBC |date=2 December 2016 |access-date=1 June 2018}}{{cite web |url=http://www.radiotimes.com/news/2016-11-25/the-robot-wars-christmas-special-has-unveiled-its-first-celebrity-guests |title=The Robot Wars Christmas special has unveiled its first celebrity guests |first=Huw |last=Fullerton |work=Radio Times |date=25 November 2016 |access-date=1 June 2018}}

Mills and his husband Sam competed in, and won the second series of Celebrity Race Across the World travelling across South America.{{Cite web |last=Perrin |first=Lucy |date=2024-09-27 |title=Race Across the World winners: ‘We thought Scott had dengue fever in Brazil’ |url=https://www.thetimes.com/travel/destinations/south-america-travel/race-across-the-world-winners-we-thought-scott-had-dengue-fever-in-brazil-m5rt7gqzl |access-date=2025-02-28 |website=www.thetimes.com |language=en}}

In February 2011, it was announced that Mills would take part in the BT Charity Trek along with other celebrities as part of the 2011 Comic Relief Red Nose Day campaign. The celebrities spent five days in the Kaisut desert in north Kenya, covering {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=off}} in temperatures up to 40 °C.[http://www.rednoseday.com/whats-on/the-bt-red-nose-desert-trek/sponsor-the-trekkers/scott-mills/radio1 Donate - Scott Mills | Red Nose Day 2011] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110224011530/http://www.rednoseday.com/whats-on/the-bt-red-nose-desert-trek/sponsor-the-trekkers/scott-mills/radio1 |date=24 February 2011 }}, BBC

On 16 and 17 November 2022, Mills raised over £1 million for Children in Need after riding on a treadmill for twenty four-hours.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c6pvr6d3ldlo|title=Scott Mills raises £1m in Children In Need treadmill challenge|website=BBC News|date=16 November 2022 }}

Mills grew up in and around Southampton,{{Cite web |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio1/djsgohome/questions/5.shtml |title=My hometown in ten questions |publisher=BBC Radio 1 |access-date=1 June 2018}} attending Shakespeare Infant School and Crestwood College Secondary School in Eastleigh.{{cite web |url=https://www.tes.co.uk/article.aspx?storyCode=6386135 |title=Miss Talbot by Scott Mills |newspaper=Times Educational Supplement |date=20 December 2013 |access-date=1 June 2018}} He currently lives in London.

Mills' parents are separated, although both feature in the show at sporadic intervals.{{cite web |title=Scott Mills Features |url=http://www.unofficialmills.co.uk/show/features.php |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070702074426/http://www.unofficialmills.co.uk/show/features.php |archive-date=2 July 2007 |access-date=26 June 2007 |publisher=Unofficial Mills }}

Mills came out as gay to the press in 2001 to avoid tabloid-style speculation.{{cite news |last=Wells |first=Matt |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk_news/story/0,,469908,00.html |title=Coming out nerves for Radio 1's early bird |date=7 August 2001 |access-date=26 June 2007 |location=London}} Occasionally on the show, deflective comments are made, and Mills often jokes that he "doesn't have much luck with the ladies". In his Guardian interview he explained, "I'd just like to be accepted as a normal bloke who is gay and is on the radio and the television." Mills appeared at number 12 on the Independent on Sunday's Pink List for 2010.{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-iiosi-pink-list-2010-2040472.html|work=The Independent |date= 1 August 2010|access-date=26 February 2011 | location=London |title=The IoS Pink List 2010}} Mills was the 50th most influential gay person in Britain the previous year.{{cite news|work=The Independent on Sunday |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/news/the-iiosi-pink-list-2009-1721869.html?action=Gallery&ino=50|title=Pink List 2009 |date=28 June 2009|access-date=26 February 2011 | location=London}}

File:Scott Mills Bridge Plaque.jpg

He was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Arts from Southampton Solent University on 2 November 2009.[http://www.dailyecho.co.uk/leisure/news/4704466.Honorary_degree_for_Radio_1_DJ/ Scott Mills gets degree from Southampton Solent University], DailyEcho.co.uk. The bridge that crosses the M3 at Fleet services was officially named The Scott Mills Bridge and a plaque unveiled, on 16 March 2016.BBC Radio 1 Scott Mills Show 15 March 2016

Mills supported the former climate change prevention organisation Global Cool.{{cite news|url=http://www.globalcool.org/entertainment/scott-mills-amsterdam-diary|title=Scott Mills' Amsterdam diary|date=5 April 2010|work=Global Cool|publisher=Global Cool Foundation|access-date=14 February 2011|location=UK}}

In October 2021, Mills announced he had got engaged to Sam Vaughan, his boyfriend of four years.{{cite web |last1=Mills |first1=Scott |title=Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/p/CVdm9UvMg7i/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/realscottmills/2692479492159573730_2692479488216879674 |archive-date=23 December 2021 |url-access=subscription|access-date=26 October 2021}}{{cbignore}} They married in Vilanova i la Geltrú, Spain in June 2024.{{cite news |last1=Roberts |first1=Hannah |title=Scott Mills marries partner Sam Vaughan in Spanish ceremony |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/showbiz/scott-mills-married-sam-vaughan-calvin-harris-zoe-ball-chris-stark-b1161585.html |access-date=14 August 2024 |work=Evening Standard |date=3 June 2024 |language=en}}

In November 2022, Mills' 24-hour Treadmill walking marathon with Radio 2 raised over £1.2M for Children in Need.

{{reflist}}

{{Commons category inline}}

{{Spoken Wikipedia|en-scottmills.ogg|date=23 February 2010}}

• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m001dcsm The Scott Mills Breakfast Show] (BBC Radio 2)
• {{IMDb name|id=1668586}}
• {{Twitter}}
• {{Instagram|realscottmills}}
• {{YouTube|user=ScottMillsOfficial}}

{{s-start}}

{{s-media}}

{{succession box

| before = Greg James

| title = BBC Radio 1
Chart show presenter

| years = 15 June 2018 – 19 August 2022

| after = Jack Saunders

}}

{{s-end}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=November 2024}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mills, Scott}}

Category:1973 births

Category:Living people

Category:BBC Radio 1 presenters

Category:BBC Radio 2 presenters

Category:BBC Radio 5 Live presenters

Category:English radio DJs

Category:English LGBTQ broadcasters

Category:LGBTQ DJs

Category:English gay musicians

Category:English gay actors

Category:People from Eastleigh

Category:20th-century English LGBTQ people

Category:21st-century English LGBTQ people

Category:Male actors from Hampshire