BBC Radio 2 revives its Book Club with Sara Cox

Graham Norton, Cecelia Ahern and Nick Hornby are among the authors lined up to take part in the new Radio 2 Book Club, presented by Sara Cox.

BBC Radio 2 is relaunching the book club, previously presented by Simon Mayo. Mayo announced his book club was to end in April.

While Mayo's version featured on his "Drivetime" programme between 5pm and 7pm, Cox will present the book club between Mondays and Thursdays in a late evening time slot between 10pm and midnight. She will talk to authors about their novels and how they write, as well as speak to book clubs across the UK.

Graham Norton is the first guest to take part and will talk about A Keeper (Coronet) on 10th October. Cecelia Ahern will discuss Roar (HarperCollins) on 7th November and Elly Griffiths will be interviewed about The Stranger Diaries (Quercus) on 5th December.

Three authors will also join Cox to talk about their novels that are now “classic titles”: Sarah Waters on 25th October (discussing The Little Stranger, Virago), Lynda La Plante on 21st November (Widows, Bonnier Zaffre) and Nick Hornby on 19th December (Juliet, Naked, Penguin Random House).

Mayo announced the end of his book club earlier this year after, after the BBC made scheduling changes, partnering him with Jo Whiley for a new show. He had run the club since 2010 and attracted high-profile writers such as JK Rowling. He now runs the Simon Mayo’s Books of the Year podcast, sponsored by WHSmith, and recent guests include Ben Macintyre, Alan Johnson and Mark Kermode.