BBC Radio Sheffield: Tears as Toby Foster bids farewell to Breakfast show after nearly 20 years

It was an emotional morning as Toby Foster said farewell to listeners on BBC Radio Sheffield's Breakfast show after nearly 20 years.

The presenter, who joined the show in September 2004, was inundated with goodbye messages from loyal listeners as he hosted his last morning show today. He has appeared alongside colleagues Chelsey Ward and Nick Wilson over recent years.

Toby is taking a week off before moving to the afternoon slot on weekdays from 2pm-6pm, with his new programmme to be broadcast simultaneously on BBC Radio Leeds, Radio Sheffield, and Radio York.

He is being replaced on Breakfast by Ellie Colton, who has hosted BBC Upload for the station for the past three years.

At the end of his final Breakfast show he said: "Thank you very much for all your messages today. It's been an absolute blast."

Toby kept the tears at bay on his final Breakfast show, though there were some waterworks from Chelsey this week. She said she had 'really enjoyed' doing the show for the last two years before adding jokingly to Toby, who she said was trying to make her cry, 'I hate you so much'.

'Thank you for the fantastic job you've done'

On X (formerly Twitter), Chelsey, who is moving with Toby to the afternoon slot, said 'it’s been a blast' and called working with the crew on the Breakfast show 'the best job ever'.

Among the callers on Toby's final breakfast show was Barnsley Council leader Steve Houghton, who said: "I just wanted to say a huge thank you on behalf of the people of South Yorkshire and North Derbyshire for the job you've done. Fantastic. Really sad to see you going but someone else's gain if it's our loss."

At the start of his final week on the breakfast show, Toby said moving to the afternoon slot was 'going to be odd', though he previously joked it would be good to have a lie-in.

Responding on X to someone saying he had been 'booted out', he said: "I wasn’t booted out at all, I could have stayed on breakfast. I chose the new challenge."

'You'll be fab wherever you area and whatever time'

He signed off by playing Is This The Way To Amarillo.

Lots of listeners tweeted to say mornings wouldn't be the same without Toby and co.

One person wrote: "Gonna miss you in the morning, I'll still listen to you in the afternoons, I'm just not happy sharing you with the rest of Yorkshire!" Another said: "You’ll be fab wherever you are and whatever time."

Several people were clearly unhappy at the revamped schedule, with one person saying 'BBC are just making a complete hash of it all' and another commenting: "Why change the schedule, when it already works. (It's) not going to be the same."

Toby insisted on air: "It will be the same, it will just be in the afternoon."