Exclusive:Grant Stott on getting his 'radio mojo back' after River City amid backlash over BBC shake up

The DJ and panto star, who last hosted the show five years ago, said he tried to keep his family away from negative reviews and social media posts, saying the controversial shake up at the broadcaster was a "horrible situation for anyone to be in".

Mr Stott, who is now hosting the arts and culture programme four days a week, as well as appearing on his Vinyl Collective show on Friday evenings, recently left his role of Sam Spiller in River City when the long-running soap filmed its final episode after 24 years in April.

His appointment on the Afternoon Show sparked controversy with some critics complaining that three women had been stood down from their roles.

Mr Stott, who is also co-hosting BBC Scotland’s festivals coverage and is hosting a World Cup show, Yes Sir, We Can Boogie With Grant and Arlene, with former Forth Radio co-host Arlene Stuart, said: “I was bracing myself for it, because that’s what happens when these changes come along, but I’m focused now and I’m back on the show again - I’ve been away for a few years but now I’ve come back to it - so I do have a relationship with the audience and that’s been overwhelmingly positive. I’m going to try to build on that and do the very best I can.”

He said the response from most listeners had been positive. His first show earlier this month featured a line-up including Sam Heughan and Kiefer Sutherland.

He said: “That’s what happens in radio. Radio stations change and line ups change and my job now is to come in and win over those who were not happy at the changes, to keep them listening and bring others on board as well. I’ve been there before, I’ve lost my job on radio. I’ve taken over a job when there was an enforced change and you ask anyone who works in the radio industry, this is very much part and parcel of the job.

“It’s a horrible situation for anyone to be in really, and it’s a terrible time to get through, but once you’re through it, things move on and settle and hopefully I’ll make friends with all the audience again.

“When you do anything, when you put yourself out there, there are always going to be people who want to have a pop and that counts for social media as well, so I tend not to read any negative things and I don’t want my family to read them either to make sure they don’t go there.”

He added: “I didn’t think I would get a daytime opportunity again, so when it did come up, I got my radio mojo back, it’s like a big shot in the arm. Everything I’ve done has been gearing towards doing this.”

Mr Stott, who was a police officer until 1990, admitted he knew his “natural home” was in radio after being turned down for acting roles as a police officer in Netflix series Department Q and a radio host in BBC drama Shetland, despite having done both jobs in real life.

He said River City had fulfilled a childhood dream of acting, but added he was a “realist” about his future acting career.

“Would I love to act again?” he said. “Absolutely. But I’m realistic enough to know it’s a very hard slog as an actor out there.

“I’ve gone for the role of police officer in Department Q and as a radio presenter in Shetland and I didn’t get either of them. As a former police officer who is currently a radio presenter, the irony of that isn’t lost on me. It gives you an insight into how hard it is when I can’t even get jobs playing the part of something I actually do in real life.”