Carrie Bickmore and comedian Tommy Little are to leave the Hit Network at the end of the year, bringing their national drive radio show to a close after almost a decade on air.
Bickmore fought back tears as she announced the decision during Wednesday’s programme, while Little said the end of the show was “certainly not how I wanted it to end”.
The pair have been the network’s national drive team for nearly 10 years, building a long-running partnership centred on comedy, personal conversations and discussions of difficult subjects.
“It’s not every day you get to come and have a laugh and call it your job with your best mate and the funniest guy in the country,” Bickmore said.
She added that the programme had tried to tackle subjects “that often people are too scared to do”, and hoped it had provided companionship and laughter for listeners on difficult days.
Little said he had loved the job and would have continued for much longer, but accepted that he did not always get his way.
“I feel very grateful. I feel very lucky to have had the opportunity,” he said. “We’re going to be on air until the end of the year, and we’re going to try and make the best radio we can.”
Matthew O’Reilly, Southern Cross Austereo’s head of broadcast content, confirmed the decision to staff in an internal memo, thanking Bickmore, Little and those who worked on the programme.
“Over the next few weeks, we look forward to celebrating everything Carrie and Tommy have given to their listeners over the last 10 years,” he wrote.
No replacement for the pair in the Hit Network’s drive slot has yet been announced.
Bickmore has reportedly been approached by rival network ARN about moving to KIIS FM to host its drive show in 2027. The position is due to become available after the Will & Woody programme, hosted by Will McMahon and Woody Whitelaw, ends this year. It is unclear whether Little was involved in those discussions.
