Sara Cox will take over BBC Radio 2’s Drivetime show from Simon Mayo and Jo Whiley after the pair’s departure was announced last week.

Mayo has presented Drivetime for eight years but said he would be leaving to focus on writing after only a few months co-presenting with Whiley in what proved to be a divisive change of format. Whiley will remain with the station but move to a 7pm-9pm slot from January.

Cox became favourite to take over as presenter and has now been confirmed in the role. Cox, who said she was “proud” to take on the 5pm-7pm slot, had previously been heavily tipped to take over presenting duties on Chris Evans’s Breakfast Show, but lost out to Zoë Ball.

Cox said of being handed the time slot: “I’ve been proud to be part of the Radio 2 family for a few years now and the opportunity to present such a big show as Drivetime – playing fantastic music and hopefully making people smile as they cook tea or head home after a day’s graft – is the icing on what is already a very brilliant cake.

“I’m beyond chuffed to be given this role and to directly quote my mum on hearing the good news, it is indeed ‘fandabbyruddydozy’.”

The BBC has not yet announced when Cox will begin presenting Drivetime.

Cox has experience on the station, most recently as a stand-in presenter on the Breakfast Show. She joined the BBC in 1999 and worked on Radio 1’s Breakfast Show.

There was consternation from some audience members when the Drivetime show was reformatted.

Whiley will present a new show from 7-9pm from Monday to Thursday.

Lewis Carnie, the head of Radio 2, said: “Sara is hugely popular with the Radio 2 audience and I have every confidence that she’ll make the new Drivetime show her very own.”

In another shakeup to the radio schedule, Trevor Nelson will be moved from his 8-10pm Saturday night slot to present from 10pm to midnight on Monday to Thursday. He will continue to present on BBC Radio 1 Xtra.