A POPULAR south coast radio presenter has told of his shock after his slot was axed.

David Allen announced on his BBC Radio Solent show on Saturday that his slot has been axed by the corporation.

Allen, who has hosted the three hour slot for 20 years, will host his final show on May 15.

On Saturday, April 24, he told of his shock when he found out the show had been axed.

He said on his show: "Now some sad news about this show.

"The BBC in its wisdom have decided that after 20 years and amazingly good listening figures, that this show will sadly come to an end on the 15th of May.

"Although I never normally talk about how popular this show is, the audience share on this programme is the best on the station.

"It is also nearly three-times that of Radio 2 and over four-time that of any commercial radio station in our transmission area.

"So I have to say I was rather shocked when I was told about their decision."

A spokesperson from the BBC said: "All stations make changes to their line-up from time to time to better serve audiences.

"We hope to work with David again in the future and thank him for all he has done in this slot.”

Allen's show is hosted on a Saturday night and often takes listeners across the Atlantic with his Focus USA feature linking up with stations across The States.

He hosts regular celebrity interviews and competitions.

On Sundays, he hosts the This is Your Life celebrity quiz, big screen hits in the Sunday Night at the Movies slot and the featured Album of the Night.

The Daily Echo reached out to David Allen but he did not respond.