BBC's Vernon Kay slams 'horrible boss' who 'followed him' and caught him out on the job

Vernon Kay has shared an anecdote about a time he worked for a "horrible boss" who would take issue with him for taking regular naps during work hours. The 50-year-old presenter relayed the story on his BBC Radio 2 show on Wednesday, after urging one listener to take a nap as she admitted it was hard to resist while working from home.

On the topic, Vernon shared details about a previous job he had in his youth where he was frequently caught napping.

He explained: "I used to get into trouble when I had this job. On paper, it doesn't sound like the best job in the world... I used to drive around cleaning phone boxes, but I had a van.

"When you're not even in your twenties and someone gives you a free vehicle and a fuel card to use, the world is your oyster."

Vernon went on to insist that he didn't last long in the job however as his boss would follow him around, catch him napping and then berate him for his habit, reports the Express.

He added: "There were about 60 to 70 to do in a day, he'd follow me around and make notes of where I had power napped, pretty much at every phone box."

Laughing as he mimicked his boss's reaction, he continued: "'You do realise Mr Kay, we're paying you to sleep'."

Recalling his reply, he continued: "'Yeah, and? If you look at the output that I'm creating sir, it's pretty good, it's impressive, you can see your face in that glass'."

He went on to remark about his former colleague: "The language I could use to describe him that isn't radio friendly, I'd get sacked."

Vernon has since carved out a successful career in presenting since those days.

In his early career, he hosted programmes such as T4 on Channel 4, Just the Two of Us, Splash! and the iconic Family Fortunes.

Away from the television cameras, Vernon also had a lengthy stint with his own show on BBC Radio 1 before transitioning to Radio X.

In 2020, he gave audiences an insight into another side of his personality by participating in I'm A Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!, where he secured third place.

More recently, Vernon took over Ken Bruce's slot on BBC Radio 2 after his 31-year reign.

Despite some criticism and reported declining listenership figures, Vernon recently told The Sun's Fabulous Magazine: "I don't worry about that.

"There's been a drop since Ken left, which is understandable, as the guy was there for 31 years. And then we've plateaued for the past three months. But I don't worry about numbers."

He concluded: "I'll worry when Helen Thomas [the head of Radio 2] worries. I'll just do my job and I'm having the best time doing it."