Jimmy Young decision 'soon'

The Prime Minister has appeared on the JY programme

The BBC has denied reports that a decision has been made on the future of BBC Radio 2 DJ Jimmy Young after a growing public campaign to keep him on air.

The Daily Mail reported that the BBC was likely to sign Young "for up to two years" in order to avoid a repetition of current speculation over his career in six months' time.

Young has previously been on a 12-month contract.

But a BBC spokesperson said: "Decisions are ongoing. Jimmy Young's contract is not discussed until November.

"Hopefully we'll have an outcome soon."

Young was one of the launch DJs for Radio 1 in 1967

Speculation that the DJ is about to lose the job he has held since 1973 has been growing since last week, when Radio 5Live's Nicky Campbell said the BBC had sounded him out as a possible replacement.

Campbell's comments prompted a group of MPs to launch a campaign to keep the Jimmy Young programme on the air.

Led by Liberal Democrat Nick Harvey, the MPs said the corporation would be guilty of "ageism" if it let the presenter go.

Nick Harvey: calling for JY to stay on air

Young himself commented that he was flattered that his success has made people "desperate" to get his job.

"Unless of course, in the ageist pursuit of youth, someone decides to ignore my record-breaking ratings and fire me," he added.

The presenter's exact age is not known, though he is believed to be between 78 and 80 years old.

In Who's Who, he simply lists his birthdate as 21 September - and omits the year.