Zoe Ball denies being given Chris Evans' Radio 2 job because she's a woman, after Jeremy Clarkson claims men can't get jobs at the BBC

Zoe Ball introduces the bands on the main stage on day 3 of The Isle of Wight Festival at Seaclose Park on June 23, 2012 in Newport, Isle of Wight. (Photo by Samir Hussein/Getty Images)

The broadcaster, 48, takes over the flagship programme from Chris Evans Monday.

Former Top Gear presenter Jeremy Clarkson said this week men can no longer get jobs at the BBC, saying, “anyone who has got a scrotum” will struggle to land a presenting gig at the corporation.

However, Ball does not believe her gender is the reason she got the job.

She told the Daily Mirror: “I’ve always felt all the jobs I’ve ever got are on merit. I’m such a Beeb girl, they’ve always been great to me.

“I’ve worked at ITV and Channel 4, but the BBC has always felt like home. I really hope everyone says, ‘She got the job as she was the right person’.”

Ball will earn less than Evans for the Radio 2 job, who received £1.6 million a year from the BBC, however she is in line for a substantial pay rise from her previous jobs as a TV and radio presenter with the broadcaster.