diff --git a/pyxem/signals/polar_diffraction2d.py b/pyxem/signals/polar_diffraction2d.py
index f815ca4a8..88e7fa841 100644
--- a/pyxem/signals/polar_diffraction2d.py
+++ b/pyxem/signals/polar_diffraction2d.py
@@ -24,6 +24,11 @@
 from pyxem.utils._correlations import _correlation, _power, _pearson_correlation
 from pyxem.utils._deprecated import deprecated
 
+from pyxem.utils._background_subtraction import (
+    _polar_subtract_radial_median,
+    _polar_subtract_radial_percentile,
+)
+
 
 class PolarDiffraction2D(CommonDiffraction, Signal2D):
     """Signal class for two-dimensional diffraction data in polar coordinates.
@@ -73,7 +78,7 @@ def get_angular_correlation(
             mask=mask,
             normalize=normalize,
             inplace=inplace,
-            **kwargs
+            **kwargs,
         )
         s = self if inplace else correlation
         theta_axis = s.axes_manager.signal_axes[0]
@@ -256,6 +261,43 @@ def get_resolved_pearson_correlation(
 
         return correlation
 
+    def subtract_diffraction_background(
+        self, method="radial median", inplace=False, **kwargs
+    ):
+        """Background subtraction of the diffraction data.
+
+        Parameters
+        ----------
+        method : str, optional
+            'radial median', 'radial percentile'
+            Default 'radial median'.
+
+            For 'radial median' no extra parameters are necessary.
+
+            For 'radial percentile' the 'percentile' argument decides 
+            which percentile to substract.
+        **kwargs :
+                To be passed to the chosen method.
+
+        Returns
+        -------
+        s : PolarDiffraction2D or LazyPolarDiffraction2D signal
+
+        """
+        method_dict = {
+            "radial median": _polar_subtract_radial_median,
+            "radial percentile": _polar_subtract_radial_percentile,
+        }
+        if method not in method_dict:
+            raise NotImplementedError(
+                f"The method specified, '{method}',"
+                f" is not implemented.  The different methods are:  "
+                f"{', '.join(method_dict.keys())}."
+            )
+        subtraction_function = method_dict[method]
+
+        return self.map(subtraction_function, inplace=inplace, **kwargs)
+
 
 class LazyPolarDiffraction2D(LazySignal, PolarDiffraction2D):
     pass
diff --git a/pyxem/tests/signals/test_polar_diffraction2d.py b/pyxem/tests/signals/test_polar_diffraction2d.py
index 8d8bc530f..639b7ec1c 100644
--- a/pyxem/tests/signals/test_polar_diffraction2d.py
+++ b/pyxem/tests/signals/test_polar_diffraction2d.py
@@ -249,3 +249,31 @@ def test_decomposition_class_assignment(self, diffraction_pattern):
         s = PolarDiffraction2D(diffraction_pattern)
         s.decomposition()
         assert isinstance(s, PolarDiffraction2D)
+
+
+class TestSubtractingDiffractionBackground:
+    @pytest.fixture
+    def noisy_data(self):
+        data = np.random.rand(3, 2, 20, 15)
+        data[:, :, 10:12, 7:9] = 100
+        dp = PolarDiffraction2D(data)
+        return dp
+
+    @pytest.mark.parametrize(
+        ["method", "kwargs"],
+        [
+            ("radial median", {}),
+            ("radial percentile", {"percentile": 40}),
+            pytest.param(
+                "this method does not exist",
+                {},
+                marks=pytest.mark.xfail(raises=NotImplementedError),
+            ),
+        ],
+    )
+    def test_subtract_backgrounds(self, method, kwargs, noisy_data):
+        kwargs["inplace"] = False
+
+        subtracted = noisy_data.subtract_diffraction_background(method=method, **kwargs)
+        assert isinstance(subtracted, PolarDiffraction2D)
+        assert subtracted.data.shape == noisy_data.data.shape
diff --git a/pyxem/utils/_background_subtraction.py b/pyxem/utils/_background_subtraction.py
index f8322fbc8..2f202371a 100644
--- a/pyxem/utils/_background_subtraction.py
+++ b/pyxem/utils/_background_subtraction.py
@@ -100,3 +100,29 @@ def _subtract_hdome(frame, **kwargs):
     )
     bg_subtracted = bg_subtracted / np.max(bg_subtracted)
     return bg_subtracted
+
+
+def _polar_subtract_radial_median(frame):
+    """Background removal using the radial median"""
+    median = np.nanmedian(frame, axis=1)
+    image = frame - median[:, np.newaxis]
+    image[image < 0] = 0
+    return image
+
+
+def _polar_subtract_radial_percentile(frame, percentile: int):
+    """Background removal using the specified radial percentile.
+
+    Parameters
+    ----------
+    frame : NumPy 2D array
+    percentile : percentile, between 0 and 100
+
+    Note
+    -------
+    if `percentile` is 50, then this is equivalent to `_polar_subtract_radial_median`.
+    """
+    percentile = np.nanpercentile(frame, percentile, axis=1)
+    image = frame - percentile[:, np.newaxis]
+    image[image < 0] = 0
+    return image