Latest news about BBC Radio 1

Nation Radio UK reveals weekday presenter line-up

Mike Read, Russ Williams, Neil Francis, Neil Fox and Dean Martin are leading the programme schedule for Nation Radio UK. The team of well-known presenters will be on the station from launch day – 4th January 2021 – on a number of local DAB multiplexes. It’ll be available initially in London, Scotland, the North West and the South Coast as well as the usual online places. Former BBC Radio 1 Breakfast presenter Mike Read says: “Unbelievable! Someone’s let the Jocks out. The boys are back in town…and we know how to do radio. We love the music, we have the passion, and we know how to entertain.” ...

Former Radio 1 host Dev Griffin is joining Heart

Dev Griffin will join Heart in January just weeks after leaving BBC Radio 1 at the end of December. Dev’s last show at the BBC, where he has been for the last 18 years, is on December 20th, and he’ll start on Heart January 2nd 2021. He’ll be on the Heart network every Saturday afternoon from 12pm till 4pm replacing Zoe Hardman who moves to Saturday breakfast in addition to her Sunday morning show. Andy Everett, Managing Editor of Heart, said: “Dev is a huge talent and we’re over the moon to welcome him to Heart. He brings a fresh new sound to weekends on Heart and I’m sure our listeners will instantly connect with him...

BBC Radio 1 names 33 Christmas guest presenters

BBC Radio 1 has revealed the new schedule of 33 guest presenters set to take over the station across the festive period. New presenters will host one off programmes from Boxing Day until New Year’s Day in place of the regular line-up in an initiative first seen last year. Many of the presenters have taken an unconventional route to their first slot on Radio 1, including Will Kirk from Sheffield, whose day job is in marketing. Will has a severe to profound hearing loss in both ears and wears hearing aids, and will be Radio 1’s first deaf or hard of hearing DJ. Joining him will be Jevanni Letford from East London, who qualified as a lawyer before moving into...

More syndicated programmes for BBC Radio this Christmas

The official launch of Christmas at BBC network radio will take place on Tuesday 1st December when Radio 1, Radio 1 Dance, 1Xtra, Asian Network, Radio 2 and 6 Music come together for a syndicated show. The BBC Radio Christmas House Party will see the six services come together to launch their festive celebrations at 5pm. And BBC local radio stations will be handing over their local frequencies for more networked shows than usual over Christmas with only seven hours of local output on Christmas Day as all 39 stations take the same shows before 7am and after 2pm. Between Christmas and New Year, local stations will also syndicate from 6pm till 6am with Nana Akua from 6pm and Jim Davis from 10pm...

The Lockdown Awards are heading to BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 will host The Lockdown Awards to celebrate some of the most weird and wonderful moments of 2020. Greg James will dedicate his breakfast show on Thursday 26 November to the event, taking a look back at some of his favourite moments from the past twelve months, handpicking the nominees and eventual winners himself across a series of categories, including Favourite Live Performance, Biggest Zoom Fail and Fitness Inspiration of the Year. The Lockdown Awards will also feature live music highlights from over the years at Radio 1’s Teen Awards, including from One Direction, Little Mix and Camila Cabello...

Three radio presenters confirmed for I’m A Celebrity

Vernon Kay, Victoria Derbyshire and Jordan North have been confirmed as contestants in this year’s I’m A Celebrity…Get Me Out Of Here! BBC Radio 1 presenter Jordan North tweeted “The Cat’s out the bag….. It’s True!!!” after the news was confirmed on Sunday evening following days of speculation. He joins former Radio 1 and Radio X presenter Vernon Kay along with former 5 live host Victoria Derbyshire, both of which are well known for their television work. Vernon says: “I am hoping I can stay positive throughout it all. People will get fed up, bored and tired and I hope I can try and keep everything positive.” ...

Greg James goes five days a week at BBC Radio 1

BBC Radio 1 is changing its schedule for 2021 with Greg James going five days a week and five new presenters joining the line-up. The news comes as Dev, Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart are set to leave the network in December. In addition, Adele Roberts will move from Weekday Early Breakfast to Weekend Breakfast, whilst Arielle Free will become the new host of Radio 1 Dance and Radio 1’s Early Breakfast, moving from her current role as host of Weekend Early Breakfast. Greg moving to five days a week is a U-turn on a decision made in 2018 to start weekends on a Friday morning, with Nick Grimshaw going Monday to Thursday only when he hosted Breakfast...

Richie Brave replaces Reece Parkinson on 1Xtra Talks

Richie Brave is joining 1Xtra as the new host of 1Xtra Talks, the hour-long Sunday evening show currently hosted by Reece Parkinson. 1Xtra Talks tells the stories of young people from across the UK with a range of topical and honest discussions on the issues impacting young people and the society they live in. Richie is a presenter, writer and broadcaster who most recently hosted 1Xtra’s podcast ‘1Xtra Talks Presents… Brave Conversations’ which explored and discussed the many different aspects of the Black experience. He has also previously appeared on Channel 4 and BET...

Europe’s Biggest Dance Show returns at Radio 1

Radio 1 is broadcasting Europe’s Biggest Dance Show for another year as nine radio stations come together for the event. Stations from eight different countries will air an eight hour dance music simulcast on Friday 23rd October. Annie Mac will kick the show off at 6pm on Friday 23rd October with a new mix from Danny Howard and a Hottest Record from one of Europe’s biggest dance music stars. The station’s first multi-nation dance simulcast of this kind took place in 2019 with a seven hour broadcast to an audience of over 18 million...

Jammy move as Global poach MistaJam for Capital Dance

Capital is launching Capital Dance on DAB across the UK and has poached MistaJam from BBC Radio 1 to launch it – today – RadioToday can reveal. MistaJam, who resigned suddenly from the BBC last week, will host Tuesday to Saturday Drive on Capital Dance and the Capital Weekender, Friday and Saturday from 7pm on both Capital and Capital Dance. The new station launches today at 4pm on the Digital One multiplex. Capital’s Coco Cole joins Capital Dance as the host of evenings, Monday – Thursday from 7pm. Coco will also host Friday & Saturday nights on the all-new Capital Weekender show with Ministry of Sound from 10pm...