Chris Moyles: Stars say goodbye to Radio 1 DJ

Chris Moyles presented his penultimate Radio 1 Breakfast show in front of a live studio audience of nearly 200 people.

Stars including Gary Barlow, Billie Piper and James Corden have helped mark Chris Moyles' penultimate show on Radio 1.

The three and a half hour long show also saw performances from Rizzle Kicks and Pixie Lott.

Another guest, Davina McCall, said: "I'm always on the edge of my seat that he might say or do something wrong.

"Even if it's not what's he's supposed to do, he's always stayed true to himself."

Pixie Lott was one of those who performed during the show

Chris Moyles has hosted the breakfast show on Radio 1 since 2004 but is handing it over to another DJ at the station, Nick Grimshaw.

Actor and television presenter James Corden said the current host could leave with his head held high.

"I'm sure if someone had told him when he started the things he would have achieved whilst being here, he would have taken that.

"There should be no sadness, he should just be incredibly proud."

Controversies

Chris Moyles' time on the Breakfast show hasn't been without controversy though.

The DJ launched an on-air tirade against the BBC in September 2010, claiming he had not been paid for two months.

The discussion about his salary lasted around 25 minutes and included an appeal to the then BBC director general, Mark Thompson, to sort the situation out.

He also revealed on air in 2009 that he'd taken a 20% pay cut because of cost-cutting at the BBC.

Younger audience

Presenting duo Ant & Dec hosted a This Is Your Life style segment for Chris Moyles

In 2008, he became the longest serving breakfast show host in the station's history.

But there's been pressure on new Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper to attract a younger audience.

In June, the BBC's governing body - the Trust - found that Radio 1 still needed to attract more people under 30 years old.

That followed a review in 2009 which said Radio 1 should focus on serving 15 to 29-year-olds.

Taking a gamble

Switching hosts to try to achieve that could be a gamble - according to another guest on the live show, Gary Barlow.

The pair struck up a friendship after climbing Mount Kilamanjaro in 2009 to raise money for charity.

The Take That star is sceptical about whether the age of a DJ is relevant to the audience they're addressing.

"I thought the idea was to have someone on air that brings millions of listeners.

"So if the new guy does it's a good decision.

"If he doesn't, maybe it's a bad one."