Radio 1's Rickie, Melvin & Charlie will be 'random, filthy, ridiculous'

The hosts of Radio 1's new weeknight show say it will include all the bits they had to leave out of their old programme.

Ricky, Melvin and Charlie begin the new 9pm slot after 10 years presenting breakfast at Kiss FM.

They promise it'll be "random, filthy and ridiculous".

Melvin (left), Charlie and Rickie (far right) with Pussycat Doll Nicole Scherzinger at their old station

At Kiss they were very popular. The three played a key role in a successful time for the station, leaving its breakfast show with nearly two million listeners.

But after a decade of early starts, Ricky tells Newsbeat they're ready to swap earlies for evenings.

"Doing a breakfast show does have a massive effect, whether you like it or not," the former 1Xtra presenter says.

"Even going to a concert or going to the cinema, going for dinner, you're always looking over your shoulder thinking: 'What time is it? What time is it?'"

For Charlie it means her late-night DJ sets won't necessarily mean a bleary-eyed morning anymore.

"I used to gig quite a lot and go straight to the breakfast show. It'll be nice to do the show, go and gig, then have a morning with no alarm."

The Radio 1 9-11pm slot is now known for late night naughtiness, largely thanks to former host Charlie Sloth

Late nights won't just mean more sleep for Rickie, Melvin and Charlie. There'll be more stuff you don't normally hear them talk about too.

"Basically our former show was based around us having as much fun off air as we did on air," Ricky says.

"But now, we're allowed to have those conversations that we used to have off air, actually on air.

"Those random, juvenile, ridiculous - sometimes filthy conversations we used to have, we can now talk about those things on air, which is really exciting for us."

And there've been warm words between the trio and Charlie Sloth, who left the slot in October.

He once told the three presenters he'd like to see them on Radio 1.

After learning they'd be taking over his old slot, Rickie says Charlie sent a WhatsApp praising the BBC for "making a great choice".

Melvin says he grew up listening to Radio 1 & 1Xtra legend Trevor Nelson and is now in the "presence of greatness".

In an era where some BBC presenters have quit the broadcaster to go and work for commercial rivals, why have Ricky, Melvin and Charlie decided to go the other way?

"It's history. I grew up listening to Trevor Nelson and he's in the building now," Melvin says.

"Just to be in the presences of greatness. There are people in this building who, for us, are absolute legends.

"People we love listening to when we're at home - so to be part of this movement, it's amazing for us."

While the team is excited to be able to say what they like, the new show will still be full of the thing they're all passionate about: music.

"Basically, you're gonna get us three with the extra excitement of being able to play new music, having free-plays," Charlie adds.

"It's a specialist show - so we'll be breaking new artists. We just can't wait."

Ricky, Melvin and Charlie start on BBC Radio 1 on 1 April at 9pm.

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