Radio 1 announces new presenter line-up
- Published
Radio 1 has announced that five new presenters will join the station from 4 January.
In a big shake-up, Greg James is returning to the Breakfast show five days a week, while Dev, Phil Taggart and Huw Stephens are all leaving.
Three new names - Joel Mitchell, Mollie Finn and Fee Mak - will take turns hosting Early Breakfast on Fridays.
Sian Eleri will present Radio 1's Chillest Show and Gemma Bradley will host BBC Music Introducing on Radio 1.
"This is a really exciting time for Radio 1 as we prepare to welcome the next generation of talent," says Head of Radio 1 Aled Haydn Jones.
"Sian and Gemma are going to bring some brilliant energy to our weekend line-up, and with our new Friday morning rotation we're going to be hearing from some fantastic new presenters over the coming months."
Sian is currently presenting at BBC Radio Cymru, while Gemma joined BBC Radio Ulster in 2019.
Joel, Fee and Sian all presented their first ever shows on Radio 1 in 2019, when they applied, along with more than 1,000 others, to host a guest slot over Christmas.
"I had the time of my life covering the incredible Phil Taggart on the Chillest Show last Christmas, so having the chance to come back and become a part of the family means everything to me," says Sian.
Mollie will take on the slot as her first job in radio after volunteering as a presenter at Bournemouth University's student station Nerve Radio - following in the footsteps of Greg James who hosted his first show on Radio 1 the day after graduating from university.
And speaking of Greg, this is the first time he'll be back on Fridays since 2018.
"I've had two years of being called a part-timer by the listeners for deserting them on Fridays so it's time I actually put a shift in and be with them all week," he says.
Greg's return to Fridays means Matt and Mollie are moving to the 1-4pm slot Friday to Sunday.
Championed
Arielle Free takes over Early Breakfast from Monday-Thursday, while Adele Roberts will host Weekend Breakfast.
Huw Stephens first appeared on Radio 1 more than 20 years ago, when he presented the Session in Wales and says he's "loved every minute".
As host of BBC Music Introducing, he has championed some of show's biggest success stories, including Celeste, Arlo Parks and Little Simz.
He'll continue to host across BBC Radio Cymru and 6 Music.
Phil Taggart leaves after seven years with the station and was the first host of Radio 1's Chillest Show. He'll continue to present with BBC Radio Ulster and says he's "happy to have represented Northern Irish people on the BBC".
Dev is leaving to focus on other presenting opportunities after most recently hosting the weekend breakfast show with Alice Levine. And if you haven't already seen their feature, 'Kids Ask Difficult Questions' then this one with Tom Hardy is a classic., external
Follow Newsbeat on Instagram, external, Facebook, external, Twitter, external and YouTube, external.
Listen to Newsbeat live at 12:45 and 17:45 weekdays - or listen back here.
- Published5 November 2020