Former bandmates join forces on Radio 1’s top gig
MATT Edmondson and Mollie King have been announced as the new weekend hosts of the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show.
They will swap slots with Dev Griffin and Alice Levine, who will host from 1pm-4pm between Friday and Sunday.
Edmondson and King, who used to be in the band The Saturdays, will take over the morning show from Friday to Sunday between 6am and 10am, while Greg James continues to host the Breakfast Show from Monday to Thursday.
Edmondson said: “Getting to present the Radio 1 Breakfast Show three days a week is an absolute dream come true, as is working with Mollie – a nightmare is technically still a dream.
“I know we’re going to have so much fun, and I can’t wait to get started.”
King started her Radio 1 career as a guest presenter on Edmondson’s show before becoming a permanent addition in June.
She said: “I’m absolutely blown away to have been asked to host the Radio 1 Breakfast Show every Friday, Saturday and Sunday with Matt Edmondson, my partner in crime.
“I remember the buzz I got when I first walked into Radio 1 as a guest, 10 years ago, and that buzz is still with me now every time I step through the studio doors. I can’t wait to get started. See you there – bright and most definitely early!
“I never thought that I’d find something as much as I love singing.”
Griffin and Levine will now follow Radio 1’s Greatest Hits with Maya Jama.
They said: “The thing we will really miss is setting that 4am alarm, but in time we think we might get used to it.
“We love doing the show together, and the afternoons have such a good energy about them – these shows are ideal for our sense of humour and the kind of things we like to talk about. We can’t wait to get started!”
Radio 1 controller, Ben Cooper, said: “Radio 1 loves discovering new talent for the BBC and the industry, and Matt and Mollie along with Dev and Alice have been hugely popular with our listeners.”
The changes come after Charlie Sloth made an unexpectedly early departure from the station last week.
Sloth, who presented The Rap Show and had been employed on the BBC’S 1Xtra and Radio 1 stations for nearly a decade, was due to leave later this year. However, following a sweary stage invasion at an awards ceremony, he said he had decided to leave early.