In a major shake-up of its schedule, BBC Radio 1 has made Friday part of the weekend with a new line-up of shows including Dev & Alice, Maya Jama (pictured), Matt Edmondson & Mollie King, and Scott Mills.
The move sees the network focusing on its youth audience with its latest crop of weekend signings.
From June, Radio 1 will be working a four-day week, with the breakfast show on a Friday (6:30am–10am) to be known as Radio 1’s Weekend Breakfast, hosted by Dev & Alice Levine.
The Friday morning show (10am-1pm) will be called Radio 1’s Greatest Hits with Maya Jama. The rising star of Radio 1 currently broadcasts on a Saturday morning and had been co-hosting with Scott Mills on each Friday afternoon.
Saturdays singer Mollie King will be partnering with Matt Edmondson on Friday afternoons (1pm–4pm), while Scott Mills will present The Official Chart at 4pm on Friday afternoons (4pm–7pm). Greg James is the current chart show presenter.
Ben Cooper, controller, BBC Radio 1, 1Xtra and Asian Network, said: “The weekend will start here at Radio 1 on a Friday morning giving our young audience that feel good factor a day early. It’s our job at Radio 1 to reinvent the way young people listen to the radio, to disrupt traditional thinking and to look for new ways in which to grow audiences.”
Scott Mills said: “I was sat with my Mum when I got this news, and she actually cried because I’ve been pretending to do the chart show on Radio 1 since I was eight years old. I’ve filled in on the show so much over the years, and I can’t believe it’s actually mine. I’m beyond excited!”
Radio 1’s new Friday schedule is:
6:30am-10am - Radio 1’s Weekend Breakfast with Dev and Alice
10am-1pm - Radio 1’s Greatest Hits with Maya Jama
1pm-4pm - Matt and Mollie
4pm-7pm – The Official Chart with Scott Mills