Jamie Laing tells critics he’s ‘not just a posh idiot’ ahead of BBC Radio 1 arrival

Former ‘Made in Chelsea’ star faced backlash after Radio 1 announced his appointment

Jamie Laing, the Made in Chelsea star joining BBC Radio 1’s drivetime roster, has insisted that he is “not just a posh idiot” after facing backlash over his appointment.

Radio 1 announced last month that Laing would be taking over longtime presenter Jordan North’s slot on the Going Home show from Monday to Thursday each week, alongside Vick Hope.

Laing, 35, who rose to fame in 2011 on the reality show about the lives of the affluent young residents of SW10, faced backlash following the announcement, with listeners complaining he was “too posh” and criticised the broadcaster for hiring a reality star to host the prestigious slot on BBC radio.

Laing, whose great-grandfather founded the McVitie’s biscuit empire, told The Sunday Times that naysayers were wrong to assume he had “just swanned in” to the slot, and that he has been “constantly grinding”.

"I’ve been trying to get this job for eight years, constantly grinding, constantly asking to do little slots," he said. “No-one is given a job here because their mum or dad helped them into it. You have to earn your colours.”

He added: “I suppose what people see now is that I’m maybe not just a posh idiot.”

The reality star said he had been working hard to secure a regular slot on the station, having presented during Mollie King’s maternity leave, which he described as “an absolute dream”.

Laing joined ‘Made in Chelsea’ in 2011 (Getty Images)

He also previously presented the Radio 1 podcast 6 Degrees with his former Made in Chelsea star Spencer Matthews and he also presents the NewlyWeds podcast alongside his wife Sophie Habboo, another star of the reality show.

Laing, who is the founder of the confectionary company Candy Kittens, also co-hosts the popular Help I Sexted My Boss podcast with William Hanson. He finished in second place on the 2020 edition of I’m a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here!

Laing insisted that his podcasting experience has helped him develop a fanbase in the world of broadcasting.

“After years of doing podcasting, the audience went, ‘Oh, hang on, we trust this person’. That’s what it’s all about, especially in audio, because you don’t really see the individual, so you really need to trust them.”

North will be moving into Roman Kemp’s slot as host of Capital Radio’s breakfast show. He had presented the drivetime show with Hope since 2021, having previously presented weekend shows like Greatest Hits on Sundays.

In an interview with MailOnline, Laing said his only hurdle in the new role is “the fact that people think I’m posh”.

He said: “I trialled for Radio 1 eight years ago, I honestly did, and the feedback was ‘Jamie, you’re just too posh.’”

Laing’s great-grandfather founded the McVitie’s biscuit empire (Getty Images)

“Sometimes from the outside and I do understand this, people think I just did Made In Chelsea and now I’m suddenly doing Radio 1, which is obviously not the case. I have been gunning for this job for eight years.”

“Finally, I have got to a spot where people are saying yes to me,” he said, adding: “Hopefully now I don’t f*** it up.”

“I truly think that if the only hurdle I personally have to jump over is the fact that people think I’m posh, it’s not the biggest hurdle in the world.”

He said that his private education is “the cross that I bear”.

“I am posh. My parents sent me to a private school, I had no choice in that, they sent me there and it’s the cross that I bear. I know in myself that I’m a hardworking and kind individual, so it doesn’t really bother me if I’m totally honest. I am posh and I can’t change it.”