Radio 1 listeners divided as Arielle Free is ‘suspended’ for one week after tense on-air exchange

‘Have some respect,’ Free’s fellow DJ ordered her before muting her mic

BBC Radio 1 listeners have been left divided after noticing Arielle Free has been taken off the air.

Those tuning in to listen to the Scottish star’s breakfast show are only just discovering that Free has been “suspended” for one week after an on-air run-in with another of the BBC station’s stars; she has been replaced by Sian Eleri.

Last weekend, Free made a brief appearance on Charlie Hedges’ Dance Anthems show, which was broadcast live from Ibiza. After greeting each other, Free, who had lost her voice, called out Hedges’ song of choice.

“Can I be honest with you Charlie?” she said, adding: “I expected better of you.”

Addressing the song that was playing – “My Barn My Rules” by MCR-T and horsegiirL – Free said: “I don’t like this song; I hate it.”

As Free continued, Hedges said: “Sorry, I’m taking your mic down, it’s my show, Arielle. Have some respect, please.”

It was reported on Tuesday (1 August) that Free had been “temporarily suspended” from her show, and would return as normal next week.

However, listeners have been split by the decision, with some expressing their perplexity at the decision while others are in full agreement with the move.

In the former camp were listeners who believed the matter to have been “blown out of proportion”, with one listener stating: “Heard this live and thought nothing of it”. Another called it a “complete overreaction”.

But others praised Hedges for her response, with one listener stating: ”You can’t go on a national radio show and say you hate a song that’s playing……regardless whether it’s rubbish or not!”

Arielle Free (Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images)

“Charlie was right to put a stop to this immediately,” one fan wrote on Twitter.

A BBC spokesperson told The Independent: “Whilst we would not comment on individual matters, we have strict codes of behaviour for staff and presenters, and any breaches are taken extremely seriously.”

The Independent has also contacted Free for comment.

Free joined the station in 2019, and has presented the early weekday morning breakfast show since January 2021.

Meanwhile, Hedges joined Radio 1 in 2018 alongside Rickie Haywood-Williams and Melvin Odoom, and replaced MistaJam as the host of Saturday’s Radio 1’s Dance Anthems in 2020.