Greg James debuts Radio 1 breakfast show: 'I’ve been preparing it for about 20 years'

'My name is Greg James and I love radio more than anything else in the whole world - it is the best thing'

(Mark Allan/BBC/PA Wire)

Greg James kicked off his Radio 1 Breakfast Show debut in a charmingly low-key manner: “It is happening. I should probably start by introducing myself. My name is Greg James and I love radio more than anything else in the whole world – it is the best thing.”

“It is there when you are happy, it’s there when you are sad,” he continued. “It cheers you up, it makes you laugh, it sums up moments in your life and this is the most famous radio show in the world and it’s a privilege to share it with you every morning.”

His first appearance on the morning slot comes after a handover with previous breakfast host Nick Grimshaw, who will take over James’ old afternoon drivetime slot from 3 September.

“There’s a lot in today’s show, I’ve been preparing it for about 20 years. It’s full,” he teased, commencing the show on a diplomatic note by handing the choice of first song over to his listeners, who opted for Avicii’s ”Levels”.

On Instagram, James paid tribute to Grimshaw, writing: "Anyway, I’m not sure I’ll be arsed to do six years but let’s see how it goes. In the meantime, have a well-earned break lovely man… Also, enjoy the best and most sociable radio hours of all time – can’t wait to lose my friends and watch my love life crumble.”

One promise that he's made to listeners is that he won't complain about being tired, since he's not concerned about the 6.30am start.

He told the Press Association: “I don’t want people listening to my show, who have probably been up for longer than I will have been, to hear some bloke being paid really well moaning about being tired. I think that would be bad. I will cope, I’ve overcome bigger problems.”

James previously presented BBC Radio 1’s drivetime show, stepping down after six years, though he hosted the Early Breakfast show on the station from 4am when he first joined in 2007.

“Weirdly, it’s always been a job that I’ve wanted to have a go at, and I’ve been really honest about that before,” he said of the new gig. “You know, if you work at Radio 1, you should want to do the Breakfast Show because it’s the biggest show and it’s the flagship show, and it’s iconic, really. It’s a real thing to aim for.”

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