Greg James got a firm thumbs up from listeners as he hosted his first Radio 1 Breakfast Show.
The presenter took the helm of the flagship show from previous host Nick Grimshaw on Monday morning, and was met with a warm reception from fans.
He opened the show with the words, “Oh, hi!” before adding: “Well, this is unbelievably exciting.
“This is the most famous radio show in the world and it is a privilege to share it with you.”
In that spirit, he opened it up to listeners to decide the first song of his show.
He said: “Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, what’s it gonna be? It’s going to set the tone and be remembered,’ but I don’t want to pick the first song. I don’t want to do it – it’s down to you.”
The first person to text in got their choice on air, which was ‘Levels’ by the late Avicii.
As Greg then entertained the nation for the following three and a half hours, including a comedy stunt involving the Red Arrows and comedian Joe Lycett, fans flooded social media with praise:
After six years hosting the drivetime show, Greg has job-swapped with Grimmy, who will take over the 4-7pm slot next month.
Ahead of his Breakfast Show debut last week, Greg spoke to HuffPost UK about his hopes to bring in younger audiences, as he defended the station from side-lining older artists.
“Radio 1 is the champion of new music so we have to make sure we’re discovering new artists all the time and that’s the really huge part of Radio 1 and we have to give a platform to brand new artists,” he said.
“Madonna has been on in the past, but the whole world has to move on and Radio 1 has to be the place for new artists and breaking new styles.”
‘Radio 1 Breakfast With Greg James’ airs Monday to Thursday from 6.30-10am on BBC Radio 1.
