Rickie, Melvin and Dean McCullough to leave Radio 1 in schedule shake-up

BBC Radio 1 presenters Dean McCullough, Rickie Haywood-Williams and Melvin Odoom are set to leave the station as part of a major schedule shake-up.

Charlie Hedges will stay on as a Live Lounge host, but Jeremiah Asiamah will replace Haywood-Williams and Odoom, who first joined the studio back in 2019.

The changes will also see Nat O’Leary, James Cusack and Swarzy step away.

TikTok stars GK Barry and Charley Marlowe, who have both previously made guest appearances, join the line-up.

Barry, who hosts a popular podcast Saving Grace, said she is “really excited” to present a series of shows across the year, starting in September.

“You’ll be hearing my favourite songs, we’ll be speaking with some really exciting guests and as always, in true GK Barry style, I promise a lot of humour, chaos and embarrassing stories along the way,” she added.

Marlowe will take over from O’Leary to co-host alongside Vicky Hawkesworth in the 10.30 to 13:00 BST Friday to Sunday.

The popular content creator, who narrated BBC Three’s I Kissed A Girl, previously hosted the Early Breakfast show for a period last summer.

Marlowe said she is “thrilled to be joining the Radio 1 family” and hopes to “captivate your ears, not so much your eyes due to it being radio”.

Presenting duo Danny Mylo and Rosie Madison will take over the Early Breakfast slot from McCullough, who said it was “such a hard decision” to leave after the “most incredible 6 years at Radio 1”.

Northern Irish presenter McCullough, who appeared on I’m a Celebrity…Get Me Out of Here! in 2024, thanked the listeners who have tuned in to him over the years but feels it is “time for a change”.

Emil Franchi, who has covered various daytime shows and The Official Chart, says he “can’t wait to get to work” on his own show as he takes over Weekend Breakfast.

The station is also launching a new show, The Official Chart: First Look, which will be hosted live from Birmingham on Sunday evenings by Lauren Layfield.

Haywood-Williams and Odoom, who have both appeared on editions of Strictly Come Dancing, said presenting on Radio 1 has been an “unforgettable experience”.

“From starting out on the late-night show to hosting the Live Lounge, we have made so many amazing memories that we’ll take with us,” they added.

“We are so proud of everything we’ve achieved here and couldn’t be more excited for the next chapter.”

Head of BBC Radio 1, Aled Haydn Jones, thanked the presenters who were departing the station and wished them “every success in whatever comes next”.

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