UK

From Boxing Day until New Year’s Eve, BBC Radio 1 is giving 27 new presenters and DJs the chance to broadcast on the station.

Many of those given the opportunity in this year’s Radio 1 Christmas Takeover started in student, hospital, local or community radio.
These include Orla Dunne who has presented on student radio station Queen’s in Belfast, Beth Wallace from Northsound 1, Amelia Poamz who has presented shows on BBC Radio London and Daryl Jenkins Dixon who’s on community station Spark Sunderland.
University of Salford student and Shock Radio presenter, Matt Hallsworth, will be presenting an Early Breakfast Playlist. At this year’s Student Radio Awards Matt won Best Presenter and Best Chart Show.
Nathan X, who is from North London, will be taking over Radio 1’s Drum & Bass Show. Nathan X is often known to DJ Drum & Bass in drag and created the UK’s first queer Drum & Bass rave, Unorthodox. He has also hosted shows on Kool FM.
Megan Percival, who is from Scotland, and currently presents on Spark Sunderland will be hosting a special Eurovision Playlist. Megan won Best Entertainment Programme at this year’s Student Radio Awards for her show All Things Alt.
Matt Hallsworth says: “It’s still a pinch-me moment that I’ll be on Radio 1 this year for the Christmas Takeover – I’m just a lad from Norfolk who loves listening to the radio! I can’t wait to tell stories, champion great music and spend the festive period with the nation!”
Nathan X says: “I’ve always dreamed of being a BBC presenter – I’ve listened to the music shows on Radio 1 and 1Xtra since I can remember; to be able to bring together my knowledge as a Drum & Base artist, with my presenting skills, in this format is special. I didn’t think this dream was possible.”
Megan Percival says: “To be selected as part of Radio 1’s Christmas Presenter Takeover is an honour for me. I’m absolutely buzzing to have the chance at representing the mighty Kingdom of Fife and sharing the pure Euphoria of Eurovision. Can’t wait to bring you some of my all-time favourite songs from the contest which all deserve your 12 points.”
Aled Haydn Jones, Head of Radio 1, says: “Radio 1’s Christmas Takeover is not just about giving new presenters a platform, but about shaping the future of radio itself and it has been incredibly rewarding to see this initiative thrive over the past five years and see the successes it has created.
“I’m excited to welcome our 2024 cohort and can’t wait to listen to the creativity and energy I know they’ll bring to the airwaves this holiday season.”
The full list of Christmas Takeover presenters (in alphabetical order):
Alice Hopkins, 29, from Edinburgh (Radio 1 Anthems)
Amelia Poamz, 31, from Hackney (Radio 1’s Future Soul)
Amie Fretter, 27, from Leicester and Tskenya-Sarah Frazer, 30, from Hackney (Radio 1’s Life Hacks)
Anayah Richards, 22, from London (Radio 1 Anthems)
Beth Wallace, 28, from Aberdeen (Radio 1 Anthems)
Christian Carlisle, 39, from Doncaster (BBC Introducing and BBC Introducing Rock)
Cloe Lee, 24, from Brentwood (Radio 1 Anthems)
Cushlá Rice, 26, Belfast (Radio 1’s Future Pop)
Dan Draper, 34, from Harlow (Radio 1 Anthems)
Dan Jones, 27, from Clevedon (Radio 1 Anthems)
Daryl Jenkins Dixon, 26, from Skegness (Radio 1’s Indie Show)
Eazy, 27, from London (Radio 1’s Rap Show)
Hannah Scherrer, 29, from London (Radio 1 Anthems)
Jade Burns, 29, from Liverpool (Radio 1’s Chillest Show)
January Winters, 32, from Dublin (Radio 1’s New Music Show)
Jordan Blyth, 27, Stockton-on-Tees (Radio 1’s Rock Show)
Kitty Perrin, 24, from Brighton (Radio 1’s Future Artists)
Leanne Louise, 31, from Chelmsford (Radio 1’s Dance Anthems)
Lucy K, 30, from Brighton (Radio 1’s Rave-Up Show)
Mars, 27, from Manchester (Radio 1’s Soundsystem Party)
Matt Hallsworth, 20, from Harleston (Early Breakfast Playlist)
Megan Percival, 25, from Rosyth (Eurovision Playlist)
Nathan X, 27, from London (Radio 1’s Drum & Bass Show)
Orla Dunne, 22, from Devizes (Radio 1 Anthems)
Scarlett O’Malley, 32, from West London (Radio 1 Dance)
Shana Gujral, 29, from Epping (Radio 1 Dance)

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Ofcom has approved a request from Coast and County Radio to extend its official coverage area to include neighbouring Ryedale in addition to Scarborough Town and Whitby.
The increase in the size of the adult population served was not deemed to be significant, Ofcom said in granting the change.
The community radio station argued that it already covers the area editorially, so a relay would be nice.
Ofcom had feedback to the consultation from three individuals who:

asserted that community radio services should remain hyper-local and shouldn’t cover such a wide area i.e. beyond a 5km radius expected of community radio services, arguing that the consequential significance of this request had not been justified by exceptional circumstances;
questioned the licensee’s position on the proposed extended area not being currently served by local services and the affinities between the existing and proposed areas; and
questioned Ofcom’s approach to licensing and coverage extensions.

The feedback was taken into account but the request was granted.

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Media Minister Stephanie Peacock will table amendments to the Community Radio Order in Parliament later today which will relax advertising restrictions.

This will allow community stations to raise more than the current limit of £15,000 a year from advertising and sponsorship, to be reinvested to improve content.
These changes, which follow a public consultation, will come into effect in April 2025. They will also extend stations’ licences for a further 10 years to reduce the admin costs of reapplying, which previously had to be done every five years.
Media Minister Stephanie Peacock said: “Community radio has a valuable role on our airwaves, producing truly local content that keeps people connected, engaged and entertained.
“We want to ensure growth in community radio stations across the country by providing them with greater stability and financial flexibility. It will mean they can continue doing what they do best – whether that’s delivering language specific programming or offering training opportunities to young people interested in a radio career.
“This is a clear signal that this government has community radio’s back and we want it to grow and thrive for years to come.”
Community Media Association Chair Terry Lee said: “The Community Media Association welcomes the amendments to the Community Radio Order as a significant milestone in the evolution of community radio in the UK.
“By extending FM licenses to 10 years and ending advertising and sponsorship limits for most stations, these changes will provide greater financial sustainability and reduce administrative burdens for our members.
“As the voice of community radio since 1983, we remain committed to ensuring these vital, not-for-profit, and volunteer-led stations continue to thrive in serving their communities. We look forward to working with the Government to build on this progress and secure an even brighter future for community radio.”
UK Community Radio Network Co-Founder Martin Steers said: “The UK Community Radio Network welcomes any measures by the Government to relax regulation on Community Radio, and especially welcome the move to extend licences even further allowing established Community Radio stations to continue to do the fantastic work serving their communities across the country.”

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A Gavin and Stacey Takeover of the BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show will be presented by Ruth Jones and James Corden live on Monday 23rd December.

James and Ruth were guests on Zoe Ball’s show this morning where they revealed the news. They’ll be joined on the Takeover by fellow cast members from the series including Joanna Page, Mat Horne, Rob Brydon, Alison Steadman, Larry Lamb and Rob Wilfort – ahead of the final episode which will air on BBC One and iPlayer on Christmas Day.
Helen Thomas, Head of Radio 2 says: “This one-time-only Gavin and Stacey Takeover of the Radio 2 Breakfast Show is going to be such a special festive treat for us all, ahead of the must-see broadcast of final ever episode on Christmas Day.
“I can’t wait to welcome Ruth, James and their brilliant co-stars to the station, to spread some Christmas magic to Radio 2 listeners!”

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Crispin Hunt has been elected new President of the PRS Members’ Council, taking on this new role from 1st January 2025.
Hunt is a songwriter and producer, having worked with songwriters including Florence and The Machine, Lana Del Ray, Maverick Sabre, Rod Stewart, Luke Sital Singh and more.
He has been a Writer Director on the PRS Members’ Council since 2019 and previously served for six years as Chair of the UK’s Ivors Academy and is a former Director and Co-CEO of the Featured Artists Coalition (FAC).
As President, Crispin will serve as an advocate and voice for PRS for Music’s community of songwriters, composers, and music publishers continuing to foster strong connections between music creators, the Members’ Council, and the wider PRS team.
Crispin said: “I am honoured to have been elected as PRS’s President by our Members’ Council. I look forward to serving and supporting our community with all my heart, insight, and energy as we unite to navigate the future of Music, uphold its human value, and empower our songs, scores, syncs, and symphonies through this exciting time for collective and creative rights. My heartfelt thanks to Michelle Escoffery for being such an inspirational act to follow.”
He succeeds Michelle Escoffery, the inaugural President, who says:“Congratulations to Crispin on his new appointment. Over these last four years, I’ve been honoured to see firsthand how PRS members are leading the charge – adapting, connecting and driving change in ways that will define our industry for generations to come. Crispin is a proud advocate of music creators, and I wish him every success in this new role.
“As PRS moves forward under his tenure, I am confident that our creative and professional community will continue to innovate, inspire, and define the next era of music – together.”

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Nation has surrendered two FM licences in Scotland and will give up two transmitters in Wales.
In Scotland, 103FM and 106.9FM, which carried Nation Radio Scotland for Helensburgh and Dumbarton, have been given back to Ofcom.
Those frequencies started life as Castle Rock FM and later carried YOUR Radio.
In Wales, Radio Pembrokeshire’s relays in Tenby and Fishguard on 107.5FM will be turned off around the middle of 2025, leaving the station with its main transmitter on 102.5FM which already covers most of the areas in question.
According to Ofcom’s analysis, the population coverage reach (adults 15+) of the existing service is 107,382. By removing the two transmitter sites at Tenby and Fishguard, the population reach who would still be able to receive the service would drop to 98,303, reducing the coverage of the service by 8.5%.
Requesting the change, Nation says there is a continuing trend of declining analogue listening and it expects its DAB listening to overtake analogue within the next licensed period.
Nation submitted a range of commercial impacts linked to declining local revenues, declining audiences and increasing costs. Information was provided to Ofcom which highlighted the range of cost increases across a number of areas, which the Licensee has been considering in the context of maintaining the existing transmitter network.
Further, the proposal highlighted that in order to maintain the current levels of service, the existing transmitter network would need to be updated or replaced, which would require immediate capital expenditure on behalf of the Licensee.
The surrendering of smaller FM licences which duplicate DAB areas for radio stations is on the increase across Europe, and RadioToday understands this trend will continue over the next few years here in the UK.

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