Greg James quits BBC Radio 1… in a joke social media post

Greg James caused a bit of a stir on social media yesterday when he posted a statement about not returning to the Radio 1 Breakfast Show today.

Following taking a break over Christmas, Greg thanked his listeners for the last few years and said he couldn’t continue because Radio 1 is now under corporate control.

Greg is known for sometimes joking about things on social media, but that didn’t stop some fans missing the point that he was having a bit of fun around the reports of Glastonbury now being under the corporate control of the BBC.

Posting on Instagram, Greg said: “The R1 Breakfast show team and I were looking forward to starting another year of the show and delivering a load of stupid stuff to get you through the early hours, it’s one of my all-time favourite gigs.

“We were told that the BBC was now a partner and wanted us to a do lot of things in a way we were not interested in. It seems Radio 1 is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being. Thanks for listening the last few years!

“We will not be able to continue our work to mess around with the biggest stars in the world and celebrate our amazing listeners, like Owen who accidentally smashed 10,000 eggs, or Alice who flew to Paris to try and get off with some Olympians in the summer. This also means we’ll no longer be conducting funerals for any more ducks.

“Radio 1 is a corporate turn – off, and not for me like it used to be. Hope to see you on one of my many podcasts instead.”

The Breakfast Show host then returned joking that there had been an error in the information he’d received, and he would be back on the show on Monday morning, saying: “We look forward to being there when you need some fun in the morning! Hope to see you there!”

This post first appeared on OnTheRadio.co.uk.