From Hunt the Sausage to Kate Moss’s prank call game, the funnyman and tabloid fixture made Radio 1 essential listening. It will be all the poorer without him
When Nick Grimshaw was given the Radio 1 breakfast show presenting
Job in 2012, it wasn’t merely a personnel change – his appointment marked a meaningful generational shift. The previous host, Chris Moyles, was known for his blokey banter and litany of politically incorrect jokes. Grimmy was his decidedly un-laddy replacement, a radio funnyman for a more inclusive age – one where casual bigotry, or even just hurting people’s feelings, was no longer a laugh.
Now, as Grimshaw hangs up his headphones – hot on the heels of fellow Radio 1 stalwart Annie Mac – it’s time to take stock of the youth-oriented entertainment epoch he has helmed for over a decade. While Grimshaw never courted controversy, he certainly wasn’t bland. In fact, his vaguely camp, intensely pally style didn’t sit well with everyone, and his breakfast tenure was plagued by reports of low listening figures. But for those on his wavelength, Grimshaw made Radio 1 seem an unbeatable start to the day for the first time in a lifetime – and the phrase ‘Radio 1 comedy’ no longer a contradiction in terms.