Annie Mac explained her decision to leave Radio 1 on Tuesday as she admitted to feeling like the ‘oldest person in the room’ at work, while reflecting on tokenism she has faced during her long-standing career.
The Irish DJ, 42, announced she would be leaving the BBC station in April after 17 years on-air and declared it would be the ‘end of an era’.
And on 30 July, she will present her final Radio 1 show before bidding farewell, as she noted personal and professional reasons for her departure.
‘It wasn’t sustainable’: Annie Mac explained her decision to leave Radio 1 on Tuesday as she admitted to feeling like the ‘oldest person in the room’ while reflecting on tokenism she has faced during her career
‘Having a show every evening is just not sustainable,’ she said to Radio Times. ‘I wanted to be around in the evenings as my youngest kid starts school in September – but really, lots of things have come together to make this decision feel very easy.
‘It was definitely not spontaneous, it had been on my mind for a while. There’s something very nice about the feeling of steering your own ship.’
Annie, who shares two sons with her husband DJ Tom Bell, said she’s felt for some time that her work schedule was impinging on her domestic life, but hopes to continue working with the BBC in a different capacity.
She added: ‘I love the BBC and hope at some point I can come back. It’s not walking away from radio, it’s just walking away from that slot.’
Looking ahead: The Irish DJ, 42, announced she would be leaving the BBC station in April after 17 years on-air and declared it would be the ‘end of an era’
Honest: ‘Having a show every evening is just not sustainable,’ she said to Radio Times . ‘I wanted to be around in the evenings as my youngest kid starts school in September’
Annie presents the new music show Future Sounds on weekdays between 6pm and 8pm, in addition to a dance music-oriented show on Friday night.
She joined the BBC as a production assistant in 2002 before securing her first solo show, Annie Mac’s Mashup, two years later.
Acknowledging how quickly time has gone by, she added: ‘I was always the youngest one, the kid, and then somewhere along the way I became the oldest one in the room. How did that happen?’
Outside of the world of radio, the star published Mother Mother, her Sunday Times bestseller novel in May about family, womanhood and addiction.
Priorities: Annie, who shares two sons with her husband DJ Tom Bell, said she’s felt for some time that her work schedule was impinging on her domestic life, but hopes to continue working with the BBC in a different capacity
Adversity: Tallying a long list of accomplishments in and out of the world of radio, she was asked by if she ever experienced sexism as she made her way up through the ranks
She also launched a successful podcast series called Changes with Annie Macmanus where she talks to artists, writers and musicians about change.
Tallying a long list of accomplishments, she was asked by the publication if she ever experienced sexism as she made her way up through the ranks.
‘I never suffered personally,’ Annie responded. ‘It might have happened behind my back, but I don’t remember it that way. However, I’ve seen over the years that tokenism idea of, “Well, as long as we’ve got Annie there, the box is ticked.”‘
‘I feel annoyed being grateful that we have a female breakfast show presenter on Radio 2 or 6 Music. We shouldn’t be grateful. It should be a given, not an anomaly.’
Read Annie Mac’s full interview in this week’s edition of Radio Times
Real: ‘I never suffered personally,’ Annie responded. ‘It might have happened behind my back, but I don’t remember it that way. However, I’ve seen over the years that tokenism idea of, “Well, as long as we’ve got Annie there, the box is ticked.”‘
Get your copy: Read Annie Mac’s full interview in this week’s edition of Radio Times