Chris Moyles slams ex-station Radio 1 AGAIN after they axe several popular hosts

Erstwhile Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles has hit out at the BBC station once again, as a number of longstanding presenters were axed this week.

Chris, 46 – who hosted The Chris Moyles Show on Radio 1 from January 2004 to September 2012 but was was famously snubbed to make way for new breakfast slot host Nick Grimshaw – has been open about his chagrin for the BBC network’s tendencies to ‘drop’ their talent. 

He said following the news that Dev Griffin, Huw Stephens and Phil Taggart have been axed: ‘Radio 1 is a conveyor belt, and at some time you will fall off it, because of age or not being relevant any more.’

On the warpath: Erstwhile Radio 1 DJ Chris Moyles has hit out at the BBC station once again, as a number of longstanding presenters were axed this week

As reports The Sun, Chris went on: ‘The story goes I was too old for the show. I was 38 when they took us off. They recently hired some DJs who were that age.

‘The show is yours for a while – it is like renting a house for a bit.’

MailOnline has contacted reps for comment.

Speaking to Ross Kemp on his podcast The Kempcast over the summer, Chris – who now hosts at Radio X – said of his unceremonious exit from Radio 1: ‘I was a bit miffed that the story that went out was that I was too old and I had got fired.

‘I knew I wasn’t going to be doing that show for ever. I thought they handled it really badly.

Axed: Dev Griffin has been axed, with Chris remarking - 'Radio 1 is a conveyor belt, and at some time you will fall off it, because of age or not being relevant any more'

Axed: Dev Griffin has been axed, with Chris remarking – ‘Radio 1 is a conveyor belt, and at some time you will fall off it, because of age or not being relevant any more’

Chris, 46, has been open about his chagrin for the BBC network's tendencies to 'drop' their talent [pictured in March]

Chris, 46, has been open about his chagrin for the BBC network’s tendencies to ‘drop’ their talent [pictured in March]

‘Then when [Grimshaw’s] show failed and the listening figures fell, I was like, “Not that f-ing easy, is it boys?”

‘Not aimed at Nick but at Radio 1 in general. The show lost a million-and-a-half almost overnight. They didn’t get them back!’

Chris was supposedly scolded for ‘talking too much’ on his show, and went on to add: ‘They had an advert for Nick’s show which went, “Now with added music…”, which was clearly a p**s-take about how much we would talk on the show.

‘I was like, OK, the most successful Breakfast Show you’ve ever had, with the most listeners you’ve had in over a decade, that’s a bit of an F you to us and eight million listeners. OK, f**k you back!’

Change of tact? Chris was replaced with Nick Grimshaw [pictured]  in 2012, who hemorrhaged the station listeners

Out with the old, in with the also old: Radio 1 has obsessively insisted it is a place for late teens/early 20s - despite most of the hosts being older than 30 [Greg James, 34, is pictured]

Out with the old, in with the also old: Chris was replaced with Nick Grimshaw [L] in 2012, who hemorrhaged the station listeners and subsequently got swapped with Greg James [R] in 2018. Radio 1 has obsessively insisted it is a place for late teens/early 20s – despite most of the hosts being older than 30

Grimshaw took over following this but his version of the Breakfast Show only lasted until 2018, when he was swapped with continuing host Greg James – who has now picked up an extra show in the recent overhaul.

Greg, 34, will now present the Friday Breakfast show, after previously hosting the show from Monday to Thursday when he took over the role in 2018. 

After hearing the news on Friday morning, Greg joked that he had ‘woken up and missed the press release’, that announced his new role on the station.

Greg also paid tribute to the three hosts who will departing BBCR1, as he admitted it was ‘proper sad’ that Dev, Huw and Phil would be departing.

He also welcomed the newcomers, and wrote: ‘So exciting to have brand new people on R1. It was my first proper job out of Uni back in the day and that feeling of being announced as a R1 DJ is like nothing else.

Pictured: Huw Stephens

Pictured: Phil Taggart

Greg said: ‘It’s proper sad news about @phillytaggart, @dev_101 and @huwstephens though. All so brilliant on the radio. So odd when your mates leave

‘Enjoy the day @sianelerievans, @gemma_bradley_, @JMtwittor, @fee_mark and @mollie_finn. And welcome along!’

He added: ‘It’s proper sad news about @phillytaggart, @dev_101 and @huwstephens though. All so brilliant on the radio. So odd when your mates leave.

‘Will miss Dev for his constant deliberate Partridge moments, Philly’s Chillest Show and one of my best mates Huwbert. Love you lads x’ 

Oops! After hearing the news on Friday morning, Greg joked that he had 'woken up and missed the press release', that announced his new role on the station

Oops! After hearing the news on Friday morning, Greg joked that he had ‘woken up and missed the press release’, that announced his new role on the station

Discussing the shake up, the station’s new boss Aled Haydn Jones said: ‘Dev, Huw and Phil have been incredibly valuable members of the Radio 1 family over the years.

‘They are all excellent broadcasters and I’m pleased we’ll be hearing more from Huw and Phil elsewhere on BBC Radio.

‘I’d like to thank each of them for their contribution to Radio 1 and wish them all the best for the future.’

BBC Music Introducing host Stephens said he had ‘loved every minute of my 21 years broadcasting on Radio 1’.

New role: Greg, 34, will now present the Friday Breakfast show, after previously hosting the show from Monday to Thursday when he took over the role in 2018

New role: Greg, 34, will now present the Friday Breakfast show, after previously hosting the show from Monday to Thursday when he took over the role in 2018

Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Dev, who currently presents Friday to Sunday afternoons, tweeted that ‘it’s been an absolute privilege and a pleasure to waffle and entertain so many listeners but I’m ready for some new challenges’.

Chillest Show presenter Taggart said: ‘Someone put on some montage music I am going for a slow walk out the door. Thanks to everyone who I’ve worked with and who listened.’

There will be five new presenters joining Radio 1, as part of the changes from January 4. 

Early Breakfast on Fridays will showcase ‘the best new and emerging presenting talent’, with a new presenter hosting the show on a monthly rotation.

Moving on: Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Dev, who currently presents Friday to Sunday afternoons, tweeted that 'it's been an absolute privilege and a pleasure to waffle and entertain so many listeners but I'm ready for some new challenges'

Moving on: Former Strictly Come Dancing contestant Dev, who currently presents Friday to Sunday afternoons, tweeted that ‘it’s been an absolute privilege and a pleasure to waffle and entertain so many listeners but I’m ready for some new challenges’

They include Mollie Finn, who will take on the slot as her first job in radio after previously volunteering as a presenter at Bournemouth University’s student station.

The other hosts are Joel Mitchell, who has previously presented on BBC Radio Leeds, and Fee Mak, who hosts the drivetime slot on London’s Westside Radio.

New presenter Sian Eleri, from Wales, will become the host of Radio 1’s Chillest Show and Gemma Bradley, from Northern Ireland, presents BBC Music Introducing

Other changes will see current Radio 1 presenters Arielle Free, Adele Roberts, Matt Edmondson and Mollie King moving to different shows.

Radio 1 boss Haydn Jones said: ‘This is a really exciting time for Radio 1 as we prepare to welcome the next generation of talent.’

And DJ James said of his extra day: ‘I’ve had two years of being called a part-timer by the listeners for deserting them on Fridays so it’s time I actually put a shift in and be with them all week.

‘And in any case, I’d only be at home looking for stupid things online so I might as well go and share the nonsense with everyone tbh.’

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