Six Radio 1 presenters are leaving Radio 1 as the station reshapes its schedule. Dean McCullough is among them, and the changes also move new names into the Early Breakfast, Weekend Breakfast and Friday-to-Sunday daytime slots.
McCullough said leaving after his "most incredible 6 years at Radio 1" was a "such a hard decision" and added that it was "time for a change". That gives the overhaul a clear personal edge: this is not just a slot swap, but a reset that reaches across multiple shows.
Dean McCullough and the departures
Dean McCullough, Rickie Haywood-Williams and Melvin Odoom are set to leave the station, along with Nat O'Leary, James Cusack and Swarzy. Rickie Haywood-Williams and Melvin Odoom first joined in 2019, and their exit means Charlie Hedges stays on as a Live Lounge host while they step away from the Live Lounge setup they had hosted.
Rickie Haywood-Williams and Melvin Odoom said presenting on Radio 1 had been an "unforgettable experience" and described the move from the late-night show to the Live Lounge as a run of "so many amazing memories" they will take with them. Dean McCullough also thanked listeners who tuned in over the years, which is the clearest sign that these changes are being handled as a handover rather than a clean break.
GK Barry and Charley Marlowe
GK Barry will join the Radio 1 line-up in September and present a series of shows across the year. She said she was "really excited" and promised, "You'll be hearing my favourite songs, we'll be speaking with some really exciting guests and as always, in true GK Barry style, I promise a lot of humour, chaos and embarrassing stories along the way," which points to a presenter-led run rather than a one-off appearance.
Charley Marlowe is also joining the line-up and will take over from Nat O'Leary to co-host alongside Vicky Hawkesworth in the 10.30 to 13:00 BST Friday to Sunday slot. Marlowe said she was "thrilled to be joining the Radio 1 family" and would "captivate your ears, not so much your eyes due to it being radio," a neat line that fits a daytime role built around personality as much as format.
Weekend Breakfast and Birmingham
Danny Mylo and Rosie Madison will take over the Early Breakfast slot from Dean McCullough, while Emil Franchi is taking over Weekend Breakfast. Franchi said he "can't wait to get to work" on his own show, which is the clearest operational signal in the whole shake-up: the station is not just replacing voices, it is repositioning them across the schedule.
Lauren Layfield will host The Official Chart: First Look live from Birmingham on Sunday evenings. Put together, the moves point to a station that is tightening weekday and weekend coverage at the same time, and listeners who follow specific shows will need to adjust to new voices in more than one slot rather than waiting for a single relaunch.
