"I am beyond excited to start this new chapter at BBC Radio 1. Music is the heartbeat of my life, so bringing more of it to people is such an opportunity, one that I take as seriously as my personality allows." — Yinka Bokinni

BBC Radio 1 have announced a new summer schedule which will kick in from Monday 3 July. Among the changes, Yinka Bokinni and Conor Knight will take over the Friday Early Breakfast slot (Fridays, 5am – 6.30am) as part of a monthly rotation.

Presenter and DJ, Yinka Bokinni, will take over the slot in August. South London born Yinka has made her mark across the TV and radio industry, with presenting credits which include The MOBOs, 4Music, Isle of Wight Festival for Sky Arts and multiple Channel 4 documentaries including the multi award-winning ‘Damilola: The Boy Next Door’. Most recently, Yinka spent three years hosting Capital Xtra’s Breakfast Show.

Yinka Bokinni says: “I am beyond excited to start this new chapter at BBC Radio 1. Music is the heartbeat of my life, so bringing more of it to people is such an opportunity, one that I take as seriously as my personality allows.

“Working at Radio 1 has been a dream of mine since I first picked up a pair of headphones and spoke a couple of words, I just can’t wait to get to know the listeners and for them to get to know me!”

"Radio 1 has always been a HUGE part of my life & it’s a dream come true to be asked back after covering Radio 1 Anthems at Christmas. I cannot wait to get in the studio and do my thing on Friday early breakie, those alarms are already set...ahhhh...see ya there!!" — Conor Knight

28-year-old Conor Knight from Essex will kick off the rotation taking over in July. Conor was given his first opportunity to host on the station during the 2022 festive period as part of Radio 1’s Christmas Takeover - an initiative created by Head of BBC Radio 1, Aled Haydn Jones – where he presented Radio 1 Anthems. His journey started on community radio in 2017 and he currently presents a mid-morning show on Radio Essex as well as an evening show on Fun Kids radio.

Conor Knight says: “Radio 1 has always been a HUGE part of my life & it’s a dream come true to be asked back after covering Radio 1 Anthems at Christmas. I cannot wait to get in the studio and do my thing on Friday early breakie, those alarms are already set...ahhhh...see ya there!!”

In other news, the Radio 1 Breakfast Show with Greg James will move to a new time slot of 7.30am – 11am (Monday – Friday) for the summer. Greg will be starting and finishing thirty minutes later so listeners won’t miss out on any of his morning antics.

Greg James says: “A summer holiday lie in! I’ll tell my mum to wake me up a bit later for a few weeks.”

Additionally, as part of the new summer schedule, Jack Saunders will take the reins of Radio 1’s Future Sounds bringing his expertise to the station’s flagship new music show whilst Clara Amfo takes a summer break. Arielle Free will take over Radio 1’s Future Artists (Monday – Wednesday, 8pm – 10pm), Sam MacGregor and Danni Diston will cover Radio 1 Early Breakfast (Monday – Thursday, 5am – 7.30am) and Alyx Holcombe will present Radio 1’s Indie Show (Sundays, 9pm – 11pm).

Shanequa Paris will join Katie Thistleton to co-host Radio 1’s Life Hacks (Sundays, 4pm – 6pm). Shanequa is a presenter on CBBC’s news programme Newsround where she has reported on key issues such as the COVID-19 Pandemic and the Black Lives Matter movement.

Oré Olukoga will take over Radio 1’s Weekend Breakfast show (Saturdays and Sundays, 7am – 10am). Oré, who hails from Hackney, was part of Radio 1’s Christmas Takeover 2022 and after trying his hand at hosting Radio 1 Anthems, took over Friday Early Breakfast in March.

Aled Haydn Jones, Head of BBC Radio 1, says: “The summer is a time of different routines and having some fun for our audience. I’m totally up for Radio 1 doing the same! I look forward to hearing some of our presenters in different summer slots and the biggest welcome to Conor, Yinka, Shanequa and Oré on their summer shows on the network.”