HIP-HOP DJ Tim Westwood has been given the axe from Radio 1 after almost 20 years in a shake-up of the station’s schedule.
The presenter – affectionately known as the Big Dawg – will also leave sister station Radio 1Xtra as both services revamp their weekend shows.
Westwood, 55, has been hosting a two-hour Saturday night show which is broadcast on Radio 1 and 1Xtra. He has also hosted a drivetime show for the digital station until last year.
He was famously injured in a drive-by shooting in south London in 1999 after a gunman opened fire on the Range Rover in which he was sitting after playing a set at a festival.
Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper said: “I’d like to thank Tim for the last 20 years on Radio 1. His passion for hip-hop is legendary. I wish him all the very best.”
The network has announced new Saturday night shows for presenters Charlie Sloth, MistaJam and DJ Target which will be aired on both stations.
Westwood has been a figurehead for rap and hip hop and widely respected for championing the scene on radio and TV, which has sometimes appeared at odds with his background growing up in East Anglia as the son of a former bishop of Peterborough.
His notable style of delivery is believed to have been one of the inspirations for Sacha Baron Cohen’s character Ali G.
Westwood’s programme was accused in 2006 by the then leader of the opposition David Cameron of encouraging knife and gun crime, although Radio 1 responded by saying the station’s programmes did not condone violence.
Sloth, who succeeded Westwood as host of his old drivetime show, said: “Words can’t describe how happy I am. It’s like a dream come true for me and something that I’ve worked towards my whole career, especially to be succeeding a legend like Tim Westwood who has done so much for the game. I know they are big shoes to fill, but luckily, man’s got fat feet.”
New 1Xtra signing Clara Amfo – a nominee for the Rising Star prize at last year’s Sony Radio Awards – will host the station’s weekend breakfast programme.
She said: “I have been a fan of the station since its inception. I respect and admire all of its DJs and presenters and I can’t wait to be a part of the BBC family.”
DJ Target – a member of urban act Roll Deep – said of his new show for both stations: “I’m so excited I could literally jump up and grab the moon, and I’m just looking forward to getting my teeth stuck in and killing it on a Saturday night.”
Cooper said of the changes: “I’m very excited about having a great new line up for the next generation of Radio 1 and 1Xtra listeners.”
Long-time presenter Trevor Nelson is also leaving Saturday nights on Radio 1 but the BBC say he will “continue to be part of the Radio 1 family”. He has renewed his contract with 1Xtra and will carry on presenting his Wednesday night soul show on Radio 2.
Source: BWSMG
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Hip-hop DJ Tim Westwood to leave Radio 1 after twenty years on air
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