Chris Moyles hangs up his breakfast-show headphones

On Wednesday, Chris Moyles, the station’s longest-serving breakfast presenter, shocked his seven million loyal disciples by announcing plans to quit after more than eight and a half years.

The presenter, who could be pugilistic against rivals, dismissed Dr Fox as “an ego on legs”, and was reprimanded for offering to lead Charlotte Church “through the forest of sexuality now she had reached 16”.

Despite the dissenters, he had over the years led Radio 1 to its highest ever ratings. But more recently he watched them start to dip. Aware that the BBC Trust had stipulated that Radio 1 increase its target audience of 15 to 29-year-olds, Moyles, who is 38, and still had over 18 months left on his contract, decided to choose the date of his own departure: September.

Shortly after 8am, Moyles said that he had an announcement to make and that, rather than have listeners hear the news on Twitter or in the newspapers, he explained: “We’re going to leave the Breakfast Show. I just want to give you a heads-up and tell you that we’re going to wrap it up.”

He went on to say that he was going now when, for once, there were currently no rumours that he was set to be replaced.

“It has been the most fun, the best time ever, and even during tough times this show has honestly been the best 3.5 hours of my day, every day. And I know that’s sad, but I am sad. I’m a geek. I’m a radio geek. I’m living this dream with millions of people every day listening, having a laugh, knocking around and I know it’s just a radio show but we’re all in it together. Me, the team, and every single one of us – eight million of us, but it’s almost time to go and so we’re off, so I just wanted to let you know.

“A couple more months of us and then it’s someone else’s turn to have a go, so thanks for listening and I hope you stay with us until the end because I promise it’s going to be brilliant and for those people who are thinking, ‘Jesus it’s just a radio show, stop banging on about it’, you don’t get it.

“And for everyone else who does get it, you know, it’s all about me. I don’t do things by halves, my tongue is always

buried deep in my cheek, so thank you for listening, the show may now continue.”

Moyles began hosting the show in January 2004, but has been with the station for 15 years, and fronted the drivetime slot before stepping up to the flagship morning programme. Folliwng the announcement, Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper paid tribute to Moyles.

He said: “I’d like to thank Chris. Quite simply, he has been the most successful Breakfast Show host in Radio 1’s history. For the past eight and a half years, he has been entertaining millions of listeners every morning, which is testament to his incredible talent as a broadcaster.”

Moyles famously launched a long rant on air two years ago, complaining that he had not been paid. The then controller of Radio 1, Andy Parfitt, said after the incident that he had spoken to Moyles, but he had not been reprimanded because he had not “crossed the line”.

Chris Evans, who succeeded Terry Wogan on Radio 2 and whose radio audience is larger than that of Moyles’ show, said that he had “lost perspective” and should leave. Moyles took over the mantle as the station’s longest-serving breakfast DJ in 2009, succeeding Tony Blackburn, the first breakfast host.

His successor Nick Grimshaw, 27, who presents five night-time shows a week for Radio 1, and who will take over in September, said he was “super excited” to be given the new role. The presenter, known to listeners as “Grimmy”, said: “It’s been a dream of mine since the age of 11 and, to be honest, it hasn’t really sunk in yet.”