Chris Moyles says "Goodbye Great Britain" on final Radio 1 Breakfast Show
But the station's longest-serving breakfast DJ teases "we might be back one day"
Chris Moyles is due a long lie-in on Monday morning, having just completed his final Radio 1 Breakfast Show following a record-breaking eight-year stint and around 1,500 early morning starts.
Moyles told listeners he was "proud" of what they had achieved and said it felt like "some weird victory" after "all the flak we've taken".
"We just got through all of it and here we all are celebrating us," he said.
"I'm very proud of everyone on the show, our team have been brilliant, our audience have been brilliant. Thank you to everyone who has listened and supported us.”
The "flak" in question included criticism from broadcasting watchdogs following Moyles's references to singer Charlotte Church turning 16 and an allegedly derogatory reference to female listeners during an item about urinating in the shower, as well as the decision by lesbian, gay and bisexual charity Stonewall to name the DJ their "Bully of the Year" in 2006.
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But this morning's show ended on a high, with Moyles and his presenting team performing a farewell song that told listeners “It’s now time for us to go – but we might be back one day” and ended with Moyles bidding “Goodbye Great Britain."
Moyles, 38, has been at Radio 1 for a total of 15 years. He will be replaced on the Breakfast Show by Nick Grimshaw, 11 years his junior and known as a new music advocate. The station is keen to appeal to a younger audience after a 2009 review by the BBC Trust said the it should focus on a 15 to 29-year-old demographic.
