Waking up with your favourite radio DJ is something many of us like to do.
It’s how we start our day on a positive note with some good tunes and perhaps some laughs along the way.
There are so many UK breakfast shows to choose from.
Whether you’re listening in the kitchen, while you eat your brekkie, or stuck in traffic on your morning commute, there’s always something interesting to listen to in the morning.
Here are some of the best morning radio shows in the UK at the moment.
Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James
Station: BBC Radio 1
Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0080x5m
This is a top choice for many people, as Radio 1 is so widely available and is one of the most popular music stations.
Starting between 7:00-7:03 am, Monday to Thursday, Greg James brings a boost of energy with his “Morning nonsense, star listeners and all the latest things…”.
Enjoy gossip, celebrity interviews and a whole load of belly laughs right up until 10 am, with scheduled features such as Yesterday’s Quiz, Unpopular Opinion and Impossible Karaoke to name just a few.
If you love a bit of random chatter and a giggle, Radio 1 Breakfast with Greg James will be right up your alley!
What about the weekend?
If you’re an early-riser at the weekends, you can tune in Friday to Sunday from 6 am and listen to “Fun and games” with Matt (Edmondson) and Mollie (King).
Expect competitions, games, celebrity interviews a few laughs with Matt’s witty humour.
How to listen:
- 97-99 FM (with local variations)
- DAB – 12B
- Online/App
- Freeview – 700
- Freesat – 700
- Virgin Media – 901
- Sky – 0101
The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show
Station: BBC Radio 2
Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08h8z5t
If you’re more of a Radio 2 fan, then you might want to “wake up and embrace the day” with Zoe Ball from 6:30 am, Monday to Friday.
You can expect celebrity guests each day, with even more on ‘Friends Round Friday’, fun quizzes like ‘Zoe Ball’s The 5 Star Biz Quiz’ and a mix of classics and some newer popular music to suit lots of ears.
The 500 Words competition has been continued on (since taking over from her predecessor, Chris Evans), allowing children aged between 5 and 13 to enter their short stories and be featured on the Radio 2 website.
Zoe only took over from Chris Evans on January 14th, 2019, but seems to be filling the big shoes of Radio 2 breakfast show very well (Terry Wogan preceded Evans, so this position in radio is quite sought-after and prestigious). Figures revealed that she added 335,000 people to the Radio 2 Breakfast Show listener numbers.
Radio 2 is currently the UK’s most popular radio station, and the breakfast slot is the period with the highest listening figures.
What about the weekend?
For the weekend early birds, you can tune in to The Sounds of The 60s with Tony Blackburn from 6 am on a Saturday and enjoy classics, rarities and the stories behind the songs.
Good Morning Sunday, on Sundays from 6 am, offers ethical and religious discussion as well as spiritual music, to ease you into your morning until 9 am.
How to listen:
- 88-91 FM
- DAB – 12B
- Online
- App
- Freeview – 702
- Freesat – 702
- Virgin Media – 902
- Sky – 0102
Ken Bruce
Station: BBC Radio 2
Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006wr34
Continue your weekday morning with Ken Bruce from 9:30 am and listen to the best tracks, great celebrity interviews and quizzes.
Of course, you get a bit of Bruce banter with his fellow presenters during handovers and you can count on him to bring you interesting content as well as classic, brilliant music.
It’s clear that Ken has been doing his job for a long time, in fact, he must be a seasoned pro after 27 years in the mid-morning radio slot.
Regularly scheduled featured include performances in ‘The Piano Room’, ‘Tracks of My Years’ where celebrity guests are taken on a trip down memory lane and discuss what they love most about music.
Another popular feature is PopMaster—a quiz for listeners to show off their musical knowledge!
How to listen:
- As above for The Zoe Ball Breakfast Show
Today
Station: BBC Radio 4
Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qj9z
Tune in from 6 am weekdays (7 am on Saturdays) for an overview of news and current affairs.
The Today show on Radio 4 is the perfect place to get the topical knowledge you need for your local pub quiz, including sports!
‘Thought for the Day’ is a daily feature which discusses a story about a person or issue from the news. This is usually a relatively short segment but can be quite insightful.
Current presenters include Justin Webb, Mishal Hussain, Martha Kearney and Nick Robinson.
This can be a great radio show to tune into on your morning commute, as you listen to the latest news, discussions and sports announcements.
Also, you’ll get the weather forecast for the day, so you can plan accordingly (especially if you’re spending a large part of the day outdoors).
How to listen:
- 92-95 FM or 103-105 FM (with local variations)
- DAB – 12B
- Online/App
- Freeview – 704
- Freesat – 704
- Virgin Media – 904
- Sky – 0104
5 Live Breakfast
Station: BBC Radio 5 Live
Website: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b0070htg
Radio 5 Live’s morning offering is in the form of 5 Live Breakfast, with Nicky Campbell and Rachel Burden.
Tune in to listen to the news, sport and money reports daily from 6 am to 9 am—perfect to fit into your morning routine.
This is the perfect choice for those who are keen on their sport and like to know the latest results and sports news.
If you like to have your say, you can call in to discuss the latest news stories and voice your opinions from 9 am, with Rachel or Nicky, during the ‘Your Call’ segment.
What about the weekend?
If you’re up with the larks on a Saturday (or Sunday), Radio 5’s Saturday (and Sunday) Breakfast show offers a similar set of content, with news and sport, just with different presenters—Eleanor Oldroyd and Chris Warburton.
How to listen:
- 909/693 MW
- DAB – 12B
- Online/App
- Freeview – 705
- Freesat – 705
- Virgin Media – 905
- Sky – 0105
The Dave Berry Breakfast Show
Station: Absolute Radio
Website: https://absoluteradio.co.uk/schedule/the-dave-berry-breakfast-show-321/
Dave Berry has been presenting the breakfast show on Absolute Radio since March 2018 but he was previously the voice of Capital’s breakfast show and has also had slots on XFM.
His Absolute breakfast show schedule includes guest interviews, gigs, quizzes (Beat the Intro) and the latest tunes as well as the odd classic being thrown in for good measure.
Expect a bit of banter about Berry’s life and also hear the listener’s opinions and pointless skills, or share your own if you like a good phone-in.
Other regular features include Social Ammo and Voodoo Dave
What about the weekend?
On Saturdays and Sundays, you can tune into Ross Buchanan from 4 am (that’s a bit too early for us on a weekend, but…), then Frank Skinner takes over from 8-11 am on a Saturday and Jason Manford 8-11 am on Sunday.
So you don’t have to miss out on witty banter over the weekends with such a great line up.
How to listen:
- 8 FM in London
- DAB – 11D (12A in Scotland)
- Online
- App
- Freeview – 727
- Freesat – 724
- Virgin Media – 915
- Sky – 0107
The Chris Evans Breakfast Show
Station: Virgin Radio
Website: https://virginradio.co.uk/the-chris-evans-breakfast-show
From 6:30 am, Monday to Friday, you can tune into Virgin Radio and hear everyone’s favourite ginger (bar Ed Sheeran), Chris Evans.
This TV-come-radio presenter moved to Virgin after Zoe Ball took over the morning slot on Radio 2 and has been bringing you great celebrity interviews (with some really interesting guests), brilliant music and plenty of laughs.
The Chris Evans breakfast show is currently sponsored by Sky, so they have a competition running to win a year of Sky Q and a home entertainment system.
Get listening or visit the Virgin Radio website to find out how to enter.
What about the weekend?
Sundays actually bring you the best of Chris Evans breakfast from 10 am, so you can catch up on previous shows and enjoy some quality content.
On a Saturday and Sunday from 6 am, Amy Voce, Nick Jackson or James Merritt take over the breakfast slot.
How to listen:
- DAB – 11A
- Online/App
- Freesat – 736
- Sky – 0215
If you have any more radio breakfast favourites, please feel free to pop a comment below!
We’re always looking for new and interesting things to tune into, especially breakfast shows to help you feel energised and ready for the day ahead!