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I don’t think Matt and mollie will last 5 years

You say cheesy, I say populist and aimed at a decent wide-ranging audience. R1's obsession with driving out older listeners with Grimmy was jarring and didn't really fit the ethos of the station. Of course back in the 90s it needed a full 'reset' as the style of the station had become very old-fashioned, but in recent years it's always been contemporary and as long as it continues to appeal to a broad range of youth there's no need to deliberately alienate anyone. It's hard to see Breakfast going back to finishing at any time other than 10 at the earliest. Also, not sure why you'd think Breakfast should have gone to a non-white and/or female presenter - surely the show should always go to the best person regardless of ethnicity and even if you disagree that Greg is the best, certainly even the 2nd and 3rd best options don't fit that criteria. Removing ethnic / gender bias is absolutely important, but force-fitting less-competent presenters in to tick a box would be deplorable. Back to the topic - 5 years is an awful long time, and given the current line-up has been on daytime for a long time already it's entirely feasible none of them will be there in 5 years. Greg surely will move off daytimes after Breakfast, rather than returning to afternoons or drive - potentially to the weekends while expanding his TV or R2/5 career. Clara COULD be there but I suspect she'll have moved on, maybe to evenings. Scott would really be pushing it age-wise, though would love to see him defy those odds, and Grimmy is unlikely to be on daytimes at the end of this year let alone in five ?

I’m aged 20 didn’t mind at all

I won't debate, but will just say I strongly disagree and think you're wrong. There are no gaping holes, and I hope Aled continues to treat the station as he currently is doing, which is very well ?

I think it's hard to explain why someone is better talent as it's so subjective. But I think the fact that Greg has recently been promoted to 5 days vs 4 days is an indication that he is doing well and is going nowhere! The fact is that the population is already well-represented by R1 today. And you and I have a very different view of the intents of PSB... Viewer / listener numbers DO matter to a PSB.

I concur just see there’s much more to be done still.

Anyway how is it merit when it’s very much unexplained why more jobs aren’t being filled in the industry by a plurality of voices from different voices. It’s hardly merit if the odds are bias to often hiring white men and there’s less opportunities of marigalised and minority groups actually getting equal treatment

I don’t think more diversity would in any way drive away groups of young people. Young people as a cohort are more multicultural and diverse these days and they expect that to be reflected in their media, as it is in their popular culture. Historically Radio 1 will absolutely have denied opportunities to more worthy individuals due to skin colour or gender, as every profession has historically, the aim now must be to eradicate that prejudice, which as I say, Radio 1 is done a better job at than its commercial rivals.

Remember the station is a PSB and that being bit diverse wouldn’t alienate expanding beyond white male doesnt allienate the station isn’t commercial and has a responsiblity to be distinct and actually provide Puvlic service broadcasting not a populist station as you mauthing. It wouldn’t see the station shut but young people deserve a station that changes with a time and looks and sounds like them. I don’t think the issue neccasrily they are going to capital but think the station shouldn’t mind or accept that some would choose capital Oder them that’s about excepting the role of not being a commercial radio station just going for the chunk of the makers the station should be going for informative content that fills the remit of being a state funded public service broadcaster. and actually be willing to reach a new youth audience as there’s an issue is that radio 1 still doesn’t look or sound like young people. Why did you feel that someone like Dotty would be wrong choice?

The point I was challenging was rather the suggestion that anything done TO-DATE has been wrong. I don't disagree with the need to evolve the station in a diverse way, providing the quality is maintained. But to have chosen Dotty (as per the other suggestion) over Greg for R1 Breakfast would - in my opinion - have been a big mistake. I also believe there is also no current problem to fix per-se, but rather as you say a need to understand the barriers and work to continue to evolve as the youth market evolves. Of course R1 clearly has a remit to be a youth station - and my point about not alienating people was rather a challenge back against the suggestion it should over-focus on certain diverse groups rather than be broadly appealing to youth. If a group of 20-year-olds are choosing Capital over R1 due to their needs not being met, that should beg the question 'how do we fix it' rather than 'you're not the right sort of 20-year-olds so we don't care' Agree 100% with your comments about Greg and Grimmy! I still firmly believe the station must still have some populist content to stay broadly appealing and hence keep listener numbers at a reasonable level. If it did become too niche and lost too many listeners as a result, those middle-class white men in upper management would see that as a good excuse to remove funding and/or merge stations, which would then be a self-fulfilling path to the end of the station. That doesn't mean it should be a commercial-clone, not at all - and indeed I'd personally like to see just a few more links in daytime shows to differentiate the station further - but at the same time putting a new music show on for 2 hours in mid-morning (for example) in the name of 'public service' would be a disaster!

Radio 1 is - today - in a very healthy place. There's no problem to 'fix', of course the station should continue to evolve but Aled seems very well placed to do that effectively. Why should the station not be allowed to be populist? Why alienate a large portion of the audience and suggest they go to the private sector? Surely each person is equally entitled to enjoy the station, it doesn't need to be made into a niche broadcaster only appealing to a minority, leaving the rest to suffer with the likes of Capital? I think you and I have VERY different opinions regarding white, male, abled presenters. I want a station that sounds at its best and picks the cream of the UK radio talent irrespective of gender, ethnicity, disability etc. You're looking to force-fit presenters based on certain characteristics who may well be okay but if they were the cream they'd already be obvious rising stars in the industry. We have a fundamentally different view about the merits of such an approach so probably not worth debating it. All I will say - a little smugly if I'm honest - is that Aled is way too smart to go down any of the wild routes you propose.