It’s easy for us to complain about this kind of thing but shippp you correctly mention all the really strong presenters at the moment who have worked their way up. There’s loads of them, so I think the odd personality hire is not the end of the world.
Aled’s thought process on this will be the following:
1) Jamie has a huge social media following which will draw listeners
2) 6 Degrees with Jamie & Spencer was consistently near the top of the under 35 bbc sounds listenership - so clearly (although I don’t get it myself) he really appeals to the target age demographic
3) I understand Newlyweds is super popular and so cross-listenership will be hoped for
I agree Jamie (and that whole show now) is not my cup of tea but it’s appealing well to a demographic and to be honest us radio nerds are well catered for elsewhere on the schedule ie Greg, M&M, Sam & Danni, James, etc