BBC Radio 1 host Greg James issued an apology to fans on social media after making a ‘joke’ which referenced statements by Neil Young about performing at Glastonbury Festival
Radio presenter Greg James has issued an apology to his fans after having sparked some concern about his future on BBC Radio with a “joke” on social media over the weekend.
The BBC Radio 1 host, 39, poked fun at statements released recently by singer-songwriter Neil Young, 79, in a post on Instagram on Sunday. It came ahead of Greg’s return to the breakfast show on Monday following the Christmas break.
Last week, musician Neil announced that he had pulled out of Glastonbury Festival. He wrote on the Neil Young Archives: “We were told the BBC was now a partner in Glastonbury and wanted us to do a lot for things we were not interested in. It seems Glastonbury is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being. We will not be playing Glastonbury on this tour because it is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be. Hope to see you at one of the other venues on the tour.”
Just days later though, Neil shared that he will perform at the festival in June this year. He said in an update on the website: “Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not play the Glastonbury Festival, which I always have loved. Happily, the festival is now back on our itinerary and we look forward to playing. Hope to see you there.”
Greg referenced the statements in a post promoting his return to BBC Radio 1 on Sunday. The first slide in the post, which also included photo highlights from recent weeks, read: “The R1 Breakfast show team and I were looking forward to starting another year of the show and delivering a load of stupid stuff to get you through the early hours, it’s one of my all time favourite gigs.
“We were told that the BBC was now a partner and wanted us to a do lot of things in a way we were not interested in. It seems Radio 1 is now under corporate control and is not the way I remember it being. Thanks for listening the last few years!”
It continued: “We will not be able to continue our work to mess around with the biggest stars in the world and celebrate our amazing listeners, like Owen who accidentally smashed 10,000 eggs, or Alice who flew to Paris to try and get off with some Olympians in the summer. This also means we’ll no longer be conducting funerals for any more ducks. Radio 1 is a corporate turn-off, and not for me like it used to be. Hope to see you on one of my many podcasts instead.”
The next slide teased: “Due to an error in the information received, I had decided to not do the breakfast show, which I always have loved. Happily the radio show is now back on my itinerary and we look forward to being there when you need some fun in the morning! Hope to see you there.”
Greg however assured in a subsequent slide: “But seriously. I am buzzing to be back tomorrow morning.” And he then confirmed that it was a joke in another slide, writing: “Looking forward to management’s reaction to a Neil Young Glastonbury joke. I might have inadvertently ruined my first day back. Made me laugh though so that’s good at least.”
The post prompted reaction from his followers, with some expressing confusion in the comments section. One person wrote: “I’m so confused.” Another said: “I have never been so confused.” A third wrote: “I don’t understand.”
Others stated that they had been concerned over the post, with one writing: “I had a huge panic.” A second fan said: “I’m not being dramatic when I say I nearly died.” Another person wrote: “You had me scared for a second there.”
Greg later apologised for the ‘joke’ in a subsequent post on the platform on Sunday. Alongside a video message, he wrote in the follow-up post: “An apology for being hilarious.” He concluded the caption by telling fans: “I’m sorry.”
The video began with him laughing whilst stood beside his wife Bella Mackie, 41. The couple went on to discuss his previous post, in which he had referenced Neil’s statements, as they walked along a street in an undisclosed location.
Greg told the journalist: “I’m really enjoying the reaction to my post.” Bella responded: “As I’ve said to you, 95 per cent of people won’t know what you’re talking about.” Her husband however replied to the remark: “Some did!”
Bella added: “Yeah, well everyone else thinks you’re quitting in like a rage.” Greg assured: “I’m not quitting in a rage. I’m very happy.” His wife then said: “I think people call this trolling.” Greg reacted: “Yeah, but for like good reasons.” The couple both suggested that he had been “gentle trolling” his followers.
Follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Threads.
