# BBC Radio 1 Dance

BBC Radio 1 Dance is a British online-only radio stream, owned and operated by the BBC and run as a spin-off from BBC Radio 1. The station plays a mix of back-to-back current, future and classic electronic dance music, and broadcasts exclusively on BBC Sounds.

## History and launch

From as early as November 2019, reports showed that the BBC was considering launching 'spin-off stations' of their popular music stations in order to gain more listeners. Jonathan Wall, controller of BBC Sounds, confirmed in February 2020 that Radio 1 Dance was to launch in spring 2020. The launch was delayed due to BBC Radio 1 and sister station BBC Radio 1Xtra operating reduced broadcast schedules during an early part of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The BBC announced in September 2020 that the Dance music stream would launch on 9 October 2020 with Annie Mac, Danny Howard and Pete Tong hosting a 4-hour dance marathon from 6 pm, simulcast on Radio 1 and Radio 1 Dance.
The launch of Radio 1 Dance was met with criticism from commercial bodies. Andy Carter, chair of the All-party parliamentary group on Commercial Radio, said: "New services like Radio 1 Dance do not appear to meet the important public value tests that the BBC must observe."
In late September 2020, following complaints from commercial bodies, Ofcom reviewed Radio 1 Dance, saying "we do not require the BBC to conduct a Public Interest Test [...] because we consider the impact of the Radio 1 Dance stream on the market is likely to be small, particularly given it will be online only and will contain no new or exclusive content."
The BBC has since launched a further music stream on BBC Sounds in April 2021, Radio 1 Relax. Radio 1 Relax closed on 24 July 2024.
In February 2024, the BBC announced an expansion of Radio 1 Dance, with a launch on the BBC's existing DAB+ allocation towards the end of the year. The plans are subject to the relevant regulatory approvals, including a Public Interest Test (PIT). The station's expanded content offer will include new commissions, with a quota of 45% of tracks coming from British artists, and a third of daytime music from new artists. Radio 1 Dance will also provide coverage of live events, including featuring new and upcoming DJs.

## Programming

At launch, programming on the stream was primarily repeated dance shows from BBC Radio 1. The corporation adjusted the schedule infrequently during this time, with a relaunch of Friday night dance programming simulcast on the main Radio 1 network following the departure of Annie Mac in July 2021.
In June 2024, it was announced by the corporation that a new schedule would launch from 15 July 2024. This included new and exclusive shows for the stream, in preparation for an expected launch on the BBC's existing DAB+ allocation towards the end of 2024.

### Monday to Friday Daytime

Arielle Free hosts Radio 1 Dance Morning, which streams from 9 am to 12 pm. This is followed by Radio 1 Dance with Connor Coates, a daily playlist broadcast from Belfast. This the first show on the stream to be regularly broadcast outside of London as part of the BBC's Across The UK strategy.
In the drivetime slot, Radio 1's Dance Anthems, a flagship dance programme on the stream featuring classic dance music in the mix, airs for three hours at 3 pm with Charlie Hedges.

### Monday to Wednesday Evening

Monday to Wednesday, the evening show (6–8 pm) is a repeat of Pete Tong's Friday night Radio 1 show. This is followed by an hour long DJ mix from other station talent - Danny Howard's Club Mix (Mondays), Radio 1's Drum & Bass Mix hosted by Charlie Tee (Tuesdays) and Future Dance Mix with Sarah Story (Wednesdays). A two-hour industry partnership programme streams from 9 pm with current partnerships including Defected Records, HE.SHE.THEY. and DnB Allstars. From 11 pm to 1 am, Radio 1's Residency airs on Mondays, Martha on Tuesdays (simulcast on BBC Radio 1) and Radio 1's Essential Mix on Wednesdays.

### Thursday Evening

Thursday evenings on Radio 1 Dance start with a new show from July 2024, Radio 1's Dance Party Warm-Up hosted by Danny Howard from 6 pm to 8 pm. This is followed by Radio 1's Rave-Up with Arielle Free from 8 pm to 10 pm, which is simulcast on the main Radio 1 network. At 10 pm, BBC Introducing on Radio 1 Dance with Jaguar airs, simulcast on Radio 1, showcasing emerging dance music talent. The evening concludes with Radio 1's Residency from 11 pm to 1 am, featuring a monthly rotating lineup of resident DJs, which is simulcast on BBC Radio 1 also.

### Friday Evening

Friday night dance shows on BBC Radio 1 are simulcast on the Dance stream from 6 pm, this includes Radio 1's Dance Party with Danny Howard (6–8 pm), Radio 1's Future Dance with Sarah Story (8–10 pm), Pete Tong (10 pm-midnight), Radio 1's Essential Mix (midnight – 2 am) and Radio 1 Dance Presents... (2–3 am).

### Saturday

On Saturdays, Radio 1 Dance Morning with Arielle Free streams from 9 am to 12pm. From midday, there is a 60-minute non-stop mix from Dance Anthems, hosted by Charlie Hedges. This is followed by Connor Coates' Radio 1 Dance playlist at 1 pm. Radio 1's Dance Anthems with Charlie Hedges (4–7 pm) is simulcast from BBC Radio 1. This is followed by Pete Tong's Essential History of Dance (7–11 pm), Radio 1's Drum & Bass Show with Charlie Tee (11 pm – 12 am), Radio 1's Drum & Bass Mix (12–1 am) and Radio 1's Classic Essential Mix (1-3 am).

### Sunday

The stream broadcasts the same schedule of shows as Saturdays until 7 pm, where a repeat of Radio 1's Dance Party Warm-Up hosted by Danny Howard from earlier in the week is aired. This is followed by Radio 1 Dance Presents... (9–10 pm), Radio 1's Essential Mix (10 pm - 12 am) and Radio 1's Classic Essential Mix (12-2 am).

## Flagship shows
### Radio 1's Dance Party

Broadcast on Thursday and Friday evenings from 6 pm, the Dance Party is a two-hour programme hosted by Danny Howard, who took over the Friday slot from long-serving DJ Annie Mac in 2021. The programme showcases new and popular British electronic music, with the Friday show simulcast on the main Radio 1 network as well as Radio 1 Dance. Show features include:
* Radio 1's Hottest Record - The Hottest Record is a daily feature on BBC Radio 1 that showcases a brand new track chosen as the "hottest" song of the day. The feature was introduced in 2002 and has become a popular way for the station to highlight exciting new music, with Friday's record from the dance genre.
* The Radio 1 Mini Mix - The Mini Mix is a five-minute mix from a different guest DJ or producer which typically features a selection of their favourite tracks and remixes mixed together in a creative and dynamic way.
* Battle of The Bangers - This feature welcomes DJs and music producers to go against the show's host, Howard, playing a selection of records each, with the audience voting for their favourite through text messaging.
* Club Mix - The Club Mix is an hour mix from Howard, sometimes themed depending on the time of year. Previous themes have included the Summer Feels Club Mixes and Feel Good Club Mixes.
From July 2024, it was announced that Danny Howard would host Radio 1's Dance Party Warm-Up on Thursday evenings exclusively on Radio 1 Dance.

### Radio 1's Dance Anthems

Dance Anthems is mix show that plays a selection of classic, remixed and contemporary dance tracks. First introduced by Dave Pearce in October 1997, the Dance Anthems brand has been a regular part of the main Radio 1 schedule. The show took a brief hiatus from October 2008 before being relaunched in May 2012 by Danny Howard and Greg James. Howard hosted the slot for five years until November 2017 when MistaJam took over the programme.
Charlie Hedges took over hosting duties from MistaJam in September 2020.
It was announced that from Summer 2024, the show would be hosted every weekday by Hedges on the Radio 1 Dance stream from 3pm to 6pm. This is in addition to the usual on Saturday afternoon shows from 4pm to 7pm, simulcast on the main Radio 1 network.

### Pete Tong

Pete Tong's Global Dance HQ is a long-running programme on the main Radio 1 network, first broadcast in 1991. Currently two-hours in length, the show features new and cutting-edge electronic music from around the world. A regular feature of the show is Tong's designation of one track as the Essential New Tune of the week. This is a significant accolade within the dance music community.
From Summer 2024, Tong began hosting a new weekly show (Essential History of Dance) dedicated to telling the story of the Dance genre, airing on Saturdays from 7 pm to 11 pm.

### Radio 1's Future Dance

Supporting grassroots DJs and music producers, Future Dance with Sarah Story is a two-hour programme broadcast from 8 pm on a Friday night. The show was introduced in 2021 as part of the station's commitment to supporting emerging talent in the dance music scene. Features include the Future Dance Track ID (selected by Story), the Peak Time Mix and the Future Dance Mix.

### Radio 1's Essential Mix

The Essential Mix is a weekly radio mix which features an uninterrupted two-hour mix from different contemporary DJs and music producers. The show has been presented since its inception in 1993 by Pete Tong, and is one of Radio 1's longest running programmes in the current schedule.

## Events and specials
### Radio 1's Big Weekend

Since 2019, Radio 1 Dance has had a presence at Radio 1's flagship music festival, Radio 1's Big Weekend, hosting the line-up for the Friday night in Middlesbrough. Following the launch of the BBC Sounds stream, the brand has played a bigger part in Big Weekend events.
At the 2022 festival in Coventry, Radio 1 Dance hosted a stage across the full weekend and curated the Friday night line-up. The same format was repeated at the Dundee event in 2023, with a headline set from Jamie xx on the Friday night.

### Radio 1 Dance Weekend

Radio 1 has annually held a dance music weekend broadcast live from Ibiza since the 1995, formally called Radio 1 in Ibiza. The event is usually the first weekend in August and has performances from world-famous DJs and Radio 1 Dance talent such as Pete Tong, Danny Howard, Annie Mac and Sarah Story.

#### 2020

In 2020, the event was renamed Radio 1 Dance Weekend and hosted entirely virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Main proceedings were hosted by Annie Mac, Danny Howard, Pete Tong and MistaJam.
Sets were pre-recorded mixes from artists and DJs at home and included Disclosure, The Blessed Madonna, Duck Sauce, Franky Wah, Danny Howard, Black Coffee, Jayda G, Four Tet, Pete Tong B2B Bonobo, Carl Cox, Becky Hill, RAYE, Duke Dumont, Gorgon City B2B Sonny Fodera, Jax Jones, MistaJam and MK. The event aimed to turn BBC Sounds into "the world's biggest nightclub" to celebrate 25 years since Radio 1's first broadcast in Ibiza.

#### 2021

The event in 2021 was the first to be broadcast on both Radio 1 and Radio 1 Dance. In similar format to 2020's event, sets were pre-recorded and broadcast across the weekend, with over 70-hours of dance music content. Programmes were hosted by Danny Howard, Pete Tong, Sarah Story and Charlie Hedges.
The theme of Friday 6 August 2021 was "Around The World with Radio 1", and featured sets from Swedish House Mafia (Sweden), MK (USA), Ewan McVicar (Scotland), Shermanology (Holland), Krystal Klear (Ireland), Hannah Wants (UK), Vintage Culture (Brazil), THEMBA (South Africa), Nina Kraviz (Russia) and Andrea Oliva (Ibiza).
Special editions of Radio 1's Essential Mix were recorded at two events, some of the first following the lifting of lockdown restrictions, in the UK. The first, recorded on 24 July 2021 at Circus presents Elrow in Liverpool, aired on Saturday 6 August with DJ sets from Yousef and Paul Woolford, and the second recorded a few hours earlier in Newcastle at Shindig showcasing a set from Carl Cox aired in the early hours of Sunday 7 August.

#### 2022

Radio 1 Dance Weekend returned in 2022, with a mix of both recorded sets at live events in Ibiza and exclusive radio mixes. Hosted by Radio 1 DJ's throughout the Friday, Saturday and Sunday, main Dance programmes were hosted by Danny Howard, Pete Tong, Sarah Story, Jaguar and Arielle Free.
Pete Tong hosted the Friday night proceedings from a studio at Café Mambo, while Danny Howard, Sarah Story and Jaguar hosted from Broadcasting House in London. Recorded sets were broadcast from Diplo, LF System, Skream (UKG Set), TSHA, Meg Ward, Gorgon City B2B Sonny Fodera (Ibiza Classic Mix), Jeremiah Asiamah (Afrohouse Mix), Rene LaVice B2B Charlie Tee and Sarah Story B2B Jaguar.
For the first time, the BBC licensed a new Radio 1 Dance LIVE brand to the Defected event at Eden on Friday 5 August, and ANTS at Ushuaïa on Saturday 6 August. These sets were recorded and broadcast on Radio 1 and Radio 1 Dance over the following weeks.
Radio 1 Dance also partnered with Ushuaïa, Hï and Amnesia clubs in Ibiza to showcase specially recorded Essential Mixes from Swedish House Mafia, Vintage Culture and Marco Faraone B2B Eats Everything.

#### 2023

Danny Howard announced the line-up for Radio 1 Dance Weekend 2023 in January 2023. This was the first event to return to a format of full sets broadcast live at a night club in Ibiza, last used in 2019 for Radio 1 in Ibiza.
The main event on took place on Friday 28 July 2023 at new venue 528 Ibiza, with two stages - Radio 1 Dance stage and Radio 1 Dance Anthems stage. Hosted by Danny Howard, Sarah Story and Pete Tong, sets included Becky Hill, Camden Cox, Chase & Status, Eats Everything, FISHER, Hannah Wants, HoneyLuv B2B Danny Howard, Jamie Jones, Jax Jones, Katy B, LP Giobbi, The Martinez Brothers, MK, Patrick Topping, Sam Divine and Sonny Fodera B2B Arielle Free. Sets were broadcast across Friday evening (those on the Radio 1 Dance stage) and Saturday evening (those on the Radio 1 Dance Anthems stage).
Similar to 2022, the BBC licensed the Radio 1 Dance X (formerly Radio 1 Dance LIVE) brand to other already established events across Ibiza. This included ANTS Ibiza on Saturday 29 July at Ushuaïa featuring sets from Andrea Oliva B2B Patrick Topping, Arielle Free, LF System, Pete Tong, Dunmore Brothers and Solardo. On Sunday 30 July, the brand was licensed to LoveJuice Playground pool party at Ibiza Rocks with sets from Alex Mills, Charlie Hedges and D.O.D., and Glitterbox at Hï, which included Roger Sanchez and The Shapeshifters on the bill. Again, these sets were recorded and streamed over the following weeks as part of Radio 1 Dance Presents....

#### 2024

In January 2024, it was announced by Danny Howard and Greg James on Radio 1 Breakfast that Radio 1 Dance Weekend would take place over two weekends, one in Ibiza from 2-5 August and a new event in Malta from 15-23 August, with tickets available to win through the main Radio 1 network's Jan Slam competition.
The event in Ibiza took place again at 528 Ibiza on Friday 2 August 2024 across two stages - Radio 1 main stage and Radio 1 Dance stage - featuring artists Armand Van Helden, Ben Hemsley, CamelPhat, Dom Dolla, D.O.D., Hannah Laing, Gorgon City, Jazzy & Belters Only, Kelli-Leigh and LF System. Following the expanded schedule on Radio 1 Dance launched in July 2024, the stream broadcast live sets from the Radio 1 Dance stage, while BBC Radio 1 broadcast live sets from the Radio 1 main stage. Arielle Free and Danny Howard hosted on the main Radio 1 network, while Martha hosted on Radio 1 Dance.
Radio 1 Dance licensed their Radio 1 Dance X brand to other events across the island. This included the Radio 1 Dance X After Party at Eden on Friday 2 August, ANTS Ibiza on Saturday 3 August at Ushuaïa, and Glitterbox at Hï on Sunday 4 August.
On 17 August 2024, Radio 1 Dance hosted their first official event at UNO Malta. Presented by Charlie Hedges, Jeremiah Asiamah and Danny Howard the line-up featured Camden Cox, Charlie Hedges, Jax Jones, Jeremiah Asiamah, Jodie Harsh, Solardo, Sonny Fodera and Zerb.
Additionally, the BBC licensed the Radio 1 Dance X brand to the main event for SummerDaze Festival on 15 August with Sam Smith, Charlie Hedges and Becky Hill, and Radio 1 Dance X at Café del Mar Malta with Danny Howard and Kungs on 18 August.

#### 2025

As part of the main Radio 1 network's Jan Slam new year prizes competition, Danny Howard and Greg James announced in January 2025 that Radio 1 Dance would return to Ibiza in 2025, with events taking place from 1-4 August 2025.
The station will return to 528 Ibiza for its third consecutive event, featuring two stages and broadcasting live on BBC Radio 1 and Radio 1 Dance on Friday 1 August. Details of partner events taking place over the rest of the weekend will be announced by the station in due course.

### Radio 1 Dance X Pool Party at Ibiza Rocks

In 2024, Ibiza Rocks Hotel in Sant Antoni de Portmany licensed the Radio 1 Dance X brand from the BBC, hosting weekly pool parties every Monday at the venue from 3 June 2024 to 26 August 2024.
The line-up for 2024 included Alex Mills, Billy Gillies, Charlie Hedges, Connor Coates, D.O.D., Goodboys, Hannah Boleyn, House Gospel Choir, Jax Jones, Jazzy, Kelli-Leigh, LF System, Luude and Venbee.

### Europe's Biggest Dance Show

Europe's Biggest Dance Show is a series of radio specials produced by Radio 1. First broadcast in October 2019, Radio 1 joined with several European radio stations, all members of the European Broadcasting Union.
The third instalment, Europe's Biggest Dance Show 2020, was broadcast on Friday 23 October 2020 on Radio 1 Dance for the first time, as well as Radio 1 and the other stations across Europe, with Annie Mac hosting.
Following the departure of Annie Mac, Danny Howard has since hosted Europe's Biggest Dance Show on Radio 1 Dance and Radio 1 in 2021, and 2022 with Ukraine joining the line-up.

### Radio 1 Dance at The Warehouse Project

Radio 1 Dance has curated line-ups at The Warehouse Project in Manchester, following its reopening after COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. These have included an event in November 2021 headlined by CamelPhat, and in October 2022 that was headlined by Fisher.

### Printworks Closing Weekend

Radio 1 Dance hosted an event at Printworks in London for their closing weekend, before the venue shuttered in May 2023. The event was headlined Black Coffee - his debut at the club - and Maya Jane Coles, with support from Radio 1 Dance DJs Danny Howard, Arielle Free and Sarah Story. The closing weekend shows quickly sold out, marking a significant moment in the venue's history.

### Radio 1 Dance x DRUMSHEDS

To celebrate 30 years of Radio 1's Essential Mix, Danny Howard announced in December 2023 on his Friday night Dance Party that Radio 1 Dance are collaborating with new London venue, DRUMSHEDS for an event on Good Friday 2024. The BBC also made thirty Essential Mixes from the last 30 years available on BBC Sounds, as picked by a select panel and the Radio 1 Dance family.