GK Barry has come under fire for pre-recording her BBC Radio 1 show, and fans have begged bosses to reinstate Mollie King and Matt Edmondson in the daytime slot instead
GK Barry has landed her own slot on BBC Radio 1 (Image: bbcradio1/Instagram)
GK Barry has come under fire for pre-recording her BBC Radio 1 show.
The influencer, 27, who found fame on TikTok and has since gone onto a successful career in television and podcasting, has joined famed broadcasting station which has been home to Greg James, Sara Cox and Zoe Ball over the years.
The Loose Women star, 27, has been handed the Thursday afternoon slot at 1pm, taking over the space normally held by Matt Edmondson and Mollie King, but it is thought that the whole thing is recorded ahead of time to fit in with GK’s busy schedule.
The feedback for the first episode of The GK Barry Show, which spread quickly across social media on Thursday, was certainly divisive. One fan wrote on X: “Why is she pre-recording it? No show in the daytime should be anything but live.”
Another said: “Already had enough,” and a third wrote: “As soon as she said her first word the radio went off!” Others complained that Matt and Mollie should have stayed in the slot on the first place.
One said: “She has such a droning voice. Poor Matt and Mollie who are great reduced to a three day week to accommodate her,” and another wrote: “I fear R1s demise… although I’m not the demographic for this station, if it wasn’t for Greg/Jack/Pete Tony/ Matt it would be a rubbish listen.”
Another raged: “Why on earth have you reduced Matt and Mollie down to a three day show for this? Literally the only show on weekdays worth listening to besides Greg. You couldn’t find another place to slot in Little Miss Podcast?”
Another said: “The GK Barry show on radio 1 earlier sounded like it was created by ai. Why was it pre recorded and why did we lose a day of Matt and mollie for it? Greg and those two keeping the station on life support. Or am I just old now and not the target audience?”
GK, whose real name is Grace Keeling, currently boasts more than five million followers across all her social platforms, initially provided cover on the station in the summer of last year.
“This is completely different from podcasting,” she told MailOnline. “I’m really excited to be presenting my own show with BBC Radio 1 this summer… I’m always listening to the radio when I travel, so I can’t wait to interact with the listeners and get them involved in all the fun.”
Away from her huge media career, GK has spoken candidly about her childhood in the British Virgin Islands and her difficult transition back to the UK. Born Grace Keeling, she spent her early years in Tortola with her mother Loretta and stepfather Andrew, whom she considers her dad.
“From as young as I can remember, I was in Tortola and I was one of the only white girls,” she shared on the Loose Women podcast. “All the aunties were doing my hair… little cornrows… I never saw anything different about that.”
She described her school life there as racially diverse and inclusive. “There were so many different races… I was friends with everyone. I had an incredible time.”
The Mirror has contacted the BBC for comment
Like this story? For more of the latest showbiz news and gossip, follow Mirror Celebs on TikTok , Snapchat , Instagram , Twitter , Facebook , YouTube and Threads .
