Nick Grimshaw to replace Chris Moyles as Radio 1 breakfast show host

Radio 1 has announced that Nick Grimshaw will replace Chris Moyles as breakfast show host after the long-running DJ announced his decision to leave this morning.

Grimshaw will replace Moyles, who is in discussions with Radio 1 about a new programme, in September, it was announced on Radio 1's Newsbeat show this morning.

Moyles had been due to take a break to appear in a touring version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical Jesus Christ Superstar, in which he plays King Herod.

He has been presenting the show since 2004 and became the longest serving breakfast show presenter in 2009, breaking the record set by Tony Blackburn.

He joined the station in 1997 as the early breakfast presenter, before taking over the afternoon slot the following year. He then took over from Sara Cox in  2004.

Before his announcement today, Moyles told listeners: "Cue the sad music."

He told his listeners he wanted to tell them personally rather than them reading it in newspapers or on Twitter that he was leaving his "dream job".

"We're going to leave the breakfast show. I just want to give you a heads up and tell you that we're going to wrap it up," he said.

"A couple more months of us and then it's someone else's turn to have a go, so thanks for listening and I hope you stay with us until the end because I promise it's going to be brilliant.

He went on: "I don't do things by halves, my tongue is always buried deep in my cheek so thank you for listening.

"I've had the best time of my life."

The new Radio 1 controller Ben Cooper, who has been under pressure to attract a younger audience to the station, told BBC's Newsbeat website: "I'd like to thank Chris. Quite simply he's been the most successful breakfast show host in Radio 1 history.

"He's done it for more than eight and half years and he's been fantastic."

The decision to appoint 27-year-old Grimshaw, who currently five night-time shows on the station, can be read as a move to attract a younger listener. He has also presented teen-targeted music shows on E4 and BBC.

A recent BBC Trust report found that Radio 1 was struggling to reach out to its 15-to-29 target group, with much of the audience being over 30.

26-year-old Greg James, who currently presents the station's drivetime show, had often been touted as the natural successor to Moyles, with social networks today teeming with speculation that it would be his name announced this morning.