Somer Valley FM’s Seb Bailey is flying the flag for local radio having landed his very own show on Radio 1! After a very successful stint over New Year on the world famous radio station, it has been announced that Seb will be working alongside four other new radio hosts in taking over the Friday Early Breakfast Show later this year as part of a monthly rotation.

The new opportunity arose following Seb’s successful debut when hosting Radio 1’s New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day shows back at the start of 2022. Having impressed the head boss of Radio 1, he was offered the early morning breakfast shift alongside four other talented radio hosts!

A dream come true for the 24-year-old budding radio presenter, when asked how the shows over New Year went, Seb told The Journal: “In one word, insane... Trying to look back on it all now is a massive blur. I was told beforehand to try and absorb as much of the moment as I could and I quite honestly can say that didn’t happen. It’s like I blinked and both shows were over.

“In typical fashion for me – it wasn’t straight forward either. The first show on New Year’s Eve was presented purely on adrenaline and three hours of sleep. Having had a delayed train up to London the night before, I didn’t actually end up asleep until about midnight. Couple that with a 3 am alarm, I was simply running on vibes wandering around a radio station half asleep. That said though, the response from that first show was phenomenal.

“The show on New Year’s Day was much more chilled out on my side. I had got to sleep by 8 pm the night before – a bit boring for New Year’s, but needs must – and woke up feeling much more comfortable and able to enjoy the show ahead of me.

“Whilst there were some slip ups (if you know, you know!) – I’m very glad that I was able to recover from them in such a way that I came out of the studio feeling stronger than I was going in each day.”

Seb’s dedication to each show is clear and shines through his audiences’ response. When asked how he prepared for each show, he said there was a lot of training and show prep involved in the form of note taking and plenty of coffee!

Having worked at Somer Valley FM since he was eighteen-years-old, Seb is not afraid to get stuck into the radio booth, but as anyone just about to make the biggest step in their career, he had his moments. He explains his thoughts: “I was a bit of a mess. Not in the way that you’d look at me and think ‘Ah, he’s having a bad day,’ but in the way that I just sat very still, very quietly and thought over and over: ‘do not mess this up’.

“Not many people will know, but at Radio 1, we put the studio live about ten to fifteen minutes before the show actually starts. So, when my Producer, Bharat, said to me that the desk was live and not to touch it until exactly 6 am, I kinda sunk into the chair knowing there was no chance of going back and that there was no more playing around I could do to feel comfortable in the studio. It was just me and dance music blaring out at 5.45 in the morning.

“I left the building each day and immediately listened back to my links. Making notes on how I had done I was left thinking ‘Ah you should have said that’ and ‘Seb, you were late on pressing that’.

“However, given the recent news, I’m so glad that these two shows turned out exactly how they did. They weren’t perfect, but instead showed me for me.”

Seb certainly approaches the subject with modesty, but what an impressive feat – grabbing the attention of the Radio 1 bosses, so much so that they requested him back later in the year! You can tune in to Seb’s shows in April – he explains his excitement when we mentioned his return to the big city later in the year: “Yes! Right through April you’ll be able to hear me on Friday Early Breakfast from 5 am!

“I’m gobsmacked about this. Last week I had what I thought would just be a feedback call with the head of Radio 1, Aled. Following some points that he thought I could work on, he landed me with the offer of four more shows on his station. I didn’t believe him at first!

“I have no idea what I will bring to the new show just yet, but it’s a further opportunity that I am unbelievably grateful for. Perhaps I’ll be able to sneak my game, Radio Roulette, through the quality control department. Who knows?”