It was just a matter of time before that big mouth found its way back to a radio mic, and now we can happily report Chris Moyles is returning to where he belongs.
The former self-appointed saviour of Radio 1 has reportedly signed a ‘big money’ deal with XFM, where he’ll take over from Jon Holmes on the breakfast slot in September, going up against his Radio 1 replacement Nick Grimshaw.
During his eight years on the Radio 1 breakfast show, Moyles managed to bring in 7.06 million pairs of ears at his best, before being replaced by the younger Grimshaw, who bosses at the Beeb believed would attract a younger audience.
While execs may have achieved this goal, Grimshaw has nevertheless seen overall ratings plummet, averaging just 5.5m listeners of late - the lowest audience since he got the job three years ago, and the worst since Sarah Cox's bad patch in 2003, making a potential ratings war with Moyles even more intriguing.
Related: Why it's OK not to understand Radio 1
Speaking to The Sun on Sunday, a source, who is either his agent or the biggest Chris Moyles fan in the world, said:
"It's a massive coup for XFM to be able to sign Chris. He was enjoying not having all of the usual pressures and early starts that come with breakfast radio so bosses were well aware that they had to offer him a great deal to entice him back.
"He plans to spend the next two months developing ideas for the new show and how he wants the format to be."
And given his usual patter, you can bet the 41-year-old Yorkshireman will be fairly vocal when it comes to the chance of getting one over on his old employers.
Comedy Dave will be waiting by the phone as you read.
[Via The Telegraph]
[Images: Rex]
