Noughties R&B, festival EDM and indie singalongs.
Radio 1 Anthems grew out of playlist shows Radio 1 had been running under the Anthems name since July 2019, when its Greatest Hits slot was renamed to sit beside Dance Anthems, a weekend evening fixture since 2012. In February 2024 the BBC proposed a Radio 1 spin-off for music from the 2000s and 2010s, aimed at younger listeners' appetite for recent nostalgia, and it launched on BBC Sounds on 8 November 2024. It reached DAB+ on 9 September 2025, on the same day as Radio 1 Dance and Radio 3 Unwind.
Most hours are hosted by Lauren Redfern, Chelsea Little, Matt Hallsworth and other Radio 1 voices, playing the big singles of the 2000s and 2010s with a few forgotten ones mixed in. Unhosted blocks for workouts, pop and happy songs fill the gaps, Anthems Discovery revisits a single year at a time, and late on Wednesday nights the station plays back old Live Lounge sessions.
Your teenage years, on shuffle.
