Dotty to leave BBC Radio 1Xtra breakfast show this month
BBC Radio 1Xtra’s breakfast presenter Dotty is leaving the show at the end of July after six years at the station.
Dotty – real name Ashley Charles and also known as Amplify Dot or A.Dot – joined 1Xtra in 2014 and has hosted weekend shows, weekday afternoons and then the 1Xtra Breakfast show since July 2016.
Dotty says: “This week marks my 4 year anniversary on The 1Xtra Breakfast Show and it has been the most incredible experience of my life. But after almost 1000 early mornings, I think it’s finally time for me to turn off my alarm clock and rest.
“With more listeners tuning in to the show than ever and this year’s Radio Academy award for Best Breakfast Show sitting on my mantlepiece, it feels like the right time to end on a high note and say goodbye to the radio station that I love.
“Joining 1Xtra in 2014 changed my life, it’s here that I fell in love with broadcasting, spent my days with the most amazing listeners, made lifelong friends and even met Oprah.
Thank-you to the many stars that have passed through the studio. To every single member of staff from the managers to the security guards. But most importantly to the listeners; thank you for inviting me into your homes, cars, building sites and barbershops. I’ve truly loved being part of your day.
There’s nowhere in the world quite like 1Xtra but I look forward to what the future holds.”
This will be my last month on @1Xtra, a radio station that changed my life forever when they gave me a show in 2014. Spending the last 6 years with the greatest listeners, artists & broadcasters in the world has been a dream to me.
To anyone that has ever listened.. Thank-you
— Dotty (@AmplifyDot) July 2, 2020
Mark Strippel, Head of Programmes at 1Xtra, says: “Dotty is an incredible and unique talent and will always be part of the 1Xtra family. I speak on behalf of everyone at the station when I say that we’ll miss her loads, and thank her for every ounce of passion and commitment she has put into 1Xtra! We’ve shared some unforgettable radio moments and will be celebrating them this month.
I’d like to pay tribute to Dotty and her incredible journey since joining as an artist six years ago, leading through to taking the Breakfast crown at this year’s ARIAS, and wish her the very best in her next chapter!”
The station says it is currently auditioning for the next Breakfast Show host, with ‘some of the biggest and brightest talent across radio, TV and socials, in the mix’.
Nadia Jae will cover the breakfast show on 1Xtra until a permanent replacement for Dotty is appointed.