Chris Moyles, the former Radio 1 DJ, has returned to broadcasting with a flagship new breakfast show on new station Radio X.
Moyles took the helm of the programme and embarked on a close to half-hour introduction after the show began at 6.30 am.
It was a whole 28 minutes into the show before the first song was heard. Girls Aloud's 'Love Machine' surprised when it was played out just before the 7 am news bulletin, presented by former BBC newsreader Dominic Byrne.
There was plenty of rapport between Moyles and his old colleagues...
And Byrne isn't the only former Radio 1 colleague Moyles has persuaded to join him. Producer Pippa Taylor was introduced with reference to negative press attention concerning the gender balance on the new station.
"There's been a lot of 'confused' press about Radio X. A lot of people took that as Radio X being a radio station for blokes. That was news to me," Moyles said.
The DJ returned his familiar light-heartedness to morning radio, after leaving Radio 1 in 2012. Nick Grimshaw took over his breakfast time slot and has suffered declining ratings almost consistently ever since.
Unlike the BBC though, Radio X is run by commercial radio giant Global, and that might take some getting used to.
"I keep forgetting about the adverts," Moyles said, "I'm sure that's going to change."
One of Moyles' first guests was former Oasis front man Noel Gallagher -- about as tough an interviewee as it's possible to have.
"Noel Gallagher, on account of being Noel Gallagher, you've never been to an Oasis gig...," Moyles quipped as the famously deadpanned Mancunion replied, "Well, yeah but all that's over now."
The first two minutes of Moyles' show...
A press release introducing the new station mentioned regular artists including Florence & The Machine, Mumford & Sons, Blur, Arctic Monkeys, Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds, The Maccabees, Radiohead, Nirvana, The Smiths, Royal Blood, Kasabian, Catfish & The Bottlemen and Kings of Leon.
Moyles' breakfast show will air on weekday mornings from 6.30am to 10am. Radio X will be available nationwide on the digital radio platform D1 as well as on 104.9FM in London and 97.7FM in Manchester.