BBC Radio 1 Dance

BBC Radio 1 Dance is a British online-only radio stream, owned and operated by the BBC and run as a spin-off from BBC Radio 1. The station plays a mix of back-to-back current, future and classic electronic dance music, and broadcasts exclusively on BBC Sounds.

History and launch
From as early as November 2019, reports showed that the BBC was considering launching 'spin-off stations' of their popular music stations in order to gain more listeners. Jonathan Wall, controller of BBC Sounds, confirmed in February 2020 that Radio 1 Dance was to launch in spring 2020. The launch was delayed due to BBC Radio 1 and sister station BBC Radio 1Xtra operating reduced broadcast schedules during an early part of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The BBC announced in September 2020 that the Dance music stream would launch on 9 October 2020 with Annie Mac, Danny Howard and Pete Tong hosting a 4-hour dance marathon from 6 pm, simulcast on Radio 1 and Radio 1 Dance.

The launch of Radio 1 Dance was met with criticism from commercial bodies. Andy Carter, chair of the All-party parliamentary group on Commercial Radio, said: "New services like Radio 1 Dance do not appear to meet the important public value tests that the BBC must observe."

In late September 2020, following complaints from commercial bodies, Ofcom reviewed Radio 1 Dance, saying "we do not require the BBC to conduct a Public Interest Test [...] because we consider the impact of the Radio 1 Dance stream on the market is likely to be small, particularly given it will be online only and will contain no new or exclusive content."

The BBC has since launched a further music stream on BBC Sounds in April 2021, Radio 1 Relax. The BBC announced it will close Radio 1 Relax in 2024.

In February 2024, the BBC announced an expansion of Radio 1 Dance, with a launch on the BBC's existing DAB+ allocation towards the end of the year. The plans are subject to the relevant regulatory approvals, including a Public Interest Test (PIT). The station's expanded content offer will include new commissions, with a quota of 45% of tracks coming from British artists, and a third of daytime music from new artists. Radio 1 Dance will also provide coverage of live events, including featuring new and upcoming DJs.

Programming
Current programming on the 'stream' is primarily repeated dance shows from BBC Radio 1. Following the departure of Annie Mac in July 2021, a refreshed schedule was launched in the following September.

In June 2024, it was announced by the corporation that a new schedule would launch that summer. Changes include a dedicated morning show hosted by Arielle Free, Radio 1 Dance Anthems hosted daily by Charlie Hedges from 3 to 6 pm, an additional show hosted by Danny Howard on Thursday evenings as a warm-up to Radio 1's Dance Party, a playlist show across the schedule hosted by Connor Coates, and a new Saturday night Essential History of Dance programme hosted by Pete Tong.

Monday to Thursday
Daytime shows are hosted by Arielle Free and Connor Coates, originally broadcast as part of Radio 1 Early Breakfast. There is a 60-minute non-stop mix at midday from Radio 1's Dance Anthems, hosted by Charlie Hedges. At 8 am and 3 pm, the station broadcasts Radio 1's Workout Anthems, a 60-minute mix centred around songs to workout to. The drivetime show (5–7 pm) is a repeat of Pete Tong's Friday night Radio 1 show. Evening and night programming consists of Radio 1 Dance Presents... (7–8 pm), followed by Radio 1's Classic Essential Mix (8-10 pm), then Radio 1's Drum & Bass Show with Charlie Tee (10 pm – 12 am). Radio 1's Residency airs from 12-2 am.

Friday
The daytime shows are hosted by the rotational Friday presenter(s) on Radio 1 Early Breakfast. These are broadcast until 4 pm when Charlie Hedges broadcasts two hours of Dance Anthems. Friday night dance shows on BBC Radio 1 are simulcast on the Dance stream from 6 pm, this includes Radio 1's Dance Party with Danny Howard (6–8 pm), Radio 1's Future Dance with Sarah Story (8–10 pm), Pete Tong (10 pm-midnight), Radio 1's Essential Mix (midnight – 2 am) and Radio 1 Dance Presents... (2–3 am).

Saturday
On Saturdays, Radio 1's Dance Anthems with Charlie Hedges (4–8 pm) is simulcast from BBC Radio 1. This is followed by Danny Howard's Club Mix (8–9 pm), Radio 1's Essential Mix (9–11 pm), Radio 1's Residency (11 pm – 1 am) and Radio 1's Classic Essential Mix (1 am – 3 am).

Sunday
The stream broadcasts usual daytime shows with added artist-curated mixes from Radio 1's Wind Down throughout the day. At 9 am and 3 pm, Charlie Hedges hosts 60-minutes of Radio 1's Dance Anthems, with 60-minutes of Workout Anthems broadcast at midday.

Radio 1's Dance Party
Broadcast on Thursday and Friday evenings from 6 pm, the Dance Party is a two-hour programme hosted by Danny Howard, who took over the Friday slot from long-serving DJ Annie Mac in 2021. The programme showcase new and popular British electronic music, with the Friday show simulcast on the main Radio 1 network as well as Radio 1 Dance. Show features include: From July 2024, it was announced that Danny Howard would host Radio 1's Dance Party Warm-Up on Thursday evenings exclusively on Radio 1 Dance.
 * Radio 1's Hottest Record - The Hottest Record is a daily feature on BBC Radio 1 that showcases a brand new track chosen as the "hottest" song of the day. The feature was introduced in 2002 and has become a popular way for the station to highlight exciting new music, with Friday's record from the dance genre.
 * The Radio 1 Mini Mix - The Mini Mix is a five-minute mix from a different guest DJ or producer which typically features a selection of their favourite tracks and remixes mixed together in a creative and dynamic way.
 *  Battle of The Bangers - This feature welcomes DJs and music producers to go against the show's host, Howard, playing a selection of records each, with the audience voting for their favourite through text messaging.
 * Club Mix - The Club Mix is an hour mix from Howard, sometimes themed depending on the time of year. Previous themes have included the Summer Feels Club Mixes and Feel Good Club Mixes.

Radio 1 Dance Anthems
Dance Anthems is mix show that plays a selection of classic, remixed and contemporary dance tracks. First introduced by Dave Pearce in October 1997, the Dance Anthems brand has been a regular part of the main Radio 1 schedule. The show took a brief hiatus from October 2008 before being relaunched in May 2012 by Danny Howard and Greg James. Howard hosted the slot for five years until November 2017 when MistaJam took over the programme.

Charlie Hedges took over hosting duties from MistaJam in September 2020.

It was announced that from Summer 2024, the show would be hosted every weekday by Hedges on the Radio 1 Dance stream from 3pm to 6pm. This is in addition to the usual on Saturday afternoon shows from 4pm to 7pm, simulcast on the main Radio 1 network.

Pete Tong
Pete Tong's Global Dance HQ is a long-running programme on the main Radio 1 network, first broadcast in 1991. Currently two-hours in length, the show features new and cutting-edge electronic music from around the world. A regular feature of the show is Tong's designation of one track as the Essential New Tune of the week. This is a significant accolade within the dance music community.

From Summer 2024, Pete Tong will curate a weekly show (Essential History of Dance) dedicated to telling the story of the Dance genre, airing on Saturdays from 7 pm to 8 pm.

Radio 1's Future Dance
Supporting grassroots DJs and music producers, Future Dance with Sarah Story is a two-hour programme broadcast from 8 pm on a Friday night. The show was introduced in 2021 as part of the station's commitment to supporting emerging talent in the dance music scene. Features include the Future Dance Track ID (selected by Story), the Peak Time Mix and the Future Dance Mix.

Radio 1's Essential Mix
The Essential Mix is a weekly radio mix which features an uninterrupted two-hour mix from different contemporary DJs and music producers. The show has been presented since its inception in 1993 by Pete Tong, and is one of Radio 1's longest running programmes in the current schedule.

Radio 1's Big Weekend
Since 2019, Radio 1 Dance has had a presence at Radio 1's flagship music festival, Radio 1's Big Weekend, hosting the line-up for the Friday night in Middlesbrough. Following the launch of the BBC Sounds stream, the brand has played a bigger part in Big Weekend events.

At the 2022 festival in Coventry, Radio 1 Dance hosted a stage across the full weekend and curated the Friday night line-up. The same format was repeated at the Dundee event in 2023, with a headline set from Jamie xx on the Friday night.

Radio 1 Dance Weekend
Radio 1 has annually held a dance music weekend broadcast live from Ibiza since the 1990s, formally called Radio 1 in Ibiza. In 2020, the event was renamed Radio 1's Dance Weekend, hosted entirely virtually due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The event is usually the first weekend in August and has performances from world-famous DJs and Radio 1 Dance talent such as Pete Tong, Danny Howard and Sarah Story. Radio 1 Dance simulcast 2021's and 2022's events on the main Radio 1 network.

Danny Howard announced the line-up for the 2023 event in January 2023. It took place on Friday 28 July 2023 at new venue, 528 Ibiza.

Europe's Biggest Dance Show
Europe's Biggest Dance Show is a series of radio specials produced by Radio 1. First broadcast in October 2019, Radio 1 joined with several European radio stations, all members of the European Broadcasting Union.

The third installment, Europe's Biggest Dance Show 2020, was broadcast on Friday 23 October 2020 on Radio 1 Dance for the first time, as well as Radio 1 and the other stations across Europe, with Annie Mac hosting.

Following the departure of Annie Mac, Danny Howard has since hosted Europe's Biggest Dance Show on Radio 1 Dance and Radio 1 in 2021, and 2022 with Ukraine joining the line-up.

Radio 1 Dance at The Warehouse Project
Radio 1 Dance has curated line-ups at The Warehouse Project in Manchester, following its reopening after COVID-19 lockdown restrictions. These have included an event in November 2021 headlined by CamelPhat, and in October 2022 that was headlined by Fisher.

Printworks Closing Weekend
Radio 1 Dance hosted an event at Printworks in London for their closing weekend, before the venue shuttered in May 2023. The event was headlined Black Coffee - his debut at the club - and Maya Jane Coles, with support from Radio 1 Dance DJs Danny Howard, Arielle Free and Sarah Story. The closing weekend shows quickly sold out, marking a significant moment in the venue's history.

Radio 1 Dance x DRUMSHEDS
To celebrate 30 years of Radio 1's Essential Mix, Danny Howard announced in December 2023 on his Friday night Dance Party that Radio 1 Dance are collaborating with new London venue, DRUMSHEDS for an event on Good Friday 2024. The BBC also made thirty Essential Mixes from the last 30 years available on BBC Sounds, as picked by a select panel and the Radio 1 Dance family.