BBC Radio 1 DJ Arielle Free has reportedly been suspended following a spat she had with fellow presenter, Charlie Hedges, live on air before ultimately being cut off mid-broadcast.
The Scottish radio personality, who also hosts the official Love Island: The Morning After podcast, made a brief appearance on Hedge’s Dance Anthems Ibiza show on Saturday this past weekend but ended up having her microphone cut off after she criticised her fellow Radio 1 DJ’s choice of music.
As you can hear in the clip, the 36-year-old DJ begins speaking in a hoarse voice after a long weekend of performing before telling her colleague, “Can I be honest with you Charlie? I expected better of you. I don’t like this song, I hate it. ‘My Barn My Rules’ [the song title], what are you talking about? I’m sorry”.
We’ll admit, this is a pretty awkward little exchange.
The 37-year-old DJ then quickly decides to stop Arielle in her tracks: “Sorry I’m taking your mic down. It’s my show, Arielle, have some respect — this is Dance Anthems, have some respect”.
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As per a number of outlets, it is said that Free has now been suspended from her Radio 1 show which airs between 4-7am from Monday to Thursday but is expected to return to her duties next week. The pair had both been broadcasting from the White Isle in Ibiza.
While the whole situation has sparked a fair amount of debate online, with plenty agreeing that Free’s decision to criticise the MCR-T and horsegiirL track live on someone else’s show was “out of order”, many others are describing the decision to cut her off as an overreaction.
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I generally don’t think she was rude she was just saying she didn’t like the song fair enough can’t all like it 🤷🏻♀️
The BBC has become a former shadow of itself. Now a DJ cannot criticise another DJ's music choice because it is seen as defamatory and derogatory and it might hurt their feelings. What happened to the hard-nosed BBC of the old days? pic.twitter.com/5i1HT1mne2
Issuing a statement, BBC Radio 1 said: “Whilst we would not comment on individual matters, we have strict codes of behaviour for staff and presenters, and any breaches are taken extremely seriously.”
Neither Hedges nor Free herself are yet to respond following the incident.
Featured Image — Arielle Free/Charlie Hedges (via Instagram)
News
Family pay tribute to father-of-two killed in Rochdale plane crash
Daisy Jackson
The family of a man killed in a light aircraft crash in Rochdale have paid tribute to a ‘deeply loving father and devoted husband’.
36-year-old Arian Abbasi was one of two men killed when an aircraft crashed into farmland in Littleborough in Rochdale last week, after travelling from Birmingham.
Emergency services rushed to the scene shortly after 11am on Tuesday 3 February, but sadly pronounced both men dead at the scene.
It’s believed there was no one else on board the aircraft, and there were no reported injuries on the ground.
Now, Arian’s family have issued a moving tribute to him. He was a pilot from Harrow in Greater London.
They described him as being a ‘deeply loving’ family man, whose passion was flying.
He was about to embark on a new chapter with a commercial airline in just a few weeks’ time.
His family said: “He lived his life for his family and friends, giving them his constant love, strength, and support.
“Flying was his passion, and he was on the brink of beginning an exciting new chapter with a commercial airline on 23 February; a dream he had worked toward with immense pride and determination.”
GMP investigations are now focused on finding part of the parachute system which contains propellant and hasn’t yet been located.
Finding the device has been ‘very difficult’ due to the nature of the terrain and the wide area over which it may have travelled.
It measures approximately 10 cm in diameter and 30 cm long and has a red anodised finish. It weighs less than 2 kg. It may have a silver metal collar attached at one end.
GMP said: “Please do not handle the device if you see it. If discovered, contact the police immediately via 101 or our Live Chat at gmp.police.uk, quoting log 1056 of 03/02/26.”
Homeless children in Greater Manchester will now get free bus travel to and from school
Emily Sergeant
Children who are currently living in temporary housing in Greater Manchester are set to get extra support with school travel.
In a move that was announced by Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) at the end of last week, and following years of campaigning, homeless children living in temporary accommodation are now set to get free school travel on all Bee Network buses.
TfGM says it understands that some children end up a long way from their school when placed into temporary accommodation, and this leaves parents or carers with the difficult choice of either having to move them to a closer school, which ultimately disrupts their education, or having to pay unexpected travel costs.
While the Greater Manchester Strategy – which is the plan for the city region’s next decade – commits to reducing the number of families and children in temporary accommodation, and measures are also being taken to make sure residents have the support they need to ‘access, improve, and retain’ a decent, affordable home, this doesn’t tackle the immediate issue.
Homeless children in Greater Manchester will now get free school bus travel / Credit: TfGM
So, to help those families when they ‘need it most’, free bus travel to and from school is set to be provided, as subject to approval of this year’s Combined Authority budget.
The move comes after Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham asked TfGM last year to look at options to help with the cost of travel.
“Using our locally-controlled Bee Network buses to support families when they need it most is the right thing to do,” Andy Burnham commented.
Of course, the long-term solution is no kids in TA and we’re working with our councils to achieve this in the next few years.
We can do it because GM will soon hit the point where we are building more council and social homes every year than we’re losing through right-to-buy. 👍🏻
“A move into temporary accommodation is often a massive upheaval for families and can be a worrying time. With this measure, the cost of travel to school will be one less thing for families to worry about.
“It will mean parents and carers don’t have to choose between an extra demand on their household budget and keeping their children with friends and teachers they know and trust.”
Danny Jones -
2nd August 2023 
