It’s home to big names including Sam Thomson, Marvin Humes, Will Best and Fleur East. Hits Radio has established itself as one of the UK’s biggest commercial radio brands, combining current chart favourites with familiar throwbacks and a line-up of well-known presenters. But what exactly can you hear on Hits Radio, who presents the shows, and where can you listen?
From its weekday breakfast team of Fleur East, Will Best and James Barr to the likes of Gemma Atkinson, Mike Toolan at hometime, Marvin Humes in the afternoons and Sam Thompson in the evenings, Hits Radio mixes music with celebrity interviews, entertainment, competitions and plenty of personality.
The station describes itself as the home of “The Biggest Hits. The Biggest Throwbacks”, with its output available across FM and DAB in different parts of the UK, as well as online, through smart speakers and via the Rayo app.
Here’s everything you need to know about Hits Radio.
What is Hits Radio?
Hits Radio is a national commercial radio brand operated by Bauer Media Audio UK. That’s the same company that brings you KISS, Absolute Radio, Magic and Greatest Hits Radio. It’s built around a contemporary mix of popular music, throwbacks, entertainment and presenter-led shows.
Its core proposition is straightforward: listeners can expect a mixture of major current hits alongside songs from previous years, with the station’s presenters providing entertainment, celebrity interviews and competitions throughout the day.
The brand also has a wider family of sister stations, including Hits Radio 90s, Hits Radio 00s and Hits Radio Chilled, alongside other Hits Radio-branded services. Those stations have their own formats and playlists, so this guide focuses specifically on the main Hits Radio service.
Who are the Hits Radio presenters?
Hits Radio has a sizeable presenting team, with different voices covering breakfast, daytime, evenings, weekends and overnight programmes.
Fleur East, Will Best and James Barr
The weekday morning starts with Fleur East, Will Best and James Barr, who host Hits Radio Breakfast.
The trio are on air from 6am until 10am on weekdays, combining music with celebrity guests, competitions, entertainment and the kind of features designed to get listeners through the morning.
Fleur East is also one of the station’s best-known personalities. Alongside her radio career, she is recognised for her work in television and music. Other names on the station:
Tom Green
Former KISS presenter Tom Green takes over from breakfast, with his weekday show beginning at 10am.
His programme includes a dedicated hour of throwbacks before moving into the wider Hits Radio mix of current hits and older favourites.
Marvin Humes
Marvin Humes is another familiar face behind the microphone.
The JLS star and broadcaster has a daytime slot on Hits Radio, with the station describing his programme as the antidote to the post-lunch slump.
The current published schedule places Marvin on air from 1pm, although individual schedules can change.
Hattie Pearson
Hattie Pearson is another key voice on the daytime line-up.
The current Hits Radio schedule places Hattie on air from 1pm on the relevant published schedule, playing the station’s biggest hits and throwbacks. Schedule timings can vary, so listeners should check the station’s live schedule for the latest information.
Gemma Atkinson and Mike Toolan
From 4pm on weekdays, Gemma Atkinson and Mike Toolan take listeners through the afternoon and into the journey home.
The pair combine music with humour and entertainment, with Hits Radio describing their programme as a show featuring the biggest hits and throwbacks.
Gemma Atkinson is also well known to television audiences, while Mike Toolan has a long career in commercial radio and broadcasting.
Rob Howard
Former Heart presenter Rob Howard takes over during the evening, with his current weekday slot running Monday to Thursday from 7pm until 10pm.
Sam Thompson
Sam Thompson is another of the station’s major entertainment names.
His role includes the evening output and the station’s chart programming. On Sundays, he counts down the UK’s biggest 40 hits in the Hits UK Chart, beginning at 4pm according to Hits Radio’s presenter information.
Thompson is particularly associated with celebrity interviews and entertainment coverage, making his programme an important part of Hits Radio’s personality-led output.
Kimberly Wyatt
Kimberly Wyatt, best known internationally as a member of the Pussycat Dolls, is also part of the Hits Radio presenting line-up.
She hosts a Sunday evening programme from 7pm, with a particular focus on noughties favourites alongside Hits Radio’s wider mix of music and entertainment.
Niall Gray
Niall Gray takes listeners into the weekend with Friday and Saturday Night Hits.
His show begins from 7pm, featuring a mix of major hits, throwbacks and celebrity guests.
Maxine Knight
Maxine Knight is part of the station’s evening and late-night presenting roster, with the current schedule placing her on air from 10pm on the relevant weekday schedule.
Jennie Longdon
Jennie Longdon provides overnight company for listeners, with Hits Radio describing her as keeping listeners company through the night.
Matt Crabb
Matt Crabb is another member of the Hits Radio presenting team, with his shows centred around the station’s combination of its biggest hits and throwbacks.
Other Hits Radio presenters
The station’s wider presenter directory also features Owen Warner, JB Gill, Alec Feldman, Mary Mandefield, Sarah-Jane Crawford, Scott Clarke, Stephanie Hirst, Steve Furnell, Wes Butters and Will Best, among others. Some presenters have specific weekend, specialist or cover roles, meaning the line-up is broader than the core weekday schedule.
It is worth noting that Hits Radio’s online A-Z directory can include presenters associated with other services within the wider Hits Radio family. For example, Joel Ross is specifically identified there as Hits Radio 00s, rather than part of the main Hits Radio service.
What music does Hits Radio play?
The clue is in the station’s slogan: The Biggest Hits. The Biggest Throwbacks.
Hits Radio’s playlist is built around a mixture of contemporary popular music and established favourites from previous years.
That means a typical listening session can move between current chart music and recognisable songs from the past, rather than concentrating exclusively on either new releases or one particular decade.
The station also gives listeners access to its online recently played playlist, allowing them to see which songs have been played and check back through the music output.
See the latest Hits Radio playlist
The playlist is particularly useful if you hear a song in the car or on a smart speaker but miss the artist or title announcement.
What’s on the Hits Radio schedule?
The main Hits Radio schedule is built around a mixture of named personality shows and music-led programmes.
A current weekday schedule includes:
| Time | Programme |
|---|---|
| 1am | Mary Mandefield |
| 6am | Hits Radio Breakfast with Fleur East, Will & James |
| 10am | The Hits Radio Throwback |
| 11am | Tom Green |
| 1pm | Marvin Humes |
| 4pm | Gemma Atkinson & Mike Toolan |
| 7pm | Rob Howard |
| 10pm | Maxine Knight |
The exact schedule can change according to the day, with weekends featuring different presenters and specialist programming. The station’s online schedule is therefore the best place to check the latest programme times.
Check the current Hits Radio schedule
One of the station’s recurring features is its emphasis on throwbacks, including dedicated programming such as The Hits Radio Throwback.
How can you listen to Hits Radio?
There are several ways to listen to Hits Radio, whether you’re at home, in the car or out and about.
FM
Hits Radio is available on FM in a number of areas, with frequencies varying depending on where you live.
For example, Hits Radio Manchester broadcasts on 103.0 FM, while Hits Radio Liverpool can be heard on 96.7 FM and Hits Radio South Wales on 96.4 FM. Hits Radio London is also available on 100 FM.
DAB
Hits Radio is also widely available on DAB and DAB+ services across the UK, although the exact service name and availability varies by area.
In Leicestershire, for example, the service is listed as Hits Radio UK on DAB.
Online
Listeners can stream Hits Radio through the station’s website.
Rayo app
Hits Radio is also available through Rayo, Bauer Media’s radio and audio app.
The app allows listeners to stream Hits Radio on compatible smartphones and access the wider range of content available through the platform.
Smart speakers
You can also ask a compatible smart speaker to “Play Hits Radio”. Local versions may require the listener to specify their area, such as “Play Hits Radio Manchester” or “Play Hits Radio London”.
In the car
For drivers, Hits Radio can be accessed through FM and DAB where available, while the Rayo app can also be connected to a vehicle via Bluetooth or USB.
What is Hits Radio Live?
Hits Radio Live takes the radio station’s music output out of the studio and puts it in front of a live audience.
The event brings together major music acts for large-scale arena shows, with the station’s presenters helping to host the evenings.
The next Hits Radio Live events take place in November 2026, with two arena shows planned.
The first is at bp pulse LIVE in Birmingham on Friday 20 November 2026, followed by Co-op Live in Manchester on Saturday 21 November 2026. Tickets are currently on sale.
The artists performing at each event are being revealed by Hits Radio, with the Birmingham line-up due to be announced from 7am on Friday 25 September and the Manchester line-up from 7am on Monday 28 September.
That means listeners who want to know which stars will take to the stage will need to keep an eye on Hits Radio’s broadcasts and website as the announcements are made.
Find out more about Hits Radio Live 2026
Is Hits Radio different from Hits Radio 90s and Hits Radio 00s?
Yes.
Although they sit within the wider Hits Radio family, Hits Radio 90s and Hits Radio 00s are separate sister stations, each built around music from their respective decades.
Hits Radio itself has a broader contemporary-and-throwbacks format, while the sister stations are more specifically focused on their individual musical eras.
Other sister services include Hits Radio Chilled, which focuses on more laid-back music.
So if you want the main Hits Radio mix of current hits, throwbacks, entertainment and personality-led programmes, make sure you’re listening to the main Hits Radio service rather than one of the decade or specialist stations.
The biggest hits. The biggest throwbacks.
Hits Radio is built around a relatively simple formula: big current songs, familiar throwbacks and big-name presenters.
Its appeal goes beyond the music, however. With Fleur East, Will Best and James Barr on breakfast, Gemma Atkinson and Mike Toolan at drive time, Sam Thompson among its major entertainment personalities and a broad supporting roster across evenings and weekends, the station puts considerable emphasis on personality and celebrity-led content.
And with Hits Radio Live returning to Birmingham and Manchester in November 2026, the brand increasingly exists beyond the radio itself, giving listeners the opportunity to see some of the artists they hear on the station performing live in an arena setting.
Whether you listen through FM, DAB, online, your smart speaker or the Rayo app, Hits Radio remains focused on the same promise: the biggest hits and the biggest throwbacks.
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