You’d have to listen hard to figure out this BBC Radio 1 caller isn’t actually from Exeter – but he is actually an A-list celebrity that most people would recognise
Sophie Roberts Head of Social Newsdesk
09:33, 12 Feb 2026
Host Gregg James was surprised by the celebrity guest
When a caller rang in to BBC Radio 1, the hosts didn’t initially recognise his famous voice.
Myles Smith and Greg James took a call from someone who went by the name of ‘Steve’ and claimed to be from Exeter. The whole point of the segment was to guess Steve’s age by asking him a series of questions.
They quizzed ‘Steve’ on his cooking skills and TV preferences, before guessing how old he is. Greg went for 26, while Myles thought he was chatting to 36 year old.
Both were wrong – as the caller revealed he’s actually 32. This wasn’t the biggest bombshell though.
It turns out, the cheeky listener was actually Niall Horan and not Steve from Exeter. But people think the One Direction star did a great job at disguising his voice.
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One posted hand clapping emojis and said: “He does sound like us from the South West.” Another agreed, writing: “Omg I heard this on the radio this morning and didn’t even realise it was Niall.”
A third gushed: “The accent was really good!” And a fourth added: “I want to know has Niall ever been to Exeter?”
Some eagle-eyed listeners did spot something up with the South West accent. When the popular singer said ’32’, people could detect an Irish lilt in there. One viewer laughed: “The way you could still hear the Irish slip.”
While Exeter may have seemed like a random answer from Niall, the popular singer is a fan of the South West.
Fans have spotted him walking around Devon in the past. He has been a visitor of the popular South Hams seaside resort, which is known for attracting plenty of other A-list celebrities too.
However, Niall was born in Mullingar. He was raised in this county town in County Westmeath, Ireland, and is proud of his roots.
His early musical influences include Irish folk music, as well as classic rock and pop artists. He began playing guitar as a child and performed locally before auditioning for The X Factor UK in 2010
During the ITV talent show, he was grouped with four other contestants to form the highly successful boy band of One Direction.
After the band’s hiatus, Niall launched a thriving solo career. He has achieved two UK Number 1 solo albums – Heartbreak Weather (2020) and The Show (2023).