![\"Host](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/0_greg-james.jpg\")
<\/p>\nYou’d have to listen hard to figure out this BBC Radio 1 caller isn’t actually from Exeter \u2013 but he is actually an A-list celebrity that most people would recognise<\/p>\n
Sophie Roberts Head of Social Newsdesk<\/p>\n
09:33, 12 Feb 2026<\/p>\n
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Host Gregg James was surprised by the celebrity guest<\/p>\n
When a caller rang in to BBC Radio 1<\/a>, the hosts didn’t initially recognise his famous voice.<\/p>\n Myles Smith and Greg James<\/a> took a call from someone who went by the name of ‘Steve’ and claimed to be from Exeter<\/a>. The whole point of the segment was to guess Steve’s age by asking him a series of questions.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Both were wrong \u2013 as the caller revealed he’s actually 32. This wasn’t the biggest bombshell though.<\/p>\n It turns out, the cheeky listener was actually Niall Horan<\/a> and not Steve from Exeter. But people think the One Direction star did a great job at disguising his voice.<\/p>\n Content cannot be displayed without consent<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n A third gushed: “The accent was really good!” And a fourth added: “I want to know has Niall ever been to Exeter?”<\/p>\n 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.”<\/p>\n While Exeter may have seemed like a random answer from Niall, the popular singer is a fan of the South West.<\/p>\n Fans have spotted him walking around Devon<\/a> in the past. He has been a visitor of the popular South Hams<\/a> seaside resort, which is known for attracting plenty of other A-list celebrities too.<\/p>\n However, Niall was born in Mullingar. He was raised in this county town in County Westmeath, Ireland, and is proud of his roots.<\/p>\n 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<\/p>\n