People should “inconvenience” themselves more often, helping others rather than always focusing on themselves, according to the Radio 1 presenter Greg James.
To make his point, he is putting himself to the inconvenience next month of a 1,000-kilometre (621-mile) bicycle journey around Britain to raise money for Comic Relief. He will be riding a tandem, with celebrities and listeners taking their turn on the back.
James, 40, said he believed in going out of your way for other people, explaining: “On a small level, it’s good to put yourself out there and go to your friend’s birthday on the other side of town. That’s a good thing to do. Even if you feel uncomfortable. You should go on the walk that your dog wants to go on, even if it’s annoying for you and it’s raining.”
It will be his third big challenge for the charity. In 2018, he raised £1 million by cycling between and climbing Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis, the highest peaks in England, Wales and Scotland. In 2016, he raised £800,000 by completing five triathlons in five days.
James on his bicycle again for a gruelling challenge in 2018
He sees Comic Relief and Red Nose Day, which takes place on March 20, as being in “direct opposition” to the prevailing mindset in a world which he believes is increasingly self-obsessed. “There’s a writer who is much smarter than me who wrote about the idea that we all love the idea of living in a village. We get uncomfortable at the idea of being a villager.”
He said that the “unofficial tagline” for his journey was: “Be a good villager.”
The 1,000km cycle ride will begin in Weymouth, Dorset on March 13, and end in Edinburgh on March 20. The route will take him through the Midlands, the northwest and northeast of England, and also dip into Wales. It is designed to be daunting.
He said: “I do think [Instagram self-care] can go too far … you don’t always have to protect your boundaries. You should inconvenience yourself a bit to help a neighbour. To go and volunteer at the local school and teach some kids. Or just do some fundraising or take the bins out to the old lady next door. I do really think that those things are important. Community and just being less obsessed with yourself, really.”
James, who has been cycling on an indoor spinning machine while watching TV shows such as Heated Rivalry, said: “I need to feel like it’s a challenge that I’m intimidated by. It also needs to feel and look massive and like something that no one would really want to do and also it needs to be entertaining and fun, but not for me … the listeners really love it when I’m uncomfortable or I’m challenged somehow.”
He cycled between and climbed Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis in a previous challenge
He said he was going to ask his colleagues for some tips on endurance. His fellow radio presenter Sara Cox raised £11.5 million in November by running 135 miles for BBC Children in Need.
There will be a rotating cast on the back of the tandem. James’s dream partners range from Joe Marler, the former rugby player who recently appeared in The Celebrity Traitors, to pop icons. “I notice that Harry Styles has an album out around that time so I wondered whether Mr Marathon Man wouldn’t mind sitting on the back of the bike with me,” James said.
Styles regularly donates money to charity. For every ticket sold to his 2026 UK stadium show he gave £1 to small music venues. He has run at least two marathons. He completed the Berlin Marathon in September in an impressive 2 hours and 59 minutes.
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James wants the listeners to get involved too, and hopes some of them will be pedalling on the back with him for part of the journey.
The breakfast show presenter said part of what he valued about doing a public endurance challenge was that it opened up conversations about mental wellbeing.
ACK MARGERISON/COMIC RELIEF
During his first challenge in 2016, James said there was a “seismic shift” in his relationship with the public after he admitted how hard he was finding the ride mentally as well as physically. “It was the first time I experienced the listeners being completely honest about their vulnerabilities or their depression or their anxiety. Like when a friend confides in you, it does tend to bring you closer,” he said.
Since then James has been open about the subject and has written about supporting his wife, the author Bella Mackie, who has obsessive compulsive disorder. In her book, Jog On, she wrote about how running helped her deal with anxiety and OCD.
James said: “The conversations I have with Bella are sometimes: ‘Do you need me to get in the trenches with you? Or do you need some time alone? Do you need me to remind you to call your friends? Do you need me to call your mum?’”
For now, he is focused on training and finding the perfect saddle to mitigate soreness. “I’ll just be in dad Lycra for a lot of it. I’ll be ‘Cycle Dad’. Hopefully, there’s some nice flecks of Comic Relief red throughout the whole [kit].”
He added: “This is one of those ones where you can’t sort of wing it … I don’t underestimate how hard this will be. I’ve done a couple of comedy challenges before and this one is the maddest.”