The station launched on 8 November 2024 and plays a wide range of music and acts supported by the main Radio 1 network in the 2000s and 2010s.

This allowed the station to offer a variety of playlist-style shows on BBC Sounds, which was launched in 2018[3] and identified as a strategic priority by the BBC to expand the platform's audience.

In February 2024, the corporation announced plans to launch three new spin-offs, pending public consultation and regulatory approval: one from Radio 1 for “music from the 2000s and 2010s, catering to the appetite from young audiences for recent nostalgia”; one from Radio 2, with “a distinctive take on pop nostalgia’ from the 50s, 60s and 70s”; and one from Radio 3 for “calming classical music”.

[2] Aled Haydn Jones, Head of Radio 1, said: “Radio 1 Anthems is going to be a great nostalgic trip for our young audience, and to make it happen we’re going to be giving some new opportunities to people from across the UK.

Radio 1 plays a crucial role in developing new talent for the entire industry, and we can’t wait to bring this new offer for our listeners to enjoy and discover.”[citation needed] Programming on the stream will be existing on-demand content from BBC Radio 1 and BBC Sounds.