Fans of the Radio 1 Breakfast show with Greg James will be able to take part in a first-of-its-kind live, interactive voice-activated radio feature next week.
The radio host announced to his listeners that they will be able to compete directly against American pop punk bank blink-182 during a feature called ‘What’s My Age Again?’ on Monday morning.
The new feature, an experiment created by the in-house BBC Voice + AI team, will allow listeners with an Alexa-enabled smart speakers to play along in real-time against Greg and the band as they try to guess the age of callers.
After the feature ends, listeners be taken back to listening to the rest of the show.
Greg James, presenter of the show, said: “We’ve passed pasties from Cornwall to Aberdeenshire, hid for 22 hours in the Liver Building of Liverpool, and then scaled the Grand Pier of Weston-Super-Mare to hide for 25 hours a year later.
“This time we’re taking things a step further, by bringing my show and my amazing guests all the way into listeners’ homes through the magic of technology. I am so excited to finally be able to battle every listener one-on-one – be warned, I’m super competitive!”
Mukul Devichand, executive editor for BBC Voice + AI, added: “The BBC is always pushing boundaries in everything it does, and always putting audiences first.
“We want to make radio more interactive and give our listeners a more immersive experience than they can get anywhere else.”
Listeners without an Alexa-enabled smart speaker can also play along using their mobile phones through the associated app.