Journalism alumna Darci Jackson becomes Salford's ninth BBC Radio 1 Christmas Presenter

Darci Jackson, is the ninth Salford student/graduate to secure a place on the prestigious scheme since it launched six years ago, and will make her debut in the coming weeks.

The BA Journalism (Broadcast) alumna graduated in July 2025 and was a prominent presenter for Shock Radio, one of the University’s two radio stations and for Quays TV. The 21-year-old also co-runs the music magazine Dizzy which she co-founded last year and also undertakes a range of freelance presenting roles, most notably with Billboard and DIY Magazine.

For her final project, Darci created a three-part documentary series called ‘Her Story’, which focused on a number of women within the music industry, featuring artists, bands, promoters and photographers.

She said: "It still feels weird to say [that I'm a BBC Radio 1 Christmas presenter]. It feels like I'm in a dream and I think it will only feel real when the episodes air!

“This has always been a dream of mine since I started doing radio, so it's pretty surreal for that to now be happening and to be on BBC Radio 1 Anthems playing all the songs I grew up with is special too.”

Alongside her upcoming debut, which will air on BBC Radio 1 Anthems Discovery, Darci will also host a number of shows for the programme in the new year. 

Andrew Fletcher, a Lecturer in Journalism, mentored Darci for her final project and said that her passion for music journalism shone through during her studies, as she seized every opportunity possible to cover music stories on news days.

He said: “It’s great to hear that Darci has landed this role with BBC Radio 1 and it shows that when students take advantage of the opportunities on the course to cover the stories that they are really interested in, it leads to great opportunities within the industry after they’ve graduated.

“Darci will be great for Radio 1 because she’s a natural and very authentic presenter. Her passion for music really comes through in all the presenting that she does. She loves talking about music, going to gigs, talking to the musicians and find out what makes them tick, so she’s a natural fit.”

Darci joins a prestigious list of Salford graduates who have presented at the national BBC Radio 1 station and been a part of the Christmas Presenters scheme.

Last year, Matt Hallsworth secured a slot which then led to him securing a month’s contract with BBC Radio 1 Anthems. He is now an Assistant Producer at Absolute Radio.

He was joined in 2024 by fellow alumni Cushlá Rice (Q Radio presenter) and Marlon Camacho (Assistant Producer and Presenter on BBC Radio 1 Extra and BBC Radio Manchester).

They followed in the footsteps of current BBC Radio 1 presenter Vicky Hawkesworth (2020), R&B artist Victoria Jane (2020), freelance audio producer Ellen Macleod (2020), radio presenter Priya Matharu (2019) and Bauer Media presenter Evanna Maxted (2022).