Greg James says he was hit by a bus and told to ‘shut up’ by the driver

Greg James has recalled being hit “in the head” by a bus and then berated by the driver.

The Radio 1 DJ and presenter appearing on the How To Fail podcast when he shared the anecdote with host Elizabeth Day.

“I got really cross at a bus driver once. I was waiting for a bus because I’m incredibly down to earth and take the bus,” the 37-year-old said. “He swooped in so quickly he hit my head. He actually hit my head.

“I was on the pavement and I went, ‘Mate, you just hit me in the head with your bus’. He went, ‘Oh shut up.’

“I said, ‘What do you mean shut up? You hit me with your bus, look how big your bus is.’”

Elsewhere in the episode, James spoke about suffering from self-doubt and the pressures of hosting one of the nation’s biggest breakfast radio shows.

“Transport problems aside, the darkness comes when I’m tired, stressed and over-worked,” he said. “I have really horrible moments of crippling self-doubt sometimes.

“But I think they’re normal and it’s good to talk about these things. There are times where I feel I can’t do it.”

James continued: “I wake up and think, ‘How am I going to do this show today? Am I any good? I’ve been doing it for ages, maybe I should be doing something else’.”

James took over from Nick Grimshaw on the Radio 1 breakfast slot in 2018. In an interview with The Independent, James admitted that he almost quit the show in 2021 during the pandemic.

“I had a conversation with my boss and I was just like ‘I can’t do it anymore,’” James said.

“I can’t pretend to be happy when I’m sad and everyone else is sad. The team and I were just like, ‘How do we keep this going while we’re worrying about all the other things in our lives?’”

The presenter said he was talked down from leaving by his producer, who told him that everyone was struggling with their mental health while lockdown restrictions were in place.

James has worked at Radio 1 since 2007, when he initially presented early breakfast on Friday and covered for other presenters. He later moved to the drivetime show, which he hosted from 2012 to 2018.