Radio 1 star Greg James joked that The Glades was the best thing to happen to Bromley while talking on his breakfast show.

Talking on BBC Radio 1, the DJ discussed what the best and most exciting thing to happen to listeners' towns was.

Discussing Bromley and his childhood, James shared the excitement of the town for The Glades shopping centre when it first opened in 1991 with Newsbeat presenter Calum Leslie.

James described the arrival of The Glades as "seismic" sharing: "Huge, massive shopping centre."

The DJ added: "If you speak to anyone about Bromley, they'll go 'Oh yeah, The Glades'".

James went on to remember that the shopping centre arrival was likely on the front of the News Shopper.

He explained: "I think it was front page news of the News Shopper. I think honestly it was."

The Radio 1 Breakfast host added: "That was the local newspaper, the News Shopper, which used to be delivered for my mum."

You can hear the full exchange on BBC Sounds. 

James grew up in Bromley before moving to Bishop's Stortford in Hertfordshire with his family.

He began his radio career on hospital radio before graduating from the University of East Anglia and later joining BBC Radio 1.

In 2018, James took over the Breakfast Show from its former host Nick Grimshaw.

Away from radio, James also hosts two popular sports podcasts, with Tailenders focused on cricket and featuring co-hosts Jimmy Anderson and Felix White.


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Plus, the broadcaster also hosts the F1-focused podcast, The Fast and the Curious alongside Betty Glover and Christian Hewgill.

Along with his work on radio and podcasting, James is an acclaimed children's author writing the 'Kid Normal' books with his friend Chris Smith.

Recently, the two wrote a sequel book to Roald Dahl's classic The Twits, with The Twits Next Door.