Rickie Haywood-Williams is a radio host, television broadcaster and DJ, currently serving as co-presenter of Radio 1’s weekday evening show alongside Melvin Odoom and Charlie Hedges.
Famous for his wicked sense of humour, timeless style and unadulterated love of music, Williams brings his own unique brand of frivolity to the show, which since its launch back in 2019, has gone on to become a mega hit for the station, winning a legion of fans for its combination of light-hearted banter, fun artist interviews and killer playlists filled with some of todays biggest tunes.
Unknown P meets Rickie Haywood-Williams, Melvin & Charlie on BBC Radio 1
Previous to Radio 1, Rickie hosted the Kiss FM breakfast show helping the station to achieve record figures and win countless awards including a ‘Sony Gold’ for Best Breakfast Show at the prestigious Radio Academy Awards.
Away from radio, Williams has enjoyed major success in the world of television, fronting an eclectic music and entertainment shows including MTV News, Bang On The Money, Sweat The Small Stuff, Big Brother’s Big Mouth and ITV2’s official Brits Red Carpet show, as well as filming hard-hitting documentaries for BBC Three, Cannabis: Britain’s Secret Farms and My Weapon Is A Dog.
In 2021, he took part in the first ever incarnation of The Celebrity Circle in aid of Stand Up to Cancer, making it to the final of the show whilst pretending to be will.i.am.
We caught up with Rickie Haywood-Williams for the latest edition of our ‘My London’ interview series.
Favourite neighbourhood:
My favourite neighbourhood in London is the West End. I’ve worked, socialised and shopped there since I started my career in radio at the age of 22, so it always feels like home, and I know it like the back of my hand.
Favourite place for brunch:
Treehouse Hotel is great for brunch. The hotel has its own restaurant and bar which has one of the best 360° views of central London. Catch it on the right day, and the brunch party in there is like a carnival!
Best coffee in London:
This is going to sound blasphemous to a lot of people but, I actually don’t drink coffee! I honestly have no idea when it comes to lattes and mochachinos… have I even said that right?!
Favourite gallery or museum:
My partner and I stumbled across an art showroom in Carnaby Street when lockdown was lifted last summer by an artist called Sophie Tea. Her work is very contemporary, she uses a similar colour code across all of her pieces which we both fell in love with. I ended up buying one of her paintings as a birthday gift. I’ve since found out that she has a gallery of her own in Wimbledon Art Studios in SW17.
Tell us a secret:
There are two rules for success. Rule No.1 – never reveal everything you know!
Favourite place to shop:
Soho is definitely my favourite place to shop. All of the brands that you usually find in big department stores have smaller, more exclusive boutique type shops littered around the area. My favourite is Paul Smith’s shop on Beak street; it never lets me down.
Favourite place to find inspiration:
My Kitchen is where I come up with all my ideas. It’s the place where I seem to work best when I have to come up with anything creative, especially things to talk about on my Radio 1 show.
Best London destination for a date:
Restaurant Ours in South Kensington is great for a date. The vibe and decor of the venue is an experience in itself – it has a really high ceilings, amazing lighting and these incredibly tall trees inside, everything just looks brilliant… and that’s before you’ve even tasted all of their great food. The upstairs bar overlooks the restaurant, so you can enjoy the DJ, live acts and performers from all areas of the venue.
Favourite park:
Battersea Park has always been one of my favourites in London. At a really young age, we’d take day trips there together as a family, and visit the adventure playground which was always fun. Over the years I’ve used it for weekend walks, Go Ape adventures and 5-a-side football. The most beautiful aspect about it though, is that it runs along a section of the River Thames that runs out to the west of town.
Favourite food market:
I used to work in Camden town during my MTV News days, and would go to Camden Lock Market to get lunch a lot. There are so many great places to eat there, and a real mix of restaurants that offer different cuisines from all over the world, which was kind of groundbreaking back then – that kind of variety on offer wasn’t as common as it is now. As it’s such a cosmopolitan area, it’s often ahead of the curve with trends before they become mainstream – they have a lot of amazing Vegan places to eat at now, that were some of the first to open in London.
Your sanctuary in the city:
My sanctuary in the city has often been the Ham Yard Hotel in Soho. When I presented the breakfast show for Kiss FM I would stay there all the time as it was a 5 minute walk to the studio… which was always handy for me on mornings after nights like the BRITS, because it meant I could stay up super late and party, without having to worry about getting up early and having to do a long commute into work! The hotel itself is also really great and has some amazing features; like a hidden roof garden, an in house bowling alley and bedrooms the size of an apartment!
What inspires you?
Having a great view! I love being high above the buildings around me, and being able to see for miles around. Being high up really makes me feel inspired whether during work, rest or play.
This season I’m loving…
I’m still loving the resurgence of the bomber jacket! It’s definitely the one item of clothing that I end up wearing the most on a day-to-day basis. I think that’s because, for me, they are so comfortable and can be dressed up or down quite easily. I’ve got them in suede, smooth leather, nubuck – some with and some without collars… I think I maybe have a problem in this department!
