GREG James has been a fixture on the nation’s airwaves for almost two decades, and has presented the BBC Radio 1 Breakfast Show since 2018.
As the heroic host takes on yet another gruelling Comic Relief challenge, here’s everything you need to know about his mum and dad.
Who are Greg James’ parents Alan and Rosemary?
Greg James was born Gregory James Alan Milward in Lewisham, London, to parents Rosemary and Alan Milward.
Both worked as teachers – his dad was a headteacher, while his mum taught PE and history before becoming special-needs teacher.
In 2017, speaking about his parents’ profession, Greg told the Guardian: “I get my sportiness from my mum. She is very athletic and still keen on keeping fit.
“She would borrow school PE equipment and we would do sportsday stuff in the garden. I would make Mum play cricket with me, but my dad was the one I watched it with.”
He added: “My parents are both funny. My dad taught English and drama and I suppose I get my love of performing – and of writing – from him. He would do silly voices and physical comedy.
“My mum is more shy. She is the acerbic one, occasionally coming up with an absolute corker. I hope I’m somewhere right in the middle.”
Greg has an older sister called Catherine.
He said of her: “Making my sister laugh is one of my favourite things to do.
“Unlike me, she has a ‘real’ job at a bank – she is incredibly successful, the brains of the family. She is 10 years older than me.
“Mum had a hard time trying to have a second child and I was sort of their last attempt. I was a poorly baby but survived, clearly.
“I’m told I was a sweet toddler that everyone adored – but by her own admission, when she was a teenager, Catherine absolutely hated me.”
What is Greg James’ Comic Relief cycle challenge?
Radio 1’s Longest Ride for Comic Relief will see Greg James cover 1,000 kilometres — around 630 miles — across eight days on a tandem bike.
In an interview before setting off, he said: “This is one of those things that needs to be a challenge.
“And there is an element of this which I think I might not do it. But I will try my very best.
“There’s no sort of foregone conclusion of this. This is not, like oh, this will be easy, I’ll see you in eight days.
“This will be difficult. But I’m focused. I’m ready.”
He started in Weymouth, Dorset, at around 8.30am on Friday, March 13, 2026, and will finish in Edinburgh on Friday, March 20 – Red Nose Day.
He is spending up to eight hours in the saddle each day, covering roughly 125 kilometres per session.
The bike, named Tando Norris after Formula One world champion Lando Norris, was hand-built for Greg by Mercian Cycles of Derby, one of Britain’s longest-established custom frame makers.
Various Radio 1 presenters, special guests and listeners will join Greg and ride pillion with him at different points along the route.
On day three of the gruelling challenge, he received a sweet message from his mum saying: “Hello sweetheart, it’s Mother’s Day, and I’m so lucky to be your mum.
“You make me proud every day. But I’m especially proud of the courage and determination you showed in tackling this massive challenge.
“You know how much I love you, and you know that I will be with you every inch of the way. Keep going, darling. You can do this.”
The challenge carries personal weight too.
Greg revealed that his beloved dad had suffered a stroke following heart surgery.
It was his dad who convinced him to take part in his latest fundraising challenge.
Speaking from his bike, Greg said: “[Dad] really wanted me to do this challenge…so I’ve been training my t**s off for it, and he knows that, and he knows how much it means to me, so this Comic Relief challenge, 1,000km on a tandem, from Weymouth to Edinburgh, I’m up for it.“
After hearing the devastating news, the BBC Radio 1 DJ cancelled his show on Friday, March 6, to be with his family.
On returning to his breakfast show, he said: “On Thursday night, we found out that, sadly, the operation didn’t go to plan, and he had a stroke, which is really s**t.
“He’s steady at the minute, and I guess slowly but surely improving a bit, but it’s pretty f***ing bleak.”
He confirmed his dad was “doing okay” and is “still with us”,
Greg told listeners: “Thank you to Sam and Danni for Friday, as there was a slight mishap with my dad.
“My dad’s not very well at the minute.
“I know that he would want me to get back on the show. And he’s still with us, which is good!
“I’ve had a terrible time. My dad’s not very well. Not very well at all. And it’s horrible.”
Greg later gave an update on his dad, known affectionately as “Big Al”, saying he is “fighting hard” and taking “small steps” towards recovery.
Radio 1’s Longest Ride for Comic Relief is Greg’s third Comic Relief challenge.
In 2016, he completed the Gregathlon, finishing five triathlons in five consecutive days and raising over £1million.
Two years later, he took on Pedal to the Peaks, cycling to and climbing Scafell Pike, Snowdon and Ben Nevis — also raising more than £1 million.
He exclusively told The Sun: “The last 600 metres of that mountain, I will never ever do that again. I was terrified. I genuinely thought I was going to die.
“There was a moment where all the mountaineers were blown over by a seventy mile per hour gust and all you looked down on was an icy ridge to nothing.
“I was like I shouldn’t be out here. I’m not trained for this.”
