RADIO 1's Mark and Lard -- dumped from the Breakfast Show after their listeners deserted them -- are today being hailed as one of the station's biggest success stories.

Former Bolton School pupil Mark Radcliffe and his sidekick Marc "Lard" Riley have enticed a further 490,000 listeners to their afternoon slot.

Yet in 1997, the double act were booted from Radio 1's Breakfast Show when audience figures plummeted. Zoe Ball was drafted in along with Kevin Greening.

Today an insider said: "The pair have found a real niche for themselves in the afternoon and it's helped to put Radio 1 in a strong position."

The successful figures were revealed in the latest quarterly radio audience report, compiled by industry body Radio Joint Audience Research (Rajar).

And there was also good news for Sara Cox, the current breakfast show host.

The former Canon Slade pupil saw her audience figures rocket by 390,000 on the same time last year when previous incumbent Zoe Ball was at the helm.

Sara said: "It's been a huge year for Radio 1. The station had a successful summer and, like in Bolton, we had great One Big Sundays which saw a quarter of a million people tune in.

"Mark and the boy Lard are leading the charge and we all kneel at their afternoon alter."

Mark and Lard's Manchester-based show now attracts an audience of 5.3 million every day with their mix of music and off-the-wall humour.

Their rise in status has also been noted by industry insiders and they have so far walked off with two prestigious annual Sony prizes.

Radio 1 as a whole gained 300,000 listeners over the year, giving it 11.5 million listeners, and a 11pc share of the market. Sara Cox Mark Radcliffe