IT'S official - Bolton is taking over Radio One.

When Sara Cox launched her eagerly awaited breakfast show three days early yesterday, she was soon followed by Mark Radcliffe on his afternoon show.

It means that Bolton is the only town in the country to have two daytime DJ's on the nation's most listened to radio station.

And Mark Radcliffe, a former Bolton School student, is delighted.

He said: "It's about time we put Bolton on the map. At this rate we'll be taking over Radio One. They'll have to relocate here from London."

Sara and Mark didn't know each other when they both lived in the town.

But since she landed Radio One's top job, Mark has had plenty of in-depth discussions with her about important things like pasties.

He said: "I first met Sara at a Radio One Roadshow in Heaton Park last year.

"We had a chat about Bolton and which was the best pastie shop in town. The controller of Radio One asked me about the best pubs in Bolton so he could impress Sara because he was thinking of asking her to do the breakfast show.

"I told him a load of stuff, all lies. But she still agreed to do the job."

But Mark, aged 41, had the mammoth task of taking over from Chris Evans in January 1997, but the listening figures fell sharply and he was replaced by Zoe Ball.

Mark, who presents the show with his faithful sidekick Mark Riley, wasn't too bothered. He's now got the afternoon slot, which means a lie-in.

He thinks Sara will do better on the breakfast show because of her image.

"You need to be on the London circuit and be in the tabloids all the time," said Mark, who actively shy's away from the limelight and lives the quiet life with his wife in South Manchester.

He said: "Chris Evans raised the stakes of the breakfast show and made it a tabloid spectator sport.

"Sara lives a much more glamorous lifestyle, she has a boyfriend in the Prodidgy and she might just be a little bit more trendier than me."

Bosses at Radio One are certainly hoping Sara's party lifestyle and her friendship with Zoe Ball will wow the listeners. But she's got a hard task because Zoe got more listeners than any other breakfast show DJ.

It's going to be tough act to follow, says Mark, but if anyone can do it, Sara can.

He said: "I've met her about five or six times now and she is a great girl. The breakfast show is a tough job but I am sure she will be more than a success.

"The more Northerner's on the radio the better."

Sara's proud mum Jackie Costello and step-dad Ken, who live in Little Lever, will be tuning in on Monday morning at 6.30am to listen to her hit the airways.

And loyally they will also be tuning in at 6.30am on Tuesday.

But after that?

Jackie laughed: "We will tune in when we wake up.

It's a daunting task but it's not like she's been plucked from obscurity.

"She told me in mid-December and it was announced on the 20th. I kept quiet with great difficulty."

Sara is well known in Astley Bridge, where Jackie and Ken ran Astley Bridge Conservative Club and the Pineapple.

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