As BBC Radio 1 bosses have been at pains to stress at the end of every quarter, RAJAR results are only “one part of the story”, in a world of YouTube and social media.

But after the station dipped to a weekly reach of 9.1 million earlier this year, its commitment to that ethos was pushed to the limit.

The continued decline prompted its controller Ben Cooper to pledge a back-to-basics approach, with a renewed emphasis on the “listen” aspect ...