BBC Radio 1 presenter Greg James has encouraged people to join his 'anti-Bartlett cult' after Dragons' Den star Steven Bartlett was mocked over saying two glasses of wine 'ruined his life for three days'. On Wednesday, the 40-year-old broadcaster slammed the joyless tech-led 'optimisation movement' encouraged by the podcast host and other influencers.
Earlier this week, a viral clip circulated of Steven on his Diary Of A CEO podcast, where he admitted that the small amount of alcohol he indulged in sabotaged the next three days. The 33-year-old businessman, who previously ditched the booze after noticing the significant impact it was having on the data on his Whoop brand, explained how the alcohol affected his sleep, diet, motivation to go to the gym and even his ability to work on his podcast.
In response to the viral clip, Greg took to social media to ask people to 'switch off' their fitness trackers and 'go and have a nice time'. He said: 'My issue is this endless optimisation and measuring of everything to the point where it starts to make you feel a bit miserable if you don't quite hit your own targets.' The broadcaster then promoted his book, describing it as 'the anti-Bartlett'.
The video has since received a wave of positive reaction from his fellow famous friends. Julia Bradbury said life is about 'progress not perfection', while Fearne Cotton chuckled: 'I genuinely sometimes podcaster better hungover.' Beverley Turner added: 'It's also outsourcing instinct to tech. These people will become deskilled at listening to their bodies.'
