Greg James says his dog Barney sounds like a Mercedes

Car-mad Greg James has joked his beloved dog Barney is an “AMG labrador” after declaring his growl sounds like a Mercedes engine.

The Radio 1 DJ regularly shares posts of his black labrador on social media but saved this audio note for when he took the chance to open up about his lifelong love of motors.

The clip includes James telling his wife Bella Mackie that their pet sounds like a Mercedes AMG – something the co-hosts of motoring podcast Fueling Around agreed with.

“Here’s a great bit of content that I haven’t been able to use on Radio 1 that I can use here, in this moment, and I just want you to double check that I’ve not gone mad,” the breakfast show host told former Radio 1 star ‘Comedy’ Dave Vitty and retired British Touring Car Championship (BTCC) racer and TV personality Jason Plato.

“I think my dog growls in the same frequency as an AMG from about 2016. Isn’t that amazing? He’s an AMG labrador. I think that’s why I haven’t really talked too much about cars on Radio 1 because I don’t think anyone is really that interested.”

A chuckling Vitty agreed with James’ bizarre claim while a laughing Plato added: “It does, yeah, it’s on tickover now. That’s a car.”

As well as talking about his radio career and writing children’s books during his appearance on the award winning podcast he also discussed his passion for cars that includes his first, his mum’s Renault Clio, a bought, improved and then sold Mercedes 420SL and his current drive, an E34 BMW M5.

“The only thing I ever wanted to do was be on the radio and pass my driving test,” the Tailenders podcast host added.

“So my life peaked, either when I was 17 or 21, and I’ve been looking for a new high ever since! I’m never really happier than when I’m sat in a car just on a drive or on a road trip. I know that’s not a unique thing for many people. People who love cars and are petrolheads, or electric heads these days, you just know that feeling.

“It’s the ultimate freedom and I still find it really exciting. I don’t know why I’ve never really talked that publicly about how much I love cars, maybe Radio 1 had something to do with it and that you feel like you can’t a little bit because it’s not anything to do with music or comedy. But it’s always been a huge part of my private, or real life. I’ve always been fascinated by cars,” he said.