Union JACK radio has announced the launch of a new 10-part comedic interview series starring some of the country’s greatest athletes and sports stars, and co-hosted by some of the nation’s favourite comedians. Conceived and produced by Offside Productions Media, creator of award-winning football podcast The Offside Rule, the new show entitled The Show Must Go On will deliver a sporting occasion with a comedic twist.
Guests confirmed to date include Olympic medalist and Team GB Sailor Luke Patience, Olympic Sprinter Asha Philip, Paralympic athletes Kadeena Cox and Sam Ruddock, Team GB Footballers Leah Williamson and Lucy Bronze, and Racing Driver Jamie Chadwick. In an entertaining twist, all interviews will be co-hosted by a comedian, with confirmed names including Justin Moorhouse, Patrick Monahan, Zoe Lyons, Paul Sinha and Athena Kugblenu, alongside renowned broadcaster and presenter, Lynsey Hooper.
The Show Must Go On launches weekly at 11am from this Saturday 2 May, with each interview available to download as a podcast immediately after. The first interview will be with Team GB Sailor Luke Patience alongside comedian Justin Moorhouse, with all shows also airing on sister national station, JACK Radio.
With all live sport and comedy cancelled for the foreseeable future due to the coronavirus pandemic, The Show Must Go On has been created to help plug the gap in the meantime, putting the spotlight back on the athletes and performers who should have been lighting up our screens and stages at events this summer. Guests will share their own experiences of life on lockdown, their coping strategies during isolation, and how they’ve been keeping themselves entertained, together with some of their personal music, film and TV choices; with input from the comedian co-host ensuring that the finished product is lighthearted, witty and entertaining.
All guests will also take part in a special comedian vs athlete ‘Home Decathlon Challenge’, which will see them tasked to perform a number of activities that listeners can also try at home, such as toilet-roll keepie-uppies. Video footage of the ‘Home Decathlon Challenge’ will have commentary provided by renowned impressionist Josh Berry, resulting in a comical and highly shareable asset for fans to engage with online.
The Show Must Go On has been supported by the Audio Content Fund and has all been recorded remotely. The show’s producer, Lynsey Hooper of Offside Media Productions, said: “We are so grateful to the Audio Content Fund for supporting this project, and to Union JACK Radio and JACK Radio for agreeing to broadcast it. 2020 has seen live sport and comedy fall off a cliff, and we wanted to create a reason to put the stars of these industries back in the spotlight and to get to know the real people behind the headlines. The combination of sport and comedy has resulted in a programme that is informative, funny and a really good listen, while the ‘Home Decathlon Challenge’ provides some fun that the audience at home can join in with too.”
Giles Gear, Programme Manager of Union JACK radio, added: “The combination of comedy and sport has resulted in a concept that has a natural home on Union JACK radio, which prides itself on delivering the very best of British comedy. We’re delighted to be partnering with Offside Media Productions to bring fans of sport and comedy a really unique listen.”
Union JACK radio has become known as the ‘Home of Great British Comedy”, where its unique focus on bespoke comedy content, investment in up-and-coming talent, collaboration with household-name comedians and delivery of content from the country’s leading comedic events has earned it an army of fans and a nomination for ‘Best National Station’ at the recent UK Radio Awards.
The Show Must Go On can be heard on Union JACK radio and JACK Radio every Saturday at 11am, and will be available as a podcast immediately afterwards.
Listen on DAB, online, or via the Union JACK or JACK Radio App.
