Guests including Christopher Biggins, Suzi Ruffell, Basil Brush and Shappi Khorsandi will offer their opinions on Union JACK radio’s new comedy show Asking for a Friend, hosted by Channel 4’s Balls of Steel star Mark Dolan. The show launches this Sunday 29 September at 11am, and can be heard weekly; it will also be available to download as a podcast immediately afterwards.
The panel – which includes three guests per show hosted by Dolan – will set out to finally answer some of life’s big unanswered questions, all of which have suggested by Union JACK’s audience. Listeners should expect to hear comedic attempts at answering musings such as, “are vegans rubbish people?”, “at what stage in a relationship can you fart in bed?” and “is holding a door for a women sexist?”, most of which result in multiple moments of toe-curling hilarity.
The full line-up of guests also includes Iain Dale, Anne Hegerty, Marcus Brigstocke, Hal Cruttenden, Suzi Ruffell, Simon Brodkin, Geoff Lloyd, Konstantin Kisin, Lucie Pohl, Steve N Allen, Maria Shehata, Rosie Jones, Lauren Booth and Joe Bor.
Host Mark Dolan said: “I’m hugely excited about hosting Asking for a Friend and cannot wait to sink my teeth into listeners’ fantastic questions, with the help of an all-star panel. Full disclosure though, the sexual questions from “Marjorie in Esher” – that’s me.
“The journey to air for this idea has been incredible. As a comedian, to find a radio station that doesn’t want you to just fit into their shoes, but which actually wants to hear your ideas and help shape them, and bring them to life on the radio, is just the dream. And that is exactly what Union JACK has done with Asking for a Friend, resulting in a show that’s completely nuts, highly original, utterly hilarious and boasting some of the best names in British comedy. Roll on Sunday! No one should miss it, especially Marjorie.”
Union JACK’s Programme Manager, Giles Gear, said: “Union JACK radio has always broken the mold when it comes to the tradition of commercial radio, and what better way to ensure that we continue to deliver standout comedy for our listeners than to listen to ideas from some of the funniest people out there? Mark came to us with a concept that works brilliantly for broadcast, so offering it a home on national radio was an easy decision to make.”
Union JACK is rapidly reinforcing its position as the ‘Home of Great British Comedy’ on the radio, playing beloved clips of classic comedy such as Blackadder and Fawlty Towers, and investing in up-and-coming talent and formats. Current comedy initiatives include One Night Stand (an evening of stand-up comedy from top comedy club Jericho Comedy), Josh Berry’s Fake News (satire from viral impressionist Josh Berry), & Geoff Lloyd’s Hometown Glory (hilarious interviews with famous faces).
