Union JACK Radio announces coverage line-up for Leicester Comedy Festival

Union JACK Radio today announces its coverage line-up of the Leicester Comedy Festival, which kicks off on Wednesday 5 February and runs throughout the month.

Live broadcasts on Union JACK Radio will include the renowned Leicester Mercury Comedian of the Year competition (Saturday 22 February, 7.30pm – 10pm), which features a stellar list of past winners such as Josh Widdicombe, Johnny Vegas, Jason Manford and Rhod Gilbert. Union JACK Radio will be the only place to hear the competition outside of the event, with coverage hosted by Tom Rosenthal and Geoff Lloyd.

Union JACK Radio’s live broadcast of the UK Pun Championships (Monday 10 February, 7pm – 10pm) will be hosted by comedy presenter Lucy Leeds, alongside 2018 Pun Championship winner Rob Thomas. Lucy will also host her own festival-themed show, Lucy Leeds Loose in Leicester (nightly Wednesday 5 to Friday 7 February, 6pm – 7pm), alongside her co-host, comedian Alex Hylton.

Union JACK Radio’s popular breakfast show The Full English will be broadcasting live from the venue daily, and listeners can also hear some of the nation’s emerging talent live on Union JACK Radio’s Circuit Breakers (Saturday 15 February, 8.30pm – 10pm), hosted by Mark Dolan.

Giles Gear, Programme Manager at Union JACK Radio, said: 

“There are huge numbers of comedy fans out there who won’t be able to make it to Leicester Comedy Festival in person, so we want to take the very best highlights of the event to them. Union JACK Radio is delivering a brilliant schedule of live events, interviews and one-off programmes from the festival, so listeners up and down the country don’t have to miss out.”

Union JACK Radio has cemented its reputation as the ‘Home of Great British Comedy on the Radio’ with a sustained investment and a strategic focus on British comedy, playing clips of classic comedy and investing in up-and-coming talent and formats, whilst also extending the reach of some of the nation’s most-loved comedy events, including Leicester Comedy Festival and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe.

Union JACK is available across the UK on DAB+ online at unionjack.co.uk and via the Union JACK app.