Comic lands the Friday-night slot

Geoff Norcott is to front his own show on Times Radio.

The comedian has previously stood in as guest host on the speech channel but will now be a permanent fixture in the 7pm to 10pm slot on Friday nights.

He joked: ‘Every station needs diversity and I’m representing ‘blokes who looks and sound like plumbers.’

In the official announcement he said: ‘I can't wait to take over Friday evenings. Times Radio does a great job of keeping people informed and entertained, so given it's the start of the weekend my show will tend towards the latter. 

‘We'll still keep people across the big stories, but there will also be a lot of chat about music, TV, film and sport. Given that I grew up on a council estate, some people are calling this a diversity hire, but I'd like to think I'm here on merit’. 

The slot was formerly hosted by former Conservative Culture Minister Ed Vaizey, who moves to Friday mornings. Comic Ria Lina is guest-hosting the Friday evening show this week.

In other moves, Times Radio’s political editor Kate McCann is to be the new co-presenter of  its breakfast show on Monday to Thursday, joining Stig Abel. She replaces Aasmah Mir. 

And journalistic heavyweight Andrew Neil will host the 1pm to 2pm slot for one week every month in 2025. 

It was announced earlier this month that columnist Rod Liddle will be the new host of its Saturday morning show.

They join presenters including former comedian Baroness Ayesha Hazarika, who hosts the 1pm-4pm slot  every Friday and 4pm-7pm on Saturdays and Sundays, and News Quiz regular Hugo Rifkind on weekday mornings.

Tim Levell, programme director at Times Radio, said: ‘Our enhanced presenter line-up brings together a diverse range of voices, ensuring our listeners get a broad spectrum of perspectives, analysis and expert opinions. With brilliant names throughout the day, we’re excited about the future of Times Radio.’

Times Radio reaches 557,000 listeners a week, according to the most recent Rajar audience figures, up 16 per cent in a year.

Meanwhile, Norcott's stand-up special, Basic Bloke, comes to ITVX today, alongside Rachel Parris's Poise, Marcus Brigstocke's Absolute Shower, Jo Caulfield's Here Comes Trouble and Alasdair Beckett-King's Nevermore – all filmed by NextUp.

Published: 16 Jan 2025