Mark Dolan to host new panel show on Union JACK radio
- Mark Dolan is to host new radio panel show Asking For A Friend
- The six part series starts on DAB radio station Union JACK this Sunday 29th September
- Guests are set to include Christopher Biggins, Basil Brush and Shappi Khorsandi
Mark Dolan is to host Asking For A Friend, a new panel show on DAB radio station Union JACK.
The format sees guests answering questions which have been posed by the audience.
The station explains: "The panel - which includes three guests per show - 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 show launches on the station this Sunday (29th September) at 11am, and can then be heard weekly in that slot across six weeks. The episodes will also be available to download as a podcast immediately after broadcast.
Christopher Biggins, Basil Brush, Shappi Khorsandi, 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 are the guests who will appear in Series 1, which has already been recorded.
Mark Dolan has previously hosted shows including Balls Of Steel and The Mad Bad Ad Show. He says: "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."
Dolan developed the format. Talking further about working with Union JACK, who are aiming to become a major broadcaster of new comedy content, he says: "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."
The station, which plays clips from classic comedy shows such as Blackadder and Fawlty Towers between its songs, has recently branched out into commissioning its own programming. Current comedy initiatives include stand-up showcase One Night Stand With Jericho Comedy, sketch show Josh Berry's Fake News and interview series Geoff Lloyd's Hometown Glory.
Union JACK's Programme Manager, Giles Gear, says: "Union JACK radio has always broken the mould 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."