Molayem ART Magazine International Art Magazine
‘The live shows have really lit a fire under us’: how podcasts became arena fillers
Funny, frank and intimate … in recent years, the live versions of audio shows have shot up by 2,000%. Now, comedians are selling out auditoriums nationwide
When Freddie Mercury jogged on to the stage at Live Aid, he knew he had the crowd in the palm of his hand. When comedian and radio host John Robins bursts on stage at London’s Bloomsbury theatre, he is wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with that image of Mercury – and the homage feels apt.
He isn’t about to perform Bohemian Rhapsody, but rather the live incarnation of Made Up Games, a segment from the weekly BBC Radio 5 Live show he hosts with fellow comedian Elis James. Nonetheless, the cheers from an enraptured crowd are deafening.
