Learn comedy with Radio 4

Stand-up workshops on BBC roadshows

Radio 4 is to offer students free stand-up workshops at a series of university roadshows to woo younger listeners.

The BBC will visit campuses in Cardiff, Derby and Bedfordshire this autumn – with the aim of publicising Radio 4’s youth-friendly programming, such as its comedy output.

Almost 90 per cent of the station's 9.98 million weekly listeners are 35 or older.

Station controller Mark Damazer told MediaGuardian that some young people could be ‘embarrassed’ about tuning in to Radio 4 but insisted it was not a ‘club for old fogeys’.

And he added that comics on the station such as Mark Watson and Steve Punt and Hugh Dennis, were ‘completely gettable’ for a younger audience.

‘What I am trying to do is establish the idea that Radio 4 has something for anybody who is interested in intelligent speech,’ he said.

Each tour will last about five days and will offer students other workshops in the likes of writing and journalism. If successful, the roadshow would become an annual event.

Published: 7 Jul 2009

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