BBC Sounds is heading north this summer, partnering with Crossed Wires to deliver a major free Fringe programme in the heart of Sheffield from 4-6 July. With a packed weekend of live podcast recordings, radio favourites, and exclusive sessions, the event promises to be a cultural highlight for South Yorkshire and beyond.
Transforming the ground floor of the iconic Cole Brothers building (formerly John Lewis) into a dedicated BBC Sounds venue, the Fringe will bring top audio talent to Sheffield’s city centre - entirely free of charge.
Audiences can attend live recordings of BBC favourites including Football Daily, Newscast, and Evil Genius with Russell Kane, alongside special sessions like Radio 2 Book Club with Sara Cox and author David Nicholls, and Radio 4’s Rewinder with Greg James, who will also serve as the festival’s Creative Director.
Other highlights include Frank Skinner recording One Person Found This Helpful with special guests, and a centenary celebration of The Shipping Forecast hosted by BBC announcers Lisa Costello and Viji Alles. For green-fingered attendees, Gardeners’ Question Time will record in front of a live audience, while Radio 3 Unwind offers a moment of calm through music and mindfulness.
Outside the venue, festivalgoers can relax in the BBC Sounds Garden at Barker’s Pool, a laid-back space featuring food stalls, a bar, deck chairs, bean bags, and audio installations - all set opposite Sheffield City Hall.
Crossed Wires, which has rapidly grown into the UK’s largest podcast festival, is known for fusing live shows with interactive fan experiences, Q&As, surprise guests, and late-night parties. Founded by audio heavyweights including Alice Levine (My Dad Wrote a Porno), Dino Sofos (Persephonica), Greg James (BBC Radio 1), and James O’Hara (Tramlines), the event brings a burst of cultural energy to the North’s podcasting scene.
“We’re delighted to join forces with Crossed Wires as the official fringe festival partner,” said Jonathan Wall, Director of BBC Sounds. “It’s a priority for us to deliver value to audiences across the UK - and bringing this level of creativity and talent to Sheffield, for free, is a big part of that.”
Tickets to BBC Fringe events will be released at 11am on Friday 6 June via CrossedWires.Live, with priority access from 9am for those who sign up in advance. Entry is first-come, first-served for the first 300 attendees with tickets - early arrival is advised.
Elsewhere across the weekend, Audible is taking over Sheffield City Hall with headline shows like Nobody Expects The Michael Palin Podcast! co-hosted by Palin and Greg James, the sold-out Help I Sexted My Boss, and No Such Thing As A Fish.
Also on the wider Crossed Wires bill: Pod Save the UK with Nish Kumar and Coco Khan, Political Party with Matt Forde and guest Andy Burnham, Dish from Waitrose (sold out), Nick Cope’s I’ve Lost My Bobble Hat!, Drunk Women Solving Crime, Fun Kids Science Weekly, and the return of daytime disco Day Fever - this time featuring Teen Commandments hosts Sara Cox and Clare Hamilton.
“This is a landmark moment for Crossed Wires,” said co-founder Dino Sofos. “Having the BBC and Audible on board is an incredible vote of confidence - and a real celebration of the North’s place in the future of podcasting.”
Whether you’re a comedy lover, current affairs junkie, or just looking for a vibrant, free cultural weekend, Crossed Wires and the BBC Sounds Fringe look set to offer something for everyone — and to place Sheffield firmly on the UK’s audio map.
