Crossed Wires 2026 - the world's biggest podcast festival

The Crossed Wires Podcast Festival took place in Sheffield, England - it’s the world’s biggest podcast festival, now in its third year, spanning four days of live shows with some of the biggest names in podcasting, exclusive audio moments and laughs by the barrel. 

Podnews learnt that the event doubled its attendance this year to 50,000 attendees, according to numbers shared with us by the event organisers. 25,000 tickets were made available in advance - another 25,000 attendees took part in the free activities across the city, over four days and eleven stages.

Greg James and Alice Levine, the creative minds behind the festival, headlined day one with the first-ever live show of their new Bad Chat podcast to a sold-out crowd. (Pic: @p_e_d_a_l_o). The show included surprise guests including award-winning actor Stephen Graham, a real Golden Globe award and, dumping gunge over a (consenting) audience member. 

After a tongue and cheek discussion for Greg’s film idea on the podcast about snooker legend John Virgo’s ghost helping an up-and-coming snooker player win a championship, Alice decided to put his money where his mouth is.

An impromptu pitch meeting unfolded with two esteemed members of Warp Films, the production company behind Adolescence, Dead Man’s Shoes and This is England. This slightly backfired when Greg ended up having an on-stage text and voice note exchange with the one and only Stephen Graham who is pencilled for the lead role. 

Greg expertly maneuvered an initial response of “You takin the p*ssss”, into a done deal - with one important caveat. In a hilarious voice note played to the delighted audience of City Hall, Stephen (and his wife Hannah) said he’s only take part if he could sing Snooker Loopy by Chas & Dave.

Greg had quite the diary clash with two very special invitations this weekend, yet he made no hesitation including the biggest podcasting party in the world within his social calendar. Whether he made it to his second ‘engagement’ remains to be seen.

BBC Radio 4's multi-award winning topical satire show, Dead Ringers (often available within the Friday Night Comedy podcast), opened the festival just beforehand with a sold-out show – starring long-standing cast members Jon Culshaw, Jan Ravens, Duncan Wisbey, who impersonated fellow festival performers Chris Mason and Danny Robins. (Pic: @lilitakesflickis)

Sara Cox kicked off the BBC Fringe schedule on Friday ahead of her highly-anticipated Radio 2 Breakfast Show starting on Monday, for a special live edition of Radio 2 Book Club with bestselling author Lisa Jewell, discussing her new novel ‘It Could Have Been Her’ and its real-life inspiration. (Pic: @lindsaymelbourne)

Simultaneously on the BBC Radio 4 stage, Woman’s Hour with Anita Rani and Nuala McGovern live-streamed a special edition into their regular 10am broadcast, later followed by the first-ever live recording of The Woman’s Hour: Guide to Life. (Pic: @emmathompsonphotography)

On Friday evening, Jaack Maate’s Happy Hour had City Hall howling with a surprise rendition of ABBAs Dancing Queen by Alfie Indra. After an hour of back-to-back laughs, Act 2 saw the Happy Hour gang take confessions from the audience, which definitely resulted in some gasps from the crowd and pearl clutching… (Pic: @emmathompsonphotography)

Over at the Memorial Hall, the forecast for Vicky Pattison and Angela Scanlon was sunny with occasional downpours… of bras! For their show Get a Grip, the two asked their audience to donate an old bra for the Against Breast Cancer charity, and throw them onto the stage. The two planned an all-female commune for their listeners, rated the strangest things men have been up to this year, and laughed about the highs and lows of modern womanhood, all in their iconic livingroom-esque set. (Pic: @p_e_d_a_l_o)

The Psychology of your 20s podcasting phenom Jemma Sbeg took to the stage at the Playhouse Theatre to talk about her incredible journey from recording in her Subaru on an iPhone to episodes going to Netflix, discussing the heartbreak that started her on a journey she never expected and debunking the psychology myths that have taken over the internetwith an informative and interactive live show. (Pic: @lindsaymelbourne)

Back at Memorial Hall, Jacob Hawley and Jake Farrell of Screen Rot bought out pal Jack Dean for a show discussing the weirdest corners of the internet, giving their ‘rotters’ a hilarious insight into the online oddities that have got their cogs turning. 

As the festival continued, Inside the Traitors: Uncloaked saw Series 4 faithful favourites Harriet Tyce and Matty Hyndman reflect on their time inside the castle with BBC Radio 1 presenter and Series 3 Traitor Minah Shannon (pic: @lilitakesflickis). Chris Mason and Faisal Islam hosted a special edition of Newscast which looked at the tumultuous year in news, Top Comment with Marianna Spring and Rachel Connolly brought a discussion that delved into the latest social media trends and misinformation, and Stand-Up Specials brought to the stage Aurie Styla, Ayo Adenekan, Dan Tiernan, Kyrah Gray, Chris Cantrill and Emer Maguire. What’s Up Docs with Chris and Xand van Tulleken, Toby Foster’s Yorkshire Podding gave audiences at Cole’s Yard their fix of medical expertise and surreal stories out of Yorkshire in equal measure. 

Over at Barkers Pool, the Crossed Wires ‘Centre Stage’ provided non-ticketed, family-friendly immersive live entertainment such as Steel Rivers String Band and The Nice Type who were customising compliments on a vintage typewriter. Visitors stretched out on deck chairs and enjoyed drinks and food from the pop-up bar and street vendors.

BBC Radio 4’s Fringe shows at the Montgomery Theatre brought lifelong fans of broadcasting legend David Dimbleby together for Dimbleby: The Interview. (Pic: @lindsaymelbourne) Interviewed by Marianna Spring, Dimbleby shared his thoughts and feelings on the current political landscape; particularly in the world of misinformation from social media and AI, in light of his upcoming series Invisible Hands: The American Century, for BBC Radio 4’s The History Podcast. Intelligent questions from the audience touched on the relationship between Trump and Putin, whether AI might be influencing governmental power more than people, and if David Dimbleby would be interested in starting a long-form interview podcast:  “I would actually, yes. I very much regretted when long-form interviews left television […] but I like to see the whites of their eyes” - then once Marianna informed him that podcasts are also visualised -  “then yes, go for it.”

Nick Robinson then took to the stage with the Labour MP for Sheffield Heeley Louise Haigh for a fascinating conversation for Radio 4’s Political Thinking about her political career so far, her time in Makerfield with Andy Burnham in the run up to the bi-election that gripped the UK and her hope for the future of the Labour party as they weather the changes ahead. 

Elis James and John Robins took to the City Hall for a live performance of their eponymous podcast, The Elis and John Show. To a delighted audience, the best pals gave a bespoke show filled with their trademark warmth, wit and wellness conversations. A ‘mad Dad’ segment shared audience members’ strangest paternal  anecdotes, and a live version of their much loved ‘ask me anything’ game saw lots of audience engagement and a fabulous afternoon had by all who attended. (Pic: @p_e_d_a_l_o)

Back at the Playhouse, journalists Ash Sakar and Maya Lothian put the world to rights with a fascinating live episode of If I Speak which explored the terms and conditions in modern day friendships. Packed with audience back and forth, the duo debated how much we should be letting slide from our nearest and dearest to theorising as to why FaceTime may be making us feel more lonely. (Pic: @lilitakesflickis)

Comedian David Baddiel and Nick Robinson discussed the idea of Englishness through the lens of the English men’s football team with 60 Years of Hurt (part of The History Podcast) on the Montgomery Theatre Stage. The two discussed the hope, heartbreak and community that comes with being a fan of the English game, and debated whether this World Cup would be the one where it finally comes home…

BBC Radio 6 Music’s Indie Forever saw Nathan Shepherd and Emily Pilbeam discuss arguably the perfect album for a venue in Sheffield, the Arctic Monkeys’ Whatever People Say I Am, That’s What I’m Not. In this deep-dive into one of the seminal albums of indie, they discussed the lasting cultural impact of the Sheffield-based band with original Arctic Monkeys bassist Andy Nicholson, Joe Carnall Jnr and Daniel Dylan Wray.                  

Comedians Amy Gledhill and Ian Smith (self described ‘Northern Greg James and Alice Levine’) had their crowd howling as they discussed irreverent news stories from the North and beyond for Northern News. They covered everything from recent cases of bread being nailed to trees and a free eye test for anyone named Michael Lewis in Hull, to Ian’s psychic abilities and Amy’s ASDA voiceover era, even touching on Thomas the Tank Engine making it to the med. (Pic: @emmathompsonphotography)

Cruiserweight champion Johnny Nelson’s performance of his podcast That Boxing Show brought Dalton Smith, Andy Nicholson, Frazer Clarke, Kell Brook, Dave Coldwell, Kid Galahad and John Keeton to the stage. These individuals at the top of their games all discussed the highs and lows of boxing, through the wins, the losses, the injuries and everything in between. Sheffield born super-lightweight champion Dalton Smith shared with the City Hall his hopes for a fight against Shakur Stevenson, calling him ‘the top dog’ in his division. 

As darkness descended on Sheffield, Danny Robins took audiences behind-the-scenes of Uncanny, the biggest paranormal podcast in the world with Uncanny Uncovered. Speaking with BBC Radio 4 commissioning editor Rhian Roberts, Danny got into the nitty gritty of one of the BBCs most popular podcasts ahead of his headline show on Sunday evening at Sheffield’s haunted Lyceum Theatre. (Pic: @emmathompsonphotography)

Sort Your Life Out: Unpacked’s_ Dilly Carter chatted to Vicky Pattison about three mystery objects from her home, discussing the ways our possessions can hold memories whilst sharing tips and tricks for a more organised and stress-free life. (Pic: @emmathompsonphotography)

Misha Glenny hosted BBC Radio 4’s cultural behemoth In Our Time and took the Montgomery Theatre audience to Morocco to discuss the film Casablanca and its continuing cultural impact with guests Ian Christie, Pamela Hutchinson and Sheldon Hall. (Pic: @lindsaymelbourne) Meanwhile Kiri Pritchard-McLean brought Radio 4’s Loose Ends to the Montgomery Theatre with an eclectic mix of conversation, music and comedy. 

For families, Jake Harris delighted the next generation of podcast fans in the Playhouse Theatre with his hit children’s show Story Shed, getting the tiniest Crossed Wires punters up and dancing with songs and stories. 

Significant Productions’ Dave Masterman rounded off the day the only way he knows how, banging out belters to The Ballroom during his All My Friends After Party set. Punters danced the night away, going out on a high as the sun set on another day in Sheffield. (Pic: @lilitakesflickis)

Barkers Pool kept up the energy between shows with a live yoga session on the free centre stage. The stage also welcomed musicians, type writer artists and magicians, surrounded by food trucks galore and pints to boot.

From Limerick to Sheffield City Hall, Blindboy Boatclub brought his cult-favourite podcast The Blindboy Podcast to a rapt audience as he read an irreverent short story from his book. He then welcomed Professor Carl Chinn MBE to the stage, and they had a fascinating conversation about class disparity, the history of Sheffield and glorification of British gang culture through mainstream media and the subsequent cultural erasure of real working-class experiences. (Pic: @lilitakesflickis)

Over at The Crucible, Zoe Ball and Jo Wiley hosted their first ever live show of Dig It to celebrate a year of the pod, the two brought on special guest’s comedian Sara Pascoe and gardener Ish Kamran. They made a hanging basket on stage and played a game of ‘Dig It or Dump It’ where they asked audience members to choose whether to keep or ditch things they couldn’t decide on. Cottage cheese on pineapple? Garden Gnomes? Sniffing a partner’s armpit? Then, to the delight of their recently divided crowd (notably on pit-sniffing)they switched things up with a 90s rave DJ set, proving these two can do cosy garden and club all in the space of a couple of hours! The live show of Dig It at Crossed Wires will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

Green Party’s leader Zack Polanski interviewed Drag Artist, author and activist Bimini Bon Boulash for Bold Politics. The two discussed at length the importance of community spaces for young LGBTQIA+ people, the threat against human connection and division caused by social media and the need for unity and political engagement as we weather the political instability of recent times. The audience hung on their every word, these two old friends had a conversation filled with hope and excitement for a brighter, more inclusive future in British politics. 

Sara Pascoe and Cariad Lloyd hosted their show Weirdos Book Club where they chatted with comedian and author Jenny Eclair all about her newest book Jokes, Jokes, Jokes: My Very Funny Memoir. The show opened with Cariad trying her hand at hoola-hooping and Sara cartwheeling across the stage, so the audience knew they were in safe hands. Through a wonderfully funny and warm conversation, they went on to discuss Jenny’s honest and hilarious memoir about her illustrious career in comedy and the arts. 

To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the cult-hit horror podcast The Magnus Archives, creators Jonathan Sims and Alexander J Newall took audiences on a live journey into the mysteries behind the multi-award-winning fiction series. Fans revisited some of the show’s most memorable statements while gaining exclusive insight into the creative process behind the stories that have captivated listeners around the world for the past decade. (Pic: @p_e_d_a_l_o)

Matt Forde and Alice Levine hosted an immersive live show of British Scandal: The Blenheim Palace Toilet Heist - which included hiring an audience member to play ‘bespectacled old lady’ complete with costume - alongside ‘British Scandal Bingo’ for audiences to catch classic key phrases in the script and win a prize. The show’s iconic sound-effects were combined with visual artefacts and CCTV footage from the theft and the unbeatable co-host comedic chemistry for a Scandal Special like no other. (Pic: @p_e_d_a_l_o)

Danny Robins closed off the weekend in bone-chilling style with a live performance of his hit podcast, Uncanny, in the (apparently) haunted Lyceum Theatre. Alongside guests Evelyn Hollow and Dr Ciarán O’Keeffe, famous paranormal skeptic Robins investigated some of the most famous cold cases, with the tentative hope to explain the unexplainable with the esoteric… The live show of Uncanny: Cold Cases at Crossed Wires will be available to watch on BBC iPlayer.

BBC Fringe shows at the Montgomery Theatre brought Lucy Worsley, Kate Lister and Clare Corbett to the stage to discuss some of the most infamous women in history with their hit show, Lady Killers. The three explored the complexities of gender, sex and class through crime, bringing the history to life with an immersive and fascinating show. 

Journalist Sue Mitchell and former soldier Rob Lawrie joined Everything Is Fake and Nobody Cares and The Missing Cryptoqueen presenter Jamie Bartlett to discuss their acclaimed Radio 4  series, To Catch a Scorpion and To Catch a King (both part of Intrigue). Reflecting on experiences ranging from stakeouts at car washes to meetings with smugglers in Turkey and reporting from the Kurdish region of Iraq, Mitchell and Lawrie offered audiences a rare behind-the-scenes look at the realities of investigative journalism.

Emma Freud delighted audiences at The Archers Live, with a trip to Ambridge as she and her guests reminisced, gave behind the scenes insights and chatted to the crowd about the show that has charmed the nation for 75 years. BBC Business Editor Simon Jack with journalist and author Zing Tsjeng discussed Sir Paul McCartney for a live episode of their show Good Bad Billionaire.

Nick Cope’s hit family show Popcast got the Crucible up on its feet, with children and adults alike singing along. Dan Simpson got sprogs’ cogs turning with Fun Kids Science Quest, showing the wonderful oddities of science with on-stage experiments at the Playhouse. All while Barkers Pool kept the good times rolling with Magician David Linacre, all-female award-winning Morris dancing team and musical story time performances, with punters able to grab a bite and a pint between shows and enjoy even more free entertainment!

Crossed Wires closes its doors on another hugely successful year, with tens of thousands left entertained, inspired, and maybe even ready to start a podcast of their own. And with that, roll on 2027!