Crossed Wires, the ‘UK’s biggest podcast festival,’ will return to Sheffield from July 4-6, 2025, with Help I Sexted My Boss and No Such Thing As A Fish confirmed as the first headliners.
Tickets are available at CrossedWires.Live from Friday, February 14 with more acts to be announced soon.
Last year’s inaugural festival brought over 12,000 people to Sheffield city centre to see some of the nation’s favourite podcasters, plus DJ sets, Q&As and fan events. Highlights included Katherine Ryan, Danny Robins, Katie Price, Romesh Ranganathan & Tom Davis, Adam Buxton, SELF ESTEEM and Jon Ronson.
For this year’s event, more iconic venues will be packed for blockbuster live shows, never-seen-before performances and special guests – all hosted by the biggest names in podcasting, across comedy, current affairs, culture, sport, family and wellbeing.
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Kicking off this year’s headliners is Help I Sexted My Boss, hosted by etiquette expert William Hanson and DJ Jordan North. The fan favourites will be on stage at Sheffield’s City Hall on Saturday, July 5. After their 2024 tour sold out 15,000 tickets in just three hours and it became the world’s first podcast to be broadcasted into cinemas, this will be Help I Sexted My Boss’ only live show of 2025.
Cultural phenomenon No Such Thing As A Fish will bring a live show to City Hall on Sunday 6th July. The podcast sees QI researchers Dan Schreiber, James Harkin, Anna Ptaszynski and Andrew Hunter Murray share the most bizarre and hilarious facts they’ve discovered. Since 2014, the podcast has racked up 500 million listens.
This year, Crossed Wires’ Festival Fringe – the festival’s free offering open to the public – will be bigger than ever. Further details on the Festival Fringe coming soon.
Sharing a vision for a significant and inspiring national festival outside London, South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority will again be Crossed Wires’ regional partner and host sponsor. Sheffield City Council have awarded funds for a second year to help keep the festival firmly on the UK’s cultural calendar.
Crossed Wires is founded by some of the most respected names in British podcasting and live events, including Alice Levine (co-host of My Dad Wrote A Porno and British Scandal); Dino Sofos (Founder and CEO, Persephonica) and James O’Hara (Co-founder, Tramlines and Day Fever).
Oliver Coppard, South Yorkshire’s Mayor, said: “Last year’s Crossed Wires inaugural festival was a huge success. Audiences from across South Yorkshire and beyond – including me – enjoyed an incredible line-up of well-known podcasters and a vibrant free fringe.
“The festival further underlined South Yorkshire’s reputation as a hub for innovation, arts and culture. We know that the creative industries are part of South Yorkshire’s DNA. They drive our economy and make South Yorkshire an even more exciting place to live.”
Crossed Wires co-founder Alice Levine added: “This festival is made for podcast fans, with all the best shows in one place – think the Edinburgh Fringe for podcast.”
