This time last year, Greg James opened the Crossed Wires Festival with a 2 hour show attempting to persuade Sheffield legend Michael Palin that he needed to do a podcast. Despite a wonderfully entertaining show, that didn’t happen. This year, Greg James opened Crossed Wires with his podcast co-host Alice Levine – clearly announcing a live show was enough to persuade Levine to do a podcast with James!
When the show was originally announced, Greg James and Alice Levine weren’t podcasting together but since then they have started Bad Chat. With a mixed audience – some who were Bad Chatters and others who were just keen to seen what chaos would ensue with James and Levine on stage together – it’s safe to say everyone had an enjoyable evening.
Bad Chat with Greg James + Alice Levine was a brilliant start to the Crossed Wires Festival, complete with a full set design. James and Levine are both brilliantly entertaining. Their contrasting personalities work excellently together, elevated by the fact they were clearly both friends in real life. Both are funny and quick-witted – Levine’s dry sense of humour comes across particularly well on stage. It’s a delight to see James and Levine share the spotlight when we often just get to see them interview and shine the spotlight on others.
However, that’s not to say James and Levine were alone on stage throughout the evening. They were joined by some guests who were each brilliantly entertaining and unique.
First up were Mark Herbert and Amy O’Hara from powerhouse local film and TV production company Warp Films for a segment Levine surprised James with. Based on a conversation had on the podcast previously, James had to pitch his idea for a film about the ghost of snooker player John Virgo! The section went far better than Levine had hoped – maybe we’ll actually see the film one day?! It even led to an audio cameo from Stephen Graham who James pitched to play Virgo!
Next we were introduced Simon Brock, Sheffield-based clog maker. This was a slightly surreal segment in equal parts funny and insightful. Will Greg James were clogs to Taylor Swift’s wedding? We’ll have to wait and see! Finally friend of the podcast Jordan joined James and Levine on stage for a regular segment in which a listener tells a bizarre lifestory. There were certainly plenty of laughs to be had from Jordan’s childhood in a rural village, but the storytelling did drag on a little.
Greg James and Alice Levine pitched the evening very well, not assuming anyone had ever seen or heard the podcast whilst giving enough inside jokes or segments to please those who are regular listeners. A wonderfully entertaining evening to start the weekend of podcast goodness!
Reviewed on 2nd July 2026.
Crossed Wires is the world’s biggest podcast festival, returning to Sheffield for its third year. The
festival brings the biggest names in podcasting together for a weekend of live shows, never-
seen-before performances, special guests, DJ sets, Q&As and fan events.
The Reviews Hub Star Rating
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8
