Encore Radio will be devoted to playing musical theatre music and will launch at 1pm on Monday 24th October, with a presenter lineup including Duncan James and ex-Classic FM DJ Jamie Crick as a presenter and content director. 

Love musical theatre? Love listening to soundtracks to musicals on repeat? Then the launch of Encore, a new radio station devoted to musical theatre songs will delight you.

Presenting a mixture of Broadway and West End tunes, Encore radio will also provide listeners with showbiz news weather and other features listeners expect from their favourite radio station.

The presenters will include Blue star Duncan James, who has appeared in musicals such as Legally Blonde and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Jamie Crick, who had a 20-year career as one of Classic FM’s best-known presenters, and TV and radio personality Liz Wickham.

Songs on the station’s play list, which will be changed monthly, will include current West End shows such as ‘Phantom of the Opera’, Les Miserables’, ‘Aladdin’ and ‘Matilda’ as well as upcoming musicals to hit the West End stage such as ‘Hamilton’. Firm favourites such as ‘Singing in the Rain’ and ‘West Side Story’ will also feature.

The weekly schedule for Encore will include stand alone features such as in-depth interviews with West End stars, broadcasts from opening nights and backstage news and gossip and reviews of the reviews of the shows.

This new station is being backed by major radio group UKRD, which owns and operates 14 local commercial radio stations with a further 8 services delivered via DAB, the station will have studios in London and Guildford.

Content Director Jamie Crick says “Britain has the most successful theatre industry in the world. Now finally there is a radio station catering for the huge number of people who visit the theatre or love the music from shows and films.”

Duncan James said: “I can’t wait to get to share three hours every Sunday morning on Encore Radio from 10am with other Musical Theatre fans across the country. I love musicals and have been lucky enough to have had leading roles in “Chicago”, “Legally Blonde” and “Priscilla Queen of the Desert” both in the West End and on tour.”

Encore will launch at 1pm on Monday 24th October and will be available to listen to in three ways: via the website, through its free app for tablet, iphone  and android smartphones or on DAB digital radio across London and the South East.