A Lambeth-based comic named the UK’s best comedian this week will make her airwaves debut on BBC Radio London tonight.
Judi Love is one of six presenters recruited to front the station’s new weeknight venture The Scene, designed to promote London’s burgeoning artistic and creative talents while offering a unique take on relevant city matters.
Judi will host her first show from 8-10pm this evening and by doing so celebrate her second career milestone in 72 hours, having just won Best Comedian at Sunday’s UK Entertainment Awards.
She also announced last week she’ll be supporting Russell Kane on his 2019 stand-up tour, before confirming on Monday that the Christmas gig she is headlining in Camden on 23 December, Love2Laugh, had sold out.
“These are exciting times for me,” said Judi.
“I’ve been so busy focusing on Wednesday’s show that maybe I need to take a moment to think about everything that’s happened in the past year.
“I’ve really tried to put myself out there through branding and continuously bringing out new material, and I’ve connected with a lot of people.
“UK Entertainment have seen me go from strength to strength and they wanted to celebrate that.
“I’ve never had a radio contract before so it will be nerve-wracking, but this is a fantastic platform for me.
“I’m nervous, excited and happy to start the new journey: this is a very defining week in my career without a doubt.”
TRUE LOVE: Judi will make sure the voice of the community is heard in her radio show.
Social media videos have been the bedrock of Judi’s success thus far, with her popular weekly Facebook Live show Real Talk soon to enter its third year.
Despite acknowledging the importance of facial expressions to her content, she remains confident of creating a program that will succeed in engaging listeners, while also giving them a voice.
“It’s going to be fun, exciting and real and it’s going to touch on London’s subjects, what’s relevant at the moment,” she added.
“It will be a platform for the community and I’m really excited about that, because south London is packed with artists. There’s so much talent out there.
“Art and culture are very broad terms, so the show could go anywhere.
“It’s going to be two hours of opening up conversation and engaging with people of different backgrounds, cultures and ages.
“My delivery will definitely make a difference, but the power of the show will be the guests we bring on and the call-ins we get.
“There are a lot of people who aren’t getting shows they think are relevant to them, but I want them to feel they will be heard on mine and be really passionate about the topics I discuss.
“This is a show for the community, so we’ve got to let people speak.”
As far as last-minute advice is concerned, Judi has been encouraged not to meddle with the sense of humour that’s got her this far.
“My department editor keeps telling me: ‘Judi, we just want you to be you. We don’t want to water you down.’
“So I’m just going to be me. Let’s do this!”
