Nick Ferrari celebrates 20 years as presenter of LBC’s Nick Ferrari at Breakfast

5 January 2024, 09:34 | Updated: 5 January 2024, 12:01

By LBC

@LBC

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and former Prime Ministers lined up to congratulate Nick on his landmark broadcasting achievement

Nick Ferrari, one of the UK’s most popular, respected and formidable speech broadcasters, is celebrating 20 years as the host of LBC’s multi-award-winning Nick Ferrari at Breakfast, broadcast weekdays from 7am.

This morning’s anniversary programme featured guest appearances and special messages from leaders across the political spectrum, including Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer and many of the former Prime Ministers whom Nick has interviewed and challenged over the past two decades, including Boris Johnson, Theresa May and Gordon Brown.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told Nick: “Massive congratulations on making it to 20 years. That’s an extraordinary innings. I’ve always loved coming on your show, particularly last year when we took lots of calls from your listeners, which was fun, and I’m pretty sure I’ll be back on your show again, particularly this year of all years, but congratulations, enjoy the day and I’ll see you soon.”

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer, who took part in his monthly Call Keir phone-in on Nick’s programme today, said: "Real congratulations, I am really pleased to be on on the day of your anniversary. I can't imagine what it's like to get up at 05:30 every week day for twenty years."

After a highly successful career in the national press and television news, Nick Ferrari joined LBC in 2001 and launched the brand-new Nick Ferrari at Breakfast in 2004.

Ten years later, the programme launched nationally, along with LBC, which is now the UK’s number one commercial news talk brand. In the ten years since being a national breakfast programme, Nick has grown his audience by 94%, from 668,000 to 1.3 million weekly listeners, with his audience share growing by a staggering 103%.

While Nick has been the man behind the mic for the past 20 years, it’s his listeners who take centre stage each weekday morning, debating the issues that matter to them, expressing their opinions and sharing the most personal and often heartfelt stories with someone they have come to trust and, for many, consider to be a friend.

Nick has spoken to thousands of listeners, giving him a first-hand and unique insight into what people across the UK are thinking, feeling and experiencing.

For 20 years, Nick has been a champion of the radio phone-in, putting his listeners in the driving seat to question and challenge those in government and leadership.

In 2013, Nick became part of radio history when Call Clegg launched on his programme – the weekly phone-in with then Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg, marking the first time that a senior member of government had agreed to be challenged by listeners on air each week.

Other phone-ins soon followed, including Ask Boris, with then Mayor of London Boris Johnson, up to the current Call Keir and Call the Cabinet, where a different senior member of the Cabinet faces the public each time.

Nick has proven to be a straight-talking, tenacious and, at times, tough interviewer and journalist – getting to the heart of an issue and asking the questions that other interviewers don’t.

Over the past two decades, he has interviewed thousands of national and world leaders from the worlds of politics, business and entertainment,

Speaking to Nick Ferrari today, former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said: "Warmest congratulations on this landmark moment, two decades entertaining, informing, provoking the unsuspecting British public as they listen to your show."

He said it was "no wonder you're a legend in British broadcasting, many congratulations."

Nick said he did not sleep well last night ahead of this special show, much like this first night on LBC twenty years ago.

"Thank you for indulging me, it's not something I imagine I'll be doing in twenty years time, but the most important thank you goes to you and it's very very heartfelt."