Hot on the heels of the news that Marc Maron's (justifiably) lauded WTF podcast is coming to public radio comes news that fellow comedian and podcaster Chris Hardwick is making an even bigger leap: BBC America announced today that it will debut a pilot/special based on Hardwick's Nerdist podcast (reviewed weekly over in Podmass). The format will sound familiar to listeners, as the BBC's version of Nerdist will be a "panel talk show" with celebrity guests covering the nerdier spectrum of pop culture.
And that's not all: Hardwick will also host BBC America's Saturday night comedy block, "Ministry Of Laughs," which features The Inbetweeners, Come Fly With Me (a new show from Matt Lucas and David Walliams of Little Britain fame), and The Graham Norton Show.
Podcasting has worked especially well for Hardwick, who wrote this in an interview with Andy Samberg in last month's issue of Wired (and in Nerdist episode #79):
Like all comedians, I have a podcast. Mine is called the Nerdist, and starting it was my single best career decision ever. Doing a weekly show let me burrow into a niche and connect with like-minded nerds. Plus, it has done more to increase attendance at my live shows than all of my TV projects combined.
With his upcoming TV work, that may not be the case.