James Barr

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James is a multi-award winning presenter, comedian, influencer and DJ. Currently presenting every weekday morning on Hits Radio’s Breakfast Show, alongside Fleur East and Matt Haslam, he picked up the Silver Award for Best Breakfast Show at the prestigious ARIA Awards (formerly the Sony Awards) in 2020.

After two smash-hit, critically-acclaimed runs, James returned to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024 with his show Sorry I Hurt Your Son (Said My Ex to My Mum) which fearlessly tackles the aftermath of an abusive relationship in an hour of trailblazing stand-up, with reviews hailing it “a moving and candid stand-up show” (Chortle) and “a compelling story demonstrating triumph over adversity” (LondonTheatre1). He also garnered national coverage, with bespoke features in both The Guardian and The Independent.

He is also the co-founder and host of the UK’s top LGBT+ podcast, A Gay And A Non Gay, which won Silver for Best Sex & Relationship Podcast at the British Podcast Awards in 2022 and was named in the Top 10 Online Influencers at the British LGBT Awards. They also recently performed to sold-out audiences at the Just For Laughs 2023 London Festival at the O2, London.

James’ presenting credits also includes fronting BBC Radio 1’s Sashay To Hell, a fish out of water documentary set at Bloodstock music festival and shining a light on LGBT+ representation in the rock and heavy metal music industry. He was a former MTV News presenter, interviewing celebrities such as Ariana Grande, Justin Bieber and Chloe Grace Moretz, and hosted the hit podcast When Harry Met Meghan, covering their royal engagement and wedding in 2017 – which was listed in the Times Top 50 Podcasts for that year.

He has also presented live at the Isle of Wight Festival, Brighton Pride and Manchester Pride, as well being the red-carpet reporter at the BRIT Awards. TV appearances include Big Brother’s Bit On The Side (Ch5), BBC Breakfast (BBC One), Good Morning Britain (ITV), Eurovision: You Decide (BBC One), and I’m Coming Out (BBC Three).

As a comedian, in early 2023 James embarked on a UK-wide tour of his sold-out five star stand-up show, Straight Jokes, which was hailed as “A masterpiece in queer storytelling” by the Metro. In 2019, his debut comedy show, Thirst Trap, was called “An absolute triumph” by The Sun.  He is also the founder and host of the hit LGBT+ stand-up show All Barr Huns, which has performed to packed-out audiences in London, Brighton and Edinburgh.

In addition to his TV and Radio work, James is also a regular columnist for Attitude magazine, and is a patron of several LGBT+ charities, including Student Pride. He is also an experienced awards host and moderator for corporate events, having recently presented for Compare The Market and Lloyds bank.