Veteran radio prankster Steve Penk is coming to a brand-new audience in a whole new way thanks to a new partnership with ITV Studios’ Creative Network for digital-first comedy Steve Penk’s Animal Radio FM.
Known as a pioneer of the prank-call, Penk began his long career on the airwaves in 1978 at Manchester institution Piccadilly Radio, moving on to Capital Radio, Virgin and various TV panel show and blooper compilation appearances before a 2008 homecoming saw him buy Oldham rock and alternative radio station 96.2 The Revolution, attracting much ire, while quadrupling listeners, by switching the station to a pop format overnight. He sold The Revolution in 2014 to launch his own Steve Penk Wind Up Channel on DAB+ and is currently a regular on North West challenger Happy Radio.
The new TV format reimagines Penk’s classic comedy for today’s digital viewers. Set in a “surreal and hilarious” animated world, Steve Penk’s Animal Radio FM is set in a pirate radio station run by animals.
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Perched on the top floor of a crumbling tower block and overlooking a sprawling cityscape, cats, rats, chickens and an ever-growing cast of eccentric creatures operate the pirate station, broadcasting chaos to unsuspecting human callers below.
Combining nostalgia, cutting-edge technology and absurdist humour, the series creates a distinctive new visual universe where human-like radio hosts relive some of Steve Penk’s most outrageous prank calls ever broadcast.
The show’s production design, AI image and video generation, music composition, sound design and final editing were all created by James Abadi of Abadi Films, who developed the format’s distinctive aesthetic using Almation’s Omnigen.
The series, which launches today, is available via dedicated Youtube and TikTok channels, and digital experts, Zoo 55 will distribute the series across its wider digital ecosystem and social platforms.
Penk said: “These calls have entertained audiences for years, but seeing them brought to life in this completely unexpected way is something else entirely. The Animal Radio world is weird, funny, slightly unhinged and unlike anything I’ve seen before. I think fans of the original calls are going to love it.”
James Abadi, creative director at Abadi Films, added: “We wanted to build a world that felt simultaneously believable and completely ridiculous. The idea that a secret pirate radio station run entirely by animals is responsible for some of Britain’s most famous prank calls immediately felt funny. AI has allowed us to create a rich cinematic universe around Steve’s archive and tell these stories in a way that simply wouldn’t have been possible before.”
Mike Beale, managing director, Creative Network at ITV Studios said: “Our original principle was to explore our new AI tool, Omnigen from AImation which we licensed to enhance our pitch materials and produce proof of concepts, but then this amazing format idea presented itself and it seems like the perfect concept to new push into original digital content with Zoo 55.”
