Kurupt FM takes over Subway in-house radio in bungling brand collab

Prepping customers’ eardrums, Subway has released a teaser episode showing what to expect during the takeover, with band manager Chabuddy G (Asim Chaudhry) explaining how he ‘convinced’ his team into agreeing to the gig.

Replacing regularly-scheduled programming with seven exclusive shows featuring chat, tunes and antics, the comedy takeover will give everyone something to smile about and not just chew on.

Engaging with social media audiences, the pirate station will also be available via Subway’s YouTube channel following each store’s exclusive broadcast, with additional bonus content and clips being drip-fed onto both the Subway and Kurupt FM TikTok, Instagram and Twitter channels.

The campaign was delivered by creative PR agency Taylor Herring, with original content produced by the agency’s production company St Marks Studios. It will reach an estimated in-store audience of 1.5 million customers and thousands of fans online.

Mays Elansari, head of marketing UK & Ireland at Subway, explained the unlikely pairing: “People Just Do Nothing is one of the best-loved comedy shows of recent years and Kurupt FM is a radio station that deserves way more listeners. We’re excited and energized in equal measure to be handing over control of the airwaves inside Subway restaurants. Our guests are in for a treat in more ways than one with our crave-able menu.”

Chabuddy G said: “It’s very different doing a set in Subway because normally when we play raves we’re used to the smells of BO and smoke machines. This one is more like pickles and honey mustard sauce.”

The Kurupt FM boys – MC Grindah, Beats and DJ Steves – added: “When Chabuddy said he’d got us the gig initially we were just hyped about the free subs, but when he said we’d be broadcasting not just to the Subway in Acton, but all of the Subways in the UK and Ireland, we were buzzing.”

People Just Do Nothing ran between 2014 and 2018, charting a staged takeover of a tower block flat in Brentford to broadcast a mix of chat, humor and drum’n’bass for a mockumentary-style BBC comedy.

Now rekindled for real courtesy of Subway, the broadcasts handily coincide with the group’s debut original single ‘Summertime’ featuring Craig David. Subway is no stranger to self-deprecating humour, having already embraced tongue-in-cheek messaging to encourage diners through its doors.