Comedian surprises prospective students on Clearing hotline

Dozens of prospective students have been given a unique welcome to higher education, as a well-known comedian and broadcaster joined a university Clearing hotline to greet students and offer places.

Birmingham-based comic Sideman (pictured), real name David Whitely, joined Birmingham City University staff on the Clearing hotline to make offers to would-be students on receiving their A-Level or BTEC Results.

Sideman currently hosts the +44 podcast, Amazon 's first original podcast, since leaving his role as a presenter at BBC Radio 1Xtra.

But this week he switched studio space for university place to speak to people keen to take the next steps on their educational journeys.

He spoke to callers on the hotline where the University was speaking to students since hotline phone lines opened at 7.30am.

The popular comedian has amassed hundreds of thousands of social media fans with his observations around cultural identity, society, entertainment, music, sport and politics, making him a household name amongst young people across the UK.

Sideman said: “I 'm happy to be answering real calls from real students who just got their A-Level results and telling them why BCU should be their next move. ”

Having moved to Birmingham from Jamaica at the age of 12, Sideman has long been an advocate for the second city, and spoke to students about his favourite things about Birmingham.

He had also brought to a close the university 's special series of free online masterclasses designed to help students prepare for university, with a special talk about how to deal with adversity and voice opinions.

During a live conversation, Sideman spoke of how he wished he 'd attended university 'for the vibes ', and how drive and ambition can transform lives.

The university 's Clearing hotline remains open for those looking for University places, and more information on courses can be found here.