The Sun's Gordon Smart to host new Sunday show on Xfm

Showbiz journalist Gordon Smart is joining Xfm to host a new weekly Sunday afternoon programme on the commercial radio station.

Smart, the editor of the Bizarre section in The Sun, will launch his new Smart On Sunday programme this weekend in the 12pm to 3pm slot.

Xfm said that the show will bring listeners "stellar guest interviews, topical chat, intimate live sessions, and of course all of the biggest and best news and gossip from the most exclusive rock 'n' roll parties around".

The programme will also feature songs from the Xfm playlist and be aired on both the London and Manchester FM licences, along with via DAB across the UK.

"Joining Xfm is up there with the day I got my first BMX. Sunday hangovers should never be suffered in silence and Xfm has helped me get through plenty of them over the years," said Smart.

"Now it's my turn to crack open the brilliant x-list, play some of the celebrity chats from my travels with The Sun and soothe some of those sore heads. I can't wait to get started."

Speaking to Radio Today, Xfm programme director Andy Ashton added: "Gordon is one of the most connected and in-demand showbiz interviewers in the UK and comes with one of the most enviable and jam-packed music and entertainment little black books.

"Full to the brim with A-list guests and backstage gossip from the biggest events around the world, Smart On Sunday is set to be a must-listen show for our audience across the UK."

Edinburgh-born Smart joined Bizarre at The Sun in 2004, becoming the column editor in 2007 and producing various exclusive stories. He also previously contributed to SunTalk, The Sun's online radio station that was closed down in July 2010

Last week, News International chairman James Murdoch made the remarkable admission that he would not rule out closing The Sun should the tabloid newspaper be drawn into the phone hacking scandal.