Bill Hicks on Radio 2.

Phill Jupitus is to present an hour-long documentary about Bill Hicks for Radio Two. The show, titled the Dark Poet, will air at 10.30pm on Radio 2 on August 21, will chart Hicks’s life from a 15-year-old boy sneaking out of his bedroom window to perform at his local comedy club to his death from pancreatic cancer at the age of 32. ‘Interspersed with live material, it demonstrates why Hicks is still many comedians' favourite stand-up.’

A BBC spokesman said: ‘This documentary charts Bill's fascinating life: his love/hate relationship with America; the continuing censorship of his act; his quest for spirituality; his popularity in Britain; his battle with drink and drugs; and, finally, his battle with cancer.