Returning to stand-up this month with a run at Soho Theatre, after many years working on other projects including his sitcom Plebs, Tom Basden is inventive and prolific, also handsome. We talk about the parallels between the superb musical comedy that won him Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh fringe and his new stand-up, discover Tom's English middle-class-ness and why he's very suited to telling some "guys" to "calm down", and explore whether his work ethic is pathological...

Extras exclusively available to the Insiders Club include some really specific insight into the structuring and writing of Tom's sitcom "Plebs", and the dangers of mining real life events for comedy, and Stu railing at the injustice of how the TV sketch show "Cowards" didn't become better known. Join the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

Find details and tickets for Tom's imminent Soho Theatre run:

13/01/20

14/01/20

15/01/20

16/01/20

17/01/20

18/01/20

Get tickets for Stu's tour:

04/12/19

Aldershot – The West End Centre

25/01/20

Corsham – The Pound Arts Centre

01/02/20

Newcastle Stand (early show – 5pm)

02/02/20

Glasgow – The Stand

07/02/20

Farnham Maltings

11/02/20

York – The Basement

12/02/20

Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

www.comedianscomedian.com | @Comcompod

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Andy Samberg, Arrested Development, BBC, BBC3, Big Train, Cowards, Edinburgh, Emo Phillips, Interview, Jack Black, Pappy’s, Persona, Pleasance, Plebs, Radio, Red Dwarf, Risk, Simon Pegg, Sketch, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Stereotypes, student comedy, Success, The Day Today, The Office, The Pleasance, Tim Key, TV, TV Comedy, Whimsy, Will Ferrell, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage, YouTube

In this Christmas Special, we speak to the actual Santa Claus, via his little helper and confidant, consummate clown Herbie Treehead. Herbie is a phenomenal street-performer, known around the world for his joyful daftness, silly songs and funny bones.

We talk about what his first Santa season means to him, and discover an enormously rich and respectful seam of kindness and good cheer. We also dive into Herbie's origins as a performer and his maverick work within vaudeville troupe Slightly Fat Features; learn how to steal a lorry; and reflect on the nature and cost of real performative risk...

www.herbietreehead.info
www.slightlyfatfeatures.com

Get ad-free new episodes, bonus content from interviews and much more by joining the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

Get tickets for Stu's tour:

25/01/20

Corsham – The Pound Arts Centre

01/02/20

Newcastle Stand (early show – 5pm)

02/02/20

Glasgow – The Stand

07/02/20

Farnham Maltings

11/02/20

York – The Basement

12/02/20

Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

www.comedianscomedian.com | @Comcompod

Happy Christmas one and all.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Alcohol, Alternative Comedy, Art, Audiences, Edinburgh, Festival, Fire Breathing, Fringe, Herbie Treehead, Interview, Persona, Risk, Santa, Sketch, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Street Performance, Street Performing, Street-Performing, Structure, Stuart Goldsmith, Success

Multiple international award-winning physical comedy duo The Kagools are an explosion of pure silliness, that don't conform even to the "rules" of contemporary clowning, let alone straight standup. Double-act Nicky Wilkinson and Claire Ford describe their amazingly supportive relationship, and outline the highs and lows of a life under lightweight waterproof material...

Sign up for the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders to get access to all the extra content from any episode that has it, plus loads of extra stuff on a special private podcast!

www.thekagools.com | @TheKagools

Get tickets for Stu's tour:

25/10/19

Teignmouth Pavillions

26/10/19

Swindon Arts Centre

04/11/19

Nottingham Glee Club

08/11/19

Bristol – The Comedy Box at the Hen and Chicken

04/12/19

Aldershot – The West End Centre

25/01/20

Corsham – The Pound Arts Centre

01/02/20

Newcastle Stand (early show – 5pm)

02/02/20

Glasgow – The Stand

07/02/20

Farnham Maltings

11/02/20

York – The Basement

12/02/20

Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

www.comedianscomedian.com | @Comcompod

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Actor, Alternative Comedy, Audience Participation, Audiences, Awards, Blue Man Group, Dr Brown, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Melbourne Comedy Festival, Money, Phil Burgers, Rob Deering, Robin Williams, Sam Simmons, Sketch, Stage Persona, Structure, Success, Tape Face, The Boy With Tape On His Face, Writing On Stage, YouTube

Winner of the 2019 "Comedian's Choice" award for Best Show, as voted for by fellow comics, Joz Norris is an imaginative and very funny mainstay of the UK's alternative comedy scene. He talks live at the Monkey Barrel comedy club about his character "Mr Fruit Salad", and how an attempt to fall back in love with comedy and the fringe after a period of exhaustion, resulted in the creation of a fictional chimera as a form of self-care...

Join the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders to access extra material from any podcast that has it, plus loads of extra strands that Stu can get back into creating, now that Edinburgh is paid to rest for a few months...

joznorris.co.uk | @JozNorris

Dates and tickets for my forthcoming tour can be found here.

@ComComPod | www.comedianscomedian.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: ACMS, Alternative Comedy, Art, Audiences, Awards, Ben Target, Character, Character Comedy, College, Edinburgh, Fear, Festival, First Open Spot, Flight Of The Conchords, Fringe, Interview, Isolation, John Kearns, Joz Norris, Mental Health, Mr Fruit Salad, Onstage Persona, Persona, Risk, Sketch, Stage Persona, Stereotypes, Stewart Lee, Structure, student comedy, Success, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage

Flawless in delivery, bubbling over with jokes, and with something real and compassionate to say, Suzi Ruffell is at the peak of her powers. We talk about: her latest Edinburgh fringe show "Dance Like Everyone's Watching"; making sure that LGBTQ+ people in the audience feel seen; how punishing she found being a new act (and whether she could do it all again); and why she finds happiness terrifying.

Extras available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club include Suzi on her dos and don'ts of tour support, having worked extensively with Josh Widdicombe, Romesh Ranganathan and Kevin Bridges, as well as her thoughts on what makes a good director, and the best advice she was ever given... Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders to support the podcast with a regular monthly donation of your choice. Every level gets the same stuff, you pay what you think is appropriate.

suziruffell.com | @suziruffell
Get tickets for Suzi's Edinburgh show here

Tickets for my show Primer at this year's Edinburgh Fringe
@ComComPod | www.comedianscomedian.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Audiences, Bruce Dessau, Chortle, Daniel Sloss, Drama School, Edinburgh, Feminism, Festival, Fringe, Gender, Hannah Gadsby, Interview, Jay Z, Jobs, Josh Widdicombe, Kai Humphries, Kerry Godliman, Kevin Bridges, Live At The Apollo, London, Marcus Brigstocke, Maria Bamford, Mental Health, Onstage Persona, Persona, Reviews, Romesh Ranganathan, School, Seann Walsh, Sexuality, Sketch, Stage Persona, Stereotypes, Success, Sue Perkins, Suzi Ruffell, Tony Allen, Touring Comedian, TV, TV Comedy, Widdicombe, Writing On Stage

The giddily funny star of Crashing, You Made It Weird and his eponymous sketch and chat show, Pete Holmes lets his effervescent personality bubble over from the word go. We talk about his unerring ability to make the insanity of existence as funny as it is accessible, uncover how to embrace the coolness of uncoolness, and basically learn the meaning of life. This one is just amazing, enjoy!

peteholmes.com | @peteholmes

Tickets for my show Primer at this year's Edinburgh Fringe

@ComComPod | www.comedianscomedian.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, Beth Stelling, Bill Cosby, Fame, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Jeff Dunham, Jerry Seinfeld, Jobs, John Mulaney, Judd Apatow, Just For Laughs, Live, Mainstream, Maria Bamford, Mental Health, Money, Netflix, Onstage Persona, Patton Oswalt, Persona, Pete Holmes, Podcasting, Seinfeld, Sketch, Stage Persona, Stereotypes, Storytelling, Structure, Success, The Colbert Report, TV, TV Comedy, Twitter, USA, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage, YouTube, Zach Galifianakis

Simon Brodkin was best known as his comedy character "Lee Nelson", before handing Teresa May a P45, throwing money at Sepp Blatter, and invading Kanye's headline spot at Glastonbury. This former doctor with an impressive gag-rate and work ethic, now embarks on an even more challenging caper: playing himself. A new stand-up show sees him flex his joke-writing muscles in the pursuit of exploring his real life... but does he want to be himself?

Extras include Simon's blagger's guide to getting backstage at the world's biggest festival, reflections on the targets of his mockery and the challenges involved in gradually moving away from Lee step by step... Sign up for the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders to get access to ad-free new episodes, bonus content from interviews and much more.

@SimonBrodkin

Simon Brodkin brings his show 100% Simon Brodkin to The Pleasance Baby Grand as part of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 1st – 24th August at 9.30pm. More info and tickets available at edfringe.com

Tickets for my show Primer at this year's Edinburgh Fringe

@ComComPod | www.comedianscomedian.com

And many thanks to The Comedy Store for the recording space.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Audiences, BBC, BBC3, Character, Character Comedy, College, comcompod, Comedy Store, Controversial, Controversy, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, First Open Spot, Fringe, Interview, Jobs, Kanye West, Lee Nelson, Little Britain, Live At The Apollo, London, Mainstream, Mental Health, Onstage Persona, Persona, Pleasance, Political Humour, Risk, Simon Brodkin, Sketch, Stage Persona, Stereotypes, Stewart Lee, Structure, Success, Trump, TV, TV Comedy, Twitter, Viral, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage

Your interviewer didn't really grasp the American term to "murder" a room, until he caught Sam Jay's set at SXSW Comedy earlier this year, in which she smashed the audience senseless with her unique perspective on race, sexuality and society. A breath-taking combination of unerring confidence, hammer-blow punchlines and genuine insight will see her reaching incredible heights in comedy. We talk about Boston, LA and New York, and why she has no time for comics who want to be adored.

samjaycomic | @samjaycomic

Tickets for my show Primer at this year's Edinburgh Fringe

@ComComPod | www.comedianscomedian.com

Thanks to www.sohotheatre.com for the recording space, don't forget to check out their brilliantly varied lineups of the cream of international comedy.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Audiences, College, Equality, Fame, First Open Spot, Gender, Gina Yashere, Interview, Jobs, Mental Health, Onstage Persona, Persona, Rick and Morty, Risk, Sam Jay, Sexuality, Sketch, SNL, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Stereotypes, Structure, Success, SXSW, TV, Urban Circuit, USA, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage