Instinctive, irrepressible, and with an inimitable aversion to bullshit, today we revisit Fern Brady's 2016 nascent dalliance with success, mere moments before catapulting herself headlong into the comedy stratosphere...

Catch up with Fern via:

fernbradycomedian.com

@fernfrombathgate

@FernBrady

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for ad-free episodes, extra content from every show that has it, and much more - including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, Alfie Brown, James Acaster and (this episode's very own!) Fern Brady, plus the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.

And submit your unmissable moments of ComComPod at www.comedianscomedian.com/unmissable

Stu's new comedy special "I Need You Alive" is available to watch on Amazon Prime, The 800lb Gorilla website, and you can listen at loads of other places - go to stuartgoldsmith.com and hit the exciting yellow button to find all the links!"

Podcast community links, social media and comedy clips, and Stu’s official YouTube channel are all at linktr.ee/stuartgoldsmith

Or join the mailing list for unspecified freebies at:

www.comedianscomedian.com

www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu offers remote and in-person talks to business, distilling insights from over 400 comics on cultivating resilience and the ability to bounce back, to all levels from C-suite to team members.

“There’s perfect and there’s perfect; and that was perfect.” David Cooper, Chief People Officer, Circle Health Group

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Alison Spittle, Audiences, Autism, BBC, Billy Crystal, Brendon Burns, Carl Donnelly, ComCompendium, comcompod, Competitions, Coping, Edinburgh, Fringe, Interview, Live At The Apollo, London, Phil Wang, Podcasting, Problems, Reviews, Risk, Stage Persona, Stereotypes, Stewart Lee, Structure, Success, Taskmaster, The Guardian, TV, Writing Jokes

In today’s trip down memory lane, the ever effervescent Shaparak Khorsandi leads the way – with a quick stop off at Comedy’s figurative playground – via her own yellow brick road. We dissect second chances, shifting statuses, and how the pursuit of money stunts artistic quality...

Candid, nuanced, and not lacking in poise, Shaparak opens up on the difficult situations to which her early standup inexperience subjected her, and the realisation of how bullying is ultimately rooted in jealousy.

Stu's new comedy special "I Need You Alive" has a worldwide digital premiere on Feb 23rd, see the trailer and find the ticket link at www.stuartgoldsmith.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Audiences, BBC, Bullying, comcompod, Coping, Diversity, Dr Brown, Dylan Moran, Edinburgh, Fame, Fear, Feminism, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Katherine Ryan, Persona, Sara Pascoe, Shaparak, Shappi Khorsandi, Stage Persona, Structure, Success, TV, Writing Jokes

This week we swing wide the comcom vault door and crack open a vintage 2012 with the indefatigable Sarah Millican.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Audiences, BBC, comcompod, Coping, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, Fringe, Gary Delaney, Gavin Webster, George Egg, Heckles, Interview, Rhod Gilbert, Sarah Millican, Stage Persona, Structure, Stuart Goldsmith, Success, Tom Stade, TV, TV Comedy, Writing Jokes

Exploding supernova Jordan Gray has just had the Edinburgh that every newer act dreams of: five-star reviews across the board, sell-out shows, a transfer to the Palladium, as well as being made an honorary X-Man by Sir Ian McKellen. She’s an extraordinarily funny, talented and skilled act who’s managed to pull an absolute Minchin!

We talk about the danger of believing your own hype, why she has to be an example not just a comedian, and we get an intimate snapshot of the very early stages of the sorts of hard choices that await someone experiencing this kind of success…

25mins of extras available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club include Jordan on her music career as “Tall Dark Friend”, the most heartbreaking thing to hear after a gig, and she takes Stu to task on his skittishness! We also get an incredibly useful breakdown of the transferable skills a comic can bring to script writing, and find out why she wears a jump-suit and why she very deliberately isn’t “fabulous”…

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for ad-free episodes, extra content from every show that has it, and much more - including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, Alfie Brown, James Acaster and Fern Brady, plus the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.

Catch up with Jordan:

http://JordanGrayLive.co.uk
TW/IG: @talldarkfriend
Don’t miss Jordan live at the London Palladium on 28th October!

Everything Stu's up to:
Podcast community links
Social media handles and comedy clips
And Stu’s official YouTube channel…
Are all at linktr.ee/stuartgoldsmith
Or visit:
www.comedianscomedian.com
www.stuartgoldsmith.com
Stu offers remote and in-person talks to business, distilling insights from over 400 comics on cultivating resilience and the ability to bounce back, to all levels from C-suite to team members.
“There’s perfect and there’s perfect; and that was perfect.” David Cooper, Chief People Officer Circle Health Group

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Age, Art, Audience Participation, Audiences, Awards, BBC, BBC4, Dave Chappelle, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Jeff Buckley, Jordan Gray, Sir Ian McKellen, Stage Persona, Success, The Voice

Tremendous story-teller comedian Alison Spittle is a very sunny specialist in making comedy from trauma, but you’ll be furious that she’s had to undergo so much of it. We talk about her incredible new Edinburgh show “Wet”, and why it’s no longer simply about a fight during an aqua aerobics class.  We also cover her excellent shame-beating podcast “Wheel of Misfortune”; the challenge of keeping oneself emotionally secure when making comedy out of pain; and how to be powerful.

25 mins of extras available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club include Alison on her earliest material that made her feel like herself; the journey of her expressing her mental health honestly; the importance or not of doing “reps” in comedy; and the non-comedy-related quality that got her where she is…

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for ad-free episodes, extra content from every show that has it, and much more - including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, Alfie Brown, James Acaster and Fern Brady, plus the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.



Catch up with Alison Spittle:

www.alisonspittle.com IG/TW: @alisonspittle

Wheel of Misfortune podcast: https://pod.link/1525520717

See Alison live in Leicester and London: http://alisonspittle.com/gigs

See “Wet” at the Edinburgh Fringe: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/alison-spittle-wet



Everything Stu's up to:

This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter

www.comedianscomedian.com

IG and Tik: @stuartgoldsmithcomedy

Find out everything Stu’s up to at www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu offers remote and in-person talks to business, distilling insights from over 400 comics on cultivating resilience and the ability to bounce back, to all levels from C-suite to team members.

“There’s perfect and there’s perfect; and that was perfect.” David Cooper, Chief People Officer Circle Health Group

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Alison Spittle, Audiences, BBC, Bill Hicks, Blue Peter, Cancel Culture, comcompod, Coping, Eddie Murphy, Edinburgh, Fear, Feminism, Fern Brady, First Open Spot, Fringe, Interview, Irish, Kerry Katona, Mental Health, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Nish Kumar, Stage Persona, The Guilty Feminist, Tommy Tiernan, TV, Twitter, Wheel of Misfortune, Writing Jokes

We find the irrepressible Slim at a crossroads in his long career. After three decades as “the King of Black British comedy”, this very funny and astonishingly likeable comic is crossing over to the mainstream with the help of new management and a new game-plan.

From possibly the world’s most terrifying first gig - shoved onstage by a comedian friend at a sold-out Hackney Empire - to just recently selling out the London Palladium by himself, we talk about faking it til you make it, serving and deserving the community, and the tension between his natural humility and the swagger required to kick down doors…

20mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Slim on whether connecting with audiences is a teachable skill, a lovely analogy about comics as salespeople and what represents a “good sale”, whether there’s a downside to doing your learning on a different circuit, and the decisions that went into his Live At The Apollo set.

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Fern Brady and the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.

Catch up with Slim

IG: @slimcomedian
Twitter: @SLIMcomedian

Everything Stu's up to

This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram

www.comedianscomedian.com

Find out everything Stu’s up to at www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu offers remote and in-person talks to business, distilling insights from over 400 comics on cultivating resilience and the ability to bounce back, to all levels from C-suite to team members.

“Stuart was brilliant; he nailed the brief, and the balance of meaningful content and humour was perfect for our audience.” Jo Matkin, CEO Celsus Group

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Audiences, BBC, Bob Mills, Dave Chappelle, Def Comedy Jam, Def Jam, Edinburgh, Festival, Interview, Kevin Hart, Live At The Apollo, Mainstream, Richard Pryor, Risk, Robin Williams, Stage Persona, Success, TV, Up The Creek, Urban Circuit

Back on tour after a period of self-reflection, comedy powerhouse Omid Djalili is admirably candid as he shares his concerns about the material that made him famous. Taking to heart some stinging criticism from his son, he explores the tension between his phenomenal commitment to live performance and his craving for validation

We talk about the tendency of white middle-class reviewers to froth at his otherness; whether or not his “everything and the kitchen sink” approach armed them against him; and find out what advice a young Michael McIntyre rejected…

20 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club includes Omid on how Whoopi Goldberg inspired him when they worked together, an amazing true story about his approach to casting directors in the early days of his movie career, and the truth behind his mould-breaking audition for his key role in The Mummy (1999)…

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Fern Brady and the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.

Catch up with Omid:
TW: @Omid9
“Omid Djalili: The Good Times Tour” will be at London’s Eventim Apollo on 18th December and touring the UK until November 2022. For all tour dates and tickets visit www.omidnoagenda.com

Everything Stu's up to:
This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram
www.comedianscomedian.com

Stu offers remote talks to business on what the distilled wisdom of over 350 comics can teach you about resilience, especially in times of pandemic.

“The most inspiring talk I’ve had in years!” (LEGO staff member)

Find out more at www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu’s “Virtual Office Party” is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties, sales conferences, motivational and wellbeing events.

“It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!”
- Maria Kuzak (Fundraising Manager at CALM)

“The games and interactive element were hilarious and extremely well executed! 10/10 from us, you created a real buzz in our business, thank you.”
- Ben Gott (SVP at Merkle)

For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.stuartgoldsmith.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, BBC, BBC One, Edinburgh, Have I Got News For You, Interview, Jack Dee, Live At The Apollo, London, Mainstream, Omid Djallili, Onstage Persona, Parenting, Persona, Racism, Rob Brydon, Stage Persona, Success, Would I Lie To You?, Writing Jokes

Bear-like in stature and authority and nimble of wit, Pierre Novellie is a fantastic comedian and writer who wrings every punchline out of his routines.  We talk about how his origins in Johannesburg and the Isle Of Man make him an “outsider expert” on the English, and discover why he deliberately obscured his vice-presidency of Cambridge Footlights. We talk about his early assumptions that he was somehow low status on stage; explore his body of work, and attitudes to risk and certainty; and discover the perils of “getting your bum out too early”…

A belting 40 mins of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club features Pierre and Stu sharing their tips on how to survive corporate gigs, with advice on material selection, mindset and how to think about the money in the right way. Also Stu reads some of Pierre’s reviews back to him - the monster! - and we learn about authenticity, and how to wring all of the topics out of a joke…

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Fern Brady and the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.

Catch up with Pierre Novellie:
www.pierrenovellie.com
TW/IG: @pierrenovellie
Pierre is co-host of @TheBudPod with Mr Phil Wang
Watch Pierre’s sketch show CUTS here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9ZMCN60lVA

Everything Stu's up to:
TW/IG: @ComComPod
www.comedianscomedian.com

Stu offers remote talks to business on what the distilled wisdom of over 350 comics can teach you about resilience, especially in times of pandemic.
“The most inspiring talk I’ve had in years!” (LEGO staff member)

Find out more at www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu’s “Virtual Office Party” is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties, sales conferences, motivational and wellbeing events.
“It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!”
- Maria Kuzak (Fundraising Manager at CALM)

“The games and interactive element were hilarious and extremely well executed! 10/10 from us, you created a real buzz in our business, thank you."  - Ben Gott (SVP at Merkle)

For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.stuartgoldsmith.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Audiences, Awards, BBC, comcompod, Corona, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, COVID-19, Dave (TV channel), Dylan Moran, Edinburgh, Eshaan Akbar, Festival, Footlights, Fringe, Futile Attempts, Garrett Millerick, Geoff Norcott, Ian Cognito, Interview, Jeff Dunham, Jon Robins, London, Mark Olver, Matt Ewings, Mental Health, Mike Gunn, Nish Kumar, Onstage Persona, Persona, Phil Wang, Pierre Novellie, Radio, Reviews, Stage Persona, Success, The Mash Report, TV