Dusted down, and fresh from the archives, today we re-welcome the wry cynicism of the nation’s favourite chubby svelte vegan Romesh Ranganathan.

Fearless on stage, yet his own biggest critic off it, we discuss his stratospheric – and largely unplanned – comic success. We place parenthood under the microscope, revise his former vocations as teacher and rapper, before discovering that stolen jokes fuelled his first ever gig... a 1987 Pontins talent show.

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

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Filed Under: Acting, Age, Audiences, ComCompendium, Ed Gamble, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Ranga the Lazy Eyed Assassin, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Seann Walsh, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Stuart Goldsmith, Success, TV, TV Comedy, Writing Jokes

On the tenth anniversary of the first release, our first ever ComCom guest Rob Deering returns to discuss marathons not sprints. One of Stu’s all-time favourite acts, we’ll celebrate Rob’s huge “Running Commentary” podcast with Paul Tonkinson, and its associated fandom; whether Rob is secretly serious; walking away from the desire to be liked; and the secret of Roger Rabbit’s handcuffs…

25 mins of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club includes Rob on meritocracy and the strange evolution of comedy from the 70s to now, as well as some informed speculation on its future!

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 Rob Deering:

Read Rob's brilliant book "Running Tracks" (that could even turn you into a runner): www.waterstones.com/book/running-tracks/rob-deering/9781800180444

TW: @deeringrob
IG: @robdeeringcomedian
www.robdeering.com

Everything Stu's up to:

This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram

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.

“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: Audiences, Carson, Chris Addison, Clown, comcompod, Competitions, Coping, Corona, Corporate Gigs, COVID-19, Ed Gamble, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, Fringe, George Carlin, Interview, Jongleurs, Josh Widdicombe, Lee Evans, Lenny Bruce, Live At The Apollo, London, Mental Health, Milton Jones, Onstage Persona, Paul Tonkinson, Rik Mayall, Rob Deering, Running, Running Commentary, Stage Persona, Stewart Lee, Structure, Stuart Goldsmith, Success, Writing Jokes, YouTube

Attracted to transgression, and an avid writer of dirty jokes, we explore whether very funny Diane Spencer has been overlooked for being too filthy. Prizing structure and organisation, her usually ferocious output hiccupped when she was traumatised by the loss of live work during the pandemic. Back in the saddle now, we talk about focusing on YouTube as an audience-builder, being told “we’ve already got one like you”, and how to be your own agent. But are there really “lots of reasons for people to hate her”?

20 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club includes Diane on whether she’s always been so mentally robust; how she coped with being booed offstage; and how she feels when contributions from her comedian husband Kevin Shepherd get laughs…

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 Diane:

www.youtube.com/DianeSpencercomedian

www.dianespencer.tv

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: Audiences, Ed Gamble, Equality, Feminism, Fringe, Interview, Jeff Innocent, Joan Rivers, Kevin Shepherd, Stage Persona, Success, YouTube, Zoe Lyons

The whole of this two hour conversation is available to everyone over parts one and two, but members of the Insiders Club were also treated to a special Q&A over Zoom, asking James their questions in person.  That audio is now available on the Insiders private podcast, and it was so much fun we’re going to do more of them with other comics!  For your future invitations to those, as well as all the extra content from every episode that has it, join now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

And now…
To celebrate the forthcoming self-release via Dice.fm of his new special “Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999”, James returns to the podcast for two hours of insight across two episodes!  We explore the rawness of this new special, talk about his new “cool guy” costume, and discuss the pros and cons of having a right royal go at the audience.  We learn about his rejection of social media, the distance between his persona and his real self, and how in the past he’s forfeited his sanity in order not to rock the boat…

“Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999” streams once at 8pm on 17th Dec wherever you are in the world (fancy!) and you can get access here:

https://dice.fm/artist/james-acaster-bbx6o

You cannot follow James Acaster on social media.

Everything Stu's up to:

The Infinite Sofa chat show is now available as a solution to remote-working office parties over the festive period and beyond! For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.virtualofficeparty.co.uk

Stu also 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.comedyinsights.com

This podcast is @ComComPod on twitter and instagram www.comedianscomedian.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: 6Music, 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Art, Audiences, Awards, BBC, Channel 4, comcompod, Coping, Corona, Criticism, Dave (TV channel), Depression, Ed Gamble, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Jimmy Carr, Jobs, Joel Dommett, John Kearns, Live At The Apollo, London, Melbourne, Mental Health, Music, Netflix, Nish Kumar, Onstage Persona, Open Mic, Persona, Phil Wang, Podcasting, Radio 4, Radio X, Reviews, Risk, Stage Persona, Structure, Stuart Goldsmith, Success, Taskmaster, TV, TV Comedy, Twitter, Whimsy, Widdicombe, Writing Jokes

Eshaan Akbar has an extremely diverse comic portfolio. This former wealth manager and government policy maker is now a successful TV comedian with a significant career in the making. We talk about his very precise ambitions and his fascination with the absolute freedom of the stage, as well as his disappointment in finding out that comedy is no longer anti-establishment and that comedians are “a precious bunch”. We also touch on Eshaan’s suicide attempt, and get stuck into the tremendous difficulty of exploring a serious emotional topic using comedy.
*Content warning: mention of suicide*

In 30 mins of extras available only to the Insiders Club, Eshaan outlines some fascinating and unique parallels with comedy from his former careers. He portrays different types of jokes by comparing them to bitcoin, treasury bonds and investments (which if you already know about jokes works neatly as a primer in finance) and explores links between policy making and comedy, via analysis of two very different ideas about “audience”. Quintessential ComCom, available now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

www.eshaanakbar.com | @eshaanakbar

Catch Eshaan at Soho Theatre, 7th-11th April 2020:

sohotheatre.com/shows/eshaan-akbar-infidel-ity

Get tickets for Stu's tour:

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

www.comedianscomedian.com | @comcompod

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Ahir Shah, Audiences, Awards, BBC, BBC4, Christian Knowles, comcompod, Competitions, Controversy, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, Dark Humour, Diversity, Ed Gamble, Edinburgh, Eshaan Akbar, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Kevin Bridges, Lee Evans, Mental Health, Michael McIntyre, Micky Flanagan, Nish Kumar, Onstage Persona, Sindhu Vee, Stage Persona, Stephen Grant, Success, TV, TV Comedy, Twitter, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage

Six years after his first appearance, Josh returns for a textbook ComCom conversation about his creative development since then! We get even further into the minutiae of his writing and structuring process and what makes a perfect observation, plus some spicy celebrity gossip about Taskmaster and the secret of his rebooking success on the Graham Norton Show!

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

Find tickets to Josh's new tour here.

www.joshwiddicombe.com | @joshwiddicombe

See my show Primer at this year's Edinburgh Fringe

@ComComPod | www.comedianscomedian.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: #Hypothetical, Acting, Adam Hills, Alex Horne, Audiences, BBC, Channel 4, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, Dave (TV channel), Ed Gamble, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, First Open Spot, Frank Skinner, Fringe, Graham Norton, Greg Davies, Hypothetical, Interview, James Acaster, Jimmy Carr, Jobs, Josh Widdicombe, Live, Live At The Apollo, Mainstream, Money, Netflix, Nish Kumar, Observational Comedy, Onstage Persona, Persona, Podcasting, Quickly Kevin will he score?, Radio, Rob Beckett, Seann Walsh, Stage Persona, Steve Martin, Stewart Lee, Structure, Success, Taskmaster, TV, TV Comedy, Twitter, Widdicombe, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage

Considering oneself "an artist who works in the field of comedy" is the starting point for a fascinating re-framing of the whole goddamn thing, in this conversation with the wonderfully funny, curious, and extraordinarily inventive Ben Target. We discover a shared inspiration in an Argentinian circus, explore Ben's holistic approach to theatre-in-the-round, and find out why minor authority figures are inherently funny...

See Ben's Edinburgh Fringe show 'Splosh'

@comcompod

Don't forget to support the show and join the members-only podcast stuffed with extra content and experimental projects

23/05/2018 Swindon Arts Centre

26/05/2018 Farnham Maltings

30/05/2018 Aldershot, West End Centre

01/06/2018 Sheffield, The Lescar

02/06/2018 York, The Basement

03/06/2018 Newcastle – The Stand

04/06/2018 Leeds, Duke Studios

08/06/2018 Southampton, Hanger Farm

09/06/2018 Cambridge Junction

12/06/2018 Edinburgh, The Monkey Barrel

13/06/2018 Glasgow, The Stand

15/06/2018 Birmingham Glee

17/06/2018 Brighton Komedia

21-23 June London, Soho Theatre

29/06/2018 Tringe Festival

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Audiences, Awards, Character, Clown, Depression, Drama School, Ed Gamble, Eddie Izzard, Edinburgh, Festival, Festival Comedian, Fringe, Fuerza Bruta, Improv, Interview, Isolation, Jobs, Johnny Vegas, Leicester Comedy Festival, Liam Williams, Mental Health, Nick Helm, Nish Kumar, Open Mic, Pappy’s, Simon Munnery, Sketch, Spencer Jones, Stage Persona, Stereotypes, Street-Performing, Structure, Success, Surreal, The Herbert, Tony Law, Zach Galifianakis

Clean-cut to within an inch of his life, spunky Ed Gamble is a deft young comic who attributes his burgeoning success to being in the right place at the right time.  We discuss the affect on his persona of the “Peacock & Gamble” double-act, learn how he created comedian Nish Kumar and tremble before his voracious appetite (for tagging jokes).

Get tickets for Stu Goldsmith's stand-up tour at www.comedianscomedian.com/tour

@comcompod | www.comedianscomedian.com

And don't forget to join the Comcom Facebook group, which you can do here.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Audiences, Awards, BBC, BBC3, Character, Competitions, Criticism, Double Act, Ed Gamble, Edinburgh, Podcasting, political, Political Humour, So You Think You’re Funny, Success, TV