Sofie Hagen is a remarkable comedian, who is arguably better known at present for her activism than her excellent work in comedy. We talk about the incredible think-tank of the small Danish circuit where she started out, and the toxicity she discovered therein; her insightful analysis of how "losers win" at the Edinburgh festival; the dual purpose of having gender neutral toilets at her shows; and get stuck into some very frank discussion of the social activism element of her profile... and exactly what it's cost her.

45 mins of extra material available exclusively to the Insiders Club includes her opening gambit of reading all the comedy books, and how her process features infinite whiteboards and structural skeletons. We also dive into the delicate balance between trauma, therapy and confessional shows, and the mistake she made that she was too late in noticing to fix... All available now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

Tickets and info for Sofie's current tour can be found HERE.

sofiehagen.com | @SofieHagen

Catch the second leg of Stu's "End Of" tour show:
05/10/19

Edinburgh Stand (early show – 5pm)

06/10/19

Aberdeen Comedy Festival

11/10/19

Northampton Royal and Derngate

25/10/19

Teignmouth Pavillions

26/10/19

Swindon Arts Centre

04/11/19

Nottingham Glee Club

05/11/19

Birmingham 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

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

comedianscomedian.com | @ComComPod

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: ACMS, Argument, Audiences, Controversial, Criticism, Edinburgh, Fear, Feminism, Feminist, Festival, First Open Spot, Fringe, Interview, Sofie Hagen, Stage Persona, Success, Twitter, Writing Jokes

Sara Barron is a relentlessly honest and desperately funny comic, relating brutal and sometimes filthy truths in a warm and welcoming way. We talk about how her background in the storytelling organisation "The Moth" showcases her innate skill with story structure, and cover starting comedy late, starting comedy twice, and why the audacity to admit your book might suck is a powerful weapon...

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

sarabarron.com | @sarabarron

Catch the second leg of Stu's "End Of" tour show:

05/10/19

Edinburgh Stand (early show – 5pm)

06/10/19

Aberdeen Comedy Festival

11/10/19

Northampton Royal and Derngate

25/10/19

Teignmouth Pavillions

26/10/19

Swindon Arts Centre

04/11/19

Nottingham Glee Club

05/11/19

Birmingham 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

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

comedianscomedian.com | @ComComPod

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Audiences, Conan, Dave Gorman, David Letterman, Directing, Edinburgh, Festival, First Open Spot, Fringe, Interview, Jess Fostekew, Jobs, Queer Eye, Reviews, Sara Barron, Sexuality, Stage Persona, Stereotypes, Storytelling, Structure, Success, TV, Twitter, USA, Writing Jokes

An exclusive conversation with the man behind (and underneath) "Randy", a searingly honest, multi-layered and genuinely brilliant standup comedian who happens to be a purple felt puppet. A multiple international award-winner and nominee, Heath has never felt comfortable talking as himself, but finally gave into Stu's overtures at Just For Laughs Montreal. We talk about the gap between truth and fiction, vulnerability and addiction, and what it feels like to expose your true self whilst staying hidden.

30mins of extra content available to members of the Insiders Club include Randy's secret origins (fictional and actual), how Heath writes a show in a week, the confessional element of his show "Randy Is Sober", and what it looks like under whatever Randy is appearing on top of... Join now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

@RandyFeltface | feltface.com

Catch the second leg of Stu's "End Of" tour show:

05/10/19

Edinburgh Stand (early show – 5pm)

06/10/19

Aberdeen Comedy Festival

11/10/19

Northampton Royal and Derngate

25/10/19

Teignmouth Pavillions

26/10/19

Swindon Arts Centre

04/11/19

Nottingham Glee Club

05/11/19

Birmingham 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

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

The excellent Roast Battle Podcast with Stu squaring off against Dave Hill (episode 41) can be found HERE

comedianscomedian.com | @ComComPod

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Actor, Art, Audience Participation, Audiences, Australia, Buster Keaton, Festival, Fin Taylor, First Open Spot, Heath McIvor, Interview, Jim Henson, Jobs, Just For Laughs, Puppetry, Randy Feltface, Sesame Street, Stage Persona, Success, TV Comedy

Rob Auton is a revelation; a comic like no other. His superbly funny and intensely thoughtful shows take a single topic like "Hair", "Time", or "Sleep" and dig for real meaning in those concepts, to hilarious and even profound effect. We talk about his love of thinking, the poetry in a football pass, the collaging skills of Kanye West, and why comedy really does mean the world to him.

30 mins of extra content available to members of the Insiders Club include some emotional reflection on mental health, masculinity and sensitivity. Not to be missed, and available only to subscribers at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders, along with all other extra content from every episode that has it...

robauton.co.uk | @RobertAuton

Dates and tickets for my forthcoming tour can be found here.
@ComComPod | www.comedianscomedian.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Alternative Comedy, Art, Audience Participation, Audiences, Awards, Charles Bukowski, Christmas, Edinburgh, Fear, Festival, Fringe, Gender, Grayson Perry, Interview, Jobs, Kanye, Kate Tempest, Laura Davis, Mental Health, Onstage Persona, Persona, Poetry, Reviews, Rick Rubin, Risk, Rob Auton, Simon Munnery, Stage Persona, Success, The Office, The Royle Family

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

Vikki Stone is a polymentalist, which is like a polymath for instruments. You'll all be using it soon...
Combining pinpoint observations with an innate compositional ability, not to mention all those tangible musical skills, she's underscoring set-ups and key-changing punchlines until your ribs hurt. We talk about side-hustles, captivity and the tricks of the trade, and find out why you're wrong about panto...

Tickets for Vikki's show Song Bird at the Ed Fringe

www.vikkistone.com | @VikkiStone

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

@ComComPod | www.comedianscomedian.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Al Murray, Alan Partridge, Audiences, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, Directing, Drama School, Edinburgh, Festival, Festival Comedian, First Open Spot, Fringe, Inspiration, Interview, Isolation, Jobs, Mental Health, Micky Flanagan, Money, Music, Musical, Musical Comedy, Nick Helm, Persona, Pleasance, Podcasting, Radio 4, Reviews, Risk, Sarah Millican, Stage Persona, Stephen Fry, Stereotypes, Structure, Success, The John Bishop Show, The Pleasance, The Pub Landlord, Tim Minchin, TV, Twitter, Victoria Wood, Vikki Stone, Whimsy, YouTube

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