Hilarious comic Steve Agee is known to many as John Economos in “The Suicide Squad”, and Steve from The Sarah Silverman Programme, as well as being the bearer of the most satisfying narrative arc in the insanely funny “Peacemaker” (HBO Max). He talks with us live at South By Southwest about being part of the James Gunn Cinematic Universe, and the panic attacks that ruled his life and meant he had to warn employers in advance about his propensity for walking away and never coming back.

We also talk about being sent to military academy as a child, his compulsive emetophobia, and how Gunn’s loyalty saved him after a savage pandemic experience in which he lost his mother.

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

Catch up with Steve:

TW: @steveagee

Seriously, don’t miss Steve in Peacemaker (HBO Max)

Steve’s brilliant photography is on Instagram @steveagee

www.ageephotography.com

Everything Stu's up to:

Stu’s new Edfringe show “Spoilers” (WINNER Best Show 2023, Leicester Comedy Festival, woo!) is on sale now - find preview dates as well as podcast community links, social media handles and comedy clips, and Stu’s official YouTube channel, 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: Interview

After a truly horrible year, John Hastings has came swinging with yet another blockbuster  fringe show, working through the passing of his dear friend, the much loved comedy director Paul Byrne, not to mention a divorce and a wince-inducing bike crash.

We talk about John’s move from the UK circuit to Los Angeles, and discuss the finer details of what it means to participate in several different global markets; also the bad behaviour he’s experienced at the hands of certain [REDACTED] promoters. We go on to talk about the cost of doing business, the downside of reps, and John’s impressive social media video output and strategy…

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

Catch up with John:

John’s new Edfringe show is on sale now!

https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/john-hastings-the-times-they-are-a-john-hastings

Visit www.thejohnhastings.com for the unbelievable approach to promo shots if nothing else…

TW/IG: @thejohnhastings

Everything Stu's up to:

Stu’s new Edfringe show “Spoilers” (WINNER Best Show 2023, Leicester Comedy Festival, woo!) is on sale now - find preview dates as well as podcast community links, social media handles and comedy clips, and Stu’s official YouTube channel, 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: Age, Audiences, Barnstormers, BBC3, Canada, comcompod, Comedy Store, Controversial, Coping, Corporate Work, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, John Hastings, Radio 4, Reality TV, Risk, Stage Persona, Structure, Success, Writing Jokes

Launching her new show “Legacy” at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival right now, Michelle Brasier completes a trilogy of heartfelt, philosophical and very funny one-woman shows about loss and forgiveness, which includes the multi-award winning “Average Bear”.

We talk about her work with purveyors of sketch carnage Aunty Donna, and discover why drama school rejects have all the fun. We also discuss her secret fears that she’s doing some kind of TEDTalk and can’t write proper jokes; about main character syndrome and the “fraud cycle”; and why people will be commenting “one of the boys!” under everything she ever puts out, for the rest of her life…

15mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Michelle on her interaction with strangers after the powerful energy that suffuses “Average Bear”, and how she safeguards herself in such intimate connections, and her unique perspective on clowning, chaos, and exactly what makes the Aunty Donna boys such special little guys…

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for all this, plus ad-free episodes, extra content from every show that has it, and more!

Catch Up With Michelle:

TW/IG @michellebraiser

www.michellebraiser.com

See Michelle at Melbourne, Sydney and Brisbane comedy festivals over the next few months:

www.michellebrasier.com/tour

Everything Stu's up to

Stu’s new Edfringe show “Spoilers” (nominated for Best Show, Leicester Comedy Festival 2023) is on sale soon - find preview dates as well as podcast community links, social media handles and comedy clips, and Stu’s official YouTube channel, 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: Acting, Are You Dave Gorman?, Audiences, Aunty Donna, Australia, College, comcompod, Dave Gorman, Edinburgh, Fame, Fear, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Michelle Brasier, Musical, Musical Comedy, Netflix, Sketch, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Structure, Success, TV, Writing Jokes, YouTube

“I did Instagram Live for 2 years straight, for 5-6 hours a day”

Tub-thumping powerhouse Godfrey has been in the game for the best part of three decades and yet still radiates happiness and positivity. We talk about his phenomenal work ethic and drive; being the first English-speaking comedian to gig in Russia; why someone this happy needs to do comedy; and the business dimension to comedy where his confidence sometimes fails him…

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for ad-free episodes, extra content from every show that has it, and much more!

Catch up with Godfrey:

TW: @godfreycomedian

IG: @comediangodfrey

www.youtube.com/c/GodfreyComedy

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 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: Interview

“Is there any more depth to you, or are you just jokes?"

…So went The Honourable Tom Houghton’s experience with Netflix influencer/reality show “The Circle”, and we get right into that here! We also discuss his ballistic comedy style, the social media strategy that has seen him accrue over 10M likes across Tiktok and Instagram, and his truly harrowing relationship with his boarding school.

We also discover his relationship with improv group The Noise Next Door and how it persists despite him leaving, and encounter a lifelong journey to master sincerity in his work…

25 mins of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Tom exploring the relationship between his initial Posh Guy positioning and his most authentic comedy self; how he was called out by friends on his more obnoxious behaviour; and some excellent tips on social media mindset and work ethic.

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.

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

Catch up with Tom Houghton:

Catch Tom on his sell-out tour with extra dates added as speak!

www.honourabletom.com/pages/tour

www.honourabletom.com

Twitter/Instagram/Tiktok: @honourabletom

Everything Stu's up to:

Stu’s new stand-up special “I Need You Alive” is available online video and audio on demand via www.stuartgoldsmith.com

Podcast community, links to comedy clips on Instagram and Tiktok, and Stu’s official YouTube channel are all at linktr.ee/stuartgoldsmith

Or join the mailing list to stay friends forever at:

www.comedianscomedian.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: Alcohol, Audiences, Channel 4, comcompod, Corporate Gigs, Do you ski?, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, Fringe, Humility, Improv, Instagram, Interview, Jack Whitehall, James Acaster, London, Milo McCabe, Privilege, Roast Battle, Stage Persona, Success, Tom Houghton, Tower of London, TV, Twitter, Writing Jokes

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

Truly a global comedian, Vir Das has five Netflix specials to his name, and his latest “Landing” is an exceptional piece of work, relating the story of a plane journey at the end of which he faces arrest for bringing his country’s name into disrepute.

We talk about his beginnings in Bollywood; the difference a background in acting makes to a comics’ approach to authenticity; removing the middlemen between oneself and one’s audience; and why he doesn’t have the luxury of cynicism…

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.

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

Catch up with Vir Das:

www.virdas.in

TW @thevirdas

IG @virdas

And most of www.netflix.com

Everything Stu's up to:

Stu’s new stand-up special “I Need You Alive” is available online from 23rd Feb at:

https://www.moment.co/stuartgoldsmith/stuartgoldsmith-i-need-you-alive

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: Interview

Fresh from the ComCompendium annals we rediscover the indomitable Gina Yashere. An engineer in a previous life, and a comic tour de force in this one, Gina's boldness and clarity of mind saw her draft up a plan: simply selling up her life in the UK and moseying over to the ol' USA.

We examine Gina's annoyance at being the 'diversity' on panel shows, point the finger firmly in the direction of The Patriarchy, and discuss the myriad of pitfalls involved with plunging oneself headlong into starting afresh elsewhere.

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, Andi Osho, Audiences, Chortle, Chris Rock, comcompod, Comedy Store, Diversity, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, Gina Yashere, Ian Stone, Inspiration, Interview, Jimmy Carr, Jobs, Jongleurs, Last Comic Standing, Live At The Apollo, London, Louis CK, MOBOs, Mock The Week, Open Spot, Persona, Plagiarism, Reviews, Risk, Ros Jeep, Stage Persona, Success, TV, Urban Circuit, USA, Writing Jokes