Consistently better-informed than the motor-mouthed “funny fucker” he appears, Andrew Maxwell explains how he turns his opinions into comedy without the use of a writing desk.
What he does instead might surprise you, as we cover the downsides of charm, the secret of his success at the Edinburgh Fringe, and a view on careerism that will have you playing back this episode after a tough gig.

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Filed Under: Adelaide, BBC3, Ed Byrne, Edinburgh, Festival, Fred Macauley, Fringe, Interview, Irish, Live, Live At The Apollo, Nick Frost, Nicolson Street, Paul Byrne, Simon Pegg

One of the best joke-smiths in the world, Milton Jones is a consistently funny powerhouse of verbal cartoons, wordplay and clowning. We explore his persona, his process, and the advantages of making something really bad rather than making it better.
He also paints a picture of the community of one-liner specialists, describes his specific approach to “Mock The Week”, and explains how to get everyone’s attention on sports day…

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Filed Under: Andy Parsons, Clown, Frankie Boyle, Gary Delaney, Harry Hill, Interview, Jimmy Carr, Milton Jones, Mock The Week, One Liners, Radio 4, Stewart Francis, The Comedy Store, Tim Vine

From Wembley sell-out star to complex comic philosopher, David Baddiel returned to this year’s Edinburgh Fringe with a stand-up lecture about fame.
We discuss his rigorous self-analysis and how appealing he finds the transformative effective of walking onstage. We also delve into how David’s obsession with the truth defines him, and was partly responsible for the end of one of his double-acts…

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Filed Under: Baddiel And Skinner Unplanned, Chris Rock, Danny Wallace, Derren Brown, Double Act, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, Frank Skinner, Fringe, Interview, Kai Humphries, Live, Mock The Week, Newman And Baddiel, Omid Djallili, Podcasting, Ricky Gervais, Rob Newman, Sara Pascoe, Setlist, Soho Theatre, The Mary Whitehouse Experience, Twitter

For nearly twenty years, Al Murray has been at the forefront of British character comedy. We talk about the genesis of the “Pub Landlord” and really dig into the methods behind the crowd-work at which he excels.
Al provides some fascinating and unexpected insight on arena comedy, hecklers, and the state of criticism – and we also unpack in detail how he writes and structures a show.

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Filed Under: Ben Moor, Character Comedy, Dawn French, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Harry Hill, Interview, Live, Perrier Comedy Award, Political Comedy, Steve Martin, The Pub Landlord, Touring Comedian, TV Comedy

Virtuoso sketch comedian, The Pajama Men combine rich characterisation and zinging one-liners, to the extent that one of their recent shows was the single best-reviewed work at an entire Edinburgh Fringe.
They discuss their long-standing double-act dynamic, the pressures of touring, and also delve into how the audience becomes their “director”, offering a third voice to their creative process.

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Filed Under: Canada, Eddie Murphy, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Improv, Interview, Lenny Henry, Live, Pajama Men, Physical Comedy, Sketch, Storytelling, The Zucker Brothers

Although they are both of the highest quality, Phil Nichol keeps his two performance styles very separate. He gives us some very specific insight into the unusual dynamic between his constantly-evolving experimental work, and his tried-and-tested, roof-raising club set.
Phil also speaks openly about anxiety, stage-fright, and the fear of somehow being “caught out”, even after years at the top of the circuit. Through it all though, he never stops chasing down the artistic epiphany.

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Filed Under: Actor, Adam Bloom, Canada, Corky And The Juice Pigs, Edinburgh, Fear, Festival, Fosters Comedy Award, Fringe, Interview, Live, Paul Foot, Perrier Comedy Award, Phil Kay, Phil Whelans, Sean Lock, Stephen Carlin, Storytelling, The Stand, Tony Law

The Smartest Man In The World speaks frankly about life, lyricism and the pursuit of laughter. We talks about the evolution of Greg’s linguistic style, and how he borrows from authors to make it gooder…
We discuss the thrill of improvisation, and the stream-of-consciousness style that allowed him to improvise an entire standup album on the night. All this and some fascinating behind-the-scenes details on Greg’s podcast, and how it is further cultivating his audience - an unmissable episode!

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Filed Under: Bill Hicks, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, George Carlin, Harrison Bergeron, Improv, Interview, Jim Sweeney, Kevin Day, Laura Kightlinger, Lenny Bruce, Live, Louis CK, Marc Maron, Podcasting, Richard Pryor, Ricky Gervais, Rodney Dangerfield, Smartest Man In The World, Steve Frost, Steve Steen, The Comedy Store, The Comedy Store Players, Whose Line Is It Anyway

After years of superb work at the very top of the circuit, Hal Cruttenden is finally breaking through into the mainstream. We talk about how the best subjects are the ones that scare him, what risks are involved when sharing his flaws so honestly, and what’s made him so angry he’s walked off the stage. We also learn Hal’s secrets of preparation for panel games, and discover how even the successful never feel safe…

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Filed Under: Corporate Gigs, Edinburgh, Festival, Frankie Boyle, Fringe, Gene Perret, Interview, Late N' Live, Live, Mock The Week, Radio 4, Reginald D. Hunter, Simon Evans, Susan Calman, The Comedy Store, Touring Comedian, TV Comedy, Twitter