Superb comedian, thrilling storyteller and born survivor Janey Godley not only answers back to her online death-threats, but publishes her whereabouts with an open invitation to "come and have a go". We talk about how she thrived despite abuse, poverty and alcoholism in her upbringing; detail her absolute conviction in the power of honesty; and learn how an early experience at the Edinburgh Fringe led her to reject the comedy industry and focus instead on her audience.

CW: We talk about abuse Janey suffered as a child, at the very start of this show, and throughout.

25 mins of extras available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club include Janey on how her refusal to play along led to her being banned from a chain of comedy clubs; how she approaches publicising criminal connections whilst keeping her own nose clean; the ramifications of her husband’s autism, and the glee she feels at her daughter Ashley Storrie’s success in the comedy world. Join now and support the show at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

Thanks to the Stand Newcastle

www.janeygodley.com | @janeygodley

Janey Godley’s Soup Pot Tour is on right now - tickets available through her website 

Stuart Goldsmith's Edinburgh Fringe show "The Void" is on sale now at tinyurl.com/stu2020

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Actor, Age, Alan Davies, Alcohol, Audiences, Awards, BBC, Billy Connolly, Blogging, Bridget Christie, comcompod, Comedy, Comedy Store, Competitions, Criticism, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Jerry Sadowitz, Jimmy Carr, Jo Brand, Jobs, Josie Long, Leicester Square Theatre, Malcolm Hardee, Mental Health, Money, Morecambe & Wise, Onstage Persona, Panel Shows, Perrier, Perrier Comedy Award, Persona, Phil Kay, Plagiarism, Rhona Cameron, Risk, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Stereotypes, Storytelling, Structure, Stuart Goldsmith, Success, Tarantino, The Pleasance, The Stand, TV, TV Comedy, Twitter, Underbelly, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage, YouTube

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The godfather of British alternative comedy, Alexei Sayle is always at the edge of catastrophe. The star of The Young Ones, Alexei Sayle’s Stuff, The Comic Strip Presents, many more and now his Imaginary Sandwich Bar, gets stuck into why inauthenticity is his bugbear, how to make the most of creative discomfort, the earliest days of the Comedy Store, and the transition from counterculture to national treasure

In 30 mins of extras available only to the Insiders Club, Alexei talks about his real feelings towards Ben Elton, and the current crop of arena comics; how he re-fit his show about political optimism when the wind changed; and identifies a link between standup and martial arts regarding the energy of the audience and his own… Available now only at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

See Alexei on tour now! Details at www.alexeisayle.me

Thanks to Ellen Frost at Bloomsbury Theatre @bloomstheatre

Stuart Goldsmith's Edinburgh Fringe show "The Void" is onside now at tinyurl.com/stu2020

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Adrian Edmondson, Age, Alexei Sayle, Alternative Comedy, Art, Audiences, Awards, BBC, Ben Elton, Bob Monkhouse, Bottom, College, comcompod, Comedy, Comedy Store, Compere, Compere/MC/Hosting, Fame, Fern Brady, First Open Spot, Fringe, Interview, Isolation, Jobs, Live At The Apollo, Liverpool, London, Onstage Persona, Persona, Phil Ellis, Podcasting, political, Political Comedy, Political Humour, Problems, Radio, Radio 4, Rik Mayall, Sketch, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Stewart Lee, Structure, Success, The Comedy Store, The Young Ones, TV, TV Comedy, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage

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Seann Walsh is an extraordinary observational comic, with a phenomenal talent for getting to the heart of the funny in the most everyday topics, and enlivening a routine with act-outs.

We talk about how his persona changed from open mics to big rooms, and how he strove for authenticity, despite the looming feeling that something was missing from his impressive TV career. Just when this outsider among outsiders seemed finally about to break big, in 2018 he appeared on Strictly Come Dancing (BBC) and pictures surfaced of him kissing his dance partner. We discuss the tabloid uproar and the accusations that followed, and the effect they had on his life and work.

40mins of extras available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club include Seann on being unsettled by the aggressive environment on panel shows, getting kicked out of college and the cosiness of melancholy; his unique DIY technique for ridding oneself of nervous energy pre-show; and why any future set on Conan (TBS) will be very different to his first one...
Join today at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

@SeannWalsh | seannwalsh.com

Get tickets for Stu's tour:

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: #Hypothetical, Audiences, Comedy, Dave, Directing, Drinking, Dylan Moran, Edinburgh, Ego, Fame, Fear, Festival, Fringe, Greta Thunberg, Ian Stone, Interview, Isolation, Jack Dee, John Maloney, Kevin Bridges, Lee Evans, Live At The Apollo, London, Mainstream, Mental Health, Micky Flanagan, Money, Off The Kerb, Persona, Radio, Reviews, Risk, Romesh Ranganathan, Russell Howard, Russell Kane, School, Sean Lock, Seann Walsh, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Stand Up For The Week, Stephen K Amos, Storytelling, Structure, Stuart Goldsmith, Success, TV, Twitter, Up The Creek, Vic And Bob, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage, YouTube

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A juggernaut of charisma and filth, Ninia Benjamin has a supernatural connection to her audience and a mind like a firework display. We discuss why she won’t ever explain her race or size, only her point of view, and how she moved beyond the onstage anger that used to motivate her.  We also dig deep into her career rebirth after an ‘annus horribilis’ brought about by professional struggles and her own impostor syndrome.  This far into her career, can she finally accept herself as a “proper comedian”?

Extras include Ninia on writing for Aladdin and what she sang to Will Smith, a deep-dive into why she identifies writing comedy with “homework”, and a full on pep-talk from Stu about exactly how she should attack the Edinburgh festival… Access them, and all other extra content, by singing up the Insiders Club at  www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

IG: @ninia_benjamin | TW: @ninia_benjamin

Get tickets for Stu's tour:

01/02/20

Newcastle Stand (early show – 5pm)

02/02/20

Glasgow – The Stand

07/02/20

Farnham Maltings

11/02/20

York – The Basement

12/02/20

Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: 3 Non-Blondes, Aladdin, Audiences, Comedy, Interview, Janey Godley, Jo Caulfield, Jobs, John Gordillo, Jongleurs, London, Mental Health, Mike Gunn, Onstage Persona, Persona, Reginald D. Hunter, Risk, Ross Noble, Russell Howard, Seann Walsh, Sketch, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Stephen Grant, Success, Terry Alderton, TV Comedy, Will Smith, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage

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A master of "pulling back into the wide angle", Jamali Maddix thrives on big routines about big subjects, letting his innate comic ability run riot. We talk about the pressures of keeping up hit-rate within routines, and get technical about top-lines, and why he wants the premise of a bit to be more intelligent than he is himself. But what happens when you lose sight of your goals in the process of following the next apparently logical step?

30 mins of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Jamali going deep into the production of his Vice TV smash "Hate Thy Neighbour", which saw him write an hour of comedy in three days, sixteen times, whilst avoiding being killed by neo-Nazis. We also cover how to extract laughter from horrific things, and find the fertile ground between outrage and consensus...

Join now at comedianscomedian.com/insiders

www.jamalimaddix.com

TW: @jamalimaddix | IG: @jamalimaddix

Get tickets for Stu's tour:

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

11/02/20

York – The Basement

12/02/20

Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Alcohol, Audiences, Awards, Bill Burr, Bill Hicks, comcompod, Comedy, Competitions, Dave Chappelle, Edgy, Edinburgh, Ego, Fern Brady, First Open Spot, Imran Yusuf, Interview, Jason Manford, Jobs, London, Melbourne, Mike Gunn, Money, Montreal Comedy Festival, Onstage Persona, Patrice O'Neal, Persona, Phil Kay, Reginald D. Hunter, Risk, Russell Howard, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Storytelling, Structure, Success, Tom Stade, TV, Twitter, Vice, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes

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The only comic ever to have consecutively won Best Newcomer and Best Show at the Edinburgh Fringe, John Kearns is a master at finding pathos in the prosaic, combining clowning and standup in a way that makes absolutely no sense written down. With influences from Jacques Tati to Neil Hamburger, we explore his sense of place within himself, overreaching in his writing, and ambition in his career...

Thirty minutes of extra content available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club includes John's brilliant technique for underpinning all his material with genuine pathos, and delves into writing for Harry Hill, meeting Chris Morris, and how the spotlight can burn...
@johnsfurcoat 

Get tickets for Stu's tour:

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

11/02/20

York – The Basement

12/02/20

Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

www.comedianscomedian.com | @comcompod

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Alternative Comedy, Art, Audiences, Awards, BBC4, Best Newcomer, Bill Cosby, Bob Monkhouse, Character, Chris Morris, Clown, comcompod, Comedy, Competitions, Dave (TV channel), Directing, Dr Brown, Eddie Izzard, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, Festival Comedian, Fosters Comedy Award, Free Fringe, Fringe, Gregg Turkington, Harry Hill, Interview, Isolation, Jobs, John Kearns, London, Mental Health, Neil Hamburger, Onstage Persona, Perrier Comedy Award, Persona, Phil Burgers, Problems, Radio 4, Risk, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, Tom Allen, Tony Hancock, Twitter, Whimsy, Woody Allen, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes

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Returning to stand-up this month with a run at Soho Theatre, after many years working on other projects including his sitcom Plebs, Tom Basden is inventive and prolific, also handsome. We talk about the parallels between the superb musical comedy that won him Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh fringe and his new stand-up, discover Tom's English middle-class-ness and why he's very suited to telling some "guys" to "calm down", and explore whether his work ethic is pathological...

Extras exclusively available to the Insiders Club include some really specific insight into the structuring and writing of Tom's sitcom "Plebs", and the dangers of mining real life events for comedy, and Stu railing at the injustice of how the TV sketch show "Cowards" didn't become better known. Join the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

Find details and tickets for Tom's imminent Soho Theatre run:

13/01/20

14/01/20

15/01/20

16/01/20

17/01/20

18/01/20

tombasden.com

Get tickets for Stu's tour:

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

11/02/20

York – The Basement

12/02/20

Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

www.comedianscomedian.com | @Comcompod

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Andy Samberg, Arrested Development, BBC, BBC3, Big Train, Cowards, Edinburgh, Emo Phillips, Interview, Jack Black, Pappy’s, Persona, Pleasance, Plebs, Radio, Red Dwarf, Risk, Simon Pegg, Sketch, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Stereotypes, student comedy, Success, The Day Today, The Office, The Pleasance, Tim Key, TV, TV Comedy, Whimsy, Will Ferrell, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage, YouTube

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In this Christmas Special, we speak to the actual Santa Claus, via his little helper and confidant, consummate clown Herbie Treehead. Herbie is a phenomenal street-performer, known around the world for his joyful daftness, silly songs and funny bones.

We talk about what his first Santa season means to him, and discover an enormously rich and respectful seam of kindness and good cheer. We also dive into Herbie's origins as a performer and his maverick work within vaudeville troupe Slightly Fat Features; learn how to steal a lorry; and reflect on the nature and cost of real performative risk...

www.herbietreehead.info
www.slightlyfatfeatures.com

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

Get tickets for Stu's tour:

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

11/02/20

York – The Basement

12/02/20

Leeds – Hyde Park Book Club

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

www.comedianscomedian.com | @Comcompod

Happy Christmas one and all.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Alcohol, Alternative Comedy, Art, Audiences, Comedy, Edinburgh, Festival, Fire Breathing, Fringe, Herbie Treehead, Interview, Persona, Risk, Santa, Sketch, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Street Performance, Street Performing, Street-Performing, Structure, Stuart Goldsmith, Success, Worth, Writing

Comments: No Comments