Back on tour after a period of self-reflection, comedy powerhouse Omid Djalili is admirably candid as he shares his concerns about the material that made him famous. Taking to heart some stinging criticism from his son, he explores the tension between his phenomenal commitment to live performance and his craving for validation

We talk about the tendency of white middle-class reviewers to froth at his otherness; whether or not his “everything and the kitchen sink” approach armed them against him; and find out what advice a young Michael McIntyre rejected…

20 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club includes Omid on how Whoopi Goldberg inspired him when they worked together, an amazing true story about his approach to casting directors in the early days of his movie career, and the truth behind his mould-breaking audition for his key role in The Mummy (1999)…

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 Omid:
TW: @Omid9
“Omid Djalili: The Good Times Tour” will be at London’s Eventim Apollo on 18th December and touring the UK until November 2022. For all tour dates and tickets visit www.omidnoagenda.com

Everything Stu's up to:
This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram
www.comedianscomedian.com

Stu 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.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu’s “Virtual Office Party” is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties, sales conferences, motivational and wellbeing events.

“It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!”
- Maria Kuzak (Fundraising Manager at CALM)

“The games and interactive element were hilarious and extremely well executed! 10/10 from us, you created a real buzz in our business, thank you.”
- Ben Gott (SVP at Merkle)

For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.stuartgoldsmith.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, BBC, BBC One, Edinburgh, Have I Got News For You, Interview, Jack Dee, Live At The Apollo, London, Mainstream, Omid Djallili, Onstage Persona, Parenting, Persona, Racism, Rob Brydon, Stage Persona, Success, Would I Lie To You?, Writing Jokes

Teetering on the brink of the “elder statesman” phase of his career, masterful comic Tom Stade  reflects on surviving the pandemic due to his strong family unit and his natural impish inclination not to take anything too seriously.

We talk about the relationship between political correctness and deliberately being inappropriate, hitting critical mass as a touring comic, and the long-term relationship with fans that develops after decades in the business.

We also discuss his theory that he’s held back professionally by his stoner reputation, unpick whether charisma can be learnt, and for the first time ask “are you ever not happy?”

Catch Commander Stade:
www.tomstade.com
TW: @tomstadecomic
Tom Stade will be on tour for the remainder of 2021 with ‘You Aint Seen Nothing yet’ for tickets visit: https://tomstade.com/

Everything Stu's up to:
This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram
www.comedianscomedian.com

Stu 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.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu’s “Virtual Office Party” is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties, sales conferences, motivational and wellbeing events.

“It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!”
- Maria Kuzak,(Fundraising Manager at CALM)

"The games and interactive element were hilarious and extremely well executed! 10/10 from us, you created a real buzz in our business, thank you." 
- Ben Gott, (SVP at Merkle)
For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.stuartgoldsmith.com See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Audiences, Bethany Black, Channel 4, comcompod, Coping, Corona, COVID-19, Daniel Sloss, Doug Stanhope, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Live At The Apollo, Patrice O'Neal, Persona, Reginald D. Hunter, Robin Williams, Stage Persona, Success, Tom Stade, Writing Jokes, YouTube

Psychotherapist, author, speaker and agony aunt, Philippa Perry graces the show with her extremely funny and invigorating presence!  We talk about her journey into speaking via book tours, and explore the relationship between her authentic self and her performance and therapist voices.

We also discover how her career in psychotherapy started as a means of coping with her own loneliness with regard to her “role-playing” parents, and learn about her envy when her husband Grayson Perry won the Turner Prize. We also ask whether the adoration of strangers is a lasting solution to the “narcissistic injury” that often sets people on a path to becoming performers…

20 mins of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club features Philippa recalling a meeting with Jimmy Carr and an aspect of his social fluidity that left her gobsmacked; how she deals with criticism and trolling; she shares with Stu some of their anxieties about interviewing people; and she helps a bit more with Stu’s concerns about whether his son Boutros will mind being talked about onstage…

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 Philippa:

TW: @Philippa_Perry

Philippa’s profile in the Guardian: https://www.theguardian.com/profile/philippa-perry

Find “The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read”, “How To Stay Sane” and “Couch Fiction” at all good bookshops or, if you must, Amazon.

Everything Stu's up to:

This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram

www.comedianscomedian.com

Stu 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.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu’s “Virtual Office Party” is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties, sales conferences, motivational and wellbeing events.

“It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!”

- Maria Kuzak, (Fundraising Manager at CALM)

"The games and interactive element were hilarious and extremely well executed! 10/10 from us, you created a real buzz in our business, thank you." 

- Ben Gott, (SVP at Merkle)

For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.stuartgoldsmith.com

See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, Grayson Perry, Interview, Parenting, Persona, Problems, Psychotherapy, Reviews, Structure, Success

Bear-like in stature and authority and nimble of wit, Pierre Novellie is a fantastic comedian and writer who wrings every punchline out of his routines.  We talk about how his origins in Johannesburg and the Isle Of Man make him an “outsider expert” on the English, and discover why he deliberately obscured his vice-presidency of Cambridge Footlights. We talk about his early assumptions that he was somehow low status on stage; explore his body of work, and attitudes to risk and certainty; and discover the perils of “getting your bum out too early”…

A belting 40 mins of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club features Pierre and Stu sharing their tips on how to survive corporate gigs, with advice on material selection, mindset and how to think about the money in the right way. Also Stu reads some of Pierre’s reviews back to him - the monster! - and we learn about authenticity, and how to wring all of the topics out of a joke…

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 Pierre Novellie:
www.pierrenovellie.com
TW/IG: @pierrenovellie
Pierre is co-host of @TheBudPod with Mr Phil Wang
Watch Pierre’s sketch show CUTS here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=c9ZMCN60lVA

Everything Stu's up to:
TW/IG: @ComComPod
www.comedianscomedian.com

Stu 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.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu’s “Virtual Office Party” is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties, sales conferences, motivational and wellbeing events.
“It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!”
- Maria Kuzak (Fundraising Manager at CALM)

“The games and interactive element were hilarious and extremely well executed! 10/10 from us, you created a real buzz in our business, thank you."  - Ben Gott (SVP at Merkle)

For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.stuartgoldsmith.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Audiences, Awards, BBC, comcompod, Corona, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, COVID-19, Dave (TV channel), Dylan Moran, Edinburgh, Eshaan Akbar, Festival, Footlights, Fringe, Futile Attempts, Garrett Millerick, Geoff Norcott, Ian Cognito, Interview, Jeff Dunham, Jon Robins, London, Mark Olver, Matt Ewings, Mental Health, Mike Gunn, Nish Kumar, Onstage Persona, Persona, Phil Wang, Pierre Novellie, Radio, Reviews, Stage Persona, Success, The Mash Report, TV

Everything Stu's up to: This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram www.comedianscomedian.com   Stu 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.stuartgoldsmith.com   Stu’s “Virtual Office Party” is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties, sales conferences, motivational and wellbeing events.   “It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!” - Maria Kuzak, (Fundraising Manager at CALM)   "The games and interactive element were hilarious and extremely well executed! 10/10 from us, you created a real buzz in our business, thank you."  - Ben Gott, (SVP at Merkle)     For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.stuartgoldsmith.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, comcompod, Corona, COVID-19, Persona, Podcasting, Stage Persona, Stuart Goldsmith, Success, SXSW

A quite brilliant stand-up, with gloriously unique and surprising one-liners, Aaron Chen started comedy incredibly young, and was already working to shed every ounce of hackery while still in his teens. As well as his deeply alt roots and proclivity to experiment with comedy forms, he is also a master of the internally collapsing vox pop, pushing through the soul-crushing rejections to a place of genuine brilliance.

We talk about his early experiments with ultra-awkwardness, his astounding YouTube figures, why he searches for the one-line joke in every story, and discover why he never performs in Chinese, despite his huge Chinese audience.

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.

Follow Aaron:
TW @aaronch3n
IG @chennylifestyle
Wisdom School with Aaron Chen (Adult Swim)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cUdPv8VmH5c

Everything Stu's up to:
This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter and Instagram
www.comedianscomedian.com

Stu 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.stuartgoldsmith.com

Stu’s “Virtual Office Party” is now available as the perfect solution to remote-working office parties, sales conferences, motivational and wellbeing events.

“It was an absolutely hysterical and wonderful evening, for both those partaking and everyone watching online!”
- Maria Kuzak (Fundraising Manager at CALM)

“The games and interactive element were hilarious and extremely well executed! 10/10 from us, you created a real buzz in our business, thank you." 
- Ben Gott (SVP at Merkle)

For more info on how this unique concept can bring your staff together while working apart, go to www.stuartgoldsmith.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Adult Swim, Age, Art, Audiences, Australia, Awards, Interview, Melbourne, Mitch Hedburg, One Liners, Onstage Persona, Persona, Russell Peters, Stage Persona, Stewart Lee, Structure, Success

Stevie Martin has been generating excellent material for years, and is now starting to break through due to her jaw-droppingly funny online videos, packed with punchlines and with a genuinely unique flavour.

We talk about the huge amount of time and prep that goes into her work, as she battles to feel like a “proper comedian” in an industry that prioritises certain styles, backgrounds and looks.

We also explore her brilliant former sketch outfit Massive Dad, and whether their aesthetic made them “unapproachable” as performers; the relative loneliness of stand-up; and trying to love Edinburgh in the way that it deserves to be loved…

Insiders:
35 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Stevie on her murky past as an Edinburgh Fringe reviewer! She also shares some surprising insights about what works on Twitter and why, the inside editorial secrets of content creators, and we find out why her next Edinburgh poster might sell her in a very different way than previous years.

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.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: ABK, Acting, Adam Riches, Age, Alasdair Beckett-King, Audiences, Awards, Big Train, Brett Goldstein, Channel 4, comcompod, Corona, COVID-19, Edinburgh, Fame, Feminism, Fern Brady, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Nish Kumar, Onstage Persona, Persona, Podcasting, Stage Persona, Success, TV, TV Comedy, Twitch, Twitter, Viral, Writing Jokes, YouTube

How did a grumpy table magician find a way to turn “being pathetic” into 400 shows a year in his own theatre at Las Vegas?  Only Piff The Magic Dragon knows!

We’ll discover how a shop-bought dragon costume flicked the switch from sackable corporate table guy, to deadpan bulletproof performer and self-styled “loser of America’s Got Talent”. Along the way we’ll find out why the perfect show will never happen, and why a fear of failure turns most magicians into “hack copycats”…

30 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Piff on the invention of his own tricks, and how something new with a block of jelly has already cost him two and half years and over $70,000; how own bad magic and guilty shortcuts; his evangelist uprising; and what comics can learn from magicians.

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.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Addiction, Audience Participation, Audiences, Awards, Cabaret, comcompod, Competitions, Coping, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, Fire Breathing, First Open Spot, Fringe, Frisky And Mannish, Gary Delaney, Inspiration, Interview, James Acaster, Onstage Persona, Penn & Teller, Persona, Piff, Piff The Magic Dragon, Stage Persona, Success, USA, Vegas