With his dishevelled appearance and wild energy, you might not be surprised to learn that the wonderfully funny Bobby Mair has had “more therapists than girlfriends”. We talk about his Canadian comedy work ethic, the trick of making the audience your friend, and find out why bad gigs in the UK are still good.

We delve into his origins, starting comedy coincidentally during a traumatic and grief-stricken phase in his life; find out what a relief it was after 16 years to write an observational joke that didn’t derive from trauma; and discover why comedy didn’t save Bobby’s life.

20 mins of extra content available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club includes Bobby on the “Killer Camp” reality show he hosted; some exploration of his mental robustness; and how he went viral as the worst comic in the world…

  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 with Nish Kumar, Alfie Brown, James Acaster and Fern Brady, plus the incredible “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet.

Catch up with Bobby:

Bobby and Red Richardson’s podcast is “The Year Is”, discover it at linktre.ee/theyearispod

Bobby’s“Cockroach” tour continues in Southend, Cardiff, Norwich and concludes in London - get tickets at www.bobbymair.net

IG: @bobbymaircomedian
TW: @bobbymair

Everything Stu's up to:

This podcast is @ComComPod on Twitter

Stu recently went viral on Instagram so changed the official podcast account into @StuartGoldsmithComedy

And he goes by that name on noted spyware site Tiktok, should you dare…

www.comedianscomedian.com

Find out everything Stu’s up to at 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: Audiences, Bobby Mair, Chris Rock, Edinburgh, Fern Brady, Festival, Fringe, Harriet Kemsley, Interview, Jerry Seinfeld, Katherine Ryan, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Stage Persona, Success

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Superbly funny and effortlessly real on stage, Harriet Kemsley grew up scared of saying the wrong thing and making mistakes, but after trying stand-up at the suggestion of her parents, found in it the ability to embrace both her failures and her self. We talk about coping with having your debut show critically mauled; the self-control beneath the dizziness that people often assume of her; and crying at failing at clowning.

20 mins of extra content from this interview is available exclusively to the Insiders Club! We discover Harriet’s process for the roast of her husband, fellow comedian Bobby Mair, and her appearance on Live at the Apollo; discover why men often assume she needs help; and how she’s ageing into her persona. Plus, we finally get to the bottom of what she really thought of New York…

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: Acting, Audiences, Bobby Mair, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Katherine Ryan, Live At The Apollo, London, Romesh Ranganathan, Stage Persona, Success

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Energetic, elastic and totally committed to being “the toughest kid on the estate” when it comes to his ability to get laughs, Russell Kane has firm ideas about his precise place in the comedy firmament.

We talk about the creative power of his exceptional on-stage energy; his surprising reaction to Stewart Lee’s material about him; his unerring ability to mind-map a topic and see the central idea immediately; and learn about the hour-long preview which he scripted in just eight words, moments before walking onstage…

25 minutes of extra content available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club includes Russell’s incredible advice for comics considering performing live standup on YouTube, and thoughts on his possible over-commitment to showing one particular critic who was boss…

The single confidant who suggested that his experiments with image were driving away his long-term audience…

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&A with James Acaster.

Follow Russell on:

@russell_kane
www.russellkane.co.uk
And subscribe to his channel on YouTube, home of the “Kane-ing”

Everything Stu's up to:

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.virtualofficeparty.co.uk

Stu also 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.comedyinsights.com

This podcast is @ComComPod on twitter and instagram

www.comedianscomedian.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Arena Comedy, Audience Participation, Audiences, Awards, BBC, BBC3, Bill Burr, Channel 4, Chortle, Chris Rock, College, comcompod, Corona, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, COVID-19, Criticism, Daniel Kitson, Edgy, Edinburgh, Ego, Fame, Fear, Festival, Fosters Comedy Award, Frankie Boyle, Fringe, Improv, Inspiration, Instagram, Interview, Jeremy Hardy, Jobs, Jongleurs, Josie Long, Katherine Ryan, Lee Mack, Live At The Apollo, London, Mainstream, Money, Noel Fielding, Observational Comedy, Onstage Persona, Parenting, Perrier, Perrier Comedy Award, Persona, Peter Kay, Problems, Reginald D. Hunter, Reviews, Risk, Romesh Ranganathan, Russell Brand, Russell Howard, Russell Kane, Seann Walsh, Stage Persona, Stereotypes, Steve Bennett, Stewart Lee, Structure, Success, TV, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage, YouTube

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One of the first guests on ComCom about 8 years ago, Paul Sinha has had a rollercoaster of a life in the interim.  From fringe comedian to celebrity quizzer as “The Sinnerman” on The Chase (ITV), to a memorable appearance on Taskmaster (Dave) which came just as he was diagnosing himself with Parkinson’s disease, we catch up on how his comedy has metamorphosed from political agitation to personal story-telling.

We cover how the mainstream-ification of his audiences changed his comedy; how he lost a friend to Covid-19 but managed to survive a devastating dose himself; what expectations he has of his life from now on; and why he’s a better comedian now than he’s ever been…

30 minutes of extra content, available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club, includes Paul on how he refuses to think about mortality, his new style of joke-writing on Twitter, and the inside story on his performance on Taskmaster…

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much much more.

Connect with Paul here:

@PaulSinha

www.paulsinha.com

Everything Stu's up to:

"Child Labour" parenting podcast with Stuart Goldsmith & Sindhu Vee

www.childlabourpod.com

Mondays 9pm BST - "The Infinite Sofa" chat show

Top celebrity talent (previous guests include Dara O'Briain, Sarah Millican and Russell Howard) join Stu and 12 members of the public, in an increasingly cult-like live online performance experiment.

www.infinitesofa.com

Tuesdays 8pm BST - "Chops" Online comedy club

www.chopscomedy.com

www.twitch.tv/stugoldsmith

Wednesdays 8pm BST - "ThinkTank"

A new even-more-experimental exercise in creativity, community, and throwing together a virtual bank heist under pressure.

New ideas and new jeopardy every week!

www.twitch.tv/stugoldsmith

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Art, Audiences, Awards, Chris Barrie, comcompod, Coping, Corporate Gigs, COVID-19, Criticism, Daily Mail, Dave (TV channel), Edinburgh, Fame, Fringe, Interview, Jobs, Kate Copstick, Lee Mack, London, Mental Health, Nish Kumar, Onstage Persona, Paul Sinha, Persona, political, Political Comedy, Radio 4, Reviews, Romesh Ranganathan, Sexuality, Shappi Khorsandi, Stage Persona, Stephen K Amos, Stereotypes, Storytelling, Structure, Success, The Chase, Tim Vine, TV, TV Comedy, Twitter, Vikki Stone, Would I Lie To You?, Writing Jokes

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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, 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 For The Week, Stephen K Amos, Storytelling, Structure, Stuart Goldsmith, Success, TV, Twitter, Up The Creek, Vic And Bob, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage, YouTube

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Flo and Joan are a uniquely funny musical duo, with deadpan front-cloth patter rooted in their actual siblinghood. We talk about going from open mics to a special on Amazon Prime in just four years, get the inside story on their recent gig at the Royal Variety Performance, and learn why going viral makes you turn your phone off. We also discover what they learnt from the Canadian improv scene that underpins the whole shebang, and find out why shaking an egg is harder than it looks...

Thirty minutes of extras exclusive to the Insiders Club include a directorial tip that helped them trend on twitter on their first opening weekend; the backstage story on the Nationwide telly adverts that blew up and resulted in death threats; a look at the devilishly cunning improv-style narrative structure that forms the backbone of their special; plus the girls' analysis of each other's strengths and weaknesses!
And some burps.

Join up today at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders
Tour info at floandjoan.com

Soho Theatre run starts 13th Jan

TW: @floandjoan | IG: @floandjoan

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

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: 30 Rock, Acting, Age, Audiences, Awards, Canada, College, comcompod, Criticism, Dark Humour, Directing, Double Act, Edinburgh, Fame, Fear, Festival, First Open Spot, Flo & Joan, Free Fringe, Fringe, Improv, Inspiration, Interview, Jobs, Just For Laughs, Kerry Godliman, Kristen Wiig, Melbourne, Music, Music Videos, Musical Comedy, Netflix, Newsjack, Onstage Persona, Rob Beckett, Romesh Ranganathan, Russell Howard, Stage Persona, Structure, Success, Tim Minchin, Viral, Whimsy, YouTube

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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

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Character-filled comedian and actress, Jessica Fostekew is also the presenter of her own podcast "Hoovering", and guest co-host of The Guilty Feminist. We talk about how noticing her own faked confidence led to a sea-change in her creative process, the "crime" of mixing stand-up and acting, the joys of fabricating the truth, and when to drink the champagne...

Join the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders to get access to an ad-free version of this episode plus 20 minutes of extras, including Jessica's exploration of her work directing standup shows for Sara Pascoe and Lauren Pattinson among others. Insiders Club membership also gives you a whole private podcast stuffed with inspiring extra content, the chance to critique newer acts en masse, and pitch to interview Stu about the subject of your choice - as well as a new community of hyper-fans!

See Hoovering Live at the Vault Festival, 3rd March!

jessicafostekew.com | @jessicafostekew

Book now for LIVE ComComPods:

Mar 23rd 1pm - Live special with comedy legend TBC @ Birmingham Podcast Festival!

g>Stu’s 2019 tour of “End Of” is on sale now! “A comedy masterclass… Endlessly inventive” (The List)
Tickets for the first half of the tour at these links:
22/02/2019 Maidenhead – Norden Farm
01/03/2019 Falmouth – The Poly
13/03/2019 Salisbury Art Centre
20/03/2019 Cheltenham Playhouse
29/03/2019 Crawley -The Hawth
05/04/2019 Reading – South Street Arts
12/04/2019 Leamington Spa - Royal Spa Centre
17/04/2019 Oxford Old Fire Station
19/04/2019 Bromsgrove – The Artix
27/04/2019 Plymouth Barbican
9-11/05/2019 Soho Theatre, London


@comcompod | www.comedianscomedian.com

And don't forget to join the Comcom Facebook group, which you can do here.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Actor, Audiences, BBC, Corporate Work, Directing, Edinburgh, Equality, Fame, Fear, Feminism, Feminist, Festival, Festival Comedian, Frankie Boyle, Fringe, Gender, Interview, Lauren Pattison, Persona, Podcasting, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Sarah Millican, Stage Persona, Success, The Guilty Feminist, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage

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