Today we heave open the ComCom vault door and revisit this episode with the outspoken moral arbiter of stand-up Stewart Lee.

As principled as they come – punitively politically correct, and forever eschewing the same limelight in which other contemporaries love to bathe – we ponder the lengths to which he is willing to go in order to gleefully burn bridges. We also discuss what the autumn of his career might have in store, and explore how the righteousness of his onstage persona forbids any apologies... just how heavy is the head that wears the crown Comedy Police helmet?

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, Bridget Christie, ComCompendium, comcompod, Daniel Kitson, Dave Allen, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Russell Brand, Russell Howard, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Stewart Lee, Structure, Success, TV, Writing Jokes

Dusted down, and fresh from the archives, today we re-welcome the wry cynicism of the nation’s favourite chubby svelte vegan Romesh Ranganathan.

Fearless on stage, yet his own biggest critic off it, we discuss his stratospheric – and largely unplanned – comic success. We place parenthood under the microscope, revise his former vocations as teacher and rapper, before discovering that stolen jokes fuelled his first ever gig... a 1987 Pontins talent show.

Stu's new comedy special "I Need You Alive" has a worldwide digital premiere on Feb 23rd, see the trailer and find the ticket link at www.stuartgoldsmith.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Age, Audiences, ComCompendium, Ed Gamble, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Ranga the Lazy Eyed Assassin, Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Seann Walsh, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Stuart Goldsmith, Success, TV, TV Comedy, Writing Jokes

Josh Johnson doesn’t put a foot wrong. This masterful young US comic never stops working and is reaping the benefits with a place in the Daily Show writers’ room, and two brand new releases: his own music/comedy collaboration “Mixtape”, and his debut special “# (Hashtag)”.

We encounter a really thoughtful approach to his art, and talk about his possibly unique combination of comedy and non-comic original music; explore embellishment; and how “playing to his weakness” serves his material…

20ish minutes of extra content available exclusively to Insiders as Josh ruminates on vulnerabilities, approach, and how not even the most vexatious of Uber drivers can knock back the offer of free fried chicken.

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, James Acaster and Alfie Brown, and your invite to the forthcoming ones with Fern Brady and a “self-help for comedians” special with Amanda Donnet (MClinPsych)

Connect with Josh Johnson:

https://www.joshjohnsoncomedy.com/

https://www.instagram.com/joshjohnsoncomedy/

https://twitter.com/joshjohnson

https://www.facebook.com/JoshJComedy

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCLuYADJ6hESLHX87JnsGbjA

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Bob Hope, Comedy Central, Coping, Corona, Interview, Kanye, Kanye West, SNL, Soho Theatre, Structure, Success, TV Comedy, USA, YouTube

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, 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, Success, Tom Allen, Tony Hancock, Twitter, Whimsy, Woody Allen, Writing Jokes

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

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, Stereotypes, student comedy, Success, The Day Today, The Office, The Pleasance, Tim Key, TV, TV Comedy, Whimsy, Will Ferrell, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage, YouTube

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, Edinburgh, Festival, Fire Breathing, Fringe, Herbie Treehead, Interview, Persona, Risk, Santa, Sketch, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Street Performance, Street Performing, Street-Performing, Structure, Stuart Goldsmith, Success

Star of his own sitcom "Jerk" (BBC) and a gleefully discomforting stand-up, Tim Renkow makes his point with devastating wit. We talk about how people's exploitation of Tim's physical vulnerability has shaped his outlook and work, learn how his dispassion towards his audience's reaction makes him a stronger comic, and find out why he would rather be alone in a wood with a shotgun.

Content warning: strong language and discussion of sexual abuse.

Members of the Insiders Club can enjoy 20 mins of extra content with Tim giving us his analysis of the four types of Edinburgh fringe shows, precisely why he doesn't like award-winning shows, and what great idea he only tried saying on stage once...
All of that, plus all the extras from every show which has them, exclusively available to members of the Insiders Club. Join today at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

FB: TimRenkowcomedy | TW: @TimRenkowComedy

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

*NEW* Check out Stu's new corporate resilience training monolith at www.comedyinsights.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, BBC3, Bob Slayer, Bobby Mair, Dylan Moran, Eddie Izzard, Edinburgh, Festival, Interview, Phil Kay, Richard Pryor, Soho Theatre, Stage Persona, Structure, student comedy, Success, Tim Renkow, TV, TV Comedy, USA, Writing Jokes

Zach Zucker and Viggo Venn and their permanent director and co-creator Jonny Woolley are like a mainline injection of a comedy drug that hasn't been invented yet. This trio has been around the world four times at some disgustingly young age, winning awards and crazed fans, and revelling in mistakes, misadventures and madness.

We talk about their first Edinburgh and how they snatched victory from the jaws of a 10 month old baby, explore their solo work, including Zach's "Jack Tucker" character and his unique relationship with live direction and sound cues, and discuss breaking the rules, winding the Late N Live audience up on purpose, and getting good at being bad. 

You get the whole 90 min interview in this episode, but you can sign up for the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders to get access to all the extra content from any episode that has it, plus loads of extra stuff on a special private podcast!

Discover more on Zach and Viggo at 
www.zachandviggo.com
www.stamptowncomedy.com
@zach_viggo

Find Stu's tour dates at www.comedianscomedian.com/tour

11/10/19

Northampton Royal and Derngate

25/10/19

Teignmouth Pavillions

26/10/19

Swindon Arts Centre

04/11/19

Nottingham Glee Club

08/11/19

Bristol – The Comedy Box at the Hen and Chicken

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

Hi Davy, I respect you.

comedianscomedian.com | @comcompod

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Actor, Age, Alternative Comedy, Art, Audiences, Aunty Donna, Awards, Character, Character Comedy, Chortle, Clown, College, comcompod, Controversy, Criticism, Directing, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Heckles, Inspiration, Interview, Jobs, John Kearns, Just For Laughs, Melbourne Comedy Festival, Mental Health, Money, Pappy’s, Persona, Phil Burgers, Red Bastard, Reviews, Risk, Sacha Baron-Cohen, Sam Simmons, Soho Theatre, Spencer Jones, Stage Persona, Stewart Lee, Street Performance, Structure, Success, The Guardian, Underbelly, USA, We Are Klang, Zach and Viggo