The hardest-working man in UK comedy, Scott Bennett is tipped for imminent breakthrough to the mainstream, so you won’t be surprised to hear that he grasped the pandemic nettle and started performing online stand-up shows from his shed pretty much on day one. We talk about sacrificing a proper career to become a comic in his thirties, and how he processes the guilt he feels at following his dream, the “elastic limit” he has with his audience, doubling down on your best bits, and that old enemy, too much polish…

20 mins of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Scott going into detail on his toolkit for observational comedy, and the nuance of how he writes with other people, including Rob Brydon, Daliso Chaponda and Jason Manford - how does it change his voice and creativity to step into the shoes of another act?

As the live comedy circuit undergoes a painful transformation into some unknown new form, there HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME to keep the podcast alive and get hold of oodles of sweet extra content (including the new special episode about The Great Pivot with ComCom Consultant Pete Dobbing) with a regular subscription. Join now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

Follow Scott:
www.scottbennettcomedy.co.uk

TW: @scottbcomedyuk | IG: @scottbcomedyuk

Stand up from the shed: www.facebook.com/scottybcomedy

tour www.scottbennettcomedy.co.uk/tour.html

Scott's album "One Night In Dudley":

Itunes

Spotify

Join Stu Goldsmith for a Working Lunch coaching session about your comedy, career or personal project:

“Thank you so much for what was an incredibly productive, useful and thought provoking working lunch/therapy session” - Ben Milden

“Stu instantly put any nerves I had at bay, we spoke about many aspects of comedy and I found it be really beneficial, if you’re considering trying one of these sessions don’t hesitate! 10/10” - Jon Meehan

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/lunch to book your one-to-one online lunch-date with Stu.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, comcompod, Coping, Corona, COVID-19, Interview, Stage Persona, Success, Twitch, Write Now, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage, YouTube

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*This episode was recorded before the pandemic if you’re looking for a breath of fresh air*

A tub-thumping powerhouse of a comedian basking in a laidback rhythm, Robby Collins is a devoted student of comedy.  We talk about how he made his obsession into his art, from renting and re-renting DVDs of the greats as a youth, to opening for Trevor Noah on world tours. We also cover re-learning how to socialise outside the industry, and the long road to making comedy out of the suicide attempt of a family member…

25 mins worth of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Robby going into detail on the lessons he learnt from opening for Trevor Noah and Dave Chapelle, how to make an audience come to you, and how to cut out all the waiting time between thought and performance.

TW: @robbycollins_ | IG: @robbycollins_
As the live comedy circuit undergoes a painful transformation into some unknown new form, there HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME to keep the podcast alive and get hold of oodles of sweet extra content (including the new special episode about The Great Pivot with ComCom Consultant Pete Dobbing) with a regular subscription.  Join now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

Join Stu Goldsmith for a Working Lunch!  Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/lunch to book your one-to-one social or professional online lunch date with Stu.

“Thank you so much for what was an incredibly productive, useful and thought provoking working lunch/therapy session” - comedian Ben Milden
@comcompod | @stugoldsmith

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, Bernie Mac, Bill Hicks, Dave Chappelle, Eddie Murphy, Interview, Richard Pryor, Robby Collins, Robin Williams, Stage Persona, Success, Trevor Noah, Whoopi Goldberg, Writing Jokes

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The co-host and co-creator of Dara O Briain's Go 8 Bit, Steve McNeil started his career in sketch comedy, and has enjoyed an invigoratingly twisty journey through multiple genres, currently specialising as a twitch gamer and host, with new project #WiFiWars gathering momentum online as we speak. We talk about his pivot away from TV, the single most agonising factor that led to the demise of "Go 8 Bit", his new special "Hey Listen!" and his recent battles with his mental health.

30 mins of extra content available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club focuses Steve's tips and tricks for growing an audience on Twitch, and what comics can expect to find when trying to explore that fertile territory! Sign up now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

#WiFiWars
@WiFiWarsUK

Steve's special on GFS https://gofasterstripe.com/heylisten

https://twitter.com/stevemcneil

https://www.twitch.tv/stevefromgo8bit

https://www.twitch.tv/team/thestreamcreamdreamteam

As the live comedy circuit undergoes a painful transformation into some unknown new form, there HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME to keep the podcast alive and get hold of oodles of sweet extra content (including the new special episode about The Great Pivot with ComCom Consultant Pete Dobbing) with a regular subscription. Join now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

And join Stu Goldsmith for a Working Lunch!  Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/lunch to book your one-to-one social, or professional, online lunch date with Stu!

@comcompod | @stugoldsmith

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Age, Alternative Comedy, Audience Participation, Audiences, Awards, BBC, Bottom, Chortle, comcompod, Coping, Corona, COVID-19, Dara O'Briain, Dave (TV channel), Depression, Double Act, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Gaming, Go 8 Bit, Interview, Jess Robinson, McNeil & Pamphilon, Stage Persona, Streaming, Success, TV, Twitch, Writing Jokes, YouTube

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In a podcast recorded in a less frightening time (about a fortnight ago) Desiree Burch talks us through her upbringing and development to becoming the powerful and hyper-eloquent comic force she is today. We talk about seeking connection, the protective shell of comedy, finding acceptance but to white standards, and why her tremendous debut poster was a literal collage of dick pics.

30 mins worth of extras available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Desiree’s very inspiring thoughts on being her own boss and recognising her own value, and a deep dive into her last show “Desiree’s Coming Early” which used a twin narrative to reframe her personal history, whilst being incredibly funny…

As the live comedy circuit undergoes a painful transformation into some unknown new form, there HAS NEVER BEEN A BETTER TIME to keep the podcast alive and get hold of oodles of sweet extra content (including the new special episode about The Great Pivot with ComCom Consultant Pete Dobbing) with a regular subscription.  Join now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

And join Stu Goldsmith for a Working Lunch!  Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/lunch to book your one-to-one social or professional online lunch date with Stu!

@destheray |www.desireeburch.com

www.comedianscomedian.com | @comcompod | @stugoldsmith

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Joe Wilkinson, Live At The Apollo, Mock The Week, Reginald D. Hunter, Stage Persona, Success, TV, Twitter, USA, Writing Jokes

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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 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, Stereotypes, Storytelling, Structure, Stuart Goldsmith, Success, Tarantino, The Pleasance, The Stand, TV, TV Comedy, Twitter, Underbelly, 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 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, Stewart Lee, Structure, Success, The Comedy Store, The Young Ones, TV, TV Comedy, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage

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Eshaan Akbar has an extremely diverse comic portfolio. This former wealth manager and government policy maker is now a successful TV comedian with a significant career in the making. We talk about his very precise ambitions and his fascination with the absolute freedom of the stage, as well as his disappointment in finding out that comedy is no longer anti-establishment and that comedians are “a precious bunch”. We also touch on Eshaan’s suicide attempt, and get stuck into the tremendous difficulty of exploring a serious emotional topic using comedy.
*Content warning: mention of suicide*

In 30 mins of extras available only to the Insiders Club, Eshaan outlines some fascinating and unique parallels with comedy from his former careers. He portrays different types of jokes by comparing them to bitcoin, treasury bonds and investments (which if you already know about jokes works neatly as a primer in finance) and explores links between policy making and comedy, via analysis of two very different ideas about “audience”. Quintessential ComCom, available now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

www.eshaanakbar.com | @eshaanakbar

Catch Eshaan at Soho Theatre, 7th-11th April 2020:

sohotheatre.com/shows/eshaan-akbar-infidel-ity

Get tickets for Stu's tour:

28/02/20

Cambridge Junction

www.comedianscomedian.com | @comcompod

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Ahir Shah, Audiences, Awards, BBC, BBC4, Christian Knowles, comcompod, Competitions, Controversy, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, Dark Humour, Diversity, Ed Gamble, Edinburgh, Eshaan Akbar, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Kevin Bridges, Lee Evans, Mental Health, Michael McIntyre, Micky Flanagan, Nish Kumar, Onstage Persona, Sindhu Vee, Stage Persona, Stephen Grant, Success, TV, TV Comedy, Twitter, 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, 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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