Impro aficionado Steen Raskopoulos has mastered a style of audience interaction that lets his volunteers contribute to the show, rather than simply supplying a punchline.
Nominated for Edinburgh Best Newcomer moments after this interview, he talks here about his training, the origins of his characters, and how he’s ended up so aggravatingly well-adjusted…

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Filed Under: Adam Riches, Audience Participation, Best Newcomer, Clarke MacFarlane, Edinburgh, Improv, Interview, Jordan Raskopoulos, Mario, Paul Byrne, Queen Of The Circus, Setlist, Sketch, The Delusionist, The Super Rasko Bros., This Is Littleton, TV Comedy, Veronica Milsom

An improvisational powerhouse, Jarred Christmas finds the time to pepper his irrepressible joie de vivre with damn fine jokes. He spills the beans here about his current state of flux between the attraction of live work and the fresh challenges of TV writing.
We also cover the downfalls of trying to play to the Edinburgh critics, Jarred’s own “three Cs” of comedy, and how to cheat your way to success in a live studio sitcom...

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Filed Under: Alun Cochrane, Andrew Bird, Ben Norris, Improv, Interview, Isy Suttie, Jason Manford, Jessica Hynes, Joe King, Lee Mack, Louis CK, Michael Smiley, New Zealand, Nick Wilty, Not Going Out, Peep Show, RAW Comedy, Rhys Darby, Steve Williams, Stewart Lee, Street Performance, The Persuasionists, Tommy Tiernan, Trygve Wakenshaw, TV Comedy, Will Smith

Autobiographical and observational comedian, blogger and feminist, Michele A’Court speaks passionately about authenticity, insecurity and the right to challenge.
We discuss her refusal to apologise, the disappearance from TV of older female performers, and two very different sides of her theory that you have to follow what’s making the noise in your head, or the rest of the writing won’t come...

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Filed Under: Ben Hurley, Blogging, Character Comedy, Feminist, Interview, Jarred Christmas, Jeremy Elwood, Kitty O’Briens, New Zealand, Reginald D. Hunter, TV Comedy

To call Max and Ivan a comedy double-act with a narrative doesn’t really do justice to this pair of rubber-faced, multi-voiced storytellers, who have a penchant for sneaking actual theatre into their work.
They’ve only recently quit their day-jobs, but with a run of international festival appearances and award nominations under their belt, it seems to be working out – you could literally just slap them. Here, the boys outline their writing and rehearsal process, who gets final say over the editing, and which one of them has a google alert for their own reviews…

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Filed Under: Bo Burnham, Daniel Kitson, Double Act, Dum Show, Edinburgh, Festival, Fosters Comedy Award, Fringe, Holmes And Watson, Interview, Live, Melbourne Comedy Festival, Nick Helm, Radio 4, Reviews, Sketch, Tim Key, Tom Parry, TV Comedy

Sean Hughes is a thoughtful, reflective performer, with a passion for self-expressive and profound comedy.
A pioneer of the themed, narrative standup show, after the 90s he quit the fishbowl of comedy celebrity to become a novelist, poet and actor.
We discuss his feelings on “outliving” his life experience; the amazing drug of comedy; and the challenges of attracting an audience other than the one you were aiming for…

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Filed Under: Actor, Alexei Sayle, Ben Elton, Channel 4, Drinking, Edinburgh, Eric Morecambe, Fame, Festival, Fosters Comedy Award, Fringe, Interview, Irish, Live, Mental Health, Micky Flanagan, Never Mind The Buzzcocks, Perrier Comedy Award, Poetry, Richard Pryor, Star Trek, Steve Frost, Tommy Cooper, Touring Comedian, TV Comedy

According to his mother, Rob Delaney is “a monster who does good things”. We talk about the differences between his standup persona and his voice on Twitter, as well as detailing the specific techniques he used to gather his 1,000,000+ followers. We also explore the dynamic between his creativity and his sometimes major depression, and investigate which elements of comedy still feel outside of his reach…

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Filed Under: Bill Burr, Eddie Pepitone, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Graham Linehan, Greg Proops, Improv, Interview, Live, Marc Maron, Mental Health, Neil Hamburger, Patrice O'Neal, Peter Serafinowicz, Sharon Horgan, The Groundlings, TV Comedy, Twitter

For nearly twenty years, Al Murray has been at the forefront of British character comedy. We talk about the genesis of the “Pub Landlord” and really dig into the methods behind the crowd-work at which he excels.
Al provides some fascinating and unexpected insight on arena comedy, hecklers, and the state of criticism – and we also unpack in detail how he writes and structures a show.

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Filed Under: Ben Moor, Character Comedy, Dawn French, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Harry Hill, Interview, Live, Perrier Comedy Award, Political Comedy, Steve Martin, The Pub Landlord, Touring Comedian, TV Comedy

After years of superb work at the very top of the circuit, Hal Cruttenden is finally breaking through into the mainstream. We talk about how the best subjects are the ones that scare him, what risks are involved when sharing his flaws so honestly, and what’s made him so angry he’s walked off the stage. We also learn Hal’s secrets of preparation for panel games, and discover how even the successful never feel safe…

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Filed Under: Corporate Gigs, Edinburgh, Festival, Frankie Boyle, Fringe, Gene Perret, Interview, Late N' Live, Live, Mock The Week, Radio 4, Reginald D. Hunter, Simon Evans, Stand Up, Susan Calman, The Comedy Store, Touring Comedian, TV Comedy, Twitter