Head writer for “The Mash Report”, show-runner for “Hello America” on Quibi, and profoundly nice man, Tom Neenan has a practised ease with pulling jokes out of thin air.  He’s also a comcompletist and one of the nicest people in the industry.

We talk about his entry into the business as a recipient of the BBC writer’s bursary, how a position as staff-writer taught him to be super-productive, and how to mine ambiguity for a punchline.

30 minutes of extra content available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club includes Tom on learning to make shows more personal; Stu and Tom get self-indulgent riffing on story and the Lubitsch touch with reference to Pixar and the MCU, and Tom shares some of his favourite joke-formats…

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

Tom Neenan
Follow @tneenan for his very funny tweets and drawing

Follow Tom’s Dr Who podcast @Wheezingpod

We also mentioned some of his favourite instructional YouTubers; these include HBomberguy, Jenny Nicholson, Every Frame a Painting, Lessons From The Screenplay, Folded Ideas, and Lindsey Ellis.

And here’s a link to the video about The Lubitsch touch Tom mentions in the extras:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxqt7UmN_bQ

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, Practice Lead, Marketing Solutions EMEA, 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: Al Murray, Audiences, BBC, BBC4, Comedy, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Graham Norton, Hello America, Interview, James Acaster, Milton Jones, Mitch Hedburg, Mock The Week, Nish Kumar, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, The Mash Report, TV, TV Comedy, Twitter, Victoria Wood, Worth, Writing, YouTube

Vikki Stone is a polymentalist, which is like a polymath for instruments. You'll all be using it soon...
Combining pinpoint observations with an innate compositional ability, not to mention all those tangible musical skills, she's underscoring set-ups and key-changing punchlines until your ribs hurt. We talk about side-hustles, captivity and the tricks of the trade, and find out why you're wrong about panto...

Tickets for Vikki's show Song Bird at the Ed Fringe

www.vikkistone.com | @VikkiStone

Tickets for my show Primer at this year's Edinburgh Fringe

@ComComPod | www.comedianscomedian.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Al Murray, Alan Partridge, Audiences, Comedy, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, Directing, Drama School, Edinburgh, Festival, Festival Comedian, First Open Spot, Fringe, Inspiration, Interview, Isolation, Jobs, Mental Health, Micky Flanagan, Money, Music, Musical, Musical Comedy, Nick Helm, Persona, Pleasance, Podcasting, Radio 4, Reviews, Risk, Sarah Millican, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Stephen Fry, Stereotypes, Structure, Success, The John Bishop Show, The Pleasance, The Pub Landlord, Tim Minchin, TV, Twitter, Victoria Wood, Vikki Stone, Whimsy, Worth, Writing, YouTube

Creator and host of the Guilty Feminist podcast, Deborah Frances-White is a phenomenally energetic woman on a mission. A former Jehovah's Witness, she now leads her own army of followers, employing the machinery of business to liberate and entertain, and to inspire genuine activism. We explore how improv conquers repression, go into detail on the genesis of her extraordinary podcast and its roadmap for the future, and she exhorts the listener to make your own model.

Extras available only to members of the Insiders Club include two incredible pieces of advice: one on how to pass pretty much any interview for anything, and the other on how as a comedian she nipped bitterness in the bud. Plus some truly brilliant coaching on why and how to create your own model for success.... Join now at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders 

Her movie Say My Name is out on 23rd April, go to guiltyfeminist for tickets and details.

deborahfrances-white.com | @DeborahFW | guiltyfeminist.com

Get tickets to my new tour dates at www.comedianscomedian.com/tour or on any of the following venues below:

27/04/2019 Plymouth Barbican

9-11/05/2019 Soho Theatre, London

05/10/19 Edinburgh Stand (early show – 5pm)

11/10/19 Northampton Royal and Derngate

25/10/19 Teignmouth Pavillions

26/10/19 Swindon Arts Centre

04/11/19 Nottingham Glee Club

05/11/19 Birmingham 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

28/02/20 Cambridge Junction

@comcompod | www.comedianscomedian.com

Charity Gig Shout-out!

On Monday 13th May, help support women, children, mothers and babies in the world’s poorest communities. Tickets for this gala line-up featuring loads of past ComCom guests and more besides can be got at the Leicester Square Theatre website or www.womenandchildrenfirst.org.uk/comedy

Comics new and old!

Check out www.comedy.co.uk/pro to see everything British Comedy Guide has to offer you and your career: curate your online profile on the most-visited website about UK comedy; get involved at the opportunities hub; and access exclusive articles about performing, writing and producing!

Don't forget to use the code COMCOM to get £5 off your membership.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acting, Audience Participation, Audiences, Australia, BBC4, Bridget Christie, Comedy, Diversity, Dr Who, Drama School, Drinking, Feminism, Feminist, Fern Brady, Festival, First Open Spot, Fringe, Gender, Hannah Gadsby, Interview, Jobs, Josie Long, Katherine Ryan, Leicester Square Theatre, London, Marcus Brigstocke, Mental Health, Miranda Hart, Persona, Podcasting, Risk, Sara Pascoe, Sarah Millican, Sofie Hagen, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Structure, Success, Suzi Ruffell, The Guardian, The Guilty Feminist, TV, Twitter, Victoria Wood, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage, YouTube

A masterful architect of the complete shambles, Phil Ellis plays "a permanently nose-diving version of himself" on stage and in his BBC Radio 4 series "Phil Ellis Is Trying". We discuss disaster, dignity and anger in his back catalogue of shows that go wrong, and get the inside story of Phil's Edinburgh Award-winning "Funz and Gamez"; the kids' show that deliberately and hilariously sails over the heads of the children in the audience. We also learn which disastrous audition left Phil crawling out of the room...

Extra material available to the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders includes Phil's candid analysis of exactly how and why the TV adaptation of "Funz and Gamez" went awry...

@ThePhilEllis

Book now for LIVE ComComPods:
Mar 23rd 1pm - Live special with comedy legend TBC @ Birmingham Podcast Festival!

Stu’s 2019 tour of “End Of” is on sale now!

“A comedy masterclass… Endlessly inventive” (The List)

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Alcohol, Audience Participation, Audiences, Awards, BBC, BBC4, Bo Burnham, Bottom, Comedy, Edinburgh, Ego, Elis James, Fear, Festival, First Open Spot, Fosters Comedy Award, Frank Skinner, Fringe, Funz and Gamez, Interview, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, TV, TV Comedy, Twitter, Underbelly, Vic And Bob, Victoria Wood, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage

Susan Calman is fierce and fiercely funny, unleashing her personal demons to devastating comic effect in her work and here in conversation. As well as exploring how not to approach the Edinburgh fringe, we also uncover how Susan translates her anger into comedy, the pressure she feels to be a spokesperson for gay people, and why she feels she doesn’t deserve a glass…

Get ad-free new episodes, bonus content from interviews and much more by joining the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

@comcompod | www.comedianscomedian.com
And don't forget to join the Comcom Facebook group, which you can do here.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Gary Delaney, Interview, Jo Brand, Kevin Bridges, Live, Mental Health, Pippa Evans, Radio 4, Stand Up, The Comedy Store, The Stand, Tony Law, Touring Comedian, Victoria Wood

Sarah Millican returns for a live sequel, in which we go into detail on how she copes with her ever-increasing fame, and being regarded as one of the “100 most powerful women in Britain”. As well as discussing her views on feminism, and how she keeps challenging herself when playing to an audience who love her, she also explains how to stay grounded at Edinburgh, and why she feels “ballsy.”

Get ad-free new episodes, bonus content from interviews and much more by joining the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

@comcompod | www.comedianscomedian.com
And don't forget to join the Comcom Facebook group, which you can do here.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: A Bic For Her, Bill Bailey, Bridget Christie, Edinburgh, Feminism, Festival, Fringe, Gavin Webster, Interview, Jack Dee, Janeane Garofalo, Jason Cook, Jeremy Hardy, Live, Nadia Kamil, Sean Hughes, Stand Up, The Pleasance, Tig Notaro, Tony Law, Touring Comedian, Victoria Wood

The quintessential comic raconteur, Tom Allen’s work sizzles with wit, candour and warmth.
We discuss his rhythm, musicality and sociable methods of generating material, as well as investigating the self-criticism and loneliness with which he sometimes struggles. This delightful man also makes a convincing case for recognising comedians as “artists who are entitled to support”…

Get ad-free new episodes, bonus content from interviews and much more by joining the Insiders Club at www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders

@comcompod | www.comedianscomedian.com
And don't forget to join the Comcom Facebook group, which you can do here.

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Clowning Around, Eddie Izzard, Eugene Mirman, Frankie Howerd, Improv, Interview, Kenneth Williams, Lizzie Roper, Louis CK, Maria Bamford, So You Think You’re Funny, Victoria Wood