How did a grumpy table magician find a way to turn “being pathetic” into 400 shows a year in his own theatre at Las Vegas?  Only Piff The Magic Dragon knows!

We’ll discover how a shop-bought dragon costume flicked the switch from sackable corporate table guy, to deadpan bulletproof performer and self-styled “loser of America’s Got Talent”. Along the way we’ll find out why the perfect show will never happen, and why a fear of failure turns most magicians into “hack copycats”…

30 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Piff on the invention of his own tricks, and how something new with a block of jelly has already cost him two and half years and over $70,000; how own bad magic and guilty shortcuts; his evangelist uprising; and what comics can learn from magicians.

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: Addiction, Audience Participation, Audiences, Awards, Cabaret, comcompod, Comedy, Competitions, Coping, Corporate Gigs, Corporate Work, Edinburgh, Fame, Festival, Fire Breathing, First Open Spot, Fringe, Frisky And Mannish, Gary Delaney, Inspiration, Interview, James Acaster, Onstage Persona, Penn & Teller, Persona, Piff, Piff The Magic Dragon, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, USA, Vegas, Worth

If you thought wrestlers shared some of the tropes of comedians’ lives, wait til you hear about historians! Comedy-adjacent public historian, writer of “Dead Famous” and other superb books, and creator and host of “You’re Dead To Me” (BBC Sounds) Greg Jenner had factual oversight on every word of Horrible Histories ever recorded, and wrote some of the jokes too. He’s also a student of ComCom and probably our most learned ever guest…

We talk about his creative process in constructing analogies that package and frame his research; learn about the pitfalls of generalising and the responsibility of the historian; and he shares his deeply personal struggle with mental health, anxiety and extraordinary insomnia, and they effect they still have on his fraught relationship with celebrity.

30 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club include Greg delving further into his anxieties, particularly those that accrete around social media and listener feedback; the joy of online kindness; “factoids” and his doomed quest to rid the internet of viral “fake facts”; and we learn about the hidden link between Rattus Rattus from Horrible Histories and Greg himself.

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)

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Audiences, Blackadder, Comedy, Dead Famous, Eddie Izzard, Heckles, Horrible Histories, Interview, Maid Marion, Monty Python, Sara Pascoe, Structure, Success, TV Comedy, Twitter, Worth, Writing, You're Dead To Me

“Not a cute ragdoll, but a disgusting sex robot”, Rosie Jones is a triple-threat in ways of which you couldn’t dream if you hadn’t seen her act. Leveraging hugely punchy comedy from people’s constant underestimation at her sheer agency, we discover the precision comic timing borne of her cerebral palsy; her new political dynamism; and why she won’t drown, even though she can’t swim.

40 mins of extra content from comedy’s Thanos, available exclusively to the Insiders Club include her *unmissable* insights from behind both production and performance sides of TV panel games; how and why her feelings about being viewed as an inspiration have changed; and why Nish Kumar is such a horrible man.

Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, Alfie Brown and your invite to the forthcoming ones with Fern Brady (24th May) and a self-help for comedians special with Amanda Donnet (MClinPsych)

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, Billy Connolly, Channel 4, comcompod, Comedy, disability, Diversity, Edinburgh, Heckles, Helen Bauer, Inspiration, Interview, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, TV, TV Comedy, Victoria Wood, Worth, Would I Lie To You?, Writing, Writing Jokes

Laser-guided comic, writer and corporate host, the "modnifique" Ian Moore is every inch the Comedy Store headliner, but in the early part of his career his battle with stage fright left him a more deadpan act than he intended. We talk about the phenomenon of white blokes in suits raging against the world; the reality of his apparent dream life commuting from rural France to the UK for gigs; and the excoriating ten-page editor's note on his first foray into detective fiction, and his brilliant response to it…

25 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club includes Ian on what it means to him to be a Mod, his entry-point into being published as a writer, and the forces behind his doomed attempt to set up a creative retreat for artists. Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, Alfie Brown and your invite to the forthcoming one with Fern Brady (24th May)

Catch up with Ian:

ianmoore.info 

*Death and Croissants out July 2021*  Pre-Order HERE

*New Podcast - Mustn't Grumble* HERE

Everything Stu's up to:

This podcast is @ComComPod on twitter and instagram

www.comedianscomedian.com

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.stuartgoldsmith.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.stuartgoldsmith.co.uk

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Age, Audiences, Blogging, comcompod, Comedy, Comedy Store, Coping, Corporate Gigs, COVID-19, Edinburgh, Interview, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, TV, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes

Is Stuart Laws an absurdist rambler who froths up a load of increasingly hilarious nonsense whilst honking in a gilet? Or is he an astute and quite private man who started a production company when he was 18, and went on to produce his own sitcom Grave new World (Amazon Prime) as well as directing James Acaster’s “Repertoire” (Netflix) and countless other standup specials? It’d be great if the answer was “neither” wouldn’t it? But it’s clearly both.

We talk about “The Prestige” as it pertains to stand-up shows; what it means to be both producer and director of one’s own work; and what makes other comics attractive assets to his company Turtle Canyon. We also cover openness, privacy and what shocks him about other comedians…

25 mins of extra content available exclusively to the Insiders Club includes Stuart on the different ways he directs comics, with reference to James Acaster and Joel Dommett; how to direct without imposing; his social media and TikTok sketch strategies, and some insights on the only show ever made about Wario. Go to www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for this and much more, including the exclusive Insiders Q&As with Nish Kumar, Alfie Brown and your invite to the forthcoming one with Fern Brady!

Stuart Laws is up to the following things:
Stuart’s series Grave New World is on Prime Video and Vimeo on Demand, links at www.stuartlaws.com.
He has two stand up specials on NextUp and his podcast with Matt Winning, Up Your Footfall, is at https://www.podfollow.com/1559039647.
Everything else is here: https://linktr.ee/stuartlawscomedy

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.stuartgoldsmith.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.stuartgoldsmith.co.uk

This podcast is @ComComPod on twitter and instagram

www.comedianscomedian.com

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Acaster, Audiences, BBC, Ben Target, comcompod, Comedy, Daniel Kitson, Edinburgh, Fear, Festival Comedian, Fringe, Interview, James Acaster, Joel Dommett, Josie Long, Mainstream, Nina Conti, Nish Kumar, Onstage Persona, Risk, Rob Auton, Simon Amstell, Sketch, Spencer Jones, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Structure, Stuart Goldsmith, Stuart Laws, Success, Vic And Bob, Whimsy, Worth, Writing

Scintillating comic, podcaster, and co-host of “Gigless”, one of the online success stories of the last year, Catherine Bohart knows herself inside out and has a powerful mental toolkit for comedy.

We dig into her past life as a former university debate superstar, and find out how it helped her stand-up as well her understanding of herself as a queer person; we also discover how her comedy helps disrupt her OCD, both in terms of lifestyle and in giving permission to express shame.  We also consider why income can be a useful metric for success, and why she won’t wear jeans…

20 mins of extra content available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club includes Catherine in more depth on debating things you don’t believe in, her reflections on her online shows, and how she coped with a public breakup with her co-host under the peculiar demands of a regular show-based micro-community…

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


Catch up with Catherine:

Catherine’s weekly online gig is “Gigless”, every Thursday and you can find tickets on www.catherinebohart.com

Catherine is also booking a load of live dates in from May which will also be on her website and she talks about them nonstop on instagram and Twitter where she is @catherinebohart


Everything Stu's up to:

This podcast is @ComComPod on twitter and instagram www.comedianscomedian.com

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.stuartgoldsmith.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.stuartgoldsmith.co.uk

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: 8 Out Of 10 Cats, Acting, Age, Audiences, Catherine Bohart, Comedy, Interview, Jimmy Carr, Jobs, Money, Sarah Keysworth, Sexuality, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Structure, Success, The Mash Report, Tim Renkow, TV, Twitch, Whimsy, Worth, Writing, Writing Jokes, Writing On Stage

On the eve of his first solo Netflix special, one of South Africa’s finest comedy exports returns to the show to discuss the challenges of filming a show in Covid times, and the influence of his movie-grown director in planning the shoot. We talk with double Emmy-nominated Loyiso about compromising decisions on and off TV; his aim to improve rather than earn; the value and price of stubbornness; and why “clarity is freedom”…

Loyiso Gola: Unlearning is available now on Netflix.

www.loyisogola.com

@loyisogola

15 minutes of extra content available exclusively to members of the Insiders Club includes Loyiso in detail on his filming technique, why crowdwork is a dangerous drug, and his conscious effort not to exploit trauma for material…

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

Everything Stu's up to:

This podcast is @ComComPod on twitter and instagram

www.comedianscomedian.com

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.stuartgoldsmith.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.stuartgoldsmith.co.uk

LISTEN HERE

Filed Under: Audiences, comcompod, Comedy, COVID-19, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Interview, Loyiso Gola, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, Top Secret, TV, TV Comedy, Worth, Writing

Bethany Black makes a powerfully funny connection with her fanbase, and has been wielding it to great effect over the course of her heavily-shielded pandemic experience.

We explore the effect on her work of her concurrent diagnoses with autism, ADHD and agoraphobia, and discuss how her fanbase consists of people just like her, rather than the cool kids she was trying to impress.

We also cover painting her herself into a corner with stand-up; how some promoters book to their own taste without realising; not being famous enough for The Chase; and what she’s already anticipating tolerating in her sixties…

No extras for this episode but you can still hit www.comedianscomedian.com/insiders for all the extras from every episode that has them, including the exclusive Insiders Q&A with James Acaster!

Follow Bethany Black:

Follow @beffernieblack
Follow her and subscribe to: http://twitch.tv/beffernieblack
Buy her stand-up special: http://gofasterstripe.com/unwinnable
Tip her through http://ko-fi.com/bethanyblack

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: Acting, Actor, Age, Alcohol, Audiences, Awards, Bill Hicks, Brendon Burns, Caroline Aherne, comcompod, Comedy, Coping, Corona, COVID-19, Dr Who, Edinburgh, Festival, Fringe, Gary Delaney, Gender, Inspiration, Interview, Janey Godley, Jobs, Johnny Vegas, Jongleurs, Mark Watson, Mental Health, Peter Kay, Stage Persona, Stand Up, Success, TV, Twitch, Twitter, Worth, Writing