Comedians

Seven Questions With… Princes Of Main

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Princes Of Main are a comedy sketch group made up of award winning comedians and writers Ben Pope, Alex MacKeith and Jamie Fraser. They also host a monthly free new material night in London called Crazy Science Stupid Magic, showcasing stand up, character and sketch comedy from a wide range of names on the UK comedy circuit. The Princes will also be returning to the Edinburgh Festival this year with another hour of absurd, fast-paced fun.
I asked Princes of Main these seven questions to find out more about them…

1) How did you feel when you woke up this morning?

BEN: Relieved. I watched Pride and Prejudice and Zombies last night and I had nine straight hours of premium nightmares.

ALEX: I felt neat and okay.

JAMIE: I have a wisdom tooth coming through so I woke up feeling achy, tender and like I was wearing a face two sizes too large for me. Other than that, tip top.

2) Jelly Babies or Jelly Beans?

BEN: Jelly Babies are better than Jelly Beans. No question. But I’d still take Jelly Beans over an actual baby.

ALEX: Honestly, gutted that they’ve gone their separate ways because we three would often sit down for hours on a Monday knocking back alternate JBeans and JBabies (as we abbreviated them; we didn’t have time for the whole names — you wanna eat them, not say them!) If that’s the way it is I will abstain from both parties until they work it out. JBean/JBaby relations have frosted before and always thawed. It’s not worth falling out over. But I know exactly how Ben will feel about this, and I will not be the one to tell him.

JAMIE: Jelly Babies are fantastic, I wish I had some now.

© Princes of Main

3) Do your sketches tend to develop or stay the same each time you perform them?

BEN: They always develop. We have short attention spans so too much repetition makes Jack a dull boy. New lines, new delivery, new voices constantly refresh old stuff or else it goes stale like milk or Kiefer Sutherland.

ALEX: They change considerably. You’ve got to change things up or Jamie gets incredibly, incredibly angry with you. If Ben had his way we’d hone and whittle until the sketch was just one syllable long. We actually cut the syllable-long sketch in the end because of time constraints. But I never have any regrets when we lose a line or a character or a joke. I’ve got them all right here.

*Points to head, then heart, then to notebook full of lines, characters and jokes.*

JAMIE: I think this has changed for us the more we have written and performed together. When we started out doing shows together, we had a sort of maniacal attitude to the actual writing of sketches, with very little left to be figured out in the moment. Call it being more relaxed or just laziness, but now we’re much happier to try a sketch with only vague idea of what might be funny about it, or even where it will go. From there, you see what gets a response and go back to the original idea, altering according to what felt best about it. That gradual erosion through the gentle lapping of positive and negative feedback eventually results in the sketch ossifying into a fixed state. If you’re lucky, this final frozen form is both Good and Funny and you can charge money for it at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

4) Who do you find the most annoying out of the three of you?

BEN: Oh, it’s a dead heat. We’re all insufferable toilets.

ALEX: Alex?

JAMIE: Myself.

5) How do you think you will die?

BEN: Google ‘La Grande Bouffe’. Ideally that.

ALEX: Too much love.

JAMIE: I’d like to say something dramatic but it’s almost certainly going to be a prolonged John Donne-style malady.

6) What makes you feel as though you have your life together?

BEN: The split second when I wake up before I remember everything.

ALEX: I don’t know if you’ve heard of a little book called The Holy Bible?

JAMIE: My slow cooker.

7) What’s the best thing about your audiences?

BEN: The thing I love absolutely love the most about our audiences is that sometimes they turn up.

ALEX: Their undying patience.

JAMIE: I wouldn’t want to generalise, but our shows are usually at their best when the audience enjoys seeing us mess up as much as they enjoy seeing us succeed. This is a lovely thing to experience as a performer and I’m grateful when it happens. Our audiences also tend to have an ineffable sexual charisma which makes them irresistible to friends, coworkers and strangers alike.

Tickets for Crazy Science Stupid Magic are available here. All proceeds go towards Parkinson’s UK. You can also follow Princes of Main on Twitter.

April: Comedian Of The Month #39, Cariad Lloyd

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Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.

Cariad Lloyd is a regular face on television these days. She  has become a frequent guest on QI during the past few years as well as starring in the likes of Peep Show, Murder in Successville, Crackanory and Crims.

But this comic and writer has many strings to her bow. With an aptitude for improvisation, Cariad is animated and engaging, able to endear herself to audiences with ease. She is a member of the highly acclaimed Jane Austen-inspired improvised sketch group Austentatious: The Improvised Novel (fellow cast member Jospeh Morpurgo has been MoodyComedy’s Comedian of the Month in the past).

© Richard Davenport

The area of Cariad’s work that I have most recently enjoyed, however, is her relatively new podcast: The Grief Cast. As you might guess from the title, it is a series about dealing with losing a loved one. Cariad, who has personally suffered from such a loss, invites comedians and writers to talk within a lighthearted yet honest and sometimes quite frank discussion about their experiences.

Lloyd is empathetic and clearly very emotionally mature, and she supports her fellow comics as they share stories from the most painful parts of their lives. Though, at the same time, The Grief Cast is factual and both interviewer and interviewees don’t muck around when it comes to being blunt yet fair regarding the realities of death and grief. Cariad as a story elicitor is honest but never judgemental. This podcast is quite honestly a pleasure to listen to. You can listen to it here.

For more information, follow Cariad Lloyd on Twitter or visit her website.

Book tickets for Austentatious: The Improvised Novel’s nationwide tour here.

MARCH COMEDIAN OF THE MONTH: LOU CONRAN

Seven Questions With… Lou Conran

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Lou Conran is a very popular voice on the stand up circuit, which is why she was named MoodyComedy’s Comedian of the Month in March. Perhaps known best for her excellent MC skills and for her work writing for Standard Issue, Lou is a comic that most will find hard to dislike. She is uncompromising and unafraid of judgement, yet friendly, open and real. And on top of all this, Lou is endeavouring to raise £50,000 for the Saying Goodbye charity that supports parents suffering the loss of a baby, in birth or infancy. There is more information about how you can help Lou make a difference here.
I asked Lou these seven questions to find out more about her…

1) How do you like your eggs in the morning?

Boiled. Eggs are a serious business. I once ate 24 in two weeks and had to have colonic irrigation to clear the blockage.

2) How do you propose we solve the issue of global warming?

Take your jumper off silly.

© Andy Hollingworth

3) How would you fare in a zombie apocalypse?

I like the element of risk, but I’d definitely be first to be eaten.

4) Do your family find you funny?

Disturbed I think rather than funny.

5) If you could say one sentence to Donald Trump, what would it be?

Doesn’t that Velcro fringe itch?

6) What should we all do at least once in our lives?

Contrary to what a previous boyfriend suggested I should do at least once, I’d say the thing that you fear doing, do it. What’s the worst that could happen? (Apart from death but then at least you’d not have bills to pay, and you’d lose weight….)

7) Do you prefer being an MC or performing straight stand up?

I love MCing, which is what I do most of. But on the rare occasion I get to do a set I get stupidly nervous, but find it a bit more exhilarating, but either or really. I just love doing it.

Support Lou Conran’s fundraising challenge here.

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Review: Chris Ramsey – Is That… Chris Ramsey?

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The loveable Geordie that is Chris Ramsey returned to St David’s Hall on 27th April after previously playing here as tour support for Al Murray (the Pub Landlord). I attend the show on behalf of Quench Magazine and the theatre is busier than I’ve ever seen it. Ramsey’s support is Carl Hutchinson, who plays a solid half hour of high-calibre stand up to an enthusiastic Thursday night crowd.

Hutchinson is very much fitting within that same relatable, pally (and Northern) style as Ramsey, meaning there is a great deal of potential for Carl to increase his following throughout his time as tour support. Some of his narratives have got a certain bitterness to them, but this rarely comes across as being petty. Surely this is the result of his grievances being so widely shared amongst the crowd. The objections are often quite standard, such as a hatred of vaping in non-smokers, but where he takes the ideas is interesting, allowing his natural playfulness to come through.

Is That… Chris Ramsey

Next, Chris Ramsey takes to the stage. Ramsey has developed into an incredibly popular stand up comic over recent years. He has worked as a host on I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here! Extra Camp and was recently announced as the new host of the panel show Virtually Famous.

But this newfound ‘celebrity’ status has certainly not gone to Ramsey’s head. In fact, he tries to shaft this title completely, especially since starting a family. His artistic priority remains simply making his audiences laugh – there is no ego here. Chris is surprisingly approachable considering his level of fame, even encouraging audience members to shout out their own contributions, such as their creepiest sleepwalking stories. It’s the personal openness and vulnerability that takes Ramsey’s comedy to another level. And it’s refreshing to see that he is, and views himself as, a regular guy, who is as clueless as the next person when it comes to telling the difference between a tangerine, a mandarin, and a clementine.

This hour and 45 minutes of stand up provides audiences with a well-rounded snapshot view of Chris Ramsey’s professional and personal life. Chris shares stories about his wife Rosie and their young son, and even ends on a humiliating tale about being arrested in his underwear for a crime he knew nothing about, let alone committed. As if to prove my point, he even hangs around in the lobby after the show and makes sure to talk to every single audience member that waited in line. Chris Ramsey’s latest show has an unexpectedly homely feel and yet he remains a real crowd pleaser.

GET YOUR TICKETS TO SEE ‘IS THAT… CHRIS RAMSEY?’

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH… CARL HUTCHINSON

TV Review: How’d You Get So Rich?

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How’d You Get So Rich? Now there’s a programme I didn’t expect to particularly like. Be entertained by, perhaps, but value comedically? Not expected at all.

The premise is simple. It’s a revamp of the 2009-10 US series presented by the late Joan Rivers. Katherine Ryan, often hailed as the next generation of Rivers’ cutthroat comedy, introduces viewers to numerous businessmen and women from all across the globe, from an interior designer for the super rich, a ten-year-old girl with her own fashion lines and a pair of men from Somerset who made their fortune manufacturing sex toys.

What makes this format work is undeniably the force that is Katherine Ryan. She is sharp, sarcastic and unforgiving; anyone who has seen her stand up knows that already. But what surprised me about her appearance on this programme is her undying self-sacrifice comedically. She is happy to be the butt of the jokes and unafraid to make a fool of herself. This is the programme where Katherine’s personal character is able to shine through most. It feels like the world is getting to know this comic personally.

© Channel 4

Despite my initial scepticism, this programme is remarkably lacking in spite. How’d You Get So Rich? is not a programme about people who have had everything handed to them. It is a programme about creative individuals who have crafted and grafted and forged a career despite an array of surprising odds and situational difficulties. Yes, the wealth in some cases seems excessive. Why do the rich need a special plumber that only works for rich people? Why do royal couples need a zoo in the grounds of their palace, with wild cats roaming around the front gate? But these are questions that remain unasked, perhaps because Katherine and her audience do not really need to ask them. This show is not about our prejudices; it is about gaining insight into the lives of those who live differently to us.

In particular, her handling of Isabella (who made her first million at the age of six) highlights how genuine Katherine’s approach is. Any humiliation of this child (because despite her great wealth and popularity, this is what Isabella is) could have stuck with her for a lifetime. Ryan remains generous in her interrogations. And she throws herself into every situation head first, with a healthy dose of scepticism yet no hint of closed-mindedness in any respect.

Endlessly curious and most importantly interested, Katherine Ryan is the selling point for me. How’d You Get So Rich? is available on All4.

KATHERINE RYAN: KATHBUM

March: Comedian Of The Month #38, Lou Conran

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© Andy Hollingworth

Each Comedian of the Month on MoodyComedy is a comic who has never previously featured on the website. Reasons for selection can include various current projects the comedian is involved with, or perhaps recent appearances on television programmes or podcasts. There is no strict criteria however, as Comedian of the Month simply stands as a collection of recommendations, highlighting interesting and original aspects of certain comedians and their work.

March’s Comedian of the Month is Lou Conran. Often working as an MC, Lou is certainly a pair of safe hands for an audience. She is confident, loud and uncompromising, with an energy about her performance that could most likely revive even the most reserved of audiences.

After witnessing Lou Conran work her magic live at Birmingham Glee Club’s Comedy Playground, it becomes clear that this comic has an extra something to offer to a night of weekend comedy. Conran is able to generate tensions within a room, whilst maintaining a feeling of goodwill amongst her audience. Cleverly bouncing ideas between members of the crowd she decides to ‘attack’, and getting her audience communicating with one another, Conran has absolutely nailed what is meant by the term ‘inclusive entertainment’.

Lou throws her whole self into her comedy; she ensures that her audience is relaxed and this in turn results in uplifted of mood of the crowd. She is able to adopt a patronising tone towards specific members of the audience and get away with it by balancing this with her own self-deprecating attitude.

And not only is she brilliant at nurturing a good atmosphere through her compèring, Conran is also excellent with her imagery. Her latest work-in-progress material regarding things overheard by neighbours through the walls of her flat is sure to be something that develops into a brilliant piece, judging by the laughter the rough run through, with notebook in hand, received.

Lou has also written for Standard Issue, a woman-lead lifestyle online magazine that is sadly to be discontinued this month. It is definitely worth taking a look at her articles if you are unable to get yourself to see her perform live, as her comedic skill shines through as brightly as ever.

For more information, follow Lou Conran on Twitter or visit her website.

FEBRUARY COMEDIAN OF THE MONTH

Review: Richard Herring – The Best

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Richard Herring is showcasing the best of his material from the last twelve shows, after revisiting them all for one-off performances in 2015. The aim is to represent each of the various aspects of his comedy style equally: a summary of the past sixteen years for the comic; a smorgasbord of Richard Herring, if you will.

The show is at Cardiff’s St David’s Hall, and I attend on behalf of Quench Magazine. Herring is undeniably on top form. Cheeky as ever and ironic to the point of almost dangerous territory offence-wise, it is clear that here we have a comedian who knows how to kindle some form of response from his audience. But Herring fans know his game. We know that there is no spite. Intellectual frustration, yes, paired with an inclination towards causing mischief, but this comedian is certainly a safe pair of (outrageously small) hands.

Richard Herring: The Best

For those of us who are only aware of Richard’s work through his Leicester Square Theatre Podcast or the As It Occurs To Me podcast (perhaps those who weren’t watching all that much comedy in late 1990s, due to being a toddler, so didn’t witness Lee and Herring in their peak of double-act acclaim), it may be true that our discernment of Herring’s stand up style is relatively limited.

Now, I’ve heard the ridiculously imaginative and crude ‘emergency questions’ that feature on RHLSTP, and yet still find myself a little surprised to hear how conceptual and whimsical Richard’s material can become. The comedian takes a concept grounded in his own reality (such as the first Valentines’ day he shared with his wife) before teasing the idea until it balloons up into something of its own entirely. And there’s such an energy pushing these ideas forward that audiences find it impossible not to be swept up in the ludicrous nature of it all.

Herring is also an extremely experienced constructor of comedy narratives, which is no doubt the result of those countless years spent assembling shows for the Edinburgh Festival and touring them nationwide. The message is one of development, whether that refers to within Herring himself over the past sixteen years, or the stability he has found in getting married and starting a family. The most notable aspect for me is the realisation that this show really has heart.

A great deal of Herring’s projects are crowd-funded, so, charitable as ever, each audience member is treated to a free tour show programme. There is a real communal effort driving this comedy forward, which is something I’ve seen nothing quite like before. Herring warns us that ‘the best doesn’t mean it’s good, it just means it’s the least worst’, but I can confirm that Herring is in fact quite close to the best (maybe ranking just after Stewart Lee).

DVD copies of Richard Herring’s latest solo shows, as well as copies of the first series of Fist of Fun are available at Go Faster Stripe.

Seven Questions With… Jordan Brookes

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Jordan Brookes

Past Comedian of the Month Jordan Brookes is a stand up comedian whose self-assuredness onstage contrasts interestingly against his softly spoken delivery. Jordan is a calm and thoughtful comic, with material that often borders on performance art. His comedy is a lesson in unpredictability and he plays with the time constraints of narratives which makes for an all-encompassing experience.
I asked Jordan these seven questions to learn more about him…

1) What is it about your character than suits a career in stand up comedy?

A lax work ethic and a litany of failures. No one arrives at comedy all suited and slick, clutching a briefcase full of quips. It’s more like you stumble in wearily, confused as to whether you’re even in the right place.

2) What can you not respect?

Gossip-mongering and fierce business-mindedness when it comes to comedy. Anyone who takes it seriously to the point where their happiness is conditionally dependant on being successful. Wind it in, you creeps.

3) What is the best snack on a cold day?

A steak bake in the bath.

4) When do you feel most accepted on stage?

Probably when I stop trying to control the room and loosen my grip on where the laughs are coming from.

5) Are you more passive or aggressive?

Aggressive. There’s a rage that lives in my face like a rat, occasionally scuttling past the eyes for all to see.

6) When was the last time you were confused?

Whenever I last went on Twitter and saw people pretending to drink liberal tears. That just doesn’t sound healthy. It’d be like drinking the ghost of a cup-a-soup.

7) What do you predict will happen this year?

If I was joking around, then I predict the collapse of civilisation. If I was being serious then I’d have to say the collapse of civilisation.

For more information, follow Jordan Brookes on Twitter

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH…

Review: Stuart Goldsmith – Compared to What

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Stu Goldsmith is currently touring his second stand up hour, and due partly to his recent appearance as Jack Whitehall’s tour support for his Wembley Arena shows, Stu’s audience in the studio room at Birmingham Glee Club has more than doubled since last year.

With the birth of his first child a little over a year ago, Stuart has made a ‘compromise’ and moved to the countryside, to live with his partner. Now, he is nostalgic for the passive-aggressive nature and fast pace of the city, and is keen to demonstrate why. His observations are accurate and take a refreshingly new stance on the life of a city-dweller, which is a well-trodden terrain in the world of stand up. It seems as though Goldsmith’s life, both personally and professionally, is hurtling at 100 miles per hour, and this is something that is truly exciting to see. The comic is energised, and yet he comes across as more centred, calm and comfortable than I have ever seen or heard him before.

© Nick Gast

Goldsmith’s comedy becomes more skilled and efficient as each year passes. He’s a true grafter, clued up on the ins and outs of performers from all over the world yet dedicated to the nurturing of his own amiable, lively storyteller style. But this year he’s got an extra sense of ‘edginess’ about him. Stuart is cheekier, seeming to enjoy being on stage more. He plays around with ideas with the freedom of someone previously limited in some respect, and I think these previous obstacles must have been behind the scenes because his material has always been the epitome of well-established comedy. Knowing Stu, we can be sure that there is a great amount of detailed analysis going on beneath the surface. We only see his best stuff. And that’s what makes this latest hour such a great feat.

Stu treats his audience to an extra half hour or so of preview material after the initial hour show. This seems to be a sensible model, as audiences get more for our money and the comic gets to run through some new concepts in front of a crowd. And the post-show informal podcast chat proves insightful, as always, with an extra buzz to discussion stemming from the exciting prospect of a recently recorded interview with Stewart Lee.

Not only is this latest show heart-warming and humble and very funny, Compared to What is entertainment from start to finish. Stuart Goldsmith has a passion for comedy that is infectious. He’s in his prime, each year getting stronger and more self-assured, becoming more and more of a genuinely expert writer with each new show.

SEVEN QUESTIONS WITH STUART GOLDSMITH

Review: Ricky Gervais – Humanity

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Ricky Gervais embarks on his first live tour in seven years, and with David Brent: Life On The Road being released in cinemas last summer, fans have been more eager than ever to hear more from the brain behind one of Britain’s most iconic sitcoms.

But first, audiences are treated to another familiar face from Life On The Road: Doc Brown. In the film, Doc plays rapper Dom Johnson who joins Brent on tour, and he also starred alongside the sales rep in the Comic Relief single Equality Street back in 2013. On stage however, Doc Brown is far more outspoken than his film counterpart. He has an air of refreshing calm in front of a crowd, yet is easily agitated and eager to justify his reasoning for having various hangups about his life.

Doc Brown gives off the impression of being a young spirit forced to live the life of a middle-aged man. Although presenting himself as a ‘nice guy’, a caring and socially involved person, there is humour in the resentment he feels regarding modern day responsibilities, particularly since he became a family man. Later, we are even treated to a rap, which, quite frankly, is what most of us had been most looking forward to.

When Ricky Gervais walks onto stage, he brings a buzz with him. He’s a 55 year old man in a black t shirt and jeans, sipping from a can of beer, but something about his demeanour makes him magnetising. The theme of the show is, unsurprisingly, humankind, and within this Gervais is able to explore topics such as evolution and speciesism. More specifically too, Ricky directs his fiery critical analysis onto particular aspects of celebrity culture and, later on, his concerns regarding bringing a child into the world given the current social climate.

As writer E. B. White famously said, ‘Analysing humour is like dissecting a frog…’. The long and short of it is that the frog inevitably dies. Gervais, on some scale, sets about to prove that this is not the case. Ricky uses his platform to explain the reasoning behind aspects of his comedy that have previously been met with heavy criticism and heated debate, but certainly not in an apologist sense.

Ricky Gervais: Humanity

Gervais is well aware that his close-to-the-mark quips have been incredibly divisive in the past, from his Mel Gibson remark at the Golden Globes in 2010, to recent comments about Caitlyn Jenner’s realignment surgery and car crash in 2015 which resulted in the death of a woman. The latter incident, and Ricky’s bulletproof defence of his joke, features heavily in the show.

While admitting to his own faults and explaining where he has gone wrong in the past by causing genuine offence that he had not intended, Ricky proposes that often those who are offended by his material have merely misunderstood his point, or the issue he is discussing. He, like many of us, often despairs at 21st century society, as we are stifled by political correctness. Ricky criticises ineffective, emotive debate about things that only offend us because they’re about something we care about, as opposed to all the other offensive things that are happening in our world today, through exploring complex social issues like ‘dead naming’ and its links to transphobia.

But what I find most value in within Gervais’ comedy, despite the ingenuity of his reasoning and hilarity in the way he points the finger and laughs at himself, is that this comedian talks about the things that he loves and the people that mean most to him, as though his audience is being invited to a family get-together. There is something so endearingly pure about Ricky Gervais’ comedy. It shines through most in his material about his love for animals. It is with this topic that he starts the show and also how he ends it. His pleas with the audience to educate themselves on worldwide instances of animal cruelty (such as the Yulin Dog Festival) and charities that are working to bring these practices to an end is particularly poignant. Ricky has even chosen to donate all extra profit from the premium tickets sold for the Cardiff leg of the tour to  and .

Ricky Gervais is so humble, and yet he is a classic. Make sure to check your local tour venue for remaining tickets for the Humanity tour, as Gervais is back in full force.

DAVID BRENT: LIFE ON THE ROAD