British Comedy

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Louise Reay

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© Alexis Dubus

Louise Reay’s latest show, Hard Mode, is set to be a comedy experience unlike any other. Reay examines issues such as censorship and surveillance, giving her audiences first hand experience of an authoritarian regime through her unique and interactive style of comedy. Louise will be performing at The Stand throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

I love the rhythm of it – doing a show every day, eating a KFC every day, what’s not to love? Also seeing so many excellent shows.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

My first show was all in Chinese – but for people who didn’t speak any Chinese at all. Only 7% of communication is verbal; it was an experiment in the other 93%.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

Yes, I only let very handsome and generous philanthropists seeking patronage opportunities come to my shows… wait, guys, guys???

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

Frankly, I’m afraid I’m about to have it… I’ll be living in a large shared house this year with about ten comics, none of whom I know very well… uh oh. Let’s hope they all remember to take their meds, haha! Let’s hope none of them read this! Heh heh.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

I think I’m probably about to have it also… I will be going on tour to South Africa in a couple of week’s time… I really have no idea if they’ll get my comedy. Have they got Monster Munch and Tinder there?

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

There is a show called Undercover Refugee by Karen Houge and David Tann. It was just nominated for an award at Brighton Fringe and looks incredible.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

A poker face, a piece of cake, a poke in the eye, a wet fish on a marble slab? I’m so excited to be in the Stand for the first time, I’m hoping not to embarrass myself too much in front of the heroic comics performing there.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

I’ve got an irrational preoccupation with the little placards dedicating park benches to the deceased. Probably this.

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Erich McElroy

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© Steve Ullathorne

Erich McElroy is an American-born stand up comedian based in the UK. In his latest show Erich McElroy Tops Trump, McElroy challenges himself to bring the fakest news to Edinburgh, in efforts to well and truly beat Donald Trump. Erich will be performing his free show in the Pravda Room at Espionage throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

Other than when it’s over? At its best the combination of getting to do something I’m lucky to be able to do surrounded by the best comics in the country.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

It was about my slow transition from being an American to having a British passport and identity. It’s an ongoing process, which has broken down a few times. Like Sunday train service.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

The BEST! Well, anyone who comes to see me is automatically the best.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

I’ve been pretty lucky. But I come up with my wife and two children so I spend through the nose to not have a bad experience.

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

The first gig still sits with me, when one of the other open spots asked me, “Did you write all of that yourself?”  It was a whole 4 1/2 minutes of material.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

Matt Forde, Jessica Fostekew, and haven’t had a chance to look at others yet.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

GLORY! And to have an audience leave happy every day.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

Something funny.

BOOK TICKETS FOR ERICH MCELROY TOPS TRUMP AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Tom Allen

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© Aemen Sukkar

Tom Allen is a fascinating stand up performer who juxtaposes a sinister sense of calm with an effortlessly charming demeanour. With a playful glint in his eye and a playful flamboyance to his delivery, this comedian is incredibly easy for audiences to warm to. You’ve probably seen him on 8 out of 10 Cats and Live at the Apollo already, so catch his latest show at the Pleasance Courtyard throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

I think it’s celebrating everyone’s work and seeing what people have come up with this year. And seeing all the other comics and just generally having a nice time. It should feel like a celebration.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

It was ten years ago and it was about what makes a good story.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

I’m not sure – I’ve never surveyed them! A lot of really lovely people from all different backgrounds seem to come. I hope there’s something for everyone! Like in Asda. In my portentous moments I like to think comedy is great at finding the common ground and the situations and feelings we all experience so I hope a broad spectrum of people enjoy what I do.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

Oh a dirty sink. But isn’t that everyone’s?

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

Oh blimey! I think it might’ve been doing Live at the Apollo last year. I was nervous about wanting to get it right and then in the end it was just lovely. And my friend Sarah Millican introduced me and my mum and dad were there and I was really pleased with how it went.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

My friend Suzi Ruffell’s show Keeping it Classy at the Pleasance at 9.45. She’s been such a great friend of mine.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

Oh you’re always learning aren’t you? So to keep learning. But my goal is always to give people a good time and so if I do that I’ll be happy!

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

Oh I hope it’s like Elaine Stritch at Liberty. I’d like there to be tap dancing. Beyond that I’m not sure.

BOOK TICKETS FOR TOM ALLEN: ABSOLUTELY, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Dan Antopolski

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© Edward Moore

With a show entitled Return of Dan Antopolski, it might not surprise punters to hear that Dan Antopolski hasn’t been seen at the Edinburgh Festival for a while. In fact, it’s been seven years since Dan’s last show. And seeing as he was once nominated for Best Newcomer and Best Show in the same year, Antopolski’s return to Edinburgh is certainly going to turn a few heads. He is performing at Assembly George Square Studios throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

The race to create a good new show by the start of August is a pressurised thrill. Preview season is hard gigging, the sun is out in July so often you do your unsteady show to the three people and a dog who don’t have the sense to be drinking a beer outside – you know, crazy people – then in August the crowds turn up and there’s a huge injection of energy. What’s good is, the difficult preview gigs create a high water mark – if your Mount Ararats are getting laughs they’re probably strong. Making people laugh is a visceral pleasure but as a writer it’s making new bits work that offers the thrill of the hunt – make me feel like a mayan (man).

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

My first solo show was way back in 2000 AD – I recorded dialogue on a C90 and did a kind of double act with my (former) self. My present-self had both the benefit and liability of hearing the audience reactions while my past self was deaf to them. By acknowledging his deafness, he was sort of able to make an honest relationship with the audience and I then left the stage and he did stand-up to them. Sometimes it worked just like a live comedian and sometimes not and on two occasions an audience member pressed stop on the tape recorder – a respectable heckle. Also there were knob gags because I know my duty.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

I love language so maybe I attract people who can enjoy language. There can be an elegance to writing choices even when you are talking about farts. I would dearly like to repel a certain type of audience, those who come for the beer and stay for the consensus. My needs are simple; all I want is an audience that’s literate, urbane, liberal but not pious, open to ambivalence – and if possible 0.0001% slower than me so I can get the drop on them with my really great jokes about farts. It’s not much to ask. Also if they could like taramasalata. I eat it all the time and am quite unkissable some mornings but it’s strictly a morning thing so you’re fine to sit at the front hahaha I shouldn’t have mentioned it.

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

A few years ago I rented a flat from Southside of Nicolson Street – whom I am delighted to name and shame – and gave them a couple of grand. On the day I moved in, the flat stank and the bathroom ceiling had collapsed – great stalactites of plasterboard were hanging down. When they grudgingly sent a cleaner to clean the kitchen I asked her to clean the whole stinky flat and then the agent Natasha Bonello shouted at me on the telephone for “exploiting” the situation. I just checked the Southside website and Natasha is still there – why not pop in and rent something from her while you’re in town?

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

Tim and Polly Mulviel. They come to my shows and sit at the front, I banter with them anew each time. Now that I have committed their faces to memory I treasure that memory.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

Sarah Kendall’s show One-Seventeen at the Assembly George Square Studios at 7pm – her gag-rich but narratively suspenseful storytelling shows are just about my new favourite thing – sorry taramasalata.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

I want my job back. I started stand-up twenty years ago and loved it so much. Then I couldn’t balance it with family and hated it. Now I love it again. My arrogance got squished out of me and I respect the audience’s time – I get why they need coherence in a show.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

If I have medical notice that my death is nigh it would be churlish not to attempt a Bowie-style farewell. Maybe I would actually die on stage – the epitaph writes itself!

BOOK TICKETS FOR DAN ANTOPOLSKI: RETURN OF DAN ANTOPOLSKI, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

The Edinburgh Interviews 2017: Abi Roberts

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© Karla Gowlett

Abi Roberts has a fearless approach to comedy. Her latest show, as you will read below, discusses what it was like to live in the USSR during the 90s. Roberts examines Russia’s deeply entrenched homophobia and censorship laws, whilst also showcasing her musical talents. She is performing at the Underbelly, Cowgate throughout August.

1) What excites you most about the Edinburgh Festival?

The sheer variety of comedy on display, the buzz and the fact I get a chance to play to an audience that I have built up over the last few years with entirely new stuff. I also get to see mates I don’t see much of when you are doing comedy clubs – it tends to be fairly “get in, get the job done, drive home”. I generally arrive in Edinburgh excited to hopefully find somewhere that does decent food. I generally do, but then the Edinburgh Festival lifestyle invariably leads you to the Scottish diet which closely resembles the diet of a comedian on the road… i.e. mostly deep-fried food. I’m also at the Underbelly Cowgate this year so I will be very much loving being at the centre of everything in Edinburgh.

2) What was your first Edinburgh show about?

My first show was cabaret with about ten songs and upteen costume changes in it. My first proper stand up show was in 2015 and it was called DOWNTOWN ABI, about the difference between my background and my personality. ANGLICHANKA (which means “Englishwoman” in Russian) is a new stand-up comedy show about living in the former Soviet Union in the 90s and returning after 18 years as the first UK comic to perform comedy in English and Russian. In this show, I talk about learning to become an opera singer in Moscow in the 90s, about gay rights and censorship in modern Russia under Putin, what the consequences are of drinking hardcore vodka and using outdoor loos in -25 temperatures and how Russia has changed since the fall of the Soviet Union. You will definitely learn more about Putin, the meerkat with nuclear weapons and you’ll get to hear some kick-ass opera and ahem… some Russian hip hop.

3) Does your comedy attract a certain type of audience?

Not really. I get them all in. Everyone from 18 year olds to 65 year olds, from Scots to Russians via Yorkshire. They are generally, though, the sorts of people who like to laugh. My show is very definitely not a TED talk or lecture of any sort. It has proper stories and jokes in it. The pathos is genuine because what happens in the show really happened to me in real life. People come to laugh and if I can teach them something about my experiences of Russia, what we need to know about one of the world’s most diverse and gigantic countries, so much the better. It’s been described by critics as “intelligent, self-effacing and deeply personal comedy, not to be missed” so I guess it attracts audiences who appreciate those qualities in a comedian!

4) What is the worst experience you’ve had with Edinburgh accommodation?

Moving into a flat that not only had black mould on the bedroom walls, it also had a resident rat, ants and a major spider problem. I once had to rescue a mate who found themselves in an Edinburgh flat in a not very salubrious part of town and when we arrived to pick up her stuff the block of flats was being raided by armed police from the drug squad. Nice.

© Simon Houlihan

5) What is your most treasured memory of your comedy career so far?

Selling out my show last year and then going on to sell out every date on my 40 odd date tour since then. Also, doing my first acting jobs in comedy films this year – one which was shot in my homeland of Wales and the other in the Peak District. And both have won major awards. They should be out on release later this year/early next.

6) What show will you definitely be seeing at the festival this year?

Jason Manford’s and John Bishop’s shows, as they are in the same venue as my show. I’ll also be seeing Tom Stade’s show and, if he’s doing a show this year, Paul Foot.

7) What do you hope to gain from the Edinburgh Festival this year?

More people to see ANGLICHNAKA because I am really proud of that show and the reception it’s received. That alone will be reward for me. I’m also doing a WIP show, so Edinburgh will provide a good testing ground for a new show I’m working on for next year.

8) What do you imagine your last ever show will be about?

Probably diabetes, as doing Edinburgh every year is surely going to give me some kind of medical condition due to the lack of vegetables, salad and the preponderance of deep fried food… either that or a show about Columbo. I have said before I am going to do a show about my favourite detective but haven’t got round to it yet.

BOOK TICKETS FOR ABI ROBERTS: ANGLICHANKA, AT THE EDINBURGH FESTIVAL

THE EDINBURGH INTERVIEWS 2017

May Comedian of the Month #40, Guz Khan

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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.

Guz Khan is a Brummie comedian (well he’s from Coventry, at least), so maybe that’s why I feel a personal connection to his comedy, and to him. After all, I first came across Khan at a fundraising event for Crisis at Birmingham Glee Club. But while this fun night of charity promoting and laughter is how I came to know of Guz, many others have become aware of him through his YouTube videos, as this video urging people to boycott Jurassic World went viral:

Khan quit his teaching job in 2015 to pursue a comedy career full time, after landing himself a radio role presenting the Saturday Breakfast Show on BBC Asian Network. He has since written a comedy pilot for BBC Three, called Man Like Mobeen, about a reformed gangster who becomes a man of faith and is landed with the responsibility of looking after his younger sisters.

And if his viral YouTube videos somehow passed you by, surely you can’t have missed Guz Khan’s cheeky humour on your Facebook timeline this week. Guz has been exploring the perception of British Muslims in 2017. This is a sensitive topic and Khan has recognised that he has a powerful voice within this area, because he is part of the group receiving prejudice that is worsening as terrorist attacks in the UK are increasing and ignorance has created a bigoted blame game. Guz’s message, and therefore his comic voice, is particularly important right now. And it helps that he is geting his message across in his effortlessly charismatic, droll way.

For more information, follow Guz Khan on YouTube, Twitter and Facebook.

APRIL COMEDIAN OF THE MONTH: CARIAD LLOYD

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.

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…

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