Add
Private Notes
Richard is hoping to get a bridge named after him in Great Yarmouth and hopefully his fans will do better than they did in getting him nominated for a British Comedy Award. It's an incredible guest to start the new series, making his first appearance in almost 10 years, Stephen Merchant. Stephen has some questions for Richard about his first stint on the podcast and Richard doesn't really have any answers. But after a bit of squirming the pair get talking about meeting your heroes, your parents meeting your heroes, how an omelette was the clincher in getting Christopher Walken on to The Outlaws, the KLF style destruction of a Banksy, the Herring's Eye, the surprising news that drugs can be quite good fun, how Stephen made an impression at a Sarah Silverman party and his move into serious acting. Are they friends again by the end? I guess we'll find out in ten years time.
Richard reveals that he is (according to the press) boycotting the Edinburgh Fringe, but that doesn't mean the end of podcasts from the Festival necessarily. His guest is Taskmaster songstress and sausage painter, Fern Brady. They mainly talk about her remarkable new book Strong Female Character, detailing her life, career and discovery that she is autistic, how the media is weighted against the working class, how TV fails to depict the truth about strip clubs, how comedy was a world where she suddenly fitted in, why Taskmaster was a TV show where she also fitted in, why would anyone get married, unsettling Alex Horn and are your relatives coming back in bird form?
Rich has some cold hard truths for any murderers out there and is also glad to see that his eventless zombie story idea has been so quickly embraced, with a twist. Today is a momentous meeting of Champions of Champions because his guest is Josh Widdicombe. They talk about the worst thing you can take to the hospital when your wife is giving birth, being related to Henry VIII and a man who wiped a king's bum, what Josh's disability is, the true motivations of role players, bumping into Beaumont, Josh's inability to swim, whether we might see the return of the sitcom Josh, tiny women who live in burrows and whether some comedians work so hard that they never get a chance to spend their millions.
Rich has a problem with his daughter's favourite song, and shows that he is up to date with all the music playing at the discos nowadays. His guest is the irrepressible timkey, back for a third time in 18 months!. They talk about Tim's time as a white van man, a woman who survived eight days in a snow drift (for a bit), the places that Tim is and isn't going for his (basically sold out) tour https://www.plosive.co.uk/events/tim-key-mulberry-tour-2023, where he gets his crazy ideas, the incredible baguette deal in Pret, which comedian would make the best Prime Minister, being the answer to a question of University Challenge and what it's like to do a gig to a mainly Malaysian audience.
There's a new and exciting instalment of the adventures of timkey the monkey and the pair compare cancers and then Rich asks the occasionally dynamite question, What's it like being Tim Key? Who can be sure. All I know is it's always a rollercoaster of fun and danger to be in his company!
Richard's Valentine's promises have turned to chocolatey crumbs, but never mind, his guest is a woman who built a bathroom from the laughter generated by animals- it's Zoe Lyons. Zoe takes us through the downs and ups of her last few years including a full on midlife crisis, the loss of her hair, how lockdown led her to delivering vegetables when she was meant to be on TV, writing material to impress her therapist and how badly she coped when she split from her wife and the possibly foolhardy decision to run 100km (in one go). But it's a very positive story, which you can see told in full in her brilliant new stand up tour Bald Ambition https://www.impatientproductionsuk.com/zoe-lyons-bald-ambition-tour. Plus one of the best ghost stories yet and how getting older and giving less of a toss is a positive thing (though also explains Brexit)
Richard has had a crisp and a field disappointment, but it won't stop him interviewing the heck out of director, writer and omelette chef, Joe Cornish. They talk about offending Claudia Winkleman's listeners, how Channel 4 messed up a sketch show with an incredible cast, (briefly) having the number one Netflix show (check out Lockwood and Co), whether being a director is all it's cracked up to be, how losing a Fiat Punto led to Attack The Block, working with a Young One and whether ageing is something to fear. Plus the surprise of finding out that someone who has died was still alive and a bizarre synchronicity on the song with the best intro. And Rich lands himself another acting job, as long as he fulfils one condition.
Richard is at the Leicester Comedy Festival and has still not forgiven the city for the king theft or the cheese rivalry, but he gives out his phone number for anyone who wants to call him in 1973. His guest is making his fourth appearance on the podcast, though still not had a whiff of the Leicester Square Theatre, it's the multi award winning John Kearns. There's a Top Coppers update and some amazing new news of how he got the part, plus they discuss the changes wrought by Covid, creating new quiz formats, the magic of Taskmaster, an exciting new twist on emergency questions and wild speculation about the earnings of other comedians.
Richard is back at the Leicester Comedy Festival for the second week in a row, concerned about the historical figures that they venerate here. His guest is Michael Sheen stand-in, Nish Kumar. They discuss the physical and mental health scares they've had since last they met and the secret that Richard was harbouring back then, plus whether therapy helps of hinders comedy, cowardly potholers, horny followers of the alien Jesus, getting to sit in Richard Osman's chair, how little control we have over our lives and an hilariously angry and potentially lethal encounter with Boris Johnson.
Richard has had to deal with a persistent heckler (aka his son) and surprised himself with the cliche that he responded with. His guest is banker turned comedian Eshaan Akbar. They discuss not knowing how to wear trousers or shake hands, his inappropriately named dance group, challenging your childhood religion through comedy and why that was potentially more perilous for Eshaan, than Richard, whether it was right that Eshaan ended up doing the brown voices on Spitting Image, not wanting to be the spokesperson for any community or being forced to challenge inequality, when you believe yourself to be everyone's equal. The show included an erudite and interesting alternate point of view from an Asian member of the audience, which sadly was not picked up by the microphones, but which we hopefully discussed fairly nonetheless. Plus the story of a twisted testicle with a happy ending
PS Eshaan and Richard successfully shook hands as they left the stage
Rich is mourning the Veneziana pizzas that he bought and the terrible effects they have wrought and the loss of a man whose friend assumed he was joking. His guest is historian, comedian and puppeteer, Al Murray. They talk about the evolution of the new Spitting Image live show and, hosting a chat show with proper famous guests, the toll of touring in your 50s and Al's first proper serious history book Command, including the impact that VD had on the British fighting forces. Plus why being a conformist in real life allows non-conformity on stage
Richard has had a wonderful Saturday night without his wife doing what most men can only dream of. His guest is ubiquitous comedy actor and extremely good guy, Kiell Smith-Bynoe. They talk about the best acting job in the world, appearing on Death in Paradise, with some insights into what goes on off camera, getting intimate with an ex-Doctor Who assistant on the ace new series Dreamland, searching for real ghosts on the set of Ghosts, rating the catering on different TV shows, making too many omelettes and a rare career mis-step in Australian theatre. Plus the most considered answer to the human centipede question yet, a few hints about the new series of Taskmaster and find out who is the most objectionable cast member on Ghosts.
Richard reveals whether Great Yarmouth has given him a multi-million pound honour or not. His guest was having a bad time last time they were on, let's see if they're doing any better now, it's the brilliant Catherine Bohart. The pair talk about their respective visits to Iceland and whether Rich's depleted genitals might end up in a museum, appearing at the ghost Edinburgh Fringe of 2021, whether OCD had any influence over he choice of college, whether the point of life is to experience joy, cats in washing machines and the AI questions finally come good as they prompt an incredible story about a taxidermied squirrel.
Richard is hoping to replace himself with an AI host and has left the emergency questions and some of the stand up to the robots. His guest, returning after a hiatus of just 400 episodes is the wonderful Mark Gatiss. They discuss the unfair tale of Jacob Marley, the influence of Robin Askwith, playing to camera 3 as Larry Grayson, Mark's many theatre projects, working with Anthony Hopkins after portraying him in TMWRNJ and directing Reece Shearsmith. But will we find out his favourite episode of Sherlock and will Rich be here next week?
Richard comes bearing great news for those who seek seduction via pizza. His guest is the hottest new act in comedy right now, the incredible Jordan Gray.
They talk about the smell of elephant dung, why she wasn't allowed to set herself on fire on TV, a visit from Magneto, a double-teaming Bros, the erudition of Paloma Faith, Twitter storms, political footballs and why she is first and foremost a comedian and the lengths that people will go to to get into a toilet. Plus another amazing story of ridiculousness emerging from love and a billion Richard Herring sex robots
Richard has been having weird dreams, but don't try and interpret anything from them. His guest is singer, actor, presenter and legend Graham �Suggs� McPherson. They chat about how Madness might just be the defining band of the 80s, how their songs can make you travel in time, the brilliant social document of their book/documentary �Before We Was We�, the first appearance on Top of the Pops, pranking the clash, the Two Tone tour, plus the Madness sitcom that never was, appearing on the Young Ones, Suggs' first attempt at stand up, the new album and tour in the works and his explosive acting career. Plus being caught up in a deadly riot and the best answer to the chrysalis question yet.
Richard is basking in the possibly short-lived approval of one of his kids and is trying to make money off the ideas of the other one. His guest is Mock the Week favourite, Rhys James. They discuss the tallest building in Swindon, the worst place in Hertfordshire, writing right wing and left wing material on the same subject, what Richard said about Rhys when he saw him in a new act competition, the enduring problem of the last packet of crisps falling into a volcano, whether it's better to have one ball or one kidney, wearing a tuxedo on Pointless, why people might think Rhys is deaf and more sad tales of romantic embarrassment.
Richard has not drunk alcohol for 27 months, but should he go back to his drunken (and more amusing ways). As is now traditional his final guest of the series is a member of the Ellis family, it's the brilliant Janet Ellis. They discuss day time drinking with John Thaw and Dennis Waterman, the irritatingly slow speed of K9 from Doctor Who and the embarrassing googlewhack that happened when Richard searched for his favourite episode of Jigsaw. Plus the sinister presence of Noseybonk, the health and safety nightmare of 1980s Blue Peter, being a nepo mum and what prompted her to become a novelist and the potential awkwardness of reading the steamier bits for the audiobook.
