All Episodes 2012 - 2023

The first RHLSTP that was recorded in vision as well as sound was destined to be an extra on the DVD release for the second series of Fist of Fun. It features Rich talking to Stewart Lee in an entertaining and honest conversation covering everything from their early partnership though to Fist of Fun, This Morning Not Judy and beyond.

Special edition recorded at the Machynlleth comedy festival with the Pappys trio.

Here is Rich's audience warm up set from Monday night. As he goes on stage, he is slightly nervous as Stephen hasn't shown up yet, so he's looking for alternative guests in the crowd. And there are rich pickings, two butlers, a nuclear physicist and a bizarre pair of shifty men, one wearing an 'I Love London' hat. What are they doing? What are they planning? Will Stephen turn up? (Spoiler: yes.)

In the first of three special interviews from the Bristol Slapstick Festival, Richard talks to ex-World Record Punster and Pen Behind the Ear supremo, Tim Vine, who picks some of his favourite comedy clips. The pair chat about how to write one-liners, how they have helped and failed to help each other’s sets, the best joke ever from the Edinburgh Fringe and look through some of the influences that have made Tim the child-man that he is today. Will a slightly ill Tim make it to the end of the interview? Let’s hope so, cos there’s a great clip with his dad to enjoy if he does.

Rich is still at the Bristol Slapstick Festival, chatting with some of his comedy heroes, including the co-creator and one of the stars of the Inbetweeners, Damon Beesly and Joe Thomas. They chat about the difficulty of casting the show, why it was set in the present day rather than the 80s as originally intended, Rich’s failure to get a part in the show and the phenomenal success of the films. They also discuss whether there will ever be any more Inbetweeners in the future. What do you think? Should they? Of course they shouldn’t! Plus a special message from the other co-creator of the series Iain Morris.

Rich is at the Bristol Slapstick Festival and almost bursting with excitement to meet and chat with his childhood and adulthood heroes, Graeme Garden, Bill Oddie and Tim Brooke-Taylor, aka The Goodies. They chat about the origins of the team and the cartoons and slapstick stars that influenced them, how the special effects still stand up today, why they left the BBC and whether they resent the fact they've never been repeated, the kitten, the gibbon, the music and the stunt man that they shared with a legend. It's beautiful to see the boys back together and to see how quickly they slip back into the old triple act and for them to get the ovation that they deserve.

Rich has failed to secure a human guest for RHLSTP and so instead decides to get drunk and talk to some Victorian dolls. It's a very special kind of second lockdown madness, so approach with caution. Find out all about Edinburgh 1987 and the unnamable person who carried out a dummy-based infraction on Herring, plus the sketch that launched the Ally and Herring double act. How did Ally and Sally meet? What is Ally's favourite compass direction? Does the ghost of Richard's dead relatives live on in the dummies? And are they destined to sit on a shelf next to a crap Prince William once Richard has died.

The podcast with the most unwieldy acronym yet RHLSTP (rhlstp) starts with a bang with flame-haired multi-talented genius Tim Minchin chatting about self-penetration, bad reviews, whether Karma has payback and if you can choose your own songs on Desert Island Discs. There's chat about the best revenge to take on a critic, eating face meat, eating lip balm, the effect of shower gel on genitals and the homoerotic subtext of a man helping another man put on his tie. Find out who should really be playing Matilda on stage, how Rich would improve it and his other ideas of which Roald Dahl stories Tim could copy. Also Judas, Jesus and whether atheists and religious people can ever be friends. It's an hour and twenty minutes of incite and silliness, but if you want it to be less then just stop it when you get bored.

How did Rich manage this? He's got a proper TV star and interviewer on his show and the pressure is making him tongue-tied, but at least he can pronounce the letter R. There's plenty to chat about from It Ain't 'Alf Hot Mum to the most popular piece of Paul Ross merchandise on Amazon to how on Earth did potty mouth Ross get an OBE? There's so much to discuss that Richard forgets to ask Ross if he's ever tried to suck his own cock? Luckily later on Twitter Jonathan wrote, 'No, I suspect I could have reached, but never been that hungry!' Another episode recorded tonight will be available later this week.

Rich is angry about the Fringe programme censoring the entry for Talking C*ck (what can that word be?), but luckily Francesca Martinez is on hand to talk about the power of language, whether Ben Elton is stuck in the 80s and whether the concept of 'normal' exists anywhere but on a washing machine. She also reveals how Richard attempted to corrupt her in 2003 in Melbourne, but luckily she's still talking to him and speculates on whether Jonathan Ross has ever tried to suck his own penis. And Richard recounts the embarrassing interactions that he's had with his childhood hero Ben Elton and how awkward Sunday's gig for SCOPE (not what Elton calls it) at the Hammersmith Apollo on May 20th might be. Someone in the audience is going to win tickets to see the Stewart Lee podcast but what are the chances of them being related to someone on stage?

It's podcast number 4 and Rich still can't pronounce his own acronym, but he's got his old 90s rival, Charlie Higson from The Fast Show, which some people might argue was more successful than Fist of Fun. But only some people (the others would not be aware of Fist of Fun). Jonathan Ross fell asleep whilst interviewing Higson, so Rich has his work cut out for him in this long chat with the Frome born comedian and author and ex-popstar. But only a very few bits of this long chat could be used by Felicity to induce insomniacs into the arms of Morpheus as we examine the career of the man responsible for Loadsamoney, Swiss Toni and Young James Bond. Funnily enough we prove that pretty much anything can become a catchphrase and determine as best we can who is worse, Hitler or Ricky Gervais. Both comedians are hoping to get a cheese named after them, but only one of them has won the Chortle Internet Award and is thus the best. It's 100 minutes of fun, so more like Fist than Fast. And some of the running jokes will only make sense if you were one of the brave few who made it down to see the secret (astonishingly brilliant) first half.

This weekend Rich has been working with 88 year-old Nicholas Parsons and Charlie has been working with 81 year old William Shatner, but now they've ditched the octogenarians to create this long and fairly filthy podcast. They chat about the humiliation of losing a BAFTA to Stewart Lee, what order you should have sex with the women from the Russian entry to the Eurovision song contest, the vengeance Rich wishes upon Charlie's young family and who Dominic West should really have been thanking. Plus some terrific tips for terrorists and some obscure stuff about archaic adverts and 50 year-old spoilers... It goes on for ages. But that can only be a good thing. In fact it might never end. It might still be happening now... Doesn't matter. We are all just a collection of atoms and everything we do is meaningless. Enjoy!

The sexual morals of Edwardian penguins are at the fore this week, as Richard interviews the star of Man Stroke Woman, but not Fatso in Casualty. We will hear the Star Wars impression that led to Frost's big break as well as spending an inordinate amount of time on his career as a waiter, where other interviewers might have been more interested in the big stars that Nick has worked with. But then no one else would ask him about self-fellatio either. There's a lesson in medieval history, protesting dwarves and criticism of a film scene involving comedy rape (from a man happy to discuss necrophiliac cloaca violation) and an attempt to drive a wedge between Frost and Pegg in the hope that Herring can appear in the next film in the Cornetto trilogy instead of Frost. It's Frost:Herring and it's electric stuff, so funny at one point that Rich himself wasn't sure he'd be able to continue. Hope you like it enough to continue listening.

Two tired men from the 1990s talking about sexy Jews, travelling with your cleaner, how David pronounces his own name wrong and the consequences of using people's real names in comedy routines. Rich talks to David about the viciousness of some of the reviews he's received, whilst Baddiel turns the tables to quiz Herring about his murky and seedy sexual past. It's scintillating stuff as long as the exhausted host can stay awake long enough and no Victorian children come into the venue and arouse the double first Cambridge graduate. Find out David's middle name and if Kenneth Kendal is still alive. Fun for all the family... This might not be true.

Lee and Herring are back together, but they're old and chilled and less likely to talk about moons and sticks and all the other catchphrases that they used to do that they are now too addled to remember. There's some serious chats about comedy, but also some stupid stuff about being wanked off by the hand of a 100 year old ventriloquist dummy, egg obsessed crows and whether a satirist can accept an honour from the Queen. Cluub Zarathustra, a 1987 pact about what not to do in comedy, Jerry Springer and the changing status of the character Stewart Lee who is not the same as Stewart Lee also figure. But who smashed the kitchen cupboard doors in Edinburgh 2002? Will we ever know? No. It's chilled and relaxed and there are no rods of effluent, but I think you might like it. Hope so.

It's the last in the series, but what a way to end with the creators of Ted & Ralph, Father Ted, Malcolm Tucker and Alan Partridge on stage together (but who created which?). There's talk of tax evasion, OBEs, fantastic new plots for Last of the Summer Wine, Goodfellows and a surprising departure for the Birmingham Six. Find out how many people on stage have been wanked by a ventriloquist dummy operated by Stewart Lee. It goes on for AGES, but I don't think it's hyperbole to say that this is better than the hyper-bowl. The only way it could have been improved is if we'd put a Shrek in it. Back in October for more. In the meantime there will be 25 or so RHEFP in August to keep you busy. Be lovely to see you in the audience of one of those!

Twitter sensation and top stand-up Rob Delaney has just landed in the country and has a proper gig to get to, but he's still found an hour to chat about suing Kim Kardashian, crashing his car into a building, Mitt Romney and whether he's ever seen a Big Foot. If you've ever wondered what he'd do if he was a ghost then you're in for a treat. Richard is a bit obsessed with Pukka Pads to be paying proper attention but he has all kinds of emergency questions lined up so there should never be a dull moment! It's back. You know you've missed it!

With the world in shock about the accusations about an ex-BBC employee with long hair and an odd home life who raised money for charity, Richard is keeping his head down, but he is joined by the slightly odd men behind such hits as The League of Gentlemen and Psychoville, Reece Shearsmith and Steve Pemberton. They chat about the unlikely character of Davey from Henry IV part II, what it's like to work with Woody Allen, as well as a RHLSTP exclusive - the name of the duo's next TV project. Find out where the inspiration for Papa Lazarou and the Psychoville Tina Turner tribute act came from, and the ghostly real-life occurrences that Reece has experienced. If you've ever wondered whether this pair would prefer a ham hand or a sun cream armpit then wonder no more. Have they seen a Big Foot? You'll have to listen to find out. Although if you don't have time to listen then the answer is no. This was a lot of fun to be a part of. I think you will like it. Prove me wrong if you dare.

Rich and his wife have made the ultimate commitment: they've been through their DVD collections and are getting rid of any duplicates. Some lucky audience member is going to win them all! But before that it's time to talk to the star of The Calcium Kid, Peter Serafinowicz. Fans of Star Wars will be creaming out of their arm pits when they hear his tales of working with George Lucas and having to pay to go the premiere. Astonishing stuff. Rich provides an alternate reading of Darth Maul for the next director's cut. There's talk of zombies and Tony Wilson, Terrance Stamp and Will Arnett and lots of inside gossip about working on US and UK TV. And someone is going to win a copy of East is East. C'mon it doesn't get better than that.

Slightly worse for wear after having lunch with Alice Cooper at the Q Awards, Richard is delighted to welcome a man he thinks might be him from another time stream, David 'Mitch' Mitchell. He's certainly met his match in pedantry and both men accidentally reveal some shocking details about their respective psyches. Never have two men discussed at such length the vagaries of choosing between a ham hand and a sun lotion arm pit. And that is GUARANTEED. The Peep Show stationery cupboard, romantic subterfuge and the Daily Mail readers' internet comments are all up for discussion and we'll find out how an early discussion about Eric Morecambe almost brought the pair to blows. Did Rich really meet some Shreks and a Justin Lee Collins in the street? And what was Tim from The Office like before he became Tim from The Office? Is Richard as bitter and mean as he seems and will he ever get a Googlewhack audience? What's it like to play Aerosmith at table tennis? Will Rich ever forgive his mum for her Brideshead Revisited Alfresco trump? Why don't the audience understand any of Richard's obscure 1980s references? What would you do if God granted you the power of having exactly the same hands as Hermione from Harry Potter? And just how many David Mitchells are there anyway? It's a marathon of a podcast, but there's no cheating and we both stay in it for the whole thing. It'd be nice if there was a happy ending. But there's a slightly unhappy ending. See if you can make it to the ending.

The a Shrek joke may have run its course but that won't stop Richard running it into the ground. After all he is in Slytherin even if his hands will always be in Gryffindor. He's joined by the red-nosed presenter and wee-smeller, Dave Gorman and they chat about terrorist attacks, blindfolded boys choosing leaders, psychics and the history of the Mormon church. And they try to get to the bottom of confusing reviews of Dave Gorman, Frankie Boyle, Mick Jagger and Ringo Starr. Essays are welcomed.

It's the longest RHLSTP yet with Rich upstaged by his new butler, Siri and worrying about all the libel he has committed to the Internet in the past. But all the unpleasantness is quickly forgotten as the hair-loving, mane-biting star of The Persuasionists, Adam Buxton arrives. He has stories of his disastrous audition for Hitchhiker's Guide, being a bully in a china shop and how to quell a Dutch oven. The two small men swap stories about their funny and embarrassing dads, the humane imprisonment of children and discuss how much information you can get into a half hour TV show. Some new and contrived emergency questions and discover how putting a Tim from The Office in something does not always guarantee success. It's really lovely stuff, but it's loooong! Imagine if you needed a wee.

It's the podcast so funny that it can make you go into labour. Even if you're not pregnant. Maybe one day it will eject a future monarch into the world. Rich is concerned about having his identity stolen the very week that he has bought an embarrassing item on the Internet. But clean-dicked Russell Howard has popped by to discuss the stuff that got cut from Banter, how he learned the facts of life, Badgerline and how he almost lost a thumb (and he didn't even have a ham hand!) There's a special surprise guest and some audience interaction and some quite specific heckle put downs. It's a cornucopia of West Country based comedians with the initials RH and find out the real reason Rich was sacked from Good News and what he nearly stole from Nick Grimshaw. Thanks for listening. The podcast will be back in May 2013.

He's snogged someone who used to be a dead child and worked with Gail Porter, but did he punch a cupboard? Richard is back with guest Chris Addison. It's the usual mixture of incompetence, awkwardness and petty jealousy, but luckily there's some funny stuff too! Which film is shitter, Sliding Doors or The Truman Show? Why must we all be grateful for the slaughter of World Wars? How do you make a merkin? Is cupboard cheese more dangerous than cocaine? You'll also find out a novel way to use a pencil. You've really got to see it to believe it!

In a frankly extraordinary, must-listen, funny, poetic and heart-breaking podcast Richard interviews quintessential Englishman (take that EDL) Stephen Fry. Find out what the Spice Girls said to Prince Charles about Prince Albert, the favourite expletive of Lionel Jeffries, why Fabian is the best character in Twelfth Night, why Richard is going to graffiti Fry's grave, which women Steve wants to have sex with, Richard's clunky attempts to audition for QI (will be more of that next week). Richard's clunky attempts to refer to Mr Fry as Steve, whether you have to read The Hobbit to be in The Hobbit, the commercial possibilities of an Ann Widdecombe sex tape, what happened when the Bishop of Bath and Wells went to a prison for young offenders and the insecurity of John Travolta. Some brilliant additional questions by Ben Evans age 12. And properly poignant revelations about mental illness. It is mind-blowing and moving. If you end up killing David Cameron after this podcast then that is not our responsibility.

After last week's headline-grabbing show, Richard feels under pressure to coax revelations from his guest, classicist Mary Beard, but is a bit distracted by transport and atrocity based magazines. Instead he mainly talks about penises in Pompeii, realising that if only he could travel in time that he would be the most popular comedian in that knob-obsessed empire. But all the big historical questions are asked - why is Pan having sex with a goat? What did the people of Herculaneum use to wipe their bums? Where did Ancient Romans sleep? What were Julius Caesar's real last words? Is having sex with a statue the worst thing you can do? Mary also talks about Anus Arsehole Gill and how she fought back against the trolls, what words you can't say on Women's Hour and meeting the Queen with Bruce Forsyth. Back to normal then!

Richard continues with his mission to get to be a guest on QI with top TV producer John Lloyd, though Lloyd seems intent on demonstrating why Herring is too thick to get on the programme with increasingly difficult questions about how many chemicals there are in a carrot, how to define art and if God wears sandals. Or something. It gets brain-hurtingly deep and philosophical as both men attempt to discover the meaning of life. Plus there's some great behind the scenes stories from Not The Nine O'Clock News and Blackadder Goes Forth, Doctor Snuggles and the world of advertising. Does everything happen for a reason? Why does Richard Dawkins waste his time retweeting praise? Where else could you hear a quite clever man being bamboozled by a very clever man, before asking him if he'd prefer a ham hand or a suncream armpit? Nowhere.

In a theatre that one suspects is stuffed to the rafters with journalists hoping to steal a scoop, Rich is left wondering, what do you ask the man who has already admitted everything? Obviously you mainly ask him about ham hands. But that can only fill 40 or so minutes, so as well as that they discuss the author of Catweazle, how many hours of childhood they jointly wasted playing one-player Subbuteo, why on earth Russell wanted to appear in a remake of Arthur, how to be good at sex (though you'll have to study the video version to find out), what's beyond the boundaries of comedy, if throwing rat gizzards into an audience is comedic lunacy or genius, Jimmy Savile, wanking off a man in a toilet, plus an attempt to get an exclusive about Katy Perry's wee. The audience show their ignorance of how to make bronze and Richard Carpenter (not that one). The Welsh children question writers continue to demonstrate that their Stephen Fry triumph was a flash in the pan. There's jokes and philosophy from this complex, brilliant, ridiculous, fragile, eloquent, beautiful man. Also Russell Brand is in it (I am funny).

At last it's the podcast that addresses the burning issue of modern Britain - which is the best Somerset based show cave complex? Cheddar Gorge (obviously) or rubbishy old Wookey Hole. It'd be a shame to have Britain's most exciting film director on the show without wasting most of the time talking about this and the obscure and sexist Roald Dahl short story - Switch Bitch. And Richard hates to disappoint. Luckily he occasionally manages to blunder into discussing Wright's canon of work, from A Fistful of Fingers through Asylum, some ideas for a new series of Spaced, right up to the amazing new film The World's End. But there's still time to talk about what it's like to be taught by both parents, desecrating the graves of your former employers and Rich's ideas to reboot Goodnight Sweetheart and We Will Rock You before Edgar has to dash off to finish off his new film. But is there time to add a shrek?

It's time for a bit of politics, but that's no reason not to discuss huge, ageing wrinkly ballbags, because tonight's guest is that rarest of things (if you're a journalist or a TV commissioner) a political comedian. It's the delightfully subversive Mark Thomas. There are tales of working for the legendary Dave Allen, getting in the Guinness Book of Records, being spied on, heckling anti-abortionists, the funny side of funerals, opera-loving builders, gigging in a cattle market, trying to get trolls for all London bridges, how the police force deal with the spirit of Winston Churchill and bringing Ireland to the Apple store. You'll also find out what prompted Mark to stop working for Channel 4 and how he lost his religion. And more proof that bronze is better than silver and gold.

It's the clash of the vaguely gold coloured Sony Award winners, but who will come off as comedy king (or queen). The shamefully uncompetitive and relentlessly cheerful Isy Suttie isn't even entering into it. But she is prepared to perform her own fire-based stunts (check out the video podcast to see this in all its burning glory - www.gofasterstripe.com/podcasts). Many questions that will be answered in this penultimate episode of the series: Why do Indian call centre staff know how to pronounce Isy's surname? When should a mother stop breast-feeding? Can you communicate with your own ghost via a ouija board? How are relations between Rich's grandma and grandad in Heaven? Also advice on how to fail to seduce 12 year old boys, heckles from a Olympic gold medal winner and a delightful musical finale.

The guest for the final RHLSTP of the series has had a drink with Morrissey, seen a member of Madness drying his bum hair and has failed to discuss time travel with Gary Sparrow's best mate. It's Sean Hughes. Was Never Mind The Buzzcocks the most badly named panel show ever? Is it ever the wrong thing to do to refuse to take down an old man's swimming trunks? Will the cast of Robbie the Reindeer: Close Encounters of the Herd Kind ever be reunited? How did Irish Republicans get secret messages to the inmates of Lincoln Gaol? Can Richard be persuaded to discuss all the secret work he does for charity? Can a vegetarian eat a ham hand? And what is the valve on the suncream dispensing armpit actually like? There's more fire, more singing and exotic fruits in misted spray form.

RHLSTP (rhlstp) is back and Richard has stories from Armenia and the Amalfi Coast and is threatening to reveal the plot to the final episode of Breaking Bad (no spoilers, don't worry). His guests today are Shappi Khorsandi and a load of flies that have invaded the theatre (you don't get this on Graham Norton). Whilst trying to kill flies, the human beings in the show discuss how to check for car bombs, Tucker Jenkins, what English people smell of, dating rock stars and telling Julian Fellowes to fuck off.

Richard's guest is ex-moustachioed comedian and actor, Rufus Hound. The initial twins chat about what it's like working for Claire's Accessories, Peter Wyngarde's ill-judged pop career and a protracted and fascinating insight into the reasons that Rufus really left Celebrity Juice (including an incredible stand-off with the woman off of How Clean is Your House?). Also see who comes off best in a fight between Rufus and a chair.

Richard's guest this week is Miranda Hart. The pair last appeared together in the short film, A Very British Cult, in which Richard was the STAR, so let's just remember that and none of the stuff that's happened subsequently. They also chat about the different comedy they have created from falling into graves, being mistaken for the wrong gender, laughing at inappropriate times and Miranda's trial for QPR. There's a further exciting evolution for the ham hand/suncream armpit question (which leaves ham and armpits behind) and a treat for fans of the opening credits of some of the series of Not Going Out (that's just Richard then).

Richard tells a story of a terrifying prediction made by an Armenian fortune teller and is needlessly insulting to a dead broadcaster before introducing this week's guest, Miles Jupp. Although Jupp has appeared in films with George Clooney and Jon Stewart and won plaudits for his stage and TV work, Richard is keen to talk to him about the children's television show, Balamory, and NOTHING ELSE. The audience do not share the host's fascination with this lazily acted, repetitive show for pre-schoolers, but Herring's view is clouded by watching it in a fun of alcoholic despair, so it made him question the very nature of being. Don't worry, the Balamory part only lasts about 25 minutes, so there's still at least an hour of chat about divinity, the Harry Potter franchise, tea tasting and fly fishing, Miles' suspiciously late booking for the podcast and a bizarre phobia of lettuce. You'll also find out some of the good things that terrorists have said and done and witness Richard losing the ability to speak and the will to live as his half-marathon exhaustion finally overcomes him. At least he's not an Imp Pervert.

Richard is stuffed to the gills with giant chocolate buttons and recounts the time he got lost in Buckingham Palace, and still on the prowl for flies to murder. There is a beef with his guest, Dara O' Briain, who still remembers the scathing review that Herring gave him in an online diary back in 1998. And there's more online comment as the pair discuss the sexual fantasies that comedy fans harbour on Dirty Britcom Confessions. There's also chat about how to cope with fatalities on aeroplanes, whether it was worth almost dying on the Zambezi to stop African children being able to play, the paradoxes of digit based time travel and the truth about goose rescuing myths. And Dara has definitely seen a Bigfoot. If you take nothing else away from this podcast then let it be that.

The company director with the sexiest voice in the world is in the front row and Richard is needlessly rude to his less sexy fans. His guest is one of the world's greatest improvisors, Ross Noble and Richard shows how hard interaction can be by failing to find anything funny to say about the rest of the front row. But luckily from there on in he is not going to get a word in edgeways as Ross talks non-stop for approaching 100 minutes about TAI Fridays, what it's like to own a tank, convincing his daughter that he's a wizard, why you can't trust Twitter to provide medical advice, why he's more Geordie than Cheryl Cole and how difficult it is to peel potatoes when all your possessions have been destroyed. There are also pyres of burning animals and mad cow leather trousers and criticisms of a hopefully still living Bruce Forsyth. Can Ross get comedy gold where Richard failed by interrogating a child therapist in the front row or can it only end in disaster? Can the pair keep the podcast going forever? Is it still going on now? Will you ever be able to catch up?

Richard has just returned from Vienna, burdened with ice-cream disappointments and further worries about his wife's insensitive choice of cheese. But he's got a blinding guest to cheer him up, a man who has appeared in the triumvirate of sci-fi classics, but that won't mean anything until he's learned to jaunt, Simon Pegg. They discuss what Tom Cruise is really like, the pressures of being a godfather to a superstar baby, playing pranks and throwing up on the set of Star Trek, what it's like working with your teenage film star crush, time-travel cock rings, Ben Dover's merchandise and Richard suggests a new sitcom which might provide an opening for the return of Spaced. It probably won't though. And Richard dares to ask Simon what he himself considers his worst film. There could be fireworks!

Richard gives his surprise mystery (to the audience at least) guest possibly the worst introduction known to mankind, but gigantic Stephen Merchant is more than a match for this tiny Somerset hobbit. The pair discuss big foot-based anal sex, the disappointing lack of shenanigans in the bar at the 1997 reboot of Blockbusters, setting up Jack Bauer's Facebook page, penis-length anxiety, how Stephen accidentally ended up shooting a porn film, the Wookey Hole paper-mill, what it's like picking up Ricky Gervais' Bafta and the rigours of filming with Halle Berry. Tim from The Office might get a mention. Due to Richard getting a bit overtired and overexcitable it goes a bit weird towards the end, but Stephen has achieved a lot of success through the comedy of embarrassment, so it's nice for him to witness some at such close quarters. You are going to enjoy Richard trying to dig himself out the hole he creates and doesn't seem to want to escape. It's an awkward end to a fun series of which Richard is both proud and ashamed.

You Don't Bring Me Flowers Anymore. Rich is back for an unprecedented 5th series of this stupid podcast, worried that he might have the same effect on this week's guest as he did with Stephen Merchant. But it's unlikely as it's a welcome return for the man with the pink bicycle, Adam Buxton. What is the ethical age for a dog to be before you have sex with it? How much does the cartoon The Snowman inform us about the career of David Bowie? Are we ready to consider the mortality of our fathers? Plus a (prearranged?) call from Buxton junior.

You Go! Rich meets his audience, some familiar, some new. His guest has had an interesting afternoon at the gynaecologists and the cinema, but which was more painful? It's Jenny Eclair. They chat about French kissing Shane Ritchie, how to shoplift the complete works of Herge and ways to improve daytime quizzes. Find out about what it was like to do punk poetry at the legendary Tunnel Club, to be heckled by Woman's Hour and why you should get John Lewis to install your dishwasher. At least one of the people on this podcast has won on Pointless Celebrities. But have they both?

Okapi Sandwich Richard is bristling from more anarchic behaviour in the swimming pool and pitching ideas for Dragon's Den. His guests are Helen Zaltman and Olly Mann from rival Sony Gold and Silver (but crucially not bronze) winning podcast Answer Me This!. They seem to hold some kind of grudge for Richard having made them his enemies in the old Collings and Herrin podcasts, but as Richard was under the thrall of his Herrin character he can't really remember anything about that. Anyway, it's an old-fashioned podclash! The conversation scales the heady heights of time-travelling genitalia, British Forces Broadcasting and how to get sacked from the Lorraine show. Is semen a powerful cologne? What happens if you fall in love with someone in an oil painting? Has Helen married a ghost? Will Richard be bummed to death by the end of the show and how would Olly's bumming sushi carousel work in practice?

Charlie Chaplin's Lasts Richard meets his audience, who are predictably much better than last week's to discover a disconcerting leap in the attractiveness and coolness of the people in the front row. Also apparently the queue for the women's toilet was longer than the one for the men's. Something is changing in the world of this podcast and we should all be very afraid. Robert Llewellyn from Red Dwarf and Carpool is the charming and engaging guest. They discuss how the right-on comedy troupe 'The Joeys' got their name, science fiction in which the future is better than the present, a slightly disturbing use of time travelling genitalia, a near fatal car crash, the weirdness of being recognised from behind and how to escape from prison with a piss-drenched shirt. The Big Foot question finally comes good after so many attempts. I told you it was worth it.

Richard has a pus-filled finger, which is disgusting even in audio, but that doesn't stop the people at Dirtybritcom Confessions pretending to fantasise about him. His guest recently referred to him as one of his 'comedy children', but let's see how far his paternal feelings will stretch, it's the legendary Alexei Sayle. They chat about being expelled from school, why Guildford is funnier than Hatfield, getting Christmas cards from a man who has played chess with death, Keith Allen using his audience as a dartboard (and getting his cock out a lot), why Alexei's cat can never hope to play Sherlock and how his mum can't tell him from a rubber dwarf.

Richard chats with his audience and manages to secure himself a TV writing job, as well as marvel at his once IT heavy, bearded male audience is being replaced by people who might actually have had sex. Don't worry, the nerds are still there and they're still the best! This week's guest is very tall and has never been told that before, it's sexually-charged comedian and actor Greg Davies. They converse about how W G Grace upstaged Greg's sister's wedding, how Guy Fawkes died and whether he'd welcome a time-travelling penis, how Greg embarrassed himself in front of Rik Mayall in a supermarket and bum-based encounters with doctors. It's raucous and very funny. This is one that might be worth paying the £3.50 to see on video. Not only does Greg have some amazing facial reactions, but Richard carries out one of the dirtybritcom confession fantasies on him. It's very, very sexy.

Richard is still recovering from his important educational work on International Women’s Day, but luckily he isn’t going to be taxed by having to speak very much, because his guest is the loquacious and unsinkable Danny Baker. In a show overflowing with content you will find out, amongst much else about a laserdisc signed by David Bowie, how Danny’s amazing dad took umbrage with Harry Enfield, where talcum powder comes from, how to go to Hawaii with no money in the bank and how surviving cancer taught Danny nothing. Is Baker responsible for Bob Marley’s demise? Is having no ambition or plan the key to showbiz success? Can you do a consumer affairs programme if you have sympathy with the villains? is there any point in me trying to list all the stuff that happened? Baker is an amazing force of nature. This one could have gone on for days.

After being unnecessarily rude to his audience again, Richard introduces this week’s guest, comedian, cartoonist and film maker, Josie Long. They chat about sharing car journeys with Stewart Lee’s misbehaving (embodied) anus, how to respond to Twitter abuse, suncream that beams into your hand and killing Hitler by pushing his eye into his brain. Plus there's an extraordinary story of an almost impossible survival of a spectacular car crash, that leaves it uncertain as to whether Josie is actually just a ghost. Plus more odd dirty brit com confessions and the weirdness of Josie being told them by the bloke from Fist of Fun.

RHLSTP #42: Harry Shearer - Creative Differences. Richard has some news of an amazing time travelling finger and is clearly super excited to be meeting one of his all-time comedy heroes, Harry Shearer from off of This is Spinal Tap and The Simpsons. Rich was too scared to talk to him when he saw him improbably travelling on London's Tube, but hopefully he won't just sit quietly, staring at him and saying nothing this time. The pair discuss Harry's career which seems to break the space-time continuum as he's worked with such legends as Abbott and Costello, Jack Benny and Mel Blanc. Why does Derek Smalls wrap his courgette in tin foil and what's his affiliation with Shrewsbury Town? How much creative control do the actors on The Simpsons have over the characters they have helped create? Is stubbornness a pro or a con when trying to make it in show business? What is the Jerry Lewis film, The Day The Clown Cried really like? Will we hear from Simpsons character Hugh Jass? It's an amazing interview with a driven and hilarious genius man. And Harry Shearer is in it too.

RHLSTP #43: Susan Calman - Helen Mirren Mask. Richard is still a bit giddy and over-excited from meeting Harry Shearer and, after being on his best behaviour for 75 minutes, is now off the leash and at his most childish and pathetic. And who dares walk into this hurricane of smut? Only Susan Calman... who feels, possibly correctly, that she isn't being given the respect of the previous guest. Find out how one of the tallest comedians in the UK snuck one of the smallest into a party, how Richard is planning to win the Gay Celebrity of the Year 2015, who has the tiniest hands in comedy, and if you watch the video you'll get to see the ultimate guide to fingering. In spite of Richard offending the Scottish, the Chinese and Susan's dead grandma, there's no real danger of Richard 'doing a Merchant' and somehow they manage to steer the puerile conversation towards depression and Section 28. Plus which celebrity would you like to stroke your hair as you die? And more on the proposed Edinburgh Fringe show where Rich and Susan are forced to have sex with each other, against both of their wills.

An almost imperceptibly slimmer than the beginning of the series Richard Herring takes the stage to find a slightly sinister pair of men in the front row. What do they do? Do we really want to know? No, because the guest this week is journalist, screen-writer and broadcaster Jon Ronson who is a man with some good stories. Find out what happened when he met the politically correct arm of the KKK, was outed as a Jewish man whilst with jihadists in Crawley, how he went UFO Spotting with Robbie Williams, was chased by the Bilderberg group's less expert henchmen and how being keyboardist for Frank Sidebottom led to him writing his latest film. Also what was in Stanley Kubrick's archive, visiting a dado-masochist porn set and being confused with Louis Theroux. Plus Jon comes armed with his own emergency question, which to be honest Richard totally nails.

Przepraszam. Richard harangues the willing fools on the first row as usual, though it's a man on the second row who will inadvertently make the most impact on the podcast. The guest this week is Nick Helm, instantly recognisable in face if not voice to everyone in Poland. The pair carry out some onstage sex acts which will delight the perverts on Dirty Britcom Confessions (if you buy one of the series on video you might want to make it this one) and disgust all decent minded people. You will find out how the team of Uncle got round BBC compliance issues, what to do in St Albans when your dreams have been shattered, where the Bermuda Triangle of the Edinburgh Fringe is, what it's like to perform there, and experience a ham-hand based pun that it's astonishing hasn't been stumbled across before now. All this and there's a chance that the series will end with the mysterious death of someone in the theatre.

A new series of RHLSTP and Richard has a whole raft of new emergency questions, to the consternation of his audience who just want to hear the old ones. Predictably he is a bit obsessed with Tory MPs sending pictures of their winkies to pretend women, but less predictably concerned that the Tory party might be made up of actual penises. His first guest comes from Sarnia, the no-nonsense, no-holds-barred Katherine Ryan. There's some interesting conspiracy theories revolving around Beyonce, what it's like to work in Hooters, the dirty protests at a Crouch End Primary School, the stupidity of American tourists using their children as bear-bait and as she's from Canada so she's got to have seen a BigFoot, right?

Richard is still reeling from the lurgy he had in last week's show and his guest is also not very well, it's Mark Gatiss from off of League of Gentlemen and Fear of Fanny. Inevitably there is a lot of discussion about obscure 1970s TV and Tim from the Office being in Sherlock and you'll find out which Doctor Who monster Mark would most like to have sex with. But other questions include: How did Mark prepare for the role that made him famous, the voice of Greg Evigan on TMWRNJ? What characters DIDN'T make it into the League of Gentlemen? What is the biggest fossil that he has ever discovered? Should Rich buy a metal detector? And there's a terrifying real-life ghost story and more on conspiracy theories. It's gentle and largely dignified, as one would expect from two middle-aged men with colds and bad backs.

Richard forgot to lube his nipples and now he's in all kinds of pain, but he's mainly glad that his nipples get to experience any sensation at all. And hopefully his guest this week will steer clear of his breast area and who to make up for his Edinburgh Fringe Podcast no-show, turned up two hours early, Brendon Burns. They chat about why Stewart Lee fans are "the worst", whether certain words are unsayable, how splitting yourself into two different comedic personalities can only lead to mental breakdown, if the loss of libido is a blessed release and what it's like to be mistaken for Ferris Bueller.

Psychic Richard manages to divine the life of someone in his front row merely by looking at him, though what he finds out about this person's nipples will change your life forever. His guest this week is the Rod Hull faced comedian James Acaster. You will find out what it's like to survive three car crashes and two train derailments, how much you could expect to earn selling slurpies in Kettering in the 1990s and what it is that draws the police to conspiracy theorists. Acaster also completely Mitchells the new emergency question. But has he ever seen a Bigfoot? You'll have to wait until the end of the podcast to find out. But it's unlikely I reckon.

Rich is still alive and kicking (and dancing) only a day after completing a Half Marathon in record breaking time (though to be fair he had a ringer to do it for him) and he's disappointed in the movie "The Wolf of Wall Street" for all kinds of reasons. But he has a very special guest to help him celebrate his half century of RHLSTPs, it's the go-to guy if you want someone to play a small toy figure, Steve Coogan. A-ha! (Steve loves it when people do that). They chat about getting laughs at the Leveson Enquiry, why so many people that Steve has done impressions of have ended up in gaol, Stewart Lee's Partridge-inspiring encounter with a superfan and why Around the World in 80 Days really needed more martial arts in it. And finally we're going to find out who created Alan Partridge. Will Steve pay Richard the £250,000 he demands in royalties? No he won't.

Even though eight days have passed since the Half-Marathon Richard still aches like it was all just yesterday. But he will soon forget his woes when he chats to the great-grandaughter of music writer Rosa Newmarch (and you never know who here great-grandfather might have been) Sara Pascoe. In what is one of Rich's favourite ever RHLSTPs the chat encompasses whether a vegan can eat a ham hand, how a six foot tall penis man would cope with his terrible life, what it's like to be part of a younger generation of comedians who are about to storm the comedy citadel and claim their rightful crown and why there should be more women on "Would I Lie To You?". Sara and Richard chat about how they fell in love (with other people) as their significant others possibly get together in the darkness of the auditorium.

Rich has some surprising and life-changing news to share, but that doesn't mean that gloves (and pants if it's cold enough) aren't off for the annual sparring match with TV's Sarah Millican. Who will win the flirtatious/offensive battle of wits this time. You'll find out why she appeared on TV without her underwear, why she kept her first husband's name and be asked to consider whether she was unreasonable when she refused to tell a journalist her exact address. And would her DVDs sell better if she included a free sample of her own excrement? But you will learn more about Rich than his interviewee this week, because he was a bit tired and unable to control his mouth or brain. What does he have for breakfast on tour? Who was right and who was wrong during Cornetto-gate? Is money real or a meaningless abstract? And what happens if he ceases to be before he sees his own sexcrement?

Richard is very excited about his Nostradamus-like abilities to predict the future and makes another audacious claim about future-tech. Only time will tell if he is right again. His guest is the ubiquitous and claustrophobic Rebecca Front, a woman who has appeared in all manner of award winning TV and Radio roles, but never, it seems, if Richard has been involved in the production. You'll discover the confusion that can be caused by a mistimed fan shouting out one of your catchphrases, what Patrick Marber is really like to work with, how Morse will never be allowed to die and what happened when Lauren Bacall ate one of her husband's chips. Rich is embarrassed to ask his usual stupid, sexual questions to someone he considers to be purer than the Virgin Mary, especially when her 15 year old son is in the audience. But he still asks them. Because he is trapped in a nightmare of his own making that he can't escape. And was "You Can Choose Your Friends" one of the great lost TV series or the worst thing ever to be on television (according to the Evening Standard)?

Rich is excited to reveal his new "grown-up" question notebook, but will having a baby make him stop finding some jokes funny? His guest has both a Mastermind and a Pointless trophy, it's Devonian Josh Widdicombe. Find about the Pret a Manger lifestyles of the rich and famous that you can only dream of emulating, what the secret behind Josh's impressively swollen genitalia is and whether he prefers comedy or something else. The comedy/awkwardness of awkwardness around the Stephen Merchant interview continues. Richard fails to make amends.

Rich has more ideas for terrorist atrocities and wondering if vitamin supplements might be the key to bringing down an aeroplane. His guest is crazy-haired satirist for hire, Andy Zaltzman. What would the TV rights to the destruction of the Houses of Parliament be? What's the best thing a terrorist has ever said? What's the appeal of cricket? Is a shed the ultimate goal for any writer? Is dating a six foot tall penis man really the best way to get over the death of one's wife? How different would the world be if John Oliver and Andy switched places like in the film Freaky Friday? It must be tough when your double act partner goes on to be much more successful than you. Poor Andy.

Richard has been considering his own mortality after a visit to Highgate Cemetery, realising that one day he himself might die. But it's unlikely. So let's sniff Dicks whilst the sun shines and we have the biggest Dick so far in the series (though not the biggest guest) with host of Two Tribes and Pointless, Richard Osman. Rich pitches all manner of TV shows to the highly successful TV producer, who seems unimpressed (even with Goodnight Goodnight Sweetheart Sweetheart. You'll also find out what was with Prize Island, who won the World Cup of Chocolate (also what is the best crisps and chew) and Rich's performance on Pointless is roundly mocked. And in a segment that is bound to have a Sachsgate style repercussion on all internet programming, Richard Osman is very rude about Richard's mum, Barbara Herring, who has done nothing wrong, but point out a gross error made by the Egghead presenter (sorry he doesn't present that show).

For the first time in RHLSTP history, a guest has been unable to make the recording at the last minute. Al Murray had to drop out due to illness and so Rich was forced to find a new guest who could, get to central London in an hour. And that guest was Michael Legge - no not the one from the film Angela's Ashes or the blind or deaf Hereford-based massage therapist. The one from the Bollings and Nerrin Podcast. I can only apologise. But it turns out that the podcast might be even better with no preparation (ha, as if there's any anyway) and last second bookings cos Michael has funny stories about how he copes with people playing music on the bus, falling out with Robin Ince, Richard's inability to clap and why he won't eat stuff that's come out of an animal. And there's more serious chat about the rise of the new-sexism in comedy and an almost entirely successful comedy of nostalgia about a show that nobody in the audience seems to have heard of. It gets awkward and weird, but they push through that and find some funny stuff again. He's no Al Murray and he might not even be the Michael Legge that you're thinking of, but he was the best we could do in the time available.

Richard is excited about having been shopping for his as yet unborn child and having seen a daring theft from Pret a Manger and is freaked out to think that although recorded in November 2014 this podcast will go out on the cusp of 2015 - the future! His guest is high-haired, loud-shirted gagsmith Milton Jones. They discuss killer heckles and when gigs go wrong, more obscure 1970s TV shows, the Men's Health Abs Challenge and how many people remember the show Planet Mirth. There's some more serious talk about charity work in Uganda which makes it hard to segue back into cock based questions. But that doesn't stop Richard trying.

Richard is gifted a front row audience member who is not only wearing red glasses but is also called Aanth (that is not a typo) and vents as much as he can whilst in a position of strength, knowing his guest should be able to wipe the floor with him, it's record-breaking poker player and the stern host of Only Connect, Victoria Coren Mitchell. She has the requisite disdain for the emergency questions and Richard's foolishly competitive nature and there are fun chats about her attempts to make a porn film, how she faced up to and exposed some weirdo funeral crashers, who puts the bins out in the Coren Mitchell household and how different the Universe might have been if Richard had realised that there was a possible flirtation beneath their first ever meeting. Richard also considers the Universe in which he now has £4 million and Victoria has some good advice about gambling.

A new website to rival dirty britcom confessions has emerged and Richard is fascinated to find out his fans' favourite food. His guest is a woman who has more bakery based puns than you have had obscure Eastern European cakes, it's Sue Perkins. Find out what it was like working on "Don't Scare the Hare", why Sue nearly turned down the Great British Bake Off and the highs and lows of travelling up the Mekong river. Find out what it's like being the judge of the Booker prize (and who Sue thinks should have won) and why you should never ask the audience to ask the questions. Plus an appearance from our dildo expert.

Richard has bought (and definitely not shoplifted) a present for this week's guest, the author who thinks you'll find it's more complicated than that, Ben Goldacre. It's a change of pace from the usual podcasts, with some serious chats about medicine, quacks, how a dead cat became a doctor and the ways that data and statistics can be abused. But there's still time for Goldacre to raise questions about his sexuality, talk about his pop star mum and discuss his "friend's" attempts at auto-felatio. Can nutritionalists work out your allergies by moving your limbs? Are Beroccas just homeopathy for sceptics? Is Lancaster a real place? Is it possible to get a simple yes or no answer as to whether you should wear a cycle helmet? I think you'll find it's more complicated than that.

In this and the next podcast Richard is catching up with some of the stars of the failed 1990s comedy show, “This Morning With Richard Not Judy”.

Richard is joined by his erstwhile partner Stewart Lee to chat about This Morning With Richard, Not Judy. Stew discovers that there was nearly a very different host, they chat about the Edinburgh Fringe genesis of the idea and how they managed to give away a car, the terrible fate of Histor and Pliny, how ice and gas played a part on the stand up circuit and the Rod Hull sketches that never were. They are then joined by Paul "Curious Orange" Putner and Trevor "Small-Face" Lock to chat about the gravity behind the gravity sketch and how Mark E Smith responded to the Curious Orange. The stink of the past hangs over the occasion like a fetid cloak made of carrion.

Richard is back and exhausted from fatherhood and trying to remember how these work and he's smarting from Alan Sugar rejecting his proposed titles for the saggy-faced Lord's autobiography. And there are a few changes and additions thanks to the successful video Kickstarter campaign. The guest has worked with Richard before, but has no memory of it at all, it's Middlesbrough's finest Bob Mortimer. There is some quite specific conversation about the roads in Linthorpe, speculation that Richard may have unknowingly played with a future rock star in his childhood, and the revelation of why Chris Rea was quiet when he was on Shooting Stars. Plus some fantastically and worryingly detailed conversations about terrorist atrocities and how to dispose of a body. Where would we be in a world with no lime? Many thanks to Duncan Thorley for gamely being the first person to sponsor an entire episode. Check out his minecraft sitcom, Maximum Whimsy. To sponsor a future episode, please contact Richard via herring1967 -at- gmail -dot- com

Richard chats to his audience, with faces old and new, including a mum and daughter that lead him to some dark thoughts and a laughing financial advisor. His guest is eccentric, comedic barmpot, Lou Sanders who reveals her sexy French inner clown, how she foresaw her own death and how she used comedy to cope with breaking up with her fiance. Richard reminisces about their short-lived show on Fubar radio, tries to discover what raiki actually is and is forced to contemplate whether aliens exist. Surely this is the guest most likely to have ever seen a Bigfoot. But even Lou isn’t as strange as the inhabitants of LA. You will see this fantastic comedian in all her confident fragility and uncompromising honesty as she achieves a rare accolade: confusing some Reeves and Mortimer fans.

Richard is reeling from a missed opportunity to assassinate a government minister and a mystery cloaca based attack, but is delighted to be chatting to a woman he’s been messing about with (not like that) since 1987, it’s Britain’s premier Subo impressionist and poo annecdotist, TV’s Emma Kennedy. The pair revisit finding a Tardis in the lost basement of a Masonic Lodge, wonder when the people of Wales will finally all have shoes and discuss what fluids and solids there must be in every jacuzzi in the land (especially if Richard Herring has been in them). Find out how Emma almost killed Richard before he could go on to commit his atrocities, what kind of hands a 6 foot penis man would have and whether the pair will ever be married as they have always secretly dreamed.

Richard has a controversial theory about the recent FIFA controversy and gets paid by a man to call him a fucking idiot to his face before introducing former maths teacher and toilet cryer Romesh Ranganathan to the stage of Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre. In possibly the longest RHLSTP they discuss the problems of trying to procure adequate vegan cheese, cost analysis of airline food, whether a lazy eye is really a trademark and what it would take to get Romesh to have a tattoo of Richard on his arm. Find out how you can break your penis and what to do if you then get some jalfrezi on it. Ramesh also has to answer the cash for questions that Richard forgot to ask Emma Kennedy. It goes on for a very long time and a lot of it is about babies, but remember you can stop listening any time you like, unlike the poor captives in the theatre.

Richard has been making T-shirts for Kickstarter donators but has made quite a basic error on one of them, and also considers a song-based justice system. His guest is the scourge of continuity departments everywhere, Lincolnshire’s small-toothed Robert Webb. What was it really like working with Tim from the Office? Is Robert responsible for World War II? Worse is he responsible for the queues at Shepherd’s Bush Post Office? What went on in the Kinema in the Woods? Webb discusses how he felt about appearing nude in the film Confetti and plans an atrocity at a football stadium and reveals how he found out he wasn’t going to be doing the Apple ads any more.

Richard is very excited to meet the man who made him give up viewing porn (temporarily), Groove is in the Heart dancer and park ranger Louis Theroux. With a bad choice of words Richard almost Merchants the podcast early on and the interviewer becomes the interviewee as Herring gets Therouxed and opens up about his pre-marital life. Will he be the subject of one of Louis’ future documentaries? Can there be a more insulting thing to happen to a person given the broken people he generally focuses on. Louis’ interview with Jimmy Savile is analysed in depth. Should he have spotted the monster lurking beneath the surface? Plus revelations about fagging for Nick Clegg, the bullying of Max Clifford and having your bits ripped off by a chimp. It’s a fascinating 90 minute chat, more serious than usual, but still very funny.

Richard has come close to death, choking on an apricot stone and in his possible final moments only felt embarrassment, but hopefully he has overcome the shame to interview the woman with the smallest oesophagus in showbusiness, Roisin Conaty. They discuss the problems encountered in having 80 first cousins, the varying careers of East 17, whether it is considered cheating to have sex with a robot and anal itchiness. It’s literally got everything.

Giving away a prize to a lucky audience member, Rich reminisces about schoolday bags and realises how much work he has got to do to relearn his 11 old stand up shows for his insane attempt to do them all at the Leicester Square Theatre in August and September. His guest is a man who has done Chekov, Dickens and Celebrity Juice, Johnny Vegas. It’s a truly fascinating discussion about the duality of the stand up and where a Johnny ends and Michael Pennington begins. Michael discusses the lengths that Johnny would push him to and his total commitment to being a dog on stage, whether contentment and success mean the death of the character, how to make your own audience out of balloons, why he got the worst degree in his year at University and how he got his revenge, how Monkey has clung to his back like a monkey and the funniest sex show in history. It’s really good.

Richard is reeling from forgetting about his daughter and another attack on his home (how will he ever sell it?), but excited to be welcoming the eponymous star of Improvisation, my Dear Mark Watson to the stage and hoping to talk about nothing but that title for a full hour. Alas he gets distracted into discussing aversion to non-binding cheese, how thunder storms are the UK’s biggest killer, advertising pear cider and the criticisms that that engendered and Watson’s love of dry stone-walling. Richard continues to try and pinpoint where having sex with a machine counts as infidelity and tries to encourage Mark to enact some of his fans’ sexual fantasies. Also find out why Watson was the Rachel Dolezal of Wales.

Richard concludes the story of his disastrous romantic break with his wife and gives away an exclusive RHLSTP mug to one of the RHLSTP mugs. His guest is Britain’s premiere John Peel/Oliver Hardy/Stewart Lee impressionist, Robin Ince. They discuss the autobiographies of Don Estelle and Syd Little, how Robin created the Office, a swearing Su Pollard, Iain Lee on a pink tricycle, the funniest serial killer and being the Giant Sand of comedy. Richard also quizzes about his decision to (at least temporarily) give up stand up. It would be a shame. He’s very funny. Having said that, he does seem to be in a very happy mood so why ruin that?

Richard has broken his mirror, but wondering if that gives him 7 years bad luck or frees him from the ghosts of the past. His guests are the non British writers and stars of Britain’s most exciting sitcom this decade, Rob Delaney and Sharon Horgan. Does their onscreen sexual chemistry spill over into real life, even when Rob’s genitals are in a bag? Does a filling make you a robot? How exactly do you kill a turkey? Is there a wrong way to try and get Mark Lamarr’s attention in a bong shop? Is it better having a baby in America or the UK? And what things would our guests never tell their mother?

Richard rewards an audience member for his Top Cat like trick of never having to buy a poppy again and then introduces his guest, a woman who has tried out more different names than eskimos have for snow, it’s Jessica Hynes. What’s it like working with Pudsey? Who was in Six Pairs of Pants? Why did Jessica sleep in an abandoned children’s home? Is there a God or just a hand chucking things up? Is the talc dispensing tit the safer option? Who would rule on an island of King Richards? Find out about the horrendous ant massacres perpetuated by a young Richard Herring and why refusing to cut your hair or put on a bikini can be bad for your career.

Richard has just had his third sixteenth birthday and has returned from Amsterdam with a hangover that might just last two weeks. His guest is former milk-maid, fellow West Country cheese enthusiast and Russell Brand lookalike, Bridget Christie. They discuss webbed toes, being the responsible one in a gang of Hell’s Angels, John Inverdale’s slip of the tongue, the deferred creative revenge on the tedious admin of life and who of the two of them is a more realistic representation for the hopes and dreams of new comedians. Plus a proper serious chat about feminism. Also ghosts that eat crisps and a disembodied hand that Richard somehow failed to equate to the time travelling finger or the ham hand, so seriously was he taking this as a proper interview.

Richard is still hungover from his birthday - what a day that was! He is joined by a man who once ran a strip club with his dad, Brett Goldstein. They talk about looking dead eyed into a camera on Weekend Kitchen at Waitrose, working with the Hoff, what it’s like on Halloween when you’re the only single man on your street, whether sex with a faceless robot counts as cheating and how important it is to get the full consent of the big man and the tiny man. There’s another inexplicable ghost story and a disastrous meeting with a comedy hero and a discussion about whether we can ever be truly happy and what effect happiness has on a comedian.

Richard has witnessed a man carrying out his ultimate fantasy, but realises that sometimes maybe fantasies belong in our heads, not in reality. He is joined by the delightfully gossipy, quizzer, doctor, comedian and Sinnerman Paul Sinha. Obviously they mainly talk about quizzes and their own disastrous TV appearances, but also discuss the least funny sitcom flatshare of all time, John Oliver’s tyre knowledge, the subplot running through these 78 podcasts, the difficulty of knowing it words begin and end with the same letter, notorious joke thieves, David Icke - madman or genius and Rich’s plans for an appearance on Tipping Point. What happened when Sinha told Herring that he used to fancy him? And can you work out which famous comic asked him to diagnose a sexually transmitted disease? Who will be done for libel? There’s also a revealing discussion about the nature of happiness.

Richard delves into the seedy personal life of Dean and Matilda on the front row, before introducing failed politician and thwarted parachutist Al Murray. They chat about whether it’s possible to gauge how an audience is laughing at comedy, running around in some wasteland in your pants at night, the Downfall of Farage and the bizarre social media exchanges that Al’s attempt to become an MP led to. Also some glider based history anecdotes, fears for the Westfield shopping centre and peach stones in the dishwasher. Will the audience choose to leave or encourage the two to waffle on into the night and what is the magic that holds them there? Is it due to their racism?

Richard is a bit worried about the psychological similarities he shares with murder spree killers, but maybe that’s just all comedians. If you read his book you might worry the same thing about this week’s guest, cult comedy genius and normal-faced man Limmy. The pair try and fail to remember an ancient Twitter spat, and Richard threatens to reignite it by trying to welcome his guest by talking to him in his own language. There’s a lively discussion of Scottish politics, the sexual allure of fake tan and whether it’s funny to envisage the death of your own father. Plus an exclusive reading from Limmy’s highly entertaining book, Daft Wee Stories.

It’s the last show in series 7 and there’s an end of term atmosphere and a lot of good natured heckling from a slightly inebriated crowd. Richard’s final guest is Peter Dickson impersonator and product of 1988, Joe Lycett. The podcast largely turns into the vehicle for a RHLSTP clips show as Joe quizzes Richard about his favourite and least favourite guests and what the future might hold for the valuable RHLSTP franchise. But there’s also time to talk about identifying fish as they are slapped into your face, how much money Richard turned down to appear on TV with Katy Hopkins and the varying depravity of ex Blue Peter presenters. It’s a fittingly low key and relaxed end to the series.

RHLSTP is back (it feels like it never went away) and another kickstarted series begins ALL FOR FREE. Richard is worried that David Cameron has just made all his emergency questions irrelevant and amazed by the way the world has changed in the brief hiatus between series. And it’s a PODCLASH as his first guest is the host of the brilliant comedian’s comedian as well as Richard’s backdoor neighbour, Stuart Goldsmith. With (pretty much) all new emergency questions to try out there’s a lot to talk about including how to breathe fire, what Rumpel the Kangaroo King is really like, the BBC’s plans to transport all children to the future and … Also there’s speculation on egg-gate and shit-by-the-gate-gate, as well as the opportunity to purchase a property with a direct view of Stuart Goldsmith’s penis.

Richard discusses some zombie based movie ideas he has had, before introducing the dry-witted and incredulous Diane Morgan who isn’t quite sure what she’s let herself in for. And it’s a surreal, dream-like and occasionally mildly awkward chat about working with Ken Campbell, Richard’s failure to see one of Diane’s first performances, Bruce Willis on the One Show, Richard’s ever spiralling shoplifting problem, the slight let down of earliest memories (and what is the latest earliest memory that anyone has ever had?) and the importance of making it clear that you’re not dating Joe Wilkinson. Find out who Diane would kill if she had one bullet and no repercussions and what she thinks might be in a medieval pie.

Richard makes more predictions of atrocities that will have occurred in the news on the week of release for this podcast and is impressed by the skills of another astrologer he has encountered. His guest is a man who knows how to clean a horse’s anus, it’s Lee Mack. Find out the truth behind his claims about cutting mustard, how to pick apricots, whose lawnmowers are in the Southport lawnmower museum and hear more musing over what is more morally acceptable, necrophilia or bestiality. Also can you run a marathon if one leg is shorter than the other, why aren’t there more women on Would I Lie To You? and what it’s like to work with the baby from the Railway Children.

A tired and possibly ill Richard Herring tries to get through another podcast without vomiting on his guest, the disaster-magnet that is Janey Godley. She talks candidly about marrying the son of a Glasgow gangster, her many family tragedies and how she survived them plus how Jerry Sadowitz was almost killed at one of his first gigs, what she’d like to do with Roland Gift, witnessing horrific accidents and heart-warming scenes from daily life. Plus the Bay City Rollers, Vesta curries, working with your daughter, performing in a prison and that wonderful moment when you forget that you’ve stabbed someone. Some truly incredible stories from this brilliantly funny, mildly terrifying, but ultimately rather lovely woman.

Richard is somewhat affronted to have been compared to Marmite by the box office at the Leicester Square Theatre, but never mind as his guest (who doesn’t carry money and needs his wife to send sandwiches to him in a taxi) is Robert Popper from Friday Night Dinner, Look Around You and the conduit for the brilliant Robin Cooper. Find out what it was like being the assistant to the director on the Glam Metal Detectives, how Leigh Francis attempted to infiltrate ITV, how Popper convinced the Japanese that Gordon Brown had thrown a tangerine into a laminating machine, why elephants get less cancer than humans and whether the guest or host would use nuclear weapons if they were Prime Minister. Also a new puppet based emergency question and a special introductory call by Robin Cooper.

Richard chats to a man in the audience who is unexpectedly in IT before introducing “over-night” success and internet sensation Luisa Omielan. Find out how pulling her trousers down in front of some Americans was the key to her success, more than you will want to know about frenulum breve, how to have a break out Edinburgh Fringe hit show, why Big Bird is a prick and why Richard is too self-conscious to ever enjoy sex. Plus past lives, body image, casual racism, puppet/robot sex and remembering a snack that Rich thought he’d forgotten but hadn’t forgotten. It’s literally got everything.

Richard is stupidly hungover after a rare night out at a top showbiz party and wonders what you buy the man who has had everyone. His guest is the affable and probably sexually vanilla John Finnemore. They discuss the stupidity of working hard for the radio, the three-legged dog that gives John all of his ideas, when Richard was embarrassed by thinking a zombie apocalypse had begun, working with Benedict Cumberbatch and things that make you feel sick. Is Finnemore cursed to live the life of the other John Finnemore and the small print of the holiday with the Spitting Image puppet is thoroughly explored.

Richard is amazed how a joke on Twitter now pretty much always gets taken at face value by someone, even if it’s in an open letter to an 8 month old baby. His guest is Nicole Kidman impersonator and fantastically thoughtful yet and puerile stand-up Sarah Kendall, fresh from her nomination for the big comedy award at the Fringe. They discuss the horrors of child birth, the redundancy of the hand job, growing up in New Newcastle, how audiences can sometimes laugh in the wrong way, the plot holes in Back to the Future, loads of stuff about cocks and vaginas (obviously) the inevitability of nuclear destruction, plus some surprisingly serious bits about the nature of being a stand up. To be honest most of the time we forgot that we weren’t sitting in the lounge in our Edinburgh flat having the kind of conversations with one another that are totally unacceptable in the actual world. She’s the best. Go and see her perform live. You’re welcome.

Richard is unnecessarily unpleasant to someone in the audience (what’s new?) before quickly bringing on a man with a drive that burgeons on insanity, but it’s the good kind of insanity, Eddie Izzard. It’s an unsurprisingly sprawling but incredible conversation that takes us through why God doesn’t reveal himself, through the clumsy religious allegories of CS Lewis, through what kind of madness would make a man run 43 Marathons in 51 days, how to pronounce Calippo, how Eddie would have fared in the army, his political ambitions and philosophy, performing in languages that you were recently unable to speak, the short-sighted nature of the Ocean’s Eleven franchise, the years of struggling to make it (with some great stories about his street theatre days) and why the world needs to come together and give everyone hope. It’s electrifying and inspirational and Richard hardly says anything (because he’s not an idiot who is going to waste this opportunity). It’s just a proper treat so stop reading this and ingest it NOW!

Richard has written his first joke of 2015 and can’t wait to share it with the underwhelmed audience, but luckily he is riding high from his incredible level of public recognition on Pointless Celebrities. His guest is the immaculately dressed and multi-talented Phill Jupitus, who isn’t so good with names. They chat about giving U2’s new song a minute of air play, whether stand up is harder than acting, how the most difficult person to please is always your mum and why the BBC is doomed. Get the behind the scenes info on Buzzcock’s guests Jedward and Jamelia and witness an old emergency question morph into something new and even more disturbing. Lots of funny stories and a great Mark Steel impression.