Hello and welcome back to The Comedy Cast; today you’ll be hearing from Irish stand-up comedian Laura Byrne.

Laura will be instantly recognisable to anyone that has seen any of the Facts videos. If you’ve not heard of Facts, it’s a massive YouTube channel that makes videos of Irish comedians commenting on things like watching American TV shows, trying Polish desserts and watching Star Wars for the first time.

We start off the interview by speaking about how much Laura’s been gigging all over Ireland lately. We speak too about coming from a place in Dublin with a mad name; Stepaside and it turns out we used to be neighbours, yes, Ireland’s a small place.

We get on to comedy then and spoke about how and why she got into it; starting with her getting involved with the Drama Society while in college and how she used to write plays while studying.

We spoke too about how when she started her comedy career she had to battle with shyness, and how to get past it she almost plays a role while going onstage. We have a natter then about Laura’s love for music and we find something in common that I thought only I suffered from.

Laura tells me then about the responsibility she feels onstage and how brightening up somebody’s day is one of the best feelings to have when coming off stage.

Then we get onto Facts then and we speak about it; how she got involved, its huge success and how it’s great for improvisation skills. We talk then about the bizarreness of being watched by 100,000s of viewers on every video yet still being fairly anonymous in her daily life. We chat then about some of the weird things that have appeared on the internet about her thanks to the videos.

I noticed during the interview that Laura’s pretty harsh on herself so we spoke about that for a bit, she describes herself as an optimistic pessimist, something I can definitely identify with as you’ll hear.

Laura Byrne Twitter: here

Laura’s Instagram: here

Facts. YouTube: here

https://vimeo.com/130753697

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Hello and welcome back to The Comedy Cast; today you’ll be hearing from Scottish stand-up comedian Kevin McPadden.

We kicked off the interview by speaking about Kevin’s upcoming Glasgow Comedy Festival shows and how his preparations are going for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival. That got us talking about Kevin’s writing process , how he prepares his sets and how he likes to explore ideas for jokes.

We spoke then about Kevin’s first gig, in The Stand in Edinburgh, not a bad place to start at all. We spoke about how it went and what he remembers of it.

We spoke then about how and why Kevin got into comedy. And we speak too about how he used to be nervous before gigs and how he’s learned to deal with it. We also chat about the first time Kevin bombed and how he dusted himself off and learned from the experience.

We speak then for a bit about the dreaded ‘comedian’s comedian’ term and alternative comedy. We talk about his influences in particular Scottish comedians and American ones.

We speak a bit about Kevin’s writing process and how he decides on whether a joke is good enough or maybe if it needs some flashing out to improve it and how long he gives a joke before binning it if it’s not working.

We chat about if performing stand-up all the time and seeing so much other stand-up has lead to Kevin enjoying seeing stand-up a bit less and we natter about the challenge of going from doing 10, 15 & 20 minute sets to doing 1hour sets at last year’s Edinburgh Fringe.

Finally then we speak about the health of the current Scottish stand-up comedy scene and how his gigs south of the border in England went when he ventures over Hadrian’s Wall.

Kevin McPadden’s Website: here

Kevin’s Twitter: here

Kevin’s Facebook: here

Kevin’s YouTube: here

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Hello and welcome back to The Comedy Cast; today you’ll be hearing from Lauren Hope.

We kicked off the interview speak about where Lauren is from and how her family fled Russia for county Cork

Lauren is also a medium and big into spirituality so we spoke about that, I can’t put my finger on it but for some reason I really enjoy speaking to people about things like this.

We speak about a philosophy that Lauren follows, a Course in Miracles

We speak indepthly about the topic and we get onto the heavy issue of death and how we deal with it as individuals and as a society, and indeed different societies

Lauren moved to Israel as a child so we speak about that, how she never really fit in and how she longed to return to Dublin

We spoke about Lauren audition for the Iasaeli Children’s Choir, and going on to being a soloist for them before it ended thanks to the war.

Lauren has a condition called Complex Needs Disorder, formerly Borderline Personality Disorder, so we spoke about that for a while. She really opened up about the condition and what it entails. We spoke about how she battled with it, it’s signs, it’s symptons, how to deal with it, her treatment with the Theraputic Community

Therapeutic Community, how they help people with mental issue without drugs and the patients run the operation while the staff oversee everything

We spoke about Moving on Theatre, a theatre company Lauren set up and has run since coming out of the Therapeutic Community

We speak about Moving on TV, an online TC channel Lauren has set up for the community.

Lauren Hope’s Twitter: here

Moving on Theatre website: here

Moving on TV website: here

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Hello and welcome back to The Comedy Cast; today you’ll be hearing from Welsh stand-up comedian Sam Lloyd.

Before we start the audio on this isn’t the best, so I apologise for that, but it’s only the first time we’ve had such a problem.

We started off the interview speaking about where Sam is from, Newport in Wales, a place famous for having a documentary about bouncers and a new KFC. We spoke about living in and growing in a place with a Bad Reputation.

We had a chat then about Sam’s comedic influences and how they’ve affected his style of comedy, we spoke about Sam mixing styles on stage and how his favourite comedians are Canadians. We delve into that a bit and try and pick at what it is about Canadian comedians that Sam likes and any synergy between Wales & Canada.

We speak about Sam getting into comedy at the ripe old age of 17 and I wanted to know whether he’d been a bit bulled on the scene of if everyone was supportive of him. We spoke about his first gig at an open mic in a hotel along with a friend who also wanted to try it.

We spoke about how Sam’s sets have evolved over the year, going from trying to make audiences laugh to joking about the things that make him laugh. We speak then about comedy competitions, their pros and cons and how they can be useful for new comedians but difficult to take part in at the same time.

Finally then we’d a chat then about Sam loving the challenge of keeping his jokes fresh so that both he and his audience don’t get bored of the same jokes. We talk as well about Sam starting a new comedy night in Cardiff soon with YAY! comedy.

Sam Lloyd’s Twitter: here

Sam’s Facebook: here

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Hello and welcome once again to The Comedy Cast; today you’ll be hearing from English stand-up comedian Stuart Edwards.

I won’t lie to you all, you’re smart listeners but I had a bit of a man crush on Stuarts sumptuous ginger beard, but Stuart had some bad news for me. We followed that up with a quick chat about a recent role Stuart had played that involved trying to tempt kids with sweet from the back of a van.

Stuart is based in the mighty Northern England stronghold of Newcastle and I’d a few questions about the area that needed answering, pease pudding and people punching police horses.

We got onto comedy then and spoke about how and why Stuart got into comedy and his first gig. Stuart revealed that he’d been gigging the night before and it didn’t exactly go very well so we delved into that topic, I wanted to know how a comedian picks himself up after such a gig and how it affects them and their confidence.

Stuart’s only been at comedy for two and a half years but we had a chat about the highs and lows that he’s already experienced.

Stuart speaks then about his love for East-Coast American comedians and how they’ve had a much larger influence on him that British comedians. We spoke about the prevalence of middle-of-the-road comedy that is a stable of British TV now and how it’s a sad reflection of what’s happening on the live circuit.

We got a bit serious then and spoke about how some comedians can get away with using certain taboo words and how they skirt dangerously with crossing the line of what is and isn’t acceptable. We talk about conspiracy theories and why Stuart doesn’t see a need for covering his laptop camera when he’s doing certain things.

We speak too about The Super Dooper Awesome Foursome and why teaming up with other comedians and touring with them is so beneficial for all parties involved.

Finally then we speak about Stuart’s podcast, Analyze These, how he’s currently preparing for the upcoming Glasgow Comedy Festival and how writing with other comedians can be pretty awkward.

Stuart Edward’s Twitter: here

Stuart’s Facebook: here

Stuart’s Soundcloud (Analyze These podcast): here

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Hello and welcome back to The Comedy Cast; today you’ll be hearing from Greg Dean.

Greg is someone very well-known in the comedy world and if you’ve ever look for a book on stand-up comedy then chances are you’ve come across his book on stand-up; Step by Step to Stand-up Comedy.

We started off by talking a bit about Greg heritage, coming from British stock, one side being Scottish, who still have a castle, and the other English.

We spoke about Greg growing up in rural California and joining the theatre as a young man before literally running away with the circus at the age of 21. Then we chatted about Greg going onto becoming a successful, touring stand-up comedian before he turned his hand to teaching the craft of stand-up.

Greg reveals the basics of his classes, the three mechanics as he calls them; the target assumption, connector and reinterpretation. Greg also speaks about being a member of the International Society of Humour Studies, being the only member that isn’t part of academia. He also talks about reading as much academia as possible while researching his book and his contributions to the society.

We talk then about the importance of comedians learning to read the reactions of their audiences so they can know how far they can take jokes, we speak too about nothing being off limits and about offending people from time to time and that comedians just have to get used to it.

We chat then about whether anything still surprises him in comedy anymore or has it seen it all already?

We speak more in depth about his book Step by Step to Stand-up Comedy and how it was a real labour of love that took 10 years to write and the struggle to find a publisher.

And Greg tells two absolutely hilarious stories about previous students of his that had me roaring, you might be offended by if you are you’re probably listening to the wrong podcast.

Greg Dean’s website: here

Greg’s Facebook: here

Greg’s Twitter: here

Greg’s YouTube: here

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Hello and welcome back to The Comedy Cast: today you’ll be hearing from Bilal Zafar.

Bilal’s just been nominated for a Best Newcomer Award in Chortle‘s 2017 awards, along with previous Comedy Cast guest Tom Ward.

We started off the interview talking about Bilal already preparing new material for this year’s Edinburgh Fringe Festival, we spoke as well a bit about Bilal family history, his mother and father moving from Pakistan to Britain.

Bilal’s family had just celebrated a wedding in the family so I was curious to ask him some questions about that as I know next to nothing about Muslim religious ceremonies.

We spoke about how and why Bilal got into comedy and he got straight into his comedic influences growing up, Vic & Bob, Alan Partridge and in particular Chris Morris with Brass Eye, The Day Today and Blue Jam. Bilal also spoke about him going to university to study script writing and deciding that the best way to get noticed and get things done was to get a name for himself on the stand-up comedy scene so he took the plunge.

We talked about his first gig, going blank and using it to his advantage and how he had to battle a bit with shyness before getting used to being on stage.

Bilal won the 2016 NATYS (New Act of the Year Show) award so we had to speak about that and all the doors that it has helped open for him, we spoke about him getting signed by an agency thanks to it and how they came in handy during his Edinburgh Fringe Show.

We had a chat then about Bilal getting into some acting roles and he revealed he’ll be appearing on Rob Delaney & Sharon Horgan’s show Catastrophe in the future, we spoke too about comedy panel shows, their popularity and a little about how people are auditioned for them.

We spoke then about last year’s show Cakes and how it was all kicked off by his brother joking around with some racism he’d seen on Twitter one day. That got us talking about social media and the power that it has and how people give it more weight that it probably deserves.

Finally, then we chat about how Bilal likes to work on his act and his writing process and how the writing is the real work compared to what we see on stage.

Bilal Zafar’s website: here

Bilal’s Facebook: here

Bilal’s Twitter: here

Bilal’s YouTube: here

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Hello and welcome back to The Comedy Cast: Today you’ll be hearing from English stand-up comedian Lucy Roper.

Lucy came on my radar thanks to the Leicester Comedy that’s running at the moment, we started off the podcast talking about Lucy’s day job, she works in T.V. (wooooo) but she won’t get your script commissioned.

We spoke too about where Lucy’s from, a wee town called Wirksworth, which isn’t pronounced like it’s spelled and that led to us talking about why the English has such a blatant disregard for how to pronounce their letters.

We had a chat about the North/Side divide in England and where the line is between the two regions, is it Birmingham, Leicester, or Watford, we spoke about how it’s different for everyone and about how that divide is also present on the comedy scene.

We got onto comedy then and spoke about Lucy having her first gig at a King Gong, something not for the faint-hearted but she wasn’t gonged straight away and it went fairly well.

We spoke then about why Lucy uses poetry in her set and she discussed how it actually gives her set a firm structure and how if a joke or two isn’t going well she knows that a bit of poetry will get her back on track.

We had a talk then about her 2016 Edinburgh Fringe Show, Three’s a Crowd, Four’s an Audience, a show she shared with fellow stand-up comedian and comedy writer, Charlotte Michael. We spoke about her experiences in Edinburgh and how she’d love to return.

We spoke about Lucy’s new show, Girlfriend Material that she’ll have debuted the weekend before the podcast came out and that she hopes someone will propose marriage at her gig; not to her though.

We speak about Lucy’s love for poetry and we talk about some of the differences between what you learn in England compared to the poetry rammed down your neck in Ireland.

Finally then we talk about the current health of the live stand-up comedy scene in England and the sense of togetherness and commendatory among the comedians on the scene.

Lucy’s Twitter: here

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Hello and welcome back to The Comedy Cast; today you’ll be hearing from a very talented Englishman, Joseph Cullen.

Joseph is more than multi-talented, he’s a actor, a stand-up comedian and has a pretty cool day job; working with Over The Limit Theatre as Artistic Director. He’s a self-depreciating kind of lad, as you’ll hear, but he’s certainly got his head screwed on properly and greatness beckons I hope.

We started off talking about how with a name like Joe Cullen he could be my next door neighbour back in Wexford and how he was almost Augustus Bojangles.

I ran into Joe on Twitter where he’s been promoting his stand-up show You Having Olaf? But first I wanted to ask him about his 2016 show Gentle Tim, a show about Timothy Threadwell, a name familiar to anyone that has seen Werner Herzog’s documentary Grizzly Man.

We spoke then about You Having Olaf? Joe stand-up show about his time spent working as a children’s entertainer and the long lasting trauma it caused him to this very day.

We have a wee chat too about how children are just pretty terrible overall and not worth the bother, Joe even predicts that his godson will one day grow up to be a serial killer, so you’ve been told.

We changed subject then and spoke about Joe’s job as Artistic Director with Over The Limit Theatre and what that involves, we spoke about the shows they’re putting on at the ongoing Vault 2017 Festival in London; The Witches’ Mark, Siren and The Lock In. We spoke too about the processes involved of going from script approval to production.

Joe’s also an actor and I was dying to ask him about working with the fantastic Les Enfants Terrible on their previous stage hit The Game’s Afoot, an immersive who-done-it, Cluedo type of production.

Finally then we spoke about Joe comedic influences growing up and what advice he’d give to people thinking of getting into comedy.

You Having Olaf? is on the 22nd and 26th of February at the Vault Festival

Joe’s Twitter: here

Over The Limit Theatre’s Twitter: here

Over The Limit Theatre’s Facebook: here

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Hello and welcome back to The Comedy Cast; today you’ll be hearing from Tara Flynn.

Tara Flynn will be well-known to anyone that has even the slightest interest in the Irish comedy scene and before hanging up her stand-up microphone to concentrate on writing was a regular face on the stand-up scene all over the world.

We started off then talking about where Tara’s from in Ireland and why she has a definite Irish accent but one that’s hard to exactly place.

Tara is well-known in Ireland too for appearing on approximately 20 million radio ads and when you have a voice as pure lovely as her it’s easy to understand why she’s in demand. But I had to ask her if she’d ever thought of getting into radio presenting. Lord knows Irish radio could do with a dose of humour on the airwaves.

That led us on to talking about how to get projects from the pitch and script phase to actually getting it made and she revealed that she’s currently working on a new book and a TV show.

We spoke then about Tara’s previous two books “You’re Grand” and “Giving Out Yards” and about how a satirical look at Irish life has led her into taking a more serious approach to writing and to becoming, accidentally, involved in activism.

Tara then spoke about why she gave up her career in stand-up after 10 years and why she feels that the big issues we’re being faced with deserve more than just a comic response and how they should be tacked head on, protested against and goes into how direct action is needed.

We returned to comedy then and spoke about how and why Tara got into comedy and how she had been an actor before embarking on a successful career in stand-up comedy. She spoke too about her undying love for improv comedy and that she still loves to performs with Dublin Comedy Improv.

We spoke about Tara’s regular articles over on the excellent Headstuff.org and they types of issues she writes about weekly.

Finally then we spoke about Tara’s activism regarding the Repeal the 8th movement in Ireland; a movement in Ireland asking for a referendum on abortion rights and about why she’s proud of being a Social Justice Warrior.

Tara’s website: here

Tara’s Twitter: here

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