Originating from Hull, Richard is an actor, comedian, voiceover artist and writer who trained at the Drama Studio London. He also completed a degree in Theatre Studies & English at the University of Manchester. Richard has been interviewed on The Nihal Arthanayake Show on BBC Radio 5 Live as well as for the Minds Over Matter podcast, BBC No Filter and London Live. He has also appeared in a BBC Quickies sketch for BBC Three.

Richard performed his first show Wretched at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2017 as well as at Hull Truck Theatre and the Camden Fringe. Richard’s debuted his solo comedy show, Right Hand Man, at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2019 during which he was listed in Dave’s Top 10 Funniest Jokes. Richard has performed at the likes of the Great Yorkshire Fringe, Roar Festival, Bedfringe, Guildford Fringe, Shaftesbury Fringe, Battersea Arts Centre and Hope Mill Theatre.

As an actor and voiceover artist, Richard has worked for Swinton Insurance and Greenwich & Lewisham Young People’s Theatre amongst others.

Richard was diagnosed with Poland Syndrome as a child and has experience of body dysmorphic disorder and mental health conditions.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ifcomediansruledtheworld/donations

President Obonjo spends time talking to EJ Penalba - Community Manager at Next Up.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ifcomediansruledtheworld/donations

Sosimi was born in Hackney, London, England.

His career began when he joined Fela Anikulapo-Kuti's Egypt 80 (1979–86). Sosimi then created Positive Force band with Femi Kuti, with whom he performed from 1986 to 1994. In both bands he was keyboard player, also musical director taking care of re-orchestrating and arranging music as well as handling the recruiting and training of new musicians.

Based on Afrobeat, Dele's music is a blend of complex funk grooves, Nigerian traditional music, African percussion, underpinning the jazz horns and solos from other instruments, as well as rhythmical singing.

His keyboard work can be heard on several of Fela's albums, as well as some of Femi's Dele has also performed often with Tony Allen.

Following his first solo album Turbulent Times, he was invited to select the tracks for the 3-CD compilation "Essential Afrobeat" (Universal, 2004). He was producer and co-writer of "Calabash Volume 1: Afrobeat Poems" by Ikwunga, the Afrobeat Poet (2004). He is a central member of the Wahala Project. He has also featured on British rapper TY's album Closer[ and his "Turbulent Times" is featured on The Afrobeat Sudan Aid Project (2006). His album Identity[ has been described by Songlines magazine as “A sizzling set from London’s Afrobeat leader”.

His performances include the Montreux Jazz Festival, Joe Zawinul's Birdland (Vienna) the Treibhaus (Innsbruck ), Paradiso and Bimhuis in Amsterdam, Oerol Festival at Terschelling, also in the Netherlands, the Ollin Kan Festival (Mexico City), Canada Afrobeat Summit (Calgary, Canada), Sensommer Int Musikkfestival (Oslo, Norway), Festival Musicas Do Mar[9] and Festival Musicas do Mundo (Portugal), Festival Art des Ville - Arts des Champs (France) & the London African Music Festival, Hot Club in Lyon and Cave à Musique in Mâcon (France). In November 2010, Sosimi was appointed Afrobeat music consultant for the London production of Fela! at the National Theatre, London, in which he also plays keyboard.

Based in London, Sosimi is an educator and instructor in Afrobeat (via his Dele Sosimi Afrobeat Foundation, and as a Visiting Lecturer in Music and Media, London Metropolitan University). He performs in one of three formats, each as compelling and funky as the others – a 15-piece Afrobeat Orchestra (featuring a 5-piece horn section and dancers), a 6- to 9-piece band (the most frequently used format) or a trio/quartet (with bass and drums/percussion).

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ifcomediansruledtheworld/donations

Joe Jacobs is a London based comedian, rapper and writer. Since 2012, he has performed nationally and internationally, sharing bills with acts including Bill Burr, Stewart Lee and Mr. Motivator.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ifcomediansruledtheworld/donations

Kate Copstick is a Paisley-born Scottish actress, television presenter, writer, critic, director and producer.

She is best known for her roles on the children's TV shows No. 73 and ChuckleVision. She also played Marlene Marlowe in Marlene Marlowe Investigates and performed as part of the ensemble cast of former Saturday morning BBC kid's show On the Waterfront. Copstick executive-produced the Natural Born Racers TV series[2] that followed the Virgin Mobile Yamaha R6 Cup.

Copstick is also well known as a commentator on human sexuality. After years writing for the Erotic Review,[4] she enjoyed it so much she bought the company.

At the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, she was a Perrier Comedy Award judge in 2003 and 2004 and a Malcolm Hardee Award judge in 2008–2015. She lends her voice to the announcements at Fort William railway station.

Recently she has been spending much time in Kenya working with HIV+ women and their families. Through CWAC (Children With AIDS Charity), of which she is vice-chair, she has started Mama Biashara ("Business Mother"), working to set these women up in small businesses, thus making them financially independent. She made Positive Thinking for BBC1 – the UK's first television documentary on children and HIV/AIDS for children. She is a patron of the Waverley Care Trust.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ifcomediansruledtheworld/donations

Sharon Biba Anderson. Integrative Counsellor/Well-being Coach. Supervisor.

Studying for an MA in Mindfulness at Oxford. ( Fan of Ruby Wax ).

Counselling experience in Couple Counselling, Substance Misuse, Bereavement,

and Mental Health. Coaching one to one on holistic well-being.

Currently working for a Community Based Mental Health Charity in East London.

Since pandemic we are offering only online or telephone counselling.

Interests include: Sharing time with my family/friends ..long walk/hiking. Yoga and Meditation.

Reading groups and discussing Rumi or Proust. City Lit Choir. Life- Long Learning Advocate.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ifcomediansruledtheworld/donations

One of Joe’s recent career highlights was being chosen to support International comedian Max Amini in 2017/2018 and Maz Jobrani in early 2016/2018. Max and Maz are brilliant stand-up comics from LA, USA. Maz has featured in many films including: The Interpreter, Dragonfly and Friday After Next (alongside Ice Cube & Mike Epps). The tours saw Joe perform to a total crowd of more than 6,000 comedy lovers in four different states around Australia.

​

In June 2016, Joe White became an ambassador for the Katina Woodruff Children's Foundation. He is very proud to be one of the ambassadors for this great foundation as it is a cause very close to his heart.

The Katina Woodruff Children's Foundation is a not-for-profit foundation that works with refugee children coming from countries all over the world including Afghanistan, Iran, China, India, Burundi, Congo, Ethiopia, Eritrea and many more. The Foundation assists with recovery from traumatic immigration experiences to help these children and their families transition into the Australian way of life. The foundation was set up by Katina Woodruff-Roberts who is a child Anthropologist that has dedicated her whole life to finding new ways to help affected children.

Joe himself first immigrated to Australia 20 years ago as a refugee with his family and he understands the struggles of the transition. Unfortunately, Joe's father Mulu fell victim to alcoholism and was abusive and at the age of seven years old his father walked out on the family leaving Joe's mum Yezina to raise him and his siblings. Sadly, they spent many nights homeless and on the streets in war torn Sudan until his mother managed to get them out of the country.

Arriving in Perth at the age of 11 as a refugee, Joe acquired his nickname from his school friends. Later he took the full stage name Joe White when he started performing as a stand-up comedian. Joe performs Australia and Canada-wide and all updates will be on his Facebook fan page, follow the hyperlink on top right corner and like his fan page.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ifcomediansruledtheworld/donations

Former House Boy Tunde Akinola now a journalist meets with President Obonjo

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ifcomediansruledtheworld/donations

The lawyer turned comedian is one of the most highly recognised

and popular stand up comedians on the road today. She recently

returned from her international tour of her latest one woman

show which ended by shooting her 5th comedy special THENJIWE

LIVE IN LONDON.

Thenjiwe first burst into the comedy scene in 2013, beginning her

career in London where she was voted finalist in the funny woman

awards in the same year and has already performed all over South

Africa, UK, Belgium, America, Berlin and Congo.

She recently returned from a tour in South Asia.

A KwaMashu native, Thenjiwe has been performing comedy

around the world.

Armed with a Diploma in Performing Arts from Natal Technikon

(now Durban University of Technology) and a Law Degree LLB,

from the University of Lon- don, she separated herself from the

pack by combining her comedy and acting talents to create

Thenjiwe Comedy Skits which went viral on the internet, exposing exposing

her talent to Nguni language speaking audiences and earning her

over 15 million views on her YouTube channel.

This online popularity also resulted in MOJA LOVE TV on DSTV

157 commissioning two of her web series, JUDGE THENJIWE

KHAMBULE and MEET THE KHAMBULES, which are a heat with

the audiences. Thenjiwe, creates, writes, produces and stars in

both sitcoms. Thenjiwe has also stared in two international films,

10 DAYS IN SUN CITY and THE ACCIDENTAL SPY.

One of the unique secrets behind Thenjiwe’s success is her

ability to adapt her unique comedic personality to whatever arena

or environment she is working in and being bilingual has meant

she can entertain in both English and Zulu. Thenjiwe’s unique

style of humour is appealing to a wide variety of audiences.

Her fresh, witty material is taken from observations of everyday

life, and her life is full of international experiences, having lived,

studied and worked in USA and England and has performed

to audiences in more than 20 cities around the world, she has a

lot of funny experiences to share with her audience. She has also

created, written, produced and stars in movies for Mzansi Magic,

Vusikhaya, Umgcagco wezinyembezi, and Angel

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ifcomediansruledtheworld/donations

Lynn Ruth Miller, dubbed the new Joan Rivers of Fringe Comedy, is the poster girl for growing old. She started doing stage comedies when she was 70 years old and had since received many accolades and recognitions. She won The Time Out and Soho Theatre (TO&ST) Award in 2014; 2015 Old Comedian finalist; made the top 100 in the UK in Britain’s Got Talent, won People’s Choice in 2009; 2015 Liberty Award Leicester Comedy Festival; semi-finals in the SF International Comedy Competition and Star of the Brighton Fringe Festival in 2009 and the finals in Bill Word’s Funniest Female Contest 2009. At 87, she has numerous comedy and five-star cabaret shows and has toured all over the world. She is currently considered as the oldest performing stand up female comedian on both sides of the Atlantic.

In a 2019 interview, Miller revealed that she didn’t plan on being a stand-up comic. She considers herself as a writer, a newspaper, a columnist, and a ‘tv lady’ but never in her wildest dream to be a comic. At age 67, she published Starving Hearts, her first book, an autobiographical novel about her struggle with her overwhelming mother and her battle with bulimia. The book sold over 6,200 copies and kickstarted her speaking engagements talking about the book and inspiring others with eating disorders like her. Miller then released a compilation of her essays previously published in her local newspapers. Her writing has been published in more than 100 outlets nationwide and she has read passages from her books all over the US and abroad.

She took a stand-up comedy class in San Francisco intending to write about it – it turns out that she has a talent for creating her jokes. When asked if she has always been funny, ” I have always been able to tell canned jokes and I have always come up with smart remarks that got me into trouble…”.

Miller going into comedy is no surprise if we based it on a University of Mexico anthropologist, Gil Greencross’s study. Greencross participants went to a series of abstract-reasoning and intelligence tests. He then asked them to write captions for New Yorker cartoons. The captions were then judged without any identifiable information on who wrote them. As he expected, the students who scored higher on the intelligence tests also created the funniest captions. For, Greencross, comedy involves putting disorganized ideas together, all while being perceptive to offend your audience but not too much. When Greencross ran the tests with professional comedians, they were able to produce caption after caption that was really funny.

Miller mentioned that despite of her wit and somehow local celebrity status, getting into the live comedy circuit has not been very easy for her. Although everyone is always polite because of her age – she’s old enough to be everyone’s grandmother – people running the private clubs were not taking her seriously and dismissive. The worst was when the head at the Comedy Store told her she was not any good because all she talked about was being old. That’s why she decided to branch out into cabaret.

Support this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/ifcomediansruledtheworld/donations