Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast (RHLSTP)

Book Club #102 - Richard talks to archaeologist and trained stonemason James Wright about his terrific book busting some of the myths about ancient buildings. They chat about why people wrongly believe that spiral staircases are often clockwise, how castles were bling rather than defensive, why you can’t trust anything written on a pub, why stonemasons carved grotesque and pornographic sculptures on churches (and pre-empted one of Richard’s best known emergency questions), what the marks left on buildings might have meant and why the truth in most of these cases is far more interesting than the lies.

Visit James' website - https://triskeleheritage.triskelepublishing.com/mythbustingtour/

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/historic-building-mythbusting-uncovering-folklore-history-and-archaeology-james-wright/7633234?ean=9781803994475

See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#508 Matterface - Richard is back in Brighton and is aghast at the local news of rude waiters and big cats. His guest is football mad stand up Maisie Adam. They discuss how a choice in a writers’ room they were both in led one of their careers to sky rocket (but which one), the disappointment of the wrong Royal at the Variety Performance and how maracas were the sign of a job well done, playing in Soccer Aid the day after your wedding, a Tipping Point humiliation and taking a job where you might get crushed by a boulder.

See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/

SUPPORT THE SHOW!

Watch our TWITCH CHANNEL

See extra content at our WEBSITE

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Book Club #101 - JANEY: The Woman That Won't Shut Up - Richard talks to brilliant comedian, author, actor and agitator Janey Godley about her fab autobiography Janey. They discuss living with a cancer that you know will kill you, why she wanted to be honest about the horrors and laughter that cancer brings and why survival is nothing to do with the person with cancer. Plus dealing with trolls, a brush with the stalker from Baby Reindeer, knitting a scarf for a film star, being friends with Billy Connolly, the sexism she experienced in the early days of stand up, her even more brilliant book Handstands in the Dark and how we all have to be aware of our mortality.

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/not-dead-yet-janey-godley/7621467?ean=9781399728034

And the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Janey-Woman-That-Wont-Shut/dp/B0CY2Z4NQW

See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#507 Jackie Chan and the 700 Mops - Richard has come to the Brighton Komedia with plans to Mount Everest and a surprising testicular fact. His guest is writer and actor Rufus Jones. They discuss the mystery of the year of Rufus’ birth, getting pissed with Terry Jones, playing an American president with a squeaky voice, the magnificent achievement of the sitcom Home and being observed whilst acting nude, the ever changing technology of supermarket shopping, why Rich will never download Royal Match and the best place to write (if you are not a professional Uno player).

See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/

SUPPORT THE SHOW!

Watch our TWITCH CHANNEL

See extra content at our WEBSITE

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Book Club #100 - Be Funny or Die - In our 100th Book Club podcast Richard talks to comedy writer Joel Morris about his frog dissecting book, Be Funny Or Die, which promises to reveal the secret of comedy and does a pretty decent job of doing so. They discuss what makes a good and a terrible catchphrase, how no comedian can make everyone laugh and why they shouldn’t want to, the tribal nature of comedy, whether comedy is by definition offensive to someone, the power of shared laughter in an inappropriate situation, how to let everyone in on in jokes and much more,.

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/be-funny-or-die-how-comedy-works-and-why-it-matters-joel-morris/7606143?ean=9781800183100

And the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.com/Be-Funny-Die-Comedy-Matters/dp/B0CQ3PT4BY

See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#506 Review Rainbow - Richard has some dispiriting revelations about what people google when they are looking for him, but is quickly revived by the ready wit of Edinburgh Comedy Award Best Newcomer 2023, Urooj Ashfak. They chat about the difficulties (or not) of taking comedy across international boundaries, the burgeoning Indian stand up scene, being a question on Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, meeting fleabag, turning teenage diaries into comedy and the only stand up award that Richard has ever won (thanks Daily Telegraph). Plus lots of ghosts, what happens to us when we die and how you can’t repeat the same joke in different performances in comedy (hold my coat).

Follow Urooj on Instagram here https://www.instagram.com/uroojashfaq/?hl=en

See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/

SUPPORT THE SHOW!

Watch our TWITCH CHANNEL

See extra content at our WEBSITE

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RETRO RHLSTP #86 - 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 Simpson's character Hugh Jass? It's an amazing interview with a driven and hilarious genius man. And Harry Shearer is in it too.

Come and see the new show on tour - https://richardherring.com/ballback/tour

SUPPORT THE SHOW!

Check out our website http://rhlstp.co.uk

See details of the RHLSTP tour dates http://richardherring.com/gigs

Buy DVDs and Books at http://gofasterstripe.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Book Club #99 - Heresy - Richard talks to journalist and author and daughter of a nun and a monk, Catherine Nixey about her witty and informative book about the early days of Christianity, Heresy. They chat about what the word Heresy really means, the extraordinary gospels that didn’t make it into the New Testament which show Jesus’ murderous side and the magical powers of the Virgin Mary’s anatomy, the varying beliefs of early Christian sects, including one that said he hated kids and their parents, the many magical holy men who performed very similar miracles to Jesus and even provided dressing when they magicked up food, the Romans who couldn’t understand how you’d choose between them and how in spite of this the religion was adopted by the empire. Did Jesus have a twin? Did he persuade someone else to get on the cross for him and how close did Life of Brian get to the truth?

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/heretic-the-many-lives-of-jesus-christ-and-the-other-saviours-of-the-ancient-world-catherine-nixey/6452719?ean=9781529040357

And the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Heretic-Lives-Christ-Saviours-Ancient/dp/B09LJXMH46

See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#505 Cheeky Underground Presence - Richard is back to work after the Christmas break (we’re coming to you from the past) and is worried about the door of depravity that he has opened up, but there is no need to fear because his guest is processed meat advocate, Bob Mortimer. It’s a free-wheeling chat as you might be prepared for that takes in farmers, meeting Paul McCartney, whether double acts are still talking to each other or not, a cursed earring, favourite openings and oh, just listen to it. It’s ace. And of course there’s some more jokes from Bob’s little black book.

See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/

SUPPORT THE SHOW!

Watch our TWITCH CHANNEL

See extra content at our WEBSITE

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

RETRO RHLSTP #85 - The Shreks of Westminster Bridge - 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.

Come and see the new show on tour - https://richardherring.com/ballback/tour

SUPPORT THE SHOW!

Check out our website http://rhlstp.co.uk

See details of the RHLSTP tour dates http://richardherring.com/gigs

Buy DVDs and Books at http://gofasterstripe.com

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.