Comedy Masterclass
Where Danielle Krage interviews creators about the craft of writing comedy. For more comedy insights, practical prompts and recommendations, sign up for her Seriously Ridiculous Newsletter: https://www.daniellekrage.com/subscribe
Episodes
Well hello there, Danielle here. Venturing back out of the depths of the writing cave. What’s new? This is a quick update about 3 things, including where you can sign up to my Seriously Ridiculous monthly letter—for fellow word-nerds, story fiends and the comedy curious. Craft, inspiration, prompts. To keep you company on your writing journey.
You can subscribe here: https://www.daniellekrage.com/subscribe
Or from socials: https...
Hello, how goes it? Here's how my 52 day challenge went...(Plus the sweetest, funniest film I have seen in ages.)
What’s up? How’s it going? Danielle here, with a quick autumn update. My new 52-day challenge! Will I make it? Plus, quick-fire comedy awesomeness. What have you been loving? Tell me all the things…
https://www.instagram.com/dekrage
https://comedymasterclass.com/podcast/2-chris-head-comedy-tools-and-frameworks/
Hey everybody, Danielle here.
I set out to interview 52 guests about the craft of writing narrative comedy. Oh my goodness, what an adventure and education.
And now I’m at challenge complete.
For me, these episodes have become a treasure chest of tools and approaches that I get to apply to my own work. And It’s been a delight to hear from other writers around the world who have found them helpful.
You’re always welcome to find me ...
Danielle Krage interviews Becky Holmes, author of 'Keanu Reeves is Not in Love with You'. Becky is also the creator of and voice behind the massively popular Twitter/X account @deathtospinach. Here she shares insights into how and why she uses humour to expose online fraudsters. Plus, what has helped her publish and promote her book.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
02:19 The Concept and Execution of 'Keanu Reeves is no...
Danielle Krage interviews Heidi Vanderlee, founder of Positive Jam – a public relations firm specialising in comedy, podcasting, film, live entertainment, and social justice. Heidi has worked in entertainment and PR for more than a decade; in this conversation, she shares insights that will benefit comedy writers and creators.
Chapters:
00:00 Introduction to Heidi Van Der Lee and Positive Jam
03:00 The Importance of Relationship Bu...
Danielle Krage interviews Kate Willett. Kate is a comedian, actress and writer who has appeared on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert and Netflix’s Comedy Lineup.
Kate has also toured with Margaret Cho, featured with comedians like Maria Bamford, and has written jokes for Beavis and Butthead.
In this conversation, Kate shares insights from making her recent comedy special, Loopholes, and her Audible Original, Dirtbag Anthropology...
In this episode, Danielle celebrates completing 52 episodes of Comedy Masterclass and is joined by her husband, Jeremiah, as a surprise guest host. They discuss the motivation behind creating the podcast and Danielle’s own thoughts and approaches to comedy.
Note from Danielle: There are 3 more fabulous guests in this season, so listen out. :)
Chapters:
00:00 The Motivation Behind Comedy Masterclass
06:10 Exploring Different Comedy ...
Danielle Krage interviews Kay Stonham. Kay is a comedy writer-performer who has worked extensively across TV, film, theatre and radio. For example, she has written 10 original series for Radio 4, including Robin and Wendy’s Wet Weekend, and Bad Salsa.
She’s also the Co-Founder of Female Pilot Club , which was founded to amplify women’s voices and give women writers the chance to prove their jokes and characters in the room – as see...
Danielle Krage interviews Alana Schramm. Alana is a coach who works with the subconscious, the nervous system and emotions, in a way that is really practical, playful, and relevant to creativity. This conversation is a frank and fun dive into what blocks us and what motivates us effectively.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction to Alana Schramm and her work
01:27 Negative emotions and creativity
06:20 Embracing imperfection in writing
10:...
Danielle Krage interviews Neil Martin, Honorary Professor of Psychology at Regent's University London. Neil is the author of The Psychology of Comedy, and in this conversation he introduces and dissects some of the key research and theories in the field of laughter, humour and comedy.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Neil's Background in Comedy
03:24 The Neglect of Comedy in Psychological Research
06:44 Gallows Humour as a Coping ...
Danielle Krage interviews writer Lana Schwartz, whose interactive book ‘Build Your Own Romantic Comedy: Pick Your Plot, Meet Your Man and Direct Your Happily Ever After’ was named one of Vulture’s Best Comedy Books of the Year.
Lana has also written for The New Yorker, and is a contributor to The Onion. In this interview she shares her obsession for romcoms and the craft of comedy.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
08:57 F...
Danielle Krage interviews Suchandrika Chakrabarti and Nerine Skinner.
Suchandrika is a stand-up, who runs the monthly night Good News / Bad News in north London and writes for BBC One's Have I Got News For You. She is taking her second solo show Doomscrolling to Edinburgh Fringe this summer.
Nerine is an actress, comedian, improviser and deviser whose parodies of Liz Truss have gone viral. She was a finalist in the Funny Women Awar...
Danielle Krage interviews writer, creator, and brand builder John Derevlany. John is an award-winning writer, animator, and showrunner who has written or produced hundreds of hours of TV (including for the Jim Henson Company and LEGO). John has also been a game designer, street artist, investigative journalist and played Crackers the Corporate Crime Fighting Chicken for Michael Moore’s TV Nation!
In this episode John shares learnin...
Danielle Krage interviews Ken Pisani. Ken is a screenwriter, TV writer and producer, playwright, comic book author, former cartoonist, and novelist. His novel, AMP’D, was a Thurber prize finalist, and in this episode he takes us behind the scenes of creating this comic work.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:18 The Concept of AMP’D
05:01 Choosing the Novel Format
06:09 Challenges of Writing Prose
07:36 Writing Without...
Danielle Krage interviews Caleb Warren, Associate Professor of Marketing at the University of Arizona. Caleb researches and writes about what makes things funny, what makes things cool, and what helps people reach their goals. In this conversation, Caleb shares some of his key findings about humour and how it works.
00:00 Introduction to Consumer Psychology and Humour
01:20 How Caleb Got into the Study of Humour
04:01 Physical ...
Danielle Krage interviews Dr Eric Maisel. Eric is the author of more than 50 books - many focused on creativity and the creative life - including Fearless Creating, Deep Writing, The Power of Daily Practice and The Magic of Sleep Thinking. He also writes the ‘Rethinking Mental Health’ blog for Psychology Today and is a regular contributor to Mad in America.
In this conversation, Eric shares insights and practical strategies for w...
Danielle Krage interviews Joanna Penn. Joanna is an award-nominated New York Times and USA Today bestselling author with more than 40 books across multiple genres – non-fiction and fiction (under J.F.Penn). Joanna is also a podcaster, international speaker, and award-winning creative entrepreneur. This conversation dives into Joanna’s recent book, ‘Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness into Words’.
Chapters
00:00 Introductio...
Danielle Krage interviews Rosie Wilby. Rosie is an award-winning comedian and creator of the global hit podcast and book The Breakup Monologues. She is also the author of ‘Is Monogamy Dead?’ and toured a trilogy of solo shows investigating the psychology of love. In this interview, Rosie shares insights for how we can use humour to unpack challenging questions.
Chapters
00:00 Introduction and Background
01:04 Using Humour to Expl...
Popular Podcasts
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Hey Jonas! The official Jonas Brothers podcast. Hosted by Kevin, Joe, and Nick Jonas. It’s the Jonas Brothers you know... musicians, actors, and well, yes, brothers. Now, they’re sharing another side of themselves in the playful, intimate, and irreverent way only they can. Spend time with the Jonas Brothers here and stay a little bit longer for deep conversations like never before.
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by Audiochuck Media Company.
Building on the belief that a deeper understanding of the natural world enriches all of our lives, host Steven Rinella brings an in-depth and relevant look at all outdoor topics including hunting, fishing, nature, conservation, and wild foods. Filled with humor, irreverence, and things that will surprise the hell out of you, each episode welcomes a diverse group of guests who add their own expertise to the vast world of the outdoors. Part of The MeatEater Podcast Network.
Where the world and America meet, with episodes each weekday. The world is changing. Decisions made in the US and by the second Trump administration are accelerating that change. But they are also a symptom of it. With Asma Khalid in DC, Tristan Redman in London, and the backing of the BBC’s international newsroom, The Global Story brings clarity to politics, business and foreign policy in a time of connection and disruption. Come and join us our live event. You can register for Castfest tickets here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/showsandtours/shows/castfest-2026