RHLSTP with Richard Herring

RHLSTP Book Club 138 - My Previous Life in Comedy - Richard does a rare face to face Book Club with one of his childhood heroes Johnny Ball, talking about the first part of his autobiography, which deals with his childhood and first forays into showbiz. They chat about how close Johnny came to being in the Beatles, how Ball shares some ball-related experience with Richard, briefly being in a double act with Bud Flana...

#560 One Ball and Boe - Richard is sad to note the death of a man who has fuelled and spoiled his erotic fantasies. His guest John Kearns, has finally been allowed into the Leicester Square Theatre on the fifth or sixth time on the pod - it’s the thoughtful and measured John Kearns. In a return to endless old-school RHLSTPs it’s a sprawling pod, covering very old tortoises, Raymond Briggs, Rich’s dad giving a talk at the ...

#372 Arthur Askey's Chair - Richard is wondering if comedians might be the solution to all the world’s problems (they won’t be), but delighted to be back at the Leicester Square Theatre for the start of Season 23 of this amazing podcast. His guest is legendary comedian and DJ Paul Chuckle. They chat about Paul’s incredible 59 year career, from working mens’ clubs and routines with Charlie Cairoli, through talent shows and learning ...

RHLSTP Book Club 137 - I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning - Richard talks to the novelist Keiran Goddard about his affecting and fantastic second novel, I See Buildings Fall Like Lightning. They discuss the themes of the work including the changing nature of friendship, how we are encourage to escape our roots, the truth about gig economy and why people turn to drink and drugs, the decision to write the bo...

#559 In Tandem - Rich has just returned from Center Parcs where he was treated like a celebrity, albeit one from the 20th Century. His guest is fabulous US comedian Chloe Radcliffe. They discuss their similarly nerdy childhoods, how TV has led us to expect physical perfection, Richard’s complicated week when he lost his virginity, how Instagram judges you, how compartmentalisation is important for a comedian, why tackling the ...

#359 A Face For All Occasions - Richard is in giddy mood as he meets a member of the audience. His guest is living legend and national treasure Miriam Margolyes. They discuss Arnold Schwarzenegger’s farting revenge, King Edward VII’s weighing chair, the sexism of the boys in the Cambridge Footlights, how Miriam’s father’s life was spared by a diamond, an unusual approach to dealing with a sex pest, some strong opinions about the cu...

Book Club 136 - The Revenge Club - Another intercontinental Book Club this time with Kathy Lette in Sydney, Australia talking about her funny book on a serious subject The Revenge Club. They chat about how they met on a TV show with the lowest ratings of all time, how this book sprung from a real life issue for Kathy (and who all the incidents of male nastiness are based on true stories), the nature of reve...

#558 Trouser Press - It’s the first podcast fuelled by Soleros for a while and Rich is vaguely concerned about asteroids and if he’s worth more dead or alive. His guest is the multi-talented Alexandra Haddow. They discuss the wonderful town of Corby - has Richard forgotten playing there? Almost certainly - festivals that are only held every 20 years, how we can be judged by the best of worst that we’ve done, whether birds are scari...

#358 Irish Unicorn - Richard has an idea that will revolutionise football and is having to explain to his daughter why history killed all the famous women. His guest is academic and broadcaster Emma Dabiri. They talk about growing up as almost the only black person in Ireland, why white people don’t like being told what to do next, Richard’s “All Lives Matter” conundrum, what’s happened to the ugly TV academics, how whiteness and b...

RHLSTP Book Club 135 - Six Conversations We’re Scared To Have - Richard talks to Guilty Feminist host Deborah Frances-White about her new book in which she discusses topics that people are generally nervous to offer an opinion on. They chat about how her time in a cult helped her recognise cult-like attributes in social media groups, whether we can judge people from history for their actions, the difference...

#557 Sex Dungeon - Richard is back in Leicester again, fresh from an interview with a journalist who has been up the Queen. His guest is Australian comedian and adventurer John Robertson. They talk about how an appearance on a TV show led to him getting married, his fantastic interactive game show The Dark Room, scary gigs in pubs in small towns in Australia, being a sex person, but avoiding drugs and how Richard has insp...

#357 Shamgel - Richard wonders if the man who wrote the Grange Hill theme might have been hoodwinking us all along. His guest is the formidable Dragon, Deborah Meaden. Rich is hoping he can get an investment of at least £50 million and pitches some ideas, whilst they also discuss being thrown into Murder in Successville, being parodied by Harry and Paul, ethical business, whether the Dragons are friends, where Meaden can ...

#556 Not As Good As It Used To Be - Richard returns to Leicester and reveals the curt message of one of the comedians he asked on the podcast. His guests are two of the men behind the publishing sensation and hugely influential comedy juggernaut that is Viz magazine. They discuss the humble beginnings of this adult comic, how publishers tried and failed to sanitise it, working with Peter Cook on Tiger Mellie, the terrible imitators...

#356 Gravity - Rich has had what he thought might be the most middle class accident, but he is wrong. His guest is a listener who has won a competition to be on the show, the Dorian Grey of morning TV, Ben Shephard. They discuss how science proves Ben a better singer than a West End star, whether there’s a man with a broom behind the Tipping Point machine, revenge as a dish served very cold, why Rich was fired from morning tel...

RHLSTP Book Club 134 - The Invisible Doctrine - Recorded in front of an audience at the prestigious Royal Geographical Society, Richard talks to journalist George Monbiot about his very readable investigation into Neo-Liberalism (co-authored with Peter Hutchinson) The Invisible Doctrine. George does most of the talking, which is probably for the best and reveals what he considers to the be the starting poin...

#555 Welsh Freddie Mercury - Richard has found out the true lyrics of a 1990s pop classic and is going to tell you them in detail. His guests are internet satirists Larry and Paul. They talk about which one is which, the long genesis of their online sketch content, the BBC’s reluctance to promote podcasts in 2008 or understand why radio shows needed video, why a Labour government (especially this one) does not mean the end of ...

#355 Mind Your Language -  Richard is excited by the upcoming film Wonka and has some other ideas for origin story films. His guest is the Sidesplitting Phil Wang. They discuss how straddling two cultures can give you a humorous perspective on both, but leave you feeling rejected by both, 1970s television and how harshly we should judge it, racist nursery rhymes, Richard’s Asian hair, John Lewis’s 150 year old gamete...

Book Club #133 - A Room Above a Shop - A Room Above A Shop - Richard talks to debut novelist Anthony Shapland about his hit short novel/long poem A Room Above A Shop. They chat about growing up gay in a small town in the Welsh valleys in the late 80s and how that inspired this story, about how simplicity in writing can be incredibly complex, swirling around in cesspits of your own making, the tabloid reaction to homosexua...