Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast Season 23

RHLSTP has travelled to Yorkshire to be part of the Deershed festival and is taking place at the unGodly hour of 11.10pm, but at least it's Gareth's birthday. Richard's guest is Malawian comic and bronze medal winner of Britain's Got Talent, Daliso Chaponda. They discuss the weirdness of performing at festivals, what it's like to play a Royal Variety show with no audience, believing in everything, which is the best angel, dinosaur fellatio and the inexplicably different experiences Daliso and Richard have had with the police. Plus they address the rumours about a certain eminent personage (not that one) and a sexual technique that Richard had to google before the show, but which the mum on the front row definitely didn't want discussed in front of her kids. Some classic EQs and audience requests.

Richard has surprisingly found himself being bigged up by a Ukrainian MP for his humanitarian efforts, which is very exciting. His guest is circuit veteran, ex-celeb stalker and writer Meryl O'Rourke. They talk about the comedy scene of the 90s, writing for Frankie Boyle, waiting for your break, scaring Stephen Fry, why it'd be nice to have a Tinder for friends, finding humour in the family traumas of the Holocaust and confronting your abuser, how much the world of sex has moved on since the 20th Century and whether her best comedy years are still to come.

Richard can finally reveal the greatest achievement of his (or anyone else's) life and had decided to think about making a change to his attitude to the job. His guest is the mysterious, crude, offensive and hilarious Kunt from off of Kunt and the Gang. They chat about how this incredible act gained traction, why he retired in 2016 and what brought him back, the inspiration for his comeback and how subversive and satirical his childish work has become, whether he could or should be cancelled, whether joking about something is as bad as doing it, whether comedy is a valid response to tragedy and horror, why he's a vegetarian and is he more sensitive and right on that he might at first appear. It's am hilarious and fascinating conversation, but goes into areas that some may find inappropriate or offensive, but there's a clue in the name. So skip this one if you think you might be one of those people.

Richard is mourning the loss of his best friend, but he has to carry on working through his grief. His guest is Strictly love rat, Seann Walsh. They discuss his incredible new stand up special and whether people overreacted to his admittedly selfish behaviour and why people are so keen to judge and don't seem to care if they will be judged themselves. It's a powerful conversation about the consequences of his self-defeating actions and a story that sounds like a Biblical morality tale, but which shows how it is possible to come back from the pits of despair. Seann talks about why he gave up drinking and the positives of his experience, why Michael McIntyre is the greatest of comedians and creating a short film on a train journey home from a bad gig and Rich explains his biggest social media storms have come from the times he's tries to be nice. Let he who is without sin. I'm not saying I'm Jesus, that is for others to say.

Richard's 7 year old has been ripping him a new one, but at least he's back in the big time�. His guest is Twitch sensation and brilliant stand up Bilal Zafar. They chat about creating content online and how improv is not the preserve of the posh, what happened when Bilal pretended to be a cake shop that only served Muslims, the balance between ambition and creativity, the pressure of Edinburgh and Richard proposes a fantastic West End Musical which is sure to be a huge hit.

We're back at the Phoenix in front of an audience who are also about to witness the first ever live Twitch of Fun (and are thus just as strange as you'd expect). Rich has played an amazing prank on his wife and tells you all about it. His guests are Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood aka Dick and Dom. They discuss how the pair met and the genesis of their Da Bungalow show, how they are haunted by Bogies, the steam roller delights of working with Brian Blessed, why Dom got expelled from the Magic Circle, what happens to Dick when he falls asleep, rivalry with Ant and Dec and whether you ever get too old to be childish. Stay tuned to the very end to discover which building Dom would like to burn down.

As the latest run at the Leicester Square Theatre comes to an end Richard is impressed with Adrian Chiles' bathroom choices. His guest is comedian and actor Alan Davies. They chat about avocado bidets, being called a S****bubble by Liam Gallagher, setting off Neil Kinnock's burglar alarm, spending a huge amount of money on a chair you might see in an estate agents, how he managed to get the Jonathan Creek gig in spite of intense competition and why he nearly left QI. They also discuss Alan's heart-breaking but brilliantly written memoir about the loss of his mother and the abuse he suffered at the hands of his father as a child.

Richard is disappointed about his daughter's Easter egg, because it's still Easter where we are, in the past and has an ultimatum for Ian Cadbury. His guest returns after just 9 years away. It's the extremely fast-talking whirlwind of a man, Dara O Briain. Chat includes the Irish James Bond, how Stephen Hawking ruined Terminator, the likelihood of Richard speaking fluent Spanish for the rest of his life and the impact of that on the theories of Infinite Universes, sending robots into space (and what happens the night before they go), depriving a comedian of an audience for two years, why Richard will never present Going for Gold and what he'd insist upon if he was at the helm of Blockbusters and to be honest such a depth and pace of comedy that you are going to need to listen on half speed to catch it all.

Alleluia Alleluia, He is Risen! It's Easter Monday and Rich has been schooled in Christian traditions by his kids. His guest is the best Edinburgh Comedy Prize by at least one metric, Amy Gledhill. It's an old-school, crazy fun loose chat with a comedian and it's giddy fun all the way, encompassing what is the best crisp to send you into a coma, podcast listening speeds, why Richard will never advertise Pringles, some strong and maybe shocking opinions about Soleros, ice cream spoons, what happens when your double act partner persuades you to be the one to dress as a sausage, artistic toilets, and an extraordinary answer to the tallest building in your home town emergency question. Plus how Richard's work is studied at Universities.

Richard has been freaked out about eating fish whilst being watched by fish. His guests are Freya Parker and Celeste Dring aka Lazy Susan. They chat about the torpor of playing a 12 year old, the difficulty of coming up with a name for a sketch group, why sketch comedy is so poorly served on TV, confronting your male critics head on, appearing in Jurassic World, unsettling Peter Dinklage, licking James Acaster and what it's like sharing a room with your double act partner.

Richard has a bee in his bonnet about crescent toilet seats, but at least his photo has been in the Daily Express. His guest is actor, comedian and author Ardal O'Hanlon. They talk about how Father Dougal got free shoes, how much research Ardal did into the priesthood, annoying Morgan Freeman, why Ardal left the dream job of Death in Paradise, playing a cat trapped on the motorway in Doctor Who and why it pays to be nice to the person on the airline check in desk. They also chat about his brilliant new novel Brouhaha and why Ardal wants to try everything before he dies!

Richard has a momentous father/son experience and has been made to think about the brevity of life thanks to a charity shop window. His guest is the extraordinary Deborah Frances-White. They talk about whether Dracula was ever young, but the podcast is mainly about the major decisions Deborah had made in her personal life and the way she has chosen to deal with the traumas of her past. She talks about what having an open marriage means for her and how she has reset her brain with the help of a Peruvian shaman. This might not be the way forward for everyone, but she talks openly and honestly about her spiritual experiences. Plus there's an impromptu charity auction. Sex and drugs and RHLSTP mugs.

Richard has visited Paddington's house and avoided using the toothbrushes, but is more excited about one of Paddington's neighbours. His guest is online sensation Rosie Holt. They discuss why Rosie moved from acting to comedy, how her videos went viral, whether it's good or bad that people (both stupid and clever) fail to spot that they are a joke, why subtlety is required to mock today's unsatirisable politicians, an unsettling experience with a dating app, what motivates men to send unsolicited dick pics and why is that not illegal? Plus are the posh unfairly maligned and how easy is it to play a trombone. Less flower arranging tips that I'd hoped for.

Richard's son continues to come up with better material than his dad, without even trying. His guest is the unparalleled comedy genius Armando Iannucci. They chat about how Armando once again predicted the future with his hilarious new sitcom Avenue 5, the lows and deeper lows of lockdown, what inspired him to write the mock-heroic poem, Pandemonium https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pandemonium-Some-verses-Current-Predicament/dp/1408715082/, whether he'd make a good PM, why Richard is upset about the casting of David Copperfield, the smell of an angel's fart, the precipice the world finds itself on the edge of and whether there is any hope for us and the most astonishing story of what a supporting actor chose to say to Armando on the set of Veep (which is the highlight of the series so far).

Rich has freaked himself out by attempting to cure the aphantasia (that he suffers with in silence). His guest is John Craven sanctioned Newshound Samira Ahmed. They discuss the legacy of Mary Whitehouse and whether it's OK to point out the positive things that someone with some unacceptable views has done, the bravery of taking your employer to court in order to secure equal pay, whether appearing on Mastermind is more scary than being in a war zone, the young Richard Herring's clumsy attempts at seduction, your mother being prouder of a puppet you than the real you, interviewing Sooty, being at the trail of Madonna's stalker, whether Chrissie Hynde is terrifying or not and what happens when a young reporter can't find the radio van.

Richard's son has come up with a brilliant new emergency question (and is thus finally helping to pay for his upkeep), though is it worth it for the Hell of attending a three hour kids' party? Richard's guest is fabulous writer/actor/comedian Jamie Demetriou. They talk about how many holes are in a ghost's sheet, the genesis of Stath Lets Flats and why the casting was crucial to its success, working with a sibling, the inconvenience of having a bladder, what it's like having all your clothes stolen and how it's hard to write about North London when you're lockdown alone in LA.

Hey everyone, it's a surprise transatlantic RHLSTP with one of the greatest stand-ups in the world, and more importantly one of the greatest people, Maria Bamford. They chat about living without hot water, comedy merch, trying out challenging material to James Corden's audience, why it's OK to do (trigger warning) comedy about mental illness and suicidal thoughts (do contact the Samaritans or your local help lines if this is an issue that affects you), how to create a stand up special, why we need mediocrity in comedy, working with Judd Apatow and more excitingly the Storybots and why we'd be better off as kangaroos.

Richard is furious about the new incarnation of Big Cook Little Cook and is going to be schooled in farts by his audience. His guest is Stewart Lee lookalike and broadcaster Terry Christian. They chat about the professionalism of June Whitfield, being at the centre of the emerging Madchester music scene, the incredible success of the Word, but the disconnect between the posh production team and the working class Christian, arguing with Piers Morgan, an incredible argument in the Big Brother House, stand up comedy as therapy and the tensions around working with Mark Lamarr.

Richard has nearly killed someone in his audience and has finally found a good reason for having kids. He's also potentially about to destroy the universe as his guest is Herring doppelganger (even down to the number of testicles) Charley Boorman. He talks about what he got paid for appearing in Deliverance, hanging out with movie stars (past and future) as a kid, thanks to his amazing film director dad, giving Lee Marvin a lift, how planned family trip to Europe turned into the Long Way Round, how no one recognised Ewan McGregor on the set of Star Wars and the extraordinary story of how Charley got back on his bike after smashing himself to bits. Twice.

Richard has more terrifying news about butterflies and his son's attempts to follow in his footsteps. His guest is the only person who can follow Paul Chuckle, historian and broadcaster Dr Janina Ramirez. They talk about (hopefully) living through a major historical event, the incredible range of inspirational Goddesses, how we're able to discover more about the history of regular people (and women) by shifting traditional focus, what it's like to handle (and drop) incredible historical artefacts, the slice of luck that preserved the Sutton Hoo treasure, how to escape a crocodile and exciting news about Nina's next project. Plus finally someone who is in a position to properly answer the Stephen King/King Stephen question.

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 the craft to the big break with Chuckle Vision. What injuries did the boys have to endure for comedy? What was it like to be so recognisable? How did the distinctive Chuckle look develop? And how did they come up with the iconic To Me, To You. Plus working with Tinchy Strider and moving into DJing. Paul talks movingly about losing his brother/partner and best friend and why he needed to carry on working. And finally the truth about his moped accident.