RHLSTP with Richard Herring

Book Club #115 - The Elsie Drake Letters- Richard talks to the creator of Friday Night Dinner and Look Around You, Robert Popper, about his collection of letters from Elsie Drake (aged 104) to various unsuspecting companies and people of note. They chat about the genesis of his previous letter writing campaign, The Timewaster Letters, what made him decide to take on the persona of Britain’s sixth oldest woman, how the replies usually show the good in people, the many calls from the police and other institutions that came about as a result of the letters, whether Robert was wasting people’s time, Richard’s own attempts at spoof letters, including a campaign to legalise a sex act that is illegal for heterosexuals and a fantastic new idea for a Look Around You Movie (that will crop up again in the upcoming Peter Serafinowicz podcast)

Buy the book here

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-elsie-drake-letters-aged-104-robert-popper/7697478?ean=9781399817875

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#535 Rock On! - Richard is at Hull City Hall with the biggest RHLSTP audience we’ve had and he’s angry about the city claiming to have the smallest window in the country. His guest is legendary comedian and actor Tommy Cannon. They talk about how Cannon and Ball met at a welding factory, how Bobby cajoled him into forming an act and what he might have seen in Tommy, playing working men’s clubs, coming last on Opportunity Knocks and how the pair were propelled to fame in the seventies. Plus falling out and falling in, a double act being like a marriage, learning the wrong script for Emmerdale, the power of their theme song, working with Rik Mayall and Little Richard and the impact of losing your partner after sixty years. A fine end to the tour with a guest whose sprightliness belies their 85 years,

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This week, Richard was a guest on a whole other podcast - ‘Rich Beyond My Wildest Dreams’, the podcast where guests talk through all the absurd ways they’d spend a £200 million EuroMillions jackpot. 

Join Sarel & Richard as they break down all of Richard’s wild plans - we’re talking... a teleportation device, a live-in dental hygienist, and paying every restaurant in London to ban James Acaster and Ed Gamble from Off Menu!

Follow Rich Beyond My Wildest Dreams…

On YouTube: https://tinyurl.com/ycyfv2fc 

On TikTok: https://tinyurl.com/mrxtansd 

On Instagram: https://tinyurl.com/ykumd329 

On Apple Podcasts: https://tinyurl.com/29z8xrme 

On Spotify: https://tinyurl.com/4ths7ned 

Get that EuroMillions feeling every Friday with brand new episodes. 

Brought to you by EuroMillions from The National Lottery and Acast Creative

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Book Club #114 - Herald of a Restless World- Richard is not the only Herring to be a published author and his niece Emily comes on the podcast to talk about her impressive book about Henri Bergson, his life and philosophy. If like Richard you only know Bergson as a punchline to a Monty Python sketch then you will get to know a lot more about this unassuming and shy man who achieved rock star status as a philosopher. Rich and Emily chat about the Bergson’s respect for laughter and comedy, his fascination and sympathy with spiritualism, how he revolutionised philosophy and why he just as quickly faded from view, his death-bed lecture and the fellow lecturer who had his own talks disrupted by Bergson’s legions of fans.

Buy the book here

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/herald-of-a-restless-world-how-henri-bergson-brought-philosophy-to-the-people-emily-herring/7697499?ean=9781529371918

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#534 Keenan Wayans - Richard is in Glasgow and by the time you hear this he should have an exciting announcement about a new acting role, as long as he doesn’t blow it by getting angry and slagging the show off. His guest is legendary broadcaster and comedian Fred MacAulay. They chat about why he left the world of accountancy behind to become a stand-up, resisting the temptations of post gig debauchery to go home and change nappies, skiing with Tara Palmer-Tompkinson, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, how he felt when he was unceremoniously dumped from his long-running radio show, why he’s still gigging in his sixties, the only two words that Billy Connolly ever said to Fred and running naked through a field with Al Murray.

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Book Club #113 - Life Lessons From Historical Women- Richard talks to comedian and writer Eleanor Morton about her book about some notable women from history (some famous, others not so much) Life Lessons From Historical Women. Should Richard with his 2:1 in history have know about more of them than he does? Perhaps. They chat about why women (and non-royalty generally) are so badly represented in history, how history is more fun if you’re allowed to be judgemental about the clearly horrible stuff, how even stories from as recently at the 60s show how pervasive certain ideas of women can be, how Eleanor chose her 18 people/groups to write about and how the book is more serious than one might have expected (but still has plenty of funny stuff in it too).

Buy the book here

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/life-lessons-from-historical-women-eleanor-morton/7670509?ean=9781804192276

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#533 Eternal Wee - Richard is back in Bedford, reminiscing about his second appearance on Top of the Pops. His guest is ex-Bedford public schoolboy Al Murray. They chat about how many pints you can drink during Ravel’s Bolero, the weirdness of being sent away to boarding school at the age of 9, but the disappointing lack of psychological damage that resulted from this, how Al got into drama and comedy to meet girls, playing Charles II in a Restoration romp, pretending to machine gun trains in a World War Two plane, thirty years of the Pub Landlord and whether he caused Brexit and which PM would Al have sex with if he had to?

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Book Club #112 - One Sinha Lifetime- Richard chats to doctor turned comedian and quizzer, Paul Sinha about his fantastic and heart-felt book about family, love, failure, success and getting through difficult times with positivity. They discuss how he never actually came out to his parents but their very human reaction to the news, the stereotypes of the quiz world and how they maybe miss something important, the desire to compete and win even if you’re no good at sport, the vagaries of the stand-up scene and how the same material can storm or die in the same night, turning a gay man straight, why Michael Palin has a better attitude than John Cleese and the Mastermind records of these two complete losers.

Or buy the books here (quickly) -

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/one-sinha-lifetime-a-bengali-boy-s-search-for-the-meaning-of-life-paul-sinha/7546634?ean=9781529908534

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#532 Seat for a Sex Doll - Richard is back in Coventry where he was once scared by a picture in the Cathedral like some kind of Maurice Mitchener. His guests are Mark and Anthony from the internet sensations The Exploding Heads and also a disgruntled Colin from Portsmouth. We find out about how this age-mismatched double act got together, how the TV station they worked on seemed to have no idea what they were up to, the genius behind ex-footballer Ian Fiveankles, whether their fans can miss the irony of their material, working with Ron from Goodnight Sweetheart, crashing into the Tottenham Hotspur stadium and a potentially tactless emergency question works out OK.

See the Exploding Heads on tour - http://socomedy.co.uk/artist/colin-from-portsmouth/

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EQ: Which Celebrity Would You Like To Stroke Your Hair While You’re Dying? - It’s another EQC as the cool kids call it and this time we’re finding out about which celeb our guest celebs would like to stroke their hair, while they’re dying. Richard gets confused about his own choice, but you’ll be able to hear answers from such luminaries as Susan Calman, Milton Jones, Cariad Lloyd, Katherine Ryan and many more. It’s a surprisingly good question. Apart from when Richard answers it.

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Book Club #111 - The Unfinished Harauld Hughes- Richard talks to the extraordinary Richard Ayoade about his incredible multi-book releases about writer Harauld Hughes (including books of his plays, films and prose) and his equally brilliant “The Fairy Tale Fan Club” kids book. They chat about the questions children ask about the stories they are told and why it’s fun to attempt to answer them, how to get Wes Anderson to narrate your audiobook (be Richard Ayoade and ask him) and why bad characters appeal to children. Plus what it’s like to be in the brain of Richard Ayoade, why he wanted to create the character of Harold Hughes, why he put himself in the book, the joy of a book that it takes a little while to tune into, another incredible audiobook and how to create parody that occasionally transcends humour, but where you come to care for the people you are mocking. How has he been allowed to do this? He definitely should have been allowed to do it, but it’s still amazing that he’s done it and that it’s available for you to read!

There is also a chance to win all four of the limited edition Harauld Hughes books - rare unsigned copies too!

Or buy the books here (quickly) -

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-book-that-no-one-wanted-to-read-richard-ayoade/7098935?ean=9781529500752

https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-unfinished-harauld-hughes-richard-ayoade/7688891?ean=9780571377893

https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571393107-the-models-trilogy/

https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571393084-plays-prose-pieces-poetry/

https://www.faber.co.uk/product/9780571393060-four-films/

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#531 Hello Pervert -  It’s the final London RHLSTP for a while and a time for goodbyes to the film crew and a very special member of the Leicester Square Theatre staff, whilst Rich discusses the rare occasions when your kids make your hard work on their behalf seem worthwhile. His guest is 8 times interviewee/interviewer in the RH universe, Adam Buxton. They discuss Milky Way adverts, Richard’s attention seeking testicle, Adam’s possibly career ending onanistic habits, Adam’s frankly inappropriate dreams about Richard’s wife, interviewing Werner Herzog, playing the Hammersmith Apollo, and who will be the last person to ever listen to one of the Herring or Buxton pods. Will it be soon or will their voices echo down the ages? Let us know if you’re the last person to ever listen.

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Book Club #110 - Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things?- Richard talks to comedian Pierre Novellie about his fabulous book (and guide book) about autism, Why Can’t I Just Enjoy Things? They chat about Richard’s disappointment of his pretty regular test scores, why people react badly or suspiciously towards people with autism and ADHD, why Richard is better than Isaac Newton, why Pierre wanted the book to be different than the excellent stand up show of the same name, how this whole project started with a heckle, why it’s OK to be obsessed with pop music or sport but not Byzantine history, how the book will be helpful for autistic and non-autistic people alike and how the cover art was chosen!

Buy the book here https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/why-can-t-i-just-enjoy-things-a-neurodivergent-guy-in-a-neurotypical-world-pierre-novellie/7610702?ean=9781785121012

See Pierre on tour https://www.pierrenovellie.com/

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#530 Tudor Spring Onion -  Richard is back in Sheffield, questioning the Curse of the Crucible. His guest is pop star and song-writing genius Paul Heaton. They talk about Paul’s propensity to collect and audit, why Happy Hour gives Richard unhappy flashbacks, how censorship made one song both worse and also slightly better, the acts of financial generosity which one suspects might just be the tip of the iceberg, how Paul didn’t really win awards until he got a big one at 60, but still carries on regardless, writing realistic love songs for older people and the positives and negatives that booze has had on his life.

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Book Club #109 - Earth To Moon- Richard chats to the fantastic Moon Zappa about her honest, funny and heart-breaking book Earth To Moon, about growing up in a somewhat dysfunctional family, having a world famous dad and trying to make her own way in the world. They chat about their previous meeting in 1997 and how Richard failed to pick up on some mild flirtation, meeting Snow White and being disappointed that she wasn’t a cartoon, the difficulty of finding balance in an autobiography, what Frank Zappa would have been like as a president and having your first kiss stolen by one of the Chips. Plus the negative side of being a Nepo Baby.

The book is fabulous and hugely recommended.  

Buy the book here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Earth-Moon-Unit-Zappa/dp/1474623832

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#529 Fulcrum - Richard is in Sheffield where people still remember the rainbow of 1994 whilst he confuses Electric Dreams with Electric Blue. His guest is brilliant story-telling comedian Tom Wrigglesworth. They chat about sharing an Edinburgh flat in 2010, how organising a whip round for a fellow train passenger led to Tom’s arrest and a fantastic Edinburgh show, how a resemblance to an American sports star impacted on his own life, how as a younger comedian you can go with whatever life throws at you and being the highest comedian at the highest comedy gig ever.

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Book Club #108 - The Time Machine Next Door- It’s series 7 of Book Club book-loving biatches and Rich's first guest of the new series is comedian, broadcaster and author, Iszi Lawrence. They discuss the paradoxes and possibilities of time travel, how to meld education and entertainment, the fantastic facts that Iszi weaves into her books, the incredible length and lack of change in the Ancient Egyptian empire, Henry VIII’s surprisingly high voice, what happens to the Marty that Marty replaces in Back to the Future and much more.

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-time-machine-next-door-explorers-and-milkshakes-iszi-lawrence/7198858?ean=9781801991049

See all her other work here https://iszi.com/

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#528 Chemistry - Richard is back in Cardiff, informing his audience of their history of weak punishment. His guest is award winning podcaster Benjamin Partridge. They discuss dangerous Welsh language television of the 1980s, how Ben got Nick Offerman on his podcast and their eventual awkward meeting, Rich’s brand new podcast idea to rid the world of a certain type of criminal, an incredible use for passata, an audience with Jeff Goldblum without Jeff Goldblum, why Tesco will be stocking up on rich beef sausages and why podcasting hasn’t yet fulfilled the creative potential that both these podcasters thought it would and the Russian prisoner who had a lateral thinking approach to the auto-fellatio question

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#527 Happy Grammy Birthday - Richard has travelled to the home of gofasterstripe, Cardiff in Welsh Wales and his guest is singer and activist Charlotte Church. They chat about her extraordinary rise to fame and the whirlwind of travel and celebrities that came with it. How Frasier was disappointingly weird when she met him at the inauguration of George W Bush, how she sang a requiem at the wedding of Rupert Murdoch and how he didn’t uphold his end of the deal, the unbelievable (and yet totally believable) creepy reaction of the tabloids as Charlotte turned sixteen, how she became political active and put her money where her mouth is and her optimistic hopes for the future. Plus Richard attempts to launch his own career as a child singing prodigy and the pair join in a haunting duet. About as haunting as what was going on in the next hotel room to him in London.

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#526 Joyfully Reckless - Richard is back in Dublin and is intrigued by the Book of Kells. His guest is the superb and philosophical comedian and interviewer Tommy Tiernan. It’s a lovely sprawling waffle encompassing the trouble that being mischievous can get you into, the stress of doing a show with no plan, how studying acting made Tommy a worse actor (only in his opinion), Jerry Sadowitz, hitchhiking in the eighties and swearing on the Late Late Show. A written description will not capture the magic for this one. Have a listen.

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#525 The Biggest Award in Comedy - Richard has been sent to Coventry and remembers a previous visit to the Warwick Arts Centre where he had to turn the other cheek. His guest is the winner of the biggest (and slowest) award in comedy, Lindsey Santoro. Find out what Lindsey spent her money from this RHLSTP backed award and listen as the award itself is inflated. Plus they chat about why it’s so hard for working class acts to attend the Fringe, begrudging Guardian reviews, why still doing her day job keeps Lindsey grounded and gets her 50% off pizza, how her trademark pink hair came about, forgetting to get fully dressed for a TV appearance, the biggest animal she has had to get out of her house and she tells a story that possibly explains all ghosts. And is Lindsey bound for superstardom and how will that affect her trips to Aldi?

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#524 Burning Vas Deferens - More fun from a performer at the Edinburgh Fringe - this time the wonderful Stuart Laws. They discuss the genesis of the gilet that has become his trademark (though not according to imdv),magic realism versus actual realism in comedy, the nitty gritty of a vasectomy and why some procedures use the testicular seam and others do not, the fun twist of the free to view Stuart Laws is All In (watch the special before listening to this podcast), making comedy out of Michael Caine saying Never, Richard’s increasingly terrible memory (Warsaw Indiana was the place that he was unable to recall), being number two on imdb and pretending to be a cricketer. 

Buy tickets for Stuart’s show here https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/stuart-laws-has-to-be-joking

To view his special and for tour news head here https://www.stuartlaws.com/

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#523 Dyspraxic Dinner Lady - It’s another Edinburgh Fringe podcast, recorded hundreds of miles away from the the Festival to keep Richard sane. His guest today is the multi-award winning new comedian Dan Tiernan. They chat about how to get them to do a retake on the now defunct BBC show Doctors, why being a stand-up comedian is the perfect job for a someone with dyspraxia, how cancer helps a comedian to give less of a fuck (in a good way) about their job, whether Baby Reindeer’s depiction of the Edinburgh Fringe is accurate, being a clumsy childhood magician and how far the UK has moved on (admittedly from a pretty terrible start) for gay people and why encountering a (sort of charmingly) homophobic Jehovah’s Witness helped Dan’s act.

Tickets for Dan’s Edinburgh show here https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/dan-tiernan-stomp

Tour details here https://linktr.ee/dantiernan

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#522 Arse Twins - Richard talks to the brilliant Stevie Martin about her show Clout, the weirdness of secretly watching your family on a Ring Doorbell, what it was like to act alongside ventriloquist dummy Ally Sloper, the joys and dangers of mooning, writing fabric-based puns for the Sewing Bee, the pain of rejection and only creating work when you feel the correct inspiration, the brilliant work with Lola-Rose Maxwell, like Screen Time (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQYdc-FxeYg) and whether she will be as big a star as Jack Whitehall.

Buy tickets for Clout here https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/stevie-martin-clout

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#521 Pork Markets -  Richard chats to Liz Truss impersonator extraordinaire (and so much more) Nerine Skinner about the creation of the character, her first solo Edinburgh show, The Exorcism of Liz Truss, how she has become obsessed with the politician (thankfully not in the same way as Richard has) and the dangers of the success of one of your characters when you do many others. Plus some great behind the scenes stories from Nerine’s legendary appearance on Britain’s Got Talent (watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Ve75M6b0DU), the part played by panto in the various collaborations Nerine has done and whether it’s better to try and get your break online or at the Fringe (or some crazy combination of both).

Buy tickets for Nerine’s show here https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/nerine-skinner-the-exorcism-of-liz-truss

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#520 Double Berocca -  Richard is in Glasgow at the Oran More, remembering the time he was picketed at this venue and almost wrecked someone’s wedding. His guest is Glaswegian phenomenon Susie McCabe. They talk about her getting into comedy due to a drunken bet, working on building sites, estimating the cost of lighting in a velodrome, the ultimate argument as to why seeing gay people on TV will not turn you gay, how much it meant to her to appear on Have I Got News For You?, keeping Fringe tickets affordable and why Glasgow turns out so many amazing comedians.

See Susie at the Edinburgh Fringe. Tickets here https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/susie-mccabe-merchant-of-menace

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#519 Everything’s a Piñata -  Richard is at the Bedford Corn Exchange where he’s fascinated by the animal sanctuary that bears his name and the Bedford cult that was expecting the second coming of Jesus. His guest is the mysterious Swede Olaf Falafel, if that is his real name or nationality. He talks about how he got into comedy, the double edged sword of winning joke of the Fringe, how to come up with one liners, mixing his artistic skills with his comedy, doing comedy for kids and how Twitter helped him find a publisher for his kids book and how he’s managed to write a chapter book about art that is both funny and slyly educational. Plus abseiling off Table Mountain and whether you can make the Edinburgh Fringe work for you if you do the Free Fringe.

See Olaf’s shows at the Fringe

Olaf Falafel Asks: Has Anyone Ever Actually Woven a Sigourney? - https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/olaf-falafel-asks-has-anyone-ever-actually-woven-a-sigourney

Olaf Falafel’s Stupidest Super Stupid Show So Far - https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/olaf-falafel-s-stupidest-super-stupid-show-so-far

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#518 Elbowing Banksy -  Rich is back in Leicester, trying to work out the sexiest ever UK Prime Minister. His guest is comedy legend and fellow monoball, Simon Munnery. They talk about the crimes of the one-balled community, appearing at the Tunnel Club alongside the much-missed Malcolm Hardee, visiting CERN with the actor Kevin Eldon, travelling the country in a cortina with Simon’s support act, Simon Pegg, some of the problems with the Mission Impossible franchise, how Simon has to pack up his show whoever wants to talk to him, the ultimate response to hecklers and building a Gazebo out of abandoned doors.

See Simon's Fringe show - https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/simon-munnery

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#517 Phil Spins -  Rich is back with the kingstealers of Leicester (but he’s not going to mention that) and is pleased to be in the home of DNA fingerprints. His guest is the unpredictable award winning comedian Phil Ellis. They talk about working in an airbag factory, delivering pizzas to tight millionaire footballers, the extreme lengths Phil will go to to provide twists for his Edinburgh shows (no matter the cost), the sitcom ideas that TV found too dark, pretending to be an orphan and swapping clothes on stage with a scary man.

See Phil at the Fringe

Come On and Take The Rest of Me - https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/phil-ellis-come-on-and-take-the-rest-of-me

Funz and Gamez - Returnz - https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/funz-and-gamez-returnz

See a live recording of RHLSTP - https://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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#516 Tooth in a Bag - Richard is back in Bristol and details some of the things that have made this city so famous. His guest is TikTok sensation and stand up Abi Clarke. They chat about almost going to circus school, how lockdown shifted her focus from stand up to online content and how that helped her find an audience, working with your parents, Rich’s strong feelings for Abi’s mum, death threats from One Direction fans, performing an hour after having a wisdom tooth removed and how to turn round a lethargic audience with a Mexican wave!

See Abi’s show at the Edinburgh Fringe - https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/abi-clarke-role-model

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#515 Sex, Sleep or Scrabble? - Richard has travelled to Bristol, a place where they take a dim view of statues (after a while) but name everything after Colston anyway. His guest is broadcaster, doctor and the other half of Struck Off and Die, Phil Hammond. They chat about being slapped in the face by Tony Slattery, infuriating John Redwood, being chastised by Jacob Rees Mogg’s dad, why men are so bad about going to their GP and discussing their feelings, a coping strategy for severe depression, an inevitable discussion about Richard’s balls and why so many doctors become comedians and how to save the NHS.

Catch Phil’s shows at the Edinburgh Fringe

Fifty Minutes to Save the NHS - https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/phil-hammond-and-dame-clare-gerada-fifty-minutes-to-save-the-nhs

The Ins and Outs of Pleasure - https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/phil-hammond-the-ins-and-outs-of-pleasure

See a live recording of RHLSTP - https://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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#514 Bag For Life Full of Bones - Richard returns to his kingdom of Edinburgh and it’s Chriiiiissstttmas (in a few weeks or a few months ago, whichever way you look at it). His guest is Shetland storyteller, actor and comedian and cultural icon Marjolein Robertson. They talk about how a terrible few months in Amsterdam led to her becoming a stand up, a teleporting ghost, a terrifying tale of a haunting entity being passed on to a room mate, playing all the characters in a play about Mary Queen of Scots with a limited range of offensive accents (not Richard amazingly), the unique vocab of Shetland, what it means if you find a fish hanging on your doorknob, what spaegie means in Shetland, Herring’s Viking heritage and why you can’t trust King Charles III. Plus her undoubtedly brilliant new show for the Edinburgh Fringe 2024!

Tickets to Marjolin's show here - https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/marjolein-robertson-o

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Book Club #107 - Eamon, Older Brother of Jesus - Richard chats to stand up legend and surprisingly underused Father Ted star Michael Redmond about his book Eamon, Older Brother of Jesus and the surprisingly controversial history of the story, from stand-up show, to radio show that was cancelled at the last minute, to self-published book. They also talk about the early-ish days of alternative comedy, playing the Tunnel Club, National Bring a Jockey To Work Day, the Pasquale family’s love of his material, the lovely joke in Michael’s will and what he looks like without the moustache.

Buy the book here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Eamon-older-brother-Michael-Redmond/dp/B09W4JDR2H/

Listen to Michael's podcast here - http://whatareyoudoinginmygarden.podbean.com

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#513 Bashful Secrets - Richard has come to Dublin and with 900 people in the 3 Olympia it’s an incredible atmosphere! He discusses his Irish heritage and why Ireland should leave Europe! His guest is the man behind and in front of the Divine Comedy, Neil Hanlon. They chat about their authority figure dads, whether “My Lovely Horse” will be his enduring legacy, the Duckworth Lewis Method, Band Aid 20 and Midge Ure’s lack of imagination, what was in the wood shed, plus a toilet mishap when performing as a backing singer for Robbie Williams

See a live recording of RHLSTP - https://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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Book Club #106 - Fair or Foul- The Lady Macbeth Guide to Ambition - Richard chats to journalist and friend Stefan Stern about his terrific book about the positives and negatives of ambition, Fair or Foul. What prompted him to tackle this subject? Why is the play Macbeth the perfect scaffolding for this discussion and what do people need for their ambitions to be considered a success. They chat about Boris Johnson, Elizabeth Holmes, the effect of lockdown and mortality on ambitions, why you need to set goals and why you need to be able to change those goals as you move along. Why do we lose ambition somewhat in middle age and is it just to do with our failure to achieve what we hoped to achieve and is ambition tied to mental illness or is that only the case if we are only out for ourselves.

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/fair-or-foul-the-lady-macbeth-guide-to-ambition-stefan-stern/7650720?ean=9781800183186

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

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#512 Veteran - Rich is back in Canterbury and has some great stuff about medieval archbishops that should play well on Live at the Apollo. His guest is veteran comedian and army veteran, Nick Wilty. He is a man with the most extraordinary life who has talked himself and others out of deadly situation. Amazing stories include convincing someone not to jump off a bridge before returning to the same spot in a different position the next year, having a gun in his face whilst hitchhiking, how he became an unlikely soldier, the incredible bad luck that led him to become a comedian, being arrested for flying a drone and how a chance encounter with the helicopter that he’d nearly died in led him to finally confront his past and do a stand up show about his experience in the Falklands

See a live recording of RHLSTP - https://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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

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Book Club #105 - Alan Partridge Big Beacon- The time has come for the creator of Alan Partridge to meet the current writers of Alan Partridge, the Gibbons Brothers, who sadly don’t share a bunk bed, but have done amazing work over the last decade or so with the character. They discuss how they ended up with this lucrative gig, how not being obsessive Partridge fans helped them to reinvent the character somewhat, how writing as Alan involves turning off your imagination and going with the first idea, whether writing as siblings is easier than writing with a friend, choosing the right reference points for the audience and whether the creators of Partridge (especially Richard) have all turned into Alan Partridge

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/alan-partridge-big-beacon-alan-partridge/7546625?ean=9781398719224

Or the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Alan-Partridge-Big-Beacon/dp/B0C4YNWRSF/

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

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#511 What You On? - Richard is back in Colchester with possibly the greatest example of a local news story that there has ever been. His guest is doctor turned actor Tony Gardner. They chat about being bitten by an over enthusiastic zombie, the decision to go to Edinburgh that would change his life, how it became impossible to keep both his GP job and acting work going, his reluctance to do children’s TV, but how My Parents Are Aliens changed his life and led to a very impressive CV, as well as slight weirdness when out enjoying Glastonbury or filming sex scenes. And no, sorry, he isn’t the bloke who designed the Chucky doll.

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

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Book Club #104 - A Crack In Everything- Richard talks to physicist and journalist Marcus Chown about this fascinating book about Black Holes and the people who discovered them, A Crack in Everything. Are Black Holes black and holes? Can we time travel if we go inside one? Why is the one at the centre of the Milky Way smaller than most and what repercussions does that have for us? The pair talk about how Einstein didn’t think black holes would exist, the tragic and difficult lives of many of the people who proved him wrong, how the female scientists roles in all this have been often overlooked, how Marcus was the first person to talk to some of the key players in detail and how he is able to write for a board audience without compromising the science. Also are we holograms?

Buy Marcus' book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-crack-in-everything-how-black-holes-came-in-from-the-cold-and-revealed-themselves-masters-of-the-universe-marcus-chown/7589317?ean=9781804544327

Or the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crack-Everything-Black-Cosmic-Centre/dp/B0D5DNWNSR/

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

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#510 McCartney Set List- Richard is still being played on by Scant Regard, but as this long tour progresses his stand up sections get mercifully shorter! His guest is the multi-talented Rob Brydon. They chat about how a birthday message to Margot Robbie led to a part in a potentially Oscar winning film (You’ll know if it won by now, but we poor fools in the past did not), how Brydon pretended to be ill to get out of a guest slot on Would I Lie To You? and how the show has become bulletproof, how America managed to get two series our of the book Green Eggs and Ham, the impressive and old school range of work that Rob undertakes, touring with an 8 piece band and whether it’s ever good when a comedian does serious songs and the disaster and triumph of Rob’s first meeting with Sir Paul McCartney. Plus why family comes first and whether legacy is as important as your kids having you around!

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

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Book Club #103 - Will I Ever Have Sex Again? - Richard chats with comedian and author Sofie Hagen about her thought-provoking and often heart-breaking, but also hopeful book Will I Ever Have Sex Again? They talk about the minefield that sexual politics still is, why we should talk about (and during) sex, why no means no and yes sometimes means no too, whether elderly cis people like Richard need to be afraid of pronouns and people being trans or non-binary and how thinking more about why we have sex or want to or aren’t doing is helpful for us all regardless of how we self-define.

Buy Sofie’s book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/will-i-ever-have-sex-again-sofie-hagen/7610621?ean=9781785120398

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

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#509 Pot Noodle is Bad For You - Richard is doing some stand up that was super topical on 5th February when this was recorded, but for you will be a nice window to see what the people of the past thought was mildly amusing, plus there’s an exciting new addition to the show. His guest is comedy genius Armando Iannucci. They talk about how a Christmas advert was Armando’s proudest achievement, how it’s possible that 30 years have passed since the Day Today (apparently it’s something to do with the linear nature of time), when his novel is going to be published, the effect that ADHD had on his work, how America messed up The Thick of It, why Avenue 5 got cancelled, how he tortured Daredevil and whether Armando is ready to turn into a proper old man in his sixties. Plus Rich finally opens up about his cancer and worries where he stands in touring illness Top Trumps.

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

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EQ: Cheese It's time - at long last - for the Cheese episode.

See Rich on tour http://richardherring.com/ballback/tour

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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/

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#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/

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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/

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#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/

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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/

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#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/

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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

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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/

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#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/

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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

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Book Club #98 - 42 The Wildly Improbably Ideas of Douglas Adams- Richard talks to Kevin Jon Davies, the editor of this fascinating collection of items from the archives of Douglas Adams. They chat about the insight the notes, letters, scripts and thoughts give to the mind of this extraordinary thinker, the notebooks that started with optimism, moved into self-hatred and then largely remained blank (that most writers will be familiar with), the alternate reality where Adams gave up writing, what Arthur Dent was almost called, how unusually for a writer Adams became a celebrity himself and the unusual focus of the paparazzi at the film premiere. A terrific insight into the man and his work from someone who worked alongside him.

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/42-the-wildly-improbable-ideas-of-douglas-adams-douglas-adams/7442032?ean=9781800182684

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#504 Respect Hook- Richard is back at the Lowry Theatre Salford and is annoyed about an Amazon review for his book. His guest is comedian, actor and former Edinburgh flatmate, Justin Moorhouse. They discuss doing a corporate for an arms manufacturer, improvising with Eric Cantona, how everyone in the Manchester area has to appear on Coronation Street (as up to three characters), being a cheeky f***er to Danny Boyle, why Justin doesn’t go everywhere with his face painted, why it’s a bad idea for comedians to go on politics TV shows, podcasting with his daughter, how Justin pretended to be a ghost and how Fred Elliot overcame his reluctance to do his catchphrase. It’s a real cracker of a show. Don’t miss it.

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

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RETRO RHLSTP #84 - Gulping Robot Toilets -Richard is hoping he will find his way into the Guinness Book of Records, but Norris Macwhirter is not answering his calls. His guest is making a return visit to RHLSTP after 7 and a half years (but will his hair reveal his success?) - it’s the amazing Charlie Brooker.

The conversation is predictably dark and disgusting incorporating Charlie’s fury at a seven year old who makes an amazing living opening boxes, trying to introduce his kids to the Young Ones, what the best pinball machine is, whether having sex with your best friend via computer game is cheating, the complexity of writing a choose your own adventure TV show, being born with an umbilical cord around your neck and how you can kill sperm with urine. Plus the inevitability of nuclear war and whether all people over 45 need to die to save the world. It’s good.

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

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Book Club #97 - How To Win An Information War- Richard talks to academic and journalist Peter Pomerantsev about his book about World War II propaganda (but also about propaganda today) How To Win An Information War. They chat about the remarkable life of the beautifully names Sefton Delmer and his part in creating a radio station that would counterbalance and undermine the propaganda of Goebbels and the German war effort, how hard core pornography played a part, the weird and wonderful ways that German soldiers were advised to fake illness, the amorality and immorality required to wage an information war, what all this has to teach us about today and how the world is being slow to catch up with the realities of the internet age and dark times that are yet to come. Is it possible to get out the cluster fuck of internet conspiracy theories and what can we learn from Delmer’s work? Plus what it’s like to marry a statue (sort of).

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/how-to-win-an-information-war-the-propagandist-who-outwitted-hitler-peter-pomerantsev/7608309?ean=9780571366347

Or the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/How-Win-Information-War-Propagandist/dp/B0CK2FDVG4

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#503 Heckling Ken Dodd- Richard returns to the Lowry Theatre in Salford for the first time in four years. Last time he was here he talked to Jimmy Cricket and this time he is talking to Jimmy’s daughter, the comedian, actor and playwright Katie Mulgrew. They talk about the horrors of birth and whether an Oscar winning actor could do it, being mistaken for the captain of Star Trek Voyager by a German, partying with Little and Large and the Roly-Polys, being followed around by everyone you’ve ever kissed, the mystery of adenoids, the arrogance of the playwright, whether Philippa McMoss might ever return to Corrie and what it’s like when your brother marries you

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

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RETRO RHLSTP #83 - Burned Bunting -Richard hits comedy gold and finds the person with the perfect job to riff about for as long as an hour if he wishes, but he doesn’t wish to, as he has the multi-talented comedian, writer and actor Katy Wix to chat with.

They discuss clammy handshakes, horror car crashes, dragon-based misunderstandings, working with Dick and Dom, Princess Fergiana, Hattie Jacques, meeting Dire Straits, an 11-year-old girl’s pebble, the professionalism of the young and cruelty to tadpoles. And the audience decides on who should be invited on to the next series.

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Book Club #96 - Not That I'm Bitter- Richard talks to comedy legend Helen Lederer about her honest, hilarious and sad memoir, Not That I’m Bitter and the joy of hitting the middle, overcoming youthful ambition and envy, why she wanted to be candid about all aspects of her life and loves (which she definitely is), the difficulty of making it as a comedian, but with the extra difficulty of being a woman in a male dominated arena, but how too much success would have made this book impossible to write. Insecure, confident, fragile and strong - all the things that make a great comic.

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/not-that-i-m-bitter-a-truly-madly-funny-memoir-helen-lederer/7638559?ean=9781915306654

Or the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Not-That-Im-Bitter/dp/B0CZ4MJ57T

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#502 Divorce House Dirty Protest- Richard returns to Nottingham with some mind blowing research to prove which is the oldest pub in the city. His guests are husband and wife podcasters and performers Scott and Jemma Bennett. They discuss Scott’s monoball status and whether it should allow him into the club of real wombles, how Jemma felt when she discovered Scott’s deficiency, how Jemma literally edged her way into Scott’s lockdown performances from his shed and how that led to their hit podcast Brew With The Bennetts. Plus Richard’s tip for keeping marriages together based on a horror house viewing, the ukulele orchestra wars and what drew the couple to the city of Nottingham! 

Listen to Brew With the Bennett’s here https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/brew-with-the-bennetts/id1604383442

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RETRO RHLSTP #82 - Drifter Charger -Rich's daughter has made quite a radical life choice, but hopefully is a reincarnation of someone who will make the family a lot of money (if only we can prove it). This week it's a welcome return for one of the worst guests we've ever had on RHLSTP (and I am saying that because that's what he says about me on Pointless), it's the charmingly offensive giant, Richard Osman. Will Osman realise where he's gone wrong with his TV shows and finally commission Richard to write and sing the theme tune? Will Pointless ever take the money and head to Channel 4? What will Osman say about Rich's mum this time? Why can't chocolate manufacturer's put aside their differences? How big is a glass? Is it OK to propose to someone over Twitter? How many times can you lose on Pointless and still hold your head high? What do the Chinese think of Osman? Is it better to be single in your twenties or your forties? As you'd expect it's a wide-ranging chat and a delight from start to finish.

Buy Osman's brilliant Christmas Book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/B071ZPSPHH/comedyguide-21/

Buy Herring's arguably more brilliant Christmas book here http://www.gofasterstripe.com

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Book Club #95 - The Wager- Richard takes a Transatlantic call luckily in a time when it’s much easier to traverse the oceans, with David Grann the best-selling author and journalist, about his fantastic book The Wager - A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder. It’s an unbelievable and remarkable true story which has much to tell us about our history and the present day. David talks about what it’s like to work on a book that goes on to be an Oscar Nominated move, Killers of the Flower Moon and how he discovered the largely forgotten story of The Wager, the meticulous research required to create a book like this and how to deal with conflicting accounts of the same story. Also the surprisingly horrendous effect of scurvy, the difficulty of persuading men to become sailors at a time when death seemed almost inevitable, the class divisions and racism that made the crew of The Wager’s nightmare voyage even more nightmarish, how a cut off ear was the impetus for all of this madness and David’s slightly insane trip to visit Wager Island and why it was worthwhile. A really excellent chat about a highly recommended book.

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-real-hero-pa-david-grann/3440772?ean=9781471183706

Or the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-The-Wager/dp/B0BPTL14T5/

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#501 Thomas Tallis Fan Club- Richard is back in Nottingham, refusing to let his love of the Tales of Robin Hood die (and with one actual joke). His guest sings like a woman, it’s the hilarious Lloyd Griffith. They discuss the Anglian Cathedrals of the UK, being the subject of a cruel football chant, how the heartbreaking loss of a plum Hollywood job led to Lloyd’s appearance on Ted Lasso, playing Benny from Crossroads and the genesis of his fab documentary about whether you can beat the bookies. Plus Nottingham based gerontophilia and we find out if Lloyd is still in his forties.

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RETRO RHLSTP #81 - Nervous Lord's Prayer -You have us at an advantage this week, as you know who the next US President will be and we don't. What terrible future are you in? Either way. But let's forget about that and welcome the smiling man-mountain that is Tom Davis. Suddenly he is appearing in everything, most notably the brilliantly fun Murder In Successville, but we'll find out about how he made it and what he was doing before. Are Scaffolders really the craziest of all the tradesmen? Are footballers good at anything other than football? What if Paddington was 6ft 7 and from Croydon? How healthy is Romesh Ranaganathan's poo? And how badly can you mess up a chance to play a Biblical figure in a movie? There's also another addition to the forthcoming volume, 'Stories about meeting Brian Blessed'.

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Book Club #94 - Why We Remember- Richard talks to memory expert and possible pop star Charan Ranganath about his fascinating book about memory, Why We Remember. They chat about aphantasia (of course) why memory is a painting and not a photograph, how our understanding of memory has changed in the last few decades, how much fun it must be to come up with tricksy experiments to test new theories, the wonder of being wrong in science, how memories attach to objects and sounds and places, why Richard remembers his romantic mishaps differently than his ex partners, whether we can combat Alzheimers and how changes in memory throughout our lives fulfils an evolutionary function,

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/why-we-remember-the-science-of-memory-and-how-it-shapes-us-dr-charan-ranganath/7608357?ean=9780571374144

Or the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Why-We-Remember-Science-Memory/dp/B0CS6XYP58/

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#500 Camel Hit and Run- Richard has been living the showbiz lifestyle that should be his daily existence, but now he’s landed up in Chorley. His guest is award winning stand up and MC Hayley Ellis. They chat about Hayley becoming a mum after an unplanned pregnancy, the hilarious story of attempting to buy a pillow with a picture of her dead grandma on it, whether we need bad people to get us through certain circumstances, her podcast “The Worriers” and why it’s good to talk about mental health in a comedic way, what it takes to be a great MC and why stand up is easier than being a teacher’s assistant and whether Sarah Millican is the monster to work with that Richard suspects her to be. 

See Hayley’s special here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jO-9JBMuPkU

See her tour dates here https://hayleyellis.com/hayleys-comic-tour

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EQHave You Ever Seen A Bigfoot? It’s another compilation of the best answers to the zaniest Emergency Questions, all tied up with a bow to show Channel 5 what cheap and easy TV this would be. This week a question that you’d expect only to have the answer “No” leads to some amazing answers from an array of cool celebs including both Adam and Joe, Michael Palin (from a previously unbroadcast backstage interview), Miriam Margoyles and of course Brian Blessed.

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Book Club #93 - Weirdo- Richard talks to comedian, presenter and now novelist, Sara Pascoe about her fabulous debut novel Weirdo. They talk about the difficulties of writing a novel, the joy of when the character starts writing it for you, the unreliable narrator and a possibly unlikeable protagonist, plus all the paranoid and weird delusions that swim around in (presumably) all of our heads and how often they have an arrogance that presumes others are prepared to pay billions to keep up the pretence, how we stick in relationships that are no good for us, why trolls need to turn the light on themselves, whether you’re being spied on by robot cats, if you have free will and much more.

Buy Sara’s book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/weirdo-unlike-many-debut-novels-this-one-will-stick-with-you-for-a-long-time-guardian-sara-pascoe/7619992

Or the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Audible-Weirdo/dp/B0C78GZQK9

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#499 A Night in a Haunted House with Robbie Williams- Richard, it turns out, loves his AirTag more than his dog, but he’s back in London and eating tofu. His guest is journalist and lord of the podcasts jon Ronson. They talk about the worst decision made by an executive since turning down the Beatles, the brilliant series Things Fell Apart https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m0011cpr detailing the unlikely genesis of anti-abortion become a big deal for US Christians and a moving story of other evangelicals learning to understand AIDS and homosexuality, a night amongst crack dealers with some self-declared superheroes, whether Jon will be moving back into writing books, his tour to celebrate the anniversary of the Psychopath Test (and why you can’t teach a psychopath empathy) and how Jon learned to love Louis Theroux.

Book to see Jon on tour here - https://www.fane.co.uk/jon-ronson

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RETRO RHLSTP #80 - Over to our Human Centipede Expert -Richard has had his topical comedy well pretty much depleted by recording AIOTM the night before this, but considers creating a new beard based podcast, but luckily relents to introduce comedian, actor and wannabe humanitarian Kerry Godliman.

They discuss working with Christopher Guest, how Richard could have gone to drama school if only he’d been any good at acting, being rescued by a topless lady, how to pronounce taramasalata, whether political comedy is the be all and end all and what motivates comedians to do charity.

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Book Club #92 - Let The Light Pour In -  It’s another live podcast, this time with the remarkable poet and playwright Lemn Sissay MBE OBE and more honours than you can shake a stick at. They discuss the comedy scene in Manchester in the early 90s, how writing a quatrain a day has led to this collection of amusing, thoughtful and brilliant poetry and acts as an inspiration to us all to write something every day, for ourselves. They also discuss Lemn’s heartbreaking, yet powerful autobiography “My Name Is Why” telling about his childhood, the betrayal of his foster family, life in care and how his life was affected in very different ways by the work of Lenny Henry and that of Jim Davidson. And ultimately how he has weathered his childhood trauma and processed it to become the incredible man he is today.

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/let-the-light-pour-in-lemn-sissay/7427751?ean=9781805301134

Or the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Let-the-Light-Pour-In/dp/B0C6V334X4/

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#498 Pig-Tail Sex Toy- Richard is back in Northampton where the people are named after Ancient Greeks. His guest is US stand up Abigoliah Schamaun (hard to say, hard to spell). They talk about her reluctance to embrace a showbiz friendly name, the indifference of long in the tooth stand ups, how she won a Grammy at school, why nodules ended her musical theatre career, working as a yoga teacher under a discredited guru, how she possibly caused immigration laws to be tightened and being unapologetic for who you are (and if you’re really daring, confident too).

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

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RETRO RHLSTP #79 - Away or Towards? -A weary Richard films the audience as evidence of dissent for the future fascist government of the UK, before introducing a man who comes with his own magical minor ticker tape parade, David Cross. Starstruck and clearly in disbelieving awe, Rich flounders around and mainly embarrasses himself, but luckily Mr Cross is able to come up with some amazing riffed comedy about frozen vegetables, Abraham and taking cocaine near President Obama, whilst getting a bit more serious about Donald Trump, the responsibilities of fatherhood, why Richard should probably not take hard drugs, the benefits of the middle-aged sketch show and David’s part in the creation of kickstarter.

Richard hoped that he would so impress David that they would become good friends and could appear in Doctor Doolittle 3 together as method-acted monkeys, but I think it’s safe to say that that will not happen. Cross put away an impressive amount of bitter during this podcast and still remains focused and coherent, but clearly needed the toilet near the end, which turns into a battle of the obstinately pedantic 1990s underrated sketch show stars.

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Book Club #91 - Bird- Rich is in Canterbury where everyone is up in arms about the Silent Disco, but saying nothing about the Canterbury Tales. His guests are charmingly giddy husband and wife Jim and Nancy Moir. And though there is some chat about the artist formerly known as Vic Reeves’ book, they also discuss the dream job of Painting Birds with Jim and Nancy Moir, the Marmite Museum, painting in the nude, dancing for Instagram, appearing in Love Actually, being the face of Pampers, having fun in and out of the Australian jungle and the mystery of Jim’s ghostly encounter is finally solved.

Buy Birds here https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/birds-the-sunday-times-bestseller-jim-moir/7040075?ean=9781800182028

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#497 Shoe Horn- Richard is in Northampton and astonished to hear the place once burnt down (as well as the stuff that makes the papers). HIs guest is actor and character comedian Jon Pointing. They chat about not sampling the thing you’re advertising, the tricky nature of the double act (especially with your brother-in-law), the surprising depths of his BAFTA nominated performance in Big Boys, playing out of character in the new series Smothered and his early foray into gangster films. He also brings Richard gifts (it’d be nice if all the guests did that) and has some pertinent questions about the suncream armpit.

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

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RETRO RHLSTP #78 - Minstrels -Richard is worried about the psychological impact of Winnie the Pooh's skull being on display in a museum, but overcomes his fears long enough to introduce ex-philosophy student Aisling Bea. Find out what it's like making love to Enya, whether a degree still counts if you cheated all the way through your studies, how trying to impress someone by riding a horse can leave you in the shit, and some baffling Irish references that must have been doubly confusing for the man who had come from India to see the show.

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Book Club #90 - Killing Thatcher- Rich talks to journalist Rory Carroll about his fascinating account of the Brighton Bombing of 1984, Killing Thatcher. They discuss the importance of maintaining balance in the account of this true event, to truly understand motivations, how telling the story through the eyes of some of the major figures in the political situation, the terrorist attack and the police investigation brings it to life, the human and sometimes humorous details that make it resonate even more and the extraordinary plot that came within feet of wiping out the UK government. Plus the remarkable journalism required to uncover the facts and the fantastic writing that makes this a page turning thriller. This is Richard’s favourite book of 2023 and is now out in paperback - so don’t miss it.

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/killing-thatcher-the-ira-the-manhunt-and-the-long-war-on-the-crown-rory-carroll/7364190?ean=9780008476694

Or the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Killing-Thatcher-Manhunt-Long-Crown/dp/B0BN4L6XQV

Come and see RHLSTP on tour http://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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#496 Julia Sawalha’s Well- Richard has great news about his (pre-breakfast) weight (which may no longer be true by time of broadcast). And in another attempt to get some closure for his romantic past, his guest is fantastic actress and ex-partner, Julia Sawalha. They talk about the impact of Press Gang and the gruelling audition process, working with Rik Mayall and Michael Palin (not at the same time), the process by which Absolutely Fabulous developed and brilliant casting that led to its success and how Julia won Stars in Their Eyes after zero sleep thanks to a Coronation Street actress throwing chairs around. There may be some mention of the relationship, the embarrassment of watching Fist of Fun with Richard’s dad, Rich and Julia’s shared spirit guide, the extraordinary nicknames of her former partners (including Richard’s), some controversy and disagreement about how they broke up and the drunken fights and near death experiences of the Time Gentlemen Please cast. Plus an amazing ghost story and the surprising recasting of a movie sequel. This really has everything. Don’t miss it.

See RHLSTP on tour- http://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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RETRO RHLSTP #77 - How To Twerk -Richard is marvelling about a new interpretative dance based on “All You Need is Love” but soon he will be dancing himself with brilliant new comedian and writer, Sophie Willan.

They talk about how a trip to Ibiza with your techno-loving gran can ignite a love of theatre, what Rylan is like in real life, the therapeutic nature of stand up (and whether it’s healthy to work things through on stage), the intersection between madness and comedy, growing up in and out of care, thinking Richard Ashcroft is your dad and why comedy and theatre are so middle class. Plus is it always best to be in a monogamous relationship and how much is comedy like sex work? If you’ve seen Richard dancing, then not very much.

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Book Club #89 - The Stranger Times- Richard meets former stand up and now best selling novelist Caimh Mcdonnell to talk about all of his many books, but specifically the Stranger Times series. They discuss the frustrations of writing for TV, a top tip to move towards writing a novel, how a memory of a forgotten sitcom script led to the creation of this series, making Manchester the star, using a comedian as inspiration for one of the characters, selling TV rights and retaining control over your work by setting up your own company and publishing house, as well as using more traditional avenues. A fantastic success story and lots of great advice for your own writing.

Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/the-stranger-times-the-stranger-times-1-c-k-mcdonnell/6412054?ean=9780552177344

Or the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/The-Stranger-Times/dp/B08LHCJ9T5/ref=tmm_aud_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=

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#495 Speared by a Moose- Richard is still in Norwich and has more local news and celebrates the city’s most famous son. His guest is the phenomenon that is Joe Pasquale. In the chat Joe reveals more than any guest has done before, literally and physically as he recounts many tales of clumsiness and accident, including how he nearly died the perfect comedy bath (again literally), the funniest telling of a having a badly broken leg after being run over, how a flight with the Red Arrows ended in excruciating pain and an upsetting encounter with some bum grapes. Plus how Ken Dodd helped the young Pasquale become a hit, the boredom of I’m a Celebrity, an amazing story about what happens if you piss off (or piss on) Christopher Dean, how a comic real life explosion led to Joe playing Frank Spencer, a legendary episode of Doctors and connecting with his son. It’s an amazing podcast from a terrifically funny man. Don’t miss it.

See RHLSTP on tour- http://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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RETRO RHLSTP #76 -  Improvisation My Dear (Mark) Watson -Richard is reeling from forgetting about his daughter and another attack on his home (how will he ever sell it?), but excited to be welcoming the eponymous star of Improvisation My Dear Mark Watson to the stage and hoping to talk about nothing but that title for a full hour. Alas he gets distracted into discussing aversion to non-binding cheese; how thunder storms are the UK's biggest killer; advertising pear cider, and the criticisms that engendered; and Watson's love of dry stone-walling. Richard continues to try and pinpoint where having sex with a machine counts as infidelity and tries to encourage Mark to enact some of his fans' sexual fantasies. Also find out why Watson was the Rachel Dolezal of Wales.

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Book Club #88 - Glutton - In another live Book Club Richard discusses his lentil based culinary disaster before introducing regular guest and fierce podcast rival Ed Gamble to discuss his annual Glutton. Richard is perhaps not as respectful to this author as he is to his other Book Club guests, but really gets to the heart of why this book exists, how much is the right amount to drink, the size of Ed’s facial features, whether feta has too much feta in it, eating four pizzas in a day, Rich’s work with Ice T and having your own fleet of ice cream vans.

Buy Ed’s book here (for example) https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/glutton-the-multi-course-life-of-a-very-greedy-boy-ed-gamble/7546918?ean=9781787636316

Or the audiobook here - https://www.audible.co.uk/search?searchAuthor=Ed+Gamble

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#494 Quiz of the Week - Richard is at the Norwich Playhouse, but his microphone is working this time (cf RHLSTP Book Club). His guest is actor, character comedian and writer Emma Sidi. They talk about how she came up with the idea of a parody Mexican soap opera set in Woking, the thrill of getting to be a Ghost, finding your comedy gang, playing Emily Maitlis in Prince Andrew: The Musical, the inadequacies of Sale of the Century and Notting Hill, the brilliant Starstruck and what it’s like to do love scenes with your partner and the amazing and welcome changes in filming intimate scenes that have come about since Richard last got his arse out on TV, coming up with multiple characters and how a simple weird idea can often to be hilariously effective.

See RHLSTP on tour- http://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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

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RETRO RHLSTP #75 - Spaced By The Bell -At last it's the podcast that addresses the burning issue of modern Britain - which is the best Somerset based show cave complex? Cheddar Gorge (obviously) or rubbishy old Wookey Hole. It'd be a shame to have Britain's most exciting film director on the show without wasting most of the time talking about this and the obscure and sexist Roald Dahl short story - Switch Bitch. And Richard hates to disappoint. Luckily he occasionally manages to blunder into discussing Wright's canon of work, from A Fistful of Fingers through Asylum, some ideas for a new series of Spaced, right up to the amazing new film The World's End. But there's still time to talk about what it's like to be taught by both parents, desecrating the graves of your former employers and Rich's ideas to reboot Goodnight Sweetheart and We Will Rock You before Edgar has to dash off to finish off his new film. But is there time to add a shrek?

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Book Club #87 - 101 Things That Never Happened- Richard chats with Dutch historian Jo Hedwig Teeuwisse aka The Fake History Hunter about her internet quest to spot historical rubbish online and correct it and how that has led to a fabulously entertaining and pedantic book. They discuss the non-existence of the chastity belt, how Vikings didn’t have horns on their helmet, how Beethoven was not black and why medieval people are wrongly perceived as dirty animals, plus whether it’s possible to be sure that any history is true, why we should question what we see on the internet and the darker side of fake history. Plus how to become a history detective yourself and how being corrected online can lead to thanks or anger. And did Hitler only have one ball - you’ll have to read Rich’s book to find out about that.

Buy the book here (for example) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fake-History-Things-Never-Happened/dp/0753559676/

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#493 Weed Charades - Richard’s kids are unimpressed by his appearance on Top of the Pops 95 and provide a scathing critique of his work. His guest is a man with 8 mind-blowing facts about himself, Ross Noble (though an audience member called Kirsty also stars). They talk mainly about frozen things, Ben or Jerry’s funeral, Rod Hull in a freezer and being buried in an ice rink, but also some fantastic stories about appearing on the Australian Apprentice, blowing up a woman, selling cursed sand and responding to Lord Sugartits in the board room. Also some amazing news about Brian Blessed and the birth of a brand new game show, that might not entirely work in audio format (or might be much much better). 

Buy Ross' specials here - https://stream.rossnoble.com/

See RHLSTP on tour- http://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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

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RETRO RHLSTP #74 - The Football Eagle Has Landed -Richard believes he will soon be a multi-millionaire but agrees to give 1/365th of this profits to charity. His guest is comedy legend Matt Lucas. They talk about the power of honesty in comedy, even if the comedian comes out of it badly, how Matt became possibly the only person who's rung up to complain about a TV show to end up working with the stars, the combination of talent, hard work and luck that is required for success, being in a Blur video by accident, dealing with tragedy and a considered look back at Little Britain and how it should or shouldn't be judged in hindsight. And the importance of talking about issues rather than shouting over the social media divide. Also Rich reveals his gay experimentation and considers changing teams.

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Book Club #86 - The Bone Chests- Rich talks to bio-archaeologist and broadcaster Cat Jarman about her terrific book, The Bone Chests about the remains of a surprisingly number of medieval kings (and a queen) whose remains are in Winchester Cathedral. Why aren’t the people of Winchester making more of this, like the king-stealing thieves of Leicester? What happened to King Alfred and why did he choose to build a palace at Richard’s school? Why were the women of the period written out of history? What happened to the bones of those killed in major battles? Why are the things we know about kings of this period nearly all made up? Why did the early kings have such complicated names and not just call themselves something like Cnut which is easy to remember and why didn’t they think of historians who would be doing audio books and come up with monikers that would be easier to pronounce.

Buy Cat’s book here (for example) https://www.amazon.co.uk/Bone-Chests-Cat-Jarman/dp/0008447322/

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#492 Davinadroid - Richard has been frightened by a weeing Samurai and an apparently dead audience member, but he’s back for more RHLSTP, back a the LST and with a guest who is too good for this rubbish, the glorious Davina McCall. They discuss how she (eventually) beat a comedian to host God’s Gift, Street Mate on skis, how Davina is ultimately to blame for the destruction of the world, why Richard was one of the first to know about an historic moment in Big Brother, why sitcom was not for McCall, overcoming addiction to chase her dream, beating Salman Rushdie to book of the year, the best professional to be in a relationship with and a never before revealed royal secret.

See RHLSTP on tour- http://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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

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RETRO RHLSTP #73 - The Marx Brothers -Rich is back at Hull City Hall for his last RHLSTP recording of 2019 and he has had an accidental slip off the wagon. But does it count? His guest is Hull’s finest comedian and wonderful oddball, Lucy Beaumont. 

They discuss appearing on Crimewatch, being used as a crow stepping-stone, waking you to find biscuits on your head, becoming a cleaner at the place you went to University, getting drunk at the Hootenanny, collecting lost body parts in Harrods, the real size of Arnold Schwarzenegger, past life regressions, what Hullenzians put on their chips and why Hull is the best city in the world.

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Book Club #85 - Emperor of Rome- Richard has been a dad for nine years and is trying to work out if he will have any life after the kids have left home (no he won’t). His guest is comedian, actor and children’s author Rosie Jones who talks about why she wanted to write a book with a disabled person at its centre, why she wishes Tiny Tim had died, the beautiful story line where Edie finds herself and begins to understand her sexuality, plus her new book about bullying Moving On Up. They also talk about trolls, Alison Hammond, the Royal Variety Performance, her new panel show Out of Order, being King Harold’s mother, the challenges of Trip Hazard and how the Hell she manages to fit so much stuff into her life.

Buy Rosie’s books here https://www.amazon.co.uk/s?k=rosie+jones

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#491 Detached Semi - RHLSTP comes to Aldershot, the scene of one of Richard’s most dangerous ever gigs. But we’re all safely off the mean streets to welcome the incredible Lee Mack to Aldershot! They talk about keeping the Inside Number 9 secret, why the woodworking answer to the Bake Off was axed, the manufactured controversy at the NTAs, 100 episodes of Not Going Out and whether Lee is going for the Last of the Summer Wine record, why Lee did not become a darts superstar, which serial killer he’d like to play and why Richard is (presumably) worshipped as a God within the Mack household.

See RHLSTP on tour- http://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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

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RETRO RHLSTP #72 - Fish Pie Mix -Rich has exciting news that will make other puppet-sex enthusiasts very jealous, but there’s no time for even a brief wank using the hand of a 100 year old ventriloquist dummy as it’s the second coming of, if not the new Jesus, certainly the new Judas, Tim Minchin.

The pair bring out the best worst in each other again, alternating between inappropriate chat about wangs and fufus and serious topics like the rise of anti-intellectualism, the imminent destruction of the planet and what motivates anyone to betray a living God.

Also what would you do if you had the chance to destroy a space ship where a small majority of the aliens were evil? Should dirty britcom confessions be seen as a compliment? How does David Duchovny spend his spare time on set? Has anyone interviewing Tim not attempted the obvious Groundhog Day joke? And most importantly has Tim Minchin ever tried sushi? This is the one place that will tell you.

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Book Club #84 - Emperor of Rome- Another live RHLSTP Book Club coming fittingly from the oldest recorded Roman City in England, Colchester. Rich and Mary discuss whether they might be on the site of Camelot, Boudicca’s decision to level the place to the ground and what year it might have happened, plus the controversy over which month Pompeii met its fate. But mainly they talk about her fab book Emperor of Rome and her podcast Being Roman. Did the excesses and jokes of the Roman emperors really happen? Is Donald Trump like Elagabalus? How do we know that Augustus was called on to judge the case of the slave who killed someone with a chamber pot? Are we able to find out about the lives of ordinary Romans? And where is the earliest known depiction of the crucifixion and how would the person who drew it feel about it being discussed so many hundreds of years later?

Buy the book here https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/emperor-of-rome-mary-beard/6331731

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#490 Do Horses Remember? - Richard is excited about recent developments in robotics, but he doesn’t have time for stand up (or any stand up). His guest is the remarkable comedian, singer and YouTube sensation Sooz Kempner (plus some interjections from her mum). They talk about personifying a times table, being snubbed by opera singers, how to satirise the almost unsatirisable Tory MPs, why Twitter has gone down the toilet, responding to trolls and reply-guys, the wonder that is the fans of Dr Who and what it’s like stepping into that Universe (and having your head crushed by a Cyberman) and why dressage trumps the Edinburgh Fringe (and will Rich ever return?)

See RHLSTP on tour- http://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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

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RETRO RHLSTP #71 - Monopoly Penguin -Rich is on the cusp of a couple of massive life changes, but he won’t let ageing and moving get in the way of asking comedians strange questions in an attempt to make them reveal intimate truths. Today he talks to a man with inventive ideas for revenge and murder, Limmy.

They discuss being concreted into the pavement, manspreading, swearing xylophones, fake whatsapps, undescended testicles, sea lion genitals, how to save money when touring, the joy of travelling the world and seeing nothing but Columbo and dedicate a lot of time to the best tactics required to win at Monopoly.

SUPPORT THE SHOW!

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Book Club #83 - Keanu Reeves Is Not in Love With You- Richard talks to internet sensation Becky Holmes about her fantastic book about internet scammers and the people they scam. They chat about how this idea came about, the hilarious Twitter chats Becky has had with scammers, how the book delves into the world of fraud in much greater and more serious detail than you might have expected, why intelligent people can be susceptible to cons, the crazy things we all do for love, the instinct to chase losses and how the people behind the scams justify their behaviour, but the utter devastation they leave behind. It’s a really fun chat in spite of the seriousness of the subject, just like the book which I very much recommend.

Buy the book here https://www.amazon.co.uk/Keanu-Reeves-Not-Love-You/dp/1789651638

Come and see RHLSTP on tour http://richardherring.com/rhlstp

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