Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast (RHLSTP)

RHLSTP #624 - Cake of Shame - Rich is chatting to the man who has been on RHLSTP more than anyone but Rich, John Robins. They talk about acting in a sexy film with no sexy bits for you, Taskmaster (maybe we did talk about this before, even though Rich says we didn’t), bad financial advice, their Wordle based schism, comedy geniuses Ian Cognito and Phil Kay, Rich chastising his parents for buying t...

RHLSTP Ed Fringe 2019 #11 Richard Osman - The Oldest Person In Scotland - Richard has hopefully the definitive list of what people should avoid putting inside their chuffs and maybe we can leave that behind now - HIs guest will finally reveal what nationality he is - it’s TV’s Richard Osman. There is some discussion of who from Lee and Herring has had the more successful career (no spoilers) and w...

RHLSTP #623 - Crystal In Her Pocket - Rich is back at the Podcast Room talking to writer and comedian Bella Hull. They talk about her early start at stand-up, talking about the worst things in your life, getting the writing job on SNL UK and whether this job needs to be as tricky and rock n roll as the Americans make out, whether the woman behind the counter at Pret should be asking you about reli...

Ed Fringe 2011 #25 - Cock Bongo - It's the end, my friends and someone is set to win half a bottle of olive oil, some Weetabix and the monarchy of Edinburgh. And we've saved the best till last as Count Buckules is here to tell us about the times he has said inappropriate things on 6Music, how his computer cable must be placed "just so", a trip to New Zealand with a ventriloquist, what a cock...

RHLSTP #622 - Cheesy Sisyphus - Rich is at the Podcast Room talking to some proper big TV/film stars, Charly Clive and Ellen Robertson. They talk about why the Hell they are returning to the Fringe to do a sketch show, their enduring friendship and how that informs their work together, Charly’s brain tumour and why she called it Britney and why that led to them both being called Britney, clouds in...

Ed Fringe 2011 #14 - The Oxfam of Comedy - What's that unusual atmosphere in the air today? Could it be genuine reverence. Rich is joined by one of his absolute comedy heroes, Barry Cryer and is trying to be on his best behaviour. Barry's butterfly brain means he has a story about everyone and everything that gets mentioned from Nicholas Parsons to Stewart Lee and Jack Benny to Richard Pryor....

RHLSTP Book Club #191 - Middle Aged Women Get Sh*t Done - Richard is at the Podcast Room chatting to friend and comedian Lucy Porter about her fun and fascinating book, Middle Aged Women Get Shit Done. Is it just for women or should men read it too? Should it be pulped because of what it says about Scrabble? What does it mean to be a Linda? Would the NHS collapse without middle-aged women? What ab...

RHLSTP #621 - Cyberman Having a Fag - It’s another remote RHLSTP and Rich is talking to writer, artist and stand up Tom Neenan. They chat about building a Dalek in your house, Tom’s fantastic art and Rich’s less impressive pottery and why it’s good for comedians to use the other side of their brain sometimes, the Spitting Image “Is Nothing Sacred?” Video insert booklet, whether Rich personally kno...

Come Closer To The Screen We’re on the road still and at the Lowry in Salford where the lightest local headline is not really ripe for frivolity, but at least they are paying fitting tribute to their greatest painter. And it’s possible that the theatre is literally on fire, but Richard is not letting that stop him. The guest tonight is showbiz legend and punster extraordinaire, Jimmy Cricket and s...

Ed Fringe 2019 #21 - Nine Minutes - Rich has just hit the 200 average crowd he coveted and worked out just how much his landlord has made from each ticket sold and there’s an end of term atmosphere as he meets Flo and Joan and John Kearns. With Flo and Joan the talk revolves around time travelling gang bangs, Bros’ Cheddar antics, double act rivalry and memories of Tring. With John, Richard i...

Thursday 30th July 2026 - Sweet Perineum - Rich and Ally are back with more news that you won’t hear anyone else, all squished into a five minute bulletin. Today they are looking at the wildfires sweeping in the world and wondering if they could be anything to do with global warming. Plus a very disturbing report from France or maybe Spain where the fires are going on (though that’s not what is di...

RHLSTP Book Club 190 - The Umbrella Man and Other Stories - Another remote Book Club where Rich talks to author Martin Fitzgerald about his book about the JFK assassination, which looks at everything from a very different perspective by examining the witnesses and not worrying about whodunnit. Was the Umbrella Man really signalling to all the assassins that it was time to shoot (and wouldn’t that...

RHLSTP #620 - Greggs Chicken Bake - Rich is doing a few remote podcasts again due to a medical condition, so tonight we’re going to party like it’s 2020. He is chatting to character comedian and writer Rosalie Minnitt who is about to do her second hour about her Fringe breakout success Clementine. They chat about how she Peter Kayed her student play, her itinerant childhood, the genesis of her cra...

#443 Blew Peter - Richard has not drunk alcohol for 27 months, but should he go back to his drunken (and more amusing ways). As is now traditional his final guest of the series is a member of the Ellis family, it’s the brilliant Janet Ellis. They discuss day time drinking with John Thaw and Dennis Waterman, the irritatingly slow speed of K9 from Doctor Who and the embarrassing googlewhack that hap...

Deam Me Up, Scotty - Rich and Ally are back, if only briefly, for more news that the lamestream media ignores. Today some bad news for fans of dogs and Doctor Who as Richard questions the wisdom of the royals using a Tardis. And then an exciting adventure as someone steals the time machine and makes diabolical plans. Should Ally be the new Doctor? Could be! See Rich at the Ed Fringe http://richard...

RHLSTP Book Club #189 - Running Through Sand - Richard chats remotely with stand up and extreme runner Paul Tonkinson about his attempt to complete the 250km Marathon des Sable through (a little bit of) the Sahara desert. They chat about what drives someone to do such an insane thing, midlife crises, how men don’t talk enough about getting older, working with Michael McIntyre, the wisdom that come...

RHLSTP #619 - Daily Branch Whack Punishment - It’s another remote RHLSTP, with another Edinburgh bound member of the SNL UK writing team, Chris Cantrill. They chat about working with the delightful Amy Gledhill, the relentless process of writing Saturday Night Live and how it might not live up to the coke-fuelled ego-fest of the original American series, Chris’ new stand up show Rewilding, which c...

#543 House of Losers   - Richard has had a worrying dream, but what can it all mean? His guest is an alien from outer space and not a man in an impressive but ridiculous costume, the artist formerly known as Lord Buckethead, Count Binface. They discuss his reasons for travelling light years to take on sitting Prime Ministers in UK elections, some of his excellent policies involving hand...

RHLSTP Book Club #188 - The Secrets of Our DNA - Richard has a remote chat with Professor of Genetics and archaeologist Turi King about her fantastic book encompassing the many advances in our understanding of DNA, a surprising number of which overlap with Richard’s interests. Find out how Cheddar Man is not as related to Richard’s history teacher as Somerset likes to claim, how some of Richard II...

RHLSTP #618 - Two Large Fifty-Something Tiny Tims - Rich is back in salty Droitwich with last week’s guest Mitch Benn. They discuss the huge number of Edinburgh shows Mitch has done, his fandom of Tom Lehrer, Mitch is the 37th Beatle, an unexpected Dickens connection, whether satire is best done from an apolitical perspective and why fascism is ultimately doomed, not being retained by the Now Show...

#442 Hungover Mastermind - Richard is basking in the possibly short-lived approval of one of his kids and is trying to make money off the ideas of the other one. His guest is Mock the Week favourite, Rhys James. They discuss the tallest building in Swindon, the worst place in Hertfordshire, writing right wing and left wing material on the same subject, what Richard said about Rhys&n...

Monday 6th July 2026 - Old Red Eye is Back - Rich has got out of his sick bed to bring you all the news that you won’t hear on the lamestream media. Today finally Pizza Express has done an investigation to find out whether Andrew Battenberg-Cake came there in March 2001 and the results are frankly astonishing. We hear from the man himself to see where his life may go now. Tuesday 7th July 2026 - F...

RHLSTP Book Club #187 - Neurodivergent Moments - Richard chats to Joe and Abigoliah about their book of humorous essays, Neurodivergent Moments. They discuss whether neurodivergence is an advantage as a comedian, why you can hate being in crowds, but love performing in front of crowds, how comedy remains the best way to educate people without them noticing, why this book is nonetheless primar...

RHLSTP #617 - Wild-Eyed Loner at the Gates of Oblivion -  Rich is in salt-obsessed Droitwich at the second Rik Mayall festival and reads a bit of the never produced script of Man Down that he wrote for Rik (who would have done it better). His guest is Rik-fan, musician and comedian (usually at the same time) Mitch Benn. They chat about the remarkable cast of the Edinburgh show “The Bootl...

#441 Back of the Head With a Plastic Cup - Richard has been having weird dreams, but don’t try and interpret anything from them. His guest is singer, actor, presenter and legend Graham “Suggs” McPherson. They chat about how Madness might just be the defining band of the 80s, how their songs can make you travel in time, the brilliant social document of their book/documentary “Before We Was We”, the...