Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast (RHLSTP)

#310 Break Them Down, Build Them Up - Richard has had his mind blown by a Christmas surprise and his theatrical 3-year-old has been unexpectedly philosophical. His guest has had a bad 2021 and a bad day, it’s brilliant Catherine Bohart.  They discuss the loves that survived and didn’t survive 2020, why priests can’t marry and if that’s a good idea, being the Frankincense King, boiler maintena...

#309 Eighty-Nine Pence BLT - Recording just before Christmas on Plague Island, Richard wonders what kind of UK listeners will be living in when this is broadcast (in a fortnight), but his guest is legendary actor, author, comedian and expired food eating hobbyist Alexei Sayle.  They discuss finding a goose with Keith Allen, having one of the top ten comedy shows of 2020 (but how many were the...

#308 Calamari - Richard has been admonished by his daughter, but is also fascinated by an old penis-based crime. His guest is comedian Lou Conran. They discuss an amazing case of mistaken identity, their various Press Gang crushes, what it’s like to warm up the audience on Countdown, a disappointing appearance on First Dates, discovering Santa emptying his sack and more ghost stories. Also a spook...

#307 Short Torso, Long Bum - Richard is planning to rewrite a Christmas classic and reflecting on the worst memorial to a human being that he’s ever seen. His guest is the formerly sexy Welshman, Rhod Gilbert. They discuss if their separate virginity losses actuality count, being sick 8 times in 3 sickbags, socially crippling shyness, sharing a cab in 2000, whether you can give the kiss of life to...

#306 Pooland (not Poland) - Rich is stinging from the snub from Sports Personality of the Year, but at least his acting career is going from weakness to slightly less weakness and his moustache is looking great. His guest is the rabbit-murderer Marek Larwood, inventor of Volfsball and Pooman and semi-professional Guess Who? Player. The pair chat about life on the Isle of Wight, defective pill cutt...

#305 Walt Disney Head - Richard has seen a ghost (but it’s of someone who isn’t dead) and is worried about one of the victims of the Pompeii earthquake. His guest is internet sensation Alistair Green.  They discuss confusing Serena Williams by running around, the confidence of going on Question Time with a half-thought out idea, the genesis of the character videos that have led to Alistair’s...

#304 Annoying the Cosmos - Richard is recording on International Men’s Day Eve and he’s excited about what the next day will bring. But don’t worry he’s got lots of porridge so he’s ready for Brexit. His guest is actor and writer Kiell Smith-Bynoe. They chat about eating oysters on a boat with Noel Edmonds, the remarkable chemistry of the couple he’s a part of in Ghosts, being a teenage YouTube se...

#303 Rod Stewart’s Fridge - Richard is on TV so much now that it’s actually not funny any more, but his son has come up with an improvement to Star Wars, so that’s something. His guest is comedy scriptwriter and erstwhile drummer Arthur Mathews. They talk about trying to shake off the guilt of a religious upbringing, Dominic Cummings diary, staying in Griff Rhys Jones house, failing to impress Jon...

#302 Which One’s Melania? - It’s November 4th and the world hangs in the balance as they wait to discover if a winner will be declared right away in Taskmaster series 10. Rich is very keen for it to go to court after the upside down fiasco. His guest is comedy genius Nell Scovell.  You may not know her name but you will have laughed at her stuff. They chat about playing ping pong with Garry S...

#301 Forsaken - It’s the first show of series 20 (how does this keep getting commissioned?) and Rich is giving a moving tribute to a wrongly disgraced broadcaster and glad to see what’s making the BBC news headlines. His guest is the reigning Taskmaster champion Ed Gamble. They discuss who is doing the most podcasts, the problem with banofee pie, naughty puppets, why heavy metal is childish,...

#300 Socially Distanced - It’s a momentous occasion, not only the 300th numbered RHLSTP, but the first one since March in front of an audience. We’re at the prestigious Bill Murray pub in North London. Richard sits stage right for the first time (except when he interviewed himself for a kickstarter extra) and is being interrogated by John Robins behind a perspex screen. But is it to save the audie...

#299 Everything Entropies - We’re just one show from the magic number 300 (if you ignore all the Edinburgh shows and other specials) and Rich is angry that he hasn’t got an MBE and that his cupboard is still giving him problems. His guest is a work of art depicting the young Father Christmas, John Kearns. They discuss the problem of student stand up existing forever online, the mind games of Eamon...

#298 Snail Face - Richard has been causing a Twitter sensation with the ballad of his blocked cupboard, but the real question is how many graters does one man need? His guest only has one and her name is Stevie Martin.  They chat about the joy of a well timed silly face, the less joy of having to watch your TV pilots vanish into the ether, witchcraft and finding out your allergies via electri...

#297 Polystyrene Vs Worms - Richard has found himself disappointed by the action of Han Solo, but never mind, he’s back on telly (Taskmaster starts on October 15th, 9pm on Channel 4) and so he won’t have to do stupid podcasts where he talks to dead wasps anymore. But for now, here he is talking to the charming and patient and wise Michael Ian Black.  They discuss why you’d give up being a Mut...

Retro AIOTM #28 - We have come to the end of the road. It’s the final Retro AIOTM. It got us through the whole of lockdown and ends just as the second one starts going. Ah it was fun, wasn’t it? We did do another batch a few years later, but check out the AIOTM feed and YouTube for those. Nothing capture the magic of a live cumpkining. As It Occurs To Me: Series 3, Episode 6: It's the end my frien...

#296 Groovy Gang - Richard has been to Legoland and seen a sight that sums up the compromise of parenthood. His guest is the legendary Michael Fenton Stevens. They discuss the rock star life that even parody pop stars enjoy, how taking a punt on a chicken paid off, Nicholas Lyndhurst’s property portfolio, which sitcom star MFS took a dislike to, filming by an airport, appearing on Tiswas and seein...

Retro AIOTM #27 - Only one more Retro AIOTM to go after this. Weirdly Lily Allen had just got married back in June 2011 and she’s just got married again! There’s a memorable punishment for Rich’s moral maze in this one. Feels like only yesterday. Still picking flour out my anal crevice. Support our kickstarter at http://rhlstp.co.uk/kickstarter. All profits to live comedy. As It Occurs To Me: Seri...

#295 Snucker - Richard has this week performed live on stage for the first time since March, but a certain papier-mâché drunkard stole the show. But never mind, Richard is delighted to chat to journalist and pro poker player Maria Konnikova. They discuss her rise from someone who didn’t know how many cards were in a pack to a poker champion in the space of months, whether luck or skill r...

Don’t Look At Me! - Rich has failed to secure a human guest for RHLSTP and so instead decides to get drunk and talk to some Victorian dolls. It’s a very special kind of second lockdown madness, so approach with caution. Find out all about Edinburgh 1987 and the unnamable person who carried out a dummy-based infraction on Herring, plus the sketch that launched the Ally and Herring double act....

#294 Uterus - Richard is coming to you from an exciting new location in time and space and is worried about the lack of jumping 18 year olds. His guest is ex model, investment banker and stutterer Sindhu Vee. They discuss coming to stand up later in life, doing stand up about your kids, tough parenting, soft-boiled eggs, whether it’s possible to be a good rat, conveyor belts by the...

Retro AIOTM #26 - Back to June 2011 for another Retro AIOTM to try and distract you from the inevitability of lockdown 2. As it spirals towards the mountain that will put it out of its misery, Rich gets to think about this position in the comedy firmament after attending a Jerry Seinfeld gig (one of his last ever nights out with Andrew Collings). We’re trying to raise some money for live comedy ve...

#293 Postman Potter - Rich is back from his holiday and now able to control gulls and make them his lifelong allies and he’s also had an amazing gift from a fan of the show. His guest has a lot to say about moisturiser - it’s Sophie Duker. They discuss dry knees and crusty feet, being sent nudes on social media, a novel use for cucumbers, how a gardener made Sophie cry, writing for puppets, t...

Retro AIOTM #25 - It’s May 30th 2011 and AIOTM’s silver jubilee 25th ep. To think that Canadian baby of unknown gender is now 9 and the world has caught up a bit with its parents gender concerns. It’s a long, long ep. Hope you enjoy it. If you do, why not become a monthly badger at http://twitch.tv/rkherring or preorder Richard’s new book, The Problem With Men from wherever you preorder your books...

#292 Twitch Chaplin - Rich is being driven mad by a children’s song, but at least he’s about to finally get back on the telly, so he can leave you losers behind. But he’s mistimed it all as TV is about to be usurped by the internet as this week’s guest Bilal Zafar is on the cusp of proving. They talk about being an arsehole in someone else’s dreams, working as an extra, Percy the Shepherd, the fam...

Retro AIOTM #24 - Back to May 23rd 2011, when the worst thing Richard Herring had to worry about was navigating piss covered toilets. If we could turn back time, we wouldn’t mind being back in those cosier days. Hope you’re enjoying these retro AIOTMs and remember, you are finally providing the cast (not Rich) with a wage by listening. So thanks. As It Occurs To Me: Series 3, Episode 2: Somehow we...