Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast (RHLSTP)

RHLSTP #587 - That’s F***ing Bonkers -  Richard is considering changing political allegiance if it can rescue his fading career, but he doesn’t have to worry today - it’s a sell-out crowd to see tiny keyboard wunderkind David O’Doherty. They discuss getting drunk on live TV with Dua Lipa, whether David needs therapy to unpack the different in sizes between his and his...

#412 Lemony Anus - Richard knows a little bit about what Prince George is going through at school and is very excited that his new book is out! His guest is stand up, writer, presenter and actor Sara Pascoe. They talk about the ups and downs of doing improvised sitcoms and films, how long lockdown toilet rolls kept people going, balancing work with parenting, how it’s more important...

RHLSTP Book Club #158 - Saltwash - Richard talks to award-winning author Andrew Michael Hurley about his latest book, Saltwash. Is it horror or literary fiction? is it important for people writing about dark subjects to have three names? What attracted Andrew to writing about dilapidated seaside resorts - and has he ever been to Weston-super-Mare? How does h...

RHLSTP #586 - The Importance of Being Ernest - Rich likes to give young comedians a start in their career and so today he has an exciting new talent opening the show. His guest who has a tough act to follow is comedian and former flatmate Andy Parsons. They chat about the early years of their career where they worked on Weekending and briefly shared a house with some other Andrews, how P...

#411 Diplodocus - Rich is itching for a change in Prime Minister, but will he get his wish by the time of broadcast? His guests are Elis, Mike and Steff from the dizzyingly successful new podcast that the cool kids are calling TSDSB. They talk about how their podcast is about more than just sport, how sports fans have changed in the last four decades, the new series of Fantasy Football and th...

RHLSTP Book Club #157 - One Minute Away - Richard talks to comedian Mark Watson about his latest novel about delivery drivers and social inequality and mad love affairs, One Minute Away. They chat about what attracted Mark to this subject, whether he was worried about telling a story from the perspective of a Croatian food deliverer, how modern society can be compared to the life of...

RHLSTP #585 - What If They’re Chinese? - Stand 3 has been hit by protestors, but amazingly it’s not for Rich (though maybe after this show it will be) - should people be trying to get Edinburgh shows cancelled, often for very tangential reasons? Rich couldn’t possibly comment. But does anyway. His guest is the reigning Edinburgh Award Best Newcome Joe Kent-Walters aka Frankie Monroe. The...

#410 Saggy-Faced Satsuma - Richard has narrowly avoided a dinosaur based disaster, but never mind because a RHLSTP favourite is returning - the incomparable Bob Mortimer. They talk about holding dominion over the animals, whether questions are necessary in an interview, what prompted Bob to write his first novel and whether satsumas are the best small orange fruit, the adoration for Bob and P...

RHLSTP Book Club #156 - Fires Which Burned Brightly - None of your tat this week on the book podcast with the genius that is Sebastian Faulks, but test one is how will he react to Richard’s alternative title for this collection of essays that form a loose autobiography! Once we’ve over that hill, it’s plain sailing as they discuss how much the world has changed in the last few decades, the ethics...

RHLSTP #584 - Eleven Holes? - It’s approaching the end of the Fringe (for Rich at least) and his guest is, I think we can all agree, at least his equal as a ventriloquist, Nina Conti. They talk about her fantastic new independent film, Sunlight, how it’s a dark love story about a suicidal man, a woman in a monkey suit and an attempt to dig up a grave to recover a $20,000 dollar watch, but so...

#409 Di and Dodi Threesome - Recorded in the week of a tragic loss, at least there is good news for one of the podcast’s favourite personalities. Richard’s guest is the brilliant actor and writer and also his ex-girlfriend, Sally Phillips. They talk about the girl who smelled of spam and Sally’s impressive performance in the film “How To Please A Woman”, but they can’t avoid th...

Book Club #155 - Mad, Isn’t It? - Richard talks to stand up comedian Emma Doran about her fantastic and funny memoir about teenage pregnancy “Mad, Isn’t It?”. They chat about the difficulty of being on Last One Laughing, deciding to take up stand up during a maternity leave, how it’s rare to hear the story of teenage pregnancy from the perspective of someone who has actually experienced...

RHLSTP #583 - Seeing God in a Cloud -  Rich is three days into Edinburgh and is already shouting angrily at the Scotch people, but mainly because he’s had a claim to fame taken away from him. His guest is a man who has also done a whole Edinburgh show about missing parts of his genitals, Tom Rosenthal. They chat about how being a movie star makes you very conscious of how much your watch...

#408 Rat Surge - Rich is worried that his son is going to become a comedian or worse still a Messiah, but Rich is planning to buy a sex island so all is OK. His guest is superior (in both senses) comedian and possible giant Pierre Novellie. They talk about Charles Manson’s bold decision during his trial, being massaged by Dave Benson Phillips, the disturbing consequences of a South...

RHLSTP Book Club #154 - Entitled - Richard talks to Andrew Lownie about his meticulous and explosive book about Prince Andrew, Sarah Ferguson and more, Entitled. They chat about the process of getting this book to print and the surprises and revelations that are sometimes quite casually dropped in, how it’s easy to feel sorry for Andrew for his bizarre childhood where he had no boundaries, but har...

RHLSTP #582 - Talent and a Half - Rich has had some troubles in his cheap Edinburgh accommodation, but at least it’s his dad’s birthday. Why is Richard such an idiot? His guest is star (5th tier) of series 20 of Taskmaster, Ania Magliano. They talk about how she skipped school to be in a short film and her troubles with a more recent film appearance. Plus podcasting with your partner or your...

#407 Teleporno - Rich has some big questions to ask about a hymn that seemingly most people in his audience don’t remember, so maybe he won’t do an hour long comedy show about it then. His guest is internet sensation and fab stand up Eleanor Morton. They talk about Leonardo da Vinci’s hate mail, the surprise appearance of Pan in Wind in the Willows, the difficulties of getting a pir...

RHLSTP Book Club #153 - Young Once -  Richard chats with a Young One who has decided to embrace his Young Oneness, even though we may not be the young ones very long, Nigel Planer about his fantastic autobiography Young Once - A Life Less Heavy. They chat about how Neil and Nicholas Craig emerged from Nigel’s real life experiences, why the American Young Ones helped to give birth to a major p...

RHLSTP #581 - Dopamine Sex Dungeon -  It’s another studio podcast with character comedian turned stand up comedian Simon Brodkin. They talk about making the transition to being yourself on stage after hiding behind stunts and characters, joking about the royals and then appearing at the Royal Variety, when it’s the right time to do a confessional show and when you should just be doing jo...

#406 Rolf Harris’ Creepy Toes - Richard is back for a 25th series, but unfortunately pretty much nothing has happened in the news so there’s nothing for him to talk about. His guest last appeared on the show almost exactly a decade ago, it’s the comedy genius Reece Shearsmith. They chat about his excellent new film “See How They Run”  https://www.searchlightpictures.com/see-how-they-run/...

RHLSTP Book Club #152 - A Poo On A Pogo Stick - Richard is joined by a new co-host who threatens to replace him as he talks to comedian, cartoonist and jokesmith Olaf Falafel about his very enjoyable joke book, A Poo On A Pogo Stick. They discuss how the book came together, where the jokes came from, the decision to make some of them very slow burners for younger readers, how t...

RHLSTP #580 - Pea on the Cob - As if there weren’t enough people here for the Festival, Edinburgh numbers are swollen by Oasis fans, though Rich adlibs a decent joke for once, so it’s worth listening to the intro. His guest is RHLSTP favourite, Tim Key. They chat about being locked out of flats, broken cat-flaps, the year of the Herring and how much O2 paid to sponsor RHLSTP (in the...

#405 The Black Hands of Doom - It’s a bonus episode to end series 24 with the world class stand up Doug Stanhope, recorded over zoom from Dublin just an hour or so after Doug arrived on a TransAtlantic flight for his UK tour where people are about to lose their minds due to the death of our beloved monarch. They chat about authenticity in comedy, the self-destructive natur...

RHLSTP Book Club #151 - You’ll Like It When You Get There - Rich is talking to comedian Rhys James about his surprisingly deep and thought-provoking book “You’ll Like It When You Get There.” They discuss how being pantsed at school has haunted Rhys’ life, why pdfs might not be the best format for books, how comedians often become comedians to control their embarrassment, h...

RHLSTP #579 - Record Breaking Glockenspiel - Richard has come to Chesham in Buckinghamshire for a special live RHLSTP and is bedazzled by news about the local fire brigade. His guest is the fabulous stand-up Esther Manito. They talk about lockdown parenting, the craziness of taking up stand-up so shortly after the birth of her second baby, how Esther owes her existence to a blasphemous j...