Richard Herring's Leicester Square Theatre Podcast (RHLSTP)

#386 Thirty-Eighth Choice - As the latest run at the Leicester Square Theatre comes to an end Richard is impressed with Adrian Chiles’ bathroom choices. His guest is comedian and actor Alan Davies. They chat about avocado bidets, being called a S****bubble by Liam Gallagher, setting off Neil Kinnock’s burglar alarm, spending a huge amount of money on a chair you might see in an estate agents,...

RHLSTP Book Club #150 - Where Did She Go? - Richard talks to returning author Cariad Lloyd about her moving and beautiful book about helping children cope with death and grief - Where Did She Go? They chat about why using euphemisms about death is not helpful to kids, why we veer away from discussing this subject with youngsters, the books we love and dread reading to out kids, whether Cariad know...

RHLSTP #578 - Ken Dodd’s Tollbooth Baguette - We’re back at the Crossed Wire Festival in Sheffield and you’ve had some time to relax and go to the toilet, but the audience haven’t. Richard is still talking (though mainly listening) to comedy legend Bernie Clifton. Finally we’re getting to Bernie’s TV career and cultural references that might be understood by anyone under 85. Re...

#385 Do Not Listen On 2x Speed - Richard is disappointed about his daughter’s Easter egg, because it’s still Easter where we are, in the past and has an ultimatum for Ian Cadbury. His guest returns after just 9 years away. It’s the extremely fast-talking whirlwind of a man, Dara Ó Briain.  Chat includes the Irish James Bond, how Stephen Hawking ruined Terminator, the likelihood of Richard spe...

RHLSTP Book Club #149 - Minute Cryptic - It’s a podcast that spans the world, with a beautiful connection to Australia and the handsome king of the nerds Angus Tiernan talking about his fabulous puzzle book (and daily internet quiz) Minute Cryptic. Richard is star struck to have the man who talks to him every morning actually answer back, but still manages to discuss the genesis of...

RHLSTP #577 - From Clogs to Biscuit Tins -  Richard is at the Crossed Wires Festival in Sheffield where his guest is the legendary Bernie Clifton, a man with so many stories that we couldn’t get them into one podcast (and to be fair we didn’t have time to get them all into two). And it’s a couple of great weeks coming up for anyone who thinks Richard talks too much. Bernie...

#384 Rolf Harris Tattoo - Alleluia Alleluia, He is Risen! It’s Easter Monday and Rich has been schooled in Christian traditions by his kids. His guest is the best Edinburgh Comedy Prize by at least one metric, Amy Gledhill. It’s an old-school, crazy fun loose chat with a comedian and it’s giddy fun all the way, encompassing what is the best crisp to send you into a coma, podcast listening speeds,...

RHLSTP #576 - Dog Sharpener - A big storm is supposed to hit Edinburgh today, but so far it’s just been a bit blowy, though maybe the storm will manage to make an appearance in the show. Richard is talking to comedian and rock star Andrew O’ Neill. Will Rich remember to use the correct non-binary terms or will he fuck up immediately? Who knows? There’s some great chat about changing attitudes to i...

RHLSTP #575 - Creepy Gandhi - It’s Richard’s second live Edinburgh podcast and he’s got some berry facts that will astound you. His guest is US comedian, actor and writer Zainab Johnson. They chat about whether her name is unique, growing up with 12 siblings, the terrible accident that changed her life, whether having one ball counts as a disability, pretending to be stupid to attract (m...

RHLSTP #574 - Forbidden Sensations - RHLSTP returns to the Edinburgh Fringe (where it really began), though Rich is already knackered before it’s started. His guest is actor, impressionist and comedian Kieran Hodgson. They chat about why appearing in a Hollywood blockbuster didn’t go as planned, how Rich gave advice to a youthful Hodgson about comedy and crisps, how lockdown made Kieran an interne...

RHLSTP #573 - Killer Butterfly - Richard is back at the Podcast Room to chat with actor comedian Ian Smith. They discuss whether Noah’s Ark actually happened, favourite Ian Smiths, Goole and what it means and its impact on quarries, competitive jigsawing, the most famous person Richard has given a foot spa to, acceptable Scrabble words and the success of the Northern News podcast and why sometimes...

RHLSTP #572 - Fecalophilia - The Edinburgh Fringe is back upon us and somehow Richard is going back, slightly unwillingly, but his family comes first and his wife is doing a show too! Yes it’s the award winning author and comedian Catie Wilkins, who Rich likes so much he married her. In this podcast recorded in Htichin before the Fringe began, the pair discuss mathematics based sexual kinks, how R...

RHLSTP Book Club #148 - For The Love of Bears - Richard is back in the Podcast Room and finally able to settle a 50 year old score with his guest, Chris Tarrant, who has written a beautiful book about bears. They talk about how Tiswas (or the lack of it) made Richard cry and how it introduced the world to Stewart Lee, why Chris wanted to write a book about bears, the horrendous violence that the c...

#383 Lebensmüde  - Richard has been freaked out about eating fish whilst being watched by fish. His guests are Freya Parker and Celeste Dring aka Lazy Susan. They chat about the torpor of playing a 12 year old, the difficulty of coming up with a name for a sketch group, why sketch comedy is so poorly served on TV, confronting your male critics head on, appearing in Jurassic World, unsett...

RHLSTP #571 - Cheddar Gorge Jimmy Saviles - Richard is back at the Bill Murray in Islington with another act heading up to the Edinburgh Fringe, the brilliant Chloe Petts. They talk about disgusting farts, hypnotic breasts and the power of football to unite strangers, so pretty much the same topics as every other podcast in the world, but with a bit more/less class (delete as applicable). Als...

RHLSTP Book Club #147 - Sceptred Isle - Richard talks to brilliant historian Helen Carr about her history of the Fourteenth Century, Sceptred Isle. They chat about being the great-granddaughter of a EH Carr (come on, you know who he is), the incredible violence of the 1300s and how that juxtaposes with notions of romance and chivalry, whether Richard II was a narcissi...

RHLSTP #570 - Spectated Spaghetti Bolognaise - As the Edinburgh Fringe approaches, Richard is at the Bill Murray comedy club in Islington to talk to one of the founders of the club and the artist formerly known as Lionel Richie, Barry Ferns. They discuss the formation of this hub of comedy creativity and Richard’s part in it (not that he remembers), which Bill Murray it’s named after and what they...

#382 Aer Lingus Babies - Richard has a bee in his bonnet about crescent toilet seats, but at least his photo has been in the Daily Express. His guest is actor, comedian and author Ardal O'Hanlon. They talk about how Father Dougal got free shoes, how much research Ardal did into the priesthood, annoying Morgan Freeman, why Ardal left the dream job of Death in Paradise, playing a cat trapped on...

RHLSTP Book Club #146 - Close Knit - Richard talks to best selling author Jenny Colgan about what it's like to make a million pounds for your first book, the incredible staying power of the term chick-lit, why she wanted to write a book about a knitting circle, how the book doesn’t have that much knitting in it, taking a flying lesson as research, but why you don’t need to worry too much about res...

RHLSTP #569 - Round the Corner… - Rich is back at the Podcast Room to talk to stand up and non-puppeteer Glenn Moore. They talk about being the originator of one of the finest poems in the English language, strained relationships to famous people, how to run the Fringe Gauntlet, is it better to have accommodation in the heart of the Fringe or down by the seaside or top and tailing with two other m...

#381 Ayahuasca - Richard has a momentous father/son experience and has been made to think about the brevity of life thanks to a charity shop window. His guest is the extraordinary Deborah Frances-White. They talk about whether Dracula was ever young, but the podcast is mainly about the major decisions Deborah had made in her personal life and the way she has chosen to deal with the traumas of...

RHLSTP Book Club #145 - Before I Go - Rich is back in St Neots, talking to John Dowie about two of his recent books, The Freewheeling John Dowie and Before I Go. Why did John sell all his records and albums and get on his bike to cycle round Europe? How did he cope with weird and rude hoteliers? How did his penis cause him to cross the continent under false pretences? Plus...

RHLSTP #568 - The Most Influential Comedian, That You’re Probably Never Seen - Richard travels to St Neots to visit a man who might claim to have invented alternative comedy (though he doesn’t) John Dowie. With comedian Dave Cohen in Dictionary Corner providing some historical detail Rich and John chat about John’s comedy influences, how he managed to do theatrical comedy on his own when no o...

#380 Hinge Cringe - Richard has visited Paddington’s house and avoided using the toothbrushes, but is more excited about one of Paddington’s neighbours. His guest is online sensation Rosie Holt. They discuss why Rosie moved from acting to comedy, how her videos went viral, whether it’s good or bad that people (both stupid and clever) fail to spot that they are a joke, why subtl...

RHLSTP Book Club #144 - You Are Here - Richard meets best selling author David Nicholls in a studio in central London to discuss his latest novel (now out in paperback) You Are Here. They chat about why David moved from acting to script-writing and why he then decided to have a go at novels, whether the success of One Day is liberating or constricting (but is mainly very nice), how the p...