The Divine Comedians Podcast

In this episode, I chat with actor, writer and stand-up comedian, Barry Castagnola. Barry talks about his early years as a child magician, performing shows for his family and then doing GCSE Drama, moving onto acting and being influenced by the comedy of the Young Ones. He chats about being part of the amazing, 'Cyderdelic' with Marc Wootton, playing the Edinburgh Festival and also how he handles...

In this episode I chat with stand-up comedian and actor, Alan Francis. We chat about his early years and his journey through acting, working in a garden centre and into stand-up.. We talk about the Edinburgh Fringe and winning the 1991 Channel 4 'So You Think You're Funny'. Alan tells stories of some of the incredible shows he's worked on, including 'Psychoville' with Reece Shearsmith & Steve...

In this episode I chat with stand-up and photographer, Steve Best. We chat about his beginnings and journey, through magic and comedy, to becoming a renowned photographer of his fellow comedians. We chat about his processes, finding his style and the understanding of how to frame an image. We also chat about his love of music and how if things had been different, he'd be teaching Flamenco guitar i...

In this episode I chat with the late Roy Hudd's wife, Debbie about their life together and Roy's extensive career. She tells the story of how when working as a dancer, she met the enigmatic Roy and how their romance blossomed over time. Debbie tells stories of Roy's incredible life, including him receiving an OBE for 'Services to Entertainment' from HM The Queen and their many trips to one of thei...

In this episode I chat with comedian, musician, songwriter and composer, Richard Morton. Rich talks about his early life, moving from the bright lights of Singapore to the bright lights of Newcastle and finding his feet in the comedy world.. He won the coveted Time Out Comedy Award in 1992 and was also one half of the Panic Brothers, with singer/songwriter  Reg Meuross . He's supported the li...

In this episode I chat with actor, performer, writer, teacher and director, Ben Keaton. Ben chats about his origins, growing up in Dublin in the 50s and his hugely varied career. Very driven from an early age, he became the first solo winner of the Perrier Award at the Edinburgh Festival in 1986 and that opened many doors, one of which led to him being cast as Father Austin Purcell in the episode,...

In this episode I chat with producer, director, writer, creator and BAFTA winner, John Lloyd CBE. John chats about his beginnings in Kent in the 50s and what it was like being in a family that moved around a lot. He talks of going to Trinity College, Cambridge to become a lawyer and then being introduced to the Footlights Review, where his life soon changed.. We discuss the many projects he's work...

In this episode I chat with novelist, writer, director and comedy producer, Lissa Evans. We chat about Lissa's work as the Producer on Series 2 & 3 of 'one of the greatest tv sitcoms of all time', Father Ted. She talks about her journey from studying medicine at Newcastle Uni to becoming an Emmy & Bafta winning TV Producer. She tells stories of the recordings of the episodes, both on locat...

In this episode I chat with writer, performer and stand-up comedian, Eleanor Tiernan. We chat about her journey into comedy via a short daliance in engineering and her move to London from darkest Athlone, to pursue new adventures. She tells stories of performing at the Edinburgh Festival and also how she's learnt a lot from a cousin that's also in the comedy game.. Eleanor Tiernan (@eleanortiernan...

In this episode I chat with 'Go Faster Stripe's main man, Chris Evans (Not that one). We chat about his early life and the journey that lead to him creating the independent film production and distribution company that he is now best known for. We hear about his work with incredible comedians such as Richard Herring, Stewart Lee, Wil Hodgson, Mark Thomas, Nick Helm and Simon Munnery to name b...

In this episode I chat with actor, performer and improv superstar, Mr Steve Steen! We chat about his early life growing up in London, his first forays into theatre and decades long friendship/ journey with comedy partner, Jim Sweeney. He tells stories from his long and varied career, including a memorable appearance in Eastenders as alcoholic childrens entertainer, Magic Marv, which nearly broke t...

In this episode I chat with actor, writer and one of Ireland's most sought after stand-ups, it's Johnny Candon! Johnny chats about his beginnings on the comedy circuit and brief dalliances as an actor. He tells stories of his life on the road and we also hear about his lovely friendship with comedian/filum star, Dave Johns. We also hear about the ups and downs of the Edinburgh Festival, his love o...

In this episode I chat with actress, writer, comedian and future author, Brenda Gilhooly. Brenda chats about her beginnings as an actress, her journey onto the comedy circuit and creating her character, 'Page 3 Stunnah, Gayle Tuesday'. She talks about the many friends she met and worked with in the early days, including Harry Hill, Mark Trevorrow (Bob Downe) and the much missed Paul O'Grady, back...

In this episode I chat with actor, writer, voice artist and impressionist, Steve Nallon. Possibly best known for being the voice of Margaret Thatcher (and many others!) on cult TV series, Spitting Image, we chat about his long and varied career, beginning in the Working Mens Clubs in the 70s and we also hear many stories, including working with legends such as Barry Humphries, Rik Mayall and...

In this episode I chat with producer and Commissioning Editor for Entertainment at Channel 4 between 1984-1997, Seamus Cassidy! In this lengthy conversation we discuss his journey up through the ranks at Channel 4 and about the many projects he worked on during his time there, including his commissioning of a little TV show called 'Father Ted'. We chat about a wide variety of subjects and he also...

In this episode I chat with award winning author, journalist, critic and screenwriter, David Quantick. David chats about his writing processes, mostly regarding the comedy writing aspect of what he does. He talks about his life working freelance and also about some of the incredible shows he's worked on, including 'Brass Eye', 'Smack The Pony', 'The Thick Of It' and of course 'Veep'. His early wor...

In this episode I chat with actor, performer, writer and stand-up comedian, John Colleary. One of the hardest working and respected comics on the Irish comedy scene, we chatted about John's journey into stand-up comedy and his various roles and projects. He also talks about the learning experience of touring with Tommy Tiernan and also about how he is still learning as a writer and performer. We t...

In this episode I chat with actor, writer, performer and stand-up, Phil Walker. He chats about his childhood and what it was like growing up with a famous dad. He also chats about his journey into comedy and amongst many other things, getting a masterclass in Panto from a Comedy Legend. https://twitter.com/Philwalkercomic https://www.phil-walker.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more...

In this episode I chat with actor, singer and Improv legend, Mike McShane. We chat about Mike's early childhood years, his discovery of theatre and he also tells us some incredible stories from his lengthy and varied career including his time on the now legendary, 'Whose Line Is It Anyway?'. We also chat about his love of music and various performances on stage and screen over the years. You can f...

In this episode I chat with musician, performer, stand-up and author, Mitch Benn. Mitch talks about his beginnings and journey into comedy and his work on a variety of radio programmes. Amongst many other things he talks about the benefits and use of both Bandcamp and Patreon as a performer and also the ups and downs of performing at the Edinburgh Fringe. He also speaks of the wide variety of musi...

In this episode I chat with actor, voice-over artist and impressionist, Lewis Macleod. We chat about Lewis's beginnings in Glasgow and his journey into the voice-over world. He speaks about his processes and also about how he 'finds' voices. Easily one of the best voice actors working in the UK at the moment, you will have heard him in the likes of 'Dead Ringers', the Star Wars & Harry Potter...

In this episode I chat with actor, writer, producer & one sixth of the amazing Absolutely group, Jack Docherty. We chat about his initial journey into comedy and also memories of the early days of the 'Absolutely' series on Channel 4. Jack talks about his processes with writing characters and also about various projects he's worked on over his lengthy career. We also chat about the music he's...

In this episode I chat with writer, actor, comedian and coach, Neil Mullarkey. We chat about Neil's beginnings on the comedy scene, including his incredible partnership with some guy called Mike Myers. We chat about his processes and he also manages to convince me to have a go at improv! Neil talks about the journey he took in writing his new book, 'In The Moment' and also the many connections he'...

So very fitting that this is the 40th episode of this podcast and I feel honoured to have been asked to chair this celebration of the Absolutely reunion. For this episode, we are celebrating the 10th anniversary of the legendary cast reuniting, for what at the time was intended to be a one-off special in the BBC Radio 4 Sketchorama series (a product of The Comedy Unit) back in 2013 at the Oran Mor...

On this episode I chat with writer, podcaster and stand-up comedian, Michael Legge. We chat about Michael's journey into comedy, being confused for Simon Pegg, thoughts on the state of the comedy scene at the moment and we also chat about the music and bands he's loved throughout his life. You can find Michael on Twitter here; @michaellegge Music ; 'Who Do You Think I Think You Are' - Mini Vandals...