Daniel Cooper

Senior Editor

When I started regularly writing and performing comedy, my friend Claudia insisted that I start listening to The Comedian's Comedian with Stuart Goldsmith. It's a podcast, unsurprisingly hosted by Stuart Goldsmith, in which he interviews other comedians about comedy. And yes, I'm aware that the genre is beyond tired out, but this podcast is well worth falling in love with.

Since 2012, Goldsmith has produced 276 episodes of the show, which often run a lot longer than an hour. He has spoken with some of the most revered names in comedy but gives equal time to up-and-coming performers on the circuit. Based in the UK, there's a British skew to the show, but Goldsmith has spoken to plenty of big American names in his time.

Part of the show's conceit is that Goldsmith, as a working comic, tries to understand how his compatriots work, and why. He then says that he looks to take that knowledge and use it to improve his own stand-up material, and by extension, ours too. Not that Goldsmith isn't already an adept comic in his own right, and one that regularly tours the UK.

Unlike a lot of his podcast-host contemporaries, Goldsmith has a genuine interest in the mechanics of comedy. And since he's not a semiretired ex-superstar, he's less interested in running through old war stories and mutual back-slapping. Consequently, the show has a very practical focus, and he interrogates his guests on the nitty-gritty of how they write their material.

And, because he's up there, night after night on stage, he's a wonderfully empathetic interviewer. It enables him to tease some fantastic nuggets out of his guests as they slowly let their guard down during the show. The two marathon shows with James Acaster, the second of which was recorded shortly before the release of his four Netflix specials, are revelatory.

Similarly, one of the more recent episodes was with Chris Addison, the standup and actor who has directed Veep and The Hustle. There was plenty about how he made his transition, and the academic way he would build his stand up shows, and his regrets about those same shows.

Recently, I've begun working my way through the show from the start, and some of the tidbits Goldsmith teases from his guests are brilliant. Take Sarah Millican, who reveals that, starting out, she would have a minimum of 50 -- 50! -- gigs in her diary at a time. That wasn't paying work; those were open spots, little five-minute windows for amateurs to work on their set.

Even if you think that the Comedians Interviewing Other Comedians About Comedy format is tired, I'd suggest you give this a go. And some of the advice I've gleaned has already helped me refine my own act. Hell, it might even inspire you to grab the mic for yourself.