Each show is a combination of scripted material and ad libs and is recorded and published on Fridays, with Mr. Zaltzman and Mr. Skinner sitting in the London studio, and Mr. Oliver joining by phone from New York.

The comedians write their jokes after briefly discussing the topics for the next program, but generally have not heard each other’s material until recording time. Spontaneous trans-Atlantic cackling is a large part of the appeal, for them and for the listener. “We try and make each other laugh while we’re recording it,” Mr. Zaltzman said.

As with most popular online productions, the show has spawned legions of loyal fans — known as Buglers — who have developed their own profane insider gags — like sending Mr. Skinner e-mail and Twitter messages telling him off — and even a Wikipedia-style site devoted to cataloging the show. (The official Web site is behind the newspaper’s paywall.)

The show follows a long tradition of British news satire from “That Was the Week That Was” in the early 1960s, to the 1990s radio show “On the Hour,” which Mr. Zaltzman said was among his inspirations.

Pairing a comedian with a newspaper to make a podcast is a newer phenomenon, beginning most notably with Ricky Gervais and The Guardian in 2005. Mr. Zaltzman also comes from a podcasting family: his sister, Helen Zaltzman, appears on another popular British comedy show, “Answer Me This!”

“What podcasting does is give acts who want to get into the mainstream media a platform to prove their talents,” said Richard Berry, a lecturer in radio at the University of Sunderland who has written about podcasting. “It can bring radio talent or writers the same opportunities that YouTube gives filmmakers.”

It was the freedom to do what they wanted that drew Mr. Zaltzman and Mr. Oliver to making the show. “There’s not been any guidance or request from the Times Online hierarchy about what we can and can’t say,” Mr. Zaltzman said.