The Comedian's Comedian Podcast - Lucy Pearman

Episode Date: September 26, 2025

Lucy Pearman is one of the most inventive and original comedians in the UK, her shows are gloriously surreal, full of clowning, characters, props, audience interaction and ideas that feel like they’ve tumbled straight out of a wonderfully strange imagination.Her one-off BBC Three original comedy, Please Help, was nominated for a BAFTA, and she won the Malcolm Hardee Award for Comic Originality.We discuss exploring the vulnerability beneath the absurd, Lucy’s process of discovering characters onstage, how embracing strangeness is an act of connection, the reality of making art in our current economy, how the death of director Adam Brace impacted her creative process, the challenges of bringing clowning to a wider audience and is Lucy Pearman happy…I need YOUR HELP for Episode 500! Complete the ComComPod survey 👉 stuartgoldsmith.com/surveyJoin the Insiders Club at patreon.com/comcompod where you can WATCH the full episode and get access to over 10 minutes of exclusive extras inc why Lucy used to lie about wanting a career on stage, the chaotic pantomime mishap that sparked her desire to pursue comedy and the struggle of being an outsider at drama school.Support the Podcast from only £3/month at Patreon.com/ComComPod✅ Exclusive access to full video and ad-free audio episodes✅ Over 10 minutes of exclusive extra content with Lucy✅ Early access to new episodes (where possible!)✅ Exclusive membership offerings including a monthly “Stu&A”PLUS you’ll get access to the full back catalogue of extras you can find nowhere else!Catch Up with Lucy:Lucy Pearman: Lunartic is at the Soho Theatre from Monday 29th September through to Saturday 4th October!You can find all the dates and more at LucyPearman.com.Everything I'm up to:There’s THREE opportunities to see me live over the next few weeks… Find out all the info at stuartgoldsmith.com/comedy.27th September - The Comedy Box, Bristol 29th September - Hippodrome, Bristol (SOLD OUT)4th October - Aberystwyth Comedy FestivalDiscover my comedy about the climate crisis, for everyone from activists to CEOs, at stuartgoldsmith.com/climate.See Stuart live on tour - www.stuartgoldsmith.com/comedy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Stu here. Episode 500 is somehow fast approaching. It's already in the cat. I can't wait for you to hear it. I need your feedback. I want to gather some data on your favourite episodes, your best moments, see if there's any fun anecdotes I can uncover along the way. Something must have happened in your life in nearly 500 episodes of podcasting. And as a thanks for taking part, myself and producer Callum, will be gifting an Insider's Insider 12-month membership on Patreon to one lucky respondent. You can pay this forward if you're already one. The survey's super short, all the questions are skippable, and this would mean a lot if you could just take five minutes out of your day to go and fill the thing in. Head to Stuartgoldsmith.com slash survey, or the link is in the show notes. There's going to be a very short break in September before we approach that milestone, but lots of exciting stuff in the works.

Hello and welcome to the show. I'm Stuart Goldsmith, and today I am speaking with Lucy Pierman, whose show Lunatic absolutely knocked me to bits at the end of the festival, just gone. This was probably, along with Josie Loggs show, I think the number one thing I would stop and excitedly tell people about in the street. I just loved every minute of it. I am, I must admit, recording this directly into my laptop in a hotel in between gigs. building side outside. I don't feel this represents the usual quality of the show. So if you're a big clown person or Lucy Pierman fan, perhaps you would forgive me that and check out further episodes of the show for better audio. That is, I stress only an issue with these blurbs. The recording of the

show itself is fine. And we're going to hear from Lucy. She is just so inventive and original. She beautifully marries together really lovely, silly, imaginative ideas and her performance is brilliant, and as we will find out, she regards herself as, I don't know if she regards herself as an actor, but certainly from an acting background. And there is some really lovely stuff here about letting the characters speak and what she says to the costumes in her car on the way to a gig. Her shows are gloriously surreal, full of clowning characters, props, audience interaction, and just idea after idea after idea. You're going to absolutely love this. Her BBC show, Please Help, was nominated for a BAFTA, and she also won the Malcolm Hardy Award for

comic originality. Well, oi-oy to that. And importantly, her show Lunatic, the one that I'm enthusing about so much and that we talk about in detail in this episode, is at the Soho theatre from Monday the 29th of September through to Saturday the 4th of October. And that is incredibly soon, unless you've missed it, in which case, it's quite a long way until time goes round again. But if you are listening now and are in or near London, I cannot recommend this show enough. I'm not sure if she's going to tour it afterwards. So this may be your only chance. get yourself to the Soho Theatre, find all the dates and more at lucy pierman.com. In the first half of this episode, we will discuss exploring the vulnerability beneath the

absurd. We'll look at Lucy's process of discovering characters on stage first and then writing them later, and how embracing strangeness is an act of connection and not alienation. Now, you can join the Insiders Club if you wish on Patreon from £3 a month, where you will get access to the full video and add free audio episodes. So if you're an insider, you don't need to listen to any adverts anymore of any kind. And you can also watch all of the episodes, which I think in the last, I'm thinking something like the last 100 episodes are on video. There's a sprinkling of others as well, but you get to watch them. And you also get exclusive extras with Lucy. We've got 10 and 15 minutes of extras

with Lucy on her acting background. And we will also bring you exclusive membership offerings, including a monthly stew-in-A, which I'm probably overdue to record for this month, and you'll be the first to hear guest announcements, including episode 500, which is fast approaching already in the can and very exciting. Indeed, you can find out more about that at patreon.com slash com-com pod. Here is brilliant Lucy Pierman. So nice to see you. You are one of those people that I feel like, and we'll talk about your

in a minute, but looking at you makes me smile. I feel like you have this. You're one of those people who just like, just sunshine just comes, streams out of you. And every time I look at you, I want to smile or laugh, which must be useful in your job as a clown. I guess. I mean, no one's ever said that to me before, but that's lovely. I'm so pleased. We first met. I'll get on to when we first met, because it's quite funny. But before we do that, your show at Edinburgh this year was my absolute favorite thing I saw. I saw loads and loads of shows and for simple unalloyed joy where I was just bent double, crying and laughing and feeling wonderful about the world. I couldn't put another show next to it. I thought it was a masterpiece.

Thank you so much. I just loved everything about it. I can't wait to talk to you about all of it and me where it came from, the origins of it and the decisions and all the rest of it. The thing I will say first and foremost, in case people are in a hurry and they only have time to listen to the first five minutes of this episode, you're doing that show at Soho Theatre, like right now this week. We're recording on Tuesday, the 23rd of September. And you open on when on like Wednesday, Thursday, something like that? 29th. So Monday, Monday 29th until the 4th of October. Monday next week. Excellent. How are you feeling about the Soho run? Is that, are you excited? How will it be different to Edinburgh? How are you feeling? I am excited. And I'm going to

I'm going to make some changes. I'm going to try and, like, jazz it up a bit. I've hired a really big spoon. Because there is a spoon, but you've got a much bigger spoon. You've hired, is it possible to hire a big spoon? I think you can hire anything if you put your mind to it. It's four foot tall. Oh, my God.

Was it made for, like, a different show? Is it like from a theatrical prop agency or something? It can't be a real spoon. Yeah, it's a spoon. It belongs to a giant. and he very kindly he's going to go without a spoon for a week no no no I don't yeah I guess it is a pop-hire place it's like a um to be honest with you I think it's a similar spoon to the one they hired him for me when I did Harry Hill when I was an egg for the egg and spoon that's where

I got the idea recently yes yeah yeah got because I thought I just was one of those things that I didn't get around to I didn't have time to do before Edinburgh but you know for the West End transfer, I've got to get a big spoon. Got to get a big spoon. And I, like, we should explain for the listener or viewer who may not be familiar with your work, why you would need a big spoon. The way that I described your show, Lunatic to everyone when I stopped them in the street and insisted that they go and see it this year, the way I described it was I said,

she comes on as the moon. And unless you, I don't think any of this is secret, isn't it? No, no. You come on dressed as the moon, which you're, you're on dressed as the moon, which you're Your costume is like a big circular thing that a photographer would use to reflect light, big shiny silver thing with the face and armholes cut out. You've got silver arms, silver sleeves coming out. And you get help clambering on.

There's a big intro bit, which I don't give away to people. But I don't say like I don't regularly. I've recommended so many people I love it. They help you get up on stage. And then what I remember being your opening line is you go a bit about me. I control the tides. And I just, so that's how I would describe it to people. So it is basically an hour of comedy from the perspective of you being the moon

and we see what the moon's life is like and what her personality is like and what she wants and what she's scared of and what she loves and all those things. Yeah. Is that how you describe it to people? I think so, yeah. That was much more articulate and better, better, well, how you did it. I don't really know how to describe it, but I always sort of resort to what my mum would say.

When I started out, she'd describe it to people. Well, it's because she said one day, oh, it's a bit like sort of harmless nonsense, really, isn't it? So I would say that. Okay. But obviously, I would like to think there's a bit more to it, you know, and yeah, it's, it's, What is it? Yeah, it's the perspective of the moon.

I spent a long time looking at the moon, like coming back from gigs and stuff. And I just sort of started to humanize her, basically, and imagine, like I humanized an egg or some grapes, just like, I wonder what's the inner life. I just had fun imagining her perspective and like her relationship with the sun, for example, and all that stuff. It really, it's harmless nonsense. is funny because of course it's that, but there is loads more to it than that. And I'm just trying to think, like, if I had to explain to someone, what is there that's more to it than that? Like, one of the things that it elevates it, there's nothing wrong with harmless nonsense,

but one of the things in which it is more than harmless nonsense, is that it has an incredible humanity, and I find myself, and we all, I mean, fastest standing ovation ever at Edinburgh show, we all loved you. We loved the moon. You kind of, you made the moon such a beautifully rounded character with such depth that I kind of, I want, I just want to make clear to people listening that it's not just putting on a silly costume and being weird. It's not just harmless nonsense. I really felt like I sort of was bewitched by this, like there's, like we love the moon, the character of the moon and we love you because we know that it's silly and it's just you being the moon. and we love the decisions you've made

and it's like you just keep opening beautiful gift after beautiful gift of a funny idea you've had and thought about and seen through. You're going to make me cry. Oh, mate, I just loved it so much. It's like there's this and then there's this and then there's this and we just sat there just creased up to the extent that what did you say

there's a moment when there's a moment when you have a phone call with the sun and you turn your back to the audience And then you turn back to us and said, this is an ideal time to leave if you hate it. And I'm sorry to give away a punchline. It's the thing you kind of return to. But it was so true and it was so kind of suffused with. I think all of us were there with you going, oh yes, some people must hate this.

And that's so we love it more. Like that idea presumably has come from you hearing footsteps behind you leaving at that point. I would guess maybe, you know. Oh, I've heard footsteps. Don't worry about me. I've seen them. I did an interview recently where I was, to promote the show, I was talking about, you know, gigs that,

I think it was Chortle, gigs that, I don't know if it's changed my life or, like, taught me the most, I think it was. And I did a preview in 2019. And basically the, they, it was Paul Sinner that was doing his whole show. for whatever reason, he couldn't come. And they replaced him with me. Do you get a lot of work from Paul having to cancel? It's a regular problem.

Paul can't make it so they get me in. But obviously for that show, I was in a suitcase. I started inside a suitcase, and then it was about taking different layers off. Long story short, the entire audience left. They thought they were coming to see Paul Sinner. It was sold out. It was a massive room.

and they just walked out two by two, one by one. Two or three people did stay, but I'll never forget it. Because I just thought, I can't stop. I have to get to the end. And there are people still here. So I'm just going to do it for them. Good for you. I feel like standing up and saluting.

You know, I suppose one of my questions, one of the things I want to explore is the tenacity required to be so silly, not just the tenacity and the kind of resilience of being able to keep going when people fundamentally don't get it. Like, partly, I was watching you going, God, I wish I could have taken these risks and been this interesting and been this kind of delightful rather than, as I think, and I've got to be careful. I often, I'm too self-deprecating on the podcast, and everyone that listens must think, God, he must be shit at comedy. I'm really good at stand-up comedy. But I think in the life of any stand-up, there are ways in which we're all brave and

ways in which we're all not so brave. And we might be brave in a kind of like, you know, like an extreme example, like a kind of telling, speaking truth to power kind of thing. But even that is sort of, how brave is it to talk to people in a language they understand with the sorts of jokes they're going to expect. Whereas in order for you to pursue your art, you have to, you must have to deal with the fact that you've committed, like you said, I've started this and I have to finish. So talk to me about that. I don't really know what the question is, but like, it's a harder route you've chosen to do your thing. Is it? Well, I mean, I don't tend to make life easy for myself as a rule for sure um is it a harder route i don't think it is no i think it's

just unfortunately who i am i was it's just what i wanted to make and it's what i had in my heart i suppose so in order to be authentic to that people will leave and that's you have to sort of swallow that pill quite early on. But I guess I just know how I have felt when I've seen things that make me feel less alone in my brain really. You know, if you go and see something and you're like, my God, I'm not the only one. So if I'm nervous, I think, well, maybe there might be someone in the audience that they might go, oh yeah, I've thought about that before, thought about, you know, I could dress up

as a window or I don't know and I'm sort of trying to empower myself by saying it's okay you can just do this if you want yes that's beautifully articulated because I think it speaks to a sort of

a vulnerability of like feeling did you say feeling alone in my head? Yeah or just how you see the world or like the things you want to make I went to a Dali exhibition at the weekend And that's an example of going, ah, I'm not the only one, you know, they've gone before and now come again, these people that don't feel normal.

So I think it's that. But also, like, I trained as an actress, so I did a lot of character work. And I kind of like the idea of breathing life into a character and telling their story and just going, you want to go on stage for a bit, there's one, and bring them to life, you know what I mean? And that's a golié thing, because I remember the way he used to talk about Hamlet. He would say, Hamlet lives in the book, in the play, and he's on the shelf, and you go over, the actor goes to the book, takes the book out, says to Hamlet, do you want to have a go? Do you want to go?

Should we do this? I'll give you life. And then when the play's finished, as soon as he bows, it's done. you put the character back, you don't take them to the pub because then you become a wanker. We've all seen them. I mean, that's a good point in terms of, yes, it's a character. It's your clown that inhabits that character. But I think with stand-ups, you might see people embodying their character, taking their character to the pub.

Like, I'm not even talking about actors so much as people who are like, sort of, I suppose, like, high on their own supply. You convince the audience that you are a certain facet of your personality, that that is the whole you. And then they flatter you and applaud you for that. And then you think, oh, this is the real me. And I suppose that's not so much of a danger when you're dressed as the moon. Yeah, because you take it off and then you go, we'll have another go tomorrow. I'll get you back and we'll see how we go tomorrow. There's a way of putting it to bed, so to speak, I guess.

Yes. Do you, so this feeling of being alone in your head, is that something, or the feeling of wanting other people not to feel alone in their heads? Is that something which troubled you before you became a performer? Like how much, because you seem like, I tell you what you, you could pass for normal. Do you what I mean? Do you see what I mean? You could absolutely not do this and get away with being a real person. I imagine. From the outside, purely in terms of appearances or vibe or whatever, there are some comics we can imagine who were like, well, thank God comedy exists, because otherwise, what would you do? Where would you be? And you don't feel externally, in terms of appearances and vibe, you don't feel like one of them. Are you secretly one of them, do you think? Well, I went to drama school, so I've got quite a good training. But I don't, am I one of them? I think when it comes Let me try and articulate this

I think when it comes to comedy and the shows I've got a very short attention span and I love shiny things or visual things so I think I found myself bored quite a lot watching stuff

so I wanted to make something that I'd sort of want to watch which is visually stimulating, interactive like keeps something that would keep my brain like and that's a that's a childlike thing I think I remember shows coming to school primary school and being like my senses like overwhelmed by visual music you know pantomimes where they get your dad on stage it's so exciting because it's like he's famous so I think it was that that kind of stimulated me when I

when I started to make my own comedy but in terms of the brain stuff and feeling alone I think I'd just I joke about the fact that my sisters wouldn't let me play with them there's pictures of me like on my own quite a lot with dogs and stuff I think I got my imagination was quite vivid and you know I kind of

created worlds in my head and just enjoyed I just remember you know those you know the tree is called Pussy Willow. Do you know it? I don't know. It's like it's a type of tree where they come down and they've got loads of little furry buds on them

and I used to cut them off and take out the middle and imagine they were going to be the coats for fairies. This is normal child, it's normal stuff but I think I just sort of held on to that escapism and when I got into training drama training and theatre stuff

it's the plays and the story is, and it's all that that stimulated me. I think when I was an actor and I was a capable act, I felt like I could get away with this as an actor, but I didn't have, I don't think, as pure a sort of fascination with it as you're describing, I think I probably just liked showing off. I probably brought to it quite a simple, like a sort of narcissism and a sort of self-involvement or, you know, and some imagination, what's the lovely, is there like a Terry Pratchett phrase, an overactive but unoriginal imagination, something like that, whereas I think what you're describing is such a, sort of a beautiful

kind of like a joy or an openness or a curiosity that is, it feels like you're very in touch with that child part of yourself. Can I ask, did your sisters really not let you play with them? And if not, why not? I mean, they're a bit older than me. I think I really shouldn't say that because we're so close and I had a very charmed childhood. But I do remember spending quite a lot of time by myself and like hanging out with old ladies and, you know,

my dad was a pig farmer. So the animals, I was like surrounded by animals and nature and that stuff. So I think it wasn't so much they didn't let me play, but I think maybe I was just happy by myself and just drawn to, I don't know, the elements and flora and fauna, I guess. Okay. I think they definitely would have played with me, but it was probably a bit of both.

Okay. So when did you want to become an actor? Was that an early, was acting like, I think for like a sort of imaginative child, there's maybe a point where you go, oh, there's a thing called acting. Maybe that will be a vehicle for the thing. There are others and you don't tend to find out about the others. I certainly in my day, no one was going, hey, you could become a stand-up or you could become

a clown or a theatre maker or a dramaturg or, you know, a visual artist or what have you. But you sort of like actors quite a kind of, oh, they're a famous actors and they get to play for a living. You remember a moment where that became a notion. Yeah, I was six, and I went to see my sister in a production. She was in a local youth theatre, so we went to watch. And I did, I don't think I'd ever been to a theatre before, but I just remember sitting there and watching her on stage and all the other sort of, well, she would have been, I don't know, maybe 12 or 13.

And I was like, what, oh my God, this is, what are they doing? can I so can anyone you know like I remember so vividly thinking I it need I have to do I have to have a go at this and then I said to my mum I set on an absolute campaign of like when can we sign me up am I old enough I was six you had to be seven and my mum was like you can't you're too young there's there's rules for a reason I was like yeah but my birthday's in November so I'm older soon you know, I was trying to manipulate the situation. Anyway, in the end, she did ask them. She was like, look, she's desperate and it is her birthday soon. And my sister was already established. And they ended up letting me start a bit early. And then I was just like, well, this is me now.

This is what I do. I loved it. That's so great to hear. It's so great. I think, I suppose, I don't know if it's coloured by my own experience, but I was going to say, don't know how many people get into acting for the sheer love of it. Like I always thought, I may have said this in the last 13 years of this pod of apologies to the Lister if I'm banging

on. But I remember like day one of drama school, they sit you down and they go, now, 99% of actors are out of work 99% at the time. And every single kid thinks, I'm going to be part of the 1% that's always working. You know, and I think that what they should say, is if you love acting so much that you'd be happy doing a school's tour of Romeo and Juliet when you're 48, this is for you. And I feel like you're someone for whom would have, who would have gone, yes, sirree. Oh yeah, I would have. I would have said, I can mock the stage. I'll do whatever you want. I was obsessed with it. And I just thought, I felt, I just felt so sure. I was like, oh, okay, let's go, let's go. I'm ready and that's what I'm going to do. It just felt like the

most natural thing in the world in my body and in my spirit. I was like, this is, this is great. We're off. Let's go. And did you, were you good? Did you like get parts as a precocious six, seven, eight year old actor? Were you, were you one of the people who was good at it? Or did you just love it? Well, I wasn't, you know, encouraged to pursue it as a career at that stage. Okay. I do remember printing off the forms for Sylvia Young and going to my mum and dad and me like so I think it's I think it's that I'm going to go here next and they were like absolutely not no way are you mad you've got a school that's in london um is sylvia young a drama school like you literally go to school and it's acting right

it's a stage school yeah for kids stage school yeah um but it was yeah so no the the youth theatre that I went to was basically it was weekly and it was improvisation we just did groups and then an annual show but the pantomime you could audition for the pantomime to be like one of the child actors in the local pantomime and obviously I was there first first opportunity and I did get in and I did you know I just thought yeah well this I'm making I remember printing off the first paycheck my paycheck you got paid a pound per show and I printed off the check and like got it blown up so I was like look I could probably make a living 22 pounds so yeah I didn't it wasn't a case of this is you know I can be an actor it was more like I can do this thing that I love

I'm just thinking back to the first time we met each other which was at a comedy for kids gig where you were dressed as an egg and I've got a weird feeling it might even have been me and Richard Sandling doing comedy for kids together as our brief double-act kiosk of champions. I've got that vibe. Maybe I'm wrong. I'm not sure. But I definitely remember seeing you carrying around a huge egg costume. Sounds like me.

Yeah. I mean, it was, and I have to say, I sort of saw you bring in the egg costume. And I think a little bit of me was thinking, well, what's this? Because I think with comedy for kids, there was sometimes, in the early days of it, at least, there was a tendency for people to just do silly things rather than actual stand-up for kids, which I was a bit kind of overly fond of like, well, I've actually written some jokes for kids, like a wanker might do. But, and then I remember you being really, really funny.

And that was, how long into, tell me about the, like, were you gigging when you were at Lambda? What was your relationship to the circuit? And you also went to Goli. So how did all of this stuff, just give me a potted history on the timeline of what you did? and I didn't answer your question about being the comedy side of things at drama school they said to me that probably I think it was day one one of the really sharp teachers terrifying teachers said to me don't play the clown here that's going to be a waste of time and I was like it was embarrassing because she did it in front of everybody

but honestly it was the best thing she could have done because they pushed me in every other element of my, you know, I was constantly out of my comfort zone, which was amazing. And they saw, they saw me come in. They were like, yes, you're, because I think I did a fairly comical, uh, Shakespeare speech. But they were like, if you want to get the most out of this, you're better off exploring those sides. Yes. Yes, there's no point coming out. There's no point coming out a slightly better version of a thing you can already do. Yeah. And I was really grateful for that, really grateful because it made me constantly like trying to be brave i suppose um but obviously it was something that i loved i loved it and i wanted to do comedy but i just thought i didn't i just

didn't know how i think i thought well maybe comic actress is something i could do um but me and a friend were who i was at drama school with we pretended to be a double act to get in front of Steve Benderlack who's a comedy director he did like Mighty Bush, Little Britain loads of stuff and we got the job and then we gigged a bit as a double act

and we did an Edinburgh What were you called? What was your double act? Let loose. Let loose. Okay. Oh loose as in L-U-C-E? Yeah. I remember the posters I never saw the show but I remember the posters that's funny. Yeah. We had a great time and I was God, this is amazing. I just, because the other thing I'd always wanted to do is go to Edinburgh.

Like, I'd send plays and stuff, and I'd been to Edinburgh in a play. But the comedy side of things was just, like, so exciting. And so it felt like you could do anything and an audience would come. So, yeah, and then just gigging as much as I could. but the egg show was my first show on my own and at the end of that show I was a chicken I'd hatch but yeah

and alongside all of that I sort of became one of the weirdos so you know through Adam Lata and met John Kearns and Jaws and that gang and I just thought God I'm this is amazing this community of weirdos, loved it.

And what was you, what was, because I mean, I know all of those people, love all their work. And, and I'm sort of excited that that, it kind of, I suppose I saw that becoming a thing. And it's funny to look back now and go, oh, yeah, that's a real thing. I mean, obviously, you know, Adam directs a new show every year and the weirdos still exist and have taken other people on. I feel the same about ACMS, which is like kind of seeing that, the alternative comedy memorial society, seeing people band together and provide an opportunity for each other to take sort of extreme clown risks. Yeah.

And I just felt so liberated by the idea that you could do a show and everything's cardboard. I was like, wow. And I mean, Adam's an incredible artist. The stuff he makes is, it's brilliant. Like it wouldn't look out of place in a gallery. He can do, like he did a whole show. where he was, it was Greg's and he made everything out of cardboard,

like sausage rolls, crisp, drinks. So, yeah, I just felt so inspired by what he does. I'm just trying to come back to your question. So the Golié thing, I knew about Goliere when I was at university. I heard about him, but it felt a million miles away. And obviously, because I've been to university and I've been to drum school, I was like, I can't afford any more training. So I did it in little chunks.

I did like a week-long course here and there and then I sort of slowly went back a bit more alongside the comedy gigging. And that's like I went properly in October, October and November before I did my debut Made of Cabbage show. And then I actually went back in 2022 to do Bufant. Okay, okay.

So those, so just going through that timeline, the, was it your debut? Yes, it was the, you got nominated for Made of Cabbage. Yeah. And so one would imagine listening to that kind of timeline. You've got all the goods. You're desperate to be there.

You've got lots of experience. You've done a few Edinburghs. And then you go and do some courses with Goliath and did something click then that put you in a, like from the outside, it would look like then you went and did Goliere, and then you came and got nominated for newcomer. Right. Was it a big change to what you were doing? Did it clarify things?

Did it revolutionize things? Was it just like kind of affirmation that you were heading in the right direction? I think it sort of sharpened my instincts a bit and it was a bit like going to see the wizard, you know? Like I think I thought, well, I've got to meet him. I've got to do this. I knew I had to go. I didn't know how. But it definitely, I didn't have a click moment.

No, I don't think. Well, the first time I went to the workshop with him. Nina Conti was there I was like oh my God I was so starstruck I couldn't believe it and she was obviously amazing I did think I remember because it was the first

proper clown workshop I'd done and I remember thinking okay leaning into your uniqueness is what works here for these people I think and watching one person try and do what the other person did

because it worked that time. That doesn't work. What works is when they are uniquely themselves, authentic, you know? So that, I think it gave me confidence to just lean into the ideas I had, because I did have a really strong idea for that show. And it just gave me confidence to really just go for it. And your, let's talk about the things that you are, your kind of strongest suits in terms of comedy.

It's really, I was really, interested seeing lunatic, the moon show, in the context of the egg, which is

you can find by a difficult costume to move around in that makes a big, this is a big recognisable object or

thing, and it is inherently creating problems for the performer inside it, and you're inhabiting it. Like,

these are all good kind of, like, all of those things make sense as kind of things that would be good fun to

clown with and then I didn't say it was made of cabbage were you grapes in that one or is that a different show were you a no I suggests you're a cabbage in it that was fruit loop uh was I was grapes and I was an apple and I was a potato and I was a worm and it was a story of a worm that fruit loop was about a worm that thought she could fly she misunderstood her existence she thought one you know how caterpillar is yes that's a lovely idea I'm sorry I missed that show that sounds great she'd misunderstood so she kept saying oh like, when I fly, you know, then obviously life will be different, but she didn't realize she was only ever going to be a worm forever.

But actually what happened at the end of the show, there was a threat of the early bird. The early bird was like, well, I'm going to get you. And when he did finally get her, he spat her out and said, oh, God, I've accidentally picked you up, you're a maggot. So she was like, oh, God, I thought it was, oh, right, right. And obviously maggots turn into flies. She did get her dream.

But Maid of Cabbage was about a Victorian maid who had, I made this costume that was like, you know those dolls that are like Little Red Riding Hood and then you flip the skirt round and it's the wolf underneath? Have you seen those? No, I can visualise it, but no, I haven't seen those, okay. And I remember also there's like a, I got really into Japanese, when I was at Breton, I looked into Japanese, I think it's called Bunraku, which is like. Yes.

Oh, multiple operators moving one puppet. Yeah, and they had a puppet that was a lovely sweet woman where you'd press a button and horns would come out of her head and teeth had come out and her eyes would go red. So what I did was I made this costume that was the Victorian maid and then underneath the skirt, I'd lift the skirt up and it was all red and I had a red mask, horns, red like leggings and bloomers. And I had a fake hand so I could put my hand.

through the hole and hold that up and it was, I could do it in about five, four to five seconds. It was quick. Okay. Okay. And then she terrorized the audience and then it would go and I was back to the sweet maid. So that was. Oh, wow. And the idea, I got it from this picture I found that said, it was a picture of a little sweet maid and underneath it said traditionally unmarried maids were sent out to find the perfect cabbage. And I was like, what is that about? So the was she was looking for the perfect cabbage but she worked in this big country house and the boss was fucking horrible to her and well I'd swear yeah yeah um uh and then she was just it it was her trying to keep her bad side down she wouldn't she didn't want to let her bad

side out because when she did it was you know stressful and i she'd terrorized the audience a bit and then go back to being nice so that was that show that was the 2017 show yeah Is there a common thread to your characters? Do you have any kind of sort of notion that they have things in common? They're all distinct from each other, the moon and egg, the cabbage transforming maid. What similarities do you see between them? That's a good question. I honestly don't know.

I just I don't know where they come from but I do like I feel like it just it just comes into my brain and then I think yeah well let's just explore that and I would always have the idea the year before at the fringe it would sort of plop in and I go okay

I was describing this to someone who I did rich fultures podcast I was talking about you know when you it's like you create a bit of space in your brain as soon as you finish the show it slips across and then there's a vacancy for creativity do you know what I mean?

Yeah yeah yeah it's like you created a vacuum so something gets sucked in to my brain and I'm like oh okay it's that and I kind of like I have because of that story like the Goliath story I feel like I really care about them I remember driving to film Harry Hill

the club night show with the costumes in the back and like this this is going to sound wanky but I just said to them you're going to go on telly oh mate that's so genuine thank you thanks for saying that I love it and I'll think of it every time I think of you

that's how it should be I think that's just like love for and respect for The thing, it's like you created a thing and it's not just your idea anymore. It's its own thing. Yeah, but I doesn't feel like that it's not, it doesn't, that's kind of how I rationalise it. It's not me. It's like, it's them. It's their, it's their story and they've said to me, can we be, can we go on stage? And I go, yeah, yeah, what do you want to do? What have you got? And is that, is that, how selfless is that? Because that sounds like a lovely selfless way to think about

it. But at the same time, there's a Lucy there getting laughter and applause and presumably feeling really good about it. What's the relationship between the kind of giving it to the character and then you being the character? How much of the character do you feel like when you're on stage? Are you really inhabiting it? I think I'm probably treating it like an acting job. I'm just, I've got the character. It's not me. I'm there to facilitate the story. And I just try and commit, I totally commit to that thing. Yeah, I think I'm, I try really hard to keep a sort of boundary there, I think. But equally, like, I'm always Lucy Perman because that's just, that's my name.

But you know, John Kern said to me when I was doing my egg show, he said, careful what you do, because if it's good, you're stuck with it. Okay. Yeah, I mean, very funny that it's the kernel that would point that out to you. Yeah, for sure, John. So I was like, well, I'm not, I can't carry this egg for the rest of my life. I've got to, I'll just do something. I've got to get a bigger prop, or at least one that folds.

Yeah, exactly. I did think that when I saw the moon, I was like, great. I believe that folds down to a much smaller side. You got it. You saw me coming. I cannot, like, I cannot do another year. of a mass, even when I was in the suitcase, I thought this is good because I can put all the stuff in the suitcase

when I'm getting from A to B. And then the suitcase is a costume. But yeah, yeah. Have I answered the question? What did you ask? Well, I'm interested. Yeah, you have really. I think I'm interested in finding out if you're kind of,

because I suppose there is a school of thought on clown, which is about kind of losing yourself in the play. You make offers and you play with the audience and what have you. And I suppose that that isn't necessarily your odds with treating it like an acting job, but it's interesting that that's the route you've sort of taken through it. Maybe those things are really fused together. I'm not much of a clown. You know, never more than a capable actor.

I feel like I can be pretty good at being myself and thinking quickly as myself and aspects of myself on stage. Yeah. So I'm just interested in like, in terms of the creation of the stuff, how much of it is written in advance and you think, oh, I'm an actor, or how much of it is like, are you still an actor when you're devising it? Or are you kind of going on stage, taking risks and coming up with stuff, and then listening back or watching back and going, now I can write a script, and then I can be an actor to do that script. I don't script it. I do improvise sort of with the audience, but I'm kind of improvising as the character.

And then I'll, I will write it down eventually because I have to with a technician. but um yeah so do you see it is it just a series of games like with the moon show you go okay the aliens i've got an idea of what i can do with the aliens yeah play it a few times and see what happens do you mean when i'm making that bit when i'm creating that bit yeah yeah so i'll have like set pieces that i will test at gigs um but it's always um yeah i'm thinking what would be for the character. It's not so much me. It's more like, yeah, giving her.

Because the concept is it's her doing a show. She gets to do a show. So she thinks it's good. Like, obviously it's crap. The elements are completely crap. But I was like, what would happen if you said to the moon? You can come down and be amongst humans. But it's like, it's because of the type of character that she is,

it's like a cabaret style, like end of the pier. you know, like interactive. Yes, she's here to do some stuff for us. Yeah, a little bit of material. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, have I answered the question? I don't know, but I'm not sure. I'm not sure it was a vague, it was an open-ended question.

So yes, is the answer. I'm just sort of like when you, because I think, I was talking about like the thread going through things, there is a sort of a melancholy thread. Or maybe melancholy is not the right word. Vulnerability, which is a clowny kind of a thing. But if you think of the worm who bless him spends, or bless her spends most of the time thinking that she's going to get to fly,

that's like, oh, a knife in my heart, like a really kind of, oh gosh. Or like, you know, the maid who's been sort of pressured by society and this evil guy or the egg losing her family looking in the box and where are my family, you know, or the aspects of the moon's relationship with the sun. There is a sort of, and I don't know if that's simply because, well, you're on stage, you've got an hour's worth of play and we want to have a narrative so obviously things need to be at stake

but it seems that there is a common thread in the sort of vulnerability of the characters. Yeah, yeah. I think you have to, well, that's what I'd like to see because we all have light and dark, don't we, shade? Like, you don't want to,

in order to invest, I think you want to know what their hopes and dreams are. Maybe. And then there are, you know, stakes and all that stuff. and yeah, I think that's probably a storytelling thing where you think, why would I care about this character?

What do they want? So this is Lucy. Lunatic is at the Soho Theatre from Monday the 29th of September through to Saturday the 4th of October. Please don't miss this wonderful, wonderful show. I've basically forced evil producer Callum to immediately put this episode out

having literally the moment he walks in the door from his holiday in order that we can get this out and I can convince as many of you as possible to go to see the show. I just love it to bits. And that, I feel, I worry now that that's a standard, if you ever hear me read an advert on this show. If I'm not that enthusiastic about it, you'll probably know it's paid.

But this is the joy of non-sponcon. Find all of her dates and more at lucypairman.com. And there's three more opportunities to see me live over the next few weeks, seeing as we're mentioning it, and you might be listening to this kind of today, on the 27th of September, I'm at the Comedy Box in Bristol, that's going to be a load of fun, and with Joe Sutherland as well, and I cannot wait. I haven't seen Joe in ages. I think he's fantastic, so I'm going to get there early and watch,

Joe. I'm going to be at the Hippodrome in Bristol with Nish and Acaster, and who else, I think Jade Adams is on the bill, and Jenny Eclare, and it's a great big charity event run by the brilliant Gavin Osborne, but I'm afraid to say it is sold out. There may be returns, get in touch with the Hippodrome because that is a corker of a bill. And I will be at the Abaristwith Comedy Festival on the 4th of October. And that was put in very, very recently indeed. And I imagine I've sold something like 20% of the tickets.

So if you're in Abarist With, do come along and see me and then come and watch Rory Scovel with me afterwards because he had to pull out last time he was in Abba. I believe the show is called Should I Live Here? And if he decides to live here, there'll be loads of opportunities to see him. But if he doesn't, then don't miss this one because he is tremendous. You can find out more about my tour dates at Stuart Goldsmith.com slash comedy

and a quick reminder as well I need your help for some shenanigans for episode 500. I can't, I sort of saying episode 500 out loud is as mad as when I tell people my actual age and then laugh to myself and think, I can't be that old. You can share your favourite moments, guests that you want to see or hear on the show and a bunch of other exciting things.

Go to Stuartgollsmith.com slash survey and a huge thank you to literally hundreds of people who have already taken the time to share all of your lovely highlights and memories of the show. It's genuinely quite touching. I read a clump to begin with. And then I was like, no, what I'm going to do is wait from even more of these to fill in.

And then when we finish the survey, I'm going to dive into them like Scrooge McDuck. Coming up in the second half, we delve into the reality of making art in the current economic climate. We'll find out about how the death of Lucy's beloved director, Adam Brace impacted her creative process. The challenges are bringing clowning to a wider crowd

and we'll find out if Lucy Piers is happy. Let's get back to Lucy. So are you fulfilled by it? Is there something like we can imagine that from little Lucy Pierman's point of view, this is brilliant, this is all gravy, you get to make shows and do shows. And it sounds like that's a lot of what she ever wanted. Are there other things that she wants or that you want that you haven't yet got within the world of clowning and comedy. Because you got, I always think when I see people who have taken enormous risks, like performative risks, and are doing something which is not kind of, um, what am I trying

to say? It's like stand-up comedy, there is a kind of a marketing world whereby you go, oh, it would be great if one day I could do Madison Square Garden and then everything that happens back from that in a line, that's, you know, I'll sort of work out how much is satisfying. Yeah. From the perspective of a clown who is just on stage doing mad stuff. for the love of doing mad stuff, not to massively be reductive. But are you entirely satisfied by it, or are there other things that you need from it in terms of like, you know, would you, are you kind of like, I've got to get a 200-date tour

as the moon? Or is it enough that you've done the work and you've let that character play around? I think I learned quite early on that whatever plans you have, you can guess again, because you just don't know how it's going to go. But I think I got out of Edinburgh what I wanted to, what I wanted to. I definitely, you know, made the show I had sort of in my heart. Do you mean long-term goals, or do you mean, like, for this particular show? I think long-term goals.

I mean, generally, in terms of, like, would you be, like I was saying before, imagine the drama school person saying, hey, listen, this is only for you if you really love it. And everyone goes, yeah, I really love it. and a lot of the time they don't. Yeah. You seem to really love it. Yeah. Would you be happy making Edinburgh shows that last a year and then you do the show?

Will you be satisfied doing that for the rest of your life? I mean, if I can make a living that way, but it's getting increasingly difficult with Edinburgh. Yeah. Because, you know, I had a few years off, maybe six years, I think it was. I hadn't been to Edinburgh since 2019. And even in that space, I could. believe how much everything costs now. Like, but that might just be my bad business sense. Very rarely do clowns make ferocious business decisions. Okay, that's relaxing to hear.

Yeah, yeah. Well, it's, but that's, and that's part of the joy is like, that's part of what colours my love for stand-up somehow is that it feels like it wants to move on to the next thing or the act wants to do it in, or not just, you know, like, again, a reductive thing would be someone is just doing this to get on telly. And actually that's the goal, rather than the love of being in the room and doing the show and the love of the audience. Whereas I feel with someone, with a lot of clowns, certainly with someone like yourself, it's the love of the audience and that thing.

It's like, you haven't made decisions based on making loads of money out of this. You've made decisions based on art. How is that? And is it limiting? And is it, what's the downside? Well, you know, that I had a review from Steve Bennett in 2018, said no TV commissioner would ever, you know, would ever put this on telly. To be fair to him, he was absolutely right.

And was that news to you? When you read that, were you like, I knew that. He's got me there. Or were you like, oh shit, no? Which is not to suggest he's right. I don't know that he's necessarily right. I think, well, he was right. I think I'd hoped there's always creative solutions.

Like I knew what I was doing wasn't straight to, you know, sitcom. But also I tried really hard to write for the medium. So if there's an audience, if there's a room full of people, I want to play with them. Like obviously, if you're writing something for TV, my brain goes, well, I'll write something that exists in that world, which is why the Harry Hill thing was good, because it kind of bridged the thing. I thought maybe I don't know how I'm going to get this live stuff on telly. I don't know how to do that.

And no one I spoke to knew how either. Yeah. Even though it has been done. I wanted that club night show to run forever. It just seemed like the perfect way to get all of these brilliant risk-taking, joyful, clowny people. Yeah. Get them on telly and get them known more. Yeah.

Yeah, I mean, I don't know. It's another thing, isn't it, with TV and stuff? And obviously, I did get to make my 15-minute BBC 3 thing in 2021 I made. And that was... Was that please help? Yeah. Yes. And that was obviously nothing like my live shows,

but it had sensibilities of, you know, surrealism and supernatural elements. Yes. It's great. And people can still find it on IPlayer, and it's really brilliant. And it's really, really you. Like, what I loved about that, one of the things I loved about it was that it did take the qualities that I associate with the Lucy Perman show and turn them into a totally different format, but it still felt really like your work and your interest. There was a lot of vulnerability and curiosity and magic in it. Yeah. That's good. and were you like did anything else happen from that or might anything else happen from that or did you feel like that was a thing we went to the BAFTA's and that was that oh you won the BAFTA didn't you win a BAFTA for it didn't win it but it was nominated yeah yeah that was crazy but no nothing else will come of it but I do feel quite grateful because I got to make this thing so many people like get into development and they they develop pilots and you know tasted and sometimes they make it and it doesn't get transmitted. So I'm pleased that I got to make a thing that I had in my heart and it came out exactly as I wanted really. Great.

That's great to hear because that isn't a story that you hear very often. I know. I know. I'm so lucky. I had an amazing time making that. Did you also, I loved Susan, which I actually, it was only when I, what was is you as a witch in a forest in the night, and that doesn't do anything like it justice and people can find it on your website, lucypahemant.com, but I was so surprised at the end when I saw that you hadn't written it

because that felt, I think you were brilliantly cast in that because it felt like a really you thing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. No, he just emailed me and said, would you like to be in this short film? And I read it and I was like, oh, this is good. I love this. It's got a big fish in it.

Where do I sign? Yeah. So what is next in terms of your, are you doing, are you like going to castings for other acting roles and comic acting roles and stuff? Yeah, yeah. I'm having auditions and I'm writing stuff and I'm pitching stuff and I'm gigging and I'm doing Soho Theatre. And doing like a few, a very small tour with this show. So like Bristol, Lester, Cardiff.

lots of like places like that that I've done before and then yeah just keep I'm just shrugging away basically here's a curveball question you call it lunatic with an R Lunar tick isn't the word lunatic derived from the moon anyway yes are you asking me why I think it's just funny well yeah I suppose I'd come to my first thought would be to make it uniquely

Googleable? Again, my business sense isn't great. Why did you have the art? Why did I do that? I think I just wanted to make it very clearly about the moon and not about... Oh yeah, I suppose if it just said lunatic, it would be like, this person's mad and thinks they're the moon. Yeah, and that happens on a daily basis anyway. How do you, let's just go back to, before we wrap up, Let's just go back to that aspect of how you persist when some people don't understand it. You said, and I think this is a really good thing to consider, is like there might be someone out there who's got the same kind of daft imagination as you. Yeah.

Are there any other things when you're actually, like, there's a thing that happens to a lot of comedians, I think. We write some new material and then we go to a gig and suddenly we look at all the things we think were funny, and in the presence of the audience over there, we think, oh, God, that's not going to work. And you very quickly, you know, you kind of reduce it down to like, that, that's the only bit I can stand behind. Is there, like, it's almost like where the rubber hits the road, you know, you find out if the stuff's funny. So we can sit and I can think, oh, that would be good to be on stage thinking, hey, listen, if they're not going for it, then maybe one of them is. I would really have a hard time believing in myself to

that extent. So are there other ways in which you, are there other kind of mantra or something or things you think to yourself about how to get through those tougher bits? It depends, because if it's new material and if it's a brand new character, that's sort of the most exciting bit. But it doesn't matter as much when it doesn't go well because you're like, yeah, well, I don't know. I'm working this out and you're still finding things. So that's almost more exhilarating because it's like, oh God, is it this? Is it this? We try this. We try this. And when it, when it's a brand new costume or whatever, it's like going out in new shoes. You know, there will be people who don't like your new shoes, but you love them because they're new.

So you're not too bothered. I thought you were going to say it's like going out in new shoes. What that immediately made me think is a stand-up is that I often think, I'm wearing new shoes now and I really love them. They're lilac. And I don't think I've worn them on stage yet because I feel like, oh, but I haven't worn them in. What if I'm not funny in my new shoes? What sounds terrible? I'll never forget Alan Cochran years ago saying to me, if they're looking at your shoes, you're not funny. That's a good point. It depends what kind of shoes you got on. Harry Hill's got some very big shoes. I went to see the show and he's got these enormous trainers, like Adidas trainers that's been made. what are your creative blocks like do you notice are there certain parts of the process which you often stick on are there or and you need a breakthrough are there moments are they kind of are there sort of rhythms or patterns or ways of working that you find yourself repeating and do you find certain parts of the process harder than others yeah it's

definitely satisfying narrative is an issue okay okay Like the resolution of the worm, like what's going to happen to this worm who can't fly at the end? Yeah, gotcha. Okay. My sister came out with that. Lovely. I can't take the credit for that.

And also, this is a very common thing. I think where you get so attached to something and you don't want to, you're like, I know this can work. But people, you know, if you have directors, they're like, I think it's time to drop that. And you're like, can I just try it one more time? I sort of had a bit of a policy that I did. try something three times if it was new and if it didn't work, let's let it go. So I can be

a bit stubborn sometimes with stuff like that. But I think creative blocks is probably satisfying narrative. Yes. Okay. And do you have anything that you say to yourself when it doesn't work? Like pick yourself back up after a tough gig? What do you mean? What do you mean? you have a bad gig where stuff that you know works doesn't work on the night? Does that ever happen? Do you have those gigs? Oh, well, absolutely, yeah. So when you're in the car on the way home? Crying. Are you? Okay. I was going to say, are you apologising for the costumes? I can picture it. Oh, right, yeah. Yeah, I say, I let you down. I'm so sorry. What do I say? Pick myself up. I mean, it's hard. It's fucking hard. And there are times, especially with this

show, like my director passed away 2023. I used to work with Adam Brace. Yes, lovely Adam. Yeah, okay. So that was tough because suddenly I didn't have this incredible brain and person and support that I would talk to. Like, I remember having one gig that it did not end well. I won't tell you what happens, but it was bad. Please tell you what happened. No, you don't have to. You don't have it. It involved, basically, someone's garment got damaged, and it was my fault. But it was an accident. Anyway, he managed to articulate very quickly, like, put everything into perspective for me and say, you realize this, this is nuts to be worrying about this. Do you know what I mean? He was just, he found a way, I won't repeat what he said, but he found a way of making me laugh, but also putting it all into perspective in terms of. of the world and what you're doing.

Yes. So that was difficult as well. That was an added difficulty with this show. That's why it took so long because I was working with him on it. But, yeah, that was a block. That was a block. But, you know, that's life. It's real life.

And these things, these things happened. So, yeah, took a bit of getting over. If you were to review yourself honestly, what would you say? Lock her up. I think I'd say they would have burnt women like me. Do you feel that? Do you feel that? Is that a funny answer?

Is that a glib answer? Or do you feel like a sort of a kinship with daft women of yesteryear? you didn't have the option to dress up as the moon. Yeah, absolutely. Absolutely. I think that's probably what drives me a little bit to think, look at the freedom there is to do this stuff. And I feel liberated by that.

Are you happy? I am now. No, I've finally done this podcast. Come on. Yeah, I think I am. I think it comes and goes, doesn't it? I'm doing that annoying podcaster thing of leaving a gap for you to expound. No, just not for you to expand, but just in case you expound.

Can you tell I haven't done many podcasts? Not at all. You've been the consummate professional. Oh, good. You've got one of the best backgrounds I've ever seen. What, the wall? Yeah, well, it's sort of a joke because it's the same as my back. ground but also it does look good and it did make me think I was getting bored of mine I'm like no no that does look good it's all about how you liked it yeah so you're going to be at soho

it's going to be at soho it starts next Monday and you're doing the whole week yeah please please come thank you for sending people by the way you know I had some people say oh I would never have come to this but Stuart Goldspitt well I will go on sorry I just said that I'm sorry I'm So, please. I think I've reached a new audience because of you. Oh, mate. Oh, well, I'm thrilled. It's just being on the street and loudly talking about it whenever I can. No, I really appreciate it. Thank you. Oh, good. Well, next time I will recommend people come to your shows and not say things like, I'd never have come to this. That's not. That's not what I made me for.

I didn't take it. I think she just, I think she was just sort of alluding to, you know, maybe the marketing wasn't reaching out to her demographic. I don't know. Oh, very well put. Yes. That could well be it. Well, that's what my brain did. I was like, yeah, fair enough. But no, she, luckily, she was glad she came. Lucy Pierman, Soho Theatre from next Monday. Luckily, you will be glad that you went.

Thank you so much. It's a joy. It's just so joyful. I mean, it's a huge support of your work. And you're one of those people who've got it in my head now. I'm just going to watch everything you do from now on. Do you have? Is the vacancy being filled for next year?

Have you got the beginnings of an idea? You don't need to give it away. I have. Yeah. I don't know. I mean, it could take me five years again. Who knows? Who knows?

Might take out a loan for the next Edinburgh. Oh, God. Well, who knows? In five years, they might have radically reconfigured how the fringe works and everyone, all the performers get rich and all of the bars make less money. Probably that. Yeah. I'll take my own very.

you up with me and sleep in it. Nice. An enormous suitcase. The costume is the venue. Yeah, there we go. He's a theatre. Yeah. So that was Lucy.

Thank you so much to her for coming on to the show. Lunatic is at the Soho Theatre from the 29th of September through to Saturday the 4th of October and that is very soon indeed. So jump on it. All the dates are. more, go to lucy pierman.com. If you enjoyed this episode, you can get, these are really funny.

I think it's just 10 minutes of extras on the Insiders Club, along with all the extras from all the episodes that have them, which is, I mean, just hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of extras from all your favourite comics. You can find out why Lucy used to lie about wanting a career on stage. We'll talk about a pantomide mishap

that sparked her desire to pursue comedy and the struggles of being an outsider at drama school. There are three opportunities to see me live over the next few weeks. That's the Comedy Box in Bristol this Saturday, 27th of September, on the 29th I'm at the Hippodrome with a galaxy of comedy stars. And on the 4th of October, don't miss Averist with Comedy Festival. The show is billed as coziest year on record, which was a working title for an inconvenient time, which is a working

title for next year. But if you saw spoilers, it's completely different stuff to that. It's uplifting and wonderful climate comedy. And I'm very pleased to tell you on the final whip that I did at Edinburgh. I was carried shoulder high out of the room. at last a 20-year career goal achieved. So come and see that 4th of October. Lunchtime, I think. It may be 12. It may be 4.

I think I put it in wrong in my diary, and then I can't remember which the correction was. I could check now. Shall I honour you with that? Dignify you? Dignify myself. God. It's, it can't.

Oh, it's 12. It is 12. Lovely. Look at that. Ping out of bed. Probably brunch around 10. No, no, no. Pinging out of bed.

I'll be an Abba and I'll have been watching. Who am I seeing in Aberystone? I'm going to go see Kwan Wen Huang, who's a show I missed at Edinburgh this year. I'll almost certainly see the showcase. Then the next morning, jump out of bed, probably a run along the sea front and then a bit of a brunch. And then between 1030 and 1130, I'll be hastily trying to remember the show. And then that's at 12. And then I'm going to go see Sam Nicarresti, Rory Scovel and Amy Mason.

So come along and see those brilliant acts with me as well. And then I'll be there for a bit on Sunday. So I might see you there. Also, that was sort of too much information, really, but also, if you want to, don't stalk me, do not stalk me, but I rarely tell you my specific doings, cummings and goings. So if you're in Abarist with prime opportunity to stalk me, but do not do that. So as a reminder, you could also get, you can also get the various, now listen, even though, even while he's been away on his roller coaster holiday, literally a holiday filled

with roller coasters, evil producer Callum is now so good at chucking out. com pod content clips and video clips and stuff all over the socials that he scheduled the load of them for when he was away that is a good egg by anyone's reckoning so at comcom pod on instagram and tictock and apparently it says here on youtube it's easiest just to search comcom pod so thank you very much to our insider producers spiller dave that's at the end of the word i cave dave paul Powell Simmons, Alan Lucas, McClellan, Swarbrick, McEroll, Swaddle, Wormall and Burry. And a big thank you to the two special insider executive producers, Neil, Lucy, Peters and Andrew Pyrman, Dennant, and to the super secret one as well. Thank you very much. I'm not going to subject you to a post-amble recorded in a hotel next to a building site. Also, I've got to check out in three minutes.

So no post-ample today, but there'll be another one coming at you very soon. And if you're in the Insiders Club, obviously look out for a steward-Aid coming to your way soon. It's been a huge summer and I've got loads and loads to talk about, but I need to wait until I can have a conflab with evil producer Callum, so he can tell me what I've already talked about. So between now and the time I next speak to you, oh, I've got a lovely, oh, I've got a lovely episode in the can with Doug Naler, oh, he of Red Dwarf, who has written a children's book called Sinban Island, which my entire family is crazy about. So we talk a good bit about that, and loads and loads and loads about

Red Dwarf, so that's coming out soon as well. Other than that, try to retain a consistent sense of self and I'll speak to you soon. Lots of love. Bye for now.