The Comedy Bureau

Case File 20: Are Dogs Funny?

Welcome back to The Comedy Bureau! Somehow, we find ourselves at the end of our second series! We really hope you've enjoyed what we've been putting out and if you have - please find a moment to rate/review the podcast or share it on social media! Not only is it the last episode of series 2, but it's also our first episode in our brand new offices and to celebrate we have some guests... the two office dogs! Maki and Yuzu pop in to the office to lend their species to today's subject: comedy dogs. Today academic Oliver Double and comedian Laura Lexx take a journey through some of the comedy dogs of past and present. From Shakespeare to Luisa Omielan… our history of dogs in comic performance features acts like Al Mardo, Mike and Bernie Winters, Piff The Magic Dragon and Julian Clary. We will be back in the summer with series 3 of The Comedy Bureau but please don't forget us in the meantime! Our sources for this episode were: Shakespeare, William "The Two Gentlemen of Verona" (2004) edited by William C Carroll, The Arden Shakespeare Third Series Clary, Julian “A Young Man’s Passage” (2006), Ebury Press Here is a link to the clip of Luisa Omielan and Bernie: https://www.facebook.com/share/v/1H8EPZEy2s/ The contemporary comedians we discuss in this episode are all very worth exploring and enjoying, regardless of whether their dogs are featured in the act. Simon Caine's Barking Mad show is this one: https://www.facebook.com/groups/BarkingMadComedy/ The other dog friend comedians we discussed are Juliet Meyers, Louise Leigh, Rob Rouse, Jarred Christmas, Lauren Pattison. Find them and love them!

Case File 19: Is There A Right Way To Do Comedy?

Welcome back to The Comedy Bureau - the comedy dissection podcast where comedian Laura Lexx and academic Oliver Double take comedy arguably too seriously. This week on the podcast they are discussing comedy specials… first having a look at the different streaming platforms and options for releasing a comedy show once the live tour is completed. Obviously the larger platforms like Netflix and Prime etc exist but they also look at the options for smaller, lesser known comedians and how each of them can be used to benefit a burgeoning career. Then, for the bulk of this episode the experiment was looking in detail at two specific specials and having a look at comparative joke rates and techniques and ideas within the shows. We use two very different recorded shows as a jumping off point for comedy discussion. The first show we chose is John Bishop’s Winging It, from 2018 at The London Palladium. It’s available on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re8-L11b8n4 [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Re8-L11b8n4] The second show we looked at is Power and Chaos, by Fern Brady from 2021, and available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fern-Brady-Power-Chaos/dp/B0CBN92JKD [https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fern-Brady-Power-Chaos/dp/B0CBN92JKD] We use these shows as jumping off points to evaluate the myriad choices all comedians make every time they step out on stage or in front of a camera. From the clothing they choose, the the persona they inhabit and how that develops throughout their career to the jokes they tell. Laura mentions a restaurant called Lavash. We’re not in anyway sponsored by them, but if you do like delicious food then check them out next time you’re in Brighton. Laura mentions her newest show Slinky has been filmed and that it “will be out by now”. It’s not available online yet because the tour was extended again but if you are in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane or London you can catch it live. Go for tickets at www.lauralexx.co.uk/live [http://www.lauralexx.co.uk/live] and subscribe to Laura Lexx’s YouTube channel to receive the Slinky filming as soon as it is released. Laura mentions a platform called NextUp that you may not have heard of, but if you’re interested enough in comedy to be watching The Comedy Bureau then we’re pretty sure you would LOVE the content of NextUp. Have a look at all their shows at www.nextupcomedy.com [http://www.nextupcomedy.com] You can watch Laura’s shows Trying and Tyrannosaurus Lexx at ITVX: https://www.itv.com/watch/laura-lexx-trying/10a1419 [https://www.itv.com/watch/laura-lexx-trying/10a1419] https://www.itv.com/watch/laura-lexx-tyrannosauraus-lexx/10a1420 [https://www.itv.com/watch/laura-lexx-tyrannosauraus-lexx/10a1420] Laura mentions her other podcast, which you may not have got round to yet, but if you like giggling and sibling arguments then check out Lexx Education in your podcast app. She also mentions Mark Simmons and Danny Ward’s excellent podcast, which is called Jokes With Mark and available wherever you podcast. Here is some coverage of the Katherine Ryan appearance on “My Mate Bought A Toaster” Podcast where she discusses dressing feminine and glamorous to do stand up: https://www.chortle.co.uk/punching-ups/2024/04/04/55331/katherine_ryan%3A_female_comics_now_dress_more_glamorously_thanks_to_me [https://www.chortle.co.uk/punching-ups/2024/04/04/55331/katherine_ryan%3A_female_comics_now_dress_more_glamorously_thanks_to_me]

Case File 18: How Does True Crime Become Comedy?

Finally! The Bureau throws open its doors again and you can access the fantastic second part of our Tichborne Claimant story... this week focusing on the sensational act Little Tich who took his name from the Tichborne Claimant story and went on to become one of the biggest superstars of his age. Comedy historian and academic Oliver Double takes us on a fascinating journey through the life of Harry Relph - better known as Little Tich. A remarkable performer who delighted crowds and was so famous that the reason we call short people "Titch" today comes from him. We hope you've enjoyed this quest from crime scandal to Variety performance - if you have please consider leaving us a review or sharing some of our social media posts to let the wider world know what we get up to here at The Comedy Bureau. Our sources for this episode were: Tich, Mary and Findlater, Richard “Little Tich - Giant of the Music Hall” (1979) Elm Tree Books Priestley, JB “Particular Pleasures” (1975) William Heinemann Ltd Lee, Louise “Victorian Comedy and Laughter - Conviviality Jokes and Dissent” (2020) Palgrave MacMillan Little Tich by Little Tich, by Sax Rohmer (1911) And also in this episode, Olly mentions Martin Soan. Martin was the founder member of The Greatest Show on Legs... a very early pioneer in alternative comedy. To find out more, start here and work out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Show_on_Legs Laura mentions comedian Louise Leigh - not the same as the author of the book they were discussing - but a brilliant comedian and you can check her out here: https://www.funnylouiseleigh.com/ She's Bristol based but often touring the UK and fun to follow on social media @louiseleighcomedy See you next week!

Case File 17: Can True Crime Ever Be Comedy?

Welcome to The Comedy Bureau... where this week we are doing something slightly different! This is the first in a two part series where we are looking at how the most sensational legal story of the 1800s became one of the biggest comedy acts of the Music Hall era. In this first part of the story, Laura Lexx tells Oliver Double the truly spectacular story of the Tichborne Claimant. The heir to a wealthy British family disappears at sea and thus begins a multi-year legal battle as someone steps forward to claim the estate. Laura talks us through the details of the claim, and exactly why it was so much bigger than any story that had gone before. If you thought Heard V Depp was the most sensationalised legal battle in history then you are about to have your mind blown... it's nothing compared to The Tichborne Claimant. Next week, Olly will take over the story telling as he explains how this epic saga was not the end of the notoriety of the case but just the beginning... Laura mentions Stitches Comedy Clubs - if you live along the south coast of the UK and want to see live comedy then check out their website for your nearest gig: https://www.stitches.fun/ The book Laura refers to throughout this episode is DEFINITELY worth reading and these are the details: McWilliam, Rohan “The Tichborne Claimant - A Victorian Sensation” (2007) Bloomsbury Continuum This episode is dedicated to Laura's little sister, Meg who loves True Crime. If this little detail appeals to you then why not check out Laura's other podcast Lexx Education where Meg serves up two true crimes and a lie and lets Laura and their other sibling Ron work out which one is a lie.

Case File 16: What is the Edinburgh Fringe?

This week on The Comedy Bureau Laura and Olly turn their attention to the biggest thing in the British comedy calendar... The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since the early 1980s the festival has been THE go to location for comedians new and established. Whether it's a month of practise, a month of polishing new ideas or a month to show off your latest gem it is never ignored by the comedy scene. We focus this week on the history of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival... from it's beginnings way back in 1947 through to the explosion of stand up comedy at The Fringe in the 1980s. It's an episode in which Olly shuffles through paperwork, and we will be returning to the modern Edinburgh Fringe in a later episode. We look through the developments, early scripts and then the Comedy Awards and how they have gone through fads and phases. Olly mentions John Dowie in this episode - we’ve managed to secure him as a guest for an upcoming episode so watch your feed with beady eyes for us to be able to pick the brains of one of the first comedians doing stand up comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe. Our sources for this episode were: Sources: Guardian Article - https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/jun/03/edinburgh-fringe-event-organisers-capitalise-oasis-acdc-gigs-tony-lankester Connor, John (1990) “Comics - A Decade of Comedy at The Assembly Rooms”, Papermac 1978 - The Stage - Review of Only Men Shave