Spieling The Beans

My guest today is Rupert Goold - the double-Olivier-winning, Tony-nominated director behind such shows as Dear England, Enron, Ink, King Charles III, Tammy Faye, Patriots, and Cold War. His screen career includes directing Ben Whishaw in the BBC adaptation of Richard II, James Franco and Jonah Hill in the movie True Story, and perhaps most notably directing Renée Zellweger's Oscar winning performance as Judy Garland in 2019's Judy. This summer, we met in the boardroom of the Almeida (of which he's Artistic Director), to talk about directing film vs theatre, when to give an actor a note, his early inspirations, what he looks for in emerging talent, how to cast Hamlet, and so much more.

My guest this episode is Max Webster, the Tony & Olivier Award nominated director of astonishing theatrical feats including The Life of Pi, David Tennant & Cush Jumbo's Macbeth, and imminently the Ncuti-Gatwa-led The Importance of Being Earnest. We discuss the construction of these shows, his training at La Coq, making the invisible visible, directing barefoot, how film and tv perfecting hyper realism has changed theatre, and so much more. Recorded at The National Theatre in June 2024.

MY guest this episode is the Olivier-Winning, Tony-Nominated Super-Producer of Fleabag, Baby Reindeer, and Kathy And Stella Solve A Murder, Francesca Moody MBE. On how to produce a hit show from script to cult fringe favourite to global domination, how she became a producer by accident, what exactly a producer does, and so much more. Recorded at The National Theatre.

My guest is Emmy, Golden Globe and double Olivier Award winning actor, director, producer and writer, Brian Cox. In a wonderfully unguarded conversation, we talk Eugene O'Neill, Logan Roy & Succession, great examples of directing, acting with Gielgud, how to shape a character, how to run a rehearsal room, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, and we end with a recitation of his favourite poem. Recorded in his dressing room at the Wyndham's Theatre in London while he was starring as James Tyrone opposite Patricia Clarkson in Jeremy Herrin's production of A Long Day's Journey Into Night.

Season 6 Premiere Episode: My guest is the multi Grammy and Emmy nominated comedian, filmmaker, actor, writer, and podcaster Tig Notaro. A true artist of standup. Continually pushing bits and using boundaries to advance all of our understandings of quite what one can do and achieve with stand-up comedy. As we discuss, and is mentioned in virtually every introduction given to her, she has suffered more hardships and misfortunes than many of us could fathomably bear, and yet has not only survived them all but turned unrelenting darkness into hall of fame level comedic joy, with a unique talent of crafting material that resonates, connects, and uplifts people at every possible point in their lives. She is creative genius. And a couple days before her birthday, we sat down to talk.

My guest for the Season Five Finale is George Clooney. You know who he is. Recorded at a special BAFTA screening of his latest film 'The Boys In The Boat', in December 2023.

My guest this episode is the Edinburgh Perrier and Royal Television Society Award-winning actor and writer, Justin Edwards. Star of The Thick Of It, as Ben Swain MP, along with The Trip, The News Quiz, The Man Who Invented Christmas, The Death of Stalin, Paddington, Thor, Wonka, Empire of Light, Yesterday, or Sorry I've Got No Head to name just a few. On being directed by Sam Mendes on Broadway, improvising with Armando Iannucci, comedy sketch writing, and so much more. Recorded at The National Theatre, London, in October 2023.

My guest this episode is Adam James, star of Vigil, The Buccaneers, Charles III, Doctor Foster, Extras, Wicked, Johnny English Strikes Again, and countless more productions. Across our conversation, we discuss what makes a good director, approaching Shakespeare, working with Rupert Goold, the theatrical value of table tennis, performing on Broadway versus West End, playing Ariana Grande's father in one of the biggest productions ever filmed, and so much more. Recorded with special permission in The National Theatre, London, in September 2023.

My guest today is Patrick Cotnoir, best known as the producer and co-host of The George Lucas Talk Show, he's also been the producer and talent booker of over 500 legendary UCB ASSCAT 3000 shows, The Chris Gethard Show, Comedy Central's The President Show and Marvel Entertainment, and is a living testament to how a glittering career in showbiz can be started simply by putting your hand up and asking if you can help out at all. Recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe, August 2023.

My guest this episode is Kiran Deol, the Emmy-nominated, Oscar-longlisted comedian, actor, writer, director, filmmaker and documentarian. As an actor, she's performed in shows like Sunnyside, How to Get Away With Murder and Modern Family, she's a co-host on Crooked Media's Hysteria podcast and has made films as a writer/director for HBO and Sundance. Over our conversation, we explore the difference in appearing on a long running network show versus originating a role, how she turned trauma into comedy, the underlying current of curiosity throughout all her work, and so much more. Recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe, August 2023.

My guest is James Naughtie, one of the UK's most revered and recognisable journalists and broadcasters, perhaps best known for co-hosting the Today programme on BBC Radio 4 for 21 years. He's been the Chief Political Correspondent for both The Scotsman and The Guardian, as well as the Laurence Stern Fellow for the Washington Post. During his career, he has won both Journalist of the Year at the Scottish Press Awards and the Sony Radio Awards' Radio Personality Of The Year. A prolific author of novels and nonfiction, he was the Chair of the Booker Prize, made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, and succeeded Dame Diana Rigg as Chancellor of The University of Stirling for a decade-long term. Succinctly, he's good with words. Recorded in the Media Yurt at - and with special thanks to - the Edinburgh International Book Festival, August 2023.

My guest this episode is Eden Sher, the Critics' Choice Award Winning Star of 'The Middle', on creating her sell-out Edinburgh Fringe show 'I Was On A Sitcom', on learning from her sitcom royalty onscreen parents, being directed by her onscreen brother, being plucked from obscurity as a child by Jay Leno's Tonight Show, and "Brand New Cards". Recorded at the Edinburgh Fringe.

My guest is the Peabody and Emmy winning comedy titan and icon of iconoclasm Craig Ferguson. Recorded in his dressing room at the Criterion Theatre in London's West End, we discussed him interviewing Archbishop Desmond Tutu on The Late Late Show (for which the show won the Peabody), being mentored by Johnny Carson's producer Peter Lassally, being the comedian for Bush's final White House Correspondents' Dinner, the current whereabouts of his robotic skeleton sidekick Geoff Peterson, and why we need stories to beat the rise of the machines.

We're back. With STB history. My guests, plural, for the Season 5 premiere episode are the Emmy-nominated Nick Kocher and Brian McElhaney - AKA BriTANick - on what makes a sketch a great sketch, the difference between writing for SNL and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Kurt Vonnegut's concept of Karass, opening for Robin Williams, writing comedy with the drummer from Imagine Dragons, and so much more. Recorded in London during their sell-out Soho Theatre run, following their sell-out Edinburgh Fringe run, and ahead of their currently-selling-out second Soho Theatre run.

My guest for this S4 finale episode is the father of QI himself, John Lloyd, on stories, holism, educational reform, Navajo proverbs, Douglas Adams, mysticism, humanity, producing, directing, Jeff Goldblum, the real answer to life the universe and everything, and why being fired is actually quite a good thing.

My guest this episode is Mary O'Connell - standup comedian, television developer, previous holder of the creative residency at Baby Cow, writer for ITV2's The Emily Atack Show and The Now Show on Radio 4, and noted clowning enthusiast. Speaking at the Edinburgh Fringe back in August, we talk about finances, fighting against being pigeonholed, haunted pubs, TV commissioning trends, identity in comedy, and the joy of silly jokes.

In the first of our 2022 Edinburgh Fringe Tapes, this week's guest is the magnificent multi-hyphenate Arthur Smith - the comedian-poet-Night-Mayor-of-Balham, on seafood, socks, storytelling, seventy-five years of Fringe, & so much more. Associate Producer: Zaffia Hussain

My guest for this Season 4 premiere episode is Helen Serafinowicz - co-creator of the International Emmy Award Nominated ‘Motherland', one of my favourite comedies of the century so far. We talk about the difference in writing processes between 'Motherland' and her new CBBC series ‘Nova Jones', what it's like to be related to Darth Maul, and so much more.

My guest for this episode, the Season 3 Finale, is Professor Noam Chomsky. You know who he is. Associate Producer: Lauren Anghel

My guest this episode is Sarah Mills - the award-winning writer-comedian-producer - on turning the boredom of chemotherapy into the joy of ‘The Chemo Chat Show', how she approached writing her first ever pilot script which went on to win the BAFTA Rocliffe award, how to go about booking experts for Philomena Cunk, and so much more.

My guest this episode is Joz Norris - Edinburgh Fringe Comedian's Choice Award Winner and, quite simply, one of the finest comedic minds around - on how abstract comedy can help convey abstract feelings, the essential distinction between short films and sketches (and what makes a good one of either), the enigmatic excellence of Pierce Brosnan, and so much more.

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My guest this episode is Sadia Azmat, the brilliant and critically-acclaimed comedian, writer, producer, and podcaster. From reaching the final of Funny Women only 15 months after starting standup, her debut show ‘Please Hold - You're Being Transferred To A UK Based Asian Representative' was featured on BBC Front Row, followed up by her nationally-toured 2014 show ‘I Am Not Malala'. In 2018, she co-created the landmark (and Apple's ‘Top Pick') BBC Sounds podcast series 'No Country For Young Women', which she hosted alongside Monty Onanuga for its four seasons. And, as you'll hear, in the days running up to the recording of this episode, it was announced she would be publishing her first memoir and has just been hired as the newest BBC Comedy Producer. Among so many other things, we talk about making BBC Podcast history (in two ways), writing memoirs vs standup routines, and being inspired by both the dark poetry of Bill Hicks and the interviewing style of Larry King.

My guest this episode is Charlie Dinkin - BBC Studios Comedy Staff Writer, Co-Creator of the BBC Audio Drama Award Nominated sketch show podcast SeanceCast, Edinburgh Fringe Award Nominated stand up director, and the first ever international student accepted into The Second City's Comedy Studies program, on what makes a great sketch, directing standup vs sketches, how anthropology relates to comedy, & importance of enjoy-it-all mentalities.

Welcome to Season 3 of what is now - officially - the World's 43rd Hottest Podcast, thanks to Podcast Magazine's voters! My guest this episode is Chris Yiu - Executive Director at the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change, where he leads leads the Technology & Public Policy programme - on how to create effective policy, why he's so optimistic about the decades ahead and why a 1999 episode of The West Wing was particularly prescient. (Also, head to podcastmagazine.com/hot50 to vote for this month's Official Countdown!)

My guest this week is Jen Calleja, the 2019 International Booker Prize nominee and the inaugural Translator-in-Residence at The British Library, on why surrealism makes sense, translation vs writing from scratch, the publishing industry under a pandemic, viewing life through the lens of TV, and why Leonora Carrington is like Steve Martin. 

Welcome to a brand new podcast series called Spieling The Beans in which storytellers tell their stories about telling stories.