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Every comedy club has its legends. The acts who seem more at home at a gig than they ever did in the womb. But at Always Be Comedy, there is a specific tier of comedian that goes beyond "legend." The topic of "Mount Rushmore" comes up a lot on the Always Be Comedy podcast (say, in the realm of sitcom, or history of British comedy, and so on). And so it's time to present our own. We’re talking about the acts that are woven into the very DNA of Always Be Comedy. They are the on

Dear Commissioning Editors at the BBC, ITV and - as they're good at this sort of thing - Channel 5, We write to you today with heartfelt urgency, admiration, and a simple request: It is time to celebrate Russ Abbot. In the fractured landscape of modern media, it is difficult to describe to a younger generation just what a monolithic force Russ Abbot was in the 1980s. He wasn't just a comedian; he was the anchor of Saturday night. The Russ Abbot Show  (and Madhouse  before it)

The Always Be Comedy podcast has had some wonderful guests since launch a couple of years ago, and has also been home to some incredible stories (did you hear Alex Lowe's yarn about Denzel Washington and Kate Beckinsale recently? Strap in - showbiz gold). But beyond the ruddy laughs and japes, it's also provided some genuine insight and wisdom when it comes to the creative process. Indeed, what started as fun chats with an amazing array of comedians has also been known to go

If you’ve ever tried to sign up for the Always Be Comedy newsletter and found it a little… elusive, you’re not imagining things. There’s no big shiny pop-up box on the home page. No big neon arrow that says: “Here!” We're even cagey about it on the podcast. And that’s all entirely by design. We know it’s a bit unconventional. And probably flies in the face of "sensible business model". But, in a world where every brand is clamouring for your inbox, we’ve chosen a different pa

Here at Always Be Comedy, we’re all about championing the best in live comedy — from the megastars to the brilliant up-and-comers and everyone we love in between. At the risk of dislocating our shoulders while we pat ourselves on the back, our track record at spotting and "bigging up" (what is this? The Radio One Roadshow circa 1993?) comedy talent since our launch in 2011 is not too shabby (to handpick a few from way back when: Romesh Ranganathan, Sara Pascoe, Aisling Bea, a

We’ve just finished Ben Elton’s new autobiography  What Have I Done? If you’ve not listened to it yet, please do yourself a favour and grab the audiobook (as regular podcast listeners will know, we’ve previously suggesting doing the audiobook version when it’s a comedian’s autobiography – Elton makes the case for us, such is the characteristic passion, zeal and enthusiasm of his delivery). It’s Elton in full flight: reflective, ferociously razor-sharp and read with the kind o

It happened again last week. A punter collared us after an Always Be Comedy. They cautiously looked over both shoulders as if they were about to drop some top gossip, before revealing: “I went to see <redacted name of famous comedian> at <redacted name of arena>." And they took a pause. "It was actually a bit crap.” Now, to call this week’s blog self-serving and self-aggrandising is an understatement. But we wanted to explain why some of the greats keep playing Always Be Come

Here at Always Be Comedy, we pride ourselves on curating line-ups that are worth the journey, the ticket price (these are still too cheap, guys), and that always deliver that electric ABC vibe. We spend a lot of time crafting the perfect blend of established names, rising stars and the occasional wild card. It’s a labour of love, powered by coffee, spreadsheets and endless WhatsApp messages. And, just to be safe, more coffee. And then comes the text message. It often arrives

Remember the good old days? The hazy, sepia-toned era when a comedian's big break often involved a phone call, a TV executive, and a...

At Always Be Comedy, we’re lucky. Very lucky, in fact. We have the best audiences who have come out to have the best time. We write this,...

“TV comedy is dead. It’s game over. It’s all about the socials and the streamers now.” These are the sort of fun chats you might hear in...

Here we go. The second part of "the best books about comedy ever". Part one is here . This was all inspired by Sam Tallent's Running The...

Sam Tallent’s 2021 book,  Running The Light , has become a topic of conversation on the comedy circuit here in Blighty as several...

How to Become a Comedian 🎤 If we at Always Be Comedy had a pound for every time we’ve been asked “How do you get started?” we would...

Is the Mid-Budget Comedy Movie Back? It’s a topic that’s come up more than once on the Always Be Comedy podcast...