¿sabias que todos los meses se hace un show de monólogos de comedia en español en Londres? One half of the masterminds behind the popular Comedy Por Favor show, Sergi Polo returns to talk about how the idea of a comedy show in Spanish in London came about and why the brand has been a massive success in the Spanish and the wider Hispanic community - with every single show sold out in advance since the first show two years ago. With performers from Spain, Latin America and Spanish-speaking Anglophones and the mirroring audience, a Comedy Por Favor show is always a hodgepodge of conviviality and joy (and a bit of a chitchat). As everyone in the room is guaranteed bilingual person, this creates a supportive atmosphere if anyone struggles to speak Spanish at any given point. Sergi also shares his insight and the uncertainty he still questions himself performing in different languages to crowds in different countries. The same question is extended to his online output in English as well as Spanish, where Sergi has grown his followers substantially since his last episode two years ago. --------------------------------- Follow Sergi on Instagram Sergi and Soraya’s podcast (in Spanish) Los de Londres Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:49 Intro 02:22 Why is Comedy Por Favor - a comedy show in Spanish in London - so popular? (compared to other comedy shows in foreign languages ) 05:57 How the idea of Comedy Por Favor was born 06:37 The trial runs/practices in Barcelona before the first show in London 08:40 Kuan-wen’s Casio watch disrupting the interview 09:32 Warm reception by the Comedy Por Favor audience 10:54 A show that makes the audience feel they are transported back home 12:12 The chitchatty Spanish-speaking audience 14:22 Misunderstandings between Spanish spoken in different countries? 16:17 Hoping to attract more Latin American audiences 19:17 Spanish-speaking native English speakers who go to Comedy Por Favor shows 22:09 A supportive audience for non-native performers doing comedy in Spanish 25:43 Jokes based on ideas that are funny more easily translated 27:34. Sergi learned English through performing comedy in English 28:51 Puns and comedy in different languages 29:38 How to estimate the market size for a Spanish comedy show in London? How many Spanish speakers are out there? 30:55 To create a community rather than pursuing bigger venues for bigger shows 32:11 Doing comedy solo shows/specials in different languages 37:29 A TV interview in Catalonia 38:10 Doing a show in Catalan in London on Saint George’s Day 39:29 Differences between Spanish audience in London and in Spain 41:40 Sergi’s Social Media; Los de Londres podcast -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Our third ever guest from England hails from Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. For listeners interested in the numerous accents that exist in the UK, the Hull accent is considered one of the most distinct accents. Louise Atkinson has provided the tour support for Live at the Apollo stars Sarah Keyworth and Esther Manito and her solo show “Mates” won the Amused Moose Best Debut Show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023. A proud northerner, Louise talks about what makes the Hull accent distinct, which has been named as the sexiest accent by Timothée Chalet. As the podcast now boasts more listeners outside the UK, the conversation goes into great length explaining the North v.s. South divide in England and the relevant but not entirely identical class divide in the society. Louise talks about the local pride - Hull was selected as UK City of Culture in 2017 and has widely been seen as a tremendous success story. --------------------------------- Follow Louise on Instagram Louise’s podcast Be Fairy Afraid on Spotify; Be Fair Afraid on Apple Podcast Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 01:05 Intro 03:57 Louise hates it when people from south of England question her accent 05:20 Fellow. Comedians mocking Louise’s accent 07:45 Adjusting her accent overseas in a corporate job 08:45 Accents and classism in the UK 11:20 North vs South divide in the UK 13:40 A world famous actor from Yorkshire 15:33 Northern England vs South England is not always working class vs middle class 16:52 Proud of being from Hull 18:44 “I HATE people” but perceived as “affable” because of a northern accent 21:25 The Hull accent is the sexiest accent per Timothée Chalamet in the UK; what influence makes the Hull accent distinct? 26:25 Who gets to joke about Hull being the backwater? 26:50 UK City of Culture 2017 28:54 Self-deprecating a British trait, not necessarily just for the Northerners 29:34 Performing across the UK and knowing audience from different parts of the country 32:40 The “Waitrose” audience 36:10 A few more random facts about Yorkshire and Hull 37:52 Louise’s social media -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Donatas Kveselys is the second Lithuanian comedian featured on this podcast. This episode, however, feels half-dedicated to the Kingdom and the people of Sweden, for Gothenburg, Sweden is where Donatas currently lives and where he started performing stand up comedy (in English). Donatas is a London Comedy Store Gong Show winner. He also secured the 3rd spot in the Roast Battles’ 2024 International Western Division League table. Having already left his Eastern European homeland Lithuania to move to Sweden for work, Donatas gave stand up comedy a go in his adopted country where the majority of population do not speak English as their mother tongues (but are known to proficient English speakers). Talking about layers of cultural and linguistic code switching! Donatas discusses how he got to understand the reserved Swedish folks inside out from a foreigner’s perspective. He talks about doing Swedish jokes for Swedish crowds - If you don’t know already, you should definitely google “SNUS” and “SWEDEN” - but also explains why he is now travelling and gigging elsewhere in Europe for a broader reach. Content warning - from 34:47 onwards there's a brief mention of suicidal feelings as part of a discussion on anxieties --------------------------------- Follow Donatas on Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 01:02 Intro 04:12 A Lithuanian comedian performing English stand up comedy in Sweden 05:18 An East European accent 07:13 The odd foreign performer who performs in English at Swedish comedy shows 10:18 Lithuania in Swedish people’s eyes 12:57 Dissecting the “Chernobyl Survivor” joke and Lithuanian stereotypes 16:21 Lithuanians’ views of HBO’s series Chernobyl being shot in Vilnius 19:20 A white comedian with a foreign accent vs a Swedish comedian from ethnic minority backgrounds 23:45 Lithuanian as an East European language but not a Slavic language - it’s a Baltic language 25:11 Swedish people in Donatas’ words 28:30 Jokes for Swedish audience only; “SNUS” in Sweden 30:41 Travelling around to perform to difference audiences 32:03 What does Donatas like about performing for the Swedish audience 33:10 Bad at imitating his comedy idols, finding his own voice 34:47 Penchant for dark humour 37:35 Returning to his home country to perform in Lithuanian? 40:09 Donatas’ social media -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Winner of the prestigious So You Think You Are Funny competition in 2023, Samira Banks is a bright new star making waves on the UK comedy circuit. Her trademark jokes include her family’s journey fleeing their homeland as refugees. The crowd’s laughters are often raucous but some sensitive souls amongst them also pull their faces wondering. “Are we supposed to joke about refugees?” On stage, Samira refers to her heritage as a broad “from the Middle East.” She never specifies which specific country that is. This question thus forms the central discussion of this episode and explains why in the episode title, both her mother tongue and her native country remain unspecified. Growing up in Germany and moving to the UK for work, Samira is another guest with an international accent that is hard for others to associate it with a specific place. Samira shares her family’s stories and why a reunion of her extended family would turn into a mishmash of accents. --------------------------------- Follow Samira on Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:58 Intro 03:58 An international accent that is hard to pin down 06:58 Picking up multiple languages growing up 08:31 Why Samira chooses not to specify her home country when performing 13:09 Family history of fleeing and becoming refugees settling in different western countries 16:51 A closely-knit family and the elders’ funny views on romance and marriage 18:39 Between the English language, the German language and her mother tongue 19:48 German speakers refusing to see Samira as German 20:50 Some other complaints about German speakers 23:50 German v.s. British 25:22 Samira’s past naive assumption of anyone with accents from the north of England 27:04 Middle class refugees’ “privileges” 29:29 Difficulties of handling refugee experiences as comedy materials 31:52 What does Samira think about her position telling her parents’ life experiences? 35:59 Samira’s social media -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

How do you perform and progress on the comedy circuit, when you as a native English speaker already moved to an Asian country where the population does not speak English as their mother tongue (and there really isn’t much stand up comedy going on)? Such is the story of Sam Yarb, co-founder of the leading comedy club in Taiwan - Two Three Comedy Club 二三喜劇. Sam started by arranging road trips to cities and towns of all sizes on the East Asian island to target the scattered English-speaking expats. Gradually, along came the Taiwanese people. As stand up comedy becomes more popular and the Mandarin scene outgrows the English scene, Sam becomes the instrumental figure in bringing international acts to the island and connecting the English performers with neighbouring Asian countries. We hear from Sam how he manages a comedy club in a foreign land and Sam’s observations on the local Taiwanese v.s. expat audience The Firelight Chat podcast episode with Sam quoted in this episode: On Apple Podcast On Spotify --------------------------------- Follow Sam on Instagram Two Three Comedy Club on Facebook Two Three Comedy Club on Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:44 Intro 02:51 Sam’s accent 05:03 How Sam started performing comedy in Southern Taiwan (a short Northern v.s. Southern Taiwan debate) 06:36 Comedy road trips in Taiwan 08:51 Audience make-ups in small Taiwanese towns and tailoring materials 10:57 A self-deprecating American comic in front of a Taiwanese audience 15:50 Expat v.s. Taiwanese audiences 19:56 Taiwanese approaching stand up comedy shows with curiosity 23:07 Taiwan - China relations as comedy material? 26:12 Expat audience in Taiwan v.s. US audience 26:57 Nationality comparison based comedy materials 28:34 Being a comedy promoter/producer in Asia 30:31 How the small town gigs are organised and promoted 31:31 Writing all funny ideas that come to mind and making selections later 35:03 Sam’s Social Media and 23 Comedy Club in Taipei -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Polish stand up comedian Kat Nip is a Berlin-based but globe-trotting performer. She runs her own comedy show in Berlin but is also a regular at comedy clubs in London, including the popular Top Secret Comedy Club. Winner of London Comedy Store gong show, Kat Nip has written for and acted in Comedy Central Poland’s “Mini-Mock” series in 2022 and 2023. She has also appeared on Arte and Buzzfeed UK. Having lived half of her live outside her native Poland, Kat’s native slavic sound is quite hard to detect. Yet her accent morphs where she moves to, so she ends up with a funny scenario of a faint German accent even if she does not speak fluent German. Kat also shares how changes in her health and lifestyle led her to reflect on her comedy materials and directions as well as her stage persona. Kat's comedy special "Traitor" can be seen on OUTtv --------------------------------- Follow Kat Nip on Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:37 Intro 01:51 Guessing Kat’s nationality based on her accent 03:45 A Berlin-based polish comedian who lived in the UK and almost everywhere, hence the confusing accent 07:45 Ending the podcast policy 09:41 Unfiltered 10:34 Polish stereotypes 12:45 More of a Berlin girl than a Polish lady on stage? 15:25 Quit drinking but continuing to do a show about jokes on drinking 19:00 Moving on from the easy jokes 21:53 Traumatic experience of performing in Polish to the kind of Polish crowd that made her leave Poland 24:46 Specific type of fellow Polish netizens that are easily offended 28:13 Is the “Polish builder” stereotype still valid? 31:12 Kat’s journey and why she left her village 32:48 Difference being a Polish comedian between London and Berlin 35:03 Comedy reflecting life’s changes (moving on from typical Berlin expat lifestyle) 39:14 Just live your life the way you want 41:43 Why choosing “Kat Nip (presents)” as stage name? 43:49 Hastag gross food on Instagram 45:07 Kat’s social media -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

As one of the founding members of Becomedy - a comedy show production team in the English as well as Italian languages in both Italy and the UK - Tiziano La Bella is a stand up comedian performing professionaly in both languages. He has appeared on Comedy Central Italia and Amazon Prime and only just recently relocated from London back to his home town Rome. Tiziano came to the UK with a clear objective to hone his craft, at a time when there simply wasn’t much stage time for stand up comics - Italy was not yet familiar with the concept of modern stand up comedy and would confuse it with their traditional cabaret. (He definitely did not come for the British weather and sky!) As a result of the migration of Italians in the UK, Becomedy has been able organise stand up comedy shows in Italian in London and Tiziano has performed more frequently in Italian in recent years, leading to more gigs booked in his native Italy. Tiziano has made use of what he learned from English stand up to shift more focus on performing in Italian and eventually decided to move back as the stand up comedy scene in Italy is now fast growing. On the eve of his relocation, this podcast invited Tiziano to talk about his accent which carries a hint of Australian English, his creative process in both languages and how he dissect the audience into four different groups. We also talked about the Italian stereotypes and how the Italian accent is the endless bottom of the joke, even though Tiziano does not find doing accents particularly offensive. --------------------------------- Follow Tiziano on Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:46 Intro 04:14 An evolving accent and now a hint of an Aussie accent 08:03 The W-word between British English and Australian English and how Americans and British audiences perceive the C-word differently 10:56 Foreign/minority comedians doing accents on stage? 12:35 Young Italians’ improved English fluency 15:13 Italian stereotypes mined by influencers on social media 16:43 Choosing the funny-sounding words and the formality level of words 20:06 Weird Duolingo scenarios 21:13 Italian immigrants not necessarily able to improve their English fluency 27:05 Forced to use English regularly during Erasmus and starting to perform stand up comedy 29:54 Start of stand up comedy journey and how Tiziano never intended to settle in the UK 32:06 Returning to Italy; shifting to content and performance in Italian 35:19 The reality of living in Roma (Garbage collection) v.s. garbage collection in Taiwan 36:07 “Is this joke about Chinese offensive?” 37:50 Italian accent being the only accent everyone is comfortable with doing 42:10 Not having a stereotypical Italian appearance (based South Italians) 44:23 Differences between performing in different languages to difference crowds 47:47 BeComedy with Italian/English shows in the UK and in Italy 49:17 Tiziano’s social media -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Our first returning guest is Singaporean comedian Sam See, previously featured in Episode 25 of the first season. Since the last recording in January 2023, Sam has uprooted himself and relocated from Singapore to the UK as - in his own words - he has reached the ceiling in Singapore. Sam shares his gentle criticism of the comedy audience in Singapore. Sam also just finished supporting Ed Byrne on tour in 17 locations, including some well-off towns and some run down places. The bulk of this episode focuses on Sam’s approach to perform as a newly settled immigrant act in these small English towns in front of audience that are predominantly old and white. Sam is at Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year (2024) with two shows: The Asian Comedy Showcase Sam See: And I Can't Feel at Home in This World Anymore --------------------------------- Follow Sam on Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:44 Intro; why Sam is invited back 03:37 Sam moving from Singapore to the UK 05:04 The tour - opening for Ed Byrne 06:53 The reason Sam swapped Singapore for UK 08:54 Has Sam considered US or Australia instead? 09:40 First time Sam living on his own 13:17 How Sam was asked to be Ed Byrne’s tour support act 15:48 More on the actual tour 16:46 Winning over an older, predominantly white audience 19:32 Research fun facts before arriving in a new town for performance 28:16 Some British cities/towns with tricky pronunciations 29:35 Audience demographic 31:00 Singaporean audience trained Sam to always write generally 33:00 Example of Sam employing local references in his jokes 34:19 Sam’s own touring plan 37:45 Sam’s shows at 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and his social media -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Marjolein Robertson is a Shetlandic comedian, actor and storyteller. She was Scots Speaker of the Year in 2022, ranked number three in The List’s Hot 100 as one of the top Scottish cultural contributors. Hey 2023 Edinburgh Fringe show “Marj” also received award nominations and was one of the best reviewed show at the Fringe. Technically, Marjolein is this podcast’s second guest from Scotland, but same with every other island, Shetlanders see themselves as Shetlanders first and Scottish second. The interview largely revolves the concept of “knapping”. The verb “to knap” for Shetlanders means to change the way you speak to accommodate the listener, as you do not expect the listener would understand your original way of talking. It is an equivalent to code-switching, but the process is probably more automatic when a Shetlander meets a non-Shetlander. It explains Marjolein’s accent shift as she performs and gets interviewed down south. We also talk about how Marjolein weaves Shetland folktales into her comedy and takes advantage of general audience’s ignorance when it comes to her native island. This is probably the episode with the densest discussion on linguistics and cultural identity to date; it is therefore slightly longer. Marjolein is performing at Edinburgh Fringe this year! Her new show “O” is at Monkey Barrel The Hive at 17:40 daily (except Aug 12th). Reserve your tickets here. --------------------------------- Follow Marjolein on Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:48 Intro 03:10 On Shetland and islanders’ identities 06:34 How Shetland is indicated on a map 09:41 Marjolein’s comedy CV & her Wikipedia page 11:34 “Knapping” - a Shetlandic word meaning changing one’s way of speaking to make oneself better understand for the other person 15:51 Marjolein’s “American voice” v “Shetland voice” 18:48 How Marjolein’s accent shits on stage 21:40 New movement in Shetland - the “No Knapping” badge——— 25:15 Shetland’s extinct old tongue “Norn” 26:53 “Scots” as a language tangled with Scottish independence 28:53 How A Faroese man - Jakob Jacobsen - helped preserve evidence of the old Norm language 30:37 Audience in England knows Shetland even less than Scottish audience 33:04 Marjolein plays with people’s ignorance when it comes to Shetland 38:50 On her Shetlandic not being “broad” enough for some fellow Shetland’s 46:29 A Storyteller 52:44 Marjolein’s 2024 Edinburgh Fringe show “O” 54:31 A poem in Shetlandic -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Making headway to big comedy clubs’ paid spots within two years of arriving in the UK, Blank got into almost all the major Comedy New Act Competition finals and collected gong show wins like a dedicated Pokemon player collecting the Poke gym badges. “Blank is an incognito bilingual stand-up comic,” so goes her comedy profile on some of London’s top comedy clubs’ websites. It is not by accident she’s named Blank; it’s a deliberate choice of a stage name to keep her quite literally incognito - for understandable reasons, given part of Blank’s stand up incudes commentary on her native China. Your host to this day does not know her full real name in Mandarin. Blank shares a more nuanced picture of her home country’s censorship on the burgeoning stand up comedy scene, how comedians work with the script pre-approval compliance requirements and why places like her more obscure province’s scene allows more leeway. Having started performing stand up comedy in Mandarin first (and already doing very well), Blank is one of the fewer guests of this podcast who did not start performing in English. Instead, she had to transition into an English stand up comedy performer. She talks about why her Mandarin and English jokes are separate and why she is happy to stick to just English stand up comedy in the UK, despite the growing number of Chinese students and immigrants. --------------------------------- Follow Blank on Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:57 Bonus episode in Mandarin 01:25 Intro 02:24 A Chinese national considered having a Taiwanese accent? 04:00 More British than American influences 05:31 Unsolicited feedback on her accent from audience members 06:12 Mandarin stand up comedy performer before English stand up 08:34 Coming from a “third-rate” Chinese city 10:54 Comedy New Act Competitions and Gong Shows 13:40 Comedy censorship in China 22:12 Turning into a more unique performer in the UK 23:17 Separate comedy materials between Mandarin and English stand up 24:56 Blank’s stage persona in Mandarin stand up 26:29 Ethnic minority comedy performers and hack jakes 31:05 Blank’s racially self-deprecating jokes and the principle of fairness 32:20 No longer performing Mandarin stand up in the UK 35:51 Why “Blank”? 36:40 Why “Blank404” for Instagram> -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Describing her accent as “a beautiful mess”, comedian Micky Overman’s show “The Recipe” was amongst the best reviewed shows at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023. The excellent show is now free for viewing on Micky’s Youtube channel and forms the basis of this interview. Micky has one of those accents of a proficient non-native English speaker that not everyone can work out what her mother tongue is. Despite this, unsolicited advice still found its way to Micky, that she should play up her foreignness and even present herself as a Dutch cliché on stage. Except it is clear to Micky she does comedy for herself and wants to be herself performing comedy rather than a caricature. Micky was fed up with notion that a person could be largely definite merely by their nationality, she even wrote a show to mock this idea in 2018. But Micky’s latest critically acclaimed show does quite the opposite. “The Precipice” has little to do with her being Dutch. It has to do with her thinking about mental health, motherhood amongst other subjects that most other millennials would be wondering. The writing is sharp; the humour is universal. Watch Micky’s show “The Precipice” --------------------------------- Follow Micky on Instagram Micky will perform at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024 with a new show “Hold On”. July 30th to Aug 25th (no Aug 13th) daily at Monkey Barrel The Tron at 5:50. For Tickets, click here. Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:43 First Impression of Micky’s accent 02:19 Intro 05:35 Everyone interprets Micky’s accent differently 07:40 Micky’s accent shifts based on the people she talks to 08:35 Micky’s opting for British pronunciation in her comedy sets for jokes to land 10:38 Deliberately mispronouncing words to make them funnier 12:55 Why would someone pretend to be Dutch? On national stereotypes 15:55 Foreign comedians SHOULD use their “otherness”? 21:11 Practicing not to over-introduce herself in the 2023 show 25:07 Micky in English not having the same perceptions by others when speaking Dutch 26:38 Micky’s critically acclaimed 2023 show “Precipice”: her worldview through how the jokes were structured 28:22 Micky’d turns of phrase 30:48 Show not tell; trust your audience and do not talk them down 33:23 Comedy writing as music 34:02 Enjoying being dumb, not taking herself too seriously 35:36 Micky performed in a deadpan style at the very beginning 37:14 Micky’s 2023 show Precipice on Youtube 37:25 Micky at Edinburgh Fringe in 2024 -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Guido Garcia Lueches is a theatre maker, actor from Uruguay. His one man show “Playing Latinx” - though categorised as Theatre rather than Comedy in last year’s Edinburgh Fringe - packed in so many jokes that it was probably funnier than many shows under “Comedy” had to offer. To be fair, the show was also marketed as “Half stand up”, but to its creator, genre is not something he’d bother. It’s whether the audience gets his intent that counts. The show weaves in multiple Latino stereotypes and is first and foremast silly. But beneath the silliness and stupidity lies a message that is mostly definitely political in nature. The show was based on all the audition experiences Guido had to endure over the years. All the exaggerated characters were roles Guido were asked to perform as and if he is lucky, typecast in. When Guido speaks in English without too heavy a Spanish influence, he was instructed to “just do your accent” even though he was speaking with his accent. Then he realised what the casting directors were after, dialled up his Spanish tongue, got one Mexican drug lord role after another one of a sexy pool cleaner. --------------------------------- Follow Guido on Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:41 Intro 02:26 Kuan-wen’s poor knowledge about Uruguay 05:04 Guido’s accent in English that he is not sure how to describe 07:13 Wrong prepositions gives Guido away 08:40 The standout characteristic of Guido’s accent 10:50 Facing questions about his accents from British people 13:06 Singer, Actor, Comedian and Dramaturg 14:51 Guido’s show “Playing LatinX” 16:30 Idea of the show coming from bad audition experiences 19:36 Different accents featured and changed in the show 22:40 “Could you just do your accent?” 24:09 The industry’s attitude towards a needed foreign accent 27:30 In a perfect world, how would people know a small country without stereotypes? 30:16 Why humour is crucial to Guido’s show design 34:15 What if the audience doesn’t get the irony? What if the jokes reinforce the stereotypes instead? 37:41 Silliness and drama; theatre in the UK as observed by Guido 43:36 Why Latin”X” ? -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

In Philipp’s comedy set, he likes to open with “Hi, my name is Philipp. I come from Austria, America and Slovenia.” In real life, sometimes Austrians do not see him as Austrians (He left Austria at the age of four), Slovenians may not seen him as Slovenians, Americans might find something a bit off about him. Those Americans not familiar with an English accent might even think his accent is English. A breakout star turned a regular at many best known comedy clubs across the UK, including The Comedy Store and Top Secret Comedy Club, Philipp could be mistaken as another American act who moved across the pond, whereas he in fact grew up in Slovenia but went to an international school and studied in English. It is only after he became an adult he is catching up with his Slovenian fluency with the help of a private tutor, motivated by a bit of regret. Philipp shares how he feels not being tethered to one specific place and your host Kuan-wen describes him as an American born out of Europe. He talks about his belief in an international approach to his comedy, based on his own experience of feeling alienated at a comedy show in Edinburgh Fringe. He also talks about finally feeling at ease with himself, embracing the goofiness and silliness and becoming a better performer as a result. --------------------------------- Follow Philipp on Instagram and his website You can order Philipp's Comedy Special on line Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:48 Intro 05:23 Why Philipp was not invited to appear on Season One of the Podcast 08:56 Americans who treat family heritage as ethnicity 09:33 Growing up in Slovenia speaking English and German only (no Slovenian) 15:30 Where’s home? No where is Philipp tethered to 24:14 When did Philipp drop his middle name on stage? 26:18 An international approach to stand up comedy, not making any audience member alienated 29:05 How Philipps has changed as a performer since 2018 34:02 Producing student radio show at Royal Holloway University 37:37 Being comfortable with one’s true self 42:55 How to deal with the sense of not belonging anywhere 44:26 Philipp’s social media -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Best known as the mischievous private investigator on Channel; 4's Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, Mark Silcox is an accomplishment stand up comedian in his own right, even though he claims not to be a very ambitious comedian himself. For comedy "is just a way of spending time with friends" Apologies for the delay in publishing this week's episode Mark's distinct deadpan and at times anti=comedy style makes him many comedians' comedian. Mark talks about not being listened to or taken seriously by students in his semi-retired day job as a supply teacher, also the only immigrant in his own family - after thirty years, he still feels fresh off the boat. Both push him to grab the microphone on stage so that he feels listened out. In the last six minutes of this episode, we dive into Mark's childhood as a middle child with eight siblings. We then learn why this trained scientist and teacher is catching up on the fun he could have had and should have had but missed from the distant childhood. Mark Silcox's really name is not Mark Silcox. The initials are AA. If you want to find out, you got to listen to this episode. --------------------------------- Follow Mark on Instagram, and Twitter If you are going to Edinburgh Fringe this year, Mark will bring his show "Women Only" for the first two weeks of the Fringe this year (Aug 3 - 18) at PBH - Voodoo Room at 2pm. See info here. Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:47 Intro 04:02 Not just an Indian accent - Mark’s unique way of speaking 07:10 A supply teacher that students do not listen to 08:20 Mocked by students but refusing to change his accent 12:26 In the world of comedy, Mark’s accent is his USP 14:24 Mark’s distinct style performing stand up 16:21 Opening line to address the accent 18:12 Private Investigator on Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back 20:15 Not relying on facial expressions 23:27 First gen v second gen immigrants 28:26 Comedy just a hobby to speak time with friends 30:34 Comedy offers freedom of expression (and the chance to wind somebody up) 33:45 Inventing a new identity 37:13 Childhood experience 42:18 Upcoming 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Show -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Alice Frick is a comedian, writer, producer originally from Vienna, Austria, who is also the show runner of "Laughing Labia", an all-female line up comedy show and one of the longest-running LGBTQ+ comedy show in London with a loyal following. Alice talks about the articulation lessons she has been having and how her English went from American-sounding to more obviously German when she decided to switch to British pronunciation. We also learn why Alice is happy to go with the Alpine Milk Maid stereotype and why certain stereotypes about Austria seem to be based on an element of truth. This episodes concludes on The Anti Self Help Book written and published by Alice, a body of work that mocks the self help book genre (as pointed out by Alice, there's no regulation in publishing a self-help book) while gathers Alice's otherworldly thoughts, jokes and anecdotes. --------------------------------- Alice's Anti Self Help book can be found on Amazon (Kindle version/Paperback) Follow Alice on Instagram and Youtube Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:45 Intro and some German grammar chat 02:27 A comedy show in German in London 04:43 An Austrian having a dig at Germans 07:42 Two immigrants complain about the English greeting “How are you?” 11:45 Alice’s Articulation lesson 17:56 Some tongue twisters 18:26 Accents and actor casting 24:17 Laughing Labia - an all Female line up comedy show 29:06 Unsolicited feedback from fellow Male comedian 33:57 A stronger accent on stage 40:34 Alice's more subtle humour outside the "milk maid" character - The Anti Self Help Book -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Comedy powerhouse Arielle Souma is the very first French guest on this podcast after more than thirty episodes (FINALLY!). Unapologetic, unfiltered and oozing “I don’t give a f**k” energy, Arielle is known for her commanding stage presence and her punchy, intense and impactful comedy delivery. Arielle talks about keeping her English simple and accessible, thus easier to understand for non-native English speakers in the audience. Also, some of those long words are just too pompous for her liking. Arielle also talks about how English works better for her rhythms as a language than her native French. The cheeky French comic claims it makes sense to pronounce various words à la française, since that’s the origin of those English words. Unless it’s words like paedophilia that requires a bit of phonetic precision. As a mixed-race black woman raised by a white French family, Arielle talks about her hilarious over-compensating “trying to be more black than black” phase in the past. Surprisingly, the UK black comedy circuit does not particularly welcome her with open arms, just because her blackness does not fit in the several archetypes. She may be too confusing to tick a box for the industry and too saucy for the mainstream media, but if you are a London comedy club regulars, chances are you will get blown away when Arielle rocks up at the show. --------------------------------- Follow Arielle on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 01:08 Pre-recording chat (trashing Ivorians and Nigerians) 03:07 Intro 04:43 Unfiltered and blunt 05:54 A French accent and using it 09:49 Arielle prefers her name pronounced in English 10:30 Opening a comedy set by addressing the French accent 11:29 An African identity in addition to the French identity 12:45 A black girl raised by a white family 16:11 How Arielle raised her son to be proud of the colour of his skin 17:03 Pros and cons of a French speaker learning English 18:26 What kind of English pronunciation does a non-native speaker pursue? 20:12 An example where Arielle had to correct her pronunciation to ensure the audience understand her 22:09 Keeping the words used simple 25:04 A boxing-like comedy rhythm 27:13 On swearing 31:21 Racism in France v.s. in the UK 39:06 Being othered on the black comedy circuit in the UK 42:36 Too spicy for mainstream media? 46:14 Running a French comedy show in London 48:58 Arielle’s social media -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Gino Christofaro is the podcast’s first guest whose home city is not indicated in the episode title. He simply cannot name one. Being an embassy kid, Gino never had a childhood home like many of us do. Gino has been featured on Comedy Central Germany’s Roast Battle and is a now TV writer in both English and German for Comedy Central, ZDF, Paramount+ and Amazon. Born in São Paolo, Brazil, Gino was brought “back” to Bonn, Germany then moved with his parents to Saudi Arabia, Argentina…. just to name a few. Not in once place has Gino stayed for more than three years. He had one year to make good friends, another year to enjoy the friendships only to lose those friends later. Now Berlin-based, Gino identifies more with New York that dominated his childhood TV and where he started performing (but he is not even an American to call NYC home). A running gag in this interview is how Gino pays so much attention to his hairs, which your host mocks as a “First World Problem”. But the hair issue runs deep and reflects the childhood anxiety of a constant outsider always trying to fit in a new environment. The “embassy kid” journey forged Gino’s unique cadence in his mother tongue and influenced his approach to stand up comedy and to the audience. --------------------------------- Gino is going on tour in April! Check out Gino’s shows here Follow Gino on Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:42 Intro 02:16 What is his name “Gino” short for? 03:11 A German Brazilian (of Italian descent) 05:54 A New York English accent and a “weird” German accent 08:13 Gino’s hair issues (one key theme throughout the interview) 10:18 On Gino’s Jersey/New York accent again 10:52 A little rant on Little Italy, Italian New Yorkers, Albanians 14:25 Why Gino was constantly during his childhood 16:15 On Gino’s hair issues again 18:57 Where does Gino consider to be home? Berlin or New York? 20:17 An identity-less guy, a German perceived to be faking American 22:31 Identity-less or little traits of all different places? 26:06 How much does Gino have to explain his identity at the start of his comedy set? 28:26 Gino’s German-ness questioned 29:27 A comedian’s attire and audience’s expectation 32:03 From anxious comic to not caring about what people think 39:20 Sadness and depression and how it’s reflected in his comedy (and social media) 45:23 The German (language) comedy scene 47:21 What Gino represents as an English comedy performer 52:27 Does liberal Berlin give Gino a false sense of comfort? 54:20 Gino’s social media -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

How do you perform stand up comedy when half of the audience sees you as the enemy at worst, or not knowing what to think of you at best, in a language that is neither your or the majority audience’s mother tongue? Given the complex relationship between China and Taiwan, how does one position herself when they are known as “The Chinese comedian” in Taiwan? Jamie Wang is a student from Shanghai, China, who came to Taiwan for her master degree but became the rising star of the relatively small English stand up comedy scene on the predominantly Mandarin- and Taiwanese-speaking island. She opened for Atsuko Okatsuka when the latter paid Taiwan a surprising visit in May 2023. Jamie talks about audience lowering their expectation on the performer’s language fluency in a non English-speaking country. She also shares why she is determined to give voices to two otherwise two-dimensional groups - Chinese people in the eyes of Taiwanese (even though she does not want to be pigeon-holed as the comedian who bangs on about politics between China and Taiwan); Asian women in the eyes of caucasian male expats. If those white expats can be so demeaning to Asian women when they tell English jokes in Asian countries, why can't Asian women return the favour? *For Mandarin speakers, there will be an additional episode recorded in Mandarin to be released on Tuesday 2 April --------------------------------- Follow Jamie on Instagram Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:41 Intro 01:59 How Jamie learned English through an (French langugage) exchange programme in Belgium 03:34 How different types of audiences perceive Jamie’s English and her accent 06:45 Whether Jamie reveals her Chinese identity at an English stand up comedy show in Taiwan 08:57 Taiwanese audience’s mixed attitude/hostility towards Jamie as a Chinese performer 11:00 Jamie’s stage persona and the real-life Jamie 16:24 “You are the ONLY Chinese person I like!” 17:21 Jamie joking about the white male expats in Asia 19:44 “Is my **** bigger than the Asian ****s?” 22:02 Taiwanese people’s ability to laugh at themselves 25:39 One trick pony - if a comedian is only known for a “thing” 27:31 Where does Jamie go from performing English stand up comedy in Taiwan? 29:09 The comfort of performing in a second language; free from judgment 30:56 Jamie v.s. her social media -------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Could you ever imagine no longer having a fixed place you call home, not even having a storage space to keep your belongings, that you are just constantly on the road, crossing borders at times, moving from one city to another? Such is the life style of Victor Patrascan, a truly nomadic comedian who has been on the road since 2020, all for his love for performing stand up comedy.  In 2022 alone, he has traveled to 27 countries across 2 continents and performed in 70 cities. In the first episode of this podcast’s long due second season, your host was reunited with this old friend of his when Victor came to the UK for a few shows.  Well respected by his peers, Victor’s line was quoted by three other guests from foreign backgrounds, all of who were previously featured on this podcast: “Before I came to the UK, I was just a guy.  Now I am a Romanian.” Victor used to be a London-based act, until despairs caused by  Covid lockdowns energised him to sell his belongings and start travelling and performing in continental European countries.  He now performs to a mixture of local and expat crowds, although the majority of them are not native English speakers. In this episode, Victor talks about the differences between his old days of gigging in the UK and now on the road.  There is a significant amount of disagreement between your host and Victor in this episode, as they have varying views on the boundaries of stand up comedy.  But what they have in common was to agree to disagree agreeably. --------------------------------- Follow Victor on Instagram  Victor is touring, find him when he comes to your town Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter --------------------------------- If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com --------------------------------- 00:43 Prelude - explaining why the episode is released late 01:33 Intro - chitchat 03:19 Victor’s home town; Romanian immigrants in Europe 05:51 Where’s the line when you mock and criticise another country? 07:40 Agree to disagree agreeably 09:51 A comedian who is constantly touring 12:25 Is there a trade off being constantly on the road? 14:54 Proud of his own accent, “This is who I am” 18:55 Having to explain his accent and he’s Romanian facing the UK audience in the past 21:31 Fair game to mock someone’s accent at a comedy show? 30:43 Racism faced in continental Europe for being Romanian; some credit to the UK 34:05 Ever feeling lonely on the road? 36:14 Now performing to other foreigners 38:55 Difference of use of English between continental European and UK audiences 42:53 Crowd work (audience interactions) - social media clips 49:01 Ultimately it’s about being funny 50:42 Victor’s social media 51:04 Both people on the left and right sees Victor as if he had horns 52:31 Being funny and/or being philosophical --------------------------------- Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

This is a special episode recorded in Mandarin with our guest Blank Peng from last week 前一集的英文訪問 Blank 提及她在中國喜劇圈表演的一些經驗，第二段用中文訪談，主持人與來賓都能比較自然地暢所欲言（但也不能到太暢所欲言啦......這就點到為止就好）。Blank 解釋為何她的普通話在中國被視為不夠標準，甚至她的閩北口音會被其他省份的中國人嘲笑為『台灣口音』，主持人一同討論台灣與中國一些中文用語和發音的差別。 在表演部分，Blank 也剖析為何她會在台上稍微觸碰政治的議題，為何她現在在英國選擇先專心發展英文的單口喜劇演出，以及她對倫敦當地中文單口喜劇的觀察。 The next English bi-weekly episode will be available on Tuesday 30 July