Comedy producer Ed Morrish (Non-Censored, Soundheap, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme) brings his personal comfort blanket, Ben Stokes' 2019 Ashes innings at Headingley against Australia (and more broadly "all sport") to try and persuade Comfort Blanket umpire Joel that it's allowed - and makes a case for sport as the perfect improvised long-form narrative. It's all about the story... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor, comedian and broadcaster Tom Price (Torchwood, Magic FM, My Mate Brought A Toaster) talks about the lifelong comfort he draws from Allo Allo, Perry & Lloyd's broad and shameless French resistance farce. Listen very carefully, we will say this only once: it's actually brilliant. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer Naomi Alderman (The Power, The Future) chooses as her comfort blanket, the 1949 Ealing black comedy 'Kind Hearts And Coronets', with its mixture of revenge (served cold, of course), and vicious social satire, managing to possess, one might say, "all the exuberance of Chaucer, without, happily, any of the concomitant crudities of his period..." Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second part of our two part look at definitive 1990s sitcom Friends, Larry Rickard (Ghosts, Horrible Histories) talks about how comedy reflects its times, how audiences want (and don't want) things to change for their favourite comedy characters, and when it's time to say goodbye. This is PART TWO of a two part episode. If you haven't heard PART ONE, please go back and start there... Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and actor Larry Rickard (Ghosts, Horrible Histories) talks about his love for the smash hit 1990s sitcom Friends, and the craft of making warm, gag-filled, ensemble television comedy with your... er... friends. This is Part ONE of a two part episode. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and broadcaster Danny Robins (Uncanny, 2:22 A Ghost Story) talks about the unexpected comforts of Nic Roeg's classic 1973 supernatural thriller Don't Look Now, a masterful study of how humans try and make sense of life, death and the unexplained. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor and writer Jim Howick (Ghosts, Horrible Histories) talks about his love for Bruce Robinson's 1987 film 'Withnail & I', the studied debauchery of the striving, starving artist, its ache of regret for the 60s, and the strange, romantic comforts of desperation, booze and enormous herb-laced joints (lamb and otherwise). Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor Rufus Wright (Rogue One, Quantum of Solace, The Audience) talks about the comfort he gets from the often overlooked 1974 debut album by Canadian heavy prog rock trio Rush, and we share our thoughts on the appeal of heavy metal for teenage boys, the gawky magic of school bands, and the sweet horror of adolescent lyrics. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and writer Bec Hill (Makeaway Takeaway, Horror Heights, A Problem Squared) talks about the comforts of Michael Schur's philosophical afterlife sitcom The Good Place, and how comedy can tackle the really, really big stuff. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The second part of our 2-part celebration of the sound shorts of Laurel & Hardy, with journalist Andrew Male (Sight & Sound, Mojo, Sunday Times), talking about Towed In A Hole, Their First Mistake, Them Thar Hills, and its sequel, Tit For Tat. Please do listen to part one first! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Journalist Andrew Male (Sight & Sound, Sunday Times, Mojo) talks about the sound shorts of Laurel & Hardy, and the leap forward in comedy instigated by their unique, warm double act adapting to the new technology of sound. Part one of two, dealing with Stan and Ollie's craft, and looking at their Oscar winning 1932 short, The Music Box. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

PART TWO of actor and writer Carrie Quinlan talking about Spider-Man, and the endlessly retellable tale of the nerd-turned-neighbourhood superhero. This part talks in more depth about the latest Spider-Man film 'Across the Spiderverse'. If you haven't heard part one, please find it and start there! This is PART TWO of TWO. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor and writer Carrie Quinlan (Home, Agendum, John Finnemore's Souvenir Programme) talks about her love of the comic character Spider-Man, in all his (and her, and its) incarnations, and what enables the story of the teenage nerd turned neighbourhood crime fighter to be endlessly reinvented, to provide life-long comfort for alienated kids, teens and grown-ups. This is part ONE of TWO. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedy actor and podcaster Margaret Cabourn-Smith (Crushed, John Finnemore, Penny Dreadfuls) talks about the uplifting British comedy film Pride (2014) with its story of unlikely alliances and the power of unity, and the winner of an imaginary BAFTA for best White Writing At The End In A Motion Picture. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and YouTuber Jay Foreman (Map Men, Politics Unboring-ed) talks about the comforts of Goscinny and Uderzo’s indomitable Asterix, about the sort of jokes and storytelling that can only work in comic form, and how good it is to read something from a neighbour's point of view. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Author and journalist Daisy Buchanan (Insatiable, How To Be A Grown Up) talks about the comforts of Bridget Jones's Diary, by Helen Fielding, and how book Bridget differs from the version we now think we know, how the book acts as a manual for self-acceptance, and how it might open a door to grown-up life if you read it when you're anxious and thirteen. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian Michael Spicer (The Room Next Door, Mandy, The Mash Report) talks about the comforts of Monty Python's final, short and strange TV series (the one nobody really talks about), why sketch shows are all-hit-and-no-miss (provided you love them enough) and why enjoying the weird stuff is sometimes the most comforting part of being a fan. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Comedian and artist Jo Neary (Ideal, Man Down) on illustrator Ronald Searle, in particular his school satires: St Trinian's and the immortal Molesworth books, with Geoffrey Willans. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Writer and actor Abigail Burdess (Mother's Day, Mitchell & Webb) talks about the comforts of the 1995 BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, and talks about the invention of the romcom, and whether Jane Austen is the most successful comedy writer ever. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Actor Melanie Gutteridge (Salisbury Poisonings, Undeclared War, The Bill) talks about the comforts of the 2013 video game The Last of Us - recently adapted into the hit HBO series - the power of interactive fiction, and how video games are more like theatre than TV, how they tell their stories and emotionally affect us, and the differences between acting and acting-with-balls-all-over-a-wetsuit. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.