Laughter is the best cure
They say laughter is the cheapest form of therapy, so we’ve rounded up the hilarious, witty and sometimes a bit naughty podcasts that are the perfect antidote during these difficult, and occasionally overwhelming times. Instead of rehearsing for a night at Live at the Apollo, comedians have been harnessing their gift of the gab to spread some joy, recording conversations with friends and fellow comedians, sharing their razor-sharp observations and generally just being funny.
We round-up the funniest podcasts of 2020 so far, because we could all use a little more laughter right now.
1. Locked Together
Britian’s most loved comedy duos are reuniting online for a new Audible Original podcast series, Locked Together. Eavesdrop on conversations between stars such as French and Saunders, Frost and Pegg, and Catastrophe’s Sharon Horgan and Rob Delaney, to name a few, and find out how they are adapting to the ‘new normal’. We’re all missing our friends during lockdown, even the celebrities.
Listen to all eight episodes of the free audible podcast here: https://adbl.co/3couTbs.
2. James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds
According to James Acaster, 2016 was the greatest year for music, ever. In his book ‘Perfect Sound Whatever’, James deals with the personal pain he experienced by throwing himself into the music of 2016, when he listened to 500 new albums, explaining ‘how the beauty of one defeated the ugliness of the other’.
Following the success of his book, James now sets out to convince fellow comedians why the release of albums such as Lemonade by Beyonce, United Diktatürs of Europe by Anarchist Republic of BZZZ, and MM3 by Meta Meta made 2016 such an iconic year for music.
You can find ‘James Acaster’s Perfect Sounds’ on the BBC Sounds app, or on the BBC website here: https://bbc.in/3bolkbh.
3. Katherine Ryan: Telling Everybody Everything
In her new podcast ‘Telling Everybody Everything’, the Canadian born, UK based comedian holds nothing back, sharing candid chats and petty phone calls (Ryan records a phone call with her sister complaining about rule-breaking neighbours), to moments of honest vulnerability (the first episode is about pregnancy loss, something Ryan experienced earlier this year). Ryan’s mix of whip-smart humour and gentle, thoughtful observations makes this perfect lockdown listening.
You can find new episodes of ‘Telling Everybody Everything’ every Wednesday here: https://apple.co/35MzoKu.
4. Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe's Lockdown Parenting Hell
Comedians and friends Josh Widdicombe and Rob Beckett have launched a new podcast, aiming to offload some of the stress caused by attempting to parent during lockdown. In each episode Rob and Josh chat with a guest to discuss the hilarious and harrowing trials and tribulations of lockdown with children. How are they coping? Any tips and parenting life hacks they can pass on? What’s the best and worst moment of parenting under the lockdown? Guests include fellow podcaster and comedian on the list, Katherine Ryan, along with Jonathan Ross, Lucy Beaumont and Jon Richardson.
What podcasts have you been enjoying this year? Tag us on social media @ytlarenabristol and share your favourites.