Richard Herring

Richard Herring is a standup, actor, comedy writer, author, playwright, and a prolific podcaster and blogger. He is also cited as one of the most influential figures in modern British comedy.

Having met standup and writing partner Stewart Lee at Oxford University, Richard and Stewart worked on the live circuit and wrote for On The Hour (the radio forerunner to The Day Today). The pair broke through in their own right with their Radio 1, and later BBC2 show Fist of Fun. The show combined standup, dialogue between performers, and sketches ranging from the satirical to the surreal. The duo also produced cult-favourite This Morning with Richard, Not Judy (or TMWRNJ) taking many of the same comic tropes into a fake magazine show format.

After becoming a solo performer Richard also co-wrote Time Gentlemen Please with Al Murray, worked again with Armando Ianucci, and penned the comedy drama You Can Choose Your Friends. He has become a popular and frequent blogger and his award-winning podcast is one of the most popular in comedy. His Edinbugh Fringe and Leicester Square Theatre podcasts have seen him host performers from Stephen Fry to Simon Pegg to Tim Minchin as well as up-and-coming comedians and those known largely only to comedy fans.

Live Richard’s shows have been critical and audience hits for years. As might be expected from shows with titles such as Christ on a Bike, Hitler Moustache, We’re All Going To Die!, and I Killed Rasputin, he combines controversy, intelligence, originality and everyday observation.

Richard’s long-running weekly column in the Metro newspaper has also become a popular record of his life, thoughts and struggles. He’s published four (mainly autobiographical) books, performed all 12 (at the time) of his one-man shows over six weekends, and is, of course, a frequent guest on panel shows on radio and TV.