Episodes
This month, Omid Djalili, Sajeela Kershi, Chris Neill and Jake Yapp discuss, amongst other things, rock festivals, royalty, torture, peaceful protest, women's football and The Comedy Godfather, Barry Cryer. Masterful musical sets from Ronnie Golden, and hosted by Nick Revell.
Published 06/30/15
Nick Revell hosts May's NP2BF. The guests are musical comedian James Sherwood; political stand-up Kate Smurthwaite; The Daily Telegraph's political sketch writer Michael Deacon; and Amir Amirani, the director of We Are Many, a film about the anti-war marches. With a monologue from Paul Willers.
Published 06/01/15
Alistair Barrie presides over April's show as panellists Angela Barnes, Jo Brand, Joe Wells and Andy Zaltzman discuss topics including the forthcoming election. Meanwhile Nick Revell looks at Islamic State's accounts, and Christian Reilly provides a song on the topic of 'choices'.
Published 04/27/15
Kevin Day is joined by Nick Revell, Susan Murray, Carey Marx and Martin Rowson to discuss topics including Jeremy Clarkson, Prince Charles, swearwords and what exactly satire is. Also featuring an attempted radicalisation of the nation's youth by Alistair Barrie and music from Pippa Evans.
Published 03/31/15
In this month's show we discuss Greece and everything European, TV shows on Mars, racism on Earth, the relative merits of living in east London and Islamic State. All cheerful stuff. Hosted by Kevin Day, with music from Steve Gribbin and contributions from Nick Revell, and a fine panel comprising Grainne Maguire, Alex Andreou, Robin Ince and Nick Doody.
Published 02/24/15
In this edition we cover the elections in Greece and the UK, comedians who get involved in politics, the limits of causing offence, social injustice in the Middle East, Davos, the Greens, the far-Right, sex and media-presentation, including a long and profound symposium on the aesthetics of the testicles. James O'Brien hosts, with Tiffany Stevenson, Rich Peppiatt, Helen Lewis, Bob Mills and music from Ben Norris.
Published 01/26/15
No Pressure to be Festive: Alistair Barrie and Nick Revell host the final show of the year, with a lively panel of Jo Jo Smith, Michael Deacon, Hal Cruttenden and first-timer James O'Brien. Music from Paul Thorne. By the way - in keeping with the slightly unconventional nature of this month's show we have included Alistair's regular and largely visual feature, Subterranean Homesick News, in which he supplies the punchlines on large pieces of card. All you need to know is that all the...
Published 12/16/14
James O'Brien hosts, with Bea Campbell, Aisling Bea, Trevor Crook and Tobias Persson discussing - amongst other things - Popes, Revolution, Black Friday and Humanitarian Awards. With songs on Vans and Class Insults from James Sherwood, and the usual contributions from Alistair Barrie and Nick Revell.
Published 12/01/14
Given that two of the biggest topics this week are the global threat of a fatal disease with no cure and a string of stories of sexual violence, it's surprising this is not the most gag-dense edition we've ever done. A compelling and informative discussion of Ebola, courtesy of Medecin sans Frontieres Ivan Gayton; Sameena Zehra offers some interesting activist strategies for a pacifist...; Barry Castagnola offers a profound philosophical rumination on situations where contracting Ebola virus...
Published 10/27/14
This month's show is in association with the peace-building charity International Alert. Their Secretary General and No Pressure regular, Dan Smith, gives us a profound and fascinating analysis of the current situation in the Middle East. To ensure the whole show is not built on easy laughs from such a trivial subject we also cover the Ebola virus, politicians posting penis pics and press ethics, and courtesy of Owen Jones' new book, we look at how Disraeli's observation about lies damned...
Published 09/30/14
As we're taking two months off through the summer, here's a slightly longer podcast than usual; a satirical and seditious seaside special edition, if you will, (not to mention sibilant) and the perfect way to while away a rainy holiday afternoon when you're trapped in the Tuscan villa, pinned down under fire from Maoist guerrillas whilst trekking in Nepal, or just too hungover to make it to the beach.
Please note: at about 17 minutes, the lights in the room go out... which left us lit just...
Published 06/30/14
Kevin Day hosts and David Elms provides the laid-back sound track to this chilled out Bank Holiday edition of No Pressure. Plenty of swearing and vile insults, as the panel discuss the World Cup, racism, sexism and alcohol, while Bennett Arron suggests a scientific invention which rivals anything from Douglas Adams. Rich Peppiatt explains definitively why UKIP get so much TV coverage, Elis James dissects Ed Miliband mercilessly and yet with great mercy, and feminist comedian Kate Smurthwaite...
Published 05/27/14
In this month's show, Steve Gribbin provides the music while James O'Brien and guests Daphna Baram, Don Biswas, Matt Forde and Chris Neill discuss amongst other things, the Middle East, Tony Blair, UKIP, Manchester United, and the Royal Family. See if you can guess which subject tops the unpopularity table, and which one provokes Mr O'Brien into temporarily abandoning impartiality.
Published 04/29/14
No Pressure to Be Funny, March 30th 2014 - in which we deliver something unique in the history of British media - an interesting, informative and very funny discussion of the EU... Joe Wells brings the long-overlooked dolphin angle of the Ukraine crisis to public attention, causing Robin Ince to lose his nice-guy-in-an-edgy-cardigan image, Alex Andreou compares Vladimir Putin enlighteningly to his cat, and Suzanne Moore lyrically eulogises Ed Miliband's 'MDMA eyes'. Pippa Evans introduces the...
Published 03/01/14
In this edition, Dave Fulton inadvertently reveals the polyerotic undertones of being caught in an avalanche when a discussion of the Winter Olympics goes off-piste; Jonny and the Baptists share some of their fanmail from UKIP, while Alistair Barrie channels the party's soul with uncanny and chilling accuracy. Phill Jupitus and Ben Norris offer insight on why the British are not inclined to rebel, and Viv Groskop and Nick Revell try different ways of making sense of the situation in Ukraine.
Published 02/24/14
Michael Deacon, Sara Pascoe, Miles Jupp and Nathan Caton join James O'Brien to discuss UKIP's meteorological theories, whether or not Lord Anelka and Nicolas Rennard should apologise, and similar things comedians regret saying and doing; the panel compares Iain Duncan Smith and William Wilberforce, and share some entertaining home truths. Paul Thorne swears artistically to music, and Alistair Barrie and Nick Revell are as acerbic and witty as ever, which of course has nothing to do with the...
Published 01/27/14
James O'Brien and the panel - Andy Zalzman, Tiffany Stevenson, Padraig Reidy and Nick Doody - deal with bankers, politicians and hard drugs (in the sense of 'discuss', not 'do business with')... the positives of environmental holocaust and why the rich should be treated as an endangered species. Songs from James Sherwood.
Published 11/25/13
This month on No Pressure To Be Funny, guest host Kevin Day wrangles a formidable array of talent whilst trying to be nice about The Great British Bake Off. The Guardian's Polly Toynbee definitely says pleb, Alex Andreou dares to suggest re-nationalising energy companies, and Chris Neill extolls the virtues of Lidl to Marcus Brigstocke, who's never been to one, obviously. Nick Revell gives Facebook a (be)heads up, Alistair Barrie wears a lot of jumpers and Jonny and the Baptists manage to...
Published 10/29/13
James O'Brien reveals the shameless and frankly disgusting behaviour of some members of the British aristocracy when it comes to trying to return unwanted clothing; Dan Smith of International Alert dispenses wisdom on the Middle East and hits a new personal best in laconic laugh generation of a one-syllable trigger. Angela Barnes reveals her crush on a senior British politician, Richard Herring effortlessly hits a trademark balance between gags and comments that other comics can only dream of...
Published 09/23/13
Amongst other things covered in this month's show, host James O'Brien tries to defend pay-rises for MPs; James Sherwood melodically shows how tough the rich have it compared to the poor; Angela Barnes reminisces on the awkwardness of helping one's father with the stocktaking when he owns a sex-shop; Elis James on getting sacked for slouching; Jo Glanville explains how Prince Charles is acting above the law; and why the Russians put a dead man on trial last week; while Brendon Burns is filthy,...
Published 07/16/13
In this month's show, Mitch Benn rocks the room with two pieces of satirical musical brilliance which contain more coherent and persuasive political arguments than we've heard from Her Majesty's Opposition since about 1945; Jessica Fostekew deflates Bilderberg conspiracy theories with the most elegant of rapier thrusts, Dan Smith gives profound and gripping summaries of the situation in Syria and Turkey; Hal Cruttenden offers a powerfully unconventional critique of 1984 and Liam Mullone...
Published 06/11/13
May 5th 2013 - James O'Brien talks to Alex Andreou, Lee Camp, Gary Delaney and Nat Luurtsema about the nutty fruitcakes of British politics, and UKIP as well; how Barack Obama wishes he could find someone in America with enough authority to close Guantanamo, and a tasteful exploration of media stars' sexual predations. Not something you'd get from the BBC - except in the dressing rooms of course. With old-school(tie) rapping straight outta Hampstead from Mr Dave Cohen. Soliloquent interludes...
Published 05/06/13
This month's No Pressure sees guest host Kevin Day come up with some interesting new programme ideas for BBC3 based on some thoroughly historical suggestions for punishing financial wrongdoing from The Keiser Report's Max Keiser. The Independent's Steve Richards lets rip his inner Rory Bremner, while Aisling Bea worries that Gangnam Style may have affected the Korean Peninsula in untold ways, and Paul Sinha has a novel solution to England's traditional difficulties in penalty shoot-outs. Jay...
Published 04/10/13
This month, firebrand of the left Owen Jones denies a love tryst with Tory donor and disgraced former party chairman Lord Ashcroft; Helen Lewis sets James O'Brien straight about the New Statesman's relationship with the Labour Party, Keith Farnan suggests a poetic yet viciously vengeful fate for Tony Blair, and Chris Neill is extremely rude about Pippa Middleton. Plus music from Jonny and the Baptists, and monologues from Nick Revell.
Published 03/04/13