Book Club #96 - Not That I'm Bitter - Richard talks to comedy legend Helen Lederer about her honest, hilarious and sad memoir, Not That I’m Bitter and the joy of hitting the middle, overcoming youthful ambition and envy, why she wanted to be candid about all aspects of her life and loves (which she definitely is), the difficulty of making it as a comedian, but with the extra difficulty of being a woman in a male dominated arena, but how too much success would have made this book impossible to...

#502 Divorce House Dirty Protest - Richard returns to Nottingham with some mind blowing research to prove which is the oldest pub in the city. His guests are husband and wife podcasters and performers Scott and Jemma Bennett. They discuss Scott’s monoball status and whether it should allow him into the club of real wombles, how Jemma felt when she discovered Scott’s deficiency, how Jemma literally edged her way into Scott’s lockdown performances from his shed and how that led to their hit...

RETRO RHLSTP #82 - Drifter Charger - Rich's daughter has made quite a radical life choice, but hopefully is a reincarnation of someone who will make the family a lot of money (if only we can prove it). This week it's a welcome return for one of the worst guests we've ever had on RHLSTP (and I am saying that because that's what he says about me on Pointless), it's the charmingly offensive giant, Richard Osman. Will Osman realise where he's gone wrong with his TV shows and finally commission...

Book Club #95 - The Wager - Richard takes a Transatlantic call luckily in a time when it’s much easier to traverse the oceans, with David Grann the best-selling author and journalist, about his fantastic book The Wager - A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder. It’s an unbelievable and remarkable true story which has much to tell us about our history and the present day. David talks about what it’s like to work on a book that goes on to be an Oscar Nominated move, Killers of the Flower Moon...

#501 Thomas Tallis Fan Club - Richard is back in Nottingham, refusing to let his love of the Tales of Robin Hood die (and with one actual joke). His guest sings like a woman, it’s the hilarious Lloyd Griffith. They discuss the Anglian Cathedrals of the UK, being the subject of a cruel football chant, how the heartbreaking loss of a plum Hollywood job led to Lloyd’s appearance on Ted Lasso, playing Benny from Crossroads and the genesis of his fab documentary about whether you can beat the...

RETRO RHLSTP #81 - Nervous Lord's Prayer - You have us at an advantage this week, as you know who the next US President will be and we don't. What terrible future are you in? Either way. But let's forget about that and welcome the smiling man-mountain that is Tom Davis. Suddenly he is appearing in everything, most notably the brilliantly fun Murder In Successville, but we'll find out about how he made it and what he was doing before. Are Scaffolders really the craziest of all the tradesmen?...

Book Club #94 - Why We Remember - Richard talks to memory expert and possible pop star Charan Ranganath about his fascinating book about memory, Why We Remember. They chat about aphantasia (of course) why memory is a painting and not a photograph, how our understanding of memory has changed in the last few decades, how much fun it must be to come up with tricksy experiments to test new theories, the wonder of being wrong in science, how memories attach to objects and sounds and places, why...

#500 Camel Hit and Run - Richard has been living the showbiz lifestyle that should be his daily existence, but now he’s landed up in Chorley. His guest is award winning stand up and MC Hayley Ellis. They chat about Hayley becoming a mum after an unplanned pregnancy, the hilarious story of attempting to buy a pillow with a picture of her dead grandma on it, whether we need bad people to get us through certain circumstances, her podcast “The Worriers” and why it’s good to talk about mental...

EQ Have You Ever Seen A Bigfoot? It’s another compilation of the best answers to the zaniest Emergency Questions, all tied up with a bow to show Channel 5 what cheap and easy TV this would be. This week a question that you’d expect only to have the answer “No” leads to some amazing answers from an array of cool celebs including both Adam and Joe, Michael Palin (from a previously unbroadcast backstage interview), Miriam Margoyles and of course Brian Blessed. See Rich on...

Book Club #93 - Weirdo - Richard talks to comedian, presenter and now novelist, Sara Pascoe about her fabulous debut novel Weirdo. They talk about the difficulties of writing a novel, the joy of when the character starts writing it for you, the unreliable narrator and a possibly unlikeable protagonist, plus all the paranoid and weird delusions that swim around in (presumably) all of our heads and how often they have an arrogance that presumes others are prepared to pay billions to keep up the...

#499 A Night in a Haunted House with Robbie Williams - Richard, it turns out, loves his AirTag more than his dog, but he’s back in London and eating tofu. His guest is journalist and lord of the podcasts jon Ronson. They talk about the worst decision made by an executive since turning down the Beatles, the brilliant series Things Fell Apart https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/brand/m0011cpr detailing the unlikely genesis of anti-abortion become a big deal for US Christians and a moving story of...

RETRO RHLSTP #80 - Over to our Human Centipede Expert - Richard has had his topical comedy well pretty much depleted by recording AIOTM the night before this, but considers creating a new beard based podcast, but luckily relents to introduce comedian, actor and wannabe humanitarian Kerry Godliman. They discuss working with Christopher Guest, how Richard could have gone to drama school if only he’d been any good at acting, being rescued by a topless lady, how to pronounce taramasalata,...

Book Club #92 - Let The Light Pour In -  It’s another live podcast, this time with the remarkable poet and playwright Lemn Sissay MBE OBE and more honours than you can shake a stick at. They discuss the comedy scene in Manchester in the early 90s, how writing a quatrain a day has led to this collection of amusing, thoughtful and brilliant poetry and acts as an inspiration to us all to write something every day, for ourselves. They also discuss Lemn’s heartbreaking, yet powerful autobiography...

#498 Pig-Tail Sex Toy - Richard is back in Northampton where the people are named after Ancient Greeks. His guest is US stand up Abigoliah Shamaun (hard to say, hard to spell). They talk about her reluctance to embrace a showbiz friendly name, the indifference of long in the tooth stand ups, how she won a Grammy at school, why nodules ended her musical theatre career, working as a yoga teacher under a discredited guru, how she possibly caused immigration laws to be tightened and being...

#498 Pig-Tail Sex Toy - Richard is back in Northampton where the people are named after Ancient Greeks. His guest is US stand up Abigoliah Schamaun (hard to say, hard to spell). They talk about her reluctance to embrace a showbiz friendly name, the indifference of long in the tooth stand ups, how she won a Grammy at school, why nodules ended her musical theatre career, working as a yoga teacher under a discredited guru, how she possibly caused immigration laws to be tightened and being...

RETRO RHLSTP #79 - Away or Towards? - A weary Richard films the audience as evidence of dissent for the future fascist government of the UK, before introducing a man who comes with his own magical minor ticker tape parade, David Cross. Starstruck and clearly in disbelieving awe, Rich flounders around and mainly embarrasses himself, but luckily Mr Cross is able to come up with some amazing riffed comedy about frozen vegetables, Abraham and taking cocaine near President Obama, whilst getting a...

Book Club #91 - Bird - Rich is in Canterbury where everyone is up in arms about the Silent Disco, but saying nothing about the Canterbury Tales. His guests are charmingly giddy husband and wife Jim and Nancy Moir. And though there is some chat about the artist formerly known as Vic Reeves’ book, they also discuss the dream job of Painting Birds with Jim and Nancy Moir, the Marmite Museum, painting in the nude, dancing for Instagram, appearing in Love Actually, being the face of Pampers,...

#497 Shoe Horn - Richard is in Northampton and astonished to hear the place once burnt down (as well as the stuff that makes the papers). HIs guest is actor and character comedian Jon Pointing. They chat about not sampling the thing you’re advertising, the tricky nature of the double act (especially with your brother-in-law), the surprising depths of his BAFTA nominated performance in Big Boys, playing out of character in the new series Smothered and his early foray into gangster films. He...

RETRO RHLSTP #78 - Minstrels - Richard is worried about the psychological impact of Winnie the Pooh's skull being on display in a museum, but overcomes his fears long enough to introduce ex-philosophy student Aisling Bea. Find out what it's like making love to Enya, whether a degree still counts if you cheated all the way through your studies, how trying to impress someone by riding a horse can leave you in the shit, and some baffling Irish references that must have been doubly confusing for...

Book Club #90 - Killing Thatcher - Rich talks to journalist Rory Carroll about his fascinating account of the Brighton Bombing of 1984, Killing Thatcher. They discuss the importance of maintaining balance in the account of this true event, to truly understand motivations, how telling the story through the eyes of some of the major figures in the political situation, the terrorist attack and the police investigation brings it to life, the human and sometimes humorous details that make it...

#496 Julia Sawalha’s Well - Richard has great news about his (pre-breakfast) weight (which may no longer be true by time of broadcast). And in another attempt to get some closure for his romantic past, his guest is fantastic actress and ex-partner, Julia Sawalha. They talk about the impact of Press Gang and the gruelling audition process, working with Rik Mayall and Michael Palin (not at the same time), the process by which Absolutely Fabulous developed and brilliant casting that led to its...

RETRO RHLSTP #77 - How To Twerk - Richard is marvelling about a new interpretative dance based on “All You Need is Love” but soon he will be dancing himself with brilliant new comedian and writer, Sophie Willan. They talk about how a trip to Ibiza with your techno-loving gran can ignite a love of theatre, what Rylan is like in real life, the therapeutic nature of stand up (and whether it’s healthy to work things through on stage), the intersection between madness and comedy, growing up in...

Book Club #89 - The Stranger Times - Richard meets former stand up and now best selling novelist Caimh Mcdonnell to talk about all of his many books, but specifically the Stranger Times series. They discuss the frustrations of writing for TV, a top tip to move towards writing a novel, how a memory of a forgotten sitcom script led to the creation of this series, making Manchester the star, using a comedian as inspiration for one of the characters, selling TV rights and retaining control over...

#495 Speared by a Moose - Richard is still in Norwich and has more local news and celebrates the city’s most famous son. His guest is the phenomenon that is Joe Pasquale. In the chat Joe reveals more than any guest has done before, literally and physically as he recounts many tales of clumsiness and accident, including how he nearly died the perfect comedy bath (again literally), the funniest telling of a having a badly broken leg after being run over, how a flight with the Red Arrows ended...