A stand-up comedian is mostly his or her own writer, director and star performer. Unlike any other art form, there is no safety net and no private rehearsal. In its singular realisation, stand-up comedy only works live on a stage - in front of often hostile audiences. For most people baring their soul and being heckled would be a life-changing trauma, for stand-ups it's a nightly hazard.

Directors Paul Toogood and Lloyd Stanton achieve a startling level of intimacy in a series of riveting interviews with many masters of the comedy universe, allowing in-depth access to the emotional and psychological highs and lows of answering the call to become a stand-up comedian.

"Over two years, as the film began to emerge from the thousands of miles travelled and hundreds of hours or interviews, we learned about the physical and emotional dedication that it takes to become a stand-up comedian, and that the prospect of failure haunts even the most experienced and celebrated practitioners," they say. "We hope that the audience will find the final piece as touching, thought-provoking, inspirational, and as funny, as we do."

Stand-up comedy icons Jerry Seinfeld, Amy Schumer, Kevin Hart, Jamie Foxx, Billy Connolly, Steve Coogan, Eddie Izzard, Jerry Lewis, Chris Rock, Sarah Silverman, Frank Skinner, Jo Brand, Frankie Boyle, John Thomson and the late Garry Shandling and Victoria Wood among many others, feature.

First released: Friday 16th June 2017