British Comedy Guide
British Comedy Guide

Tune-Ups

Post coronavirus lockdowns, we asked live comedy experts to reveal some rules of the green room, to give everyone an on-stage head start.

Robin Ince

Tune-Up, No. 8: Robin Ince on how to get science into stand-up

  • Wednesday 23rd March 2022

Niche, scholarly topics can now work on comedy stages - Robin Ince explains how he started putting heavy concepts into club sets.

Beasts. Image shows from L to R: James McNicholas, Owen Roberts, Ciarán Dowd

Tune-Up, No. 7: James McNicholas on making a sketch group work

  • Tuesday 1st March 2022

James McNicholas spent many years with the much-loved sketch group Beasts. Here he talks about how the three of them worked together.

The Stand Up Sketch Show. Maisie Adam

Tune-Up, No. 6: Maisie Adam on ripping up the comedy roadmap

  • Friday 3rd December 2021

With her first tour starting next year, Maisie Adam tells us how she made such rapid strides - by ignoring conventional comedy wisdom.

Matt Forde

Tune-Up, No. 5: Matt Forde on making political comedy work

  • Thursday 14th October 2021

Political material can be risky with live audiences, but Matt Forde manages to bridge the big political divides - we asked him how.

Ian Smith

Tune-Up, No. 4: Ian Smith on getting gigs, and green room etiquette

  • Thursday 12th August 2021

Ian Smith loves crosswords - there's a podcast - but not cross words. So he's the ideal man to ask about green room dos and don'ts, and how to get gigs in the first place.

Paul Revill

Tune-Up, No. 3: Paul Revill on the art of compering

  • Thursday 24th June 2021

Many acts may have lost their mojo at the microphone over the last 18 months. So as regular stand-up returns, we're getting advice from the experts. This time: MC Paul Revill talks about how to wrangle a crowd.

Matt Green

Tune-Up, No. 2: Matt Green on lockdown material and keeping it unique

  • Tuesday 11th May 2021

In recent years stand-up Matt Green has moved into directing shows too, so seems the ideal chap to ask: how do you keep your stuff original, as so many acts return from the same dark place?

Juliet Meyers

Tune-Up, No. 1: Juliet Meyers on the Rules of Refreshing Your Set

  • Monday 22nd March 2021

With live stand-up set to return, we're getting trade secrets from the experts. First up, Juliet Meyers on whether good material has a tell-by date.