The Comedy Bureau

DoubLexx Productions

Deep in the depths of the University of Niche Interests lies The Comedy Bureau – a long forgotten department dedicated to studying the ins, outs, whys and wherefores of all things comedy. Staffed by Laura Lexx (Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, Roast Battle) and Olly Double (Getting the Joke: The Inner Workings of Stand-Up Comedy) The Comedy Bureau helps comedy lovers around the world uncover answers to the art form’s biggest questions. What is laughter? Who was the first stand up comedian? and Why do we laugh at others? Find out now by listening here, watching along on YouTube: @The.Comedy.Bureau and following the show on Instagram and TikTok: @the.comedy.bureau

  1. EPISODE 1

    Case File 1: Who Was The First Stand Up Comedian?

    In the very first episode of The Comedy Bureau, stand-up comedian, author and podcaster Laura Lexx poses comedy academic Olly Double an impossible question. It sounds simple when you ask it... who was the first stand up comedian? But, as Olly passionately and carefully explains – there's no way to answer because stand-up comedy didn't leap out of the ether fully formed as an entertainment format. Olly puts forward five candidates for first ever stand up comedian and meticulously explains why each one could be considered such. Laura then forces him to choose... which one would he pick as the first ever stand up comedian? The Comedy Bureau is a new show dreamed up by Laura Lexx – a supreme comedy nerd with fifteen years’ experience as a stand up comedian. Her career really began at The University of Kent where a professor named Oliver Double introduced her to the world of comedy and the potential for stand-up as more than just for her entertainment. Fast forward to 2025 and the two have teamed up to explore the real intricacies of the world of comedy. From the history to the science to the sociology to the just plain interesting – The Comedy Bureau will be covering it all. If you have any questions you think would be interesting to pose to us here at The Bureau, please don't hesitate to get in touch. You can comment on our social media pages or send us an email at TheComedyBureauTeam@gmail.com Thanks for watching – don't forget to like, subscribe and share these episodes. Our sources for this episode were: • Judith Yaross Lee (2006), 'Mark Twain as a Stand-Up Comedian', The Mark Twain Annual, no. 4, pp.3-23. • Joe Laurie Jr. (1931), 'Monologists', Variety, 29 December, p.22. • The Stage (1904), 'Death of Dan Leno', 3 November, p.16. • Peter Quince (1917), 'Stage Gossip', The Yorkshire Evening Post, 10 November, p.3. • Jay Hickory Wood, 'Dan Leno' Methuen & Co (1905) • Rafe (1954), 'The Hunger i, Frisco', Variety, 4 August, p.53. • Mort Sahl (1958), At Sunset [LP], USA: Fantasy Records. Laura mentions in this episode the wonderful Kate Lucas, you can check her out at www.katelucascomedy.co.uk or on social media @katelucascomedy Follow us on instagram @The.Comedy.Bureau to see Olly's postcards in more detail. Podcast cover art by Adam Richardson Artwork for The Comedy Bureau is by Matthew Grant at Tiny Worlds Workshop @tinyworldsworkshop. Our video editor and credit sequence designer is Lucas Orme. Music was devised and performed by Olly Double. Huge thanks to the whole team at Podspike for invaluable advice and help launching and marketing the show. All media enquiries via Julian Hall textualhealingpr@gmail.com

    32 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Case File 2: What Is Laughter?

    Welcome back to the office of The Comedy Bureau, here you will find Reader in Popular Performance and Comic History Olly Double, alongside comedian and author Laura Lexx. They are the employees at The Comedy Bureau – a department in The University of Niche Interests where the analysis of all things comedy takes place in meticulous detail. In this episode Olly and Laura are focusing on a simple question with an extremely complicated answer… what is laughter? Laughter is such a fantastic feeling that we pay strangers to make us do it. Laughter is so intoxicating that when someone causes you to do it you like them more, if not begin to love them in some cases. But what is it? Why do humans do it? Do we know why we like it? And, are we alone in doing it? In this episode we explore the three leading humour theories – superiority, release and incongruity as well as discussing evolution of laughter. We then move on to dissecting some of Laura’s current stand up jokes to look at why we are laughing in each joke. If you have any thoughts or subjects for future episodes you can email us at TheComedyBureauTeam@gmail.com Our Sources for the research for this episode were: • Robert Provine (2000), Laughter: A Scientific Investigation, London: Penguin. • John Morreall (1987), The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor, Albany, NY: SUNY Press. If you would like to watch Slinky, the show which Laura shared extracts from then you can join her mailing list here to be notified of when it’s available: https://www.lauralexx.co.uk/mailing-list Podcast cover art by Adam Richardson Artwork for The Comedy Bureau is by Matthew Grant at Tiny Worlds Workshop @tinyworldsworkshop. Our video editor and credit sequence designer is Lucas Orme. Music was devised and performed by Olly Double. Huge thanks to the whole team at Podspike for invaluable advice and help launching and marketing the show. All media enquiries via Julian Hall textualhealingpr@gmail.com

    39 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Case File 3: What Is A Joke?

    Welcome back to The Comedy Bureau! In the third episode, Laura and Olly open the doors of the office just in time for Laura to pose Olly another impossible question… what is a joke?! Laura and Olly first met at The University of Kent where Laura studied stand up comedy under Olly’s tutelage. Now, 20 years later they are reunited to examine the gory details of the world of comedy. Even when there might not be a definitive answer. First off Olly and Laura explore some traditional jokes to look at the ways they are structured. Then they explore intentionality to see if the real soul of a joke is in the purpose of the sentence. In this episode they analyse jokes from the Roman period to Shakespeare to the modern day stand-up routine to see if there are any definitive rules and regulations that truly define a joke. What is a joke? • Geoff Rowe (2021), All Puns Blazing: The Best British Knockout Jokes, Ebury Press • Jimmy Carr and Lucy Greeves (2006), The Naked Jape, London: Michael Joseph. • Dan Compton (2010), A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, London: Michael O'Mara Books. • James Orchard Halliwell (1844), Tarlton's Jests and News Out of Purgatory, London: Shakespeare Society. • Lewis and Faye Copeland (eds.) (1940), 10,000 Jokes, Toasts & Stories, Garden City, NY: Garden City Books. • Robert Orben (1946), The Encyclopedia of Patter, New York: Louis Tannen. • Robert Orben (1951), One-Liners, New York: D Robbins. • Robert Orben (1951), Comedy Technique, New York: Louis Tannen. • Robert Orben (1963), If You Have to Be a Comic, Baldwin Harbor, NY: Orben Publications. Comedians Laura mentions in this episode: Dinesh Nathan @dineshnathancomedian Gary Delaney @garydelaneycomedian Andy Askins @AndyAskins Paul F Taylor @paulyftaylor Podcast cover art by Adam Richardson Artwork for The Comedy Bureau is by Matthew Grant at Tiny Worlds Workshop @tinyworldsworkshop. Our video editor and credit sequence designer is Lucas Orme. Music was devised and performed by Olly Double. Huge thanks to the whole team at Podspike for invaluable advice and help launching and marketing the show. All media enquiries via Julian Hall textualhealingpr@gmail.com

    33 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Case File 4: Are Women Funny?

    Welcome back to the cosy offices of The Comedy Bureau. Staffed by comedian Laura Lexx and academic Olly Double, it’s the go to place for all the comedy discussions and analysis you could ever want. This week, in their most provocatively titled episode to date Laura and Olly explore the rage-inducing issue of women in comedy. As a stand up comedian, Laura is often forced to deal with people who, for their own personal reasons, cannot find women funny. Unfortunately, Olly isn’t a therapist and so can’t fix them. Instead, what they aim to do in this episode is bust the myth that female inclusion in comedy is somehow a new thing. Olly gives Laura a brilliant rundown of the history of women in comedy from the days of Vaudeville and Variety up to the Alternative Comedy explosion of 1979. Female involvement in comedy seems to have fluctuated over the last century and a half and Olly and Laura discuss here various explanations for how and why that happens. Olly talks Laura through the female power houses of the Variety stage including the likes of Suzette Tarry, Nelly Wallace and Marie Lloyd. When comedy moves to Working Men’s Clubs things take a bit of a dip for female representation but Olly finds examples like Marti Caine. Names you may be more familiar with include Pauline Melville, Victoria Wood and Jenny Eclair in a rich tour of all the ways women have helped shape the British history of comedy. Our Sources for the research for this episode were: • Zoe Williams (2020), 'Interview: Jenny Eclair: " Menopause gave me incandescent rage. It was like a superpower"', The Guardian, 28 June https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2020/jun/28/jenny-eclair-menopause-gave-me-incandescent-rage-it-was-like-a-superpower • John Fisher (1973), Funny Way to Be a Hero, London: Frederick Muller Laura mentions Harriet Dyer in this episode, and Harriet can be found on Instagram at @harrietdyercomedy Podcast cover art by Adam Richardson Artwork for The Comedy Bureau is by Matthew Grant at Tiny Worlds Workshop @tinyworldsworkshop. Our video editor and credit sequence designer is Lucas Orme. Music was devised and performed by Olly Double. Huge thanks to the whole team at Podspike for invaluable advice and help launching and marketing the show. All media enquiries via Julian Hall textualhealingpr@gmail.com

    41 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    Case File 5: Funny Peculiar or Funny HaHa?

    Welcome back to the offices of The Comedy Bureau, staffed by comedian Laura Lexx and tame historian and comic lecturer Olly Double! This week Laura and Olly decide to knuckle down and really focus on something that keeps rearing its head during their discussions of other aspects of comedy… comic theory. Why are things funny? What is funny? What is humour EXACTLY? Now, it’s sort of another one of those impossible questions to answer and so Olly has the task of describing some of the popular comic theories to Laura. Even trying to describe all the theories would be a vaguely impossible task and so we have narrowed it down to just three options… In this first episode of a three-part series on comic theory they focus in on Incongruity Theory. We’ve been kind to you in the first four episodes but this is where the show takes a hard turn down Nerd Avenue and then proceeds at a cautious 20mph all the way to Detail House. We begin our comic theory exploration series with Koestler’s theory of bisociation and discuss how a lot of jokes revolve around using two planes of idea and then merging the two for a point of laughter. In the next two episodes in our comic theory series we will be looking at the Relief Theory and the Superiority Theory so don’t miss those coming up in the next few weeks. In this episode our sources were: • Koestler, Arthur (1970) “The Act of Creation”, Pan McMillan • Morreall, John (1987), The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor, Albany, NY: SUNY Press • Carroll, Noel (2014), “Humour a Very Short Introduction”, Oxford University Press Comedians Laura mentioned in this show are: Paul F Taylor - @paulyftaylor Podcast cover art by Adam Richardson Artwork for The Comedy Bureau is by Matthew Grant at Tiny Worlds Workshop @tinyworldsworkshop. Our video editor and credit sequence designer is Lucas Orme. Music was devised and performed by Olly Double. Huge thanks to the whole team at Podspike for invaluable advice and help launching and marketing the show. All media enquiries via Julian Hall textualhealingpr@gmail.com

    34 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    Case File 6: Is It a Relief To Laugh?

    This week, The Comedy Bureau team continue their mini series looking at popular comic theories. Last week they explored Incongruity, and this week they move on to Relief Theory (sometimes called Release Theory). The offices have an oniony scent this week due to some delicious sandwiches (shout out to Lavash in Brighton) but that doesn’t stop Oliver Double and Laura Lexx getting nerdy. They begin with Kant, and work through several theories of the purpose and physiology of laughter. From Kant, Freud and other philosophers and psychologists right through to modern day academics. They discuss laughter as a fluid running through the body, as an oscillation of the gut and as the answer to all of our structural racism issues. Today’s episode ends with a discussion between Laura and Olly on the nature of jokes as a tool to boost agreement or dissension in groups. Is joking used to lance complicated feelings and stop bad feelings spilling out into the world or are they in actual fact for binding people and reinforcing a world view? Do we use laughter to dispel feelings that have been building up that could otherwise come out in harmful behaviour, or is it actually the complete opposite? The sources we used in this episode are: • John Morreall (1987), The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor, Albany, NY: SUNY Press. • Martin, Steve “a Comic’s Life: Born Standing Up”, (2008) Simon & Schuster Ltd • Freud, Sigmund (1976) The Pelican Freud Library Vol 6, “Jokes and their Relation to the Unconscious”, Penguin Books Ltd • Comedy Studies, Volume 3, Issue 1 (2012) - “Max Miller Plays With Freud’s Obstacle: Innuendo and performance technique in variety comedy” Oliver Double • Jacobson, Howard (1997) “Seriously Funny: From The Ridiculous to the Sublime”, Penguin Books Ltd" Podcast cover art by Adam Richardson Artwork for The Comedy Bureau is by Matthew Grant at Tiny Worlds Workshop @tinyworldsworkshop. Our video editor and credit sequence designer is Lucas Orme. Music was devised and performed by Olly Double. Huge thanks to the whole team at Podspike for invaluable advice and help launching and marketing the show. All media enquiries via Julian Hall textualhealingpr@gmail.com

    43 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    Case File 7: Why Do We Laugh at Others?

    Finishing up our mini-series in Comic Theory, this week Laura and Olly turn their attention to Superiority Theory. This is the idea that people laugh because the stimulus made them feel better than or good in some way. They enter the chat with a brief discussion on status, particularly in double acts between a higher status straight man and a lower status funny guy. Then we move on to the theorists and philosophers and we head right right back all the way to the words and explanations of Aristotle, Hobbes, Lorenz and Mintz as we explore the theory that laughter is inherently about superiority or aggression. Do we laugh to feel better about ourselves in comparison to others? Or, perhaps, in comparison to how we felt moments before the joke? Is all joking necessitated on a status imbalance and where does modern comedy fit in? Laura and Olly round off this week’s chat with an analysis of Punching Up and Punching Down – a look at the importance of aiming your joke, no matter the subject, in the right direction. We hope you have enjoyed these three episodes on joke theory, next week we will be moving on to a new subject, but nonetheless remaining very much in the weeds. Subscribe now so you never miss an episode. See you then! Our sources for this episode are: • John Morreall (1987), The Philosophy of Laughter and Humor, Albany, NY: SUNY Press. • Lorenz, Konrad (1966), “On Aggression”, Taylor & Francis Ltd • Carroll, Noel (2014), “Humour a Very Short Introduction”, OUP Oxford • Quirk, Sophie, (2018), “The Politics of British Stand-Up Comedy - The New Alternative”, Palgrave Studies in Comedy, Springer Nature Switzerland • Barbara, Rashi & Chilana, Richa (2022), “Punching Up in Stand-Up Comedy - Speaking Truth to Power”, Routledge India Mintz, • Lawrence E. (1985), “Standup Comedy as Social and Cultural Mediation”, American Quarterly" Podcast cover art by Adam Richardson Artwork for The Comedy Bureau is by Matthew Grant at Tiny Worlds Workshop @tinyworldsworkshop. Our video editor and credit sequence designer is Lucas Orme. Music was devised and performed by Olly Double. Huge thanks to the whole team at Podspike for invaluable advice and help launching and marketing the show. All media enquiries via Julian Hall textualhealingpr@gmail.com podfollow.com/the-comedy-bureau

    31 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    Case File 8: Is Woke Killing Comedy?

    Stand-up comedian Laura Lexx brings this case file to the table to address one of the top questions she’s presented with when telling strangers what she does for a living… “Oh but you can’t say anything these days…” Or can you? Academic Oliver Double sits down with Laura to discuss a history of censorship in stage comedy in the UK and USA. From the early years of front cloth comics and monologists, through the legal battles of Lenny Bruce, to the brilliant Billy Connolly. In this episode Laura and Oliver debate the common perception that speech has become less free and that we are far more monitored now on what we say than ever before. Is this true? In what ways is speech in comedy monitored and censored? Crucially, is this criticism from a point of authority or the now amplified voices of the many but much less powerful general public? Do you agree with Laura’s argument that it is not cancellation but capitalism that affects your bookings once the general public falls out with you? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Our Sources for this episode are: • Burgis, Ben (2021), “Cancelling Comedians While The World Burns, A Critique of the Contemporary Left”, Zer0 Books • Bruce, Lenny (1975), “How To Talk Dirty and Influence People”, Harper Collins Distribution Services • Goldman, Albert (from the journalism of Lawrence Schiller), 1974, “Ladies and Gentlemen, Lenny Bruce!!”, Random House • Thomas, William Karl (1989), “Lenny Bruce - The Making of a Prophet”, Media Maestro • Collins, Ronald K.L. (2002), “The Trials of Lenny Bruce”, Sourcebooks, Inc • Lenny Bruce audio CD: Lenny Bruce, The Historic 1962 Concert When Lenny Was Busted, from Viper’s Nest • Index on Censorship: 1 Nov 2000, Volume 29.06 Index on Censorship can be found here: https://www.indexoncensorship.org/ • Here is a link to the article about Billy Connolly from 2004: https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2004/nov/28/theatre.billyconnolly Comedians Laura and Olly mention in this episode, just on the off chance you’ve not heard of them, are: • Nish Kumar - @mrnishkumar • Ross Noble - @mrrossnoble • Sajeela Kershi - @sajeelakershi Podcast cover art by Adam Richardson Artwork for The Comedy Bureau is by Matthew Grant at Tiny Worlds Workshop @tinyworldsworkshop. Our video editor and credit sequence designer is Lucas Orme. Music was devised and performed by Olly Double. Huge thanks to the whole team at Podspike for invaluable advice and help launching and marketing the show. All media enquiries via Julian Hall textualhealingpr@gmail.com

    49 min

  9. EPISODE 9

    Case File 9: When Did Alternative Comedy Start?

    What an exceptional episode we have for you today… in 2023 Laura Lexx appeared on Celebrity Mastermind with her specialist subject being The History of Alternative Comedy. One of the most helpful books she read was Alternative Comedy: 1979 and the Reinvention of British Stand-Up by none other than Dr Oliver Double. Cut to 2025 and she’s just a girl sitting before a lecturer begging him to tell her everything he knows about 1979 and the pivotal moment in comedy history that lead to what we now think of as mainstream comedy. Our sources for this episode were: • Rough Theatre Plays (1977), Open Head Press • Double, Oliver & Lockyer, Sharon (2022) “Alternative Comedy Now and Then”, Critical Perspectives • And Olly’s massive brain… he didn’t pull from so many books for this one because he’s a font of knowledge but if you want further reading, the books stacked on Olly’s desk are a great place to start. The Comedy Store is still going strong - if you want to go and see a show at this legendary London venue then seek them out: https://london.thecomedystore.co.uk/ Podcast cover art by Adam Richardson Artwork for The Comedy Bureau is by Matthew Grant at Tiny Worlds Workshop @tinyworldsworkshop. Our video editor and credit sequence designer is Lucas Orme. Music was devised and performed by Olly Double. Huge thanks to the whole team at Podspike for invaluable advice and help launching and marketing the show. All media enquiries via Julian Hall textualhealingpr@gmail.com

    28 min

  10. EPISODE 10

    Case File 10: What's The Deal With Stand Up and Brick Walls?

    If you’re a fan of standup comedy then you will be absolutely familiar with the stereotypical depiction of stand up happening in the basement of a club in front of a bare brick wall. But why are you so familiar with it? Why is that the signature style for stand up comedy? In the final episode of this series, comedian Laura Lexx and academic Oliver Double discuss the specific circumstances that led to stand up and bricks becoming linked. From basement clubs like The Hungry i to The Improv to televised stand up shows and the bricks becoming iconic – we chart the way bricks and stand up came together out of folk and into our collective memory. This is the last in the series from The Comedy Bureau and we really hope you have enjoyed these 10 episodes all about different niche facets of comedy. If you have had a good time PLEASE let us know, and let us know if you would appreciate a second series. We are a tiny enterprise – everything you have seen and heard is entirely self-motivated and self-funded and we rely on your sharing, enthusiasm, reviews and downloads to keep going. If you can review, rate, like, subscribe and share we will be incredibly grateful. If you have ideas for future episodes you would like to see or questions on what you’ve already seen please let us know in the comments! You can follow us on social media The.Comedy.Bureau and you can email us thecomedybureauteam@gmail.com We hope to see you for a second series very soon. All the best, Laura and Olly x Our sources for this episode were: • Friedman, Budd & Whetsell, Tripp (2017), “The Improv: An Oral History of the Comedy Club that Revolutionised Stand-Up”, BenBella Books" • Gerald Nachman, Seriously Funny: The Rebel Comedians of the 1950s and 1960s (New York: Pantheon, 2003). • Budd Friedman with Tripp Whetsell, The Improv: An Oral History of the Comedy Club that Revolutionized Stand-Up (Dallas, Texas: Benbella Books, 2017). • Kliph Nesteroff, The Comedians: Drunks, Thieves, Scoundrel and the History of American Comedy (New York: Grove Press, 2015). Podcast cover art by Adam Richardson Artwork for The Comedy Bureau is by Matthew Grant at Tiny Worlds Workshop @tinyworldsworkshop. Our video editor and credit sequence designer is Lucas Orme. Music was devised and performed by Olly Double. Huge thanks to the whole team at Podspike for invaluable advice and help launching and marketing the show. All media enquiries via Julian Hall textualhealingpr@gmail.com

    36 min

  11. EPISODE 11

    Working From Home: Who Was Samuel Foote?

    The offices of The Comedy Bureau are currently closed, with strict instructions from the caretaker not to disturb a single leaf on the peace lily until we begin series 2. However, we have had so much feedback from all of you since you listened to series 1 that we felt we really ought to address some of your concerns, enquiries and suggestions. We begin by delving into the mailbag and looking at a suggestion from stand-up comedian and Fubar Radio host Andrew White. Andrew, and many others, suggested that Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road is NOT a meta joke as proposed by Olly, but actually a joke about death... Oliver Double debunks this theory. We then look at a question from Mrs Double concerning the theory that laughter is based on respiratory system - and if that's true then could birds be feasibly considered to laugh? Would you like an episode all about bird laugher? Let us know. We then field subjects like the origins of The Royal Variety Performance and Why is toilet humour so funny? Each of those will probably get a full in-office episode when we finally wrest the keys back from the caretaker and have full access to the files. For the main part of our episode, we turn our attention to none other than Mr Greg Jenner. Greg Jenner is an acclaimed author, podcaster and writer who got in touch to nominate Samuel Foote for the list of potential first ever stand up comedians. And when Greg Jenner gives you a suggestion you simply have to follow it up... so here we go! For all things Greg Jenner, begin at his website: https://www.gregjenner.com/ If you're in the market for a new comedian and want to seek out some Andrew White, his website can be found here: https://www.standupandrew.com/ If you would like to get in touch with us about anything you have heard on the podcast you can email us thecomedybureauteam@gmail.com - we would love to hear from you. Our sources for this episode were: Mr Foote's Other Leg by Ian Kelly Mr Foote's Other Leg - Wikipedia https://share.google/qCYjfHUnO9vsMbLeV Popular Performance, edited by Adam Ainsworth, Oliver Double and Louise Peacock Popular Performance: : Adam Ainsworth: Methuen Drama - Bloomsbury https://share.google/4S45exvbLg281gzu2

    1h 7m

  12. EPISODE 12

    Christmas Special 2025: What is Panto?

    Merry Christmas from everyone at The Comedy Bureau! To celebrate the season of rest and love we are bringing you a very special episode recorded away from the famous offices of The Comedy Bureau. We went on a wonderful nerdy day out to The University of Kent, specifically to The Special Collections, to look at their incredible archives. As it is Christmas, we thought what better subject than Pantomime! Joining us for the episode, as The Comedy Bureau’s first ever guest is Ben Roddy. Ben is an acclaimed actor, who has appeared in shows like Call The Midwife and films such as Absolutely Fabulous The Movie. However he's best known for his theatre performances. The reason we so badly wanted him to be included in our festive edition is that Ben is also a brilliant panto dame. He has been the resident dame at The Marlowe Theatre’s panto since… well, watch the episode and Olly will tell you! You can find Ben on instagram at @BenRoddyActor, and he's represented by Nancy Hudson Associates. In this episode we discuss the history, origins and development of pantomime. We also chat about the current state of panto - how financially important it is for most theatres and how it has changed over time with cultural developments. We are truly grateful to the team at The Special Collections archive, especially Karen Brayshaw, for retrieving so many fascinating items for us to look at. We will be back in 2026 with Series 2 - thank you for listening or watching so far. Please do like, subscribe and give us a good rating to help us grow. We really appreciate your support. The Dave Lee mentioned at the beginning of the episode but not elaborated on is the comedian and actor Dave Lee (MBE) who performed in pantomimes in Kent for a large stretch of his career as well as appearing on television. Ben mentions the Dame of Elaine C Smith, and he and Karen were absolutely right - Elaine is appearing in The Little Mermaid at The King’s Theatre, Glasgow from 22nd November 2025 to 4th January 2026. Laura briefly mentions the Alternative Comedy Memorial Society in passing, if that name tickles your fancy and you want to learn more then check them out here: https://noblefailure.org/ Here are some links to both The Stand Up Comedy Archive and the David Drummond Pantomime Collection - both housed at The University of Kent and available for viewing by the general public. https://www.kent.ac.uk/library/special-collections/british-stand-up-comedy-archive https://www.kent.ac.uk/library/special-collections/theatre-and-performance-collections/david-drummond-pantomime-collection This episode was edited by Lucas Orme. The music (including festive jingle bells) was by Oliver Double.

    1h 7m
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About

Deep in the depths of the University of Niche Interests lies The Comedy Bureau – a long forgotten department dedicated to studying the ins, outs, whys and wherefores of all things comedy. Staffed by Laura Lexx (Live at the Apollo, Mock the Week, Roast Battle) and Olly Double (Getting the Joke: The Inner Workings of Stand-Up Comedy) The Comedy Bureau helps comedy lovers around the world uncover answers to the art form’s biggest questions. What is laughter? Who was the first stand up comedian? and Why do we laugh at others? Find out now by listening here, watching along on YouTube: @The.Comedy.Bureau and following the show on Instagram and TikTok: @the.comedy.bureau

Information

  • Creator
    DoubLexx Productions
  • Episodes
    13
  • Seasons
    1
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2025 DoubLexx Productions
  • Show Website
    The Comedy Bureau

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