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

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  1. EPISODE 1

    Case File 11: What was a Jester?

    Welcome back to The Comedy Bureau! The office is now open for a fantastic second series with ten upcoming episodes all about different fascinating niche aspects of comedy. In this episode we are discussing jesters and myth busting some of the assumptions you might have about the role of jesters in medieval courts in England. In a Comedy Bureau first, Laura takes the lead on the research and tells Oliver Double all about jesters. In the process she learns what a fine art research is and how editing is key... as she hasn't finessed editing yet this is (we think) our longest episode to date. But, that's just more podcast for you. We look at the very earliest records of jesters, what they did, what they were paid and how the role developed as courts and tastes changed. Our main source for this episode was the fantastic book "Fools and Jesters at the English Court" by John Soulworth - very worth a read and incredibly easy to read too. Full details are here: Soulworth, John (1998) Fools and Jesters at the English Court, The History Press Ltd Our other sources for this episode were: Otto, Beatrice K (2007) Fools Are Everywhere, The University of Chicago Press American Journal of Sociology (1949) The Fool As A Social Type - Orrin E Klapp - https://www.jstor.org/stable/90026123 History Extra Magazine - Karen Maitland “What Was Life Like For a Court Jester” - https://www.historyextra.com/period/medieval/what-was-life-like-for-a-court-jester/ Douglass, Mary (1975) “Implicit meanings - essays in anthropology” University College London, Routledge & Kegan Paul Ltd In this episode Laura mentions a few comedians and things that may be of interest: Nick Page, here's Nick's website: https://nickpagecomedy.co.uk/ Mr Methane, she was right, he was on BGT, his website is here: https://www.mrmethane.com/ Mischief Theatre, can be found here: https://www.mischiefcomedy.com/ We really hope you're glad to see us back in your feed with our comedy nerdery specialist podcast. If you are enjoying what we're putting out, please take a moment to spread the word and give us a glowing review. See you next week!

    58 min

  2. EPISODE 2

    Case File 12: Can Apes Laugh?

    Welcome back to the second episode of series two from The Comedy Bureau! In this episode we step slightly outside of our own expertise and explore some science of humour in great apes. Neither comedy academic Oliver Double, nor comedian Laura Lexx are experts in animal behaviour or apes so they are calling on as much research as they can find in this episode to explore what evidence has been presented from the science community to suggest that humour or joking is present in great apes. First, Olly talks us through the development of humour in humans as a basis for whether we can then see the same developments in apes. This invaluable research comes from the book Humour - It's Origin and Development by Paul E McGhee. Development of humour in children involves the steps of imaginations, play and incongruous use of language in riddles. We take a look at some of the evidence from the previous century presented by carers of Viki, Washoe and Koko. Koko in particular is a very famous ape you may have heard of previously. Then we move on to some later studies and end by discussing why we want to be able to simultaneously gatekeep and share humour with other species. What do you think? We absolutely love hearing from The Comedy Bureau listeners, so if you have thoughts or feedback we would LOVE to hear from you. We would also be so grateful if you would help us by leaving a glowing review of the podcast or sharing our promo videos on social media. We're a new, completely independent podcast and we really rely on you to help us spread the word about the work we're doing. In this episode Laura mentions her other podcast... don't forget to subscribe to Lexx Education to see her tackling a subject she is not interested in at all. Our sources for this episode were: McGhee, Paul E, "Humour: It’s Origin and Development" (1979) WH Freeman and Co Ltd Provine, Robert "Laughter: A Scientific Investigation" (2001) Penguin Publishing Group Gamble, Jennifer “Humour in Apes” (2008) Here: Cartmill, Erica "Great Apes Joke Around Suggesting Humor Is Older Than Humans" (2024) IB Laumer, SL Winkler, F Rossano, EA Cartmill "Spontaneous playful teasing in four great ape species" (2024)

    37 min

  3. EPISODE 3

    Case File 13: What Was The First Stand Up On TV?

    Hello and welcome back to The Comedy Bureau! On the podcast this week academic Oliver Double and stand-up comedian Laura Lexx have a look back at the development of comedy on television. We predominantly look at the UK comedy scene, with a brief hop across the pond to see what's going on in the United States of America. Oliver reveals to Laura that the first broadcasted Variety shows was in the 1930s… featuring sketch acts, comedians, singers, jugglers and more. Comedy was one of the very first televised items, and at the time, they simply televised a variety bill as that was the popular form of the day. This would develop over time as TV stops for the war and then reappears in the 1940s with a massive spike in TV ownership during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II. Oliver gives some fantastic examples of key moments in the history of televised comedy. The creation of ITV is particularly fascinating - Sunday night at the London Palladium was a huge hit and a massive showcase of British Comedy. Laura and Oliver analyse how different comedians responded to the novel medium. They round off the episode with a discussion on the development of broadcast comedy into specials and DVDS and streaming and reels. Laura gives insight into the pressure on comedians to meet the algorithm requirements and to produce the levels of content that the newest form of broadcasting requires. In this episode Laura mentions a few really interesting things and people from the world of comedy that you may find interesting to explore. The Lund Comedy Festival is a fantastic comedy festival in Sweden: https://lundcomedyfestival.com/ Troy Hawke, you have probably heard of but on the off chance you haven't his social media handle is @troyhawke Tadiwe Mahlunge, who Laura mentions gigging with is on instagram under the handle @TadIsFunny Naomi Cooper, who was at the same show as Tad and Laura is on instagram at @naysaying Joe Foster, another Brighton comedian friend of Laura, is on instagram at @joe.foster.comedian

    51 min

  4. EPISODE 4

    Case File 14: Who Was Victoria Wood?

    Welcome to the latest episode of The Comedy Bureau. The Comedy Bureau is a passion project from comedian Laura Lexx and academic Oliver Double. The pair are OBSESSED with comedy and so have joined forces to make a show where comedy is taken incredibly seriously. Right from the inception of the show, they had an idea that some episodes could be about singular people and the impact they have had on the comedy world. Today's episode is the first of those style... and who better to start with than Victoria Wood? Chosen not only because of how beloved, creative and hilarious she was, we have also made her our first solo subject because of the unique way in which she entered and conquered the comedy scene. Victoria Wood didn't arrive in comedy through the usual route and so her comedy voice was as unique as her trajectory. We track her rise and rise from New Faces in 1974, to the Summer Show with Lenny Henry, to That’s Life. We discuss the line where comic songs become stand up and whether there’s a definitive answer to what is stand up comedy. Then we follow her illustrious career through Wood and Walters, Victoria Wood As Seen on TV from which we got Acorn Antiques, An Audience With Victoria Wood, into more plays and many series of stand up comedy. And of course, who could forget Dinnerladies. We end the episode discussing Oliver Double's all time favourite comic masterpiece: The Ballad of Barry and Freda. We hope you enjoy The Comedy Bureau... if you do, please consider leaving us a five star review on your podcast app or telling your friends and family all about the show. We rely on word of mouth from listeners to keep the podcast growing. Many thanks, and we'll be back with a new episode next week! Our sources for this week include: "Victoria Wood Chunky" (2023), Trapeze Brandwood, Neil (2002) "Victoria Wood: The Biography" Virgin Books Ltd 1988 Release Brighton Dome Recording - Victoria Wood “Live” “Lucky Bag” Recording - Edinburgh Fringe

    49 min

  5. EPISODE 5

    Case File 15: What Is a Comedy MC?

    Welcome back to The Comedy Bureau - your one stop pod for all things deep dive comedy nerdish! Every week academic Oliver Double and comedian Laura Lexx choose a different aspect of comedy to pull apart, dissect, study and present to you. This week Oliver has chosen the subject and he has picked the art of MCing. If you've been to see a live comedy show then you will have seen the host comedian, the MC, the compere appear at the start of the show to warm up the crowd and then introduce acts and intervals seamlessly throughout the night. In this episode Oliver and Laura take a look at where the role of MC came from in the UK comedy scene as it developed out of Music Hall, into Variety and Working Mens Clubs and then onto the Alternative Comedy scence. They then discuss best practise, the purpose of the MC and the problems and joys that the job can bring. We hope you love The Comedy Bureau - a true passion project brought to you by Oliver and Laura. If you like what we do please do share links or clips on social media and leave us a five star review on Apple podcasts or Spotify. Our sources for this episode were: Double, Oliver “Stand-Up! On Being A Comedian” (1997) Methuen Drama Rutter, Jason “The stand-up introduction sequence. Comparing comedy comperes” Journal of Pragmatics, (2000) - ESRC Centre for Research on Innovation and Competition, University of Manchester, Tom Lupton Suite, Oxford Road, Manchester, M13 9QH, UK Received 29 November 1998; revised version 18 March 1999 We mention a couple of comedy insitutions in this episode that you might wish to explore in your own time... The Bearcat at The Turk's Head in Twickenham The Banana Cabaret at The Bedford in Balham And comedians Will Duggan @will_dug and Roger Monkhouse, who we can't find on social media but his gig listings are available online.

    44 min

  6. EPISODE 6

    Case File 16: What is the Edinburgh Fringe?

    This week on The Comedy Bureau Laura and Olly turn their attention to the biggest thing in the British comedy calendar... The Edinburgh Fringe Festival. Since the early 1980s the festival has been THE go to location for comedians new and established. Whether it's a month of practise, a month of polishing new ideas or a month to show off your latest gem it is never ignored by the comedy scene. We focus this week on the history of the Edinburgh Fringe Festival... from it's beginnings way back in 1947 through to the explosion of stand up comedy at The Fringe in the 1980s. It's an episode in which Olly shuffles through paperwork, and we will be returning to the modern Edinburgh Fringe in a later episode. We look through the developments, early scripts and then the Comedy Awards and how they have gone through fads and phases. Olly mentions John Dowie in this episode - we’ve managed to secure him as a guest for an upcoming episode so watch your feed with beady eyes for us to be able to pick the brains of one of the first comedians doing stand up comedy at the Edinburgh Fringe. Our sources for this episode were: Sources: Guardian Article - https://www.theguardian.com/culture/2025/jun/03/edinburgh-fringe-event-organisers-capitalise-oasis-acdc-gigs-tony-lankester Connor, John (1990) “Comics - A Decade of Comedy at The Assembly Rooms”, Papermac 1978 - The Stage - Review of Only Men Shave

    37 min

  7. EPISODE 7

    Case File 17: Can True Crime Ever Be Comedy?

    Welcome to The Comedy Bureau... where this week we are doing something slightly different! This is the first in a two part series where we are looking at how the most sensational legal story of the 1800s became one of the biggest comedy acts of the Music Hall era. In this first part of the story, Laura Lexx tells Oliver Double the truly spectacular story of the Tichborne Claimant. The heir to a wealthy British family disappears at sea and thus begins a multi-year legal battle as someone steps forward to claim the estate. Laura talks us through the details of the claim, and exactly why it was so much bigger than any story that had gone before. If you thought Heard V Depp was the most sensationalised legal battle in history then you are about to have your mind blown... it's nothing compared to The Tichborne Claimant. Next week, Olly will take over the story telling as he explains how this epic saga was not the end of the notoriety of the case but just the beginning... Laura mentions Stitches Comedy Clubs - if you live along the south coast of the UK and want to see live comedy then check out their website for your nearest gig: https://www.stitches.fun/ The book Laura refers to throughout this episode is DEFINITELY worth reading and these are the details: McWilliam, Rohan “The Tichborne Claimant - A Victorian Sensation” (2007) Bloomsbury Continuum This episode is dedicated to Laura's little sister, Meg who loves True Crime. If this little detail appeals to you then why not check out Laura's other podcast Lexx Education where Meg serves up two true crimes and a lie and lets Laura and their other sibling Ron work out which one is a lie.

    51 min

  8. EPISODE 8

    Case File 18: How Does True Crime Become Comedy?

    Finally! The Bureau throws open its doors again and you can access the fantastic second part of our Tichborne Claimant story... this week focusing on the sensational act Little Tich who took his name from the Tichborne Claimant story and went on to become one of the biggest superstars of his age. Comedy historian and academic Oliver Double takes us on a fascinating journey through the life of Harry Relph - better known as Little Tich. A remarkable performer who delighted crowds and was so famous that the reason we call short people "Titch" today comes from him. We hope you've enjoyed this quest from crime scandal to Variety performance - if you have please consider leaving us a review or sharing some of our social media posts to let the wider world know what we get up to here at The Comedy Bureau. Our sources for this episode were: Tich, Mary and Findlater, Richard “Little Tich - Giant of the Music Hall” (1979) Elm Tree Books Priestley, JB “Particular Pleasures” (1975) William Heinemann Ltd Lee, Louise “Victorian Comedy and Laughter - Conviviality Jokes and Dissent” (2020) Palgrave MacMillan Little Tich by Little Tich, by Sax Rohmer (1911) And also in this episode, Olly mentions Martin Soan. Martin was the founder member of The Greatest Show on Legs... a very early pioneer in alternative comedy. To find out more, start here and work out: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Greatest_Show_on_Legs Laura mentions comedian Louise Leigh - not the same as the author of the book they were discussing - but a brilliant comedian and you can check her out here: https://www.funnylouiseleigh.com/ She's Bristol based but often touring the UK and fun to follow on social media @louiseleighcomedy See you next week!

    47 min
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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
    22
  • Seasons
    2
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 DoubLexx Productions
  • Show Website
    The Comedy Bureau

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