Origin Story with David McIntosh Jr #144 Fin Taylor (Fin vs History) - Did the Internet Wreck Culture?
Fin Taylor is a standup comedian and podcaster. He is the creator of Fin Vs History and Fin vs The Internet.
Comedian Fin Taylor joins Origin Story to unpack how a Glasgow kid who relocated to a Oxford girls’ boarding house (7–13) got “cancelled” at 14, started stand-up at 18, and went from £500/month gigs to sold-out tours and a cult podcast.
We get into why TV exposure ≠ audience, how to actually build jokes that work anywhere, the Riyadh debate, and the monoculture flashpoint of Bonnie Blue.
In this episode:
- Private school without the money: damage at both ends
- The headmaster who told him off… then apologised (context collapse 101)
- Comedy = craft: word choice, rhythm, ending on the funniest word
- TV vs Internet: why clips and podcasts move tickets
- Parasocial fans & designing theatre shows that don’t feel contrived
- Getting punched on stage and handling chaos in real time
- Building Bumble Risky: owning the edit, scaling a team
- The Riyadh question, Bonnie Blue, and the “death of taste”
- If starting today: the 90-day playbook
Chapters00:00 Cold open — “Cancelled at 14”02:18 Glasgow roots & Hutchie debate05:12 Living in a girls’ boarding house (7–13)12:30 Headmaster apology & early confidence17:40 Starting stand-up at 18; debate team as proto-comedy24:10 £500/month vs £380 rent — taking the leap30:22 Why TV didn’t move tickets36:05 Parasocial fans & theatre design43:22 Riyadh debate & brand fit51:03 Punched on stage — what you do next58:00 Building Bumble Risky & the core team1:04:10 Next horizon: a British South Park1:09:40 If starting now: people, reps, own the edit