Book Club #104 - A Crack In Everything - Richard talks to physicist and journalist Marcus Chown about this fascinating book about Black Holes and the people who discovered them, A Crack in Everything. Are Black Holes black and holes? Can we time travel if we go inside one? Why is the one at the centre of the Milky Way smaller than most and what repercussions does that have for us? The pair talk about how Einstein didn’t think black holes would exist, the tragic and difficult lives of many of the people who proved him wrong, how the female scientists roles in all this have been often overlooked, how Marcus was the first person to talk to some of the key players in detail and how he is able to write for a board audience without compromising the science. Also are we holograms?Buy Marcus' book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/a-crack-in-everything-how-black-holes-came-in-from-the-cold-and-revealed-themselves-masters-of-the-universe-marcus-chown/7589317?ean=9781804544327Or the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Crack-Everything-Black-Cosmic-Centre/dp/B0D5DNWNSR/See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/ Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#510 McCartney Set List - Richard is still being played on by Scant Regard, but as this long tour progresses his stand up sections get mercifully shorter! His guest is the multi-talented Rob Brydon. They chat about how a birthday message to Margot Robbie led to a part in a potentially Oscar winning film (You’ll know if it won by now, but we poor fools in the past did not), how Brydon pretended to be ill to get out of a guest slot on Would I Lie To You? and how the show has become bulletproof, how America managed to get two series our of the book Green Eggs and Ham, the impressive and old school range of work that Rob undertakes, touring with an 8 piece band and whether it’s ever good when a comedian does serious songs and the disaster and triumph of Rob’s first meeting with Sir Paul McCartney. Plus why family comes first and whether legacy is as important as your kids having you around!See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/SUPPORT THE SHOW!Watch our TWITCH CHANNELSee extra content at our WEBSITE Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Book Club #103 - Will I Ever Have Sex Again? - Richard chats with comedian and author Sofie Hagen about her thought-provoking and often heart-breaking, but also hopeful book Will I Ever Have Sex Again? They talk about the minefield that sexual politics still is, why we should talk about (and during) sex, why no means no and yes sometimes means no too, whether elderly cis people like Richard need to be afraid of pronouns and people being trans or non-binary and how thinking more about why we have sex or want to or aren’t doing is helpful for us all regardless of how we self-define.Buy Sofie’s book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/will-i-ever-have-sex-again-sofie-hagen/7610621?ean=9781785120398See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/ Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#509 Pot Noodle is Bad For You - Richard is doing some stand up that was super topical on 5th February when this was recorded, but for you will be a nice window to see what the people of the past thought was mildly amusing, plus there’s an exciting new addition to the show. His guest is comedy genius Armando Iannucci. They talk about how a Christmas advert was Armando’s proudest achievement, how it’s possible that 30 years have passed since the Day Today (apparently it’s something to do with the linear nature of time), when his novel is going to be published, the effect that ADHD had on his work, how America messed up The Thick of It, why Avenue 5 got cancelled, how he tortured Daredevil and whether Armando is ready to turn into a proper old man in his sixties. Plus Rich finally opens up about his cancer and worries where he stands in touring illness Top Trumps.See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/SUPPORT THE SHOW!Watch our TWITCH CHANNELSee extra content at our WEBSITE Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

EQ: Cheese It's time - at long last - for the Cheese episode. See Rich on tour http://richardherring.com/ballback/tourSUPPORT THE SHOW!Come and see us live GIGSWatch our TWITCH CHANNELSee extra content at our WEBSITE Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Book Club #102 - Richard talks to archaeologist and trained stonemason James Wright about his terrific book busting some of the myths about ancient buildings. They chat about why people wrongly believe that spiral staircases are often clockwise, how castles were bling rather than defensive, why you can’t trust anything written on a pub, why stonemasons carved grotesque and pornographic sculptures on churches (and pre-empted one of Richard’s best known emergency questions), what the marks left on buildings might have meant and why the truth in most of these cases is far more interesting than the lies.Visit James' website - https://triskeleheritage.triskelepublishing.com/mythbustingtour/Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/historic-building-mythbusting-uncovering-folklore-history-and-archaeology-james-wright/7633234?ean=9781803994475See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/ Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#508 Matterface - Richard is back in Brighton and is aghast at the local news of rude waiters and big cats. His guest is football mad stand up Maisie Adam. They discuss how a choice in a writers’ room they were both in led one of their careers to sky rocket (but which one), the disappointment of the wrong Royal at the Variety Performance and how maracas were the sign of a job well done, playing in Soccer Aid the day after your wedding, a Tipping Point humiliation and taking a job where you might get crushed by a boulder.See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/SUPPORT THE SHOW!Watch our TWITCH CHANNELSee extra content at our WEBSITE Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Book Club #101 - JANEY: The Woman That Won't Shut Up - Richard talks to brilliant comedian, author, actor and agitator Janey Godley about her fab autobiography Janey. They discuss living with a cancer that you know will kill you, why she wanted to be honest about the horrors and laughter that cancer brings and why survival is nothing to do with the person with cancer. Plus dealing with trolls, a brush with the stalker from Baby Reindeer, knitting a scarf for a film star, being friends with Billy Connolly, the sexism she experienced in the early days of stand up, her even more brilliant book Handstands in the Dark and how we all have to be aware of our mortality.Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/not-dead-yet-janey-godley/7621467?ean=9781399728034And the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.co.uk/Janey-Woman-That-Wont-Shut/dp/B0CY2Z4NQWSee Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/ Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

#507 Jackie Chan and the 700 Mops - Richard has come to the Brighton Komedia with plans to Mount Everest and a surprising testicular fact. His guest is writer and actor Rufus Jones. They discuss the mystery of the year of Rufus’ birth, getting pissed with Terry Jones, playing an American president with a squeaky voice, the magnificent achievement of the sitcom Home and being observed whilst acting nude, the ever changing technology of supermarket shopping, why Rich will never download Royal Match and the best place to write (if you are not a professional Uno player).See Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/SUPPORT THE SHOW!Watch our TWITCH CHANNELSee extra content at our WEBSITE Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Book Club #100 - Be Funny or Die - In our 100th Book Club podcast Richard talks to comedy writer Joel Morris about his frog dissecting book, Be Funny Or Die, which promises to reveal the secret of comedy and does a pretty decent job of doing so. They discuss what makes a good and a terrible catchphrase, how no comedian can make everyone laugh and why they shouldn’t want to, the tribal nature of comedy, whether comedy is by definition offensive to someone, the power of shared laughter in an inappropriate situation, how to let everyone in on in jokes and much more,.Buy the book here - https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/be-funny-or-die-how-comedy-works-and-why-it-matters-joel-morris/7606143?ean=9781800183100And the audiobook here - https://www.amazon.com/Be-Funny-Die-Comedy-Matters/dp/B0CQ3PT4BYSee Rich's stand-up tour Can I Have My Ball Back - https://richardherring.com/ballback/ Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.