Comedy has gone through something of a resurgence in recent years, tv schedules are dominated by panel quizzes, stand up and sketch shows and the Edinburgh festival has developed from a fringe event to a hulking behemoth of mirth. Amidst all of this, one comedian has singularly failed to make a name for himself despite excellent tv shows in the 90s and regular radio efforts since. That man is Richard Herring, cursed to walk forever in the shadow of his more commercially successful former sidekick Stewart Lee. While I have no doubt that this state of affairs is a constant source of irritation to Mr Herring ( he certainly refers to it enough!) it is to the benefit of those of us who enjoy and respect his comedic output.
Making great use of the opportunity the Internet provides, Richard Herring produces a prolific amount of free to download material, the Collins and Herring podcast, the marvel that is AIOTM (aiotm) and a regularly updated website. Whether this is through a commendable altruistic streak or because he just wants to be back on TV (aside....he definitely just wants to be on TV), for fans of his intelligent, thoughtful and to be honest often fairly base sense of humour there is an endless supply of new material.
Recently he has been appearing more frequently on Tv and Radio in shows such as Celebrity Mastermind and Have I Got News For You, and while I am sure this makes Herring incredibly happy, it concerns me greatly. he deserves mainstream critical recognition, but this may be at the expense of the magnificent material he currently produces.
Richard Herring is currently on tour with "Christ on a bike", see www.richardherring.com for more details.
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