A podcast where special guests reflect on the role comedy and laughter have played throughout their lives.
Presenter James Hogg is a biographer, ghostwriter and live host who has written or collaborated on over 30 titles so far, including the authorised biographies of Kenny Everett, Ernie Wise, Richard Briers and James Robertson Justice.
Producer Stuart Duncan has worked as a presenter, producer and editor in TV and Radio for the BBC, SBS and ABC. As a result, he is now quite tired and could do with a nice cup of tea.
Paul McKenna is a British hypnotist, behavioural scientist, television and radio broadcaster and author.
He started working in Radio aged 16, and went on to present for stations including Radio Caroline and Capital London.
After two years presenting at BBC Radio 1 in the early 1990s, McKenna hosted a number of TV programmes, including The Hypnotic World of Paul McKenna (1993–97), The Paranormal World of Paul McKenna (1996–97) and Hyp the Streets (1999).
23 Oct 2026
The Laughter Effect - Ruth Husko
Ruth ‘Husko’ Huskisson is a working-class comedy writer and performer from the Black Country. A recent alumni of the BBC Radio Comedy Writers’ Bursary, she has contributed across a wide range of BBC audio comedy projects.
Her writing credits include flagship Radio 4 and BBC Sounds shows such as The News Quiz and Just A Minute, as well as Wing It, Live From The UK, Evil Animals and Evil Genius. She’s also written for Channel 4’s Late Night Lycett (Series 1 & 2),
Currently, she’s developing her own sitcoms in a bid to become the Poundland Phoebe Waller-Bridge.
9 Oct 2026
The Laughter Effect - John Thomson
John Thomson is an English comedian, narrator and actor best known for his roles in The Fast Show, Men Behaving Badly, Cold Feet, 24 Hour Party People, Grimsby and Coronation Street.
25 Sept 2026
The Laughter Effect - Reece Shearsmith
Reece Shearsmith is a British actor, comedian and writer, best known for co-creating The League of Gentlemen, with Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss and Jeremy Dyson.
Jointly with Pemberton, he created, wrote and starred in the sitcom Psychoville and the dark comedy anthology series Inside No. 9.
28 Aug 2026
The Laughter Effect - Johnny Ball
Johnny Ball is an English television personality, children's television presenter, writer and populariser of mathematics. He regularly appeared on British television for several decades, predominantly on the BBC, featuring in or presenting programmes such as Play School, Think of a Number, Think Again, Think It ... Do It, Think...This Way and Johnny Ball Reveals All. He has also published a number of non-fiction books.
21 Aug 2026
The Laughter Effect - Tim Lovejoy
Tim Lovejoy is an English television presenter best known for hosting Saturday morning football programme Soccer AM with Helen Chamberlain for over a decade and BT Sports Panel on Saturday mornings.
He currently presents Sunday Brunch on Channel 4.
14 Aug 2026
The Laughter Effect - Chizzy Akudolu
Chizzy Akudolu is an award-winning British actress, writer, and producer who is best known for her role as Mo Effanga in the BBC medical drama Holby City.
She has built a diverse two-decade career spanning television drama, children's comedy, reality TV, and voiceover work.
7 Aug 2026
The Laughter Effect - Diarmuid Gavin
Diarmuid Gavin is an Irish garden designer and television personality. He has presented gardens at the Chelsea Flower Show on nine occasions between 1995 to 2016, winning a number of medals, including Gold in 2011.
He has also authored or co-authored more than ten gardening-related books.
31 Jul 2026
The Laughter Effect - Sanjeev Kohli
Sanjeev Kohli is a Scottish actor, comedian, and writer.
He is best known for his role as shopkeeper Navid Harrid in the BBC sitcom Still Game, Ramesh Majhu in the radio sitcom Fags, Mags and Bags, and AJ Jandhu in the BBC drama series River City.
24 Jul 2026
The Laughter Effect - Jeremy Vine
Jeremy Vine is a television and radio presenter and journalist, best known as the host of his BBC Radio 2 lunchtime programme.
He also hosts his own weekday current-affairs show on Channel 5.
17 Jul 2026
The Laughter Effect - Ruthie Henshall
Ruthie Henshall is an English actress, singer and dancer, known for her work in musical theatre.
She began her professional stage career in 1986, before making her West End debut in Cats in 1987. A five-time Olivier Award nominee, she won the 1995 Olivier Award for Best Actress in a Musical for her role as Amalia Balash in the London revival of She Loves Me.
10 Jul 2026
The Laughter Effect - Tracy-Ann Oberman MBE
Tracy-Ann Oberman MBE is an English actress, playwright and narrator who is best known for playing Chrissie Watts in EastEnders and Valerie Lewis in Friday Night Dinner.
Following training at the Central School of Speech and Drama in London, she spent four years with the Royal Shakespeare Company before joining the National Theatre.
She has performed in more than 600 radio plays since the mid-1990s.
2 Jul 2026
The Laughter Effect - Sir Ian Rankin
Sir Ian Rankin is a Scottish crime writer, TV presenter and philanthropist, best known for his Inspector Rebus novels.
26 Jun 2026
The Laughter Effect - Karen Morgan
Karen Morgan is a former trial attorney who began her comedy career as a Finalist on Nickelodeon's Search for the Funniest Mom in America.
She has 2 (soon to be 3) Dry Bar Comedy Specials: Rub Some Dirt On It (2023), named #4 in Dry Bar Comedy’s Top 10 Clips of 2023, and Go Dawgs! (2020).
Karen was also recently featured on The Talk on CBS. Her latest audio album, Shiny Happy People Laughing, can currently be heard exclusively on Sirius XM Radio (Pure, Jeff & Larry's Comedy Roundup, Raw & She's So Funny) Channels.
17 Jun 2026
The Laughter Effect - Hugh Bonneville
Hugh Bonneville is best known for portraying Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham, in the ITV historical drama series Downton Abbey from 2010 to 2015. His performance on the show earned him a nomination at the Golden Globes and two consecutive Primetime Emmy Award nominations, as well as three Actor Awards. He reprised his role in the feature films Downton Abbey (2019), Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022), and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale (2025). He also acted in the films Notting Hill (1999), Iris (2001), The Monuments Men (2014), and the Paddington films (2014–present).
For Iris, he received a nomination for the BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Supporting Role, which was followed by four nominations in the BAFTA Award for Best Male Comedy Performance category for portraying Ian Fletcher in Twenty Twelve, W1A and 2026.
1 Jun 2026
The Laughter Effect - Kevin Bishop
Kevin Bishop is a British actor, comedian and writer, best known for his roles in Star Stories, as Jim Hawkins in Muppet Treasure Island, Stupid Brian in My Family, Nigel Norman Fletcher in the 2016 revival of Porridge, and as star and co-writer of The Kevin Bishop Show.
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