Roadtrip of Heroes

I had intended to post this a while ago. I know I promised some sort of regular soundcast - I have been recording them, but we waffle far more than we should and I have to find time to edit and I could think of a billion more excuses but it still wouldn't mean they were ready to be uploaded. I'll try though.



So daughter two and I battled the most horrendous weather to get to Cardiff in order to watch the recording of two episodes of the second series of the utterly brilliant "Pantheon of Heroes". What can I say but that you should make sure you listen! Even if you missed the first series, definitely catch this one!

First episode is tomorrow (or today, dependant on when your feed of choice picks up this post!) Friday 7th December at 6.30pm on BBC Radio Wales. Don't live in Wales? No problem: Sky customers can listen on channel 0117, you can listen live online via the Iplayer or those who use the Iplayer app (which won't let you hear regional shows) can use Tune-in Radio which I find to be a good reliable app. No excuses! (Oh and it'll probably be repeated after Rhod Gilbert's show on a Saturday too, dependant on a lack of sport!)

So here is the soundcast. Apologies for the poor sound quality in the mid-section. I spent a lot of time editing out background noise, but wasn't able to clean it completely.

Just Another Info-Dump

It's a while since I wrote one of these What's Hot posts, but there is so very much to tell you all about right now it would be remiss not to. I know, I really should do these with more regularity but what can I say? Maybe I will now, who knows...

So what are we reading/watching/listening to?

You should all have listened to the fourth series of the utterly brilliant Those That Can't. The final episode is still on the Iplayer for a day or two, so catch it even if you have missed the rest. We were all rocked by Chris Corcoran's announcement that series four is to be the last ever, especially as this is by far the best series yet. I guess going out on a high is for the best, but I for one am very sad! Should you have missed previous instalments, there are links to series' two and three here . Links for this series will be available once the current episode drops from the IPlayer. There was good news from Elis James on his appearance with Louise Elliott today in the form of an upcoming second series of the utterly fantastic Social Club FM! A big whoop all round for that!
Whilst on the subject of the fabulous Mr James; series two of Pantheon of Heroes is being recorded next month, to be aired some time in December. Tickets for the recordings are available here! There is also a show airing tonight on BBC Wales about his career to date. The pics below link to some youtube vids of outakes from the recording of the show.


Another of those things I should have told you about sooner was the second series of Everyone Quite Likes Justin of which the last episode again is sadly all that remains for you to hear. This has been a brilliant series, far better than the last although it does seem it was given a rubbish timeslot, so I hope the listener figures have been good throughout.

Back on our TV screens at the moment is Gwlad yr Astra Gwyn. If you did not pay attention the last time, be sure to give the show a try now. It has English subtitles (although not through the red-button setup, but through Sky accessibility) so there is no excuse even if you do not speak Welsh!

Last week I was lucky enough to see Greg Davies' Back of My Mum's Head Tour, at which he was supported by the equally great Ed Gamble. See the review for the details, but do make the effort to see the show if it tumbles by your town!
I was also able to see Wil Hodgson who is very funny indeed. (Review to follow in my usual lazy, procrastinatory way!)

There is a huge amount of brilliant live comedy in the area right now. Sadly, I am not in a position to see as much as I would like as the hub-creature is still in a bad way following his surgery but I will share with you everything I do get to! (or will at least try!)

Anyhoo... there is much more to be honest. Comedy is hot news right now, with a great deal of new TV and radio shows as well as the usual glut of comedians dragging their Edinburgh-honed shows far and wide. I shall endeavour to be more organised and share things as they arise so I am not left with 812 things to tell you about!

But for now that's enough to go along with!

CCF12 PREVIEW: Committee Meeting

The Committee Meeting: Chris Corcoran and Elis James

Much as I like to spend a couple of hours being talked at in the name of entertainment, there is a huge delight in losing oneself in a concept show… which is what makes this offering from Chris Corcoran and Elis James such a brilliant night out!

The title tells all you need to know really: this show is played as a committee meeting, with Chris Corcoran taking the lead as chairman of the club and Elis James as Rex the caretaker whilst the audience become the club members contributing their own thoughts and opinions. Obviously the format is such that each meeting will be very different from the last, so you quite literally never visit the same show twice.

Of course, playing a show as dependent on audience contribution is always a risk, but the pair are so good at improvising and able to bring out the best in people that it just works really well and is definitely a show you should experience.



Gráinne Maguire

With a range of writing credits including The News Quiz, The Now Show and 8 Out of 10 Cats, Gráinne Maguire is equally confident whether tackling politics or telling tales of her home life. She is engaging and enthusiastic, with a charm about her that radiates to fill the room and a consistently paced delivery. She is definitely worth seeing if you get the chance, so head along to the Cardiff Comedy Festival for a preview of her 2012 Edinburgh show, ‘Where Are All the Fun Places and Are Lots of People There Having Fun?’


Head to the event page here:
The Committee Meeting/Gráinne Maguire

More Events

CCF12 PREVIEW: Elis James and Lloyd Langford

Elis James and Lloyd Langford

Previewing their shows in preparation for Edinburgh are the brilliant Elis James and Lloyd Langford.

I hardly think you should need telling about this pair, but I have a role to fulfill, so here you are!

I saw Lloyd Langford twice last year (you can read my review of one preview show HERE) and he was great.
To my mind, the truest guage of how good an act is comes of how they respond when something unexpected is thrown at them and I remember a particular moment at one show that a couple seated near me decided quite literally in the middle of one of his rambles they would leave... knowing that where they were seated would mean making four others at our table stand to let them out. Obviously, Lloyd noticed this and for a moment it was clear his confidence took a bash (especially given that it must have seemed an entire table were leaving!) and he lost his train of thought. He took it completely in his stride, though - just left that piece of his set and moved on. I was glad to see him the second time just to find the end of that particular piece (and don't even start me on the rudeness of walking out in as abrupt a way as they did, because it wasn't even as though they hadn't laughed- let's just say they clearly had other entertainment planned!) but it just shows that even though he portrays an image of disinterest and detachment he is actually completely aware of what is going on around him and his pretense of having not rehearsed his material and claims in that instance of making it up as he goes is a complete fabrication. Quite honestly, I still haven't worked out why we don't see/here more of him on TV or radio but hopefully that will soon change.

And what do I need to tell you about Elis James? Very funny, slick and subtle; crude enough to be interesting but not so much it makes the audience squirm. It might be more to do with his material than delivery as I have only seen him do one set (allbeit more than once!) but he comes across at first as quite naïve and innocent until you realise he is sneaking little moments past you un-noticed. It's a process which is hard to explain, but is testament to his imense talent as a writer as well as his performance skills.

I will say no more, because as with these things I do feel I am descending into the gushiness I try to avoid... but if for whatever reason you have never seen either of these guys, you should definitely do along. Or even if you have... but you won't need telling because no doubt you will have bought your tickets already!


Head to the event page here:
Elis James/Lloyd Langford

More Events

C2: Elis James with Daniel Glyn

Those amongst my readership lucky enough to know me in the real world will be fully aware I have been dysgu Cymraeg for, ooh… around six months or so… therefore my grasp is not brilliant. To practice, though, I watch a lot of S4C and occasionally listen to BBC Radio Cymru … and for the most part can just about tread water – so only an idiot would attempt to translate two hours of radio under those circumstances, eh? Ummm… yea!

But bear with me, because I know some of my regular readers in particular will appreciate my efforts here.


One of the shows I love to listen to is that of Daniel Glyn, part of the C2 programming aimed at the younger listeners – because of my youthfulness, I guess…

And this week his guest was the absolutely fantastic (and this is where it starts to get relevant to you people!): Elis James.



And since I know some of you will be interested in what he had to say, I figured I’d try somehow to make it available to you all.


The sound files are here for you to listen to – and to be honest, if you find yourself with some time to spare, you may want to listen even if you don’t speak Welsh, just for the little English moments within – and for Elis’ brilliant David Bowie impersonation! I haven’t joined the files together, because I figure it will be easier to digest in smaller pieces – and it makes the upload faster, too, so it’s better all round!


I will paraphrase rather than a direct transcript… no surprise there, as my Welsh is obviously poor… but hopefully it should give enough for those of you with no knowledge of the language to catch on to the little snips of English scattered throughout.

If there are any proper Welsh speakers looking in and I have made huge, glaring mistakes (which I possibly will!) please get in touch and let me know!

In the interest of getting this posted for you to listen to the files and given that this is a huge task, I will be posting outlines for now and filling in details as I complete. Updates will be announced as and when!





Part one (18mins):

The discussion started, rather predictably with Elis’ current tour “Do You Remember the First Time?” which leads into a conversation about the Glee Club in Cardiff, as Elis remembers struggling to get a gig there early on in his career.

Daniel suggests that Facebook/Twitter make it easier to get instant feedback on new material rather than waiting until you have an audience for it and there is a little chatter about people complaining that material used in live shows is often the same as that on TV appearances. (as an aside, I never understand this complaint as it is impossible to expect new stuff absolutely every time we see someone on the television – in fact, I have seen many different versions of the Rhod Gilbert luggage sketch and every one makes me laugh as though I am hearing it for the first time! Some people expect too much!)

With some discussion as to whether Elis always wanted to be a comedian, which leads to discussion over how Elis got started in the industry, having thought there were only seven other comedians so it would be easy for him…

The conversation moves onto other jobs – Elis has a History degree and talks a little about other jobs he had before he started to get paid properly for gigs.




Part two (7 mins):

The pair chat about the music played and recording tunes off the radio as a youngster.

A listener messages via FB telling Elis he’s ‘fab’ (a little Cymraeg joke here, as she says “Mae’n fab” – which in literal translation means ‘there is the son’ hence you will hear a rather cute little “Hi mam!” from Elis! – I did tell you it was worth listening for the English moments!)

Elis talks about how his management company set up corporate gigs for him. There was a recent one for the Growers’ Association which went really badly – only ten minutes to talk so there isn’t a lot of time to get in the flow and it’s poorly paid.

A discussion on Elis’ time as a warm-up for Deal or No Deal and Buzzcocks which is quite easy to follow to be honest!




Part three (10 mins):

The pair chat about Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, first kisses and a little about Isy (of course!) and Elis reveals how incredibly busy he is right now having been preparing his Edinburgh show and recording for radio alongside his current standup commitments both within his tour and other gigs.





Part four (8 mins):

A little discussion on panel show appearances: 8 Out of 10 Cats, Chris Addison’s Show and Tell, a chat about why he hasn’t been on Mock the Week, his first experience at Up the Creek and the Montreal and Melbourne festivals.




Part five (10 mins):

A little about the comedians Elis likes to watch, how dysfunctional comedians can be and stealing other people’s jokes with a little about his brilliant sketches with Isy on Hwb.




Part six (4 mins):

A discussion about this years’ Edinburgh Festival at which Elis is doing some Committee meetings with the incredibly sexy Chris Corcoran* (His words, not mine... possibly!) and some solo shows. They also had a quick chat about Elis’ appearance on the Rob Brydon show…


And there you are:

Check back for updates when I get around to a more complete write-up – but to be honest, there is enough English scattered within that you should be able to get the gist from what I have provided…


Since it was mentioned early on in the interview, here is a snip of Elis' fantastic ‘Paintballio’ routine:




And because it was played on the show and it’s a tune I really like:

Social Club FM

I promise I will get better at doing these right away… once again, though, I have to admit that I have had to rewrite many times (not that it should surprise anyone!)

So anyway, having just listened to the third instalment of this show I can only say it is every bit as brilliant as you should expect!

*Deleted bullshit gushy nonsense*

See I did once say I would never attempt to review anything Chris Corcoran had touched on, but I am supposed to be a professional – I should be able to do this, right? So here goes; I have plied the inner-fangirl with what some might consider dangerous levels of caffeine, so she should be quiet for a while… let’s see how well this goes…

Brilliant, original, unique… and hugely funny.

That should do, no?

What you actually wanted full sentences? That might be harder to do…


Okay:

The main characters of Rex (Elis James) and Mr Chairman (Chris Corcoran) are already well-established, having stemmed from the live Committee Meetings so there is already a certain chemistry between them. The relationship between the characters is clear and uncomplicated and is played out perfectly by Messers James and Corcoran. There is a subtlety to the dialogue which I love because it isn’t always obvious where the laugh will come from, drawing the listener further into the story and whilst at times the plot might seem to descend into an almost farcical slapstick situation, it never feels contrived or sensationalised; a testament indeed to the sheer brilliance of the pair!

And I will leave it there, I think, whilst it still seems *fairly* professional!


I am afraid as always if you have awaited my go-ahead, you have missed the first episode, but episodes two and three are available on the Iplayer (if you hurry!). New episodes air on Fridays at 7pm on BBC Radio Wales.

I will add a sound-bite later, but for now you can see the pair on this collection of Committee Meeting videos:

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi : St David's Day

Having spent much of today researching and writing about St David, I really wanted to take a moment to mention it here, but to be honest, I am totally St-Davidded out!

So instead, I will just admit it was a shallowly disguised excuse for a rather tenuous posting, just so I could share this little sound-bite with you!


St David's entry from the fabulous Elis James' Pantheon of Heroes:




Ddionol iawn, joio!!

Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Hapus, i bawb!

Pantheon of Heroes

Maybe it’s just me, but were I reading a review blog which lauded something and promised a proper review at a later date, I probably wouldn’t wait for the review before actually listening. But it seems that some of you have been. So I am sorry to have made you miss the first three episodes of this brilliant radio show, but I take no responsibility for your lack of aptitude to just listen and make up your own minds. In fact, it is sometimes better if you land on a review with some idea of your own thoughts, as that creates a space for debate (as borne out in my review of the Irish show, Sketchy and the ensuing conversation – and the rather interesting list of search terms on my google report which lead people to that particular post!)

I didn’t lie to you, it was written long ago. In fact, I first wrote it immediately having listened to the initial episode… and have re-written many times since. It seems that whenever I think it’s done, I have one last read-through before posting and just think it sounds as though I am fangirling in the worst way – and I am not. I can offer little as evidence but for my own words but that should be enough. You can see the blatant signs of my fangirl nature in many posts here (not naming names, as that messes with the search engine thing, but regular readers will know well enough… and the tag cloud probably has an inkling!)

I do love Elis James’ work though; he just oozes a natural funniness which is most apparent in the fact that whilst most comedians will hit with some and fail with others I have yet to meet anyone who claims not to find him funny.

With that in mind, I shall attempt one last time to hammer something out for you…

The principle behind the show is thus:

Elis James, ably assisted by Ben Partridge and Nadia Kamil and with the use of the custom-made totaliser, is setting up a pantheon dedicated to the heroes of Wales. In each episode, we are given a breakdown of the achievements of a group of candidates to represent a category of history via sketches and dialogue before one icon is chosen to be immortalised in the garden of statues.

There really isn’t an element of the show that isn’t funny. The interaction between the three stars is natural and really funny, the sketches are hilarious and indeed the whole concept is just brilliant!

There is not much more I can say than that, really.

I have tried and the more I say the more it gets gushy and ridiculous until it comes across as completely insincere… so just listen and make up your own mind. I have struggled to find a clip to embed, mostly because much of the content relies on what comes before and after it but also because when everything is funny it is hard to find a moment which stands out. This particular clip from the Religion episode features Elis affecting a brilliant Irish accent to impersonate the singer, Enya which very much made me chuckle! Enjoy!



Catch the show on I-player, or on BBC Radio Wales (available outside Wales via Sky TV or through "Listen Live" on the BBC Radio Wales website). New episodes air on Fridays at 7pm.