Here's what I'm in Essen to do - tonight's keynote for Materiality Matters: Figurations of Comic Bodies and Things. I'm using Lenny Bruce's tattoo as a starting point. And the papers we've had do far have been ace! #materialitymatters #lennybruce #standupcomedy #standup #comedy #comicbodies

UPDATE! Not only do they still have Woolworth's in Essen, Germany, just take a look at the poster I spotted! SANTA DOES HIS SHOPPING THERE!! This is unbelievable news! #woolworths #essen #santa #santaclaus #fatherchristmas #santadoeshisshoppinginwoolworthsinessengermany

I'm in Essen in Germany - and they still have Woolworth's there! THIS IS NOT A DRILL! THEY STILL HAVE WOOLWORTH'S!! #woolworth #woolworths #essen #germany #theystillhavewoolworthsingermany

When you ask an audience a question in song, and their own confusion is enough to make 'em laugh. A little moment from my beans song at the Bean Summit on Wednesday. Beans - good for you, good for your purse, good for the planet! #banginsomebeans

Nice new sticker for my office doorframe. BANG IN SOME BEANS! Beans are cheap, healthy and good for the planet and I'm delighted to be involved with this campaign. Eat more beans! #banginsomebeans

Giving a keynote at a conference in Essen, Germany next week. First pic shows the title - first slide of the PowerPoint. Second pic gives you an idea of the kind of frenzied process of putting it all together. Just a few finishing touches and it's ready to go!

Just me and the legend that is Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall at the Bean Summit yesterday. #banginsomebeans

Today, I've been compering the Bean Summit - part of a campaign to persuade people to eat more beans - they're cheap, healthy and good for the planet. I debuted a new song I wrote about beans. I knew it was going down well when I saw people getting their phones out. #banginsomebeans

The University of Kent is putting on a special live event at the Museum of Comedy in London, bringing together comedians, promoters, and industry professionals for an important — and entertaining — conversation about safety in the comedy industry. museumofcomedy.ticketsolve.com/ticketbooth/...

Want to know who's on in our Halloween Special on Friday? Then wrap your ears around this wonky synthpop classic and wait until the crudely animated rabbit appears. It'll tell you who's on!

Just done this cartoon art for this Friday's Funny Rabbit Halloween Special!

Amyl and the Sniffers at Alexandra Palace last night. Ears still ringing!

My Dad's 2nd Lieutenant's cap from when he did National Service in the early 1950s. Dad was a lifelong socialist but was very proud of having passed his officer training. The cap's in a sorry state. Any ideas how I could get it restored?

Sign in Helsinki train carriage on Sunday, advising passengers on travel etiquette. Kind of ambiguous. Are they saying "If you wear perfume, don't overdo it"? Or are they saying, "Everyone must wear a moderate amount of perfume"?

Collage art quiz! Can you name the green-faced singer in the collage I made for this week's Funny Rabbit? And the parrot that's coming out of her eye was taken from a comic book of an iconic comedy double act. Can you name that double act?

This Friday! Friday 10 October, 8pm, @thegulbenkian - tickets £7 or less! 200 free student tickets available! Want to know exactly how funny it's going to be? Just click on the video to hear the answer, straight from the rabbit's mouth.

I swear Herby Falafel and Houmous Bowl were a 1970s jazz rock duo

Old timey shop front revealed as they start to do up a shop on Whitstable High Street.

1989 - and this Friday. Yes, the posters I create for my comedy stuff are more colourful and a tiny bit slicker than the ones I made back then. But the basic vibe is still the same.

Sellotaped to a Whitstable bus shelter. This feels like the most niche scam ever. "I know - let's target people in the Venn diagram that shows the crossover between Peter Andre fans and people who'd be interested in playing the banjo."

Photographic evidence of an early flirtation with ventriloquism. Onstage, I got round my complete inability to hide my lip movements by putting on a large false moustache. BTW, I made this dummy myself.

Giant goose inflatable on campus! I repeat, giant goose inflatable on campus! This is not a drill!

Here's comedian, actor and all round alternative comedy legend Nigel Planer talking about his autobiography Young Once (just out and available now) to Stuart on Loose End on Saturday. And who should he name check? Have a listen and find out!

Alas poor Converse! You have served me well but it is time for us to part after all these years!

If you have any photos of your (or a friend's) dog wearing a bandana, I'd love it if you could could post them below. It's for a thing I'm working on for Funny Rabbit. Any dog photos you post will be projected behind me as I sing a song I'm working on. Thanks, pals!

ComedyPodcastOfTheDay Welcome to #ComedyBureau podcast Comedian @lauralexx.bsky.social asks comedy academic @oliverdouble.bsky.social who was the first standup? He explains why it's not a simple answer, puts forward 5 candidates, and is then forced to choose just one. shorturl.at/wlp48

Really looking forward to listening to this new podcast series about the history, theory of, and practice of comedy from two proper experts 🎭😂👇

Now it can be told! The 2025 Linda Smith Lecture will be given by the mighty Bridget Christie. We are so chuffed that Bridget is going to be this year's speaker.

All the upcoming Funny Rabbit shows in one handy place! And with a cartoon I'm ridiculously proud of! Four fab shows with ace comedians Aaron Simmonds Blank Peng Sooz Kempner Laura Quinn Goh Morgan Rees Sam See and Mark Thomas!

Chocolate and Guinness cake for Jac's birthday. Not pretty, but I bet that creamy head's going to taste pretty good.

Funny Rabbit's coming back soon, which means I've been busy with scissors, glue stick and scans of pics from vintage magazines to produce the funny/scary artwork for the next run of posters. I call the piece I created for this poster "Georgia Brown in Tooth and Claw".

Favourite sentences, ep. 2

Farage's vocal delivery increasingly reminds me of something. And I couldn't work out what it was. Until I heard a soundbite from his recent conference speech, and it all suddenly fell into place. So I've spent part of my weekend making this animation. Enjoy!

Under 25? I'm updating one of my comedy songs and I need YOUR help with the references. It's a song about how I don't understand young people stuff, and I need advice on whether the references are up-to-date. So if you have any thoughts on these questions, please stick 'em in a comment.

To celebrate The Cambridge Companion to Stand-Up Comedy being published by Cambridge University Press I present episode one of a series of videos. In each episode, I'll read out my favourite sentence from one of the chapters.

Just got back from holiday to find these bad boys waiting for me. My copies of The Cambridge Companion to Stand-Up Comedy - out now! With chapters from a fab array of international authors. And edited by, er, me.

Tesco's selling Christmas stuff - this is not a drill!

Turns out Robert Webb was a ventriloquist all along

Here's a bit from my set at Gardenbury 2025 yesterday evening. Really pleased with the segue between two popular songs - one from 1892, the other from 1976. 84 years apart and both absolute bangers!

When I was a teenager and I first started seeing bands, I wanted to somehow mark that I'd seen them. So I made a poster with "GROUPS I HAVE SEEN" at the top. Every time I saw a new band, I'd add their name to the poster with felt tips.

Tomato salad made with fresh tomatoes and parsley grown by @mindfulfelting in our little garden

Still getting used to using Promarkers in my cartoons. So I made myself this handy colour chart. Which colour do you like best? What other colours of Promarker do I need to add to my collection?

Sun setting by ten past eight in Whitstable tonight. Autumn's round the corner.

Also on the bill for this 1981 gig but not listed - alternative comedy pioneer, anarchist and general legend Tony Allen

Lovely piece about our son Tom on the Creative Lives in Progress website: creativelivesinprogress.com/articles/tom...

What are you trying to tell me, academia.edu? That I've been mentioned in two thousand and three different papers? Or that I've been mentioned in papers published in 2003? Holly crap, I think it means two thousand and three different papers. Whoopee!

Recently read Lowborn by @thatkerryhudson - although what it's talking about is grim, it's so brilliantly written that you can't put it down. And what it has to say is so important. Highly recommended.