James Farmer on how he became one of the UK's most in demand gag writers

Will Robbins and Ben Cohen are the Lovely Boys, an online comedy sketch duo.Both of them are stand up comedians and together their sketches have amassed 45,000 followers on TikTok.Happy listening :)SteveSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Matty Hutson is a musical comedian and improviser at the Free Association. He has reached the final of Musical Comedy Awards twice. During the pandemic he used his time wisely and began making online content, going viral numerous times on Twitter and Tiktok. He has also appeared on Sky Sports and Soccer AM performing comedy songs about football. Matty is currently writing his next Edinburgh Fringe show which he will be performing this Summer. Happy listening :)SteveSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Zehavah Handler is a registered BACP psychotherapist and trained in CBT-i practitioner sleep councillor, a programme helping people suffering from chronic insomnia. Her training incorporates existential, psychodynamic and cognitive behavioural modalities.Happy listening :)SteveSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Darryl Edwards is a movement coach and best selling author. He is the founder of the Primal Play Method and a physical activity, health and play researcher.He regularly presents as a keynote and motivational speaker and his April 2019 TED talk "Why working out isn't working out" has now been viewed over a million times. Darryl is author of the best-selling books "Animal Moves" which highlights why humans should move like the animals we are. In late 2020 he released a children’s picture book called “My First Animal Moves”. Darryl's work has been published in leading national and international press such as Men's Health, Women's Health, Top Santé, Elle Magazine, Men's Fitness and The Daily Telegraph, and featured on the BBC documentaries Eat to Live Forever, and Doctor In The House. He has also appeared in the full-length documentaries Love Paleo and The Human Longevity Project.Happy listening :)Steve Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Henry Normal is a writer, poet, TV and film producer and founder of the Manchester poetry festival (now literary festival).Co-founding Babycow Productions Ltd in 1999 with Steve Coogan, Henry exec produced and scripted edited many of the shows of its 17 and a half year output during his tenure as MD. Highlights of the Babycow output during this time include: Philomena, Gavin & Stacey, Moone Boy, Marion and Geoff, Nighty Night, The Mighty Boosh, Redd Dwarf and of course Alan Partridge. Since retiring in April 2016 Henry has written and performed 7 BBC Radio 4 shows, a normal family, a normal life, a normal love, a normal creativity, a normal nature, a normal universe and a normal communication combining comedy, poetry and stories about bringing up his autistic son. The shows are available on BBC Sounds.  In June 2017 he was honoured with a BAFTA for services to the TV industry. He was recently given a honorary doctorate of letters by Nottingham Trent University, another by Nottingham University, and has a beer and a bus named after him in Nottingham. Henry performs poetry at literature Festivals around the UK and has 10 recent poetry collections out from Flapjack Press including a hardback selected works ’The Escape Plan’. Henry also has a memoir ‘A Normal Family’ published by Two Roads Press telling the story ion his family which was co-written by his wife Angele Pell. Happy listening :)SteveSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're back with part 2 of the compilation of answers to the final question I ask all guests on Balancing Acts.Featuring in order of appearance are:1) Bel and Clare (Ep.70) 2) Ethan Lawrence (Ep.65)3) Naomi Shragai (Ep.66)4) Simon London (Ep.68)5) Christine Rose (Ep.62) 6) Anirban Dasgupta (Ep.58)7) Dugan O'Neal (Ep.64)8) Rachel Stubbings (Ep.53)9) Will Robbins (Ep.38)10) Gytha Lodge (Ep.46)11) Neil Webster (Ep.56)Happy listening :)Steve - @offkeysteveSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this weeks episode I've compiled some of my favourites answers to the question I ask every guest on Balancing Acts: What does the idea of balance mean to you or not? Featured in running order are the following:1) Athena Kugblenu (ep.55)2) Zuby (ep.54)3) Nat Luurtsema (ep.48)4) Adjani Salmon (ep.51)5) Rosie Holt (ep.39)6) Shane Todd (ep.52)7) Esther Manito (ep.36)8) Tom Houghton (ep.41)9)Heydon Prowse (ep.45)10) Barry Ferns (ep.35)11) Oenone (ep.63)Happy listening :)Steve Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Liz Earle MBE is a champion of women’s health, media influencer, author of 36 books, TV presenter, podcast host and charity-founder. For more than thirty years, Liz has remained a respected and award-winning authority in the world of beauty, natural nutrition, health and wellbeing. She is dedicated to sharing her knowledge as a broadcaster (having started her TV career on ITV's This Morning in 1989, she's still a contributor to the show), writer and trusted household name, as well as being a bestselling author with a range of lifestyle titles and a multi-brand founder.Liz’s entrepreneurial spirit started from a young age and developed when she put her name to several successful brands. These includeLiz Earle Wellbeing and Liz Earle Fair and Fine, an award-winning range of ethically sourced, Fairtrade jewellery. In 1995, Liz co-founded the Liz Earle Beauty Co, which was sold in 2010 and she finally left the beauty brand in May 2017. In 2007, Liz Earle was awarded an MBE for her services to business and she has also received an Honorary Doctorate of Laws from both Portsmouth University and Staffordshire University.Liz is an expert in feel-good food and natural physical and mental healthcare, consistently sharing her simple and accessible tips in a practical and empowering way. Her straightforward, thoroughly researched and honest approach has earned her a place as a trusted visionary in the world of wellbeing.Liz has five children ranging in ages from 30 down to 10, is now divorced, and divides her time between her London studios and a regenerative farm in the West Country. Happy listening :)SteveSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Remi Nicole is a writer, director and performer.A native of Holloway, North London, Remi grew up fired by a passion for story-telling, which she explored by endlessly writing music, fiction, plays and poetry. After training as an actress at the Birmingham School of Speech and Drama, she graduated in 2004 then swiftly landed a variety of stage roles including Two Step and Playboy of the West Indies before becoming a regular cast member in BBC TV series Hyperdrive alongside Miranda Hart plus appearances on ITV’s William and Mary, The Bill and Holby City (BBC). Known in British fashion circles for her effortless style, Remi went on to guest co-present Freshly Squeezed with Nick Grimshaw in 2007 but it was in the music industry that she became best known, fast cementing her status as a respected singer/songwriter.Garnering widespread and global acclaim from Vogue, MTV, The Guardian and more, Remi became the centre of an A&R bidding war after releasing her first demo. Signing with Island Records, Remi released her debut guitar-based, frank-talking pop album My Conscience and I in 2007, which encapsulated observational wit and relatable real life tales of dead-end jobs, failed relationships and urban London life.Illustrating her natural passion for singing live, Remi has toured with the late, great Amy Winehouse and performed at festivals, namely Glastonbury, Latitude, Bestival, V and T4 at the Beach. In 2009 she released her second album, Cupid Shoot Me, then signed a new publishing deal with Sony ATV before exploring other creative avenues - launching a clothing line, modelling for international brands including Nike and art directing fashion photographic shoots.Remi subsequently moved to LA where she transitioned into writing and directing and created Lit By The Moon, an eight-part drama television series. The plot chronicles Remi’s own experience of moving to California and follows a female British singer with an unfaltering belief in the American dream. Now 37 and a Mother of two, Remi has returned to London and is focussing her creative energy on writing and directing and has a number of projects in development.Happy listening :)SteveSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ashley is a comedian and writer from North West London. He went from being homeless to winning the London Comedy Stores brutal King Gong competition, gigging at all the top comedy clubs up and down the country, hosting The Gormania Podcast and writing and directing his proof concept film Diamanté. Ashley also found time to launch and MC at the infamous South Kensington Comedy Club.To listen to this conversation please click here.Happy listening :)SteveSupport this show http://supporter.acast.com/balancing-acts. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.