S02E27 Shalaka Kurup, English/Hindi/(Childhood Malayalam) Speaker - From Bengaluru (Bangalore), India 🇮🇳

Mike Rice is probably THE guest this podcast has had so far who proved to be the best at impersonations and accent mimicry. During the course of this interview alone, he improvised a South London, a posh West London, a stereotypical Essex woman and a generic American accent. In his comedy routines and comedy special on Youtube, Mike has done a German accent in the context of WWIII jokes and he has also done an Indian accent. Did the last one cross the line? Between Mike’s inclination for dark jokes, there’s a lengthy discussion why it may not have and Mike’s intention with his jokes.Mike explains the catholic hangover in the Irish parlance and how he went from semi-consciously ditching his Irish accent to pick up an American twang in the USA to embrace his Irishness and appreciate the beauty of how his father talks and what growing on a farm means.Slightly further from the usual focus on accents, identity of this podcast, Mike accounts for his rebellious teenage years and the depression in his twenties, how he changed his outlook in life and how he balances a creative soul that isn’t afraid of showing vulnerability with an upbringing where he was expected to toughen up.Mike’s podcast: Mike and Vittorio’s Guide to ParentingMike’s special on Youtube: An Irish Disgrace & Nasty Character---------------------------------Follow Mike on InstagramMike’s 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show Mike is going on tour starting from November 2025. See his Instagram for ticketsFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------01:00 Intro04:37 People making remarks about the Irish accent05:23 An accent from rural Ireland and the catholic hangover09:24 Mike’s family dynamics11:24 Mike trouble-making teenage years and the school trip to Andorra (Part 1)13:36 A discussion on using “That’s gay” as a punchline to a joke17:09 When does a joke go too far? The intention and the context of a joke19:22 Personality developed to deal with the environment20:45 On doing accents25:05 The school trip to Andorra (Part 2)28:00 Rebellious teenager but also a sensitive soul31:24 Pain and unhappiness in his 20s34:50 Mike’s podcast output35:42 Mike not seen as an outsider despite his accent38:09 From disliking his Irishness to embracing it; an inferiority complex from not being able to wash away the farm smells43:54 An advantage to be an Irish act in metropolitan England45:37 Gigging in continental European cities46:19 Irish descendants47:38 Mike’s use of the English language and the books he read51:19 Mike’s online following and his consistent stage/podcast/real-life persona53:53 Mike’s social media---------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email [email protected]

Have you ever tried to learn a foreign language so hard, that it influences and moulds your speech pattern in your native tongue? That you moved to a foreign land to learn that foreign language, consequently your English vocabulary becomes restricted to the more common words, just so people around you could understand?Such is the story of Spring Day (Comedian, not the weather), a fluent Japanese speaker who lived in Japan for over 16 years and who started learning this language at the age of 13. Spring tells the random nature of her life story how she ended up in Japan, how she became a comedy performer in both Japanese and English in Tokyo, and why she decided to leave after she realised her identity would always be an outsider （外人, gaijin） in JapanSpring now happily calls London and the UK home. She was featured on Live at the Apollo on TV, one of the highest achievements comedians in the UK can have. In this episode, Spring recounts the tales in Midwestern America where she used to call home and left behind, becoming the minority American who has a passport and travel abroad, and her long and complex, entangled history with the land of Nihon (and all the obscure observations of this island nation that are no longer her comedy materials)---------------------------------Follow Spring on InstagramFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------01:12 Intro03:28 Leaving behind her identity as an outsider （外人, gaijin）in Japan05:14 “Just the right level of passive-aggressiveness” in the UK - compared to Japan and the US07:58 Do American comedians have an “accent” for British audiences?09:08 Spring’s aversion to American centralism12:22 Immigrants? Expats?14:02 How fluent is Spring in Japanese now?16:05 A mid-western American accent influenced by Japanese and British expats18:56 Why Spring moved to Japan and started performing comedy in Tokyo?21:18 Spring’s accent when speaking Japanese23:39 The foreign loaned words in Japanese making it harder for English speakers26:56 Performing stand up in Japanese and why some of Spring’s jokes couldn’t translate29:50 How Spring’s time in Japan shaped her stand up and her speech pattern31:41 Onomatopoeia （オノマトペ） in Japanese34:24 All the dark sadness and tragedy in Japanese Rakugo（落語, “fallen words”）, folk music and literature35:58 The tales of two Kansas Cities in Kansas and in Missouri37:49 Spring’s Mid-western accent39:36 A stage character of a rural American?41:57 Living on the same street with serial killers43:59 Caricatures/characters of rural Americans47:06 Some of Spring’d weird experiences in Japan that became her comedy materials50:47 Transition to the UK and finding out who she is outside Japan53:10 London is now home55:04 Spring’s social media---------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email [email protected]

Martin Durchov has never done any podcast interview - not until this episode popped his podcast cherry. You can find his Instagram profile, but be warned there’s not a single comedy-related content on it.The Bulgarian native is one giggly and happy chap, described by your host Kuan-wen as a very “settled” immigrant in the UK. Even his accent mellowed over the years he stays in the UK - a fun fact your host found out when he checked Martin’s stand up clips in preparation of the interview and noticed the accent shift pre- and post- Covid.Martin talks about the wider “East European” brand, how Bulgaria often gets lumped together with its neighbour Romania, what national stereotypes he incorporated into his comedy routines and how he gradually edit down the percentage of jokes based on his nationality. He learned early on that it is better as a performer to address the obvious, for him that is the accent and the hairs on his arms.For listeners who are gigging comedians, Martin also shares why he Is not set on pursuing the comedy career progression even though he had a very promising start pre-pandemic (winning the Comedy Store gong show, getting into the final of So You Think You Are Funny and getting paid work within a year or two)---------------------------------You can find Martin on Instagram, but there might not be any comedy-related content there….Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------01:10 Intro04:14 Citing his accent and foreignness as the opening joke but unaware of the accent at the start08:19 “It’s good to mention obvious things”11:43 Bulgarian stereotypes as an East European country and why it tends to be bundled with Romania19:45 Bulgaria Searches For Talent23:29 Getting requests to do certain jokes24:42 Between jokes and portraying your own country’s image27:00 A gentler and silly stage persona30:58 Martin’s accent mellowed over the years32:22 Not pursuing comedy career progression and not into the social media game37:14 On being the face of one’s own small country41:36 Foreignness does not weigh much on Martin’s mind44:04 Without hearing Martin accent, others not able to work out where he’s from45:28 Not having too many connections with Bulgaria in the UK49:06 Martin’s (non-)used social media---------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com---------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Shalaka is a self-proclaimed nerd with a PHD in trains whilst loading herself with Millennial angst. Those are supposed to be the most interesting and unique things about her. However, just because she’s from India, the audiences in the UK expect her to talk about being Indian or South Asian.In this episode, Shalaka eloquently explains her own code switching, detailing her accent automatically adjusts based on the people she talks. This is the result of a racist “friend” at Uni constantly mocking her accent for years. As a first generation immigrant, she is also surprised by the gap between how the British Indians’ idea of India and the India she knows from growing up in Bangalore.Her ethnicity becomes an easy target for the sometimes lazy opponents during Comedy Roast Battles, which only serves Shalaka as she excels in this specific format of comedy shows (UK Roast Battle Champion and International Roast Battle MVP).You can catch Shalaka at the following work-in-progress shows:May 24th - The Boathouse, Cambridge Fringe (tickets)June 6th - Canal Café, Chichester Fringe (tickets)*Your host Kuan-wen referenced Ronny Chieng's bit on The Daily Show, the idea being "Indians are not Asians (in America)" It was a topical line when Rishi Sunak became the UK's first Prime Minister of Indian heritage. See the clip here.Another reference is to Russell Peters. We cannot find the exact clip but there is a similar clip of crowd interaction from Russell Peters mocking a Taiwanese American (or maybe Canadian) for having an Anglicised name. See the clip here.---------------------------------Follow Shalaka on InstagramFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------01:00 Intro03:25 Not insisting on the correct pronunciation for her name04:30 Hilarious caption typo in Shabaka’s Comedy Central clip05:55 Code switching - Shabaka’s accent changes depending on who she talks to09:48 What do people (in the UK) mean when they say “Asian”?11:29 Shalaka’s different way of speaking at South Asian gigs12:46 An idea of India frozen in time17:03 Attitude towards women also frozen in time21:28 People’s view on India from British Indians vs from Indians25:30 Clownery of your own culture in front of audience that are not South Asian27:33 Shalaka’s light Indian accent is the result of befriending someone racist to her32:05 More self-reflection on her accent34:18 Minority comedians mimicking an accent that is not genuinely theirs39:58 How Schlaka’s ethnicity is used as attack lines during Roast Battle matches42:04 White racism not as hurtful as Indian to Indian racism45:34 Not focusing on being the Indian comic; not pandering50:33 Shalaka’s own memory of India also has a gap with India today55:31 Shalaka’s social media---------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

This bonus episode (90% in French and the remainder in English) was recorded as part of the conversation with French It Up Comedy Club founder Jeff Vitale, the majority of which was released as season 2 episode 26 in the previous week.-------------------Cet épisode bonus est un extrait de l’entretien publié la semaine dernière avec Jeff Vitale, fondateur de “French It Up” comedy club, où les spectacles se font en français même si le club se trouve à Londres. Pendant un quart d’heure, votre animateur et son invité Jeff ont discuté la dynamique entre les langues, la géopolitique et les identities culturelles lorsqu'une langue est partagée par plusieurs pays. Ils ont aussi parlé de faire la thérapie en anglais au lieu de français. L’entretien original a été mené principalement en anglais (l’épisode précédent) sauf un quart d'heure vers la fin. Cet épisode bonus permet aux auditeurs francophones de mieux comprendre notre invité dans sa langue maternelle (malgré la maîtrise limitée de la langue française de l’animateur).------------------A proper separate episode in French was originally planned, but your host had to concede he's just not that fluent in French to conduct a whole interview. 😅. The short segment in French is therefore released as a bijou bonus episode for the French speaking listeners (which we are not even sure there are that many!)Regular English episodes will resume next Tuesday on May 6th, 2025.

“French It Up est LE comedy club français à Londres. Lancé en 2016 par Jeff Vitale, depuis rejoint par Fabrice Edouard Laroche Francoeur, le concept séduit un public francophone de plus en plus large et fait émerger une nouvelle scène d'humoristes français à Londres.”After introducing London’s Comedy show in the Spanish language Comedy Por Favor in episode 19, we turn our attention in this episode to London’s French comedy club “French It Up”, whose shows currently rotate between the trendy Exmouth Market in Clerkenwell and nestled next to the beer garden in Vauxhall. The mastermind behind this, Jeff Vitale, talks about the specific “expat humour” and makes a careful distinction between French speakers and French expats, as a good percentage of the audience also comes from other francophone countries. He shares how he has grown and plans to continue to grow this comedy club from strength to strength in this English city that boasts enough French citizen to be France’s fifth or sixth largest city.---------------------------------Follow French It Up Comedy Show on InstagramFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------00:51 Intro02:39 An episode about a comedy show in a foreign language04:47 French It Up audience’s specific sense of humour (expat Francophones)07:36 Work office observations as popular joke materials09:52 French speaking audience does not equal French people11:58 Reasons for stopping bilingual French/English shows15:51 Comedy materials about migration and cross cultural differences17:00 Doubters and continuing to attract non comedy fans19:48 Why French It Up was set up22:57 “Intermittents du spectacle” - French government support for actors24:38 More efforts into organising and promoting shows post Covid27:15 Cross over with English stand up scene? French It Up’s own eco-system of performers30:18 Not to be confused as a show in English (but talking about France)30:53 Where the show name “French It Up” comes from32:00 Jeff speaks too fast for non native French speakers to understand33:04 How fluent one’s French has to be to go to a French It Up show?35:18 The French language’s fluidity and rythmn38:59 French It Up being a relief for nostalgia?---------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com---------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Celiac, dyspraxia, sporran, ricochet, hypochondriac, cheugy, mausoleum, flab… how many of these English words do you - as a non-native English speaker - know? Similar question for the native English speakers again: any of these words that you are not aware of?These are just a sample of words in the English language that your host Kuan-wen has acquired through doing comedy, mostly from observing other comedians’ routines. More than just getting exposed to new words, your host explains why he believes doing comedy in English has multiple advantages when it comes to learning the language, that you do not need to wait until your English is considered “perfect” before you can starting trying out English comedy.(*Yeah, this is kind of a filler episode with no guests)---------------------------------Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------00:32 Intro01:27 Outline for this episode02:22 Reasons for another monologue episode04:01 Learning the English language through performing comedy in English - an analogy06:21 An advantage for non-native English speakers who perform comedy in English07:43 Performing in English forces performers to listen to themselves how they speak09:17 Learning a more natural/wholesome English through doing comedy11:40 Learning about another culture - a wider group of people one gets in contact with12:54 Musicians having lighter accents13:34 Pursuit of specificity in comedy helps grow one’s vocabulary14:35 List of words Kuan-wen learned from other comedians’ comedy sets:celiacdyspraxiasporranricochet (from Ken Cheng)hypochondriaccatharsischeugy (from Shalaka Kurup)mausoleum (from Pete White)flab (from Adam Riley)necrophilia23:48 Four comedy gigs with vastly different audiences within three days - a mixed crowd with many Mandarin speakers; a crowd of French speakers; a crowd of a provincial English town; a crowd with mixed European punters28:48 Podcast listener statistics Jan-Mar 202530:58 Upcoming episodes---------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com---------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Veteran London-based Romanian comedian Radu Isac returns after his last interview on this podcast in 2022. Radu catches up with your host Kuan-wen to chat about how his career plans and gigging pattern change along with the moving landscape of the comedy industry. Between this episode and the first interview three years ago, Radu released his comedy special “Keep Coughing” on Youtube and organised his own tour across continental European cities.Regarded as the comedian’s comedian in Romania (some fans even described him as Romania’s George Carlin), Radu shares his approach performing in front of liberal and less liberal audiences, British and a more internationally mixed audience and why he thinks it is important to be able to make different crowds laugh. He talks about running the popular bi-weekly Immigrant Comedy show in London and why comedy should remain a safe space for the expression of ideas, as he has done so in his comedy special.Radu’s comedy special “Keeping Coughing” (free to watch on Youtube)Radu’s live comedy show “Sadly Funny" at Top Secret Comedy Club in London 6 April 2025---------------------------------Follow Radu on Instagram and his websiteFollow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------00:34 Intro02:06 Summary of Radu’s prior appearance on this podcast03:49 Gigging less often outside London now04:36 Radu’s vs liberal audience and comedy shows with audience less sympathetic with immigrants07:53 An example of audience not taking Radu’s poking well09:32 How to and who to mention the act is foreign?10:51 Change of career goals - non-native English speaking audience and touring outside the UK16:29 With non British audience in mind, changes in joke writing?18:23 Casual racism from English hosts of podcasts Radu went on20:52 Touring (gigging) in continental Europe22:21 A released comedy special recorded in Vienna (and another unreleased version recorded in London)24:41 Difference between UK gigs and gigs in continental European cities29:57 Running Immigrant Comedy Show and Radu’s criteria for “immigrants”34:00 Romanian Youtube users’ comment on Radu’s accent36:09 On Radu’s comedy special on Youtube “Keep Coughing”37:22 On the joke “A vaxxed anti-vaxxer”, Radu’s intention and his approach44:16 Radu’s social media---------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com---------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Given Ireland and Britain’s complex history, not least over 700 years of colonisation and dominance and the most recent thorny issue of Northern Ireland’s border during Brexit negotiation, what does a comedian’s Irish accent represent in the eyes of British audience?There are in fact quite a few Irish comedians in the UK. Peter Flanagan is our very first guest, as in addition to his identify of a professional club comic, he is also a column writer for The Irish Times, documenting his views as a Irish diaspora living in the UK and his witty take on British politics.Peter talked about the most memorable heckle from an English woman that was akin to a racist mime, what an idealised Irishman’s image would be and how he got used to the British public’s lack understanding in the bilateral history or even just Britain’s own history (and geography).---------------------------------Follow Peter on Instagram and facebookFollow your host Kuan-wen on InstagramAn example of Peter's column in The Irish Times (note that there's a paywall)Kuan-wen was singing a jingo for Sheila's Wheel (click for video on Youtube) - a commercial for car insurance aimed at female drivers in the 2000s. ---------------------------------00:47 Intro03:01 Out of numerous Irish comedians in the UK, why Peter is invited04:33 An Irish accent too strong for some yet not strong enough for some05:53 The perception of a “Dublin” accent in Ireland07:23 Not just one accent in Ireland (and stereotypes of a generic Irish accent/Irish comedian)09:06 A memorable racist meme heckle11:54 Irish used to be the main group on the receiving end of racist attitudes in the UK13:24 How Peter feels as an Irish comedian in the UK? Is it fair to compare Anglo-Irish relationship with that between Taiwan and China?17:42 The sweet Irish accent for BBC and the idealised Irishman - Terry Wogan20:52 Different expressions of humour: between a column writer for The Irish Times and a club comic24:51 Making stand up comedy informative or even using it to educate the audience?27:18 British public’s lack of understanding of their own history and indifference to Ireland30:11 For all the Nazi jokes British comedians make, where’s the British Empire’s South African concentration camp joke?31:40 How Peter won over Brexit-supporting audience?34:41 Learning to be himself and not liked by some on social media40:04 City comedy vs rural comedy43:18 Difference between Irish audience and British audience45:09 Peter’s social media---------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com---------------------------------Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Name a stand up comedian who’s like the ambassador of both the English and French cultures? Many of you probably think of her bright pink hairs straight away. Yes, you have Tatty Macleod in mind, and she really has been given the title of an honourary ambassador for the British Council and was invited to host the alumni day by the French embassy in the UK.THE Anglo-French (or Franglais/ Frenglish) stand up comedian and social media star is well known for her hilarious online sketches on observations of both cultures in both languages. Her debut comedy hour - FUGUE - sold out its entire 2023 Edinburgh Fringe Festival run. The subsequent tour has sold over 10,000 tickets and counting, with the continental European leg now extended to 2025. This includes four nights at the Soho Theatre and two nights at Clapham Grand in London as well as three nights at Théâtre des ateliers in Paris - with three more nights at Théâtres des variétés in Paris booked in this May.Among Tatty’s 600k+ followers across Instagram & TikTok, many are nomads themselves who are attracted to what Tatty personifies as a Third Culture Kid - a fluid identity and multilayers of heritage, accompanied by bi- or trilingualism. Born in Zimbabwe to British parents and raised in France by her ethnically Scottish/Welsh but culturally English mum, Tatty talks about code-switching, fine-tuning her accent to fit in and how accent, languages become intertwined with emotions and her identity in this fantastic episode.---------------------------------Follow Tatty on InstagramTatty is on Tour in Europe in 2025. Check Tatty’s website (click here) for tickets.Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram---------------------------------00:55 Intro02:04 A true bilingual guest and how she thinks accents reflect one’s life journey04:35 Coming to terms with a tinge of an English accent when she speaks French now06:36 Moving between countries - a quick summary of Tatty’s childhood and adolescence07:41 Accents, languages, identities - and a sense of belonging10:39 A very subtle accent but visual clues of a non French person14:30 How Kuan-wen learned to speak French and dislike Parisians15:40 Choosing what language to speak in v.s. being rude to foreigners?21:09 A Third Culture Kid; a bicultural upbringing23:41 People remain determined to ask Tatty to pick a side (between her dual cultural heritages)26:48 Tatty’s specific fan base30:18 What did this question/terms of phrasing “like we say in French (Comment on dit en français)” imply?34:07 Are the cultural nomads an ultra niche group?36:17 All identifies are relative; shall we say British or English?39:17 Tatty’s diction when she speaks English; an accent from a time capsule43:30 Changing one’s accent to fit in44:54 Jokes/comedy sketches based on stereotypes grounded in reality46:32 Tatty’s debut solo show (currently on the European leg of the tour)49:31 Nearly didn’t do the comedy sketches online52:00 Tatty’s social media---------------------------------If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram or email [email protected]