Episode 26: Larry Dean

Born and bred in Glasgow, Christopher Macarthur-Boyd is a rising star of Scottish stand-up.Fast becoming a Fringe festival favourite, Christopher’s debut hour Home Sweet Home was officially the best reviewed of any Scottish stand-up at the Edinburgh Fringe: ‘A debut hour that seems endlessly enjoyable’ (The Skinny). 2019 saw Christopher returning with a sell-out run of Dreamboat: ‘This diminutive Glasgow comedian has the ability to not only find the funny, but to exploit it to the max’ (One4Review). Christopher has followed this up by winning Best Breakthrough Act at the 2019 Scottish Comedy Awards and being listed the 59th funniest person in Scottish history, on a list of 60.Christopher co-stars in BBC Scotland’s Up For It, with the second series airing in the spring 2020. Other TV credits include hosting BBC Scotland’s The Comedy Underground. Christopher has also made appearances on BBC Scotland’s Breaking The News, BBC Radio 4 Extra’s Stands Up At The Fringe. and BBC Radio 4’s Fred at The Stand, and Evil Genius with Russell Kane.Christopher Macarthur-Boyd is also a writer, with pieces appearing in The Skinny, The National and Glasgow Times. In 2019 he made his debut as an author when his first short story was published by Speculative Books.Instagrams:@doingbitslive@eshaanakbar@[email protected]

Self professed working class, Lancashire-born millennial, Brennan Reece found his passion for performing as a child actor from the age of 4. Having no idea that comedy was a thing people would employ you to do his varied talents saw him make the inevitable transition from an early career in theatre and film, to live stand up.In 2016 Brennan’s perfectly pitched debut show EVERGLOW was recognised for its heart-rending honesty and cheerful warmth and saw him deservedly nominated for BEST NEWCOMER at the 2016 Edinburgh Comedy Awards. The success of Everglow has seen him gigging (and giggling) all over the the world, including Australia, – where he went on to be nominated for BEST SHOW the Australian Fringe World 2016, as well as tours in New Zealand, Holland and France.A classic ‘triple threat’ entertainer, the 30 year old English Comedian of the Year winner has featured in everything from popular TV shows like The Comedy Allstars (ABC), Skins (Channel 4) and The Johnny & Inel Show (CBBC), feature films such as Soulboy and Marvelous (BBC Films), as well as handful of serious plays and all singing and dancing musicals. He has supported the likes of Rob Brydon and Nick Offerman on tour and his 2017 solo tour EVERLONG has just been extended into 2018 due to a hugely popular sell out run. This comic’s knack for spinning a hilarious and ultimately uplifting yarn is proving to be the perfect antidote for those millennial woes…Instagrams:@doingbitslive@eshaanakbar@vittorioangelone@brennanreece

We're back baby! Doing Bits returns for Lockdown two with the sensational Dan Nightingale.Doing Bits with Eshaan Akbar and Vittorio Angelone is a live broadcast event featuring top comedians working on brand new joke ideas that are quarantined in our heads until further notice.It might be offensive first time round, it might not come out right on the first go but we're here to figure it out and find the funny with feedback from you.Originally from Preston, Lancashire Dan Nightingale started his comedy career while living in Newcastle in 2002. After working at The Hyena Comedy Café as a sound man for six months, he finally got on stage.He moved to Manchester within 12 months he went from barman at the Frog & Bucket, to booking agent, to hosting the new act night and finally compering the weekends.In June 2004 he turned professional. At that year's Edinburgh festival he performed as part of the Big Value Comedy Show, returning in 2005 as part of a double header with Josie Long.Alongside Adam Rowe he now co-hosts the hilarious Have A Word Podcast.Instagrams:@doingbitslive@eshaanakbar@vittorioangelone@danhasapodcast@haveawordpod

Six foot seven of pure funny, Rob Mulholland is a bombastic, mischievous gag-slinging rascal with a heart full of humour and gob full of shite. An established, bullet-proof comedy Pro forged in the fires of the nothern comedy circuit who now travels the world packing big belly laughs. A regular at all the biggest comedy clubs in the UK; whether going for the kill with his playful filth-mongering and hilarious, furious tirades against minor annoyances or holding a night together with his genial but sharp hosting skills, he can adapt to any kind of crowd and event.Host of hit podcast "Rob Mulholland Has An Opinion"Writer for Mock The WeekAs seen on BBC iPlayer's Comedian Rap Battles"Popular Comedian Rob Mulholland" available now on NextupInstagrams:@doingbitslive@eshaanakbar@vittorioangelone@robmulholland

Doing Bits with Eshaan Akbar and Vittorio Angelone is a live broadcast event featuring top comedians working on brand new joke ideas that are quarantined in our heads until further notice.It might be offensive first time round, it might not come out right on the first go but we're here to figure it out and find the funny with feedback from you.Instagrams:@doingbitslive@eshaanakbar@vittorioangelone@michaelodewalecomedy

Doing Bits with Eshaan Akbar and Vittorio Angelone is a live broadcast event featuring top comedians working on brand new joke ideas that are quarantined in our heads until further notice.It might be offensive first time round, it might not come out right on the first go but we're here to figure it out and find the funny with feedback from you.Hot off the release of his first solo stand-up album, Amazing, Probably, Sid Singh returns to conquer the fringe with his completely unique focus on everything awkward.Life is awkward in all of its interactions and search for identity. Sid Singh goes deeper and more personal, finding comedy in the uncomfortableness of being brown in America, the UK, and even the rest of the World; finding out you’re more racist than your white girlfriend; learning that you’re terrible at smoking weed and in fact you’ve never actually gotten high before...right before you try the strongest drug of all time.OK, fine that all sounds great, but you know what’s way more important about Sid’s show?It’s hilarious. H-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s. All that other stuff is unhyphenated fluff.Sid Singh is a regular at numerous clubs in New York, Los Angeles and San Diego including Night Train with Wyatt Cenac, and The Tony Show (run Comedy Central’s Adam Atamanuik). Among his television credits are Living the Life (Islam Channel), Greatest Party Story Ever Told (MTV), Night Train With Wyatt Cenac (NBC). On radio Sid has appeared on BBC Radio Four’s Inconspicuous Consumption, BBC Asian Network, Fresh Air Radio, and Mutiny Radio. Sid has appeared on Kurt Metzger and Sherwood Small’s popular podcast Race Wars and weekly on legal podcast The Law is My Ass.Sid’s debut stand-up album, Amazing, Probably, is available on Stand Up Records, iTunes, and anywhere else albums are sold and is currently at number 3 on the iTunes US Comedy chart.Instagrams:@doingbitslive@eshaanakbar@vittorioangelone@lookingforsid

Doing Bits with Eshaan Akbar and Vittorio Angelone is a live broadcast event featuring top comedians working on brand new joke ideas that are quarantined in our heads until further notice.It might be offensive first time round, it might not come out right on the first go but we're here to figure it out and find the funny with feedback from you.Katharyn regularly hosts and performs comedy nightly all over New York City including but not limited to New York Comedy Club, Gotham Comedy Club, Broadway Comedy Club, The Stand, & The Comic Strip. Additionally, Katharyn performs in the UK and recently won The Black Out at Up the Creek and can regularly be seen at Top Secret Comedy Club in London.In 2019, Katharyn made her Edinburgh Fringe Festival debut of her hour of stand up, "Ew Girl, You Nasty" to excellent critical review. Kate Copstick of The Scotsman exclaimed, “This show is a blast!" The Skinny awarded her **** and Pop Dust noted that "you won't see many comics like her at the Fringe or anywhere else." She has hosted a show in the New York Comedy Festival three years running and currently produces two weekly shows in NYC which she headlines.Katharyn's current projects include co-hosting the podcast "Somewhat Scientific" with Meghan Walsh and "This American Irish Life" with Mark O'Keeffe. In March/April 2020, you can see Katharyn perform in "Hot Garbage" at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival with Eve Ellenbogen and also doing her hour, "Ew Girl, You Nasty" at the Sydney Comedy Festival. This year she hopes to finally pay off an antique ring she bought on credit.Instagrams:@doingbitslive@jmeaghercomedy@vittorioangelone@ewgirlyounasty

Doing Bits with Eshaan Akbar and Vittorio Angelone is a live broadcast event featuring top comedians working on brand new joke ideas that are quarantined in our heads until further notice.It might be offensive first time round, it might not come out right on the first go but we're here to figure it out and find the funny with feedback from you.Bilal Zafar is a Stand up Comedian, Actor and Writer from and based in London. COMEDYHe was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Fringe 2016 and won the Hackney Empire New Act Award (NATYS) in the same year. He has taken 3 solo shows to Edinburgh and toured them around the UK including runs at London’s Soho Theatre. Bilal’s solo shows are;CAKES: A story about a time Bilal’s twitter handle @Zafarcakes was confused for a ‘Muslim only bakery’ by angry people on twitter and he went along with it to see what happens. BISCUIT: Bilal’s experience of trying to find in the modern world of Muslim (and non Muslim, God forgive him) dating apps in comparison to how his parents met through an ‘arranged marriage’ (Which isn’t the same as a forced marriage)LOVEBOTS: A show about social experiment in which Bilal teamed up with Rob Manuel to create twitter bots to fight the bad Russian bots by spreading Love rather than hate and misinformation. And Bilal is working on a brand new show for Edinburgh 2020 called CARE all about his experience of working in a care home for a year as a 21 year old. Exploring stuff like how we treat our elderly, employment in the UK, dementia, dignity etc.

Doing Bits with Eshaan Akbar and Vittorio Angelone is a live broadcast event featuring top comedians working on brand new joke ideas that are quarantined in our heads until further notice.It might be offensive first time round, it might not come out right on the first go but we're here to figure it out and find the funny with feedback from you.Aatif Nawaz is an award-winning British-Pakistani actor, writer, television presenter and stand-up comedian. He is best known for creating, writing and starring in BBC Three’s acclaimed sketch comedy show ‘Muzlamic’.Yet the bulk of Aatif’s career has been spent as a stand-up comedian, with four solo stand-up comedy shows to his name.In 2014, Aatif performed his debut solo 60 minute comedy show 'Talk Roti To Me' in front of 4 sell out crowds at the iconic Leicester Square Theatre in London. This was followed up by Aatif's critically acclaimed 'Muslims Do It 5 Times A Day' comedy show which played to 11 sell-out audiences in London's West End. The show was also Aatif's debut at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 2015 and was attended by over 1800 people. Popular with critics and audiences, the show then toured the UK as well as a sold out show at the 2016 Leicester Comedy Festival.In 2016, Aatif debuted 'AATIFicial Intelligence', a brand new comedy show reflecting on his experiences of appearing on Channel 4, writing for the Guardian and other dalliances with mainstream media. The show's performances at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and it's subsequent UK tour earned unanimously strong reviews from critics and audiences. He ended the year with a UK Comedy Tour in aid of the charity Human Appeal that raised over 2 million pounds from it's 25 shows in 20 cities, a tour Aatif would continue to perform on in 2017, 2018 and 2019.In 2017, Aatif made his BBC Radio 4 presenting debut with 'Clockface', a programme focused on the history of time. He also debuted a brand new comedy show called 'The Last Laugh' at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.In 2018 began hosting a weekly podcast on BBC Radio 5 Live called 'The Doosra'. He also became a regular contributor to BBC’s iconic Test Match Special programme. Aatif has made several appearances on the popular Sunday Morning Live programme on BBC One. He toured Malta three times to perform for Maltese Funny Business, including 4 hour long shows at the Valletta Campus Theatre. In August, he debuted his brand new stand-up comedy show 'Instant GrAATIFication' at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show was Aatif’s most acclaimed yet, receiving accolades and strong reviews from The Guardian, Evening Standard and Daily Mirror to name a few. The show toured the UK in January 2019 including a special extended performance at London’s 450-seater Leicester Square Theatre.An accomplished actor, Aatif’s recent credits include ‘Muzlamic’ (BBC Three) ‘Bounty’ (Channel 4), ‘The Tez O’Clock Show’ (Channel 4), as well as national ad campaigns for Easyjet, Vauxhall and Stanley Tools. Aatif has also appeared in the Urdu-language series Lehrein and the film Majboor. He also wrote, directed and starred in the Urdu television series 'Bahir Waalay'.Since 2014, Aatif has been a regular presenter for the popular lifestyle programme 'Living The Life' on the Islam Channel. He has made recurring appearances on BBC Asian Network, BBC Radio 5 Live as well as being a panellist on BBC Two's Newsnight programme. He featured on Channel 4's 'What British Muslims Really Think' documentary and began contributing columns to The Guardian.In 2012, Aatif won an Honourable Mention Laural at the Los Angeles Movie Awards for his documentary Postcards from Lahore. The film also holds the distinction of being the only Pakistani film to be screened at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival. His work on The Aatif Nawaz Show and 'Living The Life' earned him two nominations for MOMO (Music of Muslim Orientation) Awards for Best Television Presenter and Best TV Show. His work on ‘Muzlamic’ also earned an Asian Media Award nomination in 2019.Instagrams:@doingbitslive@eshaanakbar@vittorioangelone@aatifnawaz