Explorez tous les épisodes du podcast Comedy with an Accent

“Your existence is an act of politics” Italian stand up comedian and playright Xhuliano Dule only knows it so well.

Our *third Italian-speaking guest is able to claim dual cultural heritage, as he originally comes from Albania across the Adriatic sea. He arrived in l’Italia as a small child on a speedboat with his parents, similar to many of his compatriots who searched for a better life in the 1990s.

Growing up as an immigrant in a rather consevative and not particularly culturally sensitive land, Xhuliano now jokes about the stereotypes that were once imposed on him. He is now the first immigrant comedian that was featured on major Italian comedy TV programme.

Ahead of his book launch and amidst his comedy tour, Xhuliano did this rare interview in English. This deeply political comedian talks about the curious mix in the eyes of Italian audience, that he is an immigrant background what an accent from the Veneto region - one that is considered the rudest and most racist.

He shares how his jokes and his takes on political satire triggered death threats in his DMs, and this intellectual performer explains his observation of the Italian society, how it reflects in the comedy scene and how he decides on his approach to jokes.

*in this episode, your host Kuan-wen Introduced Xhuliano as the second ever Italian speaker on this podcast. It was a mistake. Previous Italian guests include Luca Cupani and Tiziano la Bella

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Follow Xhuliano on Instagram

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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00:55 Intro - what kind of people learn Italian these days?

05:31 Growing up in Italy as an Albanian immigrant kid

06:29 An accent associated with the most racist Italian region

08:19 Albanian stereotypes and the film “Taken” (and some other stereotypes)

10:27 Linguistic diversity in Italy and how the Italian language was “chosen” and how almost no one speaks it

15:35 Not visible Albanian heritage

17:14 The Albanian “Invasion” in the 1990s according to Italian newspapers

20:57 Italy not having the same level of cultural sensitivity as the UK; how this is reflected in representation in stand up comedy and Xhuliano’s more aggressive approach addressing racism

27:05 Racist slang (“maranza”) used naming government legislations in Italy

27:44 What the Italian society really means with label “non-EU citizens” (“Extracomunitario”) to substitue “immigrants”

33:51 Context of a joke that that may seem crass (brave gay men during the AIDS crisis in the 80s)

36:19 In hot water for jokes going viral

40:32 When one’s existence is an act of politics

43:38 Conservatism and religion in Italy and the consequent censorship

46:51 Italian’s conjugation and the rhyming opportunities

48:32 Xhuliano’s social media and upcoming book/tour/comedy special (“Remuntada”)

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Our latest focus on distinct accents on the British isles turns to Northwest England. Our guest Kathryn Mather comes from Rochdale, historically part of Lancashire but now part of Greater Manchester. “Likkle girl down in hospical” - have you heard that one before?

Kathryn was crowned winner of Frog and Bucket World Series in 2017 (Manchester’s prestigious comedy club’s new act competition) and was placed third in Leicester Mercury Comedian of the year in 2019. She and your host Kuan-wen started comedy around the same time and did all those dreadful open mics together, as you can tell from their banters they have known each other for a long time. Kathryn shares why she chose to relocate to Southern England - for the weather! What a shocker - and how the same joke based on Northern stereotypes gets reactions for very different reasons in the south or the north of England.

People still mock her accent. When asked who does so? “The southerners!” The conversation ends on the class divide in the UK and how the comedy industry’s take on working class representation still fails to tackle the structural issues. Kathryn explains why she rarely mentions her working class background - for she feels fraudulent, based on the society’s twisted definition of a working class family. Kathryn also explains how the privilege works for performers from a more affluent background and candidly why she wished she’d never started doing comedy.

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Follow Kathryn on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/beforenowafterthen/

Kathryn’s Historical Hot or Not podcast on Spotify and on Apple Podcast

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kuanwencomedy/

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00:49 Why can’t English people speak another language most of the time? Kathryn’s self-defence

08:24 Moving down south from northwest England and losing the accent

10:44 Southerners making fun of Kathryn’s accent

12:58 “Likkle Girl down in hospical”; examples of Lancastrian/Mancunian accents

15:36 Is mocking someone’s accent just (acceptable) banters (if between friends)? Are British bantz mean-spirited?

22:21 “It seems like I am the only act without any accent tonight!”

24:05 London centrism and the North (of England) ignored: how accent hierarchy reflects structural regional disparities in the UK

27:40 How Kathryn accounts for her Northern identity when gigging in different parts of the UK

31:32 The bad press Rochdale is somehow known for

33:41 Why Kathryn chooses not to mention her working-class background often? How she sees the portrayal of being Northern and working class on the comedy scene

42:49 Case in question: In what ways is it tougher for a comedian to make it when they don’t have much money or born with certain privileges

47:30 Some more upbeat final message

50:12 Kathryn’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

A year end review based on 2025 Spotify Unwrapped and the podcast platform statistics, released on the penultimate day of 2025!

In case you are not a stats nerd on where the podcast is consumed, this monologue episode also includes a brief discussion on the Bennet scale, also called the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. The framework was developed to analyse how people react to cultural differences and can be a useful tool when someone experiences cultural shocks. Your host came across this framework listening to an *international career coaching podcast (in Mandarin) and interprets this framework as a stand up comedian.

Wrapping up this monologue episodes, your host Kuan-wen shares his observations on changes to comedy rooms after a far-right rally in London.

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Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

https://www.instagram.com/kuanwencomedy/

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00:32 Intro

03:11 2025 Spotify Unwrapped

07:50 2025 statistics (July to December) from the podcast platform

11:55 Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity (Bennet Scale)

14:37 Six intercultural sensitivity stages

20:09 What if the audience is at a different of intercultural sensitivity for a foreign stand up comedian?

22:50 A non comedy example of mutual cultural understandings when it comes to toasting

25:45 Accents v.s. speaking English “wrong”

30:40 Changing political climate/Impact of Tommy Robinson rally in the UK on comedy shows

37:49 Some final encouraging words

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If you like the episode, please share it and leave a review. For any comments or suggestions, please contact us on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/comedywithanaccent/ or email comedywithanaccent@gmail.com

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Language itself should be a neutral issue; but it never is in the real world. Dimitri Bakanov is a London-based Ukrainian comedian. He is also a native Russian speaker, having lost the full fluency of his Ukrainian when he moved away with his family at the age of 11. When languages are tangled with identity, life throws in a big warfare on top of the existing nationalist tensions, things get complicated.

Dimitri talks about his accent (when he speaks English) that can fool other foreigners but remains nonetheless foreign in the ears of the Brits. Having come to the UK as a young child, he is no longer able to “do” an East European accent naturally. But he would not have even if he could, as explained in this episode.

The fairly anglicised accent of Dimitri’s also reflects a more westernised life style/value system, as he remarks on certain cultural differences between him and some other immigrants from Ukraine. The use of language becomes a more evident issue after the second Russian invasion of in 2022, as his native tongue is considered the language of the aggressor, the use of which is deemed unpatriotic by many of his compatriots.

Dimitri explains in this episode his curious and complex relationship with the land he was born in and left as a child and shares his thoughts why as a comedian, he does not mind having an irreverent persona on stage when talking about the war in Ukraine.

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Follow Dimitri in Instagram

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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01:07 Intro

02:39 Anglicised pronunciation of Dimitri’s name

03:50 A Russian-speaking Ukrainian

05:28 An accent that non-native English speakers believe to be British but actual British people know it’s foreign

08:29 Incapable of doing “an East European” accent; timing of learning English

11:07 When native English speakers not knowing their language (eg your vs you’re) and foreign English learners getting too pedantic

14:57 Wouldn’t do a great East European accent even if he could

17:54 How comfortable Dimitri feels claiming the “Ukrainian comedian in the UK” label?

19:04 Cultural differences/clashes with some other Ukrainian immigrants

21:26 Do comedians “have to” explain their accents? Dimitri’s take

26:28 Strong Ukrainian accent when Dimitri speaks Russian

29:16 Impacts of Russian invasion on Dimitri’s comedy career and choices he made on stage

31:26 Not wishing to lecture the western audience the war support

36:15 Divided reactions from Ukrainian audience with the irreverent jokes

37:47 How Media fishes for someone to be on TV in the case of an invasion

39:02 Dimitri’s complex relationship with Ukraine

44:17 Dimitri’s complex relationship with the Ukrainian language

49:55 How the timeline of the Russian invasion is defined in western Media

50:42 Summary and caveats

53:39 Life goes on in Ukraine despite the war

55:52 Dimitri’s social media

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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

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Is it possible to perform stand up in yet another language (aka not English, not your mother tongue, also less fluent) but relying solely on translating whatever existing materials in English you have? Technically - yes. Though some jokes are simply not translatable. Some can be translated but it would not make sense or would not work. Some might still work but the effect could be heavily discounted. There are your host Kuan-wen own experiences.

The third instalment of your host’s monologue geeks out on foreign languages and comedy again. He summarised a few thoughts from performing at French It Up Comedy Club by accident (Season 2 Episode 26) and dabbling in a few sentences in Italiano at another night called Italian-ish.

The podcast will have a short summer break as your host is bringing another solo show to Edinburgh Fringe Festival. We will be back in autumn and have a nice summer break!

*The mix-up of languages and feeling unsure about the fluency level became even more evident through editing this episode. Your host said “the habitants of London” when in hindsight, it probably would have been more natural to say “the inhabitants of London’. Then he realised it’s because he was jumping back and forth between English and French. In French, they are more used to saying “les habitants”

Also, he is still not sure if it should be “J’ai l’air de lesbienne”, “J’ai l’air lesbienne’ or “J’ai l’air dune lesbienne”?? Any French speaker that can shed some light on this?

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Kuan-wen’s 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show Andrews Are The Worst

(This will be performed in Scotland, where their Patron Saint is St Andrew 😆)

https://www.edfringe.com/tickets/whats-on/kuan-wen-andrews-are-the-worst

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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00:32 Intro - summary of what this monologue episode is about

02:10 Why another monologue episode?

04:19 Discussion on comedy and translation in prior episodes

05:09 English being the comedy language for most guests on this podcast

07:25 Performing in a second foreign language - Your host Kuan-wen’s experience of performing at French It Up Comedy Club

09:39 Kuan-wen’s estimate of his fluency in either language

13:56 Some joke types are not cut out for translation (eg puns)

17:51 Different social norms for the speakers of another language

19:45 Unsure about whether the exact words are used

24:42 A phonetically sounding word may not sound funny anymore in another language

29:00 Less capable of riffing in French on stage

29:57 Jokes written specifically in French

31:55 What would a French native speaker fluent in English prefer?

33:55 Cross-language puns

37:18 Conclusion

41:28 How multiple languages co-exist in one’s brain? Kuan’wen’s own example - the distance between some languages seems to be wider

45:02 Cities where comedy shows in different languages are available

46:45 Latest podcast statistics

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

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 Parenting

Mike’s special on Youtube: An Irish Disgrace & Nasty Character

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Follow Mike on Instagram

Mike’s 2025 Edinburgh Fringe show

Mike is going on tour starting from November 2025. See his Instagram for tickets

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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01:00 Intro

04:37 People making remarks about the Irish accent

05:23 An accent from rural Ireland and the catholic hangover

09:24 Mike’s family dynamics

11:24 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 joke

17:09 When does a joke go too far? The intention and the context of a joke

19:22 Personality developed to deal with the environment

20:45 On doing accents

25:05 The school trip to Andorra (Part 2)

28:00 Rebellious teenager but also a sensitive soul

31:24 Pain and unhappiness in his 20s

34:50 Mike’s podcast output

35:42 Mike not seen as an outsider despite his accent

38:09 From disliking his Irishness to embracing it; an inferiority complex from not being able to wash away the farm smells

43:54 An advantage to be an Irish act in metropolitan England

45:37 Gigging in continental European cities

46:19 Irish descendants

47:38 Mike’s use of the English language and the books he read

51:19 Mike’s online following and his consistent stage/podcast/real-life persona

53:53 Mike’s social media

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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

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 Japan

Spring 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)

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Follow Spring on Instagram

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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01:12 Intro

03:28 Leaving behind her identity as an outsider （外人, gaijin）in Japan

05:14 “Just the right level of passive-aggressiveness” in the UK - compared to Japan and the US

07:58 Do American comedians have an “accent” for British audiences?

09:08 Spring’s aversion to American centralism

12:22 Immigrants? Expats?

14:02 How fluent is Spring in Japanese now?

16:05 A mid-western American accent influenced by Japanese and British expats

18:56 Why Spring moved to Japan and started performing comedy in Tokyo?

21:18 Spring’s accent when speaking Japanese

23:39 The foreign loaned words in Japanese making it harder for English speakers

26:56 Performing stand up in Japanese and why some of Spring’s jokes couldn’t translate

29:50 How Spring’s time in Japan shaped her stand up and her speech pattern

31:41 Onomatopoeia （オノマトペ） in Japanese

34:24 All the dark sadness and tragedy in Japanese Rakugo（落語, “fallen words”）, folk music and literature

35:58 The tales of two Kansas Cities in Kansas and in Missouri

37:49 Spring’s Mid-western accent

39:36 A stage character of a rural American?

41:57 Living on the same street with serial killers

43:59 Caricatures/characters of rural Americans

47:06 Some of Spring’d weird experiences in Japan that became her comedy materials

50:47 Transition to the UK and finding out who she is outside Japan

53:10 London is now home

55:04 Spring’s social media

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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

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)

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You can find Martin on Instagram, but there might not be any comedy-related content there….

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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01:10 Intro

04:14 Citing his accent and foreignness as the opening joke but unaware of the accent at the start

08:19 “It’s good to mention obvious things”

11:43 Bulgarian stereotypes as an East European country and why it tends to be bundled with Romania

19:45 Bulgaria Searches For Talent

23:29 Getting requests to do certain jokes

24:42 Between jokes and portraying your own country’s image

27:00 A gentler and silly stage persona

30:58 Martin’s accent mellowed over the years

32:22 Not pursuing comedy career progression and not into the social media game

37:14 On being the face of one’s own small country

41:36 Foreignness does not weigh much on Martin’s mind

44:04 Without hearing Martin accent, others not able to work out where he’s from

45:28 Not having too many connections with Bulgaria in the UK

49:06 Martin’s (non-)used social media

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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

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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.

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Follow Shalaka on Instagram

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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01:00 Intro

03:25 Not insisting on the correct pronunciation for her name

04:30 Hilarious caption typo in Shabaka’s Comedy Central clip

05:55 Code switching - Shabaka’s accent changes depending on who she talks to

09:48 What do people (in the UK) mean when they say “Asian”?

11:29 Shalaka’s different way of speaking at South Asian gigs

12:46 An idea of India frozen in time

17:03 Attitude towards women also frozen in time

21:28 People’s view on India from British Indians vs from Indians

25:30 Clownery of your own culture in front of audience that are not South Asian

27:33 Shalaka’s light Indian accent is the result of befriending someone racist to her

32:05 More self-reflection on her accent

34:18 Minority comedians mimicking an accent that is not genuinely theirs

39:58 How Schlaka’s ethnicity is used as attack lines during Roast Battle matches

42:04 White racism not as hurtful as Indian to Indian racism

45:34 Not focusing on being the Indian comic; not pandering

50:33 Shalaka’s own memory of India also has a gap with India today

55:31 Shalaka’s social media

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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.

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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).

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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.

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Follow French It Up Comedy Show on Instagram

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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00:51 Intro

02:39 An episode about a comedy show in a foreign language

04:47 French It Up audience’s specific sense of humour (expat Francophones)

07:36 Work office observations as popular joke materials

09:52 French speaking audience does not equal French people

11:58 Reasons for stopping bilingual French/English shows

15:51 Comedy materials about migration and cross cultural differences

17:00 Doubters and continuing to attract non comedy fans

19:48 Why French It Up was set up

22:57 “Intermittents du spectacle” - French government support for actors

24:38 More efforts into organising and promoting shows post Covid

27:15 Cross over with English stand up scene? French It Up’s own eco-system of performers

30:18 Not to be confused as a show in English (but talking about France)

30:53 Where the show name “French It Up” comes from

32:00 Jeff speaks too fast for non native French speakers to understand

33:04 How fluent one’s French has to be to go to a French It Up show?

35:18 The French language’s fluidity and rythmn

38:59 French It Up being a relief for nostalgia?

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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

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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)

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Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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00:32 Intro

01:27 Outline for this episode

02:22 Reasons for another monologue episode

04:01 Learning the English language through performing comedy in English - an analogy

06:21 An advantage for non-native English speakers who perform comedy in English

07:43 Performing in English forces performers to listen to themselves how they speak

09:17 Learning a more natural/wholesome English through doing comedy

11:40 Learning about another culture - a wider group of people one gets in contact with

12:54 Musicians having lighter accents

13:34 Pursuit of specificity in comedy helps grow one’s vocabulary

14:35 List of words Kuan-wen learned from other comedians’ comedy sets:

• celiac
• dyspraxia
• sporran
• ricochet (from Ken Cheng)
• hypochondriac
• catharsis
• cheugy (from Shalaka Kurup)
• mausoleum (from Pete White)
• flab (from Adam Riley)
• necrophilia

23:48 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 punters

28:48 Podcast listener statistics Jan-Mar 2025

30:58 Upcoming episodes

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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

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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

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Follow Radu on Instagram and his website

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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00:34 Intro

02:06 Summary of Radu’s prior appearance on this podcast

03:49 Gigging less often outside London now

04:36 Radu’s vs liberal audience and comedy shows with audience less sympathetic with immigrants

07:53 An example of audience not taking Radu’s poking well

09:32 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 UK

16:29 With non British audience in mind, changes in joke writing?

18:23 Casual racism from English hosts of podcasts Radu went on

20:52 Touring (gigging) in continental Europe

22:21 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 cities

29:57 Running Immigrant Comedy Show and Radu’s criteria for “immigrants”

34:00 Romanian Youtube users’ comment on Radu’s accent

36:09 On Radu’s comedy special on Youtube “Keep Coughing”

37:22 On the joke “A vaxxed anti-vaxxer”, Radu’s intention and his approach

44:16 Radu’s social media

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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).

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Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

An 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.

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00:47 Intro

03:01 Out of numerous Irish comedians in the UK, why Peter is invited

04:33 An Irish accent too strong for some yet not strong enough for some

05:53 The perception of a “Dublin” accent in Ireland

07:23 Not just one accent in Ireland (and stereotypes of a generic Irish accent/Irish comedian)

09:06 A memorable racist meme heckle

11:54 Irish used to be the main group on the receiving end of racist attitudes in the UK

13:24 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 Wogan

20:52 Different expressions of humour: between a column writer for The Irish Times and a club comic

24:51 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 Ireland

30:11 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 media

40:04 City comedy vs rural comedy

43:18 Difference between Irish audience and British audience

45:09 Peter’s social media

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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.

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Tatty is on Tour in Europe in 2025. Check Tatty’s website (click here) for tickets.

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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00:55 Intro

02:04 A true bilingual guest and how she thinks accents reflect one’s life journey

04:35 Coming to terms with a tinge of an English accent when she speaks French now

06:36 Moving between countries - a quick summary of Tatty’s childhood and adolescence

07:41 Accents, languages, identities - and a sense of belonging

10:39 A very subtle accent but visual clues of a non French person

14:30 How Kuan-wen learned to speak French and dislike Parisians

15:40 Choosing what language to speak in v.s. being rude to foreigners?

21:09 A Third Culture Kid; a bicultural upbringing

23:41 People remain determined to ask Tatty to pick a side (between her dual cultural heritages)

26:48 Tatty’s specific fan base

30:18 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 capsule

43:30 Changing one’s accent to fit in

44:54 Jokes/comedy sketches based on stereotypes grounded in reality

46:32 Tatty’s debut solo show (currently on the European leg of the tour)

49:31 Nearly didn’t do the comedy sketches online

52:00 Tatty’s social media

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Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! This is a one-off monologue (without a guest!!) before 2024 comes to an end. But hey. monologo(s) do also mean stand up comedy in Spanish and Italian.

This episode covers the 2024 Spotify for Podcast unwrapped to share with the listeners data of your consumption of this Podcast this year, supplemented by statistics from the podcast’s hosting platform. There is in addition a mid-point summary of season 2, with a roadmap of episode recommendations for different types of listeners.

Your host Kuan-wen then shares the original idea of the podcast, his thoughts on guest invitations - maybe a bit of frustration, too - and his recent experience of studying and brushing up his *Taiwanese for a podcast interview.

*For context, the use of Taiwanese is in constant decline in Taiwan owing to past government policies, with ever fewer people from younger generations being able to master it. Its circumstances are comparable to those of Welsh and Irish.

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Follow Comedy with an Accent on Instagram

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00:33 Reasons for a no-guest episode

03:59 Alternative idea of the host of the podcast turning into the guest for a one-off (nah)

05:45 Outline for this episode

07:44 2024 - Season 2 mid-point review and some stats

08:45 Season 2 episode recommendations (based on the type of listeners)

17:08 Data from 2024 Spotify for Podcasters Unwrapped

18:30 More data on Podcast consumption from the hosting platform

24:50 The idea behind Comedy with an Accent since the launch - a moving Venn diagram

27:51 Criteria for guest invitations/selection

31:34 Kuan-wen’s apologies for occasional grammatical and pronunciation errors

34:04 Kuan-wen prepping for an interview conducted entirely in Taiwanese

38:17 Thoughts on producing the monologue episode

40:34 How much discussion about languages should be included in the podcast?

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

North Macedonia’s proudest export to the UK and so far the only North Macedonian comedian performing professionally on the UK comedy circuit, Vlad has appeared on BBC Stand Up for Live comedy in 2021. He took home various awards wins from Comedy Store London King Gong, Up The Creek Comedy Club’s One To Watch and The Stand Up Comedy Club’s “Get Up, Stand Up” competitions.

A sizeable chunk of the interview was given to explain why North Macedonia ended up being called North Macedonia, after years of appearing as FYR Macedonia in Eurovision, why “Macedonia” can be a tricky name to claim. Vlad explains his reluctance to spend more time on this point due to the general lack of awareness about his native land by the western word. We also explore the wider dynamics of the Balkons region and between the ex-Yugoslav neighbours and how this interacts with comedy.

Vlad also points out the double standards when Little Britain is pulled off the shelf, there is little outcry when it comes to Borat. We talk about employing stereotypes as tools for comedy and why ignorant depiction of foreigners continue to get by.

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00:40 Intro

03:09 Some introduction about Vlad’s native North Macedonia and why there is a “North” before “Macedonia”

07:03 People know little about other parts of the world why Vlad is tired of having to explain his nationality

10:46 Explain your accent at the start to build a relationship with your UK audience

15:26 The odd gig when the immigrant label irritated the audience

16:10 Could comedic exaggerations be taken as misleading factual statements?

19:22 How true are these jokes? The Serbian aunt boycotting Sex And The City joke and the Taiwanese army joke

24:05 Being the only comedian from your country on the UK comedy circuit

25:37 Is Macedonian just an extension of Bulgarian?

32:17 The Balkan discussion

34:21 Nostalgia towards Yugoslavia

37:35 The “Borat” question

44:27 Growing out of early jokes based on foreign stereotypes

48:25 Vlad’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

¿sabias que todos los meses se hace un show de monólogos de comedia en español en Londres?

One half of the masterminds behind the popular Comedy Por Favor show, Sergi Polo returns to talk about how the idea of a comedy show in Spanish in London came about and why the brand has been a massive success in the Spanish and the wider Hispanic community - with every single show sold out in advance since the first show two years ago.

With performers from Spain, Latin America and Spanish-speaking Anglophones and the mirroring audience, a Comedy Por Favor show is always a hodgepodge of conviviality and joy (and a bit of a chitchat). As everyone in the room is guaranteed bilingual person, this creates a supportive atmosphere if anyone struggles to speak Spanish at any given point.

Sergi also shares his insight and the uncertainty he still questions himself performing in different languages to crowds in different countries. The same question is extended to his online output in English as well as Spanish, where Sergi has grown his followers substantially since his last episode two years ago.

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Sergi and Soraya’s podcast (in Spanish) Los de Londres

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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00:49 Intro

02:22 Why is Comedy Por Favor - a comedy show in Spanish in London - so popular? (compared to other comedy shows in foreign languages )

05:57 How the idea of Comedy Por Favor was born

06:37 The trial runs/practices in Barcelona before the first show in London

08:40 Kuan-wen’s Casio watch disrupting the interview

09:32 Warm reception by the Comedy Por Favor audience

10:54 A show that makes the audience feel they are transported back home

12:12 The chitchatty Spanish-speaking audience

14:22 Misunderstandings between Spanish spoken in different countries?

16:17 Hoping to attract more Latin American audiences

19:17 Spanish-speaking native English speakers who go to Comedy Por Favor shows

22:09 A supportive audience for non-native performers

doing comedy in Spanish

25:43 Jokes based on ideas that are funny more easily translated

27:34. Sergi learned English through performing comedy in English

28:51 Puns and comedy in different languages

29:38 How to estimate the market size for a Spanish comedy show in London? How many Spanish speakers are out there?

30:55 To create a community rather than pursuing bigger venues for bigger shows

32:11 Doing comedy solo shows/specials in different languages

37:29 A TV interview in Catalonia

38:10 Doing a show in Catalan in London on Saint George’s Day

39:29 Differences between Spanish audience in London and in Spain

41:40 Sergi’s Social Media; Los de Londres podcast

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Our third ever guest from England hails from Hull in the East Riding of Yorkshire. For listeners interested in the numerous accents that exist in the UK, the Hull accent is considered one of the most distinct accents.

Louise Atkinson has provided the tour support for Live at the Apollo stars Sarah Keyworth and Esther Manito and her solo show “Mates” won the Amused Moose Best Debut Show at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023.

A proud northerner, Louise talks about what makes the Hull accent distinct, which has been named as the sexiest accent by Timothée Chalet. As the podcast now boasts more listeners outside the UK, the conversation goes into great length explaining the North v.s. South divide in England and the relevant but not entirely identical class divide in the society.

Louise talks about the local pride - Hull was selected as UK City of Culture in 2017 and has widely been seen as a tremendous success story.

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Louise’s podcast Be Fairy Afraid on Spotify; Be Fair Afraid on Apple Podcast

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01:05 Intro

03:57 Louise hates it when people from south of England question her accent

05:20 Fellow. Comedians mocking Louise’s accent

07:45 Adjusting her accent overseas in a corporate job

08:45 Accents and classism in the UK

11:20 North vs South divide in the UK

13:40 A world famous actor from Yorkshire

15:33 Northern England vs South England is not always working class vs middle class

16:52 Proud of being from Hull

18:44 “I HATE people” but perceived as “affable” because of a northern accent

21:25 The Hull accent is the sexiest accent per Timothée Chalamet in the UK; what influence makes the Hull accent distinct?

26:25 Who gets to joke about Hull being the backwater?

26:50 UK City of Culture 2017

28:54 Self-deprecating a British trait, not necessarily just for the Northerners

29:34 Performing across the UK and knowing audience from different parts of the country

32:40 The “Waitrose” audience

36:10 A few more random facts about Yorkshire and Hull

37:52 Louise’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Donatas Kveselys is the second Lithuanian comedian featured on this podcast. This episode, however, feels half-dedicated to the Kingdom and the people of Sweden, for Gothenburg, Sweden is where Donatas currently lives and where he started performing stand up comedy (in English).

Donatas is a London Comedy Store Gong Show winner. He also secured the 3rd spot in the Roast Battles’ 2024 International Western Division League table.

Having already left his Eastern European homeland Lithuania to move to Sweden for work, Donatas gave stand up comedy a go in his adopted country where the majority of population do not speak English as their mother tongues (but are known to proficient English speakers). Talking about layers of cultural and linguistic code switching!

Donatas discusses how he got to understand the reserved Swedish folks inside out from a foreigner’s perspective. He talks about doing Swedish jokes for Swedish crowds - If you don’t know already, you should definitely google “SNUS” and “SWEDEN” - but also explains why he is now travelling and gigging elsewhere in Europe for a broader reach.

Content warning - from 34:47 onwards there's a brief mention of suicidal feelings as part of a discussion on anxieties

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01:02 Intro

04:12 A Lithuanian comedian performing English stand up comedy in Sweden

05:18 An East European accent

07:13 The odd foreign performer who performs in English at Swedish comedy shows

10:18 Lithuania in Swedish people’s eyes

12:57 Dissecting the “Chernobyl Survivor” joke and Lithuanian stereotypes

16:21 Lithuanians’ views of HBO’s series Chernobyl being shot in Vilnius

19:20 A white comedian with a foreign accent vs a Swedish comedian from ethnic minority backgrounds

23:45 Lithuanian as an East European language but not a Slavic language - it’s a Baltic language

25:11 Swedish people in Donatas’ words

28:30 Jokes for Swedish audience only; “SNUS” in Sweden

30:41 Travelling around to perform to difference audiences

32:03 What does Donatas like about performing for the Swedish audience

33:10 Bad at imitating his comedy idols, finding his own voice

34:47 Penchant for dark humour

37:35 Returning to his home country to perform in Lithuanian?

40:09 Donatas’ social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Winner of the prestigious So You Think You Are Funny competition in 2023, Samira Banks is a bright new star making waves on the UK comedy circuit. Her trademark jokes include her family’s journey fleeing their homeland as refugees. The crowd’s laughters are often raucous but some sensitive souls amongst them also pull their faces wondering. “Are we supposed to joke about refugees?”

On stage, Samira refers to her heritage as a broad “from the Middle East.” She never specifies which specific country that is. This question thus forms the central discussion of this episode and explains why in the episode title, both her mother tongue and her native country remain unspecified.

Growing up in Germany and moving to the UK for work, Samira is another guest with an international accent that is hard for others to associate it with a specific place. Samira shares her family’s stories and why a reunion of her extended family would turn into a mishmash of accents.

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00:58 Intro

03:58 An international accent that is hard to pin down

06:58 Picking up multiple languages growing up

08:31 Why Samira chooses not to specify her home country when performing

13:09 Family history of fleeing and becoming refugees settling in different western countries

16:51 A closely-knit family and the elders’ funny views on romance and marriage

18:39 Between the English language, the German language and her mother tongue

19:48 German speakers refusing to see Samira as German

20:50 Some other complaints about German speakers

23:50 German v.s. British

25:22 Samira’s past naive assumption of anyone with accents from the north of England

27:04 Middle class refugees’ “privileges”

29:29 Difficulties of handling refugee experiences as comedy materials

31:52 What does Samira think about her position telling her parents’ life experiences?

35:59 Samira’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

How do you perform and progress on the comedy circuit, when you as a native English speaker already moved to an Asian country where the population does not speak English as their mother tongue (and there really isn’t much stand up comedy going on)?

Such is the story of Sam Yarb, co-founder of the leading comedy club in Taiwan - Two Three Comedy Club 二三喜劇. Sam started by arranging road trips to cities and towns of all sizes on the East Asian island to target the scattered English-speaking expats. Gradually, along came the Taiwanese people.

As stand up comedy becomes more popular and the Mandarin scene outgrows the English scene, Sam becomes the instrumental figure in bringing international acts to the island and connecting the English performers with neighbouring Asian countries.

We hear from Sam how he manages a comedy club in a foreign land and Sam’s observations on the local Taiwanese v.s. expat audience

The Firelight Chat podcast episode with Sam quoted in this episode:

On Apple Podcast

On Spotify

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Two Three Comedy Club on Facebook

Two Three Comedy Club on Instagram

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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00:44 Intro

02:51 Sam’s accent

05:03 How Sam started performing comedy in Southern Taiwan (a short Northern v.s. Southern Taiwan debate)

06:36 Comedy road trips in Taiwan

08:51 Audience make-ups in small Taiwanese towns and tailoring materials

10:57 A self-deprecating American comic in front of a Taiwanese audience

15:50 Expat v.s. Taiwanese audiences

19:56 Taiwanese approaching stand up comedy shows with curiosity

23:07 Taiwan - China relations as comedy material?

26:12 Expat audience in Taiwan v.s. US audience

26:57 Nationality comparison based comedy materials

28:34 Being a comedy promoter/producer in Asia

30:31 How the small town gigs are organised and promoted

31:31 Writing all funny ideas that come to mind and making selections later

35:03 Sam’s Social Media and 23 Comedy Club in Taipei

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Polish stand up comedian Kat Nip is a Berlin-based but globe-trotting performer. She runs her own comedy show in Berlin but is also a regular at comedy clubs in London, including the popular Top Secret Comedy Club.

Winner of London Comedy Store gong show, Kat Nip has written for and acted in Comedy Central Poland’s “Mini-Mock” series in 2022 and 2023. She has also appeared on Arte and Buzzfeed UK.

Having lived half of her live outside her native Poland, Kat’s native slavic sound is quite hard to detect. Yet her accent morphs where she moves to, so she ends up with a funny scenario of a faint German accent even if she does not speak fluent German.

Kat also shares how changes in her health and lifestyle led her to reflect on her comedy materials and directions as well as her stage persona.

Kat's comedy special "Traitor" can be seen on OUTtv

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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

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00:37 Intro

01:51 Guessing Kat’s nationality based on her accent

03:45 A Berlin-based polish comedian who lived in the UK and almost everywhere, hence the confusing accent

07:45 Ending the podcast policy

09:41 Unfiltered

10:34 Polish stereotypes

12:45 More of a Berlin girl than a Polish lady on stage?

15:25 Quit drinking but continuing to do a show about jokes on drinking

19:00 Moving on from the easy jokes

21:53 Traumatic experience of performing in Polish to the kind of Polish crowd that made her leave Poland

24:46 Specific type of fellow Polish netizens that are easily offended

28:13 Is the “Polish builder” stereotype still valid?

31:12 Kat’s journey and why she left her village

32:48 Difference being a Polish comedian between London and Berlin

35:03 Comedy reflecting life’s changes (moving on from typical Berlin expat lifestyle)

39:14 Just live your life the way you want

41:43 Why choosing “Kat Nip (presents)” as stage name?

43:49 Hastag gross food on Instagram

45:07 Kat’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

As one of the founding members of Becomedy - a comedy show production team in the English as well as Italian languages in both Italy and the UK - Tiziano La Bella is a stand up comedian performing professionaly in both languages. He has appeared on Comedy Central Italia and Amazon Prime and only just recently relocated from London back to his home town Rome. Tiziano came to the UK with a clear objective to hone his craft, at a time when there simply wasn’t much stage time for stand up comics - Italy was not yet familiar with the concept of modern stand up comedy and would confuse it with their traditional cabaret. (He definitely did not come for the British weather and sky!)

As a result of the migration of Italians in the UK, Becomedy has been able organise stand up comedy shows in Italian in London and Tiziano has performed more frequently in Italian in recent years, leading to more gigs booked in his native Italy. Tiziano has made use of what he learned from English stand up to shift more focus on performing in Italian and eventually decided to move back as the stand up comedy scene in Italy is now fast growing.

On the eve of his relocation, this podcast invited Tiziano to talk about his accent which carries a hint of Australian English, his creative process in both languages and how he dissect the audience into four different groups. We also talked about the Italian stereotypes and how the Italian accent is the endless bottom of the joke, even though Tiziano does not find doing accents particularly offensive.

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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

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00:46 Intro

04:14 An evolving accent and now a hint of an Aussie accent

08:03 The W-word between British English and Australian English and how Americans and British audiences perceive the C-word differently

10:56 Foreign/minority comedians doing accents on stage?

12:35 Young Italians’ improved English fluency

15:13 Italian stereotypes mined by influencers on social media

16:43 Choosing the funny-sounding words and the formality level of words

20:06 Weird Duolingo scenarios

21:13 Italian immigrants not necessarily able to improve their English fluency

27:05 Forced to use English regularly during Erasmus and starting to perform stand up comedy

29:54 Start of stand up comedy journey and how Tiziano never intended to settle in the UK

32:06 Returning to Italy; shifting to content and performance in Italian

35:19 The reality of living in Roma (Garbage collection) v.s. garbage collection in Taiwan

36:07 “Is this joke about Chinese offensive?”

37:50 Italian accent being the only accent everyone is comfortable with doing

42:10 Not having a stereotypical Italian appearance (based South Italians)

44:23 Differences between performing in different languages to difference crowds

47:47 BeComedy with Italian/English shows in the UK and in Italy

49:17 Tiziano’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Our first returning guest is Singaporean comedian Sam See, previously featured in Episode 25 of the first season.

Since the last recording in January 2023, Sam has uprooted himself and relocated from Singapore to the UK as - in his own words - he has reached the ceiling in Singapore. Sam shares his gentle criticism of the comedy audience in Singapore.

Sam also just finished supporting Ed Byrne on tour in 17 locations, including some well-off towns and some run down places. The bulk of this episode focuses on Sam’s approach to perform as a newly settled immigrant act in these small English towns in front of audience that are predominantly old and white.

Sam is at Edinburgh Fringe Festival this year (2024) with two shows:

The Asian Comedy Showcase

Sam See: And I Can't Feel at Home in This World Anymore

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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

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00:44 Intro; why Sam is invited back

03:37 Sam moving from Singapore to the UK

05:04 The tour - opening for Ed Byrne

06:53 The reason Sam swapped Singapore for UK

08:54 Has Sam considered US or Australia instead?

09:40 First time Sam living on his own

13:17 How Sam was asked to be Ed Byrne’s tour support act

15:48 More on the actual tour

16:46 Winning over an older, predominantly white audience

19:32 Research fun facts before arriving in a new town for performance

28:16 Some British cities/towns with tricky pronunciations

29:35 Audience demographic

31:00 Singaporean audience trained Sam to always write generally

33:00 Example of Sam employing local references in his jokes

34:19 Sam’s own touring plan

37:45 Sam’s shows at 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Festival and his social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Marjolein Robertson is a Shetlandic comedian, actor and storyteller. She was Scots Speaker of the Year in 2022, ranked number three in The List’s Hot 100 as one of the top Scottish cultural contributors. Hey 2023 Edinburgh Fringe show “Marj” also received award nominations and was one of the best reviewed show at the Fringe. Technically, Marjolein is this podcast’s second guest from Scotland, but same with every other island, Shetlanders see themselves as Shetlanders first and Scottish second.

The interview largely revolves the concept of “knapping”. The verb “to knap” for Shetlanders means to change the way you speak to accommodate the listener, as you do not expect the listener would understand your original way of talking. It is an equivalent to code-switching, but the process is probably more automatic when a Shetlander meets a non-Shetlander. It explains Marjolein’s accent shift as she performs and gets interviewed down south.

We also talk about how Marjolein weaves Shetland folktales into her comedy and takes advantage of general audience’s ignorance when it comes to her native island.

This is probably the episode with the densest discussion on linguistics and cultural identity to date; it is therefore slightly longer.

Marjolein is performing at Edinburgh Fringe this year! Her new show “O” is at Monkey Barrel The Hive at 17:40 daily (except Aug 12th). Reserve your tickets here.

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00:48 Intro

03:10 On Shetland and islanders’ identities

06:34 How Shetland is indicated on a map

09:41 Marjolein’s comedy CV & her Wikipedia page

11:34 “Knapping” - a Shetlandic word meaning changing one’s way of speaking to make oneself better understand for the other person

15:51 Marjolein’s “American voice” v “Shetland voice”

18:48 How Marjolein’s accent shits on stage

21:40 New movement in Shetland - the “No Knapping” badge———

25:15 Shetland’s extinct old tongue “Norn”

26:53 “Scots” as a language tangled with Scottish independence

28:53 How A Faroese man - Jakob Jacobsen - helped preserve evidence of the old Norm language

30:37 Audience in England knows Shetland even less than Scottish audience

33:04 Marjolein plays with people’s ignorance when it comes to Shetland

38:50 On her Shetlandic not being “broad” enough for some fellow Shetland’s

46:29 A Storyteller

52:44 Marjolein’s 2024 Edinburgh Fringe show “O”

54:31 A poem in Shetlandic

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

This is a special episode recorded in Mandarin with our guest Blank Peng from last week

前一集的英文訪問 Blank 提及她在中國喜劇圈表演的一些經驗，第二段用中文訪談，主持人與來賓都能比較自然地暢所欲言（但也不能到太暢所欲言啦......這就點到為止就好）。Blank 解釋為何她的普通話在中國被視為不夠標準，甚至她的閩北口音會被其他省份的中國人嘲笑為『台灣口音』，主持人一同討論台灣與中國一些中文用語和發音的差別。

在表演部分，Blank 也剖析為何她會在台上稍微觸碰政治的議題，為何她現在在英國選擇先專心發展英文的單口喜劇演出，以及她對倫敦當地中文單口喜劇的觀察。

The next English bi-weekly episode will be available on Tuesday 30 July

Making headway to big comedy clubs’ paid spots within two years of arriving in the UK, Blank got into almost all the major Comedy New Act Competition finals and collected gong show wins like a dedicated Pokemon player collecting the Poke gym badges.

“Blank is an incognito bilingual stand-up comic,” so goes her comedy profile on some of London’s top comedy clubs’ websites. It is not by accident she’s named Blank; it’s a deliberate choice of a stage name to keep her quite literally incognito - for understandable reasons, given part of Blank’s stand up incudes commentary on her native China. Your host to this day does not know her full real name in Mandarin.

Blank shares a more nuanced picture of her home country’s censorship on the burgeoning stand up comedy scene, how comedians work with the script pre-approval compliance requirements and why places like her more obscure province’s scene allows more leeway.

Having started performing stand up comedy in Mandarin first (and already doing very well), Blank is one of the fewer guests of this podcast who did not start performing in English. Instead, she had to transition into an English stand up comedy performer. She talks about why her Mandarin and English jokes are separate and why she is happy to stick to just English stand up comedy in the UK, despite the growing number of Chinese students and immigrants.

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Follow Blank on Instagram

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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

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00:57 Bonus episode in Mandarin

01:25 Intro

02:24 A Chinese national considered having a Taiwanese accent?

04:00 More British than American influences

05:31 Unsolicited feedback on her accent from audience members

06:12 Mandarin stand up comedy performer before English stand up

08:34 Coming from a “third-rate” Chinese city

10:54 Comedy New Act Competitions and Gong Shows

13:40 Comedy censorship in China

22:12 Turning into a more unique performer in the UK

23:17 Separate comedy materials between Mandarin and English stand up

24:56 Blank’s stage persona in Mandarin stand up

26:29 Ethnic minority comedy performers and hack jakes

31:05 Blank’s racially self-deprecating jokes and the principle of fairness

32:20 No longer performing Mandarin stand up in the UK

35:51 Why “Blank”?

36:40 Why “Blank404” for Instagram>

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Describing her accent as “a beautiful mess”, comedian Micky Overman’s show “The Recipe” was amongst the best reviewed shows at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2023. The excellent show is now free for viewing on Micky’s Youtube channel and forms the basis of this interview.

Micky has one of those accents of a proficient non-native English speaker that not everyone can work out what her mother tongue is. Despite this, unsolicited advice still found its way to Micky, that she should play up her foreignness and even present herself as a Dutch cliché on stage.

Except it is clear to Micky she does comedy for herself and wants to be herself performing comedy rather than a caricature. Micky was fed up with notion that a person could be largely definite merely by their nationality, she even wrote a show to mock this idea in 2018.

But Micky’s latest critically acclaimed show does quite the opposite. “The Precipice” has little to do with her being Dutch. It has to do with her thinking about mental health, motherhood amongst other subjects that most other millennials would be wondering. The writing is sharp; the humour is universal.

Watch Micky’s show “The Precipice”

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Follow Micky on Instagram

Micky will perform at the Edinburgh Fringe in 2024 with a new show “Hold On”. July 30th to Aug 25th (no Aug 13th) daily at Monkey Barrel The Tron at 5:50. For Tickets, click here.

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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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

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00:43 First Impression of Micky’s accent

02:19 Intro

05:35 Everyone interprets Micky’s accent differently

07:40 Micky’s accent shifts based on the people she talks to

08:35 Micky’s opting for British pronunciation in her comedy sets for jokes to land

10:38 Deliberately mispronouncing words to make them funnier

12:55 Why would someone pretend to be Dutch? On national stereotypes

15:55 Foreign comedians SHOULD use their “otherness”?

21:11 Practicing not to over-introduce herself in the 2023 show

25:07 Micky in English not having the same perceptions by others when speaking Dutch

26:38 Micky’s critically acclaimed 2023 show “Precipice”: her worldview through how the jokes were structured

28:22 Micky’d turns of phrase

30:48 Show not tell; trust your audience and do not talk them down

33:23 Comedy writing as music

34:02 Enjoying being dumb, not taking herself too seriously

35:36 Micky performed in a deadpan style at the very beginning

37:14 Micky’s 2023 show Precipice on Youtube

37:25 Micky at Edinburgh Fringe in 2024

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Guido Garcia Lueches is a theatre maker, actor from Uruguay. His one man show “Playing Latinx” - though categorised as Theatre rather than Comedy in last year’s Edinburgh Fringe - packed in so many jokes that it was probably funnier than many shows under “Comedy” had to offer.

To be fair, the show was also marketed as “Half stand up”, but to its creator, genre is not something he’d bother. It’s whether the audience gets his intent that counts.

The show weaves in multiple Latino stereotypes and is first and foremast silly. But beneath the silliness and stupidity lies a message that is mostly definitely political in nature. The show was based on all the audition experiences Guido had to endure over the years. All the exaggerated characters were roles Guido were asked to perform as and if he is lucky, typecast in.

When Guido speaks in English without too heavy a Spanish influence, he was instructed to “just do your accent” even though he was speaking with his accent. Then he realised what the casting directors were after, dialled up his Spanish tongue, got one Mexican drug lord role after another one of a sexy pool cleaner.

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Follow Guido on Instagram

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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

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00:41 Intro

02:26 Kuan-wen’s poor knowledge about Uruguay

05:04 Guido’s accent in English that he is not sure how to describe

07:13 Wrong prepositions gives Guido away

08:40 The standout characteristic of Guido’s accent

10:50 Facing questions about his accents from British people

13:06 Singer, Actor, Comedian and Dramaturg

14:51 Guido’s show “Playing LatinX”

16:30 Idea of the show coming from bad audition experiences

19:36 Different accents featured and changed in the show

22:40 “Could you just do your accent?”

24:09 The industry’s attitude towards a needed foreign accent

27:30 In a perfect world, how would people know a small country without stereotypes?

30:16 Why humour is crucial to Guido’s show design

34:15 What if the audience doesn’t get the irony? What if the jokes reinforce the stereotypes instead?

37:41 Silliness and drama; theatre in the UK as observed by Guido

43:36 Why Latin”X” ?

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

In Philipp’s comedy set, he likes to open with “Hi, my name is Philipp. I come from Austria, America and Slovenia.” In real life, sometimes Austrians do not see him as Austrians (He left Austria at the age of four), Slovenians may not seen him as Slovenians, Americans might find something a bit off about him. Those Americans not familiar with an English accent might even think his accent is English.

A breakout star turned a regular at many best known comedy clubs across the UK, including The Comedy Store and Top Secret Comedy Club, Philipp could be mistaken as another American act who moved across the pond, whereas he in fact grew up in Slovenia but went to an international school and studied in English. It is only after he became an adult he is catching up with his Slovenian fluency with the help of a private tutor, motivated by a bit of regret.

Philipp shares how he feels not being tethered to one specific place and your host Kuan-wen describes him as an American born out of Europe. He talks about his belief in an international approach to his comedy, based on his own experience of feeling alienated at a comedy show in Edinburgh Fringe. He also talks about finally feeling at ease with himself, embracing the goofiness and silliness and becoming a better performer as a result.

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Follow Philipp on Instagram and his website

You can order Philipp's Comedy Special on line

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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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

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00:48 Intro

05:23 Why Philipp was not invited to appear on Season One of the Podcast

08:56 Americans who treat family heritage as ethnicity

09:33 Growing up in Slovenia speaking English and German only (no Slovenian)

15:30 Where’s home? No where is Philipp tethered to

24:14 When did Philipp drop his middle name on stage?

26:18 An international approach to stand up comedy, not making any audience member alienated

29:05 How Philipps has changed as a performer since 2018

34:02 Producing student radio show at Royal Holloway University

37:37 Being comfortable with one’s true self

42:55 How to deal with the sense of not belonging anywhere

44:26 Philipp’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Best known as the mischievous private investigator on Channel; 4's Joe Lycett's Got Your Back, Mark Silcox is an accomplishment stand up comedian in his own right, even though he claims not to be a very ambitious comedian himself. For comedy "is just a way of spending time with friends"

Apologies for the delay in publishing this week's episode

Mark's distinct deadpan and at times anti=comedy style makes him many comedians' comedian.

Mark talks about not being listened to or taken seriously by students in his semi-retired day job as a supply teacher, also the only immigrant in his own family - after thirty years, he still feels fresh off the boat. Both push him to grab the microphone on stage so that he feels listened out.

In the last six minutes of this episode, we dive into Mark's childhood as a middle child with eight siblings. We then learn why this trained scientist and teacher is catching up on the fun he could have had and should have had but missed from the distant childhood.

Mark Silcox's really name is not Mark Silcox. The initials are AA. If you want to find out, you got to listen to this episode.

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Follow Mark on Instagram, and Twitter

If you are going to Edinburgh Fringe this year, Mark will bring his show "Women Only" for the first two weeks of the Fringe this year (Aug 3 - 18) at PBH - Voodoo Room at 2pm. See info here.

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram

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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

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00:47 Intro

04:02 Not just an Indian accent - Mark’s unique way of speaking

07:10 A supply teacher that students do not listen to

08:20 Mocked by students but refusing to change his accent

12:26 In the world of comedy, Mark’s accent is his USP

14:24 Mark’s distinct style performing stand up

16:21 Opening line to address the accent

18:12 Private Investigator on Joe Lycett’s Got Your Back

20:15 Not relying on facial expressions

23:27 First gen v second gen immigrants

28:26 Comedy just a hobby to speak time with friends

30:34 Comedy offers freedom of expression (and the chance to wind somebody up)

33:45 Inventing a new identity

37:13 Childhood experience

42:18 Upcoming 2024 Edinburgh Fringe Show

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Alice Frick is a comedian, writer, producer originally from Vienna, Austria, who is also the show runner of "Laughing Labia", an all-female line up comedy show and one of the longest-running LGBTQ+ comedy show in London with a loyal following.

Alice talks about the articulation lessons she has been having and how her English went from American-sounding to more obviously German when she decided to switch to British pronunciation. We also learn why Alice is happy to go with the Alpine Milk Maid stereotype and why certain stereotypes about Austria seem to be based on an element of truth.

This episodes concludes on The Anti Self Help Book written and published by Alice, a body of work that mocks the self help book genre (as pointed out by Alice, there's no regulation in publishing a self-help book) while gathers Alice's otherworldly thoughts, jokes and anecdotes.

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Alice's Anti Self Help book can be found on Amazon (Kindle version/Paperback)

Follow Alice on Instagram and Youtube

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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

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00:45 Intro and some German grammar chat

02:27 A comedy show in German in London

04:43 An Austrian having a dig at Germans

07:42 Two immigrants complain about the English greeting “How are you?”

11:45 Alice’s Articulation lesson

17:56 Some tongue twisters

18:26 Accents and actor casting

24:17 Laughing Labia - an all Female line up comedy show

29:06 Unsolicited feedback from fellow Male comedian

33:57 A stronger accent on stage

40:34 Alice's more subtle humour outside the "milk maid" character - The Anti Self Help Book

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Comedy powerhouse Arielle Souma is the very first French guest on this podcast after more than thirty episodes (FINALLY!). Unapologetic, unfiltered and oozing “I don’t give a f**k” energy, Arielle is known for her commanding stage presence and her punchy, intense and impactful comedy delivery. Arielle talks about keeping her English simple and accessible, thus easier to understand for non-native English speakers in the audience. Also, some of those long words are just too pompous for her liking.

Arielle also talks about how English works better for her rhythms as a language than her native French. The cheeky French comic claims it makes sense to pronounce various words à la française, since that’s the origin of those English words. Unless it’s words like paedophilia that requires a bit of phonetic precision.

As a mixed-race black woman raised by a white French family, Arielle talks about her hilarious over-compensating “trying to be more black than black” phase in the past. Surprisingly, the UK black comedy circuit does not particularly welcome her with open arms, just because her blackness does not fit in the several archetypes. She may be too confusing to tick a box for the industry and too saucy for the mainstream media, but if you are a London comedy club regulars, chances are you will get blown away when Arielle rocks up at the show.

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Follow Arielle on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter

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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

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01:08 Pre-recording chat (trashing Ivorians and Nigerians)

03:07 Intro

04:43 Unfiltered and blunt

05:54 A French accent and using it

09:49 Arielle prefers her name pronounced in English

10:30 Opening a comedy set by addressing the French accent

11:29 An African identity in addition to the French identity

12:45 A black girl raised by a white family

16:11 How Arielle raised her son to be proud of the colour of his skin

17:03 Pros and cons of a French speaker learning English

18:26 What kind of English pronunciation does a non-native speaker pursue?

20:12 An example where Arielle had to correct her pronunciation to ensure the audience understand her

22:09 Keeping the words used simple

25:04 A boxing-like comedy rhythm

27:13 On swearing

31:21 Racism in France v.s. in the UK

39:06 Being othered on the black comedy circuit in the UK

42:36 Too spicy for mainstream media?

46:14 Running a French comedy show in London

48:58 Arielle’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Gino Christofaro is the podcast’s first guest whose home city is not indicated in the episode title. He simply cannot name one.

Being an embassy kid, Gino never had a childhood home like many of us do.

Gino has been featured on Comedy Central Germany’s Roast Battle and is a now TV writer in both English and German for Comedy Central, ZDF, Paramount+ and Amazon.

Born in São Paolo, Brazil, Gino was brought “back” to Bonn, Germany then moved with his parents to Saudi Arabia, Argentina…. just to name a few. Not in once place has Gino stayed for more than three years. He had one year to make good friends, another year to enjoy the friendships only to lose those friends later. Now Berlin-based, Gino identifies more with New York that dominated his childhood TV and where he started performing (but he is not even an American to call NYC home).

A running gag in this interview is how Gino pays so much attention to his hairs, which your host mocks as a “First World Problem”. But the hair issue runs deep and reflects the childhood anxiety of a constant outsider always trying to fit in a new environment. The “embassy kid” journey forged Gino’s unique cadence in his mother tongue and influenced his approach to stand up comedy and to the audience.

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Gino is going on tour in April! Check out Gino’s shows here

Follow Gino on Instagram

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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

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00:42 Intro

02:16 What is his name “Gino” short for?

03:11 A German Brazilian (of Italian descent)

05:54 A New York English accent and a “weird” German accent

08:13 Gino’s hair issues (one key theme throughout the interview)

10:18 On Gino’s Jersey/New York accent again

10:52 A little rant on Little Italy, Italian New Yorkers, Albanians

14:25 Why Gino was constantly during his childhood

16:15 On Gino’s hair issues again

18:57 Where does Gino consider to be home? Berlin or New York?

20:17 An identity-less guy, a German perceived to be faking American

22:31 Identity-less or little traits of all different places?

26:06 How much does Gino have to explain his identity at the start of his comedy set?

28:26 Gino’s German-ness questioned

29:27 A comedian’s attire and audience’s expectation

32:03 From anxious comic to not caring about what people think

39:20 Sadness and depression and how it’s reflected in his comedy (and social media)

45:23 The German (language) comedy scene

47:21 What Gino represents as an English comedy performer

52:27 Does liberal Berlin give Gino a false sense of comfort?

54:20 Gino’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

This is a special episode recorded in Mandarin with our Chinese guest Jamie Wang from last week. For the non-Mandarin-speaking guests, our regular episode in English will be updated next Tuesday April 9th at 7am. （It's the normally bi-weekly schedule so this bonus episode does not come at the expense of regular English episodes！）

延續上一集，本節目特別用中文額外錄製一段主持人 Kuan-wen 與來自上海的表演人 Jamie Wang 訪談內容。Jamie 回顧自己如何站上舞台開始表演單口喜劇，又為何偏好透過英文表演。Jamie 也談到語言特性以及就喜劇的節奏和喜感，台灣所用中文與中國所用中文間的區別。

另外本集也未通篇針對喜劇討論，Jamie 在聊的過程中分享在台身為陸生/中國學生一點心得、台灣人基於媒體塑造形象對中國人可能偏扁平化的認知。

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在 IG 上訂閱追蹤本集來賓 Jamie

在 IG 上訂閱追蹤主持人 Kuan-wen

在 IG 上訂閱追蹤本節目 Comedy with an Accent

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

How do you perform stand up comedy when half of the audience sees you as the enemy at worst, or not knowing what to think of you at best, in a language that is neither your or the majority audience’s mother tongue?

Given the complex relationship between China and Taiwan, how does one position herself when they are known as “The Chinese comedian” in Taiwan?

Jamie Wang is a student from Shanghai, China, who came to Taiwan for her master degree but became the rising star of the relatively small English stand up comedy scene on the predominantly Mandarin- and Taiwanese-speaking island. She opened for Atsuko Okatsuka when the latter paid Taiwan a surprising visit in May 2023.

Jamie talks about audience lowering their expectation on the performer’s language fluency in a non English-speaking country. She also shares why she is determined to give voices to two otherwise two-dimensional groups - Chinese people in the eyes of Taiwanese (even though she does not want to be pigeon-holed as the comedian who bangs on about politics between China and Taiwan); Asian women in the eyes of caucasian male expats. If those white expats can be so demeaning to Asian women when they tell English jokes in Asian countries, why can't Asian women return the favour?

*For Mandarin speakers, there will be an additional episode recorded in Mandarin to be released on Tuesday 2 April

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Follow Jamie on Instagram

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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

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00:41 Intro

01:59 How Jamie learned English through an (French langugage) exchange programme in Belgium

03:34 How different types of audiences perceive Jamie’s English and her accent

06:45 Whether Jamie reveals her Chinese identity at an English stand up comedy show in Taiwan

08:57 Taiwanese audience’s mixed attitude/hostility towards Jamie as a Chinese performer

11:00 Jamie’s stage persona and the real-life Jamie

16:24 “You are the ONLY Chinese person I like!”

17:21 Jamie joking about the white male expats in Asia

19:44 “Is my **** bigger than the Asian ****s?”

22:02 Taiwanese people’s ability to laugh at themselves

25:39 One trick pony - if a comedian is only known for a “thing”

27:31 Where does Jamie go from performing English stand up comedy in Taiwan?

29:09 The comfort of performing in a second language; free from judgment

30:56 Jamie v.s. her social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Could you ever imagine no longer having a fixed place you call home, not even having a storage space to keep your belongings, that you are just constantly on the road, crossing borders at times, moving from one city to another?

Such is the life style of Victor Patrascan, a truly nomadic comedian who has been on the road since 2020, all for his love for performing stand up comedy.  In 2022 alone, he has traveled to 27 countries across 2 continents and performed in 70 cities.

In the first episode of this podcast’s long due second season, your host was reunited with this old friend of his when Victor came to the UK for a few shows.  Well respected by his peers, Victor’s line was quoted by three other guests from foreign backgrounds, all of who were previously featured on this podcast:

“Before I came to the UK, I was just a guy.  Now I am a Romanian.”

Victor used to be a London-based act, until despairs caused by  Covid lockdowns energised him to sell his belongings and start travelling and performing in continental European countries.  He now performs to a mixture of local and expat crowds, although the majority of them are not native English speakers.

In this episode, Victor talks about the differences between his old days of gigging in the UK and now on the road.  There is a significant amount of disagreement between your host and Victor in this episode, as they have varying views on the boundaries of stand up comedy.  But what they have in common was to agree to disagree agreeably.

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Follow Victor on Instagram  Victor is touring, find him when he comes to your town

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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

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00:43 Prelude - explaining why the episode is released late

01:33 Intro - chitchat

03:19 Victor’s home town; Romanian immigrants in Europe

05:51 Where’s the line when you mock and criticise another country?

07:40 Agree to disagree agreeably

09:51 A comedian who is constantly touring

12:25 Is there a trade off being constantly on the road?

14:54 Proud of his own accent, “This is who I am”

18:55 Having to explain his accent and he’s Romanian facing the UK audience in the past

21:31 Fair game to mock someone’s accent at a comedy show?

30:43 Racism faced in continental Europe for being Romanian; some credit to the UK

34:05 Ever feeling lonely on the road?

36:14 Now performing to other foreigners

38:55 Difference of use of English between continental European and UK audiences

42:53 Crowd work (audience interactions) - social media clips

49:01 Ultimately it’s about being funny

50:42 Victor’s social media

51:04 Both people on the left and right sees Victor as if he had horns

52:31 Being funny and/or being philosophical

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Comedy with an Accent is back! Sorry for the prolonged break but we are back with another fun season, First episode will be out at 7am (GMT) on Tuesday 12 March. See you then!

One of the fastest rising stars selling out venues across European cities, Sri Lankan born Vidura spent his childhood, his teenage years and his young adulthood in small chunks of time in different countries, Vidura is a globe-trotter. To him, Berlin sometime feels more like home than Colombo.

In the final episode of the first season of this podcast, Vidura is our perfect guest to illustrate how conventional definitions of "homeland", "mother tongue" no longer make senses to the globally mobile young population. An accent that cannot be easily located.

Having lived in the United States and reading mostly in English, at times Vidura feels like English is more like his most fluent language, similar to lots of young immigrants who move to big cities for a brighter future, better career and a fun life, Unsurprisingly, these are also the bulk of Vidura's dedicated audience.

A thinker and a prolific reader, Vidura sheds light on his cultural commentary approach to comedy and why he only write jokes that he has emotional attachments to or from ideas he has been mulling over in his head.

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Follow Vidura on Instagram and his website

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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

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00:54 Intro

02:45 The infamous Rajapaksa family in Sri Lanka (no relations to Vidura)

04:02 Vidura’s weird mixed/ Netflix accent

05:37 Sinhala and other languages in Sri Lanka

06:59 Moving between USA and Sri Lanka and Vidura’s first language

10:46 Do British people ask Vidura about his accent?

12:31 Vidura’s audience’s profile

13:49 Vidura’s unique perspective because of his life journey

15:16 Too foreign to be a Sri Lankan

17:40 Wanting to leave Sri Lanka

19:54 More on Vidura’s connection with Sri Lanka and Colombo

22:47 Berlin feels like home

23:57 Not tailoring material too much

26:18 View on South Asian comedians doing the “accents”

29:24 Cult leader look and chilled energy

31:02 Only talk about things he actually cares about

34:38 A habit of reading

35:17 British people trying to seem smart

36:30 Vidura’s way wit words

39:51 Telling jokes as minority/an immigrant

43:26 Vidura’s high-quality video clips on Instagram

46:38 Vidura’s website and social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

When your host messaged Dan about the interview at the start of this year, he replied that he was still on the move after leaving Russia. He could not be sure where he will have a legal paper to stay.

It's a weirder-than-ever time to be a Russian comedian, especially one who dared to joke about Putin's height in his comedy special. Dan followed his instinct to become a 'travelling comedian'. Travelling or exiling, depending on how you see it.

In deciding to leave Moscow, Dan ditched a successful career as a stand up comedian back home. Even though it was still possible to continue to perform in his mother tongue for the overseas Russians, Dan decided to convert himself to an English stand up performer. He did have to start over again but in his own words, it is a chance to re-invent himself from Денис Чужой (Denis Chuzhoy) to Dan The Stranger.

Dan talks about this extraordinary journey and his comedy choices - why he'd shy away from hack Russian stereotypes and how Mike Birbiglia inspired him with comedy story-telling.

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Follow Dan on Instagram

His stand up special (in Russian) released in September 2021 that was mentioned in this episode

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter

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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

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00:48 Intro

02:47 From a (domestic) Russian comedian to an exiled/travelling Russian comedian performing in English

07:30 Declaring his view on the war is a must

09:21 Infrequent English performances prior to the exile

10:53 Conversion to a new language to make a living

14:04 A chance to re-invent yourself

16:00 Continue to learn English from an App

18:20 The journey out of Russia

20:49 How have Dan’s audience changed after he left Russia?

21:48 Russian overseas do not stick together

24:22 Hack jokes based on Russian stereotypes

30:51 90% thinking in Russian and 10% thinking in English

32:13 Dan’s special in Russian released in 2021

33:29 “Russian comedy”?

37:01 Police knocks of the door for his jokes

40:25 Dan’s atypical comedy choice as a Russian comedian

42:33 Writing jokes inside a story

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Schalk Bezuidenhout was tour support for Trevor Noah and won South African Comics' Choice Awards' Newcomer and Break Through Act of the Year. This episode was recorded in May when the South African star brought his show to Soho Theatre in London for a 5-day run, filling the room with South African expats and local Brits alike.

Schalk explains the stereotypes attached to Afrikaans and talks about how Afrikaans speakers are often on the receiving end of jokes in South Africa, how the Afrikaans accent can be made fun of, Nevertheless, comedy serves as the unifying factor for the multi-racial post-Apartheid South Africa by creating a shared experience

When gigging abroad, the white South African label used to lead the audience to automatically assume the comic has got to be racist, so much so that a disclaimer is required. Schalk explains how things are changing and why he would always identify himself as an Afrikaans South African rather than just a South African.

*Apologies from your host in this episode as he mispronounced Afrikaans by omitting the "S" at the end on a few occasions.

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Follow Schalk on Instagram and his website

Schalk will be in Edinburgh for the Fringe Festival this August! See Schalk in EdFringe

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter

Your host Kuan-wen will be in Edinburgh in August, too!

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00:50 Intro

02:28 Afrikaans as a language (vs. Modern Dutch)

05:54 Schalk prefers performing in English

08:05 Languages in South Africa

09:28 South Africans’ less privileged passports

12:30 Schalk’s accent / comedy being one of the unifying factors in South Africa

16:11 Schalk performing in front of other ethnicities in South Africa

18:07 How Schalk was “forced” into learning English

19:29 Picking on English South Africans

19:59 Needing to warm up to switch to English

22:04 A party for South Africans (other guests welcome)

23:50 Changing words and slangs in the comedy set

25:39 Different approaches for gigging in different cities

28:36 A Public school is a Private school in the UK

29:34 People tend to ask “where’s your accent from?”

32:45 Afrikaans as oppressed (Anglo-Boer war) or oppressor (Apartheid)?

33:24 Comedy audience automatically assumed white South African comedians to be racist

36:30 The Afrikaans South African performer rather than just South African

38:41 South Africans in the UK more homesick than those in Australia

41:21 How many South Africans there are in the UK

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Having only started performing comedy in the UK in 2021, Joshua was crowned winner of So You Think You Are Funny in 2022 and bagged another win at London Comedy Store gong show. He was finalist at BBC New Comedy Award 2022 and nominated as Best Newcomer by Chortle.

The Southern India's native came to the UK for a corporate job and he only took up a comedy course to get better at communication doing his corporate job, These achievements and credits were unintended.

Equally unintended is his understated, still and measured stage delivery. Joshua claims he is just trying to remember his lines!

This episode inevitably covers a few big topics as our chilled and composed guest is incredibly intelligent and eloquent. Joshua explains the opening line about his accent he dislikes and how he has had to go the extra mile to convince others that some Indian boys really are called Joshua.

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Follow Joshua on Instagram and Youtube

Joshua's work=in=progress show at Top Secret Comedy Club in London on 17 July 2023 - tickets

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter

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00:38 Intro

02:43 Why is Joshua named Joshua? Anglo Indians or Indians who converted to Christianity?

07:49 Joking about his Indian accent he didn’t think he has;========= a school that focuses on English education

11:02 To “perfect” one’s accent?

12:09 The “Bank support accent” joke

15:00 “Sorry my name is not brown enough for you”

18:47 Joshua’s languages

20:14 Languages in South India

20:52 North v South in India

21:59 Colourism; racism without the race

24:44 Joshua on colonialism

30:11 A subdued, still style of comedy delivery (that is unintended)

34:25 Not staging a fake Indian accent

35:56 Joshua’s upcoming shows and social media

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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

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Our very first Portuguese guest is comedian Jomi Cruz who radiates tons of youthful energy and resembles a junior Eurovision contestant. Jomi shares how he acquired a quasi American accent that is not good enough to fool Americans but just enough to trick some Brits.

Jomi chats about the few stereotypes associated with Portugal for British audience but the one bad joke about Madeline McCann* that is sure to put punters off but 1 out of every 5 new open mic comics tempts to do.

Sounding not typically Portuguese but more certainly camp, the fashion-forward and even androgynous-dressing Jomi explains how he learned to embrace his accent, his campiness through therapy. The episode was recorded back in January but the overlap of its release date with the renewed reservoir search for Maddie REALLY IS CONINCIDENTAL.

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Follow Jomi on Instagram and his London comedy night - Comedy Freaks

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter

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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

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00:50 Intro

02:22 Madonna’s time in Lisbon

03:03 Where is the name “Jomi” from

03:57 What does Portuguese sound like?

04:27 Jomi’s fake-ish American accent

09:22 Not an obvious Portuguese accent vs hack immigrant comedy

12:08 Junior Eurovision vibe

13:08 Starting his comedy set stating he is Portuguese

14:42 Hating the way he spoke pre-therapy

16:28 Embracing his campness

22:00 Therapy and change of attitude towards his way of speaking

23:26 Rejected by toxic masculine male punters due to his dampness?

26:08 Jokes about Madeleine McCann

30:28 Portuguese typically good at foreign languages?

32:52 Being nice and The changing Portuguese mentality

34:55 Jomi’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Evaldas could have stayed in his native Lithuania and earned much more from doing comedy. After all, he started performing at a critical time in Lithuania when anyone who decided to perform was almost automatically a professional comedian.

Instead, the hopeless romantic fan of stand up comedy came to the UK and started again from bottom of the barrel - doing open mic gigs all over the place to work his way up. All these because he saw a visiting pro and concluded he had to leave to get good.

Your host Kuan-wen reunited with his victor - they both participated in a new act competition in Manchester in 2019. Your host came second; this episode's guest was the rightful winner.

Evaldas talks about how he worked on his English to soften the accent and how he gets annoyed when the audience make notes of his accent rather than focusing on his jokes. He talks about the "East European" label as seen by audience in the UK, as most Brits know very little about his home country.

You will also hear Evaldas' nuanced view on comedy sketches on social media, including his own ones, and the use of social media for comedians in general. Apart from comedy, the discussion also includes his take on the legacy of Russian/Soviet occupation in Lithuania

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Follow Evaldas on Instagram and Youtube

Evaldas also produced a very interesting documentary on his experience of participating in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as a new-ish comedian. See the documentary here.

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter

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00:53 Intro

02:11 Evaldas’ seemingly American accent

04:58 Lithuania and Taiwan’s “Small Country Syndrome”

06:38 Evaldas would rather people focus on his jokes than on his accent (even if it is a praise)

09:01 Private English lessons in the past and continue to work on his English pronunciation

11:16 Being half Russian but not embracing the Russian side of heritage

13:52 Comedy audiences from Eastern Europe

15:36 Russian or English as foreign language in Lithuania

17:34 Why Evaldas moved to the UK (Manchester first, then London)

19:22 Lithuania’s fast-growing comedy scene

23:31 The regional “East European” identity

26:30 Not yet addressing a harsh and poor East European childhood on stage

27:26 A preference over American style comedy

30:43 Evaldas’ committed approach to comedy sketches on social media

32:17 Social media as a comedian’s necessary evil in this day and age

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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

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Described by some as the "mother hen" of Singapore's burgeoning stand up comedy scene, Sam has just performed his solo show "Government Approved Sex" to critical acclaim at this year's Melbourne Comedy Festival.

This episode was recorded at the start of 2023 when Sam returned to the UK after a mini-tour in continental Europe (preceded by a full Edinburgh fringe run last summer).

Sam shares why his mother tongue Mandarin isn't his most proficient language - something that is not uncommon for Singaporeans. He explains how Singapore's language policy means he no longer speaks the languages of his grandparents, which his parents use to openly hide secrets from him.

Sam also provides his insightful take on the differences between audiences in Singapore, continental Europe and the UK.

Due to your host's friendship with Sam, there have been a lot of banters and swear words so apologies for the numerous beeps this episode!

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Follow Sam on Instagram, Twitter and his website

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter

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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

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00:52 Intro (Bickering between the guest Sam and your host Kuan-wen)

05:24 Not fluent in his mother tongue - Mandarin

07:14 Singapore’s official language and de facto lingua franca

09:52 Why doesn’t Sam speak any southern Chinese languages?

13:12 International school v Chinese school students

15:23 Sam’s not-quite-Singlish English accent

17:50 Choosing to focus on stand up comedy in English instead of Mandarin

19:35 Sam’s role in Singapore’s stand up comedy scene/ opening for Jim Jeffery

21:40 Scottish comedians slowing down when performing in Singapore

22:43 Singapore’s complex relationship with its neighbour Malaysia

24:38 On Singapore’s founding father Lee Kuan Yew

27:43 Differences between comedy audiences in Singapore, continental Europe and the UK

29:19 Sam’s "Introductory Set"

31:41 Kuan-wen’s example of how comedy savvy the UK audience can be

32:42 Sam’s “Introductory Set” when performing abroad

36:20 Does Sam always mention he is gay on stage abroad?

38:29 Sam’s military service experience

41:04 Sam’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Actor and comedian Anne Klein is the first Oscar nominee (In the short film The Red Suitcase) and the first Luxembourgish guest on this podcast. Fluent in English, French, German and her native Luxembourgish, Anne has this amazing ability to switch between languages and disguises her accent(s) to fool inattentive listeners.

Anne talked about being the oddball that is too weird for her small country and her coming of age after she left Luxembourg. The pandemic ironically forced her to move back home for a year or two, but this time round, she managed to find her arty people in the small country of 646,000 people and changed her pre-existing view on her own hometown.

Anne also talked about how Luxembourgish lacks a richer vocabulary because of the people's fluency in languages of their neighbouring countries.

Trained at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts, Anne shared how she started her comedy journey and offered her view on actors and comedians not just "picking one lane."

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Follow Anne on Instagram, Twitter and her website.

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter

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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

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01:01 Intro (sound tech guessing where Anne is from)

03:46 Some facts about Luxembourg

05:07 How to pronounce Anne’s name

05:49 Luxembourgish people’s abilities to switch between languages

08:11 English being Anne’s language of choice when she talks about her emotions

09:42 Coming of age after leaving Luxembourg

13:48 In London, no one cares about your appearance

(Kuan-wen mentioned Sam Smith's 2023 Brit Awards outfit. For a reminder, see this)

15:27 Do people notice Anne has an accent? How does Anne’s accent(s) affect her acting work?

17:57 Anne’s French and German (proficiency and accents)

22:08 The Luxembourgish language and how it’s used (Students taught in German and French)

25:58 How to say “Four beers, quick quick” in Luxembourg

26:14 People not knowing (enough) about Luxembourg

27:11 Kuan-wen unimpressed by his day trip to Luxembourg

28:02 Anne rarely mentions Luxembourg in her comedy routines

29:27 The pandemic forced Anne to move back home and the difference this time

31:12 A trained actor performing comedy; pick a lane?

34:40 Luxembourg and Eurovision

36:13 Love having her hands in lots of pies

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

This week, your host Kuan-wen would like to introduce the burgeoning comedy scenes in his native Taiwan - both in English and in Mandarin - as an example of how Asia is catching the stand up comedy fever (and catching up!). Since he has not lived in Taiwan for over a decade, the introduction is recorded through the eyes of an Englishman who has spent the last few years first in Shanghai and then in Taipei.

Outside comedy, Adam is a journalist who moved to Asia for work and perhaps for a bit of change of scenery. Then Covid happened and the lucky Adam enjoyed a relatively free year of 2020 in Taiwan. He was heavily involved in the English-speaking "expat scenes" in Taiwan, witnessing the growth of the parallel local scene and even started performing in Mandarin himself.

There are long queues for people who want to sign up to perform. Someone's first open mic gig may be in front of an audience of 180. But, occasionally, you perform to audience who are actually not that fluent in English and are introduced as, "here comes a white dude who performs stand up comedy."

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Follow Adam on Instagram and Twitter

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter

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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

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01:02 Intro

04:08 Kuan-wen and Adam swapped their homelands

07:05 Adam’s (West) Yorkshire accent

09:22 Adam’s Taiwanese sounding Mandarin accent

12:21 How Taiwanese and Chinese speak differently

13:54 Taiwan’s Mandarin and English Open Mic scenes

17:45 Avoiding references not relevant to audience in Asia

20:36 Why did Adam move to Shanghai first and Taiwan later

24:00 Adam spent 2020 Covid free in Taiwan

27:59 Comedy based on East Asian stereotypes

35:05 English comedy shows in Asia and “Expat scenes”

39:08 Adam’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe

Our mini Scandinavia tour comes back to Norway again after two recent episodes feauturing guests from Denmark and Sweden. Viggo Venn, previously half of clowning duo Zack & Viggo, is our second guest from Norway.

Viggo trained as a clown at the renowned École Philippe Gaulier, where he is now a member of the teaching staff. His clowning instinct - a desire to entertain and a persistence to embrace failures ("flops") - meant this recording has been the most chaotic and disruptive to date. But it was fun!

Viggo explains why he exaggerates the "foreign idiot" persona on stage and consequently exaggerates his accent. We also peek into Viggo's journey as a performer - how he ended up training as a clown after coming across Dr. Brown's show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Viggo was not only interviewed but performed throughout this recording. The whole episode is interwoven with two running gags, namely Viggo insisting he and your host Kuan-wen are related due to the pronunciation of their names and that Viggo is not happy another Norwegian comedian (Thor Stenhaug in episode 2) was invited first.

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Follow Viggo on Instagram and check out his website for shows and clown workshops

Follow your host Kuan-wen on Instagram and Twitter

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Episode timeline

00:59 Intro

03:08 How Viggo wrongly pronounces his own name and Viggo starts the running gag he and Kuan-wen are brothers (and went wild)

06:48 A stronger Norwegian accent on stage in the UK to be the “foreign ldiot”

11:45 Are Norwegians more boring?

12:50 Norwegians’ perception of themselves and attitudes towards Sweden and Denmark

15:35 UK comedy audience’s particular appreciation of high brow and silly lowbrow comedy at the same time

16:40 Kuan-wen’s observation how Viggo adjusts his accent

18:50 A clown that does stand up

24:37 Viggo being disruptive (AGAIN!)

26:09 How Viggo decided to train as a clown

28:55 Purist believers of stand up comedy

32:46 Zack & Viggo

33:58 Viggo being disruptive (AGAIN!)

39:26 Viggo’s social media

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Podcast intro music by @Taigenkawabe