2: Set #1 w. James McIlwrath (Is that electric?) Artwork

Knock Knock, Me Again

As a child, Tanna made people laugh, but adulthood has rendered her anxious and afraid to be funny. Knock Knock, Me Again follows Tanna, a woman in her 30s, on an anxiety-inducing, but heart-warming experiment: to discover whether she can learn to be a stand-up comedian. She travels to people's living rooms, sits them down upon their sofa, and performs comedy at them: an excruciating encounter for both parties. She and her guest then discuss the experience over a cup of tea: what went well, what went badly, and most crucially, why. They discuss topics such as context, environment, zeitgeist, subjectivity, comic timing, and lots more. Tanna's journey is a rich piece of social, psychological and philosophical research, addressing questions about mental health and human interaction.

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Knock Knock, Me Again

2: Set #1 w. James McIlwrath (Is that electric?)

December 19, 2022 • Tanna Chamberlain • Season 1 • Episode 2

(If you’re new to this podcast series, I’d recommend starting with ‘Radio edit #1 - condensed version of eps 1-3’, a condensed version of the first 3 episodes from series 1, adapted for radio. It is more digestible than the original (longer) versions of the first 3 eps, explicit content is removed, and some nice tracks by my first two guests are included. More summative episodes to follow!)

I perform my first ever stand-up comedy set to James McIlwrath and we discuss how it went.

We discuss: Physical movement in stand-up (visual vs audio), Joke authenticity, Pace of a set / ebb and flow, The awkwardness of making sexual jokes, Do you need to be an actor to be a comedian?, Going over time in a stand-up set, 1:1 performance/the importance of knowing your audience, Failure in performance/failure in comedy, Accidental plagiarism in comedy, Can you plagiarise a gesture or a facial expression?, The influence The Office has on British humour, The difference between and comic and a comedian, What is a Jesus pose in stand-up comedy?

Recorded and edited by Tanna Chamberlain
Artwork by Tanna Chamberlain
Music licensed by audiojungle
My Sofa is Made of Syrup written and performed by James McIlwrath

Follow Knock Knock Me Again Youtube Channel for videos of rehearsals
and follow me on instagram (tannacjc) to see behind-the-scenes archives in my highlights
Website coming soon.

Recorded and edited by Tanna Chamberlain
Artwork by Tanna Chamberlain
Music licensed by audiojungle

Follow Knock Knock Me Again Youtube Channel for videos of rehearsals
and follow me on instagram (tannacjc) to see behind-the-scenes archives in my highlights
Website coming soon.

People on this episode

Tanna Chamberlain

Host