Award-winning writer, comedian, and playwright Henry Naylor joins Steve Otis Gunn for a conversation that spans BBC sketch comedy, blockbuster global ad campaigns, and some of the most politically charged theatre of the past decade. Henry shares how he broke into the industry on Smith & Jones, fell into the world of Spitting Image, and ended up starring alongside Rowan Atkinson in a series of million-pound Barclaycard commercials filmed around the world — a strange, lucrative detour that funded everything that came next. There are great stories along the way: the legal battles and weekly chaos of producing live political satire, what it's actually like to stand in front of a camera on a big-budget international shoot, and how Henry eventually walked away from television entirely to make theatre about Afghanistan, North Korea, and the parts of the world that don't get much of a look-in. Funny, sharp, and surprisingly candid about what the industry looks like from the inside.
Originally released under the podcast's former name: Television Times.
Henry Naylor is an award-winning writer, comedian, and playwright. After early success on Smith & Jones and Spitting Image, he co-created the animated satire Headcases and appeared with Rowan Atkinson in the iconic Barclaycard ads. In recent years, he has become one of the UK’s leading political dramatists with powerful works like Games, Afghanistan Is Not Funny, and Monstering the Rocket Man, earning major awards at the Edinburgh Fringe and touring worldwide.
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Host: Steve Otis Gunn
Guest: Henry Naylor – Playwright, Actor & Director
Duration: 43 minutes
Release Date: November 20, 2025
Season: 4, Episode 28
All music written by Steve Otis Gunn
My book 'You Shot My Dog and I Love You' is available in bookstores & online
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