This Week in Comedy

Lily Geddes and Morry Morgan are back with a slightly end-of-year, pre-Christmas edition of This Week in Comedy. the weekly hang for comedy lovers who like their industry chat served with dumb jokes, local context, and a mild sense of impending doom.This episode kicks off with festive season realities (fewer gigs, everyone half-checked-out) before looking ahead to 2026 and the Melbourne International Comedy Festival season. The pair unpack what’s coming up, including the emerging “Business of Comedy” conference within the festival timeline—an event that’s either about to become an annual institution or vanish like Schrödinger’s cat (don’t open the door).In Comedy News, they celebrate Dick Van Dyke hitting 100 and spiral into robots, hecklers, and whether the future of stand-up involves fear-laughter and chest-kicking androids. In Comedy History, they revisit milestone moments like Candice Bergen becoming the first woman to host SNL, and The Simpsons’ first full-length episode.Things get unexpectedly real with a discussion on comedian lifespans, dopamine crashes, and why the job can hit hard after the punchlines. They wrap with podcast recs, festival chatter, and a sneak peek at upcoming comedy courses—plus an open invitation for beer sponsors who can handle honest copy.Links:Marcel Blanch-de Wilt's interview with MICF Director Susan Provan: https://shows.acast.com/the-comedy-writers-group/episodes/micf-director-with-susan-provanHard Knock Knocks Comedy Courses in 2026: https://hardknockknocks.com

Welcome back to This Week in Comedy, the podcast that bravely asks the big questions: Can robots be funny? Should governments fund comedians? And what exactly is happening in Geelong? Episode 4 is a wide-ranging, mildly unhinged tour through comedy news, history, technology, beer, festivals, and the creeping sense that the machines are absolutely coming for us.We kick things off in a “quiet week” for comedy news, which somehow still includes half a million dollars of government funding being handed to robot comedians. Yes, actual robots. Non-humanoid ones. Ranging from 40 centimetres to two metres tall. Performing non-verbal slapstick. In Melbourne. The duo grapples with what this means for the future of comedy, audience fear responses, accessibility ramps, and whether this is yet another example of governments funding literally anything except working comedians.From there, things take a sharp, but refreshing turn into sponsorship territory, with a tasting of Oishi Rice Lager - described as “almost too dry” and tasting suspiciously like something a Starfleet food replicator would produce. It’s beer. It’s on trend. It’s reviewed with all the rigour you’d expect from a comedy podcast drinking on mic.The heart of the episode is a deep dive into the Geelong Comedy Festival, via a long chat with festival director Blaise White. We cover the festival’s growth, its surprisingly rich comedy scene, venues ranging from cosy bars to an actual jail under the gallows, and why regional festivals might just be the future of Australian comedy touring. If you’ve ever wondered whether Geelong secretly rules, this segment will aggressively suggest that it does.Elsewhere, we unpack the invention of canned laughter (and whether it was the first step in comedy’s robotic takeover), revisit the legacy of Arrested Development, tip our hats to Billy Connolly’s longevity, talk Raw Comedy, preview the Business of Comedy Conference, and somehow end up discussing under-16s being banned from social media and parents radicalising children on Roblox.Links:Geelong Comedy Festival: Click hereOishi Rice Lager: Click hereRaw Comedy registration: Click here

This Week in Comedy takes a sharp, funny, and occasionally unhinged look at what’s happening in comedy around Australia. Hosts Morry Morgan and Lily Geddes blend comedy history, industry insight, festival intelligence, and off-the-rails conversation, delivered with the loose energy of a green room chat and confidence of a drunk uncle.In Episode 2 the duo spotlight the Hobart Comedy Festival, celebrating Tasmania’s growing comedy presence and reminding listeners that great comedy doesn’t only happen on the mainland. Morry does a whip-around to Adelaide, with an interview with Adelaidian comedian Big Al. Al is one of the city’s most connected comedy voices and in their chat Al highlights local rooms, paid gigs, and what’s worth checking out in the lead-up to Adelaide Fringe.Beyond Australia, This Week in Comedy explores how humour operates on a global stage. Morry points to New York Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani and how he used comedy, satire, and short-form humour to help him win mayoral race. And again, this episode is sponsored (ie. self funded) by a beer. This time around it's the pickle-flavoured 'It's a Big Dill' beer, by Sailors Grave Brewing of Tasmania.And if you'd like to recommend a comedy room, comedian, beer, or share some comedy gossip, reach out to us here.Links:'It's a Big Dill' Beer by Sailors Grave Brewing: Click hereRaw Comedy competition entry: Click here

This Week in Comedy is your weekly whip around of what’s funny, frantic, and fermenting in the Australian comedy scene. This podcast is served with a cold beer and absolutely no guarantee of bladder control. You'll have a laugh and might just learn something.In Episode 1, co-hosts Morry and Lily officially crack the seal on the podcast. You'll be introduced to a show that blends comedy history, industry gossip, live gig intel, and barely controlled chaos. Think part comedy news desk, part green room banter, part pub conversation that’s gone on five minutes too long, in the best way.Each episode dives into 'This Week in History', revisiting key moments that shaped comedy and entertainment. It then moves into 'Import / Export', tracking which big names are coming into town, who’s leaving, and where you might spot a surprise set during festival season (hint: It's Jimmy Carr). There’s also 'New Room, Who Dis?', spotlighting comedy rooms around Australia, from Melbourne favourites to emerging stages worth the trip. This episode highlights a new paid comedy room in Melbourne, Moon Dog Wild West.This episode checks in on Perth’s comedy scene, with an interview with the Comedy Lounge's John McAllister and his Australian Comedian of the Year competition, unpacking what it takes to win, why it matters, and how it can launch a career. The show also makes space for 'Funny in the Moment'. But as you'll hear, "you had to be there."Rounding things out is Tight Five, a short, sharp chat with comedy veteran Bradford Oakes about gigs, wigs, and his other podcasts. Plus they highlight the “sponsored” beer (self funded, for now), as Tasmania's Albert Pilsner.Links:Perth's Comedy Lounge 'Australian Comedian of the Year Competition': Click hereRaw Comedy entry: Click hereJimmy Carr's schedule: Click hereThe Albert Brewery, Albert Pilsner: Click here