This time on this irregular podcast... (thanks for staying subscribed by the way - new episodes will pop up when you least expect them... honestly, you'll forget about us, then suddenly, hello! It's that writer of that thing or that author or that comedian or that person off the telly)

...it's James Cary!

Yes our most prolific guest. He's been on this podcast's earlier incarnation Comedians With Books. He's been on this podcast's even earlier incarnation The Heptagon Club.

Now he's here, mid-/post-/wherever-we-are-in-the-pandemic, to talk Christianity and comedy. Do they mix? Should they? And why not?

There's conversation about luck vs fate, humour in the Bible, his career plan as a writer who goes where the wind blows, and ample more.

James' writing CV includes My Family, Miranda, Hut 33, Bluestone 42, and many more.

James' books include The Sacred Art of Joking and The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer. My books include So a Comedian Walks into a Church and Planet Protectors. Buy them all! I recommend bookshop.org

James' podcast is Sitcom Geeks. My other podcast is The British Broadcasting Century. Listen to them all!

===

Do listen, share, subscribe, rate, review, tell your friends, tell your old schoolfriends, tell the world... 

...and like our podcast page on Facebook: Facebook.com/PaulKerensaPodcast

James is at jamescary.co.uk or find him and me on social mediae. See James on tour - see his website for details.

See me on tour: See my website paulkerensa.com/tour for details.

Fancy tipping? ko-fi.com/paulkerensa chips in the price of a cuppa coffee, or patreon.com/paulkerensa has extra audio, video & writings, in exchange for your monthly support - right now that's mostly geeky things about the BBC origin story, but hey, they're things I doubt you'll find anywhere else. Join my geeky corner of t'internet! Thanks if you help! It REALLY helps keep this game afloat.

May your God go with you, or if you haven't got one, feel free to borrow mine.

paulkerensa.com

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The irregular podcast returns! Well we just crop up when we've a nice chat to bring you, and this time we have just that in spades.

Rabbi Alex Goldberg is a university chaplain, Dean of Religious Life and Belief at the University of Surrey, Pause for Thought broadcaster, and all-round good egg. We talk about lockdown lessons, the bizarre quirks of chaplain life, unpredictable ethical quandaries, the grab-and-go iftar, and, somehow, poignantly, helpfully, bizarrely, the nobility of a frozen giraffe.

All will be revealed - do listen, share, subscribe, rate, review, tell your friends, tell your old schoolfriends, tell the world... 

...and like our podcast page on Facebook: Facebook.com/PaulKerensaPodcast

Or find me on Twitter/Instagram @paulkerensa. Rabbi Alex Goldberg is on Twitter @alexgoldberg_eu

In the podcast I also talk about my tour: The First Broadcast (paulkerensa.com/tour) - come see! Or book me for your place.

& my other podcast: The British Broadcasting Century (podfollow.com/bbcentury)

& my new novel: Auntie and Uncles (pre-orderable soon, among the books on my author page on Amazon: shorturl.at/uwHK7)

Fancy tipping? ko-fi.com/paulkerensa chips in the price of a cuppa coffee, or patreon.com/paulkerensa has extra audio, video & writings, in exchange for your monthly support - right now that's mostly geeky things about the BBC origin story, but hey, they're things I doubt you'll find anywhere else. Join my geeky corner of t'internet! Thanks if you help! It REALLY helps keep this game afloat.

May your God go with you, or if you haven't got one, feel free to borrow one for a bit.

paulkerensa.com

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Where have we been all this time?! After a 2mth gap, A Paul Kerensa Podcast returns with a fab new guest - Britain's only female orthodox Jewish comedian: Rachel Creeger.

We talk interfaith, outerfaith, synagogue gigs, church gigs, humour in a crisis, Odessa's comedy heritage, and everything else that goes with it.

She's a fab guest, and you can find her elsewhere on the internet at rachelcreeger.com, and her podcast is called Jew Talking To Me. Listen!

Find this podcast on Facebook: Facebook.com/PaulKerensaPodcast

And do try my other podcast on the origin story of the BBC: podfollow.com/bbcentury

The Religion Media Centre Podcast, that we also mention, which includes ANOTHER chat between me and Rachel is at https://religionmediacentre.org.uk/podcast/

Do subscribe, rate, review, share - it all helps others find this.

If you'd like to send us a tip, ko-fi.com/paulkerensa chips in the price of a cuppa coffee, or patreon.com/paulkerensa has extra audio, video & writings, in exchange for your monthly support. Thanks if you do so! It REALLY helps keep this game afloat.

Take care, you. It ain't easy, I know. May your God go with you. We've got ours.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This festive fan/Xmas Xpert/Santologist couldn't POSSIBLY let Christmas go unpodcasted (just invented that word - I apologise).

So in this guestless episode, Paul runs down the Top 5 Christmas carols AND the Top 5 festive pop songs.

He's amalgamated several polls, surveys and charts (inc. Songs of Praise Favourite Carol, Classical Magazine's poll of experts, Classic FM's carol survey, global charts etc), weighted them accordingly, and presto! Some Christmas podding for you.

From The Pogues to Postman Pat, Mendelssohn to Michael Buerk, Bing Crosby to two versions of In the Bleak Midwinter, we'll unpick the back-story of our best-loved Christmas crooners, carols and chart-toppers. All in under ten minutes.

It's all based on Paul's festive history book: Hark! The Biography of Christmas, available now in paperback, ebook and audiobook (get it free on an Audible free trial, then instantly cancel!).

Or read Paul's Yule blog.

We mention Paul's festive parody song, A Fairytale of Bethlehem - it's viewable on Youtube. 

You'll find a different Christmas podcast special on The British Broadcasting Century, looking at the stories behind a classic British Christmas TV schedule: podfollow.com/bbcentury

Like this podcast on Facebook: Facebook.com/PaulKerensaPodcast

And please do subscribe, rate, review, share - it all helps others find this.

If you'd like to send us a tip, ko-fi.com/paulkerensa chips in the price of a cuppa coffee, or patreon.com/paulkerensa has extra audio, video & writings, in exchange for your monthly support. Thanks if you do so! It REALLY helps keep the wheels turning and the pods casting.

The podcast returns in 2022 with more guests and who knows what else...

Merry Listening!

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This time Paul is catching up with American Dave, his old buddy from student days. From Guildford to San Diego to your ears, we catch up about Trump, Covid, Brexit... and try and find some wisdom and optimism in amongst the craziness.

We last met American Dave back in the days of The Heptagon Club (which you can find if you scroll waaaaay back on this A Paul Kerensa Podcast channel).

Find this on Facebook: Facebook.com/PaulKerensaPodcast

And do try Paul's other podcast on the origin story of the BBC: podfollow.com/bbcentury

Do subscribe, rate, review, share - all that jazz, it all helps others find this.

If you'd like to send us a tip, ko-fi.com/paulkerensa chips in the price of a cuppa coffee, or patreon.com/paulkerensa has extra audio, video & writings, in exchange for your monthly support. Thanks if you do so! It REALLY helps keep this game afloat.

Till next time!

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My guest this time is my old buddy from uni days, Rev "Random" Jon March. He's vicar of St Luke's, Kentish Town. You'll swiftly hear what earned him the nickname "Random".

Hear how he accidentaly did a Theology degree due to at least two admin errors... his analysis of words like 'several'... how he grew a church from literally zero... and his thoughts on how to build back a church after something like, say, a pandemic.

Jon's podcast The New Now, on leadership in changing times, is available here - and this episode has Paul as a guest: https://lnns.co/z2vOtYXZIha 

Paul's on twitter @paulkerensa

Jon's on twitter @jonmarch

Paul's other podcast The British Broadcasting Century is listentoable here: podfollow.com/bbcentury

If you like the podcast, please give us a nice review where you found it, and stay subscribed for more like this. Next time: comedy writer James Cary.

Thanks for listening!

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This time, Paul chats to TV presenter, podcaster, technology enthusiast and man of at least two names, GARETH JONES!

You may have known him as 'Gaz Top' on Saturday morning children's TV show Get Fresh, or you may have seen his 16-year stint fronting How 2 for CITV.  He's presented Tomorrow's World, he's hosted the Gareth Jones on Speed podcast for 15 years (garethjones.tv/onspeed.html) - and we get into all of these things and more.

If you've listened to my other podcast, The British Broadcasting Century, you may have heard bits of this chat. But he was such a great guest, I wanted to put the entire brilliantly gobby, hugely insightful, occupationally illuminating interview up here. 

So have at it! The complete works of the Gareth Jones chat.

Find out more about Gareth and watch videos of his past oeuvres on his website, garethjones.tv

Did you know this podcast has a Facebook page? 'Like' us at Facebook.com/PaulKerensaPodcast.

You can find Paul on Twitter @paulkerensa

You can find Gareth on Twitter @garethjonestv

This podcast is more a channel than a series - so right now it's occupied by CATCHING UP - longform chats with interesting folks. But go back and you can find Comedians With Books or The Heptagon Club - more interviews with interesting folks, just in different marvellous formats. Listen to that lot, complete the set.

Stay subscribed for more! Next time: Rev Jon March on how church can return post-pandemic. But with more fun in our chat than that sounds.

Meantime, see my website for more info on my writings and giggings (I am available for both, if you need someone for some writing or some gigging): 

paulkerensa.com

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This time, Paul's CATCHING UP with author, speaker, campaigner and all-round Planet Protector, RUTH VALERIO. Paul talks to her about her new fabulous children's book, Planet Protectors... which is very familiar to Paul... because he wrote it too!

Ruth and Paul wrote it together and it's out now! It's published by SPCK, and the fab illustrations are by Fay Austin. 

Get your copy of Planet Protectors here - including information on bulk discounts, if you're part of a youth group, church group, school... or you just want 10 copies!

Discover how children can change the world, change churches, and how you can judge a book by how its cover FEELS. If you're a church person, hello, there's lots in here about how churches can change. If you're not a church person, hello, there are loads of tips in the book about things you can in your everyday life, from loving your coat to stargazing to how to welcome to how to junk-model right.

Ruth's website is at ruthvalerio.net - you can read her writings and find out more about her back-story and campaigns.

Here's one campaign - Tearfund's Reboot campaign - centred on the UN climate talks in Glasgow, COP26, and how we can come back from this pandemicky times looking after our big round home a lot better.

Watch the video of this interview on Youtube.

You can find Ruth on Twitter @ruthvalerio

You can find Paul on Twitter @paulkerensa 

This podcast is currently occupied by CATCHING UP - longform chats, unedited, with various people, individuals and humans. Stay subscribed for more. It's all a bit experimental, so take it in that guerrilla spirit.

For a more edited, honed and finely produced podcast, my other podcast The British Broadcasting Century is telling the origin story of the BBC, radio and life as we know it. Try it! Season 2 now underway.

As for this one, stay subscribed for more fab chats - next time, TV presenter Gareth Jones...

MORE ON PLANET PROTECTORS - THE BLURB:

Jam-packed with interesting facts, Christian theology and practical tips, Planet Protectors is an informative and empowering guide for children on helping the environment by living sustainably!In a lively, entertaining style Ruth Valerio and Paul Kerensa offer 52 fantastic ideas for looking after the world – from cycling more and choosing fair-trade, to taking shorter showers and recycling. Children will love taking up a different challenge each week and be inspired to join the fight for the planet’s future as they learn about why it is so important to care for the environment and God’s creation.With quirky illustrations perfect for colouring in throughout, Planet Protectors is an ideal book for 7- to 9-year-old children beginning to read independently. It is also a brilliant resource for parents and guardians to open up conversations with children about environmental sustainability, and for primary schools, Sunday schools and youth workers teaching about the environment. Encourage and empower your children to see how they can make a difference and look after the world by becoming Planet Protectors.

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Another fab guest to do some CATCHING UP with... this time, author, speaker and general encourager Cathy Madavan.

We talk about the bits of lockdown we'd like to cling to (like not having to cling to people), how to write a Pause For Thought, and I confess my jealousy so she tells me how to put a cork in that.

Cathy's website is here. 

Her books include Digging for Diamonds and her new one, Irrepressible: 12 Principles for a Courageous, Resilient and Fulfilling Life. It's fab! Grab yours here.

You can find her on Twitter @cathymadavan

You can find me on Twitter @paulkerensa 

This podcast is currently occupied by CATCHING UP - longform chats, unedited, with various people, individuals and humans. Stay subscribed for more. It's all a bit experimental, so take it in that guerrilla spirit.

For a more edited, honed and finely produced podcast, my other podcast The British Broadcasting Century is telling the origin story of the BBC, radio and life as we know it. Try it! Season 2 now underway.

As for this one, stay subscribed, stay well, stay safe, staycation, steak sandwich.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This time, Paul is CATCHING UP with Dai Woolridge: poet, spoken word artist(e), man of faith, and all-round decent chap.

We talk saucisson sec, the joys and sadness of lockdown music, creativity, green guilt, poetry, lament, community, Help Yourself boxes, the beautiful Welsh accent, and so much more.

Dai's book God's Brilliantly Big Creation Story is available here.

His website Spoken Truth is here.

You can find him on Twitter @daiwoolridge

You can find me on Twitter @paulkerensa 

This podcast is currently occupied by CATCHING UP - longform chats, unedited, with various people, individuals and humans. Stay subscribed for more. It's all a bit experimental, so take it in that guerrilla spirit.

For a more edited, honed and finely produced podcast, my other podcast The British Broadcasting Century is telling the origin story of the BBC, radio and life as we know it. Try it!

As for this one, stay subscribed, stay well, stay safe, staycation, steak sandwich.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

A 2nd instalment of CATCHING UP - an occasional longform interview podcast. This time it's with comedian, comic book creator and boat owner Paul Savage. He talks about creativity in lockdown, pandemic childcare, comic book creation, the changing world of stand-up, plus a gig tale about aiding and abetting an escaped inmate.

Paul's new comic book - 'But Doctor, I AM a Collection of Comic Strips by Paul Savage' - is available at https://www.savagecomic.com

You can find him on Twitter @comedysavage

You can find me on Twitter @paulkerensa 

This podcast is currently occupied by CATCHING UP - longform chats, unedited, with various people, individuals and humans. Stay subscribed for more. It's all a bit experimental, so take it in that guerrilla spirit.

For a more edited, honed and finely produced podcast, my other podcast The British Broadcasting Century is telling the origin story of the BBC, radio and life as we know it. Try it!

As for this one, stay subscribed, stay well, stay safe, staycation, steak sandwich.

P

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Hello stranger! It's been a while. It was at least one pandemic ago since we lost spoke. Or spoke here, at least.

So welcome to a new thing. A new irregular thing.

Appearing now and then, but specifically now: a random series of long-form unedited chats. Just catching up really.

This is recorded mid-lockdown, and with comedians unable to perform, one or two have got in touch and said: Let's catch up! I said: Sure! But I'm going to record it.

So Dan and I haven't chatted for about a decade. No reason. We just didn't gig together. You only chat to comedians if you gig together, or they have a podcast.

Dan moved to Australia, which at time of recording is largely freed up out of lockdown (though at time of editing, is back in lockdown again). So when we spoke, Dan was in quarantine having landed in Perth for their Fringe Festival. A few days into self-isolation, he was desperate to speak to someone. Hence this podcast.

We chat about the old days of the London stand-up circuit in the noughties, the time we both spent a week living in the Big Brother House, and I unearth my gig list tallying up every time Dan and I gigged together.

More soon. Or not soon. More some time, with someone else, inc Tony Vino and Paul Savage.

So stay subscribed, if you like.

And hey, this is an experimental longform podcast. If you don't like it, that's ok. It's free-wheeling, free-flowing, (contains some adult language) and TBH, by not editing it, I can focus on other projects, including:

- My other podcast The British Broadcasting Century

- My weekly Facebook Live show

- Things I put on Patreon. Sign up here for exclusive advance writings, videos etc.

- Writing, online live shows (hire me!) and other things I put on my mailing list - sign up here.

Stay subscribed, stay well, stay safe, staycation.

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Been a while, podpals!

This is a blatant plea to come and join my new podcast, The British Broadcasting Century. I'll be geeking out about the origins of the BBC, radio and life as we know it, for a dozen or so episodes (in series 1; then who knows how many thereafter).

This is an extended trailer, with a few bonus clips just for being loyal podcastees here on A Paul Kerensa Podcast/The Heptagon Club.

But to catch the new one, you'll need to subscribe to it, over at https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-british-broadcasting-century-with-paul-kerensa/id1516471271

and find us on Facebook.com/BBCentury

Stay safe & keep listening...

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One final Comedians With Books podcast... plus news of Paul's new Christmas podcast with Grace Dent, on Audible, which is out now!

At the 3rd Comedians With Books live show, we welcomed ex-QI elf Stevyn Colgan and wine connoisseur/comedian James Dowdeswell. Hear their chat on publishing, pubs, whodunnits, Rick Wakeman, doggy day care, and much more.

Their books:...

STEVYN COLGAN: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Books-Stevyn-Colgan/s?ie=UTF8&page=1&rh=n%3A266239%2Cp_27%3AStevyn%20Colgan

JAMES DOWDESWELL: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pub-Manifesto-Comedian-stands-pubs/dp/1852493550/

...Plus ample info on Paul's new Audible Original Podcast, which is out now at https://www.audible.co.uk/pd/Christmas-What-The-Fa-La-La-La-La-Audiobook/B082472KM8.

More details and an Audible free trial at https://www.paulkerensa.com/audible.php

Details on Paul's gigs - including Comedians & Carols - at https://paulkerensa.com

Join Paul's mailing list: http://eepurl.com/M6Wbr

Book group/small group notes for Hark! The Biography of Christmas: https://www.paulkerensa.com/harknotes.pdf

Share this pod / Like / Review / Donate / Thanks!

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Comedians With Books returns! With live show #3 around the corner, here's live show #2 for your ears - or at least the book panel second half, recorded live at The Guildhall at Guildford Fringe Festival.

CWB is an occasional hybrid comedy-night-meets-book-festival, on this episode welcoming funny authors James Cary, Pierre Hollins and Dan Evans, hosted by Paul Kerensa (this is A Paul Kerensa Podcast after all). We get stuck into self-publishing v trad v Unbound, writing for radio, the future of the book industry, and much much more.

Also PK's requests for beta readers for new short stories... details of Hark! The Biography of Christmas book group notes... new children's book Joe's Bros and the Bus that Goes... your feedback for future podcasts/audio versions of PK's Writing Blog... and much much less.

Join Paul's "A Team" of beta readers for his new book/short stories (and/or feedback about the future of the podcast): https://paulkerensa.com/contact.php

Join Paul's mailing list: http://eepurl.com/M6Wbr

Book group/small group notes for Hark! The Biography of Christmas: https://www.paulkerensa.com/harknotes.pdf

PK's Writing Blog: https://kneeldownstandup.wordpress.com

Comedians With Books #3 is live at Guildford's Star Inn on Tue 8th October 2019, with Dominic Holland, Stevyn Colgan & James Dowdeswell. Tickets: https://www.guildfordfringe.com/events-archive/comedians-with-books-2/

+ this podcast's books:

Joe's Bros and the Bus That Goes by Paul Kerensa: https://spckpublishing.co.uk/joe-s-bros-and-the-bus-that-goes-pb

The Sacred Art of Joking by James Cary: http://www.jamescary.co.uk/sacred-art-of-joking/

The Karma Farmers by Pierre Hollins: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Karma-Farmers-Pierre-Hollins/dp/191158605X

The Casebook of D.I. Snaith by Dan Evans: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Casebook-D-I-Snaith-Dan-Evans-ebook/dp/B009562YVI

Share this pod / Like / Review / Donate / Thanks!

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A one-off (or at least very occasional) pop-up podcast with an excerpt from a recent Comedians With Books show, recorded live at The Star Inn with Guildford Fringe. It's a new thrice-yearly hybrid comedy night meets book festival. This panel discussion features anecdotalist Aidan Goatley, relationship ponderer Rosie Wilby & stand-up mathematician Matt Parker, hosted by El Capitan Paul Kerensa.

Come see the next Comedians With Books live! Mon 8th July 2019 at Guildford's Guildhall, with James Cary, Pierre Hollins & Dan Evans, hosted again by PK. https://guildfordfringefestival.com/sessions/comedians-with-books/

The next night, Tue 9th July 2019, new theatre compilation show Three Times Tables hits Guildford's Star Inn: https://guildfordfringefestival.com/sessions/three-times-tables-an-evening-of-new-theatre/ 

Our 3rd Comedians With Books will be on Tue 8th October 2019, at Guildford's Star Inn, acts TBC: https://www.guildfordfringe.com/events-archive/comedians-with-books-2/

More of Paul's gigs: https://www.paulkerensa.com/gigguide.php

And this podcast's books:

Never Eat the Buffet at a Sex Club by Aidan Goatley: http://www.lulu.com/shop/aidan-goatley/never-eat-the-buffett-at-a-sex-club/paperback/product-23532137.html

Is Monogamy Dead? by Rosie Wilby: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Monogamy-Dead-Rethinking-Relationships-Century/dp/1786154536

Humble Pi by Matt Parker: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Humble-Pi-Comedy-Maths-Errors/dp/0241360234

Hark! The Biography of Christmas by Paul Kerensa: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hark-Biography-Christmas-Paul-Kerensa/dp/0745980171

Share this pod / Like / Review / Donate / Thanks!

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Ho ho whoa! 9 guests?! In a tribute to the 9 Lessons & Carols, Paul our Host of Christmas Past flies his sleigh back through festive history. There are no live guests a-guesting - instead for our penultimate show, Paul has a voice-changer. It's not a great voice-changer, but it means we drop in on influential Christmassy words from:

- Astronaut TOM STAFFORD on pranking NASA 

- Private HENRY WILLIAMSON on sharing tobacco

- Writer CHARLES DICKENS on humbuggery

- Writer WASHINGTON IRVING on Christmas the English way

- Devonian clergyman RICHARD SMART on Christmas the man

- Puritan minister HEZEKIAH WOODWARD on Christmas the heresy

- King HENRY III on Christmas the dinner

- Saint HILARY of POITIERS on the first carol

- Charles M Schulz creation LINUS on the true meaning of Christmas

Phew! One more episode to go, for now. Join us in January. Merry Christmas!

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A stopgap podcast, to report on our temporary absence (due to a busy month), then our permanent absence (to follow early next year after a two-episode send-off). A couple more episodes will follow, then, well, the future's bright - but it may, alas, not be heptagon-shaped.

An update is contained herein, plus snippets of guests from our fnar-fnale to come in January.

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