Kitchen Launches Podcast ‘It’s Funny Because It’s True’

Independent creative agency Kitchen announces the launch of their podcast ‘It’s Funny Because It’s True’, which will release its pilot episode on 25th February.

Hosted by Kitchen co-founder Tim Clyde and the agency’s head of humour, Alex Macqueen, the podcast will explore what makes humour work by speaking with leading UK actors, writers, editors, directors, producers and stand-up comedians, as well as other industry experts.

The show aims to speak to the people that perform and make comedy and unpack the creative process behind it – from ideation and scripting to performance and editing – as well as serve as an educational tool on how brands and agencies can learn from titans of entertainment to  leverage humour to create memorable and entertaining campaigns.

The first three episodes will include conversations with actor Rob Brydon (Gavin and Stacey), editor Billy Sneddon (Green Wing, Four Lions, I Am Alan Partridge) and comedy writer-performer Matt Lucas. Future guests also include writer-director Chris Addison (The Thick of It and Mock the Week) and actor Mel Giedroyc (Mel and Sue and The Great British Bake Off).

Beyond entertainment, the podcast will also further examine the neurological processes involved in making things funny, with leading academics (including Prof. Sophie Scott CBE, director of UCL’s Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience).

On launching the podcast, Clyde said, “There is an increasing feeling in the ad business that we have lost our humour ‘mojo’ in recent years, evidenced by the recent crop of Super Bowl ads. Alex and I are embarking on a journey in the podcast to uncover the clever techniques, tricks and rules used in the process of successfully making stuff funny. Who better to discuss it than some of the UK’s smartest people in media?”

‘It’s Funny Because It’s True’ is one of Kitchen’s latest projects launched on the back of hiring actor Alex Macqueen as the agency’s Head of Humour, known for his lead roles in The Inbetweeners, This Is England 88’ and The Thick of It. Since joining the agency, Alex has been helping inject humour into Kitchen’s creative process, from concepts, scripts and direction.

Alex said, “Something magical happens when we laugh - it creates a connection with the people we associate it with. That’s why humour is such a powerful tool for brands looking to engage their audiences. Like great entertainment, advertising should captivate, entertain, and leave a lasting impression. There’s a lot the ad industry can learn from TV and film.”

Episodes of ‘It’s Funny Because It’s True’ will be released on a weekly basis and will be available on all podcast platforms and YouTube.