The Backstage Pass has something special for you.. Grab a cup of tea and join The Comedy Store players at https://players.backstagepass.show for Episode 1 of a new podcast from The Comedy Store

This week Jenny Collier, Leo Kearse, Ian Stone and Rob Deering show their age and go back to their roots with some classic dualisms: VHS vs Betamax, bleak vs psychotic optimism and unionisation vs the lone gunman. While ignoring all the other people in the world, this cheerful troop laugh their way through this week’s latest in the demise of comedy, Scottish Independence and the rise and fall of football hooliganism. The second half of this landmark episode shares a sad announcement and The Edge’s producer John Connor joins us with stories of how the show started, broke new ground and found joy through bloody persistence.

Emmanuel Sonubi, Tiff Stevenson, Ben Norris & Jarred Christmas put on their glasses to take a deep look into the root of the world’s problems. Airing some robust opinions, the team exercise their freedom of speech and leave us with some life changing advice and an excellent T-shirt slogan. Jarred and Ben are joined on stage by Jenny Collier & Scott Capurro for a ridiculous ride through royalty, politics and knife crime.

Ria Lina, Ian Stone, Luke Toulson and Funmbi Omotayo laugh through crashing waves and prison breaks in this wonderfully dysfunctional family zoom. These funny folk prove their essential worth with sharp insights into the always blagging and sometimes sleepy world of world leaders. Ian is joined by Sean Meo and Allyson June Smith for the burning issues of gossip and aliens and the sage advice to put down our phones.

This touching episode with Abigoliah Schamaun, Allyson June Smith, Leo Kearse & Scott Capurro starts with the news and quickly goes deep with stories from their past and thoughts about the future. With the wonderful world of fad diets, old school phones and thermometers bringing light relief, the team turns to American politics for a true role model. Ian Stone and Paul Thorne join Abigoliah Schamaun and Leo Kearse to costume up and tackle mopeds, otters, marketing and being Knights.

This week we cover bike hunting trees, perfect sick cat photos and the health of Trump’s mind voter base. Steve Gribbin, Jenny Collier, Stephen Grant & Rob Rouse ask this week’s important questions: Could coronavirus actually save lives? Should comedians become our national censors? Can we drink through this whole episode? Rob is joined onstage by Tiff Stevenson, Alistair Barrie and Funmbi Omotayo for an entertaining food-focused episode. The team takes on fibre, meatballs and how to reduce the taste of self-righteousness in your cooking.

Deep in a forest of analogies, Geoff Norcott, Roger Monkhouse, Alex Kealy & Eleanor Tiernan tackle the latest restrictions, vaccine hopes and the future. While this deeply insightful episode touches on virtue licensing and the existential lived experience, the team keep coming back to their love of comedy and the desire to gig again. Rob Rouse & Lauren Pattison join Geoff and Roger onstage as they disappear into a vortex of innuendo and confusion over phallic vegetables. In this salacious world, tennis stars remind us of late night kebabs, Trump might be an art installation and we’d prefer not to talk about our national shame.

In an episode of contrasts Emmanuel Sonubi, Rob Deering, Jojo Sutherland & Ria Lina compare everything from the joys of parenthood to the number of press ups achieved. With paperboys currently making more money than comedians, maybe our universal experiences will lead to that all-important fresh material they may someday need. There’s socks-pulled-up confidence and much laughter over forgotten punchlines, playing covid chicken and even beer pong. Jarred Christmas, Sean Meo & Luke Toulson join Ria on stage to take on footballers faking it and why clowns are scarier than global warming.

To celebrate 30 years of The Edge at the Comedy Store, Jo Brand, John Connor, Abigoliah Schamaun & Ian Stone discuss the challenges of getting paid work on a Tuesday night. They think Tom Cruise is fairly normal and everyone is sure that the virus isn’t the worst thing that will happen this year. This deep episode covers everything from #metoo to who might form the next government. John gets pissed off when people do as he asks and Abigoliah gets googled by a statesman. Jo rounds off with an optimistic note but Ian just wants to watch the football.

As Allyson June Smith, Alistair Barrie, Leo Kearse & Rob Rouse dig into this week’s breaking news we learn that the pandemic is over, a Moose is not an Elk and jingle writers should all move cities. There’s a sticky end to part one before Geoff Norcott & Paul Sinha join us on stage to put the focus on monkeys, Nazis and Trump. With outrage running high, this is a wonderfully bitchy segment followed by a rather special announcement.