Haven’t recommended a podcast in a while, and since Peacock and Gamble resumed today, after a three-month hiatus, I thought that I’d take the opportunity to recommend possibly one of the funniest podcasts I listen to. Most of my favourite comedy podcasts are drily amusing, but the Peacock and Gamble podcast is one of the few which makes me laugh out loud very loudly. Hit the link for more.

I really think this is one of the funniest podcasts I listen to (and that probably says more about me), and the only reservation I would have in recommending it to you would be if you’re easily offended. If you are, really, really don’t listen to this podcast. To describe the humour as abrasive and unrefined would be to dramatically understate it. Swearing, and jokes on topics that many would consider unsuitable are par for the course.

Beyond that, though, it’s hilarious. The two hosts – Ray Peacock (fat and beardy) and Ed Gamble (fat and not beardy), a pair of semi-successful stand-up comedians – often start laughing helplessly (at) themselves . Meandering, vaguely defined sections – some of which have had some cursory preparation, most of which are just semi-improvised riffs on a theme, usually one of the two clowning around or doing something embarrassing in a public place, for instance, the time they went to see Waiting for Godot with Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen (dubbing it X-Men Live) while Ed was wearing a Wolverine claw, and started shouting ‘He’s behind you’ and other such things.

The majority or the podcast is Ray and Ed discussing whatever comes into their heads. There are a few recurring features, although they tend not to last very long. The best of these (I recommend you download and listen to their back catalogue as well, by the way) is the ‘Letters for free stuff’ section, based on the idea of writing joke complaint letters to various brands’ customer services departments to try and get some free stuff, invariably involving the terminally ill child Fraiser and how he had suffered from the product – replacing his saline drip with Sunny D, Toxic Waste causing one of his eyeballs to pop out, and more in that vein.

There’s inconsistent characterisation, with the pair alternating between the buffoon and the straight man, or sometimes just two buffoons. There’s an odd sense that they’re not behaving all that differently doing the podcast to how they would normally – their characters are clearly exaggerated but part of the podcast’s joy is that you’re never sure quite how much it’s an act, quite how much they’re playing to the microphones, or to what extent this is just their usual interactions.

The shows are clearly not the most polished or refined, but therein lies their charm, and sometimes the more ‘rough cut’ approach is more entertaining. Absolutely one of the funniest podcasts you’ll listen to, probably ever. This is the podcast I laugh at the most. Really, really really worth your listening to.