It was so popular last year that we decided to do it again! Join us this holiday season as we introduce you to twelve of our favourite podcasts in the 12 Days of Podmas!
Pappy’s is a sketch/improvisation comedy troupe comprising Matthew Crosby, Tom Parry and Ben Clark. With an award-winning act honed during the mid 00s in London, the Edinburgh Fringe and BBC3 sitcom Badults, podcasting soon became another string to their bow. In conjunction with comedy producer Ben Walker, 2011 saw the debut of what would become the centerpiece in the gang’s podcast portfolio: Pappy’s Flatshare Slamdown.
It’s a panel show, recorded live with an additional two contestants per episode (past guests have included Josie Long, Andy Zaltzman, Bridget Christie and Richard Herring). The format is that the central trio share a flat with Matthew (the host and gamesmaster) as the landlord. Each week he requires completion of a menial chore (putting out the bins, doing the washing up, bleeding the radiators etc) which neither tenant wants to complete. This results in the loose theme for a series of challenges and quiz questions, the overall loser of which gets lumbered with the task. It’s not as cumbersome as that all sounds.
Rounds consist of various competitive pun-based games and activities around the chosen subject, beef-brothers (where the panel set up a faux courtroom to settle housemate beefs from the audience) and a quickfire round to rack up the final scores. These are interspersed with specially recorded musical round-introductions from Tom and Ben.
With a loose running time of around 40-60 minutes, incredibly fruity language yet nothing remotely malicious, it’s also one of the most reliably funny and upbeat podcasts currently being produced – an absolute must for fans of UK comedy.
After nine series plus Christmas-specials (check out the now-legendary entry with Rufus Hound), Flatshare Slamdown shows no sign of waning, and the spinoff studio-recorded podcasts House Meeting and Beef Brothers Cold Cuts show that Pappy’s are just as brilliant away from the stage, too.
Pappy’s Flatshare Slamdown can be found at comedy.co.uk, you can thank us in the comments below…