The Romesh Ranganathan Show Josh Widdicombe on Why Podcasts Help Comedians & Leaving London For Devon
Feb 23, 2026
Josh Widdicombe, stand-up comedian and broadcaster known from The Last Leg and Parenting Hell, chats about why he prefers podcasts to TV. He talks touring life and balancing home, his move from London to Devon, rediscovering photography as a non-commercial hobby, and launching a pop-culture podcast exploring oddities from Mr Blobby to the Berlin Wall.
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Podcasts Let Comedians Be Themselves
- Josh prefers podcasts because they let him be himself instead of chasing immediate laughs for TV edits.
- He says podcasts help comedians develop material and make them better on TV by allowing meandering, authentic conversation.
Tour Life Means Missing Home And Sneaking In Tests
- Josh enjoys touring but hates not being at home and dislikes preoccupied promotion; he sometimes sneaks in warm-up shows to try new material.
- He described appearing at Always Be Comedy to try material and then feeling self-conscious about the post-show photo.
Pushed Out Of London For A Calmer Life
- Josh and Romesh discuss moving out of London; Josh says he and his family were pushed out by the city's stress and chose Exeter because they knew people there.
- He notes the commute is two hours 15 minutes by train and describes the stress of morning travel to make podcast commitments.