NewsRevue 2018 cast talk about their comedy heroes

NewsRevue, the satirical show at the Edinburgh Fringe this August, is recognised by the Guinness Book of Records as the world's longest running live comedy show.

Each year the producers invite a different cast to help them mock the news, and it's certainly become a show via which to spot up-and-coming talent. Here's just some of the names on previous NewsRevue cast lists: Jessica Ransom, Jessica Fostekew, Pippa Evans, Cariad Lloyd, Bridget Christie, Gemma Arrowsmith, Lorna Watson, Gemma Whelan and Sara Pascoe. See what we mean?

This year it's Susannah Austin, Philippa Carson, Jacob Jackson and Jack Mosedale who are on stage. To find out more about their backgrounds, we thought we'd ask them to tell us about their comedy heroes:

Susannah Austin

Character comedy and the absurd are my two favourite things and, as I was born in the 80s, French & Saunders and Joanna Lumley are my earliest comedy heroes.

My friends and I would play at being Eddie and Patsy: puffing on candy cigarette sticks whilst quaffing bottles of Bolly and falling over or doing our own Murders Most Horrid. I loved their caricatures of the rich and famous and the brilliantly silly slapstick elements too.

The League Of Gentlemen had me utterly transfixed when it came out. Shearsmith, Pemberton and Gatiss are masters of the grotesque and their character work is sublime; heart-breaking, disturbing and hilarious in perfect balance. They make their audience walk that wonderful knife edge between laughing and crying, which I totally love. Plus, I'm pretty sure Papa Lazarou was in all our nightmares for most of the noughties, which is a feat in itself! I was thrilled to see it come back last year, and to see where all the characters ended up, and I wasn't disappointed.

Julian Barratt and Noel Fielding set my heart on fire when I first saw The Mighty Boosh and I was instantly hooked. They encapsulated my teen comedy dreams: incredible outfits, stupid songs, madcap adventures, witty repartee, anthropomorphised friends. It was a revelation! Their songs frequently float through my head. I fell in love with Julian Barratt all over again when I saw him in Flowers, but I've got fingers crossed for a Boosh Reunion!

Philippa Carson

Comedy heroes. Alright lads. Where to begin? I can't seem to pick just one. My idea of an ideal situation (and if anyone fancies arranging this for me, don't fight that urge) would be to hang out with the following legends and for them to think "Jaysus, that Philippa Carson... she's hilarious. Let's teach her everything we know and put her in stuff with us."

Here we go:

1. Tina Fey: have listened to Bossypants about 40 million times, literally just pressed pause so I can write this. The trio of Tina Fey, Maya Rudolph and Amy Poehler is also just the business. They have a collective library of the most fantastic facial expressions ever made and they come from the same background as what I'm doing; being actor / writer / improviser / filmmaker / sketch-comedy people. These dudes make me feel like I'm not an eejit for editing comedy videos and rehearsing silly songs and sketches all day.

2. Ali Wong: Watch Baby Cobra and you will understand.

3. Last year I would've said Louis CK... devo.

4. Judd Apatow & Leslie Mann and their kids - what bunch of comedy film making genii!

5. I'm Irish, if you haven't guessed, so I'm a massive fan of these deadly humans and want to be their pal: Dylan Moran, Chris O'Dowd, David O'Doherty, Jarlath Regan and Aisling Bea. Are ya free Friday lads?! Wanna hang?! I'm around, or in NewsRevue, or Just These, Please. But like, see you there, or after. K cool.

Jacob Jackson

It is my firm belief that if a person places themselves on stage and invites an audience to laugh at them then there are a strong grounds for them to be deemed insane - absurd, even.

Therein lies the theme which connects my comedy heroes. My childhood was defined by The League Of Gentlemen, the likes of Pemberton, Shearsmith and Gatiss, who wouldn't blink twice at the suggestion of donning a fake pair of breasts, a rejected Cats wig and appearing on screen with an overbite that could destroy an entire orchard.

Of course, The League Of Gentlemen's roots are firmly entrenched in the British institution that is Monty Python. I don't know any of any British comedian that would deny the significance of Life Of Brian in their lives. The late Graham Chapman for me, epitomises that effortless combination of physical and vocal absurdity which never fails to put a smile on my face, and ultimately, he continues to be a tremendous inspiration.

The boys from The League Of Gentlemen and Monty Python are proof that if you keep at it for long enough, you might just become an Idle. Or a Cleese, or a Chapman...

Jack Mosedale

When I was growing up my parents introduced me to comedy through stuff like Laurel & Hardy, Morecambe & Wise, Victoria Wood - all brilliant comedians.

Then, as a teenager, I was very much a French & Saunders boy so I've always had a thing for sketch comedy. At the moment I think Kate Berlant and John Early are fantastic - they've got a miniseries on Vimeo called 555 which everyone should watch because it's genius.

Any stand-up by Tig Notaro or Chelsea Peretti or Sarah Silverman is always going to be great too. It's a bit of a cliché to say, but I think any comedy hero of mine is probably someone who's doing something that just feels a bit new and different really. I saw Maria Bamford at The Leicester Square Theatre earlier in the year and that was just remarkable and absolutely blew everyone in the room away because it was so unlike anything you've seen before. It was really special.

My true comedy heroes have to be my NewsRevue cast mates though. What a team. I bet one of them will have made that joke already as well because we're all hilarious and we've spent too much time together.