Richard Herring

Stewart Lee ('Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle')

It was with some glee (and no little surprise) that we at DS welcomed the news that Stewart Lee's Comedy Vehicle had been given a second series. He may have been proclaimed the 41st Best Stand-Up Ever in 2007, but we'd struggle to name many comics we'd rather see on stage than him. Before his show returns tonight, we spoke to Stewart about his new late-night TV slot, why Channel 4 are "moronic cynics" and the long-awaited DVD release of his and Richard Herring's '90s classic Fist of Fun.

Richard Herring interview

He's come to sort out all of those niggly theological issues that have been plaguing mankind for years. We spoke to Richard Herring about his tour, taboos and his teenage self.

My Secret Life: Richard Herring, comedian, 43

Interview with the comedian Richard Herring.

Interview: Richard Herring, comedian

Interview with the stand-up comic Richard Herring.

Podcasts: Why the future sounds funny

Podcasts are bringing stand-up comedy to new audiences. As the BBC gets in on the act, Frank Skinner and Richard Herring give Ian Burrell the lowdown on downloads.

Interview: Richard Herring

Richard Herring talks about the ups and downs of his career thus far, the motivation behind his Hitler Moustache and Christ On A Bike shows, and his time working with fellow comedian Stewart Lee...

Not one to ever play safe, comedian and writer Richard Herring has begun a series of four programmes in which he will be attempting to reclaim objects that people have grown to hate. In the first instalment of Richard Herring's Objective, he revisited the subject of a previous stand-up show by asking why the Hitler or toothbrush moustache remains so morally questionable. His mission was to remind society that the same "nasal welcome mat" once signified comedy through its rightful owner Charlie Chaplin.

It was funny and occasionally distressing to hear what happened when Herring himself grew said offensive moustache and the reactions he received when he went walkabout. But beyond the laughs, this extremely intelligent performer also made a political point - the skill was that he did so without listeners feeling like they were being preached to.

My greatest mistake: Richard Herring

Comedian Richard Herring on the night at the Edinburgh festival when it all went horribly wrong.

Richard Herring's latest series is based on the idea that he will try to rehabilitate some apparently harmless object that people now object to. He begins with Hitler's moustache. Why should that little piece of facial hair still provoke such hatred? He discovers (from a German moustache historian, yes, really) that Hitler grew a beard in the Second World War then shaved it down. During his rise to power, that moustache became very popular. After the war, not at all. So Herring grows a beard then shaves it down Hitler-fashion to test reaction today.

Facial hair is usually associated with harmless eccentricity these days but during the 30s and 40s it was a moustache that embodied pure evil itself - specifically the toothbrush 'tache sported by Adolf Hitler. In this series, comedian Richard Herring sets out to rid a number of inanimate objects of their unfortunate associations, with his sights set this week on the Führer's face furniture, arguing that Charlie Chaplin popularised the toothbrush moustache long before Hitler first reached for his razor, and that the style needs reclaiming by today's funnymen. While quite amusing, the show's a bit hit-and-miss with Herring veering dangerously close to sermonising when the BNP comes up. But fans of the comic and his irreverent style will find much to enjoy.