Claim OwnershipThe Stand-Up Theologian
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James Cary, BBC comedy writer, author and touring stand-up theologian is on a never-ending quest to understand comedy, the Bible, culture and the church.
25 Episodes
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I have a conversation with Tilly Dillehay, author of “My Dear Hemlock”, a book in the style of CS Lewis’s Screwtape Letters that does not pull its punches on the female condition. We also talk about writing, sitcom and sketches and then ‘pivot’ into story structure and The Princess Bride. We also talk about books that broke the rules and made us laugh out loud. Check out Cary's Almanac Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about the show Want to talk about the podcast and engag...
A deep dive into Conspiracy theories - not a big long list of them, but why we might believe them, or find it hard to prove them one way or the other. A fascinating conversation with Dr (Dr) Jonny Woodrow, host of the Stop it! You're Killing Me Podcast. Listen the episode with with Yours Truly here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/stop-it-youre-killing-me/id1738098579?i=1000717379359 Also mentioned: Haunted Cosmos Moon Landings Aquinas 101 The Sacred Art of Joking (Affiliate ...
In this solo episode, I introduce the Psalm Psupplement, forty reflections on the Psalms that might be handy for Lent. This is an audio version of the first batch on Psalm 1. Loyal Lollards (paid subscribers to the Wycliffe Papers) will be getting all forty them thrown in with their membership. Why not join? Plus there'll be a load of bonus audio content to keep you going during the forthcoming hiatus. And I'm reading from the World English Bible - because it's not bad, it's public domain and...
I have a conversation with Andrew Ollerton who has written a new book called God’s Book: An Honest Look at the Bible’s 7 Toughest Topics. And he’s been at the front line of talking about the Bible to people who are just picking it up for the first time. What do they want to know? Check out Cary's Almanac for a weekly newsletter about the Christian way of life with reference to history, scripture and creation. Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about the show Want to talk about th...
Two culture vultures pick over the plentiful remains of Stranger Things. I talked to Caleb Woodbridge who is an imaginative disciple, freelance writer and editor, fan of sf/fantasy, children's & YA literature, Doctor Who, Tolkien & C S Lewis. He writes and podcasts at Bigger Inside. We talk about Stranger Things but also JK Rowling; CS Lewis; Narnia; Harry Potter; Hunger Games, Video Games, Massive Effect, Baldur’s Gate – and why James doesn’t play video games and has a rant abo...
Last year, I wrote an article about home education for Gareth Crispin, editor of Premier NexGen: https://www.premiernexgen.com/education/why-home-education-is-the-best-option-for-christian-families/20440.article And we talked about it! Oh yes. We talked about it. And here's Dumbing us Down by John Taylor Gatto Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about the show Want to talk about the podcast and engage with other listeners? Come on over to the Facebook Group. Find out about my tou...
In this New Year’s Day solo walk-and-talk, I reflect on what happens when long-running momentum finally runs out. Turning 50, finishing six years on the Archbishop's Council, and watching the comedy industry shift have forced me to face an uncomfortable question: have I been relying on professional habits while avoiding fully intentional choices? Prompted by Steven Pressfield’s Turning Pro, I think aloud about career, responsibility, making work that is actually “on,” faith, family, and what ...
It's just like old times! Cary and Cooper are reunited for this review of the year in books. We revisit Against the Machine by Paul Kingsnorth, and James explains why there are a number of books he has some serious problems with (I'm looking at you, George RR Martin). Barry's read some Thomas Hardy. Seriously. Very seriously. And Cary does not care for The Way We Live Now by Trollope. You can listen to an extended version of this episode by becoming a Loyal Lollard - a paid subscriber to The ...
What a treat! James gets to geek about CS Lewis, That Hideous Strength and The Abolition of Man - with the world's leading expert on all things Inkling, Dr Michael Ward! Why should we NEVER call his science fiction books 'The Space Trilogy'? And is The Magician's Nephew actually going to be good? Enjoy! Planet Narnia After Humanity: A Guide to C.S. Lewis’s The Abolition of Man by Dr Michael Ward Life on the Silent Planet: Essays on Christian Living from C.S. Lewis's Ransom Trilogy - feat...
Is there a book in you? Have you checked? Do you need to be talked into it? Or out of it? And who cares? You care! But will anyone else? Matt Bird helps people write their story. So this is a conversation about the pain, euphoria, self-delusion, vanity and the therapeutic nature of writing a book. Find out more about Matt Bird and PublishU HERE. Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about the show Want to talk about the podcast and engage with other listeners? Come on over to the Fa...
What is Christmas? When does it start? And how long does it last? What is advent? So many questions! James Cary has a few answers in this solo episode with a bonus bit of The Gospel According to a Sitcom Writer at the end. Get hold of Word Made Flesh Sitcom Geeks Ep208 What’s so special about the Christmas Special? Popcorn parenting Christmas Movies episode Christmas Carol read by Hugh Grant. And here’s that unicorn: https://collections.vam.ac.uk/item/O84543/tapestry-unknown/ Get in touch via...
There was a time when the BBC completely ruled the airwaves, both TV and Radio. What happened? Where did it go? Especially the comedy. And where did the BBC come from? In this episode, James talks to comedian, writer, author and presenter of the British Broadcasting Century podcast, Paul Kerensa. Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about the show Want to talk about the podcast and engage with other listeners? Come on over to the Facebook Group. Find out about my touring sh...
Stand-Up Theologian James Cary talks to James Sherwood, musical comedian (or comedic musician?). Together they've been writing a musical, although they could have sworn that they wrote one in 2017 (A Monk's Tale) and again in 2019 (A Turbulent Priest). Apparently not. James and James (you decide which is which) explain how they found out what a musical actually was, and then explain what a musical actually is. Please support the Death in Canterbury campaign. Get in touch via text and tell me ...
In this solo episode, I connect my long-running fascinations with comedy, World War II, and Indiana Jones — exploring why one scene in my favourite Indy film falls flat, why Armstrong and Miller’s RAF sketches are so funny (and a bit sad) and how The Producers got away with being in such poor taste. Timed around Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day, it’s a reflection on humour, history, and why we’re so captivated by the wars that shaped the modern world - and that man at the heart of it. Am ...
In this episode, James talks Aaron Edwards from That Good Fight and Pod of the Gaps podcast about 'The Machine' as laid out by Paul Kingsnorth, who as written Against the Machine which I recommend listening to on Audible - and here's an affiliate link to THAT BOOK. We also talk about Jacques Ellul and The Technological Society, CR Wiley and The Household and The War for the Cosmos, Paul Vanderklay and Joel Sallaton, The Lunatic Farmer and author of The Marvellous Pigness of Pigs! Get in touch...
Graham Linehan is frequently in the news because of jokes and comments on Twitter. This is one that won't go away, so let's talk about it. I already talked about it with Glen Scrivener on his podcast, Speak Life. Listen to those - and the original HERE. We talk about whether sins are crimes and how sins can be worse than crimes; freedom, what we want to be from from, and what that freedom is for; and how words our actually more powerful than we realise. Sticks and stones may break our bones -...
This is a solo episode! Does that excite you? Or fill you with dread, like meeting The Dread Pirate Roberts? A reflective, rambling solo episode recorded on a morning walk in which I talk about why this show is audio-first, whyI'm making it, and how he thinks about cadence, audience and membership communities and Christian comedy among the crunching leaves and a cameo from some geese. How should this podcast work? Best weekly with seasons - or weekly with more solo episodes? I also expl...
The Bible is a rich and stunning tapestry of woven wisdom and truth - and yet we are bizarrely resistant to reading it. Why is that? And why do we treat it differently from other books and media? How can we read it more, and dig deeper? James Cary, the stand-up theologian, talks to Andrew Sach, author of: Dig Deeper into 1 & 2 Kings by Andrew Sach, Alasdair HendersonWhy not join the podcast's new and experimental Facebook Group? The Wycliffe Papers on Facebook And please consider be...
James has a chat with pastor and author Ed Shaw about friendship, intimacy and his old school reports. Do we change? Can we change? And how can we be intimate with God? Check out The Intimacy Deficit by Ed Shaw The Wycliffe Papers on Facebook Why not join the podcast's new and experimental Facebook Group? And consider becoming a Loyal Lollard for the extended version of this podcast. Go on over to The Wycliffe Papers and Upgrade to Paid. Get in touch via text and tell me what you like about t...
James Cary talks to comedian Andy Kind, author of a new book, The Wayfarer, a laugh-out-loud memoir about his third attempt to walk the Pennine Way. They also talks about the state of stand-up, the impact of the pandemic and the line - or salty path - between truth and storytelling. Why not join the podcast's new and experimental Facebook Group? And consider become a Loyal Lollard for the extended version of this podcast. Go on over to The Wycliffe Paper and Upgrade to Paid. Get in touch via ...
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