‘A History Of Comedy In Several Objects’, alternatively known as ‘HistComPod’ is a podcast from the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive at the University of Kent, devised and presented by Dr Oliver Double (Director of the Comedy & Popular Performance Research Centre and previously a professional comedian) and Elspeth Millar (Archivist in the University’s Special Collections & Archives), and funded by the University of Kent’s Public Engagement with Research Fund.

The podcast aims to illustrate the history of stand-up comedy through objects found within the archive. Each episode features a particular item from the archive, which Olly and Elspeth discuss to show what it reveals about the art and craft of stand-up and the recent history of the form. You can access the podcast via iTunes and acast.

The podcast is also about listener involvment, so please contact us via Twitter (@HistComPod), Facebook (A History of Comedy in Several Objects Podcast), or email (standup@kent.ac.uk)

If you want to discover more about material within the British Stand-Up Comedy Archive you can search the online catalogue at http://archive.kent.ac.uk. You can also see images of some of the objects we discuss in the podcast on flickr.

And you are welcome to email us at standup@kent.ac.uk with any queries, suggestions, or to organise a visit to the Archive.