The Cheeky Podcast

Cheeky Productions

Join Tom and Ian as they journey to find out what exactly IS a clown? In this all inclusive podcast, they will be discussing the ins, outs, middles and weird side bits of clown, comedy and performance.

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20 episodes
Updated Apr 18, 2025

Episodes20

Newest first

Apr 18, 2025 · 1 hr 28 min
Cheeky Interview - Neven Connolly
The incredible Neven Connolly: Clown, Dancer and Creative shares about his background and current projects! Timestamps 0.00m Introductions 1.36m Where Nevens journey began, Theatre and Dance Classes 6.22m Studying Dance full time @ Urban Dance centre / Phly Crew 8.25m Cirque du Soleil at Sea 10.24m What does a Comedy Dance show look like? 15.16m Frequency of being onstage as an understudy 16.29 The Cirque at Sea Characters 21.47 COVID and everything since 26.35 Blanc de Blanc UNCORKED & Taking on pre Existing roles 34.48m The Empire Strips Back 42.48m Lassu Cosmic Cabaret – The Creation 55.38m Kårera – Voyage of Wonder 1.05.48m Performing Highlights and Lowlights 1.14.20m Reflecting on Networking at its importance 1.18.57 Creative Inspirations 1.22.58 Bucket List Performing Goals 1.25.38 Final Thoughts 1.27.40 Joke of the Day
Mar 27, 2025 · 1 hr 27 min
Ciara Thornburn - Cheeky Interview
Ciara Thornburn is an International Circus / Clown / Character artist who first appeared 4.5 years ago on the Cheeky Podcast. Tune in to hear all the incredible new stories and performance experiences that have unravelled in this time between 2020 and 2025. TIMESTAMPS and Things Discussed: 0.00 Introductions 2.43m Refreshing the timeline – Covid / The Thesis / Circus Rio Being Employee Vs Creating your own work 7.04m What Ian’s been up to? Mentioning Neven Connolly, Jessie Grant, Mitchel Woodcock The creation of LASSU Discussing act creation, where to put the difficult tricks in an act. 15.22m What's Ciara doing in Perth? Council Gigs , What’s a council gig? 17.27m Starting Street Performing Japanese Awaji Festival Creating different ways of Displaying your skills 25.32m About Camp Culture, the amazing children’s show 28.13m How did Working for Virgin Voyages come about? 34.57m Cruise ship lifestyle Talking wages / evaluating your worth Acknowledging the grind – Do the work! 44.01m What would you still like to do? Career bucket list 48m - About Purple Rabbit , how it came about Tangent – Talking about Rico and Vivi 53.07m All about Palazzo! 58.20m Future Plans! – GOP ?? The Crazy Audition journey Plans to go visit and meet the director falling through Visa problems 1.05hr Joys of creating a new character ! Creation vs taking over something existing Getting into a position to choose 1.11hr Cruise Ship realities Sharing Rooms and accommodation on tour Differences working on cruise lines 1.16hr Routine and comfort on tour 1.18.46 How is Ciara different now from then? 1.23.56 Joke of the Day / Conclusion
Dec 20, 2024 · 1 hr 48 min
Jesse Highley - A Cheeky Interview - Big Apple Circus 'Hometown Playground'
The Cheeky Podcast welcomes a special International guest direct from New York City, Jesse Highley! Jesse is performing a Christmas season with the Big Apple Circus with their brand new show Hometown Playground. Here, Jesse shares his story including his journey and insights into Clowning, touring with Ringling Bros and Barnum and Baileys Circus, The Human Fountains in Las Vegas as well as performing with Magic Mike Live?! Enjoy! Timestamps: 0.00 Introductions 0.47 About Hometown Playground 1.54 Jessie Highley! - Early Life and seeing the Circus as a child 5.07 First Clowning Classes / Teenage Years / Theatre Studies 8.48 Dreams of Clown College Crushed 10.37 First Professional Gig - Prince Charming at Walt Disney World 12.40 Moving Back into Comedy / Discussing Typecasting 18.18 Clowning in Big Apple Circus - Hometown Playground 19.47 All about Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus 30.06 Clowning specifics with the Greatest Show on Earth 35.39 Performance Characteristics of Classic American Circus Clowns 38.40 Tangent - Travelling Australia / Disney Live as Buzz Lightyear 40.26 Comparing Australian / South American and American Clowning 43.24 What is Clowning ? Jesse Highley's interpretation 51.24 Discussing Audience Participation 57.55 Tapping into our inner Child 1.00.00 Biggest Performance Highlight 1.04.35 Least Favourite Career Highlight 1.07.34 A dream come true with the Big Apple Circus 1.09.16 The Human Fountains and Americas got talent Superstars LIVE 1.13.11 The Origins of The Human Fountains and Creative Process 1.17.23 Magic Mike LIVE 1.25.34 Finding time for Creative Projects - iLuminate LAS VEGAS 1.35.30 Other opportunities in the Comedy industry 1.39.48 Future Career Aspirations and Dreams / Leaving a Legacy Links of Mentioned Things / Places / Shows Jesses Instagram https://x.com/jessehighley The Human Fountains: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDMqFa7y980&ab_channel=JesseHighley The Big Apple Circus https://bigapplecircus.com/ iLuminate https://thestrat.com/entertainment/featured/iluminate Infamous https://www.infamous.net.au/
Oct 31, 2024 · 41 min
Cheeky Interview - Ian Richardson - Infamous the Show
In this fresh episode of 'The Cheeky Podcast' , host Ian Richardson shares his journey performing the 'Bell Hop' clown role in Infamous the Show, marking the first-ever handover of the character since its creation in 2017. Ian takes us behind the scenes, recounting the lead-up to his premiere and his first two months on stage. He dives into his creative process, tackling expectations, and embracing the highs and lows of trial and error while crafting a fresh take on a dearly beloved character. Sit back, relax, and enjoy! *Recorded on the 30th of June 2024* TIMESTAMPS: 0.00 Introductions 1m 15sec About 'Infamous' 2m 18sec 'What made you want to do the role? 5m 27sec 'Did someone fill the Handbalancing Role? 8min 40 sec "What was the Process of learning the Clown Role? 11min 43sec What was the process for Creating a new 'Spotlight' Act 14min 34sec Back to Learning the rest of it 19.52m How much do you get to improvise each show? 26.11m Did all the acts have the same amout of colaboration during their creation? 28.40m What type of clown is the character? 30.46m Whats your favourite part of the show? 34.40m Anything else to say? 39.30m Joke of the Day 41.25m End Mentioned People / Places / Things Jessie Grant's Instagram https://www.instagram.com/jessie_grant92/ Viva Melbourne: https://vivamelbourne.com.au/ Infamous the Show: https://www.infamous.net.au/ Cameron Taylor: https://camerontaylors.com/
Jul 4, 2024 · 1 hr 6 min
Cheeky Interview - Tomas Correia & Lesh Kelso - A Space Between
WE'RE BACK! The Podcast all about Clowning and Comedy has returned for All New Episodes after a two year hiatus, starting with an interview with our very own host Tomas Correia and his partner Lesh Kelso. These two describe and reflect about their show 'A Space Between' that they created, and performed this year in the the Adelaide Fringe Festival. Sit back, relax, and enjoy! Timestamps: 0.00 Introduction 01.09 Tell us about the Show! 08.36 How did you structure creative development? 14.48 What Circus is in the show? 24.03 What are your favourite moments in the show? 31.58 What Comedic Devices are in the Show? 41.00 How did you find the Business side of things? 49.50 What is something you would do differently next time? 59.35 What was your favourite thing about the entire experience ? 1.04 Outro & Joke of the Day
Jun 5, 2021 · 24 min
The Caveman - Clowns Create
Dive into a mismatched narrative of a caveman who struggles to light a fire... Clowns Create is a new series where Tom and Ian exercise their funny brains and imagine a Clown Act from scratch using nothing but quick wit and accumulated knowledge from the Cheeky Podcast series. These episodes are aimed to inspire and entertain listeners for their own creative projects, while we come up with both terrible and hilarious ideas. Timestamps 0.19m Intro 1.28m The Action Triangle 2.41m Things we try to Include 3.35m The Brainstorming Begins 9.04m Discovering Motivations and Problems to solve 22.48.m Outro 24.00m Joke of the Day
May 24, 2021 · 21 min
What is Bouffon?
Answering the age old question of Bouffon, Tom and Ian get into how, where and why Bouffon came to be. Bouffon is a style of performance in which the aim is to provoke emotion (usually laughter in the uncomfortable) in order to gain clarity or resonance in a particular subject - the more taboo, raucous, or edgy the better. If you're interested in researching more about Bouffon then feel free to have a look through our sources below! Let us know if we missed something interesting. TIMESTAMPS 0.00 Intro 1.18 Initial Notes 2.09 Quotes 5.30 What is Bouffon? 7.32 Myth of Bouffon 11.15 Good Art 12.33 Visuals of Bouffon 14.24 Modern Bouffon Origin 18.33 Stock Characters 19.11 Nate 20.26 Outro 21.20 Joke of the Day SHOWNOTES & SOURCES Jacques Lecoq Phillipe Gaulier Giovanni Fusetti Bouffon Examples Nate https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bouffon washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/01/05/AR2011010505738.html https://www.aqueoushumour.com/about/bouffons/ https://batterseaartscentreblog.com/2020/02/13/bouffon-for-beginners/ https://learningthroughtheatre.co.uk/blog/what-is-the-origin-of-bouffon https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulcinella https://www.lifeinitaly.com/lifestyle/holidays/carnival/pulcinella/ https://www.petalily.com/blog-dark-clown-clown-plus/bouffon-satire-dark-clown https://www.routledgehandbooks.com/doi/10.4324/9781315745251.ch18 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Feast_of_Fools
May 17, 2021 · 29 min
The Electrician - Clowns Create!
The next installment of the Clowns Create series has landed! Using nothing but quick wit and creativity, Tom and Ian brainstorm an entire live performance Clown Routine completely from scratch. Clowns Create episodes were made to exercise our creative muscles and apply some of the clowning techniques we have learned about while at NICA and producing the Cheeky Podcast. TIMESTAMPS 0.00m Intro 1.32m Act Triangle 4.04m Brainstorming Begins 18.09m Remembering Audience Interaction ! 23.48mRecap 26.52m Outro 28.25mJoke of the Day Around the World Daft Punk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKYPYj2XX80 Classic Bugs Bunny Skit with Lightning https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TJI_gygXsfs
Apr 15, 2021 · 24 min
Marcel Marceau - Highlighted Histories
Today we take a look at the most famous MIME in the world! Said to have single handedly revived the art of mime during the 20th century, there is most certainly more than meets the eye here! After rescuing many children during WWII as a part of the French Resistance, he turned to performance, where his shows would touch hearts and minds. Even becoming friends with Michael Jackson and becoming an inspiration for the moonwalk! TIMESTAMPS 0.00 Intro 1.24 Opening Notes 3.04 Birth and Youth 9.03 School and Beginning of Career 15.27 Stock Acts 22.03 Side Track 22.48 Outro 23.30 Joke Of The Day SHOWNOTES Marcel Marceau Miming The Mask Act Shitfaced Shakespeare Laughfactory.com SOURCES https://www.mime.info/encyclopedia/marceau.html https://www.mime.info/encyclopedia/marceau-bio.html https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0545131/bio?ref_=nm_ov_bio_sm https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/paris/articles/marcel-marceau-frances-most-memorable-mime/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Marcel-Marceau https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Marceau https://artsandculture.google.com/entity/marcel-marceau/m017_65?hl=en https://www.history.com/news/marcel-marceau-wwii-french-resistance-georges-loinger
Apr 6, 2021 · 27 min
What is Mime?
What is Mime?! Baby don't hurt me...Don't hurt me... No More! In this episode of the Cheeky Podcast Tom and Ian attempt to make sense of the performance genre of Mime. What is Mime? And how is it similar and different to Clowning? Find out this and more as we try to piece together the mystery of Mime. TIMESTAMPS: 0.00m Introduction 3.55m What is Mime? 8.53m Can Mimes use Props ? 13.39m Is mime a category of Clown ? 17.38m History of Modern Mime 22.55m Trivia & Fun Facts 24.55m Outro 26.15m Joke of the Day Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mime_artist https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-a-mime https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporeal_mime http://www.differencebetween.net/miscellaneous/difference-between-mime-and-clown/ https://www.theatreinparis.com/blog/a-history-of-mime-the-most-oh-so-french-of-art-forms http://worldmime.org/en/about-mime/mime-and-pantomime.html http://www.peareylalbhawan.com/blog/2017/08/24/mime-as-a-performance-art/ http://worldmime.org/en/about-mime/mime-and-pantomime/104-mime-and-pantomime/291-le-mime.html Pop Culture references ! Video 1 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyqelMwAza4&ab_channel=TheOfficialPok%C3%A9monYouTubechannel Video 2 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jwasv_AImtI&ab_channel=Movieclips
Mar 28, 2021 · 26 min
Baton Controller - Clowns Create
A brand new thing! Today Ian and Tom create an act in front of your very ears! Beginning with an Act Triangle they make their way through their imagination to create the amazing Baton Controller! TIMESTAMPS 0.00 Intro 1.57 Act Triangle 3.00 The World 5.35 Character Rd 1 10.07 Audience Interactions 13.50 Overview 17.05 Character Rd 2 24.24 Outro 25.51 Joke of the Day SHOWNOTES Ludwig Interview Bonebreaker Leo European Whiteface
Mar 21, 2021 · 59 min
Ludwig Schukin - Interview
Ludwig Schukin! The oft mentioned teacher of Ian and Tom has come down from the heavens to discuss clown, and his journey into it. Ludwig is an incredible clown and performer, who performed all over the world, in front of amazing crowds, with amazing people before coming to NICA to teach the next generation of clowns, cyr wheelists, slapstick acrobats, strap artists and more. TIMESTAMPS: 0.00 Intro 1.03 How Did You Become A Clown? 22.54 Did You Perform At The Circus When You Were Young? 31.54 What Made Your Dad So Famous? 38.32 What Is Your Favourite Show You Performed? 47.03 What Is A Clown? 48.13 Is Audience Connection New? 55.32 How Did You Find Out About NICA? 57.24 Joke Of The Day 58.17 Outro SHOWNOTES: Instagram
Mar 8, 2021 · 15 min
Character Clown - The Clown Types Series
Completing another piece of the the Clown Types series! In this episode learn from Tom and Ian all about the 'Character' type of clown. Proper description and timestamps coming ASAP !! Sources : COMPETITION RULES https://clownopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Clownopedia http://www.charliethejugglingclown.com/types.htm https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clown#Character_clow The Different Types of Clowns https://www.jollygoodfun.co.uk/blog/2010/02/27/clown/what-is-a-character-clown/
Feb 22, 2021 · 28 min
Monsieur Hulot's Holiday - Clowns React
Join us as we discuss Monsieur Hulot's Holiday, a world renowned French movie starring Jacques Tati, a famous mime and clown who transitioned into movies. Monsieur Hulot is an eccentric character, the likes of which inspired Rowan Atkinson when he was young. Equipped with his childing naivety and troublemaking skills, he sets to go on holiday to a French beach. TIMESTAMPS: 0.00 Intro 1.19 Opening Statements 2.06 Comedic Devices 14.39 Favourite Moments 20.20 Trivia 26.26 Outro 27.57 Joke of the Day SHOWNOTES: Mr Hulot's Holiday
Feb 15, 2021 · 28 min
Chocolat and Foottit - Highlighted Histories
One of the original pairings of the August and White Face Clown, Chocolat and Foottit became a famous comedy duo in 19th century France who broke the social norm. Tune in to hear more about their lives, careers and comedy style! TIMESTAMPS: 0.00 Intro 2.12 Opening Statements 2.40 Chocolats Upbringing 10.29 Foottits Upbringing 13.32 Their performance career 22.26 The Duos Separation and Additional Facts 26.37 Outro 27.31 Joke of the Day Old Footage! : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjHZ_z23BZY&ab_channel=DigitalCin%C3%A9 Sources: https://famousclowns.org/famous-clowns/foottit-chocolat/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocolat_(clown)#Foottit_and_Chocolat https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Foottit https://www.victorian-cinema.net/footit https://remezcla.com/features/film/rafael-padilla-hocolat-the-cuban-slave-first-black-star-france/ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cakewalk http://www.circopedia.org/Foottit_%26_Chocolat?fbclid=IwAR0ep5q7MwSmfCkmc9Fk0OrPG0ay3Lgq0ated8ZhFBDiukPycwf9_Ji5SO0 https://h-france.net/fffh/the-buzz/chocolat-a-black-entertainer-in-the-belle-epoque/?fbclid=IwAR13e1Spqx1YNrGbIKhY9CPmg1HUX5LnEgsn84Wh7LlZvcB9zKYWWQXSN6Y
Feb 8, 2021 · 33 min
Joseph Grimaldi - The ORIGINAL Clown - Highlighted Histories
Today we are going over the fascinating history of the worlds first clown, Joseph Grimaldi! Joseph Grimaldi is accredited to being the inventor of the modern clown, whether that's character clown, white face or even auguste, its all due to his interactive style that he invented in 1801. TIMESTAMPS 0.00 Intro 1.13 Initial Notes 2.47 Family History 5.41 Pantomime Side Note 6.57 Childhood and Teenage Years 13.13 His 20's and the Origin of Clown 20.47 Highlights 23.22 Family and Old Age 28.30 Final Notes 30.58 Outro 32.31 Joke of the Day SHOWNOTES & SOURCES Memoirs of Grimaldi - Charles Dickens https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Grimaldi
Feb 1, 2021 · 25 min
Middleditch and Schwartz - Clowns React
An unexpected masterpiece. Middleditch and Schwarts can forever change what you thought was possible with improvised comedy. In the first Clowns React episode for 2021, Tune in to hear Tom and Ian barely contain themselves as they break down the comedic devices, their favorite moments and fun facts about the creators of the show. Middleditch and Schwarts is a 2020 improvised Netflix comedy special with a Rotten Tomato's review score of One Hundred Percent. Dang! SPOILER ALERT: We highly recommend you watch the first episode 'The Wedding' before listening to this podcast :) TIMESTAMPS 0.00m Start 0.23m Introductions 2.41m How Middleditch and Schwarts run the show 3.38m Comedic Devices 13.53m Favorite Moments 18.39m Trivia about the Creators 23.30m Outro LINK TO THE SHOW https://www.netflix.com/watch/81140291?trackId=155573558&fbclid=IwAR2X9jNu-crPX8CaKs9Naop6S3VNgsd7a6AC50wo-2ZuNd2ZzprZrE9Yy_0 Wiki Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Middleditch_and_Schwartz https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Middleditch https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Schwartz
Jan 17, 2021 · 22 min
Tramp/Hobo Clown - The Clown Types Series
Did you know that there is a difference between Hobo and Tramp Clown types? We didn't either! Tune in to listen to that, as well as the fascinating history and origin of these two types. TIMESTAMPS: 0.00 Intro 3.10 Historical Context 4.54 Origin of Hobo/Tramp Clown 5.33 Discussion of Origin 11.00 Appearance of Hobo/Tramp/Bag Lady 14.21 Characteristics of Hobo/Tramp/Bag Lady 19.54 Hobo/Tramp Performers 21.07 Outro 21.47 Joke Of The Day SOURCES: Tramp vs Hobo History of Tramp/Hobo https://www.angelfire.com/ga4/jbw/frames/tramp.html https://www.wattpad.com/356655289-how-to-be-a-clown-chapter-2-typecast
Jan 4, 2021 · 20 min
The 'Auguste' Clown - The Clown Types Series
When you think of the stereotypical Clown, the 'Auguste' clown is probably what comes to mind. In this episode of the Cheeky Podcast , Tom and Ian talk about the characteristics , appearance and possible origin stories for one of the most widely recognized style of clown . Timestamps: 0.00m Start 0.23m Introduction 1.44m Opening Statements 3.03m Different Unrelated Facts 4.48m Status of the Clown 7.25m Stories of where the 'Auguste' Clown comes from 12.02m Behaviour of the the Auguste Clown 15.02m Appearance of the Auguste Clown 16.35m Discussion on things we discovered 19.02m Closing Statements 19.40m Joke of the Day x 2! Sources https://famousclowns.org/history-of-clowns/clown-types-the-auguste-clown/ http://egyptshrineclowns.com/auguste.php https://www.clownantics.com/blogs/clownantics-blog/auguste-clowns https://clownopedia.fandom.com/wiki/Auguste#:~:text=The%20auguste%20clown%20is%20a,more%20clumsy%20than%20the%20whiteface.
Dec 20, 2020 · 22 min
Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House Of Fun - Clowns React
The brand new Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House Of Fun has come and brought joy to all the boys and girls this Holiday Season! In this Clown's React we dissect their and talk about our absolute favourite moments from the show. Aunty Donna is a performing group who, after amassing 300,000 Youtube subscribers, have created and released an absurdist show on Netflix called Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House Of Fun. TIMESTAMPS: 0.00 Intro 2.26 Comedic Devices 11.49 Favourite Moment 19.17 Outro 20.15 Joke Of The Day SHOWNOTES: Aunty Donna Aunty Donna Youtube Aunty Donna's Big Ol' House Of Fun Netflix