Brits don’t get jokes about altoids or Mickey Mantle. Gags about chavs or the WI are lost on Americans. So can a British stand-up comedian get a laugh in Lafayette? And can an American have them chortling in Chorley? Comedy Exchange is a new comedy format that’s going to find out.
Two stand-up comedians. One’s an American, the other’s a Brit. They’re kings of comedy in their own country but now they’re going to become nobodies in the other’s.
Each week, two comedians are changing places to do a series of performances on new territory . They’ll meet their counterpoint’s agents, friends and comedy experts who’ll pass on the secrets of comedy in this new world, as they try out their act in ever more prestigious venues .
But it’s not just about stand-up: we’ll also get an insight into each comedians’ lives and the countries in which they live, as seen through the comedy-tinted lens of their witty and incisive counterpart.
The two will set each other up with a series of contacts and gigs designed to familiarise them with their new audience, they’ll give each other tips. Through the show they will perform at least three venues over the course of just one week.
At the beginning of the show, it’s a small-scale venue that matches their newfound obscurity, they’ll then go to a mid sized venue, and each show builds up to a nerve-wracking final bang: a theatre venue packed to the rafters.
In addition to these gigs, they’ll each explore the comedy industry in their new territory. TV spots, radio shows, corporate bookings etc, and get face-to-face advice from that country’s top comedy talents, … anything that’ll help them turn a tumbleweed routine into a comedy conquest. And finally each comedian will watch a DVD of the others performance and evaluate their journey through comedy in a foreign land.
Exec producers: Gary Chippington, Bart Coleman & Olivia Wingate
Producer: Shannon Delwiche
Director: Shannon Delwiche
Main talent: Phill Jupitus & Eugene Mirman
Transmission channel: Dave
Production date: 08 June 2009
Transmission date: 19 March 2010 10pm
Episodes: 1 (pilot)
Episode length: 60
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