“Indulge in some daft joy”: the Northern News podcast record live at The Leadmill

The world is burning, people keep dying, and everything is pretty terrible. But we need to keep putting one proverbial foot in front of the other.

When it’s all a bit much, sometimes pure silliness is what’s needed. And, for that, I have a suggestion: The Northern News podcast. The show has become one of my absolute faves over the past few months, so I was interested to see them record an episode live at The Leadmill on Sunday – the first night of their first-ever northern tour.

One of the loveliest things about comedians Amy Gledhill and Ian Smith is that they make each other laugh. When comedian Linda Smith died, somebody said, in a Radio 4 tribute to her, that she was “generous with her laughter”; a phrase I often think of when Gledhill and Smith make each other giggle as much as they do their audience.

Whizzing through some funny news stories from Sheffield and the north, the pair riffed on Irn Bru-infused haggis, pointing lasers at UFOs, and cows let loose in the city, as well as dogs in ball pits and why you have to keep cockerpoos separate from daschunds. I hate to be all 'you had to be there', but when the episode recorded in Sheffield is released, I will be interested to see which bits made the cut.

The audience at The Leadmill were enthusiastic and warm, with Gledhill and Smith bouncing off their ideas, at ease with improvising and laughing at themselves, at us, and at the world. The fact that they had tailored their show for a local audience suggests that the remaining shows on the northern tour this week – in Hull, Leeds and Manchester – will be similarly bespoke for the people attending.

It takes effort to look effortless on stage, and Ian Smith and Amy Gledhill will have won round newcomers to their work, as well as pleased those who were already fans. Embrace the silliness, indulge in some daft joy, and laugh at absurdities. We need this energy in our lives.