Comedian Ian Smith on His Popular Podcast for the North
Having recorded more than 100 episodes together, award-winning comedians Ian Smith and Amy Gledhill are well into series five of their critically-acclaimed comedy podcast Northern News
Since launching in 2023, Northern News has racked up more than 925,000 downloads. Hosted by two Northerners living in London, the show dives into weird and wonderful stories from local papers across the North (some are pretty niche).
Ian is a multi-award winning comedian and actor, as seen on Live at the Apollo, Have I Got News For You, Comedy Central Live and Sweat the Small Stuff. His smash-hit Edinburgh show Crushing was nominated for Best Show at the 2023 Edinburgh Comedy Awards, and he has starred in Officially Special and The Syndicate.
‘I come from the small Northern town of Goole,’ says Ian. ‘I went to uni in London and then stayed to film the very popular sitcom Popatron. I have remained since and made a name for myself as one of the most punctual comedians on the circuit, often arriving at gigs two hours before anyone else…’
Northern News was initially launched so Ian and Amy could stay connected to the news of the North whilst in the big smoke. Not the big headlines – the stories that won’t make the front page, but will make you laugh out loud. ‘If it wasn't for Northern News we might be completely ignorant to big stories like the time someone saw some sheep on their roof, or the woman who saw the likeness of her dog in her bath mat,’ says Ian. ‘One woman wasn't happy with a story about a dead crocodile, but other than that it's been very positive. We did a UK tour a few years ago and got to meet lots of listeners and they're the best people on the planet.’
Ian was confident there was an audience for bizarre Northern stories. ‘I guess non-Northerners probably like to listen to hear about how the other side of the UK lives. They're too scared to come and visit themselves, so the next best thing is to cover themselves in a blanket, pop a torch on and listen,’ he jokes.
The podcast features guest appearances from some of the UK’s top comedians including Yorkshire’s own Lucy Beaumont and Rosie Jones. ‘I love it when we have someone in the studio with us and can properly bounce off them,’ says Ian. ‘We did a full episode with Ross Noble which was great. I've loved his comedy for a long time and getting to chat about weird Northern stories with him and Amy was a real treat.
The future looks bright for the podcast, which continues to attract more and more listeners. ’Ultimately, I hope someone will make a film about it where big Hollywood actors play us,’ Ian laughs. ‘Maybe we need to do something more dramatic. I reckon Amy and I could pull off a bank heist…’
