Carey hasn't been keeping up with the news so Nick does his best to walk him through the latest on the upcoming General Election. Along the way we find Carey's MP shutting down an opponent by accusing him of mansplaining, and the Prime Minister of Great Britain in what seems like a drunken tirade where he appears not to understand his own trade dea…

Sometimes a movement, or a whole group of people, suffers from the actions of a few extremists in their midst. From feminism, through climate protesters to trans activists, to just men in general, there's always someone who provides opponents with all the ammunition they could ever want, by being unlikeable, unreasonable or just plain psychopathic.…

‘Centrist’ is a dirty word in some quarters, but the centre is also where we’re always told all the important votes lie. What is Centrism? Are we Centrists? Or - more excitingly - are we ‘radical centrists’? Carey and Nick try to nail down ‘the Centre’, along the way pondering why some people get upset if you don’t buy ‘the whole package’, having n…

Konstantin Kisin is a stand-up comedian with an unusual back story. Born in the then Soviet Union, his family were forced to flee to the UK. Luckily, they had oligarch money. Until they lost it all. More recently, he acquired some notoriety after refusing to sign a 'behavioural agreement' before a student gig. His 2019 Edinburgh show, 'Orwell that …

A government with no majority, an Opposition refusing to succumb to the offer of an election, 21 Tory rebels voting against their government, which reacts by effectively ending their careers, a Prime Minster who is saying he will defy the law, a Labour Party that says if they're in power they'll campaign against whatever deal they strike, lies, blu…

We’re 40 episodes old! To celebrate, it's another of the 'Nick in Edinburgh' interviews. This time, Nick chats with Andrew Doyle. Andrew is a comedian and writer, probably best known for his fictional creations, Jonathan Pie and Titania McGrath. He also writes a column for Spiked and runs the comedy club, Comedy Unleashed. This is a long chat (or t…

Nick is at the Edinburgh Festival. Carey isn't, so this is a chat between just Nick and comedian Simon Evans, during which they try to avoid spoilers about Simon's Edinburgh show, which contains some frankly astonishing revelations. Simon is one of those people you can just wind up and let talk, so this is a typically wide-ranging chat.…

Yet again, it's that time of year when everyone in the comedy industry, except for Carey, heads up to Edinburgh (or down to Edinburgh, depending where you live [or stays in Edinburgh, if you already live there]) for the Fringe Festival. In this episode Nick and Carey talk about how long they've been going to the Fringe, their memories of early show…

Britain has a new Prime Minister, and is about to have its hottest ever day. Nick and Carey take refuge in a friend’s flat in London and talk about what the hell is going on. They also discuss people using inaccurate quotations when it suits their tribe (Michael Gove didn’t exactly say that thing about people being sick of experts; Trump actually d…

As the Labour party continues to be mired in accusations of antisemitism, Carey talks Nick through some of the antisemitic tropes that crop up again and again.By NIck Doody and Carey Marx

Nick and Carey are joined by Kirsty Newton to talk about Boris Johnson, the frontrunner in the Tory leadership race and, therefore, the most likely next British Prime Minister. Recently, police were called to the flat of Johnson's girlfriend, Carrie Symonds, following a domestic disturbance. They were alerted by a neighbour, who also recorded the a…

A bit of a sprawling episode, this, eventually getting round to the question: Is it ok to throw milkshake at your enemies? And, with regard to the fuss about some recent comments by Jo Brand, is it ok to joke about throwing battery acid instead? Along the way, we talk about trying out new material (Nick's just done his first Edinburgh Festival prev…

These are strange times, whether you've already been born, haven't been born yet, or have died but are technically still Prime Minister. In this episode, we cover: How to set up a room for comedy; how Donald Trump is like a stand-up comedian; having a ghost Prime Minister; the Tory leadership election; citizens' juries (aka citizens’ assemblies); r…

Is the Earth flat? No. So why do some people think it is? Nick and Carey watch the documentary 'Behind the Curve' so you don't have to (although feel free to; it's quite entertaining). It turns out they already know one of the people featured in it. Why do some people hold completely false beliefs? What can be done about it? Should anything be done…

Nick's in London for a moment, so he and Carey take the opportunity to record an episode, this time about Danny Baker's unfortunate tweet of a picture of a chimp, titled 'The Royal Baby'. Let's be clear: neither of us think it was a good idea, but the ensuing storm and his incredibly quick sacking by the BBC are an interesting model of how quickly …

Carey's back from Australia, the land of not-good-enough-internet-to-remotely-record-a-podcast. No planned topic for this episode; it’s just a catch-up. We talk about audiences, Australia, America (Nick's been to America), and whether you'd rather be laughed at by men or women.By Nick Doody and Carey Marx

It's another guest episode! This time, Nick and Carey are joined by comedian, writer and ex-housemate, Matt Kirshen, and 'industry insider' Holly Gabrielson, who are on a trip over from L.A. We kick off by talking about the etiquette of '@-including' artists when you criticise their work on social media (don't), and the painful whining that met Gre…

The UK's Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has announced new guidelines for advertising content. From next year, 'harmful gender stereotypes' will be banned. Nick and Carey talk about this, and about the 'research' behind it. 'Research' is in quote marks there because the ASA's 'public consultation' isn't, as the ASA claims, academic literature…

It's Christmas! Well, nearly. Nick and Carey decide to find a quiet spot in Central London to record an episode. This turns out to be impossible, so they end up standing in the cold in the gardens of the Royal College of Physicians, where they talk about awful Christmas gigs and what it's like to lose your religion (if you're Nick).…

Apologies for the hiatus! Usually we'd put something like, 'Nick and Carey manage to get hold of Dave Gorman and grab an interview, etc.' but it would be more accurate to say, 'Carey manages to grab Nick and Dave' as Nick's been supporting Dave on tour for the past 3 months. It's not a long episode, recorded as it is in the dressing rooms, pre-show…

From Reefer Madness to Satanic Abuse, Nick and Carey discuss the nature of moral panics - that social phenomenon where public alarm spreads like viral wildfire. It's threatening the very fabric of society, don't you hear me? We also discuss the tribal factions forming around the current Brett Kavanaugh investigation. Listeners are warned: there's a…

The two men named as suspects in the Salisbury poisoning, Ruslan Boshirov and Alexander Petrov, recently gave an interview to Russia Today that was as baffling as it was comical. Join Nick and Carey post-gig in a Cardiff hotel room as they talk about the interview, the case, Russia's current strategy in the world, the conspiracy mindset, and people…

Comedian Louis CK drops in to join - NOT REALLY. But he gets discussed: is his reported 'comeback' appropriate? Too soon? An example of the 'white male club'? Nick and Carey also look back at this year's Edinburgh Festival, chat about being invited as a guest on 'Newsnight', and discuss the so-called 'White Male Effect', which appears to show that …

For this Edinburgh Fringe guest episode, Nick and Carey are joined by the prodigiously talented stand-up, Daniel Sloss, for a fascinating and very funny chat that hits subjects such as writing comedy about the death of a loved one, tackling taboo subjects in stand-up, and when you don't respect the audience enough to give them your best material.…

Comedian Simon Evans joins the Citizens of Nowhere for a discussion that's as wide-ranging and interesting as you'd hope from this thoughtful comic. A by-no-means exhaustive selection of topics alighted on: the shortcomings of democracy, finding 'your' audience, Japanese sex pillows, the disappointing lack of brilliance in our public servants, comp…

The latest of our Edinburgh guests is stand-up Jen Brister, who chats with Nick and Carey about being in a female couple raising a couple of boys, nature vs nurture, growing as a comedian, and when it's ok to do period jokes.By Nick Doody and Carey Marx

Another guest episode, this time with comedian Zoe Lyons. A bulletproof circuit comic, Zoe has recently moved into touring and doing radio and TV. This wide-ranging chat is less about socio-political issues and more just about being a stand-up comic, both generally and at the Edinburgh Festival. We talk about different types of audience, dealing wi…

Ayesha Hazarika is a comedian, political commentator, and former advisor to Gordon Brown, Ed Miliband and Harriet Harman. She joins Nick and Carey to talk about her experiences in politics, the #metoo movement, the mainstream media's obsession with presenting everything as a two-sided confrontation, and Boris Johnson's recent theft of an old bit of…

It’s Citizens of Nowhere’s first guest episode! Nick and Carey are joined by comedian Marcus Brigstocke for a candid conversation about self-censorship, what you can and can't say onstage, getting into arguments with people who know too much about you, and other pitfalls that await the comedian who deals with big issues. Marcus’s new show, 'Devil M…

This is a fun one, cut short because Nick had to go. But before that, we have one of the first real disagreements between Nick and Carey, regarding being called/categorised as 'cis'.By Nick Doody and Carey Marx

In the last few days, James Gunn (writer/director of 'Guardians of the Galaxy') was fired by Disney because of some tweets he sent years ago. This poses the question: where does your 'employee' identity end and your online identity begin? Do you have the right to have your online life considered separately from your work life, or are you always a r…

This episode came out of the question, 'What do we do now that we think will become unacceptable in the future?' Things have changed a lot in the last couple of hundred years, and not just technologically; human values have also changed. Attitudes that were commonplace just a few generations ago now seem prehistoric. So do we have to forgive the pe…

You may recently have heard accusations of 'cultural appropriation'. Examples range from white people wearing dreadlocks or chopsticks in their hair to Elvis's musical 'inspirations' to an 18-year-old being attacked in a social media storm for wearing a Chinese-style dress to her prom. So what is cultural appropriation? Is it a real, well-defined p…

Should there be limits on free speech? Do we have too much of it in the UK, or not enough? What does the term even mean, really? We talk about all this, throwing in some experiences we've both had in countries where there definitely isn't free speech.By Nick Doody and Carey Marx

To commemorate the birth and naming of a new Royal Baby, we discuss whether it would be better for the country if we threw it out a window. Yes, this episode is about the Royal Family. Are they worth it to the country? Does it really matter? What are the alternatives? We talk about the baffling public hysteria over the death of Princess Diana, the …

What is antisemitism? What's a Jew? Why would anyone hate them? What are they up to? Do they control the media? Really? Not even the Jewish Chronicle? And is there a real problem with antisemitism on the left? Have either or both of Nick and Carey experienced antisemitism? And if both, why, given that only Carey is Jewish? Listen to find the answer…

What starts as an informal chat with no planned focus becomes, at one point, a discussion (by two comedians with no maths background) of the difference in chances for a group seen as a whole, and the chances for any individual member of that group. Along the way we talk about comedian Sofie Hagen's recent mini-twitterstorm about an ad by Cancer Res…

This episode may sound like the sequel to 'Guns, Germs and Steel', but in fact Nick and Carey talk about Steven Pinker's new book, 'Enlightenment Now', which continues from his previous book, 'The Better Angels of our Nature' in that it claims that things are, broadly, improving for humanity. Is this true? And if it is, why does claiming it make so…

In this episode, Nick and Carey talk about a couple of related items: the decision by the Manchester Art Gallery to remove the painting 'Hylas and the Nymphs' by John William Waterhouse, in order to 'provoke debate', and Formula One's announcement that they will no longer use 'grid girls' (they're to be replaced with 'grid kids' We talk about objec…

Nick and Carey discuss the recent interview on Channel 4 News between journalist Cathy Newman and psychologist Jordan Peterson. They are significantly less drunk than the previous episode, but it's still Sunday. You can see the interview here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aMcjxSThD54By Nick Doody and Carey Marx

Every so often there's bound to be one like this: a hurriedly-recorded episode where one or both of us is drink. That's what this is. We talk about a few studies that we've half-read, and a bit about religion.By Nick Doody and Carey Marx

Nick and Carey discuss 'offensive' language. Merry C*****mas! ('trigger warning' warning)By Nick Doody and Carey Marx

Are you easily disgusted? If you are, then you're probably more socially conservative, according to several experiments discussed in this talk by psychologist David Pizarro: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YL3LT1ZvOM In this episode, Nick & Carey talk about what - if anything - disgusts them, and wonder whether disgust could be used to change peop…

There's strong language in this one. Plus we both really recommend the book: 'The Righteoud Mind' by Jonathan Haidt.By Nick Doody and Carey Marx

CITIZENS OF NOWHERE - a podcast in which comedians Nick Doody and Carey Marx discuss issues in the world, and their failures to slot into the most convenient categories regarding our opinions on them. CLICK HERE for RSS feed.By Nick Doody