A comedian walks into a podcast…
When I was planning the first episode of Grace in the Gap, Paul Kerensa was one of the first people I thought of inviting. I was delighted when he said yes. Paul has written for programmes including Miranda and Not Going Out, performs stand-up, writes books and presents the British Broadcasting Century podcast. He also has a wonderful knack for finding the funny in ordinary life. Which is handy, because I wanted to start this new podcast with a bit of laughter.
What makes a comedian laugh?
I began by asking Paul what makes him laugh. You might think someone who spends his working life writing and performing comedy would settle down to watch more of it in the evening. Apparently not. When comedy is your day job, you sometimes want something quite different when you clock off.
Paul talked about programmes such as Detectorists and Ted Lasso, and comedians including Tim Vine and Milton Jones. What appealed to him was the way they could lift an audience. He described shows that make you laugh and leave you feeling a bit better about the world. I knew exactly what he meant. I love a good laugh, but there's something particularly lovely about humour that doesn't leave anyone bruised.
Is there humour in the Bible?
From there, we wandered into a question you don't hear every day: is the Bible funny?
Paul pointed out that Jesus knew how to communicate with the people listening to him. He told stories about the things they knew: farming, fishing and everyday life. And then there's the image of someone fussing about a speck in another person's eye while ignoring the great plank in their own. You can imagine a few people in the crowd smiling at that one.
We also remembered the unfortunate young man who fell asleep during one of Paul's very long sermons and fell out of a window. As someone who has sat through the occasional lengthy sermon, I shall say no more.
It was a good reminder that faith and humour needn't be strangers. We can take God seriously without taking ourselves quite so seriously all the time.
The jokes we choose to tell
One of the most interesting parts of our conversation was hearing Paul describe how his approach to comedy has changed. In his twenties, he was gigging constantly and was more inclined to think that if something was funny, it was fair game. Looking back, he can see jokes he wouldn't choose to tell now, particularly ones that made someone else the target.
He wasn't claiming to have all the answers or telling other comedians how to do their jobs. He was talking about a question he had begun asking himself: what sort of person did he want to be, and what did he want to put into the world?
I loved that. The question applies to more than comedy. It applies to what we write, what we say in conversation and even the things we share online. We change as we go along. Our faith can shape the choices we make today, even when yesterday's choices were different.
Peter, the rock — or perhaps Play-Doh
I told Paul that Peter is one of my favourite people in the Bible. Jesus saw something in him long before Peter's behaviour suggested he was particularly rock-like. Peter was impulsive, outspoken and spectacularly capable of getting things wrong. Yet, as you follow his story, you begin to see the man he became.
Paul suggested that perhaps Jesus should have called him Play-Doh rather than a rock. A slightly squishy foundation, to be fair. But that was exactly what I loved about the conversation. Growth can take years, and the person we're becoming isn't always obvious from where we're standing now.
Making room when life is full
Towards the end, I asked Paul what he'd say to someone who feels stuck in the gap between where they are and where they want to be. His answer was refreshingly practical: take some time out, where you can.
He talked about the squeeze of work, family responsibilities, appointments and caring for older relatives. Even when you work for yourself, finding an uninterrupted hour can be difficult. And, as a writer, he often gets his best ideas away from the computer — walking, driving or simply having a moment to think.
I mentioned something my boss calls ‘white space’ in the diary. We schedule the meetings and the jobs that must be done, but the space to think, walk, pray or drink a cup of tea can disappear altogether. The busier life gets, the more deliberately we may need to protect a little of it.
Paul also spoke about making room for the things that lift us. He still hears from people who found comfort in Miranda because they felt like misfits themselves. Sometimes a comedy programme can give us a laugh and a bit of relief at the end of a difficult day. That matters too.
A cup of tea will do nicely
We ended up somewhere wonderfully ordinary: have a cup of tea. I can't promise that a cuppa will solve the problem you're facing, and neither can Paul. But I liked his encouragement to make space to listen, to notice what restores us and to give ourselves the occasional pat on the back.
That's a good place to begin Grace in the Gap. We don't have to wait until everything is sorted before we can enjoy a laugh, learn something about ourselves or receive a little kindness along the way.
Listen to my conversation with Paul Kerensa on the Grace in the Gap podcast. And if you're feeling squeezed for time, you have my full permission to put the kettle on first.
Huge thanks to Paul Kerensa for joining me on Grace in the Gap. Connect with him on Instagram
