Dr Peter McGraw is a behavioural scientist and he met Jimmy while filming a BBC Horizon special: The Science of Laughter (2016). When Dr McGraw started studying humour he says the first an most helpful book, that he read, was The Naked Jape.

Dr McGraw mentions being in Melbourne, with Jimmy on his Best of Ultimate Gold Greatest Hits tour. Not sure when it was but the 2018 Melbourne gigs were Jan 26-27 and Feb 18-19.

This is an episode of Dr McGraw’s podcast – I’m Not Joking.

The Hardest Working Man in Comedy – Jimmy Carr

Topics covered include:

• Benign violation theory
• AI writing comedy
• Incongruity theory
• One line jokes v story telling
• Funny Business
• Corporate gigs
• Hours on stage
• Tennis and going to watch Federer in the Australian Open
• New Zealand
• Iceland
• Edinburgh Fringe
• Making TV shows
• Sudden revelation of a previously concealed fact
• Swearing
• Jimmy’s laugh suppression in the early days
• Dunbar number
• President Trump
• Three Billboards & Woody Harrelson
• Adam Curtis – The Century of Self / The Power of Nightmares
• Netflix specials
• Spotify
• Game of Thrones
• Enjoying the passage of time
• Meditation
• Unconscious competence
• Flip side of creativity is anxiety
• Work ethic

And the comedians name checked include: Anthony Jeselnik, Emo Philips, Steven Wright, Billy Connolly, Louis C.K, Bill Burr, John Bishop, Neal Brennan, Marc Maron, Mitch Hedberg, Chris Rock, Bill Murray, Dave Chappelle, Judd Apatow, Katherine Ryan, Allan Havey, Will Ferrell, Tina Fey, Mike Birbiglia

Audio file and text of interview: here