Wolverhampton Literature Festival review: Richard Herring
From McDonald's on Penn Road to Barnhurst Sewage Works, the 'King of the Internet' delved into the Black Country when he presented his podcast in Bilston.
Richard Herring was joined by special guest Sathnam Sanghera, who is a journalist for The Times, born and raised in Wolverhampton.
Within minutes of stepping on stage at Bilston Town Hall, Richard Herring had tested the waters joking about Wolverhampton, he discussed surveys he'd read about the city being the worst for different things, and how it was the least posh of all the places with 'hamptons' in their names. He realised then the audience could not only take a joke but responded to a few heckles that were fired at him.
Sathnam defended his city by discussing the ideas why he thought people viewed Wolverhampton as a bad place, such as it being a 'through-route' for people driving or on trains, and the view from the station not being great, despite being the place he'd meet his girlfriend as a teen.
Brexit, religion, relationships and celebrities were all subjects touched upon by the pair - who chatted easily and the conversation flowed without a lull, even when Sathnam revealed they had met once before at a wedding many years ago, and told a story that probably can't be repeated in a family newspaper.
The pair also talked about things they had in common, such as interviewing celebrities and attending Oxbridge. Richard attended Oxford at the same time as Boris Johnson and Michael Gove, which, as you can imagine, handed him some pretty good comedic material.
He also brought up some of the recent headlines he'd read in the Express & Star, picking on the Dudley Chinese takeaway fined after rat droppings were found, and Jimmy Carr's dad being in a row with Dudley Council over roundabout advertising.
Richard revealed that the podcast will be out in the middle of the month, so keep an eye out to hear about all the landmarks mentioned - if you can handle a joke or two about the Black Country!
The live podcast was part of Wolverhampton Literature Festival, which launched with a special Poetry Slam at the Arena Theatre last month.
Visit wolvesliteraturefestival.co.uk for more information.
