Liverpool Comedy ImprovCast · Liverpool Comedy Improv, Iain Luke Jones

Lisa Dunning

·1 hr 25 min·5 clips

Lisa says a Liverpool advert became her "Mike Wazowski moment" because only her arm made the final cut.

1. Liverpool Comedy ImprovCast episode 147 focuses on Lisa Dunning’s route into improv and the groups she now performs with. 2. Ian Luke-Jones hosts the episode, Lisa Dunning is the guest, and both matter because they trace the path from early performance to regular improvising. 3. The episode asks how Lisa moved from school and family comedy influences into a steady place in the Liverpool and Chester improv scene. 4. Lisa says her earliest performing memory was a Granada News recording at her primary school during a nativity play. 5. She names her mum as the person she watched comedy with, including Dinner Ladies with Victoria Wood and Two Pints of Lager. 6. Lisa says Two Pints of Lager mattered to her family because Andrew is from Redcar and appears in the show’s cutaway transition shots. 7. She says watching Whose Line Is It Anyway? with her mum was a major early link to improv. 8. Lisa describes playing one of the main characters in Othello at the Epstein Theatre, which she says was then called the Neptune Theatre in Liverpool. 9. She says a close friend in London, who is a writer and ghostwriter, shared her comedy interests and made her think about performing more. 10. Lisa says a 10-week course through the Merseyside Academy of Drama ended with filming, and the footage is now on YouTube. 11. She describes an advert for a red Carlsberg beer tied to Liverpool football, where she and Andrew wore Liverpool shirts and filmed in a pub. 12. Lisa says the final cut showed Andrew waving a scarf while her visible contribution was mostly an arm, which she calls a "Mike Wazowski moment." 13. She says moving to Chester led her and Andrew to search specifically for improv and find Fincher Funny Bones. 14. Lisa says the first visit was on a cold, wet night at the start of October and that the venue being dog friendly mattered because of their golden doodle, Beans. 15. She says joining Fincher Funny Bones, Chimps, and later Grass Dens made her feel understood and gave her "my people." 16. Lisa says Grass Dens was built with Holly, Stu, and Steve, and that the group uses childhood memories as the basis for its performances. 17. She says the troupe name came from a garden brainstorm about children building grass dens from lawn trimmings. 18. The episode stays conversational, with Ian and Lisa moving between memory, improv craft, and personal encouragement. 19. The tone suits people who enjoy local improv communities, first-hand performance stories, and practical reflections on joining groups. 20. People looking for a hard-edged debate or a tightly structured comedy interview may skip it.

As heard by us

A warm improv chat that values the detour as much as the destination.

Lisa Dunning's chat with Ian Luke-Jones is a soft, easygoing improv conversation that keeps returning to the people and places that made the path feel open.

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Why you'd press play

A friendly improv chat with Lisa Dunning that follows how she got into the scene and what the Liverpool Comedy ImprovCast is exploring.

Read the full recommendation in PlayNext →

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