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Me1 vs Me2 Snooker with Richard Herring
Presentation
Hosted by	Richard Herring
Production
No. of episodes	168
Publication
Original release	2011

Me1 vs Me2 Snooker with Richard Herring is the world's longest running snooker podcast, presented by stand-up comedian Richard Herring. First published in December 2011 it peaked at number one in the iTunes charts of the same month. In each podcast Richard Herring performs against himself in a game of snooker (typically in the guise of the titular sportsmen Me1 and Me2).

It is not only notable for being the only audio podcast (to date) which actually incorporates the game of snooker within it, but for the subtext of a man satirising mental health issues and "fighting against a tide of mediocrity and repetition, struggling to create a brave, new and original vision." As of 14 September 2023, 168 frames have been played for the podcast - with the scores, amazingly, sitting at 80-80.

Origins

Richard Herring had found success with other podcasts such as the award-winning Collings and Herrin which had made a successful transition to BBC Radio 6 Music in 2010. His move into snooker podcasting originated through tweeting a live commentary of a game of snooker he played against himself backstage at a comedy club, what started as a joke became something more serious. Herring stated "I attempt to antagonise and lose listeners by commentating on myself playing snooker against myself in my basement. Most people are baffled, confused, even angry about it. But 5,000 people around the world tune in to find out which me will win this week's frame."

Filmed and live performances

Filmed versions of the snooker podcast act as bonus features for Herring's stand-up DVDs What Is Love Anyway (2012) and Talking Cock (2013), which both feature special cup performances. August 2013 saw the first ever frame of Me1 vs Me2 Snooker to be played in front of a live paying audience at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. In 2016 a five frame match was filmed and performed at the Tempting Failure Festival dedicated to transgressive art. On 4 December 2019 a live performance was given in front of an audience (and filmed for the Kickstarter) for the 2019 Chris Evans (not that one) Trophy at the Cockpit Theatre in London.

In July 2020, a special filmed performance was broadcast on BBC Two. Since Frame 103 in August 2020 – when the podcast returned from a hiatus of several months during the Covid-19 lockdown – matches have been live-streamed on the video streaming service Twitch and subsequently made available on-demand via Herring's Twitch and YouTube channels. The traditional audio-only versions continue to be released as the podcast. During this time, the format has expanded further to include occasional knockout tournaments and leagues featuring matches between other numbered versions of Herring besides the familiar Me1 and Me2, each with their own personalities and characteristics.

Media coverage

In July 2013 the Huffington Post described the podcast as being "representative of the diversity of podcasting." Time Out pre-emptively described the event as one of the top ten Edinburgh Fringe comedy highlights of 2013 stating that listeners "will either have to giggle away at the ridiculous concept, or become deeply irritated." In April 2014 Helen Zaltzman and Olly Mann interviewed Herring about the podcast on BBC Radio 4, which premiered clips of self-playing snooker on the radio of the first time. In the same month The Telegraph included Me1 vs Me2 Snooker in its list of top podcasts describing it as a "wonderfully oddball, regularly hilarious series - in which Herring splits into two versions of himself… other over a long drawn-out game of snooker".

References

1. "FAQ - Me1 vs Me2 Snooker (we're not going funny)". Me1vsme2snooker.weebly.com. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
2. British Comedy Guide (2 December 2011). "Richard Herring Me1 The biggest bummer v Me2 Snooker - Frame 1 by British Comedy Guide on SoundCloud". Soundcloud.com. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
3. "'Me1 vs Me2 Snooker with Richard Herring' by Comedy.co.uk (British Podcasts iTunes Chart)". iTunesCharts.net. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
4. "Podcast Purview: Me1 vs Me2 Snooker w/ Richard Herring!". Freakinawesomenetwork.net. 1 May 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
5. "BBC Radio 6 Music - Collins and Herring". BBC. 26 March 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
6. Comedy. "Richard Herring: 'All power to the podcast'". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
7. "RICHARD HERRING - Me1 vs Me2 SNOOKER PODCAST GOES LIVE AT 2013 EDINBURGH FESTIVAL FRINGE" (PDF) (Press release). Avalon Group. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 January 2014. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
8. "Comedy News Round Up". Chortle. 19 July 2013. Retrieved 1 August 2013.
9. "Tempting Failure 2016". Retrieved 3 September 2020.
10. Herring, Richard (December 2019). "Wednesday 4th December 2019 - Warming Up".
11. "Richard Herring: Me 1 vs Me 2 Snooker". The Cockpit.
12. "Comedians: Home Alone, Series 1, Episode 6". BBC. Retrieved 19 August 2020.
13. "Me1 vs Me2 Snooker with Richard Herring: Frame 103". YouTube. 12 August 2020. Retrieved 16 November 2022.
14. "Apple Announces 1 Billion Podcast Subscriptions In iTunes". Huffington Post. 23 July 2013. Retrieved 28 July 2013.
15. "Edinburgh Fringe comedy highlights 2013: top ten late shows and odd nights out". Time Out. 29 July 2013. Retrieved 30 July 2013.
16. "BBC Radio 4 - Podcasting - the First Ten Years, Episode 1".
17. "The best comedy and drama podcasts". The Telegraph. 30 November 2016.

• Snooker mass media
• Sports podcasts