Jun 6, 2026 · 1 hr 1 min · 13 segments
In this episode, I chat with actor, writer and stand-up comedian, Barry Castagnola. Barry talks about his early years as a child magician, performing shows for his family and then doing GCSE Drama…
Barry CastagnolaGuest
Paula WisemanHost
So let's start off by, let's go back in time and talk a little bit about, we don't tend to know much about the younger years of comedians and performers that we see.
So what was young Barry like? Were you an outgoing kind of kid? Were you a quiet kid?
I think there's a bit of a myth, isn't there, that all comedians are sort of damaged souls or introverts off stage.
I was always a little bit of a a show off I suppose I can you know I used to like have uh do like little magic shows in the back garden and make my you know my nan and my mum and stuff and sit out and and watch um my tedious uh hiding the ball under cups or whatever it might have been um and uh and and then I was yeah I think I had a really good childhood actually my mum and dad split up when I was I was um, about six or seven.
Always had, I was a really good, really good friends, uh, that, you know, friends I'm still friends with now.
Um, and, uh, Yeah, I think I remember I remember doing like a sketch with even at primary school.
I remember doing a Monty Python sketch with the bookshop sketch with with with one of the teachers like for an end of year thing.
So, yeah, so I think I always and then I sort of joined a drama group when I was just sort of off my own back.
So let's start off by, let's go back in time and talk a little bit about, we don't tend to know much about the younger years of comedians and performers that we see.
So what was young Barry like? Were you an outgoing kind of kid? Were you a quiet kid?
I think there's a bit of a myth, isn't there, that all comedians are sort of damaged souls or introverts off stage.
I was always a little bit of a a show off I suppose I can you know I used to like have uh do like little magic shows in the back garden and make my you know my nan and my mum and stuff and sit out and and watch um my tedious uh hiding the ball under cups or whatever it might have been um and uh and and then I was yeah I think I had a really good childhood actually my mum and dad split up when I was I was um, about six or seven.
Always had, I was a really good, really good friends, uh, that, you know, friends I'm still friends with now.
Um, and, uh, Yeah, I think I remember I remember doing like a sketch with even at primary school.
I remember doing a Monty Python sketch with the bookshop sketch with with with one of the teachers like for an end of year thing.
So, yeah, so I think I always and then I sort of joined a drama group when I was just sort of off my own back.
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