Me1 vs Me2 Snooker with Richard Herring
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 5 October 2020, 111 frames have been played for the podcast. 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 main features for Herring's stand-up DVDs "What Is Love Anyway" (2012) and "Talking Cock" (2013) 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 filmed performance was broadcast on BBC Two. 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".