Speaker
Laura Smyth
Appearances over time
1 episodes
Episodes
1Podcasts
Quotes & moments
Laura Smyth's first stand-up tour grew from 20 planned dates to nearly 50, including Hackney Empire and Indigo.
Laura Smyth is headlining the Hammersmith Apollo on 7 November as part of her 'Born Aggy' national tour.
Laura Smyth had her eldest daughter Rosie at age 20; Rosie is now 23 and studying Interior Spatial Design at University of the Arts London.
Both Laura and Rob agree that ages 8–10 are the parenting sweet spot — children are independent enough to be fun companions but not yet teenagers.
Laura Smyth has three children: Rosie (23), Bonnie (10), and Alfred (8), with significant age gaps between them.
The name 'Born Aggy' came from an audience member called Debbie at an early work-in-progress show in Southend.
Laura Smyth went through breast cancer treatment after quitting teaching to do comedy full-time, and the experience reshaped her worldview.
Laura Smyth rejects manifestation culture, arguing it keeps people focused on the future rather than the present.
Laura observes her 23-year-old suffers from decision paralysis caused by overexposure to options via the internet, compared to her generation's simpler Argos catalogue aspirations.
Rob Beckett paid €5 per bottle for water at Tenerife Airport. €15 for three bottles. The trio spiral into a wider rant about inflated prices at minibars, airport shops, service station petrol, and cinema snacks — the universal experience of knowing something is overpriced and paying it anyway.
Laura Smyth's 23-year-old is paralysed by choice. The internet is just too much Argos catalogue — an infinite scroll of things you can want. Laura's generation didn't see an avocado until they were 27, and somehow that narrowing of options was actually liberating. The bit writes itself.
Laura Smyth rocks up to the world's top comedy podcast in fake Chanel she bought at an Irish festival and a knock-off handbag from Istanbul. Her rule: you can't justify an eight-grand Chanel handbag until you own bricks and mortar. Same goes for real Chanel necklaces.
A listener sends in a safety campaign called BLADS giving men practical steps to avoid intimidating women walking alone at night. Be visible, ease tension with a phone call, look away, be an active bystander, distance yourself, suggest walking a friend home. Rob and Josh act it out — and Rob suggests adding 'Be Famous, if possible' as a bonus tip.
Laura Smyth quit teaching to do stand-up, then got breast cancer. Instead of turning it into a TED talk, she decided to stop carrying any heaviness. Cancer made her present, lighter on herself, and done with wanting for things. She still gets naggy — that's just who she is — but the core shift stuck.
Laura went to Southend for an early work-in-progress show with a different name in mind. An audience member called Debbie on the back row yelled 'Born Aggy' and that was it. The name stuck because it perfectly captures the tension of someone who's done the healing work and still gets angry — and whose dog is genuinely her favourite child.
No car seats, no toddler chaos, not yet teenagers — ages 8 to 10 are the golden era. Kids this age can do things with you, they're funny, they're interested in stuff, and they haven't been corrupted yet. Laura knows because she's already done the teenage years once and is heading back in.
You don't talk about the horrors of war — you talk about a child's charred shoe. Laura Smyth's entire comedy philosophy in one sentence: small, specific details carry the weight of huge issues without ever spelling them out. Comedy reviewers miss this because they need the big label to hang their analysis on.
Separate one child from the sibling group and a completely different personality emerges. Laura took her 23-year-old to Morocco for a spa break. With her younger kids, she and her husband 'divide and conquer'. The first time a kid is in the front seat without their sibling, you realise who they actually are.
When a teenager is rude and storming off, don't match the energy — be an absorption sponge. Laura watched her eldest Rosie act out for weeks before discovering a friendship fallout was the real cause. This time with Bonnie, she'll absorb rather than react, set quiet standards, and not pull the stank face back.
Rob Beckett's elderly parents turned down a bank holiday barbecue with their famous son to instead go to a pub function room and watch their GP play drums in a band. Rob's conclusion: when your parents are over 80, the kids are the only reason they want to see you anyway.
After 50 minutes discussing whether parents worry about grown-up children, Rob tries to call his mum and dad live at the end of the episode. Neither answers. The working theory: they are French-kissing outside the school gates waiting to pick up Rob's daughters.
Analysis
What they talk about
- Society & Culture 56%
- Arts 22%
- Business 11%
- Health & Fitness 11%
Connections
Shows they appear on and people they share episodes with. Drag to explore.
