Queen of the verbal stilletto - Wendy Harmer and the art of the comedy debate, World Series Debating, Canberra 1993

Wendy Harmer is a legend of Australian media, and comedy, a mainstay since 'running away to join the circus' and the standup scene in the mid 1980s. She talks about those years at the Last Laugh and Le Joke, and also the shows that established her, 'The Big Gig' and 'World Series Debating' on the ABC. where she captained a comedy debate team each episode against Andrew Denton (who has also been a guest on this podcast). Wendy talks about the art of the comedy debate, what separates it from straight standup, shares snippets and stories. The debate featured as the speech for this 1993 episode is 'That Australia Needs the Royal Family' Tony has a new website for the books he has written, including Harry Highpants mentioned in this episode. Andrew Denton's episode on Speakola is his eulogy for John Clarke. Speakola has a Patreon page which you can join If you want to offer regular support for as little as $3/mth. We also welcome credit card donations,  which can be monthly or one off. Subscribe to our newsletter if you want a fortnightly email setting out great speeches by theme. Episode supported by the Podcast Reader magazine. Issue #6 out shortly. For free pdf offer, email [email protected] and mention Speakola. @byTonyWilson @speakola_ on Twitter and Instagram. Email comments or ideas to [email protected] See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.