'The comedy scene in Wales is wonderful'

Live recordings for the third series of award-winning topical panel show What Just Happened? are about to kick off across Wales. Its co-creator and host, Robin Morgan, told Jenny White why these free events are such a treat

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ATTENDING live recordings for a comedy panel show brings many advantages over the finished product - not least the fact that you get to hear jokes that will inevitably be edited out as unbroadcastable.

This is certainly the case for award-winning topical panel show What Just Happened? whose third season will be recorded weekly for BBC Radio Wales between Wednesday, September 24, and Wednesday, October 15, at locations in Wales.

"You'll hear stuff that will inevitably get cut by very sensible people who know not to broadcast things," says Robin Morgan, the show's host and co-creator. "Certain bits of what is broadcast can be a little bit sanitised just because of the nature of how things work, so I think it's quite exciting to see how it's made."

Another benefit of the live recording is that it has the immediacy of stand-up.

"I'm very interactive with my gigs, in that I want to be able to create a unique experience where that gig can't happen again because of that brilliant audience member who said something that then gets pulled back into a story that I've been telling," Robin says.

"I like that unique live moment you can't replicate online, you can't replicate, and I think that those live recordings are brilliant. Also, at its core, it's also a free night out."

Robin (Mock the Week) hosts the show with resident panellist Kiri Pritchard-McLean (Live at the Apollo). He co-created the show with Henry White after spotting a gap for a Wales-focused panel show. Besides two successful radio series, it has had two TV specials filmed for BBC Cymru Wales and a win at the Celtic Media Festival 2024 in the Comedy (Sound) category.