Show Notes
This episode is about the making of one of the most iconic hidden-camera comedy shows ever produced: Trigger Happy TV, created by Dom Jolly.
Dom didn’t just star in the show. He built it from scratch. No writing room. No committee. No grand career plan. Just a £1,000 camera, a friend behind the bar who became his cameraman, and an instinct for what made him laugh.
I wanted to have this conversation because Trigger Happy TV felt raw, anarchic, and completely of its time and yet 25 years later, it still works. This episode explores how it was actually made, where the ideas came from, how it was sold to 80+ countries, and what it cost Dom creatively and personally.
If you’re interested in how comedy is built, not in theory, but in practice, this conversation pulls the curtain back.
This is about making comedy without a script.
About trusting instinct over consensus.
About luck, timing, hunger, burnout and the price of creativity.
Trigger Happy TV 25th Anniversary Tour tickets https://www.domjoly.tv/live/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.
More from What's The Trick?
What makes someone impossible to ignore when they speak?
Dragon’s Den told Rob Law his business was worthless. What happened next turned Trunki into a global success story.
Simon Painter went from an unemployed classical violinist to creating and producing some of the biggest live entertainment shows in the world, including The Illusionists and Now You See Me Live.
The Summer Social 5 brings together highlights from three incredible guests: America’s Got Talent winner Paul Zerdin, Mischief Theatre co-founder Henry Lewis and The Simpsons & The Office writer Brant Forrester. Discover the stories, creative processes and career lessons behind three of the biggest names in comedy and entertainment.
Join Ben Hanlin for a special episode of What’s the Trick? as he looks back over the first 30 episodes and revisits three of his personal highlights. Featuring Andy Nyman on creativity and performance, Callie Hart on self-publishing and the power of BookTok, and Dominic McGregor on building Social Chain and understanding what makes content go viral.