All Killa no Filla podcast hosts talk Manchester, murder and being women in comedy

All Killa No Filla, a podcast from Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Rachel Fairburn is set for a huge UK tour.

The two comedians, one from Manchester and the other from Wales (who did her comedy training up here) are set to play a huge gig at the Opera House on Fri 24th May.

Now serial killers might on the face of it, not look like the best subject to base a comedy podcast on.

However, Kiri and Rachel have grown a huge following over ten years, dissecting notorious serial killer cases, with a tasteful blend of insight, humour and entertainment.

They maintain an empathetic focus on the lives of the victims, delivered with signature oversharing and wild digressions.

Now they are ready to perform in the place where it all began, Manchester, so we caught up with them to discuss why their podcast has been such a huge success over the last ten years.

You can get tickets to their show at the Opera House by clicking here

All Killa No Filla podcast

One of the UK’s original indie podcasts, All Killa No Filla was created in 2014 thanks to a back bedroom chat between comedians Kiri Pritchard-McLean and Rachel Fairburn about their shared fascination with murder.

Charting a course way ahead of the curve and redefining the podcast landscape with its own unique true crime comedy genre, it has grown into a cultural phenomenon gaining a legion of dedicated fans (aka Legends) amassing to over 250,000 regular listeners, and has had 10.5 million downloads to date.

Rachel and Kiri, two comedians with a shared interest in true crime and the supernatural, joined forces, bonding over their mutual fascination.

As Rachel explains, “We lived across the road from each other in Manchester, and at the time, you wouldn’t really get two women on a comedy bill.

“So Kiri and I were sort of urged to meet each other, and we hit it off immediately, and decided that we wanted to do a podcast. We chose Serial Killers because that’s something we’re interested in and it just went from there.”

Kiri adds, “When you do a podcast, you should pick something that you’re interested in. That’s why we chose Serial Killers, and it just evolved naturally from our shared curiosity.”

Their genuine passion for the subject shines through in their episodes, making it an engaging and immersive experience for their listeners.

When asked about their approach to handling sensitive topics, Rachel emphasises the importance of balancing humour and sensitivity, saying, “Comedy has given us a really good insight into how to keep things lighthearted but also on the right side of history. We know how to react and interact with an audience, and that intuition translates into our podcast as well.”

Kiri adds, “We’re just very intuitive with each other’s humour. We know sometimes what the other one’s gonna say or where to take the next thing. That comes from working with somebody for 10 years and being a comedian yourself.”

Learning the ropes in Manchester

For Kiri, Manchester’s comedy scene provided invaluable opportunities for growth and learning. She explains, “I started gigging properly in January 2010, handed my notice in at the Trafford Centre, and then got a job at The Frog and Bucket in April.

“I learned so much just by answering the phones in The Frog and Bucket and listening to what was going on.

“I immersed myself in the comedy scene and learned as much as I could.”

Kiri also found Manchester to be an ideal place to start her comedy career.

She notes, “Manchester is a great place to start out. The audiences don’t take any sh*t. You get a lot of working-class audiences who pay money to make them laugh. It pushes you to be better and connect with the audience on a genuine level.”

Both Rachel and Kiri credit Manchester’s supportive comedy community for helping them thrive. Rachel acknowledges Jess, the owner of The Frog and Bucket, for being supportive of women in comedy.

She adds, “There was even an all-female comedy night when I was starting out, which was great for promoting more diverse voices in the industry.”

The impact of All Killer No Filla

Reflecting on the podcast’s impact, Rachel shares heartwarming stories from their dedicated listeners, saying, “People have always been happy to tell us how listening to our podcast helped them during tough times. It’s like having a little slice of nonsense that brings people together.”

Now it’s time for the dynamic duo to take the show on the road, performing live shows that mirror the energy and spontaneity of their recorded episodes.

Emphasising the interactive and community-driven nature of their live shows, Rachel explained: “The audience gets to join in, ask questions and a big part of it is what we’re wearing and what they’re wearing. It’s just a huge, big, fun podcast that isn’t recorded, a personal podcast for them.”

Looking ahead, Rachel and Kiri prefer to take things as they come. “I never thought All Killa No Filla would go for 10 years,” Rachel reflects. “We had no idea that it was going to be a decade of this. But it’s amazing to see something self-produced, self-made, and with two women at the front of it remain popular and keep getting popular.”

What to expect on their live tour

On marking a decade of the podcast, Rachel Fairburn said: “The Legends (their fans) know more about me than my own family so I’m looking forward to taking a live show on tour to celebrate a decade of oversharing.

“There’s nothing like seeing the looks of disapproval in real life.”

Kiri added: “I’m so glad we get to celebrate ten years of wandering off topic and being libellous with the amazing group of listeners we get to call Legends.

“I love making this podcast and ten years of working with Rachel has absolutely flown by – maybe because she hasn’t aged at all in that time?

“The podcast is fun when we record it, but it’s REALLY special when it’s live and I have a feeling we’ll be talking about these ten shows for years.“

About All Killa No Filla

Welsh comedian Kiri Pritchard-McLean is a multi award-winning stand-up, writer and director.

A frequent fixture on our TV’s, Kiri has appeared on flagship shows such as Live at the Apollo (BBC Two), Have I Got News For You (BBC One), 8 Out of 10 Cats (Channel 4), QI (BBC Two) and Frankie Boyle’s New World Order (BBC Two).

Kiri hosts a hugely popular panel show for Radio 4, Best Medicine, and has a regular weekend show on BBC Radio Wales.

She was also the final host of the highly respected radio series Newsjack.

As a writer and satirist she is much in demand, with work including a commission from The Old Vic to write and direct a monologue for International Women’s Day.

She is the writer and director for the critically-acclaimed sketch group Tarot, and with them she has just directed her first short film for the BBC Comedy Shorts Strand, Pobl Bachyn.

Kiri was a recipient of the BBC’s prestigious Caroline Aherne Award and currently has a sitcom in development.

You can listen to All Killa No Filla by clicking here