“We always start with a looming deadline” | Foxdog Studios talk using prop comedy to capture the silliness in business

When did you first show an interest in comedy – stand-up or otherwise?

Lloyd: In 2012 I flew over the handlebars of my bicycle and landed on my teeth. A glass of water with dentures in them next to my bed awoke my sense of humour.

Peter: UK Gold hit our screens in 1992 and I placed a banana skin on a cycle path in 2012.

Did you always wish to use tech in your performance from the beginning?

Lloyd: 9 years ago we were doing our first IT contracts writing enquiry/invoicing systems for SMEs in the north west, and we wanted to share the fun with a live audience.

Peter: We didn’t have anything else. We’d never seen or done any form of comedy so we used the novelty of the tech to fill the gap – a crutch we still rely on today.

What comes first – the comedy idea or the tech?

Both: Normally it’s an external deadline. Then we steal the funniest invoicing features for ourselves, like the complex tax laws that came with the UK leaving the EU.

How do you go about writing/devising the kind of content you make?

Both: Again we always start with a looming deadline. Then think of something we can do in time, start building, run out of time and deal with what we have. Because there’s interactive parts with the audience anonymously controlling the show, we mostly think of how we can create tools to help us react to the moment.

Did you two start as a double act or did you have solo pieces prior to meeting?

Lloyd: You need two people to motivate yourselves through the boring bits.

Peter: We started with solo computer science degrees.

What are your highlights of working together?

Peter: We’ve been working together since 2008 and we haven’t killed each other.

Lloyd: Trips to London

How do you adapt if an audience doesn’t engage with your highly intricate sets?

Lloyd: For booking purposes this has and can never happen.

Peter: It’s never really been an issue. But we have a few options. We program each set beforehand so we’ve pretty much gonna do what we’ve planned. Just means we have to do lots of planning

What advice would you give to your younger selves before starting on this career path?

Lloyd: buy a head torch ASAP – and a mouth guard.

Peter: Just have a screen test card as your desktop background. Sure it’s nice to have a subtle blue gradient when you’re at home, but it will stop this conversation: “Can you send me something?” “I am, it’s just my screen is completely light blue making it look like I’m not sending you anything.” “Can you put something on the screen” “No because the software won’t launch until I’ve plugged in the sound card”…

You can find out more about Foxdog Studios by checking out their website.

This interview, along with other fun and exclusive content, is part of our Winter 2022 zine – order your copy here!