Chelsea Birkby: Magic, Milton Keynes & the Comedy of Not Knowing

Chelsea Birkby: Magic, Milton Keynes & the Comedy of Not Knowing

Season 4 of Television Times Podcast continues with a delightfully offbeat episode as host Steve Otis Gunn sits down with rising comedy star Chelsea Birkby. Known for her thoughtful, cerebral humour and a style that mixes vulnerability with sharp observation, Chelsea shares her unique take on everything from the architecture of Milton Keynes to the strange, shared language of reality TV.

Finding the Funny in Milton Keynes

Chelsea reflects on how her hometown of Milton Keynes has shaped her comic sensibility. “It’s not a punchline,” she insists, instead painting it as a surreal and inspiring backdrop—full of strange symmetry, unexpected beauty, and the perfect kind of weirdness for a comedian to grow up around. The city’s clean lines and skateboard-ready plazas feed into her material, offering a setting that’s both mundane and magical.

Magic, Mind Games and Comedy

A self-confessed fan of illusion and psychology, Chelsea explores how her love of magic has bled into her comedy. She describes the joy of being tricked and the thrill of “not knowing,” drawing parallels between magic tricks and jokes—the setup, the misdirection, and the surprise reveal. For Chelsea, embracing the unknown isn’t just a comic tool, but a personal philosophy.

Reality TV, Slang, and the Joy of Collective Watching

The conversation drifts into reality television, with Chelsea confessing her fascination with shows like The Traitors and The Simple Life. She argues for the cultural importance of watching in real time, noting how reality TV acts as a “shared language” across generations. From generational slang like “skibidi” to the concept of “brainrot,” she and Steve examine how TV and memes reflect deeper shifts in how we think, speak, and connect.

Final Thoughts

This episode is a refreshing reminder that comedy isn’t just about punchlines—it’s about curiosity, courage, and connection. Chelsea Birkby invites us to find humour in uncertainty, to lean into confusion, and to laugh at the wonderfully bizarre world around us. Whether you’re a comedy fan, a philosophy buff, or someone who’s ever felt lost in a roundabout, this is an episode that will stay with you.

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