Chris Cantrill and Sunil Patel on their Rural Concerns podcast

“I go through busy and fallow periods with podcasts. It's comforting isn't it. They do a thing that isn't a radio show,” says stand-up, one half of The Delightful Sausage, and now podcaster, Chris Cantrill. Rural Concerns, hosted alongside good friend and fellow comedian Sunil Patel, is exactly that – comfort, with a healthy dose of silliness.

Born out of Cantrill’s move to the countryside during the pandemic (“it's so lockdown in hindsight”) and wanting to stay in touch with his inner-city mate Patel, the podcast seemed like an ideal outlet for regularly committing to catching up with one another. Before, one would text the other “we need to talk business” – code for let’s have a natter – exchange a flurry of texts over an hour and then not chat for months. But now they’ve got a schedule, checking-in on each other by recording the weekly podcast.

The show has built something of a cult following, but not with the audience they expected. “It feels like it's hit a bit of a chord with people that are at a very specific time of life,” laughs Cantrill. “We thought we were aiming for a 'young person's podcast, broad cut-through', but it's basically people who are starting to take medication on a daily basis.”

The podcast itself is like having a cuppa with your daftest mates. They catch up on their weeks, any minute news of worth (“there’s lots of bin-related chat”), and latest escapades. In one recent episode, Patel is quizzed on how he eats trifle while Cantrill deep-dives into the lore of Kirby, the pink lump of a Nintendo character, before he reveals he was scammed out of twenty quid when trying to buy a copy of a game on Facebook Marketplace.

Cantrill and Patel’s presences are so opposed to each other, it couldn’t work better. Patel’s low energy deadpan bounces straight off Cantrill’s energetic musings, with sardonic Producer James (Shakeshaft, of the Loremen podcast with Alasdair Beckett-King) providing a foil to them both.

They share a long friendship which started on London’s open mic scene over ten years ago. “I remember talking to Sunil whilst he was having a cigarette on some very wet decking in around 2013 maybe. And now basically everybody that we started comedy with is either a household name OR an alt-right nazi and there's literally nothing in between,” says Cantrill, jibing that Patel might fall into both categories. The latter has a keepsake from when the two really hit it off, organising a gig together. “I've got a lovely old photo of me and Chris,” Patel says, “hiding behind the curtain on the stage because it's gone so badly that we've had to wait for the audience to file out.”

And in an industry which places an increasing value on prep and polish, Cantrill praises the podcast format as being hugely creatively freeing. “There's nothing like the thrill of just being able to make it, upload it and get it out there in a short amount of time.” The spontaneity of the medium and creative control is unparalleled for him: “[It’s] one of the most direct things I've done that's had a tangible effect [on my career] because so much of this sort of lifestyle is basically just waiting for people to give you opportunity, to grant you the permission to do something.”

Rural Concerns isn’t the only thing on their plates at the minute. As well as popping up everywhere on our screens (Cantrill chips in, “You do forget, he's a very successful actor”), Patel has a radio series about to launch (“I've spent the last year trying to marry a rich lady for the purposes of the radio show”) and is drumming up material for a series of WIPs, including one at Monkey Barrel this month. At the same time, Cantrill is touring Easily Swayed, his Edinburgh Award-nominated hour which also tackles his house move and male friendships, and has a new series of Icklewick FM, The Delightful Sausage’s radio show, in the works.

But it’s good to know the podcast’s success hasn’t gone to their heads. Cantrill gesticulates over the screen, “firemen, nurses, podcasters – these are the true emergency services.” The pair are still waiting on their blue light discount to come through. “That's the campaign for 2025. Get podcasters 20% off at Bella Italia”.

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Rural Concerns is available wherever you get your podcasts
Sunil Patel: Work In Progress, Monkey Barrel Comedy, Edinburgh, 8 Feb, 6pm, £7
Chris Cantrill: Easily Swayed, Monkey Barrel Comedy, Edinburgh, 12 Feb, 8pm, £15
Sunil Patel: An Idiot’s Guide to Bagging an Heiress is on BBC Radio 4 from 10 Feb