Episode 80 finds James back on the mic less than 24 hours after returning from the whirlwind that was the Winnipeg Comedy Festival - exhausted, slightly delirious, but very much in full ramble mode.

Fresh from a career milestone week, he takes us behind the scenes of performing on a major televised gala after years of trying to get booked, sharing the nerves, near-meltdown, and last-minute crisis of confidence. What follows is a rare moment of satisfaction as the set lands exactly as hoped - alongside a glimpse into the surreal machinery of big TV comedy: wardrobe teams, rehearsals, drivers, and the strange novelty of not having to do everything himself.

There are stories from the road, including headlining Yuk Yuk’s for a mental health fundraiser, performing at the legendary Rumor's Comedy Club, and recording another episode of The Debaters, all while running on minimal sleep and maximum adrenaline.

Elsewhere, the ramble veers into airport encounters with fellow New Brunswickers, the peculiar moment of returning home via Toronto and instantly knowing everyone again, the perils of late-night McDonald’s decisions, and his near-death steak-choking incident. There are punchy new jokes on Will Smith, Hulk Hogan, and the psychology of performers chasing big moments, plus thoughtful reflections on ambition, ageing, and choosing family time over relentless touring.

As ever, it is chaotic, candid and deeply funny - a snapshot of a comedian riding the high of a huge career moment while already overthinking the next one.

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Episode 79 marks the long-awaited return of Mullinger’s Weekly Ramble after a four-month disappearance - and James is back with a vengeance, a voice slightly hoarse, a brain slightly fried, and a lot to get off his chest. He dives straight into the real reason for his absence...

What follows is a gloriously unfiltered, deeply personal and frequently hilarious catch-up, as James charts the chaotic road to his latest stand up special taping. From nine shows in nine days and near vocal collapse, to testing new material in breweries, comedy clubs and even his children’s school (with mixed results), this is a candid behind-the-scenes look at what it really takes to build an hour of stand-up.

Along the way, he reflects on everything from EV disasters and Costco encounters to meditation attempts inspired by Phil Hanley, the joy of performing for healthcare workers across New Brunswick, discovering a hidden gem of a great Irish pub in Saint John, and the strange psychology of comedy audiences - why some rooms soar and others stall, and what that does to a comedian’s mind.

Multiple tangents on social media absurdity, the grind of self-promotion, Fight League Atlantic, improv experiments, and the surreal pressure of pinning “all future happiness” on one night. He also shares the emotional payoff: a sold-out theatre, a dream realised nine years in the making, and the overwhelming support of ramblers who gently nudged him to bring the podcast back.

Honest, chaotic, reflective and very funny, this episode is both a triumphant return and a reminder of why the ramble matters - not just to listeners, but to James himself.

Brought to you by Ganong Chocolatier

To purchase Ganong’s new Sea Salted Caramels and Peanut Butter Caramel Clusters that James can’t stop raving about, please visit Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland, Canadian Tire, Atlantic Superstore, Dominion or Walmart Atlantic.

Episode 78 is a funny, reflective, slightly frazzled and deeply grateful end-of-year ramble, opening with the oddly satisfying (and mildly annoying) fact that Christmas 2025 is almost 25/25/25, if only the calendar would cooperate.

From there, James looks back on an extraordinary year on the road: over 100 shows, six provinces, thousands of laughs, countless hugs and a profound sense of gratitude for the audiences, venues, promoters and fellow comedians who made it the best year of his life.

There are shout-outs, tour highs, cultural observations, Christmas traditions, favourite films and songs. Beneath the jokes, though, this episode gets honest. James talks candidly about anxiety, overthinking, creative insecurity and how performing is often the only reliable switch that quiets his brain. He reflects on grief, friendships, career knockbacks, confidence after good gigs and disappointment after bad ones, plus the strange balance between caring deeply about the world and protecting the emotional energy your family deserves.

There are musings on comedy as purpose, why getting out of the house can save your sanity, why laughter is still the fuel, and why a life built around pubs, theatres and making people laugh in New Brunswick might just be the perfect version of success. Funny, heartfelt and reassuringly human, this is a Christmas Eve episode for anyone trying to stay hopeful, grateful and sane.

Mullinger's Weekly Ramble is brought to you by Ganong Chocolatier

Please send any questions to comedy@jamesmullinger.com
For podcast sponsorship opportunities, please email info@podstarter.ca
Produced by Podstarter

Brought to you by Pascan Aviation x Saint John Airport + Ganong Chocolatier

It's eight days until Christmas and James is fretting about everything! Lemax Christmas villages, cologne detectives, racism in Canada, hyper-focus, the state of the world... you name it!

But there are joys to be found in the form of Rothesay Ballet's The Nutcracker, the Saint John Youth Orchestra's Christmas concert, Jeremy King's autobiography Without Reservation, the rediscovery of Viz magazine, The Polar Express in 3D, Man Vs Baby and the new inspiring Taylor Swift documentary. He also asks the question: is Jay Kelly a masterpiece or self-indulgent garbage? And he answers your questions about English traditions, embracing winter, the best things to do on a river and so much more!

He also reveals what's in the latest volume of [EDIT] magazine including the incredible story of Vicki Hogarth who saved a much loved local newspaper from extinction and the earth saving work of Joel MacPherson, as profiled by the great Thandiwe McCarthy.

All of this plus a few hundred tangents...

To purchase Ganong’s new Sea Salted Caramels and Peanut Butter Caramel Clusters that James can’t stop raving about, please visit Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland, Canadian Tire, Atlantic Superstore, Dominion or Walmart Atlantic.

To book bargain flights this Christmas please visit:

https://www.pascan.com/en/

Sponsored by Pascan Aviation x Saint John Airport + Ganong Chocolatier
Please send any questions to comedy@jamesmullinger.com
For podcast sponsorship opportunities, please email info@podstarter.ca
Produced by Podstarter

Brought to you by Pascan Aviation x Saint John Airport + Ganong Chocolatier

Episode 76 finds James home alone running the show and steering the ship… in an EV car without winter tires. He’s rambling about Eddie Murphy, Adam Sandler, Bill Burr, his favourite podcast, grocery prices, getting home for Christmas, Miramichi, whether ADHD has helped or hindered his career, English Vs Canadian Christmas traditions, woodchuck chucking, Cost Co encounters, the history of the English language, Golden Globe nominations, Starbucks toilets, the new issue of Atlantic Book Today featuring Natalie MacMaster, Andre Rieu's Merry Christmas live from Maastricht at Cineplex, and he answers all of your
crazy questions!

To purchase Ganong’s new Sea Salted Caramels and Peanut Butter Caramel
Clusters that James can’t stop raving about, please visit Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland, Canadian Tire, Atlantic Superstore, Dominion or Walmart Atlantic.

To book bargain flights this Christmas please visit: pascan.com/en/

Sponsored by by Pascan Aviation x Saint John Airport + Ganong Chocolatier
Please send any questions to comedy@jamesmullinger.com
For podcast sponsorship opportunities, please email info@podstarter.ca
Produced by Podstarter

Brought to you by Ganong Chocolatier

Episode 75 finds James back home in New Brunswick from British Columbia, greeted by a dramatic snowfall. He visits Atlantic Indian Bistro for butter chicken curry made by the Butter Chicken Guy and watches Danny Dyer and Kiefer Sutherland’s Christmas movie Tinsel Town. From security lines that feel like battlefield hospitals to planes that now function as airborne petri dishes, James takes aim at vaping, travel paranoia, passport photos, and the strange new soundtrack of air travel. The episode also weaves in life on tour in Oliver, Lake Country, Summerland and Kamloops, BC with some fantastically, uniquely Canadian encounters involving doctors and “disappointed” audiences.

He spends Sunday putting up decorations and watching Only Fools and Horses, Bottom, and Garfield’s Christmas movie with his brother in Vernon, BC, after handing out Ganong treats at Bulk Barn in Vernon all morning. Honest reflections follow on the concept of selling out, changing values, misunderstandings and why Alan Davies’ book White Male Stand Up is one of the best books about comedy and trauma ever written. All of this plus Martin Scorsese’s life, films, faith, illness, family, and endurance, with side trips through After Hours, Goodfellas, The Irishman, De Niro, Leo, and the power of music in cinema.

To purchase Ganong’s new Sea Salted Caramels and Peanut Butter Caramel Clusters that James can’t stop raving about, please visit Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland, Canadian Tire, Atlantic Superstore, Dominion or Walmart Atlantic.

Sponsored by Ganong Chocolatier (https://ganongchocolatier.shop/)

Please send any questions to comedy@jamesmullinger.com

For podcast sponsorship opportunities, please email info@podstarter.ca

Produced by Podstarter

Brought to you by Ganong Chocolatier

James has just landed in Kelowna for his run of five shows in the Okanagan, BC this week and he is reporting live from the Fairfield Inn after a full day of travelling on three planes!

He is in a great mood as he prepares for tonight’s show in the official wine capital of Canada – Oliver, BC. And there is a lot to be happy about: Fredericton’s first ever comedy festival, a record amount of money raised for the Saint John Hospital from the Rothesay Yule, Wicked For Good, Ed Sheeran’s One Shot, new specials from Gerry Dee Kevin Hart and Sebastian Maniscalco, the We Buy Records podcast, Charlotte Flewelling’s inspiring message, Down Cemetery Road, A House of Dynamite, Champagne Problems, Call Her Daddy, The Beast In Me, Gummo, The Morning Show season finale, whistlestop trips to PEI and Fredericton and Charlotte County and, as ever, a few thousand ADHD tangents.

He also asks the questions: do facts matter when we are sharing fake AI-generated stories online about people that don’t exist (such as 73-year old Raymond)?

Another warm, uplifting, joy-filled episode created to lift spirits, spark smiles, and remind us that - even in chaotic times - there is still so much good in the world. One joyful moment at a time.

To purchase Ganong’s new Sea Salted Caramels and Peanut Butter Caramel Clusters that James can’t stop raving about, please visit Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland, Canadian Tire, Atlantic Superstore, Dominion or Walmart Atlantic.

Sponsored by Ganong Chocolatier (https://ganongchocolatier.shop/)

Please send any questions to comedy@jamesmullinger.com

For podcast sponsorship opportunities, please email Jonathan Burns at jon@podstarter.io (mailto:info@podstarter.io)

Produced by Podstarter

Brought to you by Ganong Chocolatier

In this special Joy Episode, generously sponsored by the wonderful team at Ganong Chocolatier, James celebrates the best days of listeners’ lives. After putting out the call for uplifting stories, he was flooded with hundreds of inspiring, heart-warming, and downright magical “best day ever” moments, and in this episode he shares many of the most extraordinary. From simple kindnesses to life-changing milestones, these listener stories are a reminder that even in a time of chaos and unease, joy is still out there… and often closer than we think.

To purchase Ganong’s new Sea Salted Caramels and Peanut Butter Caramel Clusters that James can’t stop raving about, please visit Shoppers Drug Mart, Sobeys, Safeway, Foodland, Canadian Tire, Atlantic Superstore, Dominion or Walmart Atlantic.

James also opens up about the unexpected two-week break from the podcast - yet again the busiest stretch of his career! He takes listeners behind the scenes of an exhilarating run of shows and keynotes for NBCC and RBC, the massive Rothesay Yule fundraiser that brought more than 1300 people together, a whirlwind of filming projects, and the release of Nancy Regan’s new TV show, including what it felt like to have two episodes dedicated to his own story.

He also reflects on precious family time, Christmas movies, hockey nights, and the inspiring students and teachers he met across the province last week. A warm, uplifting, heartfelt episode designed to lift spirits, bring smiles, and remind us of the goodness in the world - one joyful moment at a time.

Sponsored by Ganong Chocolatier

Please send any questions to comedy@jamesmullinger.com

For podcast sponsorship opportunities, please email Jonathan Burns at jon@podstarter.io

Produced by Podstarter