Directors Ed Bartlam and Charlie Wood founded Underbelly in 2000 to operate one venue at the Edinburgh Festival. Since then, their comedy empire has grown to include the Udderbelly Festival in London, the London Wonderground, the Comedy Hullabaloo in Stratford upon Avon and of course, their ongoing presence at the Edinburgh Fringe. We chatted to Ed about the business of laughter and plans for world domination.

Rub-Riot: Tell us about how you originally founded Underbelly in Edinburgh- did you always intend to expand to London too? Do you have your sites set on world domination?

Ed Bartlam: I was bringing three shows up to the Edinburgh Fringe in 2000 and wanted to find a site specific space for them. My now business partner, Charlie Wood, and the then Director of the Fringe recommended these amazing vaults in the city centre. And so Underbelly was born. We've gone from 3 shows a day to 140 shows a day! We always wanted to expand outside of Edinburgh and London was always an ambition. Jude Kelly, Artistic Director of Southbank Centre, invited us to bring Udderbelly to the southbank in 2009. Yes, we have our sights set on world domination. Cows, comedy and spiegeltents everywhere! It's a bit of a cliche but we just really enjoy giving people a good time and creating new live experiences. And we have plans to do lots more... we're only just getting started.

RR: Have you thought about doing something like the London Wonderground in Edinburgh?

EB: We're keen to explore other places to take the Wonderground festival. We definitely see it as a festival brand that can travel to other cities. We probably wouldn't do it during the Fringe but why shouldn't there be an Edinburgh Wonderground?

RR: What makes the atmosphere at the Edinburgh Fringe so special?

EB: Quite simply, it's the biggest festival in the world with the most diverse programme of shows found anywhere on the planet. You'll find big stars rubbing shoulders with university drama groups. And the nights are very, very late! I spend my life trying to convince people to come to the Fringe for a few days. It's only when they get there that they fully understand the scale of the thing. And it's like a drug. I don't think I know anyone that has been once and then hasn't returned in future years.

RR: What makes you laugh?

EB: My children, airline captains, Josh in the West Wing, good musical comedy (Tim Minchin, Flight of the Concords, Abandoman), anything that Daniel Kitson does, anything that Jerry Sadowitz does, most things that involve Alan Partridge. And I still think that Fawlty Towers is one of the best things ever made for television.

RR: What's the best live comedy show you've ever seen?

EB: My two standouts are Stewart Lee's 90s Comedian show at Underbelly in 2006 and watching Flight of The Concords in a dank cave along with 100 other people at the Fringe.

RR: Who are you most excited about seeing at The Comedy Hullabaloo?

EB: The whole line-up is fantastic but I'm a big fan of Andy Zaltzman, Carl Donnelly and Miles Jupp in particular. The Horne Section are always great as well.

RR: There's been a wealth of great female comics emerging in recent years, do you think the industry's imbalance is finally being addressed?

EB:I hope so. I don't think it's ever been a purposeful inbalance. It's just that there are more fantastic female comics emerging. I'm a particular fan of Susan Calman and Australia's Felicity Ward.

RR: Where are your favourite places to go to discover new talent outside of festival season?

EB: Soho Theatre still produces a great comedy programme. The Hen and Chickens in Islington has always been a good place to find new talent. Show and Tell produce really interesting nights at places like the Bush Hall.

The Comedy Hullabaloo takes place from 23rd-26th May, whilst The London Wonderground lasts all summer. Udderbelly runs until July, and the Edinburgh Fringe is, of course, in August.