How much of a shock was it to you? It's the first time I've ever done

anything where people were talking about it before it happened.

Like, I've done, everything I've ever done, no one's talked about it even after it came out.

So it was really weird to do a thing that hadn't existed yet.

And there was these articles about why it wasn't working.

But because we did about two months of pre-production, you know, getting stuff together and learning how to do the format, the team was so good.

My only worry sort of from day one was like, am I going to mess this up? Am I going to get booted from it?

Go on, tell us, what is he like really to work with? Is it just chaotic or what's the story like?

You're not like nervous to comment on things like you literally you go you go for the guttural.

I don't know.

I mean, I think I think we're much newer and we have far lower expectations coming into it.

And I think that's benefit.

That's a lot.

But, I mean, that's been an incredible show for, what, 50 years? 50 seasons, is it? Oh, wow.

I think what was really exciting is we had the template of a show format that worked, but everyone on it was new.

How close to going live are the jokes being worked on? Like, is it nailed down on a Saturday afternoon?

Talk me through how ideas come and your role in contributing to what might emerge in that week's show.

They're pitching sketches to the host on Monday, then they're writing them Monday, Tuesday, and then on Wednesday all the sketches are read out at the table.

Sometimes 30, maybe 40, and then the best ones are then rehearsed the rest of the week.

Whereas on Update, we're writing jokes throughout the week, and we're generally coming up with the big newsy stuff right at the end so it's as-

[laughs]

It is very stressful.

It's almost like every week you get t- taught the wrong lesson because- On update, we just don't know what jokes will get through, and what's gonna work, and what's not, and we do a lot of big offers, and a lot of them don't work.

We are in the bunker trying to get it just right, and then when it goes out, and then people tell us it went well, it's almost like, "Oh, well, that was good because it was really hard." It's really, really fun.

Same kind of thing.

So you think I've got loads of new stuff and I'm gigging all the time, but actually, how much stuff are you coming up with on a single day? And to come up with one good joke, the chances are you probably had to write, would you say, 25 to 30 bad jokes? Yeah, completely.

So the job is endlessly humbling because we're constantly testing jokes outside of the week that we really hope are good.

And they are mostly crap every single week.

Of course they are.

Every week.

Otherwise everybody would do it all the time.

Paddy, have you got any Danny stuff going on?

It's a house.

Look at the twinkle in his eye.

That's fucking insane.

But I owe the bank half of it.

Can I ask you a question? Do you sort of...

Obviously, you know, I imagine there's empathy in there somewhere.

LAUGHTER But like, I'm sure that you look at us a lot and that sometimes you must think like, God, these poor lot.

it wasn't commissioned right but the beauty of Scrabble is they're just words and so like it doesn't it's not offensive because you're literally just playing words that are real words yes right and as you know as you've pointed out before there's a lot of people Thai people and Taiwanese people play the English one and they can't speak English

It's not only done well, but I think it's become a real thing that people are talking about.

No, it's amazing.

And also, you know, we know...

I can't...

We're going to get 20 episodes within one year.

And I don't think there's anything comparable, comedy-wise, that's new.

That just never happens.

Someone behind us like that.

Maybe

Christoph Waltz drinks milk? In Inglourious Bastards, maybe? Does he drink milk? Check it, check it.

He goes to their house, it's a milk farmer.

Well, I will say this.

That's right, yeah.

I feel like, My friend Nadia put it in my head that it's a male thing because when I used to live with her, I used to come home after a night out and just stand by the fridge and drink a pint of milk.

And she said she found it so disgusting.

And then it's like a

What are the key conversations that you're having? More specifically, would you say that there is an alignment between the stakeholders in terms of their perception of risks and opportunities?

Yeah.

This is, this is something actually I'm very privileged.

I think I'm very lucky in general because I do get to, uh, attend a lot of conferences, a lot of events, talk to a lot of people across the whole spectrum, which you'd expect with something like, uh, Enlit, which is representing the whole ecosystem.

And I think something I see is we are very clearly aware of the problems.

I think there's not been an event I've been to where we talk about permitting, we talk about integration.

I think people are going to introduce a fine at conferences if you use the word flexibility because it was just this, this word that was used the whole time.

Could you highlight for our listeners some of the content, the speakers, or the side events that you are most looking forward to?

Mm-hmm.

The environment is so relaxing, and I've only really recent- very recently started watching it.

I don't really watch any sport, didn't really grow up with any sport.

But there's something about...

I live in East London, and I think even the snooker hall, it feels like, it feels like one of the final remnants of, like, a London that doesn't exist anymore.

Yeah.

It feels like every, every time I, I sort of feel sad that I never experienced what this place used to be.

I always feel like a, feel like now, now everything's just sort of, like, not...

[laughs] What about the need-

What's going on? I live, live with you all the time.

We've got this hit podcast.

"Yeah, we'll get you on, we'll get you on one day.

We'll get you on one day." Waits until I'm on a hit TV show, comes on and goes, "So you've got, like, ugly women messaging you and, uh, let's talk about your deepest, darkest phobia." Straight off the bat.

We've talked about this a lot.

And then she's got, she's got really skinny waist and then big enormous brown tits, but she's got a cobra's head.

And any time I try and grab them, she's gonna [hisses] [laughs] And, like, wraps a little bit tighter around my tummy.

even just try now just one little

tiny bit? I'm not doing me burning for free.

Too right, you get it.

I couldn't.

Where are you from originally? From Scarborough.

You've got the north thing.

But I'm sort of like a fake norther.

The

And what is it?

It's a agony on, uh, sh- it's like Oprah for blokes.

Rather than-

What, what we're doing...

They will obviously be able to submit this, the one we're doing today is hygiene.

After a

point, you just find ways to get around it.

So he was apologetic, but not crazy.

I guess he's like, yeah, it's like when, you know, like you say, a homeless guy is like, can you buy me a sandwich? You go in there and you get the wrong one.

But it's like, you know, I'm doing my bit.

Is that how Ed felt? He's like, come on guys, I'm actually here, I've showed up.

I'm guessing Acasta didn't show up at all.

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