You are a Channel 4 Taskmaster champ beating the likes of Steve Pemberton and Alma's Not Normal star Joanne McNally. Where do you keep your winning trophy of the head of Greg Davies?
(Laughs) I've got it downstairs. It's a little bit more hollow than it looks on telly. It's very much got a paper mâché vibe, but you can keep anything you like of all the prizes and things on the show.
I've got a little teddy they made to look like me. I've got a painting by Sophie Willan and, right next to my bed, I have a picture of my friend Paul McCaffrey taken at Nandos that featured in the incredible photos round. I've got some of the actual tasks as well the little envelopes with the red wax seal on. It's nice to have those little mementoes otherwise it feels like a bit of a dream.
Did you find yourself becoming super-competitive on the show?
I found myself to be as competitive as I always am. Watching back I guess there are moments when I could have focussed on my career trajectory and getting a new audience rather than going for the win... but I'll take the win.
What was it like also doing Bad Golf on YouTube with Taskmaster's Alex Horne?
I got better, Alex didn't. I got obsessed with golf and was playing three times a week. Story of my life - get obsessed with something for a year and then leave it - but I do still play every few months. I'm just not a compulsive golfer like I used to be.
You studied English at university. How did comedy come about?
When I went to uni I wanted to be a poet and over the course of my undergraduate degree I realised I was very, very bad at poetry and also it wasn't really a viable career any more. Then I wanted to be a music journalist and did that my last year, but that stopped pretty much because of the internet, so I ended up working in a book shop and not being particularly happy with life until I started doing stand-up in 2005.
I went to an open-mic night and I just got the bug straight away. It was absolutely terrifying, but the draw to do it is 1% more powerful than the terror.
You live with that battle for a few years until you get a bit more used to it and experienced, and you feel a little bit less anxious.
When did you realise you could make a living from comedy?
Probably after a couple of months. I did an open spot in Minehead. I was living in Bristol and it was about a two-hour drive there and I was doing an unpaid 10-minute slot and I did quite well and the guy who was running the pub said, 'I can't not pay you for that' and handed me a £20 note and I thought, 'Wow, that pays for the petrol. Then someone gave me £40 - petrol and food. After six months I realised I had earned enough that month to cover my food, my petrol and my rent and thought, 'Oh, I might be a comedian.'
It was a great adventure as well. I remember I had been going a year and someone offered me £100 for a gig and I couldn't believe it.
Are you looking forward to heading back out on tour with fellow comedian and podcaster Elis James?
It is great because we have not done that for years. We are both live acts at heart, that's how our careers started, that's how we met, and it is always exciting to be doing...
(Laughs) I've got it downstairs. It's a little bit more hollow than it looks on telly. It's very much got a paper mâché vibe, but you can keep anything you like of all the prizes and things on the show.
I've got a little teddy they made to look like me. I've got a painting by Sophie Willan and, right next to my bed, I have a picture of my friend Paul McCaffrey taken at Nandos that featured in the incredible photos round. I've got some of the actual tasks as well the little envelopes with the red wax seal on. It's nice to have those little mementoes otherwise it feels like a bit of a dream.
Did you find yourself becoming super-competitive on the show?
I found myself to be as competitive as I always am. Watching back I guess there are moments when I could have focussed on my career trajectory and getting a new audience rather than going for the win... but I'll take the win.
What was it like also doing Bad Golf on YouTube with Taskmaster's Alex Horne?
I got better, Alex didn't. I got obsessed with golf and was playing three times a week. Story of my life - get obsessed with something for a year and then leave it - but I do still play every few months. I'm just not a compulsive golfer like I used to be.
You studied English at university. How did comedy come about?
When I went to uni I wanted to be a poet and over the course of my undergraduate degree I realised I was very, very bad at poetry and also it wasn't really a viable career any more. Then I wanted to be a music journalist and did that my last year, but that stopped pretty much because of the internet, so I ended up working in a book shop and not being particularly happy with life until I started doing stand-up in 2005.
I went to an open-mic night and I just got the bug straight away. It was absolutely terrifying, but the draw to do it is 1% more powerful than the terror.
You live with that battle for a few years until you get a bit more used to it and experienced, and you feel a little bit less anxious.
When did you realise you could make a living from comedy?
Probably after a couple of months. I did an open spot in Minehead. I was living in Bristol and it was about a two-hour drive there and I was doing an unpaid 10-minute slot and I did quite well and the guy who was running the pub said, 'I can't not pay you for that' and handed me a £20 note and I thought, 'Wow, that pays for the petrol. Then someone gave me £40 - petrol and food. After six months I realised I had earned enough that month to cover my food, my petrol and my rent and thought, 'Oh, I might be a comedian.'
It was a great adventure as well. I remember I had been going a year and someone offered me £100 for a gig and I couldn't believe it.
Are you looking forward to heading back out on tour with fellow comedian and podcaster Elis James?
It is great because we have not done that for years. We are both live acts at heart, that's how our careers started, that's how we met, and it is always exciting to be doing...
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The Chronicle (Digital) - 1 Issue, March 21, 2025