#thank you Romesh Ranganathan

[theoi-of-olympus]

Going to comedy shows as a devotional act to lord Dionysus >>>

[alexhornefan]

Nice Things People Say About Alex Horne

Updated: 21/09/2023

 Alex is the nicest guy ever. -Lucy Beaumont, Series 16 Contestant Interviews

It’s all from Greg and Alex, it’s the synergy between them. It sounds corny, but they are really lovely guys. -Lucy Beaumont, Series 16 Contestant Interviews

It’s a strange role he has because he’s the clever one, but he’s also the inferior one compared to Greg. -Julian Clary, Series 16 Contestant Interviews

He's ever so nice. -Julian Clary, Taskmaster, Series 16, Episode 1 (11.00)

I love Greg and Alex so much. -Sue Perkins, Series 16 Contestant Interviews

He is generous, down-to-earth, and always willing to go out of his way to make others feel like they are important and valued. -Dr Ali Struthers, creator of School Tasking and co-founder of Taskmaster Education who nominated Alex for his Honorary Doctorate from Warwick University

Alex, it’s genuinely difficult for me to think of anyone who more closely embodies what I want to see on television. I think you’re perfect. -Victoria Coren Mitchell on Taskmaster series 12 outtakes

Alex is very, very sweet. -David Baddiel, Taskmaster Series 9 Outtakes, part 1

I've never met Alex before the show, but I'd watched the show as research. And I thought he'd be this weirdo, he would be really aloof and stuff. And then he was just like, the nicest person! But I was so shocked that he was like a totally different person. He's one of the best people I've ever worked with. -Fern Brady on her Taskmaster Reddit AMA

(Thanks to @hleonaa for sharing these above two quotes)

He's one of the most trustworthy, lovely guys I've ever met. -Lou Sanders, Taskmaster Podcast, Episode 60.

I was aware of Alex because I really like the Horne Section. And he's a really, really, really funny boy. -Hugh Dennis, Taskmaster Podcast, Episode 41.

I've got to be honest, Alex is a lovely man, an absolute comedy genius. I think within the next decade we'll see him approaching national treasure territory. -Ed Gamble, Off Menu Podcast, Episode 175

And Alex Horne is just great. God, I wish I could work with him again. He’s so, so lovely. -Fern Brady

Alex Horne is so pure and I don't want him to read things that are dirty- Fern Brady, RHLSTP

Ed Gamble and Kerry Godliman talk about how nice Alex is.

And of course anyone who knows Alex Horne knows that he is one of the nicest, loveliest souls in comedy, so it is hard to say no to Alex Horne- Doc Brown/Ben Bailey Smith, Taskmaster Podcast, Episode 21

When I first got asked to do Taskmaster, I agreed because I loved Alex and I still do. I was just so excited to do his show. -Romesh Ranganathan, Taskmaster Podcast, Episode 18

The reason I said yes without knowing much about it was because it had come from his twisted little mind, and I knew it would be clever. -Greg Davies

I absolutely love the guy, as you know. One of the few geniuses in television, in my opinion. -Richard Osman, Taskmaster Podcast, Episode 23

Alex immediately establishes a really warm relationship without any exception, every single person who's been on that show which is kind of the life-blood of doing the tasks. It's beautiful. -Tim Key Taskmaster Podcast, Episode 14

I think we're unlikely friends. I don't think, if it wasn't for Taskmaster, I don't think we'd have found each other necessarily, but I'm ever so glad that we did. -Greg Davies (Taskmaster, People's Podcast with Greg Davies)

He really is [so nice]. He doesn't have a side to him. He really is just nice. -Greg Davies (Taskmaster, People's Podcast with Greg Davies)

He's one of the nicest people in the world. He's just so nice. -Lou Sanders. (Taskmaster, People's Podcast with Greg Davies)

I feel nothing but affection for Alex. -Greg Davies

He's got a very interesting, gentle persona. It's nice to spend time with him. -Adrian Chiles

He's a magnificent human being. I don't know whether I'm supposed to say that. And he's so charming and so funny -Claudia Winkleman

He was really good, and he was also one of the nicest people I've met in these showbiz things, because he came in and chatted to you in between tasks. We had some really good chats, actually, and got along. He's such a cool guy. -Jonnie Peacock

Also, I really like Alex. I hosted Montreal Just for Laughs [in 2010] and he was on the bill so for a week we did a show and I got to know him then, I thought he was great. So that's the main reason I did it. -Noel Fielding

Alex is a very thoughtful, self-effacing, humble man. -Greg Davies

And I love Greg and Alex, I love their rapport. So to me, I've got a front row seat for one of the best double acts on television. -Kerry Godliman

There was one moment where a paramedic was called, and Alex was useful in that moment. He seemed genuinely worried that I might have broken a bone. -Jessica Knappett

I admire him greatly and I think that's what I put it down to: an underlying admiration. -Greg Davies

He's the sweetest boy in all the world and he has the sweetest little face. -Rose Matafeo

I adore Alex. I feel like it's having a calm therapist there. I often used to start a task by hugging him, but he didn't want to do that. I thought it was nice but he didn't like it. -Katy Wix

Greg does really tease Alex but he has a really fondness for him. -Jo Brand (link below)

He's such a tremendously likeable person. I hope my relationship with him is just a friendly one, really. He's so genuinely helpful. -Jo Brand

I'm a fan of Greg Davies and Alex Horne, both of whom I've known for a long time. -David Baddiel (See below)

But with Taskmaster, I'm always confident the tasks will be funny - properly funny, not local-news funny. Mainly because of the genius of Alex Horne. I have a lot of faith in Alex. -David Baddiel

Alex is genius at coming up with ways for people to prove their ineptitude. -Richard Herring

I think Greg and Alex are such a team. -Katherine Parkinson

Obviously, Alex is very talented at devising games and frameworks for people to be funny and ridiculous in. -Mike Wozniak

I love him! I love little Alex Horne. He's just so sweet! He's a smiley face on a rainy day. A bunch of flowers in this hellhole. I loved him, and his sweet little face. We're pack animals, and you get a bit lonely doing the tasks on your own. He's always there for you. -Morgana Robinson

Well Alex is a much more kindred spirit for me. On the Only Connect team, Alex would be captain. In my house, Alex would be the most capable person. It would be, "Let's get Alex in to fix things". So it was odd to see him as the junior. Greg is to Alex what Alex is to me. -Victoria Coren Mitchell

The thing is with Alex, he goes into everything in a full-throttled manner. -Greg Davies (see below)

We've such an unlikely friendship, Alex and I, but it's crept along nicely. I'm more than happy for it to be made public that Alex and I have been camping together. I never thought him and I would spend a night under the stars, but we did. It was pre-lockdown, and it was even voluntary. The fact that I did is progress for our friendship. Beneath the insults, you can sense a new warmth. He's a clever bugger, isn't he? -Greg Davies

Alex Horne is just a delightful person. -Greg Davies (Taskmaster Podcast, Episode 11)

**Greg Listing 5 things he likes about Alex Horne from The Horne Section Podcast**

[thebigrewatch]

Taskmaster : Series 1 : Episode 1 : Melon Buffet

Right, here we are then. The first series rewatch. I've been watching Taskmaster for a long time after happening upon one of the series 1 episodes on Dave. Having seen every episode of Taskmaster it feels strange to go back to the beginning. The vibe is weird! They all look so young as well. I can't get over Alex's hair and beard.

Anyway, I thought since it's the first episode I'd write down some of my favourites from the series and then I can see if I still stand by it when I've rewatched them all.

Favourite prize task: Most unusual item, for the response it gets from Josh Favourite contestant: Romesh Ranganathan Favourite task: Guess the content of the pies Favourite team task: get to 11 points, fastest wins Favourite live task: the one where they have to pop up a tent, get into the tent, put on a onesie and get out of the tent Favourite episode name: The Pie Whisperer Favourite moment: When Romesh argues there was no box for his task and Frank shouts 'box' when the box is shown in the next scene

Right then, I've popped the episode on, I've got a slice of blueberry orange cake and a cup of tea...let's goooo! Oh no wait it's making me watch an advert. Hang on. Alright, let's gooooo! Oh wow, Greg looks so young. No beard or glasses or anything. Very quickly highlighting Frank Skinner as the older contestant because he's wearing a suit. They don't keep up with these sort of insult introductions in the future. I'm glad, they can get a bit wearing after a while (looking at you cats does countdown). Prize task: Most Unusual Item : Frank has brought in some grape scissors which look nice. Josh brought in a football that was supposed to be signed but in the picture it doesn't have any signatures on. They don't dwell on this though! I feel like if it was a future series they would have investigated that a bit more. Roisin brought in a photo of Greg sitting on a bench. Romesh brought in a Christmas snow globe with the faces of his children photoshopped onto the little santas which is rather sweet. Tim Key brought in a reindeer skull which is quickly chosen as the winner. The football comes last, with Josh exclaiming 'I brought in a signed football, you've rubbed off the signatures and put me last!'

First Task: In the lab there is a watermelon, eat as much watermelon as possible in 1 minute : This task truly shows the difference between human beings! We see Josh first, who brings out the cutlery to spoon the watermelon into his mouth. He ate 218g which is respectable, that's more that I'd manage for sure! Next we see Frank who bashes it on the corner of the table which gains a round of applause from the audience. He makes a joke that he forgot his watermelon scissors, a throwback to the grape scissors from the prize task. Roisin makes a very poor but hilarious attempt. She walks into the lab and goes 'oh!' and walks out again to get something to cut the melon open with. She only gets a spoonful in her mouth before the whistle goes, in her words 'I just grazed it'. She is the one who says the episode title 'Melon Buffet'. And now we see Tim and Romesh. The animals! Tim bashes it wildly on the table to break it open, but Romesh burst into the lab, grabs it and throws it down hard onto the floor where it is absolutely obliterated! They both eat some much they have a slight vomiting issue. Tim isn't too bad but we do see Romesh vomiting his watermelon back up which isn't a pretty sight! Very funny line from Romesh here though 'I think I produced more melon than I ate'. It is revealed controversially that Tim ate a bit more after the whistle went, and it's not the first time we'll see him cheating a bit. Overall Romesh is the winner of the task! I should hope so too after all he went through!

The next task is one of those tasks that would not be funny unless one person does it differently. Thank goodness for Roisin! The contestants are asked to paint a horse while riding a horse. They all give it a good go but it's not that thrilling. Greg marks the pictures before we see who painted them, a bit like the technical challenge on bake off. I did enjoy Tim Key telling the horse to 'shut up' every time it made a noise. Roisin refuses to go on the horse so she does it on the training horse instead. I think she's unfairly judged here because she is still on a horse and it is moving, but obviously it's not as difficult as those that were on a real horse. She's put in last place though which is fairer than being disqualified. Frank's painting is lovely and he is the winner of the task!

The final pre-recorded task is another great silly one. They have to completely empty a bath tub without disturbing the plug. The bathtub is well used throughout TM history so it's nice to see its first outing again. Josh and Frank have the same idea to siphon off the water before quickly realising that is not going to work and choosing a bucket instead. They seem to be doing it quite slowly and carefully. If it was me I'd do what Tim Key does, we'll get to that in a moment. Roisin quickly falls into the usual TM traps of choosing a bucket with holes in. She very slowly uses a large saucepan to get the water out but doesn't completely empty it. Then there's our two animals again. Romesh uses a large bucket to get the water out but has more urgency than the others, so much so the water goes over the camera! Tim Key gets into the bath and starts thrashing around which is 100% what I would have done! However, we see that in his haste he's knocked the plug out and sneakily tries to put it back in. Greg asks the audience to give Tim Key and extra round of applause before we find out about the cheating which makes the reveal even better!

After that controversy is over with it's onto the live task where the contestants need to pop up a tent, go into the tent, put on a onesie and get out of the tent wearing said onesie. There isn't much to say about this really other than it's hilarious seeing Josh emerge dishevelled from his tent wearing a pink cow onesie!

I'd forgotten that there's a tie break task in the first episode, we don't see many of these. Frank and Romesh have to find Alex who was somewhere on the TM grounds. Frank wins and is therefore the winner of the episode. I'm sure he's glad to get his grape scissors back.

Overall I thought it was a really good opening episode and they chose some brilliant tasks to set the tone of the series, especially the melon one. Just brilliant.

[cherish--these--times]

I was tagged by @movrings. Thank you lovely <3

Rules: List 10 of your comfort shows, then tag 10 people

Community (forever a greendale human being!)

The Nanny (Fran Drescher, what a unionised queen)

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

Brooklyn Nine-Nine/The Good Place

Stand up shows of all kind (Hannah Gadsby ((saw them live I adore them)), Rhys Nicholson, Romesh Ranganathan, Russell Howard are particular favourites)

Miranda (a classic, what a treat!)

Anne of Green Gables 1985 & 1987 (though Anne with an E is also excellent)

Pride and Prejudice 1995

Any other Jane Austen adaptation

Ted Lasso is gone down the list, same as my esteem)

Tagging people whom I always enjoy spotting on my dashboard. Apologies if this goes against the tumblr etiquette <3 Do ignore if it's a nuisance. @miabicicletta, @roamwithahungryheart, @0832, @thirdeyeblue, @mulderscully, @cricketcat9, @notagarroter, @thisisartbylexie, @unashamedly-enthusiastic, @kstewmanipulation,

[wowpindrop]

Romesh Ranganathan | Fairground

For: Frankie

Authors notes: Hey, hope you guya are doing well. It is CRIMINAL how underrated this silly little man is. We need more Rom fics! Hope u like this Frankie :]

Summary: a cute little date with your boyfriend Rom :>

You adjusted your outfit as you glanced upwards at the rides. Happy and terrified reactions emanated from the area , as you filled wirh excitement. The sun beamed down, engulfing you in a light warmth, the perfect summer day.

You and your boyfriend wanted to do something slightly different for a date, the regular dinners becoming ever so slightly repetitive.

"Wow. I'm suprised you're actually here on time."

Your boyfriend, Rom, chuckled next to you. Matching his reaction, as you weren't really known for your ability to get to places on time.

"I dont know whether i should take that personally." You reply, nudging his shoulder in a jokey manner.

He laughed, nudging you back slightly harder, causing you to let out a quiet noise of suprise, which Rom awwed at.

_____________________________________

A while later, you and Rom had headed into the fairground, hands entwined, trying to decide what to do first.

That's when you saw it.

The most beautiful thing you had ever lay eyes on. A prize for a hook-a-duck gazebo close to where you were standing.

Rom let out a quick burst of laughter, causing you to turn to look at him, a look of hope in your eyes. He adjusted his glasses on his nose, using the hand that wasn't holding yours.

He sighed, shaking his head, clearly finding the situation entertaining.

"Fine."

You dashed over to the stall, Rom walking slower behind you. Almost jumping up and down in excitement, you immediately handed over the money to have three goes of fishing out a winning duck to the attendant, who was laughing at your antics.

First try: no luck

Second try: bad luck.

Your final attempt. You glanced at Rom, who had come to stand next to you.

"Do you want me to have the last go?" He whispered in your ear. You handed him the fishing rod, stepping slightly away to give him space. His hands flexed around the stick in concentration, tongue sticking out slightly as his eyes narrowed behind his glasses.

He caught one.

The attendant headed over to see if the duck was a winner. You rocked back and forth on your feet, barely containing yourself.

It was. You squealed in delight, leaping into Rom's arms to hug him.

He laughed in suprise, returning the hug, as the prize was handed to you. Accepting it, you clasped it to your chest in happiness.

"Thank you!" You screamed.

"Only for you." Rom replied, smiling lovingly down at you.

The best. Date. Ever.

[misscrawfords]

rules: tag nine people you want to get to know better - thank you @jedbartlet- it's been ages since I did one of these <3

last song: hmm I've not been listening to much music recently. I think maybe Saint-Saens' "Les Fleurs et les Arbres" from my choir's playlist for the next concert because that was the only playlist I could put on in the car that my parents would accept

last show: The Misadventures of Romesh Ranganathan on iplayer; love a good trave show

currently watching: the above, also Cafe Minamdang (which is meh) and Alchemy of Souls (which is incredible). I really want to rewatch S01 of Never Have I Ever and watch S02+3. I didn't watch S02 because I heard it wasn't Ben/Devi and that broke my heart but I've since heard good things.

currently reading: Re-reading The Hound of the Baskervilles which is awesome

current obsession: actually not really obsessed with anything in a fandom way. I'm so preoccupied with things IRL that it's not leaving much brain space, which is odd. I can't make up a single story, scenario, character, anything - I feel quite bereft without any creative outlet. So I guess I'm obsessed with sorting my life out, working out my feelings about various things, dealing with difficult family situations, improving my mental health etc. etc. The closest to fandom interest I have is Alchemy of Souls and The Scholomance Trilogy, both of which are great and I'd love to discuss. I'm in quite a fantasy mood and wouldn't mind doing something in a fantasy world with magic and strange lands and cool creatures but I'm bad at world building so I don't know how to access that. *sad shrug*

tagging: @buildarocketboys @dollsome-does-tumblr @underordinarymoonlight @msisoverthegardenwall @msmaxximoff @ladybabington @thatscarletflycatcher @cartoon-heart @oldshrewsburyian

[fayes-fics]

Moon 🌙

Hi Nonny

Moon- Are you currently reading any books? If so, what book(s)?

I always have like a few books on the go at once lol. I don’t tend to read much fiction tbh, mostly humour and travel. These are the books currently on my nightstand in various stages of completion (yes I own a lot of bookmarks lol)

Watching Neighbours Twice A Day - Josh Widdicombe

Pandemonium - Armando Iannucci

As Good As It Gets - Romesh Ranganathan

Emma - Jane Austen (I re-read Austen at least once a year lol)

Thanks for the ask 😁

[wouldicatchyoudreaming]

Favorite Bits: Taskmaster, series 1

[sothischickshe]

GG FANDOM CHECK-IN TAG GAME

Twas tagged by @daydreamstew @00gangfriend00 @inyoursheets @mego42 @dragonturtle @harpersplay @bourbon-ontherocks (thank you <3 <3 <3)

Emoji(s) or pic that represents your mental state at the moment: 😴😴😴😴😴😴😴

What’s one good thing that happened in your life recently? Big or small: im gonna be an aunt 🥺

Currently watching: university challenge, Richard osman's House of games, grownish, snl, the misadventures of romesh ranganathan, blackish, Bob's burgers (though I'm not very caught up), atlanta, painting with john (although i havent seen any of s2...yet) (and Russian doll & undone are both back soon too! 😱). and also quite a lot of football 😅⌚

Song stuck in your head rn: cupid's Chokehold

Last text you sent: Lmao no! (that was the msg sdfgfggf)

Your ideal breakfast: not rushed. I do not have to go to work after it. There is vietnamese coffee. There is tasty food. There is sunshine.

The GG moment that lives in your head rent-free: the incentive convo 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯

Take this opportunity to shoutout one (or a few) fanworks or their creators that you adore: ok! i wanna shout out @mamey2422 for the fic cos Take My Breath Away was  😱 😱 😱 😱 😱 😱 😱 😱 😱 and The Swap is a Beth/Rio bodyswap fic hiiiiii and Communication is a text chain fic!!! and in Come Get Your Girl the barman has to text rio to do that!!! &c &c &c &c, but ALSO for the rec posts <3 bc i appreciate how much effort goes into stuff like that <3 <3 <3

How has being in the GG fandom impacted you? creatively? friendships? etc: IT GOT ME TO WRITE AGAIN 🥺🥺🥺🥺🥺

i’m tagging @hereliesbb @chureezee @mamey2422 & THOU!

[dartmoorsfinest]

[BRITISH COMEDY GUIDE] Hypothetical to return for series 4

Josh Widdicombe and James Acaster will host a fourth series of Hypothetical

The panel show returns to Dave in 2022 for eight more hour-long episodes

Widdicombe says: "It is an absolute pleasure to be reunited with James after a year of him not returning my texts or calls"

Hypothetical is returning for a fourth series, British Comedy Guide can exclusively confirm.

Josh Widdicombe and James Acaster are also returning as hosts of the Dave panel show. Based on ridiculous fictional situations, eight more hour-long episodes have been ordered for next year with recording beginning next month.

"It is an absolute pleasure to be reunited with James after a year of him not returning my texts or calls" said Widdicombe. "Thank you to Dave for forcing him to hang out with me again."

And in a slight variation on his response to being recommissioned for previous series, Acaster joked: "We're back and more hypotheticaler than ever. Josh and I can't wait to gunge celebrities and give away thousands of pounds in cold hard cash!"

Nominated for best entertainment programme at this year's Broadcast Awards, Hypothetical's third series averaged around 300,000 overnight viewers an episode, with previous guests including Dara O Briain, Charlie Brooker, Johnny Vegas, Jo Brand, Sue Perkins, Romesh Ranganathan, Richard Ayoade and Tom Allen.

Acaster is also nominated for best male comedy entertainment performance in the postponed National Comedy Awards.

Devised by Widdicombe with fellow comics Matthew Crosby and Tom Craine, who act as writers for the show, the series began in 2019.

Produced by Sophie Le Good (The Last Leg) and Zoe Tomalin (Room 101) for Hat Trick Productions (Have I Got News For You), Hypothetical was commissioned for UKTV by Iain Coyle, head of comedy entertainment, and ordered by Cherie Cunningham, Dave channel director. Coyle executive produces alongside Hat Trick's Stu Mather.

"We are really excited to have James and Josh back on the channel to host another hilarious series of Hypothetical on Dave" said Cunningham. "In 2021 our original comedy entertainment slate has gone from strength to strength and with returning UKTV Originals like these 2022 is set to be even stronger."

Mather added: "We're all incredibly excited to be heading back into the Hypothetical studio for more nonsense in 2022. We've lined up some brilliant guests, loads of stupid scenarios and, of course, a series of embarrassing outfits for James."

Coronavirus restrictions permitting, free audience tickets for Hypothetical's fourth series are available at sroaudiences.com

[SOURCE]

[shut-up-posh-boy]

David Mitchell and Lee Mack interviewed on Steve Wright in the Afternoon, September 2nd, 2016, in advance of series 10 of Would I Lie to You?

(Transcript under the cut)

Steve Wright: David Mitchell and Lee Mack are here, now! I just said to Lee, I said, “Don’t spill that coffee.” What did you say?

Lee Mack: I said “Do or don’t?” Because sometimes I forget the key words in information, I’ll be thinking, “I know it’s something about the coffee and spilling. Maybe he wants me to throw it at him now.”

[laughter]

Tim Smith: Best to get it right, anyway, Lee.

Lee: Don’t spill the coffee.

Steve: Don’t spill the coffee, don’t spill the coffee! How are you, David?

David Mitchell: I'm very well, thank you, yeah.

Steve: I now do a little bit of an impression of you, but I can only do your name, so when I say as, uh [he impersonates David] “David Mitchell.” How’s that?

David: I thought I was saying my own name. That's, you know—which is, that’s the main thing I say. That’s also the best phrase to pick from me, ‘cause I—

Steve: It’s not very good, is it?

Lee: You must realise we work constantly with a man who can’t stop doing impressions, so to have a day off from him is part of the appeal of coming here today.

Steve: Sorry.

Lee: And you open with an impression of David. Why don’t you do Michael Cain?

Steve, laughing: No, I can do Rob Brydon.

Lee: Can you?

Steve: No. So listen, David and Lee Mack are the team captains of course of the award-winning BBC comedy panel show, Would I Lie to You? which is back on BBC One for its tenth series. Over the course of each show—as if you didn't know—David and Lee and a cast of celebrity guests reveal amazing stories about themselves, some of which are true and some of which are not. The aim of the game is, of course, to fool the opposition into mistaking fact for fiction and fiction for fact. It’s a great game.

Lee: Are you sure you haven’t picked up the bit of page that says Call my Bluff?

[Steve laughs]

Lee: they’re very similar.

Steve: They are. Call my Bluff was a great show wasn’t it?

Lee: Oh I loved Call my Bluff.

David: This is like the coffee—should I spill it? I think they said you shouldn’t keep mentioning Call my Bluff—

Lee: Oh, don’t mention call my bluff, I’m sorry, oh yeah—

David: —When we’re promoting Would I Lie to You.

Lee: I’ve only gone and spilled the coffee and mentioned Call my Bluff haven’t I?

Steve: I don't think it’s even a similar format.

David: It’s not similar at all, I don’t know why you thought of Call my Bluff.

Steve: Yeah, what’s the matter with you, Lee?

David: That's just off-the-wall thinking, that is.

Lee: You’re absolutely right.

Steve: Say sorry.

Lee: I realise now it was stolen from Give us a Clue.

[laughter]

Steve: How long have you two been in it?

Lee and David: From the start.

Lee: I wasn’t in the pilot, that was Alan Carr.

Steve: And Angus did the original—he was the host originally, right?

Lee: Angus did the first three series, I think, three series, then Rob had him killed and Rob stepped in.

Steve: Now what about tonight’s show? What can you tell us about tonight’s show, David?

David: Well, on the show—

Lee: I'm glad you said 'David', I can’t remember.

Tim: You’ve got it written down in front of you, Lee!

Lee: Oh, sorry, not remember, read.

[laughter]

David: Reading is the middle-class remembering.

Steve: Ooh, very nice.

Lee: Me and David have completely different catchphrases.

[laughter]

Tim: Go on, David.

David: On the show tonight are David Haye—who Rob Brydon punches in the stomach—Romesh Ranganathan, Mel Giedroyc, and Martin Kemp.

Steve: Excellent.

David: That’s a good line-up.

Lee: What’s interesting about when you see it tonight, when Rob hits David Haye, he hits him in a way that you think is a friendly punch, but he’s gone a bit too far, and then he looked round at me as if to go “Pretty impressive, eh?” and we were thinking “No, you’re an idiot! He’s going to kill you!” But Rob’s eyes go “Eh? You’re pretty impressed.”

Tim: Why does he hit him? For any particular reason, Lee?

Lee: Well, we don’t want to give away the specifics of the round—he says, meaning “I have no idea, I can’t remember, it was recorded four months ago.”

Tim: Not written down in front of you? David: I think thematically, it’s surely to do with the fact that David Haye is a boxer.

[laughter]

Lee: Oh, it’s definitely to do with David being a boxer.

Steve: Ah, that would be it.

Lee: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah.

David: Rob Brydon doesn’t usually lash out. I think, oddly, he’s chosen the very worst person to take a swing at.

Lee: It wasn’t just a really crass heckle put-down. David said something, he didn't like it, so he just hit him. There was far more wit involved than that.

Steve: This is going very well, isn’t it? Tonight Rob is confused, in fact, because there are two Davids on the same team. He quickly decides—I’m not reading this—to call David Haye the Hayemaker, and David Mitchell the Librarian. Listen up.

[What follows is an audio clip of episode 1 of series 10]

Rob: David—well, actually, two Davids. We’ll call you the Hayemaker and the Librarian.

[laughter]

Rob: What are you thinking, David?

David: Well, I think I don’t believe it.

Lee, laughing: Do you realise—I like the system you’ve got there—“We’re going to call you the Hayemaker and the Librarian. So what do you think, David?”

[Part of WILTY’s theme]

Steve: We’re back with David Mitchell and Lee Mack, in just a moment, don’t go away everybody! [Break] We’re back with David Mitchell and Lee Mack! Talking about their show, Would I Lie to You? Now, uh, how many shows do you do at once then, guys? I mean, I know you might do a couple a day or something like that—

Lee: Look, can we just point out straight away, we do not do a couple a day, and we need to knock that on the head quickly before the BBC go ‘Ooh, that’d save money.’

David: Yes, there’s no way—we couldn’t possibly do a couple a day—

[Chorus of ‘No’s from Steve and Lee]

David: Not with the amount of comic energy it takes even to be mildly amusing. It’s exhausting.

Lee: Yes, what people don't realise is we do one a year and we started this show in 1974. And you’re only now starting to see them.

Steve: That’s working well. Now—

Tim: When are you given the stories and when do you start rehearsing your presentation of them?

Lee: How dare you.

Steve: He has no rehearsal, Tim!

Lee: We genuinely, hand-on-heart, have no idea what’s on that card until we turn it over.

Steve: Some people, I notice, on there, are clearly bad actors, and you think—

Tim: Or are they, though, because sometimes—

Steve: No, they are—

Tim: Or are they double-bluffing?

Lee: Double-bluffing, yeah.

Tim: Yeah, double-bluffing, yeah.

Steve: I think—with all due respect, I think David clocks them before you do. I think he clocks them—

Lee: Not sure you can say that, “with due respect.”

[laughter]

Lee: “With all due respect, I think David’s better than you.”

[laughter]

Steve: No, no, but I mean, you look quite carefully, you study them, don’t you?

David: I don’t think I ever know. I think I get worse and worse. I started doing the show thinking I could tell when someone was lying. Now, I don’t even know what truth is. That’s what the BBC does to you.

Steve, laughing: “I don’t even know what truth is.”

Lee: And also I happened to be looking on Wikipedia, which is always a way of finding out whether things are true or not—

Steve: Oh, naturally, yeah, of course.

Lee: And apparently somebody’s bothered—I don’t know who, but obviously they’ve got a lot of time on their hands—to say how the show’s been going over ten years, and apparently it’s a draw so far.

Steve: Oh, that’s interesting!

Lee: If the person doing it is correct.

Steve: Oh, you’re quite competitive. I thought you were just doing it for fun.

Lee: No, not competitive, I’m lazy. I should be writing stuff on the computer for my sitcom, but I don’t, I think “I’ll look on Wikipedia, because it’s easier than—”

David: That’s interesting, so it’s level?

Lee: Yeah, I think so.

David: So the whole experience—it’s all been futile?

Lee: Yeah, it’s been pointless—well, it has been for you, but we’re just—

David: If it had been Pointless, we would be doing more than one show a day. They churn them out.

[laughter]

David: They record them double speed and then slow them down.

Lee: And they have to employ lots of very small people to make Richard look tall. He’s only five-foot-six.

[laughter]

Steve: Are you surprised that Xander is so good on there?

Lee: We don’t watch other formats. We’re far too competitive.

[laughter]

Steve: Uh, okay, so, what are we gonna look out for, on the series? Give us some highlights, then, Lee.

Lee: Well, that’s a good question, because, I now can’t remember what I did this morning and you’re asking to remember back now quite a few months. But there was definitely some moments—

David: Brian Blessed, he was on.

[various ‘Ohh’s]

Steve: No need to mic him up.

David: No, he’s actually a very quiet man in real life.

Tim: Was that a long record, with Brian?

Lee: Well, put it one way, by the end, Gordon was actually dead.

[laughter]

Steve and Tim: Very good!

Lee: Yeah, there’s a very specific reference there for that joke, wasn’t it?

Tim: Yeah, that’s great.

David: Also—I am reading from a list—I mean, that’s alright—

Steve: Yes, of course!

David: The same happens with the news, people respect the news, they’re just reading it out. Nadiya Hussain is on, Sir Tom Courtenay, Claudia Winkleman, Richard Osman, again—

Lee: Richard Osman.

David: Yeah, we all had to be miniaturised to make him look tall.

Steve: Rob Brydon is back in the host’s chair tonight, the guests are Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc, as you said, heavyweight boxer David Haye, musician and Radio 2 host Martin Kemp, and comedian Romesh Ranganathan. That’s tonight, and then it’s on every week at 8:30. And you mentioned the sitcom—

Lee: Not Going Out.

Steve: Not Going Out, so that’s coming back, yeah?

Lee: Yeah, family sitcom now, we’ve moved it on seven years, and we’ve got three children in it, to replicate my real life.

Steve: Oh, wow, that’s great, though!

Lee: Yeah!

Steve: Are you writing it?

Lee: I’m writing it—I’m in the process of writing it now, hence me delighted to be away from the computer.

Tim: Is that true? Lee: I’m not just trying out truths and lies. I’m not just going “If they believe this, I’ll use it on the show.”

Tim: Just checking—the Duck Quack Echo thing, that’s—

Lee: Duck Quacks Don’t Echo, that’s currently on Sky One now, which uh—

Tim: I like that.

Lee: I like it as well, because it pays much better than the BBC.

[laughter]

Steve: David Mitchell and Lee Mack, everybody! Thank you very much, guys.

David: Thank you very much.

[clapping]

Tim: Join me, guys!

Lee: Yeah, c’mon. Hooray.

[end transcript]

[slutforsatoru]

9, 36, 54, 68 for Serena please!!!

thanks for sending some questions :)

9. What is their favorite color? Favorite animal?

Her favorite color is ocean blue like this

Her favorite animal is a hedgehog, she thinks they’re adorable. She always begged to have one as a pet when she was a kid but she never got one. She’s hoping she can convince Mello to get her one.

36. What is their sense of humor like? Give an example of a joke they would find humorous.

Here’s a joke from Romesh Ranganathan that would have her rolling on the floor.

54. What is their current hairstyle? What have been some of their past hairstyles? Which was their favorite hairstyle?

Her current hairstyle is leaving most of her hair down and having 2 ponytails in the back. Her hair is purple now, when she was 15 she tried to dye it green but it turned out horrible. It looked like she had a pile of lettuce on her head. Her hair is naturally medium blonde.

68. How did their environment growing up affect their personality?

Her environment was okay for the most part. She always had Delilah as her rock whenever she was feeling down about herself. But her mom is pretty rough on her for being plus size. She’d say things like “Delilah is going to be the one who gives me grandkids because I can’t see anyone dating you until you start taking care of yourself.” Or “Are you sure you want to wear that? It shows your figure a little too much.” These comments made Serena believe that she would never be good enough for anyone because all they would see is her body. In turn whenever she meets someone new, she tries her best to find something about their personality that she likes because she doesn’t want anyone else to feel bad about how they look on the outside, she wants them to know that she likes them for who they are on the inside. She’s also pretty cautious about how she compliments someone because she’s terrified that she’ll accidentally say something negative and that will stick with them forever. She’d hate to be the reason why someone doesn’t like themselves.

[basmathgirl]

I was tagged by @lostlastsforever756. Thank you, gorgeous! ❤️

I’m going to tag: @some-thrilling-heroics *cackles evilly* @raywritesthings @smackalicious @useless-fangirl-does-fan-art @imnotacommittee

name/nickname: BMG, or Bas

gender: female

star sign: Virgo

height: 5’4’’ish or 1.61m

time: 10:45 pm

birthday: 4th September

favourite bands: Beatles, Yes, and Coldplay

favourite artists: Adele, James Blunt, and Mike Oldfield to name a few

last movie: “Last Christmas”

last show: a “The Ranganation” repeat

when did I create this blog: June 2013

what do I post: some Scottish bloke keeps pestering me so I post about him to warn others, like you do 😉😋

last thing you googled: what the name of Romesh Ranganathan’s programme is called exactly

other blogs: I have one on LiveJournal

why I chose my url: because it described who I was at the time

average hours of sleep: 7-8 hours, not all in one go 

lucky number: I don’t have one

what am I wearing: my nightdress, fluffy sheep-patterned dressing gown, and new furry slippers, because I’ve spent the day in bed with a migraine

dream job: I had my dream job for many years, nowadays I have to think about retirement

dream trip: back to Scotland and quite a few other places

favourite food: chip shop chips

nationality: British, English in particular *waits for the “boo”s*

favourite song: sorry, my mind has gone blank

last book read: I’m midway through a story I probably read in my teens when it was a Mills & Boon book, called “Remembered Serenade” by Mary Burchell (although the amount of typos in this kindle ebook are shocking! And rather off-putting)

top three fictional universes I’d like to live in: erm... Doctor Who, Jane Austen, and Harry Potter spring to mind

[mrmrswales]

Electric Eels enjoy a night to remember at Royal Variety Performance

It was an early birthday treat that Electric Eels swimmer Alice Turner will never forget … being Swim England’s guest of honour at the Royal Variety Performance.

Alice, who turns 22 on Friday 22 November, was invited to the glamorous event with her mum, Bernadette, and Electric Eels head coach Pauline Walker.

The club was chosen by Swim England chief executive Jane Nickerson to attend the show at the London Palladium after receiving tickets from the charity’s patron, The Duke of Cambridge.

For Alice, who has Down’s syndrome and has had several operations on her bowel which means she now lives with a colostomy bag, it was an ‘amazing’ night.

She was sat close to the Royal Box and got to enjoy acts by stars including Lewis Capaldi, Mabel, Robbie Williams and Britain’s Got Talent winner Colin Thackery.

The show, which was hosted by comedians Rob Beckett and Romesh Ranganathan, is due to be broadcast on television in December.

Her mum, Bernadette, said: “Alice was just beaming and happy.

“It was just a really great night. I was like ‘pinch myself, is this real?’ It was absolutely amazing to see her so happy.“

It was lovely seeing Alice permanently smiling and we were sat talking about it until one in the morning.

“We were in great seats and we could see the Royal Box down to our right and we could see William and Kate quite clearly laughing and talking.

“Amazing was her word of the night. She was hanging on to her programme for dear life and just loving it all.

“We’re really thankful to Swim England for having the opportunity to go. We all had a ball – it was a night never to be forgotten.

“Alice was just saying ‘thank you, it’s been an amazing day, thank you’.

”Pauline founded Electric Eels, the Swim England Club of the Year 2018, in 2008 and has helped Alice conquer her fear of water.

Pauline said: “I guess like Swim England, it was really difficult for me to work out who I should take when I was first offered the tickets.

“Then when I thought about it, this young lady, apart from having Down’s syndrome, also has had many operations on her bowel and now has to wear a colostomy bag and has been so ill in the past.

“But now she’s a changed little girl. When she came out of her house with her long white dress on, she looked like a princess.

“Alice was a picture. She was just beaming all over and of course she knew some of the young stars that were performing.

“When I got home, I thought ‘yes, I had picked the right person to go’. I would love William and Catherine to know we really enjoyed it and appreciated it.

“I think because they deal with mental health, and Down’s syndrome is classed in that spectrum, they would be only too pleased that the tickets did go to a very worthy cause.

“It was an amazing experience and something that memories are made of. When they played God Save the Queen I cried because it was all so emotional.t

“I felt really humbled that Jane [Nickerson] picked my club because there’s only 30 of us in it and there are so many other clubs across the country she could have picked.

“I was really choked about that because we just plod along in Windsor and you don’t think other people realise that you’re even there.

“It was a wonderful experience and again something I’ll never forget. It’s another little thing that I can say ‘oh I’ve done that’. I’m notching them up, which is lovely.”Jane said: “We’re thrilled that Alice, Bernadette and Pauline had a wonderful time at the Royal Variety Performance.

“When we received the tickets, we decided it was only fitting to invite Electric Eels, our current Club of the Year. Pauline has done a fantastic job creating a safe environment to teach swimming and synchronised swimming to youngsters with Down’s syndrome.

“Alice has gone through so much in her short life and I was delighted to hear how much she enjoyed the performances.

“Thank you to His Royal HIghness and the Royal Variety Charity for giving us the opportunity to give Alice, Bernadette and Pauline a memorable night.”

[dear-indies]

I realize only now that my fancast is devoid of dark-skinned Asian people. Would you mind suggesting some face claims I could use in the future? All genders, all ages: only criteria is being beautiful, but I trust you on that. Thanks a lot.

Women:

Insooni (1957) African-American / Korean. 

Velina Hasu Houston (1957) African-American, Pikuni Blackfoot, Japanese, Chinese, Native Hawaiian, Cuban, Argentinian, Brazilian, Armenian, Greek, German, English.

Susheela Raman (1973) Tamil.

Konnie Huq (1975) Bangladeshi. 

Robinne Lee (1975) Jamaican, Chinese.

Kimora Lee Simmons (1975) African-American / Korean Japanese.

Tista Das (1978) Bangladeshi - trans. 

Jeannie Mai (1979) Vietnamese.

Tatyana Ali (1979) Indian-Trinidadian, African-Panamanian.

Parinya Charoenphol (1981) Thai - Kathoey.  

Jiggly Caliente (1981) Filipino - trans.

Lesley-Ann Brandt (1981) Mixed South African [English, East Indian, German, Spanish, Dutch, Khoisan, Ashkenazi Jewish]

Anisha Nagarajan (1983) Indian.

Padmini Prakash (1983) Tamil Indian - trans.

Nadiya Hussain (1984) Bangladeshi. 

Nabila Huda (1984) Malaysian. 

Fatima Kojima (1984) Japanese, Crow, Blackfoot, Cherokee, African-American, English.

Smith Cho (1985) Korean. 

Jameela Jamil (1986) Indian / Pakistani. 

Nidhi Sunil (1987) Indian. 

Adinia Wirasti (1987) Indonesian,

Moon Gabi (1987) Korean

Archana Akil Kumar (1988) Indian.

Jhené Aiko (1988) African-American / Japanese, Spanish-Dominican Republic, African-Dominican Republic.

Karrueche Tran (1988) African-American / Vietnamese.

Nina Davuluri (1989) Telugu.

Hyolyn (1990) Korean.

Chanel Iman (1990) ¾ African-American ¼ Korean.

Gia Gunn (1990) Japanese - trans. 

Suboi (1990) Vietnamese.

Moko (1991) Ghanaian, ¼ Chinese. 

Pooja Mor (1991) Indian. 

Sierra Deaton (1991) Vietnamese / British. 

Catherine Li (1991) Chinese / Unspecified.

Vanessa Hong (1992?) Chinese.

Mishti Rahman (1992) Bengali. 

Nonthawan “Maeya” Chanvanathorn (1992) Thai.

Melinda Shankar (1992) Indo-Guyanese. 

Haiesha Mistry (1993) Gujarati. 

Raye Zaragoza (1993) Akimel O’odham, Mexican, Taiwanese, Japanese.

Marline Yan (1993) Cambodian, Vietnamese, Chinese, Thai, and Indian.

Linnea Berthelsen (1993) Indian. 

Saweetie (1993) African-American / Filipino. 

Asia Jackson (1994) African-American / Filipino.

Ariana Miyamoto (1994) African-American / Japanese.

Zuri Tibby (1995) Jamaican, Indian, Dominican. 

Kelly Gale (1995) Indian.

Cymphonique Miller (1996) African-American / Filipino, Spanish.

Tati Gabrielle (1996) African-American / Korean. 

Sydney Park (1997) African-American / Korean. 

Leah Allyannah (1997) Guyanese, Indian, Chinese.

Laras Sekar (1998) Indonesian. 

Trishna Goklani (?) Singaporean.

Fiona Singh (?) Guyanese.

Ayush Kejriwal (?) Indian. 

Lydia Marsha (?) Indian. 

Mariette Valsan (?) Indian. 

Naomi Janumala (?) Indian. 

Vanizha Vasanthanathan (?) Indian. 

Victoria Thørholm (?) Filipino. 

Naomi Janumala (?) Indian. 

Monica Tomas (?) Indian. 

Diya Prabhakar(?) Indian.

Mandovi Menon (?) Indian. 

Miko Branch (?) African-American / Japanese. 

Marie Nakagawa (?) Japanese / Senegalese French.

Devitha Rafani (?) Indonesian.

Lisa Ng (?) Chinese.

Men:

Kamal Haasan (1954) Indian. 

Satish Kaushik (1956) Indian. 

Iqbal Theba (1963) Pakistani. 

Aasif Mandvi (1966) Indian. 

Naveen Andrews (1969) Indian. 

Louis Koo (1970) Hongkonger. 

Johnnie Morton (1971) African-American / Japanese. 

Cyril Takayama (1973) Japanese / Moroccan French. 

Takeshi Kaneshiro (1973) Taiwanese / Japanese.

Sendhil Ramamurthy (1974) Indian. 

apl.de.ap (1974) African-American / Filipino. 

Romesh Ranganathan (1978) Sri Lankan Tamil. 

Nischal Basnet (1981) Nepalese. 

Jero (1981) African-American, ¼ Japanese. 

Prabhakar (1981) Indian. 

NESMITH (1983) Black / Japanese. 

Charles Michael Davis (1984) African-American / Filipino. 

Osric Chau (1986) Hongkonger / Malaysian 

ELLY (1987) African-American, Japanese.

Ritesh Rajan (1988) Indian. 

Osama Elsamni (1988) Japanese / Egyptian.

Raymond Ablack (1989) Indo-Guyanese.

Varun Saranga (1990) Indian. 

LIKIYA (1990) Japanese, African-American.

Marlon Teixeira (1991) Brazilian [Portuguese, ¼ Japanese, ¼ Unspecified Indigenous]

Jordan Rodrigues (1992) Malaysian.

Nik Dodani (1993) Indian - gay. 

Rahul Kumar (1995) Uttarakhandi. 

Jacob Batalon (1996) Filipino. 

Jasmeet Baduwalia (1998) Indian. 

Karan Brar (1999) Indian. 

Abdul Hakim Sani Brown (1999) Japanese / Ghanaian,

Jeenu Mahadevan (stated as 20 in an 2019 article) Sri Lanken.

Gerrard Lobo (?) Indian. 

Gard Diop (?) Japanese, Senegalese. 

Mandy Sekiguchi (?) Nigerian, Japanese. 

Joe Oliver (?) Black / Japanese. 

Min Shin (?) Korean. 

Nonbinary:

Alok Vaid-Menon (1991) Indian - gender non-conforming & transfeminine (they/them).

Gopi Shankar Madurai (1991) Tamil Indian - trans and genderqueer.

DISCLAIMER: since media is very colourist and we wanted to include a range of ethnicity, these are the darkest fcs we could find! 

Credit to those who gave me suggestions - thank you so much! 

@xsarahx

@1001nightsofsnowfall

@contentrpt

@trashawrites

@nyssavexhelps

-C

[kissofgallifrey]

I didn’t take any other photos last night - the BBC Studio team asked us to turn our phones off, which I did - but I did take a couple of snaps to commemorate the fact we were standing in the front line. It was so brilliant to be so close to most of what was happening (there was a second stage slightly further away but I’m really happy with where we were). It was so brilliant to be a part of this amazing night, of this wonderful fundraiser - in any sort of capacity, really. And I’m so, so proud of the amount of money raised. 63 million pounds is an incredible amount. I wasn’t expecting last night to be such an emotional rollercoaster. I laughed like crazy. There were a lot of fun moments - on and off screen. Our wonderful, wonderful hosts at the BBC studio explaining what to do and when, getting us cheering and singing and laughing in between recordings. Our celebrity hosts checking in on us in between, from Zoe Ball giving thumbs up and smiling at people to Romesh Ranganathan and Alesha Dixon basically talking to the audience. Cheering and clapping and screaming like maniacs whenever an amount was displayed, because the fundraisers bloody deserved it. Getting to see Sir Lenny Henry up close - and talking to the audience in between segments. Watching David Tennant being a beautiful dork, moving to the sound of music or marching across the stage like a puppet on a string whenever someone told him where he needs to go next (which makes it very hard to concentrate on the videos, I admit). But these were the fun moments. There were a lot of serious moments, as well. The VTs and appeals were absolutely heartbreaking. Of course, to me, the suicide prevention part was too much. Watching that video, I literally started crying, standing there in front of the stage, barely capable of seeing anything. I wasn’t expecting that - but I don’t regret it in the slightest. It was an absolutely amazing night. Thank you @bbcone for welcoming us into your lovely studios. Thank you @comicrelief for an amazing night. Thank you for letting us be a part - tiny as it was - of this magnificent, hilarious, emotional-rollercoaster of a night. Proud to have been a part of the audience ❤️ (at BBC Elstree Centre) https://www.instagram.com/p/BvEgW8KjDxo/?utm_source=ig_tumblr_share&igshid=o46uaplec84i