Begin Again with Davina McCall - Joel Dommett: Why Loving My Life Terrifies Me!

Episode Date: March 19, 2026

Sometimes beginning again means not starting over, but learning how to see your life in a new way… In this episode of Begin Again, Joel Dommett opens up about the unexpected path behind his success, and the quiet insecurities that never quite go away. From growing up feeling like he wasn’t naturally good at anything, to performing hundreds of gigs just to get better, Joel shares the reality of building a career through persistence rather than talent. What looks like overnight success is, in truth, years of rejection, self-doubt, and relentless effort. But this conversation goes far beyond comedy. Joel reflects on how becoming a father completely changed his perspective on time, success, and what really matters. For the first time, he began to slow down, to be present, and to recognise just how quickly life moves. And with that joy came something he didn’t expect… fear. He speaks candidly about the vulnerability that comes with loving your life, your partner, your child, and the quiet anxiety that it could all be taken away. It’s an honest and deeply human exploration of what it means to feel grateful, and scared, at the same time. From near-misses in his career to moments that could have gone completely wrong, Joel shares how some of the most uncertain decisions led to the biggest opportunities, and why embracing the unknown is often the thing that moves us forward. This episode is about joy, perspective, and the courage to keep going, even when you don’t feel like you’re the most naturally talented person in the room. 🌟 Like, comment, and subscribe for more powerful conversations about resilience, growth, and beginning again. Tap the bell to stay connected with new episodes of Begin Again. Follow us here: 📸 www.instagram.com/beginagain 🎥 https://www.tiktok.com/@beginagainpod ✨Sign up for the Begin Again newsletter for all your behind the scenes access, recommendations and much much more at: https://linkly.link/2dwmf?utm_source=spotify&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=always-on   Follow Joel: https://www.instagram.com/joeldommett/ See Joel Live: https://lwtheatres.co.uk/whats-on/joel-dommett-happy-idiot/ Comic Relief: https://www.comicrelief.com/ (00:00) Intro (01:10) Co-Hosting Comic Relief With Davina and Catherine Tate (08:20) Joel on Landing The Masked Singer (12:54) Learning to Slow Down and Enjoy His Life (15:45) Air BnB Ad (16:54) Paramount Ad (18:13) Joy The Masked Singer Brings (23:50) The Masked Singer Secrets! (29:02) Becoming a Father (33:18) Bloom & Wild Ad (34:22) Stand-Up and the Comedy Scene (39:44) Joel on Moving to London and Finding Comedy (49:31) Catfish Gate and Not Letting it Define Him (01:02:06) Meeting his Wife, Hannah (01:10:56) A Special Letter to Joel Sponsored by: Your home might be worth more than you think. Find out how much at Airbnb.co.uk/Host Episodes 1-3 of The Madison are available to stream on Paramount+ now: https://www.paramountplus.com/gb/shows/the-madison/Episodes 4-6 will be available to stream on 21 March. Bloom & Wild - use code DAVINA for 15% off at https://www.bloomandwild.com/?utm_source=podcast&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=begin_again Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I was talking to this catfish lady. We have Skype sex. They've got a video of me. Right. It's all awful. But then I find a real person whose photo they've stolen. And we end up dating for like six months. She moves back to Russia.

I then have Skype sex with her. Everything that was happening to me was comedy. I just was gigging every night trying to survive. I'm five pounds. I did a gig was so bad. An audience member, we went, oh, thank God. I thought you had such a bad gig that you can get yourself.

But I remember I'm a celebrity, get me out. out of here. We're looking for the new stand-up to be on that show. Got down to me, Joe Lysett and Rob Beckett. It went to Rob. And then, this is the Matt Bart. And also, my wife led into my DMs. The TV was on in the corner of the bar, and she saw me on Lorraine.

She hadn't seen any of the jungle. That same way that Meghan Markle didn't know, Prince Harry. Oh, what is a prince? There's something really petrifying about loving something. Because I really love my son, my wife, but also my life. How do you deal with that? He's absolutely insight. So, comic relief tomorrow.

Yes. Excited. I cannot wait. It's going to be mega. Genuine, what a dream it is to be hosting comic relief with you. Yes. With you. Yeah, but like, yeah, but I'm not a legend.

You're a legend. You're a legend. So to like, for me, I'm like, I'm hosting with comic relief. And like, you're hosting for me, whatever. But it's like, I'm hosting with you. No, that's how I feel about you. Oh, this is so great. So it's an honour.

It's like obviously, you know, and I say this in all of the press stuff, but it's obviously a dream come true to us that show. Not just like as a presenter, but as a comedian, the comedians that we all know and love, like growing up watching those people on television doing all that stuff. And it's just, it's such a mad, weird thing where you're there. And you're like, oh, there's, you know, especially this year where there's only like five of us essentially hosting the show,

six of us hosting the show. And you're like, oh, am I one of those six? Like, that's mad. And I'm not, I hate it when people feel like they're doing the faux, humble thing. But I genuinely like, I'm like, fuck, it's mad. No, it is mad. And it's an honour. Yeah.

And how lovely to be recognised. I was just wondering, would it be all right if you just subscribed? Thanks. but I think there aren't that many comedians who can cross over and do hilarious and meaningful. Yeah. Yeah, which I really enjoy, by the way. Yes. I really like, really love, it's sort of the only night, really, where you get to do this.

I remember in the first year, there was this link that I had to do. And it just came after, I just had Wild. So Wild was something like three or four months. old and it came off the back of a VT about this young child that was born and and comic relief were helping them out and it was just obviously having wild being so young it really just like I didn't really expect it to get me because you're so in presenter mode and you're like what's next director talking to you in your ear did did and I was so just like but I was like fine I'm fine and then straight afterwards I started talking about them and it just got I couldn't I was like

Oh God, it's like, ah, I couldn't stop myself from tearing up and, but you read on and you're like, huh, oh God, what is this feeling? I'm feeling I'm not really a cryer anyway. So then it just really took me. But then I remember 12 seconds later I had some fun, I knew I had it in the script, this stupid joke about, oh, if you're, if you want to pay on check, what's a trick or something like that? And I knew I had that coming up. So it was this weird thing where I was like, I had. How do I get from crying into a funny joke? I'm out of check. And I quite like, I think it's really fun those. Massive gear changes. Massive gear. And you are so good at them. You, man, like, that bit you did,

I think it was last year when you were talking about your brain tumor. And it was, it was like the most authentic. authentic telly. He was like just a presenter being absolutely who they are, showing where they've been, and showing that they're not this person who is any different from anyone else. They're completely human and bearing their soul

in order to do some good for other people. And I was like, you know, it was that weird thing where sometimes on comic relief you get taken away with all this stuff where it's like, sketch and funny and and ba-da-b-b-b-b-b-b-d-b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b. And I was just watching this, I was like, this is the best,

most incredible, authentic thing I've ever seen. And I'm sure, I don't know what the, I don't know what the totalizer was doing at that point, but I was like getting my phone up, like, oh, I'm texting some money. Because it's just, you're so powerful as a communicator. And, you know, I know, I know if this was only one question,

not gone forever. But like, there's something in your authenticity, which is just unparalleled, I think, on UK television. The way that you're able to like be yourself and be upbeat and provide an energy for a room which needs it. You know, there's so many times even in Mars Singer where it's like, it's an empty room with big gaps in between that, where they're doing setups and stuff like that.

There's kids in there. It's like a big, empty, vast space. And it just needs, needs this energy that you can't, you can't, you can't pretend that energy. That is from you. That is from your soul. And you. I mean. Give you a summary of how this podcast is going to go. I'm basically for however long this podcast run for, I'm just going to gush. This is pure gush.

You get used to it because I'm gushing right back. Oh my God. If you're not a fan of gushing, then get off. Turn off right now. Turn off right now because you're about to get, put your poncho off. Put your poncho on because you're about to get gushed. It sounds so wrong. It sounds so wrong, but so right.

And sign up to that, Onlyfans. You're about to get gushed.com. Watch that actually happens somewhere. Yeah, it's going to happen now. So you and I are on with someone else in that first hour, which I'm actually, like, frightened and excited about. Yeah. it's exactly right though

how brilliant is it going to be so right so right so we we are hosting it with nan Catherine Tate as Nan and it's going to be beautifully chaotic when we originally started talking about it they were like oh do you want to do this

and I was like out of the people that we were all talking about I was like I absolutely want to do that our Davina and Nan because I think my comedic persona or general presenting persona is sort of, let's keep things on the rails, let's keep things on the rails,

as is yours, right? Yeah. And so it's, and her persona is just like off the rails. So it writes itself, always, like you can just have those links and then you're just like, come on now,

just try and keep her on the straight and narrow. It's so fun. I mean, the script is so good. It's bonkers. It's so funny. And it's been really fun to work with Catherine. She's, I keep texting her going, like, you are brilliant.

She is. She really knows what's funny for her and is not afraid to stick up for that. And it's such a pleasure to work with that. And that it works well for us, I think. It's great. It's going to be fun. How are you? Yeah, I'm good.

I'm good. I'm sorry. I never apologise. This is absolutely great. I'm loving this. I'm just enjoying a catch-up. Yeah. So, I mean, how did you get the Masked Singer?

How did that come about? So that's a big show to get. I think it's really interesting because I don't, it's only recently that I've realized how big of a deal it was. Yeah. Because I think I sort of did it at the time thinking like, okay, cool. Like this is the next step in what I'm trying to do. And, you know, I've had things in the past that had worked and gone away or whatever.

And even when on that second series, I think the final got something insane, like 11 million viewers or something. Even at the time, like, you know, people go, I got 11 million viewers. And I'm like, Okay, cool, cool, cool. All right, what's next? I didn't really take in the fact that that is a big deal, especially now.

Yeah. This is a big deal. And it's just amazing, like to be involved in it. And so at the time, I was, I'd done some stuff on ITV2. I've never really done anything big on ITV1. Sort of worked my way at the stand-up route and then started to do a few bits on telly. And then they offered me, this weird show called The Masked Singer.

They said it's big in the States. Have a look at it on YouTube. And so I looked at it on YouTube and I was like, oh, this looks mad. And they said they've offered it to this person, this person and this person. You know, those other people were much bigger than me. So it's a case of them, they were looking at the same video going, I'm not going to fucking do that.

So obviously it then falls to me. Well, they told you who else they were asking. Yeah. Yeah. but that's fine. Also, even if they didn't tell me, I would know which three they would have gone to. It's those people that I'm sure you know,

whenever you get a job, it's those things where like, you're probably the first choice, and then if you say no, it goes to three, four, five, you know, blah, blah, blah. For me, Ramesh isn't available. Stephen Mulhound's doing something else. You know, it goes down the chain.

But was it a quick yes? Did you just go yes? Well, for me, it was not a quick yes. yes, because the first day of filming was supposed to be on the day of my wedding. And so I was like, I would love to do this. This sounds amazing. This is a huge opportunity for me to be on Saturday night television, ITV one. But it's the day of my wedding.

And I was like, is there anything you can do about it? Because I can't move my wedding. And they said, to see what you can do. Luckily, Jonathan is with the same agency as me. And so they probably lose the leverage of Jonathan more than the leverage of me. Probably said that me and Jonathan can't do it. Right. And so they had managed to move it two days back.

Amazing. So then I had my wedding. The day after my wedding, we're married in Micanos with like 29 people. And then flew back and then went straight to Bovingdon, literally straight to Bovington and did the first series. It was quite nice in a way because it made me not think about it too much and actually just really enjoy myself and, you know, that first series was so weird anyway.

It was so exciting. It was weird. And I never forget working with Kenjung as well and how brilliant that was. And it was so funny because he was really, again, in retrospect, he was really important that first series to understand what the energy of the show was to bring it to us as like a gift

and go like, just to leave. This is what it needs. And even though he didn't make any sense in that show, he will be the first to say this. Him literally just going like, you know what? It's got to be Bianca from EastEnders. I love Eastenders.

You're like, you've never seen East Ender. He kept him guessing the Queen because it was the only person he knew from the UK. But you're right. He brought the energy. He really brought that. that playfulness and I think it would have been a different show. Yes.

If you didn't have him. Yes. Because he would, he gathered us as going like, oh, it's like this really silly. You can't be too big. He would stand up and just be like, I think it's, you know, Beyonce Noles. He was a massive star. Huge star. I mean, like, even I was like, oh my God, this is just too exciting.

He was, he was sat next. to me. I was just like, oh my shut up, Hollywood's superstar. And again, from my, like, I don't, I think at that point in my career, I wasn't at a point where I was like really taking in what I was doing. I've tried my best to learn to like really take in what's happening because it's not going to last forever. I'm getting better at that. But that was a point where I was like, cool, cool, cool.

I felt like in my head, the more I enjoy it, the more chance of it all falling apart. Right. So like if... Don't allow yourself. Don't allow myself to enjoy it. And so like, oh yeah, yeah, whatever. The NTAs, whatever, it's just reading. Yeah, it's fine.

Just read it, get out. You know, like, next thing, next thing. But are you allowing yourself to enjoy things a bit more now? So, definitely more so. More so. Because I'm really trying to take it slower. I'm sure we'll get into it, but because of wild, I'm trying to like really understand, I really understand the preciousness of time, I think.

Because suddenly I've got this bookmark in front of you who's growing older and older and older. I now know how I've got something to define my time by instead of like... God, that's a brilliant way of looking at it. Like, that's how much time. He's two and a half years old, so that's how long two and a half years is.

Mad, right? Whereas before I was like, was that eight years ago? Oh, it was, oh shit, it was 15 years ago. Oh, God. Whereas now I've got a definite bead of time to know... Yes. And so it feels like it's moving really quickly, so I need to really enjoy it.

And I suppose now it just feels, I don't know, there's something in the current climate of the world, whether it's the news and whether it's AI, whether it's everything. It just feels all feels so scary that it just feel like there's more charts for some reason

of it all falling apart. So I'm just trying to be like, this is amazing, this moment. Hold on to the things you love, yeah. Because something shit's going to happen at some point. And I know there are shit things, but, but. I know.

what you mean. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, I do. I totally know. It's like enjoy it while it lasts really. It's so petrifying. Like, there's something really petrifying about loving something. And if you don't love something, then it's kind of fine because you don't, you're not, you're not petrified. Like, I'm so petrified. Makes you vulnerable. Because I really like, love my son so much and my wife and, but also my life. Like, I really love what I do for a living. I love my friends. I love you and Michael. I love like the fact that I get to whenever I feel sad or down or anxious or weird, I have this family around me and I have this job that I love that I can do and feel really settled.

But because I love it so much, I feel really scared that someone could take it away at some point. But also I'm all right. I'm very lucky. This episode is brought to you by Airbnb. Now, I don't know if you remember, but I told you about my friend Kat, who was heading off to Thailand with her partner to celebrate their 10-year anniversary. And she just got back last week. They spent a day exploring the markets. They went to Bangkok. And the real highlight for Kat, she said, was when they visited this ethical animal sanctuary in Chiang Mai.

I mean, can I just tell you something? I've actually never been to Thailand. I'm so jealous. But the reason I'm telling you all of this is before Kat went away, she found a lot of. a local co-host through Airbnb's co-host network. And they helped her host her home and manage all the kind of admin-y bits, like welcoming guests and responding to messages. And for Kat, that meant that she could just switch off

and really just enjoy being on holiday, all the while her home was bringing in a bit of extra money on the side. It just makes so much sense, right? If you're heading away anytime soon and could do with a bit of help, why don't you find yourself a co-host at AirBron? Airbnb.com.uk.uk slash host. Our sponsors,

Paramount Plus, have sent me a peek at their new original series, The Madison. Press play, Jeremy, I'm so excited. Go. You know, at night. Look at the scenery. The bull elk come down to the river and bugle. And it drives the lady elk.

Oh my God, already, stop. Kurt Russell still got it. Michelle Bifer looks epic. She looks so good. The worry is what you do next. Wait, stop. I'm going to cry a lot, aren't I? I think it's going to be one of those ones.

I'm going to be howling. I have a very small window to feed this. Yes, that's how I feel. Yes, Michelle. You know one of those dramas where you just go, yes, at the television. It's going to be that. I can tell already. If you like Begin Again, you're going to like this.

because there are life stories that we will all recognise and be able to relate to. I'm scrapping all my plans for tonight. I'm going to watch this non-stop because the Madison is streaming right now on Paramount Plus. Get on it. I mean, I think that show is just joyful. And I've heard you say that it's become even more joyful

since Wild's been born. Oh, yeah. A hundred percent. Has it? It's, you already had kids when you did the show. So it's probably already always been in this place. Yeah, they've always loved it. Yeah.

Where it's a completely changed for me. Before it was just a, it was actually just a job. Like it was a really enjoyable job. I was like, oh, cool, this many people watch it. Great. I didn't really understand what it meant to people, I think. Having a show that you're involved in that isn't just like a show that people watch, but it's also a show that brings people together to communicate.

on a sofa who are different ages and ranges so having like your six year old and your 60 year old man being able to sort of go like oh I want the six year old enjoying the fact

that there's a man dressed as a grandfather clock and the 60 year old thinking oh I think that's Glenn Odle do you know what I mean it's like I just it's become so much more important to me I just like

and now world can watch it and he loves it the wonder of the costumes. He loves it. And he's just like shouting, take it. He like,

no, he like, he doesn't just shout, take it off, take it off. He does it because he's trying to be me. So this is, he's just,

you know, like that bit when I go to get people to take it, take it off. I go, come on everybody. Take it off.

Oh, does he do. Come on everybody. And it gets me every time. Oh my God. He goes, come on people's, take it off. Take it off.

Take it off. Take it. He goes, come on, Oh my God, it's so cute. Come on, peoples. Even today, so I'll go like, I go, so dad is going to London, right? And I go, yeah, yeah, I'm going to London.

That's his version of me going to leaving the house. So I go, he's going to London. And I go, what do you think dad is going to be doing today? Come on, people, take it a time. He thinks I just go up to random people on the street and make them take off masks. But it's just something to, you know, between us. It's just really special. I've got to tell you one of the things that I love about really little kids

is when they're just trying to guess if it's a man or a woman. Yeah. I think it's a girl. Really? Really? I'm not sure. I think it might be boy. And they go, what might be a boy?

And then they're just really excited when it's a girl. Like, it's just so. Wild's even at that age before that, where he's just trying to guess whether it's a grandfather clock. or not. Oh. And then they take it off and then he's like,

oh, it's not a grandfather clock. Underneath. Daddy is not a clock. Daddy had not a clock in there. There's a man in the clock in there. Can we just talk characters? Because some of them have been so funny.

One of my personal favourites was rubbish. Rubbish was great. Like calling someone rubbish. I mean, you're rubbish. Such a serious man as Stephen Hendry inside. When you reveal, you know,

some of them, you do have these elaborate costumes, but he was just in a. a wheelie bin. He was just in a wheelie bin, that guy, poor guy. And it just, I just love it. And not the fact that it just brings joy to people who watch it. And you know, people come up to you on the street and they're like, oh my God, we love the Masked Singer. And like, and it, you can tell that it's something, it's important. On some level, it's important. Because it might be something that gets their kids off their phone or off their iPad or tablet or whatever.

And it's just weird. It feels weird. I'm starting to understand that I've been a part of that in some tiny way where I'm like, oh, I've been a part of like some, and for a long time now, this is the weird thing. It must be even weirder for you. But like, I've grown up with you. And you've gone through so many amazing different transitions to be at this incredible point where you are now, including this podcast.

And I'm now at this weird point where I'm seeing the next generation coming in and being like, oh shit, man, I'm not the new generation anymore. And now it's, you know, Mustang has been on for seven years. Like there is going to be people that were watching it when they were nine, who are now 17. Yeah. It's mad that, right? It's insane. They've grown up with you. Which is so, which is bizarre.

So funny, right? It's so bizarre. And I, you know, I thank my lucky stars that I've been able to enjoy something for so long. And to be able to meet people. And I feel like Masked Singer for me has been that weird. It's like a, it's been a really good business card for me. In order to like, for people to be able to put me in a bit of a box and go like, oh, that's the Masked singer guy.

You know, I'm sure Big Brother was like kind of like that for you. It was like that ticket for you where you were like, it gives a co-hook for people to have. hanging on a little bit and go like, oh, I know. And then you go above that, which you have now, you've transcended that way, you're now Davina McCall. Whereas I'm like, I'm still drawled on it for a masked singer. Whereas then, I suppose the next step.

But you've also got comedy. Yeah. It's like you've got a few different pots that you are playing with. Before we leave the Masked Singer, though, I want to talk to you about the funniest mistake you've ever made on that show, which was saying Dermott's name. When I completely ruined the former Which I loved so much

Because there was nothing we could do about it It was out of your mouth And we were all like Oh my It was so funny It was so there was something It was so like seven years I'd be doing that show

And I've never done that Not even a hint Even if you knew Or sometimes I know that you knew And you never But that was so It was like an involuntary tick of some sort.

It felt so naughty. It felt so naughty. I wanted to do it for seven years. It was like this weird naughty bit in my brain when I heard them laugh in the costume it's like the naughty part of me she went, fuck it, it's dermotelieri. Oh my god, it's dermotillera.

But then there was this weird thing where I was like, oh my, again, this show is so ridiculous. It's so ridiculous. I go, that's Demo Liri. And, you know, it's like we're all pretending that it's not Derm O'Leary. He's dressed as like, as some giant lips with his legs out as candy canes. I'm dressed as a snowball in this tiny furry jacket that I gave to your husband afterwards.

And it's just like, it's really lovely. And I'm just that like, everyone's like, oh no, you gave away his name. I'm like, does it fucking matter? Come on, take a look at your surroundings. It's so funny. It added to the whole thing, I think. I loved it. It was absolutely brilliant.

It was good because it was the Christmas show. So at least it was that thing where I knew that they were, his name was going to be released that episode. So thank the gods that had done it in that episode. I'll never forget messaging you and telling you I had diarrhea. Not even on the show. That was just a different thing. That was, she did it at the moment.

morning. I've got the shit. I'm glad you made it. I glad you made it. It's, that was a wonderful rules. And you didn't,

you didn't know or you had guessed? So, so to give everyone context of people thinking, not understanding, I, Davina McCall was on the

Christmas special of the masked singer. As a masked singing singer. Yeah. Yeah. And we, I didn't know that,

obviously. And we got there and everyone said, oh, Davina's ill. So we're not going to have Devina on the panel today. And I was like, oh, okay, cool, you know, fine. And then there was this elaborate backstory that she'd, you've gone to a football match and had the pies or something like that. Which way, again, when I think about it, I'm like, well, if it's the pies at a football match,

and then surely there's 10,000 people who have diarrhea. You should have picked a slightly more private place to it. But I was like, oh, okay. And then I didn't know at all. It was brilliant. Producers were so brilliant. And then... And not even when you heard me sing.

No. No. Because I'm so innocent to believe, you know. And look, no offence, Davina. You look like the kind of person who might have severe flatulence to have followed through. You know, someone, when someone goes, Devino, of course, she's got diarrhea. I go, that fits. That could easily happen.

Yeah. That looks like she's probably... Enjoyed a loose meal. It was really funny. It was like one of the most fun days of my life because I was pretty convinced that you didn't know, but I wasn't 100% sure. I knew that nobody on the panel knew.

So it was like, I really, really was proud of that. It was so brilliant. It was fun. And again, it just sort of. And my kids like fell off their chairs. They were like, why are you making us watch this with you if you're not in it? I was like, no, you've got to see it because Joel told me there's a really good singer on there. And Holly, my daughter was like, it's you, right?

I was like, it's not. Joel told me that it's somebody that you'll all know who's amazing. I love there's one thing convincing a 10-year-old. Yeah. But there's another thing convincing an 18-year-old. A 24-year-old. 24 now, cry kid. Yeah, like hopeless.

God. She knew immediately. I opened my mouth. Like the minute the words came out, she's heard me singing around the house all her life. Oh, my God. I love it. Yeah, God. It is a, I mean, we're very.

lucky. We're very lucky. And I love working with you and I love working with everybody else and we just have a blast. It's brilliant. We have, it's a really, it's a really special show. It's been a really special show for me personally. To sort of have been through that, through, through, for a big chunk of my life and a big important chunk of my life where I've started my career and gone through this sort of finding my feet. With you getting married. Getting, started with me getting married. Amazing, right? And now you've got a kid and another one on the way. Yeah.

In what, a month? Yes. Yeah. Wow. It's petrifying. Very exciting. You know, best gift world could ever have. Yeah.

Honestly. I feel like it's really ready for it as well. It's really magic. I mean, it's also, we're trying our best to hide the gender, but I mean, he's telling absolutely everyone. Is he? He's telling absolutely. We have an absolute error of telling him what gender it is.

Maybe you're like, shut up, shut up, shut up. Shut up. He is the greatest kid. He's very cool. He's changed your life in a major way. Yeah, mad. Yeah. You know, it's bonkers.

It's mad, isn't it? And you never think that it's going to change your life in such a profound way. And then they come and you're like, oh, okay, everything's changed. Because I live quite a bonkers life anyway, you know, so I kind of, so I thought like, oh, we'll slip into this bonkers life. And it would just be another part of that madness. But, Ariel, just like, hit me for six, man. It's crazy how much it changes everything.

I really love it. And it's those weird difficult times. It sort of makes it so much more enjoyable. What do you mean, like, the weird difficult times? Just times where it's like, you know, it definitely doesn't make it. life easier. No. Um, and it definitely doesn't make your relationship easier because you've got to like make time for each other and it's, it's really, it's really tough, but it just in, it's, it's,

it's, you really enriches everything for me. Like, color and there was definitely a moment where me and Hannah, I remember us being in bed and we were like talking about the idea of not having children, which is obviously completely an amazing option too, by the way. But we were really ready to take that route. And we sort of went, well, let's try and see what happens. And it just feels mad that it's happens that way. And I just feel so crazy that in that choose your own adventure, that we've gone that way.

And that adventure has become a full-on three extended editions of Lord of the Rings vibes. Do you know what I mean? It's like five-hour epic ridiculousness of trying to get that ring to Mordor. It's so bonkers. I interviewed Derbler Mescal, who's Paul Mascall's mum. She's Irish. Yes. And she's a poet and she's written a book about finding.

joy and she talked about having kids and folding herself up when she had kids like neatly into a little parcel and putting herself away and becoming a mum and then as her kids have grown up and left home she's now unfolding herself wow and I thought what a lovely um description of what it is when she said that I was like That is exactly what I did. I folded myself away. That's so true. And then now, you know, you know me now.

Yeah. And me and Michael are living our second lives because we've unfolded ourselves. And we're going out again and it's amazing. And you're still in there. You feel a bit lost like you've lost yourself in somewhere. We say this to you and Hannah all the time. You know, it's just a moment in time and it's gone so quickly. And you unfold yourself.

and you two will have each other go around the world and do whatever you like. Come clubbing with me and Michael at Pikes. Oh my God, 100%. We look to you and Michael so much. It's so bonkers, man. You are a really important thing to us. Oh, well. You really are.

You are to us as well. You know that. We're so good at celebrating the big moments, aren't we? But what about those random days when your friend absolutely smashes something at work or the day they're feeling a bit wobbly about becoming an empty nester. That's basically me right now. These are actually the days

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Devina for 15% off your next gift. What I loved about comedy and it's, in its, when I it's just it's such an amazing thing stand up it's an absolute meritocracy of this thing where the harder you work the more stuff you write the the more you go to Edinburgh at the time it was the more you go to Edinburgh it really was the more effort you put in

the the more you get out of it the further you move up the ladder and I just loved that it was like I sort of tried other things before that and I was like well always my life I was doing lots of trying lots of things and I was just not

there's other people who are so much better at this than me and they've put in less effort and why is like I haven't got I'm not again I'm not trying to be faux humble I'm not naturally good at anything like my I'm not I've always had to be someone

a school in my career that I have to really put in effort to be as good as naturally talented as other people are. And so I knew when I got into comedy that I was like, okay, I'm going to just gig loads, because this is something that the more effort you put into it,

the better you get. Is that something you read from Jimmy Carr? Yeah. Yeah, so Jimmy's book, the Naked Jape, I think it's called. I remember reading in his book that he gig 300 gigs 300 gigs in his first year. I was like, okay, cool, I'm going to try and beat that. And so literally I got to 300 gigs, just before the dawn of the year went past.

Wow. And I couldn't do enough gigs, so I would, like, bought this little bike from a charity shop. I was living in my friend's council flat, and I would just, like, ride this bike around London and do, like, three gigs a night, just ride it, because if you got the bus,

you couldn't make it to more gigs, so you would just go to, I'd print off what was timeout at the time. And if there was a gig, a comedy gig that had loads of names on it, then it meant that it was an open mic, gig and it meant that like there was more chance of someone dropping out yeah so I would I must have told you the story before and I would so I'd get I'd go to like one gig not booked

so I'd go to this gig there'd be like 16 comedians on chances are one comedian wouldn't turn up or I'd get them they'd be like oh they all turned up sorry Joel and then so I'd get my bike right to the next one so all the 16 comedians so I've all turned up okay no worries right to my bike to the next one. Oh yeah, one's not turned up. You can jump in, do, you know, three minutes of comedy or whatever it was. And then basically did that for like three years until people sort of bookers get to know you and then you start to build up a set. And I think what I loved about it was like the community of comedians that you had. They sort of, you know, if you look back now, it's insane. It's like me, James Acaster, Josh Whitakum, Rob Beckett, Rob's not

slightly after but it was still of that sort of that bunch. The list goes on and on and on and it's like it's a big like so many people started then. We all used to live in Ed and Tom Allen we used to live in Edinburgh together in this flat mad isn't it? And it was just like such a fertile

environment for us all to like understand how to learn and we were all bettering ourselves trying to push each other because we would just see other people's shows and be like oh bloody hell that's so funny and so good And I really look back on it now. It's like the most, I look back on it so fondly.

I feel so privileged that I've had that time in my life where I was allowed by my family to be, to be just purely creative and live in London and what is probably quite a dangerous place for a parent to let your child just go. And I just was gigging every night trying to survive. I remember just being like, I need to survive this week. I need to survive on five pounds. Like trying to make it stretch. I'm not saying, I'm like, oh my God, I'm so poor. But it was like, I just making it stretch because that's all you had. Yes.

And it was so, like, it was so fun. Because you had no other. Like, I always walk around London with a Hannah. And what's beautiful about it is that every single corner of London now, every doorway, every like street, there'll be like this weird venue that I've played. Like literally here, like I got out of,

out of my car to put on the roller skates in the Queen of Hoxton, which is right on that corner. And I sat in the doorway and I was like, I used to do gigs downstairs here. And it's such a, an amazing, I don't know what's the right word, visceral. It's like a sort of amazing sort of feeling

where you're like, I can really feel those gigs. where like the deaths you can really feel that like death. And then you feel the good ones like in your soul of like, oh, I remember this feeling. I remember leaving and then going like, cool, and then getting on your bike and unchaining your bike and going to the next one.

And then do that for eight years until I did. Wow. I'm a celeb. And then TV started a bit. Can I ask you about how that started? Because were you always funny? Did you love? comedy or because your first passion was acting.

Yeah, I didn't, I wouldn't say acting was my passion. It was something that like led me to what I'm doing. Okay. In that way that like, I, um, I, I sort of, I loved where I grew up. I knew I, we lived, we grew up in the middle of nowhere and I knew I just didn't, it didn't, it wasn't for me. You talked about doing this thing of like yearning for an adventure of some sort. Yeah.

It was so funny that you said that because I've interviewed a few people and often they talk about being alone at home, not experiencing the outside world either because they just live too far away from it or whatever. Me, I used to sit on the gate waiting for the famous five to come and take me on an adventure. And it was interesting to hear you done something similar. Yeah, because you yearning for adventure, because you've got this slightly isolating childhood.

You know, we grew up on a farm, which is like a tiny farm, and my brother loved farming. So that he was like, that was his thing. How much old or younger was he? Two years older. Okay. And so I was,

and it's funny when you think back, this sort of idea, it's like this weird, fanciful idea of just like, I'm going to move to London. Do you know what I mean? And it's this weird fanciful thing that sometimes is the thing that you need in order to push start your life to kickstart this mad old hill that is my career or my life. And I needed that stupidity almost of like not really knowing what London is, not really knowing.

How'd you ever been? I basically had went once. You went once and then you're like, that's where I'm going. Basically, yeah. So I did National Youth Theatre. So the only thing that I really connected with in school was my theatre teacher. He was the nicest guy to me. And that's often what happens, isn't it?

Your nicest teacher is the thing that you go down. And he was great. He just had a passion for it. And it was brilliant. And so I was like, this is what I feel like I have more of a kinship to than anything else. He was like, you should do national youth theatre. They're coming to Bristol to audition. You should do that.

I was like, oh, okay, cool. I did that and I got in. And it was basically these summer courses that they do. And it was for two weeks. And you live in Tuffanil Park for two weeks. And I'd never been away from home. And I was, so I was 17. And I went to London for two weeks.

Staying this like tower block in Tuffel Park. And it was a mad thing where I was just like, oh my God. There's other, there's other weirdos. Do you know what I mean? You're like, oh, there's other weirdos. And you know what? I'm not the weirdest one. This is so cool.

And I, it didn't just get me out of my comfort zone in terms of geographically. It got me out of my comfort zone. I don't think it led, it led me to London more than it led me to acting. Right. And it's something that I never really understood about acting for me was it just felt all bit serious to me. Right. And again, what I really loved with comedy was that it didn't feel like that had that thing that actors, will probably correct me, but it didn't feel like that thing where you had to work at it quite so much. But I felt to me I was like, I'd really tried acting for a bit,

but it felt like there was like six-year-olds who were in Harry Potter, who were a better at them. And I was like, oh, this is well, you know what's interesting, because you're talking about comedy being something that you found less scary, but to any other muggle out there like me, you know, if somebody said, go and do some stand-up, I would literally rather stick hot needles in my eye than do that. It'd be so terrifying to me. That's what I love about it. What the terrifyingness. It's got, it's got a price of admission. Do you know what I mean? Like there's, I love that it's got that fear behind it, that people are like, oh, I would rather put hot needles in my eyes than do that. Then I'm like, well, that's great for me because I've already pressed the hot needles in my eyes and I've realized it's not actually that bad to put hot needles in your eyes.

And, do you know what I mean? It is like when, I mean, talk me through, because you must have had some at the beginning. Oh my God. An audience of people that are just not laughing. laughing at anything you say. So many bad gigs. And again, I love it. Really?

Really? Not I love the death, but I love the root out of the death. Which is? There's so many fun. I once did a gig that was so... You'll love for this. I did a gig once that was so bad. I was, I blamed all if I was tired, so I had a little nap in my car before I drove home.

And I was woken up by an audience member who was knocking on my window. When I woke up, she went, oh, thank God. I thought you had such a bad gig that you killed yourself. Imagine how bad the gig would have had to have a bit. would have had to have been to an audience member and come outside and be like, oh, he's gone, he's killed himself. Yeah, I thought he was gonna, I thought he was gonna,

he's only gonna bloody done it. It's so funny. But I mean, that's material. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I just think it's, it hardened. Look, this is definitely a conversation for Diary of CEO across the hallway. But it's like, there's something brilliant about it,

a stand-up. It's so immediate. It's this thing that I really crave in my life that it satisfies so beautifully where it tells me immediately whether it's right or wrong. I say something out of my mouth and an audience will tell me

whether that is right, funny, wrong, not funny. And sometimes it's right for one room and wrong for another room. I was just going to say, like, how do you read a room? You try your best to read it and you try your best to change it, but sometimes it, it's down to you

and sometimes it's down to then and it's a conversation you know but I just love that like if we had that in life that's what I sort of hated about the acting thing is that like you would do a play

and everyone would come out and be like oh my God it's the best we love you you're incredible what a show my darlings kiss on three cheeks

and then it would get one star reviews you're like well it's some Someone is to tell me it's shit. But like the audience tell you it's shit. So immediately.

So then I can go the next day. That's what I loved about doing three gigs a night. I missed that now because I don't have the time to do three gigs a night. Of course. Every single night of the week. It's why I loved it so much. I like, you learn so much because you come away and you might start off as a little like morsel of an idea. By the end of the night of doing three gigs, it's become a full bloomed bit.

And then by the end of the week, it's become a full, five minute routine and then you chomp it down to a one minute routine and then you extend it out to another free minute then you shine it up and make it the process it's like a puzzle it's so fun and i love putting together i like putting together a tour more than i like doing a tour i don't remember wrong i love touring i think it's amazing to perform to people who have bought a ticket again that's something that i'm enjoying now now more again i took it for a grower that I used to be like, cool, cool, I'm touring. Oh, great.

That was a fun gig. Now, on this door especially that I'm in now, I just, I'm taking that time to like really look at the audience and be like, oh, like they've paid for this ticket. And they, he's, that's this guy. It's always, it's always an old, it's always old people that they, I was looking like an old person laughing. I'm like, oh man, that gets me.

I just love that that old guy is laughing at me because I feel like in my head he's not my demographic. And when I can see there's something about joy that I'm like enjoying. So you feed off that? Just I don't even feed off it. I'm just like enjoy. I'm just like, I just enjoy the gig.

Now I'm like taking that weird time to like go like, oh my God, man. These people have decided to share their time and their money with me. Do you think any of that has to do? being a dad. 100% Yeah. It's just taking it slower and just feeling like it's feeling like a, like it could stop at any point.

And like, I suppose it's also a weird thing where like I'm looking, I'm looking at it through his eyes a bit and going like, oh, if he could have some element of this enjoyment in his life, I'd be so happy for it. And I feel so privileged, I know, I keep saying it, but I feel so privileged that I'm able to, like, be on stage and for someone to buy a ticket.

And it's gone from being one person buying a ticket to being a room of 800 people buying a ticket. But now, like, to see that one person laughing, I'm like, oh, it means, like, I don't want to make it too soppy, but it's like, it does mean something. Yeah. I want to talk to you about Catfish Gate Oh yeah, please do

It makes it worse than you're whilst you're doing it You're wanking off your smell I'll tell you, yeah, sorry Cut that bit out I'll tell you why Keep it in Keep it in I'll tell you why

Stephen Bartlett I assume he does the editing Because people get cancelled And I think everybody has an abject terror of being cancelled for something or something really bad happening that could have a cataclysmic effect on their career And what you did

was skillfully navigate a catastrophe And turn it into something That you put so out there and talked about so much that it just didn't matter anymore. Took all the heat out of it. So could you just explain what happened to you? So it was a mad thing.

Again, when I look back on it now, I just, I was really impressive. Like how I tell me, because now I would deal with it. It was so much more baggage. But like... Well, thank God it happened to you then. Yeah, it was a perfect time for me. You know, I was single.

and I was again this shows my age I was contacted on Twitter by some person they were attractive I talked to them and they were like do you want to have Skype sex with me and it was like I think I've told you this but there's this guy who made a documentary about the same catfish and he once asked me for an interview

and he sat me down and he said like I was talking to this this catfish lady for about 18 months before I finally trusted her to be able to sort of have Skype sex with her. How long did it take you, Joel? I had to look this mad in the eyes ago. About 15 minutes. I would say 15 to 20 minutes.

I'd whacked it out. Was he like? He was like, oh. I didn't realize that was an option. I think it was more difficult for him because he had more baggage. I was, I just, I remember doing it and just being like, that was weird. To be fair, that was quite a long time ago before anybody really knew about catfishing. Again, fair play to them, because they sort of, they invented it.

They saw something in me that they were like, I think this guy's going to be on telly. And so they did it and then they banked it and then they waited years before they released it. They contacted you or did you contact them? They contacted me and then give us money. We've got these pictures. They were incriminating. I mean, they were like you naked, like. Fully naked.

With a beanie on. Take the beanie off, Dommet. Take the beanie off. I look like an innocent smoothie bottle. Do you know the innocent smoothie bottles? And there was no doubt that it was me. Yeah. Because I had a massive poster of me behind my head.

My Edinburgh poster behind me with my reviews on it and my TV. And your name? My names. And I remember doing it and feeling like, that was weird. All right, cool. That was odd. Then years later, they got in touch with me because my career had moved on a bit and went, So they sat on it for all that time, hoping you would be famous.

It's not famous. It's not famous. Luckily I didn't. I would have. And then, yeah, so they, for quite a while, again, clever. Unbelievable. And they did it for quite a lot of people. There was a lot of people involved in this scandal, you would call it.

again, it was a simpler time. You know, there wasn't much, there's much social media at all, Twitter. I think that was it. Really, Facebook maybe, but was used way less. And I was like, oh, God, this thing's come up. And I was like, I could have dealt with it in one way.

I could either be sad. Yeah. And be frustrated and be like, my career's over. Because no matter how big I become, this thing is always going to be in the background of me. And I knew I was starting my TV career. This was always going to be there as this skeleton in a closet if I don't sort it now.

And they wanted money? They wanted money at that point. But ultimately, I knew that I would probably just give them the money and then they would relate it anyway. So I knew it doesn't matter. Exactly. Keep using it or. So are the only other option. And I also knew it's like I'm not, I'm the victim here.

Yes. It's not like I've cheated on my wife. No. It's not like I've done anything bad. And that's what I've tried to genuinely base my life upon. I've tried my, you know, papers can all go like, we've got this thing on people. But ultimately, I'm like, it's not really anything bad that I've,

I've not done anything bad. And I like to live my life as if, like, the press are watching. And I know that sounds sad. But it also is like, it's quite life-affirming in a way because I don't make any stupid decisions. And so I decided it was like, well, you know what? It is horrible what's happened.

But also, it's pretty funny. Yeah, I mean, can I just say, like, you were brilliant about that because I would have a breakdown if it was me. And you were absolutely brilliant about it. I was in such an interesting point in my life where everything that was happening to me was comedy. Was material. Was material. And because you go into Edinburgh every year to write a new show every year and you're thinking,

what's my year going to be like this year? What is this year about? What is this year about? And in the past, I'd sort of, I like to make these sort of quest shows, you call them, which are basically about you going like, oh, there's this thing that I want. Come with me and try and get. it. And it's really fun. And then the show is, do you make it? Do you not? You know? I made one about trying to put my band together by the time I was 30 that I was in when I was 14 and it was a really

fun show about me trying to find my friends and all the stuff. I did this other one about seeing this girl on the tube that I fancied and we gave eyes at each other and then she left and then me trying to make it my life's ambition to find this woman and doing all of this stuff and going all these weird adventures to try and find her. I love those sorts of shows. And, uh, And then this happens to me. And I was like, well, it would be so stupid for me to ignore this. And so I just embraced it. And then literally they messaged me going, we want some money.

And then I was thinking about it in my comedic mind of like, I'm going to show these texts on stage. Like, so I should make them funny. And then they would message something back and I'd message something really funny back. And they'd be like, ha ha. you, you're weird. Yeah. This isn't funny.

And then it was like really interesting because at that point it was a very new crime. It was very new. I went to the police, they didn't know what to do with it. Oh, okay, yeah. Because again I went to the police

because I was like, well, maybe that'll be, I needed a summation to the show. It happened to me. Did I tell you what had happened the whole thing? Because the whole thing is mental. No, go on.

It's like a modern fairy tale. Yeah. It's kind of beautiful. Yeah. So this person messages me. We have Skype sex. I figure out it's a catfish. It's all fake.

They've got a video of me. Right. It's all awful. I'm like, oh God, oh God, God, oh, God, I God. And then I write an Edinburgh show about it, but I've got no ending because that's basically all that's happened so far. It's happened and I can't find them. I try everything to try and find out who they are.

I can't find them. No. Do the real person is, I go to the police, they can't do anything. So I put a Google image search of the person whose profile picture it is, who they'd stolen. I was like, well, let's talk to the real person whose photo they've stolen. It turns out this person, it's a real person. Yeah. And I go, hey, just to let you know, someone's stealing your photos and pretending to be you.

and they were like, oh yeah, it's been happening a few times. I've been trying to take them, you know, I tell them to take them down and they come back up and blah, blah, blah. And I went, look, just out of interest, this sounds and sound weird. I would love to just get a photo with you. So I've got, you know, something for a show. I was like, where do you live? She's creepy to think to say to anyone.

And she went, I lived in Greenwich. And I lived in Broccoli at the time. time, which is literally like a mile down the road, right? I live in Broccoli, we have to meet up. She's like, okay, cool. So we met up and... Bear in mind, this is the girl that you thought you were doing it. So you've already, like, yeah, okay.

And so this girl, I meet this girl in Greenwich. Again, I don't even realize it at that point, but it's a date. We get on really well. We go on another date. And actually we get on well and we end up dating for like six months. How mad is that?

So I ended up dating the person whose face I thought I was masturbating to in the first place. And then this is the mad part she's half Russian. She moves back to Russia. I then have Skype sex with her. How mental is that?

This needs to be a movie. Stephen Bartler, this needs to be a movie. How mad is that? Isn't that insane? And... Life imitating art. It really is this weird... It's weird, man.

But it was just like... I'm so happy that I did that. Great ending for the show. Yeah, yeah. It's a great ending for the show. And it's... I just... I loved that...

I learn a lot with that show about honesty and about like just... I've done Edinburgh shows in the past where I'd just sort of done little lies to sort of make entertainment and do all this and that was such an honest show.

Yeah. Do you know what I've always said to my kids there's nowhere to go with the truth. Oh, so true. So that is... It's like the buck stops there. And that's what I... And I've brought that feeling. I really think it's filtered into my whole relationship now.

Because before then, I used to like never feel comfortable in relationships. I'd always like, for no reason, do little white lies of like, I'm here, I'm there. Oh, no, no, whatever. I don't even know what they would have been, but it just. But they're not not hurtful lies, but they're just not the whole truth. Just not the whole truth. And it's something very refreshing about being in a like a relationship where you just are painfully honest. And I think I learned from that weirdly.

it feels like that's the precipice of like when my life completely starting to change. So that was 2016 was like the big life-changing year. So then I met, so I met, I met, I met Hannah. I then, uh, I'm at first year of I was Leb doing the extra show. It was so hard just because I don't know what I'm doing. And I don't know how to read Autocue. I don't know how to be, I'm trying to fit my comedic persona that I'm so used to doing, which is a round peg in a square hole, which is telly.

And it doesn't fit. I know now that is a hard thing to fit. And so I'd mess up the auto queue and get really annoyed with myself. And I'd just sabotage the rest of the show because I'm frustrated because I'm like, oh, I messed it off. I'm annoyed. And I used to like call Hannah, which would be at like midnight at her time at home. cry on the phone and be like,

I can't do this, I'm so far away from it. No. It's mad. And then the next year, I felt like I was better at it, but still a bit shit. And then and then the next year, they kept on giving me the job. Third year in, I was like, I feel like I'm myself now.

Still messed it up a few days, but I felt like I was like, okay, I'm cool. I feel like I'm all myself. And then that show got cancelled for monetary reasons for three years. years and then we came back and I've now hosted it for two years. I've now gone back with my family. So again a full circle moment of it all. Seeing wild say good day mate. Oh my God. It was the sweetest thing I've ever seen. Good day mate. Good day mate. And because we talked to

her, we just say it to everyone. Just lovely. So cute. Wild say good day mate to this person. Hannah slid into your DMs. So Hannah slid into my DMs in again this is part of this Mad. Can I just say to anybody watching that fancies anybody? Slide. Slide. Slide in. Absolutely slide away. Yeah. Slide away.

You're married. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, it worked. It was, don't slide in now because I'm married. Not to his DMs, but mine. No, I'm joking, I'm married. My DMs are fully locked. Me too.

Locked off. But please do because I will show it to my wife and laugh. And, uh, I it was 2016 this is again mad it feels like fortuitousness all of this madness

and we I'd been in this world where I'd just gone on I'd gone on so many Tinder dates in 2016 because it felt like that was the Tinder year yeah and

and then all this catfish of mad stuff happened and then I went into the jungle and I in the coming out show which was I was I was being interviewed by Lorraine the day after I'd come out yeah and I was a bit tipsy because I had a bit of a drink and so because it's morning in the UK but it's evening in Australia me and Adam Thomas were there a bit drunk and on Lorraine having a lovely time so Hannah was

had been in Miami modeling. This sounds a bit, sounds a bit wanky, but, um, uh, and she came back and she just got back and she just had a big meal with her friends. She'd got back that day or the day before for Christmas. And she was out with her friends and the TV was on in the corner of the bar. And she saw me on Lorraine with, with Adam. and she was like, who's that guy? He's fit.

She hadn't seen any of it? She hadn't seen any of the jungle. Oh, quite good though. Yeah. It was just like he's fit. Yeah. And then he's like, message him. I also do question that.

I like in her. Like, I didn't see any of you on the jungle in that same way that Megan Markle didn't know Prince Harry. Oh, what is a prince? And so she, so she saw me in a DM, me there and then because she was a bit drunk in the day having a nice time with her friends. Oh my God, I love it. She DM'd me some emoji and I was going through my DMs and I just saw this person who looked fit on the thumbnail.

Again, important. Be fit in your thumbnail. Be your fit yourself because I clicked on that thumbnail. And I was like, oh, what's that? And then some sort, it's so funny to look back on our messages together. Me and Hannah, like to look back at our things. There's two things we like to look back on. Our first conversations that we had together on Instagram and our first texts together.

And we, I made a video of the birth of our child where like it's, she said, don't video it. I don't want it. And I was like, okay, cool. And then when it got to it, I was like, I have to fucking video it. Yeah, it's a once in a lifetime. I've clicked video, you know, you can always delete it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Put it over there, legs facing this way, so you don't see anything.

Yeah, I'm not going straight down the channel tunnel. Yeah. And I'm not going. Catch! No one wants to film Dover. And, um... And, um... And, uh, and so...

Grand Canyon. Yeah, exactly. And so, um... I put it there and we love just like going back and watching it. It always makes us feel mental. Do you know what I love? Never have I ever. Oh yeah, we love it.

You two on that are so brilliant. Yeah. You can see the mechanics of how you two work so brilliantly on that podcast. I love it. Now it's turned into this amazing opportunity for me and Hannah to talk. Yeah. Whereas like it used to be this thing where it had a real format where we tried to do things that we'd never done together before.

And then when you have children, that became too much. I mean, it is the cliche where we, the first episode we ever did, we said that we're going to keep doing things that we've never gone together before because we came out of COVID. During COVID, we were like, oh, we made a list of all the things we've never done together. We're like, once we come out of lockdown, let's do those things together. And then we were like, should we make this into a podcast? It might as well.

And so we started doing all those things. And on the first episode, we said, well, we'll keep doing this until we inevitably, never have I ever had a baby. Jokingly said that. One year after we started that, we announced we were pregnant. Can I just say something to everybody?

I knew they were pregnant before anybody else. First person. Before your parents? Anyone. Before anyone. Before I barely knew. Literally, this is me, I'll be like this.

So I'm chatting to Joel. This is me just going like... And I think... We were at Radio 2. We were at Radio 2 together. This is me just like... I was just like texting Hannah. And then she sends me a picture of a...

Clear blue. A clear blue thing. And I was just like... Oh. Like that's basically. That's how it went. So Davina basically found out I was... And then I couldn't say anything to anyone.

It was very exciting. I would say three and a half. I felt so honoured. Yeah. It was amazing. You've carried on doing Never Have I ever. It's just slightly changed. But what I think is good is you are showing people how to have a healthy relationship.

Yeah. By talking things through. And we literally like, what's quite fun is that we take on this almost persona in our relationship when we do it because it's quite performative. And we do air our graces and it's really fun because we get to like fight. Yeah. We don't like argue. And do you see how I underneath always type Team Hannah or Team Joel? Like whoever I'm taking, who's ever sides I'm taking mostly at Hamas.

Yeah, it's almost always Thomas. Sorry. It's. And again, it's like. Code of the Female. Shit, I mean, you are welcome to take her side every time because people don't generally take my side. Because it's again, ridiculous life that we lead, you know, and it's, I think it's really fun to offload every week and go, I did this this week.

I want to give you something. Oh. So we always try and get something written from somebody to the person that we're interviewing. But I wanted to do today's. Oh, this is so nice. This is perfect. This is great.

This is so exciting. So this is for you from me. You've got to read it out loud. I love that. Just something. I'm actually, there's not a check in there. Okay. Darling Joel.

It's good paper, by the way. Darling Joel. I wanted to write your letter today. But now I've come to actually putting pen to paper. I don't know where to start. There's so much eulogizing to do. I don't know which bit of smoke to blow up your ass first. But I'll start with what a surprise you were.

Tall, good-looking. looking, funny, I expected you to be tricky or not interested in talking to me. What I was greeted with was the most open-hearted, generous, charismatic man. Not just with me, but with everyone. From runners to executive producers, everyone got treated the same. You make us all feel special. Michael and I have just loved getting to know you, Hannah, and Wilde. We are so happy to be a part of your lives.

afraid you are stuck with us forever. We've loved watching you become a dad. It's been such a joy and the love that you and Hannah have for each other is tangible. I don't mean this in a patronising way, but I'm so proud of you and everything that you've achieved and I cannot wait to see where you go from here. Michael and I love you with all of our hearts. Thank you. It's so cute. I love you. Okay, that's a wrap. Thank you so much. Shall we? Let's do it.

Come on. Here, you take a pen. We can design our own noses this year on Comet Relief. I've done it on the wrong angle. It's okay. We can still see what it says. You ready? Let's do it.

Let's go. Let's go. Let's go.