The Current - Jax Irwin’s “best wrong number” she’s ever called

Episode Date: October 9, 2026

Jax Irwin is a Toronto broadcaster, originally from Nova Scotia, and she calls herself a phone enthusiast. Last month, we spoke to her on this program. Paul Matthews in Brigus, Newfoundland, heard the interview. About a week later, his phone rang. It was Jax - making a special call that day with the cast of Netflix’s new series "Below." A series filmed in Newfoundland.  We talk to them about the importance of chatting with strangers. 

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Who's this? Oh. Oh, my, Paul. You sound sweet, but I think you kept the wrong on. I have chubby fingers. I must have put the wrong numbers in there. What are you doing? I'm cleaning blueberries.

You're having a blueberry bath. I'm going to need one. You might recognize that voice. Jack's Irwin is a Toronto broadcaster, originally from Nova Scotia, self-described phone call enthusiast. She's been charming her social media. audience for a couple of years now with her East Coast calls. Basically, the deal is she phones up strangers down east and sees how long they will chat. And a hint, lots are in no hurry to hang up. Where are you caught from? Nova Scotia. I'm in Griggis, Newfoundland.

When you get off the phone, look on poundagos.com. There's walk walls everywhere. The streets, through the streets, the pathways, 11, 12, 15 feet wide, you know. But anyway, we like them. You're a mover and a shaker. We'll be slower and shaking water. We spoke with Jacks Irwin last month on this program, and Paul Matthews, in Briggas, Newfoundland, heard that interview. Then, about a week later, his own phone rang. Not only was Jacks on the line, but she was making a special call that day, surrounded by the Hollywood stars of Below. Below is a new Netflix series shot in Newfoundland, and they wanted Jacks to phone up random Newfoundlanders to promote that series. The stars of Below, Josh Harnett, Charlie Heaton, and Mackenzie Davis were all in on the call.

And Paul, from Brigas, didn't know any of this. It's interesting, you know, I was listening to CBS through radio, and they had this lady on, and she does this as a sort of a hobby. She calls people, and I'll be damned. Today, I just pick up the phone in the chew. Can I tell you a secret? That's that lonely woman who calls people calling you right now. I wouldn't be surprised.

I'm actually, I'm not in Nova Scotia. I'm sitting here in Toronto. I'm in a hotel, and I'm with the cast of below, and we thought we'd call Newfoundland. Say hello to the cast. The packs on all of you. Well, this morning, Jacks Irwin is with us in our Halifax studio, and Paul Matthews is at home in Briggis, Newfoundland.

Good morning, T, too. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning, Mac. Good morning, Max. Good morning, Max. It's nice to hear your voice again.

I've seen this video, Jacks, of you on the line. You look stunned when Paul kind of clocked you and realized who you were. It's wild. Like, the stars are all. Aligning, you know, I had the pleasure of, you know, teaming up with Netflix. We made fully random calls. We had no idea how they would go. And not only did we get, I mean, a chairman guy like we have here, but like we had somebody who had heard about, you know, the concept and was also down to play along.

Like, Paul, you are, you are a king, truly. Paul, a king. You heard that interview that we did with Jacks on this program. Yes, I did. I appreciate you listening. That's nice of you. Do you remember what you were thinking when you heard her describe what she does? I was thinking, you know, this is not surprising.

We're a lonely world, and she's making good. And then the phone rings, and she's on the line, but you don't know that she's doing this thing for Netflix. You could have just hung up the phone. You said, well, I think you have the wrong number, but you stayed on the line. Why did you stay on the line? Well, why not? I mean, you know, I'm just picking through blueberries, and life is good. and I'm just relaxed.

I probably had around a speakerphone at some point because I remember I was still going through my berries and I'm hoping to see the end of them soon. Was it a good year for blueberries? Oh, absolutely beautiful this year, especially. We heard you in that call. I mean, you sound a little bit like the tourist board promoting Briggis. Tell us a little bit, tell us a bit about Briggis.

You're up near Bay Roberts, right? Yeah, 10 minutes or so, 10 kilometers. or whatever. We are a well-known community. You know, not for anything I've ever said to anybody, but we have great history, and, you know, Captain Bob Barrett's home is Briggis, and it goes on and on.

And so to me, it was just another tour stopping me except this time on the phone, you know. Tell me about these walls. What is it? You have the beautiful paths and the walls that are there, the stone walls? Everywhere are stone walls, yes. Yeah.

It sounds beautiful. Well, it is, in my view. I'm not from Briggas. moved here about 12 years ago. My wife's from the west coast of the private. I'm from the east coast. So we sort of split the difference. Jack's, big deal there. You're with the big TV stars making these calls. And then you call Paul. You say that in calling up, Paul, it was the best wrong number you've ever had. Well, and that's the thing, right? We wanted to stay true to calling completely random numbers.

So we were hoping to, you know, get somebody where the crew from below had shot. But watching their faces, and the folks behind the scenes. Like, I think, Paul, you were our second call. And you couldn't have written it better, right? And, like, McKenzie and Charlie and Josh, like, they've spent, obviously, a lot of time in Newfoundland. So they were equally, you know, pleased, excited and also, like, familiar with how lovely folks from Newfoundland can be.

So when we had him on the phone, you know, we were all so excited to have him. But we were also like, all right, this Newfoundland, not shocking. Just a gentleman. And he, just cleaning blueberries. and Josh had the pleasure of going to meet him afterwards at the premiere. And Paul, I can't lie, I was a little jealous. You look just as handsome as I thought you'd be.

So I had to be. But it was amazing. It was mind-blowing. I couldn't have asked for a better call to go. They all looked stunned as well when this was kind of unfolding. Like, is this actually happening in real life? Yeah, it was. And then, you know, I just flew back into Halifax.

I'm going up to work in Cape Breton tomorrow. So the timing of, you know, wanting to chat with the CBC. as well. Like it's all coming together. It's the blueberry gods here. So we're trying to do, connect people across this country. Paul, you got to meet the big stars. What was that like? That was amazing, really. The three of us,

my wife, my daughter, met Josh. We had a chat for probably 10 or 15 minutes. They were so nice to us. And it was a good night, an excellent night. And there's so many people in the audience at the screening that we, you know, knew of or knew personally

that were connected with the show and so on. How big of a deal was it to have the show shot in Newfoundland? I think, you know, it's just another great chance for us to showcase what we're all about and so on. We don't think about it. Ordinarily, I often scratch my head and say, why are all these people coming to Newfoundland and they're never leaving? I still haven't figured that out, but it'll be it. How did they do with the accents, do you think? Reasonably well, I think. Reasonably well. That's kind of high praise, I've often been accused of having an Irish laced accent of some sort. They sounded much of the same milk, and a lot of the shooting was done in Briggs South,

which is on the south coast of the Avalon, which is also known as the Irish Loop. So they were true to form. And your daughter, you mentioned your daughter went to that screening. She has a little role in the show as well, right? Yes, she does. And again, you know, just serendipity. all over again. So she was kind of charmed to be able to beat them again, especially the main cast. She's a small part, I think, in episode six, but that would just be too much of a coincidence to

Donald's believe, isn't it? Now, this video, Paul, of this call, this is getting a lot of attention online. Like, you're a star now as well. Are people coming up to you and saying, I've seen you on social media getting this phone call from Jacks? So far. Not so. much, although except family and friends and so on. Apparently, it's getting a lot of hits. Maybe, Jackson, I'm going to need it who hires a publicist for a manager. I was going to say, you better slow down.

I'm on second nine of the ten seconds of fame, so be it. Well, deserved. You're perfect. You're perfect. Jacks, have we blown your cover here? Because is it going to be harder to make this work? Now, people are hearing you do these interviews, and they might think, as, as, as, Paul did. You're that lady. I know that I've heard this lady who makes these calls. We don't want to blow your cover here. I mean, I also don't want to be too much of a sneaky snake, right? So if people know what I'm doing, I'm just always happy to connect with anybody who will pick up the phone. And I mean, honestly, it turned out he knew what I was doing. And Paul, like I said, I couldn't have

asked for a better person to pick up the phone with Netflix and happily, you know, thankfully listens to CBC. Paul, last word to you. When Jax was on the program last month, she said that this works because folks in Atlanta, Canada, in the Maritimes, will answer the phone, that if you made these calls in Toronto and Vancouver and those big cities, people wouldn't talk to strangers at all. What do you make of that? Well, people in those big cities are just so rushed, and I well appreciate that. What may be one of the glaring and attractive features of our lifestyle is that we take time to live

and enjoy the vagaries of life, wherever they come. Well said. I'm glad that you took our call. Paul, it's good to talk to you. Thank you very much. And thanks for listening. You've made my day already. Wonderful. Love you, Paul. Jack's great to talk to you as always. Take care, honey. See ya. Paul Matthews lives in Briggis, Newfoundland. Jacks Irwin was in our Halifax studio this morning. A little extra bit of knowledge for you. The actor Josh Harnett has said that he learned to speak like a Newfoundland fisherman by listening daily to the St. John's CBC radio program, The Broadcast, which, as we've told you, interviews, many people who work. on the seas. Well done, Josh.

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