The Frank Skinner Show - Frank The Clown

Episode Date: August 14, 2026

Frank is in Edinburgh and is joined by comedians Finlay Christie and Sara Barron. Frank’s contemplating becoming a clown, but Sara thinks they’re too sexual. And Gen-Z Finlay’s had enough of kids. If you want to message the show, email us at [e-mail] or WhatsApp us on 07457 417 769 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

It's Frank off the radio. It's the Frankskinner podcast, don't you know? All by myself. Don't want to be all by myself anymore. This is Frank off the radio. I'm joined by Sarah Barron and Finley Christie. Wee, crowd noise. Follow the podcast on X and Instagram.

You can email the podcast via Frank. off the radio at avalonuK.com on the WhatsApp area of things you can WhatsApp us on 7457 417-7-6-9 I've never heard that one before I don't think

What was it? I don't know I couldn't really hear it properly Can I ask you a question? Yeah Like when you give over to the music You have a very musical soul Do you picture like a crowd before you or are you in a certain costume when you're doing your sort of little rockouts that you do?

No, I would say. I picture you like Frank Skin Archer. I see. I picture you in like a velvet cape when you do it. No, I would say I'm at that stage of the Edinburgh Festival where when I'm on stage, I'm trying to picture there not being an audience there. Yes, but I think that when we're doing these private podcasts, I think you picture an audience that isn't there.

I do picture an audience, not only that aren't there, but that don't exist, because they're an audience that laughs at everything I say with warmth and support. Are you not there yet at the stage of your career? My audience doesn't work like that. My audience, it's like turning up for an arm wrestling. Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. They don't want me to succeed. But I think you like that.

I don't. I think it makes you respect them more, Frank. I agree. Right? I agree. Oh, I got to be good for my audience. No, I think that's wrong. I think what's happening?

I don't know if you Finley I realize this is before your time But you know as I always say I know who Alexander the Great was The number of stories you have I do wonder if you are a vampire Yeah well I can't answer that

But you will know Just to give you a bit of background on this That in the old days in the 50s People like Little Richard Who was black would have a hit and then a white artist would cover it and have a much bigger hit with him. And the Osmans in the 70s thought that was still a thing. So they became the Jackson 5.

They utterly created the sound of the Jackson 5, and there were five white guys. Who were they? I've never heard of them. The Osmans. Oh, the Osmans, sir. I thought you said the Ottomans. No, the Ottomans. The Ottomans.

The Ottomans. I would have watched there. I have really lost the plot of this story. So anyway, they did a song called One Bad Apple. which sounded like the Jackson 5. One bad apple don't spoil the whole bunch, babe, or was it girl? And then I have this last week or so doing gigs, I've thought, they misled me, the awesome buttons.

One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch because I've had three gigs this week that have been really good gigs, big laughs, lovely warm applause. There's been one, well, in one case it was a cop. in the other cases it was two individuals sitting right at the front at a work in progress gig just giving me scowls and disapproval and the professional ways to not see them and to continue but I'm focusing my all fucking act is around these assholes you know what I call that though I think that I don't think that's you being unprofessional I think that is being present in the goddamn room I know but I I

I had an interview with an Australian TV executive many years ago in Sydney. And he's on about meetings and how to handle a meeting. He said one thing you need to remember is that power always goes to the negative person in the room. That's so true. He said you could have 20 people who are lacking your idea. One person is against it. You all start talking to them. Their opinion becomes important.

I remember I had a friend when I was about 12. and he wielded so much power because he hated everything. Oh, God. And we thought, well, he must have taste. Yep. Yeah. Which is so rare for a young, you know, a young person to sort of know exactly what it is that they like. But he would, I mean, he do this clever thing.

He wouldn't say, I think this thing is bad. He would say this thing, he would say it's bad. Yeah. And we all just worshipped him. Where is he now? Um, we lost touch. And I think about, I think about contacting him sometimes. But then I still respect his judgment so much.

much. Oh, no. I'm worried that he'll be like that. And it was probably nothing. It was probably the only interesting part of his personality, and he was intuitive enough to build it up in that way. Well, I had a guy in last night who was, at one point, I said, you're, you're all right, mate.

You're really giving me the faces. And he said, he said, I've explained work in progress. And he said, yeah, how much of this is work and how much of it is progress. Oh, my, Jesus. And so I really. riffed on that a little in a dark, desolate way. But afterwards, I went to see the new Green Day movie, Nimrods. And at the beginning of it, Billy Joe Armstrong, the lead singer, does a piece to camera,

which isn't part of the film. And he says, thanks for coming. We just want to say to everyone is sitting in the cinema, we really appreciate that you came. You know, this is our thing, and we're really proud of it, and we're glad you've come. I was close to tears. I thought, the audience perform a relationship could be a warm. Yeah. I'd forgotten that.

It really, I was moved by it. But I'm really, first of all, I hate to say this, but how much is work and how much is progress? Yeah. Is it? Is it? Maybe it's not, but it certainly gives the illusion of being a good, turn a phrase. Yeah, but it's actually quite empty now.

Is that your point? It is. Yeah. It's like when Gary, who was the, Gary Bushill reviewed a Dickensian adaptation of BBC of Martin Chuzzlewick. And he said it's too much chuzzle and not enough wit. And I thought, no, no. I don't think it's a word.

Is it chuzzle? Yeah. No, I don't think that works. It sounds like you've done a really. But you're just like an idiot being mean. Yeah, exactly. Well, that's what these people are. Idiots being mean.

Is it still sticking in your craw? Yes, it's deep in my craw. And I don't even know where my craw is. And I can still feel it there. Can I ask, do you just, do you have any stories about the Ottomans? Because I wouldn't be surprised if you were like. I have an Ottoman, which I carry on the States. You were like, well, I was in a dressing room with Sultan Suleman.

No, I have none of that. They'd probably believe it if I told them. But then I went to, I said I went and see Nimrods. And I got there and they said it's a two, I'm feeling pretty lonely. I live, I am flat in my own, my family's back in London. I'm feeling it. Yeah. I was telling Sarah, I sleep with one of my child's old teddy bears in my bed.

That's where I am. And I got to the cinema and they said, It's two for one Tuesday. Oh, Frank. And I said, it's one of that, it's the every man where they have sofas. You can sit on a sofa.

So I said, I'll have, I'll have, so I claim my two for one. Because I thought being alone on the sofa was just perfect for how I felt. Hmm. Yes.

I mean, also what's funny about that visual is like you are a public figure. Like I would go in and be like, that's Frank Skinner alone on a sofa looking sad with his son's teddy bear. I know the teddy bear didn't come It came in my heart.

It's funny to picture it there with you. Yeah. It's a small teddy bit. Did you feel very self-conscious? Like you were afraid of being seen alone on a sofa? No. By that stage, I just, I want any kind of human warmth or kindness. But I do what I did do before we move on is after that, after Nimrods, which can I say I recommend, it's really great life affirming, rights of passage, young teenagers in a band type movie.

Sure. I went to a thing called Lady Bolognais class war, which was two clowns. And it's one of those Edinburgh things, small room, you know, midnight, 11 o'clock. I can picture it, yeah. Yeah. But you know what? It was great. It was really, and I thought, I'm going to come back next year.

I want to be a fucking clown. I'm going to be a clown. What kind of clowning were they doing? Like, like licking the bottom of shoe? shoes and stuff like that. They were doing a bit of a bit of, no, I don't know if they did the bottom of shoes. They lick someone's face. Yeah, okay.

I do they always lick things. Let me put this. There was, as we went in, there was a sign on the door saying, please tell the staff if you have any allergies. Oh, Jesus Christ. Wait, what was the allergy to what? Well, because there was food was, someone was made to eat mystery food. No, no, no, no, no, no.

No, I'm like, if you go to a clown show, you've got to be a bit scared on. the way and I think that's the deal. Yes, I think that's correct, but I do think the, like, I would never eat something without knowing, like, I used to work in this restaurant and some, like, one of the sort of server meetings they did one time was like to make sure you know the menu as well as you think you do, was to blindfold you and have you eat something and figure out without your sight if you could figure out if you knew what you were eating. Yeah. And it was shocking what you could not, like, you would think like an eggplant with salami. you really couldn't figure it out.

Doesn't that terrify you think it's been going in your mouth without your eyes open? It's like an adult movie type. I know. I can see what we're going down. You really got to trust the people you're with. Courgette, you say. Yeah. No, but it was great.

I mean, it was, I tell you what was great about it. They were properly funny, but the audience, I sense, wanted them to be funny. The audience were. That's sweet. they weren't in on it they'd come to me to enjoy themselves I'd forgotten

unlike your crowds well no actually it's not fair to say my crowd a lot of them have but I just keep finding these monsters and they sit at the front

it's like a cup price ticket but you're giving you but this is the whole problem is that you're giving them as we all would but you're giving them power yes I'm giving them massive power

power. Do you want to work on stopping that, Frank? Yes, I've tried, but what I'm working on, my mantra is the old forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. But, you know, I wouldn't mind them having a little bit of hellfire. I think, I mean, I think maybe the clown route is open to you. Honestly, I'd love to do the clown thing. I could cover my face. They wouldn't even know it was me. Yeah. So there wouldn't be any previous resentments. Chuck some sandwiches about.

Yeah. But honestly, I think it's great. Apparently, I'm told they are the most polyamorous. I was going to say, clowns are very sexual. Yeah. Yeah. That's all the, that's like, my first question was like, what got licked? Like, they're very weird sexual.

These were less sexual. These played, they were playing the part of two sort of what I think was zombie dinner ladies. That's funny. But then what led you to the polyamory comment? Because Pierre Novelli formerly of this parish. Sure, sure. Told me that they were the most polyamorous on the circuit.

I don't know if he'd investigated them. No, no. He seems like the type who would research it, but I don't think he's investigating it. No, well, you know, he's married now. So even if he had, I wouldn't be fessing up to it. Yeah, but it was great. I'd recommend it. Lady Bolognais, even though I turned up in, in the classic, just to declare that I'm an old man,

that one of the people from the Pleasant's theater place came up to me and said, which show are you here for? I said, baby spaghetti. Oh, my God. Close enough. Yeah, it's called Lady Bollina. And she was like, no, I don't, she started looking through it. I think you're at the wrong venue. Oh, no.

Frank, he's finally lost. Exactly. Where is baby spaghetti? They wanted to make it hard for you. I was at a wedding years ago and I, the guest that I was sat next to, her name was Osnat Shmool. Right. And I misremembered it. Was it anagram theme, the reception?

It was. And Zen were trying to find her at some point and I was calling her Asmat. And I was like, you know, I was sat next to this woman. Her name was Asmat Schmool. And eventually I was like, I'm sorry, it was Asnat. And they went, oh, ah, snat. And I was like, how, come on. Yeah, throw me a bone.

Not me out. Osmat Schmool. Just get me there. Well, I went, I went and found this woman again when I got the proper name and said, come on. Come on, man. Baby spaghetti. You knew. And you didn't put.

You knew when you wanted to mess with me. Yeah, mate. I didn't say that. That was too confident. Some of these people. I'm English. You should remember. Sorry, sorry.

I said, I think you made a mistake. He said, I'm so sorry. I did say, I'm really sorry. But I was very, very close, indeed. Yeah. I know there's other spaghettis before people. I don't want texts with just, just says, Vonga. I can do without that.

Finley, tell me you've had a more positive, warm-hearted, lovely Edinburgh thus far. Oh, you know how it is. It's a roller coaster. I mean, Edinburgh. I've been, you know, the thing that's really, you know, doesn't make the stress any better is just the narrow streets just absolutely packed with families. And I'm observing just children's just capacity to just run around, even in the most narrow. Did you forget about that? I just never you only realize it properly when you come to Edinburgh you know because they've just not bumped into stuff before yeah and they just don't they don't care and the parents are so used to it that they just you know they walk along like it's nothing they don't even attempt to rein them in so you're you're what you are viewing according to you rightly or wrongly is there's an element of misbehavior here as far as you're concerned is I feel like you're about to come at me with the parent parent no no no no I

No, no, no, no, I'm not at all. I'm, I'm like, oh, someone who's not around kids all the time. Yes, I want to drive a van into them. You want to, this is it. I just want to get more directly at the aggression. Yes, that you feel at the parent, like you're, and is your point, is your point, get these kids out of here? Or is your point, no, kids are welcome in Edinburgh, but they need to bleep and behave. Yes, maybe like a, um, a sort of leash system.

Mm-hmm. That used that used to be a thing when I was a kid. You see if people still use the leash. Yeah, yeah. I actually, if I may. Rains, they used to call them. I think the problem are the rains, actually. And the reason that that is, is it's like these kids grow up with the rains.

And then it's like, no, no, no, no. The kids have to feel how to move through the world without the rains so that when then they're off the rains, they understand it. Do you see what I'm saying? The problem is probably those kids were on rains. And then given free rain, they don't know how to control themselves. Yeah, but I see. I think that the best adults, the adults who I like and get on with are the people who still feel the slight tug of the rains.

To their own parents? Long after they're gone. Yeah. It was still rained. They're still rained? Yeah. What long term sort of emotional damage? Well, I don't think it's emotional damage.

I think it's just a sense of, you know, restraint. Is it? Because in my experience, I don't know, growing up, I had all of my friends that were, helicopter parented and this actually this is the point this feeds into

your theory Sarah which is yeah they were the ones that rebelled the most and you know if we introduce

the sort of leash system if Edinburgh council or I don't know who's in charge but if they you know if they enforce a kind of

leash system you can't leave it to the council I think it's gonna have to be done at shot floor level Yeah, yeah, probably, yeah. Then I think, yeah, then I think, yeah, it could backfire because. It's a short-term game or, you know, that saying, I can't find it right now.

Because then we can have a load of, you know, if you keep them on the leash until they're, you know, I don't know, 43. Then they're going to be pretty sprightly. Let's say when they're 21, you could go to one of those extending dog leads. So you could give them like, you know, 25 yards. They get more and more slack. Yeah. on the lead. The keys, the leash has to become internal. I want to hear more about, I mean this, I enjoy it as well because I think I'm like astonished by how children behave now and I say that

as the mother of a 10 year old. Yeah. Tell me more about the behavior that you're seeing that enrages you. And how old are you? Yes, I'm 27. Yeah, yeah. Okay. So tell me what's. I think it's the, I think it's because, especially in Edinburgh, I feel weighed down by all the pressures and stresses of the festival. Sure. And I just see a, you know, a child who is so carefree that they are sprinting, you know, within a 20 centimeter square space. And it just, I'm jealous, really. I think that's what it boils down to. Okay. Great. See? So it's actually not a misbehaving child. It's your own. You're remembering freedom. I'm a sort of behavior you're only normally see with a police horse. or just cut through a crowd regardless.

I was in charge of a bunch of children the other day, and I felt some bit of self-conscious, and one of whom was mine, but most of whom were not mine, and I really wanted, in case I saw anyone go by who I knew, I wanted to look like a really impressive parent, you know. And they were a bit chaotic, but what I wanted people to see was like, this lady refuses to let a child on a screen.

So I'm sorry that there's a bit of noise And I'm sorry that you know Kids are running around in what is arguably an adult space Yeah But these kids are not Yeah Well that's doing this So actually she's a badass bitch

That's what I was hoping was being conveyed But I imagine that people were like Can she get these kids out of here? I just think there's a balance I don't know how the Victorians did it But my picture of a sort of Frank will know Victoria yeah

Yeah Well I've still got the marks on me Lord And I have this picture of a Victorian child dressed exactly like their father, reading a, you know, Dickens. I don't think there were children in the 19th century. Probably right. In that they were just smaller, and less developed adults, yeah. Less developed.

Yeah, but when I'm in a, and I hate to judge, because I know having a kid who's like in a bad mood in public can be a terrible thing. but when I see when I'm in a queue or something and I see a parent hand a child a tablet with pepper pig on or something like that I always think well you know you're they're quiet now for 10 minutes but in in 10 years time they'll be killing eight people in the McDonald's that's that's not I don't know have you seen pepper pig I have no I'm with I'm I fully back you on that it's but I don't think it teaches that paper pig no but what it teaches is it teaches a complete inability to like be in your own brain without heroin. Yeah.

That's what I think it teaches. Yeah. Maybe that's why I do heroin. Well, I didn't want to say. We've all got our reasons. Yeah. Would you like to hear from the outside world? There's nothing I'd love more.

Okay. What about this then? This is from Nirav Harty. Forgive me if I didn't pronounce that correctly. It's on the subject of Frank's curse. And there was an idea that whenever I mentioned brands and stuff on here, they, they nose dived into obscurity. Oh, fabulous.

Like I finished off at British home stores I finished in a fortnight. I think I said I thought they were closed and suddenly their shares dropped like a stone. I know. Seems Frank's curse of iconic shops venue shot in down post his visit publicity seems to have struck Jodrell Bank. You familiar with Jodrell Bank? No. It's interesting because when I mentioned Jodrell Back, this was in the days of Pierre Navelli and Emily D, neither of them had heard of Jodrell Bank and I was appalled. Again, I'm less appalled now.

I'm used to it. It's a massive, it's near Macclesfield. And it's an enormous space dish that gets signals from outer space. What? Yeah. It's like I was driving to do a gig at a, I think pub called the old contemptibles in Macclesfield. And this thing suddenly emerged. I was in country lanes.

This giant fucking structure. It was like it had landed and it was Jodrell Bank and it was like the central sort of space receptor in Britain. And now apparently it's been closed down. What I think is the signal really? really good, neither. It must be right. I wonder if it affects local phone use having that monster in the field. My husband is from Marklesfield.

And I think I've, now that I have to. Was he in the Matlands? I don't know what that means. The Matlads was a sort of a oy band from. I knew the manager of the Matlands and he said to me that he left them when one night someone through the towel machine from the men's toilets. hit the drummer on the head and knocked him unconscious. My God.

Yeah, and that was like a standard Matt Ladd's gig, I think. I don't think my husband's cool enough for that. Okay. Anyway, I think I've seen, now that you're describing this, I think I've seen a picture of this thing. What's it called again, the Wupp Bank? Jodrell Bank. Joddral Bank, but I like the Wupp Bank.

Yeah. Where did that come from? The Wop Bank. The Wupp Bank. The Wudderle Bank. I mean, I can't believe it's closing down. We're losing contact. with space.

It's really sad. But are they going to replace it with... Well, I'm presumably be someone on a laptop. Yeah, they don't need the big dish anymore. They don't need the big dish. No, it's a bit analog, judgment.

But that's this, but analog technology is so cool to my generation. The idea of, I think we really like, but the idea of sort of big, big, unwieldy technology

and also technology that only does one thing. Well, You should go and see Nimrods, the new Green Day film, which is about a band called Analog Dogs. And they've got like video cameras and all that kind of old. My son is obsessed with old tech. He plays a game boy.

He's got a Walkman. He's got all that stuff. He loves it. He's got a Walkman? Yeah. Wow. Where did he get a Walkman? It was my.

Most of it was mine. Okay. Stuff you were still using. Does he listen to like cassette tapes on that or CD? Yeah, he listens to cassettes. He's got a CD one as well, but he likes a cassette. What else is he? I'm fascinated by him now.

What else? He sounds like somebody that I would really. You'd like to hang? Well, I just got him the Ghostbusters 2 game boy game. I managed to find that on eBay. And then it broke and he mended it himself incredibly. He found out out of Mendi. And we had to buy alcohol, which I haven't done for a while, but I still like it.

And yeah, and he sat there. And he's got like a, he's got a fucking souldering iron and all that stuff. And he mended his, he's Warman. He's Game Boy. Wow. And he's got one of those. Is he called a P. What's it called a PS?

P.S. I don't know about these things. It was a game sort of gaming thing. Is it portable? Yeah. PSP? PSP, that's what it will be. So yeah, all, an odd of the old tech, I didn't even use.

It was tech, when I was massive, I don't know if you know I was massive. I thought, I thought this house was your house. Yeah, I love that. You do have a very nice house. We're underneath this giant mansion. And Finley just thought, this was my Edinburgh abode. Yeah. For real, you thought that?

I thought it was his pietere, yeah. Oh, that's so nice. It is. I'm flattered to think, I mean, I could buy it probably. Yeah, you probably could. could buy this. Yeah, boom, honestly. You don't want it.

Yeah, I'm never coming back again. I decided last night. You've got to buy soldering irons and retro tech for your son. Exactly, exactly. Costing your fortune? It's great now, the retro. It looks beautiful. So you keep him on a leash.

No, when he's on a retro analog leash of his own devising. Scott lead. Yeah. That's what he's on. I knew it now. So I was leaving my game. gig the other night. I'll come back to Outside World, but it just reminded me of this.

And a guy said, I'll be interested for your angle on this, actually, Fenley, in particular. A guy said, my teenage son said that this, the show would be shit because you're old. He said, and then he ended up really liking it. And the son appeared at his side and said, well, it wasn't quite like that and I of course left thinking which end of that anecdote wasn't it quite like

had he not said it'll be shit because he's old which would be a good thing already not said I actually quite liked it as his dad soldered on a happy ending

hang on you you asked Finley's opinion but I have a very strong response about this may can I am so sorry The reason I went through, Finley, is because you've got a strong response to everything. I know I can rely on that. That's what I love about you.

But you go first. No, he wants to hear from you, Philly. No, because I don't think I understood the story. I think. But the story, well, basically, forget the complication. Just, um, is that okay? Is that a compliment? My son said you'd be shit because you're old.

Yeah. But he ended up liking it. How old is the son? He looked about 17. Yeah, the son is just, none of it has anything to do with you. and it's completely about a child feeling humiliated by his parent. That's what I think. So it's just like, Dad, that's not like, don't go up, don't go up to Frank Skinner and like talk to him, dad.

Shut up. That's all that I think that was really. I don't know if you just said Frank Skinner. I think you just said that man. No, come on, man. I want, I want increased conference from you, Frank. My confidence is shot to pieces. You need your...

Four people. One couple from San Francisco. Oh, the Americans again, huh? And who I said, have you ever been to hate Ashbury? They were so big on hate. Yeah. And he said, we live in Hate Ashbury. And I said, Ain't Ashbury was the center of.

I said, it's all about free spirits. And how do you cope in that environment? But now is it not now hate? Is it not now all tech bros? Is it? Yeah. Well, I mean, I'd imagine that it's, there aren't still hippies there. I went to Haye Ashbury with a woman many years ago and we walked into the park there.

And as we walked into the park from the trees came these people who looked like they were fucking mad max. The really sort of scary people, people with people with medical supports that I hadn't even seen before. People would like things going through their heads. And like on a go cart with a blade instead of an arm. That kind of thing, yeah. Like half dogs. And they came out of the trees. I remember we just turned around and walked straight.

Do you make this shit up, Frank? No, I swear this is true. We turned and walked straight back out of the park and they just went back in. It was, yeah. That's disgusting. Like when, I don't know if you had this as kids, probably not. But if you got up and put in the night and put the light on,

there'd be silver fish all over the floor, these little insects that look like. like anchovies that crawled about at night. You've heard of silverfish, have you? But they were what, just like on the ground in your house? They would come out at night when we'd gone. That's disgusting. It's been like toy story.

Where did you live? Where did they live? Yeah. Silverfish. You've never heard of silver. I think, I, no. Because they're largely gone. I wasn't living in, you know, sort of, I don't know, a runoff, drain runoff or something.

No. I wasn't living in permanent. I don't know what a drain runoffice, but I like the sound of it. Yeah. What, I mean, I don't know. Silverfish, maybe that's another kind of. Anyway, Hayt Ashbury was, that part was a scary place. I would not have walked the whole way.

But you said, you said your intro into that story, if I may point out, was I was there with a woman. So what we know now is it's not your wife. And you've been with your wife for like 25 years. So we're talking about Hayd Ashbury from like potentially 40 years ago. I'm talking about around about 95, I'd say 96. Were you born? Probably he wasn't born. No, I shouldn't think you were.

No, 99. Yeah. So I think Haydash, I'm going to, I think now, Haydashbury, Techbras. I'm not saying it hasn't changed, but I still associate it with some peace and love. Liberation, whereas these people seem to be spiteful. Frank. You just, I don't even know if you're reading your audience right. I think you just miss your family and you're feeling easily attacked.

It's just that one bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. They really can. Yeah. Don't you guys? I mean, Finley, I know I acknowledge and I celebrate the fact that you're hot at the moment. Do you get those people? Do you get those people? Well, people that don't like it.

Yeah. Oh, absolutely. I'm trying to think of who I've had recently. Because I wonder if it's an old person's thing. Because I get a lot of, you know, people who have retired. so letting spend more time on malice. No, you get the people who come to my shows, you've got to imagine, you know, a lot of young people,

this is the first thing they've ever been to. But they know you from, they know your online presence. But they're used to watching, you know, watching a sketch online. It can't prepare you for the, you know, the big, bad world of live. The rigors. Live. Absolutely.

Where you're, where something is asked of you. Gen Z, they can't even do basic customer service interactions. Is that real? Is that a funny thing to say or is that real? It's completely real. You know about the Gen Z stare. No. So because we're used to ordering off a huge screen rather than having to talk to, you know,

and also lockdown had whatever effects on our social capacity, a lot of the time when a, you know, a person under, you know, 26, has to order something in person, they'll just stare at the person, the customer service person, and they'll be getting asked questions. You know, what do you want, do you want cheese on that?

And they'll just go, what, are they attempting telepathy? Yeah, yeah. I think they should, they're just assuming that an algorithm is going to interpret what they want and bring it to them. That can't be right.

They just stare at the person. This is real? Yeah, yeah. Well, there's Gen Z's nodding behind the cameras, yeah. Wow. You sex, a shit. And this is a proper Gen Z whose lung collapsed from vaping. I mean, it doesn't get more Gen Z than that.

I know. That is fabulously. See, even as an old guy, when I hear the word vaping, I miss the fact that when vaping first began, they used to say, they didn't use the word vape. They'd say, have you tried an e-cigarette? I remember that, yeah. Yeah.

And I remember trying the joke, which failed every time. but I'm going to end with it now because that's how I feel today, a bittersweet. I used to say, yeah, I smoke an e-cigarette, except when I'm feeling, I don't know, a bit wistful and melancholic, and then I smoke an e-minor cigarette. And it never fucking worked. And that was the beginning. That was the beginning of the feeling I've got now in my gut.

Well, look, thank you so much for coming on today. What a pleasure, you're a great combo. Will you come back next time? Absolutely. Absolutely. It's the Frank Skinner podcast. A new winter change is blowing. It's the Frank Skinner podcast.

I'm not totally sure how it's going. Thanks for listening to the podcast. Make sure to like and follow so you never miss an episode. And if you want to get in touch, you can email the podcast via Frank off the radio at avalonuK.com.