MY SPLENDID ISOLATION
The awardwinning comic and writer has been reading about the apocalypse, enjoying a strange US drama and avoiding jigsaws
What I’m watching
My girlfriend and I seem to be drawn to shows that take place in some sort of weird alternative reality. The most recent thing we watched was [HBO series] The Leftovers. The premise is there’s been a Rapture-like event, where two per cent of the world’s population have vanished overnight. It’s very odd, confusing and frustrating, but it’s the sort of thing you get sucked into. What I’m listening to
BBC 6 Music. Radio has been comforting. Everything on TV is people on webcams in their homes, which reinforces my sense we’re living in some sort of mad apocalypse – whereas radio can still work the same way as usual. What I’m reading
A very strangely
appropriate book – Notes
From an Apocalypse by Mark O’connell. It’s a journalistic inquiry into the sort of people who think the world is going to end – millionaires who buy bunkers, or people who go into survival camps. When I ordered this book, it arrived the day all this chaos started to kick in. The hobby I’ve taken up
I’ve been trying to be as creatively active as possible. I’m doing a lot of stand-up shows online – this Friday I’m hosting a 24-hour charity one with guests, and that’s been a big project.
I’ve also been working on a young adult novel, which is not something I’ve attempted before. It’s about artificial intelligence. The rise of things like Siri and Alexa.
I’m very interested in the idea that children my kids’ age have grown up in an environment of infinite knowledge, infinite information, in a way we never did. They’re 10 and six, and half the week I’m homeschooling them, so I don’t have loads of time, but
What made me laugh this week
Someone tweeted a picture of a jigsaw saying “after nearly three weeks of doing this, my dad has just informed me he is stumped” – and there was only one piece missing.
I’m amazed people can do jigsaws. They are the sort of thing that make me even more frustrated at being locked in. If my kids ask me to do one, even if
What I can’t wait to do when all this is over
I’m a big football fan. That feeling of a crowd converging on a stadium is something I love – so not having been in a ground for weeks now is starting to grate.
Mark Watson’s 24-hour charity comedy marathon begins 9pm Friday: twitch. tv/watsoncomedy
‘When a jigsaw comes out,
I get a bit of a sinking feeling’