DO WE ALL HAVE TO BE VIPs NOW?
* THAT’S ‘VACCINE IMMUNISED PERSON’
John T Pharro from Canvey Island is right that many vaccine refuseniks (of all ages and religious beliefs) will likely clamour to get the Covid vaccine when it comes to them wanting to holiday abroad (MetroTalk, Wed). Going forward, to travel overseas by any means, whether by air, sea, road or rail, it may become mandatory for people to be vaccinated first. They might need to be a VIP: a vaccinated, immunised person.
■ Prime Minister Boris Johnson has expressed concern that vaccination passports may lead to ‘discrimination’ against those who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons (Metro, Wed).
This could be addressed by making the passport signify that the holder ‘has been vaccinated or is medically exempt’, without specifying which.
As for those who choose not to be vaccinated, that is their right. But it’s also the right of others to go to the pub, cinema, theatre or wherever, knowing it is as safe as possible.
Brian, Hampshire
Why the fuss about a piece of paper saying you’ve had the Covid jab? If it will allow us to get out and about, why not? It’s common sense, not an abuse of our human rights, for God’s sake.
It’s been a long, hard year and we could now finally be moving on. If there are those who don’t want to wear a mask or get the jab, that’s up to them, but stop making it hard for the rest of us who want to get back to a better life.
If a piece of paper will allow me to meet a friend for a coffee or go on holiday, well… Boris, bring it on!
Janet Batley, West Yorkshire
Once we have all been offered vaccinations, those who support such things as ‘pub passports’ need to explain why those who can’t or won’t get vaccinated are harming those who can and do.
Pub passports are the thin end of a very Big Brothery wedge!
Barry Tighe, Woodford Green
Why are we being sneakily forced to vaccinate – under threat of losing our jobs, ability to travel and access to venues – without individual testing of immunity levels?
Denise, London
If people had just used a bit of common sense and followed the basic rules instead of acting dumb or trying to be a smart a***, we would have been out of this quicker.
AG, Cleveland
Yet again we read of a celebrity who thinks their ‘status’ means the lockdown rules do not apply to them. This time it’s Anthea Turner, who held a secret spa party for five friends at her home on February 12 (Metro, Tue). It really makes me angry. I work as a carer and I have
not seen my baby granddaughter and daughter for months as they live in Scotland. Maybe these ‘celebrities’ should pay double the fines others are being subjected to when they break the rules. Shame on all those who think the rules do not apply to them.
How would you describe your new Futurenauts podcast?
It’s an optimistic confrontation of all the problems we face as a planet and practical solutions for how to make it better. I’m a pessimist – left to my own devices I don’t believe that people are very good and that the world can be saved. The Futurenauts experts convince me every week that I’m wrong.
It covers loads of topics. What’s the weirdest fact you’ve learned?
We generate 3,000 tonnes of dog mess every day in the UK. I learned that in our Future Of Poo episode and it’s the fact I’ve dropped into the most conversations. There was also a lot in the Future Of
Sex episode that I didn’t know. Apparently cave paintings reveal that the human species invented the sex toy before the wheel. I guess that make sense – if you can’t go anywhere, you need to have fun at home.
You also tackle Big Things like climate change, democracy and death. How do you jolly stuff like that up?
The Future Of Death is about as big as it gets. You start by booking another comic, in this case Cariad
Lloyd, who hosts a podcast called Griefcast. She’s well versed in talking about death and so kept it funny. You can’t cheat your own mind – once you start engaging with these things, you feel so much better.
Did it make you start thinking about your own funeral?
‘Start’ thinking is generous – I’m the sort of morbid bastard that has been thinking about these things day in, day out. I’m not religious. After I’ve gone I don’t believe there’ll be much more of me than people remember. I always say pick awful music for your funeral, otherwise you’ll just ruin your cherished songs for people you love.
Would you want to be cryogenically frozen and woken up in 2089 or something?
Absolutely not. I don’t think I’d get out of bed if it didn’t know I had a finite amount of time.
How do we ‘unf*** ourselves’ regarding climate change, as you put it?
There’s a lot of small things you can do that will make you feel better straight away. For example, tracking how your bank invests your money. A lot of big banks will go where the profit is and that can mean arms development or coal-fired power stations without you knowing about it. There are a number of banks now that only offer ethical investments. I’m now driving a hybrid car but my next one will be electric and we’ve switched to a renewable energy provider.
You’ve got a stand-up tour coming up, called The Knitwit. You haven’t taken up knitting in lockdown, have you?
No, no! It’s just called that because I’m a moron that wears cardigans. I’m keen to get it done as soon as possible because theatres are desperate for income. Theatre staff are one of the great unsung groups we haven’t really addressed in the performing arts industry. I can’t wait to get going and be out on the road. And nor can my family…
Your wife and Meet The Richardsons co-star Lucy is bringing out her ‘mumoirs’ later this year. Are you going to bring out the dad version?
I don’t think anyone will care what I have to say. Once her book comes out, I don’t think I’ll have a leg to stand on. I’ll probably have to cancel the tour once the truth gets out about what I’m like to live with. I shall be spending the summer heavily editing Lucy’s work…
I can’t wait to get going on the tour and be out on the road. And nor can my family…
Does your four-year-old daughter find you funny?
I don’t think so. Her favourite joke is, ‘What did the kitchen say to the other kitchen? Meet the other kitchen’, so she’s operating on a level that I’m not privy to at the moment.
You have OCD. What’s the biggest misconception of it?
There are loads. My compulsions are how my unhappiness manifests – when I’m not happy in my head, I focus on things I can control, like whether I stand on cracks or tidy things up. There is a satisfaction in seeing a nice neatly organised rack of pencils, of course there is, but let’s not confuse that with the condition itself because it’s devastating.
You’re a panel show fixture. Who’s your favourite team-mate?
Sean Lock [his 8 Out Of Ten Cats Does Countdown co-star] is someone I idolised before I became a comic. I don’t feel I’m at his level. When it’s just me and my mates on a show sometimes, I keep expecting a teacher to come in and say, ‘You need one of the proper comics to come in.’ Then I realise, oh, we are the proper comics! It’s a lovely feeling.