‘My dream guest? It’s gotta be adele!’

Mo Gilligan on his new chat show, his celebrity icons and why he’s loving every moment of his success!

As of this week, stand-up comedian Mo Gilligan is the man bringing funny back to Friday nights with his new chat show. Each week Mo, who found fame on

The Big Narstie Show, will be joined in the studio by an array of famous faces and the great British public for chat, games and competitions.

To find out more, we catch up with Mo, who reveals he’d love to get Adele on the couch and why Jonathan Ross is his hero…

So Mo, you’ve got your own series! How does that feel?

I guess it’s been two years in the works and now it’s really happening. It feels amazing.

I’m really looking forward to it.

Any nerves?

I’d be lying if I said there weren’t. It’s going out at 10pm on Channel 4 – that’s a big deal. But I think, as a comic, you always have nerves, whether you’re performing to big or small crowds. But that’s good. If I wasn’t nervous I’d be worried!

Tell us a bit about the show – what have we got in store?

We’ve got some great guests. We’ve already got Steve Coogan and Jessie J confirmed and Asim Chaudhry for the first episode. We’ve also got games and prizes to give away to the audience.

The audience is a big deal on my show – they’ll get treated like they’re celebrity guests!

If you could handpick any guest in the world, who would it be?

I reckon I’d have Adele, because she seems so down to earth. I’ve never met her, but she seems great. Maybe Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. The child in me who used to jump on my mum’s sofa pretending I was a wrestler would love that.

You were part of The Big Narstie Show before this. How does your presenting style compare?

I was never really a presenter before I did The Big Narstie

Show, so I’ve had to learn it. I’m a stand-up comic, so if it gets a bit deep at times you have to lighten the moment, make it a bit funnier, find ways to move on, which are all skills that I guess I’ve learnt from that.

Who have you watched for presenting tips?

I’ve always liked Jonathan Ross’s interviews, the way he talks to people. He’s fun and happy to take the mick out of himself. And he’s really charming as well. I remember meeting him and he lived up to the dream, he was such a nice guy.

Have fame and success been everything you expected?

Yeah! Success comes with hard work as well. You’re recording, you’re working hard, it takes a long time, you put in the groundwork. But then you get to go to things like the Baftas and all of those really cool things. If you work hard, success will follow. I’m still striving to become better in what I do. It’s a new chapter of my journey and it’s really exciting.

The Lateish

Show With Mo Gilligan is on Fridays from 19 July at 10pm on Channel 4