New dads head back to work

Josh Widdicombe and Rob Beckett on surviving Parenting Hell

As we ease back (we hope) to normal life post-pandemic, it may be that some of the many podcasts that sprung up in 2020 may tail off as their creators go back to their regular work. However, comics Josh Widdicombe and Rob Beckett could keep their regular chats going for a while yet.

Originally named ‘Parenting Hell In Lockdown’, the pair have clocked up more than 175 episodes since April 2020.

The podcast’s success has doubtless been aided by the presenters’ high-profile work – Widdicombe’s ranging from his regular stints on C4’s Last Leg, to reading a CBeebies bedtime story for Comic Relief. And as well as completing a memoir ‘Watching Neighbours Twice A Day’ during lock down, he used BBC show Who Do You Think You Are? to trace his family roots back to the Elizabethan and Tudor courts.

Beckett’ s backgroundis perhaps better known, the working class Cockney having also having completed memoir, ‘A Class Act’, in which he describes his body as being ‘like a bag of mashed potatoes. Now, however his selfimage is more positive – asked ‘What do you see when you look in the mirror? he replied: “A very tired dad, who looks half decent considerg in how busy he is’.”

And a well as working with a certain Mr. Ranganathan in Rob& RomeshVs ., Beckett has recently started a new 5-7pm Sunday Show on BBC Radio 2 – bath night surely for his fiveyear-old and younger sister? “Because she’s been to school for a year now, she genuinely thinks she knows everything that’s ever been taught. So, no one really listens to me at home. I save my talking for going to work,” he laughs.

Though like his co-host, Beckett’ s‘ going to work’ merely involves crossing the landing – during lockdown Widdicombe’s wife, TV producer Rose Hanson, had their second baby, and handles childcare“because I’m upstairs doing interviews ,” he says. “I’m chatting on Zoom and calling it a job.”

“In a weird way, we’re like the much lower-key Kardashians,” Widdicombe muses. “As we talk about our lives and interview comedians and celebrities about theirs, they show their reality, complaining about their lives and talking about the things that we all go through, whether it’s trying to get a (child) seat in a car or struggling with a night feed .”

The pair’s guests have included Michael McIntyre (far left), Lorraine Kelly, and Nadiya Hussain (left).

But so far a no-show is Kate Middleton, despite Widdicombe’s invitation at a Royal Variety Performance

“I’ve never seen someone more underwhelmed at a questionin my life ,” he groans .“She moved very quickly on to the cast of Matilda,”

Despite that blank drawn, Parenting Hell has plenty of legs in it yet–atleastuntilthe kids grow up.

Hear Parenting Hell at Amazon and Spotify.