Josh Widdicombe: ‘I’ve ruined my life if Channel 4 does get privatised’
Comedy series Hypothetical returns to Dave. Danielle de Wolfe talks to the presenters
Dressed in a tawny brown corduroy jacket, an inflatable doughnut slung loosely around his waist, the sight of comedian James Acaster grappling with oversized props is one Hypothetical viewers will be all too familiar with.
Striding purposefully across the set, Acaster joins fellow comedian Josh Widdicombe behind the show’s elongated presenting desk. Ridiculous in the extreme, it sees the pair of comedians sat metres apart, a subtle reminder of the stringent Covid protocols and social distancing measures much of the television industry had to adhere to only a handful of months ago.
“We kept it because we don’t like each other, it’s just easier,” jokes Widdicombe, 39, nodding to the expanse of space separating the pair on-screen. “Bigger budget, bigger set,” smiles The Last Leg comedian as we chat over Zoom.
Acaster and Widdicombe are a presenting double-act linked by more than simply comedic prowess. It’s a friendship that dates back some 14 years.
Two names now synonymous with both the television and live comedy circuits, the pair’s relationship was forged at a time when both comedians regularly endured awkward silences at open-mic nights, broken only by the shouts of rowdy hecklers.
“I feel very lucky to have made a friend in comedy so early on, who was on the same page as me – and still is,” says Acaster, 37, with a smile. “It’s such a crazy time being on the open-mic circuit. We had this fun, scary, bizarre experience together for two years.”
The comedian, best known for his appearances on Mock The Week and sell-out live tour Cold Lasagne Hate Myself 1999, reminisces about his early days in stand-up.
“In order to get through it, we had to ignore the downsides of it a little bit,” says Acaster. “In order to carry on trying to be a comedian, you have to not get negative about travelling for hours on the train on your own or not having much money or sleeping on people’s floors.”
Despite Acaster’s early open-mic endeavours now being something of a distant memory, he and Widdicombe’s returning Dave comedy series, Hypothetical, embraces many of the improvisational elements the live circuit is intrinsically built upon.
Series four of the show has attracted some of the nation’s best-loved comedians. Reeling off a host of renowned names including Richard Ayoade, Bill Bailey, Frank Skinner, Jo Brand, and Ross Noble to name but a few, Widdicombe says series four is set to contain more laughs than ever before.
Do the comedians believe the government’s continued push to privatise Channel 4 to be a positive move?
“It’s a terrible idea put forward by a terrible person,” says Widdicombe. “There aren’t many TV channels. And so having channels like the BBC or Channel 4 that are under threat – what they would lose is that unique ability to do stuff that isn’t purely led by profit.
“I’ve ruined my life if Channel 4 does get privatised,” laughs the comedian awkwardly.
● Series four of Hypothetical returns to Dave tomorow, with all episodes available to stream on UKTV Play.