"I'm gonna podcast till I die baby": Ed Gamble talks pet peeves, pizza paddles, and his new show Unacceptable in the Pub Corner
Unacceptable scenes
Ed Gamble is the face that’s launched a thousand podcasts. Sort of like how an M&S is the universal symbol for an elite service station, his face popping up on your screen is a quiet symbol that you’re in for a good watch / listen. Quietly helping keep the UK comedy scene – and spin-off scene – chugging on, Gamble is back for a brand new panel show, and this time he’s the host.
Swapping his podcast mic for a panel and studio lights, Gamble is the host of the brand new comedy panel show Unacceptable. Along with team captains Richard Ayoade and Joanne McNally, Gamble welcomes in a roster of stellar comedians each week who share their unacceptable opinions. From 'All men should get vasectomies at birth' to 'The PM should always be a Southerner ', it's one of those easy chuckle watches which leave you despairing a little less at the state of the world.
Whilst Gamble is no stranger to comedy shows, being at the helm of one is a fairly new seat for the comedian, although as he points out, the hosting seat is a pretty comfortable one – with none of his own opinions flouted in public and a lower risk of being cancelled, he's basically a protected class. Sort of.
With his new show hitting TVs every Sunday, we sat down with Ed for a good old gossip in The Pub Corner.
EG: You’re going to ask me if I’ve got any unacceptable opinions now, aren’t you?
SL: I am
EG: One I’ve harped on a lot about before because it upsets people is that I hate Yorkshire Puddings; I think they’re pathetic, I think they should be banned, I think they’re responsible for the lack of ambition in Britain. I also think men who wear Apple Watches are weak.
SL: On board with that
EG: Get a proper watch – no one needs their messages on their wrist – how important are you?
SL: Any London behaviour you find unacceptable?
EG: Loads of it on public transport. I don’t like having to give up my seat.
SL: So you’re anti-pregnant woman?
EG: Hey, pregnant women, as we know, are strong – they’re carrying a baby inside them; they’re the strongest people in society. They don’t need a seat. Come on.
SL: So people who wear Apple watches and give up their seats are weaklings?
EG: For sure. You’ll have noticed I’ve been doing a lot of press for this show, and it started giving out genuine Unacceptable opinions, and now I’ve reached the point where I’m just saying stuff
SL: You did a lot of odd jobs and other careers before you went properly into comedy. Is there anything you could see yourself doing job-wise?
EG: A chef maybe?
SL: Did you just watch The Bear by any chance?
EG: I did. I watched the first couple of seasons. I’d like to be a line cook with no investment in the restaurant, unlike in the Bear—anything in the hospitality industry. I’m not sure I have the right temperament for a chef – I’d imagine you have to bite your tongue a lot until you’re a Head Chef, and then let your anger out when you’re at the top, let all the bullying onto other people.
SL: I can imagine you as one of those line chefs at Pizza Express working the paddle
EG: Love a paddle – I’ve actually got a paddle
SL: Knew it
EG: No pizza oven. I just use it to pick my cat up. *proceeds to do cat impression*
SL: We’ve got “dream guest” next because Unacceptable has a seriously great lineup of comedians – you’ve got Katherine Ryan, Fatiha El-Ghouri, Romesh...
EG: It's insane. We had one episode which was Katherine, Roisin, and Romesh, and it was like you’d see these guys on a panel maybe 10 years ago, and we’ve got them all in one episode. We’ve got amazing newer comedians too: Fatiha, Vittorio. I've got a few mates I’d love to come on, get Acaster on, get Nish on. But Nish is so devastating in a public debate way that I think any Unacceptable opinion he gives everyone will just agree with.
SL: You’re all over our screens between Traitors, Taskmaster, podcasts you were a judge on Great British Menu, now Unacceptable. Is there anything you want to do next? Would you ever go on Traitors having hosted the pod?
EG: I love doing Uncloaked so much I don’t think I’d go on the show because I’d lose that power in my mind of watching the show and how I feel about it afterwards. There aren’t many things left I want to do, none of the big ones.
SL: So no Strictly?
EG: No Strictly. For the same reason, I couldn’t be a chef, too angry. I went to a salsa dancing class with my wife once, it went very badly, I had a tantrum and said the teacher was teaching it wrong.
SL: Speaking of shows, I loved watching Unacceptable because it reminded me of Room 101 a little, getting comedians in a room ranting about stuff. TLC also brought back Mock the Week, we’ve had SNL UK, which was amazing, so it feels like we’re in a sort of comedy revival era at the moment, so I want to know what comedy show you’d bring back?
EG: Well, my favourite sitcom of all time is 30 Rock and I’ve been rewatching it for about the 50th time. If it were a British show, maybe Only Fools and Horses. Mash up - Only Fools and Rocks?
SL: You're like the King of Podcasts. It's basically you and Greg James battling it out for 'man who talks most' (but in a good way).
EG: I love podcasts, it’s the outlet people seem to enjoy, it’s relaxed and improved. I’m gonna Podcast till I die baby.
SL: Do you listen to podcasts too? Which ones?
EG: My weeklies, I listen to Ellis James and John Robbins, listen to my own podcasts a lot, obviously. There’s a load of good ones – Single Ladies in Your Area, is so good.
SL: It sounds like you got a spam message...
EG: It's Harriet Kemsley and Amy Gledhill, and they're brilliant.
SL: You’re a London boy, do you have any favourite spots?
EG: I’ll do some shout-outs because the hospitality industry is really struggling. Walking here, we passed Noble Rot, love that place, need to go back. 10 Greek Street, which is fantastic, very good flatbreads. Very big fan of Homies on Donkeys in Leytonstone, incredible Mexican Food. There’s a place called Fonda – there are amazing fancy places in London, but I love places that are big plates of food – Quality Chophouse is probably my favourite restaurant in London for that reason.
SL: Speaking of food, your podcast Off Menu is huge, but in an alternate world if there was a film version made of it, who would you pick to play you and Acaster? Would there be any guests you’d get to make a cameo?
EG: Probably someone quite physically similar to me, so Henry Cavill, the Rock, probably one of them, maybe both? Acaster, maybe Nish could play him. And Nish does a pretty good impression of him, too. John Cena and The Rock, I’d love to have them on. Corey Taylor from Slipknot and Judi Love, get them back
SL: We'll be watching
You can watch Unacceptable every Sunday at 9pm on TLC.
Skip the search — follow Shortlist on Google News to get our best lists, news, features and reviews at the top of your feeds!
