Off Menu (comedy podcast featuring James Acaster and Ed Gamble)

[Hat FM]

have to agree with an earlier poster. when they have their comedian mates on this is great but when it is some kind of foodie celeb that they don't really know it is a real snorefest. the romesh one was great. looking forward to Louie.

[Jerzy Bondov]

Has anyone listened to the Lolly Adefope one (apols for spelling. Am tired and bad at spelling names in general)?

Yes I have. I thought it was funny.

[Utter Shit]

have to agree with an earlier poster. when they have their comedian mates on this is great but when it is some kind of foodie celeb that they don't really know it is a real snorefest. the romesh one was great. looking forward to Louie.

Broadly agree, but I thought the Jay Rayner one was good as he was really happy to send himself up. Up there with Serge from Kasabian and Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen in the "don't judge a book by it's cover" stakes, Rayner looks like he would be an enormous twat but always seems alright.

[paruses]

Have downloaded the Rayner one. I have heard the opinion that he is always a massive twat or really nice. I first heard he was a massive twat so that's been my default opinion but hearing him on The The One Show Show he was pretty funny and likeable. Self-effacing even.

Kitchen Cabinet is a smug-fest all round though.

[Pearly-Dewdrops Drops]

Thanks for the recommendation, I've been enjoying a bunch of these. And I know this will sound old hat to those who are more tapped into the podcastsphere than me (and thus probably grew sick of him years ago), but fuck Paul F. Tompkins really is in his element in a radio/podcast format. Genetically engineered to be the perfect podcast guest.

[Hat FM]

just remembered the Tom Kerridge one was good too. i enjoyed his drink choice especially.

[touchingcloth]

Broadly agree, but I thought the Jay Rayner one was good as he was really happy to send himself up. Up there with Serge from Kasabian and Lawrence Llewellyn-Bowen in the "don't judge a book by it's cover" stakes, Rayner looks like he would be an enormous twat but always seems alright.

Jay Rayner's episode was excellent, as was Grace Dent's. There's a really good hit rate with their guests and I haven't found many episodes boring, and I've been surprised with how much I enjoyed some guests I was sure I wouldn't, like Joe Thomas whose RHLSTP interview was shockingly bad but his Off Menu was one of my favourites.

The latest episode with Louis Theroux is amazingly good. I've never heard that side of Louis before, he spoke a lot about his family life but it also turns out he's got this great surreal sense of humour.

[touchingcloth]

That's what specifically annoyed me, it was like The Ironic Review, she was so fucking proud of her plain tastes.

I enjoyed her episode when I first heard it, and I definitely remember her having deliberately bad taste, but on a second listen it was less bad than I remembered it. I think like Ed and James I was so horrified at the choice of a ploughman's that I didn't take much else in, but she actually wanted a genified version of it, so the best possible version of a ploughman's. Still an awful choice, but less so than my initial reaction.

[rude soil]

There's a live streamed episode of Off Menu on Sunday for £8. It will not be released as a podcast.

https://dice.fm/event/5do3y

[Hat FM]

stopped listening to this a series and a half ago. thought it was great at first and still is when there is a good comedian, but listening to chefs speak about restaurants they once went to in Morrocco or something. snore.

[Utter Shit]

It's always been a "listen if the guest is someone you like" podcast for me, rather than an essential listen. But the hit rate of good guests has been so high that I probably listen more often than not.

[Ludicrous Display]

I listened to about 15 minutes of the Teri Hatcher episode just out of curiosity, fuck me it was hard going. She's banging on about eating octopus in Paris or some shit while Acaster's trying to do a bit and failing.

[worldsgreatestsinner]

I struggled with the idea of this podcast for ages, I like Acaster and Gamble but the idea of listening to 3 people talk about food for an hour seemed like a special kind of Hell. But I tried the Greg Davies one and it was great, are any of the other eps on that level? Because I tried to have a look at the guest list and got irrationally angry that they have some amazing guests and they're just talking to them about if they want bread or not. Seems a waste if they're not building on ideas with another comedian.

[non capisco]

I struggled with the idea of this podcast for ages, I like Acaster and Gamble but the idea of listening to 3 people talk about food for an hour seemed like a special kind of Hell. But I tried the Greg Davies one and it was great, are any of the other eps on that level?

Louis Theroux, Romesh Ranganathan, Jayde Adams, Daisy May Cooper, Tom Allen and (unexpectedly) Jordan Banjo out of Diversity are a few of my favourite episodes. One of the strangest ones was Anthony Jeselnik who clearly took heavily against James Acaster's schtick, makes for a...erm...different vibe. Louis' is a must listen, a joyful hour of his goofy side like you get on his Buxton episodes.

[worldsgreatestsinner]

Thanks, I'll probably try the Louis and Romesh ones.

[beanheadmcginty]

The fact that Gamble doesn't like Monster Munch is the most wrongheaded food opinion it is possible for a human being to have and means that he is in no position to judge anyone else's food tastes ever. Still enjoy the podcast though. Always surprised by the level of fame some of the American guests are - is James Acaster more famous than I think he is?

[Hat FM]

I struggled with the idea of this podcast for ages, I like Acaster and Gamble but the idea of listening to 3 people talk about food for an hour seemed like a special kind of Hell. But I tried the Greg Davies one and it was great, are any of the other eps on that level? Because I tried to have a look at the guest list and got irrationally angry that they have some amazing guests and they're just talking to them about if they want bread or not. Seems a waste if they're not building on ideas with another comedian.

Greg davies is always great on a podcast. he might be my favourite rhlstp guest. not sure if he's been on buxton. might be better in front of an audience.

[Rizla]

Always surprised by the level of fame some of the American guests are

my guess is all these podcasts that are done under the great big owl banner or whatever the fuck are owned by the large talent agencies that are themselves owned by clearchannel or whatever megacorp they have these days so they can pretty much get whoever they want in, just sit them down in a recording booth anywhere in the world for a bit and fuck it all together.

(unrelated - i had been mildly enjoying the welsh sport comedy podcast with the welsh elvis guy and the radio 5 bloke who's married to dobby off peep show but then they started going on about their mate matt forde and calling him fordey so i fuckin binned that shit.)

[spaghetamine]

This is a nice cosy listen, got the Reggie Watts one on and he's as likeable as ever

[worldsgreatestsinner]

Greg davies is always great on a podcast. he might be my favourite rhlstp guest. not sure if he's been on buxton. might be better in front of an audience.

Yeah, he did a really funny interview with Peacock & Gamble as well.

[spaghetamine]

I share Acaster's frustration when people skip dessert, too often it's done with a rather sniffy attitude, the implication being that they are far too mature and sensible for that sort of thing

[Icehaven]

Mike Skinner had the most misdirected sense of his own funniness I've ever seen. He clearly went on it thinking "I'm funnier than these comedians", and then wasn't, but still kept banging on that tennis analogy that didn't even work because he wasn't remotely funnier at all. A boring, boring man

[Oosp]

I'm way behind on these - like, way behind - but: Bridget Christie one is great. Aisling Bea, Paul F. Tompkins, Greg Davies, Miriam Margolyes, Louis Theroux also great episodes. Of the US guests, I thought Michael McKean, Josh Groban and Anthony Jeselnik were v interesting for totally different reasons. Aykroyd one is bizarre. Martin Freeman: bejaysus he can be forthright

[SteveDave]

Graham Coxon on the latest one is surprisingly funny. The total opposite of every other interview I've seen him do.

[Icehaven]

The only episode I didn't especially enjoy was Mike 'The Streets' Skinner who came across as a weird aggressive bell end with a fraction of the intellect he thinks he has.

Three years on and that's what prompted me to resurrect this thread! That sodding tennis bullshit literally had me yelling "Oh Shut UP!" at my phone. Even more frustrating was at the end when Ed tried to imply James had "met his match", I wanted to reach years back in time and ask if Benito had edited those bits out because nothing of the kind had happened except in Skinner's head. All I heard was a dullard who wrote one or two faintly amusing lyrics twenty years ago thinking constantly disagreeing with someone makes them a comedy genius beating the pros at their own game.

I only got into it a few months ago but I've listened to dozens of them now and that's the only one I've actively disliked. The Ayckroyd one was insane but once they just give in and run with it it's hilarious, I'd have loved to have seen their faces as it went along. Agree with everyone saying it's at it's best when it's their mates/other comedians, and it's not exactly meant to be an in-depth interview with the guests anyway, it's supposed to be a silly enjoyable thing and it is.

Graham Coxon on the latest one is surprisingly funny. The total opposite of every other interview I've seen him do.

I've not listened to that one yet but I think that's how a format like this can work well in showing another side of the guests that you wouldn't see in yet another interview that's focussed on their work (although it can backfire like with Mike Skinner.)

[spaghetamine]

Graham's one has got me absolutely fiending for some nasi goreng and a chip butty

[Matthew Dawkins Jub Jub]

Bridget Christie rubbing off a squirrel still makes me smile.

[edwardfog]

I really liked the recent Paul Foot episode

[Thosworth]

I really liked the recent Paul Foot episode

He seems to be doing the rounds recently. Was great on Herring, and Desert Island Dicks.

[edwardfog]

He's got a new live show to promote and it's extremely good, one of the top 5 of the year imo. Glad to see his PR are giving him the appropriate push because he's an act that could easily fall by the wayside of popular attention