Sara Pascoe on her new series Comedians Giving Lectures

What interested you in Comedians Giving Lectures? 

I really wanted to be in charge. I loved the idea of being the host and the King, as many of them called me backstage. I also, personally, really love lectures, clever podcasts and Ted Talks, so the idea of comedians having to do them was great. Also, the idea of getting to watch them all was quite exciting for me. 

How did you find being host? 

I really liked that I got to tease the guests a little bit. Every single comedian who was on is either a friend of mine, or someone I had worked with before, so I quite enjoyed being cheeky. 

I also really liked interviewing the academics because obviously these people don’t normally work in our environment, they’re just incredibly clever, but they were all really interesting characters and that was quite fun for me. 

What can viewers expect?

 I think they can expect to be surprised. There will be comedians that they know and recognise doing completely brand-new jokes about things they’ve never heard them talk about before. Then they’re going to discover some new comedians that they’re going to go ‘right, I’m going to watch that person’s next show’ or ‘I’m going to find out where I can see them next’. So, I think it’s going to be really good at both ends. 

What were some of your favourite lectures? 

I really loved Sindhu Vee, she did an inspiring lecture about why people should quit their job and I think some people really need to hear that sometimes, as you can be happier doing something that you love and her personal story is about going from being a rich banker to now being a comedian. So, I thought that was very inspiring. 

I think one of the funniest lectures was Nick Mohammed doing a character called Mr Swallow. He’s just such a silly man with such a funny voice and I just loved it. 

Did any of the lectures teach you something new? 

Apart from the fact that I’m really clever, so I do know lots of things already…but I did learn something from Massive Dad as they did a very very expressive lecture. They’re obviously very interested in the topic as it was all about the senses in the brain. They used words I’d never heard of before and it was genuinely very, very clever. 

What do you think makes Comedians Giving Lectures stand out from other comedy series? 

Well, it’s the only TV show that is making comedians do ten minutes of brand-new material in front of an audience and an expert who get to then score them. 

If you could sum up the series in three words, what would they be? 

Clever. Interesting. Silly.

• Interview supplied by UKTV Press. Comedians Giving Lectures starts on Dave at 10pm on Wednesday September 18.

Published: 10 Sep 2019