Guetst include Lucy Porter, Shaparak Khorsdandi and Ria Lina

Ed Byrne is to launch a hobby-related podcast with his wife Clare.

The Irish comic has several episodes of Ed Byrne Needs A Hobby in the can, saying: ’I’ve been cold-water swimming with Reverend Kate Bottley, I’ve been to a quiz night with Lucy Porter and been to a poker night with Ria Lina. 

‘I’ve done some upcycling with Shappi Khorsandi, had a drum lesson from Owain Wyn Evans, chatted rugby with Adam Hills and will hopefully go and play darts with Lee Mack soon.’

No launch date has yet been announced for the show, but Byrne outlined his plans on the Always Be Comedy podcast.

He said: ‘I had a thing on YouTube during lockdown where I took [guests] hillwalking and interviewed them while hillwalking. It was called Ed-Venturing. It was all right, but was quite a big ask of the guests. 

‘I realised that what I was doing was making my guests do my hobby with me. What I should really do is go and do their hobby with them. So that’s what I’ve been doing. I go and do their hobby with them and then interview them about their hobby afterwards. 

‘I then top and tail the whole thing with a conversation with my wife about whether or not such a hobby is right for me. 

"So it opens with me chatting with Clare about who I’m going to be talking to and what we’re going to be doing. And then it ends with: here’s how the interview went, here is what I learned and here’s whether or not I’m going to take up that hobby. That’s the format.’

On whether the format might be adapted for television, Byrne joked: ‘Telly will buy it. And then they’ll get Johnny Vegas to do it.’

Byrne was talking to promote his tour show Tragedy Plus Time, which comes to the Edinburgh Fringe next month.

Published: 19 Jul 2023