'They're annoying and boring' sats 6ft 7in star

Stephen Merchant says he’s fed up of jokes about his height.

The 6ft 7in comic says that while people are wary about body shaming, ‘no one feels they have to hold their tongue about someone who's tall’.

Merchant, 50, told Elizabeth Day's How To Fail podcast that he has always felt like he ‘stood out without needing to stand out’, adding: ‘You walk in a pub and you [ask] for two pints of beer, and someone will say, "that's a tall order", and ever-one will laugh

‘It's interesting that it's something people feel very comfortable about commenting on’

He added: ‘Well, it's annoying because it's boring. If you ask me, "Do I play basketball?" No. Where's that conversation going? 

‘"What's the weather like up there?" OK. But I've heard this for 40-something years. I try to he polite, but there's part of me that wants to go, "Oh mate, come on!"’

Published: 16 Jan 2025