Marcus Brigstocke

[faceless]

Marcus Brigstocke
Interview by Sophie Morris
Monday, 27 October 2008
Independent.co.uk

Work: Stand-up comedian, broadcaster, Radio 4 regular, former host of satirical news show 'The Late Edition', and team captain on new show 'Argumental'

Life: 35, lives in Wandsworth, south London, with his wife and two children

Balance: Snowboarder, music lover, runs comedy festival in Méribel, France

'Argumental' starts tonight on Dave. What's the concept?
It's a panel show with comedian Rufus Hound and me as team captains and political journalist John Sergeant in charge. We propose motions: "Peter Andre is the luckiest man in the world," say. Everyone has a proper old dingdong until Sergeant decides he's bored.

Who inspired you to pursue comedy?
Robin Williams; Live at the Met is an astonishing stand-up show. Then Bill Hicks, Peter Cook and Jim Henson. It's probably fairer to say I got into comedy because I'm a big-mouth.

Who do you enjoy today?
Chris Rock is fantastic. I adore Bill Bailey. Stephen Fry and Phill Jupitus always make me laugh. Andrew Maxwell is hard to beat.

What was your first break?
I briefly thought I had one when I did a sitcom on BBC1 a few years ago. Thank goodness I kept gigging.

Are there any jobs you wished you hadn't done?
Chief beverages officer at Little Chef. I should have walked off The 11 O'Clock Show when I was a guest. The producers ruined what could have been a good show by making it thoughtless, lowbrow, misogynistic, homophobic, pathetic and bullying.

Who in the industry would you most like to work with?
I've probably revered Chris Morris too much to actually wish to work with him, but Brass Eye turned my comedy world on its head.

Which show would you most like to present?
Newsnight. And the fact that Britain doesn't have a daily comedy show frustrates me massively. America has The Daily Show, The Colbert Report, Letterman, Leno and Conan O'Brien. We can't manage one.

What would your desert island media be?
Question Time, Radio 4 and The Independent. On an average day, most papers have the same headlines. The Independent will have something different.