Beloved British comedian makes TV comeback and announces new tour after overcoming ‘phobia’ of performing
A BELOVED British comedian is making a TV comeback with a brand new tour as he overcomes his ‘phobia’ of performing.
Jack Dee will be back on the small screen when he joins Taskmaster for its brand new series.
The funnyman, 62, has revealed bosses have been asking him to appear on the hit show for years now, but it’s not been feasible – until now.
One task given to Jack saw him stare down the barrel of a camera lense without laughing, but he admitted he found the challenges tricky.
Jack told The Sun’s TV Mag: “I found the stuff that I found really, really challenging.
“It was those things where it’s something quite simple, like counting
things, but you’re being constantly distracted, and the other kind of tasks are something that’s actually pretty difficult, but turns out to have an incredibly simple solution that I only thought
about on my way home.”
Jack – who won the first ever series of Celebrity Big Brother in 2001 – is also hitting the road and going on tour.
Called Small World, the dad-of-four will travel the UK this autumn but admitted he’s not categorising the shows.
Jack explained: “The kind of comedy I like doing is when you kind of focus on minutiae and become more and more
sort of silly with it.
“And I suppose, if anything, I’ve just doubled down on that rather than create a theme.”
The comic has also had to overcome nerves of getting on stage by pushing himself to stay ‘on the saddle’.
Jack said: “Sometimes you can get it without even knowing you’ve got that.
“It’s not as it’s not as dramatic as that. You’ll just not understand why
you’re not doing any live stuff.
“And you’ll think ‘hang on, I’ve developed a bit of a phobia here. I need to get back on the saddle’.
“It’s quite they can creep up on you as well as just be a sudden thing.”
Jack’s tour will kick off on November 12th in Loughborough, but the star is also hoping to get the shows to Australia.
Taskmaster returns to Channel 4 on Thursday 12th September at 9pm.
The Sun’s TV Mag is free inside this Saturday’s newspaper.
Best BBC comedies
We look back at some of the best to ever grace the screen.
Fawlty Towers (1975-1979) – Only two series were made of the beloved institution. However, the cultural impact of the series starring John Cleese and Connie Booth spans decades. It follows rude and intolerant Basil Fawlty (Cleese) as he attempts to improve the reputation of his hotel.
Only Fools and Horses (1981-2003) – The show was crowned by some as the best British sitcom of all time by a TV poll in 2004. Seven series were broadcast on BBC until 1991 with additional sporadic Christmas specials airing until 2003. Sir David Jason starred as ambitious market trader Derek “Del Boy” Trotter whilst Nicholas Lyndhurst played his younger half-brother Rodney. Set in working-class Peckham in south-east London, it follows the highs and lows of the lives of the Trotters’, in particular their brazen attempts to get rich.
Blackadder (1983 – 1989) – Four series were made of the iconic show, created by Richard Curtis and Rowan Atkinson. Each series spans a different historical period as anti-hero Edmund Blackadder (Atkinson) tries to better himself in each society. Accompanied by his dogsbody Baldrick (Tony Robinson), trouble always ensues. A TV poll in 2004 found that Blackadder was voted the second-best British sitcom of all time
Absolutely Fabulous (1992 – 2012) – Jennifer Saunders and Joanna Lumley star as failing PR guru Edina ‘Eddie’ Monsoon and alcoholic fashionista Patsy Stone. The pair embark on heavy-drinking sessions and abuse drugs in a desperate attempt to stay ‘hip’. Eddie constantly chases bizarre fads and fails to lose weight whilst her disappointed and neglected daughter Saffy (Julia Sawalha) looks on.
Little Britain (2003 – 2006) – The premise is simple. A sketch show which features different British people from all walks of life that are engaged in all sorts of comical scenarios. Starring Matt Lucas and David Walliams, the pair created iconic pop culture characters. Viewers loved obnoxious council estate teenager Vicky Pollard, morbidly obese scrounger Bubbles Devere, slimming coach Marjorie Dawes, despondent office worker Carol Beer, disgraced politician Sir Norman Fry, of course the iconic Lou and Andy!
The Catherine Tate Show (2004-2015) – A sketch show starring the likes of Catherine Tate. She made iconic characters such as rowdy schoolgirl Lauren Cooper with her line ‘Am I bovvered?’. Other characters featured Bernie the nurse, the aga saga woman, complaining couple Janice and Ray, and of course her infamous ‘Nan’, Joannie Taylor. The last character herself spawned multiple specials and even a movie.
Gavin and Stacey (2007 – Present) The series tells the story of Gavin (Matthew Horne) and Stacey (Joanna Page). The pair embarked on an online and telephone romance for six months. But when they finally decide to be together properly, their friends and family get in the way. Ruth Jones and James Corden created the beloved show, which has been going for over a decade. The 2019 Christmas special was the most-watched comedy in 17 years and the most-viewed non-sporting event in a decade.