Phil Wang on hosting BAFTA Games Awards: "I've got big shoes to fill"
"It'll be a bit roasty, maybe."
The BAFTA Games Awards 2024 are taking place on Thursday 11th April, with the whole ceremony being streamed on BAFTA’s Twitch, YouTube and X accounts from 7pm onwards.
Hosting this year’s gaming BAFTAs is the brilliant comedian Phil Wang, who you might recognise from Taskmaster, all the big panel shows and his Netflix comedy special Philly Philly Wang Wang.
For a special bonus episode of the One More Life podcast, we spoke to the comedian at the BAFTA headquarters. From SkiFree to Total War, he is a massive gamer - and will have you in stitches with his gaming anecdotes.
Listen to our interview on your podcast app of choice (just search for 'One More Life') and you'll learn all about the confluence between comedy and gaming. And you'll find out what BAFTA stands for — both figuratively and literally!
With our interview taking place a few weeks before the ceremony, Wang was right in the thick of doing his research and writing his jokes for the show.
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"I'm wanting to be tailored to this year's awards and this year's nominees and attendees," he told us.
"And so I'm just trying to get into the whole world of what's been going on over the last year, and playing the games and understanding the characters involved, and writing jokes that are tailored to the games industry and the gaming audience."
Wang admitted: "It's always a tough balance to strike with awards, you know, because you're there to honour people, but it's always fun to roast people a bit, too. And so I'll be looking to some of the great examples of that for inspiration.
"So it'll be a bit roasty, maybe, if I learn enough about the attendees, but it'll also be a celebration of all their wonderful work, of course."
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When asked if there are any award show hosts of the past that he's a fan of, Wang is quick to reference Dara Ó Briain. The Irish comedian has hosted the BAFTA Games Awards on a number of occasions.
Wang told us: "Well, I watched Dara's monologues for these awards, and obviously they're brilliant, and he's so good and he plays a lot of games, and he's so good at this sort of thing.
"So I have very big shoes to fill, and not just because Dara is a big guy, although I've not checked his shoe size. So I watched his [work] to gain some inspiration."
Wang also mentioned Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, John Mulaney and Nick Kroll as award-hosting comedians that he's looked to for inspiration.
But gaming can be harder than film or TV to joke about, as Wang notes: "With the video games awards, I think the references might be a little more specific, but I think that's a fun challenge to try and work around."
As for who he'd love to rub shoulders with at the event, Wang says, "I'd like to meet Sam Lake because he's the face of Max Payne."
The Alan Wake developer is also up for a number of awards, so we've got a feeling that Wang's dream could come true on that front!
Watch the BAFTA Games Awards on Thursday 11th April on the event's official Twitch, YouTube and X accounts from 7pm.
Hear more of our podcast interviews:
- Anthony Mackie on Twisted Metal, Marvel and the rise of video game adaptations
- The Sims developer talks multiplayer future with Animal Crossing inspiration
Check out more of our Gaming coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.
