Nish Kumar says panel shows disappearing would be "a loss" to British comedy
Kumar spoke with this week's issue of Radio Times magazine.
This article first appeared in Radio Times magazine.
What’s the view from your sofa?
In Friends, after someone tells Joey they don’t have a TV, he asks, “But what’s all your furniture pointed at?” That’s how I feel about my living room. Everything is geared up to face the TV. But it’s been a while since I sat on my sofa. Usually, I’m immediately horizontal.
Who controls the remote at home?
I insist on controlling the remote, and it’s a source of much tension between my partner and me! We’ve got a couple of remotes, including one for the TV, although you have to turn the PlayStation on if you want to watch a Blu-ray. It’s become untenable. What’s most shouted in the house is, “Where is one of the f***ing remotes?”
What have you watched recently?
The US comedy Abbott Elementary created by actress Quinta Brunson. I like that a lot. It reminds me of the US network shows that I grew up on, with 20 weekly episodes. I want more shows like that. There’s something comforting about having a show and a group of characters you can dip into once a week.
What did you watch as a child?
Growing up, the biggest currency in my household was being funny, so we all bonded over watching old British sitcoms: Fawlty Towers, Only Fools and Horses, but also stuff from America, like Bewitched. My grandfather loved sitcoms. Eventually, I got him into The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. There’s something about South Asian grandparents and The Fresh Prince… they love it!
Did you ever watch comedians on TV?
I remember seeing Chris Rock’s Bigger & Blacker special on Channel 4, and now my stand-up is a squeaky-voiced man of colour shrieking about the news. I suppose the apple didn’t fall far from that tree…
Would you say panel shows were your “big break”?
There was a period during the 2000s where a good episode of Mock the Week could sell out your tour, so maybe I lived through the golden age of panel shows. They helped me learn how to be on TV. By the time I did Have I Got News for You, I knew loosely what to expect. They were a fantastic way of bringing through new comedians. If they disappear, it’ll be a loss to British comedy.
There are fewer now — so is it harder for new comedians to break through?
People my age are like Indiana Jones’s hat – the door was closing, a generation ahead of us slipped under and they reached back to grab us. Today, it’s a lot more difficult because you need multiple skills. You need to film, edit and post on Instagram and TikTok. Those are skills we didn’t need to have.
Who is currently making you laugh?
My support acts – Kemah Bob, Priya Hall, Sara Barron – are all phenomenal. My ex-flatmate, Rose Matafeo, is the figurehead of a boom in New Zealand comics, perhaps thanks to the legacy of Flight of the Conchords. James Acaster is a genius, much to my displeasure. And Amy Annette – but I’m obliged to acknowledge that she has been my partner of 13 years…
Your tour has gone all over the world. What do you credit its success to?
I think I loosely have to thank Taskmaster. There’s an international community of people interested in British comedy because of that show. There’s also an interesting energy doing political comedy right now, especially in America. There’s an appetite to hear what I’m saying, expressed in the manner I’m saying it.
Is it hard doing political comedy now?
It was harder in the mid-2010s. People are more engaged now. But I’ve also honed my audience. Wherever I am in the world, there’ll be a person in their 20s at my gig with a cool haircut and a T-shirt that says something like “Unions Forever”. I see that and think, “Fantastic, my work is done”.
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