Jimmy Carr on his new Channel 4 game show and comedy and the so-called 'cancel culture'

Called I Literally Just Told You, the format was created by former Blue Peter presenter Richard Bacon and starts on Channel 4 next week.

And comedian Carr, 49 – who’s known for his stand-up and roles on shows such as 8 Out Of 10 Cats – recalls it “was the most ludicrous pitch I’ve ever heard for a TV show”.

Why? Well, the questions he’s asking as the host are being written during filming – and they’re about something that has just happened while the show is being made. So, the contestants need to be constantly paying attention to get the answers right.

It’s a show for viewers to join in with from the sofa, but the competitors have the chance to win big money. If they correctly remember the things they’ve seen and heard minutes earlier, they can add more cash to their prize pot.

Then there’s the chaotic finale of each episode, where we see the remaining two contestants setting each other questions.

Carr believes its appeal lies in its play-at-home factor. “Most game shows are binary, you either know the answer or you don’t – all you have to know for this show is what’s just happened. And we had real fun with the fact that anything can happen. You can have 15-second cameos, you can have false ad breaks, you can mess with people’s minds,” he says.

“We preyed upon the fact that when you come and do a TV show, you don’t know what’s normal.

“So we did some very abnormal things. Like, someone from Girls Aloud just walks through the room for no reason at all. It’s crazy, but it sort of works, because people just go ‘Well, I guess it’s telly – who knows?’

The opening is, ‘Anything could be a question and the time starts now’. So, if I was having a chat with autocue, or the warm-up man, or the guy on the rig doing the lighting, any of that could be a question.”

Carr believes being a stand-up would make him a decent contestant on the show.

“I’m used to being on stage and having to remember someone’s name from 50 minutes ago so that I could do a call back to that guy on stage while I’m doing the next bit. So, my memory is not bad.

“If you’re a one-liner guy – and I’m a one-liner guy – you need to be able to remember 300 jokes in a row every night, so you work that muscle a lot.”

Carr hopes the show will be a success after what has been a challenging time for many in the entertainment industry.

“I guess every comedian was given an ultimatum by management; you either do a podcast, or you write a book. I think I took the gentleman’s choice; I wrote a book [called Before & Laughter].

“And I was a full-time dad in the lockdown. I had a little baby two years ago. I never would have had that expansive time with my child, and I liked it an awful lot.”

The past few years has also seen the rise of so-called ‘cancel culture’ so has that affected his approach to comedy?

“Cancel culture has always been a thing. I think I have a duty to my audience, that people have booked tickets to see an edgy comic tell edgy jokes, so I’m going to do that.

“I’m performing to an audience that has paid to be there, and we have a lot of fun. And it’s – somewhat ironically, I suppose – a very safe space, a comedy show. It feels like that’s where transgressive comedy should live.”

Carr turns 50 next year and says he is enjoying and appreciating life. “They say you can’t avoid death and taxes – I’m doing my best to do both,” he jokes.

“I think it’s about life stage, not age, and I’ve got a young kid and I’m running around with him. I’ve never felt better.”

I Literally Just Told You starts on Channel 4 on December 16.