Title: Gravity

acast Time: 1:14:30
Youtube Time: N/A

Original Record Date: Unknown
acast Publication Date: December 1, 2021
Youtube Publication Date: N/A

Please Welcome a Man
Who ran 11 miles yesterday but still didn’t escape himself.

Acronym Modification
N/A

Cool Kids
I was talking to Robert De Niro from Meet the Fockers the other day. He calls it *RH does Robert De Niro impression*.

Guest Best Known
As the host of Who Dares, Sings!

Audience

Better or Worse than Last Week: N/A
Like or Unlike Wikipedia: N/A

Member Member Note
N/A N/A

Emergency Questions

What do you think Ben Shephard really feels about presenting Tipping Point?

Tell you what Ben Shephard thinks about – absolutely loves it. Every single minute of it. […] Of course, you look at something like that, you think, “Now, is this going to work?” You know, we’re talking about the challenge of something in the studio, is it going to translate at home, on telly? When I first got approached they said, “This is what we’re going to do.” I said, “That sounds extraordinary.” I loved those machines as a kid. Who doesn’t love those machines? I get sent, weekly, so many pictures of kids playing the machines and, wherever the arcade is, or on their holidays, particularly in the summer, and commentating on it and stuff, is really, really lovely. Like, kids love it. We all love it. They’ve got that nostalgia about it. But a giant one of those, is it just a bit gimmicky? And then I went and we saw, and I saw the first iteration of the machine, which had been built by this amazing guy called Steve Webster Weboe [sp.?] , who, if you ever see… If there’s a game or contraption or, like, a cube, for example, in all the cube games, the crystal dome in The Crystal Maze, Weboe’s built all those things. If there’s something built on telly that works really well, he’s built it. If it doesn’t work so well, he always says that it wasn’t him. And everyone always says, “Is there a man dropping them in?” And actually, that first time we did the run-through, there was the full – what we now call drop zones – and it was a really stripped-back version, and Weboe was at the top. And I said, “Where do you want to drop it?” And the woman went, “Oh, sort of on the left-hand side.” […] And he was dropping it in. And it was one of those things, you’re going, “This is so strange.” But it was brilliant fun to play. Now, you’ve played it. And it is so involving. I’ve just been with a friend who’s done the show as well. I was just exercising with him. We were talking about it and he said, “I have watched it and it was the best fun to play.” Even better to play than to watch it, he said. You can comment on that. And that’s what I get every single time. So as soon as I thought, It’s brilliant to play, they’re going to let us do a few, we’ll see how it gets on. We had a great laugh making it. And very quickly – Initially, it’s like, “What is this?” And then very quickly it built up momentum. And now, you know, series 12, 1,500 episodes later, it’s still going strong. And I still, you know, as sarcastic and cynical as you would like to be, uh, you know, it’s an absolute gift. It’s really become woven into people’s daily lives. And that’s something you can never – We never knew it was going to do that. None of us ever knew what it was going to do. And I get sent lovely messages from people watching it because t’s huge in New Zealand  and Australia. It gets shown in Africa. We had a girl who was living over here who was from Ghana and her family would be able to watch it because it was on in Ghana on BBC or one of the channels that’s streamed over there. And then I get messages from people saying, “My grandparents are very lonely, very ill, and it gives them the comfort in the afternoons. And that’s really special. And you just forget that. We’re just making a TV show. But there is an essence to it and a heart to it that I think really shines through. And I just love it, Rich.

Have you ever tried to suck your own cock?

So I’ve just said to you, “I’ve just been at a gym class with Rob Rinder. Rob Rinder’s a good friend of mine. And I say, “I’m going to do Richard’s podcast.” “Is that right?” “Have you heard it?” “No.” He’s very well-known for asking emergency questions.” “Oh, like what?” And I said, “Like, ‘Have you ever tried to suck your own cock?'” And Rob said, “Haven’t we all?” Every young boy has tried.

Have you ever seen a ghost?

Uh, well. I’m not sure. I did go – You’re from York, aren’t you? Originally. And I did do some filming – I did a show the amazing Julia Bradbury. And we did a show called Mystery Map. And it was about dispelling myths and things like that. And there is – as I’m sure you know as a local boy – an inn called the Guy Fawkes Inn in York. And it’s supposed to be haunted. Room number 7 is supposed to be, famously. The room next door burned – The building next door burned down and the owner, sort of, ran out and saved. Something happened… Anyway, they said, “Ben, you’re going to go and stay in the haunted room.” Great. So we set it all up. It was all ready to go. And we’re in the pub beforehand. If you go with a crew though, when you’re on location, and everyone gets a bit carried away and excited. We had a few pints – had too many pints. So when I went to bed I just passed out. And I didn’t see a thing. But apparently the ghost could have been teabagging me and I wouldn’t have known. Because I was in the most haunted room in what was supposed to be the most haunted inn and tavern in York, and I just slept through the whole thing. So he could well have been there – Guy Fawkes or the landlord of the time – could well have been running around.

Notes

RH relates an injury he received while trying to open a childproof battery pack with a cheese knife. RH presents a number of other middle-class injuries shared with him via Twitter.

RH and BS discuss RH often poking fun at Ben Shephard’s role on Tipping Point.

The Tipping Point emergency question is featured in RH’s first Emergency Questions book.

Former audience members known as “the Butlers” referenced.

RH notes that he doesn’t listen back to episodes of RHLSTP.