Jon Richardson on his favourite comedy team-mate: ‘I’m not at Sean Lock’s level’

The 8 Out Of 10 Cats comic, 38, on dog poo, prehistoric sex toys and how to make the world a better place.

How would you describe your new Futurenauts podcast?

It’s an optimistic confrontation of all the problems we face as a planet and practical solutions for how to make it better.

I’m a pessimist — left to my own devices I don’t believe that people are very good and that the world can be saved. The Futurenauts experts convince me every week that I’m wrong.

It covers loads of topics. What’s the weirdest fact you’ve learned?

We generate 3,000 tonnes of dog mess every day in the UK. I learned that in our Future Of Poo episode and it’s the fact I’ve dropped into the most conversations.

There was also a lot in the Future Of Sex episode that I didn’t know. Apparently cave paintings reveal that the human species invented the sex toy before the wheel. I guess that make sense — if you can’t go anywhere, you need to have fun at home.

You also tackle Big Things like climate change, democracy and death. How do you jolly stuff like that up?

The Future Of Death is about as big as it gets. You start by booking another comic, in this case Cariad Lloyd, who hosts a podcast called Griefcast. She’s well versed in talking about death and so kept it funny.

You can’t cheat your own mind — once you start engaging with these things, you feel so much better.

Did it make you start thinking about your own funeral?

‘Start’ thinking is generous — I’m the sort of morbid bastard that has been thinking about these things day in, day out. I’m not religious. After I’ve gone I don’t believe there’ll be much more of me than people remember.

I always say pick awful music for your funeral, otherwise you’ll just ruin your cherished songs for people you love.

Would you want to be cryogenically frozen and woken up in 2089 or something?

Absolutely not. I don’t think I’d get out of bed if it didn’t know I had a finite amount of time.

How do we ‘unf*** ourselves’ regarding climate change, as you put it?

There’s a lot of small things you can do that will make you feel better straight away. For example, tracking how your bank invests your money.

A lot of big banks will go where the profit is and that can mean arms development or coal-fired power stations without you knowing about it.

There are a number of banks now that only offer ethical investments. I’m now driving a hybrid car but my next one will be electric and we’ve switched to a renewable energy provider.

You’ve got a stand-up tour coming up, called The Knitwit. You haven’t taken up knitting in lockdown, have you?

No, no! It’s just called that because I’m a moron that wears cardigans. I’m keen to get it done as soon as possible because theatres are desperate for income.

Theatre staff are one of the great unsung groups we haven’t really addressed in the performing arts industry. I can’t wait to get going and be out on the road. And nor can my family…

Your wife and Meet The Richardsons co-star Lucy is bringing out her ‘mumoirs’ later this year. Are you going to bring out the dad version?

I don’t think anyone will care what I have to say. Once her book comes out, I don’t think I’ll have a leg to stand on. I’ll probably have to cancel the tour once the truth gets out about what I’m like to live with. I shall be spending the summer heavily editing Lucy’s work…

Does your four-year-old daughter find you funny?

I don’t think so. Her favourite joke is, ‘What did the kitchen say to the other kitchen? Meet the other kitchen’, so she’s operating on a level that I’m not privy to at the moment.

You have OCD. What’s the biggest misconception of it?

There are loads. My compulsions are how my unhappiness manifests — when I’m not happy in my head, I focus on things I can control, like whether I stand on cracks or tidy things up.

There is a satisfaction in seeing a nice neatly organised rack of pencils, of course there is, but let’s not confuse that with the condition itself because it’s devastating.

You’re a panel show fixture. Who’s your favourite team-mate?

Sean Lock [his 8 Out Of 10 Cats Does Countdown co-star] is someone I idolised before I became a comic. I don’t feel I’m at his level.

When it’s just me and my mates on a show sometimes, I keep expecting a teacher to come in and say, ‘You need one of the proper comics to come in.’ Then I realise, oh, we are the proper comics! It’s a lovely feeling.

The Jon Richardson And The Futurenauts podcast is available to download now, with new episodes every Wednesday.

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