Howzat? 2.7 / 6

Rachel Parris and Marcus Brigstocke are no strangers to irreverent comedy panel shows. All you have to do is tune into BBC Radio 4 on any given day and there’s a high percentage that you’ll hear either one of them chim up with a heavily scripted quip, only for them to make it sound like a natural, perky adlib. We’re fans, on the whole. 

Which is why we’re confused about this new offering from the “comedy power couple”.

This is a new podcast from Keep It Light and offers “a peek into the chaos and hilarity that ensues when two comedians live together” whereby they take a topic and rate it out of 5. 

However, the official description is hyperbole at worst, optimistic at best. 

What this show actually does is offer a peek into the normality of their lives. 

It’s confusing because on first listen it appears to be a panel show with all the comedy bits taken out. The type of thing you might have heard during the recent writer’s strike, or a failed pilot rejected in the era of covid. Apart from the odd linguistic jab from Brigstocke, it feels like we’re just listening to two married people who want to bring some levity into their marriage but can’t be bothered. 

This episode kicks off with a listener question asking, “are festivals with kids worth it?” to which the answer is rather a mundane ‘meh, probably’. On the whole, it’s a platter of generic platitudes and fairly obvious observations without being too revelatory or, if I’m being harsh, interesting. 

Then we have the gripping topics of satellite navigation (which one of them can read maps the best?!) and out-of-season seaside towns (ain’t they bleak?). 

There are some nice bits, like when Parris plays out a couple of voice notes she had sent to Brigstocke about Ilfracombe, but it’s nothing to write home about. 

If you enjoy a level of domesticity in your podcast choices then do consider this, especially with Parris and Brigstocke at the helm. But if you’re after an engaging, funny podcast, probably best to steer well clear. There are so many better options. 

Like tuning into BBC Radio 4.