‘I can’t believe this many people like your podcast!” That’s Elis James talking, as he and his pals James Acaster and Ed Gamble take a selfie, with the Royal Albert Hall crowd as a backdrop, at the end of this show. That air of not quite believing their luck is ever-present at this live outing, part of a first UK and Ireland tour for Acaster and Gamble’s Off Menu; the jokes about the mismatch between material and stately venue just keep coming. That their guest tonight is one of their longtime comedy pals, and another prolific podcaster to boot, only adds to the sense that this – a show in which guests select and discuss their favourite foods – is a larky conversation among friends that’s gotten out of control.
Nothing wrong with that, mind you – and the same could be said about many a podcast. At least in this case, the larky conversation clearly connects far beyond the inner circle of Gamble and Acaster’s comedy bros – 120m downloads beyond, at last count. Why? Well, an ingredients list in this instance would have to include James Acaster’s angular comic gift and off-the-cuff flair – to which Gamble, the straighter but not entirely straight man, is a fine foil. Then there’s the subject matter, food, about which almost all of us have strong feelings – feelings as intense as they are arbitrary (which is inherently amusing) and that had seldom been given public vent until Off Menu came along.
