Not-so spoiler alert: I haven't seen a single advance episode of Last One Laughing UK season 2 before it stars on Prime Video later this week. However, that doesn't mean I don't have a pretty tight theory for what's going to happen first.
I didn't even need to read The Guardian's review claiming season 2 has "too many brilliant moments to mention" to be excited. Since the moment Bob Mortimer won the final episode of season 1, I've had season 2 locked and loaded in my calendar.
Even my fairly persistent casting manifestations couldn't have dreamed up such an exceptional bunch of funny people. Almost every single one makes me gasp out loud — including Diane Morgan, David Mitchell, Alan Carr, and the return of Mortimer, to name a few.
If you've not seen it before, the premise is startlingly simple: lock a cast of comics in a Big Brother-style room for six hours, and if they laugh, they're out. Of course, they're all on hand with props, sketches, and casual jokes to try and catch each other out.
I didn't think it would be possible for season 2 to outshine season 1, but with episodes 1-3 dropping on the Amazon streamer on March 19, it feels like a dead certainty. However, so does the instant loser... if you know the cast well enough.
Mel Giedroyc will be the first person booted off Last One Laughing UK season 2 — mark my words
Trust me, this isn't a takedown. I've been a diehard fan of Giedroyc's for over 20 years, watching her in everything from Light Lunch and The Vicar of Dibley to The Great British Bake Off and Taskmaster. When she did the short-lived reality TV show The Games in 2005, where celebs tried out Olympic sports, I was there.
You get the idea. It's because I've watched her so consistently on TV that I know how much she struggles to hold a laugh in. Whether she's helping a contestant through their choux pastry challenge, breaking somebody's bed on camera, or being told to hide a giant inflatable ball on a football pitch by Little Alex Horne, she's near-constantly chuckling.
Giedroyc has the disadvantage of being one of the only non-stand-up comics to be taking part in Last One Laughing UK season 2, meaning she's not rehearsed at delivering deadpan humor. We love Mel for exactly who she is — her joyous personality is what keeps her booked and busy — but different skills are needed to win this game.
If I had to put money on it, I'd say Giedroyc will receive a yellow card by the end of episode 1 as the very best case scenario. In reality, I can see her eliminated by episode 2.
Most of the remaining cast could go either way, except for Mortimer, who we know has nonsensical logic and cheeks of steel to match. My best guess places David Mitchell as his toughest rival (how many times has he had to keep a straight face on Would I Lie To You?), but I'm equally rooting for Philomena Cunk herself, Diane Morgan.
