Emma Thompson performed sketch comedy for years in the Cambridge Footlights alongside Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, describing it as similar in format to Saturday Night Live.
Where this was said
At 24:40 · chapter starts 24:05
Will Arnett drops what is genuinely new information for the other hosts: Emma Thompson spent years in the famous Cambridge Footlights sketch comedy group — the equivalent, she explains, of SNL in review format — alongside Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry. [1] — Emma Thompson "Before the Oscars, before Harry Potter, Emma Thompson planned to be a comedian. She performed sketch comedy at Cambridge Footlights alongsi…" 24:28 What surprises Jason and Sean further is that comedy was her intended career, not drama. She deeply admired Lily Tomlin, especially 'The Search for Signs of Intelligent Life in the Universe', and Jane Wagner's extraordinary characters. Jason quickly notes that she never fully left comedy — every dramatic role she plays carries some cheeky wink, some expanded comic possibility. It is a generous observation, and Emma accepts it warmly.
Before the Oscars, before Harry Potter, Emma Thompson planned to be a comedian. She performed sketch comedy at Cambridge Footlights alongside Hugh Laurie and Stephen Fry, inspired by Lily Tomlin's one-woman shows.
Emma Thompson originally planned to be a stand-up comedian, inspired by Lily Tomlin, before her acting career took off.
A novel called 'Call Me, I'll Hide the Body' triggered a 14-publisher bidding war and sold for $2.4 million before critics alleged it was predominantly written by AI.
John Mulaney cold-texted Robby Hoffman out of nowhere to offer to produce her Netflix special, which became Wake Up.
Robby Hoffman posed as a courier to hand-deliver her spec script directly to the president of HBO Canada early in her career.
Robby and Mulaney filmed two shows in one night for the Netflix special; after the first they knew they had it, so the second was a victory lap.
Jimmy Carr performs up to 300 shows a year, often doing two shows per night, which he says reduces nerves rather than increasing them.
Jimmy Carr says that speaking at roughly 92 beats per minute is the optimal cadence for comedy and public speaking, including political speeches like Obama's.
The oldest recorded joke appears in a Roman book called 'The Lover of Laughter' and is still funny — a barber asking how a man wants his haircut, who replies 'in silence'.
Jimmy Carr argues that comedians like George Carlin, Richard Pryor, and Dave Chappelle have permanently expanded the conversational Overton window on sex, politics, and taboo topics.
The Lion King musical has grossed over $11 billion in its 30-year run, making it the single highest-grossing piece of entertainment in history across any medium.
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