{"id":118046,"date":"2025-09-06T06:41:12","date_gmt":"2025-09-06T06:41:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/118046\/"},"modified":"2025-09-06T06:41:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-06T06:41:12","slug":"i-grew-up-watching-mitchell-and-webb-now-im-the-star-of-their-new-sketch-show","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/118046\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018I grew up watching Mitchell and Webb – now I\u2019m the star of their new sketch show\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tbrowser that
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\tsupports HTML5
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tvideo<\/a><\/p>\n

It\u2019s been 30 years since British comedy duo Mitchell and Webb \u2013 made up of comic heavyweights David Mitchell<\/a> and Robert Webb <\/a>\u2013 began their legendary partnership.<\/p>\n

Masterminds behind iconic 00s sitcom Peep Show <\/a>and the era-defining sketch show That Mitchell and Webb Look, they\u2019re now determined to revitalise sketch comedy in the UK once again with their brand new Channel 4 <\/a>show.<\/p>\n

According to one of their stars, Kiell Smith-Bynoe<\/a>, there\u2019s only one way to describe it.<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s like you\u2019ve never seen them before,\u2019 the Ghosts actor tells\u00a0Metro. Those are big words to live up to.<\/p>\n

Fifteen years after their last sketch endeavour came to a close, they are bursting back on screens with Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping alongside a standout ensemble cast showcasing the brightest new talent in the comedy world \u2013 Kiell, Stevie Martin, Lara Ricote and Krystal Evans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The new series, as Mexican-American comic Lara describes, is \u2018a good ol\u2019 laugh with a couple of guys you know, a couple of guys you don\u2019t and girls also\u2019.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Stevie
\n\t\tTheir legacy in the British comedy scene is undeniable (Picture: Channel 4)<\/p>\n

In a writers\u2019 room of 60 helmed by two veterans of the trade, they\u2019ve brought together friends from the original show, budding new voices and, of course, the four fresh cast members to whip up some absolutely bonkers and brilliant ideas.<\/p>\n

So if you\u2019re looking for sweary Aussies, validation that two shows about the Prince Andrew interview is a tad overkill or the existential doom that there\u2019s no ethical consumption under capitalism, then\u2026 you\u2019ve come to the right place. <\/p>\n

In the words of Channel 4\u2019s Chief Content Officer Ian Katz, he\u2019s never had to sign off on so many instances of the C-word, so take from that what you will.<\/p>\n

Much like most comedy lovers across the nation, this dynamic pair \u2013 forged in the flames of Edinburgh Fringe<\/a>\u2019 \u2013 have long held a special place in the hearts of some of the new cast members.<\/p>\n

As Taskmaster<\/a> breakout Stevie shares: \u2018I was a massive fan of theirs growing up. That makes me sound like I was five. I was in uni. I loved their sketch show, and used to watch it all the time.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Krystal
\n\t\tThe new series promises lots of swearing, screaming and sheer panic (Picture: Channel 4)<\/p>\n

\u2018I didn\u2019t feel like I\u2019d ever be able to do sketch on TV so I started doing online comedy, thinking that\u2019s the only way that I [would] be able to write sketches. <\/p>\n

\u2018To be doing [this show] with them, it took a while for me to acclimatise. I felt like I had the bends for quite a long time.\u00a0Then watching me in it as well, I\u2019m like: \u201coh my gosh! It looks like someone\u2019s just superimposed me. Is it a joke?\u201d So that\u2019s very cool.\u2019<\/p>\n

It was a similar experience for US-born Krystal \u2013 behind the critically acclaimed stand-up show The Hottest Girl At Burn Camp \u2013 who, after devouring their work, declared \u2018it\u2019s hard to think of two UK comedians I\u2019d want to work with more than them\u2019.<\/p>\n

\u2018I was in the club,\u2019 Kiell jokes about the pair initially going over his head, while Lara admitted that after getting cast, she watched everything they\u2019ve been in and hasn\u2019t looked back since.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Naturally, with a fierce reputation comes the inevitable nerves.<\/p>\n

Lara reveals: \u2018It was really, really scary that I was gonna have to be in the writer\u2019s room with them. The first one was really hard for me to say anything. I was like \u201cwatch [my joke] die in front of them.\u201d That would be just really awful if that were to happen.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u2018But then they were the nicest people ever, so it was just really incredible,\u2019<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Robert
\n\t\tIt seems as though David and Robert have an \u2018innate language\u2019 (Picture: Channel 4)<\/p>\n

For those wanting a glimpse behind the velvet curtain of what this longstanding friendship looks like, it is just as awe-inducing to watch them at work as you would expect.<\/p>\n

As Stevie says: \u2018You can just see they have an innate language with each other. They have a very clear view of what their comedy is, whilst also being flexible enough to bring us in.<\/p>\n

\u2018We wrote loads that didn\u2019t make it in [think woman who lives on a roundabout to avoid the bailiffs], we wrote loads that did make it in [think fake reality series Middle-aged Man Island]. <\/p>\n

\u2018They curated the show in a way that made it feel like a Mitchell and Webb show with fun additions.\u2019<\/p>\n

As for exactly how a sketch comes together, Lara adds: \u2018[After an idea forms], they would talk about it for maybe two minutes and then they\u2019d write it by just improvising [without even] noticing,\u2019 et voila, a sketch is born.\u00a0<\/p>\n

David would have a crossword ready to go between takes, they were \u2018immaculately word perfect\u2019 and they had an almost \u2018mathematical\u2019 approach to jokes where the pacing and rhythm is \u2018so important\u2019.<\/p>\n

\t\t\"Robert
\n\t\tKiell has made the case for TV sketch to make a comeback (Picture: Channel 4)<\/p>\n

Sketch comedy has seen somewhat of a nosedive in airtime on TV screens in recent years, with the format instead thriving on social media<\/a> with snappy 1-2 minute bits.<\/p>\n

Sewing Bee host Kiell holds no bars as he makes the case for it to make a television comeback, however.<\/p>\n

\u2018We used to have a golden age of sketch,\u2019 he says, reminiscing about the days of French and Saunders, before adding: \u2018I think there needs to be a lot more [of it].<\/p>\n

\u2018It\u2019s a shame that we\u2019re in a place where we have one sketch show per channel or per network in the UK, and I think that we\u2019ve left it behind a little bit, which isn\u2019t good.\u2019<\/p>\n

If anything, he argues, we\u2019re not seeing comedians at the top of their game.<\/p>\n

\u2018So many of our greatest performers in the UK have come from sketch or from live sketch shows, and they don\u2019t get an opportunity to do what they do best on TV.\u2019<\/p>\n

Whether Mitchell & Webb Are Not Helping proves a ratings success remains to be seen, but it\u2019s part of something much bigger than itself.<\/p>\n

Stevie concludes: \u2018[This show] really reminded me of how much my brain has missed sitting with the characters a bit more, building it a bit more slowly.<\/p>\n

\u2018If people watch it then then they\u2019ll make more, not Mitchell and Webb necessarily (I don\u2019t know), but any sketch. Anything that is good for one is good for all of us.\u2019<\/p>\n

Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping airs on Channel 4 at 10pm on Friday, September 5. The full boxset will be available to binge online from 10:30pm. <\/p>\n

Got a story?<\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk<\/a> entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff<\/a> page \u2013 we\u2019d love to hear from you.<\/p>\n

Arrow
\nMORE: Who\u2019s in the Gogglebox cast as Channel 4 adds five new households?<\/a><\/p>\n

Arrow
\nMORE: Eric Idle: \u2018Monty Python spats are a pity \u2013 but I haven\u2019t done any spitting\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Arrow
\nMORE: Major British comedian \u2018doesn\u2019t know\u2019 if he will ever return to TV<\/a><\/p>\n


\n\t\t\tComment now<\/p>\n

\t\t\tComments
\n\t\t<\/a>\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n

\t\t\t\tTV Newsletter<\/p>\n

Sign up and tell us which TV shows you love to watch to get personalised updates every morning.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"To view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":118047,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[32],"tags":[6491,1633,2973,245,96,22671,391,56,54,55],"class_list":["post-118046","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-celebrities","tag-celebrities","tag-channel-4","tag-comedy","tag-david-mitchell","tag-entertainment","tag-robert-webb","tag-tv","tag-uk","tag-united-kingdom","tag-unitedkingdom"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118046","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=118046"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/118046\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/118047"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=118046"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=118046"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=118046"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}