Jools Holland and Jim Moir’s new podcast was inspired by their time on Celebrity Gogglebox, the pair have said.
The duo, who have been friends for more than 35 years, have teamed up for a series about their travels and those of their celebrity guests, titled Jools And Jim’s Joyride.
Musician and TV presenter Holland, 63, and comedian Moir, 62, featured together on the last year’s series of the Channel 4 show, in which stars react to the best of the small screen.
They decided to embark on the lockdown project on the advice of a producer, who saw potential in their witty conversation in between shots.
Holland told the PA news agency: “We went on Gogglebox together.
“This I think was the beginning of it because on that one of the people that was producing it, he said, ‘You two should do a podcast together…’
“I think we were talking over the bits we were supposed to look at. They said, ‘You should do a podcast’.
“I don’t think they realised that we were going to take him at his word. And we have.
“It was partly because we realised it wasn’t like hard work, it was enjoyable to do.
“It was just like having chats with friends. Even if it is people we don’t know particular well.
“Although most of the people who have been on this are our friends so you are hearing genuine conversations between people rather than invented ones I suppose.”
The pair are being joined throughout the series by celebrity guests including singer Jessie Ware, actress Sally Phillips and former Formula One world champion Damon Hill as they discuss their trips by plane, train, bike and boat.
Moir, best known as his alter ego Vic Reeves, said: “I think it fits in with the current trend of things where, I don’t want to say half-assed, but casual.
“There is nothing forced about it.
“It is not an interview.”
He added: “We are very interested characters and we get people on who we think might have equal interest in the things that might be quite mundane really.”
Holland, who was an original member of the band Squeeze, described the post-Brexit restrictions on touring in the European Union as like a return to “the Middle Ages”.
More than 280,000 people have signed a petition calling for a cultural work permit deal to be reached between the Government and EU.
He said: “It’s bonkers.
“It has really made it difficult.
“I think it is an oversight.
“Everybody is blaming one another.
“I don’t know who is to blame but the point is that the way we operated before was a great advantage to all of the musicians – and particularly the young musicians where Europe has this whole network of festivals.
“But as you travel from one to the other you are going to go across the border from Belgium to Holland to France to Germany to Austria and so forth because they are all places so close to one another.
“At the moment the way it is set up there is so much paperwork and it is going back to the Middle Ages.
“It is dreadful.
“So I hope somebody figures it out and the musicians and the people that work with them do get the visa or they put a big land thing between us so the whole continent joins up.”
Jools And Jim’s Joyride is available to stream now at https://lnk.to/JoyridePodcast
