Jimmy Carr on Last One Laughing: 'Comedians are weirdly competitive'

Adapted from the Amazon Original series from Japan, Last One Laughing UK sees the comedians use their talents to try to break their opponents, with Jimmy Carr helming the series with hosting duties, alongside special guest Roisin Conaty.

For the 8 Out of 10 Cats host, it was a fairly easy gig to sit and watch the comics as they roamed around with devious plots to catch out their fellow cast members, and even more interesting to see just how competitive they could be.

"It reminds me a bit of when we did Roast Battle," Carr exclusively told RadioTimes.com. "So when we did competitive roasting, it was a chance for us to have a go at sports.

"It's quite an interesting thing because comedy isn't particularly competitive, but this has got that thing where you go, 'Comedians are kind of weirdly competitive', so it's quite a different feel."

As a stand-up himself though, why not throw his hat in the ring as a contestant? As with so many other panel shows we often see Carr as the host – and there's a very good reason for that.

He told RadioTimes.com: "I think probably the reason I became a host rather than a team captain on shows was [because] I'm a pretty generous laugher. I've got a weird laugh, fine, but I use it a lot. I love stand-up comedy, I consume more than I perform. I watch everyone's specials and watch all the shows.

"I absolutely love comedy as a genre and I think that thing about not laughing is so weird. Like to be in there and not laughing at your friends and being unsupportive, it's so counterintuitive."

While viewers will have to wait another week to find out who is crowned the inaugural Last One Laughing UK winner, many may have a hunch who lasts longer than others, with Bob Mortimer noted as one of the most unpredictable comics of the bunch.

Carr explained: "There were a couple of occasions where Bob Mortimer did stuff and I went, 'They should all be going home now, that should be the end of the show.' It was so funny and so brilliantly delivered and then to get nothing and to keep the performance up... it's kind of weird and some of the performers were so amazing at going on.

"I think it'll be a really fun watch as well, because obviously there's lots of laughter in the show, because we're laughing in the control room. I think I cried three times laughing, which takes a lot."

Read more:

• Jimmy Carr: "You can joke about anything, but not with anyone"
• "Sean Lock made me laugh more than anyone" – Jimmy Carr remembers comedian

The first four episodes of Last One Laughing are available to watch on Prime Video now. The final two will launch on Thursday 27th March.

Check out more of our Entertainment coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what's on. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.