Ed Gamble on The Traitors, Off Menu and the diet fad that drives him mad

A regular on panel shows, Ed has also found success talking about food – he is a judge on the BBC’s Great British Menu and host of the chart-topping food podcast, Off Menu – alongside James Acaster.

Joining host Kelly-Anne Taylor for the latest Radio Times Podcast, he talks about how losing 7 stone in his early 20s impacted how people treated him and why, as a type 1 diabetic, he hates dieting brands using medication intended for diabetics to promote weight loss.

Plus, he talks about the return of The Traitors and unpicks why everyone is obsessed with the show.

Read on to find out what Ed has to say, and listen to the full episode of The Radio Times Podcast here:

What’s the view from your sofa?

It’s a two-person sofa that my cat has commandeered over the years. It’s basically my cat’s room and we’re allowed to go in and watch TV.

What have you watched recently?

I absolutely binge things. I’ve just finished the Amazon Prime show, Deadloch, an Australian comedy murder-mystery. The characters are really funny and well drawn, and the mystery is very tightly written. I’m also loving Slow Horses on Apple TV+. It’s fantastic, isn’t it?

Who controls the remote in your household?

My wife [TV producer Charlie Jamison] and I watch few things together because we have such different schedules – one of us always ends up racing ahead!

In lockdown, she got me into The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills and Below Deck. It’s not good TV and it probably is the beginning of the downfall of humanity, but it’s so much fun.

You started doing comedy while studying at Durham University – what did your parents think when you decided to make it your career?

If your kid wants to do something like comedy, the key is to keep an eye on them – not 24-hours-a-day saying, ‘‘There’s no future in this.” That’s obviously what they were thinking, but they were supportive – just worrying madly behind the scenes!

A lot of your success has come off the back of you talking about food – as a judge on Great British Menu or on your chart-topping food podcast, Off Menu.

I’ve always enjoyed food. I was a proper binge-eater and junk-food lover for a long time but in my early 20s I switched my lifestyle around and started eating more nutritiously, that’s when I got into food. I’ve been very lucky that I’ve managed to turn most of my passions into some sort of revenue stream. James [Acaster, his podcast co-host] thought we’d do ten episodes and be done!

You lost seven stone in your 20s. Did people treat you differently?

Lots of people said, “What have you done? You look amazing!” and all it made me question was, “What were you thinking about me before?” Conversely, others would say, “What’s wrong? Are you ill?” I don’t know why people feel like they’re allowed to comment on people’s bodies and weight change.

What do you make of the new diet fad that uses diabetic medication to suppress the appetite [Gamble is a type 1 diabetic]?

It drives me up the f**king wall. There’s Ozempic and the Zoe app that uses the technology diabetics use to monitor our weight and our body health to tell healthy people what food spikes their blood sugar level. I could have told you that if you eat a punnet of grapes that will happen! But you don’t have to worry about it because you’ve got a working pancreas! It’s so stressful being a type 1 diabetic, I don’t know why people have decided to take some of that burden on themselves. It’s mad.

Another passion you’ve turned into a revenue stream is your love of The Traitors – you’re now hosting BBC Two’s visualised podcast, The Traitors: Uncloaked. How did you land the gig?

I was vocally a very big fan of the first series and was a guest on Claudia Winkleman’s Radio 2 show to talk about it. I also do the Taskmaster podcast, so I’ve got form when it comes to breaking down TV shows to the nth degree!

What do you love about The Traitors?

It’s astonishingly well made – but quite a simple concept. We know who the Traitors are and there’s nothing more fun than watching other people trying to work out something you already know. Taking the job for me was 90 per cent to do with the fact that I get all the episodes earlier than everyone else!

Write to the Radio Times Podcast team and let us know your thoughts at: podcast@radiotimes.com.

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