Jon Richardson has become a staple of our screens as a regular panelist on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, though he has admitted that he didn't forsee the show's success.
The spin-off/crossover has arguably become a comedy classic since it debuted in 2012, and Richardson chatted to Digital Spy about how it's stayed fresh.
What to Read Next
"I didn't think when we did the first one that we would go on to make over 100, I have to say," the comedian said. "It's a different prospect turning up now, it's much harder to find new ways of being funny on it. Certainly for those of us that do it week-in week-out.
"But we always have new guests in and there's enough Joe Wilkinson, luckily, in the world to keep it interesting. So I'm very aware of everything I do that is the least like work, turning up and playing Countdown and watching Joe Wilkinson have a breakdown.
"Across the course of the show, that's a treat. I have to remind myself to be funny because I forget I'm working and I just sit. I do the same when I'm on Would I Lie to You? I forget I'm on it and I feel like I'm just watching it. Sitting there laughing and thinking I should say something."
A big topic of discussion in regards to panel shows these days is diversity, Richardson arguing that while it has improved in recent years, there is still a way to go.
"I think it has changed, and is changing for the better," the comedian continued. "There's obviously still a great deal of work to do.
"I think panel shows in general are less popular entertainment formula than they were. It feels like… and that's probably why Cats Does Countdown continues to be so popular, because it's not a traditional panel format.
"Actually it's the game Countdown, and I think a lot of people are watching it and they're genuinely trying to do the numbers and the letters.
"The comedy, by virtue of being such a big format, is much more… there's so much sketch comedy, you have Jimmy's bits when the clock is going on, we all have a different mascot every show, and it's not that traditional view of seven people sat around shouting at each other trying to get their jokes out.
"It's quite a mainstream, quite an accessible show, and that probably is why that one continues to be popular."
Jon is prepping for the release of his latest stand-up show Jon Richardson: Old Man Live, which sees the comedian reflect on the last few years of his life, including getting married and becoming a father.
"It's just 3 years of my life boiled down to the funniest things that have happened," he explained. "And of the three DVDs that I've done, this is the most straightforwardly funny.
"A lot of the attention and angst of my deep malaise has gone, and this premise of this story is, hopefully, you laugh every 30 seconds or for 90 minutes."
Jon Richardson: Old Man Live is released on DVD on November 19.
Want up-to-the-minute entertainment news and features? Just hit 'Like' on our Digital Spy Facebook page and 'Follow' on our @digitalspy Instagram and Twitter account.
Sam is a freelance reporter and sub-editor who has a particular interest in movies, TV and music. After completing a journalism Masters at City University, London, Sam joined Digital Spy as a reporter, and has also freelanced for publications such as NME and Screen International. Sam, who also has a degree in Film, can wax lyrical about everything from Lord of the Rings to Love Is Blind, and is equally in his element crossing every 't' and dotting every 'i' as a sub-editor.
