2 responses to “This Morning 2026 03”

1. 

   AJ King

   4th May 2026

   Dear Jimmy,
   I’ve seen the other posts talking about statistics, but is there anyone on your team or Amazon’s that is bother with checking out reddit? LOL UK has been in the discussion on many subreddits, but now someone set up a specific one for this.
   https://www.reddit.com/r/LastOneLaughing/

   There are plenty of constructive discussions on S2 (we are all fans of you, the show, and the contestants), but even with the best ingredients & recipe, it didn’t quite result in a meal. I don’t know, if Season 3 cast has already been set, but obviously fans have certain picks that they want & feedback about why S2 wasn’t bigger than S1 (given another fantastic cast). Favorites/hopeful for S3 are Sarah Milican, Lee Mack & Greg Davies.

   I have my own list of comedians, presenters, actors, & celebrities that I chose based on type of humor (deadpan vs bubbly vs both), personality (introvert vs extrovert), and predicting their style (aggressive vs defensive). Richard Ayoade vs Bob Mortimer was such an epic showdown because Ayoade is introverted, deadpan who was aggressive throughout and Bob is a versatile, extrovert who was aggressive but even if he wasn’t, he was just as funny (like how he broke Judy just by sitting in a chair). I don’t know what the perfect lineup would be, but here is my list that makes sure it is a diverse cast & not just bunch of white guys like r/BritishTV wanted (no offense), while making sure it will be fun. Here’s the shortlist:

   Lee Mack
   Big Zuu
   Guz Khan
   Babatunde Aleshe
   ​Johnny Vegas
   James Acaster
   Jonathan Ross
   Greg Davies
   Joe Lycett
   Tim Vine
   Rhod Gilbert
   Jon Richardson (if he’s back to doing comedy)
   Asim Choudary
   Phil Ellis
   Russell Howard
   Nish Kumar
   Ed Gamble
   Tom Allen
   Phil Wang
   Chris Ramsey
   Kiel Smith-Bynoe
   Noel Fielding
   Josh Widdicombe

   Amelia Demoldenberg
   Sarah Millican
   Lucy Beaumont
   Morgana Robinson
   Fatiha Elghouri
   Kerri Godliman
   Claudia Winkleman
   Shazia Mirza
   Sophie Duker
   Bridget Christie
   Sally Phillips
   Stevie Martin
   Jessica Knappett
   Miranda Hart
   Katherine Parkinson

   Lot of them did compete on Taskmaster or Celebrity Traitors (or are about to), which I think is a good thing because it is a symbiotic relationship at that point. With Hollywood actors wanting to take part in British shows, they’re bringing global attention, which helps increase viewership of LOL UK & LOL series overall.

   Personally having watched LOL UK, Ireland, Canada, South Africa & India, , S1 felt like an entertainment show, while S2 of LOL UK & almost all other variations felt like a competition. I don’t know if producers/directors overemphasized the competitive nature of the show, because it feels like the comedians held back alot (for example, Sam Campbell, who is known for being way more “out there”), and rules needed to be changed to make up for this. It felt way too strict (because the show isn’t called Last One Smiling….but Last One Laughing). Imagine performing in a stadium & everyone just smiles instead of laughing out loud. Those are NOT the same. You understand this better than anyone so I hope you have that authority to overrule people from interfering the show you’re put in charge of.

   A bit long winded, I apologize. Just want to make sure S3 is better than S1 & S2 combined.

   Reply
   1. 

      thecarrtell

      6th May 2026

      Hi Adam
      Thanks for the comment.
      This blog is my “hobby project” and, although it has a link from Jimmy’s website (with a lovely endorsement), I’m not sure if/when Jimmy or anyone at his management company reads any of it.
      From my perspective – I do browse Reddit at times but there are only so many hours in a day and things like Jimmy’s old tour shows take a LOT of research (and are more interesting to me). Plus, from the viewing stats, the blog posts about LOL are not of that much interest to visitors, compared to other topics.
      From what I’ve read about LOL (and I’ve read a ton of stuff on all kinds of platforms) some were disappointed in S2, some absolutely loved it. Objectively S2 is a FAR bigger hit.
      Flixpatrol displays the Top10 of any country it charts in and the daily positions deliver an average points number. In the first 47 days S1 got 1,665 points and S2 2,051.
      Barb is a similar story. In the weeks that it was viewed enough to get in the Top 50 (UK only) S1 got 14m and S2 23m. To my knowledge these were complete viewings and this pattern seems to have been replicated across 17 countries.
      I think it’s an evolving series and lessons are being learned from things that happen in each country, with each series. But, as much as he might have a contribution to make, the format is decided by Zeppotron / Initial (part of Banijay) that are the Production companies. Maybe best to contact them?
      I regularly see wish lists around but the next shows will, as ever, come down to…diaries. As the host Jimmy’s diary is the trickiest to get into (with his touring) and then they have to schedule the venue, crew – and then find out which comedians (that want to be involved) are available. From what I’ve seen of various forums / comments the diary perspective is something that doesn’t seem to be taken into consideration.
      Hope that helps?
      Carr-Tell

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