I knew him a little bit because he’d done stuff with the Horne Section before and we were up in Edinburgh doing the festival and he was handing out the Perrier award that year. We’d been put together a couple of days before for this awkward lunch where I had to sell the idea to him and it was horrible. I’m a big fan of Frank’s and I’ve seen him live loads, both growing up and as a comic, and I’m very bad with people I like so I just wanted him to like me back and think I was funny. This lunch didn’t feel as if it was going particularly well and – this is going to sound boastful – but I’d been nominated for the Perrier that year. When it came to him announcing it, I didn’t win and he actually said ‘Oh good, this had gone to somebody who I really like’ and it wasn’t me [laughs]. Immediately afterwards though, I saw him and he said he’d decided to do the show, so it was a really nice way to find out that he’d agreed to do it.

I love Taskmaster’s origin story. You always say that you dreamt it up inspired by jealousy of Tim Key’s Perrier award.

That is kind of my stock answer to that, but it is genuinely true! I’m not proud.

The motivational power of professional jealousy can never be overstated, I always think.

Yeah, it’s horrible. Especially back then, it’s so hard to make a living as a comic and little successes… that felt enormous, someone winning a Perrier award. You just feel desperate, but it’s good, it does inspire you to get up and do something.