Ed Gamble & Matthew Crosby on Radio X
Episode 333 – Lost Sock
Date: November 9, 2025
Overview
In this raucous Sunday morning episode, comedians Ed Gamble and Matthew Crosby—joined by producer Vince—deliver their signature blend of irreverent chat, quirky listener correspondence, and offbeat British observational comedy. The duo take listeners deep into Ed’s annual gig hosting the Beckenham Fireworks, lampoon modern fireworks culture, and riff on everything from metal bands to mundane celebrity sightings. As ever, they stuff the show’s three hours with surreal banter, listener stories, and running jokes—showcasing exactly what makes their Radio X stint so endearing to a growing cult following.
Key Topics & Discussion Points
1. Opening Banter & Listener Emails
- Sleepy Start: The hosts admit to being “a little bit sleepy” after a late night (00:10), which sets a relaxed, rambling tone.
- USB Life Hack: Dr. Mike Sheldon offers a USB plug-in tip: “the USB logo must be facing up when the cable is plugged in” (01:04).
- Ed: “That is a fantastic… it’s not quite a life hack, it’s just some information, but it’s very good.” (01:25)
- Coincidence Chat: Brief foray into weird coincidences, with Matthew recounting seeing a “Michael Barrymore lookalike” in Pret after chatting about him (02:32).
- Medical Facts: Listener Lou explains the heart’s ability to beat without a brain (05:02).
2. “Poo Machine” and Child-related Tangents
- Art Installations: Matthew describes museums/art exhibits simulating “food comes out as poo,” asking listeners for details (06:10).
- “Tell me about the poo machine, because I’ve seen two of them. One more science, one more art” (06:33)
- Toilet Chat: A typically unfiltered British chat about which loos Matthew prefers at home (07:00).
3. Celebrity Traitors & Mock Behind-the-Scenes
- No Spoilers, But…: Ed and Matthew fake a scoop that Matthew was edited out of Celebrity Traitors, riffing about arriving late on a “little bicycle,” sleeping in turrets, and masquerading as “the gardener.” (08:19)
- Matthew: “Eventually… removed from the property [for] tutting every time a traitor said anything.” (09:00)
- Applying for Next Series: Suggesting Matthew/Crosby would pay the winner’s prize amount to be on the show (£87,500), with Ed joking about needing more ad reads (10:27).
- “I would be terrible on it, but I would love to be on it.” – Ed (09:31)
4. Recap: Beckenham Fireworks
- Big Night Out: Detailed, tongue-in-cheek recap of Ed’s annual MC gig (11:45–27:05, with clips throughout).
- Swagger: “Biggest fireworks night in London… no more questions” – Ed (11:57)
- Riff on low attendance: Matthew jokes it looked “like a lost child walking in an empty field” (15:33)
- Shrek Tribute Band: The “Ogre Tones”—a Shrek covers band mistakenly believed to be at Beckenham fireworks, to everyone’s amusement (14:08).
- Ed: “I would definitely go and see the Ogre Tones. It sounds amazing.” (15:24)
- Clips & Highlights:
- Children’s No-Bang Display:
- Little Gerry Cinnamon and little Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds do the countdown; cute crowd participation (16:05)
- “I will say one thing. More competent than me.” – Ed (17:37)
- Firework Impression Contest: Kids attempt firework noises (21:50).
- “Both awful. Really poor effort. But you know what—it’s ‘cos all the fireworks are silent.” (22:39–22:49)
- Children’s No-Bang Display:
- Lost Property Announcements: A sock recovered at the event is revealed to be Ed’s daughter’s, triggering the episode’s “Lost Sock” title (41:16+).
5. Ed’s Comfort Zone & Local Celebrity
- Fanbase at Fireworks? Ed gently mocks his own local “fanbase” at the fireworks, with running jokes about lost Monzo cards (23:43).
- Radio/Butlin’s Banter: The team visualises Ed moving on to in-store radio or Butlin’s compère work (20:13).
- “I can see you as director of entertainment on one of the lower-quality cruise liners.” – Matthew (21:01)
- Ongoing Rumours: Debate over whether the Beckenham Fireworks will continue, and who started the rumor it may go private—ultimately traced back to Vince’s dad (32:34+).
6. Social Observations & More Listener Stories
- Potty Mayhem: Producer Vince is horrified at how many children are using potties in the open at the fireworks (36:38+).
- “I kept seeing… so many people doing poos last night in that park.” – Vince (37:05)
- Erotic Fireworks Segment: The team imagine a risqué adult fireworks display, “Bangarama,” with obligatory jokes about protecting children from skyward booby displays (39:30–41:13).
- Missed Fireworks: Friends Nish Kumar and Amy Annette arrive late due to Crosby giving them the wrong time—more self-deprecating snark (42:02–44:41).
7. Film Reviews and Heavy Metal
- FrightFest Recap: Matthew recounts seeing horror movies at FrightFest: “Primate” (about a rabid monkey, complete with Rob Delaney cameo) and “Deathgasm 2: Gormageddon” (a metal band unleashes zombies) (45:37–49:49).
- “If this monkey’s cute and then it goes mad, I’m really not gonna like that.” – Matthew (47:27)
- Metal Alarm Call: Ed’s brief dip into metal appreciation is quickly reversed after hearing “Maggot Colony – The Swallower” (28:38+).
8. New Feature: Mundane Celebrity Encounters
- Listeners Share: Brilliant run of listeners’ encounters with celebrities in everyday settings (50:50 onwards).
- Stephen Fry using a Pringle dispenser (51:16)
- Joe Pasquale asking to touch a beard as Todd Carty looked on (52:20+)
- “Met Paul Daniels outside Argos in Reading”—Matt in Otting (53:52)
- Murray Walker served tiger prawns in Waitrose (54:10)
- Sean Bean’s “two-stool” thighs when denying his identity in a pub (63:46)
- Keith Chegwin sets off suit security tags in a Next store (63:15)
9. What Are The Kids Doing Now?
- New Feature Proposal: What are young people up to these days? Calls for younger listeners (under 30) to report in for next week (58:07+).
- “We could have a correspondent—get Anya Magliano every week to tell us a thing… but we need more of a survey!” – Ed (58:17)
- Running out of ‘young’ contacts: “She’s not a typical young person—she’s also weird.” (58:34)
10. Album, TV & Comedy Recommendations (BetRex Segment)
- Musical recommendations include:
- Lemonheads’ new album
- Holly Humberstone’s single
- Nina Jirachi’s “I Love My Computer”
- Aesop Rock’s new album
- Creeper’s “Sanguvor 2: Mistress of Death”
- TV picks: Pluribook (Apple TV), Down Cemetery Road, Traitors Uncloaked
Comedy shoutouts for:
- Bemi Oladipo and Andrew Mensah
- Classic “Cannon and Ball” trumpet routine
Memorable Quotes & Moments
- On fireworks:
“Remember, remember the 8th of November. It was the fireworks night in Beckenham. The biggest fireworks night in London, I believe.” – Ed (11:47) - On local gigs:
“You have never seen anyone love doing a job more or anyone do a job within entertainment with so little irony.” – Matthew (18:39) - “If there was an erotic fireworks display, Keir Starmer would probably make you give your credit card details.” – Matthew (40:29)
- On missed events:
“You might be asking why [Nish and Amy] thought it was 7:30? Because you on the phone said 7:30.” (42:25) - On mundane celebrity encounters:
“Anytime you meet a celebrity, it ceases to be mundane.” – Ed (51:10)
Timestamps for Core Segments
| Timestamp | Segment/Highlight | |-------------|----------------------------------------------------------------| | 00:10-02:51 | Sleepy intro, emails, USB hack, and coincidence chat | | 05:02-06:39 | Medical facts: Hearts beating, ‘poo machine’ chat | | 07:44-11:13 | Celebrity Traitors spoof, Matthew’s imagined appearance | | 11:45-27:05 | Recap of Beckenham Fireworks (wit, clips, impressions) | | 32:34-36:09 | Rumours about the future of Beckenham Fireworks | | 36:38-39:08 | Potty training and poo chat at the fireworks | | 39:30-41:13 | Imaginary adult/erotic fireworks "Bangarama" | | 41:16-45:34 | Lost property: The “lost sock” and latecomer mishaps | | 45:37-50:00 | FrightFest: "Primate" & "Deathgasm 2: Gormageddon" | | 50:50-63:33 | Mundane Celebrity Encounters listener stories | | 66:11-72:50 | BetRex: Album, TV recs, and live comedy experiences |
Tone & Style
The episode is replete with playful British self-mockery, frequent deadpan one-liners, and affectionate ribbing between the hosts. Observations about the everyday (from port-a-potty etiquette to the fate of local firework displays) are blended with absurd musings (Shrek tribute bands, erotic fireworks), and listener stories receive the same dry wit. It’s light, silly, and eager to poke fun at itself and its audience (“we have the thickest listeners in radio”).
Conclusion
Episode 333 is a classic Ed & Matthew broadcast—joyously meandering, stuffed with inside jokes, and deeply relatable for anyone who’s ever attended a local event, mistaken a celebrity, or found themselves inexplicably obsessed with lost and found. Firework recaps, off-the-wall competitions, and down-to-earth listener stories make it both a love letter to British weekends and proof that “mundane” is in the eye of the beholder.