Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster
Episode: Rhys James
Release Date: September 24, 2025
Guest: Rhys James
Episode Overview
Comedians Ed Gamble and James Acaster return to their imaginary restaurant to welcome comic Rhys James as their latest guest. Known for his sharp wit and penchant for self-deprecating humor, Rhys arrives in full tuxedo to order his ultimate dream meal. The episode is full of playful banter, affectionate roasting, comedic tangents about childhood nostalgia, British pub food, and riffs on personal quirks. The trio also dives into the anxieties of growing up, classic British cuisine, and what it really means to be “fancy”—all in the offbeat, fast-paced style fans expect from Off Menu.
Key Discussion Points & Insights
1. The Tuxedo Entrance & Dandy Debates
- [09:48] Rhys shows up in a tuxedo, immediately prompting the hosts to riff on what constitutes “fancy” attire at restaurants, leading to a running joke about fancy vs. dandy vs. pale men throughout the episode.
- Quote:
Rhys: "This is a big podcast. This is a fancy restaurant... this is the red carpet, this podcast."
(10:13) - Ed & James question social etiquette: should guests dress fancier than waiters? Rhys insists being the fanciest is the guest’s right.
- Quote:
2. Book Promotion & Comic Rivalries
- They roast each other over getting (or not getting) book quotes from Dara Ó Briain, and discuss the pressures and strategies of book promotion.
- Rhys: “Just buy it and leave it anywhere.” (10:53)
- Rhys’s book, You’ll Like It When You Get There, is, by his description, a “dread memoir”—for introverts who talk too much in public out of nervousness.
3. Childhood Palates & Food Nostalgia
-
The hosts reminisce about student gigs, avocados as a late discovery for Rhys, and culinary ‘upgrades’ (from chicken nuggets to goujons).
- Rhys: “I’m growing up. I’ve stopped eating chicken nuggets and I ate chicken goujons.” (23:00)
-
[22:38] Rhys recounts the first time he saw an avocado (thanks to Ed), comparing it to "archive footage of kids in the war seeing bananas for the first time. Dandies."
- This sparks a thread about growing up picky and gradually embracing more “adult” foods.
4. Bread Course—Fancy Breads & Dipping Rituals
- Rhys’s bread course dilemma: traditional fancy focaccia with oil and balsamic like a “dandy,” versus his true pick, chili cheese toast from Dishoom (a cult London favorite).
- James: “We've had people push the boundary way more than that.” [re: bread choices] (35:00)
5. School Days, Dread, and Outsider Comedy
- Rhys’s tales of bringing friends home in secondary school for olive oil dip and Flight of the Conchords reveal the comic roots of his outsider persona.
- “My default is dread. The build-up to everything is dread... It’s a dread memoir.” (13:39)
6. Plumber Corporate Gigs & The ‘Train Wanker’
- [18:33] Rhys kills with a story about being heckled (“train wanker”) at a corporate for 300 plumbers—showcasing the oddities of stand-up beyond the club circuit.
7. Kitchen Safety & Childhood Accidents
- The group reflects on childhood accidents, especially head injuries, and the feeling that children today don't seem to “crack their heads open” as much.
- Rhys: “When I was a kid, everyone was cracking their head open. Now, never.” (52:07)
Rhys’s Dream Menu
-
Water:
- Aqua Panna still water and San Pellegrino sparkling: “Gotta have bubbles in a tux, I’m afraid.” (24:53)
-
Bread:
- Chili cheese toast from Dishoom (without eggs) [36:02] — overrides focaccia and oil.
- Backstory: He's ordered this off the breakfast menu before; rebels against the expectation of eggs on it.
-
Starter:
- Buffalo wings and nachos from Billy’s (Harpenden) [43:07]
- A staple of his childhood during his parents' separation year, heavy on nostalgia and the “loudest fajitas” ever served.
-
Main Course:
- Birria tacos from The Bab House at the Big Feastival [54:02]
- Notably, Rhys prefers the UK festival version over the birria tacos he tried in Mexico, as his trip there was plagued by illness from a fake “Jenny’s Quesadillas.”
-
Side Dish:
- Platter of Oaxacan tomatoes with beetroot purée from Lavandra de Ola, Oaxaca, Mexico [66:36]
- Praises variety and beauty, calls it “Star Mix, but for tomatoes.”
-
Drink:
- Kel’s Orange Soda (from Kenan & Kel) [69:00]
- Chosen for the passion and nostalgia attached, and the legendary vivid orange color.
-
Dessert:
- Aunt Bessie’s Yorkshire puddings, each filled with vanilla ice cream, drizzled with golden syrup and a side of glacé cherries [80:54]
- Claims to have “invented” this as a child, but is called out for essentially eating a Dutch baby.
Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments
On Dressing Fancy to the Podcast
- “I'm the guest, I should be the fanciest one.” — Rhys ([17:00])
Rhys’s Book in a Nutshell
- “It’s a cry for help, but it’s a very funny one.” — Dara Ó Briain, as quoted by Rhys ([11:27])
First Avocado Experience
- “I was like a child, stood on a stool… ‘Show me, Ed. What's inside this?’ And you cut it open like you were talking to a two-year-old.” — Rhys ([22:38])
Best Corporate Heckle
- “Heckled with 'train wanker.' Biggest laugh of the night.” — Rhys ([18:33])
On Childhood Accidents
- “When I was a kid, everyone was cracking their head open. Now, never.” — Rhys ([52:07])
On the "Invented" Dessert
- "Three [Aunt Bessie] Yorkshire puddings. Scoop of vanilla ice cream in each, golden syrup, and a punnet of glacé cherries on the side." ([81:18])
On Kel’s Orange Soda
- “I want to love something as much as Kel loves that orange soda.” — Rhys ([73:31])
The Off Menu Host Roast:
- “At no point during it did I think Rhys is doing a good menu here. And it’s been read out—it’s really nice!” — Ed ([89:04])
Timestamps of Important Segments
- Tuxedo Debate / Introduction:
[09:48]–[17:00] - Book Banter & Introvert Memoir:
[10:44]–[14:39] - Avocado Story & Childhood Palate:
[21:19]–[23:35] - Bread Course Choices:
[29:38]–[36:02] - Plumber Corporate Gig Story:
[18:33]–[20:13] - Billy’s Buffalo Wings & Childhood Nostalgia:
[43:07]–[52:07] - Birria Tacos & Food Poisoning in Mexico:
[54:02]–[59:50] - Tomato Side Dish, Oaxaca:
[66:28]–[68:47] - Kel’s Orange Soda & Childhood Urban Legends:
[69:00]–[74:41] - Dessert Debate & Dutch Baby Reveal:
[80:54]–[84:23] - Full Menu Recap:
[88:06]–[89:10]
Tone & Style
The conversation is fast-paced, irreverent, and suffused with the trio’s signature blend of self-effacement and spontaneous comic riffing. Rhys’s anxiety-riddled worldview is both mocked and embraced; the hosts’ willingness to go down every tangent (from sandwich taxonomy to fake celebrity deaths) makes for a chaotic but affectionate episode.
For Non-Listeners: Why This Episode Stands Out
- A genuine look at how British comedians riff on everyday nostalgia, awkwardness, and the realities of 'grown-up' food preferences.
- Rich with quotable bits and playful mockery—especially toward Rhys’s self-described dandy tendencies, culinary cautiousness, and his dogged pursuit of “fancy” status.
- A strangely touching throughline about childhood, family rituals, and the confidence found in “putting on a tux for Nando’s.”
- Food talk blends real foodie insight (Birria, Dishoom, Oaxacan cuisine) with unapologetic comfort food nostalgia (nachos, Yorkshire puds, orange soda).
Final Thoughts
Rhys James’s Off Menu appearance is a whirlwind tour of comic insecurity, playful bullying, and surprising emotional honesty—all in the context of one dandy’s dream meal. The food choices are more adventurous than Rhys gives himself credit for, the stories are as memorable as any Off Menu session, and the signature segments (Popadoms or Bread? Still or Sparkling?) become rich opportunities for comic digression.
Recommended for:
Fans of self-deprecating British comedy, food nostalgia, and anyone who wants to know what childhood in middle England plus a dash of black-tie confidence tastes like.