Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster

Episode: Will Arnett
Release Date: January 21, 2026
Main Theme:
Comedians Ed Gamble and James Acaster welcome actor-comedian Will Arnett into their “dream restaurant” to chart his ultimate fantasy meal. Delving into foodie favorites, memorable career anecdotes, classic Off Menu riffs, and a hearty dollop of Will’s trademark humor, this episode both honors Arnett’s illustrious career in comedy and explores the culinary choices that define his perfect menu.

Episode Overview

Will Arnett, affectionately dubbed “international treasure,” joins the Off Menu table for the season 15 premiere and the inaugural YouTube-filmed episode in the new studio. The chat brims with warmth, wit, and comic self-awareness as Will shares a meal inspired by classic dishes, discusses his new Bradley Cooper-directed film “Is This Thing On?” (inspired by UK comic John Bishop), and banters about everything from food pet peeves to career highlights.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Welcoming Will / New Beginnings

• The hosts banter about opinions, their own comedic careers, and the nature of their podcast (00:13–06:03).
• Will enters with a nod to producer Ben’s professionalism, admitting to feeling a bit confused, hungry, and slightly jet-lagged (06:16–10:26).

“He operates with excellence. And professionalism. He was like, you guys want to dick around? I need to take care of the clap.” – Will Arnett, 06:25

2. Will’s New Film: “Is This Thing On?”

• Discussion of the film’s inspiration by John Bishop’s life—a stand-up whose marital strife leads him to comedy—and the involvement of Bradley Cooper, Laura Dern, and others (03:40–15:02).
• Will recounts meeting John Bishop in Amsterdam, the spark for the film’s idea, and the collaborative writing with Mark Chappell and eventually Bradley Cooper (12:52).

“We brought Bradley... and he said, great, Can I come in? And what you guys have written is shit. Do you mind if I write a good script?” – Will Arnett, 13:55 (tongue-in-cheek)

3. On Accents and “Going Full Bish”

• Will discusses whether he attempted a Liverpool (“Scouse”) accent, ultimately steering clear to avoid “Full Monty” mimicry and respecting the source material’s roots (14:21–15:29).

“I don’t think I have the guts to go full Bish.” – Will Arnett, 14:31

4. Podcast and Studio Banter

• Discussion of the discomfort (and comedic opportunities) with filming podcast episodes for YouTube (05:05–06:03).

5. Manifestation, Meals, and Anecdotes

• Will admits he skipped a meal in anticipation for the show, planning to eat as close to his wish list as possible after recording: “You have to put out into the world what you want and then it will come into your experience.” (08:54)
• Tangents include humorous asides about Lamborghinis, touristy boat rides in London, and public humiliation (10:01–11:39).

6. Dream Menu Selections

Sparkling or Still?

• Will unequivocally chooses “sparkling,” with Ed and James justifying their predictions based on Will’s on-screen persona (17:10–18:16).

“I imagine you sitting on a piazza in Rome, maybe sipping a sparkling.” – Ed Gamble, 18:10

Bread

• Warm bread only, ideally a pretzel roll reminiscent of New York’s Strip House steak restaurant. Emphasis on soft butter and an aversion to “dry toast” (27:34–30:55).

“When you open the restaurant before customers get there, take the butter out of the fridge. What are we doing?” – Will Arnett, 28:13

Starter

• Foie gras on toast points or sourdough, with fig jam; classic, elegant, and unapologetically rich (31:54–33:42).

“When you find a good restaurant that makes a fantastic foie gras, man, stick with it. That’s the bee’s knees.” – Will Arnett, 33:33

Main Course

• A classic thick-cut, bone-in, dry-aged ribeye steak, Pittsburgh-style, with au poivre (peppercorn) sauce on the side (35:36–37:45).
• Sides: golden brown French fries (“not shoestring!”), creamy horseradish (upon request), perfectly buttered green beans, and classic creamed corn. Mayonnaise is allowed for dipping fries (41:27–45:31).

“A really well made pretzel roll... You’re gonna want to button up your socks because it might blow them off.” – Will Arnett, 30:03
“You start enjoying this delicious steak, the juices start to run... and it creates this soggy base of fry that you’re then able to put your fork in.” – Will Arnett, 42:00

Drink

• Sparkling water (primary), but also the option for an “American champagne” (Diet Coke) or, on rare occasion, a really good Swiss non-alcoholic beer (52:57–53:43).

“A waiter at a French restaurant said to me once... ‘Ah, American champagne.’ In like, the shittiest voice, I swear to God.” – Will Arnett, 53:10

Dessert

• After a comedic guessing game, Will names Baked Alaska (with chocolate ice cream center), served flaming, as his dream dessert (61:41–65:23).

“Baked Alaska... comes out flaming... if it’s on the menu, I’ve got to order it.” – Will Arnett, 65:42

7. Food Pet Peeves

• A strong denunciation of shoestring fries (“nobody likes them, people are lying to you!”), pre-packaged cold butter, and prison-worthy dry toast (71:19–73:14; 55:40–56:20).

8. Career & Life Stories

• Will shares starstruck moments: meeting hockey hero Wendell Clark, and the thrill of Richard E. Grant attending his film screening (20:21–21:58).
• Reminiscences about being in Ratatouille, BoJack Horseman, various improv on film sets, and mustache/food-related running gags across his films—embedding “mustard and parmesan” as Easter eggs (25:34–26:09).
• Anecdotes from Arrested Development—on-set laughter, Tony Hale’s character Buster, and the camaraderie among the cast (58:16–58:59).
• Thoughts on acting, podcasting, and being gaslit by comments: “Sometimes you read stuff online and I agree with them. People go, ‘I hate Will when he does that.’ I go, ‘I hate Will when he does that, too.’” (25:10–25:21)

9. Secret Ingredient

• The secret ingredient (if named, guest gets “kicked out”): Club sauce, an Arrested Development in-joke. Will guesses it instantly (59:20–59:56).

“It might be something with club sauce.” – Will Arnett, 59:50

10. Random Gems & Memorable Moments

• “Are we civilized or not?”—on pre-buttered toast (28:42).
• “If you take a picture with an iPad, straight to jail.” (55:40)
• Extended riffs on English restaurants, John Bishop at the Oscars, and Will’s pet grudge against “shoestring fries” (73:03–75:23).
• Visual jokes (“If you’re listening to this, you got to watch it. Just the winks alone.” – 64:01)

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On Secret Ingredient:
  “It might be something with club sauce.” – Will Arnett (59:50)

• On Classic Food:
  “Classic never goes out of style.” – Will Arnett (31:39; returns multiple times)

• On Lamborghinis & Manifestation:
  “He must have. His self esteem is low enough that he bought a Lamborghini. And then he got humiliated.” – Will Arnett (11:28)

• On Food Righteousness:
  “If you serve me what they call shoestring fries – we have a problem... Everybody hates shoestring fries. And they’re not telling you the truth because either you’re a dick or they think you can’t handle the truth.” – Will Arnett (72:03)

• On Filming the Podcast:
  “We’re going to look like absolute... I look like an Easter Island head.” – Ed Gamble (05:20)

• On Career Surreal Moments:
  “To think that what 17-year old me would have thought when I saw [Withnail & I], that he (Richard E. Grant) came to a screening of our film, blew me away.” – Will Arnett (20:21)

• On Prison:
  "If you take a picture with an iPad, straight to jail. You're in prison with dry bread." – Will Arnett (55:40)

• On Poutine and Menu Trolling (re: David Cross):
  “He chose poutine as his starter. And then he chose poutine as his dessert...” – James Acaster (74:56)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Topic | Timestamp (MM:SS) | |-------------------------------------------------|--------------------| | Ed and James banter/podcast intro | 00:13–06:03 | | Will Arnett enters, Ben praise/comic confusion | 06:16–10:26 | | “Is This Thing On?” film/John Bishop discussion | 11:50–15:02 | | Bread and butter: pretzel roll, warm only | 27:34–30:55 | | Starter: Foie gras & fig jam | 31:54–33:42 | | Main: Pittsburgh ribeye, fries, horseradish | 35:36–45:31 | | Drink: Sparkling, Diet Coke, non-alc beer | 52:57–53:43 | | Dessert guessing game / Baked Alaska reveal | 61:41–65:23 | | Food pet peeves: shoestring fries rant | 71:19–73:14 | | Secret ingredient: Club sauce, Will guesses it | 59:20–59:56 | | Career stories/Ratatouille/BoJack/Klopff | ~20:21–22:33, etc. | | Favorite dogs and sharing the steak bone | 48:19–49:17 |

Overall Tone & Style

The episode is marked by quintessential Off Menu informality and spontaneity, flavored with Will Arnett’s self-effacing charm, barbed wit, and passionate opinions about food and comedy. The hosts riff freely on absurdity and seriousness alike, letting Will’s stories and comic timing shape the pace. Tons of laughter, a little friendly roasting, and a recurring mock gravitas about the importance of bread, fries, and criminally overhyped menu items sustain a buoyant, richly entertaining hour-plus.

Closing

Will’s “dream meal” is a tribute to unfussy culinary classics—warm pretzel bread with soft butter, foie gras, a perfectly cooked bone-in ribeye with all the decadent sides, capped with a spectacular Baked Alaska. Along the way, listeners get a feast of anecdotes, punchy opinions, and the singular pleasure of seeing a comic icon—on both sides of the Atlantic—relish the company of two food- and fun-obsessed Brits.

For references and the full menu, re-listen to highlights at:

• Will’s bread rules (27:34–30:55)
• Steak/fry euphoria + sides discussion (41:27–45:31)
• Dessert guessing game & baked Alaska lore (61:41–65:23)
• The secret ingredient reveal (59:20–59:56)
• Shoestring fries polemic (71:19–73:14)

“You have to put out into the world what you want and then it will come into your experience ... For me, it’s just about really keeping that idea alive. Billion dollars.”
― Will Arnett (08:54)