Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster
Aisling Bea (Tasting Menu – Live at the Royal Albert Hall)
22 Jun 2026
Transcript generated automatically by AI and may contain errors.
Chapter 1: What is the significance of the Royal Albert Hall for this live episode?
Welcome to the Off Menu Podcast. It's a bonus air. Bonus! Wowee, so loud. Yes, this is a bonus live episode of the Off Menu Podcast, James. Do you remember this? It was all the way back on the 13th of March, 2026. In the Royal Albert Hall, no less.
no less than the Royal Albert Hall we will only perform in the Royal Albert Hall now yes we did six shows at the Royal Albert Hall mad which should have been illegal but they let us do it yes and they were all tasting menus where we get an old guest back yes a fan favourite and we give them the menu of another fan favourite yes very exciting for us to trawl through our multiple episodes and go we'd like to speak to this person again
Yeah, we listened to every single episode we've ever done again in order to choose the best guests for the Royal Albert Hall.
Chapter 2: How did the hosts choose their guest Aisling Bea?
But no offence if you're listening to this and you weren't one of the ones selected. Your time will come next time we do the Royal Albert Hall. Of course. We actually liked all the episodes that we listened back to and we listened back to all of them. Yeah, all of them. Every single one of them was great. Yeah.
but we we decided to go alphabetical so alphabetical alphabetical we went in alphabetical order and the first guest on these tasting menu shows is ashling b the wonderful ashling b came back to be given the menu of a previous guest all will be revealed in the show
Some stuff we talk about to Ashling won't make total sense because there was a first half, and we went on and talked in the first half. Just for context, Ed and I had just watched the Louis Farouk Manosphere documentary, and in the first half did a lot of references to the Manosphere, saying people had been cooked, talking about HS ticky-tocky and stuff.
Chapter 3: What is Aisling Bea's experience with past guests on the podcast?
So, like, you know... That might come up again in the second half. Yes. A little bit. Yeah. So if you're like, I don't understand that joke, it's probably because you've not heard the first half. And a lot of comedians would make sure that didn't happen, but not us. Not us, not us. We were in the moment in the Royal Albert Hall. We were caught up in the present, really.
Chapter 4: What insights does Aisling share about the Manosphere documentary?
We weren't thinking about the future when people would have to listen to it. And I guess, you know, sometimes people would say like, oh, why bother going to see a live podcast? Yeah. They'll just release it as audio anyway. Well, that's why. This is proof.
This is proof that actually, you know, as much as you're going to enjoy listening to it now, there will be moments where you might feel a bit lost. It's going to be nonsense to you. And that won't happen in the future if you come. But this is a fun episode. Enjoy. This is the off-menu tasting menu of... Ashley B! Live at the Royal Albert Hall. Ed Gamble, kick us off like only you can.
Okay, we're kicking off straight away, James. Good. There was energy there in the interval. James was a bit ashamed of what he did in the first half. He's released an apology on the notes app. So everything's sorted now.
Chapter 5: How does Aisling describe her favorite meal choices?
I was spiralling. He was spiralling and thank you. And now you're going to go and get your mental health addressed. You're going to go into therapy. Yes. Yes. Good boy. Welcome to the Off Menu Podcast. Taking the J2O of conversation. Pouring it onto the Coco Pops of humour. And then eating a load of fucking disgusting stinky eggs as well, you horrible man. That is a gamble.
My name is James Acres. Together we own a drink restaurant and every single week we're inviting a guest. We ask them their favourite ever start and main course dessert, side dish and drink. Not in that order. And this is The Tasted Menu! Woo-woo! Where we invite back an old guest, a fan favourite. A fan favourite. This episode's fan favourite from a previous episode.
We will be giving the menu of another previous guest's fan favourite. And this guest, James, did the podcast ages ago.
The first series. The first ever series.
The first ever series. Truly one of our favourites. One of our favourite people in the world. I think we should just get on with it, James. Yeah, let's bring out Aisling and give her another guest's menu.
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Chapter 6: What humorous anecdotes does Aisling share about her birthday?
So here we go. This is not the off-menu menu of Aisling Bean!
CHEERING
Well, well, well, well. Well, well, well.
Ashley, we're starting a new podcast. Will you come on now? All right, lads, I'll lend my celebrity jazz to your little podcast. What's it about? It's about menus. Oh, okay. Well, that'll never work, but I'll do it anyways, boys. What's for starters? Me eating my words, James.
Mmm. You were very nice coming on our podcast when no one listened to it and it was early days. Yes. You gave us a chance, actually, and we appreciate it.
I did, boys. I saw something in you. I thought, look, these guys have got no personality. They're both the same height. That's not going to work.
Don't lead with no personality, though.
You know what I mean, Ed, you're stretching it at this stage, but diabetes is diabetes. You can't live a life just talking about your diabetes, Ed.
Doing pretty well out of it, got to say. That's true, that's true. Some diabetics, they only get to sit in the audience.
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Chapter 7: What are the highlights of Aisling's favorite dessert?
And I had to turn up really, really late and say I was so, so sorry. And it's never happened again. So...
Because you cared more about the people who came after me or why wasn't it? Was that why? You just didn't really... It's fine. This has turned into like a group therapy chat between three friends that you guys have to watch. Thanks for having me on, guys.
You're most welcome. We are delighted to have you on for the opening night at the Albert Hall. James, we do need to kick it off properly, though, because at the moment you are a mere man and we need you to be a genie.
Oh, yes, you're doing something sexist now, James, for a change. It's a character. OK.
Aisling, how would one traditionally get a genie out of a lamp, would you say?
Like I'd get many things out of things with a spout, Ed. Give us a good rub.
Would you care to give the spout a rub? Oh, God. Hang on, you set that up.
I know, yeah. Oh, you're not going to turn this into a meme or something now, are you?
I suppose I'd like... You don't have to rub that. You said give it a rub!
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Chapter 8: What does Aisling reveal about her relationship with Paul Rudd?
That was a real shame. I really, like, I really don't think...
You didn't have to rub the spout, mate. Honestly, in Aladdin, he doesn't wank off the spout, does he? You can rub the main body of the lamp.
See, now hindsight's, you know, a fine thing when you're on the other side of it. Yeah, I suppose I didn't have to wank off the spout.
No, you just rub the tummy of the lamp because I know that works for me. All you need to do is rub my tummy.
A little look into how Ed Gamble gets an erection there. Rub his tummy.
Rub my tummy. Big old boner. The new catchphrase.
I really enjoyed that, James.
Huh?
I really enjoyed that, James.
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