S8 EP9: Mo Gilligan on being quoted by Drake, his surprising shopping addiction, and eating fried chicken for 28 days straight
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What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
Hello there, welcome back to the Louis Theroux podcast.
Today my guest is acclaimed British comedian and internet sensation, Mo Gilligan. You may know Mo from his BAFTA winning chat show, Latish with Mo Gilligan, or his turn as co-host on the BAFTA winning Big Nasty Show, which I was once on. That may have helped with the BAFTA. He's got three BAFTAs. You know who else has three BAFTAs? No, I'm not going to say that. He came to fame on the internet with viral sketches on social media. Couple of cans. Which Drake quoted in 2017 and catapulted him to fame. Couple of cans, Julie. The Guys in the Club was another one. Different Types of MC was another one. They're all up and available to watch on your nearest social media device. But stand-up has always been the central part of Mo's career.
There are three Netflix specials to check out. Momentum, There's Mo to Life, and In the Moment. The Times has dubbed him the funniest man in Britain. Mo is one of the biggest stars on the comedy circuit today. We always love having comedians on. I was also impressed with how well he hosted or co-hosted the Big Nasty episode I was on. You could see that, and we talk about this in the chat, how much the format relied on most professionalism and his easy way with people and his focus. And that's something that he brings to everything he does. And candidly, In an era where racial themes are part of how we look at culture, well, how we try to create a more mature, more sensitive, more equitable media culture, I was looking forward to having a chat about that.
comedy and black comedy specifically which historically in the uk i think it's been felt has maybe been either underrepresented or in some sense not quite part of the mainstream to the extent it deserved to be so that's part of what we talk about we recorded this conversation in july this year while mo was promoting his new netflix documentary big chicken a fast food conspiracy In a bold 28-day experiment, Moe tours the UK and US on a fried chicken diet to uncover the industry behind it. It's available from the 5th of August on Netflix. A quick warning, this conversation contains strong language and adult themes. All that as well as much else besides coming up.
This episode is brought to you by Hulu on Disney+. Fans of the podcast will know I'm a big fan of television, especially TV that resonates with me emotionally, that brings out those feelings that are so essential to us as humans. This is especially true when it comes to a show like The Bear with its rather lovely Jeremy Allen White. Oh, with those blue eyes. Damn him. And the, well, kitchen's a great location anyway, isn't it? Everything's happening in a crucible of activity, but there's also themes of family, perfectionism, the toll that it takes on relationships. The sense of common enterprise that's at any moment at risk of being derailed by the jealousies and the feelings that we go through. And the satisfaction of people doing great work against the odds.
And even transcending the expectations that people put on them, you know. I don't want to do any spoilers, but in The Bear You See characters, working class guys...
How did Mo Gilligan become famous through viral social media sketches and Drake's endorsement?
disproving the low expectation or disproving the negativity that's put on them to do amazing things. It's a very relatable and primal storyline. It makes you think of Rocky, right? That feeling of someone actually out delivering, doing something amazing and disproving all the doubters, which I've kind of done with my podcast. So those were the moments that got me. How about you? Make sure you check out a lifetime of great stories with Hulu on Disney+. Copyright 2026, Disney and its related entities. 18 plus. Subscription required.
Did you stay up and watch the football?
I watched the first half. And then after that, I was like, I can't. It's weird because I love football. That's my little escapism. To shout for 90 minutes and be angry.
And that was a big game. This is going to be completely irrelevant when this goes out. But as we speak, England just beat Mexico 3-2.
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Chapters
5 chapters
1
What is the main topic discussed in this episode?
0:05–3:56
2
How did Mo Gilligan become famous through viral social media sketches and Drake's endorsement?
3:56–30:01
3
What inspired Mo's 'Black, British and Funny' documentary and how does it spotlight the UK black comedy circuit?
30:01–54:22
4
How did Mo transition from retail jobs to posting sketches and building an online audience?
54:22–55:49
5
Which sketches (e.g., 'Different Types of MCs', 'Couple of Cans', Anne Robinson) went viral and why did they resonate?
55:49–1:04:07
Speakers
2 identifiedMore from The Louis Theroux Podcast
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