Comedian Nish Kumar Roasts Our Big Idea and Why We are Launching a Business

0:00When this is played in court, I do want it noted that I did express my opposition to several core elements of this business model. So are you suggesting, I feel like you are leaning towards this, that our blind enthusiasm and energy and excitement about doing something isn't necessarily going to mean this will be a success? This, as the window, fantastic. Fantastic. These two faces, as the faces of a skincare business for men, phenomenal. The brains, however, completely absent.

0:57business, Ben. It's very exciting. You might be used to seeing our little faces on television, but we're actually going into business together. And it might come as a surprise to you guys, but we're starting a skincare company. Yeah. What do we know about skincare? Not a whole lot. What do we know about business? Not a whole lot. What on earth are we thinking? I don't know. But... They thought it would be an interesting journey. Yes. So what did we decide to do? Document it via a podcast. Yes. This very same podcast. The highs, the lows, the ins, the outs, the rights, the wrongs. The good, the bad, and undoubtedly the ugly.

1:30Absolutely. So join us on this wonderful journey as we try to become legit businessmen. What could possibly go wrong? Everything. Well, hello. Bonjour. Je m 'appelle Simon Mayo. And je m 'appelle Mark Kermode. Coming up on this week's take. Reviews of Nirvana, the band, the show, the movie. Minions and Monsters. A catch-up review of Supergirl from last week, because they screened it too late. and the invite with our special guest, two of its stars, Ed Norton and Olivia Wilde, who also direct the movie. Do not miss this week's take.

2:08So shall we start? Let's get into it. Let's start where every great story starts. How it began. Once upon a time. Once upon a time. Do you remember where we first met? I vividly remember the first time we met. it was backstage of GMB, I think. TV Centre. Yeah. There's been a lot of stories that have happened backstage at TV Centre over the years, Joel. Yeah, we were snogging in the dressing room. Is that what you want? It wasn't that occasion. It was behind the scenes. What had you, you had just been on Lorraine? I think so, yeah. We were doing a new travel show called Joel Nish versus the world.

2:51and I'm pretty sure that was what I was selling. And I bumped into you in the corridor and you were like, I love your show. It's so good. Just one of those mad moments where I was like, oh my God, Ben Shepard's like nose my face. I couldn't believe it. But so I had just come off GMB and you had done that, but I had found this show and it was quite a niche little show. Yes. Not a niche little show. And I remember watching it thinking, loads of people should watch this. This is amazing. And then you happened to be there the next day. And there was something very infectious about how you approach that.

3:28And then it was lovely for me just to properly fanboy you. And then I Googled you. Don't do that. And there's a few other stories that filled in a few of the lesser known moments. Yes, yeah, I've got, I've had an illustrious career of highs and lows. It's really, it was fascinating to me on that day in that way that like, and I did look, I hate to be genuine right up top. but you do hate to be genuine I hate to be genuine but you have provided me I think with a sort of you know we stayed friends since then and we've got to know each other more and more of the years have gone on as our careers I suppose have aligned as we've sort of gotten older and um you've provided me I think with like a sturdy role model in someone who I I would want to be and not even on television, but how I want to conduct myself with other people.

4:33You're very professional. You're very lovely to be around. And you also have had your fingers in a few pies in terms of business and sort of you have a good business mind on you. You're an inspiration to me, essentially. So I feel very lucky that I can now consider you a friend because I think those are the friends that you want close to you, people who you can look up to. That's so lovely of you. Do you know all I'm hearing though is you going, you're who I want to be when I'm as old as you. It sounded like I'm... But this is the problem. When you grow up, because I will be... So that's so lovely because I think that there is, I think the thing that I've loved, it's been brilliant over the last few years, since we first met, it's been amazing to watch what's happened with your career and rightly so because I think you have this, this is what I think works for both of us.

5:25You have this enthusiasm and passion and energy for, and curiosity for opportunities that come your way. And I think that's why I'm excited to be doing this with you and to be launching this business. Because I have been lucky to do a few bits and pieces over the years that aren't just on telly. And I haven't thought, I just want to do that because life is about experience and trying new things. But mostly life is about surrounding yourselves with people who can do what you can't do way better than you. so I and that's what I think I've been able to do and that's why this what we're trying to do now what we are attempting to do by launching a business together we can have all our enthusiasm and energy and positivity and excitement about it but we really don't have much of a clue when it comes to the detail we really don't and that's probably an understatement it's an absolute understatement we realised before we started the podcast we don't even have a pen I just said The day one of business Surely is at least a pen That's what you need God damn it Where's the stationery?

6:29I think what I'm excited about Is Look I come from the world of comedy Where it's all about It's all about showing Every sort of Nook and cranny of your personality You know it's about There's no stone unturned In terms of like Who I show on telly And on stage I'm sort of But I think what I So I was saying is sort of no secret who I am necessarily. And I think that's the same with you on telly. You've been very public about who you are. Yes, sometimes too much. Sometimes too much. Don't Google image. Don't Google image. But I think I'm excited about, hopefully with this podcast and or business, I'm excited for people to know who the real you is.

7:11That's the sentence. Because you've always been in this almost, I think sort of almost a box really of live telly, a shiny floor telly that is that you're so incredible at but i'm really excited to do something that's like almost feels a little bit more rough around the edges yeah with a little bit um that has a little bit of naivety to it almost and uh and so people can see the real you which is which is the person who i know and love and i trust yeah i think there is something about this like people often assume that we don't make mistakes when you're on telly but we mistakes make mistakes all the time.

7:49Just when you're doing live television, you get very used to managing mistakes so they don't feel awkward for the viewer sitting at home. And so if something goes wrong, you lean into it and you own it. And all that part of it just means that you sort of can carry on smoothly sailing through a live entertainment TV news environment. I think the thing about this that is really scary for me is that we're going to make mistakes. I'm pretty sure we're going to make mistakes. And some of those mistakes could be pretty catastrophic. Yep. could really sort of jeopardize a lot of what we've done professionally.

8:23But if we want this business to succeed, whatever it ends up looking like, we're going to have to learn from those mistakes. We're just going to learn it quite publicly. Yeah, yeah, which is exciting and petrifying all at once. You know, I feel like we're going into something that we don't necessarily know a whole load about. No. We are very passionate about it. And I think that's a great start. Isn't enthusiasm one of the most important parts of starting a new business? I would like to think so. Yeah. I would like to think so. I've got loads of that. But it's, you know, Mickey Mouse had a lot of enthusiasm, but I wouldn't trust him with a business.

9:02But do you know what Mickey did? He surrounded himself. Oh, my God. He surrounded himself. Look at these metaphors. With an amazing team that lifted up the pits that Mickey couldn't do. Yeah, I heard that. He'd be nowhere without Goofy. Donald did a lot of the legwork Yes Donald is the unsung hero of that business We're probably treading into areas that legally we are very vulnerable in Already It's show one and we've got a lawsuit Oh no, we've been sued We haven't got any money in the bank yet But I think it's very exciting Why go into business, Ben? Why did we sort of stumble on this thing in the first place.

9:47So there's a couple of things I think is that, and you sort of alluded to this, I am 10 years older than you. And so I've got sort of that sort of aging experience. My boys are now 18 and 20. Your little boy is two. So you have started on this amazing adventure and journey of fatherhood and your professional career. And there's a sort of an element of the two of us. We came together and started chatting about life and all the amazing things that are going on and actually stuff that exists outside of what happens on the telly box, which is fundamental for our families, for Wild or for Sam and Jack.

10:23And I think that the elements of what we connected with when we were talking about why skincare necessarily is because we have both come to understand the value of great makeup artists and skincare experts and the difference that's made to us because we get to do it on telly. And more of my friends now are turning 50. are making more effort to look after themselves. We talk about it more, not just with skincare, but with teeth and hair and physically and mental wellbeing. Like I was saying before, it feels petrifying in that way that we're not going into something that people would expect. And I think that's what's interesting, hopefully, about this and also scary about this.

11:05Because it would be fairly obvious for us to do something like a protein drink. Yes. Do you know what I mean? like something that people expect from us. Why aren't we doing that? Oh my God, guys, let's write this down. I would write it down, but I've forgotten a pen. God damn it. Protein. A protein, yeah, yeah. So it makes you look good enough to be on a men's health cover at 50. Am I right, Ben? Come on. You actually have to mention it every episode. Someone's literally bringing in pens. The pen rescuer. Oh my God. Thank you, Alex. Thank God. That is, what are you going to write now? I'm just going to, just want a bullet point.

11:42Protein. Protein. protein is it E-I or I-E I before E except after C in the sound I before E except for protein um something like that protein protein maybe we shouldn't go into protein is spelling important for a new business it's um skin is spelt with a Y in it right skin with a Y skin with a Y guys we just come up with a new name I feel like it's a melting pot for brilliant ideas I'm writing it down S-K-Y I'm gonna go double N because that feels exciting for the I Leonard Skinnered. Yeah, it does feel a bit Leonard Skinnered, doesn't it? Actually, we look a bit Leonard Skinnered. That's a reference that a 40-year-old doesn't understand.

12:21Sorry, mate. If you're not going to talk about Taylor Swift, I don't understand what you're talking about. A little bit of 70s rock. Come on. Oh, what is that? You look much like the Eagles? Oh, I miss the Eagles. Yeah. Yeah, I do know that. Hotel California, to be fair. It's good to you. It's good to you. But my point is, Ben's written down the Eagles because just in case, he's like, oh, I must listen. I haven't listened to them for ages. I've been listening to too much. Kendrick Lamar. Kendrick Lamar. Yeah, there we go. Anyway, so I... What was the point? My point was, I think, I mean, when I mention, I've mentioned it to a few people.

13:01What's their reaction? They almost always laugh. Like that. And I quite like that reaction because I think that's at least arresting for people. That's because you're a comedian. You like making people laugh. Yeah. That is not the point of this thing. The business shouldn't be making people laugh. This is not your career, like current career. No. It's going to be our future career. It's future. We're future proven. I think it's jeopardy. But Annie did say that to me. Annie did say that. I don't know what Hannah said to me. Annie did say to me, why on earth is a skin car? What a skin car? She didn't say that because she's not quite that posh.

13:38Why is it skincare? Why aren't you doing protein? Why aren't you doing fitness? The two of you love your fitness. Why aren't you doing like a range of lycra outfits? She said, like, you're never happier than when you're grunting and thrusting in the gym. And I said, that's a really great point. And I don't know. He finally got her. Oh, my God, he got her. For years, a deranged man in Wichita known as the poet stalked Ruth Finley. He sent her letters, gifts and poems. The Wichita police put everything they had into Ruth's case, but got nowhere. The poet was always two steps in front of us, and we just didn't know why.

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15:01Nishkuma. Hi. Nishkuma, it's so lovely to see you. I don't know what's going on. I've been invited into this room. I don't know what's happening. You've told me you're starting a business that I assume is for like, what is this? This is a sort of club for handsome men. What's going on? That's why you've come in. Yeah, that's why we've brought you in. It feels like it's a prank. It feels like you've brought me in to tell me that I'm not invited into the club. You're definitely inviting the club. But we are a long time of business. I thought because you were in the building doing another podcast.

15:32Indeed. We thought we'd bring you in because we've been friends for many, many years. A long time. And I thought you would be interested in what we are doing. Yes. And I'd like your immediate reaction. What's funny is like you, you two starting a business is like something that would happen in a dream of mine. You know where it's like a weird thing happens and it's two people that are just in your subconscious that, you know, and then you sometimes like, oh, like my friend, my friend James has like opened a car wash with Ainsley Harry. You know, it's like bits of your subconscious are just sort of pulling from different recesses of different crevices within your cognitive mind.

16:15Can't wash, won't wash. I've just wrote car wash down. So it does, it feels very, like being here feels very surreal. What is your initial reaction? Aside from the surreal nature of what you've heard is that we're going to launch a business. What is your initial reaction to the idea of Joel launching a business? My initial reaction to Joel launching a business is loose concern. Just because, like, you know, our generation of comedians are blessed with a lot of things. Most notably the gift of friendship. We all get along with each other. I wouldn't say there's a lot of financial acumen in our group of comedians.

16:54Do we need that? I don't know what acumen means. I don't know what acumen means. Like, numbers are not our strong suit in general. with the exception, I would say, of John Robbins, for whom numbers and his ability to understand them have actually crossed over from being a strong suit to being actively debilitating in how he's able to live his life. No one else. Does he see the world like the Matrix? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Except it all adds up to don't do anything and live in Premier India whole life. It's very difficult to, like, there's not a lot of business acumen in, like, our... It's true. I'm not getting business advice from James Acaster.

17:32No, no. Unless that business is... Something in Kettering. Yeah, or, you know, pastel-coloured jumpers. Yeah. But again, he wears them. I wouldn't trust him to own and operate a business making them. It's like we're fun, we're loyal to each other as a friendship group, but we're not necessarily known for our sort of sensible nature. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And like financial investment acumen. Like that's not something that there's not, there's not a lot of people I know that are like, you know, playing the market. No, if you, if you were to think about Joel launching a business, what sort of business do you think would be a good fit?

18:15Well, if I was answering seriously, if somebody told me Joel was the fact that you're here is actually giving me a lot of reassurance. Because if someone said Joel's launching a business, I would go pyramid scheme. Absolutely. Joel is involved in a pyramid scheme. I'm genuinely, I would be frightened. So your presence here has actually issued me quite a lot. But I can imagine you doing something exercise-related. I can imagine you sort of investing in being a silent partner in a CrossFit gym or something. That's what I can imagine. That feels like a good fit, actually. Yeah, that would be my first thought of call.

18:54That would be my first port of call. It would be if someone said Joel started a business, I would say CrossFit. I mean, you're clearly in good shape, Ben. I don't know whether you also are part of the sort of CrossFit, whatever that thing is, people who belong to a socioeconomic bracket that means they're never going to go to jail doing prison workouts. Whatever that thing is. That thing, whatever that thing is. Oh, that's very me. Don't worry. I'm very much a part of that world. Yeah. So the idea, okay, so that, well, so that's interesting that you're reassured that I'm alongside Joel. just you're an adult, Ben.

19:28Yeah. You're an adult. Isn't that funny? Yeah, yeah. He's hosted GMB where he wears a suit. Yeah, exactly. Like soup, you know. You have to wake up early in the morning. I think that's all I'm basing this on. Yes. It's an alarm call. You have to wake up early. Most of my industry's job goes from 9 in the evening to 9.30 in the evening. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And then you're done. Then you're done. Yeah. So basically, I think that's just how I'm going to come out and tell you. Me and Ben Shepard from GMB this morning, legend of television, and Joel Domit from the jungle. We're starting a skincare business.

20:16You know what? It kind of makes sense. It does kind of make sense. I think I'm laughing just because. After the initial panic. Just because I was so in my head, I was I was so expecting it to be exercise and fitness related. I think it was I think the shock of you two having a skincare company just as a phrase has really made me laugh. It's exactly now. But now the second thought has kicked in. I'm looking at you. You've both got good skin. Thank you. You've both got good skin, especially for white people. I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I had to say that. I am genuinely sorry. I'm sorry that that's that's.

20:56But reality. It's your experience that it's not usually, okay, let's not go down that rabbit hole. So the skincare. Well, we've got the melanin. So that helps. It's a kind of natural, yeah. And also, I will say, I think what's interesting to me is like this. We should know that, shouldn't we? We should know. There's so much more. Right, there we're on melanin. There's a small emphasis on like moisture. Two N. Is it M-E? Definitely not two N. Is it double L-O-W? Melanin? No, it's not melanin. We're not covered in a fruit, Joel. It's M-E-L-A-N-I-N. A-N-I-N. Yeah, melanin. But also, I would say that growing up, I think because we have like, sometimes our skin gets dry and stuff, you know, people of colour generally, I would say, are more like involved in the moisturising game from a younger age.

21:50Right, okay. And also, we don't sit in the sun as often as well. Like, even with this naturally occurring melanin, we actually generally don't sit in the sun. I was with you the first time I ever got sunburned in my life. When we were filming in Kenya, I'd never had it happen to me before. I mean, you know, it's an equatorial sun. And I started saying to Joel, I was like, Joel, I've had an allergic reaction. And I was like, it's really itching me. And he was like, yeah, that's sunburn. And I was like, no, no, no, it's an allergy. How old were you when you got your first sunburn? 30. 31. You had to explain it to me.

22:23Because like when it's really hot, Nish just goes in the shade. Yeah, because also that is generally. So what I'm saying is there's some good skincare happening in communities of color that sometimes is not replicated fully in white communities, but you both have got fantastic skin. So I can totally see that. So what's the... Classic Nish, by the way. We're making a business podcast. We've brought you on a friend. We told you we were a big business and you've made it immediately about race. Nish! What have I told you about this? We must have a normal conversation. I love to make things about race.

22:55Make things about race. Make things about race. You can cut that out and use it. There's some way of you staring this towards Keir Starmer. He's got lovely skin. I'm genuinely proud of you for knowing who the Prime Minister is. Thanks, man. Like, genuinely. Just for so many years, like in the 2010s, Joel would say stuff like, what are you, mad about Tony Blair? And I'd have to be like, Joel, I can't tell if you're joking or not. But just to be clear, Tony Blair is not still the Prime Minister. He was a good one, though, wasn't he? Don't open that can of worms. Don't make me talk about weapons of mass destruction, Joel.

23:27We're trying to talk about a skincare business. Skincare creams. Skincare creams are the opposite. They don't destruct. Who is it aimed at? Who's the target market for the business? That's a great question. Great question. Have you thought about that? Yeah. So basically, what we found a sort of common goal is that we both are, I'm 40, Ben is 50. We both use skincare for different... Both of you look good on those ages. Thank you. Yeah. And we were like, and you know, we've, we're on, on television. So maybe we've had use of skincare for a little bit longer than other people. Help and advice and expertise.

24:00Also you're straight men who have, we're all straight men who have understood the benefit of makeup. Yeah. How much, how helpful. And the difference it makes. Yeah, absolutely. For example, I'm not wearing makeup right now and I would encourage you to Google image me to see how much different I look when I'm made up. Right now, I look like the corpse of comedian Jason Mantzoukas. Sometimes when I'm made up, I ask for a little bit more melanin. Now, now, Joel, I must urge you to not do that. That's something culturally we're frowning upon. We're actually frowning upon that now. It's been quite a lot.

24:35It's been about a century's worth of cultural discourse. There's so much to learn, Joel. About how we should avoid that where possible. There's so much to learn. Don't make me bring up Al Jolson I think we might need you as a consultant Yes, Nish Our skincare cultural advisor Yes, please Can we, a cultural attache Skincare cultural attache to the podcast Yes Okay, so tell me, where are you going to Who's producing the skincare for you? We're not quite there yet That feels like quite a fundamental question here Because we're on a voyage of discovery We're learning Now, going back to your original question, which is who's it aimed at?

25:17Who's it for? Where are you making it? It's for men. It's for young men and men of middle-aged men or older men. Sort of similar to us and who feel like they want some extra weapons in the armory to look after their skin, to help them feel great and look great when they look at themselves in the morning. Something also that's simple. I think that's really key to us. We like us, actually. We like us. Simple. it's so complicated I think the especially the women's market of skincare because it's very much sort of knowledge based there's so much stuff that you look at on the shelves and you're like I don't know what any of these words mean what any of it does and I think people get really I think men especially get very scared by it and definitely intimidating isn't it yeah listen what I would say is I would urge you to please don't do what a lot of like beauty products for men do which is trying to offset the fact that they're beauty products by calling themselves things like face grenade or like skin gun or anything that's like...

26:19This is it. Don't indulge in toxic masculinity in your branding. This is exactly what I think is really important. Skin bros, Ben. Yeah, exactly. All this kind of stuff. Everything that's to be like, this cream is not homosexual. It's for men who like boobies. That's actually a really good name. This cream is not homosexual. Is that on the list? That's on the list, okay. It's actually on the same list as you asking for more melanin in your makeup. I feel like we are much more powerful with Nish in the armory. This is Nish. This is fantastic. But I think that's really important. Where is it going to be made?

26:55Because that's hugely important because it's skincare, right? Where is it going to be made? You need to work with people because there is often things where skincare is sort of giving people allergic reactions. It's going to need a huge amount of testing, consultancy with dermatologists. Yes. And I think, yes, dermatologists. Why are you all... Why are you... I'm looking to the control booth now to try and understand what's happened here. Why is this news to these people? Dermatologist. Why is this news to... This should not be news to these people. What is going on here? Is that spelled the same as Dermot O 'Leary?