“There’s something really liberating about sketch comedy”: David Mitchell, Robert Webb, Kiell Smith-Bynoe, Lara Ricote and Krystal Evans on Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping
It’s been 15 years since David Mitchell and Robert Webb’s last sketch show, That Mitchell and Webb Look, ended. But the funnyman duo is making a much-welcome return with Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping. Alongside the pair star newcomers, Lara Ricote and Krystal Evans, plus Kiell Smith-Bynoe of Stath Lets Flats fame. The quintet sat down for a Q&A at the BFI Southbank, hosted by Peep Show and Succession creator Jesse Armstrong.
Returning to sketch comedy felt natural for Webb, who had been hoping to revive the genre for quite some time. “We love sketch comedy, and we’d always had that in mind, so when it happened, it turned out that we’d spent 15 years politely waiting to be asked!” he said. “And then we started writing together and suddenly it all felt very natural and good.”
It didn’t take long for sparks to once again start flying in the writers’ room once Mitchell and Webb reunited. Asked whether there was anything that surprised him regarding his long-time collaborator’s input in the new series, Mitchell quipped, “I think we’ve seen each other do everything! So, it’s just a question of, ‘Oh, that one is it today?’”
In an age of rapid-fire TikTok videos, the humble sketch comedy has found its feet. For Mitchell, it proved the perfect medium for him as a comedian. “There’s something really liberating about sketch comedy because you don’t have to care about any bit except the bit you’re doing. If you can make that funny, then you have succeeded in that section of the task,” he said.
It was a collaborative effort between the performers, who all had a seat in the writers’ room. For up-and-coming comedian Ricote, it was a delight to participate in this process, albeit a daunting one. “It was my first writers’ room. I’d never done anything like that, so obviously, it was terrifying, of course. But you guys were all really nice and Gareth [Edwards, producer] was really nice at saying, like, the first idea was always kind of bad…which was really a very sweet and kind thing to do,” she joked. Similarly, Smith-Bynoe found the meta elements, in which the actors break the fourth wall during interludes in the writers’ room, an artistically riveting experience. “I got to play myself, which I’ve never done…so that was like a new challenge. And I’m trying to work out if I’m doing it right! You know, watching videos of me? I watched it back and was like, ‘Yeah, he’s bang on,’” he mused.
One sketch in particular that left the audience at the BFI Southbank chortling uncontrollably was Sweary Aussie Drama, in which the actors adopt their best cartoonish Aussie accents and let the f- and c-bombs fly. This was a favourite of Evans. “I loved doing the Sweary Aussie. I didn’t even really know that I could do that accent, and I was like, ‘Oh, that was a skill I didn’t know I had buried inside of me,’” she laughed.
Having predominantly appeared in traditional sitcoms, Smith-Bynoe benefited from a fresh challenge. “There have been things I worked on where it’s like, ‘Let’s try something.’ But we were like, ‘No. We’re pretty secure with what we’ve got, and we’re going to do that.’ And [we] did it and it worked, so that was like a new experience. And you can see the proof! It’s good, right?”
When it comes to the changing comedy landscape, Mitchell acknowledged that he’s less inclined to engage in savage barbs in his middle age. However, his chemistry with Webb, and thus the pair’s approach to writing and acting, remains unchanged. “When we’re writing, we sit down, and we think of something that is a bit annoying or doesn’t quite make sense,” he noted. Added Webb, “The sweet spot you’re looking for is the thing that you’ve noticed that other people have noticed without quite noticing that they’ve noticed.” Testament to his enduring rapport with Webb, Mitchell concluded, “And that is absolutely what we’ve always done, and still do, so we haven’t in any way grown or moved on.”
Antonia Georgiou
Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping is released on 5th September 2025.
Watch the trailer for Mitchell and Webb Are Not Helping here:
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