tech
December 24, 2025
My big night out: I spent the evening with Ant and Dec
I was a chemistry student, my days spent boiling, titrating and stirring. But after that night, I formed a double act with a friend, writing jokes and making a radio show, before heading off to Australia …
TL;DR
- The author was a chemistry student at Nottingham University but was not particularly good at it, citing a lab incident involving goat's blood and hydrogen peroxide.
- During university in the mid-90s, the author was influenced by the British dance music and Britpop scenes.
- An encounter with Ant and Dec after their live show led the author to want a career in comedy rather than chemistry.
- The author formed a double act with a friend named Phil, writing for the student magazine 'Impact' and attempting to DJ.
- They hosted a radio show called 'Phil and Rich's Potato Mash' on University Radio Nottingham, which once broadcast two hours of silence due to forgetting to press the record button.
- After university, they sent demo tapes to radio stations and created a comedy website in Australia, but their double act dream eventually faded.
- The author ended up in journalism, while Phil works at the BBC in a creative industry.
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