Jimmy Carr declares he’s not a big enough ‘idiot’ to compete in his new escape room game show

Jimmy Carr has declared he’s not enough of an “idiot” to compete in his new escape room game show.

The comic, 51, will front new UKTV series ‘Battle In The Box’, which will see contestants including Joe Swash, Katherine Ryan, Guz Khan and Jamie Laing play gruelling games in a battle for more breathing room.

Jimmy told The Post newspaper about how there was no chance he would have signed up to join them: “When I was offered the show, I initially said: ‘No. That sounds like a nightmare’.

“But it turned out they wanted me to host. I said: ‘Of course I’ll host. I’m just not going in there. I’m not an idiot’.

“Some offence to our contestants. What were they thinking?”

When asked what he found appealing about locking celebrities in a box and making them obey his instructions Jimmy joked: “That’s a question which is very difficult to answer without incriminating myself.”

The first two episodes of the show, which starts on Tuesday (16.07.24) will see comedians Lara Ricote and Harriet Kemsley compete against Joe Swash and comedian Seann Walsh – while the third and fourth will see comedians Josh Jones and Fatiha El-Ghorri take on Ryan and ‘Friday Night Dinner’ actor Tom Rosenthal.

When Jimmy was told the show’s premise sounded like a George Orwell-style Big Brother nightmare he said: “Well, it’s a nightmare for everyone apart from Big Brother – he’s having a great time.

“And in ‘Battle in the Box’ I get to be Big Brother.

“There are shows that you watch for relaxation, where you see nice people doing lovely things, shows like ‘Bake Off’.

“‘Battle in the Box; scratches a very different itch. Going into the box everyone has a game plan, until they’re hungry, sleep deprived and driven to distraction - which is when the good bits happen!

“Never mind going into a box, try and not look at your phone for 24 hours and see how you do.

“I’d defy anyone to not get quite irritable. I’d argue if you don’t use your phone for 24 hours it would feel like the walls are closing in, even if they’re not.”