Ask Eddie Redmayne: I want to break into TV. Should I become the world's fattest man?

Dear Eddie,

Like you, I’m a natural performer. I’ve always wanted to be a star of TV and film, but so far I’ve only been in the background of a news report when a local paedophile was arrested and I’ve found it hard to build on.

Love Island says I’m too old, unattractive and married, Survivor turned me down, Made In Chelsea required me to be rich already and nobody watches Big Brother so I’m not wasting my time. Then I had a brainwave.

What if I become the world’s fattest man? People love TV shows about the grotesquely obese, so once I’m over 90 stone the offers will come rolling in. I’m fully prepared to be bedridden and unable to perform basic tasks. Actually quite looking forward to it.

What do you reckon? Worth a go?

Cheers,

Roy Hobbs

Dear Roy,

It’s great to hear from a fellow artist and I’m thrilled you’d like to break into an already overcrowded industry. It’s a shame you couldn’t go the easy route and attend Eton like I did, but I understand places are limited.

Performance is all about transformation, or becoming someone else. Whether I’m becoming a genius crippled by motor neurone disease in The Theory Of Everything or a trans woman in The Danish Girl, I’m unrecognisable. So from an artistic perspective, I fully support your decision.

As to your specific plan, I have my reservations. Though I enjoy ogling the severely obese and hopelessly poor as much as the next person, the format is a little stale. All the recent shows have shown doctors trying to help these unwell people, which is frankly dull.

To really sell your show, add a competitive element. I’m envisioning something like The Biggest Loser in reverse. Find a mate who also wants to become the world’s fattest man and follow your attempts to eat more and move less than the other person. That way, the audience can really root for you and your journey to becoming an immoveable boulder of fat. The winner can be given a crown of pies.

I’m thinking of setting up a production company for shows just like this one, so get in touch if you want to pursue this further. We’ve got one in development about a man trying to contract terminal lung cancer by smoking 2,000 fags a day.

Best wishes,

Eddie Redmayne

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