Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier
Panel show ranking worries on the Worry Index.
Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier is a panel show that aired on the UK channel Dave. It first appeared on 16 May 2018. The central premise involves Richardson and a group of guests talking about their anxieties and placing them on a Worry Index, with each worry rated as low, moderate, or severe. The debut season also included comedy sketches where Rose Matafeo and Richard Gadd looked into subjects that bother Richardson. A second season, consisting of ten episodes, was broadcast from 3 July to 4 September 2019.
The show was first announced by Dave in January 2018. Before the premiere, a preview clip was shared by Digital Spy, and a video counting down Richardson’s own top eight worries came out in early May. The first series had eight hour-long episodes, airing from mid-May to early July. Richardson has obsessive–compulsive personality disorder, a topic he first discussed in his 2007 Edinburgh Festival Fringe show. He explained that creating the programme helped him “compartmentalise” his concerns and found the process “so cathartic.” He also told Radio Times that he hoped viewers would see that “the world is fundamentally a funny place.”
The show was renewed for a second series in December 2018, which began filming and broadcasting the following year. The second season kicked off on 3 July 2019 with ten episodes. Notably, the first episode was accidentally aired in a censored version, even though its 10 p.m. slot was an hour after the watershed. Richardson noted that the second series was more topical, allowing the format to shift quickly from light subjects to major news stories like climate change, which he called “the biggest [worry] of all.” His wife, Lucy Beaumont, appeared as a guest in several episodes. Although Richardson was initially hesitant to work with her, he said they gradually did a few bits together and it “just seemed to come really easily.”
Critics gave mixed reactions. Steve Bennett of Chortle compared the show to *Room 101* but felt Richardson put a more distinctive spin on the format, noting it’s rare for a panel show to be so closely tailored to its host’s quirks. He did criticize that the show would work better as a 30-minute format, though he called it an “entertaining passer of time.” Carol Midgley of *The Times* gave it three stars, agreeing that some segments dragged on too long, but also described parts as “nerdishly amusing.”
- field
- Television panel show
- broadcaster
- Dave
- first_series_premiered
- 16 May 2018
- number_of_series
- 2
- episodes_series_1
- 8
- episodes_series_2
- 10
- host
- Jon Richardson
Lore & Background
The show was announced by Dave on 23 January 2018. A clip was released by Digital Spy on 27 April, and a video listing Richardson's 'top 8 worries' was released on 2 May. The first series of eight hour-long episodes aired from 16 May to 4 July 2018. Jon Richardson has obsessive–compulsive personality disorder, which he previously discussed in his first Edinburgh Festival Fringe show in 2007. Richardson said that making the show allowed him to 'compartmentalise' and was 'so cathartic', describing comedy as 'a great way to have those conversations but trying to make people feel better'. He told Radio Times that he wants viewers to realise 'the world is fundamentally a funny place'.
In December 2018, it was announced that the show had been renewed for a second series of ten episodes, to be filmed and broadcast in 2019. The second series began on 3 July 2019 and consisted of 10 episodes. A censored version of the first episode was mistakenly broadcast when it first premiered, despite its timeslot of 10 p.m., one hour after the watershed ended. Discussing the second series, Richardson said that it was more topical than the first series; he said the show's format allowed quick changes from 'lighter' topics to 'big news stories', such as climate change, which he described as 'the biggest [worry] of all'. His wife Lucy Beaumont features as a guest in multiple episodes. Though Richardson was initially reluctant to work with Beaumont, he said 'we gradually did a few bits together and it just seemed to come really easily'.
Reader's Guide
Jon Richardson: Ultimate Worrier is notable for its personalized format, closely moulded to the host's own obsessive–compulsive personality disorder and his approach to anxiety through comedy. Steve Bennett of Chortle compared the show to Room 101 but noted that Richardson 'puts a more distinctive spin on the format', commenting on the rarity of a panel show being 'so closely moulded to the foibles of its host'. Bennett criticized that the show 'should really be a 30-minute format', but summarized it as an 'entertaining passer of time'. In a three-star review for The Times, Carol Midgley also criticized that '[s]ome parts went on too long', though also calling other parts 'nerdishly amusing'. Oprah Flash of Cable recommended the show to people who have 'enjoyed the dry wit [Richardson] brings to 8 Out of 10 Cats'. The show's legacy lies in its unique blend of panel show structure with personal, therapeutic exploration of worry, and its ability to address both light and serious topics within a comedic framework.
Did You Know?
- The first series premiered on 16 May 2018 on Dave.
- Worries are categorised as either a low, moderate or severe worry in the Worry Index.
- A censored version of the second series' first episode was mistakenly broadcast despite its 10 p.m. timeslot.
- Richardson's wife Lucy Beaumont appears as a guest in multiple episodes of the second series.
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