ShxtsNGigs are one of the UK’s top rated comedy podcasts and most probably (and also involuntarily) the best internet detective service there is out there; as James and Fuhad, the two masterminds behind it, leave no stone unturned in the realm of unfiltered Twitter. Every episode comes filled with the most creme de la creme, outrageous stories that social media has to offer as the two embark on their weekly quest to find the most jaw dropping things that happened in people’s lives.
Recently, James and Fuhad have taken their mission to another level and travelled to America to sit down with other podcasters that share the same interests and sense of humour. As soon as they’ve come back they couldn’t wait to break the news that they will be hosting their biggest show to date next year at the O2 Arena on the 26th of May named strategically The Biggest You’ve Ever Had.
It was only right we sat down and spoke about their current, well deserved success, their humble beginnings and also their inspiring friendship. As they called themselves in this interview, James and Fuhad really are “two peas in a pod” so let’s see what they had to say about what’s happening in their lives right now in the interview below!
P.S: Tickets go on sale on Friday, 1st December here so make sure you don’t miss out!
You’ve been on a roll lately doing lots of cool stuff, let’s talk about it! Tell us, how you’ve been? What’s been happening?
Fuhad: “Yeah, we’ve been busy! It’s been very busy, can’t complain. We’ve been focusing on obviously next year – a couple of tours coming up, focusing on a couple big announcements and just focusing on, you know, making sure the pod keeps being what the pod is. Just focusing on all that energy, really. Which was a test given how busy we’ve been so yeah!” (laughs)
James: “Yeah man, we just got back from America. Did like 11 different podcasts in 10 days over there, which was a lot of fun. And yeah, we come back with a pep in our step because that was a long trip man.”
Fuhad: “Yeah, it was a good experience, good learning curve.”
Indeed, you have been consistently appearing on a series of major podcasts in the US!
Fuhad: “Yeah, we did the rounds!”
James: “Yeah, you know what, it was actually sick, you know? I think as well, it’s always nice – I watch a lot of podcasts and a lot of YouTube content and stuff – and it’s always nice when you get to see one of your favorites, go on other people’s show that you’re a fan of. And before we went out there, I didn’t really pay much attention to that in terms of what that would do for people that listen to us. But then once we were out there and we were doing a couple of other ones and then seeing the crossovers and stuff, like seeing how excited people were talking about like when Cartoon Network linked your two favourite cartoons together, everyone’s excited and stuff. (laughs) But I thought regardless of anything else that alone made the trip worth it for me.”
That’s fantastic! You have your O2 show coming up as well which is really exciting! What can you tell us about it?
Fuhad: “Yeah! London, the O2, 26th of May 2024. The Biggest You’ve Ever Had. It’s going to be a fantastic, fantastic show. We’re taking the studio to another level. We’re taking what we’ve done on previous tours to another level. We’re just making sure that it’s going to be extravagant, obnoxious, over the top. And yeah, it’s just going to be a movie. It’s going to be a party. So yeah, we’re looking forward to everyone showing out. And we’re just going to repay the love that everyone has shown us, you know.”
Can you paint the picture of what it would look like for someone who’s never been to a show like that before?
James: “Well, this is my favorite question, you know? Let me dive in! All right, cool. So yeah, a lot of people ask that exact same question because they’re always like, the first question they always ask is like “Oh, so what is it? Like you just gonna like, do what you do in a studio, just in front of people?” And it’s like, it’s the heart of that, but like, it’s also completely different. So it’s like this is the one opportunity for everyone to actually be a part of the conversation. So this is an opportunity to do that with like.. just imagine that with fireworks, basically!”
“So we’re going to do all the games that we play. I don’t know if you’ve ever seen stuff that we’ve done with like, Darkest Man was on and we had like the Rhyme Time games and stuff like that. Like imagine that but like in a massive, massive, massive arena as if it was like a musical event. So any music style stuff that we would do on the show would do it as if you were going to see your favorite artist. Like any game stuff you’ve done, you would do it as if you were on like a game show. Like any intimate story time stuff would do it as if you were literally in the room with us and make it as intimate and like immersive as possible. So it’s everything that you love about the show taken to its like highest form, basically.”
Fuhad: “Well said, well said!”
That sounds amazing! Let’s create a parallel and take it back to the beginning. How did you two meet?
Fuhad: “So we met on the first day of uni. We went to Coventry University. We both studied sports and exercise science and literally I was in like, I think it was like a forum room or something with one of our other mutual friends, and James stumbled in late. And James was looking around to see who he can like pair up with and see who can be like partners or whatever. And he saw us and he overheard us talking about basketball and things like that. And he was like “Oh yeah, I’m into those things too.” And then literally since day one it’s been the trio. It’s been the trio, yeah. So that’s literally how we met, first day.”
And how did you become best friends?
James: “Yeah over time but low-key Fuhad seduced me like from day one. (laughs) So obviously, after I, like, put myself in the little chat, I remember he asked me to come watch a Man U game with him and our other friend, Toby. So all of us went to watch the famous derby, yeah. Went to the Manchester United game and then, yeah, ever since then, I remember we both had, at the time, we both had girlfriends that were living in Leicester. So we used to commute to Leicester together. Do you remember?”
Fuhad: “Wow, yeah!”
James: “Yeah, yeah, yeah. So we would end up, literally from day one, we would literally watch football together, we’d go to lectures together, we would go see our girlfriends together, and then ever since then, that’s literally it.”
Fuhad: “And we’d train together as well, yeah.”
James: “And we’d go gym together as well. And then we’d play table tennis together as well.”
Fuhad: “Yeah, literally two peas in a pod. It’s crazy!”
James: “Wow, I’m literally only deeping that now, do you understand? I’m actually only deeping this right now, this is not even rehearsed, I’m only deeping it right now. That’s mad!”
And what do you think is the glue in your friendship?
Fuhad: “Probably our banter, our sense of humor. We understand each other very, very well. Very, very well. I would say for sure. Yeah, long story short. We just understand each other very well.”
James: “And I think as well, like, we understand like, how do I explain it? Like, we understand what our strengths and our weaknesses are. And the one thing I would say for Fuhad especially, Fuhad has held this friendship together because he is the most patient and trusting guy you’ll ever meet in your life. Like this don is patient. So there’s days where I’ve thrown my toys out the pram, etc, etc. And I need someone who’s not on that level because I’m very, very like, I can be very loud and energetic and stuff like that and he’s always there to balance me out when I’m like that. And same with him, like he can often be like quite neutral and sometimes like lethargic and stuff like that and I’m there to be like “Come on, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go!” And then we always meet in the middle and it’s perfect.”
What do you like the most about each other?
James: “Okay, this is a bit deeper than it needs to be. I would say my favorite thing about Fuhad is his loyalty. When we first ever started the show, we would always talk about how it was kind of me that like chased Fuhad down so that we could start the show. And he said no for six months and like, I would hassle him, hassle him, hassle him to start. But then once we started, that’s kind of the end of the story. But like, I’d say one of the most important parts of the story is that he was so loyal to the fact that once he’d said yes we never missed a week in four years.”
“And at the time, obviously, we were both working full time. There was so many times that we had to take annual leave because like our camera didn’t record properly and we had to record an extra episode and like take six days and like cancel plans and like open up his home to me for like multiple days in a row just so we could do this thing that he initially didn’t even want to do in the first place um and that’s literally the only reason we’re here right now so yeah his loyalty is next level.”
Fuhad: “Damn, I don’t know if I can top that.”
James: “Yeah, you’re fucked. Sorry g!”
Fuhad: “I would say, one, he’s my confidant for sure. I feel like I can tell him anything and everything. And he’s very sound with advice and things like that. A lot of the times, obviously, we give other people advice on the show and things, but when we sit down and have heart-to-hearts and one-to-ones he like transcends me to another place and makes me understand things differently and I feel like I could be very like relaxed and calm about things I tell him and vice versa so yeah.”
That was wholesome! I was thinking to ask you what you hate about each other as well but then I thought maybe let me not go there.
James: “OH WE CAN GO THERE IF YOU WANT!” (laughs)
Fuhad: “We can go there! (laughs) I can say off the jump James he hates being told what to do. He’s an authoritarian. So anything, like anything outside of, let’s say me and him discussing something to do with the pod or anything like that, like all that outside noise he’s like “Why are you talking to me?” Like “Let us focus and let us try and decide.” So yeah, he’s an authoritarian for sure.”
James: “Yeah, that’s a bad trait of mine. But he knows what I hate the most about him.”
Fuhad: “I’m always tired.” (laughs)
James: “Yeah, he’s always tired and he’s always hungry. And if anything, nothing matters more to him than his stomach and his rest in any situation in the world. And yeah, it’s the most infuriating thing that I can possibly imagine. Yeah. We could be like three hours late for an appointment and if he’s hungry we’re not doing anything until he’s eaten.”
Fuhad: “Until I eat, yeah. You won’t get the best of me if I don’t eat, so it’s for everyone’s sake, it’s for everyone’s benefit.”
James: “Facts.”
Do you remember the last time you two had a fight because of that? Or do you even fight at all?
Fuhad: “No, like I said, we understand each other so well. And it’s one of those situations where if there’s a difference in agreement between the both of us, James for example, he calls it like the love sandwich. He will say “Bro, I love you BUT”. He will say what he needs to say and he’ll finish it off with a love bomb as well. So it kind of softens the blow. And that’s just how we deal with each other. Because like I said, we know each other so well, we just understand how to converse with each other without it going to another level. We’ve known each other for so long.”
James: “Yeah, it’s very true. Yeah, like we know each other, we already know what our mindsets on things are before the topic would ever come up. So as soon as the topic comes up, I know where his answer is gonna be and he knows what my answer is gonna be. So there would never be a reason to fight.”
That’s a life lesson right there! Whatever you want to say, just make it into a love sandwich.
Fuhad: “There you go!”
How did the idea for the show come about?
Fuhad: “So there was a time in my life where I used to live in Manchester. And prior to that there were times where James and I would go out and like once a month or so, he would come and visit me in Manchester. We’d go out, have fun, come back, we’d be hanging the next day and we’d just be talking about the night before, we’d be talking about university, talking about old stories and just laughing and laughing and laughing and laughing.”
“And then James said one day “Oh, why don’t we just get a camera and record everything we’re doing and just put it out there and see what happens?” And like I said no for ages because one, I didn’t really know how people would accept our banter per se because our banter is very, very different I would say to most people. And the way we talk and the way we are, yes, it’s similar to other people, but I feel like I wasn’t too sure. Should we put this out, should we not?”
“But long story short, we did. And it took ages to set up. I believe James had already bought all the equipment and stuff, but he didn’t tell me for like two or three weeks because he was nervous as well. Because I had said yes it was like “Oh, it’s actually game time, it’s real now.” So he drove to Manchester every month as the very good friend he is, I opened up my home to him and our first, I want to say first 30, maybe first 40 episodes were done in my living room in Manchester before we got our first studio. So yeah, that’s literally how it started.”
And what did you used to do for work before this?
Fuhad: “So I used to work in hospitality pretty much my whole adult career. As soon as I left university, I went from bartending to managing. I used to work in London and then I moved. I used to manage in Manchester as well. So like two or three restaurants over the space of those years and yeah that was me until I quit.”
James: “And I was a personal trainer. Well on and off, but yeah for the most part I was a personal trainer from like the day we left uni till like, yeah, when I quit to do this.”
Touching on the infamous Tweet of the Week, is there any tweet that’s stayed with you till this day?
James: “We did an interview the other day and nominated the playbacks of a couple of the old ones and some of them I’d forgotten all about. So there was one that said “I asked this girl if I could touch her hair and she said yes. So I ran my finger across her top lip and that’s how the fight started.” (laughs)
Fuhad: “I forgot that existed. Yeah, that’s top three. Bro, that was funny!” (laughs)
What is your favourite episode that you’ve put out recently?
Fuhad: “I would say definitely the Chunks and Filly ep was really, really good. And the episode we recorded this week, actually, that comes out next week, I thought was really, really funny as well. Just how we bounced it and how we like bounced off each other was really good.”
James: “I think the Chunkz and Filly one was probably, yeah, one of my favourite ones that we’ve recorded in a long time. And what else? Probably the million subscribers episode that we did a few months ago. That was like a very, very, very heartfelt because yeah, it was very heartfelt. It got emotional.”
Fuhad: “Yeah, it did.”
James: “It got randomly emotional. Yeah, it just reminded me of how things were back in the day. And it was a nostalgic episode. It was really, really, really nice. I like that one.”
In the light of that, what achievement are you most proud of so far?
Fuhad: “One, I would say being able to do this full time and quit my job and actually be able to like comfortably provide for the things I need to provide, the people I want to provide for, as well as the million subscribers is something I didn’t conceive to be honest. Like when we first started this it was all just for fun at the end of the day. And when we got the 100K plaque, I was thinking “Oh, wow, this is really, really real.” And before you knew it, like a year and a half later or so, you got the million one and yeah, it was crazy. Crazy feeling.”
James: “I would agree. I remember when we first started, well not when we first started, but when we’ve been doing it like probably for the best part of the year or whatever, we set out like all these goals. There was like an achievable list and there was like an unachievable list and then the achievable list was just like really like standard stuff but then the unachievable list, the last thing on the unachievable list was a million subscribers. I remember it. Because it just didn’t seem like a thing that would actually ever happen, especially at that time for like a podcast for like people that are putting out content that’s like an hour and a half long, an hour long. People aren’t on YouTube sitting down watching that. So it didn’t seem like a real thing. But I remember saying to Fuhad “If we ever, ever get this, there doesn’t need to be another list after this. This is the last list we’ll ever have to make. The rest of it is irrelevant.” So yeah, when we hit that one it was like a big like “Oh my God, wow! This is actually a thing.” Yes, that’s my proudest achievement, I think.”
So you don’t have a list at the moment?
James: “So the rest is.. I wouldn’t even dare, stuff like performing at the O2 as a live podcast show is not, I wouldn’t even dare put that on paper. I wouldn’t disrespect the live pod and put that into the universe, right, because that is just not even real life.” (laughs)
“So the stuff that we do now, I don’t dare put on a list because I don’t even think it’s sensible to assume those things can happen. I just cover my mouth and gasp whenever we get the news that this kind of stuff is happening for us. So, yeah, no more lists. It’s just vibes now. It’s just fun and vibes. No more lists.”
As we are about to wrap up, can you share the most outrageous thing that you’ve seen on the Internet?
Fuhad: “The most outrageous thing I’ve seen on the internet is.. There was a question I asked about two years ago or a year and a half ago on one of my questions of the week. And the question was “What’s the wildest thing you’ve seen on someone’s phone?” One of the responses was a shipment of guns and grenades from Somalia. (laughs) Yeah, that literally took our breaths away.”
James: “That was, yeah, to date, that’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard in my entire life.”
Does everything you see on the internet change your perspective on people or even lose faith in humanity altogether?
Fuhad: “For me, I feel like it’s been like a reverse. So at first, when I started these questions, for like the best part of the first few months I was like shell-shocked to see the kind of responses that like.. “Oh my God, I can’t believe people are saying this, can’t believe people are saying that.” Nowadays, I look forward to the juicy stuff. So if I’m posting a question I’m looking for the funniest, the best ones, the craziest ones. So for me, I’m looking forward to them. So it’s very different now. Whereas before, it was like “Oh my God. Shell shock, wow.”
James: “Yeah, agreed. I wouldn’t say it’s made me lose faith in humanity but it has like.. You know what it’s done? It’s taught me a lot about myself and that like.. It just goes to show that everyone’s flawed. And like, everyone’s flawed and if you give someone an opportunity to be anonymous they will just tell you all the craziest stuff that you never knew existed. And you just think “Rah I’m not I’m not actually that bad.” And everyone else is just dealing with their own stuff. And it actually makes me feel more comfortable. The wilder the stuff that we hear, the more I think like “Everyone’s just dealing with their own shit.” And then there’s no one that’s like overly crazy because these people are just like accountants, teachers, whatever. And they’re just sending in the wildest stuff you’ve ever heard in your life. Everyone’s just trying to make it through in one piece. So yeah, if anything, it puts me at peace with myself.”