Luck, Work Ethic and the Long Game

Jimmy Carr is back. Jimmy Carr is one of the most recognisable comedians on the planet: world-touring stand-up, TV host, and author - famous for brutal roasts and surgical one-liners.

But in this episode, you get the sharper edge and the deeper thinking: why 2026 is going to feel like a turning point and how young men can get control back.

Jimmy is one of the most respected comedians in the world: a world-touring stand-up, TV host, and author known for brutal one-liners and zero mercy…

but in this episode you get the full range - savage comedy and the deeply human side. We talk about dating, masculinity, porn, cheap dopamine and why so many young men feel stuck - then we go way bigger: AI as a new “god”, the end of old institutions, how podcasts replaced mainstream media, and why politics is entering a genuinely weird new era.

And then the episode turns: Jimmy opens up about grief and love - remembering Sean Lock (including the first joke Jimmy ever heard him say, and why he felt like a father figure), the impact of losing his mum Nora, and a beautiful tribute to Janey Godley and what she said about Jimmy behind the scenes.

Expect to learn:

Why women select for competence and what “safety” really signals.

Jimmy’s advice to young men: porn, risk, rejection, and building a real life

The loneliness trade-off: liver damage vs social isolation How J

immy thinks about anxiety, discipline, and “life assignment”

Sean Lock’s legacy — and what it’s like to lose someone you built a career beside Grief, funerals, and the difference between resume virtues and eulogy virtues AI, institutions, and why the next decade could get very “interesting”and much, much more.

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00:00 — Young Men Are Stuck

01:52 — Jimmy’s Back: Glasgow Banter

04:18 — “Media Diet” & Mental Health

07:27 — ADHD, Boundaries & Discipline

08:23 — Arenas, Imposter Syndrome, Movies

13:46 — Early Comedy Influences

16:21 — How You Build Confidence

17:32 — First Glasgow Joke (DVD Era)

18:52 — Comedy = Friendship

20:28 — Why Dark Humour Helps

22:16 — Dating: Safety, Competence, Chemistry

24:48 — Advice to Young Men: Porn, Games, Asking Girls Out

27:09 — Drinking vs Isolation

29:28 — Dealing Young People In: Agency Over Empathy

31:35 — Trump + Debate vs Deliberation

32:28 — Fourth Turning + Class Politics Flip

34:31 — Podcasts Replaced Mainstream Media

36:52 — “Be Of Service” — Working-Class Agency

37:46 — “Woke”, Status & Suicidal Empathy

39:19 — Jimmy’s Come-Up: Luck + Work Ethic

42:29 — Pre-Show Mindset

44:32 — Jimmy’s Laugh + His Mum

47:48 — Sean Lock: First Meeting + Legacy

53:54 — Grief, Mortality & Talking To The Dead

55:18 — Funerals: Eulogy vs Résumé

01:01:31 — AI, God & The Future

01:04:26 — Secret Struggles: Dyslexia, Body Image, Work

01:07:24 — Pax Americana Ending + The World Shifting

01:10:29 — Kids, Legacy & Meaning

01:13:18 — Janey Godley Tribute

Instagram: @davidmcintoshjr

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/c/davidmcintoshjr/about

Substack: https://substack.com/@davidmcintoshjr?

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