‘What is burp?’ – the immortal words of comic Paul Foot, which had Off Menu’s Ed Gamble and James Acaster in stitches.
Off Menu guest Paul, 49, stated that he had no recall of ever burping – not even once – in his whole life, leaving Ed, 37, and James, 38, in stitches.
Ed and James meet down with a guest to discuss their choices for a starter, main meal, side dish, dessert, and drink on Off Menu.
They spoke with veteran British comedian Paul, who was formerly part of a double act with Russell Brand 20 years ago, on their most recent show.
Midway through the broadcast, following some typical banter, Paul made a bombshell disclosure regarding a medical problem that utterly took everyone off surprise.
‘I was having a conversation with a friend a few months ago and he said something about, “Ooh, I just did a little burp there,”‘ Paul recalled.
💨 What is burp? 💨 pic.twitter.com/EMZZnxaDHp
— Off Menu with Ed Gamble and James Acaster (@OffMenuOfficial) August 31, 2023
‘And then I said, “What is burp?” Because I didn’t really know what “burp” was. I didn’t know.’
He continued: ‘I’d heard the word but I didn’t know what burp was, you see? And then I discovered that you can burp either loudly or silently.’
By this moment, the two hostesses, who had previously hosted Jamie Oliver, Louis Theroux, and Claudia Winkleman, were exhausted from laughing.
‘But the point is – I realised that never in my whole life have I ever burped, ever. So I’ve been training myself in burping because I looked it up online.’
The disease Paul is describing is a cricopharyngeal muscular malfunction in which the muscle fails to perceive and release trapped gas in the lower oesophagus.
Symptoms include the sensation that food is trapped in your throat, trouble swallowing, and frequent coughing when eating or drinking.
It is possible to treat the malfunction, which is an uncommon disorder, with Botox injections. A general anaesthetic is required for the surgery.
Earlier this year, Paul spoke about his ‘traumatic’ childhood, his career as a stand-up, and his years of dealing with poor mental health.
