In your career? “Well, I’m a worka-
holic. And the reason is that there is a
limited amount of time and I’ve got so
many things I need to get done.” But
surely success means he can stop
doing what he was less successful at?
He shakes his head. “I do what I love,
so why wouldn’t I work? It’s better
than going to dinner parties.” cTed Lasso is available to stream on
Apple TV+A big deal with Warners may change
that. Goldstein has signed a multiyear
contract to make television — like
Phoebe Waller-Bridge with Amazon.
The duo follow in the Hollywood
lineage of early Gervais: acerbic and
observational comic Brits who write
empathetic characters from the heart.
What sort of show do they want
from him? “I can’t answer that,” Gold-
stein says. “But I am obsessed with how
people relate to each other. Maybe it’s
that?” His first show is Shrinking, with
Harrison Ford making his TV debut.
How was Goldstein when he met him?
“I thought, ‘I can’t believe I’m going to
meet Indiana Jones.’”
There are many layers to this man.
Although affable and open, Goldstein is
prone to occasional outbursts of
morbidity. Take, for example, his pod-
cast, Films to Be Buried With, in which a
guest discusses how they may die. How
does he think he will die? “Shot in the
head, in the shower.”
“I don’t know why I’m so obsessed
with death,” he continues. “There are
cultures that talk about death and ours
isn’t one of them. I’m scared and
worried about people I love dying —
and when you get older, more die. It’s
something we need to probably think
about a bit more.”
How does he think Ted Lasso shapes
people? “I can’t speak for fans,” he says
of the show that changed his life. “But I
can speak about how it has shaped us.
Ted is our best selves — he tries to bring
out our best selves.” In tricky spots the
writers think about what Ted would do.
Maybe we all should do that. “Because
it stops you being a dick,” he says with
a shrug. “You can’t be a dick when mak-
ing Ted Lasso.”
He tells me about “the best day of
my life” — when he went on Sesame
Street in April. It was Goldstein and the
Cookie Monster, teaching the f-word:
fairness. He was nervous on the way
there. “I thought, ‘What if they are all
horrid?’ This could ruin my under-
standing of the world.” But when he
got to the studio, everyone was pas-
sionate about their work. He even saw
Elmo giving script notes and it was all
detail, passion — which is what he sees
on Ted Lasso.
I ask which footballers Kent is based
on. The answer? Oliver Twist’s nemesis
Bill Sikes. That is not a deflection —
other influences include Don’t Look
Now, the Muppets and the French art-
house director Céline Sciamma, who
made Portrait of a Lady on Fire. One
former professional, though, did tell
Goldstein that part of his job was toNIGHT SUCCESS’
“You have to write Hitler with love.” He
squirms at shows where the writer
clearly hates their creations — it gives
less chance to explore their character.
Then he grimaces. “Please don’t make
the headline ‘Write Hitler with love’.”
The night he won his Emmy he
strode on stage to huge cheers and said:
“I was very specifically told I’m not
allowed to swear, so this speech is going
to be f***ing short.” What was that night
like? “Insane.” Surely he will get used to
such glittering events? “I wonder if that
ever changes? I still think I have low self-
esteem and that I’m nothing.”1
Only Murders in
the Building
Yes, the title has “murder”
in it, but this Steve Martin,
Martin Short and Selena
Gomez show is really
about friendship between
generations and trying to help out
strangers. How lovely! The second
series starts this summer. Disney+2
Heartstopper
This sensational show
is about two young gay
men falling for each
other, told with a rush of
love. It is so full of hope
that it has become the show many
wish they had had when they were
younger. Netflix3
Harry Styles
The nation’s best pop
star is on a mission to
make you feel fine: his
gigs are celebrations of
kindness and you can
watch his performance at the Big
Weekend now. And if that’s not
enough, he has read a bedtime story
on CBeebies — about a house. iPlayer4
Coda
Little suggests an
appetite for nice things
more than Coda taking
best film at this year’s
Oscars. The story of a
deaf family is a Hallmark greeting
card of a movie, obstacles are simply
there to be overcome. Apple TV+5
Schitt’s Creek
The story of a rich
New York family upended
to the Canadian sticks is
a hilarious study in
snobbery — and how to
be accepting. Netflix6
Hacks
A tightly written
comedy about an
unlikely friendship. Jean
Smart plays a harridan
stand-up comic who has
fallen from grace and Hannah
Einbinder is a younger performer
who is flown in to write jokes for her.
Despite being from different worlds
they bond. Series two starts next
week. Amazon7
Here We Go
Tom Basden’s series,
starring Alison Steadman
and Katherine Parkinson,
shows the funny side of
everyday life. The Jessop
clan are a knowing nod to chaotic
families across the country. iPlayer8
The Repair Shop
Presented by the
warm Jay Blades, this
series where family
heirlooms get a glow-up
has a simple message:
got a problem? There’s someone out
there who can fix it. iPlayer9
Ten Percent
Whether you choose
the French original, Call
My Agent!, or the English
reboot, this show about
a talent agency has a
charming premise and shows the
lighter side of celebrity. Amazon10
Derry Girls
From the opening
notes of Dreams by the
Cranberries to the eye
rolls of Sister Michael,
this tale of four teenagers
in Troubles-torn Derry is
heartwarming and hilarious, with a
message of hope at its core. All4intimidate the other team to make
them run at him less, so it is no sur-
prise that Roy Kent shares initials with
the Irish tyrant Roy Keane.
What made Goldstein think he was
right for the part of Roy Kent? “I under-
stood Roy,” he says. “There is a tragedy
to ageing footballers not being able to
do the thing that is their joy. What hap-
pens next? Does Roy think, ‘Shall I just
end it?’ I’ve felt elements of that. As in,
‘F***! I’m running out of time.’”The older I get, the
more I hate seeing
people get hurtNICE TV — HOW TO BRIGHTEN YOUR DAY
5 June 2022 7