Golden Balls : Mark Dolan on XY

Death defying acts, wicked wind-ups and juvenile hi-jinx; Balls of Steel, Channel 4's hidden camera show is back on the box for a second series and this time it's not holding back. Host and stand-up comedian Mark Dolan explains the appeal of watching a pair of 'f**kers' on a Friday night.

So why should we tune in to Balls of Steel anyway?
The turnover of styles of comedy on the show is very high, so if there’s one thing that doesn’t tickle your fancy you’ll find something that does. It’s quite far-reaching in it’s scope of terror.

Who’s embarrassed themselves the most on the show?
Our couple, they’re the new Richard and Judy but younger: they're called 'The F**kers and they get it on in public. They do things like organise viewings with estate agents and kind of get in the mood and the next thing you know, they’re at it. It’s really not the stunts we’re pulling that has the comedy gold - it’s in the reaction.

Has anything gone seriously wrong on the show?
Last series we had a character called The Naked Man, he went to a skiing fair and a local man was enraged by this act that he perceived to be perversion and he chased him around with a large metal stick. That was really scary.

Some say that BOS promotes happy slapping? Please discuss.
Any prank on TV, psychological or physical has been around since for a long time so we’ve not invented anything new there. You’re probably thinking of Ned and his burger bowl-off where he drives around chucking burgers at unsuspecting membbers of the public. For that stunt we contacted friends of the family beforehand. For a programme like ours, it’s difficult to take the moral high ground but then we can’t bottle it and not do stuff that we think it’s funny because of public reaction.

So who would you like to throw a burger at given the chance?
David Cameron would be a good choice. It’s ironic that no matter how appalling Tony Blair has been, I’d still rather throw a burger at Cameron. And I’d like to give a burger to Posh Spice, so that she’d eat it and put on weight.

Did you grow up wanting to be a comic?
I grew up wanting to be in front of an audience and entertain them, but I knew that I loved comedy. I grew up above a pub in North London and I got used to getting up at all hours of the night to sing silent night for people.

You've Been Framed or Punk'd?
It's gotta be You've Been Framed because of Harry Hill. Punk'd is probably a better show but I'm a bit patriotic and YBF is classic ITV1 Saturday evening fare and it's so pure, there's no hanging around - it's just one clip to another.

What is the lowest form of wit?
I don’t like a conversation of sarcasm puns. So people who when they have a conversation with you take what you said literally in order to be funny.