Mo Gilligan on the 'complete escapism' of BBC music game show That's My Jam

The comedian’s latest TV venture started earlier this month and airs at prime time on BBC One on Saturdays, when each week two new teams of celebrities take on musical challenges as Mo pushes their singing abilities, performance skills and musical knowledge to the limit in their bid to be declared the show’s champions.

The first UK episode of the show – which is based on the Jimmy Fallon programme of the same name in the USA – aired on December 17 and featured Alesha Dixon, Michelle Visage, Kevin McHale and Jenna Ushkowitz.

Guests play games such as The Wheel of Impossible Karaoke, Launch The Mic, The Vinyl Countdown, Disco Charades and Take on Mo before facing the mighty DoomBox in the end game, Slay It, Don’t Spray It.

Mo says: “It’s such a fun show. I guess the unique point is that people at home can really play along too, and you’ll see some of your favourite celebrities do things you’ve never seen before. They’re putting their musical knowledge to the test but also pushing their performance abilities.

“The games on That’s My Jam are so simple and yet feel so big. We have really fun games like Slay It Don’t Spray It, which has our celebrity teams go up against each other as they try to guess the lyrics of a song - or be sprayed in the face with water.

“It’s probably the first show I’ve done where everyone’s just having a fun throughout. it’s just non-stop laughing and good vibes."

Mo saw his debut Coupla Cans stand up tour, which included a two week residency in London’s West End, become a sell out.

The show went on to be recorded as his debut Netflix original Momentum.

In 2021, he went back on tour with There’s Mo to Life, achieving another sell out run with 10 dates at the Hammersmith Apollo and an O2 Arena show.

This year, he released his second Netflix special of the hit live show.

But what does it mean to have That’s My Jam launch in a primetime slot?

“All the greats of British TV have been in that slot. British culture is weekend television. It’s a big deal. It’s the time when people clock off for the week, this is their weekend and they’re letting you entertain them a little bit.

"So having that primetime slot on BBC One is a massive deal and the fact that BBC and Universal trusted me and wanted me to be on board, I can’t begin to explain how much that means.

“But then you’re like ok, now we just need to make the best show possible. Let’s make something really amazing for our audience. We’ve all worked really hard to give them the best possible show we can.”

Mo thinks that audiences will take away that escapism element.

"I think the show is really cool because it’s all about music - and the music is timeless. A new generation will discover the old school and at the same time, the old school discovering the new school. I mean that’s the coolest thing – that people can play along at home with friends and family and test their musical knowledge together.”

Who else can people look forward to seeing on the show?

"Oh we’ve got some amazing celebrities, man,” says Mo. “We’ve got names like Donny Osmond on the show, who’s one of the coolest guys. You’ve got other massive US stars like Jason Derulo on the show, but then you have people from the UK like Alesha Dixon and Becky Hill.”

Naturally, Mo is a big music fan himself and can remember his mother listening to reggae on Sundays while she cooked.

One man, though, has a special place in his heart.

"My musical hero has gotta probably be Bob Marley. The man made effortless, timeless music, always stood for a lot and he’s just, you know, one of those musicians that just stands the tests of time and crosses so many different generations.”

But the games in the show cross musical genres, says Mo, making it feel inclusive.

"I think people are gonna be surprised by Tom Grennan because we do a little musical thing with a keyboard on the floor and he makes up a song - it’s incredible.”

The next episode of That’s My Jam, featuring guests Donny Osmond and Glee’s Amber Riley, airs on BBC One on New Year’s Eve at 9.10pm.