THE JOURNAL
Men have a problem with their friends. Rather, their friendships, specifically. Barely a week goes by without a report telling us that 49 per cent of us have never opened up about our emotions with a friend. Or that two-thirds of young men think that nobody really knows them. Or that 32 per cent of us don’t have a best friend at all. Imagine that: all these stats and no one to share them with.
It’s been dubbed the “loneliness epidemic”, the “friendship recession”. As life and work get in the way, our bonds with our mates tend to suffer. And even when we do get together, men’s socialising style tends to be “side by side”, taking part in an activity such as fishing, playing sport or watching it on TV, rather than “face to face”, the one-to-one interactions generally more typical of female friendships. Another survey suggests that 90 per cent of us never talk about anything serious with our mates.
Not that a serious talk can’t also be fun. Funny, even. To that end, when the time came to showcase the latest collection from our in-house brand, Mr P., we thought this could also be an opportunity to get some good friends together. And what if those friends also happened to be comedians?
Over the coming weeks, you can expect intimate chats between four funny men and their best mates. From the impressionist Josh Berry to Ted Lasso star Phil Dunster. There’s also stand-up Phil Wang on his Wonka cameo. But to kick things off, the super-fast satirist Munya Chawawa can be seen hanging out with his friend Joe.
Think of it as a reminder to check in with your BBFs. Like those wardrobe essentials you can always turn to, treat them well and they will have your back.
Munya Chawawa and Joe McArdle
“I’m like a wild, electric ferret, whereas Joe’s very mellow,” the comedian and actor Munya Chawawa says about his relationship with his best friend, the actor Joe McArdle, who features alongside him in his Mr P. video. “Like a boat just bobbing along the ocean. He’s one of the only friends where I’m totally unconscious of what I’m doing and how I look and how much silence there is between us when we’re together. And I think that’s the [sign of a] true friendship.”
Josh Berry and Cody Dahler
“A couple of years ago, I was my best friend’s best man,” Josh Berry says. “And I noticed how difficult I found it, to tell him that I loved him, even though I love him enormously. He’s my best mate and has been since I was 13. I noticed how uncomfortable he felt receiving that as well, which made me think that there’s something in this, there’s a show in this.” The comedian and impressionist on why there’s more to his mates than material, honest.
Phil Wang and George Fouracres
“George turned up at my college bar one night,” Phil Wang says of an early encounter with his fellow comedian, George Fouracres. “He was dressed like he was in Jeeves And Wooster or something, fully suited and booted. It was incredible. I just remember him being eccentric and funny, easy to get on with. He’s very interested in everything, George... which is always helpful when you meet someone for the first time.”
Phil Dunster and Patrick Tolan
“I’ve been told that I have a rather punchable face,” says the actor Phil Dunster, star of Ted Lasso and Rooster. Whether his best friend, Patrick Tolan, was the one to tell him remains unconfirmed. “We have so much common ground and history. He’s always there and he’s always ready and willing to meet me halfway,” Dunster says.
When Did You Last Send Your Best Mate A Heart Emoji?
“Men generally report having fewer friends than women, and those friendships they do have are often less engaged,” writes the comedian Max Olesker. “A 2019 YouGov survey indicated that 32 per cent of men don’t have a best friend at all. And, of those that do, six in 10 men have never told their best friend they love them.” Here’s why you should.