Garrett Millerick is the world's angriest optimist

Just Trying to Help sees the world's angriest optimist, Garrett Millerick, answering stupid questions with sensible answers. Having supported Aziz Ansari and Nick Kroll on tour, as well as appearing on Conan on US TV, Garrett is ready to take on Edinburgh once again tackling probing questions on religion, lockdown and parenting in his new show. He chatted to BCG and answered our (hopefully not so stupid) questions about anger, optimism and his daughter.

What's your balance between anger and optimism?

Pretty volatile to be honest. There isn't much point getting angry about things that can't be changed. Screaming at the sea is a pointless exercise. So, I tend to get myself worked up about things that could be fixed without too much effort. So it's inherently optimistic anger.

Do you want your daughter to believe everything you tell her or question it all?

There's got to be a reasonable balance hasn't there. I'd like her to have a healthily enquiring mind but If I tell her to not put a fork in a plug socket then it's best she goes with blind obedience.

What question are you dreading she will one day ask you?

Why didn't you tell me not to put that fork in that socket?

What's the most stupid question you've ever heard asked?

I was sat overlooking a harbour with a colleague many years ago, and she asked what the line on the harbour wall was, I responded that it was the high-water mark, when the tide comes in the water reaches that point. She looked very concerned and said 'But if the water comes all the way up there, won't it cover all the boats?'

To be fair, that's not a stupid question. It's a question being asked by a stupid person. Those aren't necessarily the same thing.

The world has changed since you were a child. What should be put back as it was and what should we never return to?

I think if you ignore minor technological advances, pretty much nothing has changed.