Bad English.

[srw]

The thing is, is that...

It seems to be a relatively recent coinage - and you can understand how it could emerge from a live interview with a pause between the ises. But I even heard Evan Davies on the Today programme say it this week without any pause.

 

[swee'pea99]

I was watching rugby match on telly the first time I heard 'that's a big ask'. The camera was filming from behind a ruck at the time and my first thought was that it was a gratuitously personal comment.