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Hello my Fannist friends and welcome

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to the Richard Herring Podcast feed.

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Happy new year. Welcome to 2024

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can you believe it? I've got a feeling this is

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said that every year since 2016

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get lots of bonuses But there's lots of ways to

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support us at the moment as I speak I don't

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know how long this will be the case emergency questions

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each on Kindle be lovely if you just went and

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bought both of those even if you don't read them

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It's only two quid. It's not even that Also,

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I'm on tour of course with rahulaspus starting

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again on the 22nd of January. That's the

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square theater with Bob Mortimer And

0:47

then we're in Brighton with Rufus Jones and Maisie

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Adam Back in London with Armando,

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you know, she on the 5th of February Mary

0:53

Beard on the 9th of February Colchester They're all

0:55

coming up. I would booking a guest for the

0:57

12th of February less square theater very soon It's

0:59

gonna be a big one. But now don't leave

1:01

it to the last minute and

1:04

of course the Can I have my

1:06

ball back tour starts up? I'm

1:08

doing some tryouts from now on really

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2:00

from Mint Mobile. Hello,

2:35

Cambridge Wells. Welcome to the Assembly

2:37

Hall Theatre. Please welcome a man

2:39

with a strangely rattling scrotum.

2:41

He's Richard Herring. Thank

2:51

you very much. You're

2:53

not as good as last week's audience, that's what

2:56

has to be said. Welcome to the show.

2:58

Lovely to see you all. Thanks for coming

3:00

along. This is Richard

3:02

Herring's Little Supermarket for Tumbridge

3:05

Wells Podcast. The littles are

3:07

good supermarket, that's perfectly fine

3:09

for you guys, you don't

3:11

need anything. Don't need

3:13

anything else. You got a little, there's

3:15

a Tesco there. You're

3:18

well served. Can't get those

3:20

nice, oh, I'll have those little fruits, how much

3:22

you can get in a waitress. Don't

3:24

know what I'd do without those, the mushroom stir fry, oh,

3:26

it's so good. I

3:30

was at the UK Owl and

3:32

Raptor Centre the

3:35

other day. It's basically,

3:37

I was expecting to be Royal Tumbridge Wells' Jurassic

3:39

Park. I was looking forward to seeing the raptors,

3:41

I have to say. I wasn't so bothered about

3:43

the owls, but I thought

3:46

there were going to be some raptors there, this would be good.

3:48

It was mainly owls. There

3:51

was very few dinosaurs there at all.

3:54

I should have been suspicious. Anyway

3:58

the owls called it Bralistapa. I

4:01

always like to check the

4:03

front page of the local newspaper to see

4:06

what kind of place I'm in. I

4:09

looked at the front page of the Tumbush-Welt times,

4:12

which looks like it's from 1894. I

4:16

generally had to check it wasn't a

4:19

reproduction on the internet that I just genuinely

4:22

did, although they had the headline. Today, this

4:25

headline, this is getting people... Remember

4:27

the headline of a newspaper is, trying to

4:29

encourage people to buy the newspaper some big

4:31

piece of news ago I have to buy the

4:34

Tumbush-Welt times this week. Council

4:38

proposes mandatory card payments for

4:40

all taxis. That's the

4:42

big headline news. I

4:44

mean, hey, it might as well be fucking

4:47

1894 if you can't

4:49

already pay for all your taxes on cards.

4:52

This is the 21st century. Who has

4:54

cash anymore? I

4:57

saw that, I thought, primary, I better buy the paper

5:00

to read more about that. I

5:05

went down to Pent-Pantiles, where the streets

5:07

are tiled with pants. Well

5:10

on a Friday night from what I witnessed

5:12

in the Royal Victoria Place complex before I

5:15

came. I was there at five o'clock and

5:17

the schools were just out and they

5:20

were already pretty frisky. The

5:23

police, the police were involved.

5:26

So well done. So you know, you don't

5:28

live up to the stereotype all the time, Royal Tumbush-Welt,

5:30

so congratulations on that. So look, I will just have

5:32

a quick run through what I'll

5:35

be doing after the show. I'm going to run out to

5:37

the foyer before you. And I was just talking to my

5:39

guest about this. He said he

5:41

saw Alvin Stardust do the same thing. Alvin

5:45

Stardust and the Grumbleweeds, they were out in the foyer before

5:47

the audience. You're not going to believe how quickly I'm out

5:49

there. I have cards. You can pay by

5:51

cash or card. It's not

5:53

mandatory. Not yet. And

5:57

as I said, there's some stickers and

5:59

cards. There's all the

6:01

different emergency questions books, would you rather? There's

6:06

some little emergency questions books that fit in the

6:08

pocket, one of them is Christmas emergency questions. What

6:11

a great gift that would be coming up for

6:13

Christmas. Right let's crack on,

6:15

hopefully my guest has made himself a cup of tea

6:18

by now. He's

6:20

probably local, he lives in

6:22

Royal Tumbridge Wells, he's

6:25

probably best known as high class

6:27

customer in West Lice version of

6:29

Uptown Girl. That's why we're... That's

6:34

why we only get the good guest. Please

6:39

welcome the actually incredible Robert Bathurst ladies

6:41

and gentlemen. Mate,

6:45

Robert Bathurst from Uptown

6:47

Girl. Thank you. It's

6:51

lovely to see you Robert. I get a

6:53

mug. You got a free mug,

6:55

it's a good size. There are three of us in

6:57

this show, there's you, me and your merch. How

7:05

do I compare to Alvin Stardust

7:07

and the Grumbleweeds? I saw Alvin

7:09

Stardust on the North Pier at

7:12

Blackpool. I went out pretty

7:14

quick at the end of it, but Alvin was already in the foyer,

7:16

see if you can beat that. I'll

7:18

beat, I can beat Stardust. Do

7:21

you remember being in the West Lice?

7:24

Yeah, that was the beginning and the end of my pop career. Got

7:27

to number one, thank you very much. It

7:30

was a comic relief video for

7:32

Uptown Girl and with Claudia Schiffer

7:34

in a diner somewhere in North London and

7:37

the boys were eventually... There

7:39

were various ones like Eoin Griffiths and Tim McInerney,

7:42

we were all smart in sort of dinner suits

7:44

and stuff, who were meant to be meeting Claudia

7:47

Schiffer and taking her out and the West

7:49

Lice boys Got her in

7:51

the end. Yeah, well they would do, wouldn't they?

7:53

It was fascinating to watch it, I Mean to

7:55

make a pop video, I've never done one before,

7:57

but we're saying things, the actors are in it.

8:00

We're saying things to the director like

8:02

I was the continuity His ssssss continuity.

8:04

It isn't obvious is anyone ever done

8:07

but we see gets number one lesson.

8:09

Yeah. That's. The way this oh into d

8:11

a thing on the records. Know. Say nothing

8:13

and everything. You've got a number one number

8:15

of other day. I know they are either

8:17

aiming at we're on top of the same

8:19

other ones. Msms. I think the

8:22

kids in we don't need no education of a

8:24

bad business as I guess. yeah that was a

8:26

guy sounds of he uses his them over claims

8:28

assist that that's good sluggish have to say oh

8:30

say my size of the the last time I

8:33

saw you was when we did quite as as

8:35

is always a horrible things if we did a

8:37

table read of what am I scripts the Bbc

8:39

Executives in the Harbor Boardroom. That. Was

8:41

the second one and was a very

8:43

nice guy was my it was the

8:45

says why don't we can choose your

8:47

friends on I see me in that

8:49

them going to be on Relativity on

8:51

the right as bravo him wanna be

8:53

in these are those has a set

8:55

of your characters in the right is

8:57

the essence and them Timothy West was

8:59

was there as well as my yeah

9:01

so you the I had those situations

9:03

in the i mean yes it was

9:05

a ton of the i wince at

9:07

Windsor up and down and seven years

9:09

ago from tv said then. Big or A

9:11

their sides I've I've done is a backwards and

9:14

then it'll just be me and my instincts of.

9:17

With puppets.

9:21

With. The way ghosts and that unlike the I've

9:23

why didn't notice about you either. Don't think

9:25

that you are, you are in the kind

9:27

of glory days really have that of the

9:29

time for like I when I'm a I'm

9:31

amazed. It was nineteen seventy seven

9:33

because he didn't have to have been.

9:36

In and you don't. Really? Have

9:38

this position you in the caves. footlights the kind

9:40

of couple years before steam for I am it's

9:42

ups and but you must have been the numbers

9:44

of them yell at me there were there when

9:46

I was out there was I say I did

9:48

those we toured Australia with with I sort of

9:50

fairly with them. Stephen. Hewn Emma in

9:53

the in a show after they left. To me

9:55

doesn't do so around Australia. In

9:57

my says one thing than the just beating Australia and

9:59

the test. And and of so he called the

10:01

show either it was well it was a review about nothing

10:03

of six of of equal to show both and the musical

10:05

says us for the sake of. Under

10:08

and it had a really soft stole the Australian press

10:10

when it's funding who's the guy plays both amount of

10:12

a take advantage of and it wasn't It was a

10:14

non says title and of assistance or to death at

10:16

them. that was anything. So.

10:18

That was that before they before they sort of

10:21

went before they did alfresco. I mean the absolutely

10:23

I mean I I I want to be doing

10:25

what I'm doing now is his with his acting

10:27

as in once be a straight man for Jimmy

10:30

Melville or any other Some ups and that was

10:32

has make the set and I answer to do

10:34

sketches I couldn't I mean that I'm not a

10:36

comedian I don't do I did. I just don't

10:39

see are you from within suffer. But. Toma

10:41

designers and stuff, but I didn't want to

10:43

do sketches. I could see anybody over thirty

10:45

three in sketches is when I was my

10:47

twenty three. And. So I went into

10:50

a show in the West End and the

10:52

went on from there. Yeah and the rest

10:54

as Mr. S for you know you say

10:56

you say not Abby of are very funny

10:58

and you've played a standup comedian in one

11:00

of my. Favorite Twentieth century sick

11:02

com and yeah my same it's own ever hear

11:04

her hacking apart which was this was adding like

11:06

again it was if it did very well but

11:09

it way I think it's a sort of night

11:11

that the doesn't get the credit he deserves. It

11:13

was an early Steven Moffat as if is one

11:15

of his posse right press going and then you

11:17

a check you bother you at coupling. After that

11:20

I invented the pot was a producer wanted to

11:22

since he. Said to Stephen

11:24

Hula. He liked his writing and said what makes you

11:26

laugh He said why just been divorced as funny. As

11:29

as says and does So he wrote the

11:31

single checking apart which was I had these

11:33

stand up sequences in it which were actually

11:35

where it's downfall in some ways because because

11:38

they were just played into the audience. They.

11:40

Were married they were to spin the narrative along and

11:42

says of i was in a club and I was

11:44

doing the thing and I wing a shiny suit them

11:47

in and let and them and and they would just

11:49

to play in the studio audience to spin the narrative

11:51

along and they said the wheel reshoot those but they

11:53

never had the money to she refuses to They went

11:55

is that was on the first series and then Seinfeld

11:58

same along which of course was about center. The

12:00

much more fear and and we did a second

12:02

series and he was a well as time goes

12:04

on that and winter when they will and we

12:06

we we were because it's a we had about

12:08

three years between series of is a very frustrating

12:10

part. I had to say of the twelve episodes

12:13

that we made or the Stephen wrote, I reckon

12:15

eight of them are just. Brilliant.

12:17

Classic sauces which will enjoy and and people

12:19

still talk of I my for love for

12:22

long time I used to get stopped by

12:24

Trunks and public transport telling me the part

12:26

of their favorite episode of Jesse about assists

12:29

and anti it was. It was the most

12:31

enjoyable and and but I'm in and well

12:33

written from the of of a dumb yeah

12:35

apart from the one a possible you you're

12:38

able to say we're as a company like

12:40

actually because until I got that scraps as

12:42

I do get I caught on being assessed

12:44

ah ssssss nominate But Sir David say that.

12:47

You that you fail. Responses written, not betting.

12:49

A third series I had a story that

12:51

eat. Eat. The he put eat for

12:53

the milena know that? God yeah well I

12:55

mean yes I mean I said so. Teapot

12:57

took five years fourth ideas to to make

12:59

the to series we had a was the

13:01

most frustrating periods of like oh he wielded

13:03

or the show and people with were enjoy

13:05

it But anyway so yes we made the

13:07

second series and than ah. Well.

13:10

It's insistence of the i know I

13:12

own a Christmas Nineteen Ninety Three Bbc

13:14

to Christmas party and we all had

13:17

to queue up and in a royal

13:19

procession for the then head of Bbc

13:21

to prevent who who was. I'd had

13:23

a couple. And

13:26

an anti and. As

13:29

you're an American, you go down, you run

13:31

with Iran, with us, poses improper, you run

13:33

with with an idea and you develop as

13:35

an expanded and if you're to British Uganda

13:38

cause it I suppose maybe that's the analysis

13:40

of it anyway so he said his in

13:42

the queue he said i agree with just

13:44

on the second series of checking apart we

13:46

repeat as series one and two together and

13:48

then we'll make series three in the summer.

13:50

To. Which the reply was michael that was just fantastic I

13:53

thing as a really good idea but he sat on

13:55

he also said he said i want said the stuff

13:57

on the viewing figures he to this sort of media

13:59

graph with his hand. So I want to viewing

14:01

figures he said. She said to get to go

14:03

like Everest. I. Got. And

14:06

I just said will ever goes on the

14:08

other side He that assess. Assess.

14:12

We never on a series for yeah sit

14:14

series do was ever a basis but or

14:16

and and because it was a the Stephen

14:18

read this character who never takes anything seriously

14:21

and always comes back with of he said

14:23

at least we went out on a one

14:25

liner. That s weirdly I went to the

14:27

beams because this by you must have been

14:29

about nineteen the magma method of happily or

14:31

that's the best covered in fist of fun

14:33

and I got very drunk. Ah,

14:36

And I'm on! Me and Steven Moffat

14:38

was a big Christmas tree, but it

14:40

was sort of upper. without

14:43

some stats. We. Tried to climb

14:45

up the Christmas tree and I remember curling

14:47

up this guns race with Steven Moffat behind

14:49

me. Plaza you is probably his full as

14:52

a hobby is that the when I never

14:54

got invited assess, assess and I did the

14:56

overpay when I said I met someone and

14:58

said oh you my favorite have a sick

15:00

on the web really with what's to come

15:02

along with a view and. Susan.

15:04

Smith is and know isn't was in brushstrokes.

15:11

Every vi back so I'm ssssss but

15:13

having said that as a so much

15:16

that we could talk about the did

15:18

that you've been I've been in and

15:20

I we will try and get through

15:22

as much as possible. I'm I'm very

15:25

interested to hear that you and nearly.

15:27

One of the men in that's life. one of the

15:30

many sat behind us through that's legend, but you got

15:32

the he got the job to be that guy. Is.

15:34

Anybody remember that slice? Yes well I

15:36

mean I was in my early twenties

15:38

and I'm I had a my age

15:40

and put me. In. For that

15:43

size and. Ah, I

15:45

wants to do one thing in the moment I

15:47

did must be a tv presenter so I lied

15:49

my way through the auditions. I lied to us

15:51

the ransom and sorry I did I like misses

15:53

and I said hamatsa wants to do it with

15:55

his three rounds of auditions and them yeah I'm

15:58

in the it was It was. I

16:00

eventually went into a studio with loads of people

16:02

in the audience and there

16:05

were two hopefuls on either side of Esther doing

16:07

the quips. And

16:10

yeah, I turned it down.

16:12

But I mean, somebody

16:14

else did it brilliantly. But I

16:16

knew that if I was

16:18

going to do that job, I would never be able to...

16:21

It would always be on my record as it were. You

16:23

would always be referred to as

16:25

one of Esther's boys. Yeah, I don't think...

16:28

Not many of them have... I mean, a

16:30

couple of them had slightly journalistic

16:32

careers and they were journalistic in inverted commas. But

16:34

it was a hard thing to escape. But if

16:36

that were... Why did you go through the whole

16:38

process of doing the audition? Well, I was young

16:41

and just sort of flailing. And

16:43

I'm still up to doing

16:46

anything. But

16:48

I was... I

16:51

was trying, just trying. And

16:53

also I had no certainty. I knew

16:55

through the audition process when they asked

16:57

me to research and present a program

17:00

on the smelliest piggery in South Wales.

17:03

I knew that was... I didn't want that as my future. No.

17:06

No, I think you made the right choice.

17:08

Maybe. But I'll tell you what the difficulty

17:10

was, of course. That's life

17:12

was getting... And it seems odd now to

17:14

think about that, but it was getting 18

17:16

million people a week watching it. And

17:19

so I... In

17:22

about a year later, I was... I

17:25

took a very unambitious job at the National Theatre,

17:27

holding a spear and saying one line for four

17:29

months. So standing there in

17:31

my chain mail and tights and balaclava

17:34

with my... Balaclava pulled down

17:36

in my eyes and up over my nose so

17:38

that no friend could recognize me. And

17:40

holding the spear. And I was thinking I could be

17:42

opening supermarkets by now. I'm

17:45

glad I didn't. Yeah. Again, yeah. I

17:48

think it was a little interesting

17:50

to think of those moments and

17:52

the choices you make. I mean, not that I think there was

17:54

ever really any chance of you doing that job, but

17:57

I Always go back, and I've done this a few times, but I go

17:59

back to Pawnmoor. Carney after a hamburg came

18:01

back from work to the factory in

18:03

and was offered a promotion and the

18:05

biggest in do anything for a few

18:07

months. And. Then John Mellencamp said we're doing

18:10

these gigs of the Covenant lunchtime would he be

18:12

would become family Was offered a promotion so we

18:14

had to choose between. The London proper

18:16

job and get him going and getting more

18:18

money owed giving up and going me in

18:20

the Beatles that would have been of I

18:22

mean that would have been a bigger chains

18:24

the new being in this life would have

18:26

no offense. rather somebody assess the rest of

18:29

the imagine if he chosen and sitting in

18:31

a to think he would is. Think.

18:33

He would still go back to musical. We just

18:35

never have had Ice a fantastic so I'm is

18:37

rather good film in that in that them I

18:39

mean there's been a lot films basically or about

18:41

idea of a class or other lie. You alter

18:43

the rowdiness dental yesterday so of his slider there

18:45

was no and sliding doors then bring them up.

18:50

Your prague up again for us like off

18:53

cause you are in absolutely everything from the

18:55

last saw theists for her I'll have to

18:57

be careful about other attendees are lots of

18:59

stuff in my Cv which are less since

19:01

my twenties. I've been putting the as to.

19:04

Credits. And it's Alex of of productions know

19:06

you have a you have also seen in and

19:08

says i guess and I've done lots of episodes

19:10

of stuff and and it seemed as as a

19:12

over the years. And. Us and

19:15

so I put into made up credits. I've

19:17

been doing that for us as he is

19:19

and it and it still in my Cv

19:21

still on I think it's on hi I'm

19:23

Debbie I think it's still there. And

19:25

it's official and than that so with one

19:27

of them came about when I was on

19:29

the tube in Brixton in my late twenties

19:31

and something as as I still advices nothing

19:33

as have to keep some again and them

19:36

and somebody sent me on the. Was.

19:38

Who's getting off the tubes? Determined says his time as

19:40

he chicken of the tubes and she came back on

19:42

against you on his hand in. And. I

19:44

said and sometimes. And. As he said, my

19:46

friend once in a what you been in. A

19:49

nicer I see. The only I said I

19:51

said well I noticed in of them the

19:53

a thing. And. She's pull down

19:55

a friend he was in

19:58

the odd saying assess. So

20:02

I'd I'd use that in my city.

20:04

Tv also includes fields and ssssss and

20:06

and then then and then I am

20:08

or then I decide to is. Just

20:11

as in overtime the reverse episodes of

20:13

stuff which I that the space or

20:16

same I don't mention and them anti

20:18

that that comes on the ice ice

20:20

for that into town it's next daughter

20:22

the other thing I put in loads

20:24

of toss assess assess and and and

20:27

when we did the it's healthy stuff

20:29

school took off and under those publicity

20:31

for that. And they may have read my

20:33

theater program because some. I said

20:36

the under my photograph in their brochures

20:38

said star of T, these the odd

20:40

thing and lasers on Ssssss official. Well,

20:44

you've done moviedom of me up things out out

20:46

of an actor hasn't been as I suppose. Now

20:48

now I worry that some of them credits I'm

20:50

going to read out went real live as I

20:53

am. I do remember you in the Birth of

20:55

That a Red Dwarfs or That Happy With Hills

20:57

in the episodes of Red Dwarf offensives as Red

20:59

Dwarf and Humla A Right To Free Arrest The

21:01

I've Been. I was turned into a pot of

21:03

sherbet in the first episode of Adore. A

21:06

very knowingly I was working much than us.

21:08

They asked me to sort of a resurrect

21:10

the the Character to Sir and episodes of

21:12

Taught Hunter those Day and does so. As

21:15

far as I said, I'd love to combat

21:17

the mouse on this. but yeah we did.

21:19

Dumb as as others have said I was

21:21

of nukes in the in the first one

21:23

and Young blown up in. In. Honda

21:25

and was even have a bike. The bread pretty

21:28

well. They series the maybe that says that the

21:30

very Alive and He'll Kill Bathurst as opposed to

21:32

assess, assess assess their go to Vegas. Have I

21:34

been a month on Arise? Well. Yeah.

21:37

Yeah I see a valuable saliva not only been

21:39

blown up and stuff I've been his new from

21:41

of i think to act as a divided into

21:43

those who hit and those you get his assess

21:46

assess as and I'm personally the other this one

21:48

this and so i did on mine. Either.

21:50

Website It once a son of a tech savvy I had

21:52

a website of on Stage and. It's. Got taken

21:55

over by Chinese and Indians com and where

21:57

it is not and it was a button

21:59

on it goes. greatest hits, which

22:01

was my compilation of me being punched

22:03

and kicked and killed and blown up

22:05

in various shows over the years. But

22:08

I may try and find that again. Yeah, it would be good

22:10

to say. I mean, you've got a, you know, that's a little

22:12

bit of a character you

22:14

play, I would say, sometimes have a

22:16

little bit of a punchable face. Yeah,

22:18

yeah, absolutely. Yeah. I mean, but also,

22:21

I agree. It happens to be your face as

22:23

well, Robert. Yeah, and

22:26

guns. I mean, I can, I can't really hold

22:28

an automatic wear from the Red Ingrid Authority. So

22:32

yeah, I generally on the receiving end. Yeah.

22:34

I'm not even going to go in order

22:36

because there's things that I really want

22:38

to talk about in just case we don't get time. Look,

22:41

I have to mention Toast of

22:43

London, which is, I mean,

22:45

that's a, it

22:47

was, it may be an unusual choice for

22:50

you after having done, you know, so you've

22:52

done quite a few mainstream sitcoms

22:54

and you've done some like Cold Feet and

22:56

Toast of London is quite out

22:58

there. Well, I mean, that's the

23:01

principle of working. I mean, always, if

23:04

something seems, when I first read Toast, I

23:06

thought, what is this? Which

23:09

was the reason for doing it. Yeah, because

23:11

it was just, it was just seems completely

23:13

unlike anything I'd seen before, read before. And,

23:16

and it wasn't until I was filming the pilot

23:18

that I began to understand really what it was.

23:21

And but I, and I

23:23

like people who've got art school backgrounds as

23:25

well. I just, I just think there's so

23:27

many Oxford English people in the media who,

23:30

who know everything they got the answer to

23:32

absolutely everything. And I like working with art

23:34

school people, art school people throw it up

23:36

and see what lands. Yeah. And so I

23:38

do two particular Matt Barry and, and a

23:40

cartoon is called Charles Petey, I've done stage

23:43

shows with and, and they, they

23:45

just have a different approach to things.

23:47

Yeah, Matt's a jazzer. He's a musician,

23:49

really good musician, but his whole attitude

23:52

is jazz. And, and that came

23:54

through in the writing of it. So yeah, I mean,

23:56

it was, it was, it might well

23:58

have not worked. In fact, the first

24:00

series, nobody wrote about it

24:02

and it was going to get pulled.

24:05

And then the second series, Matt

24:07

won an award for it and people started to come round to

24:09

it. And we've only done two. I've

24:11

done two of Toast of London and then he went and did the Hollywood

24:14

one. But

24:18

I think, I love it because it's

24:20

got its own language and also comedy names

24:22

are really difficult. If you see

24:24

a reader sitcom and everybody's called Blink and Soft

24:26

and Chum, L'Oreal, whatever. And if

24:29

they're trying too hard with the names, but

24:32

what Matt and Arthur do is

24:34

they like fridge magnet names from two

24:37

connections and they spend months sort

24:39

of finding name pairings

24:41

that work. And so you have Kakeedee

24:43

Bannerlam and Pookie Hook and all those other ones. And

24:47

rather enjoyably, a racing trainer has

24:50

named characters in Toast. They

24:53

named horses after characters in Toast. And

24:55

I have to say, how's a black has won five races.

25:01

Someone reminded me on Twitter and I think

25:03

I should ask you about the

25:06

episode with Bruce Forsythe who you've

25:08

mentioned the character. That was

25:10

quite an extraordinary thing. I

25:12

watched it again today. It's quite an extraordinary thing,

25:15

isn't it? It has. I

25:17

mean, it is. It's a, does anybody remember

25:19

that one? I mean, it was, it was

25:21

extraordinary. It

25:23

was extraordinary. And it's very

25:25

difficult to describe. And when people

25:27

say what is Toast and

25:30

people who've seen it, the converted

25:32

go, yeah, yeah, toast, but people

25:34

who haven't, of course, they're as

25:37

blank because I was when I first read it

25:39

and they sort of think, well, when I first

25:41

came across it and they have no, well, if

25:43

you say I had to

25:45

sleep with a Bruce Forsythe look-alike and

25:49

there's a character in it played by Tracy Ann

25:51

Overman, who's a prostitute, but she only pays, but

25:53

she only charges her husband for sex. It's,

25:57

it's, it sort of gets people into the zone of

25:59

where. where toast lies.

26:02

Yeah, I mean it's

26:04

sort of a parody of actors without it being, you

26:06

know, it's

26:09

not parody, I think, they're not really real

26:11

characters in acting. Well that's a brilliant thing.

26:14

There's a couple of things there. One is

26:17

Matt is, Matt takes

26:19

a piss out of actors. And when I first read it

26:22

I thought, is this just a niche? Is this just an

26:24

industry humor thing? And it's gone

26:26

so much wider than that. But

26:28

Matt is not, I mean, he's

26:30

not, he

26:32

hasn't done much acting acting. He's done,

26:35

well he said that he, he said, oh

26:37

the greatest job I ever did was, I

26:40

worked in the London dungeon

26:43

on the Ripper tour. And it's absolutely fantastic because

26:45

you know all these Japanese tourists and stuff they

26:48

got going around with you and through the streets

26:50

and stuff they got. And then you eventually reveal

26:52

yourself to be the Ripper and they're all free.

26:56

And that for him, that was acting,

26:58

you know. And yet, he

27:00

does get under the skin of the

27:03

nonsense and the vanity of

27:05

the craziness of doing that job.

27:08

But he, and yet he's

27:10

not sort of part of it. It often takes

27:14

the best sort of satirists slightly sort of

27:16

outside the world that they're satirizing. Very

27:18

often. Yeah. And but he's absolutely

27:20

got it and he absolutely, and

27:23

I love the fact that actors like it.

27:25

There's no voiceover studio I've been to then isn't,

27:27

I can hear you, Clem Fandango, strolled

27:29

up in the wall. I

27:32

love Clem, I love Clem Fandango so much. Yeah.

27:34

Yeah. And then occasionally, you know, he's a, he's

27:36

a very good actor and he turns up in

27:38

quite serious thrillers and dramas and

27:40

things. And it's just so enjoyable to see him.

27:45

Yeah. But it's, yeah,

27:47

if you haven't seen it, which it seems, sounds like

27:49

you all have in the room at least, do

27:51

check it out. It is extraordinary. Hopefully it

27:53

will. There will be more of that one. I mean,

27:56

it's, I don't know. I mean, I he's got you,

27:58

Matt's working a lot in the, in the. in

28:00

North America, in Canada, and his eyes. And

28:03

there's a lot of, he did a toast of

28:05

Tinseltown, and Americans were queuing up

28:07

to say, I can hear you, Glen Fandango. So

28:09

maybe they'll ignore it, I don't know. Maybe.

28:12

The Bruce Forsythe thing is very upsetting. Ryan

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29:43

I mean, look, it's literally

29:45

everything. I'm interested in the

29:47

dad's army taking

29:50

on the role of John Lamez,

29:52

wasn't it? I think

29:54

it's John Lamez. But one was, I think

29:56

I got the nod for the remake

29:59

of the dad's army. rather restoration of

30:01

Dazami. Because I did a

30:03

thing with Ruth Jones when she played Hattie

30:05

Jakes. That's right, yeah. And

30:10

I played John Lemayzen there. And then,

30:12

so yeah, because of the 80 episodes

30:14

of Dazami that were made in the

30:16

60s, six

30:19

were taped over to make panorama or something

30:21

like that, you know, just sort of, because

30:23

they didn't regard it as something that will

30:25

ever be seen again. They're crazy. And so,

30:28

the tapes, these big chunky videotapes were

30:30

taped over, and they found copies in

30:32

various stations around the world for most

30:34

of them. But there were three episodes

30:37

of Dazami which were never seen. And

30:39

the completists among the fans of Dazami

30:41

wanted to see what wanted. It

30:44

would claim that they would like

30:46

to see them made. But of course they couldn't

30:48

be made because the great heroes were dead. But

30:51

so they got all the understudies in to play

30:54

the parts. And we built the Warmish and

30:56

on sea in the studio. And

30:59

in the audience, there were, it

31:01

was rather strange, there were a

31:03

lot of people from the

31:05

Dazami Appreciation Society in full uniform.

31:09

All of them going, oh yeah, come on, let's see

31:11

what you can do. And it was done faithfully to

31:14

it. And we were

31:16

just doing a restoration job. I think there's no

31:18

point. There have been various Dazami things.

31:22

And to my

31:24

opinion, there's no point in remaking something

31:26

that's available. There's no point in recreating

31:28

the characters in a thing that Jimmy

31:30

Perry and David Croft didn't write. And

31:33

so these were pure in the sense that they

31:35

were the shows. They were shot as close as

31:37

you could get to it as they were. And

31:40

we all knew our job, which

31:42

was to land the script. And

31:45

the three episodes, yeah, they were

31:48

restorations and they seemed to go okay. How

31:51

does it feel to step into that?

31:53

Presumably, like all of us,

31:55

you watch these things as a kid.

31:57

And I remember Dazami being... I

32:00

remember the don't tell him Pike thing and how

32:02

funny that was at the actual first time that

32:05

it happened. But you remember watching those with the

32:07

whole family and then to step into it and

32:09

be in it. Well,

32:12

it's great because it was

32:14

a through line to what they had to do and that was

32:16

really a thread which was really exciting to take on. But

32:19

also you become aware that these

32:21

sitcom writers, they construct comedy so

32:24

well. I say Stephen Moffat

32:26

is on a power there. And I

32:28

think his comedy construction is unparalleled. But

32:31

there, so you're dealing with scripts which everything pays

32:33

off, everything set up and everything pays off. And

32:36

so to do that was a real

32:38

pleasure. Yeah, it's amazing. It's

32:41

a very interesting story of why that

32:43

came up as well. Let's

32:45

talk about Cold Feet. So you were,

32:48

I mean, things are going pretty well in

32:50

your career, but Cold Feet obviously was like,

32:52

you know, sort of blew up, you know,

32:55

blew up so massively. Yeah, it was the

32:57

first of those sort of mega things. I

32:59

mean, I've been doing loads of stuff, but

33:03

I thought I was ticking over okay. But

33:05

that was a different level really when it took

33:07

off. And it didn't take off to start off

33:10

with. It was originally a 50 minute pilot. Well,

33:13

it wasn't even a pilot. It was a 50 minute

33:15

one off story of the Jimmy

33:17

Nesbitt and Helen Baxondale characters where

33:19

Jimmy ended up with a rose up his bottom

33:22

singing, you know, the love song. And

33:24

that's how it ended. And that was where it

33:27

finished. And nobody

33:29

was talking about a series. We never got options

33:31

for it. It was just deemed as a sort

33:34

of a good one off. And

33:36

the other characters, the other four of us were sort

33:38

of satellite characters to the other two. And

33:42

then they decided to make a series.

33:44

Oh, that's right. It got the

33:47

pilot, the pilot, the first step was the

33:49

one off went out on the night that

33:51

channel five was launched. And

33:55

it's For some reason,

33:57

I don't know, a Grand Prix overran or

33:59

something. in those days you couldn't stream things

34:01

in a city over rounded overran. so we

34:03

over and to and com and so we

34:06

were on. If anybody press that record as

34:08

a Vhs recorder they only go. Half of

34:10

us are because we were. we went out

34:12

late and a nice cause you haven't the

34:14

faintest the next day anything soon as they

34:17

must know that is a fantastic that worked

34:19

in a house and the him and nobody

34:21

read about it, nobody mentioned it. ah and

34:23

and I thought is this another one he

34:25

has gone and does so then I see

34:28

be a nice if he went rarely backing

34:30

it. And the guy baby so

34:32

it's going to him about it but butter

34:34

Andy Harris who runs Granada Drama and I

34:36

guess he bullied I see these put it

34:38

in his their second string in the Montreux

34:40

Awards which is the big committee European Comedy

34:42

Festival Tv Comedy festival and we were We

34:44

were I T V's number to sing and

34:46

that and we won We won we won

34:48

it one the guy who won the gold

34:50

and then I to be decide if really

34:52

rather go to. Amazon

34:55

and lot of people started taking credit

34:57

for it and them. And and then

34:59

it's they made a fuss series. And

35:02

that. And then that. Every.

35:04

Did size five series in the

35:06

first lot. And and every

35:09

year it was. A

35:11

good for the previous years had what you know on

35:13

a on the some level of. Most.

35:16

People's am aware that has made these things

35:18

and and then then is always that moment

35:20

will this where he can either answer Five

35:22

years Every autumn or so we were sort

35:24

of because had tell after two weeks of

35:26

people in offices were talking about it as

35:28

and it and it took us. Oh yeah

35:31

and some. And we pull the

35:33

After Five Five series. And.

35:35

And then the other the some the were for

35:37

others Recently more recently there is it going to

35:39

become Think that comes back every of seven up

35:41

Lily see on I rates in our it to

35:44

the I said to my Us by guidelines. Had

35:46

lunch with my classic com on In a in

35:48

a way of every night Twenty Twenty Six will

35:50

be the thirtieth anniversary of the Pilot. And.

35:53

Are so we I thought well why

35:55

not book and the series I mean

35:57

I guess is as meat or I'm

35:59

not. Speaking on behalf of anybody else.

36:01

But I mean it just seems that the

36:03

people I invested in those characters they seen

36:05

as when we've been relatively young. And.

36:08

Ah and and more middle aged and a

36:10

now going be hilda. Answer and

36:12

the i think some value in in book

36:14

ending the series. With. With Kill

36:16

Feet the third age he lived in I just

36:19

to see because they're all sorts of things that

36:21

lifers you as you get on a happy to

36:23

but it can also be funny and I just

36:25

think that is is it can't be just a

36:28

series of of misery stories of of of things

36:30

that happen as you as you to get more

36:32

more decrepit. I think that it's it's it's the

36:34

should be a good spot in there and might

36:36

spank a for the writing that old Fate City

36:39

too Low speeds has been mentioned vs that I

36:41

could elsevier perfect societal for us. but is I

36:43

mean I think the thing with you is good

36:45

You do. Do so many different things I'm

36:48

sure that this does not produce but when

36:50

people have a very successful so in a

36:52

very successful character. They. Feel they

36:54

can be haunted by and can be like oh

36:56

I don't want to go back to that because

36:58

we've done it. Feels to me that. Because

37:01

you do, you know you have to give

37:03

them some as variety. even in over the

37:05

last twenty years since. Since. I thought

37:07

that he assaulted that, that is. It

37:09

doesn't feel like a burden to go back and

37:12

said the alleged wouldn't take some in. I love

37:14

think David and Dumb on I think the sushi

37:16

mechanics and step and that's when as as. What?

37:18

What? It what is bad really I mean that's why

37:20

the reason my with we've been to go back in

37:22

primary am in with the in a big candy cause

37:24

mostly but i mean that really is is that yeah

37:27

I mean not just for that but then it would

37:29

be of. It would be really

37:31

interesting to go and that delve into

37:33

those guys organizing and and you don't.

37:35

i did so i don't i will get i

37:38

was get ice i don't believe people when they

37:40

say oh i'm so i'm just recognize that this

37:42

is terrible is still has the earliest disingenuousness well

37:44

i think maybe if i other you're right i

37:46

think people should be blown aids when had michael

37:49

palin ah miss it was just glorious the he

37:51

loves either he would he would recite some the

37:53

old sketches with him and he despises get a

37:55

i have you assess the he was as lovely

37:57

and you causing i know loads of we wouldn't

38:00

that. But it was just like, yes, this is

38:02

what you should do. Some people love the thing

38:04

you did and he still loves it and it's

38:06

just perfect. But yeah, I think if someone gets

38:09

a character and then that's all they get

38:11

to do, I mean, you've almost as an

38:13

actor, I think you've almost had the

38:15

perfect career. But I think it's

38:18

more difficult in soaps. Soaps, you

38:20

see, you're on for five

38:22

days a week, whatever it is, for a year.

38:24

And then it gets very difficult for people to

38:27

accept you as something else. If you're

38:29

in films, you may be seen

38:31

once every four years. You

38:33

might see Mike Moore once every couple of years,

38:35

you might be seen something telling something like Cold

38:37

Feet, you're not on that much. But

38:40

I think it's the saturation parts, the

38:43

parts that people only want to see

38:45

you in. I think

38:47

that's where the trouble lies for actors. And

38:49

you do a lot of stage work as well, of course.

38:52

You're working on, you've done it before, I

38:55

think, the Jeffrey Barnard is unwell and

38:57

you're doing that again. Yeah, I'm about

38:59

to do. I mean, I don't think

39:01

there's a podcast that probably goes after

39:03

it. But yeah, it's a small scale,

39:05

but it's something I've done before. And

39:08

it's called Jeffrey Barnard is unwell,

39:10

which is a character,

39:13

he's a writer, journalist in the 80s and 90s

39:16

called Jeffrey Barnard, who was wrote a

39:19

column called Low Life. He was

39:21

an alcoholic gambler, diabetic, you

39:23

know, he was just and he wrote about life

39:25

in the gutter in Soho. And

39:27

Jonathan Meeves described the column as

39:29

a 15 year suicide note. And,

39:32

and he was very funny and

39:34

Keith Waterhouse wrote a collation

39:36

of his work in and said it in the

39:38

coach and horses pub in Soho, which they did

39:40

on stage and Peter O'Toole did it and Jimmy

39:43

Boleman, all sorts of people did it on stage

39:45

with four actors playing character the scenes from his

39:47

life. And I'm going to do it

39:49

on my own in the coach and horses in

39:51

the actual pub itself. So we get 70 into

39:54

the pub and and, you know, I'm starting out

39:56

in a couple of weeks. Yeah, brilliant. I'm sure

39:58

that will come. I'm sure you'll do That's

40:00

quite a limited audience. That's

40:02

where I should be. I'll do the... I

40:05

might do my podcast there after you. Do a double bill.

40:08

But, you know,

40:10

I'm sure that's going to run and run, isn't it? I

40:12

just like doing that show in the pub. Because it's like...

40:15

When he says I was arrested by CI, he was

40:17

arrested there. I was actually on that bar stool. And

40:20

I just... I loved doing that. And also, it's quite

40:22

fun because it's very hot in there. And a couple

40:24

of times I had to stop the show because people

40:26

fainted and I'd take them outside. And

40:29

there was no one on the door. I just

40:31

sort of held it up whilst we called the paramedics and

40:33

stuff like that. So it's all very rough and ready. So

40:36

yeah, the audience become part of the show. Maybe

40:38

in their death. Maybe they'll die. Look,

40:43

I mean, there is so much

40:45

talk about... You know, you

40:48

turn up in unexpected places. That's what I

40:50

like about you. And I like that you

40:52

do that. You're in Mrs. Brown's voice, which

40:54

I wouldn't have pegged you down to go into

40:56

business. I would have pegged you down to go into Mrs. Brown's voice. No,

40:59

I mean, I will stand up

41:01

for Brendan. And

41:05

I did a film, this Mrs. Brown's

41:07

voice, the movie, in which I

41:09

played... I spent six years

41:11

in Ireland in my youth. And so

41:14

I played this sort of Trinity College

41:16

Dublin barrister with Tourette's. It

41:18

was a subtle piece. And

41:23

then he had me in for a New

41:25

Year's Eve sitcom special up in Glasgow. We

41:27

filmed it there. I did one of his sitcoms.

41:31

And I played Mrs. Brown's love interest in that.

41:34

And put my hand on his

41:36

knee and my hand

41:38

wandered under his skirt and got hit by

41:40

a mouse strap. So that was another...

41:44

Yeah, Mrs. Brown is... I know

41:46

people are divided, but it's

41:49

musical. It's Old Mother Riley,

41:51

yes. And it's straight out

41:53

of the musical. And he's great with

41:55

his audience. I went to see him in Sheffield

41:57

Arena. And there he

41:59

was. with 8,000, we're jealous here, 8,000 in the audience on doing

42:01

eight shows a week at 8,000 people

42:09

a night on a three month tour of eight shows a week

42:11

at 8,000 a night. He's got

42:13

a lot of cast though, I mean it's his family to be

42:15

fair. But he treats the audience

42:17

so well, and he makes them all,

42:19

and they're all, it's sort of

42:23

critic proof, that's what I love about it.

42:25

It's the bien-pense-ance, hate it, but

42:28

there he is getting these numbers. Yes,

42:31

and it's about, comedy

42:33

I think, and often can be forgotten,

42:35

is about making people laugh and spreading

42:37

joy, and I think whatever, if it's

42:41

not your bag, you don't go

42:43

and see it, but if it is your bag, then as

42:45

you say, if you're making 8,000 people laugh.

42:48

Yeah, people laugh very snotty, but I went to a

42:50

school in Ireland, which was a really

42:52

bigish sort of school, and I was a boarding school, and

42:54

I was 8, I was too young, and so

42:57

I decided to exercise the memory when

43:00

I was doing Mrs. Brown, and I thought

43:02

I'd wear the school leavers tie for the

43:04

part as the barrister. And

43:06

so I drove up to this school and claimed

43:08

the tie from the secretary there, and there were

43:11

three teachers in there, one of them old and two of

43:14

them young, and they said, what do you want the tie

43:16

for? And I said, I'm

43:18

going to wear it in a film, and they all went, oh, wow,

43:20

that's lovely. And they said, what is the film, they said. And

43:23

I said, it's Mrs. Brown's Boys, the movie. And

43:26

the two younger ones went, oh, bloody hell, what do you know, it's

43:28

like that, because they obviously didn't like

43:30

it, and the elder one said, oh, marvellous, he

43:32

said, marvellous, to have the school represented in a

43:34

film about Queen Victoria. It's

43:41

interesting, the boarding, I did hear you

43:43

talk about boarding school, and it's, you

43:45

know, it's

43:48

something that I think is so endemic

43:50

in our UK society right there. I

43:53

think you thankfully have not

43:55

gone into politics, so you only play politicians, but

43:58

like a lot of our politicians who then become men,

44:00

they're not. MPs and become prime ministers have

44:02

been through this horrible system of boarding school and

44:05

it seems unbelievably cruel.

44:08

My daughter's 8. The idea

44:10

of sending her away to... I know there

44:13

were reasons why it happened. My mother was here and she

44:15

was in hospital for a long time and maybe we were

44:17

shipped off because of that. I suspect

44:19

that was part of the reason at that age. But I

44:21

spent 10 years

44:25

at boarding schools. You

44:29

seem to be a well-balanced and

44:31

together person who isn't going to

44:33

destroy the country to make up.

44:36

No parental love. But it obviously

44:39

still resonates that you made

44:41

even that gesture. As

44:50

lovely as that gesture is, there's

44:53

a feeling I've got to kind of expunge

44:55

this from that. I

44:57

wanted to see the place again. But it is

45:00

strange the whole boarding school thing. I was talking

45:02

to an Irish actress who

45:04

had a pretty bad time as well

45:06

at a boarding school. And

45:12

I went to give you the story that she told me. And

45:15

I said, how did that affect you? And

45:17

she said rather revealingly, she said it made me very

45:19

good at hiding. Which I thought

45:22

was really... And also, well, acting and stuff

45:24

like that. There's a lot of hiding in

45:26

that. And you've got to sort

45:28

of go into a

45:30

different gear and slip reality and all

45:32

that. Yeah. And so do you

45:35

feel comedy was helpful? Because I know you

45:37

are a big student of comedy. What I

45:39

love about you is, as you say, with

45:41

the musical, you know all about the musical

45:43

stuff which is a tradition that is lost

45:45

to a lot of people. But you've tried

45:47

stand-up in

45:49

terms of doing... I

45:52

like trying new stuff. I Mean, I did my first...

45:54

After 40 years in the business. last Christmas, I did

45:56

my first musical. And I did... Scrooge

46:00

and Dolly Parton Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol ssssss

46:02

as activities are on the South Bank for

46:04

a month it's on the everybody else was

46:07

musical theater yeah I had a number the

46:09

ends with service Scrooge redemption number which I

46:11

to do my own and then it turned

46:13

into a gospel sunset and but saw I

46:15

saw i've never done this before he is

46:17

it again and the they had faith in

46:19

me that I could do it and let's

46:22

but it was that Evers and such a

46:24

musical theater people are the different kidney. Really?

46:26

They are just extrude and they and they

46:28

work on a they were going to stays

46:31

in. everything they do is is on the

46:33

stays it's it's either singing notes or speaking

46:35

those and and the band's the bands are

46:37

able to societe they they they they they

46:39

everybody knows where everybody is. Whereas.

46:41

Eyes as they Madison Ivy they had numbers down

46:43

there I was always hitting the wrong number of

46:45

there was a pool of life and I'd say

46:47

La Folie, where are going to be standing as

46:49

and to solicit go into it and and then

46:51

and the band who beats and I be doing

46:53

my talking and then singing and stuff and the

46:55

band to be vamping away behind me to sort

46:58

of waiting. Fetus gets the right find themselves I

47:00

guess but it was center on e Really love

47:02

the I have spare do it and I love

47:04

working with these facilities. Yeah and we have a

47:06

desk and say it's it's. It's. Not

47:08

I just as when we when you have people

47:10

on when I looked through going to you get

47:12

the Cb anything but I those two made up

47:15

but the rest of it's is probably real I'm

47:17

you know it's a it's incredible even when I

47:19

know use of Isis has lots of the with

47:21

the nazi knew that through the years but is

47:23

it is this really rich. Grave goddamn

47:26

in an unknown is gonna be a lot more

47:28

to somebody. Look back. On. What you've

47:30

done in feel like pleasure that was is

47:32

obviously what you. Wanted. Revenue

47:34

started out when you. It's when you decided

47:36

not to do better slices. This is the

47:38

creating. The. Wanted a new. You.

47:41

Seem to have achieved. Did you feel that no idea

47:43

how? me I'm a I don't look back. But.

47:45

Some ah I haven't get got to the

47:47

bit. While I like are like John Belushi

47:49

just sitting, eating popcorn and watching his reruns

47:51

and on ans I'm but I'm I'm on

47:54

either. look back and I still ambitious and

47:56

I still wanted someone to once things to

47:58

work. And. And to

48:00

go into different things and if somebody

48:03

throws me an idea which seems odd,

48:05

I'll do it. Yeah, I'm and so.

48:08

Yeah. I'm nice as if I want. I'm glad.

48:10

I'm very glad I didn't. Didn't

48:12

do that presenting job but I mean it's

48:14

the be huge disappointments along the way. I

48:16

mean this of this is lots of shows

48:18

which is either up your how haven't got

48:20

or or guns. First. Pie.

48:23

And Francis series and haven't developed on and then

48:25

and there are loads of loads of dance

48:27

and disappointment is the sort of. Is

48:29

this is due to be prepared for that is

48:31

almost like a weekly event. you just have to

48:34

us after at the run with it and that's

48:36

that's the stocking. Test us what you get was

48:38

interesting would be with a rat cold feet in

48:40

an interview nearly. Despairing. After one

48:42

episode and that's that's often the of as a

48:44

lot of the things they're very successful. They get

48:47

a real Only Fools and Horses was that was

48:49

a rerun before it before it said The Guy

48:51

and and the Office as well as of with

48:53

everyone has all these shows that could have been

48:56

and that even a must be blows that didn't

48:58

get the Great Aunts and that would have been

49:00

as good or could have captured public imagination is

49:02

obviously this is an element of fortune in there

49:05

but in I think when you keep turning up

49:07

and things that are. Successful.

49:09

Bambee I would I My least favorite word

49:11

and in in media is Meats and now

49:13

in a producer says this is Mary Poppins

49:15

meets Lawrence of Arabia on a day isn't

49:17

that is it's going to be a hybrid

49:20

It said sisters have a bit of one

49:22

and a bit of the other and can

49:24

have no soap and does so I I

49:26

load that the but the of that and

49:28

that's an easy thing for execs to to

49:30

at adult as I attach themselves to because

49:32

everyone can understand it but what they don't

49:34

have a the adjectives originality and that's that's

49:37

where the art comes in and that's. Where

49:39

you just to go on instincts and

49:41

and and and on what the what?

49:43

what strikes you saw Mr. Tyranny. And.

49:46

And and are very few people who will

49:49

commission. Or those so the yeah and

49:51

it's and it's and it's sometimes safe I just

49:53

to go for the for the for the for

49:55

the for the hybrid. Yeah it's crazy only because

49:57

the things that the come in and things become.

50:00

massive commercial hits like The Office

50:02

or The Simpsons, are

50:04

those crazy ideas that are original

50:07

and that no one else is doing. So you would think

50:09

they would go even just for, like if one out of

50:11

10 of these become the success

50:13

of The Office, then I never have to work

50:15

again. So, you know. Well, Coltheat was an example

50:17

of something that was a hard sell. Yeah. I

50:20

mean, when we first did it, I

50:22

read it and I thought this is gonna be, this is

50:24

really good. And we were filming the first, and

50:26

I was happy to talk

50:29

about it of anybody who's showed interest, you

50:31

know, because I thought, and of course, you

50:33

know, people will blank until they've seen it. And,

50:36

but I was doing the first episode

50:39

of the first, I think I, in

50:41

the first series anyway, there was a

50:43

scene when I was driving my Mercedes

50:45

into the primary school car park. And

50:48

I was just waiting for the call, the action call.

50:51

And there was a pedestrian extra supporting

50:53

artist standing by the wing bearer and

50:55

we were having a chat waiting for

50:57

the call of action. And

50:59

she said, so what's this series? And I should

51:01

know it. I thought, I said, it's a new

51:03

series. It's called Cold Feet. It's about six people

51:05

in Manchester. She said, no, the Mercedes, is it

51:07

seriously or seriously? Yeah. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha

51:09

ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.

51:12

So, you know, you just, you don't get anywhere with

51:15

people until they've seen it. And then of course,

51:17

Cold Feet was deemed to be friends and it

51:19

wasn't. I mean, it was just, they had three,

51:21

had six people in it. Yeah. But

51:23

we weren't, I mean, they were in a flat, we

51:25

were in Manchester, you know, and it was very, very

51:27

different. And what was

51:29

interesting was just to feel when people stopped

51:32

saying friends and stopped and

51:34

started calling it as itself. Yeah.

51:38

And then of course, then you get later on

51:40

in the series, you get people trying to make

51:42

the new coffee, of course, having been so difficult

51:44

to actually get the original coffee gone. Yeah.

51:48

But that's not the way it's often. I mean, it's so nuts

51:50

to me that people don't, the people who

51:53

want to make money, which is fair, if they're

51:55

investing money and stuff, they should hopefully get a return

51:57

on their money. But they never seem to really,

51:59

they might, they'll. go for let's do

52:01

the thing that's successful, never

52:04

spot the things that are

52:06

successful, it's nearly always successful

52:08

because it's not like anything

52:11

else. You've done a bit of

52:13

directing as well, is that something that you want

52:15

to carry on? Yeah, I've

52:17

always done jobs, I've always had opinions.

52:21

And opinions haven't always been welcome. As

52:23

an actor you're not supposed to have too many

52:25

opinions, just do the words. But

52:29

yeah, I got an opportunity to, I

52:31

love horse racing and junk

52:33

racing in particular. And a

52:35

jockey rang me up, a

52:38

jockey who had made a film, he was now a documentary,

52:40

high-end documentaries

52:43

about racing mostly. And he

52:45

wanted to make a drama about or

52:47

dealing with and touching on the

52:50

subject of jockey suicide. And there

52:52

were two jockeys that year had

52:54

died at their own

52:56

hand. And he wanted to do something

52:58

which would tell people what

53:00

the pressures are that jockeys

53:03

are under, in terms

53:06

of social media and the

53:08

pylon they get. And

53:10

so we collaborated on that. I

53:15

co-wrote it and co-directed it with him. He'd never

53:17

directed actors before and we got these two really

53:20

good actors to play the jockey and his partner.

53:22

And yeah, we

53:25

made it. And it was a short and it

53:28

went down very well within the industry certainly

53:30

and the professional jockeys. And it's been shown

53:33

on Sky and stuff like that. So people

53:35

have watched it. And I really enjoyed the

53:37

process of just going and not being behind

53:39

in front of the camera. It was the

53:41

first time I'd really felt, yeah, I'd really,

53:44

just a tickle a scene,

53:46

you know, and just to squeeze, get the

53:48

moment and go and talk to them quietly

53:50

and just sort of lead something out which

53:52

I think might be there and to make

53:54

it theirs but

53:56

just to slightly sort of touch the tiller a

53:59

bit. I really enjoyed doing that. And

54:01

writing as well. Yeah, I mean I don't write much

54:03

drama. I write a

54:06

lot of articles for stuff. I

54:08

write articles about various things. And

54:12

there's an editor I know of a magazine. I

54:14

pitch an idea to him and he says yes

54:16

or no very quickly. And so I

54:18

just get on with it. And I do book reviews and things like

54:20

that. So yeah, that's the writing I've

54:22

been doing at the moment. Yeah, I mean it seems

54:24

like a good life to me, probably. You've got a

54:26

new, you know. Yeah,

54:28

I've never met anybody in the

54:30

sense of profession who

54:33

isn't always just

54:36

sort of looking around. And if

54:38

you ever say, yeah, I've cracked

54:40

it, that's dead. And

54:42

you're always looking like a pointer, like a dog

54:44

in the park, always

54:49

sort of doing that for projects. And

54:51

that's the only way to be, I think. Yeah,

54:54

but I think it's worth, you know, I get it.

54:57

And it's the same for comedians. And

54:59

I see very successful comedians who are still

55:02

looking over their shoulder at who's doing better

55:04

than them and who's doing whatever or

55:06

why they haven't got a certain job. But

55:08

I think you have to occasionally sit down

55:10

and go, okay, look, I'm not finished and

55:14

I'm not satisfied, but this has been pretty

55:16

good so far. Which I hope you are

55:18

doing. I've kept the family together and all

55:20

that. And so, yeah,

55:22

I mean, it is.

55:24

I mean, yes, of course, ambition

55:27

aside, yes, there is, there is, it's,

55:29

yeah, I'm doing what I wanted to do in

55:31

my 20s. So, yeah. And

55:35

you played quite a lot of

55:37

real people, obviously, like people, like,

55:39

I mean, sometimes in comedy and

55:41

sometimes in serious stuff, but

55:43

you played Mark Thatcher in something.

55:47

We did that in South Africa. That was about the whole

55:49

Equatorial Guinea heist, yeah. But,

55:52

yeah, no, I've done, I mean, we

55:54

also have done John Loméz and... King

55:59

Charles, who is the... I did a play by Mike Bartlett which was in

56:01

verse. I

56:06

love working in verse and this was

56:08

really clever language but clear.

56:11

I hate leaving audiences dangling

56:13

on the sense of stuff and

56:15

this was really good. I did it in

56:17

Chicago. They needed someone who

56:19

had been in Downton Abbey to play

56:21

Ken Charles and everybody else was American.

56:25

So I did it at the Chicago Shakespeare Theatre. It

56:28

wasn't an impression at all. The

56:31

play starts on the day the Queen dies

56:34

and when he takes it over and he

56:36

refuses to sign some legislation about

56:38

freedom of speech and they say what

56:41

are you an unelected tough doing trying

56:44

to take on the democratic

56:46

process. And

56:48

it's a good debate but it's also a drama. I

56:52

loved it. I really enjoyed it. That was before

56:54

the Queen had actually died. It was written about

56:56

10 years before. She's

57:00

dead, let's get this play out there. She's

57:02

unfortunately passed. The news hasn't

57:05

made the Tumbridge World Times yet. They've

57:07

got more important things to cover. Is

57:11

there anything other than the Jeffrey Barnard coming up that

57:14

you can talk about? No idea at the moment. I'd

57:17

like to take that. I've got to have it in

57:19

my back pocket so that when I'm not working I

57:21

can say to the coach I'll do 10 gigs

57:24

or whatever like that and take it

57:26

further. But now

57:28

we'll see. You're a very

57:30

youthful man but is it a weird thing

57:33

to suddenly be playing these older characters

57:40

and Jeffrey Barnard? No one is the

57:42

age that they want to be. I

57:44

remember you'd go up for parts

57:46

and they say you've got

57:48

children in this advert or this

57:52

scene or this thing and you think oh god

57:54

that's a bit advanced. And

57:57

Then there comes a point when they say now your kids have just gone

57:59

to university. And if that, I'm

58:01

the author. And yet they'll be

58:03

to do you have to accept it He I

58:05

have suddenly a nice I. I. Relish

58:07

it. I see a lot as I mean Judge Jeffrey

58:10

Been out and is is is a. A

58:12

decrepit also been left unsaid and and

58:14

and the sports take him on his

58:16

death experience. I love those Robin Hood

58:18

of See you Again Ah and I've

58:20

done with was is. Proud.

58:23

To have you living Especially. I mean

58:25

I say go. For now.

58:39

You are. Honest

58:41

about with me referring am I get Roman

58:43

Bath or is scant regard to the music

58:46

doesn't even know that? yeah I do. I've

58:48

adapted to preserve and know that one about

58:50

one and then Evansville that one of that

58:52

one odds and loads of and evans on

58:55

as you think about it and you have

58:57

club and or vivid and have one of

58:59

the assembly officer in royal Families. Well I

59:01

don't like Tom Ridge but I do like

59:04

world number Twelve. ah isn't such as it

59:06

wasn't of other side of I'm. Tired

59:19

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