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1:05

to Where's Home Really? With

1:07

me, Jimmy Famorewa. In

1:09

this podcast, I speak to a household

1:12

name about what home really means to

1:14

them. Is it their childhood home? Is

1:16

it the dish that a family member

1:19

has perfected and cooks like no other

1:21

person? Or is it something

1:23

less tangible? To try and

1:25

understand this sense of home, we touch on

1:27

four key elements, which are

1:29

a person, a place,

1:33

a phrase, and a plate. So

1:36

for me, one of them would be

1:38

a place and it sounds really obvious,

1:41

but it's more of a landmark, I

1:43

guess. It's the Thames. If

1:45

I think about what really makes me feel

1:47

like I'm back home, looking down on a

1:50

plane it's about to land, going

1:52

on a run or going over a

1:54

bridge. And that moment when you look

1:56

out at the Thames, there's such a

1:58

feeling of like memory of being logging

2:00

and just kind of like

2:02

feeling like you're at home and just

2:04

feeling really lucky to live in an

2:06

amazing city like London. So that's

2:08

my one but what is my guess gonna

2:11

come up with? Let's see if you can

2:13

guess who they are. Do you have any

2:15

regrets about your time on Strictly at all?

2:17

I think it all aligns, it all aligns

2:19

man, no regrets. It's the best thing I've

2:21

ever done. I was able to first live

2:23

a dream but at the same time also

2:25

showcase who I am, my

2:27

culture, tell my family story,

2:29

inspire my daughter, inspire my siblings, my

2:31

friends. I remember one of my closest friends

2:33

Ben, he's a tough guardian boy. He literally

2:35

messaged me because I love you to the

2:38

moon and back. He never expressed himself like

2:40

that to me but he was so, he's

2:42

like I've never experienced this feeling. Today's

2:47

guest is a comedian and presenter. Born in

2:49

the Democratic Republic of Congo, he moved to

2:51

the UK at the age of eight and

2:53

settled in London. After having somewhat

2:55

stumbled into comedy whilst at university,

2:57

he has since become a household

2:59

name. He's hosted the MOBA Awards,

3:02

is a team captain on ITV's

3:04

primetime panel show, sorry I didn't

3:06

know, and presents the official UK

3:08

Afro Beats chart show on BBC

3:11

Radio 1 Extra. And

3:13

most recently millions saw him

3:16

putting his best foot forward

3:18

and wiggling like a man possessed

3:21

as part of the lineup for

3:24

2023's Strictly Come Dancing.

3:26

Eddie Caddy, my guy, welcome.

3:29

Listen, a man possessed indeed.

3:33

The wiggle was, honestly,

3:36

it was like a wonder

3:39

of the world man. I've

3:42

read recently that you described your hips

3:44

as illegal. Yeah, yeah. Illegal hips, man,

3:46

they listen to no one. They

3:49

listen to no one but just the instructions

3:51

of the ancestors, as one would say.

3:54

Go forth and conquer, my man. Thank

3:57

you so much for joining me. I'm so looking

3:59

forward to... talking to you. It's a pleasure, it's

4:01

a pleasure. Let's start right there because it feels

4:03

like it taps into what we're hopefully going to

4:06

talk about and what I

4:08

particularly loved about seeing you on Strictly

4:10

and what I've loved about your comedy

4:12

anyway to be honest is

4:14

that it taps into where you come from.

4:16

Almost everything is funneled through that and you

4:18

were teaching a BBC prime

4:21

time audience about Congolese culture, you

4:23

know, through the medium of dance,

4:25

through the medium of flamboyance, through

4:27

who you are. If

4:30

I ask you where's home really, is that,

4:33

is it Congo? Is it just always that

4:35

or is it a little bit more complicated?

4:37

How do you have to kind of approach

4:39

that question? It's definitely a mixture, you know,

4:42

it's a compromise, it's a collaboration, you know,

4:44

there's many words I could use in that

4:46

space but it is that because I've spent

4:48

the majority of my life, not just my

4:50

adult life, my life in the UK. So

4:52

the UK is certainly home for me but

4:54

in order for that to be a comfortable

4:57

home the foundations were set in Congo. So I

4:59

came over here at the age of eight and

5:01

I took, I brought Congo with me and a

5:04

lot of things that I've established in my life

5:06

have been based on the principles of two Congolese

5:08

people, my mum and dad, you know what I

5:10

mean? And then it's like the contributions of uncles

5:12

and aunties and the food that you eat at

5:15

home and the conversations that you're having and the

5:17

do's and don'ts, they all come from that space

5:19

and then it's like, but I think that's what

5:21

the UK is about, you know, the great melting

5:23

pot of the world. So, you know, that contribution

5:26

of Congo is what I brought over, that's what

5:28

makes it a comfortable home for me. In

5:31

any way that I've done, whether it's been

5:33

stand up, presented the

5:35

foundation of who I

5:37

am and how I stand out, my

5:40

superpower was always stem from Africa, always from

5:42

Congo and I'm very proud of that. So

5:48

let's start with your place. Where are you going to go

5:50

for? I feel like I know, but as you say, your

5:54

identity stems from that compromise of

5:56

multiple places, but what place are

5:58

you going to go for? the

6:00

one that really speaks to this idea of home

6:02

for you. You know what? So

6:04

it is a cluster of

6:06

different places, but ultimately it's described

6:09

as church. The idea of

6:11

church that's defined me from very young,

6:13

from before, you know, even left Congo

6:16

to come to the UK, but especially

6:18

growing up in the UK, it's the

6:20

Sunday rush. Mum's

6:22

saying, have you creamed your face? Why

6:25

is your face so dry? I don't think you would. You

6:27

don't move. You don't go. You're going to have

6:29

to give me a minute. I've got PTSD. You

6:32

remember that Jimmy? He's like, well, why

6:34

are you worried about my dry face when we're going

6:36

to talk to Jesus? Why are you? Jesus

6:38

will moisturise my face. How about that? Why

6:41

are your trousers so long? Put

6:44

on the right shoes. Why are you wearing your

6:46

Ashtuff boots to church? It was all that. It's

6:49

a really, really good choice and

6:51

it's a fascinating one and I

6:53

think it all resonate with so many people.

6:56

But that point about

7:00

questioning it as a child, do you feel like it's

7:02

something that you've grown to

7:04

appreciate as you've got older really

7:06

and kind of learnt to sort

7:08

of recognise the significance of it?

7:10

Because as you say, when it's

7:12

so central to your life as

7:16

an immigrant or as a diaspora, it

7:18

can be a bit confusing when you're a kid, right? There

7:21

is this onus, there's this thing that you have to

7:23

do that your friends don't necessarily seem to have to

7:25

do. Thank you. And

7:27

that's it. You're right on the money. It's like your

7:30

friends, I know what my friends are doing on a Sunday. Do

7:32

you know what I mean? They did five or five football. They've

7:34

invited you countless times. They've given up. Do

7:36

you know what I mean? But it's also, the way I look

7:39

at church is, you know

7:41

this, especially being African as well, our mothers

7:43

would take like five days to cook a

7:45

good meal, right? But then when you

7:47

taste that meal, you're like, ah, cool.

7:50

Makes sense. Every time. That's

7:52

what church was for me. When I was younger,

7:54

it was like every week. And Wednesdays, midweek woman,

7:57

but it set the foundation, it set a lot of

7:59

principles. It's creative. to the person that I am today,

8:01

you know, because of it. And it was more my

8:03

mom, she was a prayerful woman. You know, it was

8:05

tight, it would be like, it's time for us to

8:08

pray before we eat and she would take an hour

8:10

praying. It's like, the food's cold, woman. But,

8:12

you know, you then grow up and then she lets

8:14

you fly out the nest and you go and

8:17

then you remember those things. Those moments of

8:19

hope, when you feel really low, there's

8:22

a conversation, there's someone available there

8:24

that mom has introduced you to, you

8:26

know? And it's that for me. But

8:28

then, when you're younger, your friends

8:30

are saying, come on, let's football mate. And

8:33

now, come and we're going to church. We

8:36

went to church last week. Yeah,

8:38

I know, we're going this week too. You

8:40

went on Wednesday. Haven't you already been today?

8:42

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. It's

8:45

crazy. You came to the country as

8:47

an eight year old and I feel like that's

8:49

probably quite significant. I've seen you talk previously about

8:52

remembering that slight struggle of,

8:55

and you've turned it into some of your

8:57

comedy of arriving and learning to

8:59

speak a new language, learning to communicate,

9:02

learning new behaviors. How

9:04

did that kind of affect you and what role

9:06

did comedy have in that? Was the comedian a

9:08

newborn at that point or was it already kind

9:10

of there and you just kind of had to

9:12

adapt it to a new language? I always say,

9:14

I always think when it comes to comedy, I

9:16

think, okay, when I was at university, you know,

9:18

there are also, how did you get into comedy?

9:20

So I was at university and we

9:23

put together a showcase at the University of Kingston

9:25

Uni and I hosted it and I was really funny. But

9:28

actually those foundations came much earlier than

9:30

that. I think when you're trying

9:32

to keep your head above water, when you've

9:34

been just dashed into this deep end of

9:36

a new country, new language, new friends and

9:39

the language barrier was the one because I was a

9:41

guy where the only words are

9:43

new at an early age, I don't know where I picked this

9:45

up. Maybe I was on the plane. Maybe it

9:48

was maybe my uncle that was going to an English school

9:50

in Congo, but it was just like, fine. And

9:53

hello. And I

9:55

got through some stuff with that, you know. At

9:57

the barbers, fine was all right. You

10:00

know, hello, would you mean that's you for

10:02

the day? It lines you up terribly and

10:04

you're like fine. Absolutely. I'm

10:07

coming back and picking your hair up from the

10:09

floor, saying give me back my money. You know,

10:11

but it was literally at school, the

10:13

struggles of not understanding what someone is saying,

10:15

and then you now having to express yourselves

10:17

just by body language, really. And me being

10:19

stubborn and speaking to them in French, or

10:21

Lingala, my mother tongue, just straight back at

10:24

them. There were people who took a liking

10:26

to that character because the confidence came from,

10:28

I don't really care what you say to

10:30

me. I care more about what I'm trying

10:32

to say to you. You make friends with

10:35

those who are embracing you for that, and

10:37

it's like the food, the weather. Honestly, in

10:39

Congo, I remember if it rained, we were

10:41

looking forward to that as kids,

10:43

because the water, believe it

10:45

or not, is hot. So we're running outside

10:48

and playing football in the rain. And a

10:50

lot of people, when you say that they

10:52

imagine you've been in the rainforest, they

10:54

would say, no, no, no, it's the middle of

10:56

the city, it's raining, we're out there kicking balls.

10:58

We're playing tag. This was a real thing. Couldn't

11:01

do that, no, you're kidding. You'll be coughing

11:03

after five minutes. But it's those things that

11:05

define me then being able to go, and

11:08

the privilege of going, oh, my goodness,

11:10

I get to see the world from two different sides.

11:16

Let's stick with the idea of language

11:18

and hit on your phrase. What

11:21

are you going to go for? Brother, this one might

11:23

just hit you right out of the pancreas. It's

11:26

very simple. You will grow into it.

11:28

The foundation of that for me was

11:31

clothing. Clothing, but

11:33

there was other things that it's almost like

11:35

your parents say you will understand when you

11:37

get told apart. It was clothing.

11:39

It was the fact that, you know, if

11:42

we go back to church or even school

11:44

where you get that blazer that's

11:46

extra big, I'm a size

11:48

three, why am I getting a size four? You will

11:50

grow into it. You know, sometimes hand me down from

11:53

your cousins and your cousin comes over, they live in

11:55

Tottenham, I'm down in Fulham, they come for the summer

11:57

and they bring you some nice

11:59

trainers. They've worn it. They've worn

12:01

it a few times. Literally walking in their

12:03

footsteps. Literally and badly

12:05

too. You know, slight tackling yourself

12:08

as you're walking. But

12:10

it was that. And then you

12:12

learn to appreciate that. I

12:14

mean, that made it work, man. They made

12:16

it work. I always remember this like it

12:18

was yesterday. And this is a real story.

12:21

Pee. Every Tuesday we have double

12:23

pee. Physical education. And

12:26

you're playing football one week, and then you might

12:28

do whatever the next week. And then these trainers

12:30

are now battered. And then you've gone to your

12:32

mom in the morning, like, mom, I need new

12:35

trainers. And it's almost like you're bothering

12:37

her. What do you mean? I only bought it

12:39

last week. No, man, you bought it two years ago. You

12:41

bought it two years. You said I would grow into it.

12:43

They've grown out of it. And then she's

12:45

like, oh, okay, okay, okay. And

12:47

then the next morning you come and she's like, you've

12:49

forgotten, mom, the train. It's because I bought it. But

12:51

where is it? It's outside. I said, I

12:53

haven't seen this by that blue plastic bag. Now,

12:56

the blue plastic bag, Jimmy, was the bag

12:58

that if you went to, I don't know,

13:00

the local fruit sellers, that's the

13:02

bag they used to put all the oranges in.

13:04

But your trainers are inside the blue plastic bag,

13:06

which indicates where they came from. And

13:10

you take those trainers out, you're like, yeah, I'm

13:12

going to get battered in school for the next

13:14

five terms. And that was it, though.

13:16

It was the idea of them making

13:19

it work all the time. And

13:21

it's like, you'll one day understand for yourself.

13:23

And I do. I get it now. There's

13:25

a profundity to it as well, isn't there?

13:27

This idea of you will grow into it.

13:29

You will understand. And

13:31

that is absolutely beautiful, man. And

13:34

so true and so redolent of what I

13:37

think a lot of people would have

13:39

gone through. And I think similarly to

13:41

the revelation about church or the deeper

13:43

sense of understanding, I feel like it's

13:45

one of those things that you really

13:47

appreciate when you grow up. And you're

13:49

like, oh, wow, they were doing the

13:52

best they could. I'm always

13:54

really, really fascinated about the ways in

13:56

which the environment

13:58

that you grew up in... the

14:00

way things were in your household that you grew up in

14:03

is either carried forward

14:05

into like how you live as like

14:07

a as an adult or you

14:10

know we had Big Zoo on the show and he

14:12

was talking about his games room

14:14

is like out of control in terms of

14:17

his video game setup because like

14:19

he didn't have yeah because of the

14:21

lack like is that something that you

14:23

kind of that you feel you've

14:25

carried forward or is there an element is

14:27

there a sort of vestige of your parents

14:29

still in you now or is it still

14:31

taking shape in terms of that

14:34

part of your childhood and home and how you've

14:36

kind of interpreted it in adulthood it's crazy

14:38

because it feels like therapy now you

14:40

saying that for like you triggered I'm going

14:43

to face my truth because I

14:45

won't stop by and train it what happens is

14:47

you're not on a stage where you look at

14:49

it you go swipe oh I like that I

14:51

can get it I don't need

14:53

to knock on mum's door anymore and I know how

14:55

my own door yeah I can get it and I

14:58

get it and then it's like that moment of oh

15:00

that's those nice and I think that's all we look

15:02

for because you might put put them on once and

15:05

you don't see them for a year and go oh but

15:07

he's in about that time they're relevant to you now let's

15:10

talk about the reason why you know you're

15:12

able to travel you you know whether it's

15:14

for work or other things the trainer collection

15:16

yeah comedy you almost to a degree fell

15:19

into it yeah I'll let you know diversity

15:22

what's your journey been with that because as you

15:24

say the thing that you lead with or the

15:26

thing that a lot of comedians lead with is

15:28

this is where I'm from you know

15:31

the this is my culture these

15:33

are the differences these are some of the

15:35

characters you're almost in pasta mode and

15:37

then I presume you need to develop your

15:39

voice you need to kind of find other

15:42

things that you're interested in

15:44

and make you laugh you need

15:46

to find your unique perspective so

15:48

what's that been like and your

15:50

journey with with comedy right from

15:52

being inspired by certain people to

15:55

you know where you are now yeah I

15:57

think I'm very privileged that with

15:59

me the foundation of comedy for me,

16:02

it was almost like coming from a naive,

16:05

but I had no idea that

16:07

I wanted to be a comedian. You know, you have

16:09

people that go, I want to be a comedian. There

16:11

has never been a moment, even up until now, there's

16:13

never been a moment where I went, I want to

16:15

be a comedian. I'm going to be a comedian. I

16:18

used to watch, I would see people like

16:20

Steve Martin and Eddie Murphy and

16:22

all these guys, right? And even

16:25

Richard Blackwood and like me growing up, I didn't

16:27

touch them to stand up. Robin

16:29

Williams, I didn't. I used

16:31

to watch people like Victoria Woods. So on

16:33

a Saturday night, they'll come on, they had

16:35

Ronnie Cole, but these guys were funny people.

16:37

But I never used to think, oh, stand

16:39

up comedian. I just thought these guys are

16:41

funny. That's like the people they are. And

16:44

you don't understand that they are actually, you

16:46

know, partaking in your development. Yeah. Right. It

16:48

wasn't, I was at university, the idea was

16:50

always finished uni for my dad to justify why I

16:53

brought you over here. Because I could have brought your

16:55

cousin and called him my son. Really

16:58

my son. And then you'd have been the

17:00

twin that didn't want, that we left behind.

17:03

But it was that right. So absolutely, bro.

17:05

I would have been Kay, I'd have been

17:07

bending the lab, beckoning the rain boy. But

17:10

like it was that it was getting

17:13

to university. I was part of the African Caribbean

17:15

society. And once again, that always said, do extracurricular

17:18

stuff to add to your CV. These are the

17:20

things that you think, oh yeah, big man is

17:22

right. So I joined African Caribbean society as a

17:24

spokesperson, then eventually like the president, and we put

17:27

together a showcase and you know, everyone asked me

17:29

to host it. But actually at the time we

17:31

wanted to ask, we were asking a certain comedian

17:33

to do it and then we couldn't afford them

17:36

as a student. So I said, I'll do it.

17:38

And it just ended up being a very funny

17:40

showcase, right. And people start coming up to me

17:43

from different unis. I was going to Kingston uni

17:45

then he had guys from Brunel University Coventry coming

17:47

up to me and say, can you host our

17:49

showcase? And that eventually became

17:51

me doing the university circuit, just

17:53

hosting showcases, but it wasn't up

17:55

until I graduated, I finished. And someone suggested you

17:57

are a very funny host. You know, she come

18:00

to this comedy show and just perform these

18:02

funny songs that you perform. And

18:04

that's where it became like, I

18:07

really like people's reaction. Because that could

18:09

be me, very African with

18:11

it. Just innocently talking about, you

18:13

know, what happens at home, why

18:15

we talk in a certain way. And everyone

18:17

in order start to relate. I

18:19

could feel a spirit of relief from a lot

18:21

of people saying, all your rep, you're really representing

18:23

us. You have to understand, once I finished uni,

18:26

I had a job. And that

18:28

job lasted only a year. Because I

18:30

got sacked because I took too much

18:32

time of trying to perform. And

18:34

my dad said, you will fail. You

18:37

have ruined your life doing all this. My dad didn't even come

18:39

and see me for, watch me do, perform

18:41

for a long time. Cause it was like, what is this

18:44

clown behavior? But when

18:46

he eventually did, it was like,

18:49

oh, you've got something. When was

18:51

that moment? It was, so

18:53

it was in North London. Archway,

18:55

there was a little showcase that was happening. Audience

18:58

was probably maybe like 150 people. This

19:01

was after a couple of years of that being stubborn.

19:03

And it was just like my sister kept saying, you

19:05

just go and watch him. And

19:07

he came to watch me. And

19:10

I always turned this moment into, you

19:12

know, there's a joke that comes with it, but the idea, the

19:14

reality of it, that my dad watched, and

19:16

he was just like mesmerized. And I could

19:19

see him in the audience looking around and

19:21

how impressed people, how they were laughing and

19:23

clapping and the show finishes. The people queuing

19:26

up to shake my hand with all different

19:28

cultures. And him sitting on the side holding

19:30

my coat, actually. And

19:32

then people, I was like, yeah, that's my dad. Oh, he's just, oh.

19:35

And he's like, yeah, he's dad, that's his dad, you

19:37

know? But the joke is that I always say, I

19:39

was in the audience cracking jokes for an

19:41

hour. And that is just looking around, nodding.

19:43

He's just nodding, nodding. Didn't laugh, didn't crack

19:45

a smile. And the show finishes and I'm

19:47

going, dad, did you enjoy? He said,

19:49

that was the best performance I've ever seen. You

19:52

are talented, you are, Eddie, I'm shocked. And I'm

19:54

like, but you didn't laugh. He said, I'm used

19:56

to busy nodding. Why would you nod? Eddie, I

19:58

was too busy counting the money. 20

20:00

pounds, 20 pounds. There's 150

20:02

people here. That's a mortgage paid. What

20:05

is our next show? And that's it.

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21:44

back to Where's Home Really, where my

21:47

guest is the amazing Eddie Caddy. My

21:49

guy. We're talking about significant people in

21:51

your life, so let's hit upon your

21:54

person. It will always be this person.

21:56

So before I mention them, it's to

21:58

understand when I'm talking. I'm talking about dancing

22:01

in the rain, and playing football in the

22:03

rain, and going to church. When

22:06

I'm talking about my first day at

22:08

school, what it means to be

22:10

Congolese, and those foundations, what

22:12

always takes me back home when I get

22:14

too carried away, and thinking,

22:17

where are you from? When

22:19

I get lazy, and

22:21

I work extra hard, because I go, this goes

22:23

a much longer way than you think it does.

22:25

It's my grandma. It's always been my grandma, always

22:28

will be my grandma. She's left us

22:30

now, go rest her

22:32

soul. But she's

22:34

in a better place, number one. And secondly,

22:36

she's still, she's around, you understand? But

22:39

it's been hard. She, any

22:41

memories I have of

22:43

Congol, my earliest memories is my grandmother. That's

22:46

my mom's mom. My parents had me young.

22:48

They were like 18, 19 when they had me. So

22:50

my grandma pretty much was there. I

22:52

stayed with her most of the time. She would

22:54

hold my hand, we'd go into the Catholic church

22:56

every Sunday. Wherever she went, I was there. I

22:59

almost feel like there was no way that my

23:01

grandma was, that I never went. I was always

23:03

with her. She had a bar. That

23:05

bar was open in the evening. But during the

23:07

day, early morning, she'd take my hand and we

23:09

would go to the local baker's, and she would

23:11

just buy all these baguettes and stuff, and then

23:13

we'll go back outside the house that she'd be selling

23:15

them. You know? And then at

23:17

some point we'd go to her farm, which may be

23:20

like, maybe, I don't know, an hour outside of Kinshasa.

23:22

And we'll go to her farm, and I'll just watch

23:24

her do her thing. I'll get in

23:26

trouble with my uncles and my grandmas and I don't touch

23:28

my grandchild. You know? Like, protective. Absolutely.

23:30

And it's that. So then we move over

23:32

to the UK, and it's

23:35

like staying in touch with

23:37

her. And wanting, longing to go. I didn't

23:40

go back to Congo 18 years after we

23:42

came to the UK. So it's

23:44

like, looking for her straight away as soon as we

23:46

went there. And I will go back at least three

23:48

times a year, just to see her, you know? Until

23:50

she passed. And it's like, she was

23:52

always that. She was always the reason why

23:55

I will keep working hard, because when she got

23:57

ill, I wanted to be able to say, I've

23:59

got it. and

26:00

Disney, I hear. Everything went, photos,

26:02

everything went. But she, and everyone was switching

26:04

on me, but my grandma. And

26:07

it was that, it was like, stop,

26:09

stay away from him. People will remind me later

26:12

on, do you remember when you burnt out? Yeah,

26:14

yeah, people won't let you forget it. Leave him

26:16

alone, you know? And that's the connection that we

26:18

had. She's very calming and just loving and she

26:20

always drew me back home. Do

26:26

you have any regrets about your time on Strictly

26:28

at all? Like it's a strange thing, isn't it?

26:30

Cause it, you know, you roll

26:33

the dice almost. Like, you know, you don't

26:35

know at the start of the competition who's

26:37

going to be in for one week. You

26:39

were, you were there five weeks, you know,

26:41

you had some amazing moments. You kind of,

26:44

I thought you, you did brilliantly and obviously

26:46

you're doing great things now, but do you,

26:48

yeah. How do you reflect on the experience?

26:51

I think it all aligns. It all aligns,

26:53

man. No regrets. It's

26:55

the best thing I've ever done. The hardest, the

26:58

best thing I've ever done is,

27:00

I would remember sometimes during

27:02

the training, Monday

27:05

and the Tuesday, when you get this new routine and

27:07

you've gone, how do you

27:09

expect me to get this done in four days

27:12

and you struggle through it? You know, there's times when

27:14

Karen would send me for a nap. I'm going to

27:17

take a nap from now ahead. Oh, thank you. Thank

27:19

you. Cause you know, I have a short attentional span.

27:21

Sometimes I'm just like, she'll be speaking to me, bro.

27:23

I'm doing a mannequin challenge. I'm just watching her. I'm

27:26

watching her. And

27:28

she would apologize in advance. She goes, I'm sorry,

27:30

Monday and Tuesday, it's going to be

27:32

a hard one. It should be really tough for me.

27:34

Then the Thursday comes and you've got the routine and

27:36

I kid you not, tears drop because you're so in

27:38

it. Tears drop, you start

27:41

punching the floor. I can do anything. It

27:43

was those feelings every single week. And then meeting

27:45

some of your, some people that you watch like

27:47

Les Dennis, you know, like what's your family fortune

27:49

when you're young or you never think you'd be

27:52

next to Les Dennis. And then your dad meeting

27:54

him and your dad's first word saying, hello Les,

27:56

show me the fortune. I'm like that. That

27:58

was never a phrase if I'm in fortune. It was never

28:00

for a G. I love with the Fights' father. You

28:03

know, but it's those moments... Just

28:05

making up his own catchphrase that he's

28:07

quoting. But it was

28:09

like there was different departments

28:11

of appreciation and understanding that

28:13

it's a full circle moment.

28:16

But no regrets. I think within those five weeks, I

28:19

was able to first live a G. You

28:21

know, made me really fall in love with

28:23

showbiz because everybody behind the scenes are amazing

28:25

people. At the same time, I also showcase

28:27

who I am, my culture,

28:30

tell my family story, inspire my daughter,

28:32

inspire my siblings, my friends. I remember

28:34

one of my closest friends, Ben, you

28:36

know, and he's like, Ben's five years

28:38

older than me. We went to

28:40

uni together. He's a tough, guardian boy. And him

28:42

saying, literally texting me because his wife was a

28:44

big, strictly fan and I invited him down to

28:46

come to the show and it was a dream

28:48

for her. But him sitting there when

28:50

I did the Man in Black and got my

28:52

first 10, he literally messaged him because I love

28:55

you to the moon and back. And I've never,

28:57

he's never expressed himself like that to me, but

28:59

he was so, he's like, I've

29:01

never experienced this feeling, you know, and it was

29:03

that. And all those things achieved

29:05

within five weeks, I'm making a good

29:07

friend in Karen and her becoming my

29:09

sort of Mr. Miyagi, you know, I

29:12

cannot regret, cannot regret. Did

29:15

you feel like, because clearly

29:17

you talked about Congolese culture and

29:19

importance of dance and representing that and

29:21

thinking of yourself as a dancer, right?

29:26

Was there ever a moment where I don't know,

29:28

you felt like that was almost held against you,

29:30

that you are rhythmic, that you, do you know

29:33

what I mean? Like, and I always wonder on

29:35

the show sometimes if there's this, there's

29:37

this kind of feeling that if

29:39

you can sort of razzle dazzle, the

29:42

judges almost kind of like come down on you

29:44

a bit harder. They remind you, they remind you,

29:46

but I think the judges also, they saw my

29:48

card, man, they understood that, you know what, it's

29:50

beyond dance for this guy. Straight

29:52

away. Cause from the beginning I did say, I said,

29:54

listen, they, yeah, they did the judges, but they're my

29:56

best mates. That means they're my

29:58

maintenance engineers because I. I've come here

30:00

to learn something different. It was beyond

30:02

dance for because they would use that

30:04

word. You have musicality. I'm like, just

30:07

say rhythm. Let's

30:09

call it a spade. Don't

30:11

be using these words. I can't say.

30:14

I'm taking forever. Just say rhythm. You've

30:16

got musicality. I'm like, what is that?

30:19

But it's that. I think it was a reminder

30:21

of you got rhythm. You've got

30:23

the source. I really want to put it.

30:25

But in this world, we look

30:27

for something different. And I respect that. We've

30:33

not really talked about food, even though

30:35

it's such a vital component in African

30:38

culture, generally. And I know Congolese culture

30:40

and West African culture. So what

30:42

are you going to go for? What is your

30:44

plate? What is your dish? What is the taste

30:46

that is home to you? So

30:49

I'll say in Lingala, it is

30:51

lo somadissu amusuni. So

30:54

that is rice with

30:56

white kidney beans, too. And

30:58

beef. My goodness. That. And

31:01

I can replace the rice with kuanga, which is

31:03

like cassava, boiled into. And

31:05

then it's wrapped in a leaf. And it's

31:07

pretty hard. It's almost like mashed potatoes, but

31:10

10 times harder. Right. Right. And

31:12

the garnish will call it eba, I believe. Yeah. But

31:16

it's that. That meal

31:18

for me is just what

31:20

will always, even if my mom

31:22

said the craziest thing that will

31:24

annoy me. African parents,

31:26

they knew how to apologize with food.

31:29

They will say, oh, they will regret your existence.

31:32

Look, I wish I had it. I wish I

31:34

had another girl. Why would God give me a

31:36

boy who can't even just put

31:38

Vaseline on his lips, embarrassing me at

31:40

church every week, and you're angry. You're

31:42

a failure. You can look at your

31:44

mock results. You are mocking us. That's

31:46

the only other thing they'll say.

31:49

You got to go upstairs. You

31:51

go upstairs, you see, am I adopted? Like,

31:53

what happened? I think it's my real parents. And

31:56

in the past, an hour later, come and eat your

31:58

food. you come downstairs and

32:00

you can smell it and you go, do you know what it's not that

32:02

cute you know? Would

32:04

it always fall away that quickly or

32:06

would you kind of hold those like,

32:08

hold those grudges and would

32:10

there ever be as well

32:13

as the food would they kind of, well let

32:15

me put it this way, would the food be

32:17

almost, you'd feel like she knows she went too

32:19

far. She does. And

32:21

the thing is that feeling will go

32:23

away in instalments, it doesn't, that first

32:25

bite you go, all right, let's break

32:28

this down, let's dissect this as we

32:30

digest this, you know? But

32:32

it will go and then she sits down and she comes and

32:34

she goes, do you want some more? And you go, oh this

32:36

woman, you a charmer, isn't it? Bro, you

32:38

a charmer? No, no, no, no. Wow, this

32:40

apology. It's very good. She's begging now. And

32:42

then she'll put extra meat, she'll put

32:45

the beef, you know, because the beef will beat

32:47

inside the white kidney, she'll just swim it. And

32:49

then she'll put the extra meat and she'll say, well, would you like

32:51

to drink? And I'll say, well, here we go, woman, I

32:54

forgive you. One of the things

32:56

that I quite often finish up on is this

32:58

idea of your culture

33:01

or heritage and its

33:03

impact on the wider world. When you think of

33:05

Congolese culture, obviously you've had a big hand in

33:08

people's growing interest and

33:10

knowledge in Congolese culture, but how

33:12

do you see it? Like it's

33:15

a misunderstood country in many ways,

33:17

it's rich and abundant in

33:20

a lot of kind of really

33:22

meaningful senses and maybe challenged

33:24

in others as a lot of African nations

33:26

are. How

33:28

do you see it in terms of its wider

33:30

impact? I think Congol's always been a

33:32

big part of a global culture. People

33:34

just didn't realise that now we have

33:36

social media, information gets shared around a

33:38

lot quicker and a lot

33:40

wider. So then people

33:43

like myself who are very aware of

33:45

those information are able to deliver, especially

33:47

being at the forefront, being able to

33:49

deliver in a way that people can

33:51

digest easily. So when we

33:53

do talk about the idea of the

33:55

impact of Congo and a lot

33:57

of people just hear Congo and they think, oh, yes.

34:00

It's the war. Then you realize, actually,

34:02

it's the second largest space in

34:05

Africa. It's a massive terrain. So then we

34:07

have the second largest rainforest in the world,

34:09

the deepest river in the world. And then

34:11

some of the world's most important minerals come

34:13

from Congo. Then you start talking about the

34:15

contribution to technology and where that comes from.

34:17

Then you look at history. And then suddenly

34:19

it's like, people that used to

34:21

laugh at the way Congo is, people dressed. Suddenly

34:23

you're looking at the catwalk, you're like, well, you're

34:25

all dressing like that now. You're all dressing like

34:28

that now. But it's that impact. Dance

34:30

is the same thing when they talk about

34:32

Roomba, music coming from Congo and going all

34:34

the way to South America and the Caribbean.

34:36

And then having this full circle moment where

34:39

the world celebrates this style of dance. But

34:41

it's all of those things. And then you go,

34:43

well, actually, no, it's a

34:46

big contribution. It's a massive contribution. And I

34:48

think every now and then I'll go

34:50

online and then people will

34:52

send me information in my own country and

34:54

they're shocked. And that's the great thing about

34:56

me doing so already. Is

34:58

the idea where people sit down and they go, oh, what did it,

35:01

Congo, oh, wow. But

35:04

for me, it's never about talking

35:06

about the challenging side. I think enough people

35:08

are taking on that space. And what that

35:11

does is it makes people stay away from

35:13

visiting the country. What I like to do

35:15

and go, oh yeah, that is happening. Especially

35:18

in the Eastern part of Congo, but it is so

35:20

big. It's like, if you're in London and something's happening

35:22

in Germany, you'll be like, yeah, we need to figure

35:24

that out. London is where it's

35:26

at. And it's that same thing when you go

35:29

Congo, there's so many things to see, so much

35:31

enjoyment to have. And you almost

35:33

don't want to leave us at that stage, but that's

35:35

the energy that I try to put out

35:37

into the world. Eddie Caddy, you're making it better

35:39

for Congolese kids, for African kids and for all

35:42

of us. My brother. Thank you so much for

35:44

joining me, bro. Pleasure is all mine, thank you

35:46

for having me. That was incredible. Thank you for

35:48

this therapy session. I'll be sending you the bill.

35:51

Yes, please do. Honestly,

35:53

love that bro. Appreciate you. I

35:56

love your work, my brother. Thank you, man.

35:58

Keep doing what you did. Thank you, bro. I

36:03

don't know if I've ever had

36:05

my face hurt so much from

36:08

laughing and smiling. That was just

36:11

unbelievably good. I

36:14

was a fan from Strictly and a

36:16

fan of his comedy, but I

36:18

just didn't realize what a sort of beaming

36:22

life force of energy he is, how

36:24

sharp he is, how honest he is,

36:26

how funny, how frank. I

36:28

absolutely loved it. So

36:31

many stories, so many quotable lines, but just

36:33

thinking of him and his grandmother,

36:35

that bond was

36:38

so special, the idea that

36:40

his dad went to his

36:42

first comedy show and immediately was counting

36:44

the amount of money that his son

36:47

could make, but also at the same

36:49

moment being proud, it's just the

36:51

essence of what this show's about.

36:54

Eddie Caddy, what a start and what a joy to have him

36:56

on. So

36:58

that's all for this week's episode of Where's

37:00

Home Really with me, Jimmy Femorema. You can

37:02

catch up on all the amazing stories we've

37:04

featured in series two via your favorite podcast

37:08

platform. And don't forget to

37:10

give us a follow and leave a little

37:12

review to help us spread the word. And

37:15

we also have a website. Take a

37:17

look at where'shomereally.com for all sorts of

37:20

interesting bits and pieces about the series.

37:22

It is also a very

37:24

good place to go to revisit our

37:26

whole back catalog. From

37:29

Podomo and Listen, this has been Where's

37:31

Home Really hosted by me, Jimmy Femorema.

37:33

The producers are Taiyoh Pupula and Aidan

37:36

Judd. The executive producers for Podomo are

37:38

Jake Chudnow and Matt White and for

37:40

Listen is Kelly Redmond. Until

37:42

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