The Good Listening To Show: Stories of Distinction & Genius
"If you tell your Story 'out loud' then you're much more likely to LIVE it out loud" and that's what this show is for: To help you to tell your Story - 'get it out there' - and reach a large global audience as you do so. It's the Storytelling Show in which I invite movers, makers, shakers, mavericks, influencers and also personal heroes into a 'Clearing' (or 'serious happy place') of my Guest's choosing, to all share with us their stories of 'Distinction & Genius'. Think "Desert Island Discs" but in a 'Clearing' and with Stories rather than Music. Cutting through the noise of other podcasts, this is the storytelling show with the squirrels & the tree, from "MojoCoach", Facilitator & Motivational Comedian Chris Grimes. With some lovely juicy Storytelling metaphors to enjoy along the way: A Clearing, a Tree, a lovely juicy Storytelling exercise called '5-4-3-2-1', some Alchemy, some Gold, a couple of random Squirrels, a cheeky bit of Shakespeare, a Golden Baton and a Cake! So it's all to play for! "Being in 'The Good listening To Show' is like having a 'Day Spa' for your Brain!" So - let's cut through the noise and get listening! Show website: https://www.thegoodlisteningtoshow.com See also www.secondcurve.uk + www.instantwit.co.uk + www.chrisgrimes.uk Twitter/Instagram @thatchrisgrimes
The Good Listening To Show: Stories of Distinction & Genius
Welsh Comedy Legend Rob Brydon LIVE at the Redgrave Theatre in Bristol: Small Man in a Box, Huge Heart on Stage! "You Didn't Just Entertain that Audience, you Befriended Them!"
Settle in for a masterclass in comedy, connection, and creative perseverance as Welsh comedy legend Rob Brydon takes us on an intimate journey through his remarkable career. This isn't just another celebrity interview—it's a warm, revealing conversation that feels like eavesdropping on two old friends catching up over tea.
From his childhood in Port Talbot watching comedy greats like Ryan Davis to becoming a national treasure himself, Rob shares the pivotal moments that shaped his path. The conversation brims with delightful anecdotes: crying with laughter at pantomimes as a child, nervously meeting Steve Coogan for the first time, and the sliding doors moment when he bumped into Hugo Blick at the BBC, leading to the creation of "Marion and Geoff"—the show that changed everything.
What makes this episode truly special is Rob's disarming honesty about the struggles before success. While contemporaries like the League of Gentlemen were rising to fame, he was working on shopping channels, sending out VHS tapes that returned with the "crash of failure." His story reminds us that even the most accomplished performers face rejection and doubt. When he shares how Barry Humphries once told him, "You didn't just entertain that audience, you befriended them," we understand exactly what makes Rob so beloved by audiences worldwide.
The conversation takes unexpected turns, from Rob's growing appreciation for nature as he ages to his thoughts on legacy. When asked how he'd like to be remembered, his immediate answer—"as just a good dad"—reveals the man behind the performer. With his upcoming Scandinavian edition of "The Trip" with Steve Coogan on the horizon, this conversation captures Rob at a reflective moment in his celebrated career.
Whether you're a long-time fan or discovering Rob Brydon for the first time, this episode offers wisdom, warmth, and genuine laughter. Join us in the clearing for this thoughtful exploration of creativity, comedy, and the connections that make a life in entertainment meaningful.
Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.
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Thanks for listening!
Welcome to another episode of the Good Listening To Show your life and times with me, chris Grimes, the storytelling show that features the Clearing, where all good questions come to get asked and all good stories come to be told, and where all my guests have two things in common they're all creative individuals and all with an interesting story to tell. There are some lovely storytelling metaphors A clearing, a tree, a juicy storytelling exercise called five, four, three, two, one, some alchemy, some gold, a cheeky bit of Shakespeare and a cake. So it's all to play for. So, yes, welcome to the Good Listening To Show your life and times with me, chris Grimes, are you sitting comfortably? Then we shall begin.
Speaker 1:Ladies and gentlemen, at the Redgrave Theatre in Bristol, would you please welcome your host for this evening's performance of the good listening to show stories of distinction and genius. Live, mr chris agroim. Oh you guys. Thank you so much and welcome to the World Wide Web as well. This is very, very exciting. We're streaming live across the planet as we speak. I'm delighted to be here. This is the show in which I invite movers, makers, shakers, mavericks, influencers and also personal heroes into a clearing or serious happy place of my guests, choosing as we all meet and greet them to hear their stories of distinction and genius. And with that criteria in mind, I can't tell you how excited I am to welcome none other than the Welsh comedy legend. He's reached national treasure status officially as of tonight.
Speaker 1:Would you please welcome Robb O'Brien, rob Abrainer, rob Abrainer, they seem moderately impressed and happy to see you, which is lovely. Take a seat, rob. Let me first of all charge you with some water. Thank you very much, and you've got some notes. You've done some preparation. I like you for that. Yes, yes, yes, yes. So, robert Brighton-Jones, look at you, all national treasure, beautiful and awesome. We're old friends and we have history. I'm just going to throw a bit of happy smoke at you. Back in the day, do you remember I used to stay with you when I came up to London to do some castings? Yes, do you also remember? I do, but you probably don't. There was an occasion where I was up and we were thrown together spontaneously to be a bit of a double act for a commercial casting. Vaguely.
Speaker 3:And then what was a bit awkward?
Speaker 1:was. I got the job and you didn't. Well, them's the breaks, them's the breaks. So it's my pleasure to. I don't know what happened to you after that, but it's my absolute pleasure to welcome you back to the limelight today. What was that for? What was it for? Do you know what? I think it was a Goose beer commercial, was it? And I didn't get?
Speaker 3:yeah, well, I did, and it was marvelous, but then I've done plenty of commercials since then, I can assure you. But isn't it funny how we sort of block out I blocked out lots of my failures. You know Seriously the things that, and people often remind me of them and I go, oh yeah, I think it's a survival thing. You know a survival instinct. You sort of oh, never mind, never mind, move on, move on.
Speaker 1:And it's your 60th birthday very recently. You were born the 3rd of May. You're from Port Talbot land. Yes, and that's land of the Welsh giants. Yes, richard Burton land.
Speaker 3:I'm not quite sure where tom jones fit. I know he's welsh, he's pontipri, which is no portolbert. Is richard burton's from poncho duven? Yeah, uh, up a bit. Antony hopkins from margham grew up in the same street at the same time as my father and my uncles, I know, and they're the two michael sheen now very associated with port albert. But um, yeah, burton and hopkins, you know so when I grew up, there was, you know, there was nobody. Richard burton at his peak was the most famous man in the world with elizabeth taylor, and he came from just down the road. You know, it was incredible.
Speaker 1:And what we're going to be doing is we're going to curate you through the structure of the Good Listening To show. I can't help but face the audience.
Speaker 3:Should I be facing you a bit more? I just naturally want to do that. I'm sorry.
Speaker 1:Well, do what you naturally want to do All right, people have been asking me people have been what's it going to be like to interview rob bryden. So may I say I'm going to take you through a curated structure. However, the invitation to you, what I describe, I think it's going to be like, if you'll excuse any question analogy I'm going to straddle the good horse, rob bryden, I'm going to hold the reins and I'm going to just enjoy a gallop through the clearing, which is the construct that we're here to talk about you love an analogy, I I I've never known anyone to embrace an analogy as much as you, and I'm happy to be servicing it.
Speaker 3:And I have got notes because you've got some very specific things and I had a real fear of sitting here and inspiration not not coming. So fire away, i'm'm ready.
Speaker 1:We're going to do this, so it all takes place energetically in a clearing. Then there's going to be a tree, there's a lovely juicy storytelling exercise called 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. There's going to be some alchemy, some gold, a couple of random squirrels, a cheeky bit of Shakespeare.
Speaker 3:It's as straightforward as this. It really is. He was telling me this on the phone.
Speaker 1:I was going hang on and you do impressions, not me, but you did say oh, you do love a metaphor, don't you? Yes, you do, and an analogy and a metaphor yes, and then there's going to be a golden baton and a cake, and I can't remember if I've mentioned those already. Yeah, but feel free to go where you like, how you like, as silly as you like and just as deep as like. Wherever you want to go with this structure. Any questions before we start?
Speaker 3:No none at all.
Speaker 1:Just before we start, I just want to show you a couple of surprise photographs for you. This is us back in the day, and we were trying to work it out backstage. I think this is circa 1990.
Speaker 3:I think it's about 94 or 5, 94. Far right, ruth Jones. Then that's Rachel Lewis, isn't it who I've not seen for decades? Next to her Julia, that's Julia, isn't it Julia Davis? She did Human Remains, which I know we're going to talk about as well. I did Human Remains with her, you know 99, she did, did, and she's in gavin's day, she plays dawn. And there is mr christopher grimes. You, handsome chap, look at that second back there yes, much more folically challenged now I am.
Speaker 1:But um, oh, I don't know you still. I think you still look great and your hair's.
Speaker 3:A happy surprise too, may I say well, yeah, my, my hair went and then came back mysteriously. Yeah, my hair went and then came back mysteriously. If you're not aware of it, do Google it. But let's just say I embraced medical advances.
Speaker 1:I have to say my son, stan, did Google it and said how did that come back? But you've just explained it, which is fantastic, and Stan's in the audience too.
Speaker 1:Yeah, the appliance of science, science, and this is the lovely neil bett. Yes, this is a very important man in all of our lives, actually in terms of the genesis of now what we do a chap called paul z jackson, who formed a comedy improvisation troupe where we met, called more fool us. Yeah, and I still run instant wit in bristol and that was the precursor company before, uh, instant wit, which is still being run to this day. But thanks in no small part to this man, paul Zed Jackson, and his yes and yes and yes and methodology.
Speaker 3:Well, this was an improv group under the auspices of Paul, and even before we did the first show, he ran a sort of workshop for weeks and weeks and weeks and learned some principles that I still use, you know, to this day.
Speaker 3:Real basic things like when you talk to an audience, you ask an audience member for something, you repeat their answer to you because, very simply, a lot of the audience may not have heard it. It's as straightforward as that. The principles of improvisation, which come under the heading of yes and so if you're playing a scene and someone comes on, and so if Chris came on and I said, ah, reverend, I see you've arrived and you brought your penguin, you know, then he would not say, no, I don't have a penguin. He would say yes, and he's in, he's in formal wear because we're going to a dance. And then I might say, well, I'm also going to that dance and I'm bringing a duck with me. Now, you can play within that, you can challenge within that, but essentially you're always just adding things on and all that. I mean they're well known. Paul didn't invent those techniques, but he taught them to us. So, yeah, as you said very important.
Speaker 1:Keith Johnson is the sort of very, very famous practitioner, with his book impro in the background as well, that paul would have given great homage to as well. And jane sherman, of course.
Speaker 3:She works with david schwimmer in something on sky tv intelligence yeah, and she worked with julia a lot and she's in some of julia's stuff as well and ne, and Neil Bett is going to be interviewing me for this construct, because I interviewed him again recently for this show.
Speaker 1:He's not short, no.
Speaker 3:I think he's either sitting or tutting. If you're looking at him compared to me and you're thinking, my God, he must be tiny, very small man. He's not. He's a perfectly probably above average height. I would say.
Speaker 1:That's a good segue to small man in a box, which is one of your most famous impressions.
Speaker 3:I don't know if you're willing to. I'm always willing, chris. As you know, this is a thing I do. It's a stupid thing, but people respond to it very well. I was at home some years ago and I was thinking about ventriloquists for some reason and I was trying to. I couldn't do it and then all of a sudden I went when are you? I know where you are. I'm kidding and it's. I've done that all over the world.
Speaker 1:Like the small man in a bra, and so he's, I say, just slightly above average height, and he's had no sort of his. His hair has stayed a wonderful bushy. Yeah, yeah, it's gone gray, I have to tell him, but it's all fine, that won't be a surprise to him. A couple of other random photos for you. This is you riffing about on bristol downs, I believe, and then we've got ruth jones in the background looking at you, thinking what the is he doing? And there's no change there. What was that for?
Speaker 3:what is that? Who took the photos? That looks like a classic thing where a photographer says, can you make a, can you make it a bit more interesting? And you think, oh why? And you end up, you end up doing that. I mean, I don't know what that was.
Speaker 1:You asked me just before we went on, where's Monette Lee now? And she's there standing behind you and she lives in Australia. And then, finally, the other picture is well, this is the penultimate picture. This is me, I suppose, in a time vortex, warming up with you and Julia Davis to come back to interview you this very evening. This is us doing a two-person expert somewhere in Bristol.
Speaker 3:That's when you, so Chris, would ask us questions and the answer would be, between each other, one word each. You do that. Now. What I do remember of that because the two shows that kind of launched me were Marion and Jeff and Human Remains, and Human Remains was with Julia. We wrote it together, we played all these different couples and I have a really kind of romanticized kind of is it frozen aspic? Is that is that a phrase memory?
Speaker 3:This is decades ago, but that was an outdoor festival we're performing at and I can remember Julia I didn't know her very well then at all being there and we're doing a scene and I can remember looking in her eyes and going oh God, there's a real connection here, there's a chemistry, there's a thing. Really remember that. And then this photo resurfaced recently. Somebody sent it to me on social media and it's amazing to see, because then you know we went on and made that series and it and it did well. You know it won awards and and all sorts of stuff. And then we went on and we're in gavin and stacy together and we're still friends now.
Speaker 1:But that's a that for me, is a really important photo and I didn't tell you or show you what photographs I was going to show you. There's only one more to show you, and then this is the last photo, where you end up at some random Christmas party somewhere that's from that is now.
Speaker 3:Is that that's the Christmas episode in the first or second series? That one, yeah, I remember that. And look at Stefan Rodri as Dave coachesates. He's probably my favourite character. Look at the look on his face.
Speaker 1:It's just All right he's just superb and Uncle Bryn is just totally iconic. Uncle Bryn is in the building and there's still the question that will never be answered and I think it was never, ever written actually which question is that?
Speaker 3:and?
Speaker 1:remember we can ask questions at the end, so keep listening, okay, so back to the open road. We're getting on the structure now. Yes, okay, it all takes place energetically in a clearing or serious happy place of my guests choosing. Everybody answers that differently in my circa 250 episodes so far. So where, would you say, rob Brydon goes to get clutter-free, inspirational and able to think?
Speaker 3:Where is your serious happy place, rob? Well, I've wrestled with this because the actual answer is we have a house in France. Please don't hate me. We have a house in France. Please don't hate me. If you did well in the 1970s, it was okay to talk about it, but I feel so self-conscious. But that's the honest answer. That is where I feel most relaxed and it's amongst nature and birds. Then second place would be our garden. It seems to be a thing with getting older.
Speaker 1:All my friends say the same thing, the garden now in Twickenham.
Speaker 3:In Twickenham, yeah, you just take so much pleasure and solace from nature in a way that you never did when you were younger, and it's for a simple reason Things are growing and everything you know, but it would be, yes, out in France. That's very sort of special.
Speaker 1:And, in terms of your timeline, of how long you've had that property for. So how long has it been a happy place for you?
Speaker 3:Well, what day is it today? It was about last Thursday, I think, oh, I don't know. Six, seven, eight years, something like that. Thank you, p&o Cruises. Six, seven, eight years, something like that um. Thank you.
Speaker 3:Piano cruises um and some good came of it. Um, so, and when were you last there? Uh, I was there a few weeks ago with with friends. Uh, I don't get out there as much as I would like. I had a boys weekend there, but that's where you just automatically switch off and and it's lovely. And then second place would be at home. Yes, sitting in the garden. We got a dog not long ago, a golden retriever, and if she's, they're not as easy as you think. Um, uh, yeah, they've got great publicists because they they have promoted an image of the most compliant, easygoing, happy dog. I would warn you against golden retrievers. Go and pet somebody else's in the street, but don't actually get one. Give it back, lovely.
Speaker 1:So, in terms of now, I'm going to arrive at the tree. Yes, so what part of France are we in?
Speaker 3:Well, we're down of. It's not a very fashionable area, it's it's sort of near carcassonne. Oh lovely, do we know carcassonne? I didn't know. He's got a hell of a castle. When you see it from the motorway you go, it looks like it's cgi'd onto the. It's stunning. Um, I just thought of a story and I'm wondering if it's in poor taste. Um, let's have it. No, well, no, it would be no, it can't, because it's to do with some. I'll tell you afterwards when, when, when we do that meet and greet in the, uh, in the, in the bar.
Speaker 1:I'll tell you then, okay that's gonna be like uncle brin.
Speaker 3:That's gonna be the question what did happen at carcassonne castle. It's come on. Was it cgi? Was it for you?
Speaker 1:yes, so I'm not trying to get your actual address, but what we're going to do is now a bit sort of what three words. I'm finding a region to plonk a tree down. Right now, because of my acting background, this is a bit deliberately existential, a bit waiting for godot-esque, and the tree now is where you're going to shake your tree to see which storytelling apples fall out. You have had five minutes, or as long as you've needed, since you knew that you're going to be doing this, rob bryden, to think about four things that have shaped you, three things that inspire you, two things that never fail to grab your attention and borrow from the film up.
Speaker 1:Have you all seen the film up? That's where the dog goes. Oh, squirrels that we've all got, shiny object syndromes, or squirrels, or monsters of distraction, which could be your, your dog and your cat, in any case as a sort of metaphorical, literal squirrel. And then the one is a quirky or unusual fact about you, rob bryden. We couldn't possibly know about you until you tell us it's not a memory test, I've not felt this much pressure since I did my o levels and don't forget, go where you like, as silly as you like, how you like.
Speaker 3:If you wanted to do one of the answers as michael cain, that would be fine don't you hate it when impressionists deliberately don't do their impressions and they get prompted and prompted and they just sit there and they're like kind of above it?
Speaker 1:I am not one of those people, lovely and just while we've stumbled on that, that's one of my very, very favorite clips that I've seen. Of the many, many clips available of you online is you and steve coogan with michael cain about three rows behind you, both doing michael cain this is a great clip.
Speaker 3:Uh, it's on youtube about well, I always say about four or five years ago and it's usually about 15 years ago, but about four or five, six, seven years ago, before the pandemic, there was a night at the albert hall. Jonathan ross wow, what a talk of a shout. You know what that is interviewing, interviewing michael cain, and quincy jones was there conducting the bloody orchestra. It was incredible and they had this idea that they'd start the show, the lights would go down. But you keep the lights up on one section, one of the loggias I think they call it the loggia at the Albert Hall and there's boxes at the side and Steve and I would arrive late. So that's what happened. So the lights go down still there and we come in and go sorry. So that's what happens. So the lights go down still there and we come in and go sorry, sorry, a bit late, sorry, oh, sorry. And we come through and say we mention our names like we're full of ourselves. You know, sorry, rob, bryan, steve, boom, sorry, sit down. And then we go oh, I'm looking forward to this, aren't you? Yes, and then we talk and we get into doing the impression. You know, we, he doesn't talk like that, he talks like this and blah, blah, blah, blah, blah, laugh, laugh, laugh.
Speaker 3:Unbeknownst to the audience, a few rows behind us, sat behind a program for the event, is michael kane, and he's hidden there. And he, because he's michael cain, he just timed it. We rehearsed it before with him in his dressing room and you know, michael was quite old then and I listen, this is the man's a god, right, but it is a little bit. We came, oh, is this going to be okay? You know, because he was. Is he going to be all right?
Speaker 3:Well, bloody hell, he just timed it like a laser and he just waited and he waited and then he went you're big men, but you're out of shape. I think he said you're funny men, but you're out of shape. You know, for me this is whatever the line is. He said now sit down and watch the show, and it oh, and it was uh. So I got a great photo at home of me and Steve in his dressing room with Michael Caine. We look like kids that have won a competition which, in a way, we had, and that that was um, yeah, that was very special and it's, it's on, it's on youtube, and danny baker is sitting a few row.
Speaker 1:Danny just happened to be in that same box, so he's there as well and one of my other very favorite clips not specifically about you, but about someone that I know you were very, very close to and hugely admired was barry humphries. Yeah, he does that wonderful stumbling into the king's box oh yeah, well, barry Humphreys was my.
Speaker 3:He'll come up in this. He was a a massive influence on me and, much to my incredible surprise, became. I would class him as a real friend, a proper friend. You know um which I? I I still pinch myself over to this day. Yeah, the great where Edna at the Royal Variety goes in on Charles and Camilla I think he was Prince Charles then and sits down and it's all well, you watch it. It'll be funnier if you watch it.
Speaker 1:And I'm glad to know that Barry Humphries will be featuring further down. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Of where I'm taking you, so back to the structure of the tree. So of where I'm taking you, so back to the structure of the tree. So four things, rob, you'd say, have shaped you.
Speaker 3:Okay, all right, let's go. Four things Well, so I'll try and do them in order. I mean, given what I've ended up doing, which is having a living of doing something that I love, and that's something that I dreamt of doing, literally dreamt of doing because there was a period, after we'd worked together in that group and I was in london and I couldn't get arrested. You know, I I just couldn't get ahead, I couldn't get seen by casting directors. I had friends who became favorites of casting directors and I couldn't get in through the front door. You know, um to to help myself get off to sleep at night, and they would call this perhaps manifestation, or visualizing.
Speaker 3:I would imagine I was on Parkinson and I was being interviewed by Michael Parkinson and I would imagine you had a wonderful career, rob. I mean, you're doing so many things. Tell me about you and I genuinely I would play this out in my head and I would event and I would say, yeah, well, of course, you know I do this, michael, I do that, and I would eventually go off to sleep. I did this many times and then, eventually, I did go on to parkinson again, got to know him, you know quite well, and um, so so that now why am I telling you so it's being right four things that shape me. So as a kid four, five, six, seven it would have been seeing comedians on the television and, I think, seeing them differently to most people. So most people would be entertained by them and enjoy them. But I think that if you end up doing what I've done, you are also even in that tiny young way, you're analyzing them or you're appreciating them at a different level and you want to know more, and I think that it would have planted a seed in me.
Speaker 3:There was a famous Welsh comedian long gone died same year as Elvis 77, called Ryan Davis. Anybody know of Ryan Davis? Okay, great, and he was in a double act called Ryan and Ronnie. They worked in the Welsh language and in English and he. My local theatre was this grand theatre in Swansea and they put a panto on every year and he would either be the dame or the idiot or whatever, and we would go.
Speaker 3:I'd have been six, seven, eight, nine years old and I have a I have a visceral sort of again romanticized memory of crying with laughter in the stores, but I have no memory of what he was doing, but my memory is of how I reacted to him crying, laugh, laugh, laugh. That would have gone in now. Max boyce then would have, would have come to the fore when I was a kid, so I was 10 in 75. Max was big then. Big then and I never used to think of him as a direct influence. And then I saw a clip of one of his shows from, say, the 70s or 80s and the way he came onto the stage with a kind of childlike enthusiasm I went, oh, or maybe I took a bit of that from him. I hadn't realized.
Speaker 3:I think sometimes you get especially if you, if you like me, you get interviewed a lot you end up giving the same answers, you know, and it becomes your story oh, I watch this person, that person. But there's always more to it. You know, it's never straightforward. And, um, I got to know Victor Spinetti. Does that name mean anything? Yeah, well, I became a friend of Vic towards the end of his life and, um, he did a fantastic one-man show called a very private diary and it was his stories about working with richard burke and elizabeth taylor, peter sellers.
Speaker 3:He had all the john. He knew john lennon. He used to tell a story about john lennon. He said I was with john one day. He said hey, vick, you know it's very cold, you want to go someplace warm. He? He said, well, I thought you meant the kitchen.
Speaker 3:Next thing, you know, we're in bloody Morocco and I have a show. Now I do with a band and we tour around and you know, one of the joys of it, compared to stand up, is you've got the company of these talented, lovely people. So we'd be on the bus after show and, of course, because I'm the boss, just like bruce, I get to, I get to choose the music. So I said, oh, let's listen now, let's listen to victor's things on spotify, put it on and blow me. I was listening to that and I went bloody hell, how much have you stolen from this man? Because his rhythms in his storytelling? I went, jesus, I, I didn't realize that. I'm aware of the influences of barry humphries and ronnie corbett, that is timing and things like that, woody allen, all sorts of people. But so, so, when your question, chris, is, you know four things that have shaped me? Well, those, those, those as influences.
Speaker 3:And then also shaping me would be meeting Ruth Jones. Yeah, because we were at school together. We were at Porthcawl Comprehensive School and I met her when I was about 14. I'd been at school in Swansea and then we moved to Porthcawl, going up in the world, you know the, the san trepe of south wales, and I did, and I went to my little independent private day school. That is the one that katherine zeta jones was at. Everywhere I went there was a future star. That's true, because before that one I was at a little school in another school in portugal, eddie izzard had been there. Honestly, honestly, katherine was at the one in swansea and then I was moving to portugal comp and I was. I was a bit nervous, I didn't know a soul, you know.
Speaker 3:And um, there's, there's a. I won't pretend, this is a bit I do in my show, I say so there I was and I'll never forget ruth. So I was in the playground all alone and ruth saw me and she took pity on me and I'll never forget the first thing she said she was about as far away as you are, madam. She stood, I was there, twix in hand, not a euphemism. I was holding a chocolate bar. I said, and there, and it always gets that laugh and I said, ruthie, I'll never forget. She looked at me and she went oh, what's occurring? I said you should write that down. That didn't happen.
Speaker 3:So I met her because we were both part of the drama thing. We had a fantastic, young, dynamic drama teacher called roger bunnell and he inspired us. He was superb still in touch with him now. He got an mbe or an obe recently and came and had lunch at our house afterwards. You know that's, that's so emotional already. Yes, study on um. So I met ruth there and we became friends and obviously she's been so important in my life. She was in an episode of human remains. She's fantastic in it. Uh, then she did. She was in nighty night with Ruth.
Speaker 3:She'd met James on Fat Friends, the Kay Mellor series, and I met James in 2002, maybe on a comedy drama called Cruise of the Gods, me Coogan. We were the two leads. David Walliams that's where I I met him was on this cruise ship filming. James corden that's where I met him. Russell brand was a um, was was an extra okay, um. Jack jones, the american singer, was on it. There was Philip Jackson, the wonderful actor. Anyway, I meet James on that and what I always remember I think he already knew Ruth.
Speaker 3:We're filming a lot of it on a cruise ship and we're also in an out-of-season Greek resort and it was infested with mosquitoes but they didn't seem to like my blood, but they loved Steve. He's very popular and he got bitten so badly under one eye that we had to change the whole filming schedule. And if you ever see it, he's wearing sunglasses and a lot of scenes where you might think you don't need sunglasses just to hide the big swollen eye. Look like he's in rocky. But the point, the reason I'm telling this, is james. I remember we'd been out to some taverna and we're walking back to this hotel and I swear to god, I'm what.
Speaker 3:James was unknown, james corden, unknown, and he's talking to me because he loved marion and jeff and human race, because at that point I was the guy and he's walking with me and he goes, he goes. Oh, you know, here what I really want to do is I want to write. And he said, I think he said have you got any advice? I've got advice. But I, I said, I said, well, all I can say to you is stop talking about it and do it.
Speaker 3:And then a few years later, the two of them, ruth and James, came to me and said we've written this thing and we've written this part for you, and that that began that journey that has, you know, given me so much in my life. And then also we've mentioned them already Coogan, steve Coogan and Julia Davis that be so important to me. And I met Julia in the same way that I met you. Yes, you know, so important because she got me into Steve's orbit. Yeah, because we did our stuff with the improv group. Then why did I stop doing that? Was it just too far? I think you were going to London to find your fortune.
Speaker 3:Yeah, was too hard to travel because I had been doing it from Cardiff. Yeah, it wasn't as far. It was too much hassle to keep going so I stopped doing it. Julia stopped. Julia went AWOL for about two or three years. No one knows where she was but we would occasionally write actual handwritten letters to each other. I think it was just before email. And then the next thing I know she's in london and she's working with the best people in comedy chris morris, for god's sake. She's working with graham lenehan and arthur matthews. Right, and she's working with steve coogan.
Speaker 3:Right was to me, you know, because he was doing what I wanted to do, because I got stuck in local radio and television and stupid parts and sitcoms and things and Steve had started out doing voiceovers like me and impressions like me but was now doing character comedy. I wanted to do it. Julia got the part in his live show the man who Thinks he's it, along with Simon Pegg. To comedy I wanted to do. Julia got the part in his live show the man who thinks he's it, along with Simon Pegg, who was also not really that well known. I said I remember her first day of rehearsal with Steve phoning her that night and asking that fan question what's he like? That's where I, you know, wow. And she said always. Then she told me some stories about him. You know he's. They said this is quite funny and he did that. He's quite serious and he's.
Speaker 3:And I and I had a demo tape at this point I'd made and one of the characters was keith barrett who went on to do marion and jeff. He was sitting in his because I'd done him on the radio. I had a show on radio sitting in his taxi driving. I'd done him on the radio. I had a show on radio Sitting in his taxi driving around talking da, da, da. And I said could you get this to Steve? Could you get it to Steve? So Steve could see it. And she did. And then I, has he seen a Steve? Steve's seen it yet.
Speaker 3:And I was doing a radio show for the BBC, stupid Voices, on a thing on Radio 5 every Friday at Bush House and Steve was doing this incredible, record-breaking residency at the Lyceum Theatre now home to the Lion King pomp, and this is about 97, 98 and I, you know it's all about engineering your own luck and opportunities. I knew that on a friday night after, or every night after the show, the cast would drink at a particular pub. So I said, right, I'm taking myself off to that pub after we done our show and I'm just going to happen to meet him. I'll hang out with julia. So I took the engineer from the show with me. We go there, and there's julia hey, she goes. Oh, I'm really tired, I julia.
Speaker 3:So I took the engineer from the show with me. We go there. And there's julia, hey, she goes. Oh, I'm really tired, I'm going home. I went oh okay, oh no, so I just sat, I thought I sat there and anyway, steve, steve saw me I still remember this clear as a day and he and he went oh you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're, you're.
Speaker 3:You're julia's friend, aren't you? Yeah? Yeah, I've, I've seen your tape. Yeah, it's actually very good. Yeah, is it? And he said he said he said you've got something. He said not everybody has. He said julia has and simon has and you have. He says I, I actually like to work with you one day. Well, I cannot overstate what that meant to me.
Speaker 3:I had to walk from there back to Waterloo Station to get back to where I lived then in East Sheen. In my memory. I floated on air over the bridge to Waterloo Station. I got in and my then, then my third, my first wife, martina. I woke her up. I woke her up. I just met steve coogan. He thinks I've got something. I can't tell you how big it was. It was huge, which makes all the things we've gone on to do together how often does that happen to anybody? That you see someone that you want and you end up doing stuff with them. So, anyway, that started that off. So those are the people In answer to your question, mr Grimes, I would say Ryan Davis, max Boyce, victor Spinetti, ruth Jones, steve Coogan and Julia Davis. Thank you very much.
Speaker 3:Could, you say a bit more about ronnie corbett as well. Ronnie, yeah, very, very close to him as well. Yeah, I've had this weird thing in my life where I've always had more respect for age and experience than youth and energy, right, so I was. I was never into punk, right. I like new wave stuff that had melody but just energy and rebellion on its own just left me cold. But like paul simon crafting a song or bob dylan or whatever, barbara streisand's voice and brilliant ronnie. You know, we were a family that watched bruce forsyth and and I loved him and I think I've taken a fair bit from him. So you got Ronnie Corbett and Ronnie Barker and then you got Peter Cook and Dudley Moore big influences, and in both Cook and Moore and Corbett and Barker, I went with the shorter half, but it was also the warmth. Corbett was way warmer than Barker and Moore was way warmer than Cook, right, yeah, and both of them slightly underappreciated for the naturalness of their talent, as opposed to the slavish writing of Cook and Barker, I mean, although to that I would say it's not sport, is it? There doesn't have to be a winner and a loser. That always annoys me when people talk about want to compare, well, they're better, they're better. I don't like that. They're all bringing joy, right. But Ronnie, yeah, I used to compare Well, they're better, they're better. I don't like that. They're all bringing joy, right. But Ronnie, yeah, I used to watch those bits and I loved his monologues in the chair. A lot of people will tell you, oh, I didn't like that bit, I loved those, right, maybe I could see. Even then I was only a kid and it was something that style would suit me, you know, maybe. And before, and it was something that was style would suit me, you know, maybe.
Speaker 3:And when, before I left the school in Swansea, I was just starting to get the bug for wanting to do stuff on stage and we wrote a version of Star Wars for the stage, ambitious, and I played Luke, of course, and and the, the prettiest girl, helen Williams, was Leia, course, and, and the, um, the prettiest girl, helen williams was leia, and we had a little kiss at the end, lovely, and. But. But r2d2, as you can imagine from his shape, was very challenging. So instead of an r2d2, we had a c3po, oh my. And the, the, the droid. We had canine from doctor who, which was more square and boxy and easier to achieve. So our version of Star Wars had C-3PO and K-9. So the reason I'm telling you this is we did this performance.
Speaker 3:But before the actual play I went out to the front of the cloth and did jokes from the two Ronnies joke book those news bulletin jokes, you know and some of them were a little bit saucy and I can remember the teachers looking at me like that. So Ron was a big influence. I loved him and then I got to know him because the first time we met I was told he wanted to come to one of my live shows. I was playing in Croydon and they live near there and I knew he was coming. He got in touch with the promoter to ask to come and I was nervous because he was going to be in the audience. So during the sound check I was doing my impression on me just to relax myself, and it was old joke that Ron used to tell where he said my great-uncle Arthur. He said my great-uncle Arthur, he said, died at the Battle of Little Bighorn. He wasn't involved in the fighting, he was camping in a nearby field and popped over to complain about the noise. So I was doing that in the soundcheck just to relax myself. And so then the time comes for the show and I know he's out there in the darkness, so I start the show and it's not getting the laughs it normally gets at that stage because I'm off my timing, because I'm nervous. And then I say something and from over there I hear, ah, ah, ah. I think thank God for that. And then I relaxed.
Speaker 3:So then after the show I had this packed dressing room. There were people from the video company there, there were all sorts of people. I think Claire was there, my wife and Ronnie and Anne came back and we're all there and I'm chatting to Ronnie. I've got great photos of this as I was talking. It's the first time we've. I think it's the first. Oh, no, no, no, no, no.
Speaker 3:We met briefly once at an at some BBC event with the other, with Barker as well, and I was introduced to them by Ronnie Ancona. So there were three Ronnies. We met briefly at that and hit it off, anyway. So I'm chatting to him in the dressing room and I said oh, I was so nervous because I knew you were in. I said that in the soundcheck I started doing your voice. He said oh, I said it was that one about my great uncle Arthur died at the Baton.
Speaker 3:Now, as I'm doing this, the other people in the dressing room go is he doing the impression to him and all the conversation elsewhere falls silent and they're all, they're all kind of going, they're all worried for me. How is he going to react? So Ron's looking at me like this. You know, and I said I did that when my great uncle Arthur died at the battle of Little Bighorn, I said he wasn't involved in the fighting. I went, he and he's looking at me and they're all silent. I he was camping in a nearby field and ronnie went and popped over to complain about the noise and the room. Thank you, the room went. Oh and so so he was.
Speaker 3:He was a big influence and then and then we became friends and um, he would come to my shows. He came to my when I married play. He came to that and was so gracious with all my welsh relatives who wanted to talk to him and he was charming and lovely and uh, we did a few shows together and um, parties and lunches and whenever I would ring him and would answer that and we lost an as well now but and would answer and was very theatrical. She'd work with the crazy gang and then gave it all up to bring up the girls and she'll go, oh hello, and she would chat to me. And then she says, she says I'll get him right. And then she went, ron, it's rob. And and I would hear him coming down the hallway. Honestly I'd hear, oh, I'm not making this up, I can hear him getting. And then I hear it and he'd always go is it me? So he was, he was, he was fantastic.
Speaker 1:I love the, the feedback that was so important to you. Getting feedback from steve coogan giving you approval, oh yeah. And then also ronnie corbett going okay, doing his well I was.
Speaker 3:I was, you know, I had an odd situation in that, from when I was at school, I got tons of praise, right, I, I tons of encouragement. I was never one of those people some performers that do okay, they say oh. When I was starting out, they said you'll never make it, you'll never. I never had the opposite of that. I was always encouraged by my family, by school. Then I went to drama college and, oh, yeah, you know, I, I, I think I was thought of as the funny one and I'm always encouraged, but then it didn't happen. You know, I, I couldn't get through and and, and I was seeing my contemporaries in terms of age, like, uh, the league of gentlemen, yeah, carolina hearn, or steve's manchester crowd, john thompson, those guys, craig cash, and they're all doing really well, and and I'm thinking, oh, because it didn't happen for me, I was about 35, you see, 2000.
Speaker 3:I was thinking I missed the boat. I had a career as a radio presenter, you know, and that was all right, but I thought it wasn't going to happen. So to have him, who I looked up to, and still do you know, to say yes, meant so much Because I was starting to lose faith. Yes, I was starting to lose faith.
Speaker 1:Yes, I was starting to, and similarly, janie, my wife, is in the audience today. We remember all of us having a conversation with Ruth Jones where she was in tears about to give everything up and be a teacher, and we were there at that moment. And then that sort of it's an extraordinary moment because it's the precipice of a change of choice.
Speaker 3:Well, I remember, because you know, as I say, I was at school with Ruth, but I remember being in a cafe with her in Cardiff I don't know when it was, but she just wasn't getting acting work, you know and she was telling me I thought she was going to train to be a lawyer or something like that. But anyway, I can remember saying to her no, no, no, no, no. I think you've got something, I think you're really good, you've got to, we've got to carry on. Yes, but isn't it interesting that maybe without that encouragement. But I have had lots of luck and I've had lots of those what they call the sliding doors moments. One of the biggest would be um, I made marion and jeff with hugo bl.
Speaker 3:Now, I'd been at college with Hugo, but I wasn't that chummy with him. We had the same best friend, which was kind of odd, a guy called James Lovell. He was both our best friends, but we weren't that friendly. I had made this demo tape of Marion and Jeff, of Keith Barrett driving his taxi, and I sent it out to loads of people, a VHS, and it came back. No, thank you. And I got used to the sound of a jiffy bag being pushed to the letterbox, then falling through the air and the crash of failure, flood and I'm going to go. Oh, they've returned my VHS. Okay, I sent it off to agents, producers, everything, but I used to carry one round with me as well.
Speaker 3:Now I knew hugo by then was working as a kind of script reader, come producer, come writer, and he was on a show called operation good guys. That was a success then. So you might say, well, why don't you send it to him? And I didn't, because the thought of rejection from him, a peer of mine at college, I couldn't take that. But I thought, well, maybe if I ran into him. So I was at the BBC one day I for a while, because I had a good career by this point now doing voiceovers for commercials.
Speaker 3:Philadelphia with chives, kellogg's crunchy nut cornflakes they are ludicrously tasty. I did everything right. And I also, for a while, was the guy that did, and with match of the day at 10, that Saturday night on BBC One, I did those and I was in doing one and I had left and I had my bag with this VHS and I swear to God, right, sliding doors and how you need luck. I'm not exaggerating, I'm walking through the corridor. It's very, very busy and I think wouldn't it be great if I just bumped into Hugo now? Thousands of people work there, I swear to you.
Speaker 3:He appeared at that moment, right, and even then I didn't really grasp the nettle, as they say, because he said, oh, what are you doing here? I said, oh well, I just done a thing I'm. But then he said, oh, we're gonna have a go and have a coffee. I went, sat down and I'm trying to pluck up the courage to say I've got this thing. I thought, oh, but what if he doesn't like it? This will be awful, anyway, we're talking away. I did. I said, oh, I got this. We're on a high kind of. I had to lean all the way down. I got this thing. I said do you have a look at it? Now? I had put.
Speaker 3:There were four characters on there that I'd written and filmed. The best one by far was Keith, and I put him last. Most people probably never got to him. I give it to Hugo. Well, good to see you. Goodbye, and off we go, and I'm doing loads of voiceovers. So I'm in Soho then later that day sitting in a cafe waiting for the next job, and my phone goes and he says, yes, here. I like the last character. Why don't you come in and we'll chat about it? I went in the next day and that was how Marion and Jeff was was born and it changed my life. So, sliding doors, synchronicity, luck, yes, I mean you've got. You've got to make the most of it when you have those moments.
Speaker 1:And anchored in yes and yes and yes and windows of opportunity, just moments.
Speaker 3:But you need the. I mean, I've worked with so many fantastic people and I'm not being modest, lucky me. I bring what I bring to it. But you've got the Trip crowd, the Gavin and Stacey crowd, the Would I Light. You know lots of really great people.
Speaker 1:Yes, and the trip is happening again very soon. Yes, we've got the Scandinavian one next.
Speaker 3:Yes, in September. We're doing that, yes, yes, I think I've answered my thing quite fully, haven't I? Four things that shaped you now Definitely done that. Are we going on to Inspired now? Yes, and there could be some overlap. But three things, people and all things that well, they're all performers, they're all really well-known performers.
Speaker 3:And we've mentioned barry humphries. Yeah, I kind of looked up so much to barry. He seems so intellectual, so cultured, as indeed he was so knowledgeable with playing in in Edna this deliciously. I mean, he was on Saturday night ITV, the Dame Edna experience with the the wit on Saturday night ITV. I mean, with nothing against, you know, but but he was a wit of the highest order and he made it so accessible. So he really inspired me because I wanted that cleverness of the humor in a way that was accessible to lots of people.
Speaker 3:So I would say him Elvis, I mean, he's clearly not influenced me in any way at all, but I but imagine if I said, and he's obviously been an influence, um, if only through my sensuality, um and uh, bruce, I, I love bruce springsteen and you know his work ethic, which I don't have, but I admire it um, I don't, I don't, I really don't, um, so those would be. Those have been influences, but so many people you know you could put ronnie in the, but almost almost any performer I've watched and liked yeah, has in, and what's really interesting is your predilection to being a comedy technician from the very early age.
Speaker 1:when you're watching the TV, just diagnosing it, I think we all are.
Speaker 3:I think all the people that do it for a living, I think we all are. I think, just like, if you were more interested in whatever the job is, you would want to get more out of it yes, yeah. And whatever the job is, you would want to get more out of it yes, yeah. So I would say those are the as good a three as any to mention.
Speaker 1:And we're on to the two now which borrowed from the film up Squirrels. What would you say are your monsters of distraction, your shiny object syndrome?
Speaker 3:I find this really hard, I mean, and I've come up with a couple of answers Until I lost my sense of smell with COVID. Anybody else gone and it's not really come back Just me, okay.
Speaker 1:It certainly happened to my mother as well. Well, okay, me and your mum.
Speaker 3:It used to be the smell of leather in a new wallet. Oh, that would take me back. I would, I would, I. I mean, when I first met claire, one of the first gifts she gave me was some wallet, and I think she thought she was going out with a weirdo because she gave it to me. And I went and I was back.
Speaker 3:I was like in dennis hopper in the blue velvet and, and I was on my way, I was back at my first day at school, incawl as a little boy with a satchel, a new satchel, ah yeah, and it took me back to that, but I don't, my sense of smell is not what it was, so that's kind of gone. The other thing is back to impressions. One thing that will sometimes, sometimes do this for me. I don't really have a great answer for this, chris, but it's hearing a voice. That I know I can do, yeah, and it happens less and less. But I'll sometimes hear a voice of some public figure and I'll go oh, yeah, oh yeah, yeah, that's in my workhouse, isn't it? Oh, that's in my, yeah, but I find that quite hard to answer they're great answers.
Speaker 1:I'm not sure that I have them. No one's ever answered a new leather wallet. That is a great answer.
Speaker 3:Always to distract me, always to.
Speaker 1:And is there any voiceover you're percolating at the moment in appealing to?
Speaker 3:Well, I was saying to Chris you know we were chatting earlier today they don't do it for me like they used to. You know voices, they don't delight me or amuse me. I don't know, maybe I've just grown out of it, but I will hear voices. I hear Farage grown out of it, but, but I will hear voices I hear. Uh, farage's voice is is eminently doable, but I'm not. I'm not really on his team and and so I I don't really want to spend time in that headspace, but um, but sometimes I'll hear myself and I'll have a rhythm and I realize what I'm doing. I'll be sliding that thing and I go. The other one is Michael Gove's voice, I think. Is I mean, how long until he ends up on classic FM I? It's just waiting for him, isn't it? We're doing this new trip and it would be nice, wouldn't it, to have some new voices.
Speaker 3:But I always say the ones I do are people. It's always a love letter, and they tend to be love letters from my youth, when people were bigger stars and they were mysterious to me. So Ronnie Corbett lived in this or Barry lived in another world, whereas now there are people doing the same job as me, for better or worse. Some of them better, some of them. You know what I mean.
Speaker 3:Yes, so I like Richard E Grant I'm very fond of and I know him a bit and I did him one day to my daughter and it was as if I was channel fond of and I know him a bit and I did him one day to my daughter and it was as if I was channeling him. My God, it was accurate. But I've not been able to get it back. Oh, oh, I can't. But honestly, if you speak to Katie, speak to my daughter, she'll say it was as if he was with us. So I thought I could try and do that. And Jeff Goldblum is another one I sometimes I seem to have, and I think it's because I'm just not as enamored anymore. Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:So now we're on to the one which is a quirky or unusual fact about you, rob Brydon.
Speaker 3:we couldn't possibly know about you until you tell us, oh well, I've bloody said it haven't I earlier which is that my dad grew up in the same street as Anthony Hopkins. People probably. Well, it doesn't deserve applause. People probably wouldn't know that.
Speaker 1:We have shaken your tree. Yes, let's clap. I probably wouldn't know that we have shaken your tree. Yes, let's clap. Okay, now we stay in the clearing, move away from the tree. Next we're going to talk about alchemy and gold, which is when you're at purpose and in flow. What are you absolutely happiest doing in what you're here to reveal to the world?
Speaker 3:Well, it goes back to that thing of I'm very happy in the garden these days, I'm very happy in nature these days, and I keep seeing all these studies that say now, oh, there are frequencies in trees, and you know this office, forest bathing can do things to cancer cells and stuff. I mean, I don't know, is it true? It'd be lovely if it was. Certainly there are all sorts of magical things. I do stuff with a charity in Wales, a cancer charity in Wales, and they have choirs and they've done studies for the health benefits of singing in unison with other people and they do saliva tests before and saliva tests afterwards and it's done things to antibodies and it's did, did, did, did, did, and also the mental health benefits of nature, being in amongst trees and all sorts of stuff. So I find that so more and more being in nature. And then to bring it back to you know what I do for a living if I'm, when I feel I'm being funny, when I feel I'm doing something, that's good, that's a good feeling. I really like that feeling. If, if I feel I'm doing something that that I should be proud of yeah, as opposed to just tossing off any old tat which I'm not beyond doing, then that's a great feeling, definitely.
Speaker 3:And I do love an audience. I think maybe not all performers do. I love an audience. I feel that I would get on. I heard someone else say this the other day. I've been to see some people I know and I've been in their audience and I thought I'm not sure that you'd get on with this. I'm not sure, but I always feel with my audience and it tends to be when I meet them afterwards I think, oh yeah, we, we kind of get on, yeah, which is why I think I'll never have a massive audience, honestly, because I think that it's kind of self-selecting in a way. Does that make sense? I, I, I, yeah, I don't know.
Speaker 1:I mean this feels optimum in terms of an experience. So it's good to have an intimate small crowd.
Speaker 3:Oh, I love, I love. It's not financially viable, but I mean it's Ha a disaster, but, but, no, but, but, but, but. This size audience is a bloody dream and you're so close, it's gorgeous. This is what you want.
Speaker 1:You're welcome and now I'm going to award you. I'm going to award you with a cake.
Speaker 3:Next, oh, you gave me cake earlier. I went to his house earlier. I had cake. Then what do you want me to do? Lose this svelte frame.
Speaker 1:Yes, actually coming round for tea and cake caused quite a kerfuffle amongst the neighbours. I didn't know. I lived next to loads of chickens. All the neighbours were going who's coming and there was lots of sort of curtain twitching, going on on. But anyway, you came for tea and cake and thank you for coming. So, uh, this is where you get to choose a cake of choice. So what's your favorite cake ross I don't know.
Speaker 3:Um, uh, a walnut cake. Oh, claire makes a great cake. What, what is it? That one she makes? Oh, some courgette, something in courgette. What would that be? Um, I'm good, oh, no, no, that, no, that's not a cake, that's a um, that's a vegetable, that's a key, that's a quiche or a flat, what is it? I mean, I would say, does it matter? I have sweated over these questions. I, I tell you what I've never, I've never especially specific about.
Speaker 3:We went to see oasis last night, right in, yeah, yeah, right, so we go down. So, me, claire, my two youngest boys, 17 and 14, they know all the words, talk about a band staying relevant. My audience, you know, basically gets older and older with each tour. Right, I do not attract a new young crowd. Oasis, my god, loads of young people. So we stayed at the hotel and we're having breakfast this morning before we went then to see my parents in port talbot and then we went to see mr grimes and janie and we're having breakfast. So let's just have breakfast. And my 17 year old is up and down. I want to go see if've got some brown sauce. I'm going to go over there and my attitude is look, there's your breakfast, just eat it. No, I can tell I'm in the minority from that reaction. Right, you're on Tom's side, aren't you? You are, aren't you? Yeah, yeah.
Speaker 1:He's like have they got black pepper? They just use the pepper that's there, which still didn't come up to a cake of selection.
Speaker 3:All right, so you asking me for a cake, I'm going. I haven't got a favourite cake, have I? I mean, back in the day it would have been chocolate cake, but again, I find, as I get older, if I have that now I go into some kind of diabetic coma. I mean, if I have chocolate I just want to go. So it would be a tiny bit of Sorry, barabreathe. Well, what a well stereotype that is. I find that very offensive. Would I be having some cowl and lava bread first of all, after I brought the sheep in from the field, Get out of here. Um, um, I don't know if I've ever had that. I mean, I like Welsh cakes, there we go. She said. There you go. I don't know if I ever had that. I mean, I like Welsh cakes, there we go, she said there you go.
Speaker 1:The whole point of that is now you get to put a cherry on your cake. It's the final On my indiscriminate cake.
Speaker 3:It could be any sort of cake and the cherry I do like cherries. If that's any help, that's very helpful.
Speaker 1:Yes, the cherry on the cake now is stuff like what? What's your favorite inspirational quote? Rob Brydon, that's always given you sucker. Oh well, I'll tell you.
Speaker 3:I'll tell you a thing that I quote. I mean, again, I found that very hard. I did this is going to sound like I'm blowing my own trumpet, so just go with it, but this is the honest answer. I did a show about three years ago, maybe four, with the band the London Palladium, and Barry came to see it. Well, can you imagine what a thrill that was. So he's in the audience. And then, as he left, he left me a message on the phone which I still have, and he said he said all the right things. Of course, what else was he going to say? But he goes, I just loved it and said do you know what he said?
Speaker 3:You didn't just entertain that audience, you befriended them. And that meant the world to me, because I knew that that meant a lot to him to befriend an audience. So, whilst it sounds like I'm going, look at me. That is the honest answer. You asked me to come up with a quote. I will often think of that quote in times of self-doubt or, you know, needing a little bit of a lift. Although, well, barry said that you know. So that's a lovely answer.
Speaker 1:Thank you, and, with the gift of hindsight, what notes help?
Speaker 3:or advise. We come on to subsection 4C. Lovely.
Speaker 1:Yes, with the gift of hindsight, what notes help or advise might you proffer to a younger version of Rob Brydon?
Speaker 3:Well, this is interesting because you could describe me as a jack-of-all-trades master of none, okay, so there's a part of me, there's a part of me that goes should I have just focused on one thing and become great at it? Right, and I think the ultimate answer is no, because I love the variety. I love, you know, I get to act in some things, you know, and I get to host some things and I get to do a show where I sing with the band and they all have their own audience. You know, I think we always wonder what would have happened if you went the other route, only because to be interested. No, whatever, I have no particular yearning for that other route. You know, would you?
Speaker 3:When people see germany regrets, I'm always staggered when some people say, no, I've, no, I've got a million regrets. Of course I mean, how can you live and not have regrets? So that ties in with this question. Yeah, with hindsight, well, I'd be interested to know. Well, but it's all worked out pretty well if you consider that I was a presenter on the shopping channel in in my early to mid 20s. So the likelihood of going from that to working with some of the very best people in comedy yeah is is very slim.
Speaker 3:Yes, because what I used to find in those days when I was a local radio presenter and a shopping channel presenter, I would send my CV off to agents and to casting directors and rightly they would go. I'm not going to Guy's presenting and it's on YouTube please don't look at it of me hosting on a bloody shopping channel. Yeah, Because in my naivety I thought, well, it's a job. Because in my naivety I thought, well, it's a job, it's London. But those choices we talked about making the most of opportunities those choices can hamstring you and inhibit you because people will judge you from them and go well, what?
Speaker 1:Well, and admiring all the variety, greats like Bruce Forsyth, what you've struck on is this sort of polymathic approach of just being a broad scape into entertainer well, I'm sort of doing all the things I love and and and, and we talked about this.
Speaker 3:I think the media landscape now you know it's so fragmented, yes, so people tend to watch what they watch. And you'll say to someone oh, have you seen succession? It's superb. And you'll, people have never even heard of it. Right, because everybody can watch now what they like. They don't have to stick with the show and get to like it.
Speaker 3:And the bad side of that is that there are very few shared experience shows. I mean, gavin and stacy was a triumph, that last special, because so many people watched it when it went out, so many people shared it. So the downside is there's fewer of those. The upside, for people like me and for people like you, there's more work about because there are so many bloody shows being made. And the other good thing for me is that I could be on a thing where I did a thing for Amazon called my lady Jane, which I loved, and then it didn't get recommissioned and that's a Tudor thing, you know, costume and quite funny. I can do that, but then I can also go over there and present, would I lie to you, and quite possibly those two audiences don't cross over, so you can be that thing to those people and this thing to these people and, if you like doing lots of stuff like I do, I've come to the conclusion that actually that actually works out quite well. Yes, for me anyway lovely answer.
Speaker 1:We're now finally going to be ramping up to talk about Shakespeare and legacy in a moment, but this is now the pass the golden baton at a moment now. You've experienced this from within Rob Brydon. Who might you like to pass the golden baton along to in order to keep the golden thread of the storytelling going?
Speaker 3:So his name is Alex Lowe and Alex plays Clinton Baptiste. You know I'm getting the word nonce. You know him from Phoenix Nights and he plays Barry from Watford and he's in all the good comedy people things. So he's in a lot of Steve's things. He's in Partridges. He's in stuff like look around you with, uh, peter fernandes and robert popper. He's superb. He isn't as celebrated as he should be, although it's it's his current tour, as clinton is playing bigger rooms than he ever has, so it's all going in that direction. So I think he's he'd be a wonderful guest and a wonderful storyteller that's a wonderful golden baton pass.
Speaker 1:Thank, thank you so much. Wonderful. And so now, finally, inspired by Shakespeare, all the world's a stage and all the men and women mini-players. Borrow from Jay Queasen, as you like it, this is about the Seven Ages of man. Now, how, when all is said and done, rob Brydon, would you most like to be remembered?
Speaker 3:Well, I did. You did you refer to Jacques as Jay Queez? I did. Ok, I didn't want to let that go unnoticed.
Speaker 3:If I'm ever asked this, which I am occasionally I always say as just as a good dad, because that's all that matters. I got five children so that I would love it if, when I'm gone, they all thought I'd been a great dad. I would love that, right. But also, you know, it would be nice, it would be nice to be thought of as someone who did good quality stuff and and that that maybe people remember for a bit. You know that that would be, that would be nice. But in reality it is more your family and you know people around you Sometimes if you're with people and they've lost their. My parents are still very much with us, but I have friends, obviously, who lost their parents, and some of them with parents who were performers, and I do love it when I hear them talk fondly of their parents. Oh, it was great when Dad did this and I learned this from dad.
Speaker 3:It's very hard, I think to. Well, I found it very hard to teach your kids things, you know. I mean, jesus, there's a great. My friend is the singer-songwriter martin joseph, and he did a great song where he says he says, uh, but he's taking his daughter, driving her back up to london to college or something, and one of the lines in it is he says take, take my best and leave behind the rest. You know, it's a simple but lovely line and you should have hoped that they've learnt stuff. I think, like my 14 year old son, he says the thing that I sometimes say and I do sometimes think oh christ, is this all that he's going to take from me? Which is I can sometimes be guilty of saying, oh, I can't be arsed, and he says that oh Jesus, is that the one thing?
Speaker 5:So when I'm gone and he'll say it and Claire will go.
Speaker 3:Oh, rob used to say that, and he'll say it, and Claire will go. Oh, rob used to say that. I do notice that. I think, oh, come on, it sure is something else. Is that it Lovely? So, yeah, no, it would be, because what better thing could there be than for your kids to carry you forward, you know?
Speaker 1:Ladies and gentlemen, that's the end of part one. We're going to do a Q&A after the interval that's just about to start now.
Speaker 3:There are no more questions. I mean surely they've all been asked.
Speaker 1:But there will be more to come. Think of some questions. There might even have been some questions heckled in by the internet as well.
Speaker 3:I have been asked before, by the way, what happened on the fishing trip. If it would mean a lot to you to ask it, then please do, but do be warned. I have been asked it before.
Speaker 1:So are there any questions? And please let me know where I can come galloping up or throw this cube at you. It's very soft, it doesn't hurt you. Who has a question for Rob Brydon?
Speaker 7:Hi, Rob. So you're a bit of a genius when it comes to the kind tease. How do you do it without crossing the line and has it ever backfired?
Speaker 3:Barry Humphries. That's very much from Dame Edna. You know, she, he, she used to used to excel at that and I loved it. John Rickles would be another person that did that a lot. I don't know.
Speaker 3:I think that there's just something in me, in how I look and how I sound, that allows me to say things quite cutting to people and people laugh. I was saying to Chris in the interval and people laugh. You know, and I was saying to Chris in the interval, it's quite interesting what you find out about your persona, or, you know, I mean, I'm pretty much me, you know, when I'm on stage, but obviously some things are dialed up and some are dialed down. Audiences seem to like it. If I get a bit exasperated, or if I get a bit indignant, or if I get cross with someone, they seem to like it. And, and you see, it's in Bryn as well. It's one of my favorite things with Bryn is when he gets angry and and cross. But, um, gwen, you know, and he's in the way he goes at Gwen, what have you, um, and I don't, and it must be. I suppose it must be some part of of me. No one's ever asked me.
Speaker 3:I do think that's a really interesting observation because I do use it. You know my live shows, I I get cross with audience members and I say, for god's sake, make an effort. Or uh, you know, usually the first time a woman will ask a question, I'll refer to her as a gobby cow. I mean it's not Oscar Wilde, is it? But I mean it always gets that laugh and I think it's those words coming from this face, I don't know, it's just or it's a bit. There's a bit of bruce forsyth in that. You know the way that he would. You know he'd get cross, wouldn't he? With people a little bit like that.
Speaker 3:And I'm glad you've asked that because I'm very aware of it, I'm very aware that it's uh, I mean, I had somebody when I did a show at the edinburgh festival years and years and years ago, um, who was very overweight and I called them morbidly obese. Yeah, I know, I know. Well, nowadays, you see, no, but it was in my Keith Barrett guise and as Keith you could get away with even more. I mean, you're what I call morbidly obese, so you've got to be. But she was laughing, you know, crying with laughter. She enjoyed it so much she had to be helped away out of the theatre by her family, who were also crying with laughter.
Speaker 1:Lovely first question, well done, and you weren't a gobby cow at all, you were marvellous. Ok, next question, please Is that a microphone? It is a microphone. It's a question cube, so can I throw it after we've done the second question.
Speaker 3:You say question cube, as though that's something we're all familiar with.
Speaker 1:I was just told who's asking the question. Yes, I'm going to chuck it at you. There you go, hello.
Speaker 3:Rob, can you hear me? Well, not particularly louder than before you held the question cube, but go ahead, rob. Before you held the question cube, but go ahead, rob. Do you still have any acting goals that you want to achieve? Maybe certain characters, et cetera? Well, I mean on one level, yes, but on another level, no. I mean, look in an ideal world where we have hoverboots and everything is marvellous. Yes, it would be lovely to do. I mean, you know, if someone said to me, oh, anthony Hopkins wants you to be in such and such, then I'd go, yeah. My problem is I'm quite content and I don't have a need. I don't have a need, I don't have a need, and to achieve those things you've got to really need it, you've got to be. You can't be arsed.
Speaker 1:Ha ha ha ha Thanks, great scene.
Speaker 3:You probably couldn't hear him because he was using the question cube, but he said you can't be arsed.
Speaker 1:That's very witty incorporation there as well. Thank you, the cube is very enigmatic. Onto the row behind. So yes, sir, your next question uh, hello, rob wow, the cube is working.
Speaker 3:This is the cube 0.0.
Speaker 5:Sorry drama teacher. Very, very good. You've been very candid and kind about all the gifted people that you've learned so much from Bob Mortimer. Is there anything that you've learned or gleaned from him, or do you just sit back and enjoy him like everyone?
Speaker 3:else does. I certainly sit back and enjoy him. If you watch the episodes of Wiltie, when Bob is on, in many cases I look like a lovelorn teenager. So he's always over there. I'm like this. There's something so likable about Bob you know in person as well, not just on screen. He's very much as you see him on the screen. What have I learned? Well, I would say indirectly, I've learned what you learned from all the great people, which is you know be who you are. I mean a little bit. You know what you asked about, the, the insulting people, but, and, as I say, it just works for me. You know, I love the saying ride the horse in the direction that it's going, and that works for me. So, and that thing about elvis, who I'm always being compared to, where they said early in the early days, you know, he said, uh, I was shaking my leg and they started to scream. So I thought, well, I'll shake it a bit more lovely answer, so for bob.
Speaker 3:You know, yeah, it's. You know there's no one like bob. So so you go try it. Try and be individual. We take all the influences and I'm painfully aware of all my influences but hopefully they go into the blender and they come out as a unique thing, which is you thank you, lovely answers question.
Speaker 1:It was almost profound, marvellous. Next question from the lady in the back corner Hi.
Speaker 7:Rob, A few years ago you did a wonderful stage show called Town to Town with David Mitchell and Lee Mack. Oh yeah. It was so funny. Please are you going to do any more?
Speaker 3:It's very unlikely and I will tell you, and I'll tell you for why. Are you going to do any more? It's very unlikely and I will tell you, and I'll tell you for why. David Mitchell is very happy at home. He and Victoria are two of the one of the happiest married, which is not to say that mine and Lee's marriages are not blissfully happy as well. But no, david is. He's not as fond of the touring life, although God knows those were short tours, I mean, they were about as gentle as it's possible to be. So it's always trying to persuade David, really. And now he's got this Ludwig show which takes up a lot of his time. You know that's a big hit, so that's a long shoot.
Speaker 3:This was a show I did with David and Lee where we went round and in the first half it was quite nice. All the audience had been emailed questions about the town we're in and, in all honesty, a tiny percentage responded, but it was enough to have some stats. So I would say to them I asked this audience what's the most embarrassing thing about brighton, or who's the most famous person? Blah, blah, blah. And we would do that and there'd be a competition. And then in the second half it was dilemmas from the audience and we would solve them and la lily and we really enjoyed it and it always went. It went down very well and people came from around the world. Seriously, people came from Canada, from New Zealand. I mean amazing, all that way to see it. I think it'll happen again at some point, but it's not imminent.
Speaker 1:David Mitchell's a homebird is the conclusion there, so a question in the same sentence, and then I'll move after this.
Speaker 7:Hi Rob, we love your appearances on. Would I Lie To you who is your favourite co-guest and why?
Speaker 3:When you say my appearances on, would I Lie To you? I mean I host the bloody show. I mean you make it sound like on those ones that you're on. Oh, but who is my favourite? Well, well, bob. You know I love bob.
Speaker 3:Recently I have been very fond of lucy beaumont. I like the ones that are very singular. I would say lucy was very, but where sophie willen was on, she was great. James acaster I'm a big fan of james acaster. I think he's fantastic. I I look on him as one of the new young comedians, which of course he's not, but he is to me. I love claudia winkelmann. She's really good on the show. Uh, who else do I like? Penning vane, he's always great. Uh, yeah, so those it's. It's always nice when someone comes on new.
Speaker 3:And who have we had? In this last series? We had, uh, we've done a series that hasn't gone out yet, um, oh, and we had some good people and I, ah, oh, yeah, jules Holland came on, he was really good. Jonathan Ross came on and did it. He's going to be in the next series. Um, how many series in are you now, rob? Jonathan Ross came on and did it. He's going to be in the next series? How many series in are you now, rob? We just did series 19. And do you know what? We had Roger Moore. He was booked and then he got ill. Could you imagine that? That would have been bloody exciting. I mean, is it true or is it not? I'm doing roger moore thank you, rob.
Speaker 1:Next question, sir, you've got the brick in front of you okay, I think you've already answered this.
Speaker 2:Uh, rob, it's brilliant, even thank you, very much pleasure to be here. So I was going to ask you I'm thinking of going on a cruise next year, and which cruise company would you recommend?
Speaker 3:there's probably something in the contract, even though I stopped about six years ago but there's probably something in the contract that says I can only ever endorse piano cruising have you been on? One. Uh well, I filmed lots. No, I used to send my parents in the deal. I send them, they gave me some money and and they would also give me a cruise. But so mom and I used to let mom and dad have it. They would do it. They went all over the world they loved it.
Speaker 2:Thank you very much. There's a very small question what's your favorite oasis song?
Speaker 3:oasis song. Well, I, I tend to like the ones that I, I, I, I know Noel a bit. I don't really know Liam, so I was there because I know Noel a bit, so I, you know when they did Don't Look Back in Anger last night, that was glorious and he did Half a World Away. You know the Royal Family song those are maybe my favorites and Roll With it was good. I mean, it was just the occasion. You know the event, the waiting for them to come out. You knew you were at a thing that was, and the reviews are all five star that I've seen you know it's, so it was pretty, pretty special rob, is it as much fun hanging out with comics off camera as it is on, or does?
Speaker 4:does everyone just switch on when there's an audience or a camera, or are they all riffing and trying to make? Is it quite competitive? Make each other laugh.
Speaker 3:I think it's probably less competitive than you would think. I think it's more fraternal than you might think, if that's the word I'm looking for, and it depends on the comedians. For example, I just went I mean it's been a week of concerts because on Monday I was in Milan watching Bruce Springsteen, and I know where did it all go wrong and with my friend, steve Merchant and Steve loves Bruce, but Steve is someone who loves to be funny. Steve is great company, bruce, but Steve is someone who loves to be funny. Steve is great company.
Speaker 3:Um, now there are some Steve's. Why would I want to be funny? Um, I'm a serious man. Um, I'll caveat that by saying no one is funnier than when he can be asked. So, yeah, so someone like Steve is a lovely guy. Steve is a nice man and we were out there with our partners and I remember saying to Claire at one point I love about Steve is he likes to be funny. So he's just great company. You know, lee Mack is hilarious. He's so fast and if we're out for dinner or what doing whatever, oh my god he's funny and the connections he makes. You know, he picks up on things and he's a delight.
Speaker 3:Mcintyre's always, always, always. He's got, always got his radar on looking for the funny. He's always kind of, but it's almost with Michael it's almost sort of more of a work in progress. When you're with him it's as if he's spotting something new, you know, and just thinking about how it could go down. Yeah, it's very, it's quite interesting. Actually, I remember when I first met Steve used to get quite frustrated that that why are you not being funny? But that's not the way he is, not his mind, you know. He's more of an engineer to him and he's got so many interests and passions and causes. You know that comedy is just this thing, that he's a genius at Almost by. You know, seeing about loving your audience. You know, I think with him it's it's like oh well, I can attract thousands of people. I suppose I should. You know, it's very, very fascinating guy, fascinating guy hey, last couple of questions now.
Speaker 1:So, madame, would you like to ask yours?
Speaker 7:hi. Um, we were talking to a couple another couple in the audience earlier on in the interval and saying how look what you decide to do after the show.
Speaker 3:Now we're not judging you, but I I don't think we need to be made fully aware as they arise.
Speaker 7:So you know, um, we were saying that you give off the impression or at least tonight you have that if we were just sat in your front room, um, you know, with a cup of tea and a slice of cake, that you would be like this you would just be calm, relaxed, gracious, is that really you?
Speaker 3:sometimes, sometimes, yeah, and just I'm making a bit of an effort, you have. I'm aware that everybody's looking this way, yeah, but that's the strange thing, right? Look how ludicrously relaxed I am in this situation. This is an odd situation. You're all sitting looking at me, but I can honestly tell you I am totally. My pulse is not racing. It would have been once.
Speaker 7:I can assure you, if I was sat having tea and cake with you, that would be a very odd situation for me.
Speaker 3:Thank you, Well, yeah, that's another. You know it's pretty interesting questions because, yeah, no, I'm kind of, I'm doing what I love to do and so I'm very comfortable in this situation. And yes, you know, if this many of you were in my house I'd struggle to, I mean, whether it's the British house or the one in France.
Speaker 1:And I believe we have the last question now, if that's okay with this gentleman over here Rob, what are your memories?
Speaker 6:of Morpho QEH school 30 years ago, where I first saw you man, oh did you? You were there at those shows. I put in a little line that you read out Go on. So we all had to put in things. It was the time of peewee herman. Yes, so I put in. I know you are, but what am I? And then you were doing your sketch with your people yeah and then you were like dying, I think it was.
Speaker 6:Then you, you picked it out, the bucket and you said I got one thing to say to you. I know you are, but what am I? So? Yeah, you were there a few, a few times, weren't you?
Speaker 3:yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I loved those days because that, because that was when I was trying to get into comedy. See, what happened was I went to drama school great, you know and and then got a job, by chance, really, on bbc radio, because I had a double act with a friend and we, we were on this radio show and a producer spotted me and then, you know, over the course of time, offered me my own radio show. So I left college halfway through the course and became an early morning DJ, chris Rea, the roads of hell, traffic and travel coming up shortly, pretty inane and facile, and you know, if that's what you want to do, great, fill your boots. But I really wanted to do comedy. So that's when I fell into that. And then the shopping channel, you know. And I had an agent in Cardiff who called me up one day and said I got you an audition in London. I thought, wow, I can remember when I was in bed in the afternoon. Those were the days and I thought London, oh my God, because getting to London from cardiff was impossible. How do you do it? It's like interstellar travel, you know. I mean career wise, you could go and visit, but I mean getting up there to work and I thought, what lippy theater television film, it's that bloody shopping channel. But in my naivety I thought, well, this is an opportunity. So I went and did that. So it was around that time. Then going up to that was 89, 90, 91. And then about we were doing our stuff. But what year would you remember? Yeah, that's right. Yeah, because I was telling Chris that it was around the time I was. The first film I was ever in was a Sean Connery and Richard Gere film. Right, I know, I know, called First Night about King Arthur. Gielgud is in it as well and I sat and I watched Gielgud shoot a scene.
Speaker 3:Imagine that, with Julia Ormond, who played Guinevere, and she's had an offer of marriage from King Arthur, played by Sean Connery, and she's asking his advice. He was this sage shop and he stood like this and he had a staff and she had to go up and say I forget what his name was and she said what should I do? Da-da, da-dee? And he goes oh, you know my feelings, dear An offer of marriage from Arthur of Camelot. And they go cut and a chair would be brought in and he'd sit down because he was very old and they were ready for another one. There's an American director, and he'd come up and he'd go you know my feelings An offer of marriage from Arthur of Camelot Cut, and this went on and he never varied it, it was identical.
Speaker 3:And now I had auditioned you know I said I couldn't get arrested my friend Dougray Scott, the actor. You know Dougray Scott in a million things. We were at college together. Dougray was on the Vroom trajectory. He was the darling of casting directors, and there was the doyen of casting directors, then was a lady called Mary Selway directors, and there was the doyen of casting directors. Then was a lady called Mary Selway, no longer with us, and Dugray was a favorite of hers and he got me in, bless him.
Speaker 3:He said, see, see my friend Rob, you know, see my friend Rob and I sit in there and she's casting a Sean Connery film, richard Gere. You know, wow. And they go through the, they go through the breakdown of which parts are left? Not many, right. And she said now, what have we got for Rob? And she's looking through, and she went right. And she went marauder, right, right, wait, it gets better. And her assistant looked at my CB and went five foot seven and I don't think I'm five, seven anymore. I think I've begun to shrink anyway, never mind that. So they go.
Speaker 3:Oh, they found a part first, villager, right, and he had something like two lines and this I call the collective noun for actors and humiliation of actors, because so much of what we do is humiliating. So I had to audition for jerry zuka, the director who had done ghost. He was coming off ghost right and they put this big old, clunky video camera in front of me and the part was I'm here and I'm begging for forgiveness before I get shot with a crossbow, so I have to go in front of a camera right in Twickenham Studios in an office and go like this. No, please, I beg you. I mean, how demeaning is that? It's almost abusive, right? Anyway, I get the part. Wow, I'm going to be.
Speaker 3:And I tell you what my wife then was a nanny up in London and she worked for a well-to-do couple who had tickets for Wimbledon and gave us the tickets. So we were going to Wimbledon and it was in the early days of either a pager or a mobile. And we're there and this thing goes off and I go outside and I get the message you've got the part in a Sean Connery film. What so excited? Go for costume fittings. It was designed by an Oscar winning costume designer, amazing. Right the day before I'm due to shoot my two lines, my agent rings Bad news They've cut your lines. Do you still want to do it? Well, of course it's a Sean Connery, richard Gere film. Yes, sean Connery, richard Gere film. Yes, so I go there and if you watch the film, it's often on a Sunday afternoon. There's Ronnie Corbett's rhythms there, did you notice? It's often on a Sunday afternoon. You'll see me early on.
Speaker 3:Richard Gere comes to this village and he makes money as Lancelot by having sword fights with the locals, right, and he wants to find someone to challenge him. And there was an actor called Paul Kinman and he's toys like this Richard Gere does. He goes. Who now will challenge me? And he, oh my God, he was handsome. I was watching like this. He was charmed. He's like looking at Bob Mortimer. He was charming. This was at the height of his Richard Guiness, right, and he's learnt how to do a sword. Who will challenge you? Who will seize the moment today and stand at destiny's doorway, or words to that effect? And then he has to look over and I'm going to encourage my friend and I have to go. Go on, you could do it Now. I was saying to Chris earlier, I was a terrible actor in those early days. I had no idea about cameras and how much to give them or not give them. It was as if I was playing to the back of the stalls and I'm like Griff Rees-Jones, I go. Well, you know you don't go there.
Speaker 4:You do it, you do it, you do it, you do it.
Speaker 3:God only knows what Richard Gere was thinking, as he had to act opposite this idiot. So I do that. And then there's another scene. You see me in that scene. And then there's another scene and the baddie comes and he puts the baddie and he puts, he starts burning the village and we villagers are in a barn and we're running around to save the children, and we're trying to save the children, not the charity, we weren't taking a collection and I shout shut the doors, shut the doors. Not in the script I improvised, so it looks like I've got line. Anyway, I, I did that and I thought my god, this is it, this is the beginning.
Speaker 3:I am going to be in movies, I'm going to be al pacino, I'm going to be dustin hoffman, anyway, the film comes out and we go to leicester square to watch it, not the premiere, but just to see I'm, my bit is coming up. I'm watching that and I know I'm, forgive me, I'm shite, I'm terrible, and I can see it. And I sit there and I just go. Oh, jesus Christ, because I can just see I'm overacting, I'm doing too much.
Speaker 3:Oh, and I never had another sniff from Mary Selway, the casting director. She probably rude the day, um, and it took me it was Marion and Jeff was the first time I gave a proper screen performance. I felt so relaxed in the in the car. I knew where the camera was. I realized I I knew that was my shot to try and act like my heroes acted where they do not very much and I'm still capable now of forgetting that and doing too much. But hopefully you know, when the checks and balances come in I, I do it less than pitching it right, but it's very, it's very easy. It's very, it's very easy to do I have returned with the question, brick.
Speaker 1:It started to work, as you said. 2.0 was great. It was good. Just before we started the show, we were riffing on an adage about comedy, improvisation. You said, oh, I like that it's. If you can't top it, stop it. Oh yeah, and you had oasis last night, cake with the grimes this afternoon, the good listening to show just now.
Speaker 1:I think it's time we bring the evening's proceedings to a close. We're going to meet rob now in the foyer. Ladies and gentlemen, rob bryden, I've been chris grimes. That's rob bryden, world predates. Good night. You've been Chris Grimes. That's Rob Dryden, world Predator. Good night. You've been listening to the Good Listening To Show with me, chris Grimes. If you'd like to be in the show too, or indeed gift an episode to capture the story of someone else with me as your host, then you can find out how care of the series strands at the goodlisteningtoshowcom website, and one of these series strands is called brand strand founder stories for business owners like you to be able to tell your company story, talk about your purpose and amplify your brand. Together we get into the who, the, what, the, how, the why you do, what you do and then, crucially, we find out exactly where we can come and find you, to work with you and to book your services. Tune in next week for more stories from the Clearing and don't forget to subscribe and review wherever you get your podcasts.