Ep #8 - Stitches Comedy Club & Peppa Pig's Big Family Show

Join presenter Zoe Hanson as she chats to Stitches Comedy Club compere and comedian, James Alderson all about the upcoming lineups at Mayflower Studios this year. Actors Emma and David from Peppa Pig's Big Family Show tell us why children's theatre is so special as a first experience for little ones.

Transcript

SPEAKER_04 0:06

Welcome to the Mayflower Spotlights podcast. In this episode, comedian James Alderson joins us to tell us everything you need to know about Stitches Comedy Club.

SPEAKER_01 0:18

People don't um always understand why I call it Stitches, and then when you say, Well, it's doing Stitches. They go, Oh, yeah, um, so it's not the best marketing name, but I think that people were the I think people on the way home from clubs go, I don't know about it, yeah, because we were in Stitches, weren't we?

SPEAKER_04 0:33

Plus, we'll be chatting to two of the cast members from Peppa Pig's Big Family Show.

SPEAKER_03 0:40

My favourite bit about this show in particular is the songs. I think they are amazing. It's like a musical for children.

SPEAKER_04 0:53

James, can you just introduce yourself for me, please?

SPEAKER_01 0:58

Yeah. Well, I um I'm James Alderson. I used to be a comedian in my own right, and then I got a bit fed up with that and decided I was gonna start my own chain of comedy clubs. Um travelling the world is not much of a family man job, really. Yeah. And when COVID hit, I sort of that was uh uh an eye-opener for me, and I just thought, okay, let's change change things.

SPEAKER_04 1:26

Okay, so so you run comedy clubs.

SPEAKER_01 1:29

Yep.

SPEAKER_04 1:29

One of those comedy nights is at Mayflower Studios.

SPEAKER_01 1:34

It is indeed, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 1:36

Um, tell us all about it. It's called Stitches, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 1:39

Yeah, I mean, but people don't um always understand why I call it Stitches, and then they say, Oh, it's because you're in Stitches, and they go, Oh, yeah, of course, yeah. Um, so it's not the best marketing name, but I think that people when the I think people on the way home from clubs go, I know about it, yeah, because we were in Stitches, weren't we? When we were laughing out there. Um, but yeah, so I I came up with the brand idea. I'd already started a few comedy clubs before um locked down uh as a comic myself. I was still travelling around everyone else's clubs, and then I uh started a few. But then when I had this idea to start this sort of chain of them, um Stitch was born sort of nearly four years ago, and uh yeah, we've got about 23 of them now, of which Southampton is is one of the bigger ones.

SPEAKER_04 2:21

So, what happens on uh Stitch's comedy club night?

SPEAKER_01 2:24

Well, it's a chance for people to see uh a mixed bill of of comedians, you know, not just go and see a tour show where they'll watch the same comedian for an hour and a half, they'll come and watch three comedians doing about 20 to 30 minutes each. Yeah.

SPEAKER_04 2:37

And uh is that like a festival then where you just get doing the best bits?

SPEAKER_01 2:41

I guess so. Yeah, they will do their try things.

SPEAKER_04 2:44

Is nobody doing here's one from my new album.

SPEAKER_01 2:46

Yeah, yeah, no new material, no sort of bits that might bit uh might miss the mark. So it's quite nice that they're they're coming and they're trying 20 to 30 minutes that they've done, probably for the last year or two. Uh they might be working up a tour where it's bits of new bits that they're gonna put into their tour next year. Um, but it's quite nice that you have this three comedians, a variety of styles, something for everybody. Yeah, um, and uh it's it's a tried and tested formula from comedy from you know years, years gone by, and it works. It's lovely.

SPEAKER_04 3:18

Give us some of the names that you work with at Stitches Comedy Nights, because there's some big names there, isn't there?

SPEAKER_01 3:26

Yeah, I mean, over the years we've booked the biggest and best, you know, Catherine Ryan, Romesh Ranga, Nathan, Joel Domit, Joe Lyset, Sarah Pasco, um, yeah, Milton Jones, CRISPR Causland. They're all if they've been on the TV, then at some point we've booked them. But it always staggers me how people don't know still who they are. You know, I get people after the show going, that guy at the end, he was so funny. I go, Rome Sranga Nathan, and then they go, is that his name? Yeah, he's so funny. And they go, Yeah, he's gonna be big, isn't he? Well, hopefully he'll stay big. It's just yeah, it dumbfounds me really, but you forget that some people don't watch telly and some people aren't on social media, and they're not kind of open to that, you know, they're not in that world, are they, you know.

SPEAKER_04 4:12

Um, I've seen uh I went to see Scott Bennett, yeah. He's on your list, isn't he? Like he's he's just incredible. Like uh, I love his routines, but the way that he plays with the audience every night, and it's different every night because he'll pick on somebody different. It's it's incredible, and people go along to his shows wanting to be picked.

SPEAKER_01 4:40

Yeah, I mean, some people love the front rows, and some people want to be in the darkness, yeah. And uh, I totally get that. Yeah, he's he's brilliant, he's probably the next the next big thing. He's been selling two concurrent shows, tour shows out all last year. Yeah, um, so waiting for him to have some gaps this year because he started just before I did, really, probably about 15-20 years ago. And uh, yeah, waiting for gaps to put him on our bills has been has been brilliant.

SPEAKER_04 5:06

Um, who else do you have that you think, right, they're the people that you need to come and see? Like, they're gonna be massive, they're a great hit.

SPEAKER_01 5:14

Well, I mean, the funnily enough, the people who aren't famous are often the ones who get the biggest reaction. Yeah, and this is why we try and say to people just come along and see see who's on, because not not just because you recognise that person, but that person in the middle, like the last show we had here, James Ellis, he's been supporting all the big names, but he is absolutely incredible. And the amount of people that come out after the show and say, Hey, who's he? He's brilliant. I know you've got to trust that who we put on, yeah, even if you don't recognise any of the names, come along because they're gonna be brilliant.

SPEAKER_04 5:46

So you're the MC at Stitches Comedy Club.

SPEAKER_01 5:48

I am, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 5:49

Right. So so how does it differ being a comedian and being an MC?

SPEAKER_01 5:55

Um comedian, being a comedian can sadly become a little boring because you know what you're saying.

SPEAKER_04 6:04

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 6:04

Especially if you're touring. That's why Scott Bennett does what he does, because he throws in a bit of interaction. Most comedians don't do that, they don't get involved with the audience. They know what they're saying, can become mechanical, they say the same thing night after night.

SPEAKER_04 6:17

Because it's an hour long, this is the show, that's how we do it.

SPEAKER_01 6:20

Or even the circuit where you turn up and you're doing 20-25 minutes, and you'll notice sometimes, I certainly do, some comedians mix it up, they'll say a different detail in amongst the jokes, just to keep it alive. Yeah, because the trick is to make the audience think you're saying it for the first time, of course. For me, when I'm going out there, everything I'm saying is for the first time because I don't know what's gonna happen, and I find it exciting more than being a comic because you know you go out there and who knows. I've got five to ten minutes before each comedian to talk to the audience and to say a few bits. I don't know what's gonna happen. Um, so it's lovely.

SPEAKER_04 6:51

But that must be nerve-wracking, not knowing anything.

SPEAKER_01 6:56

But the only time it becomes a little bit nerve-wracking is we've gone out at the first point, introduced the act, and everyone in the front row is just dull as Dishwolter. You're just like, oh my god, how many more accountants and engineers are there gonna be? And you go through them all and think, Come on, guys, and you're trying to get them going, and you know, it's very rare because obviously you'll find something in amongst it all. Um, and then you've got to go back on, you know, trying to think of somebody. We're on row three, yeah. You've got to keep moving back, talk to the staff. But um, it yeah, so it it but 99 times out of a hundred is incredible fun because I'm just rinsing the crowd and taking the Mickey and trying to find something humorous to get everybody together, everyone laughing together, everyone on the same page, and know that this is what we're here for, and then I bring on an act.

SPEAKER_04 7:43

Isn't is that the job of the MC is to make this a community so we're all sort of we're all together, we're all on the same level.

SPEAKER_01 7:51

Yeah, I mean you've got 400 people in this uh auditorium here, and the idea is to make 399 of them pretty happy before the show starts, and one guy going, Oh, me, seriously, and you think, mate, you've worn those trousers during the front row, what do you think was gonna happen? Um, I mean, you try not to be evil, of course, you try and it's all tongue-in-cheek and having a laugh. And to be honest, half the time, particularly the way I MC, it comes back on me. You know, the joke is most of the time on me, I've misinterpreted what they do for a living, or I've got it wrong, or I don't understand, or quite self-deprecating. So you generally try to make everybody laugh at me about what we're talking about, but of course, sometimes it does fall in the lap of the guy on the front row.

SPEAKER_04 8:30

It does, but it's also I think if if you're booking the front row of a comedy club, you you you're almost expecting to be part of the show, aren't you? Yeah, I think. You know, you can sort of you're almost on stage, aren't you?

SPEAKER_01 8:47

Yeah, these days that's definitely the case. Instagram and all the socials with the comedians, when you see them on stage, they only ever show you, they don't show you their material, of course, because that's burned forever then. You won't laugh when you see it live. What they will show you is them interacting with the audiences because that's always new, it's always fresh, it changes every time. So they see enough of it now on Facebook and Instagram and TikTok that they know that that front row is deadly. And uh we often get people walking, oh, I don't want to sit in the front row. And you go, well, it says A. So I'm afraid have a lovely night. Yeah, so it's um, but you've got it, you know, you've got to get involved in it. It's everyone's as long as everyone is laughing together and nobody feels too uh you know done for. That's that's the key. Keep everybody laughing.

SPEAKER_04 9:35

And that's your skill, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 9:37

Some would say, yes. Yeah, you've got you've got to just pitch it right and make sure at the back of my mind, I'm thinking, is have I done the right thing for this guy or girl to come on and it, you know, they can hit the ground running, they can go on, get on a wave and get moving, because you don't want to introduce them to silence and tumbleweed. So that's my job is to make their job smoother and to make everybody happy.

SPEAKER_04 10:03

And the comedians that you have on, obviously, they are utterly hilarious, and of a very high calibre. Max Fulham, there he is. So he starred in Mayflower Pantomime, did yeah. And him and Gordon the monkey, it's a ventriloquist, he's a ventriloquist. It's not that that he just carries own monkey around in a suitcase. No stole the show, basically.

SPEAKER_01 10:33

Yeah, he's I mean he's so young, Max, isn't he? It's really annoying. Um but he's just such a talent, and I think I I I don't know if he'll agree with me, but I pretty much think that I discovered him. Yeah. Because he was we we we had a dropout of an act at one of my gigs in Portsmouth, and I noticed he was doing like an amateur night in Bogner headlining. Um it's about four years ago, and I messaged him and went, Look, do you want to open the show for me? Um, it was actually we do a monthly one at the Spinnaker Tower, and I said, You can open the show there. And I thought, I'll take a punt. Nobody wants to see a ventriloquist, not really. Um, but I put him on because he seems quite fun, and he smashed it. And this was when he was just starting. I think he'd done a lot of the magic and ventriloquist sort of areas. He's done a few open mic nights in a what's name, and then he came and did that, and then we booked him we booked him for all our venues, and this I think was probably the biggest we booked him for the last show, and again, just smashed it. His granddad Eugene is just incredible. He's just done, I think it's a it's I think it's a Soho Theatre in London. He just did a tour show as well. I think it's he's coming here, and I think that's sold out. He's just amazing. I will say that maybe if you saw him at the panto, that's that's not all of him, you know. It's not all family friendly and so safe, but he is just such a talent, such a talent.

SPEAKER_04 11:55

Well, well done you for finding him, anyway. I'm guessing I'm gonna say that's all the credits, it's definitely all the credits. Probably 15% as well, right?

SPEAKER_01 12:02

Yeah, and I think it's not to do with his talent, I think it is just me. Yeah, I think that's the only reason why his famous.

SPEAKER_04 12:08

So go and see Max Fulham.

SPEAKER_01 12:09

Because of me.

SPEAKER_04 12:11

Pay James's mortgage. Um and how is comedy in general at the moment? Because you know, lots of sectors are taking a bit of a hit, you know. Um musicals are just having this big surge, there's such a buzz about them. Yeah, but coming to a theatre with a comedy club, how does that sit?

SPEAKER_01 12:37

It's great, it's great. It's um the world is going to hell in a handbasket, and I'm so pleased. Because everybody is sat at home. And the one thing that's changed is there's a lot more last-minute sales. Okay. Um, not at Southampton, I have to say, that we've sold out the next show, and July's pretty much getting on for selling out as well. But it's a lot of last-minute people. I think when people are sat at home and they've got a telly on and think, oh god, what should we do tomorrow night? Because this is awful, you know. And they're watching a documentary or they're watching the news or something. I think we can't do this. We've got to get out. And it's escapism. Yeah, I like the musicals, but comedy clubs are known to be recession proof, bomb-proof, you know, you're just that that people will always want to get out and have a laugh.

SPEAKER_04 13:22

Absolutely, because it's the best medicine, right? Yeah, and the perfect antidote to all of the bad news you keep hearing about, actually, come and have a laugh at it.

SPEAKER_01 13:33

Yeah, more often than not, right? I I mean, since I think since a lot of things that are politically sort of heavy over the last five or ten years, actually comedians don't tend to be too satirical, they don't tend to talk about that so much because it is so dark and depressing that they actually just joke about what day you take the bins out, or which side of the bed you're allowed to sleep on, or whatever it might be, you know, it's it's all quite sort of uh simple stuff really that we all find relatable and familiar, and that's the stuff that we like to have a laugh about.

SPEAKER_04 14:05

Have you always been a comedian?

SPEAKER_01 14:07

Well, I started in 2010 on the upper market.

SPEAKER_04 14:10

What were you doing beforehand?

SPEAKER_01 14:11

I ran a marketing consultancy. Um yeah, so I was always I that's how I graduated in marketing and design management. So um, yeah, always loved marketing, and I mean I it is nice to running Stitches in the other clubs where I get to sort of still you know, um yeah, scratch that itch because it's just something I love. I love marketing and promoting brands and things, but obviously I love comedy more, so and getting on that stage.

SPEAKER_04 14:35

And how does it feel when you have Stitches Comedy Club at Mayflower Studios?

SPEAKER_01 14:42

It's a great space, it's quite a traditional space, although it's all state-of-the-art and brand new, it is really sort of musical proportions. You know, you go to some of these very, very old theatres, maybe like uh Theatre Royal and Portsmouth or the King's Theatre, they're all massive, but they're very close and cozy, and that's exactly how it feels there. A lot of the comedians who come say it just feels like a traditional proportions, really nice, really lovely, and as I say, just sells out every time in advance. So it you know, it's probably one of our best sellers, I think, as far as um looking ahead with how sales are going um for all our venues.

SPEAKER_04 15:16

And you've got um Stitches Comedy Club at Mayflower Studios. There's a few gigs coming up this year. Yeah, who can we look forward to seeing on stage in Southampton?

SPEAKER_01 15:28

Um, July, um, I think um I think we do have Scott Bennett on in July. Yeah, um, I think then the autumn show is um Jeff Innocent, which is one of those acts where he has rocketed to fame through social media. Yeah, he's probably 70 years old, he's been on the circuit for maybe 35 years and has always been a massive hit headlining all over the world. But you wouldn't have seen him on telly, not probably since the late 80s, 90s. Um, but since Instagram over the last year or two, he sells out all his tours everywhere, and to get him actually on a mixed bill like this is just brilliant.

SPEAKER_04 16:06

Um, what kind of comedy is it then?

SPEAKER_01 16:08

Well, he's an East End geezer, okay. Um and uh so it's really sort of relating to the family life and growing up in East End and marriage and all those and kids. It's all the stuff that we love to laugh about, but he's just one of those you go, everyone will say, Who how have I not seen this guy over the years? You know, and then um and then in the in the winter one, I think we've got Chris McCausland coming. Amazing. So uh he's a good friend of mine I've known since before fame, um, of him, not me. And um he uh then he won also strictly, and now he's been selling out all his shows in huge, you know, one, two thousand-seater theatres. Yeah, and I've just been pestering him and pestering him, messaging him and messaging him saying, Are you free yet? No, I'm still touring, okay. And then out of the blue, he said, just send me some dates, mate, and we'll see. And we've got him coming here, so it's incredible.

SPEAKER_04 16:59

Amazing.

SPEAKER_01 17:00

I mean he's sell it out on his own, but again, it's a mixed bill of three acts. Yeah, something for everybody.

SPEAKER_04 17:05

Brilliant! Yeah, well, they are get your tickets, grab your tickets a bit quick, actually.

SPEAKER_01 17:10

Yeah, yeah, on sale now.

SPEAKER_04 17:31

I don't think I've ever been this starstruck. I have never, ever thought in my wildest dreams that I would get to interview Peppa Pig. What? Um introduce yourselves for me, please.

SPEAKER_03 17:48

Uh hello, I'm Emma Hilt and I play Peppa Pig in Peppa's Big Family Show.

SPEAKER_02 17:54

Hello, I'm David Tudor and I play Danny Dog, Mr. Bull, Daddy Pig, George Pig. And I used to play Evie actually in rehearsals. Did you?

SPEAKER_04 18:06

Baby Evie. How does that work? I mean, we we're sat here talking about you playing a baby pig, right? But but so how do you prepare for that role?

SPEAKER_02 18:18

I mean, in that case, that was um it lasted about a day. I did some puppeteering that was quite average, and then somebody who was much better than me um took over. So uh yeah, I didn't quite quite get into my baby mindset. It was taken away from me. Not bitter at all.

SPEAKER_04 18:34

And but but it must be so exciting because Peppa Pig is so loved. And this show, you know, it's it's in our hearts, isn't it? It's in everybody's childhood, in a lot of our adulthood as well. If you are a parent, you know all about Peppa Pig. Um, how does it feel to play those characters?

SPEAKER_03 18:57

It's a huge responsibility. I take it very seriously. Um, for these kids, they're coming to watch their heroes on stage, and we have a huge responsibility to live up to expectations and deliver an accurate uh representation of what they want to see. So, yeah, I think all of us we we've done our homework, watched a lot of episodes, and really try and nail down those voices and the movement so that for the little ones it's not a disappointment they get to meet their people on stage.

SPEAKER_04 19:25

And it's all about that, isn't it? It's about creating this wow world, I suppose, where you know the children and adults are immersed in uh Peppa Pig's world.

SPEAKER_03 19:38

Absolutely. It's a huge privilege to sort of welcome them in and be sort of that gateway to the theatre world.

SPEAKER_04 19:44

And do you see the reactions or do you hear a reaction when you're on stage?

SPEAKER_02 19:50

Very much so. I always think um when Emma comes out as Peppa Pig after they've called for her, it's like it's like Taylor Swift for toddlers. It's like this massive moment. And we've I mean each venue is different. Um this one is beautiful because you can really see people's reactions. We just did the Lowry in Salford and that's like the Coliseum. It's honestly you just hear this when she came out. Um and that's just special because it just reminds you of how much it means to everybody and that that's the level it should be at. It shouldn't never be pedestrian, it should be amazing.

SPEAKER_04 20:28

Yes, absolutely. And what is it you think what is it about Peppa Pig that uh grabs these children so much, that draws them in, that attracts them to her.

SPEAKER_03 20:42

I think she's very relatable. Her episodes uh are are all everyday situations that kids can relate to. She's not uh sort of um off doing magical things. She's living her life with her friends, with her little brother and mummy and daddy and now new little sister. And I think a lot of kids can relate to that, and she's very cheeky and funny. And I think a lot of kids look up to her like that's how confident they'd like to be.

SPEAKER_04 21:09

Yes. And and um I'm right in saying that you guys are married. So how does that work when you're on tour? Because you're playing, you know, a family on stage as well.

SPEAKER_03 21:21

Yeah. I think it's nice because obviously we have a connection, it's it's easier to bounce off each other because we already have a relationship. Um it's working with your best friend. So can't complain.

SPEAKER_02 21:33

Yeah, it's it's actually really special. Um and especially as um we have a little one who we're on the road with.

SPEAKER_04 21:40

Oh great.

SPEAKER_02 21:41

Called Jamie.

SPEAKER_04 21:42

And how old is Jamie?

SPEAKER_02 21:43

He's just turned two.

SPEAKER_04 21:44

Oh amazing!

SPEAKER_02 21:45

So he's he was backstage today.

SPEAKER_04 21:47

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:47

Um so he has a chaperone in different cities.

SPEAKER_04 21:50

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 21:50

That sort of thing.

SPEAKER_04 21:51

Um but you haven't just put him in a costume. Yeah. This is Evie every time, isn't it?

SPEAKER_02 21:58

I think obviously um Thankfully we're living in a in a changing world, but I think traditionally um a father often doesn't get to see their baby as much as the mother, perhaps. Um for whatever reason that is. Um but we're really lucky we're able to share quite a lot of it and see him a lot more, I think, than than one parent seeing him quite a lot and the other one working. So we get a bit of everything.

SPEAKER_04 22:20

But uh when you do the voices, uh when you but if you do them in front of Jamie, uh does he do a double take?

SPEAKER_02 22:29

I mean, I think he's starting to. Yeah. Yeah. Um obviously there's only one Father Christmas. I don't know what age group your listeners are. Um but there's obviously only one. Yes. But when he came on stage in um Pepper Pig, we were wondering if that would be a moment. Okay. He did shout something.

SPEAKER_04 22:50

Oh!

SPEAKER_02 22:51

Yeah, recognition.

SPEAKER_04 22:54

Do you use the voices in other places to get a little reaction from people? Or you know, maybe it's a nephew's birthday party or something like that?

SPEAKER_02 23:05

Um I don't think I've used uh Daddy Pigs or Mr. Bulls. No, probably just to be silly. Yeah. Um but I've never really used them to get something. I might think about that actually. Just trying to get a free coke out of something.

SPEAKER_03 23:18

So yeah. Uh Jamie's started trying to do Daddy Pig's voice now, which is really funny from a two-year-old. I mean, that's amazing. Talking about going, hello, hello, Dizzy. Hilarious. So training another actor already.

SPEAKER_04 23:32

Perfect. They are look, this is a family show. The Bontrap. Made by a family.

SPEAKER_05 23:38

Dynasty.

SPEAKER_04 23:39

Yes, exactly that. Um, Pepper's sort of snort giggle. This is a trademark characteristic coming from her. How do you do it? Can we try it? Um, what tips can you give?

SPEAKER_03 23:56

So I did a lot of homework, and like I said, I watched a lot of episodes because, as we said, it's it's important to get it spot on. Um she has a giggle that goes up, a sort of ascending giggle. Uh, and her snort, let me think, how how would I do it? I've done it so many times now, it's just sort of placement. Yeah, yeah. Um some days you have a really good snort, and other days you're like, Do you know what's really useful is if you're like a bit run down, if you're getting a bit of a cold, a bit tired, it's great. The more sort of flemme you are, that's where I am. That's where I am like now. And if you're a little bit husky, peppa's a little bit husky. She doesn't have this clean, pure voice, so that's that's useful. Um, but yeah, giggle-wise, it's like uh pressure now, doing it on the camera. Um, like a that just goes up and then has snort. Um, let's see, I peppa pig. This is like a quite punctuated. I love it.

SPEAKER_04 24:57

I told you I was started.

SPEAKER_03 24:58

Now I'm there, I'm there. Um yeah, lots of practice, I would say.

SPEAKER_04 25:03

And there are lots of children that do practice a lot with that.

SPEAKER_03 25:07

For sure.

SPEAKER_04 25:08

Um, and the puppetry that has to go on, how much rehearsal do you have to do? Because it's very involved, isn't it? Because well, tell me about the puppets in the show and how you work with them.

SPEAKER_03 25:23

So um the kids, Pepper and George and Danny and Susie, are really beautiful puppets. They have a sort of bike brake mechanism that when you squeeze, there's a cable that then makes the mouth move, so you can even talk in rhythm. And then their legs, um, the bass is on caster wheels, so you can move them around the stage, but their legs have got little springs so you can bounce them. They're walking or jumping. Rather than just like gliding like a darling. Yes, yes. Um, so they're really fun to animate, they've got really swingy arms that you can move around.

SPEAKER_04 25:53

And how big are they?

SPEAKER_03 25:54

Um what would you say, Peppa's head? When I'm kneeling, I'm hidden behind her. George is obviously smaller. Yeah, George. So she comes to about what, like here on me?

unknown 26:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:03

Do you think? Three foot. Three foot-ish? Yeah. Okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 26:06

The sort of four-year-olds.

SPEAKER_03 26:07

So they're very big puppets, actually. Junky, colourful, so easy to see on the stage. George is obviously a little bit smaller than pep than Pepper. You talk about the big guys because they're very different.

SPEAKER_02 26:20

Yeah, absolutely. Um, the big guys, I mean, they are monster. Mr. Bull is huge.

SPEAKER_04 26:27

Can I just say I love Mr. Bull? I love Mr. Bull. He's my favourite. And I um when we go to Paultons Park, there's a Mr. Bull there in Peppa Pig World, and all I ever do going past it is say, Let's dig up the road. I just think it's the best line ever. Let's dig up the road.

SPEAKER_02 26:48

It's really funny you say it, because um, yeah, my son was watching that last show, and he just went, Walk! We bull!

unknown 26:56

Oh yeah, Mr.

SPEAKER_02 26:57

Bull is weebull. Yeah, and he's just started speaking. Um, but I think Mr. Bull gets a lot of love because he's massive. Um, but inside we have um we have a camera, yeah, and the camera lens is in the nostril.

SPEAKER_05 27:13

Okay.

SPEAKER_02 27:13

Um, but then you in Mr. Bull you have a tiny window if the camera breaks or the battery runs out, that's like looking up through a manhole.

unknown 27:21

Right.

SPEAKER_02 27:21

It's like a tiny shreddy. It's literally like looking through a shreddy.

SPEAKER_04 27:27

Like the Mars singer, I reckon. Yeah. We'd be very good at this.

SPEAKER_02 27:30

Yeah. So we have a few marks on the ground that actually help us navigate around as well, because you can look down as long as the body is expressing, you yourself inside. Okay. Can navigate the floor when you're dancing in one of those.

SPEAKER_04 27:43

Do you know? I I having been in these what they call skins, you know, these massive great costumes before, I find it really hard not to smile when there's somebody's taking a picture. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 27:58

Oh, you're totally doing it inside, yeah.

SPEAKER_04 28:00

Yeah, yeah, and you smile for it and you think, well, I didn't need to, but nobody can see me, but it's just what you do.

SPEAKER_02 28:08

I think the really important thing with those big characters is your feet. Okay. Because um you think you're doing a lot, but then you're 40 rows back. Yeah. You've just got to read. Yeah. Um, so you've got to go big, go really big, um, and exaggerate everything. And the more you do, I think the more um the more it works.

SPEAKER_04 28:27

What's your favourite thing about being in this show?

SPEAKER_03 28:32

My favourite bit about this show in particular is the songs. I think they are amazing. It's like a musical for children. Does Peppa sing? She does, yeah. Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I sing a lullaby to Eevee, which is quite cute. It's a little sisters solo. Um, but as an ensemble, we've got eight, nine songs, maybe that help sort of move the story on, and uh and they're really beautiful, really, really fun. We've got a song about bubbles, we've got uh the red monkey comes and does a dance, um, we've got sort of a big opening song. Oh, which is fun because the opening number, we come out as four actors, we don't have our puppets at that point. We're colourful dungarees introducing the story, and that's when you sometimes get kids being like, Who are they? Yeah, who are they? Because obviously they're not in the TV show.

SPEAKER_04 29:17

What's going on here?

SPEAKER_03 29:18

This is not what we boo see, yeah. You see parents being like, but then they forgive you because then you come out with a puppet and they're like, Oh phew, so good.

SPEAKER_04 29:26

Yes. So, what happens in the story of this show?

SPEAKER_02 29:31

So, this show is all about the preparing for the arrival of Evie Pig. Okay. Um, who we don't know is Evie Pig until the second act. Okay. So it's the family are getting the house ready, um, they're a bit frazzled. Tommy's very pregnant, but very excited. Yeah. And so they're decorating the house and teaching the other kids about how it's going to be. And it's sort of um helping them understand what's going to happen and that it's exciting and that they're helping rather than they're going to be replaced. Yes. Um part of it. Yeah, but there definitely is a sense of something really quite big. You know, it's it's got its gravitas, it's exciting, but also it's important. And I think um I think people will take that away from it and remind them of their own experiences with new babies.

SPEAKER_03 30:20

Yeah, and then act two, Evie arrives, and a sort of fun chaos ensues. So then it's about um learning to look after the baby, and as you say, about the kids um being part of it. So George is now obviously middle child, not baby child anymore, and sort of learning to adapt to that, and Peppa having two little siblings to look after, and it's really sweet.

SPEAKER_04 30:42

Oh, it sounds absolutely lovely.

SPEAKER_03 30:44

That's a lovely story.

SPEAKER_04 30:45

Um, and where do you think this will go? Do you think we'll get to the point where Peppa is a teenager, um, no longer wearing wellies, just wearing her trainers through a puddle.

SPEAKER_03 30:56

Just being cool.

SPEAKER_04 30:56

Yeah, right.

SPEAKER_03 30:57

I don't know. I I wonder if maybe they'll get Evie to George's age, like toddler Evie. So then I guess everyone ages up about two years, so then George will be sort of Peppa's age now, and then Pepper would be sort of like six, seven, which is basically a teenager, like going on seven. Um, I would imagine in the TV show. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 31:15

Yeah, I I think it's um I think something like am I allowed to mention another show? Yeah, something like The Simpsons. So Maggie's been one for 40 years. I think we're I think we're okay with that.

SPEAKER_04 31:28

So she's older than me. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 31:30

I think they might just the general age of the show gets older. So I think you know, um, I think Homer's his background is now the nineties. When I was growing up, it was the 70s, that's when I was a kid. Yes. And I think, yeah, the family will stay the same, a similar age, I think.

SPEAKER_04 31:45

And and and there is that because because these things work because they work for families at any point. Yes, apart from things like in The Simpsons picking up a telephone, yeah, uh you know, picking up a receiver in the kitchen with the lead on it, you know, yeah, yeah, with the curly wire. And people are like, what are they doing? What is this? Um, but they've done some amazing things with Peppa Pig, all of the characters that they've brought in, um, and then baby Evie, and now George has a hearing aid. And I think these are there's there's life lessons in there.

SPEAKER_03 32:34

Yeah, representation matters, you know, so these kids can watch the show and go, that's me, and it's normalised, and it's not I'm not different, I'm not weird, it's just normalised, and I think that's so important.

SPEAKER_04 32:46

Absolutely. And you guys touring as a family, how wonderful is that? How many months do you do this for?

SPEAKER_03 32:53

So we started rehearsals in September, yeah, and then we've been touring. We were in London for the whole of December. So we toured October, November, in town for December, and then we are touring until September again, and then we have a break, and then we're back in London again over Christmas.

SPEAKER_04 33:13

Whoa.

SPEAKER_03 33:14

So it's a year-long, which is great as an actor, it's employment, so yes, hurrah. Yes, steady work.

SPEAKER_04 33:19

And then after that, what do you do? Do you think, okay, well, uh we've done Pepper Pig, let's go do Shakespeare.

SPEAKER_02 33:29

Yeah, maybe. I mean, I um anyone who asks me what the sort of theatre I'd like to do, it's the it's the stuff they give me. Yeah, you know, the stuff that I get on auditions for it. I'd I'd absolutely be up for that.

SPEAKER_03 33:41

Yeah, trained in all.

SPEAKER_02 33:43

Yeah, and I think the one thing that's really great about doing children's theatre at the moment on a completely selfish level, other than it being great to work in that environment. On a selfish level, we're done usually by five. Yes, we'd have a little one, so it's very sociable hours. So whilst we don't have childcare through till ten at night. Uh-huh. So I think you know, when he's a bit older, um, evening theatre is a bit more of an option. Yeah. But um, it's really suiting us at the moment. Um, I mean we had Christmas Day in the travel lodge Ilford.

SPEAKER_04 34:13

Yes. Um I mean perfect. Who wouldn't want to be there?

SPEAKER_02 34:16

Yeah, but it was really, really fun. Like we'll never forget that.

SPEAKER_04 34:19

Yeah, and and I always think that it's about those memories that you make. Actually, it it wouldn't be as memorable if you'd been the travel lodge in Enfield.

SPEAKER_05 34:30

You know, yeah, exactly. That one's rubbish.

SPEAKER_02 34:34

Um yeah, it's it's a unique time in our lives, really. Um, but it's interesting that we've got a new baby and we're doing a show about one as well.

SPEAKER_04 34:42

So that's but actually, there's probably quite a lot of your experience that you can put into the show with having a baby come along and all of the preparation, and then okay, uh I remember this as a parent taking my baby home and thinking, okay, I don't know what to do now. Now what? It's so true. You know, the uh apparently this is instinct is going to keep him, but I don't know what it is.

SPEAKER_03 35:05

It's so true. Um yeah, it was really useful in the rehearsal period. We we basically workshopped the show as a cast with our lovely director um for three weeks, three and a half weeks. Um, and yeah, it was really useful to be like, okay, so thinking about this, here is how you would react in the situation, or how the baby would be put into the cot, or how yeah, what what the baby monitor would look like and where it would be on the cot. Yeah, yeah, it's really useful. And and also mad, you sort of go back to the the early, early days of brand new baby, and you're a little bit like, oh, it's a little bit triggering to get back to again. When the baby starts crying, you're like, oh no, no, the sleepless lights, no, but you can totally understand it.

SPEAKER_02 35:44

Yeah, we sometimes have a really newborn baby in the audience, and you've got a parent just sort of sat like this, and the newborn's there, but when you hear them crying, we we might be on stage and catch each other's eye and be sort of, oh spring. It's a little bit too close.

SPEAKER_04 36:00

Yeah. Well, thank you so much for talking to us. Um, I've seen all of the children leave after the performance today, and they are absolutely over the moon with it. You can see just they feel like they've been in Pepper's world. So um, thank you so much for just being brilliant.

SPEAKER_03 36:19

Oh, thank you. It's such a privilege to do, honestly. Um, I know some people might think children's theatre is a bit like simplistic or twee, but it's absolutely not. It's got, you know, kids are very capable of feeling big feelings and dealing with big storylines, and and a kid's show can have as much pathos and drama and like sad moments and joyful moments as like a grown-up play. Yeah. And it's it's such a privilege to be that gateway for the kids to to enter the theatrical world and be like, oh, this is great.

SPEAKER_02 36:48

Yeah, I I completely agree, and I also think it's a learned experience that you don't understand how live theatre works until you go. Yes. And if you do it and it's taken seriously and it's done with um real care, um, then I think you're gonna be coming back to the theatre. And that's really important, I think, for all of us, because it's real and we're in a world that's changing, that's becoming less real in so many ways that we need to keep live theatre fantastic, and we owe them nothing less than a fantastic night or a fantastic day.

SPEAKER_04 37:37

And produced by Owen Noon, Rebecca McKillop, and Kelly Clark from Mayflower.