Royal family and modern media

I added one more podcast to the giant podcast bin. Now you have plucked that podcast out and started listening. I took my microphone and found some human folk. Then I recorded all the noises while we spoke My name is Adam Bxter and I'm a man I want you to enjoy this. That's the plan Hey How you doing podcats? It's Adam Buxton here. joining you from a crunchy Norfolk farm track In early June, twenty twenty six. just pausing to look back at my dog friend, Rosie, who is currently standing rooted to the spot with a look on her face that says Uh no thans As far as this walk goes I found her in the office of my wife where she was lying very comfortably in her doggy bed with her nose tucked between her furry paws And I think she's quite sad to be out on this walk on a day whichich is kind of crazy weather wise. The last episode of this podcast I featured myself and Rosie going for a dip In the stream nearby because it was such a hot day. It's not like that anymore. A couple of weeks later. Come on Rose, we need to get out before the next deluge arrives. Anyway, how you doing podcats? I hope you've been alright wherever you are. Now I'm very excited about the fact that this week, Thursday the eleventh of June is launch dayay For suucccess Pod My new six part comedy podcast series, which I've been working on intensively for the last few months, actuallyually a bit longer than that. Off and on. Anyway, it's finally ready for you. You can hear it on Audible, the audiobook, platform. and it is six half hour episodes featuring a series of conversations with me and some of my favourite previous podcast guests Louis Theru, Sam Campbell, Jessica Nnappet, Romish Ranganathan, Kathy Burke, Guzz Khn All talking to me partartly about my efforts to stay relevant, in the changing podcast landscape. That is the semis serious premise. And in between there are podcast parodies and sketches and songs and Also dose is a valuable perspective from Rosie, right, Rosy? Yeah, I was acting. Sure, yeah, I was very good acting too. If you're not already an audible member, you can do a free trial on there. So you can listen to Success Pod that way with the trial. But if you are already an audible member, SuccessPod comes free with your subscription. I'm going to be talking to Louis Thureu in a forthcoming episode of this podcast aboutb whoa It's so hard to see those guys when they're hiding in the grass. Yes, I'll be talking to Louis about Success Pod, which he played a part in producing. and in that conversation I'll probably play a few off cuts and early attempts at things we did for the series and bonus nuggets. But before I get on with the intro for today's guest Here's a brief taste of success Pod for you right now. Welcome back to Success Pod. My guest today is the French maker and creativityity thought leader, Kirk Botrunk. Yeah Kirk What do you think is the job of creativity The job of creativity is to be dangerous. It's to terrify you. Failure and success. The two cheeks of the same can I say this hse. The same horse. The same hse because if you the two cheeks of the same horse As. O course It's A R S E O ass They or you say the ass? I don't know. but it's the ass is there and I'm slapping failure, I'm slapping success and the whole ass vibrates with the creative energy of that. I just understood what you were saying Yeah Tw cheeks like beatox of the same assse. The two cheeks of two cheeks of the same assse and one is failure Bam, one is success Bam, but it's creativity is the hand that is slapping them. You can't just have one cheek Because then everything would fall out. Yes, that's exactly what I'm saying. And I'm saying it very well After the break, I'll be asking Kirk if creativityie take the place of surgery Success part. There you go, that's Yandrew who is the host of Success Pod The show within the show Adam Buxton success pod and he was talking to Bro trunk, played by Kiran Hodgson One of the excellent performers I was lucky enough to work with on SuccessPod. And you can hear the whole series Thursday the eleventh of June. only on audible Okay, come on, let's get to podcast number two hundred and seventy four, which features a rambling conversation with British actor and comedian Harry Anne Field Harry Fax Harry was born Henry, Richard Enfield in Horsham, West Sussex, in the south of England in nineteen sixty one After studying politics at the University of York Harry began his comedy career in the mid nineteen eighties timeim when the so called alternative comedy scene was thriving, following the success of TV sitcom, The Young Oes, and the comic strip films. amongst other things After landing a job writing on Radio four's topical comedy program Weekending Harry joined the cast of comedic voice talent on the satirical TV puppet show Spitting Image But it was in nineteen eighty six on Channel four's comedy showcase, Saturday Live, then frequently hosted by stand up comedian and young on'es writer Ben Elton that Harry broke through to a wider audience, after appearing regularly as his kebab shop owner character, Stavros Hello everybody Peps First of a number of clearable clips I'll be doing for you to remind you of Harry's characters. And then as the banknote wad waving poster boy for Thatcher's Get RichQick Geration, loads of money. Loads of money. There you go. It's another one In nineteen eighty nine, Harry got to make Norbert Smith a life An elaborate television profile of a fictional actor in the style of arts programm, The South Bank Show, complete with introduction and narration from South Bank Show host Melvin Bragg, as well as clips from Norbert's imaginary filmography. giving Harry the chance to play even more characters and parody all kinds of TV shows and films. There's a link to that show, as well as lots of other clips that I'm going to mention. in the description of this podcast In nineteen ninety, Harry was given his own BBC sketch show, Harry Enfield's teelevision prorogram with a cast that also featured the talents of Harry's longtime friend and creative collaborator, Paul Whitehouse as well as multi talented actor, writer and theater director, Kathy Burke who, as well as popping up in Success Pod We will also be on this podcast soon talking about her excellent memoir, A m Mind of her ownwn Harry Annfield's television program returned in subsequent series as Harry Annfield and Chums title that nodded at the importance of Harry's collaborators with whom he created characters like Smashy and Nicey, pp tabulas. The Sobs I'm smoking a f. The Sousers Oh he he ho he hi No it was not quite that. The lovely wobbly Randy old ladies Young man. And Kevin and Perry. I hear you. Hello mrs. Patterson, who, at the turn of the millennium, had become so popular they went on to star in their own film. But by the early two thousands, the British TV comedy landscape had shifted and the success of Ricky Gervaises and Steven Merchant's sitcom The Office shot and performed in naturalistic documentary style Made a lot of nineties comedy look rather quaint by comparison TV had become a multich channel digital shopping mall, with internet platforms poised to fracture the audience's attention even further. This is I'm writing my tits off here. I didn't use cllaude for this, by the way. This is and buckles. That feeling of post office malise was one of the things I spoke to Harry about As well as the fact that for him, the characters in Matt Lucas and David William's show Little Britain were part of what encouraged him to return to TV comedy in two thousand seven, reunited with Paul White House, and this time sharing equal billing as Harry and Paul Over four series up to twenty twelve, Harry and Pauls shows spawned characters like Marcus who sells overpriced tat to clueless trustiffarians from a shop called Sw you Coming And the surgeons, representing one of Harry and Paul's favorite areas for satire, the aging British upper classes How long have you been with your wife? forty, forty five years, forty forty five. Again, in case my impressions aren't quite hitting the spot, there's links to the real thing in the description. For my money, some of Harry and Paul's most inspired moments can be found in their one off specials, twenty fourteen's The Story of the Tw'os made as part of BBC two's fiftieth anniversary celebrations And The Love Box in Your liivving Rom from twenty twenty two, which charted Britain's evolution over the last century via the output of the BBC, all told in the style of an Adam Curtis documentary Both specials gave Harry, Paul, and a collection of brilliant comedy performers the opportunity to take the piss out of BBC personalities and programs from the preceding decades, with a madly eclectic array of note perfect impressions and parodies that included Have I got News for you? The young ones, strictly come dancing Bakeo off the singing detective neverever mind the Buzzcocks, the office, and even Harry and Paul's own shows. My conversation with Harry was recorded face to face in London at the beginning of April this year, twenty twenty six Soon after Harry had returned from Australia and New Zealand where he had been performing Harry Enfield and no Chums. his critically acclaimed solo theatrical show. Filled with anecdotes and characters from his career thus far, which continues its run in the UK through to November this year ass a link for tickets in the description. As well as talking about our respective cringey behavior as adolescence plus some coincidental similarities between our dads. We spoke about the time in the late nineteen nineties when Harry enraged many anti fox hunting activists, including pretteers front womoman Chrissie Hind. And he said he would rather be pro fox hunting than be one of the hypocritical meat eaters calling for a ban on the practice. Oh it's windy now Harry's position provoked Chrissie Hinde to write him a letter in which she called him the Sperm of the Devil. Though, as you'll hear, thanks to Harry's response, the pair ended up becoming friendly. We also discussed whether satire actually makes any difference at all. King Charles's reaction to TV comedy show The Windsors in which Harry played Charles and how Paul McCartney came to get an eye full of Harry's crown julies. Back at the end for some brief waffle, but right now with Harry Enfield Here we go. Round chat let's have a rble chat. We'll focus first on this then concentrate on that comeome on let's do the fat and have a rble chat first on your conversation go and your talking at Here you are Hello. Hello Adam. How you doing, Harry? Adam Buxton. Hey off the podcast. It's very nice to be here. Thank you for having me. Oh man, I'm delighted you're here. This is something we've talked about off and on for Off and on a little while. Yes, we have. But I'm really glad to have pinned you down. Well, thank you for pinning me down on a public holiday too. Yeah This is Easter Monday Now you've dated the programme. Easter Monday, twenty twenty six. has that for dating the programme? Yeah. Carbon dated. What if someone wants to listen to it in two years time and the guy can't listen to that? Well, that's their problem. I am a big believer in dating everything quite specifically. I like the fact that it's an archive that you can dip in and out of personally. I don't mind going back in time to listen to a bit of archive interview. No, I don't actually. That was one of those lovely things when Desert Island Discks went online for the first time and you could listen to old ones My son, I think was about thirteen or something. And I'd been walking. I'd been out walking we're on a holiday summer. And I'd listened to a couple that I thought, o my God,'s so good. goinging back and listening to Ruthie Rogers and Michael McIntyre, I think was right. And I came back saying, it's just brilliant. I didn't get any of these people. Then I made the mistake of telling my son. he asked me, have you ever done it? And I said, Yes, but don't listen to it, It's embarrassing And of course he just gave me that look of that's exactly what I need to do right now And he came back an hour later and I went, God, I'm really glad I never knew you then. nineteen ninety seven you were on. Really? I haven't actually listened to that one. No, I haven't since he said that. Really glad I. Did he give you any specific info about? I didn't ask him any. He just looked at me like you're pathetic. What would you have been like? this then? I mean you were ninety seven. You were big by then. You were huge. You had had a massive decade of Yice my swan song. Yeah, pretty much non stop hit after hit after hit TV shows. You were on top And so thatess how I that was the end of my career.. And I went on that Everybody who'd ever lik me listened to it and that was me done. I've gott to listen to it. I've got to find out. No No. Wh it killed your't What would you have been like then though, can you remember Probably quite optimistic. I know it' Sue Lawley because she did me and she was very nice. And then a few weeks later she did Tole Pul White House. Yes. and She was so flirty with him. I was a bit jealous. So flirty. and it was like listening to Love Makon on BBT four. Why was she so attracted? She likes a bit of rough? I likes a bit of rough. someomeone with a cheeky accent, a cheeky, sort of cockony sounding fellow. Did you sound posh do you think when you wently night. Your accent is a little is it changed much? Probably because I went to school with bigger boys. I went to a school called Worth, which was Catholic Benedictine school for two years hated it, went to the local school And then after that I was like that for the next fucking ten years, well't I? You know? And then I sort of grew up a bit. But did you start out being a bit more nice middle class? Yes. Boy from Horsham, Sussex? Yes, Eactly. Horsham. I feel like there's some strange coincidences in our lives that I feel connect us beyond my appreciation for your work, which is considerable. And Lisa Lisa If you're out there, was a girlfriend of mine in the mid eighties. And turns out to have been a school friend of Harry's now partner So I wish you all the best, Lisa, I'm sorry, I was a bit of a shitty boyfriend And I think your parents had my number I think one time I got a pretty long lecture from Really? Lisa's mum yeah, yeah. Well, quite right. Absolutely. ye. But how old are? you sixteen or something? Sventeen. I mean, none of us are great at that age, are we? No. You know, settling down with a nice girl is not our pority in life is it? Yeah, that's true. You know. For you it was the Pixies things like that, wasn't it? I was very interested in the Pixies, David Bowie films. Me and J. Did you like the cure? I likek the cure? Yeahah. Robert Smith Went to the same Catholic junior school as my friend Dave Cummings Oh ye I wrote Kevin Perry with Who was in Delimetri? Was he in Delimetri? Yes. Andloyd Coolon the Camusans He was guitarist. Daver Cummings was, yes Wow. He wasn' in Delemetri, I promise. I wrote a horrible review of a Dlemetri ig I think Really? He probably said the guitar is awful. I was Dave Cunmning. No I apologize, Dave. Well, that's all right.erves he write for writing a review. But justust in their singer, when I first met him, I was at a party and the first thing he said to me was I Hear your mum's a cnt Allright. Oh. But it was a story from school when I was at school in Horsham. and there was some very nice Ph girl who was having a party. but you had to wear something your mother wouldn't like and you thought, Oh go, we want to go there because it's going to be Ph girls. But we really don't want to dress up as you know, something my mother wouldn't like. So I just dressed in my normal then sort of punk new ay clothes. but I made a little badge that said my mum's a account on it. so I wore that badge. That was how I dressed up. And how old are you? fififteen? something, I suppose? And of course I'd forgotten completely about that, but Dave hadn't. And Dave had told this story much better than I've just told it because his dad was Irish, well his parents are Irish. So he was very good at the long story and he'd obviously told it to Delmitri and they'd remembered it So this is like twenty years later. you've got the singer of this band sayang I hear your mum's account. At fifteen. I don't think I definitely would not have done that about my mum. I don't think I would have worn that. No. Well, I'm afraid I didn't have any boundaries and I don't really still boundaries. Oh, really. Whose sport was that? I think Catholic boarding school with Benedictine monks, things like that. You know, teachers who were tossers. o. Really. hypoc correction, you know They pushed you too far in the wrong direction. I mean, that's the thing about teachers, isn't it? know you get some very good from my experience and probably yours You have some very good teachers who want to teach children, then there are a lot of teachers who didn't know what they were going to do with their life And they couldn't go back into their mother's womb, but they could go back to school and be a big fish in a small pond. and those ones are the ones that were the majority of mine. And so that gives you a sort of rebellious nature, doesn't it,? Combine that with a Benedictine monk. Yes. And you've How did they end up there with a little paddle to spank your bottom, Did you get paddled by monks, nasty little monks. Oh man. So in a way we have possibly the monks to thank for Your No temperament? No, I don't think so. No you're not connecting those dots? No, I hate the idea of that. Okay. I give them credit for nothing, those vile people What were What were your parents like though? Did you get on OK with them? No, they thought that was awful. Oh, in what way? Well, I was just, you know, because I went to the school with the bigger boys and they all talk like that,ave what Ted Cummings, is Dave's brother, you know, he talkaught like that, fat Boy Finemore and all these people In fact fat boy had already been expelled Fad boy Yeah, fad boy. He'd been expelled for u calling Mr. Green a green scaly reptile. And I saw him recently and he looked at me really aronted. I said, I didn't call him a green scaly reptile. I chanted it Green Skyy Rtile. Green Sy Rptile. And he did it exactly as he'd done it then. full of pride. Anyway but you ended up being Okay with your folks, is that right? Yes. L your dad he sort of joined your media world for a while. Yes. What happened, I think, Adam is how old are you? do you mind me asking? I'm fifty seven. Okay, so I'm. four, five, six, seven years older than you. Actually, I'm nearly fifty seven. I'm nineteen sixty nine. Yeah. So I'm sixty one. and Suddenly punk happened, that was the big thing. So I'd arrived at this school, the local school with local boys were going, give him a rowtle. G a fucking rtle because you were soaby fac. Yeah. Hello, I'm Harry and I'm fifteen years and two months. Give a fucking rattle. G him a wtle. And then I thought, God, I love you big boys and I needed to make friends with them I knew they weren't going to be my friend because I was just this stupid boy. But I engineered a way where one day Pz, Dave Perry or Pz, he'd missed the train home to Crawley and it was raining, so he'd had to come back and there was the debating society was on. because I was fifteen and very keen on things. debating society, and Mr. Sllyin, the headmaster was adjudicating. And the thing was I think there should be freedom of speech in school or something. and I saw Peso and thought I'm going to oppose this. Pz was just sitting there like looking really pissed off because he' missed the train and had to come to this stupid debate society. And when it got to my turn to speak, I said, well I oppose it because I don't think we should be able to swear you know at school. I mean, if I could say fuck and shit and wanker You know, if everyone went around saying that and I saw Pzy's little eyes, look at me like that. And the headmaster sort of raised his eyes thinking, I know what you're doing. And the next day all the bigger boys would talk to me. I became their friend. Yes. Harry smuggled filth into the debate. Yes, he said fuck and see it and wanker in front of mister Slin He's all right. They can join our club And then I spent a lot of time in Crawley and then going up to gigs in London. you know I'll going Ch to borow the book, the homework book. I'm not coming back tonight. And yeah, we'd go to London and see the class and the buzzcs. Oh sorts of people. How excitited. So yes. What was your first gig My first gig was Cneany Rebel in seventy five. So you're going What were the things that of small world that you were going to start Okay Yeah ye yeah. Canyy Rebel. We can come back to music later on. Yeah we are both music fans and I I like music chat. I know you like music. Okay, the coincidences in my mind are the fact My dad was born in Horsham Was he? Yeah And when was he born? He was born in nineteen twenty four Oh, okay, yes. a little bit before you. Yes, my dad was nineteen twenty nine, but he was born in London. Okay, ye. Yeah. And the other coincidence is that my dad went to a school. which he writes about in his memoir, a self published memoir And he says At the age of eleven, I finished with the village school and started at Colliers A sixteenth century Merc' company foundation of the kind that used to be among the finest educational establishments in the kingdom Now to the rougher of my village contemporaries, I became a quote grammar school puppy dog, an object of disdain distinguished principally by a regulation cap and tie Qite right And you also went to I did, but by then it had been comprehensivized. Right. But yes, it was in the same building. I would have the same corridors as your haalloed to dad. Yeah, isn't that mad? Isn't that crazy Wow. Yeah, he was teased for suddenly Being a grammar school boy Yes was very posh. What he would have done and having a cat Yeah, yeah. We had a tie You know, but all schools st downt Right Yeah, that was like some six. Yeah. And then did you go to boarding school? That was before. That was before It was worth for boarding school for two years. Is that what your parents were like? Were they determined to make you into a good upper middle class boy? Yes. What they hoped I would be becausecause my dad said I am of the generation that slumbers Okay. I he worked for the local council well in the education department But then he wrote a thing one day I just read Obern Warre's autobiography and I said, That's really good. And he said, Well, I read a bit of the paper and it's all the usual stuff about how your parents are awfulull and ruin your life. I'd like to write something about how my children ruin my life So I said, Well why don't you? And about a month later he sent me this big letter through the post saying, Well I don't like being nasty about your sisters, but I've written this about you. And it was a full page diatribe about how awful I was in every way. So I sent it to Richard Ingrams, who was just starting the oldldie magazine. And Richard published word for word and gave him a column so he sort of got a second career. Oh, that's right. So this was late nineties, wasn't it? Yeah, midnight. Oh early night, actually about ninety three. Okay, okay Yeah. So he got a new sort of lease of life. Was he grateful to you for that Did he? join Yes he was Yeah. Yeah he was grateful My dad really enjoyed being a minor celebrity having appeared in our TV show. Yes. And also he was a musician Oh no, I don't think so. No, he liked music. he liked a bit of Wagner But I don't think he I'm not aware of him ever having played anything. He likes to sing very loud and Maybe that's what I thought he could sing. Yeah. I've still got a recording of him somewhere where he's singing much louder than everyone else. He would take the Carol service because he loved it. He found it so moving, the Carol service R prep school. And he just loved the idea that he got his children into this sort of utopian liberal prep school and here they were in the lovely restored chapel where the Carol service was happening every Christmas and And then he would He would record it on his dictophone so he could play it back And all you could hear though was him just bellowing over the top. In the deep midwind lot. Except it was quite his voice was quite high. In the deep midwind Do you miss him? I do actually. I miss him more and more in a weird way. When did he die? twenty fifteen at the end very young. twenty fifteen. He was old. eighty seven, Is that? nineteen Nearly ninety two Ninly nights too. Yeahah twenty six. Oh twenty four was Yes. Yeah. Sorry, twenty four. Yeah So I God do really miss him and u There's so much you just the older you get the more you just want to put the puzzle pieces together or you think that maybe they have the answers to some of your weird hangups and Do he? That's the way I think about it. Do you think that way No I don't miss muchet I should do. I mean, I do miss him But I don't. When did he goret him? He was eighty nine when he snuffed it And he'd only had a short illness and he said, I'm ready to cross the finishing line. so he was fine about it. Yeah. you know, literally the day before he was sitting up drinking. Okay. And then Date So he had a good life. I think they were lucky that Gner. My dad said, I feel I was born at the perfect time. I was too young for the war and too old for the internet. Aha. G point. There is a good point to that. Yeah, man. That's the good old days I'm not big on the internet. You are, I worry about you. When I do, I think, o go, you know, you must be at home. and whereere's Daddy? Oh he's with his other lover, the Innet. And he's out there going looking up a obscure records thing. It's true, isn't it I do use it a lot. It's a good tool But I am wary of it. I mean How many hours a day do you spend on the internet and the worldwide web? And are you on Instagram and all that? I have an account on Instagram. I do ex Twittering. Is I'm Twittering I call it twwittering but it's exX, isn't it I came off Twitter In twenty twenty, I have never used my Instagram account I'm on YouTube. Some people would consider that to be social media, but I very seld You're very funny on YouTube anymore. Do In fact I had a DVD of all your best internet. Oh, okay. Adam Buxton's oldld bit. Yes. Adam Buxton's old bit And that was like it's the lovely thing about comedy Yeah It's how it can make you really close to your children, you know, And that me and my son Watch that And that was a sort of real plus because we were pissing ourselves And the other one was Dark placelace, which he'd never seen Garth Maringi's Dark placeace And I said, you have to watch this. I' nothing to do with that. No, you' have nothing to do that. I'm just saying about It's just a bonding thing. it's all about you A. Oh fuck.m sorry about that. But I' talk about stuff that isn't anything to do with me. Pach show, still nothing to do with me. Yeah yeah yeah. Peach show. So those are your big bonding things. What about the Booche? Those are the ones I really Oh yeah. I mean, but the bche was It happened at the time. Yeah. So that was sort of slightly different. This was like discovering things that he hadn't seen. Okay, you know, mining mining for gold. Yeah, man.'s what we called it. Well, I've had a similar experience with mying Children. In fact, I wrote about it in my first memoir Yes, a moment with my son when he was around sixteen and he was Dep in a kind of long moody Hellscape that was really painful for me because I always felt like I was such a fun dad. Such an easy going guy. How could I possibly be disliked by my own children who I love so much? And then suddenly, you know, there's nothing can do about it one day, they just think you're a shit bag and They don't want to talk to you. and one day, I think it was maybe during the lockdown, I thought it would be a good idea to show him Kevin the teenager And it's the sketch where he the clock strikes thirteen thirteen and suddenly suddenly he transforms into the nightmare version of Kevin Having been the sweet little brother. Yes. saying I do show that little bit on my tour actually. I genuinely thought that my son would find it funny and would go, okay, see I see what I look like to you. I mean, what an idiot Yeah I thought he would think that and instead I think he felt He's like, o okay, so you're using YouTube to bully me now, are you? That's a cool move for him I'm on his side No, I get a lot of people coming up saying, Oh, you know we called our son Kevin. We call him Kevin now. and you see this poor boy staring at me with utter hatred. know, and I think quite right, you know. Because I do understand it. One day, you know they slightly get a crush on someone of their own generation and they realize how old you are. and there's nothing you can do about it. and you just have to back off for a bit And you know, but yeah, I've had that. My children look at me like you're a massive t it. You really are Allright, let's go again Don't you fucking understand! Hick you fucking ass! Let's go again! What the fuck is it with you? I want you off the fucking set you preg No! You're a nice guy! What the fuck are you doing? No! Go shhub me up! No, No d d like this. No, No! G shub me up d I like this fuck shake man you amateur. Seriously, man, you and me, we're fucking done professionally Here's another coincidence. Oh yeah, spepeaking of dads Y was that my dad once when me and Joe Cornish were doing the Adam and Joe show, we flew to America and Because my dad still had travel connections because he was a travel writer He managed to get himself upgraded to first class on this flight to LA And he was sat next to Chrissy Heind Lovely Christy. And after a while She asked to be moved Really? Yeah Maybe he was eating beef. Well, that's possible. Yeah, I guess. Beause in first class they'd give you like a Chateauubriant, something nice, wouldn't they? Yeah, that's true. And she would not like to be next to the swad of that. Yeah, he loved a steak. so that's that's I'd never considered that possibleility. Why is that a coincidence? Because I know that She got in touch with you to tear you off a strip about something you wrote of the devil, she told What was that? Oh it was so nice It was the time when labour were banning fox hunting and I'd written a piece, notot pro fox hunting But I just found it hypocritical that People who eat meat could vote on this thing. You know they're all going, you know, you enjoy killing animals. You enjoy killing animals together. you people who dress up in this gear. Felt to me like a class wall thing, which I'd never particularly like. Anyone who eats meat enjoys killing animals for pleasure. They just don't like to see it. you know I'm sure there are lots of Nazis who just didn't never wanted to visit a concentration camp, but it didn't make them nicer people than other Nazis. So anyway, I'd sort of written a piece Ab that? Yeah, Okay. And she wrote to me and said I was the sperm of the devil. it was like a six page letter. It was amazing. And I wrote back. I said, Dear Christie, I literally kissed every word. I saw you at the Perleogian in nineteen seventy nine and here's your pctrum because I still had her plectrum in my desk. So I sent her her pctrum back and it said pretreenders on it and everything And then she wrote back again and then she came and did something on Kevin and Perry for me Right. Yeah. How were you able to mend the fence then? I just said I'd just absolutely adore you. You're my hero and the idea that you could even know who I am It's so great. So she's like, o, that's okay, then you're not sperm of the devil. Yeah. I'll table ye my fox hunting. Yeah, but it wasn't I think it was I don't mind her being anti fox hunting because she's a vegan. Yeah, but or a vegetarian or whatever. but I kind of it always leaves a nasty taste in my mouth banning things, you know, whether it's smoking or Are you a Lbertarian? Not no. I don't know There were things I'd probably be stronger on like litter bugs I would shoot in the street Whas smoking, I don't think you know, is up to people. There's something about labour that I always feel They think they can make a difference and they can't make a difference because we live in a capitalist world and capital has the power But what they can do is ban the odd thing. and then they feel they've done something. Yeah, I sort of feel that ready. So I'm usually against them banning things, especially when it takes time and space and there's so much to be done You know, there's so much to spend money on rather than the police. Yes. goingo around stopping a bunch of people, whoever they are. You don't like the nanny state? Yeah, I don't like a nn state, do I? Iucking do like the nanny state. I just think there are things to be nannies and foxes aren't one of them. Yeah. Okay. you know. But it's that thing, isn't it that we do we go I wouldn't like to be a fox torn to pieces byon. Yeah. alsoso I don't agree with Ia sooner be a fox being chased and have a one in six chance of being torn to pieces. if you're going to give them human feelings than be a cow going to the equivalent of Auschwitz with its brothers and sisters Yeah, I agree. I mean, but there's like take your pick of things that don't make sense in the world and one rule for one thing Well, that's it, you see, now you're just being bland about it. The kind of thing your father would have been disappointed. That's true, actually. Yeah, yeah. I found an article that he wrote about his contempt for anyone that would sit on the fence And as I was reading, I was like, shhit, man, this is pretty much describing me. I'm I mean, I'm not like a fence sitter on everything. I do have opinions, but I am a massive believer in trying to establish and populate some kind of central space where we can be together as human beings without fucking tearing each other You're a Pacemaker aren't you And I agree. I mean There's a fine line between peacemaker and appeaser, isn't there? That's the problem. I Yes And I think the For me, you see I think Life is gray. It's not black and white. And I celebrate life for being gray. So if you have to say, okay, fox hunting it's everyone who fox hunts is evil and everyone's like that People who eat meat are not evil. That to me doesn't quite tell the whole story. That's all it is really. So I'm not trying to say let's bring back fox hunting and let's do this, let's do that bear baiting or you know, cockfighting or whatever. I just think things are never quite as simple as they say. Yeah. So in a way it's trying to be inclusive because like we were talking about before, slightly you know, the internet has made people more binary, I feel That you know if I write on the internet Harry Enfield's a wankker and I get fifty likes, then o, I've got fifty people who like me for thinking Harry Enfield's a wanker. So that makes me want to say something else about what a wanker is, know and it becomes a war, doesn't it and not that just Let's experiment with life and let's sort of you know, it's like my comedy, I think is I've always said it's mischief, not malice. So anyone who says, o, you can't say that, you can't do that, I said, Well, is it malicious? And what I doing? And there are lots of people, you know, I think someone like Stuart Lee, who I really like, but he's malicious. and I would never do that. That's my choice But he's seen as a snowflaker, he calls himself that. Which bits are you thinking of when you think about him being malicious Oh, he did a thing once about Ben Elton, who I think iss really good of Hands up Wh likes Hitler or something, Hands up who likes Ben Elton and it sort of hates or something It was like man I'm misquoting it. But you know, people go to see where he'll slag someone off Ricky DeVes who slaged off You've been a long time. You've done some funny sketches about Gervaise that made me think maybe Yes I have, but they're not malitious. No, but they'veaointed Yeah, we did one where Paul and I were trying to be more like Rickage Face. But so that we could be more popular. But the deconstructed didn't have any., you know, he had friends like David Bowie and all we could get was Nnigel Ferage Yeah before he was you know. But then there was another sketch the way you sort of deconstructed the office and reduced it to like you know, gives look to camera Hobbit says something No You know, we did, yes. Was that affectionate Yes, I think so. I love the offer. Do you know Ricky Gerz? No. I've met him once on the Heath And did he he was very nice. But I can completely understand why anyone is allowed to like or not like someone. and to feel very strongly about it. But to be malicious, I would never be malicious about someone in My humour, I hope. Although there's Mischief, you see exactly what you've said, hobbit l this, that's mischief to. Okay, okay And you know, because I love the office. I did stop for a bit after the office. so I thought, well, this is brilliant. This is the way it's going. It's not what I do. This is just different league and it was a different league. You felt that it had changed comedy and people's appetites for comedy sufficiently that you did a funny ha ha haa Studio audience and you felt irrelevant characters. Yeah. I felt like that's my zeitgeist is over. And and we only did Harry and Paul after Little Britain really. I mean, I wouldn't have done it had it not been for the fact that Little Britain could come along and be silly.u. That made me think, Oh, well maybe we could be silly again But you could always be silly. How the stuff you did No it, I found it so impossibly cool the office in a way, and also what Armando was doing. Yeah, okay You know, I just thought this is I'd love to be able to do this. but that ship has sailed because I'm this is my little pigeon hole. So I could have been bitter then, but I don't think I was. I just thought that you know, that's what they do and Chris Morris and everyone. Yeah. But the sharpest bits of the story of the Tos, for example are exactly the kind of things that those people do Yeah. But That was just You know being asked by the BBC, would you do this? And you go, yes, I will do it pitching an idea 's political and and, you know right up my street that I would really want to watch like that. I don't have the skill to do that. I don't have the skill to write a sitcom like that. Is it something you would want to do, though, if you could? No, I mean, I probably would have done twenty years ago, but now I'm happy just I'm resting on my old decaying laurels. Yeah Some of the characters, particularly do you remember that argumentative couple? The married couple who are sniping at each other still mared And it' liars. Yeah. And it's vicious and painful. Was that the atmosphere when you were growing up Uh, I don't think so. No. You know, I've seen it though in other people and you think, gosh, you're unhappy. Yeah, you know. I mean my parents' friends, I could see it in some of them. That sort of dreadful silence Yeah, there's a very good one She goes the wrong way on the map but the poor son is in the back. David, we end up at a dead end. I drive up to a dead end. You So the left that you said was left wasn't the left that normal people think it's left. It's the exclusive left to you, something like that And then she's just silent, then she goes, You've never made me come It was Paul's line. And he thought, God, that's so cruel, isn't it? I remember that horrible. I think my parents were not getting on well at all when that show came out and I remember finding it hard to laugh at that. Most marriages probably go through that stage. Yeah, yeah, yeah. or did. Do you remember any of the conversations around that sketch? like, didid you think, Is this too dark? Is it too bleak? Is it's so love I love dog. Okay. a way Well, it's the thing that fear, I suppose, dark horror films, you know, it's all reactive in a way. Because that sketches so there's so much tragedy in it not to be too serious about it, but obviously they kind of break from both members of the couple really and the terrible things they're saying to each other and the fact that the son is there and they're say and they're arguing over who loves the son more and meanwhile this poor Sun is growing up in this atmosphere. Yeah I remember when Harry Potter started, I made a real pitch to David Heayman saying, please can I play because I'd read them to my son already. I really want to be Mr. Dursley and I want Julia St. John who played my wife to be Mrs. Durseley. I think we'd be perfect. Yeah. That would have been good. He sort of looked at me like No, we've already got Rich and Griffiths, that's it But I just remember reading it thinking, Ohh God, yes, that's a couple these people. You know, it's like taking something off the page and making it real. Yeah, you know, just giving it a reality. I mean, the old gits were vicious, but it was so cartish. Yes. They were really, really. Yeah. I think the I saw you coming was the only other one I've done is Vicious who was on the Harry and Paul thing who at a shop in Notting Hill. Yeah. It was just so misogynous He was horrible. and cynical like ye Well, I was going to say actually that I heard you talking in an interview in nineteen ninety and you you were promoting the first series of the Harry Annfield television show. And you were talking about the fact that in the course of During the show, you had talked to other writers to think about the possibility of getting other people to bring characters to the table whichich in the end you didn't do, you kind of stuck with your core. Pretty much. Yeah. I think actually Graham and Arthur wrote a couple of things. Graham Linahan and Arthur Matew. And also Charlie Higson and Paul Whitehouse. I mean, Charlie and Paul They They were the core team. they were all guys working. But you were saying that you'd met some other bloke had who you said was really nice and he had a funny character. but you said it's a middle class character who's worried about being sexist And it's like, what are people gonna to make of this? It's a bit niche was the implication and yet you know later in your life when you yourself changed your kind of social environment You've got lots of characters who are not recognizable to a lot of people. Absolutely. Total hypocrite. Like the surgeons Yeah It's funny though, I do them on tour and people like them. Well surges. because they have a sort of charm to them, I think. Yeah and that's what people like. Also because I don't think it matters whether it's a person you know. Those characters there's something intrinsically relatable about the way you do them. J just My defence slightly By the way I wasn't accusing you of, no, no, no, no,. It's not an attack. I know. I'm just say that the reason was withith the first series it was like Right when we were doing Harry and Viling Chums and that sort of stuff, it was like, goosh, we've been off at a television show. you know, I was twenty nine, a sketch show. There'd been a few sketches since sort of not nine o'clock newews, but none of them had really taken off. So it was like, we want to do the viz of sketch shows. We want Old Young, we want all these different characters And we need catchphrases so the kids do get through the playground because everyone only had one tey. So there was quite a lot of marketing you know thinking of marketing about it, because we want that one television that everyone had in their house to be dominated by us for that half hour. So we need the children Give everyone else something else. Whereas later on when we did Harry and Paul it was much more What do we like? What do we think's funny? We think the writer and the landlady is someone going spim I There is I'm a seller of confectionery. Mintables, bum gum. me being anlady go. you know, it just made us giggle and so yeah, niche. Yeah, I love it. Who else is churning out the characters that are still mem I think I was very lucky Adam because there weren't that many people. when I was on the circuit, it was still quite new, the whole comedy circuit, you know, alternative comedy, all that rubbish. And so they were the same people you came across again and again. there weren't many of us and no one was really doing characters. So for me it was like, well What's my niche, What's my USP as people say these days. And okay, well I'll do some characters and then if they wanted characters, I was the one. there wasn't anyone else doing it, you know. But now there are hundreds of people aren't there? I don't think I would make it today. And there are hundreds of channels now. you know you're not forced to watch me Yeah. So it's a very different environment than things, but yeah, I was lucky But when you started doing it, was it like all your peers? Did you all take off at the same time U Did you meet Louis was that at school or university? Met Louis at school. Right. So we met Louis when we would have been twelve or thirteen, thirteen I. And he always seemed like he was going to do fine. And then he was the first person to get a job in the media. He was out in the states and he started working for magazines and He worked for Spy magazine in New York, which was a kind of satire paper and Then he got a job with Michael Moore doing TV Nation This sort of political prank show Yeah So he was making a name for himself way before we were And he was a big important part of us getting our our show. in my mind We would check in with him the whole time and say, what do you think? What should we do? And Yeah you got any ideas. And he was so supportive Yeah with us. It was great. It's funny. I was talking about him the other day saying I wonder, you know, on his deathbed where they' go, well, what's life worth? Well, I've met so many horrible people Platform so many monsters, so many awful dreadful people how that would feel? I don't know. I think he I remember him saying very early on And very sincerely, one drunken Kight I really love people I really think that they're worthwhile. and maybe he might not remember this, but I definitely do. And he made a very very impassioned speech about how he thought that prettyretty much everyone was worthwhile in some way. and he was interested in them. That's interesting. He wanted to know what made them tick. Yeah, what makes them. I mean, that's the only way forward really, isn't it? If you just say, Well, theyirre bastards, Yeah there's nothing you can do for the world Yes, pase Yes tenen years ago, I listened to a podcast with you and Malcolm Gladwell Oh yeah, talking about satire and the toothlessness. of Satire. It was called The Satire Paradox and it was an episode of his podcast Revisionist History Have you ever listened back to that? Did you listen back to the finished thing? No, but I found it all rather difficult because I didn't really know about podcasts. And then everyone said, you should do it. And I remember Nicholasol Nick Holt saying, God, you got to do this podcast. It's great because I told him and then he was very nice about it afterwards. but I don't think I listened to it It was a good listen. I don't really like listening to my own voice. Okay. off course I would listen to this. Well, it did strike me as unusual. I was like, Oh, I don't hear Harry andfield talking as himself very often. and I don't think I've heard him talking about loads of money. And you started the episode It was you talking about the impact that loads of Bunny had And basically Gladwell's thesis in this episode was that Satire fails when comedians prioritize getting a laugh over having the courage to make an actual political point and He talks a lot about Tina Feay on Saturday Night Live. Right who had been doing Sarah Palin around the elections in two thousand eight when Sarah Palin was running as the Vice President too John McCain Yeah. and you know It was a big deal her impression of Sarah Palin. And it became really popular on SNL up to the point where They actually got the real Sarah Palin to come on. And it was all quite sort of collegiate and friendly and jokey jokey, but there were a lot of people who were very upset and outraged by what Sarah Palin represented and the prospect that she would party. Yeah. The prospect that she would become the vice president was genuinely Alarming for many people. and so Gladwell's point was that This was kind of cowardly. It was just chasing laughs and At the end of the day, it was probably doing more harm than good. It was turning her into a bit of a blke A bit good s. Yeahah, like the sort of Farage factor. you know, Farage definitely benefited from a lot of people thinking Oh he seems fun and yeah seems like a fun guy to have ar. Well, I don't know. I mean, this is I think Gladwell is saying that this is the danger of satire a lot of the time. The danger of the kind of, especially political satire, people doing funny impressions of mononstrous political figures or whatever, and it ends up making having the effect of making them quite approachable and non threatening. Yeah that sounds right That sounds a good theory. Yeah. I'm glad he made that. I seem to remember When I did it, I mean, I haven't changed my opinion, which is probablyroably did it because I did spiting image for it A few years. from the eighties and Mrs. Thatcher was elected three times while spitting image was on And the newspapers all the time go spitting mad. They've gone too far this time. You know, always these headlines People cry, Girl, what's it like being on the most dangerous show And then Maggie gets in again and then John Major gets in. And then Spitting Iage got the Queens Award for Industry, I think. And That made me realize, you know, that actually it doesn't really change anything. And also people were when I was doing loads of money And I stopped doing it because he was two dimensional. I didn't know what to do. But the guardian of course did their bloody thing that they used to do of It's a very middle class lefty thing to say, well when he realized that the very people he was satirizing loved it, he was horrified and stopped. which is absolutely rubbish. It's patronising rubbish. You know, it's like I did the Sousers who were You know, thieving, swearing scousers, basically based on Brookside, but then all the scousers, they'd go to the Liverpool games with our wigs on kind of thing, being like that. People love having the piss taken out of them. So of course people who were like loads of money wanted to say, Oh God, that's just like me. So many people have said, you know, did you base Tib nice but dim on my friend or me or someone you know, But the guuardian sort of thing was o, no the working you know, Harry didn't expect these people to like it because he doesn't understand the working classes like we do basically. whichich I find terribly frustrating. you know, it's a problem with the left, really. I mean, I'm a leftty, I'm much more leftfty than the Gardian, I think Um It's a real problem with not understanding that we're all actually the same. and we all like the same sort of things or certainly blokes, you know, like having the piss taken out of them. And exactly like you're saying that Malcolm Gladwell was saying, that if Sarah Paling, who probably didn't like having the piss taken out of her, but if her people said you should come on then it'll make you look like you are a normal human being who likes having the pits taken out of themselves. Yeah. then immediately that gets rid of it. The thing is you could spin it either way really. You could say that there is evidence that was not included in Malcolm Gladwell's episode for the fact that Tina Feay's impression of Sarah Palin actually turned a load of people off her made Sarah Palin seem like an unelectable Joke. Joke. Yeah ye. so her popularity crered after the SNL impression. So you could definitely spin it that way if you wanted to as far as spitting image goes and the fact that that's your kept on getting in. I'm sure there are people who would say The impression of Thatcher on sppitting Iage was very attractive for a lot of people.. She was this kind of bully boy who was in charge of her party. And she ruled with an iron fist. And as we now know, people are attracted to those kinds of personalities in politics. Yes, even when they're completely old like her. Yeah Yeah. So you can always make the argument one way or another. there was, you know, there's in the revisionist history episode as well, they talk about All in the family, the American sitcom, which was based on Till Death to us Part, Alt Garnet and all that the kind of racist stoed bigot character. that ended up being beloved, you know that was supposed to be a satire on look at this horrible racist old guy and it ends up becoming a well loved character. Yeah. And so there is, you, you can find some people who will say, actually, those shows written by liberals in order to satirize right wing reactionary points of view ended up emboldening a lot of those people themselves and making those Bots seem really quite sympathetic. Yes, okay. well you've cured me of my . Here I am on the fence againes, I want to ban these things. I'm playing both. I you know, they said terrible thing. Yes,day you are on the fence It's a terrible thing though, that you can't have things like love thy neighbour explore the issue somehow without you're saying is quite, you know, till deeath has do part that these days exploring the issue is seen as something. ' best not to even bring up the issue My children would argue that because they'd say there really isn't an issue say something like trans. they'll say there is no issue here. Yeah, yeah. And then of course you get these mad people Sing we're living in Woke Britain, you know the lovely Liz Tras, people like that saying, you know, my mission is to free woke Britain. you think it's rubbish. There's nothing woke about this. whatever they being. Do you think AI might be good at running the world? Be you look at these you know, I've become a royalist recently. I'd never really thought about it or cared about it. How did that happen? It happened because this trust became prrime Minister and she came out and made this speech and it was like, Oh my God. I mean it sounded literally like the work experience person reading this thing for the cameras, you know and sounds so they could get their focus and the sound levels right. And he thought, my God, if that was our president If that was our head of state. Yes. And then I thought, God, if Boris was our head of state or you know whoever it is. Have you met the king? No. I don't think he'd ever want to meet me. I've played him. You played him and you were aware of the fact that he thought the Windsors was cruel. A cruel show Mmhm. Did that give you pause? No I just think he's wrong about that. I think you could say that about the other one, the crown because itort pretends to be true. He doesn't come out well from the crown, Prince Charles. No, you could argue that the crown is Purant. Yes. But I think the Winds is you know, I've always seen it from the moment that Burton George first wrote it as dynasty. basasically they've given the writers of dynasty in LA. They said, Look, you've got to write a new drama about the English royal family and they've given them all the red tops and said theseese are the English tabloids. If you know nothing about the royal familyam, just read these and it'll fill you in and then write a drama run So obviously none of it is true. Yeah. literally nothing. I mean, it is obviously ludicrously over the top crazy, grotesque comedy. and yeah, the crown very much blurs the line because you sort of assume as a viewer like, well, they couldn't be just making all these big facts up, could they? And they do. And what's the other drama that I haven't watched that people have been talking about about the Kennedy Klan? Oh go yes, love story. Love story. I haven't seen it. And I read a piece by Darryl Hannah. who was involved in that real situation. I don't know anything about that world, but but I read the piece she wrote She is a character in the drama in Love Story and she is portrayed as a kind of Drugfiend nightmare. terrible person. And she writes in this piece like they have literally made up loads of stuff that never ever happened Yeah just because it suits the narrative of this drama. Yeah And how does this work? And I think the model now. for a lot of the streaming platforms, especially post baby reindeer? Yes is they just go Never mind, we'll take the hit. You know what I mean? evenven if we're just going to make stuff up Yes. It'll make also people are dead Then you can't they can't sue Yeah and the royal family can't sue You know, they have to be above all that stuff. otherwise they'd be suing everyone. They won't do the same thing about Donald Trump. I mean, they had that film about Donald Trump Obviously the lawyers were all over it. Yeah. It was a good film, by the way,. Yeah, but he doesn't come across as the person we know he is in it. You know? It didn't come across well He didn't come across well, but Jeremy Strong comes across as worse. and Yes. Oh you know, let's blame him for everything. This guy has no real personal responsibilities the fult to this guy. Well actually by the end of the film, by the way, it's the Apprentice is the name of the film. and I really recommend it if you haven't seen it And there's a scene in it. You know how he's Jeremy Strong's a method actor and There was a disgusting drink he had to drink at the end the last program succession they were on holiday right they they make the most revolting. And it was like, did you because he's a method actor. Did you drink it? And he said, Ohh yes. and then I'd have to go and be sick and then I'd have to go and wash in the sea and then do another tpe. And there's a scene a really raunchy scene where he is being Im seext upon by this gentleman in a club in that show. Yes, he plays Trump's lawyer Yeah Cone And he's being seriously It looks very, very raunchy And because she's a method actor, I want to know if that was part of the deal. Whatever the part requires. Yeah, that's what I sort of imagined That gosh said look Cy Real Mody Wh is in my phone charger Is they right down. Did you see it? Have you got it For ph Chanceter Batteratter is about to die S. Round and round in their heads go the chord progressions, the empty lyrics and the impublished fragments of tune Whoom goes the Bin box start of every bar the start of every bar Boom goes the brain box Once you played an old git and now you are an old git, how much of an old git are you I am Yeah, it's a frame of mind, isn't it? an old getit. I suppose so. I suppose. But they were like just naughty. But I would genuinely shoot litter bugs. Okay. Well you know, if I see someone just doing that. I agree with you. That is maddening. I don't think o, justust kneel down, bullet in head Res Yeah and the world will definitely be a better place. But then when I'm not in that mood, I don't believe in the death Okay. Glad to hear it. I think if you were confronted by sitting on the fence Listen, if you were confronted by the reality of having to execute a litter bug, Harry, I don't believe that you would go through with it. You don't know me well, Adam. Shoot them in the head. You're going be armed. You see someone, what if it's just like a a teenager. he's just come back from McDonald's he's discarding the box in in a hedge row and a le. I'd go, excuse me. could you just kneel down? Now and put it in a pin And then if he used a bunch of expletives, I'd say, Oh I have to excute. I'mfraid your bunch of there's no mercy for you I don't know. Have you ever confronted? What do we do about? A lit bugger? No, never, I'm too scared. I just cowardly. Dream of shooting them W people who play really loud music with their windows, open Yeah, this is pretty standard old getit stuff. Yeah, it's just that. you know, really? I think the thing that really happens to you is you think, well, my childhood was better. You know my dad thought his childhood was better and I think that mine was. I liked saving up You know, fifty p to buy a record and now you just get that record on Spotify. Yeah. when you say better sort of more meaningful, more kind of it's so spiritually nourishing Felt like that. Yeah ye. I mean, I definitely think I'm glad I didn't have a phone or a smartphone or anything You know, I was very happy just cycling around seeing my friends and swearing, going to see the buszcocks. I think it is tough for the younger generation. I think they don't feel it. I think they do They do actually. In some ways they do. They do I got mll fish, isn't I S these guysies. That's true. they do. It cans post COVID, but you like me, I hope you don't mind me pointing this out, are a hat wearer. at this point because we are both getting a little bit thin on top. Yes. And I heard you talking about the fact that A member of the media elite who will remain nameless recommended to you the services of a transplant guru And I think maybe I met the same guy and he gave me the same recommendation And u I have for the last couple of years been taking the position that I don't think I will get the transplant But then I heard you expressing some regret that you didn't. Yes So do you think I should go I felt like I thought, well, it's all over for me. has been for years. because this was like fourteen eight or two thousand nine All right againame Tan And I look at There's a certain gentleman now and I think he still looks great. He still looks really good. So I slightly regret it because whenever I wear a wig, I think gosh I don't look as bad as I thought I' look. But literally this morning there's a place in prromotel where I get a discount They give a discount to old age pensioners. And when I went in this morning, I took my hat off and went I'm an old age pensioner. and when we came out, my partner said, You don't have to take your hat off to do that I just say it. But I did get thirty two p off. It was three pounds twenty and it went down to two pounds.. Win? And you wouldn't have made that saving if you'd had the transplant. I don't think I would' have done. You wouldn't have been wearing a hat? No have been proud There So so many things, you know, where do you stop ' then there's the transplant and then there's the teeth. The one I really liked was some Stanga Balatine Duck in Balatine., Balatine. Now you said to me, you are m pop and bolers He got his book in Manchester, I tell him, and he'll do it for you for free if he can use you for publicity And I thought I did say, Docy, you've got so much money and you get it for free. said. Was that tempting at all? No Puttin boss. What if you said to Scotsman? Mle putin boss? Okay, thank you. Did you think about it? No, I didn't I was just brought up like, you know my dad was sort of Bobby Jarton by the age of thirty and I suppose I've been brought up to think that it's vanity and that vanity is a sin. I think. I think I have the same prejudice. but it's so alien to a modern generation, you know they post memes of like, this is what fifty year old people used to look like Isn't it insane? Yeah that they didn't bother to get a hair transplant or do something about their teeth? And you know, then they post a picture of like you know, Ryan Reynolds or whoever it might be, who is in their fifties And they look about thirty. Yes. I mean, I'm the same age as George Clooney, I think.hh Yeah know, and he looks gorgeous. But I don't mind Yeah, do you know I don't think so. Would you advise me to cararry on. I think you should go with how you feel. And I certainly don't say to that chap I thought the chap who said that was perfectly fine to say that. Yeah, yeah, I don't respect him less. for having had it done. And why absolutely not. know, And women spend a fortune having their hair changed colour and this and that and the other. You know, and why wouldn't you? Yeah I'm genuinely conflicted. But I think as we've established, I'm conflicted about nearly everything Yeah But does your wife think? She's like No. I mean. She says I couldn't care and I don't lie. Of course you could. You'd like me to look younger, wouldn't you? And I would look younger if I had it. That's the fact. I would look probably about ten years younger. And she's like I honestly don't care. She swears blind that she doesn't care about you anymore I think you should Oh God See you really Ready I think you look great I told myself I was going to ask you this question and I told myself I would go with what you said, but I can't tell if you're joking now or not I don't know. I think if you had like hair and it was black and then you cut it short like a footballer at the side. Yeah and your beard you look pretty jazzy All right, I'm going give it some more thought. Yeah. Over the years, you must have met some of your heroes in comedy and music. Who were some of the most Satisfying and memorable people that you met. Yeah. I mean, I met George Harrison, it's amazing When did you meet him? In in the nineties, he rang up one day and said, I'm having a party, wouldould you like to come Yeah. and and Paul McCary see me naked Oh, how come Well, u Yes, exactly. Oh. I was in a gym that I go to sometimes and it was a Sunday and there was no one else changing. I'd done the gym and I'd had a shower and I'd tossed My towel into the towel bit that you put the towel in, and then there was someone trying to get in the door. It was one of those ones that go, Peepe, peep, if you get it wrong, you know, a fingerprint one. Yeah. So I went and opened it for them and this was, Oh, the door's been opened for me by a naked man. Oh, it's a naked Harry. how are you? You know And say, Oh hi. yeah. And of course what you can't do because as a beetle, youve got to be so cool. You can't put your hands in front of your private bits Because that wouldn't be cool would it? So you got to s of put your hand in anything and go, yeah, how's it going? I didn't know. Yeah, I've seen Chames here a couple of ses, that kind of shit. And then I went home and Paul Mcaly CB D. And he got home and said, Yeah, I met Harry Enfieldy. he just stood there showing me his cock. It was really weird Really weird? Really big. Cn't believe how big it was. Yeah, Big and weird Continue Congratulations. You have been chosen to join us in our sexy bed for sex time. What Do you mean to say that? I don't know. Is it okay with you if we get this promo back on track now? Yeah, that's okay with me. Okay, good. Hi, this is James. And this is Julia. And we're the hosts of Julia and James just talking What kind of stuff do we talk about, Julia? Oh, you know, the usual Do you want to narrow it down a little bit? I don't know. Julia and James just talking. New episodes drop every hour Hey, welcome back. That last ad you heard there was another taster of success pod for you. And of course, before then, you heard Harry Enfield talking to me, I'm very grateful indeed to Harry for making the time There's several links in the description to remind yourself of few highlights from Harry's work over the years Re recommend those Harry and Paul specials The story of the Twos and the love box in your living room, if you haven't seen those before, and you're a fan You're going to love them. Also in the description you'll find a link to tickets for Harry's live show, Harry Enfield and No Chums, in which he is on stage as himself going in and out of characters, but also talking about how those characters came to be, along with other entertaining anecdotes from his career thus far You'll also find a link to a rave review of that show From the Guardian All right, now I'm not gonna wffle too long at the end here Oh look, there's the techno bird, Rosie Hovering very close because We've got the wind at our backs now with a big rain cloud at our heels, I would say just a few hundred yards away, it is pissing it down. So yeah, we'll head back, even though we've got blue sky over us right now. feeleels like there's a lot to tell you about But I'm gonna to keep it brief and say instead that there's still time to get questions in for my Q and A episode, first one that I've ever done on this podcast If you want to ask me anything at all, send your questions in to the address that you'll find in the description of today's podcast. and probably towards the end of this current run in a few weeks We'll put that episode out and If it goes well, then it'll be part of a new Patreon subscription area that we are working on. When I say we, I mean Diggory Wit and myself and Claire Broughton from Hatrick, who have been helping me along with Samus as usual over the last few weeks with the podcast All right, I should wrap up. But I just wanted to remind you quickly about the Adam Buxton Band's last two shows from the tour in London, Howxton Hall on the twenty third and twenty fourth of June. That's quite soon. And don't forget the bug David Bowie special at the lightightrooom. The seventeenth of June is sold out, but there are still tickets for shows on the second third and fourth of July This is a somewhat enhanced version of the Bug David Bowie special with extra projection effects for some of the sections to cover the walls of the light room. it's going be fun Don't forget to explore Success Pod. I think you'll enjoy it. I hope you will I really enjoyed doing it and I'm happy with the way it's turned out If you do enjoy it And now I am going to sound like a parody of one of the people on SuccessPod. But please share your enthusiasm with everyone you know. Everything is numbers driven these days and the more people that check it out and enjoy it The likelier it is that I'll get to do more So yes, if you do enjoy it and you have time, give it all the stars and nice comments that you can muster. I appreciate it. And that's why I am now about to lean in for an creepy hug. Watch out. Hey, How's it guy? Good to see you. get inside before it startops pelting And until next time, you and I share the same outudl space Please take care because it's nuts out there and for what it's worth, I love you Yeah suubcribe. suubscribe