I could really have done with staying in bed all day today. I was tired to my bones. But there is time to sleep when I am dead, which shouldn't be too far away the way I am pushing myself at the moment. I was doing an interview about the book for Channel 4's "5 o clock show" (it will be on on Thursday - not sure what time). Lenny Henry is hosting the show this week, which was a relief because I had seen it when Peter Andre was doing it and it hadn't been great. Although I would have turned it down if it hadn't been Lenny. He was one of my childhood heroes as he appeared on the first TV show that got me excited about comedy, Tiswas, so aside from my grandad Lenny Henry (along with Chris Tarrant, Sally James and John Gorman - though not Bob Carolgees, even as a youngster I had good taste) was possibly my earliest comedy influence. As I waited backstage for the interview I wondered if I could get him to say "Ooooooo-Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaay!" But I suspected as a posh Shakespearean actor he might not be keen to be taken back to those days.
The show seemed to be ticking along nicely. Jo Brand was the other guest and it was terrific to see her for the first time in years. She is effortlessly amusing and a genuine, grounded and down-to-earth person, which is a rarity in this ridiculous business. And I will always love her because she gave me a lift back from a gig at Oxford Poly in 1992 and refused to take any petrol money from me. I said I would buy her a drink for her kindness, but I haven't done so yet. But I haven't forgotten Jo. And I hope to make good on that promise at some point!
Lenny was in his element in the chair and there was none of the awkwardness that Peter Andre's tenure had exhibited and the interview passed by quickly with no issues, though I made a passing reference to how well Lenny got on with his ex-wife which although intended as a compliment to them both may be taken out of the show. Which is fair enough, it wasn't my business to mention it.
At the end we all joined the cast of We Will Rock You to headbang along to Bohemian Rhapsody and then in proper Light Entertainment style we came to the front of the stage to wave to the camera. Being alongside Jo and Lenny this didn't seem as embarrassing as it might have been. We had been warned not to go too close to the front because some pyros would be exploding, so I was bit surprised when as I was giving Jo a little cuddle and she was remarking how we now made quite a good couple (referring I imagine to our shortness and chubbiness) when suddenly something hit me full in the face. For a second I was confused, but it turned out that as an unexpected surprise Sally James had come on to the stage and smacked Lenny in the face with a Tiswas style custard pie and I had been caught in the cross fire. My mouth was full of lemony tasting cream and my hair and shirt were covered. But what would the six year old me have made of this. I had been custard-pied by proxy by the gorgeous Sally James, who I loved and fancied even when I was too young to know what was happening to me. And the pie had flown off the face of my childhood hero Lenny Henry. It was an incredible feeling. I can die happy now.
Sally James still looked great, though she didn't get into a tin bath this time, which was a shame, and I wanted to try and get my photo taken with her, but I was too shy. But what a powerful and strange connection to the past this was.
I had to go home then to try and do some work for my first Edinburgh preview, but it was a real effort to stay awake. I decided that I would give the audience a proper show so would read the script I had rather than try to blunder through, but spent a few hours relearning the begat routine, including the acronym and then went out to buy some card so I could display the list. I was walking around mouthing the genealogy of Christ to myself and babbling a load of strange nonsense words. Anyone who got close to me must have thought I had definitely flipped. Especially if they had previously seen me with a Hitler Moustache.
The original show is a lot stronger than I had feared, though there is some work to be done to make it better and maybe have a little more import. But I managed to do the list, the acronym and pretty much the list backwards as well on the first live try, so I was pleased with that. Especially given the fact that I nearly fell asleep in my seat as I was waiting to come on. I am very excited about getting this show back up on its feet. Plenty more previews coming up
check out the COAB page for details.
