Jono, Ben & Megan - The Podcast - How David Walliams Ended Up In A Sauna With Prince Harry

Episode Date: September 24, 2024

We chat to actor and comedian David Walliams: What is was like living beside Adele and the important advice he gave her We get invited back stage of his show! Prince Harry is the nicest royal... See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Hits, with the Jono and Ben podcast. Cheers to Dilma, making the world a better tea. Hello, David Williams. There he is. Right, yeah. How are you? You look very rested in a wonderful little hotel room there. I am, yes.

I've been enjoying myself. I've been watching the dirty movies on the TV. Do you still watch dirty movies in hotel rooms? You know there's the internet. I don't think there are any anymore. Ben's got a wonderful story, the Spaghetti Western. Oh, yeah, someone was, yeah, we're away from, well, I don't know why I'm telling you this, away from work.

It was my company, and the guy said, hey, I watched a movie last night. It's kind of come up on my charge. And we're like, oh, what movie? He's like, you won't know it I'm telling you this. Away from work, it was my company, and the guy said, hey, I watched a movie last night. It's kind of come up on my charge. And we're like, oh, what movie? He's like, you won't know it. It's a spaghetti western. I don't know if that was code for anything or if it was an actual spaghetti western. I didn't ask any questions. Doesn't sound like it.

We're very excited. You're coming to New Zealand this weekend. You're going to be here. You're in Australia. Now, I noticed from your social media, you had people on stage. You were kissing one of them. There was all sorts going on. It was.

It's been really fun, actually, because the show is sort of well planned out, but there is plenty of chance to sort of be loose and to be playful as well. So and obviously with any comedy, really, the best parts are often the spontaneous parts, aren't they? The things that are not planned, the bits that the audience wouldn't have seen last night and are not going to see the next night. And so, yes, I was in Newcastle. Oh, no, that's where I am now. No, no, no. Yeah, no no i'm in newcastle but i was somewhere else and um where's all the churches where's adelaide i was in adelaide sounds like

your tour itinerary is quite spontaneous too i was in adelaide yes i just wake up i was in adelaide and uh and yeah it was just it was just the kind of one of the best shows we've ever done. It was so much fun. And the audience is such a big part of it. And it was Saturday night. They'd had a few drinks. And so they were kind of keen on getting involved, which I encourage. Which must be frightening for you going, opening the floor to questions from the audience.

Especially when you don't know what city you're in. Well, yeah, but that's the fun of it. I kind of think you've got to, I think people like to see you thinking on your feet and they like that something is, you know, happening in the room that's totally improvised. And it really sort of sharpens you up because it means you can't,

because obviously I tell stories in the show, like funny stories and jokes and stuff that I know that I've done the night before. But what makes it exciting for me as well is not just telling those stories, but obviously, you know, having to kind of come up with something in the moment. But that's something I learned doing Britain's Got Talent

is that, you know, it was all about reacting and all about being in the moment. And you know you try and contrive a joke and it would never be as good as as the one that just came out in the moment you know as a reaction to what's happening because you've got the shows that are earlier in the day which I guess a bit more catered around the books and kids and yeah so family shows in the day for people who like my books and um shows in the evening i mean it's not that adult but i wouldn't take your eight-year-old teenager and they'd seen little britain and stuff i think it'd be fine but um but yeah the book show is really fun it's just me on stage and they can be really funny too because i go out into the

audience and i ask because i've written these books world's worst children and i say i've come to do some research you know have you got brother or sister who's one of the world's worst children and then later on i ask them if there's a if they have a parent a mum or dad they'd like to be the world's parents and they go bonkers for that all these funny stories often quite rude stories there's one kid in adelaide was like oh what does your mum do that you know makes her one of the world's uh worst parents she's always dropping the if bomb the if bomb yeah so uh we uncover a lot of family truths. But yeah, it's been a riot. And so New Zealand, yeah, I'm coming to Auckland, to Christchurch.

Yeah, well done. One more. One more. Have you got it? Sounds like a W. Wellington. Yes, there we go. He's coming.

You're very excited. You're going to be here. How do you navigate between doing the comedy for, you know, like a PG audience and then moving into something a little bit more adult related? How do you go from one to the other? Well, I kind of, I feel like it's the same me, but it's just, it's just slightly, it's just slightly different. You know, I'm not, I don't, I feel with the kids, you know, as a children's author,

I don't patronize them, you know, like a children's author, I don't patronise them. You know, like I don't go, hello, kiddies. Time for book time. You know, it's still me and I'm still an archie, but obviously I just know not to drop the F-bomb. We're very excited. I think we're all going at various stages over the weekend. Do you want any questions, like pre-prepared questions,

kind of a little bit North Korea-like? The best questions are the ones that's rude. I had this great, this woman came up, she was like in her early 20s or something like that. And she said, yeah, my mum was meant to come tonight, but she couldn't make it. So she gave the tickets to me and I'm just 22. So I just want to ask, who are you? Great question.

Yeah, there was a boy who got up in Sydney and he was like, I've read all 43 of your books. When are you going to write a good one? These are the ones that get the best laughs or the ones that put me down. So please, some rude questions, listeners. Do you think about your career? Because I was reading yesterday,

you started back, I think, in Edinburgh and things like that, performing to just a handful of people. And now you're selling out in New Zealand and Australia and you've done amazing comedy shows and books. Do you think about that journey that you've been on? Yeah, always. I think you've always got to feel very grateful

because, yeah, me and Matt's first ever gig together was to three people. Who were those three people? That's as big as this gig right now, there's three of us. Yeah, it was you three. Day one is baby. Yeah, just three, but then that's how it all starts. Everyone's, you know, no one gets to start their career you know

on on a on a pedestal do they really i mean you you you start a humble way and it's good because it keeps you grounded and makes you grateful that you've had your success and i think it's just really important isn't it not take it for granted because once you start taking it for granted you might stop you know working so hard and trying to deliver in the way that you do you know um but you know what it was fun we were performing in room above pubs and it was really fun and i guess if we could still you know live our lives and you know and still perform even to people in a room above pub would still be fun yeah you know if you're performing to room people in room above pub it's it a pub, it's still a massive thrill. I mean, I get a thrill even just like, you know, I get asked to go around and visit schools and things.

And, you know, I come out and there's, you know, just a couple of hundred kids in the school hall. And that's a load of fun. And I ask them, you know, if any of the teachers should be the world's worst teachers. But, you know, that's still a massive buzz. I don't kind of think, you know, there's a small audience you know i can't get excited i i get excited every time i mean it's a it's a real privilege to to to be able to go out and entertain people um and uh you know and i always used to think when i was on britain's got talent when i'd be getting a bit bored and restless because it would be just such a long day i just always remind myself when i was a lifeguard at the local swimming

pool of what i used to get paid an hour to be there and then i'd think about what i got paid now and then we just go okay david stop complaining yeah and you don't even have five pounds an hour and you don't even have to mouth-to-mouth anyone nowadays. Well, you did, actually. It was the lady in the audience you were quite hooking into. Yeah, I think she needs mouth-to-mouth. I'm very big with the older lady. Did David Williams actually have to save anyone from drowning

in your years as a lifeguard? I didn't, and I was desperate to. I was tempted to push children in the pool very sadly that didn't happen well actually speaking of things you've done over your over your lifetime did you used to go to the same gym as prince harry was that true correct until he moved to america which is very selfish of him because we used to yeah we used to sit in the steam room together and uh did you choose that he's a very well-built young man i must say i'll take that what is what he's great really fun really friendly real laugh you know

and there's no i know i know this is silly you know but there's not like you know you have to call him prince harry or something you know you had to call him Prince Harry or something. What did you call him when you're sitting there in a towel? I called him Big Boy. I just called him Harry because it was like, I think he's the most down to earth and the most normal of a lot of them. And good luck to him. I've always liked him. I've always thought he's great. If to earth and the most normal of the lot of them. So, um, and good luck to him. You know,

I like, I've always liked him. I was always great. If he, if he like forgot a swipe card, would you be able to swipe him into the gym or is there like a $500 fine for that? Uh,

this was a, had no swipe card. No swipe card. A fancy gym. You're not snap fitness or anything. No, but he was very popular there because it was just a laugh

and just always fun, always full of energy. And, you know, I don't know. Just, it was no like, oh my goodness, it's Prince Harry. You know, he has to be kept away from everyone else. He just, you know, everyone loved him.

Now coming up with... Anyway, enough about him. Sorry, it's about you, Governor of New Zealand. I'm not promoting Prince Harry. He's going to be fine he'll sell tickets to his own show yeah we're excited to have you in new zealand this weekend um i don't know like the few scripts that we've written it's always hard to come up with names names of people

on the spot is it the same when you're writing books you've written so many books over the years well i suppose i i do use the thesaurus you know, say you have a character who's cruel, you might want to like look up, I always sort of look up words that sort of are connected to that word. So, you know, if you have a cruel, I don't know, teacher or something, you might call a miss spite or something like that, you know, and it's the sounds often. I think, I think, tell you who's amazing in names is J.K. Rowling. If you think of like Snape is a great name, isn't it? They're all great names, actually. Ron Weasley. They all seem, you know, like they all fit the character, don't they?

Where would he fit? Where would he fit? Jono, Ben and Megan, where would B be? What sort of characters would B be in a book for you? Pretty boring names, to be honest. You. We'd have an accounting agency this is putting me in the spot isn't it well it goes as mean as you want go on go on the three children who never grew up how long does it like take you to write a book and is it like a constant cloud hanging over you

like you're in the middle of writing books now i've been i've been writing one as we've been speaking actually i just finished it it takes a few months it takes a few months but it you know again i just keep reminding myself although you know sometimes it feels like hard work because you're stressed and you're working late into the night or whatever. And, you know, you get frustrated and all that. But, you know, I just keep reminding myself, yes, it's not actual real hard work. You know, something that I really love doing and can do anywhere. And I can, you know, when I'm traveling, sit in the hotel room, sit on the plane, sit on the train and do it.

You know, so I just again I just feel very lucky but I do love it I really love it and it's daunting you know always starting with a sort of as it were a blank piece of paper or a blank you know computer screen and it is daunting but at the same time by the time you sort of filled it and created a story it's really exciting so actually I always can't wait to get on to the next one um so you know again i just feel very lucky i get to do what i like to in life oh we're very excited about you here the final question i went to look on an article last night it's from the age and it said david williams um his advice for adele and then i had to pay for that to subscribe and i didn't do that so what what's your advice for Adele? I think this story is what happens you say one thing yeah and then it gets reported in all these

different sites well basically Adele used to be my neighbor so I'd see her a lot and she came around she came around with her for dinner and she brought her Oscar so I said I'll bring her she's really really nice and um anyway and I was talking to her because it was like a long time between the second and the third album and so I said I said you know is it difficult you know just come up song it's like yeah because you know you've had these massive hits and now you're sort of competing you're not competing with other people you're competing with yourself and she was like yeah I suppose it is because i guess if you've written a song like someone like you you're starting to write another song and then you think oh it's not as good as someone like

you know it's just something in your head even though she it may be better or different whatever and so anyway she took that advice and now look at that. She's gone great. You wrote hello. Yeah, exactly. That was your, thanks. No, I help all the big showbiz staff. I've got a note for everybody. Steven Spielberg. Prince Harry in the sauna.

You got them all. He's got notes. Harry, I've got something to say to you. Oh, we love catching up with you. We're so excited. Put a cold water on it, Harry. David Williams in New Zealand this week. Friday, Saturday, Monday, Wednesday, Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch.

We can't wait to see you in New Zealand. Are you coming? Yes, I'll be there Friday night. I think John and I are meeting going on Saturday. So, yeah, I can't wait to see you. I can't wait. Will you come backstage and catch me in my underpants when I'm getting dressed? I'd love to.

I don't know if I'll be allowed to. What do I say? Is there a password? Of course you will be. Okay. Maybe that's his first question. Can I come backstage to see you in your underpants? Yes. That would be a great question. Probably because I'm such a terrible show-off, I'll probably strip off on stage. Okay, great. Well, I'd love to see you in your underpants and love to see you on there. Okay. See, promise me you're going to ask that question.

Okay. Yeah, okay. Okay, right. Sounds great. All right. I will. Can I come back backstage and see you in your underpants? And I'll ask it at the children's show.

Not ask it at the children's show. I don't want your dark and disturbed mind. All right. We'll see you Friday night. See all of you Friday. See you, David. Bye, guys. Bye.

See you. Bye.