Sara & Cariad's Weirdos Book Club - Living My Best Life, Hun by London Hughes with London Hughes

Episode Date: October 26, 2023

This week's book guest is Living My Best Life, Hun by London Hughes.Sara and Cariad are joined by the comedian London Hughes to discuss her career, from growing up in Thornton Heath to getting a Netflix special produced by Kevin Hart, plus Babestation, bullying, Tony Blair, L.A. library gangs and more! Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you! Living My Best Life, Hun by London Hughes is available to buy here or on Apple Books here.Sara’s debut novel Weirdo is published by Faber & Faber and is available to buy here.Cariad’s book You Are Not Alone is published by Bloomsbury and is available to buy here.Follow London on Instagram and Twitter @thelondonhughesFollow Sara & Cariad’s Weirdos Book Club on Instagram @saraandcariadsweirdosbookclub and Twitter @weirdosbookclub Recorded and edited by Naomi Parnell for Plosive.Artwork by Welcome Studio.  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah Pasco. Hello, I'm Carriad Lloyd. And we're weird about books. We love to read. We read too much. We talk too much. About the too much that we've read. Which is why we've created the Weirdo's Book Club.

Join us. A space for the lonely outsider to feel accepted and appreciated. A place for the person who'd love to be in a real book club, but doesn't like wine or nibbles. Or being around other people. Is that you? Join us. Check out our Instagram at Sarah and Carriad's Weirdos Book Club for the upcoming books we're going to be discussing. You can read along and share your opinions.

Or just skulk around in your raincoat like the weirdo you are. Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you. This week's book guest is Living My Best Life, Hun, by London Hughes. What's it about? It's a rags to riches story. If the rags is being bullied by bitches and Thornton Heath and the riches is fame, success and, well, more riches.

What qualifies it for the weirdos book club? Well, London's autobiography is how we found out she once had her own book club, the Roll Dogs. Need we say more. In this episode, we discuss bullying, Babe Station, Tony Blair, Alan Carr, L.A. And smooching your teddy bear. And joining us this week is London herself. We are so excited to have a very special guest book and guest this week,

because this week we are not only, our guest book is London Hughes Living My Best Life, Han, but our guest is London Hughes, who's living her best life, hon. Hey! Hey. Hi, ladies. Hello. Hey. It's lucky because living your best life, hon, that's more like the end of the book, isn't it?

Literally. Because there's a lot of stuff before living best life. Yeah. That's why I did it. I don't know. There's the other stuff that is very much on the path to living your best life. On the path. Oh, yeah.

Definitely on route. Yeah. I, you know, I see the picture of you on the front. You look so glamorous. I know how well things are going for you. So I was like, this is a story of like L.A. life. And it's like, no, no, no, no. Thornton Heath.

This starts incredible. Yes, we're starting back there. It's so brilliant. It's so funny. Thank you. And it is so truthful. We started this book group because we wanted to look at books that made people feel better about themselves. And that's what your book does massively.

Thank you. Because you could have really missed some stuff out. Oh my God. There were stories when I wanted to message there and be like, I can't believe she's put that in. Wait, wait, which ones? Okay, I'm going to tell you. So, okay, so, you know, talking about being bullied, I think is amazing because so many people were, you know, there's a whole space. from unpopular to like, you know, school is horrible.

Yes. And when you're going through it, you think that's it forever. Yeah. And that's who you are. So many people have a terrible time at school and then think, okay, that's why I want to do something with my life to prove that I'm not what they thought of me or that. So, but then when you're like getting off of your teddy bear. Yes.

Marcel. Marcel. Marcel. Shout out to Marcel. I like, he's a recurring character. Yeah. Every time you don't even get a boyfriend, you're like, me and Marcel be so proud. But that's not the low point of your romantic life in my opinion.

That's sitting on Tony Blair's lap. Oh, yeah. I couldn't believe this Tony Blair. One that you met him, the bizarreness that you met him, and then you formed a deep crush on me. Well, not got met him because he like, he picked you out of the crowd. He took a crowd. I didn't know Tony Blair was that guy.

Yeah, we should say, this is not, that sounds much worse than it. It sounds so much worse. I was 11 years old. It is worse. She was a child. It is worse. No, he's celebrating the win, right? Yes, he just won.

Your mum was a massive labour supporter. And the bus was coming in a little flag. I had a flat. I was doing a real good flag routine. I was really twirling them flags. Even then you knew like you want to get picked. You got to stand out. So I was twirling around these flags.

And then as this bus was driving by and everyone on top of bus, all the MPs and Tony was just waving at everybody. And I just went in. I went in, flung up the flags in the air, caught him, span around, did a cartwheel. I went in. And then he just pointed at me and was like, come up. So me and my mum came on the bus. on the bus and

I sat on his lap and he smelled like peaches and rich people smell really nice he's not so good man and I just was in love I just was in love from then Is it because he was powerful? I don't think I knew he was powerful at the time

Because I was like What year was it? I don't even know when he came I was 97 So I was eight I didn't really know what that meant I just was like this man

This man this smiley big mouthed man He works for the buses Yeah he's just so nice Red is my favourite colour It's read everywhere. Yeah, I was just in the war of the moment. I think it was the romanticising the moment. If you'd have kissed me right there and then.

And so you're not joking about having a crush on Tony Blair. Oh, I didn't think it was joking. Yeah, no, it wasn't joking. I could feel the real. It was I kept waiting for you to go, ah. I felt it. It's very real. This is real.

Very real. Yeah. But lots of women did at that time. Yeah, it was a weird. And I hated Cherie. Hate it. Yes, I thought it was very funny that. you really had to apologise. More than Rochelle from the Saturdays. More than Rochelle from the Saturdays. I had to apologise to Cherie.

Shout out to Cherie. Shout out to Cherie. She got so much hate from this little eight-year-old girl. Hated her. Yeah. I think a lot of the country wasn't that nice. Yeah, there wasn't. And I was part of it. And I'm sorry, Sheree. I just wanted your man. That's it. But it wouldn't even like, oh, I think it's, you know, like her policies or the way she influences. She's a human rights lawyer. Yeah. I know. I remember distinctively and remember not liking her lipstick. Well, and it was red, probably. Yeah, it was just red lipstick and it was just remember like, eh, no, charrette. Yeah.

So I feel like that's... You think I should have left that out of the book? I'm a coward and a people pleaser. So, yeah, I would edit certain things out because, like, you're really honest. I really, really liked him and then, you know, the Iraq war, we broke up. Whereas I would look back and go, I don't want people to think I like a man who started all this unrest in the Middle East and murdered people. So I'll say...

I didn't really... I hated him from the minute. It was elected. Right. No, I loved him. Then Iraq, I was, we fell out, we broke up and we were never spoke to him again. But you, but you said that you thought that Labor were really popular with black people. Yeah.

Yeah. They were, they are. They are, I think. Yeah. No. What is England politics nowadays? What is this country? It's very confusing.

It's very confusing. There's no one to fancy London. There's no one to fancy. Oh, Kirstama. Come on. Literally no one to fancy. Did you want to sit on Kirstama's life? No.

Although, I mean, a movie. with Jeremy Corbyn. And I'm new. It's out. It's called Some Otherhood. It's out very soon. And I met Jeremy. It's called What?

Some Otherhood. Some Otherhood. Adam Deacon has a film. It's coming out in all cinemas. It's called Some Otherhood. And I'm in it with Jeremy Corbyn. And I met Jeremy Corbyn on the set. And he has a very silver fox sugar daddy vibe.

I can't believe you've fallen for another one. I don't know what it is. When there was the expensive scandal, do you remember all the politicians were claiming all that stuff? Yeah. Like duck houses. Yes. Jeremy Corbyn was the one who'd only, he'd only charged for one printer cartridge. Yeah.

Yeah. So there's things about him. But either not, yeah, well he would, yeah, he definitely, in, back in the day, I would have called it Innerswagger. That's when I'd be like, I like when a guy has Inner Swagger. Inerswagher. I know what you mean. Yeah.

And Tony Blair. Inerswagre. Both have Innerswagher. Kirstama, not so much. I never met him. You know who also has Ineswagar? Prince, King Prince Charles. King Prince Charles.

Yeah. That is definitely his name King Prince Charles When did you meet King Prince Charles? I did a funny woman gig for Armed Forces Day Oh wow And King Prince Charles was there When he was a prince

That's 100% his name A hundred percent staying at his name King Prince Charles Yeah he made a V-line for me And he told me I was far too pretty to be a comedian Oh That's what my mum says to male comedians Oh really?

My mum that's Tony Law in Edinburgh I'd only ever heard creepy men saying it before No, I think it's King Prince Charles But my mum said to Tony Law I said, I'd just come out of Tony Law's show And I said to my mummy, that's a show to Saw And she just looked him up and down You're all too handsome for a comedian

And then she did say that to Sean Walsh as well She was a too handsome to be a comedian And then she told me he looked like Mick Hucknell Oh, God It was like give him with one hand Take away the other, yeah There's something that you two have in common Oh yeah

When I was reading in London, your description of sort of teaching yourself to dance not just dancing in general, but in a sexy way, the way that's going to impress people at school. One person popped into my mind, and that was twerking Carriad laws. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'm sorry. Tu-wark.

Carriad. Carri-ed does the kind of sexy dancing after half a smyrn or fires, which makes all the boys on the dance floor sit down. Carriad. Yeah. What? I'm like the girl that climbs up on the podium. Which is what London is.

You wouldn't expect it. You wouldn't expect it. I'm the girl. clears, I'm like, get a, get the fuck out my way. I need room. You're going to do routines? I'm up on the podium. I'm doing the routines.

Carriad, when, why have we never gone out? If there's a poll, it's a prop and I'm going. Why have we never partied? I don't know. I'm not really a partier, but I'm an amazing dancer. We've been at parties and you. No, you haven't seen me dance at parties. No, clearly not.

We would have, we would have. We would have been dancing. You would have locked ties across the dance floor. Because I don't know. Same as you, like, if someone's dancing properly, you're like, thank God, someone here is actually going to do. 100% because the rest of these fuckers, what are they doing? They're just going to stand there.

Go away. Stop taking up space. Stop taking up space where I can do a bigger head. That's me. Holding my wine, doing a side to side. Doing a side to side. No. I don't need the alcohol. No, I don't need that.

Listen, I need the space. I need the space and the good song and I need the people to clear the way. Clear the way. And if you're coming towards this, you better be bringing it. You're bringing it. You don't come to say, oh, this is fun. No. No. Move out the way. You're going to get kicked.

Kicked? Yes. Or hairful. Yes. You're going to be pissed off. Yeah. And my hair's going to be in your drink. At university, Carrie Addo would have neck injuries. The next day. Same. From hair, this, okay.

We see each other. We see each other. I see you. I see you. I got an acting job from dancing at an Edinburgh party. Look at that. Because they, and then they, yeah, it was, um, pappies. Oh my God. Pappies then they, but the agent rang and was like, oh, they want you to do this part. And I was like, oh, okay. And I read it and I said, oh, she's like really overly sexy. sexy dancing in a way that's like intimidating at this party. And then when I got to Glasgow to film it, they were like, can you just do exactly what you did at the Gilded Balloon Party?

Oh my God. How did you remember you had denim hot pants? Do you how can we get her in denim hot pants exactly like she did? She was playing Matt Crosby's sister who's then like dancing so sexually it's embarrassing. And it was complicated because obviously I was. You felt like you were doing really well and killing it and that was your moment and they're like how embarrassing, how intimidate. Men.

But then it was quite funny because I think I can say this. Tom Parry had like really cracked his head Yes On the shoe and they covered it up They'd put makeup on so we did it fine Then I happened to finish the last episode There was a rap party Yeah

And so at the rap party I started doing my dancing Which for me is normal dancing And I went up to Tom and I was like Are you ready and I gave him You know a bit of the proper dancing Yeah The kind of stuff that people charge for He was so, my dancing was so good

His head started bleeding Oh my God And he was like my head's bleeding Stop it! Carrie on Go away. Oh my God. We would have compliment each other because I'm, I'm choreo. So I know the routine to every music video.

I'm improv. I'm improv. So I, so like, I'll improv, improv, improv, improv. But then chorus, whatever song from Beyonce to Libby X, you got it. I've got the routine down. You know why? It's because the dweeb still lives within you. The dweeb is within me.

In a dweeb. The dweebbe, my dwebiest part of your book. She does have some dweebate. No, my book is very dweebate. But you've written a book and you were once in a book club called the rolled dogs. Yes. Which made me feel like this is the right space for you.

Oh, thank you. Welcome to our book. Yeah, I love. You read reading. What's it called? Esiotro. Esiot backwards. That to me was a new level.

New level. Do you know what? Have you read ECEot? No. Siotr is backwards tortoise, the word. Yes. And they read it backwards. That's mind-blowing.

Yeah. Yeah. So yes. With school friends? Yes. Was just you and myself. When did the brilliant begin? I know.

When did it start? I wonder why it started. But I would have thought that was cool. I thought it was cool. It is cool. I so, I don't know. Every summer holidays, it was like the book. There was like an incentive to read books.

And so if you read 10 books in a week, you got this sticker and this bad. You had to work your way up. Yeah. So I was part of that. But we were very competitive. So the role dogs, we were just basically, we were basically meet together and then just outread every kid in the, like, surrounding areas so that we could be the top of the book table.

And we were repeatedly. So like, also I just think, don't come for me. Also, what's implied in that, like reading is so valuable in so many ways, but in terms of confidence learning about the people's lives. But also, vocabulary, you ended up writing. Yes. I know. We weren't a book club.

We were a library gang. Oh, there's a difference. I'm sorry. Okay. Library gang. Yeah. You can re-bram as much as you like.

I was in a gang. It was a gang. It was a library gang. Yeah. But it was a gang. Was anyone scared of the library gang? They should be. They should be.

The Fasaurus lot should have been scared of us. I haven't even finished Matilda. Literally, bean bags. There's four bean bags. We had every one of them bean bags. that's priority. We add that whole corner next to the dictionaries. I believe you. Thank you. The writing, that's what I thought is amazing about this book, like how much writing you were doing, right? Even from the beginning, like rewriting episodes of Frasier and Fresh Prince. Yeah, Frasier and Fresh Pins.

Yeah. Frasier and Fresh Pins, which, again, we're the similar generation where that was like, the things that were available to us. And seeing those American comedies. I loved them. I didn't then go and write an episode of it. I was just like, imagine meeting them. But you were like, this is my wife. But obviously that came as well because we wouldn't have the thing of watching it going. All of these characters are white. If I dream of being in this, I would have to write it and make it. Yeah.

What was your, you said you were going to be Daphne's adopted. So in Frasier, yeah. Because I thought that was a good storyline. Thank you. So in Frasier was lacking the black people. Let's be very clear. Yeah. And so my character was Frasier's adopted daughter Denise.

And so because I'm British and very smart, Frasier would use me to help him get the ladies. And I would in turn, like, end up dating their sons. And so we would have good. And so we would have good. We would have people together. And it was fun. Like, it was something that I just did for fun.

Whereas with the fresh prints, I actively was like, let me help them out. Because I want to be on this show. And so like, even when I'm thinking about, like, being on a show, I'm like, let me write myself in it. So they don't have to. Yeah, yeah. It's done. It's done.

It's done. by hand the free part I gave myself a free part episode arc only three episodes because I had it was Easter holidays and so I only had two weeks so I knew I couldn't fit in the full season three episodes I wrote it out by hand

and my character which in hindsight wouldn't have worked because the age difference but in my mind my character was Ashley Will's little sister I was her English tutor and I had like a little love interest which was Will and we had this on again off again relationship.

Which she often did with girls who were connected to Ashley who were like more clever, nice girls. Not the girls that he had found. Right. At the time I'm like 11. So really. Not cool. He was 17 in the show.

Not sure it would have worked. But we decided to break up because Ashley's education comes first. Which is such a fresh print storyline. Thank you. They would have been like, no, that's it. And you would have walked out and you would have done that thing with you, you had the goodbye scene at the door. Yes.

And you would like. Look back once and walk away. See you later. And then you'd have close a door. And then you would have walked out. And Jazzy Jeff would have come on for the punchline. 100%. I'm astonished that an 11-year-old has the wisdom to go,

her education comes first. What do you mean? 11-year-old that's part of the library guys. Role dogs. But what I think is also interesting, which comes across in your career, is that I watch those shows and love them. And I didn't have anybody, like, none of my family in this show business at all. So I was just like, that's Telly.

Telly's over there. Goodbye, Telly, not for me. But that you were like, no. I'm getting into that television. I think that's so impressive. I feel like I don't know where it came from. Because I just always remember thinking I'm running out of time. And I remember thinking that...

Even at 11. Yeah, because Britney Spears made it at 12 and a half. No, at 12 on Barney. Not Barney. Mickey Mouse Club. And I remember thinking like, she's on the Mickey Mouse Club from 12. Her, Justin Timberlake, Christine Aguilera. They're all on the Mickey Mouse Club.

I'm not on the Mickey Mouse Club. I haven't even been on Barney. What are we doing? Mum and Dad. How are we helping my career? And they were just like, no. And I was just like, how? And I just thought that like, I just have to do this myself.

And so whether it was trying to climb in the television when I was five, trying to get the news to come to my house because I wanted to be on TV. So I would be like making up big. I tried to start a fire. It didn't work. Like little things. Fire is the word that comes to mind when you're describing this. It's like a battery.

It's like, you know, people always ask like, what advice would you give to people who, you know, you know, maybe don't know their way into an industry, that is what you need. First of all, before anything else, a bit of delusion. Yeah, yeah. And just enough of a fire that when people keep saying no to you, because they will,

no matter how talented or beautiful or good at singing you are, everyone will mostly say no. Yeah, yeah. And the fire just goes, Zip, that's, yeah, that rejection letter, boom, from, yeah. Literally, even like calling up, because my parents didn't know how to get into the business

and they did not care. And I went and got the yellow pages and looked for an agent in the yellow pages and found an estate agent and called up Foxton's and Birstenite, Birsto E's. They're our worst agents out there. Right.

And I asked them for representation and I got my number blocked, my mum's number blocked. Oh, I loved that story. Yeah, when Foxons were like, don't call us anymore. I'm sad that someone at Foxxons didn't go, what am I doing at Foxxon's?

I could be managing this girl. Literally. This is a good team. I'm good at selling. She's got the vibe. My thing was always, all they have to do is notice me and they will see.

And the thing is, even though that sounds delusional at the age of 10, 9, 8, whatever, it actually happened. Yeah, it's true. Like, but that's what I mean. If you keep doing it, you can sort of bulldoze the world. Yeah. It's like, who's stronger? Yeah.

Me and my will. Exactly. Or you and your nose. Yeah. So let's go through some of the jobs you've had because I love it. Should we start with Babe Station? Yeah. Babe Station.

Because I had no idea you'd done that. Mm-hmm. And I think it's so impressive. Because essentially you're saying, like, it's just you and a tripod on your computer. Yeah. Yeah, back in the day. Before it was. And daytime is, yeah.

Yeah. So for me, TV's TV. Whether it is. Whether it's PlayStation or CBBC, TV's TV. So in my first telly job, I was in music videos like UK rap music videos, just looking pretty in the background. They weren't calling me. I don't know. They weren't.

They should have been with the music you had. No, I'm glad you called you once. Enya. I can do Enya. I can do it. Hey, dance is dancing. No, I carry it. Me and you need to hit some club. Listen, I don't care that you've got kids now.

We're doing it. Yeah, as long as there's one that opens at 4 p.m. You can get over at 6. Yeah, you've got things to do. Do you have a hot chocolate? Well, essentially, I just was like, I was background in these music videos, and I would, during, like, between the scenes, I would be making everybody laugh. And one of the girls, who was also background in the music video was like,

would you ever do TV work, like, presenting? And I was like, what? Yes. Yes. I like just turned 18. I was like, yes, please. And she was like, okay, well,

this show, it's called Flirt UK. I didn't know what's called Babes. She was like, it's called Flirt UK. And it's $20 an hour and it's live TV. I was like, yes, yes, yes. And it was in the QVC building. Oh, wow. So I go to the QVC building like,

oh my God, I'm about to like, live my best life. I'm going to be on live television. And I just see these Babe station signs everywhere. And then I go in and she tells me to come and watch her do what she does. And like, essentially, she's like in a tight little top, in front of a camera, fully clothed, just talking,

and then, like, it gets to, like, 11pm, and she leaves, and these girls with, like, lingerie, just replace her and get their tits out and start figuring themselves. And I'm like, oh! But TV's TV. Yeah, T's TV. I'm going to do this. Yeah.

And so, essentially, and it was a eight time. And it was 20 pounds an hour as well. Was a lot of money in 2007. Yes, I'm thinking about the jobs that we used to do. For four pound an hour was what I was getting when I was 16 working in Primark. So $20 an hour was insane. Yeah, that's huge.

And then essentially it was back when you could text through the TV. So it would be like a screen and it had like a rolling chat at the bottom, me and the top being like, hi guys, you're watching Flirt UK with me, London Hughes. If you want to flirt through the TV, you know what to do. And they would text in. You could still do that job. Thank you. Yeah.

And they were texting and like, hey, this is Roy. Roy, like redheads. Hey, Roy, if you're into a bit of Roy, text in. And they were texting. And also, you're a very sex positive person. Yes. becomes so clear in your book. So it's not like you're faking something.

No. You're not scared of the fact that the men are aroused or fancy people. Well, I was naive because I would be making funny bits. I had a thing called Hughes's Shoes, where I talk about, like, someone was like, show us what shoes. And I was like, okay. Oh, you didn't know they were king. Didn't know what the fetish. And then our viewers, and my producer was like, we've had the most viewers in since, for daytime.

Shoes. She were all texting each other. She's showing her shoes. Yeah, Hughes's shoes was a thing. And I would tell stories about dates I'd been on with guys and people would find it funny. And it really helped. I didn't know I wanted to be a stand-up.

I wasn't a stand-up then. Yeah, it was early, my early stand-up days. Early, early. And I had no idea. Because you're figuring out that relationship of your voice and a camera. Yeah. And why not do that on Babe Station? Is that in the daytime?

Yeah, in the daytime. In the daytime. In the daytime. What's inspiring for people to listen is, look, yeah, you will read some autobiographies that people went to Rada and then went to Broadway and then went into the movies. Oh, my God. Yeah.

But actually, most people have a journey that sort of, like yours. You say yes to a lot of things. Everything. And then you look back and go, wow, I learned that then. Yeah. That was depressing. I didn't think I was doing what I wanted to do,

but it really prepared me for this later on. 100%. It reminded me of when I met you, because we met at university. I love this. And I was very much of the like, if they say no, okay, sorry, I'm so sorry, bothered you, I'm going to go away and live on a rock.

Right. And I had no fire. And then Sarah would just be like, well, we'll just get jobs as tour guides because it's basically performing. Yeah. And I was like, what that? I was performing with, like, because again,

we would be stuck in, traffic, sort of would run out of history and be going, and on your left, there's a pretomanja. Or postbox or just something. And when I found stand up, I was like, I am used to talking for two and a half hours at a time on the microphone. Yeah, about nothing. Yeah, about nothing.

And not being scared when I don't have anything anymore. This is the thing. Your mouth keeps moving. This is the thing. And Babe Station doing live TV prepared me for doing live TV on CBBC. Yeah, yeah, of course. Same skills. People are like, how?

I'm like, same skills. It just didn't have a puppet. Yeah. Same. Although if you could have had a puppet, sexy puppet. I could have had a sexy puppet. But same skills. I think a very similar thing you then did when you did stand-in work.

Yeah. For Alan Car's show, film a panel show. They get people to sit in your chair beforehand with a sticker on saying they're you. Yeah. And people like London are rare, but it does happen where someone sees it as an audition. It is a TV show. The producers are watching. The host is sometimes there.

You had lots of interaction with Alan. Yeah. And I love that moment that you then see him years later. at some like fancy do and he's like babe he completely remembered me I couldn't believe it because you made him laugh and he was like checking with you what jokes he should do literally I was like yeah again

18 doing television studies at university got this opportunity in email from open mic productions looking for standings on a TV show didn't know what it was it turned out it was Alan Carr's celebrity ding dong got to film it at the BBC got to go into the BBC have lunch there sit there pretend to be Carol Vorderman like watch Alan Carr rehearse and go through jokes

and then after a while because I was there it was like six weeks so I was there every week and after a while Alan would be like London what do you think of this one do I do this one or this one and I'd be like Alan Carr's asking me comedy advice but again that's such testament to you because he's not being he's a really nice person no he is lovely but also the fact that other people would have gone

oh I'm not important I'm the lowest person here therefore I feel like shit was you were like opportunity Yeah. Or you think you don't deserve to be somewhere. You think I don't want anyone here to think I'm arrogant about myself or want something I shouldn't have yet. Oh, it's too tempting. I want this so badly.

So I'm just going to like shut down because I'm so close. But your attitude to be like everything is a possibility. Yeah. But that's not everyone has that attitude. That's just how I saw it. I was like I get so I was watching everything. I was watching the floor runner, the producer. I was watching what everybody did the director where the cameras went.

And then I got to sit in the audience afterwards. So I'd watched the show back. and like I would see where things worked well in rehearsal didn't go down in real life. It's like a workshop, isn't it? Really one. But this is where dweeb meets stardom. Yeah, yeah. Because that is what a dweeb does, what an intelligent person does.

I should stop saying dweeb. Because you're including yourself in the dweeat. Yes, we are also. It's part of the approach. It's not, I think people think someone else will come into your life and pluck you out. And that's so rare. It's more often someone going, I'm doing 110% more work. Yes.

then someone else is thinking, if I want to be there, then I need to know the rest of this stuff. You're really, really open about things like Edinburgh and Edinburgh's that would be considered failures. Because obviously we've all done it at Edinburgh. And when people get to know you once you're successful, they're really surprised to hear this Edinburgh that's just gone. There was a girl, I don't know if you saw on Twitter,

but like she did her show to one person. And she tweeted. And she cried. And what I loved was the response of people like Dara. Yeah, it was lovely. At board flights of the Concord. Yeah, like Jermaine. saying to someone, that's what I had

because they don't see that bit. I said it. I was like, babe, that was me on 2017 and then two years later got nominated for Best Show. Yeah, we've all had that Edinburgh. And no one saw it because there was no one there. Yeah, literally. So you have to tell them retrospectively,

oh, by the way, that was most people's path is that was Edinburgh's and literally going, I can't afford to come again and I don't think I've got the confidence to do this to myself again. It destroys you. Yeah. And so you went. three times.

And it's really interesting that you've put that in. Because again, if you don't know Edinburgh, but you like comedy or thinking about getting into it, seeing the messy path that it takes. Yes. So you have that first Edinburgh, which is pretty classic Edinburgh. Yes.

No. Funny weird venue. Yes. Tiny sharing it with, you know, the telly in the background. Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. No one really sees it. Fanchi Labrins.

Fnidri Strait. In the Maroon. Shout out. Wow. Yes. And then you had the second one where you were like, right, expensive one. Expensive one.

Yeah. 15 grand. Yeah. Which people, again, are shocked in the audience because of the audience, they, they do the maths of Edinburgh and think everyone's making 30 grand. It's crazy. Yeah. It's like no one's making money.

No one. No one. I want a little shout out because it made me laugh so much that you've named kept in the book. Oh yeah. We love this. Ryan. You've name checked Ryan from the Pleasins. Which I just was imagining because you know, you're very successful at L.A.

One of the gatekeepers in comedy. In the British comedy, like he runs the Pleasants. He books the comedy section. He also. So, like, Just for Laughs in Montreal. Yeah. I was on the judge in the panel of the reserves. And I've known Ryan for extremely long time.

Yeah. And it just made me laugh so much. I'm imagining like, Jamili Jamil or like Kevin Hart being like Ryan from the president. And he being like, how funny that everyone's going to know him. We, myself and Zhe, shout out to Ryan. We both have the same Ryan story that he didn't get back to us. Wow. Oh, no.

He did get back to me. He did get back to me and said he didn't understand what all the fuss was about. Oh, wow. So when you said you were rejected by Ryan for the peasants, I wanted to be like, Like, yes, Lunders. Yes. Right of passage. Can we be in the library gang?

Literally. But then he then ate his word. Yeah. And now he said, I have made him rethink how we treat new talent. Credit to Ryan. I just thought it's funny that we're all in the same gang of like, Ryan, please can we be at the Pleasant? Please.

Yeah. I can see you in two years' time. And again, and again, the important lesson is that people who tell you know don't know better than you. No, they don't. Sometimes you know better. Yeah. It doesn't, I think again, when you're starting comedy, it's like, oh, well, if I don't get the presents, that equals

I'm shit. Yeah. And I'm not being like, no, no for now. You believe it's a no for now. You believe it's a meritocracy, but it's not a science. You are both. Gemini's. I was going to say, so.

This comes up a lot in the show. We've had a lot of Gemini's on the show. I was really excited when I read that the Big Brother audition and 70% of the people were Gemini. Yeah. When you said, I'm not sure I believe in Star Sign traits, but what I do know is I'm a Gemini and I like to speak my mind. Are the true speaking Geminiis include Kanye West and Donald

Trump, making that what you will. When I was defending Gemini's to Monica Hisei, I used Naomi Campbell and Katie Price. Yeah. But it's all the same. It's the same library gang. It's all same. It's all same library gang. I'm not in that open.

I sometimes wish I could be more like that because I'm much more pessimistic. Well, I know people that are like, I'm never going to achieve anything. And they don't. Yeah, yeah, exactly. Regardless of whatever they are. Yeah. So I just always been like, why would I say it's not going to happen? So there's a part of it that can sound like magical thinking.

Yeah. Which is like, oh, just imagining the end point. But a lot of it's thinking about the path. To get there, actually what you're opening your mind to is, well, that would have to go right, and I'd have to get that. And do, do you know, I'm going to have to actually make myself email that person or speak to that person at a party. What I think if you both do, it's taking yourself very seriously, and I mean, you know, serious. I mean, you take your talent very seriously, and there's not a doubt. It's like, I know I can do this.

So how do I get from A to B? Should I tell you what actually I think helped me, and I don't know if it's the same with your parents, but it might be. It's having parents who don't take you seriously. Yes. Because the fact that they don't care, you don't have any sort of pressure of a parent going, oh, yes, if you were. hard at school or audio were very good in that school play when they're just like oblivious to it. oblivious. No one is changing your seven-year-old thing of like, I think I will be on the TV. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Maybe. Because nobody was telling me I couldn't. No one was telling me I could.

No. So I was just doing me. Yeah. Yeah. Like literally. Oh, if no one's like really listening to what you're saying. No. It's like you're just saying it. Yeah. But no one is saying that's very unrealistic. No one was telling me that I couldn't do it. And even like the beginning of the book starts with pop star training. Like I'm like, I'm like, literally training for this thing that I know it's going to happen that my mom probably just thought, oh, I'm just dancing to Spicer Girls again. She's been dancing to this song nonstop for an hour. What's she doing? In my head, I'm like, I need to be prepared. So if I meet the Spice Girls and they ask me to do choreo, I need to know the choreo to if you want to be my lover

so I can do it and they might make me the sixth Spice Girl. So that's the thing. So that's the thing. I never went to a Spice Girls concert, but if I had have done, she'd have to take that era. No matter how far back I was in the stage. Yes. I would have been. standing behind 50,000 people thinking they could see me. 100%. But you find that about taking that. You thought they heard her saying you were ready with the harmonies, right? Yes, yes.

But that's the same with writing the thing for Will Smith, because in case Will Smith wanted me to be on the show, here's the character, here's the script, it's just being ready. We're just prepared. Yeah, I think that's what I mean, but you're taking it seriously. Whereas I think most kids or people who maybe want to be performers,

it's like, oh, I mean, that's mad. Right. No, no, I'm ready. Yes. Because there's a percentage of your brain It's like when I meet Will Smith Not God am I mean how would that happen You're like no no no when take that call me on stage

When the spice girl bring me? I have met Will Smith So it's like why would I not? So let's jump to like America now Okay Because as you say Oh my God You're in Fleabag

Yes which is very very cool That was very cool And then you went out with Cara de Levine And Phoebe Waller Bridge Yes But hearing those kind of stories That's so funny That is why you pick up someone's autobiography

Yeah, because you want them to be getting drunk with people you admire and become beautiful. Yes. That was crazy. It's what you expect. Like when you're little and you're like, oh, in TV, that's what happens. And you started to live the life that you expect. It's often people say to you, oh, it's not like that. I go home before and it's nothing like that.

People told me that about LA. They were like, oh, you're not going to go to L.A. and have anything fabulous happened to you. It's Los Angeles, babe. Like, it's not like that for everybody. Okay. The book starts with me at Dave Chappelle's house. Yes, of course. And so, and so, and so, and you did an Edinburgh.

a show that became a Kevin Hart produced. So what was the, please tell me that journey. Edinburgh 2019. People would get your pens and pencils. Edinburgh 2019 was a crazy time. It was a time where I'd already been having meetings in LA. So I already had my foot, one of my legs out the door. I was like, it was just, I did it for 2017 me.

Yeah. Because that show in 2017, superstars, just nobody's realized it, was the worst show I've ever done. But also in that show, you did talk about the fact that Britain is shit with Black Tadler. Yes. The show was all about me wanting to be Britain's answer to Whoopi Goldberg and then realizing that it will never have an answer to Whoopi Goldberg because systemic racism. So that was the show.

No one's asking the question. Where's Whoopi goldberg? Yeah, exactly. Nobody don't want Black women to... But if you think of the age of Whoopi, it's like, well, we should have had an equal person by that by this point already. But Britain doesn't even have a British Beyonce or British Oprah. So why would they have a British Whoopi?

And I remember leaving and being like, I need to do Edinburgh one last time for her for that girl before I leave and go to America. I'd already been signed with UTA, which were a big agency. They also represent Kevin Hart. I'd never met Kevin Hart. Kevin Hart doesn't know I exist at this point. Thank God, Phoebe Waller Bridge did Fleabag because the year before I went to Edinburgh,

Fleabagg won every Emmy. So Fleaback had won 50,000 Emmys and all the Americans knew is that this Edinburgh Festival is where Fleaback started in 2012. And you're able to be like, oh, Fleaback, I'm in In In Inne. And I'm also in Fleaback episode 3, I'm a sex shop worker. So I'm like, okay, all of now L.A., who wasn't interested in Edinburgh as so much before, because of the Phoebe Waller Bridge effect, they were now looking for their next Phoebe Waller Bridge in Edinburgh.

So they had their eyes on Edinburgh more than ever before. And I want to just add, as DVD Extra, that you got the part in Febebeau because you'd auditioned for crashing her other show and hadn't got it. So shout out to thinking, oh, I didn't get a part. and therefore nothing good happens that people do remember you and then she cast you in Fleaback from that. I think she wrote the part in Fleabag for me is what she said

because she remembered my audition being so funny and sexual that she wrote a funny, sexy part for me in the show and gave it to me. So essentially that shows won 50,000 Emmys, everyone's looking for the next middle class white women that talks about sex and that's the year I'm like, fuck this industry, I'm going to America anyway,

I'm going to do the show I want and the show I want is called to catch a dick. And so like, at that time, I just done celebs go dating in Britain. So I had 40,000 Instagram followers, which meant Ryan from the Pleasins took me seriously as a performer. So I got the dream. The dream.

This show was just me and a mic and dick jokes. And I was like, let's go. I don't give a damn if no one comes, I'm doing it for me. Yeah. And that's the show that sold out. That's the show that literally sold out day two. That LePiet and Yongo flew from L.A. To go and see that my agent was turning away Netflix to fit in HBO.

HBO to fit. Like it was crazy and it was all about so my agents in America but like everybody wants to see this show we don't have how can we you know they want to fly but they can't get in

people are flying from a lady to see the show guys you need to email Ryan at the Pleasants and someone filmed BBC we're going to do a documentary about Lenny Henry and Lenny wanted me

and Lenny had come to the show three times and Lenny wanted me in the documentary and Lenny got the BBC to film me performing the show and I didn't have any footage

of me performing it. And so mid-festival, we have this footage, raw footage of me performing it. And my team are like, Kevin Hart has requested to see it. Oh my God. And it was like... I just stop you here because even before this point,

how did that feel? It was like the people being desperate to come in. It was crazy. Especially after those Edinburgh, when you've heard bad Edinburgh and you have a good Edinburgh, people, it's like you've been punched in the face by someone. Yeah.

And now they're like kissing you and you're like, what's happening? You know what? I was really sad because in 2017 me, even though I felt like shit I didn't feel like shit because I didn't know how good it could be so knowing how good it was

made me feel even worse for 20s I was like oh she I really had a shit Edinburgh like I had the worst and yeah this raw footage of me doing stand up Kevin

Kevin wants to see it he watched it and was like she's gonna be a start I need to meet her so he flew me to Las Vegas so we have to slow down so when you hit so

When you hear someone like Kevin Hart has said that about you. Yeah. Do you just think, of course he thinks that it's true or is it very exciting? I was like, I was right. I was like, yeah. You're like, Tony Blair knew it?

Jeremy Corbyn. This is the thing like, the thing is yeah, this is why I can't live in this country anymore. Yeah. Because it's like I've been gaslit. Imagine being told like, I was told by every producer that I didn't have what it takes. I was a niche.

Our audience wouldn't get her. Oh, she's, oh, no, London Hughes, she's too loud. London Hughes, oh, she does black dress. Oh, London Hughes, she's vulgar. La, la, la, la, ma, ma, ma, ma. For 10 years. And I only had me being like, they are wrong, London, they are wrong. But you did know, you won funny women.

So you did know that some people got it, audiences got it, your gigs went amazing. Yes. It was the establishment. Yeah, it was when I, so when I won funny women, which was 2009, I'd been doing stand-up for three months and I won this competition. I'd do a gig and kill it. and then the producers would be talking to the white dudes and not me and I'd be like oh they're going to come over to me eventually and they just wouldn't

and I remember just being like what do I have to do to get these people to see that like I'm worth something and they just was like nah and it was always nah and like when I won funny women my interview with the South London press is so delusional my auntie has it framed and it's basically me going well this is what I did in three months so imagine what I could do in a year I will have TV shows, movies, da-da-da. Because that's, I was taught that if you work hard and you're a nice person and you're talented, things will happen for you. So I was like, I'm clearly talented.

I've won this competition. I work really hard and I'm a nice person. Boom. I didn't take into consideration. I'm a black woman in Britain in 2008. And you're definitely right. When you look at other people's timelines. Yeah.

So when you look at people like you said who like suddenly are on mock the week instantly and are like getting known. Sorry. But this is the thing. Men. I was talking about men. It was just all men. I remember like, Ramesh. I remember I saw Ramesh in Edinburgh and he did a half an hour show and I was like,

that guy's talented. And at the time I had a Radio 4 pilot. And like, I begged them to have Ramesh in the pilot. And they were like, who is he? We don't really know. I wrote this part for him. He's great. And he got the part and we did the pilot.

And it was me, Ramesh, Gronia, McGuire, Humphrika. And it aired on BBC Radio 4. It didn't get a series. And then like, Ramesh went on to, be Ramesh Ranganathan, and I was still in the same situation that I was when I was begging him to be on the show. And I was like, my mum would be like, how comes, because he played Adnan in my show, mum would be like, how comes Adnan is, uh, host? I'm like, his name's Ramesh. And, uh, yeah, he's, he's a famous comic now in Britain. And like, I just remember

watching everyone, just everyone I knew, who was a guy, regardless of race, like, just glow up. they would be like, Joe Liceet. Oh, Joe Liceet. Oh, Josh Widdickham. Like, everyone became a thing. And I'm from that same error. And I remember doing eight out of ten cats trials, as you know, like, how much work they make you do just to rehearse and audition for this. And I remember just killing my auditions. And Josh, me and Josh was like, it was me, Josh Whitacom.

I can't remember who else was. And Josh turned to me and was like, you killed it, mate. You've got this. And then Josh got asked to be on the show and I didn't. And we were messing each other. And he was like, they'll call you. They'll call you to be on the show because you killed it. Oh, bless Josh.

And like, it didn't happen. And it was just like, what? And so when America just saw, when Kevin Hart, one of the biggest comedians in the world were as $500 million, see how much is worth. He's raw footage.

You need to introduce us to Kevin Hart. I will. Come to LA. See what's a book podcast. Literally. He has every, he's taken over the world. How does he feel about dancing? He loves dancing. He's a very good dancer.

But this is the thing. If he sees the talent in me, he doesn't know me. He doesn't know me. He doesn't owe me anything. he's not even from my country and he's like, yeah, I see it. I was like, then were you guys all blind?

No, I think it's an attitude as well and I think what you have, having been to L.A., it totally fits that world in the way that here, like, people do get so funny. When I went to L.A., it was awful, it was awful. But I came back with an L.A. attitude because you have to have it out there. So I came back and I was like very confident about auditions

because you're going all the time and you just get really into it. You'd been taught how to sell your stuff. yourself because there's no point flying to LA and then going in there as a British person well I don't know. So actually people ruin their chances by being humble and British. I was humble and British and I had unbelievably terrible auditions that I should one day write down because it was so bad. But by the end of it I'd figured out people had spoken to me and said you have to stop apologising and you walk in the road. So then I came back here and my agent was like oh you got a casting

and I went in LA version because I'd literally I think I'd been back a week and I was so confident I was like, oh, hi, and there was four men, and they were recoiling. Oh, they were like, wow, okay. Well, you'd made a pilot. You'd want to just sit down. You've made a pilot on BBC 3. I'd had the pilot, yeah. And she said to them, did you watch my pilot?

Which is what you would do in America. In L.A. Because I hadn't, in America, I'd be like, oh, I made something. Don't worry about it. It's not a big deal. You probably shouldn't see it wasn't very good. And they were so funny me, and they were so, like, shitty and edgy. Because I, and I thought, oh, I see, I have to go back to being British. Oh, wow.

I was like, oh, I've come in the LA version and now I need to drop a word. So is that why I've done wrong? I've just been American this whole time. You've been American this whole time? Oh, no. Particularly here, which you mention the book, it is systematically racist and very threatened by confidence. Which is the same.

It really is a reflection of the school bullies, which you acknowledge. Why would a 14 year old girl have a problem with another 14 year old girl? Usually because it makes it feel bad about herself. There's something about them that, you know, makes them feel insecure. And it's a duh, da. and I think that's what happened to our industry. Our industry has changed and it's not fixed. Is it?

No, no, it's got better, but that doesn't mean that I can say, oh, you know, the people who should be getting really huge opportunities are getting them. It's just that they realise, they actually realise that comedy only flourishes if it's not homogenous. Right. And in every way, there needs to be difference and diversity. Yeah, it's changing. It's slow and it's too slow. And you are dealing with a country, I mean, obviously, America has its problems.

But it is systematically racist in a very particularly British way. Yeah. And I did an interview recently and they were like, why don't you just stay and try and why did you leave? Why should you? And I'm like, don't you want better for me?

Like, yeah, in LA, I feel very fabulous. Like in LA, people say good morning to me. I am not going to lie, I'm appreciating that I have British privilege in America. So when I speak and they hear my accent, they're like, oh, she's British. I am celebrated anyway for being British. But then I'm also celebrated for my talent.

even more. I am a comedian. That is a thing out there. Like, you're a comic. You perform at the comedy store. You have a Netflix special. Oh, wow. Here, I come back.

Who do you think you are? Exactly. I can't even get booked on certain things still here. Like, when I get booked on things in the UK, they still try and give me the rate, like the mid rate or the lower rate. And I'm like, no, there's only four British comics that have a Netflix special and I'm one of them. So I need the high rate.

But they're like, yeah, but it's still a black girl. So diverse is like. This is why I say. I feel like Britain still thinks that we should have it. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Not that they want it though. Like, the whole book is just a giant fuck you to everybody who said that. Yes.

And it's nice that you get, no, not fuck you. It's not angry. No, no, it's not. But it is, what I mean is like, it's, I'm really glad that you have all this evidence. You were wrong. Because some people don't get the evidence. The reason I say, even angry, because you know, like Alan Partridge has that, and that's why I had the last laugh.

Yeah. It's not, the book isn't that. No, yeah. It's actually just, you and you and. during your own journey, remembering some of those things. Yeah. And that's why I put so much failing in the book. But it's sad that you have to

leave the country you were born in them because you can't make the programmes that I live near your mum. Yeah. And that is, because I think we celebrate it a bit of like, well LA exists, that's wonderful. But also, but England misses out. I know that we have TV from all over the world, but there are countries that are making really

incredible comedy. Yeah. And that used to be us. Yeah. Britain was seen as like, we are the comedy connoisseurs. And the people now in charge have ruined that. And I do think that it's sad looking back on it that, you know, I never got a TV show here. Like, and now I, well, I have one now coming out, but it's just Kevin Hart produced it. But it's just like, I had to go to America to get it. We normally do a last line. So you quote a Brene Brown quote, which I think is such a brilliant quote anyway, but what you said afterwards made me laugh, which is that night,

I remembered the famous Brene Brown quote. If you're not in the, the arena getting your ass kicked. I'm not interested in your feedback. Yeah, babes. I listen to your opinions once you've walked a mile in my inflatable duck costume. And just think like that sums up what you've been through and where you're going of like you have done some insane and crazy jobs that have only enriched and enhanced your experience. Yes. And that's why you don't need to hear anybody's feedback truly. I don't know. I don't care what you think of me. I'm a queen. There we go. That's how long. That's how long. London, thank you so much. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you for listening to The Weirdoes Book Club. You can find London on Instagram at The London Hughes. And her book, Living My Best Life, hon, is available to buy now in all brilliant book shops. Go and get it.

Next week's book guest is, persuasion by Jane Austen. Can we persuade you to listen? Sarah's book, Weirdo is available to buy now. As is my book. You're not alone. Thank you for reading with us. We like reading with you. Thank you.