That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Lloyd Griffith

Episode Date: February 13, 2024

Comedian, Actor and Singer, Lloyd Griffith, joins Gaby for a chat about all things joy... He talks about working on Ted Lasso, missing out on a Hollywood movie and why he loves singing so much. There's also a bit of a Russell T Davies love-in...We hope you enjoy the chat! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lloyd Griffith is going to Southampton and he doesn't know where? No. Do you know what time you're on stage? 10 o'clock. It's too late, isn't it? That's quite late. You've got enough time to get there with the train strike. Yeah.

I'm having to hire a car because my car hasn't, I've got a car coming and it hasn't arrived yet. What do you mean? You've got a new car? Yeah. I don't know anyone who gets a new car. Right. A new new car? Well, I mean, it's...

Oh, you're so show busy. You're not like when I first met you. Oh, you've changed. You've changed. When I say it's a new car, like it's new for me. You've blushed? You're so red in the... What car is it?

I mean, I'm trying to play this like... I can't believe that I've made you blush, because you usually let me blush. It's a grey estate. It's a grey estate. Is it a Jaguar or something? No, no, no. Is it a Porsche?

No, no, no. You've gone really... What's happened to... I'm going to tell Rob Beckett on you. It's a BMW. It's a BMW. I'm going to tell the Beckett. I just need a big car for touring.

because you need to put all the stuff in there. What stuff? Microphones. My joke books. They're big. Oh, huge. Props. You need a BMW.

I like to take a lamp on stage with me. Like whenever I go, gigging, I like to put a lamp and a rug on stage. I feel like I'm at home. I've seen you do your stand-up. How many times? A few, yeah. Was it first with Rob? With Rob.

I've seen you twice with Rob. Yeah. And then I saw you do you. You? Yeah. You were you? I don't know. I'm me off like all over. And I remember, wait, because when you came on the radio show,

because Rob said, you've got to get my late Lloyd on. She came on the radio show and that's when everybody, that's when we saw, you couldn't sing and nobody could believe it. And then I remember seeing you doing your stand-up and you've incorporated the singing into your stand-up. Yeah, and the thing is, so I started as a choir boy. So I grew up in Grimmish being, started as a choir boy, and I just loved it ever since.

I'm so pleased. Do you know what I've realised in the last, I'd say four years, I don't sing in as many choirs anymore. I've really missed it because there's like a huge community that comes with it as well. Yeah, of course. And it's good for mindful, nursery, breathing and stuff. So I've really, really missed singing the last like four or five years. You can sing now.

It's still quite early. Beat sing. A little. You know I was going to ask you. Yeah. You know that. Well, wait. Let's save it.

Let me think about what I'll be nice to say. So here are two things about Lloyd Griffiths that I'd like to share. First of all, this morning, my husband said, Who are you chatting to? And I said, look, he said, oh, that was... Honestly, he was so funny, but don't tell Rob how funny he was. Oh, yeah. I'm not going to ring up Rob and say Lloyd's really funny.

But really funny. And then I said to him, do you know, the thing about Lloyd Griffiths, I've decided, is that if I was walking down the street and I saw you, I would scream with excitement because that's how much I think you're... You just ooze loveliness. And secondly, the lovely Ed,

who works on this show, wants to know if it's true the thing you talk about on all podcasts and interviews about your shins. Oh, me calves. No, your calves, not your shins. I thought it was your shins.

No, it's your calves. I don't think I've ever heard anyone boast about their shins. What, massive shins. Pardon what? I've got huge calves, yeah. Can we, could you raise your leg? I don't know if I've ever seen your sheds.

Oh, you've got calves. You've got two people. I've got, yeah, and those two people are me and Jack Grealish. I've got huge... Put it up in the air. Do it proper. Is that okay? Yeah, so that... Ed, can you see that, mate?

Ed, are you happy with his calf? Ed's very happy with your calf. They are huge, yeah. Is that because of football? I don't know. They've always been big... My mum's got one... She's probably won't let me say in this.

She's not going to like that. She's got bigish calves. I think we're just a calf heavy fam. How are your mum's shins? Um, I don't know. I've not really seen them. recently. She's wearing long dresses at the moment.

I don't think she gets her legs out that much now. 63, bless her. So she doesn't get her legs out? No, I think she... Not because of her age. No, no, I just think that she's now where... She wears clothes that a bit more... Leg... leg covery.

Oh my God, I do not know how to get out of this. And she will listen. Leg covery. Yeah, that's what I went with. So usually like long dresses, or trousers or you know there will be I'm sure tights I don't think she gets her legs out as often as she probably

will sit back in the internet with you Lloyd I always count on you to take something so far away from whatever we were going to talk about and that's why I would scream if I saw you in the street you're very loved everybody that I hope you know that actually it's really weird

I had this conversation about somebody who's no longer here who I loved very much and a dear friend and we were saying about how we wish that Paula Grady knew how much he was loved. Yeah. And I think that people should share that now. Yeah.

So I think that everybody loves you. Everybody loves Rob Beckett. I'm going to tell you all to you. I saw Rob last week. I said to him, you know, you know everyone loves you and you just, you know him better than me. Oh, we leave it out. Yeah. Just love.

I think it's nice to tell people when they're loved or liked. Because especially now with social media, people just, they're quick to tell people that don't like them. And like there isn't, you know, so if I ever, you know, if I ever, I listen to a lot of radio free because I'm a choir boy gig. And so if that's like a decent performance, I'll just like find that perform and be like, I'm like, I really like that. That was great. Isn't that lovely? If it was like Coral Even song from a cathedral, I'd be like, you know what, that was a brilliant, you know, recording. Just because I don't think you get enough, you know, I don't think people, not me in general, I don't think people get enough love and recognition.

I agree. I agree. I mean, the greatest show man ever. and should have known that he was loved. So I think, yeah, let's share a bit more love. Exactly. I think it's really important. And that's what you do.

I mean, so you're going, you're back out there on the road, on tour. Yeah. You don't know where you're going to be tonight, but you're going to be in the vicinity of. Does that always happen on tour? No, no. Well, this is, so usually, at the moment, I'm previewing my tour show.

So I'm basically going up and down the country, doing previews of my tour, which have been amazing. Yeah, you did one with Rob and Stephen Merchant. Oh, yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. That was a bit. surreal. And I've got a little tiny cameo in Stephen's sitcom, which was funny. Obviously, I'm a massive Stephen Merchant fan of him. Watched The Office as a kind of like a young adult. And I've watched all his stand-up and, you know, I've been a fan of his throughout my formative years. And then I got to do a little thing in his sitcom. And the words I liked to learn was so difficult. Why? It was just technological phrases about, um, Again, even now, I'm struggling to...

And I kept buggering it up. And he was there, and he was so lovely. But when I saw him the day, I was like, mate, I still get cold sweats about mucking up. Is it hiding under the duvet moment? Oh, yeah, it was awful. And he was basically, he was like, oh, don't worry about it, don't worry about it.

And then... Because you were talking... It was so intense what the stuff I was talking about, like, hard drives. And it was just all technological phrases, which I'd never heard of. It was like me speaking a different language. And I was like, I've got no reference point for any of these syllables, let alone words. And then he's like, don't worry about it, mate.

Don't worry about it. And then he's like, do we have someone to stand in for Lloydo if he keeps mucking it up? Like, as a joke. But when you go, oh, it's one of my idols. And you're like, you're just like dry heaving. But I mean, I got there in the end. And then, yeah, to do stand up on the same bill as Stephen Merchant. Because I remember years ago, I did a gig.

I was booked to do this gig when I was first starting out. When you do comedy, you start out doing like five minutes, ten minutes, you know, little bits and bobs. here and there. And I remember getting booked for a 10 minute slot, a really prestigious gig. And I was like, oh my God, this is great. And then the promoter emailed me on the morning and goes, Matt, I'm really sorry, and you have to bump you from this gig because Stephen Merchant wants to try new stuff for a TV thing. I was like, oh my God, no worries, mate. He's one of me heroes. I was like, any chance I can still come down and watch? You went, well, it is sold out, so I'm afraid now. I was like, what? No. So I got bumped from just being in the building,

let alone being on the stage. So I was like, all right, no worries, mate. You made it up to him by getting his words wrong. Yeah, and I think he really, sorry, my phone, I got a new Apple watch from, my mum got me at Blesser, lovely shins. The woman who wears lots of long. Lots of longs. I don't really now to use it yet. And it's been since October. I'm now in, well, it's February in, I've got to pay me tax.

I've not done it yet. Anyway, so, two day, in two days time. Oh, it's so lovely. But yeah, so then I was like, wow. And then to be on a gig with Stephen Merchant and, yeah. And Rob's obviously brilliant with the crowd. So it was him doing 20 minutes, me doing 20 minutes, and Stephen Merchant doing 20 or minutes.

Oh, it was great just to watch. I'm gutted. I'm really sorry. I was meant to be coming along and I just couldn't make it. And I'm really sorry. But you, so let's go back to you. Forget Stephen and Rob, who? I think they'll be fine, those two. Yeah, they'll do all right.

Let's talk about your tour. Yeah, so he's called rock and roll. I'm going out on tour in March for like three months. And I turned 40. last year. Happy birthday. Thank you very much. My mum got me an Apple Watch.

And she wears a long dresses. Yes, she wears a long dresses or tights. Sometimes both. Anyway, so I turned 40 and I'm having a bit of a... I'm calling it a renaissance. A bit of a rebirth. Okay. I'm making a few changes in my life.

New car? New car is one of them and it is absolutely a midlife crisis car. When you see it, you're like, oh God. It's grey. It's great. It's not red at least. It's not. It was. was going to be green.

Was it? Yeah, bright green. And luckily, it's not anymore. Anyway, so that's one of the things. So I think, I remember, like, growing up, certain people's friends, dads, would, like, get a sports car or, like, they'd go through a divorce,

and they'd start picking up the guitar, and they'd get, oh, that's clearly a midlife crisis. And as I've approached Ford's, I'm like, oh, God, I don't know, I put a series of midlife crises. And I think I am, but I'm not classing them as crises. I'm embracing them as new movements in my life. So I'm going to have a hair transplant.

Are you? I am literally going to... Now looking at your hair, but where do you need... Well, I'm catfish in here. I'm catfish in here. I've got... Sprinkles in my hair. Not like a Mr. Whippy.

Like a... Oh, the little... Fibers. Have you? Yeah. Where? I mean, they're doing alright, aren't they? You can't tell.

They didn't. So where are you going to have your transplant? Obviously on your head. Yeah, from the back of the head, onto like the bits that are missing. And when I have a shower, or if it rains, you can see that I'm bored in. And I've always had hair.

And I'm like, do know what? I want to have a friend of mine, she's one of my best mates, she's having a boob job. And I was like, all right, okay. And I was a little bit judgmental, not judgmental, but I was like, all right, why are you having that done? She went, because I wake up every morning, I look in the mirror and I don't like my boobs, and I'm sad. And she was like, if I can look in the mirror and be happy, I'll be happy to my children, to my colleagues, to my husband. Is she telling everybody that she's having it done there? Well, I've just, I'm not going to say her name, but I mean, I have.

Yeah, but no, absolutely fair play, Clara. She's not called Clara It's Naomi Anyway So she's And they just made me go You're always on it It's brilliant

That's lovely I mean Yeah And so you thought the same For you So do you look in the mirror And think Yeah 100%

100% I used to have hair The whole time And now I'm losing hair And I just feel a bit Sad about it So I'm like You know what

I think You know I think it's great now That we all listen To various different Podcasts And motivational And a lot of it

It's all about mindset in the morning. And if I have a hair transplant and every morning I wake up and go on boy, well done, mate. I mean, I'm like, great. Oh, listen, I think it's fantastic. If you're doing this for yourself. Yeah. So you feel better about yourself.

Yeah. But all these things that I'm doing on paper are very tragic. But I just want to talk about it. Okay, so hair transplant, BMW. Yeah, laser hair removal. Sorry, you're having a transplant and you're having it removed. I know the irony. Where are you having it removed?

I've got hair where I don't want hair. Should I ask? Is it best not for us? No. Oh, no, it's not. It's not there. Shoulders. Oh, okay.

Upper arms. Yeah, so like from the elbow up to the shoulder. Is it very thick? Is it like culpable? No, it's not culpable. Okay. Is it plattable? It's not plattable.

It's not plattable. It depends. I mean, it'd be a small plat, but I mean, you could probably, we can't now. So I've been going through. Oh, you've done it? Yeah, yeah. I'm like, I'm going for a procedure tomorrow. So what does it feel like?

Does it go? Yeah, it's prickly. Yeah, it's pricly. And you smell burning hair? Do you know what? that is the thing I was not prepared for. Where's that smell of burning hair? You're like...

Okay, so you're rather... Bizarly, you're having hair taken away? Yeah. You're having hair put in. BMW. Any more? Yeah, I'm having... Envisaline.

Oh, you're having braces? Okay. Yeah. So I'm going to have that done. I am also going to have laser eye surgery. Oh. Yeah. Do you know, lots of friends have done it.

I'm not sure. Yeah. I will Do you need glasses for What do you need glasses for? Reading. Okay. Reading and writing.

Yeah. I've had my right eye is quite bad. My left eye is very good. I'd be in the army if it weren't for me right eye and only that reason. Yeah. They'd love your calves. I mean, I'd be doing a lot of heavily.

A lot of that. And you could sing in the army. Do you know, I did consider going into the Marines as a musician like when I was a kid. Yeah, that makes sense. But I thought, well, I'd rather go to church. It seems a little. They couldn't be more different really

Because church is all about Peace and love I presume And the army is about peace eventually When you're just going out and fighting for your country With your saxophone Which I don't get Do you play the saxophone? Oh yeah, big time I've seen you play the saxophone

Have you? Have you played it on stage? I don't think I have Yes, you have Have I? No, I know where you played it Where? We had a band on the show One time you came in and you took their saxophone Oh I did yeah Oh my gosh.

What a weird thing to remember? Oh my God, yeah, it was years ago. Can you play the saxophone? Do you have one with you? I don't know. No, they're just quite heavy to, you know, carry around. So you play the saxophone? I play two saxophones, the soprano and the clarinet.

Yeah, and that is it. And you sing. Yeah, and I sing. The singing's the main thing. You have calves. You're losing hair, you're gaining hair. Yeah, losing hair, gaining hair. And I'm just embracing it all.

I'm like, why, why wouldn't you? But also, I love that you're talking about. Is this your act? Is this the tool? Well, I've left the punch lines out. I did contemplate just telling you. I'll tell you, so basically I went to a consultation about the laser eye surgery. Yeah.

And they were like, oh yeah, your pressure's fine and we'll be able to do it and we're confident that you'll get 20 to 20 vision once we've done it. I was like, okay, fine. The only thing you need to know is that for like six to eight weeks afterwards you won't be able to drive late at night or like stare into bright lights. I was like, oh, right. So I went, well, my job is literally to drive late at night and to stare into bright lights. And she's like, oh, what do you do?

I was like, I'm a gritter. And she didn't laugh because she didn't know as a comedian, which I was, even then I was a bit like, I mean, I don't know what a gritter looks like. And what do they do in the summer? Do you know, I went to the gritting, I went to do, I did awards. Here we go.

Where the line painter of the year and the gritter of the year. Actually, I think there was a gritting. Gritter of the year. It was something like that, yeah. Well, I mean, look, I'm not, I'm not taking anything away from any of the gritters. They do incredible. job. They're keeping us safe. Great gritters. Great gritters.

But... Lovely line. The line thing, because I think that's an art. Whereas I think just driving in the middle lane of a motorway, I don't know what makes a better gritter than another gritter. And I'd love to see the judging panel's notes. But they're rewards for

everything. But I like that because not many people get... Actually, back where we started, about saying well done and you're doing a good job. And we all take lines in the road for granted. We do take lines of the road for granted. I bet you never go past a line thing.

Oh, that's a nice line. No, I do. I genuinely, I appreciate them. And also, I can, I've stopped, I don't have TikTok. Well, I do have a TikTok account, but I don't have it on my app, on my phone because it's quite addictive. But you Insta? I insta, yeah. But I'm trying to keep that, I'm trying to ration that.

We've got to do something. Yeah. Your Instagram is incredible. Your Instagram is, like, it is. No, no, we're not talking about me, we're talking about you. I thought we could do a song. we could lip sync to something about how lovely you were. And I was on the tube coming in,

I was singing sort of murmuring, nearly loud, different songs about, and I was trying to change the name to Lloyd in it. I always sing loudly on the tube. Do you? People join in. Oh my gosh. I would have to move carriage.

No! Do you not talk to people? I don't know. I'm from Grimsby, but now I live a very London life. Okay, you have to talk to people. on the tube. People want to be specifying for the tube. Especially by you. I know, but no, but I... Why don't you? Oh! Oh! I'm standing up, I'm so excited. I'm sitting down again. I've just thought.

Why don't you do? Why don't you do? Actually, all jokes aside, can we make this happen? I'm going to say no. You're not going to say? I've got a feeling. Why don't you do a gig on a tube? Yeah, that could work. I think like a gorilla gig, like a pop-up. Yeah, and you just go into each carriage? Yeah, I just... I think that is a really...

Play the saxophone, sing and make people laugh. I think that's a really good idea for a brand who are like trying to get people to connect and like chat and, hey guys, lift your heads up. You could do it for Lloyd's Bank. Yeah, Lloyd's... Your name's Lloyd. You could do it. They are all about chatting.

I bank with Stalin. And they're brilliant. Lloyd's Pharmacy? Lloyd's pharmacy, yeah, yeah. Do you ever go into a Lloyd's pharmacy? My local one is not a Lloyd's. Oh. If I have to get a prescription for my nasal spray.

for my rhinitis, I go to... Have you really got rhinitis, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. Do you have a rhinitis? No. Do you know what it is? Yes, I do. My dad has it.

Dust allergy. You have to squirts. Have you tried the salt spray? Yeah, yeah, yeah, sterema. Yeah. Does that help? Yeah, I mean, it's not bad, bad, but I just, the doctor's like, can you just keep doing it?

I'm like, okay, fine. But I'm just sniffing then. Your world, it just is my... All right, can we sing now? Not we? And you sing now? Yeah, I'll do three ravens. So do you sing, okay, do you sing on the tour? Yeah, yeah.

You still do it, you're keeping your music in your tour. On my last tour, which was called One Ton of Fun, Lloyd Griffith, One Ton of Fun. It was about, like, I got a review when I was a child that basically said, from a school play that said, Lloyd Griffith had the audience in the Parming's hand. I expect there to be a musical written about his life one day. And I was like, oh, great.

So I just expected it to be written as opposed to, you know, That was written about... Yeah, I mean, he taught woodwork, so his review probably wasn't worth that much weight in gold, but... No, that's the punchline, it's not true, is it? That is the punchline, and it is true. Who really was the woodwork, Mr. Starkey?

Yeah, he was into Amdram and... Oh, so he did... So he was into Am, he knew his stuff. So that kind of like gave me the bug, and so my tour show last year was about what a musical would be about me, and it was essentially about going into Tesco and forgetting my bags for life,

which I do. what, three times a week? Oh, cry, killing. Can I follow you around for a week? No, no, no, because of the restraining order. This is why we're in two separate studios, Gabby. I don't have to explain this again. I just have this feeling that you're just, these things happen to you, don't they?

Wherever you go. Life's boring. Everyone's life's boring. I mean, like you talk about the fun bits, but like this morning, like me getting showered and getting ready and then having to go to central London to, you know, like. But something they would have. happened on the way for you? Was it just a journey in?

All I did this morning was find a photo of Battersy Power Station from 2013 because I'm sure I took a photo of Battersy Power Station in 2013 and that's all I did on the tube and I message my friend who's sorting out the Who's... They're doing your car? Yes, him and also the higher car person as well

Okay, is that your friend? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Your higher car person's of your friend? Yeah. That's a useful friend to have. Yeah, well, I went into a higher car place and he's like, I just let me know if you need any cars. This is such a weird.

See, I told you you're so showbiz. I'm not showbiz. You weren't showbiz. And now you're getting free car hire. It's not free. It's not free. It's not free. I just couldn't use anything else for a little while

because I did have an agreement with a car hire company. Were you doing voiceovers for them? No, I was doing videos with Robin Van Percy, the footballer. Oh. Okay, let's go on to your, let's go. Because get away from that. Sounds like it could have been slightly dangerous. Let's go.

Can we go? Shall we do your now incredible acting career? Yeah. Shall we do football how it all started or should we do singing? You choose one of the three. Go on. You choose. Well, like acting just kind of happened.

Ted Lassow, Nolly. Hello. I know so many other things as well. But every time you're on Ted Lasset, which I miss, loved, loved, loved that show. I love for that to be another series. It's not going to happen, is it? Oh, I've just got to find other ways to pay me mortgage. That was such an incredible show.

Honestly, so I... How did that happen? Let's talk about that. Really interesting thing. So basically, I was on Sockrayam, which I loved as a child, and then got given the opportunity to host it for two years. I did, and I loved it. And then I was asked to audition for Ted Lassau as one of the, another character,

and I went for it, and I think I got it. I then went for another audition for a big Hollywood. film and I got it and I was like oh my gosh which is the reason why I then had to leave Soccer I am which was the Hollywood film I can't say for legal reasons have you done it I seven weeks later the director changed his mind and so I was on the I was on the I was on the M-1 this is 2019 I was driving to Barnard Castle before it was trend no not for an optician's appointment just I was doing a gig with Tom Rosenthal the comedian and my agent me and she's like,

where are you? I'm on the M1 and I'm going up for this work in progress I don't really need to do because I'm going to be in Hollywood film in a few months she was like,

can you pull over at a service station? I was like, oh, I don't have to talk has the film gone? She's like, I'm really sorry it has and I just broke down in tears.

Like, what? And the director just changed his mind and there was nothing I could do. I'd already signed the deal so like, you know,

financially, I was in a, good place. But that's not what it was about, surely. It was about being in it. I've absolutely done it for free. Yeah. And look, you know.

Oh, I'm sorry. You know, absolutely fine. But it was like, oh, right. And I just left Socoram. So I could have gone back to Socorayam. But I just thought, I've made that choice now. I don't want to be that guy that goes back with his tail between his legs. But I can't tell you like, I, um, every comedian is a comedian for a number of reasons.

Usually it's rejection issues. And I, I've had them like my whole life. Not that they're like huge, huge, huge. you just have them, I mean, from various different things. And then this didn't help. So I was like, oh, this is far from idea. Yeah, spiral down. But I think life works in a weird way.

So then from there, my agent went back to Ted Lasse and was like, he's actually free now that old we've cast that, but does he want to be a reporter in Ted Lasse? Okay, great. And then Jet Whitehall, I had done tour support with a few years before, and he's like a really good friend of mine. He's like, look, why don't you come out and tour with me and we'll, you know...

Did you tell him what had happened? Yeah, yeah, and he'd been through a couple of similar situations, not exactly the same. I was going to say, he went through something like that, didn't he? And so he was great. He was a great sounding board, and so, yeah, so he gave me some great advice about what to do,

and he said, look, just come on tour. And so I then became, like, a bigger part of his tour, so I would go on and open for him. I'd then do a little bit of dancing in the show. I'd be in the pantomime bit at the end, and it was great. And then, yeah, so I filmed three things in that, autumn, which was Ted Lasso, and no, we knew if it was going to be successful or not.

You know, I guess you don't. I film with Mark Wahlberg and a show called It's a Sin, where I was in like two tiny, fleeting scene. It's a Sin. Yeah, It's a Sin. I played the estate agent. It's a Sin was, I think one of the, I'm actually putting it out there, and I've said it very publicly. I love Russell. I think it's one of the greatest television programs.

Incredible. Ever. It's incredible. And I was obviously lucky enough to have read the scripts. Still. Sorry, I thought you said Mark Wahlberg in It's a Sin. That's why I said to you, It's a Sin. Maybe it was another show. Yeah, so I did a film with Mark Wahlberg. What was that one?

I was called... Is it the one that's just come out? No, it came out years ago. And I think my lines were cut from it. Oh, no. Okay. So I thought, I'm going to film on Mark Wahlberg. It's only one scene, but this is all right. And actually, it was a...

Sin and Ted Lassau, which absolutely swept the board with all the awards. And yeah, it's a sin, you know, was outstanding. And even though you've read the script, you know what's happening when you watch it, nothing prepares you for what's happening. Outstanding. Beautifully written, beautifully done. You know, Russell, I love him. Oh, my God. I mean, it's hard to basically, as an actor, go, do you want, I love Russell T. Davis,

without sounding like you just want to be in. And you've been in Nolly with him as well. I love him. And he's very lovely to me. He put me in Nolly, where I played Paul Henry and also Benny, from Crossroads, which was an amazing experience. Working with Russell and also Peter Hall, the director who directed It's a Sin as well. And then, you know, an incredible cast, which obviously includes Helena Bonham Carter.

The thing about Russell is, if he likes you, then you're, you know, it's lovely and he does with you. And long may that rain. Help me in up to him, mate. Can we just go back? Everybody wants that. So funny. You message him. That sounds so showbiz, but I've known Russell a very long time.

You message him. And I go, by the way, I don't want to be in Doctor Who before, you know, the beginning of the message. In brackets, Lloyd does. I love the love that you and Russell have online as well. Like, you see it from a distance. It's like, oh, he's lovely. But Ted Lassau has been a phenomenon. I mean, it's lovely Hannah, who, another one I've known since she was a West End, Wendy.

I mean, goodness me, I am so pleased. Nick Mohamed. Oh, God. It's just, and Brett, Brett, who used to know us all now, they'll just go, who, who, who are you? Weirdly, I was looking for that photo for Batty Power Station on my phone this morning, weirdly, on the, on the tube. And then there's a photo of Brett from like 2013, where we did a pan... No, no, we didn't do a pantomime, crikey. We did a comedy gig next door to a pantomime.

Oh, how that's off. Yeah, it was at Wickham Swan Theatre. Brett's a A lovely bloke Oh he's lovely He's lovely Ever me But trying to get in touch with him now

Because he's so sure Have you tried Oh yeah Have you? Oh Yeah we chat It's usually me being like You know

Can you put me in something Please I need to pay my mortgage Brett And now the Ted Lassow stopped Can you put me in shrinking Can he put me in one of the other 5,000 things

You've been commissioned Please Brett And you know I can see he's read them So when I say we're chatting I'm chatting to him He's not replying It's two blue tics, but he's not fine.

But yes, I found this photo, and it was him, I don't know why I took a photo of him, but it was a nice photo of him just writing on his hand before the gig. But that night was him, me, him, and Jen Brister, who is one of my favourite comedians. She is unbelievable if you're not aware of Jen Bristair and watch all the stuff online. And then Shane Ritchie was playing buttons next door, and he basically knocked on the door, and he went,

all right, lads. And it was just me and Brett at the time, I went, hello, mate. You know, he went, can I come in here? Cinderella's been alright. And then explete him next door. Yeah, all right, mate, yeah. And then Shane Richard just came and sat down. And me and Brett were like, oh my God, Shane Rich is here.

Oh, that's so sweet. And now you look at Brett Goldstein, double Emmy Award winning Brett Goldstein. Wow. And I'm sure Shane Rich is like, I can't believe that. I shared a room with Brooke Goldstein. Is that the guy I shared a rubble? Yeah. But Brett, you know, the whole thing, the table read was one of the funniest and most insane things I'd done.

Beautiful show. And, you know, I wasn't. aware of Hannah Waddingham at the time. Nobody was unless you went to West End musical. Exactly. Or, you know, but she'd done quite a lot of other, you know, bits of Benadorm and, yeah. Game Thrones and stuff.

And she was incredible. And she's just so... And, you know, like, I think in, when you're on a set for something that big, I think, you know, it can be hierarchical in the... Oh, actually, I'm number one, or I'm in the top ten, or I'm, you know, everyone's listed as their number. There was none of that. Sorry, everyone's listed as a number.

Yeah, it's awful. Oh, that's horrible. It's what I hate, yeah. Oh, no. Yeah, and I just didn't realize. Like, I didn't realize, and I did it. And it's made me shrink. It's made me go embarrassed.

You have one small, yeah. It's, um, so it's like an in-joke, you know, and the agents battle it out as to who's number one and who's number two on the call sheet and stuff. So, and I think... What, it actually has a number next to your name? Yeah, yeah. Oh, that's horrible.

Yeah. It's weird, isn't it? Oh, I don't like that. Oh, I don't like that. Oh, you're number seven. I was like, what? He's like, you're number seven, that's good. I was like, you're in the top ten? I don't know what you're on about. He's like, oh, right. I just thought he's alphabetical.

He's like, well, no, obviously, because that Hollywood star is number one. And then the really good star after that is number two is. Oh, yeah. I was like, okay, yeah, fine. Number seven, that's how, it's good. Yeah, there was only eight people, isn't it? And the eight, the eight was a child, a new ball. So your acting has really taken off, and I hope that is there more acting?

Are we allowed to ask? Yeah, yeah. So last year, we did quite a few really nice bits, stuff that will come out this year. Yeah. I'd say that often. I say it. Do you know, I say that? I include my agent in that. Yeah. I include my agent. It's nice. I like that. We've done a few bits. Yeah. So what, can you mention any?

No, I can't. Sorry. Sorry. That's fine. But they're coming out this year and and... Are they movies or TVs? TV. Okay, good. Yeah, and like really, really, yeah, lovely show. And two, two really nice things. One this year, one next year.

But yeah, sorry, just going back to the Hannah Waddingham thing. Oh my gosh, right. She's the loveliest lady you'll ever meet. Amazing. It just makes everyone feel so lovely. Like, warms up a room, warms up a trailer. And there was a moment where we were at Wembley, filming in Wembley, and we're all in the dressing room.

I was like, oh, I might pop out to the pitch because I'm trying to do this thing where I'm trying to sing at Wembley. That was my show three years ago where I tried, I want to sing the national anthem at Wembley before an England game. Yeah. Because they usually have amazing singers who are brilliant, but they're not football fans. I'm like, if you get me, working class.

You're a double whammy. Working class, lad. You know, I mean, I've. I'll pay for my own ticket, I don't even need. And she was, oh, let's go out there. And we went out to Wembley. And then Hannah just sang a little excerpt from an aria that was some of the best singing I've ever heard.

I was like, where's that come from? She's like, oh, yeah, no, I sing. I was like, oh, my God. And it was one of those moments where I was like, oh, I'm going to remember this for a long time. Did you sing? I did, yeah. You sung with her?

Hannah had gone in at this point. Did you not sing together? No, no, we didn't. Why not? It was just one of those moments where she sang. She'd love it. I shrivelled up and, you know, I did what you just did then. Like, oh my God, I think a few of the other footballing lads were there.

But yeah, it was... But she's so not like... I mean, I have known Hannah for so many years from West End shows. And she's just always been completely real and exactly what you see is what you get with Hannah, isn't it? The world needs to be run by you and Hannah. But we're very naughty. When we get together, we're very...

That's fine. We're like too... Pathetic schoolgirls. That's fine. Very silly. Okay, so that's your acting side. Let's go to your singing side. Yeah.

You've got this voice that is so beautiful, but I want you to do more. Yeah, and I'm trying to this year. That's like what I'm trying to do. I'm setting up a little choir. It's just hard to do everything at the same time. So I basically was a comprehensive school in Grimsby called Oakley, lovely school

and then there was a choir choir school in Grimsby called St James St James to school and it was the only school

in the UK which had its own parish church or the only parish church in the country which had its own choir school one of three in the world so it was quite like famous

but in Grimsby three in the world yeah it was St Thomas 5th Avenue and St Thomas Berlin but then yeah so he was like this quite held in quite high regard

but it was a parish church so anyway look i got asked to audition for the choir and then the school fees were unbelievably like my working class single parent family me and my mother sister mom was like ah you obviously can't afford this we did a night in shining armor like me um auntie's best mate jeff who then became my godfather was like oh i've got a bit of money can't be buried with it so how about i pay and so i think i think it was like a thousand pounds of term so he was paying like three grand a year bless him for like five years and then I got a full scholarship.

But I used to go to school. On Columbia Road, Grimsby, I used to go to school, dressed like Harry Potter, like a little cap, blazer, briefcase. Like, everyone, oh, look at this little posh, you know, what's so-and-so. And I loved it. I absolutely loved it. And do you know what?

I just, I didn't want to do anything else. Like, there wasn't anything else that I'd even consider, you know, music and singing. Obviously, I talked about, you know, maybe you wanted to join the forces as a musician, but I just loved singing. And it was just this thing that I found and I sang five to eight times a week. And then I went to university and I got a scholarship at Exeter Cathedral and read music at Exeter and studied classical music there.

And I just, I love it. And I think that I'd love for more kids to sing because it's, it's giving me what is, you know, an incredible opportunities in life. And I think, you know, there's some fantastic schemes. Like David Lamy, the MP, he was, I think, I'm right in saying, Harangay or Walther. Stowe, or Tottenham, I think it was. And he got a scholarship to Peterborough Cathedral, and he was in the choir school there. So a lot of these cathedral choirs will look at kids from deprived areas and take them and give them scholarships. I know that St. George's Chapel, Windsor Castle, where I sing are, they've got a fantastic, I think, scheme in Tower Hamlets.

But if anyone out there has a child who might be considering joining a choir, like, do it. But it's so good for your, as you said, mental health. Spiritual health. Everything. It's so good. Like your learning skills and, you know, like when you have to go and get a job,

you know, well, I mean, obviously you and I don't. But, you know, like, yeah, hello,

we have to go and get a job. But is it going, oh, what are your, you know, teamwork and leadership and also being able to work on your own. Like,

you get all that from a choir. Like, you know, just without, without realising. So I, yeah, I've,

so you're going to put a choir together now? So I'm putting a choir together this year of just some friends and we're just going to do some stuff we want to do and just pop it mainly online and if it garner us like a bigger. How wonderful. But my thing, kind of a bit reticent about saying it, but like we want to perform in places with like ridiculous acoustics.

So like stairwells of car parks, for example. And the tube? The tube, I don't think, has a great acoustic. Famously. I've been on the Baker Lulet recently. I love that you're going to be doing that. So yeah, I just want to do a few more. Car parks and stairwells.

Car parks, like, under little bridges and stuff like that. And so if anyone's listening, that goes, oh, do you know what? This bus shelter or if... I think that's such a fantastic idea. And is it going to be classical music, choral music? Yeah, choral music, yeah. So, like, mainly cool.

No musical theatre. Because if it was, I'm going to come and sing along. No, don't worry, I won't. So can we have a little bus? So there will be some people who don't know what's an exceptional singer you are. And the voice that comes out of you makes me cry. So I'm ready to cry

Ed, I hope you're ready to cry. Ed and Joe, who work on the show, get ready to cry. Would you just do a little bit of choral? Yeah, what I'm going to do? I remember you singing misery. What's it called misery? I'm not going to do it.

I can't remember. But what I'm going to do, I'm trying to find the words, because I forgot on the words. There's the car that I'm getting, just FYI. Oh, very smart. Proper mid-life crisis.

It really is. Yeah. So I'm going to do three Ravens. which is a, it's like a, almost like a fokey kind of chorally song. But, yeah. I'm just going to, you know, I'm going to video you doing this. Okay. So this is like Three Ravens.

It's a weird song. I don't mind weird. Do you know it? I don't know until you sing it. There were three ravens sat on a tree, Down, a down, a down, hey, down, they were as black as black could be with a down. Then one of them said to his mate, where shall we our breakfast take? With a down, Teddy, dirty, dirty, down.

So that's just a little... Oh, you've just got the most beautiful voice, Lloyd. That's just like, yeah, it's a bit weird. No, it's nothing weird. Don't put yourself down. Oh, no, but I love that it's weird. I'm not like, embraced weird. The words of the song are strange, but the...

Was it? That was very ropey. I know it's 12. No, it wasn't. It really wasn't. That was beautiful. Wasn't that lovely? Oh, see? They're not happy tears.

No, no, he's in awe. They're in awe tears. Lloyd, you are. really do spread joy. You are a complete and utter delight to ever spend any time with. And I hope you have an album out. No, I do. I think you should have an album out. But I think the idea of going and just doing under bridges and stairwells, I think it's the most wonderful idea. And also I'm working a lot at the moment on trying to tackle loneliness. And I think choirs do so much for that as well.

Genuinely, like, especially during the pandemic where, you know, I lived on my own for the majority of it. And I cannot tell you how much I missed those choirs and just the camaraderie and everything. So, yeah, I think that my agent's joined a choir. She's joined a choir called Lips and they do amazing concerts. I've actually not been to one yet because I've always been gigging because she's so good at getting me gigs. And filming work. So I haven't been able to see one yet. But it's just great and she loves it.

You know, and I've got friends that... You know, there's the tuneless choir, so people who can't sing and join a choir. I love that. Great. And also no prejudice. It doesn't matter if you, you know, your tone deaf, just come along.

But like the mental health benefits from singing in a choir are unbelievable. Just without, you know, without knowing it. It's mindfulness without you realizing. And that's why I didn't realize. I've been doing it since I was seven years old, doing it for like 30-odd years. And then when it gets taken away from you,

like, why am I feeling anxious? It's like, oh, because you're not sung for two years, Lloyd. Go back and do it. Exactly, yeah. Oh, Lloyd, thank you so much. You were complete joy. We were going to call Rob Beckett, but I'm not going to, let's not. Did you want my thing that I brought with me?

Yeah, but that's in the next episode. Oh, yeah. You're getting a little extra nugget of joy. Thank you so much, lovely. Thank you.