That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Rob Beckett

Episode Date: February 22, 2021

In this episode Gaby chats to comedian Rob Beckett. He talks about studying tourism at university, how he first got into comedy and the fun he used to have working in an office. He shares what it was like to host the Royal Variety Performance and how he has learned to be confident. He chats about his friendship with fellow comedian Romesh Ranganathan and their TV show called ‘Rob & Romesh Vs’ which is available to watch on Sky One and NOW TV. Plus, his hugely popular podcast called ‘Lockdown Parenting Hell’ with Josh Widdicombe. Don’t miss his hilarious stories concerning being star struck by Alan Davies, pooing his pants and Andy Murray’s penis! For more information on the sponsor of this episode Symprove visit www.symprove.com or follow-on Instagram on @symproveyourlife. To claim 15% off the 12-week programme use discount code GABY15 at checkout. For new customers only in the UK. Symprove customer care team are available 8-8 to answer any questions or queries, call 01252 413600. Produced by Cameo Productions, music by Beth Macari.  Join the conversation on Instagram and Twitter @gabyroslin #thatgabyroslinpodcast Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I'm so thankful that this episode is sponsored by one of my favorite companies, SimProve. Now, I'll tell you all about them later, but for now, I'll just say this. It's a food supplement containing live and active bacteria, which honestly has done absolute wonders for both mine and my family's health. More information at Simprove.com, and it's spelt S-Y-M-P-R-O-V-E, with discount code G-A-B-Y-15. for 15% off the 12-week program. Thank you so much for tuning in to that Gabby Roslin podcast.

On this episode, I chat to the hilarious Rob Beckett. Now, this man is such a genuinely lovely down-to-earth person. He even says himself that becoming famous has actually made him nicer. We chat about studying tourism at university, how he got into comedy, and the fun he used to have working in an office. Can you imagine working with Rob Beckett in office? You will get no work done. He also talks about hosting the Royal Variety performance,

learning to be confident, being starstruck by Alan Davis, pooing his pants and Andy Murray's penis. Yes, so many giggles. We've chat about his friendship with fellow comedian, Ramesh Ranganaathan, and their brilliant TV show that I am addicted to. It makes me laugh so much, Rob and Rommish Verses,

which is available to watch on Sky One and Now TV. Plus his hugely popular podcast called Lockdown Parenting Hell with Josh Whittickham. Enjoy. Gabby I'll say thank you so much for having me on your podcast. I think your audience should know this, how wonderful you are, that you used to get me on your Be Radio London show to be funny. And then when I got offered a pilot for a radio show, which went on to be my absolute show, you went out for lunch with me and you told me what to do and gave me loads of advice,

which was invaluable. say thank you so much and everyone needs to know how lovely you are. And if they hate me, you're the reason why. I'm here and I'm existed. But I feel like a member of your family because you're lovely, I know your family. I've met them all, your auntie, who was extremely friendly to me when I came to see it one of your life. I've seen you a few times. Yeah, you've come to a few shows.

What was your auntie's name? Auntie Tina. Yes. Everyone loves Auntie Tina. Oh, she was so sweet. But all your family, and they're so proud of you. Oh, well, I think that's very kind of you to say. But yeah, they do.

Also, it's quite lucky. They all love comedy as well when telly. So at least, you know, if I did something they didn't like, I think they'd still be proud of me, but they wouldn't be able to enjoy it. So I think they get to enjoy what I do. You know what I mean? That is so important.

You hear from so many people that, oh, my parents weren't supportive of what I wanted to do. Or they said, oh, no, why don't you get a real job? Your parents just went, you do it, didn't they? You know what? There's that discussion of like the privilege type thing of like, coming from a privileged background. So, for example, someone may have gone to a private school

and then gone to Oxford University and got into comedy that way and stuff like that. And that's, you know, a great upbringing they've had. But sometimes I find those sort of my peers that had that journey into comedy, they're sort of having to prove themselves all the time to their parents because their parents are a bit like, well, you're not going to be a barrister then.

Or you're not going to, you know, run a big company and stuff like that. I was privileged in just 100% support for my parents, which you can't really put a price on. There's no, you know, there's no equivalent of like, oh, we used to get, you know, great school and stuff. But to have that support and, you know, they're not pressuring you to do something more important or serious. What's so wonderful about your parents,

you can see it in their eyes now that they feel exactly the same as they always did, if that makes sense. That they, when you were little, they were proud of you. Now you're doing what you do. They're proud of you. And they're not in awe. No, no, I mean, whenever anyone says, oh, you must be so proud of Rob.

They go, I'm proud of all my kids. It's almost combative, like an argument's going to kick off. You implying that I'm not proud of the other ones. So, yeah, they're really lovely. And they just, everything's quite normal. No one really talks about a job, really. When I go home, it's sort of quite, I mean, it's that arguably. They talk about it less than they did when I worked in like Sangebury's.

There was more of a conversation about ours work. So it's very much keep, keep your feet on the ground type conversation. But isn't that great? That's great. You see, when somebody says how was work. And I've, so I've been doing this nearly, actually, as long as you've been alive, which is a little scary. But that is when you said your age, I thought, oh my God. But when somebody says, how was work?

I love it. Not who did you talk to today? Or did you meet so-and-so? When they just go, how was work? Yeah, exactly. And then I'd go, yeah, it was all right? And then just talk about something else. Because I was speaking to Ramesh about it the other day.

He's a good friend of mine. I do a lot of shows of him. Yeah, I know who you mean, yes. We both, yeah, you don't do much, teller. You're just dipping his toe in it. It was out for dinner. Like, we were on the way home and I was like, at no point did either of us like during the mill they'd have to feel like we had to do like an Instagram story or a tag someone in or don't we

just sort of had dinner. Do you know what I mean? Where some people love all that, but it's not really my bag. What's really weird is a lot of people that aren't well known, act like the well known on social media. So they'll like buy a new shirt and they go, oh, thanks at whoever it is like, you know, Ralph Lauren for the shirt. And you go, no, they've not sent it to you.

You're not advertising. You just bought it. So why are you doing a thanks as it like implying that you're getting it as like a gift type thing? So it's really weird where I find that actually there's more, you know, and also like I find you know people used to say comedy's new rock and roll

when I went to an office, that back in the day before Corona that was rock and roll. Everyone was just pissed all day every day. I used to have four pints at lunch and go back in the office. You are kidding me. I was an animal. Everyone did. It was at an events company.

It was just like, that was way more rock and roll than comedy. I actually stopped drinking and going out when I started doing comedy because all this is doing a good job because I loved it so much. Oh, that is fantastic. But now, can we just go back to you working in an office and everything? Because didn't you train in tourism? I went to uni back in the glory days where it was cheap and you didn't really have to have any grades.

And I went to Canterbury Christchurch University College with my B-A-V-C-E and a D-N-E. So I don't know how I got in, but I got in. And I did tourism management just basically. I didn't know what it wanted to do. And I just wanted to go and get drunk and have a laugh. Because that's what it looked like, uni. So I just sort of did it. And yeah, I mean, I can't remember anything.

I don't know anything about tourism. That's so funny. I had a great time. I feel really sorry for all the students this year. I really do with, oh, no fresh as week. No fun, no going out and being locked in their... I think that's the worst generation. You know, 16 to 25 sort of.

of age group where this is a time where you do go to festivals, you go to house parties, you just stay out all night, this is where you live your life and make mistakes and be silly, but it's also controlled and being, attracting your halls. And also I remember, like, how nervous and worried you are and leaving your family unit to go somewhere at 18. And, you know, imagine, you know, I'm just worried for a lot of the mental health of these students of, like, being locked in their halls for days on end with people that don't really know yet. Do you know what I mean? So, poor kids.

You need to do some specials on YouTube for... For uni-shoots. Give them the freshest. Yes. Yeah, I'll do that. That could be quite funny. Do's and don't. Yes.

I don't think I'm the person to be giving advice. Yeah, why not? You're just, and they love you, and you're funny, and you had full pints at lunchtime and could still go back to work. Do you know what? I generally think I was at my comedy peak when I worked in an office. Because I was so frustrated, had no outlet. I was just like, I was just wandering around in a one-man show in the office trying to not get sacked, but wandering around peers.

Just talking to people. So is that what made you have the confidence to go out and do it then? Basically, I just always loved comedy. I didn't realize how much I loved it. But now I have the outlet. I don't do it as much. But yeah, that was my stage almost quite pathetically looking back. Oh, sorry.

Did you just say you're much more reserved these days? So, like, yeah, I'm more reserved if like, you know, like if I go to a pub, I just have a drink and a laugh. But I'd be like getting wasted and showing off of being crazy and stuff like that because I didn't have anywhere. And I was in office all day doing spreadsheets. I was driving me mental. Can I tell you in my life I've never done a spreadsheet

and I tell my husband that I will never do a spreadsheet? I don't know why. You just said the word that makes me go, makes my back crawl. I can't explain. I hate forms. Just looking at the little like empty boxes to fill in. It hurts my brain. And also I'm struggling with.

I can't learn through Zoom. But I'm in Zoom conversations. And our kids, my kids started school. And basically what they do is, Because I teach you how to read, yeah? And it's all like phonics. So do you know how kids learn to read that? It's all like, it's not ABC, dealing it.

That don't exist anymore. So abacata, uh, uh, eh, and all that, right? They sent a Zoom link of like a 15 minute video of this, all the thing of all of it. And I just, I just cannot take it in. I can't take in information for a screen. I've got to be with people and face to face. I find it impossible to learn that way. But sorry, it's just abberka.

Duh, it's not that complicated. No, it's, yeah, but it's not because then there's blend, there's blending, then there's like, trigraphs or something when there's free. Hold on, no, just stop, just stop. You are Mr. Taskmaster. I thought you'd be able to do anything. No, academically, I'm not great, right? But logically, in common sense, I'm all right.

But there's diographs, triagraph, where it's like, a sound, I mean, I can't, it's sending me mental. But the problem is my five year old, four year old is telling me off when we're doing reading now. Your baby's not four. I've got two, yeah, five-year-old, well, five and three, they're going to be at the end of the year. So, I know. I remember when you were first, obviously, you weren't due, but your wife was due. And you were doing a show when I came to see and you went,

sh, don't tell anybody that I told you that we're having a baby. Yeah. And I remember going up and you just gave me that you, it's a weird thing to remember. And I was with all your family And there was this awful feeling of Like in 40 towers when don't mention the war I thought I was going to keep saying Congratulations on your pregnancy

Like Tourette's it was out of control And it was a horrible feeling Like, look at it! Lou actually told me that she was pregnant I've just done Sunday night at the Palladium Because basically they had this like German magician on And he weren't ready So they said oh can you just go out

Why they sort his set out So I did that and I could hear this like German magician like saw in a bit of his set behind me, said it all up. So it was all quite stressful, but it went quite well. And I come off and I was buzzing. And I remember I was in the hall backstage, like halls of the palladium. And I was like, was that all right? And then he was like, yeah, yeah, but I've got two.

So I got two. So I did a pregnancy test before and I'm pregnant. And I was like, my head was about to explode. I just couldn't compute. It was just so much to take in. But yeah, it was mad. That's where she found out. Those sort of situations happen to you, don't they?

It's nothing is sort of just like, you walk down the street and then it's always in your life it's sort of rather magical. Yeah, well, it does feel like the stuff I've done in my career is sort of, it's been mad really, you know, like, I mean, hosting the Royal Variety performance last year with Ramesh was just so surreal. Was it really? Yeah, because it's mad, isn't it? There's so much ceremony and it was just, yeah, it sort of doesn't really sort of feel like my life, as it was. feels like I'm sort of watching myself do stuff, which sounds odd.

You said that about children in need. I remember beforehand, bless you. You were, you know, you were nervous about it. And then we spoke beforehand. And then afterwards, I remember texting you and saying, oh my God, I watched you. I'm so proud. You were fantastic.

And all that gosh. And you, I think it was the next day or something. You said, I felt like I was watching myself doing it. Yeah. And I still feel like that really. Because deep down, I'm just sort of like, like a sort of, because I was a very nervous sort of scared child, really. Like if I drop a glass on the floor, I'd sort of cry and panic.

I don't say wrong. I hate doing things wrong. And I've always have hated doing things wrong or make a mistake. And what I love about comedy is you know if you're doing it wrong because they don't laugh. So it's the purest form. It's tangible. You know, I'm sat at the sofa in my pants. I've just eaten and I'll flick over to it.

It's a repeat of like, love the Apollo or something. And I look at myself and go, how did, where did that bloke go? Because he's not here. It's not here on the sofa, that confident bloke doing all those jokes to those people. So it does almost feel like you're watching someone else do it, even though it is you. I don't know if that, does that make sense? Yeah, completely, because so many performers have this sort of, this shyness that is there, and it never leaves you.

So it's interesting that yours doesn't leave you either. I thought confidence was an inbuilt thing, but it's not, it's something you learn. You learn to be confident. You're not just confident. You're not on something you write off as a kid. You're either like, you know, some people can run really fast. calm but it's that anything you can learn to be confident and i think that's something that i've done by just pretending that i'm confident you know that fake it to you make it it's so true and with comedies

if you act like you're in control and you act like you're calm you'll give off the image that you're calm and people think you're calm and people will just oh you're confident aren't you and then after a while you start to believe it and yeah i was not a confident kid growing up at all and even like josh whittaker one of my good friends i heard him talking about me on a podcast he was like yeah because i'd love to have that confidence rob as he's always just had that confidence You know, but I've learned that. That's not something that I had. It's just something that sort of develops over time.

You are you, but just a sort of exaggerated version of yourself when you're on stage. Yes. If anything, I think I'm a bit, well, you know, people say, the people always say, like, once you get famous, people change and get meaner and harsher. I think I've actually got nicer because growing up in South East London, I remember I was trying to get this cab the other day from a pub, and this woman stopped me. I was like, I could get a photo.

I was like, yeah, go on a quick photo. I said a photo with her. And then it took a little while. So the cab, the cab went. So then I told her another cab. And then as I was waiting for that cab, she'd come over again with a friend and went, oh, can my friend have a picture? And she was like, excuse me, I don't even know who you are.

Like, who are you? And I was like, look, I've already missed a cab. It doesn't matter if you don't know I am. I'm going to get a cab. Nice to meet you. Goodbye. But before I got any fame, I'd have gone, who the fuck are you? Yeah, that's very funny.

Do what I mean? I've got, oh, you do it. And it's actually, because of the, you know, you have to maintain a sort of like, you know, representation of yourself. I've actually become politer where I think back in the day, I'd have had to go back. Can we just talk?

You're talking about podcasts. So you and Josh do podcast. I mean, you do everything. So you're on YouTube. I'd please, you've got to do the university one. And also YouTube with the lockdown parenting help podcast. It's so nice to hear guys doing that, you see. Well, yeah, yeah.

I just, basically, it's so hard of the kids in lockdown, just in general, being a parent is impossible. And I was sick of seeing all like the perfect Insta parents and stuff. And it's either basically, you're the perfect mum or dad who does yoga and baking,

or you're like scummy mummy type person where it's just like, oh, I don't care what they do and stuff. Well, I fall somewhere in the middle. Do you know what I want them to learn and be engaged with them, but also I can't, you know, can't dominate your whole day.

So I just thought there was no one sort of talking about those sort of things. And also, blokes talking about it. And, you know, especially like as a working class bloke, you're not always seen as sort of that hands-on a parent, but, you know, me and Josh is 50-50 in our respective relationships with looking after the kids. Well, obviously, when I'm at home and not working.

So, yeah, I just wanted to be like a bit more of an honest thing of like bloke's actually talking about it and caring rather than like, oh, gosh, you never guess what my wife made me do the other day. We didn't want it to sound like that. But we wanted to strike that balance of talking about being a parent and stuff. Now, as promised, I'd like to tell you more about our family. fantastic sponsor of this episode. They are Simprove. Now I know that this is an advert, but I've honestly been telling everyone about this company for years before we started working together.

And honestly, hand on my heart, that is the truth. It's a food supplement containing live and active bacteria to support gut health and a balanced microbiome. The reason it's different from others you may have tried in the past is because it's unique, because it's water-based, which means that it travels straight through to your gut to thrive and multiply. They're a family-run brand produced on a farm nestled in the stunning Surrey Hills. I've actually been there. I've seen how it all works. I've learned everything about this brand.

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I cannot emphasize enough that when you sort your gut out, your general health just feels so much better. Now, for more information, visit the SimProve website. That's S-Y-M-P-R-O-V-E. That's Simprove.com or follow on Instagram at Simprove Your Life. They also have such a helpful customer care team. If you want to chat to them, they'll answer your questions. They are brilliant. We'll put the phone number in the episode description.

Now, we have an exclusive discount just for listeners to this podcast. You can get 15% off the 12-week program by entering this promo code when you're at the checkout. It's Gabby and that's 1B, G-A-B-Y-1-5. Gabby and the number 15 for new customers in the UK. So when I was reading up about you, Rob, and I know you really well, here are some things I've got written down. Being starstruck by Alan Davies, pooing your pants and Andy Murray's knob. Wow, what a few bullet points you got there.

I know. Where do you want to start? Where did you poo your pants? I've pooed my pants a number of times I've always said I've never trust I don't trust anyone that's not mess themselves because you're either lying or you've not living an exciting enough life

But why is that online? I don't know which story do you want Gabby really I did to do a gig on a boat once And had food poison And it was an absolutely terrible evening Oh no That didn't actually really happen on stage Basically I had food poison

So I was the MC so I was going on and off And I managed to like do the first 10 minutes Go off stage and go down to the toilet below deck and sort of evac, as it were. I think that's probably the best way to describe it, both ends. And then I was going back up to carry on gigging because, you know, he got responsibilities. And I'd survive in the gig.

And then it was just on the last, like, minute of it, I sort of said, I got a big laugh dealing with a heckler. And I sort of relaxed a bit too much. And there was a slight incident where I had to sort of dispose of some pants on the journey home, Gabby. I'd say it was one of the low points of my crick. It's great to be brought up for your listeners. You know, they've had Dame Judy Dench and Robbie Williams on it.

And now you've got me talking about it. No, but it's so weird of all the weird things that I found online and then about you talking about Andy Murray. I did league of their own with him. And they put up a x-ray of him. And he's got just a massive knob in the x-ray. And we were just talking about how big his penis was, really, on the show. And then the Sun newspaper just run with that.

And it turned into this big. Bob Beckett's seen Andy Murray's knob. And I haven't, only on an x-ray, but you know what the papers are like? That was everywhere about you and Andy Murray. It's just ridiculous. I've never even actually seen it. I might have to give him a ring just to say, look, can I have a look? No, please don't.

Let's, no. Can I have a look at it now? Because it's in the paper that I have seen it, so it's probably disingenuous if I haven't seen it yet. No, too much? Let's leave it. All right, okay. If you get him on the show, you could ask him for me. No, well, yeah, because that'll be my opening gammon.

Okay, well, I'll leave me to deal with that, then. Okay, I'll leave that to you. And also Alan Davis, is this true? You were starstruck by Alan Davis. Yeah, he's one of my comedy heroes growing up. His stand-up, I mean, I love Jonathan Creek as well and QI, but his stand-up was one of the first VHS is him and Peter Kay and Eddie Murphy. And I loved it because, you know, he's just a bloke from Essex.

And he was so, so good at stand-up. So he's one of my heroes. And then I'm an Arsenal fan as well. And I was waiting for my mate outside the station to go watch Arsenal play. And he was there. And I could film myself going, oh, my God, it's Alan Davis. Zell and Davis, it was the first time I was sort of been, you know, your hands get itchy. And I didn't know what to do or say.

And I didn't even want to go and speak to him because I'd be too nervous. And then he come over to me because I just started comedy. He went, I know, Rob, how's it going? What was you being funny on the other day? And I was like, so mind-blown. And I didn't realize that I stepped back and I stood on my friend's foot that I didn't even noticed he was there. And because I was so engrossed in this conversation,

I just stood on my mate's foot for like five minutes and he didn't want to say anything. I remember seeing him lying. and properly, you know, when you have one of those proper belly laughs. Ah, he's great. I didn't think it's so important for people to see someone like themselves on telly to give them an encouragement that they can do it. And I think that's why, you know, diversity on screen is so important. And like, I think it went a bit underreported and always shout about it.

But when me and Rommis did the Royal Variety performance, like from a working class bloke presenting it anyway, it's quite good. But Ramesh, like, you know, second generation immigrant, like, you know, who's born here, but his mum and dad moved over from. Sri Lanka, the first Asian man to present the raw variety form, which is like, I thought it's incredible. And for like young Asian boys and girls to watch that and see Romish do that, I think it's absolutely incredible. I just think if you just turn up and nail it, I think it's so important for the younger generations to watch, you know, Ramesh just go out there and just be hilarious.

You and Ramesh have a, I mean, the show is fantastic. I love your guy show. But your relationship, how far does it go back? I mean, how did this happen? We both started comedy, I think, in 2009, literally within a couple of weeks of each other. So the open mic circuit's really small. So immediately met on that. And then we was all in the new act competition finals together. And it's just weird. It's sort of we just sort of mirrored each other all the way through where we got on

the week about the same time. And then we did this, the Rob and Rommis show together. And then they asked us to do the Royal Variety show. So it's like, it's mad, really that we've just sort of strangely mirrored each other's career. And we are, you know, genuinely, he's one of our best mates, our families. You know, we have dinners and the kids come around to play. We go on holidays together and stuff. So it's like it's a genuine friendship.

And I don't think you can force that. You know, and people love seeing mates on screen, I think. And luckily for us, we are friends and we love it. And it's not sort of like a fake friendship. What I love about him is he's got this image that you see. But he is, he'd probably hate this when he hears this. He's so gentle and funny and sweet. Yes.

He's so kind and helpful to people to the point where I have to go, Ramesh, tell them no. You can't do that. You know, just say no. I've never heard him say no in his life to anyone. He's so generous. That's so lovely. But yeah, also as well, I want to say as well, his image turnaround has been outrageous. And I don't know how he's done it because he's an ex-mass teacher. He taught maths at the school he went to, right? And anyone that teaches at the school they went to, I mean, it does, it's not the coolest thing, is it? It's not the coolest job to sort of stay in the same school. So he was a math teacher at the school he went to. And his clothes, when he was first out of comedy were awful. But now, all of a sudden, he's become the hip-pop guy.

And he's got his hip-pop podcast. He's got the glasses, the trainers. And he looks like, he looks like an American rap producer, like this. And I have you managed this? He is a delight. We did, would I lie to you together? And I properly, I sit to him afterwards. I said, oh, my goodness, you're nothing like you are as green. And he just looked at me and smiled. That really gentle smile. I just thought you are. Oh, what a delight. So yes, tell him that I'd like to speak to him, please. Can you just explain to me about stand-up? Because this, and I know I've said it to you a number of times, but talking of poo in your pants, the idea, I mean, I'll do anything.

I like zip-wiring. I love live television. It's my, it's my deep love. Anything crazy. But the idea of doing stand-up instantly makes my bottom clench. I just, oh. And when you said earlier about if people don't laugh, that must be just, I, I, you know, I. I can't even put it into words.

Do you know what's mad, though? It's like when you're talking, I can feel in your voice, you, when you said zip wiring, I could feel you're smiling as you said it, but when you said stand up and your bottom clench, I could literally feel your body sort of tense, like just from the words.

And like, when you said stand up to me, I smiled. That's my interstitcher actions. Ah, stand up, yeah. I would love to do that. Well, I hate anything like zip wires. I hate theme part rides. I hate that sort of a drending rush.

I just don't enjoy that kind of thing. But I don't know why. I just love the buzz of stand up. But I think in a way, I'm quite of control. I like the control of it where I don't like any adrenaline rush where I'm not in control. So I like live TV. I like stand-up. But I can't explain it.

But I just love it. And I just feel you've got a respect for stand-ups because it's so difficult and takes so long to be crap at it. Major respect. The level of effort you have to go to just to be rubbish at it is remarkable. So never mind be half decent. It takes so long to get anywhere with it. But I just, I love it because I hate admin. I hate all the emails and all that stuff.

So when I go on stage, all I've got to do is one thing, which is make them laugh. And that's all I have to do. And I find that quite liberated because I can just shut the door and all the other rubbish in your head and all the other nonsense and just concentrate on that. And talk until they laugh, shut up for a bit. And if they're not laughing, say something else. And I don't know I'm simplifying it there. But for me, that's just how I approach it. And I love it.

I can't, you know, I'll do that when I'm 60, 70, where some comedians sort of go, oh, God, I can't wait till I do something else, so I don't have to do stand-luff anymore, but I'll be doing it when I'm 70 years, I'll just get wheeled out. I love it. What does it feel like if they don't, I can't imagine that. They don't laugh because I've seen you live, but if they don't laugh, is it not galling?

Because I know other comedians, one of my best friends, he just says when he goes out there, and if you don't get a laugh, he said it just, it kills you inside, very deep inside. When you first start, it does, because you don't know if you're good or not. You don't. There's nothing to compare it to. So when you, those early gigs, when you die, you die on your ass, it is awful. It, like, stays with you for weeks and weeks and weeks.

But the best way to describe it, it's how any job you do. So if you start a new job, it is stressful, isn't it? You get a bit nervous. You're going. You don't know who to talk to, what the right thing to say is and all that kind of stuff. But the thing that helped me was, I don't know if you've heard about the stages of competence. And it's when you start a new job or a new challenge. And it always is the same for me when I start to write a new show.

whenever you start anything new this, you start off with unconscious incompetence, which is like ignorance is bliss, you know, beginner's luck, where you go on and do something, like if you present a radio, the same you do with radio show

for the first time you've never done radio before, you go, that was all right, because you're not even aware of the mistakes you're making, right? And then from there, you progress to conscious incompetence where that's a very stressful stage where you go, oh God,

I did the news wrong, but I don't have to do it right, I did all that wrong, so you're aware of your mistakes. And then you move up to conscious competence where you know how, had to do something, but you have to concentrate the whole time. And then what you are aiming for is unconscious competence where you can just go out and get on with it and you don't even

realize, like driving your car. You can drive your car now, talk to your kids, drop someone off, pick someone up, take a phone call because you're at that level of unconscious competence when you're driving. So with comedy, what's painful is the stage is to get to that unconscious competence. But when you get to that stage and you've got a tour show that you know at the back of your hand and you can just do it. And then on top of that, you can improvise around it all because you're so confident where the next bit of material is, that state is unmatched through any sort of drink or drugs or that when you're just there and you're operating that field where you go, they are hilariously laughing and I know that I've got five more better jokes lined up to go at them.

That feeling is just unmatched. And that's the sort of state, I think, comedians are hunting for. And that's why it's like an addiction. You're always after that next sort of buzz. And for me, I can't imagine live my life without it, to be honest. That's fascinating. I'd never thought of it in all of those levels. But I understand the addiction and the obsession, because I'm like that about presenting TV. It's just I couldn't live my life not doing it.

Yeah. I get the feeling that you always realize how lucky you are. Oh, of course. I'm so lucky to have that feeling of something that I love to do. But you've just got to sometimes just give it a go. Because you never know if it's possible to do it. My mum's always said to me, like, It's not about knowing what you want to do.

It's about crosses off stuff you don't want to do. You know, like, I don't want to do that. I don't want to do that. And then eventually you can just narrow it down to what it is that you do want to do. And that's why, like I'll try a podcast,

I'll do radio, I'll do YouTube, I'll do comedy because there might be something else. I actually enjoy more on comedy, but I won't know it until I try it. So I think if you're constantly pushing yourself to try new things, then hopefully you may find and strike upon the thing that you sort of get a buzz from doing every day, which, you know,

I'm so lucky to have. But what makes you laugh? I love silly sort of slapstick stuff like I'm obsessed on TikTok of just I've got like just people slipping over or people other people like that

I love that stupid kind of stuff and that silly little accidents like that that kind of slap sick stuff makes me lose my mind even my friends and my friendship group I will cut you out of my life if you're not funny enough because I cannot I've not got time

for someone not to make me laugh. What is the point of that interaction? Why talk to anyone without a laugh being in there at any point? It's a waste of a conversation, isn't it? I agree with you. Don't you think? I love laughter. There is nothing greater than smiling and laughing.

Yeah, if I go and talk to someone, if we haven't both laughed and we don't both walk away smiling, that was a waste of a meeting. What was the point? And I've just always been like that. that just I can't, I can't suffer someone that's not interesting or funny. I just like, oh, I can't do it. And I just, I feel mean, but I'm like, you've got her up the banter here.

Are we going to have to knock this on the head? No, I get that. I completely get, I've said one of my, the weirdest phone calls that we ever had was about me ringing you about the chase. Because we were doing the chase together. And we had the most surreal conversation. And it was something about you were in a cellar or, There was some strange conversation. And I lost it so badly in the street.

And you were talking about putting your pants, but I actually weed myself from laughing in the street. And you were just telling me to calm down. Oh, yes. Because you wrote, because basically you got knocked out, didn't you, of the chase? Oh, my God. I don't want to bring it back up. But then me...

I hated it. Yeah, well, yeah, you got beaten by the chaser. Then we went on to the final round. me, Jeff Hurst and Haley Tamadden, I think it was. She was all getting worked up and I was just going, calm down, Gabby. Calm down. You made me laugh so much. And there was another time as well, your routine about the people that you look like.

And it was all the people that you look like that we didn't realise that you look like. And if I think about it now, and it was Pat Butcher. Oh, yeah. And it was a list of like, a list about 35 names that I sort of memorized. I've not done that routine for probably about seven years, but it's still somewhere in my brain. Who else was it that you looked like? And you do.

When you first started comedy and you're new, people just heckle with the whole time of who you look like. And people would normally go and go, I know what you're thinking. Jesus has had a bad time if it was like a man with a beard and long hair or whatever. So I just went, I'll just get these out of the way. And it was just like a massive list.

And it all slightly works. It was a, I'm not. Boris Johnson, Jack Swagger, Jeff Brazier. Bif Talon, James L. Jones, Mukabar Kynar, Lesi Ash, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Mara Hiddly, Craig Bellamy, IGU Johnson, Miss Piggy, Hay Arnold, Natasha Benefield of Frog, Kurt Nielsen, Johnny Bravo, Buzz, Peggy Mitchell, Ian Bill, Oliver Kahnpat, Purcha Scott Walker, Peter Larry Bambaugh and the Honey Monster, Billy Piper,

and then, yeah, someone else there. And, yeah, yeah. So it was just, I can't believe that's still in there. I think I missed a couple out, but yeah, that, I used to just bang that out. And it was, what was good was because everyone always thinks, you look like someone else. So you could literally quickly get every single person in the room's thought so that people would laugh at different points. So it was quite a good opening joke at the start.

Still makes me laugh. And weirdly, when you were going through them then, thinking of your face, thinking, oh my God, but he does. But you don't, but you do. I know, yeah. But yeah, the delivery was rusty, but I think you got the message. Oh, my God, you're brilliant. I just think you're so brilliant.

Also, the other thing I found online, it was in a student paper was your favourite ever joke. So I've got it written down here, and I want to know your favourite ever joke, and I'll tell you if you got it right. I can't remember. Is it the Eric Malcolm one where he's playing the piano, and he says, you're playing it wrong?

I'm not playing it wrong, just playing it in the wrong order. Is it that one? No. Do you know what? I've got no idea, Gabby. Is it my own favourite joke, or am I just joke in the world? No, your own favourite joke.

Oh, right. No, I've got no idea. What is it? Well, when I say it, it's not going to be funny. So if I say it, you have to say it back as you. Okay. Yeah, okay, right. Well, just give me a clue and I'll read it.

TV and bookcase. Oh, yeah, that joke. Yeah, that joke got like joke of the fringe or something a few years ago. But that was, you know your working class when your television is bigger than your bookcase? It's perfect. Yeah, it does the job that one, didn't it? It really does. It really, really does.

So when are you going to be going back and doing telly? Do you know about anything? Do you know about opening studios? Well, I've done bits and bobs of panel shows and stuff. I've did League of Their Own and stuff over the summer. I was filming again for Robin Rommish Verses. So we're going to go and do some more episodes of us exploring different worlds and different sports and stuff.

So that's starting up again. I think you need people, you know, pointing out the silly things in what's going on in the news. So it's not just graphs and Piers Morgan shouting. You know what I mean? Like we should talk about one of your old shows. We need the big breakfast more than anything ever. We need a fun breakfast show that people can go, yep, I'm aware there's COVID and where BBC and ITV are going to be taking, you know, politicians to task.

But here on Channel 4 or Sky 1, wherever that show would sit, we are not going to talk about it. We'll have the news on once an hour, but we are going to just have fun and distract you and entertain you. And I think we need that more and ever at the moment, just because I can't. can't bear to look at another graph or case numbers, whatever it is. Well, I've got it. You and Ramesh doing a live weekly show and I'll come on as the token mad woman. There we go. Done. Fair enough. Sorted. Sky, if you're listening, sorted.

Listen, give your family just huge kisses from me or virtual hugs and kisses, especially Rante Tina. And I just adore you. You are brilliant. You just make me laugh. Oh, thank you so much for having me, Gabby. I really appreciate it. Lots of love, sweetie. Cheers. Thanks, Gabby. Thank you so much to our sponsors of this episode of the podcast. They are, of course, Simproved.

Now, to get your 15% off the 12-week program, just enter this promo code when you're at the checkout. It's Gabby 15. That's G-A-B-Y and the number 15, and that's for new customers in the UK. Coming up next week, the wonderful comedian and actor and all-round lovely guy, Sanjeev Baskar.

That Gabby Rawson podcast is proudly produced by Cameo Productions. Music by Beth McCari. Please press the subscribe button and it will come straight to your phone on Apple Podcasts, Spotify or wherever you choose to listen. Also, please rate and review us on Apple Podcasts.