THE ADAM BUXTON PODCAST - EP.275 - KATHY BURKE

Episode Date: June 16, 2026

Adam talks with English actor, comedian, writer and director Kathy Burke about her memoir A Mind Of My Own, including her relationship with her Dad, Punk, being a Two Tone skinhead, the comments that stoked Kathy's anxiety over her appearance and the kind words of Clash frontman Joe Strummer, the genesis of Kathy's character Perry, meeting Peter Cooke, frustrations on the set of Straight To Hell, plus thoughts on comfy trainers, painful bras and getting older.CONTAINS STRONG LANGUAGEConversation recorded face-to-face in London on 5 June, 2026SUBMIT QUESTIONS FOR Q&A EPISODE: [e-mail] to Diggory Waite and Claire Broughton at Hattrick and Séamus Murphy Mitchell for production support.Podcast illustration by Helen GreenSUCCESSPOD - 2026 (Audible)ADAM BUXTON BAND @ Hoxton Hall, London, 23 & 24 June, 2026 (Eventim)ADAM BUXTON PODCAST LIVE WITH MAWAAN RIZWAAN @ Roundhouse, London, 5 April, 2026 (Roundhouse)RELATED LINKSCARE Directed by Alexander Zeldin, starring Linda Bassett - current run ends 11 July 2026 (The Young Vic)KATHY ON ACTING AND BEAUTY - 1989 (YouTube)JONATHAN ROSS - THE LAST RESORT featuring Kathy as Tina Bishop, a young Vic Reeves drawing portraits of guests (Keith Allen, Lysette Anthony, Roland Gift, and a heavily sedated Malcom McLaren) - 1988 (YouTube)THE NYAH FEARTIES - Bludgeon Man on The Tube - 1986 (YouTube)THE PROCLAIMERS - THROW THE R AWAY Debut performance on The Tube - 1987 (YouTube)STRAIGHT TO HELL Directed by Alex Cox (Trailer) - 1987 (YouTube)KATHY IN THE SID AND NANCY BEHIND THE SCENES FEATURETTE - 1986 (YouTube)KATHY COMEDY AWARDS ACCEPTANCE SPEECH for Gimme Gimme Gimme - 2002 (YouTube) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I added one more podcast to the giant podcast bin. Now you have plucked that podcast out and started listening. I took my microphone and found some human folk. Then I recorded all the noises while we spoke. My name is Adam Buxton. I'm a man. I want you to enjoy this. That's the plan. It's Adam Buxton here. I'm reporting to you from a crunchy Norfolk farm track in the middle of June, 2026. I'm here with my best dog friend, Rosie Buxton, of Success Pod fame. How are you doing, Rosie? I'd love to know when I'm getting paid. What do you think those sausages were last night?

Sausages? Sausages. Yeah. Sausages? Yeah, sausages. Yeah, sausages. Yes. Hey, speaking of Success Pod, my new six-part comedy series on Audible, thank you so much to all of you who have checked it out,

sprinkled it with stars, left a review, much appreciated. It makes a big difference in the numbers-based ecosystem of a major audiobook platform. It's an important part of encouraging the powers that be to consider making more, which I would love to do at some point. Before I tell you a bit about podcast number 275, just a reminder about a live podcast show later this year on the 5th of August. It'll be here before you know it. I'm doing the show as part of the Roundhouse Comedy Festival, appearing at Camden's iconic roundhouse venue where I will be waffling on stage with former YouTube sensation turned BAFTA-winning writer. and star of TV sitcom Juice and other TV projects, Marwan Riswan.

I'm looking forward to meeting Marwan and having a good old waffle, and I should think there'll be some other stupid bits and pieces too. That'll be the only live podcast show that I do this year, as far as I am currently aware. Link in the description for tickets, hope you can come along. But right now, podcast 275, this one features a rambling chat with return. friend of the podcast, English actor, comedian, writer and director Kathy Burke. Kathy Fax? Kathy was born in 1964, in Islington, northeast London, two Irish parents.

Her mum, Bridget, died of cancer when Kathy was just 18 months old. So she and her two brothers, Barry and John, were brought up by their father, who struggled throughout their childhood and beyond with alcoholism. Kathy writes vividly about those childhood years in her memoir, A Mind of My Own, published in late 2025. It was an audio book highlight for me earlier this year when I listened shortly before recording with Kathy for Success Pod. And I was glad to get another opportunity to talk to Kathy about a mind of my own, which I really loved. The book also covers her career trajectory from securing a place at Anna Shere Theatre. School in North London, being cast at the age of 18 in director My Zettling's film Scrubbers

about a British Reform School for Girls, writing her first play, Mr Thomas at the age of 22, which starred a young Ray Winston, and of course she writes about becoming known as a comedy actor on TV in the 1990s via Harry Enfield's programs, in which she featured, as, among many others, waynetta Slob, a lovely wobbly, randy old lady, And Kevin the teenager's best friend Perry. Of course, last week's guest was Harry Enfield. And it was just a happy quirk of my random scheduling system that Kathy ended up being the next guest after him.

A mind of my own also describes Kathy's cinema acting adventures, including the film that earned her a Best Actress Award at Cannes in 1997, Nill by Mouth, directed by her friend Gary Oldman, in which she played Valerie, a woman who suffers extreme abuse at the hands of her husband played 10 years after Mr Thomas by Ray Winston. My conversation with Kathy was recorded earlier this month, June 26, at her house in Islington, not far from where she grew up. And we talked a bit about her relationship with her dad, as well as a few of the childhood moments that left Kathy feeling insecure about her looks. how Joe Strummer of the clash was one of the few people who encouraged her to value herself

a bit more in that respect. Kathy was always a big music fan and we talked about how important the punk and two-tone movements were for her in the late 1970s and early 80s when she was part of the non-racist faction of the skinhead scene. And she told me how exciting it was for her to spend time with some of her musical heroes, including Joe Strummer, and Elvis Costello and Shane McGowan of the Poges, when she landed a part in the 1987 film Straight to Hell, directed by Alex Cox, who the previous year had also cast Kathy in Sid and Nancy,

starring Gary Oldman. There's a behind-the-scenes featurette for Sid and Nancy on YouTube, in which you will see. A young Kathy popping up about halfway through, hanging out on a boat. with Alex Cox and his partner. I've put a link to that in the description of today's podcast, along with a few other clips of things that came up in our conversation.

Kathy talking in 1989 about acting and beauty, a clip from Channel 4 music show, The Tube of Scottish band Nea Fiatis. Nea Firtis! Who Kathy enthuses about seeing supporting the proclaimers in the 1980s. And there's an episode of the last resort. with Jonathan Ross from 1988, on which Kathy appears as her character Tina Bishop, who preceded her character Perry, which she also did on one of Jonathan Ross's shows a few months later.

And I've also included a clip of Kathy that we didn't talk about, but it just made me laugh of her at the British Comedy Awards in 2002, giving a typically funny and unfiltered speech as she picked up a Best Actress Comedy Award for her sitcom, Gimmie, Gimmy, Gimmy. Also in today's description, there is a link to the play Care at the Young Vic. That's about one family's experience of grief and the care system, which Kathy enthused to me about in the context of getting older, which we spoke about towards the end of our conversation. I'll be back at the end to say goodbye,

but right now with Kathy Burke. Here we go. Are you still enjoying talking about the book or do you feel like, okay, I'd rather talk about other stuff now? Well, I haven't got any other stuff to talk about. So, well, the book came out in paperback yesterday. Okay. Because it came out in hardback. When was that?

In October, November. And I'm over the moon at the reaction. And very sort of surprised. I thought it would do. well with people that were sort of fans of my work from the 90s and stuff, you know. But it's sort of gone beyond what I expected in the sorts of people that have been reading it and getting in touch about it. And I can honestly say I have not been stopped in the street more since I was in Harry Enfield and Jones.

Oh, really? Yeah. for people talking to me about the book. I don't know. I think I was lucky, really, because my childhood is in the 60s and the 70s. So that's really interesting to people, do you know what I mean?

And people of my age group, especially. So it's triggered memories for people, for them, you know. And then becoming sort of well-known in the 90s. But I did a lot of stuff before I became well-known. there was sort of like over 10 years worth of work before I sort of became, oh, people knew my name. So that's been quite nice. People going, oh my God, I didn't realize you did that

and you did this and you were directing plays before you became well-known. Do you know what I mean? That sort of stuff. Yeah. Although one lady did stop me in the street and said, she said, oh, I wish you'd given us a bit more gossip or something. I said, what do you mean? well basically she just wanted me to say who I'd shagged

and she said I was really disappointed that you didn't say who you shagged and I was like no no that is my business you know but it did really make me laugh were you careful about the people that you talked about did you worry you that people might be upset

by some of the things you were saying did you check with people oh I checked with people that I loved that I love just wanted to make sure I'd got certain things right and yeah, that they were happy. I've got two brothers, so they read it before anybody else because I wanted to make sure they were happy. Were there things that they remembered very differently from you?

Yes, of course. And there were things that they'd completely forgotten more than anything because they were living their lives. So yes, definitely. My brother Barry, because I talk about when I was little when we moved into the top floor flat and there was a sort of ledge outside the windows. It was like a piece of guttering, really, a wide piece of guttering. So I used to go out there and sit on this plinth.

I mean it was four stories high, these flats, you know, and I used to sit on this plinth and have a cup of tea. And Barry said he did that as well. So I thought I'd got the idea from a window cleaner, but I think I'd probably seen my brother do it and just copied him. Aged how old? When we moved into that flat when I was around 10. Okay. So I was probably 10, 11, yeah.

Crazy. No wonder I'm scared of heights. Because I wasn't then. Yeah. And yet when I remember doing that and I thought, oh fuck, I better put that in the book. That night when I was trying to go to sleep, just before I nodded off, I remembered myself out on that ledge. But this time I fell.

and I just sort of woke up with a start. I was like, oh my God, what the fuck were you doing? Yeah, but you never actually did fall in really. No, no, no, no. The cat fell. Oh, God. Nobby the cat fell off a couple of times. But, uh...

Four stories? Yeah, yeah. And survived? Yeah, but he was really damaged. I mean, we had to have him put down in the end, yeah. Yeah. Blimey. Yeah.

You write brilliantly about your dad. I mean, I'm a sucker for, dad stuff anyway. People's relationships with their dad. I mean, your mum died when you were only not even two. Yeah, yeah, it was 18 months, yeah. So you don't have any memories of her, presumably? No, not at all, no.

So your dad sort of got depressed after she died, do you reckon? Like, and then started drinking? No. After then, oh, he would always be a heavy drinker. Yeah. Right, okay. Yeah. So, therefore, when I got older and my dad got,

older and my dad stopped drinking. I mean he did it by himself. He didn't go to AA or anything like that. He stopped smoking when he was 40 and he stopped drinking when he was 50. What made him stop? He just bottomed out, did he all? I think he was probably told by the doctor, you're going to die if you don't stop, you know? So he did stop. So the last 10 years or so of his life, he was sober, worked and saved money and went on holidays and all that sort of stuff. But the problem was when you've grown up with someone

and especially when they're a binge drinker so you sort of get a couple of months where they're sober and then you get a couple of months when they're pissed again and it's very erratic way to live you know. So therefore when he did properly sober up

I never really trusted it and never trusted that the drink wasn't going to start again. So therefore, I was very much not as warm as I could have been towards him. And yeah, it was about trust. He was physically abusive though as well. Oh, yeah, yeah. Like just sort of whacking you and...

I mean, but listen, when I talked to mates of my age group, you know, we were all hit. Okay. You know, it was sort of the discipline thing. Now being hit to be disciplined You understood it But just being hit Because he was pissed and angry That's not great

Do you know what I mean So there was quite a lot of that really And then a lot of actual fights You know Between when my brothers were getting bigger You know And then it would be they could hit back So then

You know It was like Pub brawls going on in the house, you know. So it was quite difficult. I didn't sleep much as a kid and I was on edge. I was quite frightened a lot of the time. I was quite fidgety and scratchy.

But, you know, one of my school friends, Claire, that I was at primary school with, you know, she messaged me and said, Kath, I had no clue this was going on because you were just always laughing. And there we go. There's the old cliche, do you know what I mean, of masking and covering up and being the class clown to sort of go protect. Everything's fine. Everything's fine, you know. I don't know why we do that. And why we have this sort of, as children, a sort of loyalty to not tell anybody what's going on, you know. but also I was surrounded by a lot of love, a lot of people that did care, you know, and looked at my auntie Joan,

it was a foster mum, and my auntie, who was my godmother, this woman called Pat, that used to take me out. So it wasn't all doom and gloom, do you know what I mean? And actually, when Dad wasn't in the house, when Dad was off on a bit of a drinking binge, and, you know, we wouldn't see him for a few days.

And then that was great, because then it was just me and my brothers, do what we want when we wanted. We watched what we wanted anyway on the telly. But it just felt like a more relaxed home. Was he remorseful, your dad, after he'd been violent or after a particularly bad scene? Oh, sort of. God love him, but he seemed to,

He felt sorry for himself more, but that's the alcoholic, you know. They're full of self-pity. Well, it's a kind of tussle between self-loathing and self-pity. Yeah, yeah. Spiral. Yeah. What were the things then that made life fun in those days? What were you into?

Well, as a kid, just playing, playing in the flats, being on roller skates, music. Because my brothers are older than me, they're eight years. and six years older than me. So once they could start doing Saturday jobs or working in the summer holidays and a stereo system was bought and albums started to turn up, that was brilliant.

And I used to love that. And I was sort of on my own quite a lot in the flat. So, yeah, I'd just play records and sing and pretend I was in the Beatles and pretend I was David Bowie or, you know. And then punk comes along. Well, punk, the timing of that was fucking brilliant. Because I was 13, 12, 13, when punk hit.

And that was amazing for me. I mean, the music I really loved, but it was the attitude. And it was just, it was so naughty, you know, that people were saying, fuck off on the television and fuck off in their music. And, oh, my God, it was just incredible. But you were too young to see gigs and stuff, though. Well, you know, everything was a little bit more relaxed back then.

So I did start going to geeks when I was like 14, 15. Okay. They'd let you in, you know, pub gigs mostly, down in Finnsbury Park and stuff. Who did you see? Did you see anyone great that you remember? Well, I saw when the two-tone thing hit. So I saw madness at the Hope and Anchor and the specials. I saw the clash.

a little bit later, you know, and they did a series of gigs at the Hammersmith Odeon, I think it was. But I was a bit older then. I was about 16, 17. And then it was just sort of bands that didn't become anything. But when I got into my 20s,

I think I was at like the first London gig of the Proclaimers. Uh-huh. You know, because I'd sort of got to know the Pokes. So, then my mate James Fernley would say oh there's this Scottish group they're brilliant we're going to go and see them they're playing in this pub

in Finbury Park and it was the proclaimers I mean it's it's weird the proclaim because I always forget about them yeah I wasn't expecting you to mention yeah and I'm so glad I've sort of remembered them now because they were just brilliant right but they're for most people I think they are just crystallised in a couple of songs and they're sort of a novelty act because they looked so striking

and they had the glasses and everything and their style was quite unusual. Yeah. So it's a letter from America and I would walk 1,000 miles. Yeah, and that's a bit later. I think that's like later stuff of theirs really. But no, they were fantastic. And they had this support act called the Neofiates,

I think they were called, that were just crazy. It was just this guy hitting himself on the head with a tray, you know, and it was that sort of Celtic punk. You know what I mean? So it had all the anger and all the rage, but there was a real stump to it,

a real sort of rhythm and jig to it. Yeah. So I loved all that. And at one point you write about a sliding doors moment when you bump into the clash and more or less get an. invitation to sort of spend your life on the road with the clash for a while. Is that right? Yeah, well, it was from one of their roadies, I suppose, this young guy. And I had my news musical express in my bag.

It was 1980. So I was coming up for my 16th birthday. It was May. That great time when you're just about to leave school forever. And I was walking. My school was in Houston. So we used to walk through. Houston Station and then Kings Cross Station to then lead us up to Pentonville Road that would lead us up to the angel and home. And I just thought, oh my God, I thought I spotted Paul Simonin from the clash in Kings Cross Station and then realised it was him and then saw the other band members. And it was like, oh my God. And I was with my friend Mary and I was like, it's the fucking, you know, it's the clash and she wasn't into punk or anything. And so I went up to. to them and ask Joe Strummer if you signed my new musical express, which was an iconic cover

because Ian Curtis from Joy Division had died. So there was this cover which was R-IP Ian Curtis, you know. So he signed it and then the other lads came over and signed it and I'd cut Clash into my arm. Oh my God. Like what with a... Well, I say in the book it was a compass needle, but I think actually it might have been like a little, my brother John used to do cutouts, you know, lino cutouts because he was, he's an artist, you know. So he had these little like surgical knives, you know, artist knives. Craft knives. Craft knives.

That was it. I think I actually did it with one of those. And it was going to be, and it was quite big, clash, you know what I mean? It was quite big letters. And it was going to be Indian ink. I was waiting for it. Thank God that didn't happen. But anyway, Joe Strummer.

spotted that and told me off about it and said what you know no no no no you shouldn't do that and I said oh no I'm gonna get it Indian inked because I thought he meant it looked bad and it's just a cut you know and I mean now they call it self-harming I didn't know I was doing that

I was just sort of you know sticking things in me and you know and all that and then decided to write clash on my arm anyway and he said to me um no no no know. He said, don't destroy your beautiful skin, not in our name. And I remember thinking, beautiful skin. Nobody ever used that word beautiful to me at all until that moment. So it was

wonderful. But anyway, then he had this young roadie guy who sort of hung around when they went off to W.H. Smiths, because they'd missed their train. That was why they was sort of there. And And anyway, this young lad said to me, I hang about with them now and I do jobs for them and running around and stuff. And they've got some gigs coming up. Why don't you come and maybe you could do that too, basically? And it was just like a sliding door moment. Yeah, because I remember thinking, fuck, you know, that would be amazing. I'm just about to leave school.

That would be incredible. But I'd also been waiting a couple of years to get into this place called the Anna Shere Theater, which was workshop drama classes that you did after school, after college or whatever. And that Monday, I'd got the letter saying, finally, I'd got in because it's a waiting list system. And so it was just that quick thing of,

could I do that? But I've been waiting for this for two. two years. So no, I won't do that. I've got to go to the Anna Shere Theatre and see if I can be an actor. Yeah. So you didn't have to think about it too long to realise. No, no. It was just a sort of split second moment. Yeah, where you suddenly saw a different path. And, you know, for all that was going on at home with dad and everything, I didn't want to cause any trouble. And if I ran away, that would cause a lot of trouble and a lot of upset. And all I ever wanted at home was peace, peace and quiet.

So, yeah, that would have really fucked things up with my brothers if I'd suddenly run away from home and, you know. So, yeah, I was a good girl. Well, it was the right core. Yeah, and I didn't get the Indian ink for my arm, thank goodness. Okay, good. Yeah, because like, what's the best case scenario of you going off with the clash? I mean, it would have been cool.

You would have had some good stories, and who knows what opportunities might have tangentially arisen, but... Yeah, but I wouldn't have liked that. What, making cups of tea for them and going to the shops, and I don't think I've liked it. I mean, what it might have done was led me to being in a band myself. Right, okay. You know, because sometimes I look back and I'm... I think, why didn't I do that? Why didn't I sort of form a band?

I mean, I knocked about with bands, but I think, and I'm not saying this to get the violins out, but I think because I wasn't considered pretty, I think I just thought, I know I can't be the singer in a band because I'm not pretty, and you sort of have to be pretty. You know, it's Debbie Harry.

it's polystyrene it's Susie Sue you know they're all very attractive girls you know crazy yeah yeah i guess Debbie Harry is the most conventionally attractive of those but the others have unconventional beauty yeah and also you know you were not in any way a hideous young person but in the book you do talk about this feeling of not being pretty yes yeah that you sort of become aware of around 12, 13 or something like that. And there's a very upsetting anecdote in there which is so strange.

You're getting ice creams. Oh, I was very young then. I must have been about eight or nine then. So we were all queuing. The ice cream van was there. There was a cue for the ice creams. I didn't have money for an ice cream, but you sort of hovered around

just in case somebody said, would you want one? Anyway, there was a woman there, a Cockney woman who was just, just walking past and said, I've had a win on the bingo, who wants an ice cream. So we were thrilled.

Do you know what I mean? And I was like, yes, Mrs. Thanks, Mrs. and all that. And I had horrible teeth. And she just looked at me and she said, oh, ain't you ugly? It was extraordinary. I was mortified.

Of course. I was so embarrassed. But again, I just, quick and I came back with I'm the best dancer at the ugly bug ball and then did the dance and everyone laughed and they laughed more at me

than they did at her saying that so then when she gave me my ice cream she did say I'm really sorry I said that love yeah that's almost the most upsetting part of the story in a way do you know what I mean yeah that she who says that to anyone who says that to anyone let alone a child

Well, she obviously wasn't that bright. Right, okay. Do you know what I mean? But she was bright enough to understand that it was not okay to say it, and then she sort of apologised afterwards. She had enough self-awareness to do that. She did, but she just had a reaction to my face. But it wasn't your face, though.

It was something weird, because you just looked like a normal kid. I know. Yeah. You know, and yeah, maybe she didn't like the look of your teeth or whatever it might have been, but it was like such a strange. thing and obviously you remembered it oh my god yeah I never forgot it well exactly all it takes is a

one or two of those moments and that suddenly becomes how you think of yourself yeah oh absolutely and I didn't write about this in the book and then when I was about 13 you know I had a couple of moments where a boy asked me out and I said yes and then he laughed and said are you mad I don't want to go out of you and you know what I mean It was like a big joke. So that didn't fucking help either, you know.

So, yeah, so I think I'd just resign to the fact that, oh, I'll be the funny one then, you know. And it didn't help that every friend I had, best friend seemed to be extremely pretty. Do you know what I mean? So... Maybe you gravitated towards those people, do you think? Like, I, my thing was I didn't like being short. and I ended up marrying a tall woman, being friends with a lot of tall people.

I don't know if it's just a coincidence. Yeah, that's funny, isn't it? Yeah. Yeah, maybe I went towards the pretty girls because also I wanted to be the one that was the funny one. I wanted to be the funniest, you know? Ultimately, that's more valuable currency, isn't it? You feel like...

Well, it's turned out that way. Sure. But it's weird. I saw an interview with you in 1989, I think. God. On the set of a play maybe. Wow.

Being interviewed by the BBC and you were talking about the kind of parts that you were getting. Oh, right. And you were saying, you know, I get cast as the kind of weird friend of the pretty one. And you were saying, I don't mind because they're the best parts. Yeah. And you said you had been cast as the attractive wife and something. And actually it was the most boring part. Yeah, yeah, that's true.

Yeah. But obviously you were still very aware of that. That narrative was still playing out in your head. And, you know, I'm watching this interview and you look like a normal woman. Yeah. It's not like, whoa, look at her. Yeah, yeah. So it was something that really stuck with you.

I think so. And also, I suppose, you know, moms are very good at letting their daughters know that they're pretty or they're attractive or if they're not, you know. how to improve themselves do you know what I mean and so I never had that so I never sort of went home to anybody and said this woman just called me ugly

and so no adult said well how fucking stupid was that person so you know what I mean I just sort of kept that to myself really and held it in and just thought well there's a truth to it

you know anyway it's crazy isn't it? And it just makes you realize that so many people have that kind of experience one way or another and they end up with a sort of very distorted picture of what they mean to other people. Exactly. You know, I've known so many, like, particularly, not just girls, but that have terrible eating disorders because someone said, oh, you're a bit fat or, oh, you're getting a bit chubby. And then the rest of their life is sort of fucked, you know, with, you're, you're, you're,

insecurity and oh I better not eat that and I better you know oh god I'm going to be fat and you know how do you get out of that I guess you just sort of try and do what you are good at and realize that yeah you can be a happy person you can live a happy life by having the courage to be confident I mean that sounds like something you put on a mug but I suppose I always came across as confident because I would be funny, you know? Yeah. And you're right about going out with this guy who was a sweet guy but kind of just got radicalised by skinhead Yobbs.

Oh yeah, yeah. And that's a sad story as well. Well, he was called Steve and he was lovely and he was my first boyfriend and he was a couple years older than me but he was really gentle and he was funny and daft and he was a punk and he looked like sid vicious he had the black spiky hair and i just thought he was amazing and you know it's that teenage going out where we went out together for a couple of months two three months maybe at the most and then i wasn't seeing him that much because he was older than me so he was going to get a and he was going to parties and all the rest of it.

So I stopped going out with him. I packed him in. But I said, but we'll always be friends. And he was like, yeah, you know, he was probably really glad. You know, I think he was just like humouring me a lot of the time, you know. But he was so lovely. And then the next time I saw him and, you know, the skinhead thing started to happen. And I was a skinned myself.

and I'd heard somebody said, oh, Steve is a skinhead, and he's got all these tattoos. And I was like, what? Anyway, they'd been trouble, bank holiday Monday trouble down on one of the seaside results. And so the papers were full of this disgraceful fighting on the beaches and all that.

And on the front cover of one of the papers was this sort of very well-known now, photo you can Google it and up it comes of this guy getting arrested sticking his fingers up to the camera looking really aggressive and he had made in london tattooed on his head and it was steve and i was gobsmacked i just couldn't believe it so i rang his flat and his sister answered he had a lovely sister called Julie. She was terribly upset and said he's been arrested

and it'll probably get put in a detention centre and all this business. And somehow I found out maybe it was her that told me that the first thing that was going to happen though was that he had to go to hospital because he had fuck off tattooed on one side of his neck and a Nazi swastika on the other side of his neck. So these had to be removed

because it was illegal to have offensive stuff like that exposed to the world. So the judge ordered that he had to go to hospital and get these removed. So I went to visit him in the hospital. And it was so cute really. Because, you know, the hair was starting to grow over the tattoos on his head.

And he's there in hospital pyjamas, bandages on his neck, you know. He was delighted to see me that I'd gone to visit him. He said, oh, thanks for coming to visit me. He said, can I have your address though? I don't know your address because I'll write to you from the detention centre. And I was like, oh, I said, okay. I said, but I can't be your girlfriend again, though.

And he went, oh, no, that's all right. I've got a girlfriend. She's coming later. I was, oh, fuck. Okay. But he was a nice boy. And it was sort of strange that this photo of him, he looked so aggressive because he was acting the part of being an aggressive skinhead. That wasn't who he was at all really, you know.

And that was around the time when some of the punks were kind of appropriating the swastika and using it as just a kind of catch-all provocative symbol. rather than it being politically weighted. Is that right? Yes, but well, I don't know. I can't speak on his behalf about that because, you know, the skinhead culture was getting hijacked by... The far right. The far right, the National Front and BNP, the British National Party.

So who knows? Who knows? I never had a discussion with him about that. How did you come to be a skinhead? music just the music yeah it was when two-tone came out so I was too young to be a punk punk you know I was a sort of part-time plastic punk

because that was between the age of 1314 but then two-tone hit and yeah so I could be a skinhead the clothes were easier to access and there was a smartness to the clothes you know, the Fred Perry's and the Ben Sherman's shirts and jeans and loafers, you know, braces. So I really loved the look. I really loved being able to be boyish, basically, that it was a fashion to be boyish.

And that music was very politically utopian as well. Oh, it was amazing. Mixed race bands and it was just a sort of vision of. It was fantastic. Yeah. But there was still judgment about if you were skinhead, you know, people didn't know. They didn't know you whether you were into the music or whether you were into the politics of what that look was supposed to be giving off. Do you know what I mean?

That it meant that you were a racist, you know. Yeah. So it was very hard. Right. Very confusing. Yeah. schism there. And then some of the racists, though, were still into the music, right?

Like they would show up at some of the gigs, madness gigs and bad manners gigs or whatever. But a lot of the time they wanted to cause trouble. Right, okay. It was to fight and stuff, you know. But I thought the specials and the selector and the beat, you know, I just thought they were brilliant. I loved them.

And then it was sort of strange when they started to become popular enough to be on top of the pops and stuff and then you're a bit, oh no. Uh-huh. Oh, fucking hell now. Everyone likes them and, what do you mean ghost town's number one? What? Shouldn't be number one.

It should be number one on the indie chart, not the fucking top of the pops chart. Yeah. You know? God, that was a good song. Amazing. But then you got told off by your sister-in-law? Yes.

Carmelita. Yeah. So my brother Barry met Carmelita, you know, when they were 19, I think, 18, 19. So, yeah, so I was still a skinhead when I met Carmelita. And Barry was sort of, well, he was more what they called a suede head. So it was like you didn't do the full skinhead look, but you had the two-tone suit and you were into the music and all that. And she was herself. She had a mix of sort of rockabilly look.

and sort of punk but more rockabilly you know I remember she used to wear bobby socks and things like that you know yeah

she was so beautiful she was so yeah and she was mixed heritage from Hackney because when she met my brother they met at a party and from her point of view she said she just was

frightened of this guy in the corner who just was staring at her you know with this sort of skinhead look in his two-toned suit and she just thought he fucking hates me because I'm black

and that guy wants to beat me up but I think from my brother's point of view he basically fell in love at first sight and he just couldn't keep his eyes off her and then there was a big dance going on or whatever and she fell and he grabbed her and legend

says that he said to her I'm never going to let you go and he didn't. Hmm. And that was it. They were married a month after meeting and she moved in with us. So it was suddenly lovely to have another woman in the house.

It was like, oh my God, you could smell perfume in the air. Do you know what I mean? It was just so nice. But then I started to grow my hair out and I started to go to Anna Shares and she said to me, you know, yeah, I'm glad you're not.

into that anymore because when I first saw you I just thought oh my god who's this stupid little wanker you know because that was it I tried to um ingratiate myself towards her the very first time I met her by telling her a mildly racist joke. Uh-huh. Because I thought oh she'll like this. Charlie Williams told this joke who was a black comic on the telly. She made it very clear that she didn't like it. I wasn't to tell her those sort of jokes ever again and I didn't and I never told anybody jokes like that ever again Yeah yeah

You know It was good I was lucky that she came into my brother's life And therefore my life When I was young When I was still sort of impressionable You know

I loved reading about the journey that you went on with Harry Enfield and all that lot. I didn't realise that Perry predated Kevin and Perry. Yeah, yeah. How did that come about? Well, that was on the Jonathan Ross show. The Last Resort? No, it was another show. So it was after the last resort.

So I'd done a character called Tina Bishop. Oh yeah, who's like the northern... Yes, it was from Yorkshire, it was from Keithley. And she was Arda's Nails and she was pregnant. And the whole skit was, you know, she had a bottle of beer and a fag. Well, she's very heavily pregnant. And that was through working with Roland Rivron and Simon Brint, with their cabaret act, raw sex.

And Roland was doing work for the last result, Roland Rivron, and he suggested I go on it as Tina Bishop. So that was the first character I did on the last result. And then it was a new, I think it was a Sunday night show. I can't remember what it was called, maybe just the Jonathan Ross show. And it was live again. And he had guests on.

But this time there was like a game show incorporated in it called Not Gang Ginger. So there was a big wall of doors. Yeah. And then there was a little one we'd come out as characters. Because it was a quiz for the all. audience members. So it was me, Vic and Bob, Paul, White House and Charlie Higson. So we were all doing various characters. And then the next week, because it was live, because I was thinking, why didn't I have a contract, like a proper contract? And I think it was because it was live,

so they didn't know if the game show was going to happen every week. So we would turn up, you know what I mean, and just say, oh, are we going to be on what's happening? You know, And it was Paul that said to me, because I was feeling a little bit, oh, Tina Bishop isn't getting as much exposure as she did on the last result. You know, it's all very quick and all that. And I don't know what happened, but they suddenly needed another character. And Paul Whitehouse said to me, I think you'd be really good at doing a little boy character. And I thought, oh, that's a good idea.

So, anyway, there was a costume room in there or whatever. whatever, so I wangled together a sort of uniform. But I knew I didn't want to be like little Jimmy cranky. Do you know what I mean? So then I remember thinking, oh, no, not a little boy, a teenage boy. Because I said to Paul, if he's a teenage boy, he's going through puberty, so therefore his voice is breaking. And I remember Paul going, oh, that's good.

He went, how would you do it? And he'd go, oh, I don't know, he's pretty tall. Be a bit like that. But then every day again, he would go and, he would be at high and then he'd go quite low again. So Paul was like, that's great and he said, oh, you should call him, you know, we were trying to think of names and Paul said Terry and I went, no, Perry, because I had a mate called Perry, Perry Fenwick.

So that was Perry's first appearance was on that Jonathan Ross show. Yeah. And he was Perry the pubescent teenager. So yeah, I think I only did him twice. I certainly didn't do him more than twice because then I left the show. Well, you found out that you weren't getting paid the same as the other blogs.

I found out the boys were getting more than me, which is sort of the norm. It's still like that. But I just thought it was outrageous because, I mean, Vic Reeves had done the last result but nobody else had done the last result. So I just thought, hang on a minute, I did the last result.

Tina Bishop went down a storm on the last result. Now I'm doing this show, it's less money than I got on the last result because there's more people. So I sort of understood that. There's more performers. But then it was Paul, again, who unknowingly just sort of told me what the money was that they were getting. And it was like 50 quid more than me or whatever. And I just thought, hang on a fucking minute. we're all doing the same amount of work, you know?

And I did double-check with Paul Whitehouse, actually, when I was writing it. You know, I rang him up and said, Paul, were you a writer on that Jonathan Ross show? Is that why you got more money? No, no, no. He said I was just performing the same as you. So I was like, right, right.

So I didn't go back. I think there were like two or three shows left. I was impressed by that when I read that because I just thought I think a lot of people would just be so grateful for the break and you're on TV

and it's like, well, it'll lead to something else but you had the confidence then to think, Ashley, no. Yeah, I mean, the stupidity, I don't know. I just sort of remember thinking, fuck this,

what am I doing? This is stupid. What else were you doing at the time? Like, what was the alternative for you? Well, unpaid, fringe theatre work you know box office split every now and again waiting

for Dawn and Jennifer to put me in a sketch so I could get a bit of money you know they were doing comic strip stuff with them they were doing comic strip stuff but at the same time I was doing serious theatre work and plays right you know all that sort of stuff and things like

BBC schools programmes and you know what I mean I was just a jobbing actor really who was suddenly involved in the comedy world a bit more. Who else was doing? Because as soon as you see Tina Bishop, if you look at it on YouTube now, your commitment to the character.

I've not watched it for you. Well, I've never watched it, really. Yeah, it's good. Is it all right? Because I think back and I think, oh, that must have been awful, really. No, no, it's good. It's like, well, you can act.

It's not sort of silly and mad. Do you know what I mean? Right. It's more the approach that the League of Gentlemen would have taken. Do you know what I mean? Right. It's coming from an acting place rather than a mad comedy place. Yeah, no.

Which makes it funnier and makes it better. Yeah. Teeny used to really divide the crowd because half the crowd would be like, oh my God, this is really bad. This is obviously someone with special needs that they've allowed on stage, you know? And then the other off the audience sort of got it. it. The influences back then were people like Peter Cook, because Peter Cook

would go on to Jonathan Ross and Clive Anderson as characters and also the brilliant Barry Humphreys doing Les Patterson and then Dame Edna. So I think it was sort of from that school, for a better word, you know.

And then you bumped into Peter Cook? When was that? Well, that was, I didn't bump into him. He was waiting for me in my dressing room. And... That was a big charity show. Yes. Yeah. Yeah, it was charity

for Amnesty International. Right. And I did Tina Bishop on that. So I decided that Tina had got confused and thought it was Amnesia International.

So she sang memories. It was terrible, really. But yeah, it was quite exciting to do because, you know, Michael Palin was on there. In fact, it was,

directed by Jennifer Saunders and John Cleese. So I think it was Jennifer that sort of got me involved. You know, come and do Tina Bishop, you know. But I found the whole thing quite terrifying just because of the people, you know, Peter Cook and Dudley Moore and the pythons and I felt like a tiny little tadpole in this massive pool of huge fish, you know. I think it was the last night

because I did three shows It was three nights And then I went into my dressing room At the end of doing my bit And Peter Cook was fucking Sat in my room On the floor He was quite pissed

And I went oh Hello I said I think you're in the wrong room No No I'm not in the wrong room He said He said I just wanted to tell you He said I think you're a fucking genius

I was like, oh thanks very much But also I was thinking There are no witnesses We're no fucking witnesses Why are you saying this to me Why aren't you saying that out on stage You know what I mean? But yes I was very embarrassed

But thrilled Thrilled to bits And yeah But I just got very very shy I still am quite I get quite shy Around very very famous people I sort of don't know what to say to them, you know.

Is that only if you like what they do, or is it anyone who happens to be very well known? Yeah, I think, well, obviously, there's a bit more of an edge to it if you're a fan, you know? Were you a fan of the Pogues when you worked with Shane McGowan on Straight to Hell? Oh, yeah, yeah. Were you excited about the prospect of going out there, and Joe Strummer was on that film as well as it?

God, so excited. Elvis Costello. So this was straight to hell, the Alex Cox movie. And yeah, it was like a who's who of sort of indie music and film. Jim John Moosh was in it. And Dennis Hopper turned up. Grace Jones turned up. I mean, it was crazy.

It was a crazy job. There was a lot of drugs. Do you know what I mean? And I, of course, by then, I'd been acting for about four or five years. So I was just like, this is so unprofessional. I just couldn't believe the sort of, not so much the debauchment, but Alex just allowing these improvisations to go on and on and on. And they were terrible.

It was rubbish. And I used to say to him, I'd just go, this is fucking rubbish, Alex. I mean, I thought the script was rubbish. But I thought I'm still going to go. I'm going to go to Spain, you know what I mean? And hang out with Joe Strummer and the Pogues and, you know, it was good fun. I was always a bit of an old bag. What was it about?

Oh, fuck knows. I don't know. The script made no sense. I'm Googling straight to hell synopsis, 1987, surreal spaghetti western parody. Directed by Alex Cox follows three bungling hitmen and their pregnant gun mole. After robbing a bank,

they get stranded in a desert town inhabited by a hostile coffee-addicted gang. Yeah, sounds great, don't it? Are you going to do more acting? Probably not. But never say never. Never say never. Last thing I did, I did a little bit for Steve McQueen

and a film he did called Blitz. Oh, yes. That was out a couple of years ago. Period. Drama. Yes, because I love Steve McQueen. It was just great to work with him and be in his company for a few days.

And he actually encouraged me to write my memoir. Ah, okay. Because he said, oh, what are you doing? What are you doing next? And I said, I don't know. I'm sort of humming and a ring about whether to do a book, to do a memoir. And he just said, it's very important. It's very important.

Working class stories are very, very important. You've got to think about the next generations. And, you know, they need those positive outcomes, you know. So then when I finished it, I wrote to him and said, well, you've got to fucking give us a quote. because I don't think I'd have written it without you saying you have to. Yeah.

You know? And now you're working on part two. I'm not working on it. I'm having a break. I'm having a break. And I'll probably start working on part two next year. But I do think the second book isn't going to be as sort of joyous as because the second book is full of illness, menopause.

Do you know what I mean? And being quite bitter about a lot of things that went on. I saw a friend yesterday and I said, oh God, I think the second book could be called Cunts and other animals. Because, you know, I think there'll be a whole chapter on cunts. The Twitter years. Yes, and the Twitter years and all that. There's a lot of laughs there, though.

Come on, I think you're still minding the comedy. Yeah, I'll try and make it as light as possible. But I don't know. I don't think it'll be as, as, because I loved writing about the child. Even though the child was quite tricky, it was still lovely to write. Yeah. And going to Anna Shares and just the excitement of suddenly being in the industry, being in show business. It was like, my God, you know.

Yeah. That was very vividly conveyed. It was wonderful. Well, thank you, Adam. I do appreciate it. And maybe we'll meet again when Volume 2 is out. If I'm still here. I mean, fucking hell, 62.

Tick, tick, tick, tick, tick, tick. I saw Kevin Bishop a couple of weeks back. Do you know, Kevin? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I went for a walk with him down in Brighton because that's where he lives. I quite remember how old he is. He's still, he's just coming up to the 50s, I think. And I said, well, I'm 62 in June.

He went 62. He was so disgusted by the number. What? 62. Oh, fucking hell. I know in that when we were growing up, it would have seemed impossibly old. I mean, people in their 50s were very old in those days. Like, they were old guys, you know, with grey hair and bowler hats and a lot of them, you know what I mean?

Yeah, but I think we're kidding ourselves because I think people in their 20s do think we're old. Yes, fair enough. Yeah, I mean, technically, I suppose. I know what you mean. I think, you know, I was talking to a friend of mine, Dominic John Goy. the other day and we were talking about because now we seem to be going to funerals but we were talking

about the dress code of the funeral and how much that has changed over the years which is really good and I said to him well we've got hip hop to thank for that and he said really why hip hop and I said because of the trainers so now

we are all allowed to wear trainers and that definitely came from hip hop did it not don't you think Adam I suppose that That was part of it. Yes, turning the idea of trainers into something that was fashionable and smart. And then realizing we can be comfortable, we're allowed to be comfortable. We don't have to be in stiff brogy type hard shoes, you know.

Yes. We can be in nice, soft trainers. But what about this? Maybe it's good for us sometimes to be uncomfortable. That's what my parents would have thought. I think. Maybe they wouldn't have expressed it so directly, but I think they would have thought, sometimes you shouldn't be comfortable. Sometimes it is appropriate to be in an itchy suit and to be in uncomfortable shoes.

And that's what you do when you go to church. And it's not all about being comfortable. And in fact, people are altogether too comfortable these days. Well, I agree when it comes to men. But we are constantly uncomfortable because we have to be. wear bras. Okay. So, yes, so therefore you should wear hard shoes. Yeah. Okay. And now that feeling you get when you take off a pair of hard shoes at the end of the day that have been so uncomfortable and then your feet just feel so bliss. That's what it's like when a lady takes her bra off at the end of the day.

Uh-huh. It really is like, oh my God, thank God for that. Thank goodness and relax. I mean, do women still wear bras because, forgive me for asking you, do women still mainly wear bras for social reasons because they feel that's what's expected of how they should look? Or is it for practical reasons or I don't really know? Well, I think it's a bit of both and I mean, listen, I love to be relaxed but I wouldn't dream of leaving the house without my bra on because I don't want to be shouted at in the street. What would they shout? Saggy tits. Surely, surely we've got beyond people shouting.

Not round here, mate. Oh, people start singing swing loaves, sweet chariot. Anyway, how did this come about, this conversation? Being comfortable at funerals because they're getting older. That's right. And Kevin Bishop is so disgusted. by your... By me being 62.

Yeah, yeah. Well, yeah, I mean, that was the old image of what it was to be old was when I'm 64, you know. It was like... Yeah. That'll be when you are more or less at the end of your life because you will have lived three school years and 10 is all you're going to get, right? Yeah, yeah. And now people are living longer, you see.

Yeah. Now you've got a whole other chapter when you're in your 60s, you hope. Yeah. Do you feel that way? Well, it's sort of you come to terms with the fact that it's possibly the last chapter. That's what you come to terms with, I think. I mean, I spoke into a couple of mates about this because I had no problem reaching 40. I had no problem reaching 50.

But when I was approaching 60, every time I thought about it, my tummy turned over. Because it was like, oh, fuck, you can't say, well, 60's a new 40. or because it isn't do you not mean 60 is 60 you know and I know we're living longer and everyone sort of keeps themselves young it's a much healthier world in a way you know people are into fitness and healthy food and all that caper but if you've got to 60 or beyond it's sort of oh right okay you're very lucky to reach this far but you well I'm just to Speaking for myself, personally, I had to face up to the fact, oh, crumbs, okay, this is heading towards the end. What did that feel like? Did that make you depressed?

It just, well, like I said, it just made me feel a bit sick every time I thought about it. Yeah, yeah. It's sort of strange, you know what I mean? I was on a Radio 4 program the other day. It was one of those shows where you have to kind of like coin new terms or phrases for things. And I won't tell you the phrase I came up with, but I was trying to come up with something that described that sort of thing, that moment when you feel time moving in an unpleasant way,

when you're suddenly aware of it. And at various points in my life, I've had it. I had it when my daughter was young, and she was changing so fast from one month to the next. And, you know, I would film her on my phone being sweet. and looking back, like later that day, I could feel the moment pulling away and it gave me like an actual, you know, not sharp, but a pain in the chest to feel it moving away. Yeah. And then you suddenly become aware of how time works and suddenly in that moment you project yourself forward to maybe much further in your life or maybe towards the end of your life and suddenly time.

becomes this really unpleasantly elastic thing that is not working in your favour. Well, that's it. But those are just moments though, right?

Like, philosophically, you're supposed to be trying to live in the moment and not get trapped in those. That's it, and not worry too much about the future and just go with the flow,

you know, if you can. Are you okay at doing that? Most of the time, yeah, yeah. But, you know, I went to see a play the other day at the Young Vic. There's a play on there called Care,

which is set in an old people's home, a sort of council-run old people's home. And it was brilliant. But it was so real. And you've got Linda Bassett, who I personally think is one of the greatest actors to ever live. What would I know her from? Well, I suppose, sort of commercial.

She's known for, although I've never watched it, but she's known for being in Call the Midwife. Oh, yeah, okay. Linda's like a brilliant theatre actress. Do you know what I mean? That's what she's mostly known for. And, you know, so you're basically watching the last sort of couple of seasons, I think, of her life in this care home where she slowly deteriorates. You know, she's there at the beginning. We see her.

and she's very alert and astute and like, well, I've had an accident. I'm only here for a day or whatever or in a denial. And then, of course, we see the months drift past and we see her slowly becoming old, very old and needing more and more help. And then we basically slowly watch her die.

And it was incredible. and astonishing and it's a work of art really, this play. Well, I'll pop out with the family and see that on my birthday. But that's the fucking problem, you see, because it's such a great piece of art. But it's so difficult to recommend it to people. Sure. I mean, I can appreciate that it is amazing to see something like that,

but you sort of think, God, it's hard enough to make time to do anything these days and maybe I won't prioritize that one specifically. Yeah. But it's a mistake. I appreciate that, you know, seeing those things is always something that is rewarding, but I'm so reluctant sometimes to make the time. It's like the father with Olivia Coleman and Anthony Hopkins. Oh, that was great.

Well, everyone who's seen it says it's amazing. You've got to see it. But I'm like, I just don't know when the right. time for the incredibly upsetting father with dementia movie is going to be. I'm the same with really violent stuff about young people. You know what I mean? Yeah. People, young gangs, people shooting each other and I won't waste my time watching those things

anymore. But the play you described, though, what's it called again? Care. Care. So what does it give the audience? Why do you feel good about having seen a play like that other than just appreciating the craft? Well, what did it give you?

You know, an understanding of the cuts that have been made in the NHS and that it affects everybody. And it shows the carers, the nurses. The good thing about the play is that there's at no point any sort of official coming in and giving numbers and statistics. Oh, but they can't have fruit in the bowl anymore because we can't afford it. Do you know what I mean? And I think that's sort of what's brilliant about it. It's just very subtly letting you know how hard this is. But it's also letting you know about grief and how to deal with grief.

And I mean, there are a lot of people in the audience that were upset, you know, because people have been through this with their parents or, you know, I went to a matinee. So, you know what I mean? The demographic of the audience. We're also thinking how far away is this for us? Because you've got a character in there played by the brilliant Haley Car, Michael, who's only late 40s, who's got early onset dementia, late 40s, early 50.

You know what I mean? So, yeah, I don't know what I got from it, really. It was very funny. I went with my young friend Tom and young friend, he's in his 40s, but he's my young friend. And my taxi driver friend Lee was waiting for us. to take us home and usually, you know, come out of the theatre and them all smiles and Lee's like, how was that one?

And I go, oh, that was this. And anyway, we both came out. We were completely wrecked. I'd been crying non-stop, I think, for the last half hour of the play, just quietly weeping. This is going to be good for the poster. I know. I cried non-stop. Well, well, I did do a little thing about it on Instagram and I said, be prepared.

to be a quivering wreck. And the young Vick have replied to me saying, can we quote quivering wreck? Yes, yes. Okay, thank you, Cathy. Thank you, darling. Wait. Continue.

Oh, this is nice. It's about a fucking time, isn't it? Hey, welcome back, Podcats. That was Kathy Burke, talking to me there earlier this month, June, 26. And I'm very grateful to Kathy for letting me come over and record with her.

It was lovely to see her. And as you've probably realized by now, I thought her memoir was fantastic, a mind of my own. I put a link to the audiobook in the description, but as of a few weeks ago, it is also out in paperback. So how are you doing podcasts?

I hope everything's all right with you, wherever you are, whenever you're listening to this. It's a funny old. June, I'll tell you that much. As I speak, it is a beautiful evening. But quite cold, not especially Juney. Me? Oh, I'm doing fine. Very nice to have Success Pod out in the world. And I've had some nice responses to it so far. I'm really glad that people seem to be enjoying it. I'm actually going to be talking to another Success Pod guest, Louis Theroux. in a forthcoming episode. Louis, as well as being a guest, was also one of the producers on the show.

It was made through his production company Mind House. I've been kicking around the idea for a long time. And if I hadn't taken it to Louis and his partner, Nancy, who run the company, a few years back, I probably would never have got it made. Anyway, I'm going to talk to Louis a bit about success pod, a bit about the Manosphere, and, other odds and sods. I hope that fairly soon I'll be able to give you some details about an exciting live Adam and Joe show

anniversary event in which myself and cornballs will get together on stage, play some classic clips, some rare nuggets, and do some live waffling. Because it was 30 years ago that the first series

of the Adam and Joe show was broadcast on Channel 4, So the plan is to get together and do a handful of live shows to celebrate that anniversary. But we are still waiting final confirmation on exact dates and venues. I will let you know as soon as I hear more. All right, that's it for this week's episode. Thanks to Claire Broughton and Diggery Wait at Hattrick for production support and editing from Diggery. Thanks also to Seamus Murphy Mitchell

for additional production support Thanks to everyone at Acast Who Works Hard Liaising with my sponsors Much appreciated Thank you to Helen Green for her beautiful artwork I think she might be coming up

with a design for an unabsorbent tea towel Which we're hoping to make available At the Adam Buxton Band shows Next week at Hoxton Hall Sure it might have been a good idea To sort that out At the beginning of the tour rather than for the end.

But, you know, me, that's a little bit too organized. Anyway, thanks, most especially to you for coming back to this podcast and listening right to the end. That's, I mean, blimey. That's pretty nice, I think. That's why I'm proposing a creepy hug. You don't get a creepy hug at the end of the rest is politics.

Rogan doesn't give you a creepy hug. Who gives you a creepy hug apart from buckles? I don't want to know. But I'm offering you one right now. So switch off if you don't want one. Hey, how you doing? Come here. Good to see you.

Oh, you smell very freshly laundered. Until the next time that you and I share the same sonic space. Please go carefully for goodness. One day you think, oh, it's fine. I don't need to go carefully. Everything's fine. That's exactly when you need to go most. carefully. Yeah. But look, for what it's worth, I love you. Bye!