Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Alex Horne

Episode Date: March 29, 2021

This week Emily goes for a stroll with Alex Horne and his Cockapoo, Loky. They discussed Alex’s entry into performing, his childhood Labrador, his first date with his wife, Rachel and the story behind his creation, Taskmaster. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

What's that, Emily? Oh, it's a bird of prey? Yeah. Is it a herring? No, is it a... No, it's a... No, it's got a forktail. Porktail.

A heron? This week on Walking the Dog, I went for a stroll with bandleader, comedian, and creator and host of the massively popular Channel 4-show Taskmaster, Alex Horn. Alex and his adorable Cockapoo Lockie took me for a wander around their manner in Buckinghamshire, and he was, just as you'd expect, charming company. and he's also a keen bird watcher, so it was very educational. I now know, for example, that a red kite is definitely not a heron. Alex describes himself as being quite a shy person.

He actually struck me as just a really unassuming, gentle, decent guy with this extraordinary big creative brain. We chatted about all sorts, his childhood Labrador, Hamish, when he was growing up with his two brothers and his mum Sheila, and dad, Dr Hugh, how he was more of an observer than a loud character as a kid, as well as his entry into comedy and performing when he went to Cambridge. We also discussed his very first proper date with his wife Rachel, and of course the story behind his genius creation at the show Taskmaster.

And there is currently a brand new series of it going out on Channel 4 at 9pm on Thursdays right now, hosted by the wonderful Greg Davis and of course Alex. So do get involved because it's brilliant, and also Lee Max on this run. Happy now, Lee, you got your mention, love. I really hope you enjoy my first. chat with Alex, I loved him. In fact, I describe him as living proof that nice guys can finish first. And he also happens to have one of the nicest dogs I've ever met. I said one of the Ray, calm down, dear. Do remember to rate review and subscribe to hear more. I'll hand over to

the man himself now. Here's Alex and Lockie. Right, so what happens? We just go, do we? Do you want to hold her leads? Really excited, Alex. So she. So I might, obviously. mainly so she... Come on, sweetheart! The thing is Alex, I have no discipline. No, you're just standing next to her. I just drag her along. Are you okay if I do that?

Yeah, yeah, completely. I mean, I haven't even formally met her yet. Well, otherwise we were just standing by that bush old morning. On my right, please, sweetheart. Have you been to Cheshion before? No, this is my first time. I'm going to show you all the sites. Are you showing me the sights?

Can I meet your dog Alex and now I'll introduce you? Well do you want me to introduce you to her and her to you? Yeah why not? Okay Emily this is Locky, this is Emily. Locky, this is Emily. L-O-K-Y, which I think is meant to be... She's meant to be named after that character in the Avengers movies. But I think that's a he who's pronounced Loki.

Is that Tom Hiddleston? I don't know, probably. Was it named by children your dog? Yes, it was named by children. And it's the first little girl in our family, apart from my wife, so I've got three boys. So they didn't want too girl your name. And I think it's actually quite good for them to have a female their age. Well, we'll talk more about her after I've introduced you.

I'm with the very wonderful. I mean, you've got so many things before your name. I don't really know what to kick off with. I'm enjoying very wonderful. Okay, very wonderful. Bandleader, comedian, creator and host of Taskmaster, Alex Horn. Did you notice I gave you the sole host credit there? Yes, I...

I'll pay for that. Yeah, he won't enjoy that. Well, Greg Davis, your co-hosts, been on this podcast. Well, he's met Locky before. They're so funny together because obviously she's quite small and he's not. But he's such a softy, isn't he? Oh, well, we took a rock bottle out. Right.

And, well, it was a, I think it was a rotten shepherd we took out. And a dog. That's a joke. So Alex Horn, we're in your locale. Yes. Which is Cheshem. Cheshem. The greatest market town in Buckinghamshire.

I will show you a bit. We're going to do our regular small walk. If you've only got, if you've got under an hour, this is a walk we do with a kid. and one bit of it is really really beautiful and you know it's just within walking distance of our house so we feel very lucky hi you're right lucky didn't get on very well with that dog Alex I think that dog is quite a barky dog she barks in a garden up because we've got an abandoned house next to us which is full of deer and foxes so she goes mad it's quite frustrating how

would you stop a dog bark Emily? Well, do you know I spoke to there's a gentleman called Graham Hall who's on the show dogs behaving very badly which you may be familiar with. Yes. And I was talking to him about dog barking and I said to him well when my dog Raymond the day I brought him home he tried to bark and I said oh no we don't do that and he never did it again. What? And Graham Hall said he intimated that that was wishful thinking on my part that it had anything to do with me. Right. So, Lurkey hasn't done much barking, though. No, she won't bark on this walk at all. It's only in our garden because they're these weird animals next door. So I think unless somebody moves in and develops the house.

She's got such an elegant little gate. Yeah, she's like a little show pony. What a stunning girl she is. So will you talk me through Lucky and what flavor she is, etc? So Lucky is, I think she's a year and a half. nearly a year and a half now. She was born in October 2019 so she's a year and a half. So I think she's not a puppy anymore and that's as big as she's going to get. She's smaller than we'd hoped but actually it's really practical because she can get on her

sofas and laps and stuff. And we got her because I wanted a dog at some point but in a sort of typical male way not now, you know now's not right and my wife eventually said well I found one we're getting one. It's nice weather isn't it? And what kind of dog is she? She is a cockapoo, which is what everyone in Cheshim's got. Really? Because they are child friendly and they don't mould and they're hyper-allergenic. But you do have to get their hair cut, which I'm not used to that with dogs.

We used to have labrador and they just exist, you know, and they smell. She didn't really smell. But you don't have to have her hair cut every six weeks, which seems to me a bit ridiculous. And her mum lives down there. She's a local doctor. We know the family. They all go to the same schools of kids. as a kid so she sees her mum still which I think is quite nice oh how nice she seems ever so good nature that looks well she's the best dog I'm sorry sometimes I describe her as being character-free but I think that's a bit harsh because I think

she has got a good personality but she's it's not a strong personality she's sort of just if she's a human I think I'd like her but she's just a calm person yeah she wouldn't be a comic she would be uh I think she should be uh I think she's should have a little souvenir shop or something. Cheshim is full of people making noise, by the way. It's famous for it. Hello, leafblower man. Yeah, they're all volunteer.

They all just do it as a hobby. So did you have dogs when you were growing up, Alex? Well, we had a dog. We had a dog called Hamish, a big black Labrador, and two male black cats called Horace and Boris, and again, three boys. So it's another male household. We're going in here by the way.

Oh, do you want to do the gate? Yes. Off you go, Lockie. May the odds be ever in your favour. Oh. Yeah, she won't go far. She didn't move. So yeah, so this is your dad, Hugh.

Hugh, my mum, Sheila, my two brothers, Matt and Chip. Chip is an unusual name. an unusual name because that sounds like a sort of American college name. American golfer. How did Chip happen? Well, Chip happened because he was called Christopher and then he couldn't pronounce Christopher so he called himself Chip and then we all called that and then he changed it by deed pole

when he was 18 and that's our sort of one, a family story that makes us sound more interesting than we are. Whereabouts did you grow up then? Where were you living at that point? In a little town, a bit like Cheshirem called Midhurst in West Sussex. Yeah. is sort of the same as this really. So this is, what I like about Cheshim is you can see it all down there

because it's in the valley. And Midhurst was pretty similar. 5,000 people. And what was your family environment like? Was it quite a, I know your dad was a bird watcher, a birder, I'm sorry. Very good, very good. Not a Twitcher, not a bird watcher, but a birder, very important. But he was a GP, but he retired when he was 55.

because you could then and that's approaching now 55. Imagine retiring at 55. And then he just became a full-time birdwatcher, really, or birder. We volunteers for the RSPB and potters about. And was your mum a homemaker? Well, she was a... Now then, this job title always escapes me. A, what's that job?

This doesn't do me any favour of not remembering my mum's job. It's like it's a two-word phrase. A something can something, like a career, like a something, something. Consultant. No, so it helps in your house if you need to put. Interior designer. If you need to put up bars to help people with wheelchairs and stuff. Something something.

I know what you mean. What's my mum do for a job? She is. There's something something. I like this sign. Oh. That's Cheshim for you. Look, it's good, isn't it?

Cheshim Reveal's historical timeline. It used to be Roman and there's a sort of pudding stone and a little weird burial thing with eight trees round it. It's very old. Oh, occupational therapist. Very good. Occupational therapist. I'm saying very good.

Congratulations you because you finally remembered what your mother did. And then she got job in the surgery when we were kids, so that's all I know. Hello. Hello. Oh, Locky's quite a regular here. here. You do meet the community as a dog owner. It's quite funny. Do you like that? Yeah, I really like it. You're quite friendly Alex, aren't you? Well what I like is sort of the enforced shortness of conversations with the dog because you can just you can just say right

bye halfway through a conversation and no one minds. You're obviously you're a funny guy. Was that evident when you were growing up? Were you sort of funny Alex? Um, Well, so I wasn't ever the Joker in the classroom. You know, I always seen this, probably loads, but two types of comics growing up. So one who's really funny in the classroom and one who just sits at the back and notices things, I suppose, so I was more than that type.

But in there, lots of dogs there, but in the horn household, I think I thought I was quite funny. You know, I could make people laugh at Christmas dinner when we're playing games, like Balder Dash. I was always trying to do funny answers. I think that's probably where you learn to be. learn to be funny. Hello, it's the retriever here. A little lab maybe. Oh she's like falling over. So I always think Lucky's got a nice colour and then you see other dogs

and you think oh no she's rubbish colour. Look at her. Locky's hair colour is like my hair colour, just nothing. Oh look at those, there's some black labs to remind you of your youth Alex. Yeah I do still miss my dog so he died when I was 21 I think and my wife always says Well, first time she saw me cry or anything like that. Because it is quite bad, and I'm already thinking, oh God, Lockhe's going to die at some point. And then my children will get really sad. It is really heartbreaking, isn't it?

Do you like those daffodils? Oh, they're nice. Oh, look. It's a dog poo bin right there. That is... Oh, that's handy. Great news. So your family...

Were you close to your brothers when you were growing up, Alex? Yeah. What's your... just pick up all the grass that's what I do yeah I mean yeah so we're very similar to my children in that there's a couple of years between each of us so we're all the same schools and all boys have lots of football and you know standard stuff really yeah and they both live within an hour of here and what do they do are you allowed to say what they do no because they're both criminals really bad ones no one is one it works for the

financial conduct authority and one works for Google but I think it's typical in that the older one got the more sensible job have you got siblings well I've got a sister but she's sadly she sadly died oh I'm sorry but yeah I think having had a sibling I think I think it is interesting the way you know from quite a young age I think you take on a role but You know what your character is in the family, don't you? Yeah, I think so. So were you sort of, Alex, were you the sort of mischievous one or just the wry one? I think not naughty.

Yeah. I wasn't ever really very naughty, but probably slightly more maverick in a very middle-class way. So I'd wear silly hats. And I had slightly long hair for a bit and went to festivals. So slightly more. I think the middle one you can get away with a bit more because you're not the baby and you're not, you know, everything's not on your shoulders. And I can see that with my three boys. The middle one is more eccentric, definitely, already, at age 10. And did you go through a rebellious phase at all? No. I got caught drinking at school when I was 15 and had to tell my parents and that was the height of it really. How did you take it?

Silence. Well, I told my mum and she said, you've got to go and tell your father, who was in the greenhouse. So I said, how do I tell him? And she said, just tell him there's been trouble up mill. I don't know what that meant. So I said that to him, and he said, what do you mean?

And I explained, I got caught drinking, and then that was it. That was fine. The punishment is just telling them, really. Right, we're going down to this bit. Are you shy Alex as a kid? At school what was your sort of role in your, with your peers would you say? And Emily is down. She's going, she's down again.

It's like a mountain, isn't it? So treacherous. What was your, what was your spice girl persona? Yeah, that's a good question. I think I was very similar to it as I am now. similar to it as I am now really but there's a bit of shyness I really like this sort of talking to people but I wouldn't like it if there was five of us in an audience why I don't know well so with Frank I think he's not shy at all

Frank Skinner just I'm thinking of our mutual friends yeah or or even or Tim Key I don't think is shy at all or Greg Davis I'd go so far as to say show-offs yeah they're all show-offs I don't think I'm a show-off And I don't use that negatively because I consider myself a show off. Yeah, and most comedians are, that's sort of the job really. But I've definitely got it in me. But I find some social situations quite fiddly. Do you?

Well, it doesn't help being officially a comedian, so people are expecting you to be funny. Yeah. It's much nicer when you're just, well, he's quite funny. You should be a comedian. Well, it's a bit like saying, You're a supermodel, isn't it? In some respects. Yeah.

It's kind of if that's the first thing people know about you. I think they should have super comedians. Like, you can be a model or a supermodel. I'm definitely not a super comedian. Yeah, and if you're with people, like when your kids go to a new school and people know you're a comedian, which does happen, the stakes are quite high, they're all excited, which is really unbalanced for your first sort of cup of tea.

To be honest, most people are very nice. Take it in the stride. We're going to see some red kites in a bit. Would that be nice? Well, because we're going to talk about birding, because I know that's something that really connected you with your dad, which I find rather lovely, actually. Well, I need to make it clear that I didn't bond with my dad

about birdwatching till I was 30. Whereas my older brother did, they would go on proper birdwatching trips. They went to Fair Island, Scotland for a week, and did proper observatory stuff, whereas I really, I didn't really react against it, but I thought it was so boring until I suddenly was of the age where you think I should well, I don't know, you suddenly noticed things a bit more, or I did anyway, and suddenly wanted to know what things were a bit more. So then spent a year within birdwatching and wrote a book about it, but it wasn't for the book, you know, it was for fun really. And then, yeah, it was, and now, I mean, he would talk for hours and hours about birds, and I'm not anything like that.

But what we're going to do now, Emily, is we're going to walk into the woods and we're going to find something that I hit there two weeks ago. That'd be fun, wouldn't it? Why did you hide it there? Because we've got a nature camera and we hide it in the woods every couple of weeks and see what animals you get. Morning! Hello! Morning! Hiya!

So it's tied to a tree in here. You're right to go in here? You might fall over again. I'm following Alex into the... undergrowth here. Yeah. So you were, I'm imagining you were super clever Alex at school. Were you very, we used to the straight A's? Um, yes I was, but that's a bit embarrassing. But I used to really struggle with admitting that I went to Cambridge University. Did you? Because I found that quite embarrassing and but show, so there's always this thing where, can you see it? Oh no. No, it's quite low down, tight retreat and there's always a chance that someone's nicked it.

There it is. We're looking for the treasure. You see it tied to that tree there. There is. There's a little camera there and every time an animal walks past it it records for 30 seconds. That's amazing. Brilliant and you get deer and foxes and badgers and occasionally teenagers. So you must have been to go to Cambridge, you must have been, that wasn't sort of a surprise or that was kind of expected really.

Well I took a couple of go. I tried to go to Oxford and didn't get in and then I tried to go to Cambridge and didn't get in and then they, they phoned up and said we've got a place at another college so I wasn't top of the top of the tree you know I got a two one that sort of thing so not super super clever but I've found exams quite easy as in I found the process of exams they suited me and were you shy it as a student were you well my nickname was shaky from the first week and it still isn't for a lot of people who know me because I definitely compensated by drinking lots like you do if you're a fresher yeah and was always a bit shaky either through nerves or sort of hang over are we lost in the woods

it's a bit like narnia isn't it um so i was i was a bit shy but also quite outgoing at that combination i suppose were you confident socially were you sort of um Were you confident with girls? No. Not at all. Really? I think partly having so many males in the house and I did go to a male school, there were girls in the sixth form. But by that stage it's too late, really, if you haven't spoken to a girl when you're 16.

And had you not? Not really, no. What effect does that have on you then just growing up with garb boys, do you think? largely male household. Well, I don't think it's anything too adverse, but it's just, I think you're just a bit slower to get a girlfriend, really. And, you know, university sort of sorted that out, because then suddenly you just did a mixed scenario. But we're definitely trying with ours to make sure they know girls are the same as, you know, it's just not to be embarrassed

about it. I think I was embarrassed about girls. So tell me, we should talk about when you got into comedy, you left. Well, actually, it was when you were a member of footlights, when you're at university that you first got involved in comedy, wasn't it? Yeah. Yes, it was. It's always a bit embarrassed about footlights as well, because there's that perceived thing that there's a natural, easy path if you go to Cambridge and then you go to footlights and then you get a job on the telly as a comedian which I think maybe used to be slightly more the case but actually yes I was a bit embarrassed about saying I was footlights but it does tend to be that some really amazing people have

come from footlights to the world of comedy but some amazing people have come from all over the place to comedy and I also think footlights does attract well if I had the choice of Oxford or Cambridge and I wanted to be a comedian I'd probably go to Cambridge because of the history of it so it's sort of I don't think it's too unfair but this blah blah blah but I did go to so what Footlights is because that's the other thing people don't really know what it is I think it's just a open mic club really so an amateur comedy night that anyone can turn up to and do three minutes of material and they have them at all universities really now and it's a

pretty tough training ground because all the people in the audience are Cambridge students who think they're, who think they're know best. So it's tough in the poshest of ways. Yeah. But you do learn if you're funny or not, and you get stage time. So I did that. I went, did a couple of spots there,

and then went down to London every couple of weeks from Cambridge and did the open mic scene in London from the timeout listings section. But I'm interested in this idea of you being quite, quite sort of, not super confident socially, said, you know, I'm interested in shaky, then making the decision to get up on stage and do what for many people is the most frightening prospect of their entire life. Yeah, it's really weird, I think, looking back, because that was 25 years ago, pretty much.

And I think it probably is the bravest thing I've done, because it's the very first time, it's so scary. And actually, you had to audition to do one of these open-mite nights. They were called Smokers. and you had to audition for it and that was the worst but i walked past the door for a couple of weeks and didn't go in because i mean almost that's worse than an audience you're standing in front of four people trying to make trying to convince him you're funny um so that was that was just a moment of you being emboldened due to due to kind of youth i guess yeah i think i always thought well i've got to give it a go at some point in the back of my mind it wasn't a deliberate there's no career

plan or anything like that but I just thought I've got to itch this scratch this scratch which is a red kite oh yeah did you get signed whilst you were at Cambridge I did so the path back then I don't know what it is now but what you would do the open mic circuit then every year the competitions would come up so they'd have the Daily Telegraph young comedian competition the BBC one so you think you're funny the amused moose new act competition so you do all them And you see all the people in your sort of comic year group. So I was with people like Nina Conti and Mark Watson was sort of the year below me.

And so was Rod Gilbert. Jimmy Carr was sort of my year. Yes, you do competitions with all those lot and the same people win them all. And I came third in one and got an agent from that, Nigel, bound and gagged comedy. And that's so exciting. You know, you sign this thing, you sign a contract. And then he starts getting you some work. to get 50 quid here, 40 quid there, and drive around the country as soon as you leave university.

But I had to have another job at the same time for a couple of years. But then if you get enough work, you can become a professional. That's how it worked for me. And you were always able to kind of support yourself throughout that period. Because the horn section, which is how I first got to know you actually, through Edinburgh, which I know was some years later, wasn't it? But I remember everyone saying, you've got to go and see these guys that are absolutely amazing.

Cool. That was a lot later. That's when I first had a kid. So I was 30 when that started. Really? So that was quite a big year for you. So you'd been gigging and enjoying a lot of success at that point, hadn't you? But not any money.

So, yeah, so I did Edinburgh for a good few years. Yeah. And was, you know, you had the odd thing. So we did it. We got one little teleprogram on BBC 4. which you know well in comedy sort of get a little thing every now and again like an advert or a radio thing which will keep you going and you're just praying another one lands yeah because you can't really live on edinburgh earnings and the circuit earnings if you've got three children i think so uh yeah so when the first kid happened that was the same year i started the horn section and taskmaster so it was quite good news well i want to talk about both of those things but um i also I'm interested because you met your wife Rachel when were you at it was after well you tell me how you met your wife oh you to tell me well how I think it happened

was you knew that you were both at the same university and you didn't really pluck up the courage to ask her out until even though you'd met her in Freshers week yeah there's some truth there so this is about I think's very nice so we normally walk from that direction and pop out here and then it's a nice sort of view. You changed the subject how it looks so on. Yes, so I think she tells a story like that. So I was a year above her and I had a girlfriend and I carried on having that girlfriend for two years. There was no crossover but so we knew we were friends before we went out and then eventually I think in my third year we started going out and that was that.

That was it really and we both went to journalism college we both had interviews after Cambridge both had interviews at City University and she got in and I didn't we had it was literally a X-factor moment where they sent our two groups to different sides of the room and they said right this half the room you've made it you sadly have to go home and I was in a sadly have to go home group so I went to Goldsmiths instead where was your first date was her the comedy store in London yeah it was in the summer did you see her did you sell pick you up there we met at the church outside the BBC you know the pointy one since something you know they really that by broadcasting house yeah yeah

yes that because she was working she was seeing some oh it's very richard curtis rom-com i love it yeah we remember it really well the first date and i knocked over i bought us two drinks and had them by our feet because the company store so you know you're on top of each other and i knocked them both over thank you did you yeah so you were a bit klutzy you're a bit shaky alex on the first day Yeah, I mean, it's one of those odd ones when you know each other really well. So it's not like the first time we met, but it was the first time it was the two of us on a romantic night out. But did you know you had a very strong feeling this was the right path?

I think so. I mean, yeah, I think I had some, the only... I can't remember who I was talking to about this. But that thing when you... getting married is quite a big step. So the night before you get married, I think, is pretty surreal. Is it? Because you're sort of thinking, well, this is it really.

It's a big risk. But it's a bit like doing stand-up. You know, you've just got to go for it. I suppose if you've got a good feeling, you've got to go for it. If you don't do it, you'll never know. Also, I have a theory that you got married relatively young. 25. How old were you?

25. Yeah. Yeah, definitely relatively young. kids and settle down, I'll just be young. And I sometimes think those life choices can, not always, but I think they can insulate you against the tricky sides of this business. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, definitely.

Yeah, I mean, if it works, it's great, I suppose. Yeah. You know, we definitely had a firm base. And also, she was the breadwinner for a long time. She was the one earning the money. So I could, you know, she was supporting me doing comedy. And you got married on New Year's Day? Yes.

How did you find that out? I know everything, Alex. Yeah, we did, but not... It was the only time the church was free. That was the reason. But it was brilliant because it was over in Ireland. So all our friends came over for a couple of days. So we had New Year's Eve together the night before.

She wasn't there because she was traditional and couldn't see me. So I had a brilliant New Year's Eve. and then we all were hung over on the wedding day. It's a very good loyalty test to see who's going to turn up. Yeah, but no one had kids at that point and no one had... We were sort of the first of our friends to get married. So it was the first big party and then, you know, over the next five years you get a bit bored of weddings.

So the horn section was obviously phenomenally successful and you have a brilliant podcast which I've been on. Yeah, you were our best guest ever. I'll be saying that to you after this. Yeah, good. I did love doing it though. It's just such a unique, fantastic, kind of joyful thing. Well, I think being with live musicians, I don't know, are you musical at all?

No, I've always wanted to be, but I'm like you, I like being around musical people. Yeah, so I went to primary school with two of the band, and we knew each other before primary school, and I was in Chichester Youth Orchestra with them, but I was there for one week, and they carried on. So yeah, I'm a frustrated non-musician who wishes I was talented in that department. But you've got the charm and the charisma. Oh yeah, they've got none of that, luckily. Oh, a cone of shame dog, Alex. Oh, we've done that once. It's the worse, isn't that?

You feel awful. Oh, it's horrible. You feel like a terrible person. Actually, she, twice when she was a puppy, ate something poisonous, a toxic mushroom in the woods. And we thought, and she was, she had to stay overnight in dog hospital on one occasion. And they said the only way to stop it is to make her wear a muzzle every time to go for a walk so she didn't eat the stuff. Oh no. And we couldn't do it.

So we're now just hoping she doesn't eat it again. No, you have to let her soul sing openly. Yeah. Yeah, exactly. So, I do want to talk about Taskmaster because it's been quite an extraordinary success. I say that as if to say. Why the hell is that so successful? No, I know.

But I don't mean it like that. I mean it because you don't strike me as a sort of Simon Cowell type sitting there in an office thinking, I'm going to create a format that's going to be sold in 106 countries and be a board game and be this and turn into this phenomenon.

Yeah, that's fair enough, I think. You strike me as a creation. person who just hiss upon this genius idea yeah I think that's that's absolutely the right way around as in you know when people say you know when people say you're a genius Emily and it's all very embarrassing but the idea I think you can have a genius idea without being a genius you know it's a bit like being an inventor I think you just happen to have struck sort of struck not struck gold but struck something that happened to work and and people happen to

want it. So yeah, although we do, I'm sometimes in Simon Cowell's dressing room in Pinewood where he used to have it and he apparently demanded a bath tub was in the middle of his dressing room. I don't know if that's true but I really like that. But no definitely it was just what it wasn't meant to be a TV idea at all. It's meant to be just a thing we did. Was it a sort of I know you've told this story a million times but just for anyone who's not aware just really briefly. Yes it was just a project in Edinburgh. So Edinburgh is so great for the Horn section was the same. We just booked six nights with a band, said, let's see what happens.

And with Taskmaster, we booked one night. I said, I want to do this challenge show with 20 comedians over a year. So I set them a task every month for a year. And then one night in Edinburgh told the story of what happened and who won. And that was it, and Greg wasn't involved. It was just a silly thing to do. But it was clearly really fun. During the year it was really fun.

And then the show was really heightened energy. People were really excited. because no one knew what each other had done. I think it works because you've tapped into something that I've always been really conscious of, which is having been around comics my whole life, I'd always thought, oh, I wonder why I get nervous playing board games. And then I thought, oh, no, it's just because my friends are very competitive.

Unusually so. Do you think that's true of comics? Yeah, definitely. And not 100% of comics, but more than you'd think. So, yeah, a good example is Noel Fielding, who we had in... series four and he didn't even realise he was competitive or he said he thought he'd got over that because he was brilliant in the football he had trials with people and then during the show he was winning with about one episode or two to go and he suddenly became super competitive and he said I've not been like this since I was a kid

but it's still there and yeah it does come out I'd say more male than female but females actually winning much more than men on the show which I don't know what that says well do you think also something about that format I actually think is really nice for women as well as men and I'm not making gender stereotypes there but I do think there are certain panel games which are more combative in that gladiatorial arena type way you know whereas I feel with Taskmaster it's it's kind of whimsical it's it's just bring your thing to the table you know yeah I hope so I really hope so the idea is you do your thing

so you'll have your chance to speak about your thing and it's not about getting your line in and being loudest. So we've had people on it who would never go on panel shows. Even Tim Key doesn't, he wouldn't do panel shows, but would do this. Or, you know, Sally Phillips or Catherine Parkinson in the last series was great. And I don't know. Yeah, it was really nice to see her be herself. I don't know if she could do that on other shows, I suppose.

And you get to see a side to people as well, like David Badele, which is very, you know, I mean, his is sort of infamous, I think. Yeah, I feel like we see inside, sorry to David that his family see every day. But everyone else didn't get the chance. He did quite often come up to us and say to Greg and I, Greg and me, say, I'm actually really clever. Do you prefer being little Alex? Well, I really like my role in the show. I really like sitting next to a bigger person who can run it.

No, but Greg shoulders a lot of the responsibilities. So I do a lot of the work, but he does a lot of the really heavy lifting, I think. In the studio, he has to run the whole thing. And if he has a bad day, which he never does, the whole thing would fall flat, whereas I can disappear, really. And I've got my iPad with all my stats and bits and bobs, whereas he has to just be naturally funny all the time. He's a natural comedian, I think, because I don't think I quite am. But I like See I work with Frank and I'm

A sidekick to him and I I wouldn't begin to compare what I do To the levels of what you do I'm sure there's a similarity No it's not but it's just saying I like the idea of being With that It's like I feel with this huge personality

That nothing will phase them Yeah I think Frank and Greg are definitely There's a similarity there that they've both got a story For every occasion and they could turn anything funny they can either fall back on their own mine of information and funny tales and jokes or just react and be funny because they're just funny funny people but then it works because of the combination of you two I'll take that no it's true though because of you know you are taskmaster we're not a

deliberate double act so you know we fell into it really as in I asked him to do it and he said yes which is great but we weren't a double act before and we didn't practice. You know, we weren't friends even, where we are now. But it wasn't sort of, you'll be the straight guy, you'll be the funny guy. So that's a lot of luck, I think. And there's the new series is coming out as we speak. So, and Lee Mack, who's been on this podcast, he's on it, which I'm, I cannot wait to see how he does. Yeah, he's pretty extraordinary. I mean, he's, I think always has been one of my favourite comedians from on the circuit. You know, I did gigs with him 15 years ago. And he's just so funny, isn't he?

And it also gives you a lot of licence when you're casting the show to have someone like Mike Wozniak who has done lots of stuff in his own right but is less well known. But you've got Lee there so you can have Mike as well and put them on an even playing field

and they both bring out stuff on each other. So yeah, Lee is a I was so pleased he said yes. He said yes because his kids persuade them to do it. Yeah, they're huge fans aren't they? Yeah. And it just means the audience, they know. I only want the audience to know someone, maybe have heard of a couple of them and then be introduced to a couple more.

That's sort of the idea. I can't wait to see it. I think you'll like it. I hope so. I think I will. I like everything about Alex Horn. Everyone says very nice things about you, Alex. Everyone says Alex Hall is such a kind, nice man.

Yeah, but that must wind people up as well. I'd hate that. I've definitely got a side. Have you? Oh, yeah. Tell me about Alex's side. No, I don't think I... It's not too bad, really. Come on.

Show me angry Alex. No, that's probably my side. I don't think I'm angry enough. Like, I think I should be more angry about... What's that, Emily? Oh, it's a bird of prey? Yeah. Is it a heron?

No, is it a... No, it's a... Forktail. A heron? That's a... They like water, don't they? They do like water. They're an anagram of horn.

I'm a bit phobic about birds of prey because I've got a small dog. Well, they only eat dead things. That's another red kite. They only eat carrion. You'll be all right. Oh, great. Yeah. No, we're doing angry Alex.

Come on. So I don't think I get hit up enough about things like Brexit and the government's handling of things because I kind of think, well, just get on with things. What do you like at confrontation? Very bad. There was a fight the other night outside. We got a Chinese takeaway and a fight happened in the road outside and this lady said, aren't you going to stop it? I hadn't actually noticed it because I was looking at my phone because I'm a human.

So and then looked up and two of us actually both saw it and went, oh God, do we have to get involved? And it's sort of broken up by the time we went outside, but I don't know what I would have done. I was always just thinking, I mean, I don't want to get hit. I don't want to have to. But what about difficult conversations in your own life? So with a business or a colleague or a... Not great, Emily. I would avoid any difficult conversations

until it's too late and it's happened. And I normally hope that things die down. I think normally things do. You know, normally things... Do you have a lot of draft emails in your inbox? No, I think... I've got draft emails in my head, really. I definitely think about how to phrase things a lot before.

I want to apologise, but I don't want to be too apologetic. you know getting it right is it's difficult and i do like i suppose trying to keep everyone happy which tends to mean not keeping anyone really happy you know you're trying to try to please too many people are you a people pleasing i suppose so because the band you know that's that's the six of us in that we try to try to keep everyone happy and there's taskmaster and there's a big team there Most of us have been in it from the beginning. But by flitting between the two of them, I sort of then can't commit fully to one.

You know, if we're doing taskmaster, we can't do the horn section and vice versa. I know. Well, you're a busy man. You're like a French president with your mistress and your wife? I think so. I imagine you're not frightened of your feelings. I think I'm slightly frightened of my feelings.

A little bit. I mean, my wife cries a lot more. You know, if we're watching, as we do, Saturday Night Takeaway, She's gone for that middle section, seeing a happy family or somebody get given a prize. But yeah, I think I'm probably not quite as emotional as you think I am. Slightly colder. What does make you cry?

You stuff your kids do? Yeah, oh, it's definitely that thing of, you know, an advert might suddenly get you once you... John Lewis? Because of the kids. Yeah, oh yeah, definitely. Yeah, the John Lewis had, but it's more, I think, nowadays, it's less crying, but more you get the odd spine tingling thing when something really, really touches you. And it can be something selfish, you know, something, oh, what was that something? Oh, I tell you what, it was last night, this is a, this is a selfish thing.

But it was St Patrick's Day yesterday, and someone posted a very old recording that we did the horn section with a singer called Leanne Carroll, who's half Irish. Just an Irish medley of songs. And that really got me because it was maybe nine years ago or something. And for some reason that really ticked, you know, because my wife's Irish and we had lots of good times there. So sometimes, yeah, something out of the blue will get me, I suppose. But also I've had such a lucky life in that really nice childhood. All my family are still alive and healthy. Kids are healthy.

So, you know, and Tulsa's Myopia has meant that I'm pretty relaxed about. things are you going to move to a mansion in LA or something no well that's the other thing I love where we live just around here so we don't have to move morning Martin he's great I feel like I'm on Balamori you're a very content life yeah no exactly so I can't cry too often because otherwise but are you a do you worry as a dad when I speak to people again I don't have kids myself but people when And they seem to get, the things that keep them up at night seems to be just wanting to make sure their kids are okay and am I doing the right thing and should I be doing this and...

Well, that's where I think I'm a lot shallower than you'd expect. Because I can drop the kids off at school and not think about them once till they come home. Is that right? Yeah. And it worries me sometimes. I don't give them a single thought. I mean, obviously it's not entirely true. But no, they don't really keep me up at night because I think I've got quite a...

I don't know if it's healthy or not, but a general attitude of things will be fine, really. And if you worry about, I mean, there's so many things you could worry about. It might change when they go to, you know, when they're, people do say this is a good age, because I know where they are all the time. They're either at school or in the house, whereas when they're teenagers, they'll be out. But I also think, you know, I'm sure you did some bad things when you're a teenager or some dangerous things. But they were probably some of the best things you did too. So I'm going to definitely try to keep being relaxed about it.

I would hate to have known, my parents, to have known what we got up to, setting fire to things and breaking things. You know, not really bad things, but just, if I was a parent now, I'd be furious if one of my kids did some of the things I did. Oh, like your local store, Alex. It's good. You know what they sell in there? Orange Twirls. Yeah. They sell everything.

And they're open on Christmas Day. Who are you? your friends Alex? Tim and Mark, Tim Keir Mar Watson. They're close friends, they're close friends, all the band, really close friends. Then you've got your different people only, I've got my Chesham people, parents of my kids friends, some university people, on a sports chat WhatsApp group. And you you someone people would call in a crisis? No. I don't think so. It hasn't happened yet.

Tell you what I don't do, so my wife is very good, so during lockdown, you know, you're allowed to go for a walk with one person like this. Yeah. But I haven't done that around here because I think people assume I'm really busy or, I don't know, or we're not close enough or something. Oh look, we're meeting two doggies here? It's so funny. It gets so close in their faces, isn't they? How do you end it? How do you end this chat? We've come to the end of our walk now. So goodbye to your friends, Lockie.

Do you think Lockhe's had a nice walk, Alex? Yes, she did a nice walk. She always has a nice walk. I think she's as relaxed as I am. Oh, honestly, I think she's a really special dog, you know. Well, that's a bit like with the children. If the children, if somebody says something nice about your kids, that's the best compliment.

But the same of the dog. If people like the dog, she's definitely a people dog. You know, she really likes people. Well, I think that reflects really well on you. you? You hope so. Lockie, I've loved seeing you. I love your eyelashes, Lockie.

Yeah, they're ridiculous. They are ridiculous. They're like some Jordan short. Yeah. Bye, Locky. She's not good at goodbyes. How are you at goodbyes? I'm quite enjoying the pandemic.

Just elbow touching. No, I like a hug really, but, you know, at least we've got clear rules now. I think I'm into clear rules. I do long drawn out goodbye, so you're going to have to call this one, Alex. Right. I felt I really enjoyed it on a normal walk I wouldn't quite talk that much about myself I felt it was a bit unbalanced I didn't ask about you yeah but that's the point of it I feel like we know each other now now we can actually meet up socially can we

oh do you think we can can I have Lockie's number well weird my wife's numbers on her lock on her collar which I find a bit weird just take it down excuse me oh my Lockie Bye. Right. Well, I'm just going to turn my back when you're going to the house, I think. I think that would be a nice ending. That's the way to end.

Should we do that? Should we do that? I really hope you enjoyed listening to that. And do remember to rate, review and subscribe on iTunes.