Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Dave Berry

Episode Date: May 27, 2019

This week Emily goes out for a stroll with Absolute Radio Breakfast show host Dave Berry in London's Regents Park. They talk about his childhood in Lewisham, his early years as a shop assistant and model, breaking into radio and the very rom-com-hero way in which he met his wife. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well, would you, if you called your dog Jeff, would you spell it with a G or a J? Oh, I'd go G. You go G? I like G. Hurst. The original G. The original G. That's a good name for a dog.

Or a fish. For gold. This week, on walking the dog, I took my Shih Tzu Raymond out for a stroll with TV presenter and breakfast radio host Dave Berry. Dave had chosen London's Regents Park for our chat, and he turned up bang on time, unlike me, of course, looking incredibly dapper. and bursting London charm. We talked about his childhood in Lewisham,

his stint as a model, meeting his wife. It's the most brilliantly bold first move I've ever heard, by the way, and why he loves doing his show on Absolute Radio, which, FYI, is the most popular commercial breakfast show in the UK. I know.

If you ever fancy a dog walk with someone, I highly recommend Dave Berry. He's a brilliant company, very funny, and real old-school Jen. He reminded me a bit of the hero in a rom-com. You know the one who turns up at the airport and braces to the gate, just in time to stop the heroin leaving the country? How does that all work with passport control and security? I mean, it seems like an admin nightmare. I loved my walk with Dave, and I really hope

you do too. You can listen to him weekdays from 6am on Absolute Radio. And if you liked this podcast, please remember to rate, review and subscribe on iTunes. Here's Dave. Thanks for the coffee, Henry. Very nice of you. Oh, my pleasure. I should. before we even start. I'm with Dave Berry and I've met him outside his choice of location which was 221B Baker Street which is where

I mean legend had it that Sherlock Holmes lived and I think that's the best ever location anyone's chosen for the start of a podcast day. I just needed to buy new Deer Stalker Hat so I just wanted to kill two birds of one stone Emily I thought as we're going to be chatting and walking Ray should get myself some new headgear Surely, Emily, we'll meet here.

It's the most famous address in all of London. Yes, I like it. This is very much like the sort of American tourist's idea of what London is. Yeah, they go to Sherlock Holmes' house and then maybe go to Leicester Square. They have a cup of tea and see the Queen. It's all simple. No, I chose there because I thought the Regents Park would be nice for Little Ray and for our stroll. And I didn't really know any other places of interesting.

I also like the way you say the region. The Regents Park, which is a very, again, it's very formal and British. I like it. I'm getting this, I'm getting this vibe for me already, Dave, that there's a, there's a formality to you, which I like. Like, you're very well dressed. Thanks, Emily. I mean, that's part of your... Can I, can I, can I, not drag, can I gently coerce Ray into crossing the road? Come on, Raymond, we're crossing the road with Raymond. We've got three seconds. We've got three seconds, Ray to get across the road. Thank you. See, I'm not, I don't jaywalk, you see. It drives my wife mad, but even if you're, even if you're, you're going to be. It drives my wife mad, but even if you're there's no cars, I can't attend to wait for the green man. So if Ray's not going to budge and I'm not going to budge, this is going to be the only static version of your podcast you've ever done. Oh, look at his little legs.

Oh, look, I know he's got really little legs, Dave. That's why I chose him, because I've got quite small legs. I will say I've got a sort of, I like dogs with Maradonna proportions. A low centre of gravity is what you look for in your canine companions. So is this your, I should introduce you properly. I'm with the very wonderful Dave Berry on Walking the Dog and Dave is, well you'll know him as a radio host, award-winning radio host, TV presenter.

I'm going to start slipping you these notes. You better start reading them out loud, Emily. Journalists as well. Yes, do a little bit of writing, yeah. X model or maybe current model, have I insulted you? No, you're very, very, very ex-model, but that hasn't been brought up in many years, so thanks again for that. Well, look forward to it coming up a lot today.

It was a different time. And, yeah, it's hard when people say to you, oh, you are a model. Do you feel pressured when people say that to you? Because it's like, oh, well, I haven't shaved this morning. Yeah. No, I think, well, the modelling stuff, I was working in a vintage clothes shop in the late 90s.

And I just kind of, I think I've, you know, I'm no David Gandhi, but I think I just had a look that was quite popular at the time. Oh, yeah. I suppose the equivalent would be nowadays. You see a lot of male models who are effectively just blokes with beards and tattoos. David Gandy was a guest on this podcast because he's a massive dog lover. Yes, he is. He's often photographed holding a pooch, isn't it?

Yes, that's not a euphemism. He has Gora, who we got from Backey dogs at home. I love that about David Gandy. It's kind of not for everybody, but in the eyes of many, bordering on being the perfect man and then just when you thought it couldn't get any worse for the rest of us he starts photographing himself holding little dogs

it's like come on Gandhi give us a break will you I wonder if that was ever said to Mahatma Gandhi come on Gandhi give us a break will you give us a break you're clearly well educated and we know an eye for an eye

is going to make the world blind but come on Gandhi give us a break mate come on but you know I saw David Gandy, I don't want to talk about him all the time, but he put something on Twitter yesterday where he tried to hail a cab and the camp hadn't stopped and he said his picture was on it. There was a picture of him on the cab and it still hadn't stopped for him. Do you,

do you have a dog or a cat? I don't have a dog. For the record, we do plan to get a dog when Evie gets a bit older and the dog shall be called Terry Wogan the dog. Oh, what's so actually the full name of the dog? Wogan the dog and it will call him Wogi for sure. And what sort of dog do you think you'd get, Dave? Chocolate brown Labrador. Just to complete the sickening rom-com story. And he'll have a little neckerchief instead of a collar.

You're like, McDreamy, he raised anatomy. And I'll just be out in the garden building a log cabin and then all the kids will come home and they'll all play with Terry Wogan the dog. No, I grew up with dogs. Did you? Did your parents have dogs then? What dogs did you have? We had my beloved, beloved Bruno, named after Frank Bruno, who in the 80s was basically the, well, the coolest thing in the world. I've not got an interesting boxing, but I loved Rocky, and Frank Bruno and Rocky in my mind merged into one. He was our Rocky.

And what kind of dog was he? He was, get this, so his mum or dad was a German shepherd. It's a police dog, but the other one was a chow. So he looked like a police dog But was ginger with a curly tail He's two of my favourite dogs Yeah well Bruno was adorable Just adorable

And he was so docile And so well behaved We had a cat Called Rocky who was the exact opposite And regularly used to see Bruno He was a big dog just walking around the house And Rocky would have sunk his claws Into Bruno's snout

And used him like an Uber It's like he'd booked Bruno to go up to the bathroom I'm going up to Bob and Marion's bed for a laydown take me upstairs dog and Bruno would be like, okay, I'll take you up there now. We used to go out into the conservatory where their beds were and Rocky would be like splayed out in Bruno's bed and there'd be Bruno with just like one paw in Rocky's bed.

I'm sleeping too. I love them, do you know, I think they're such a lovely and they're so lovely with kids as well dogs. I think it's such a lovely part of a family experience. I really want you to get one. We will. You promise me you will. As soon as I get one, you will be the first person to know.

So, we'll go into the park, Dave. Yes. Ray might get hot, so we'll find a shady bit. Absolutely. But you've just finished your breakfast show today. I have, yes. How did it go? This is on absolute radio, because Dave and I are stablemates, aren't we?

We are stable, absolutely, radio. And it's a fine stable to be in. It went very well today. Today was one of the shows are kind of classes. It was whimsical. It flew by. I often get that sense of, was that any good? That's kind of my feeling around 10 past 10 every morning.

As I leave, I think, was that any good? And this is why I do love doing, one of the reasons I love doing a breakfast show is when I first became your stable mate, I was doing the home time show. And how long have you been there? It was last year, wasn't it? About, yeah, 18 months? Yeah. But I was doing the home time show. And I just, having that length of time before going on air just gave me too much thinking time.

It gave me too many opportunities to second guess whether something was going to be any good. Whereas I quite like the fact that at 6am in the morning, I'm on, I'm live, and I kind of come up for air about half ten and think about whether it was any good. I'd just seen Ray had picked something up. I thought Ray had just had a puppy. That's the furry bit off the mic, right?

Ray, you're a miracle of modern science. So yeah, you were saying that's interesting. So you prefer... Is it a bit more seated pants then doing the breakfast show? Precisely. And as I say, I finish. And you do it with Matt Dyson. I do it with Matt Dyson.

I do it with Glenn Moore and Emma Jones. They're my three on-air buddies. Yeah. Like yourself and Frank, it's nice to have other people to talk to and bounce off. It's always been one of my... I have so much respect for the radio DJs who sit on their own in the studio. Yeah. And do that style of show.

It's not something I'm able to do. I like to get as many listeners on as I possibly can. I like to get as many correspondence from them or get them on the show or get the opinions and stories of the team. It's just how I feel most comfortable working. And that was one of the big draws about joining Absute Radio.

That was kind of what our lovely boss, Paul, was wanting to encourage. And of course, you know, there's some really good names. Your show is fantastic. Thank you very much. you know, you know, celebrating 10 years on there just the other day. Yeah. Just marvelous.

You know, it's interesting having learnt with Frank, because that's like my own experience of radio. Right, okay. So it's quite a high bar. Just in terms of him, I'm not going on a bar show, but I just mean he always has... That was top ray scooping, by the way. I know, I scooped him up.

You've scooped Ray before, I can tell. I held him like a Chanel bag. But Frank has this idea, and I think this is something I'm aware of in your, your show as well that you can't waste links you know you've got to make them funny or you've got a or even if you're coming up with ideas but what you the kind of radio that I think he's really not keen on is uh it's uh 1244 coming up beautiful sunny day in London here's white snake you know and thanks says you may as well just say blah blah blah yeah I I I kind of agree and as I say I have a

I have a respect for people that do that because I wouldn't want to be in respect them Dave They're not worthy of your respect. You're an interesting, funny man. I wouldn't want to be in a room on my own telling everyone the time. They're listening to, here I'll go again on my own. Oh, let's go in here. We can take it. Yeah, this is nice.

I don't know what Ray's like around birds, but there are plenty of birds in the Regents Park. Way, Ray, look at all these birds. There's this one particular lady who feeds them. Whenever I see her, it's time to walk in the opposite direction. Because they know. It's beautiful here, isn't it? It's so beautiful.

It's kind of all the spring flowers are out. Ray! Good boy. Why is he called Raymond? Where did that come from? Well, it's funny you should ask that because there were two reasons. I like the idea of a sort of old pub regular's name. Do you know what I mean?

You're talking to a Dave. Yeah, exactly. Dave is a great. I like exactly what you mean. Dave is a great dog name. I met, I was on a dog what recently with someone, and he, it was Nahal, Arthur Iaka, and he... Oh, I love Nihal. Isn't he lovely?

Yeah, see, I listened to a part of that podcast, but I got distracted by my baby, unfortunately, but it started off really well. I was enjoying what I'd heard. Sorry to interrupt you. I did, Nihal contacted me many years ago and said, would I be, he was on the BBC Asian network, and he said, would I be there football correspondent for a game? I think it was like Fullum Wiggin. Oh yeah. And it would tick a life box for me and love Nihar, so I decided to do it.

And him and the team, because I could only hear them through the headphones, they'd given me an ordinary Asian name, and I was Davinda Bury for the broadcaster, which I prefer to my own name. Hey, Ray. Dave, I'm going to put Ray on the lead just because those geese look quite big. That was why I warned you. As I say, I wasn't joking. Well, I think this is nice for him.

It's like going through a safari park, but we just don't want the lions to climb through. Should we put the Jurassic Park music gently under the... this Charlie. But what was I saying about the heart? Oh yeah. Yes, so, yes, you're walking with you. You know, you stop on dog walks. Obviously people say, oh, what's the name?

And this, I loved her. She was a bit of an old manna. And I said, what's your dog called? And she said, with no embarrassment or she went, Jeff. And it wasn't an ironic London, some Hoxton name. She just went Jeff. Well, would you, if you called your dog Jeff, would you spell it with a G or a J?

Oh, I'd go G. You go G? I like G. The original G. The original G. That's a good name for a dog. Or a fish. For gold.

Oh no, no, no. This isn't just any goldfish. This is the original G. The original G. Was his name again? He's forgotten. He never remembers his name. Raymond.

So Raymond is so-called, and there's that funny reason. And there's a kind of poignant reason, which I don't, I feel I can share with you. will be able to handle this without being too old-school man and oh don't talk about emotions because you don't strike me as that type of person so my sister who died was called rachel and we lived in australia briefly and you know what they're like in australia that was like oh ray they shorten everything they'd even shorten dave to da so they shortened her to ray so i thought it was a nice way for her girl she had a 10 month 11 month old and a 10 year old and she died so i thought it was a nice way to sort of

honour her without as Adam Hills one said to me he said without being too confronting which I thought was a nice way putting it you know it means that yeah that's lovely Emily yeah I thank you it's also a great name for a dog I know it's so brilliant it works on every level that's lovely right so Dave I want to go back to your childhood tell me about your childhood you were you born in Lewisham or you grew up around there I was born in Lewisham Hospital yeah I grew up in I grew up in I live lived in Catford very briefly for a while. But I've spent my life growing up in Cholten, which is kind of nestled between Greenwich and Blackheath and Woolwich and Lusham.

It's in that kind of part of town. Yes. You say Lucian. Is that how the locals pronounce it? I think so. Is it? That's how Rob Beckett and I say it. Also as well, my wife has pointed out,

and it's become, I'm very self-conscious of it. And we were talking about this on the show the other day, and, you know, I'm 40. But so I've gone my whole life without knowing that I can't say wall. And whenever I say wall, my wife goes, wall, like I'm, like I'm Danny Dyer, which is, you know, I don't really, I mean, you know, Danny's lovely and great, but I don't want to, but I realise that where I trip up is Luciam,

Greenwich and Wall. Do you know what, ironically, the people who can't pronounce wool tend to be millwall support. Oh, yes, who of course are bitter rivals to my beloved Cholten Athletic. I know, right. And that's another one, Cholten. Cholten. I'd say Chalton. Yes, well, that's correct, Emily.

That's well said. Oh, look, can you see what's happened here, Dave? You can explain. There's a little boy, and Ray is making his way over to the little boy, who's wearing adorable little green khaki trousers and a polo top, and he looks half interested, a little bit scared. I like that little boy's outfit. He looks a bit like Bill Gates on a day off.

He's got billionaire Sunday chic down to a tree. You know that sort of look? It's the Polish. Oh, I think Ray might be... Oh, I'm so sorry he's doing a poo, guys. What an intro to some new friends, Ray. What, your son's going to need therapy. I know.

I'm sorry you saw Ray poo. You thought, Ray, this looks like a Disney character, but Disney characters don't crouch down and do a big poo. But he's a very lovely boy. Yeah, if Mickey Mouse ever did that at Euro Disney there'd be all kinds of legalities we'd have to look into. Come on, Raymond. He likes it here because it's shady.

So, Luciam. So that's how I believe you would say Luciam, and that's the Rob Beckett test. And that's Dave Berry Walls official. So, yeah, so I grew up in Cholten, and it was a lovely place to grow up. I was lucky to have some, what I can now look back at as an adult

and realise I had some really nice comprehensive schools that I attended. Still got some friends that I made there. And it's your... Your dad was in construction, is that right? Or have I got that wrong? No, dad worked for... Hey Ray.

Dad worked for Thames Water. Oh, Thames Water? Most of his... Yes, and then he moved to... Basically, you know, those... You know, there's really those times when you're trying to make your way around and some idiot has decided to dig a hole in the pavement?

And then you say something like, oh, that's just so they can use up the council budget. They've got to dig that hole. They're putting speed ups in because they've got to get their budget up. You know that? Well, my dad's a man who told them to dig that hole. He's retired now, but yeah. So he would... And what did your mum do?

Mum was a doctor's receptionist before retiring. Okay. And my little sister, Katie. What are your parents called? Bob and Marion. Lovely. Harry Rob Reilly. Marion's my dad.

Bob's my mum. And my little sister Kate works in a city. She works for a legal company doing something I don't fully understand. And would you describe your family as, it feels like a funny question, but sort of working class or middle class? Yeah, I think I would say we're a working class family. Yeah.

I think that, you know, we didn't. didn't have a great deal of money but I think they both mum and dad had working class jobs but we I don't think we ever felt we went without sorry Dave we're having to wait for Ray yeah that's okay I'll wait for Ray he's only got little legs I love him he's being very slow today come on Ray Ray Ray oh look at him but yeah but we uh you know we didn't didn't want for anything and um you know it was happy upbringing really was it a lively household was it you know were your parents sort of joking Yes.

Yeah, as well, my parents seem to be, and I don't, of a generation, I think this is a generational thing, where they didn't really go out with their friends. We go to each other's houses. Right. I know that our generation and do that as well. Can I just say I love that Dave Barry said our generation, most generous thing he's ever done.

It's true. Yeah, go on. But I mean, I know obviously we go around to our friends' houses and have dinners, but you know, you arrange to meet people possibly somewhere. out or at a restaurant you make a reservation whereas my parents always seem to have house parties where then my little sister and I would wake up in the morning put all of the records try and match them up with the correct sleeves while my parents were hung over in bed and occasionally a very young day very could be seen sipping some leftover alcohol on the coffee table so yeah I

basically blame my parents for my dependency on alcohol which is a and did you it's in interesting, isn't it? Because I think people often show some signs of having what I call the look at me gene when they're young. What I mean by the look at me, Jean, is anyone working in an area where there's performance involved? Well, there's a, from a psychological point of view, it's considered odd wanting to be seen. And I think they're absolutely right. Do you think so? It is strange. Some people say, Dave, and I can say this because I do a job which involves being, performing in a way, or some people say it's a sign of damage. Yes, damaged people.

What do you think of that? I don't know, really. I think, I wasn't a look at me kind of kid. I think I got look at me, when I got to, possibly like, 17 or 18. Yeah. But only because I enjoyed, that was when I was a sales assistant, and I enjoyed the performance of like how busy it was in Greenwich because of the market on a Sunday.

There'd just be hundreds of people coming through the shop doors and engaging with them and getting them, you know, particularly as it was vintage clothing. So everything was like a one-off and the excitement of getting into that dialogue with them. I enjoyed that kind of style of performance. But then after that, if I'm brutally honest with you, as soon as I got into TV, it was just like, I can't believe I'm getting paid to do this.

It's not about, look at me. It's like, you know, oh wow, that was a great fun. And I got to go there and I got to meet this person and I got to do this today. There's a kind of moment where you're like, oh, this is now my job. And that's been, unbelievable, it's been like 18 years. Did you do things when you were growing up like,

you know, you hear, often you'll speak to actors and they'll tell you stories about how they would put on, you know, the Emily Dean show or whatever at Christmas and make everyone watch it. Do you know what I mean? Were you that kind of kid? No. Still to this day a dear family friend, Jodie, who basically, there was Jody, there was

Jody, there was myself and my little sister. And Jody was in charge because, of course, when you're young, this counts, because she was a whole calendar month older than me. So that made her the boss. Yeah. And she was always very keen for us to put on performances. And we'd have to, like, rehearse them in the bedroom all evening. And then we'd go down to my mum and dad.

her mum and Keith, and we'd have to put on a little show. I had this, listen to this, it makes it, even now it's making parts of me crawl up inside myself of embarrassment. I had this spaceship toy, and it came on like a handle, almost like a kind of, like a gun handle, I suppose. But it had a spaceship on the top instead of a barrel. And you would pull the handle, and the spaceship would glow up green and go, v-hmm. And one particular performance, which is still to this day, you can see I'm blushing, right? Yeah, you are. You look genuinely really hard.

I had to crouched down in the middle of the front room where my parents and others were sat around having dinner in a ball with the spaceship. And then I had to go, pull the handle and then I had to kind of grow. And at which point Jody and my sister jumped out from behind the sofa and we all did an impromptu dance routine. If I ever hear a sound similar to VV, I just sends shivers down my spine. It's like the girl from the ring is crawling up my spine and over my head. It's around me, isn't it? Like a bicycle chain will just set me off.

Oh God, I love that. I had these anxiety dreams that I forgot on my steps. Jody's going to get me. So, I mean, yeah, so I was kind of coerced into doing... Yeah. I'm very lucky, I suppose, because I had a... My sister's only 18 months younger than me. Right.

So we were close growing up. And, I mean, I'm a father now, but Evangini is only five months old, so I don't know this, because this might be a generational thing. But you hear people talk of how in the 80s you could just go out. and walk around on a wreck and you find a derelict house and that would become your playground for the day. I had that kind of going on. A friend of mine, Alex, he said that he believes as children, imagination is such a key building block to the person you become as an adult. And possibly, and I know that there was gaming when we were young, possibly people are having that taken away from them.

Yeah, I think that's true. I think that's true. The people are talking about screen time and the amount of time you spend on an iPad as opposed to turning that cardboard box into a fort for argument's sake. That said, cut to three years from now and eventually he's crying, I'm just forcing Apple products into her. Well, that's the problem, isn't it? It's there.

We can't un-invent it. At school, Dave, I mean, good-looking men always get embarrassed when you say this. David Gandhi did, but did you have a sense of being handsome? No. Emily? No, I didn't have a sense of being handsome. I think, I don't, well, I don't know. I mean, I haven't seen David Gandhi as a teenager. I doubt he was the man mounting,

unless there was him turned up for his maths GCSE and those little white dougedown of Speedos. David, go home and put some trousers on for heaven's sake. No, I was, I was a spotty, teenage kid, really. But then I suppose you have to say that Because you can't say I was really hot And all the girls really liked me I would tell you

If I would have been hot I would be saying it right now Emily Don't you worry about that But no I was just Because actually You must have got attention I accept when you're sort of pubescent Everyone struggles a bit

Don't they But you must have been aware of starting To get tension from women Or being looked at a bit I just saw about four people Check you out just now Three male But you know

That's your demographic As long as I've got a marketplace place Emily, I'm happy. So to me, they have this thing, don't they, called the bubble, which is that you live in the bubble. So people are just that bit nicer to you. Oh, right. If you're attractive or famous or, do you know what I mean? I suppose there is an element of a bubble, yeah, particularly for famous, famous folk. Did you have that sense of people seem to, people seem to think I'm attractive? Do you never think of it like that?

I recall borrowing, I had a lot of female friends when I got to 16-ish. Yeah. And I remember borrowing one of my dad's Hawaiian shirts, which is the boldest move, any 16-year-old in South East London, has ever made. And I put it on, and I went round, it was the summer holidays, I went around to my friend's house, and they were like, you look great. Cut to a year later, I'm working in a vintage clothes shop. That's how fickle I can be. I look good in this shirt. Right, I'm going to dedicate my life to working in secondhand clothing.

But that felt good. And I've always felt quite comfortable talking to girls, even at that age. So I suppose that helps. Were you academic at school? And were you happy at school? Were you sort of popular? Were you? What gang were you in, I always ask?

I think I was multi-team, I'd like to say. I think that on the whole, you know, I had a, I had a nice group of friends who were quite learned. I didn't really... I liked my friends at school. I didn't have a tough time at secondary school. I felt fortunate about that. You never got bullied or anything like that?

No, I got bullied when I was at junior school in the final year, and it was a horrible feeling. What sort of thing was it? I just remember that it seemed to be... It felt at the time... I mean, I was 10 or 11, and, you know, I wouldn't say it's exactly something that defied me, but I do remember when I had that long summer holiday

after junior school, I joined my secondary school being determined that I would not let that happen again. Why do you think they did that then, Dave? What does it... I have absolutely, because kids are cruel. Kids can be that way. You know, it's strange. I mean, it's funny, you watch something like first dates, and there'll be somebody on there who has let the fact they were bullied when they were 10 define their whole life. That's your story. And in a way, I'm envious of those people Because not envious, but life can be extremely difficult, Emily, as you know.

Yeah. And kids can be cruel and you can't let the decisions that children made When you were a child be your first date's sad story. Yeah, yeah, yeah, no, I can see that. But bullying is tough and, you know, bullying in the workplace and it's horrible. And I was determined that that wouldn't kind of happen again. But fortunately, I didn't have to. be that determined because I fell in with a really nice bunch of people.

But I got to, when I got to my, I were talking class and all that stuff that you would probably imagine. Right. Yeah. But when I got to close to my GCSEs, I realised that I was falling behind and I sat with my teacher and I said, look, what do I need to do to go to A levels? And he says you need to get five GCSEs A to C. So what I did, which I wouldn't recommend to any younger people who have downloaded your podcast, what I did which I thought was quite a smart move

was I kind of cut I focused on five subjects and I cut the others out because I was way behind and I ended up getting five Bs 3Ds and 2 E's the 3Ds and 2 E's were well if you can call it luck

but I quite I look back at that and think that there was a lot there was some logical thought to that from a teenager to that it's almost like okay what's the what's my bottom line yeah it was almost cutting your losses as well

As soon as I started to put the work into English, history, music, theatre studies, the five that I got a B in, two for English. I really enjoyed those subjects. But the other thing that was about that time, which I remember vividly, is that it was driven by the fear of all of my friends going to A-level and having that adventure. And my old school asked me to go back and do a little talk for the pupils. And I was going to kind of anchor it around that, because I didn't. want to go back and pretend that I was some straight-age student because that would be disingenuous, but I wanted to anchor it around the fact that your friends are going to go on this incredible adventure and they're going to meet new people and you should be part of that if you can.

Give yourself the option. The former head teacher said that I wasn't allowed to do that. He wanted me to say that I was a straight-age student. I kind of, I suppose I get where he's coming from. I went back to my old school to give a talk and I could see the headmistress sitting there go, oh, I mean, it played. I stormed it with the girls, references to Love Island. I said I was like that contestant in Love Island that you're like, why are they still in? Oh, look, Ray's met a friend, Dave. Where is, oh, he's obscured by his new friend.

That happens to me a lot, especially when I hang out Stephen Merchant. What's happening right now is a man has just stripped himself naked to the waist. I'm pleased to say from the waist up and he's laying back. Listen to the music wearing those, I think one of the biggest crimes against fashion, those wraparound Oakley sunglasses. And Ray went charging towards him. He also keeps looking up from his laying position thinking, why those three people stood around commenting on what I'm doing?

He's probably thinking, why can't get a life? And my brand of sunglasses, which I always describe those glasses, I know exactly what you mean. It's a bit closed protection at a royal wedding. If you can read this badge, you're already dead, yeah. It's a bit, I think, probably a junior member of the royal family. Like when I say junior sort of Captain Mark Fit, one of those, the younger. Yes.

Harry might wear them. Harry probably would have worn him in about 2003, along with boot cut jeans. Boot cut jeans and those trainers that have got no soul. You know, those slip on like taekwondo trainers. Anyway. I'm such a bitch. Frank calls those. Look at that.

Oh, I don't like this crow, raven thing. I told you, beware the birds. I know I was getting all hitchcock in on you, but beware the birds. He had his eye on Ray. And you know crow's attack, little dogs? I'm getting a sense you let, did you go to university? No, I got to, I went to, I went to do A-levels. And I basically saw somebody.

I won't name her and embarrass her. She was the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen. So I queued up behind her. and did her A-levels. What, you mean you copied her choices? Yeah, I saw her. We went to the hall where you sign up at Crown Woods, and I saw her.

What's Crown Woods? Crown Woods is where people do their A-Levels. Oh, okay. It's a college in Eltham in South London. Oh, okay, I know, yeah. So I went there because, you know, my friend had decided to go there, so I went on. But yes, I got there, and she was in the hall.

So I queued up. Luckily, she did drama in English. but then I ended up doing sociology and photography as well, all in the name of love. Inspired by her and then you never saw her since. No, well, we dated for a while and then again it's strange, but the girl in question, her best friend, ended up dating a football player, a youth academy player. We're all 17. Yeah.

And he would spoil her with gifts because even then your academy football players at Premier league clubs are of, you know, £1,000 a week or whatever it would have been back then. I'll get you some nice knock off on, on it. Yeah, it got her friend lots of nice gifts. And I felt like I was kind of not pulling my weight in that respect. So I got a job at Next, the High Street retailer. But then they started to kind of offer me more shifts. And I kind of quite enjoyed the working environment.

I enjoyed having some money, not a great deal of money, a sales assistant's wage. But, and then it became a choice of, on Wednesday afternoon, I've got double sociology, or I can go and do a day's work. Yeah, earn some money and... And that just kind of started to take control. We should say as well, because I remember, sort of next was very much, had that sense of, it was when that kind of corporate sheetlet was in and suits and, do you know what I mean? It was, yeah. There was a shop called Blazer, and it had that, it was that sort of vibe. It wasn't cool.

Well, I think it was, though, Dave. Not for what I was into at the time. I think it was more for a young professional. Right. As opposed to a 17-year-old college student. And what did your parents think of that? Do you think, did they have an opinion on that? Were they saying, Dave, stay at school?

I think they've kind of trusted my decision-making. But what happened was, and I suppose this is the, I consider this the kind of start of the, The modern era, the current Dave, was I, again, to impress a girl, decided to go and get a tattoo, which as everybody who was around my age in the late 1990s, will be fully aware, was a set of Chinese symbols. Oh yes, is this sort of spice girl here? Cantonese writing. Or was this 90s then? This was late 90s. And I got them done. My friend's cousin did them for me above a kebab shop in Plumstead.

So it was all very hygienic. I still have them to. this day, I wrote an article for The Guardian about them. The tattoo, the day that changed my life. But I went, I got it done in my lunch break. And when I went back to... And when you went next? Yeah, when I went back to Next, I had to wear a white shirt. I was showing this woman a pair of shoes that she was interested in.

And I started to bleed through my shirt. And she let out a Yelp. And given a few other, I must admit, Mr. Meena's, my boss, she said that it was all over for me. and that was when I ventured down into Greenwich and met the partners in business and in love that are Ian and Ian, who ran a wonderful little vintage clothes shop called the Observatory. And that was the kind of real game changer for me.

And they introduced me to so much cool music and their passion for... I mean, their passion for 1950s French workwear is unrivaled. Right. So did you think you were going to go into fashion originally, Dave? or the sort of retail? I would have been happy to do that. That was certainly part of my thinking.

And then the shop next door to that shop, a shop called Bullfrogs, I kind of moved there where I was a buyer. Yeah. And a manager during that period, people would come into the shop and it would turn out they were the fashion editor of arena or something, for example.

Yeah. And they would say, you know would you would you like you know could we take a photograph and stuff of you of me yeah oh and that's how you got it's not the way i said it of you you know yeah you have every right to um that was the appropriate reaction emmene is that how you got into modelling then yeah well yes basically and then and then so i did a little bits and they were genuinely just small little bits but i quite enjoyed it and then tying this whole thing in a neat little bow when my friends got to their A-levels, what the tradition

in that part of the world is you all go up onto Blackheath, opposite a pub called the Prince of Wales and you take your own quarter bottle of vodka and your own orange juice and stuff. And you sit around in little groups and you chat away and get drunk and celebrate your A-levels. And I got I went up to join my friends to congratulate

them on their A-levels and I got scouted my modelling agent. And so they just come up to you and give you a card. Yeah, yeah. And you think, oh my God, well, it was nice knowing you kidney. You know, that's what I would sort of think. Not that it would ever happen to me. Yeah, I backed away from the groups

and I don't need to know you anymore. Did your mates sort of take the piss out of you a bit? Did you feel at all... I'm only saying that because I think of the world you grew up in in a way, and you mentioned Rob, and I think of it as... I don't know, I imagine saying... I think now saying you're going to be a model. I think we live in a different culture where everyone would be like,

oh yeah, that's cool. Whereas I can imagine back then it being a bit more... right on what you're doing? Do you know what I mean, that you might have the piss taken out of you a bit? I was okay. I mean, genuinely, I've got such a great group of friends. I remember once I was, I hosted a live TV show on MTV. Yeah. And I remember that some guy I'd been to college with was planning on, this was his plan, was to get in the audience and like abuse me from the audience for, and it would be a laugh. That's how he pitched it into my, into the, my, my genuine friends. and see this kind of.

And I found it about this years later and it was really nice because my friends were like, why would we want to do that? Dave's doing really well for himself. It's great that he's doing this. Why would we want to go and do that, you idiot? And doesn't it occur to you? And that was kind of the,

and we've always supported each other and whatever we do and we've all had adventures and misadventures, but we do what we do what friends do. And I know that in a, traditionally I suppose, in a blokey way, there can be a bit of that. And obviously we do rib each other, but we've always, in the main, It's always been a very supportive network.

It's interesting that bloke doing that, because I think what happens there, and it's probably a perfectly nice bloke, but it's similar to what happens on Twitter, and it's something that everyone experiences who puts their work out into a public forum in any sense is a dehumanisation, I think, of you. So in that instant, he had, even though he knew you and he had dehumanised you,

because he was seeing you, and it doesn't matter. All the gloves are off. So he thought, well, well, he's doing that, he's fine, he can take anything. Do you know what I mean? Exactly what you mean? I mean, I find it, you know, obviously we all have to, people who aren't even in the public,

I have to put up with atrocious abuse on social media. And it's terribly sad. And going back to the spell I had of being bullied, I just, and now being a dad, I just think that social awareness savvy for my daughter and for other kids, it's got to be top of the list with, don't get into strangers' cars and don't touch that, it's hot. I mean, I think that's the kind of world that we're living in.

It can be such a dangerous place. People at you into this stuff. Yeah. You know what I mean? There's a difference between like, I hate the breakfast show with Dave Berry to at Davebury underscore tweet, I hate your breakfast show. Do people ever do that? Because people do it to me sometimes.

Because as you say, it's because it's a dehumanisation. It's dehumanisation. And it's not, I don't blame them because I think we do that in our culture a lot. And when, you know, I think with things like X Factor, we created slowly, I think we started turning human beings with reality TV, especially, into pantomime characters. And I think that's dangerous culturally. Well, we've seen it with Love Island, and there's been some genuine tragedies there. And people coming forward and just saying there isn't, and this isn't only Love Island, of course,

but there isn't just the right amount of aftercare for people. There's another thing. people who don't actually talk into their phones but use them on a loudspeaker. He's a strange character. You see people walking along with their phone out like this, like they're almost like they're presenting it. It is I and I have a mobile phone.

Okay, mate, yeah, it's 2019. Well done. Bravo. Why don't you turn the speaker off and put it to your face? Get some headphones. So after you, so the modelling. I'm trying to complain about Love Island here, mate. He's probably opening an orphanage of Miranda. Are you?

Are you doing something worthwhile, are you? Okay, yeah. Well, good luck with your orphans. I've just been spotted shouting good luck with your orphans in the park. I haven't been in the spotted section of Heat magazine like 10 years. What a way to make my triumphant return. But we love what we do. As I said to you just earlier on. Be for yourself. No, I do.

I feel really blessed to do this for a living is just fantastic, right? We've been building into this. We get it. We understand it. It's sad that someone feels prompted that they have to message into you. when you're suddenly, you become as famous as those people do. Varsely more famous than people who have been struggling as broadcasters or musicians or actors for years. You know, even I'm guilty of it, and I'm in this, I know how it works. And I mean, I don't mean to sound like one of those tossers. He goes, oh, don't watch X Factor.

It's genuinely just not for me. I'm not a fan of that kind of television. But I've come away from watching programs like First Dates and felt like I hate someone. Oh, that person is an idiot. My God, I'm really wound up by that person. It's like, I don't know, I don't know that person. I've come across badly on the 10 minutes of television that they've done, you know, and why do I feel so emotional towards, towards a projection of stuff in your own life, doesn't it, I think as well?

You know, and it's easier to fixate, that's what you had the Royal Family for, I suppose, for so long, is to fixate on other people and play out your own dramas and experiences through others. you know, I hate that person. Normally, it reminds me of my dad who I didn't have a great relationship with, you know, it can be something like that. I wanted to ask you about the modelling then. So did you, just to go back to that,

was that your career then? Were you earning enough to do that as a full-time career, Dave? No, no, that was, again, a little bit like select your five favourite GCSEs. What I did was, I made sure that my ducks are in a row, and I was 21, and I said to my employers, I'm going to give this a go. It was the 1st of April 2000 was the year.

So I'm going to give this a go. If it all goes horribly wrong, which I have a feeling it will, can I come back and work here? And they said yes, and I was living at home with my parents. This was to the vintage clothes people. This was to the shop next door bullfrogs. So they said yes, and there were times during that period where I would go back and do a Saturday shift, which I always really enjoyed as well. I still have fun dreams of being in there. It's like the end of this is spinal time.

He says, what would you do if you don't do this? I'd work in a shoe shop. What are the hours? It's when he says, or a chapeau shop. And it's like, what are you saying? A chappos. That's such a lovely film.

But, yes, and I lived at home with mum and dad. So I was in a position where I was able to give it a go. And I had a couple of, I had a couple of half decent jobs. What, the modelling jobs? Yeah. Tell me about those. A couple of things for, like, there was something for like a mobile phone company. There was something for like a music website,

which this was before apps. Ask your parents. And a couple of other little gigs, they weren't amazing. But what happened was I got an audition at Nickelodeon, which is the Kids TV channel. Oh, look at this dog. Oh, hello, dog. Hello, gorgeous. Oh, that is cute. Oh, can you smell my treats?

Can you smell my treats? On 0898. I think it's 096 now, sorry, I don't think. The modelling thing, I don't know, I think there's something I would imagine about modelling where you're sort of inviting people to look at you, aren't you? And you've got a room full of people all taking pictures and screwed up. Were you comfortable with that? Yeah, I don't feel, I feel at ease in that.

I felt at ease in that situation. I feel, you know, I don't know which part of me that switch is in, but I, you know, I feel completely. relaxed on the radio and chatting into the mic and stuff. It's strange is it because everyone has their dream job and their idea of hell and often you might talk to a firefighter, you know, who's going into burning buildings to rescue people, yet you ask him or her if they would want to throw the mics up and talk to the nation. It's like, no way. Goodness, no way. I think what's given me some kind of long longevity, and I think what was in my favour early on, I'm quite a knack.

Dave, that was a jogger and... It's doing well, keep going my friends. Good for you. Good for you. That's great though, isn't it? He sounded like the grophal. I know. I thought there was a ball behind me. Raymond's attracted all the wildlife today, including a ball. I think that I'm as close to myself as I can be.

I think, apparently, which I only found out many years later, What helped me now the job over the others who were, you know, actual presenters? I hadn't done any of it. This was when, with Nickelodeon, which was your first gig, yeah. But so, you know, two possibly unlikely Nickelodeon presenters. It was me and Simon Amstall were the two. So I did a bit with Simon, and that was fine. And I think that our contrasting styles work quite nicely.

But I heard some years later that what nailed it the job for me was how I interacted, should I say, with the two puppets. it's Bogey and Rude the Reindeer. Because apparently a lot of the other people who auditioned would look at the puppeteer on the floor. And apparently in my audition tape, I'm like playing with Rude the Reindeer's antlers and putting my arm on bogie's shoulder. Again available on an adult channel. Rude the reindeer antlers. So, yeah, they like the fact that I was able to suspend.

Yeah, yeah. I suppose like a child, really, like a giant child. But I suppose that, yeah, you were kind of embraced the experience. Embrace the experience. That's what I was struggling to find. Yeah. And I've, you know, I've been embracing the experience ever since. And did you, and so you moved into radio.

I mean, Capital was, I mean, we should call it the other place, you know. Not that I know that much about either of those schools, but apparently, you know, with Eton and Harrow, they don't even mention them by name. They call it the other place. You went there originally and you then went to XFM and then you went back to... I was at XF, yes, that's right, yeah. That's right. I'm telling you how your career trajectory. So capital, XFM and then capital, before you went to Absolute.

Capital, Absolute, yeah. Was your first breakfast show at XFM or was it at? No, I had a Saturday show on Capital, which I did for quite a short amount of time and they let me go. And that was because I've basically. I basically would play the music that I wanted to hear and I'm not that kind of DJ I've never claimed to be I'm not a Lauren LeVern she does it brilliantly and you know

and I love those guys over at Six Music but it's not my What do you mean that kind of DJ? I'm not a muso DJ I don't want to unearth new bands and play white label stuff you know it's great and exciting for people and you know I've got friends that do it

but that's not what I'm into. You're more of a communicative. would you say? Precisely. So my point is I'm not trying to pretend that I am that person. That's why I've kind of prefixed what I'm about to say with that. But I would just put on the music I wanted to hear

and I don't want to be playing take that. I wanted to be playing Arctic monkeys. It was as simple as that. So they were looking in a different direction. That's when XFM, the great XFM, the late great XFM scooped in. And they said,

we hear that you would, you know, you'd like to playing Arctic monkeys on a Saturday afternoon, come and work for us. And then my dear friend Alex Zane, who was doing the breakfast show there, he'd already put in a good word for me and told them that my credentials when it came to that kind of thing were bona fidey. And I made move over, and I loved it there. It was, I did a Saturday show, then I did the drive-time show,

then I did the breakfast show. Yeah, but we'll get in trouble if we say you love it too much, because you ended up at absolute. No, I've never been happier than I am now. That's why I can say these things. Yeah, and I don't look at, look at it. I get your point about the other place, but I don't really see it like that. I had some wonderful times there.

I've met some lifelong friends, you know, many of those people at my wedding and stuff. And, you know, and I didn't even, when I left and told them I was leaving, I didn't do it through my agent or any of that stuff. I wanted to sit with the bosses there and explain to them while I was making the decision to leave and why it was so appealing to go to our. absolute and you know and I was open as honest with them as I could be and I've just always been kind of grateful for the opportunity that they gave me and you know capital was was was great fun you know but did you what do you love most about doing the breakfast show because people always say you know it's like oh getting up early and all that and it's the usual sort of cliches but it's a very high energy type of work isn't it but I totally buy into the energy of the morning

I love it like I bought into the fact that there's a the kids want to be seeing me interacting with the puppet, I'm totally, working with Matt Dyson every morning. Yeah. He's my bogey. What helps with being a breakfast show host in the early mornings is not suffering from what I believe is called FOMO, fear of missing out.

I will happily turn the lights out and get into bed at 9pm. Really? Oh, absolutely. I've got no... Well, did you do a bit of partying in the 90s? I do party. I enjoy it, but it's been a long time. now since I've had any desire to go to like a pub or a club in the evening, to cure a bar,

to be to be nestled up against other human beings, to be hemmed in at the urinal, to be pushing my way back to my table. That's how I, that's what comes to my mind when I think about going to the pub in the evening. And that, my friend, is why it's so great doing a breakfast show. London is mine. I can dance and sing and we can. And we're just, my friend, is why. And walk into any pub and all the tables are available. You know why? Because it's 11.30am. Your partner and your wife, I don't know,

am I allowed to name her? Yeah, of course. Sarah Jane. I really have got the impression that you keep a very low profile with her and so does she. There aren't, you know, she's not loads of pictures. What are you saying, I'm making her up? What are you saying, Emily, I'm married, okay, and I've got a baby.

What are you saying? I don't live on my own. He's a fantasist. But I get the sense. I don't know if that was conscious, Dave, but it feels like you haven't sort of put it out there much. You know, your private life with her, you're not doing sort of spreads,

come into our beautiful home, etc., etc. No. Has someone who, if I'm honest, did have a sort of quite a, you know, there was public interest in you in the past and your romantic life. Was that a conscious decision, do you think, to keep that special and private? I think so.

My ex and I, who obviously was a member of Sugar Babes, at the time was like the biggest selling girl band in the world or something like that, I don't know, who I'm still friends with and it's great. But she was the famous one. That was where I think, you know, the majority of the interest was, was from a press perspective and the fact that her boyfriend happened to be on the TV, which is probably just a little added dimension. But so, you know, and now I just don't think anyone's interested, Emily.

You know, I wouldn't want to do a photo. Plus, my wife, my wife's not on Instagram or Twitter or Facebook or any of that stuff. She doesn't, she's not into it, you know, and she doesn't, the idea of us doing a shoot together makes us both come out in hives. But do you think you like that in a way? Because it means you're able to keep your life, you know, like normally when high profile people get married, there's pictures everywhere, there's, but there's literally one grainy picture of your wedding. And you can see the press getting all frustrated. grand for that. But I suppose what I'm saying is I think that's a healthy sign of a healthy relationship personally.

I agree, I agree. And we are very much in love and we love our daughter. And I talk about... This sounds like you're reading the press release now. I talk about, you know, I talk about my partner and our daughter a lot on the radio. I'm not trying to cloak us in, you know, surround us in secrecy or anything or valise in mission. It's just, I do talk about it on the show But when it comes to posting pictures of us on holiday together

And that stuff, it's just really not out. But you don't want to be an Instagram couple, which is fake anyway, you know. So how did you know with your wife that you were going to marry her? And she was, you know, to use that slightly hackneyed phrase, but nevertheless accurate sometimes, the one, you know? Well, we'd always had a great deal of fun together. And then when I left...

So you were mates with her? The other place. Were you mates with her? No, no, we were instantly attracted to each other. But how did you meet her at work? No, I bought her and a friend a drink in a bar. Most old school way of meeting somebody. And she came over to say thanks for the drink.

Oh, she didn't drink it with you, I noticed. No, she was with a friend. Okay. And I had the drink set over. You're such an old school, Jen. I bet you had a three-piece suit on as well. I was quite hanging, to be honest. hanging to be honest and I was kind of

well what happened is... Were you with friends? That's quite a bold thing to do today. You're joking. No. I do all my best work on my own Emily. You were on your own and you said I like that girl and you said to the waiter or the barman can you send drinks over to her? She was with a friend so I said yeah send them both a drink please. That's so bold. And then she came over to say thank you and we ended up um we ended up chatting and then her friend went home and um... Good wing man, wing woman. Yeah, Claire, good wing woman and

from Claire and we had a great good fun but then when I left the other place to join Absolute Radio I had an enforced five months gardening leave yeah and during that time we decided to we would go somewhere different each of the five months and on holiday on holiday somewhere different and we did a road trip across half of America and she was I was you know already in love but she was so brilliant on that road trip she did all the driving she did all the navigating I wouldn't have gone anywhere if she hadn't been there I'd still be in Dallas and it kind of just something clicked I can't even put it into words I'm not enough of a poet to do that so then on our final trip of the five we

went to Rome and I proposed and she said yes you've got it you're like a rom-com man aren't you proposed in Rome sent over the Funny, because no one ever asked me about this. I've never talked about this until now. And, yeah, I hate myself. I sell like a cheesy book that someone's discarded in the hotel by the pool because they've thumbed through it with suntan lotion fingers and left it for another holiday maker.

I'm not even in English. I'm in German. I've been brought in by the cover. You're the mum-dad, I'd like you to meet. What would you say, and be really honest to hear, what do you think, Sarah Jane would say, was your, was the one thing she finds difficult about you? I'm thinking not because it's so hard to think of one.

I'm trying to work out which one's top of the pile. Are you a sulker, for example, or are you a, let's get it out in the open and talk about it? I'm a let's get it out in the open and talk about it. Are you? I think so. Yeah, well, I don't think so, I know so. Me too. But I'm not a, let's get out there and talk about it in a calm fashion kind of person. either. There's two different types of let's talk about it and get it out there. There's,

you know, there's the person with a raised voice in Pizza Express. Is that you? Yeah, oh god, yeah. And you should never yell or have an argument over dough balls, Emily. They're just too dull special. And what sort of thing would it be? Would it be something small? You'd just be like, why did you do that? Um, it's hard to identify, would it be? No, I don't, I, I think I've got enough of a grip on reality not to kind of lose it over the small things. I mean, you know you hear about those. The amount of people who are held in the public conscious as absolute heroes, national treasures, who you know, because you work in this industry, are total bastards.

You'll never see me throw a latte at a runner because I haven't stirred it the right way. I think I've got enough of a grip on reality. So if I'm yelling over the dough balls at my wife, it's for something that probably actually important at the time. And also I'm one of those people as well I instantly regret it. Do you? Whenever I...

But with any... Do you say sorry? Absolutely. Yeah, I'm a big apologising. But then that's because I think I'm always guilty of trans questions. Whenever you all say, I'm so good at saying sorry, I'm like, yeah, you have to be.

But I've got a question for you. Do you cry, Dave? Yes, yeah. When did you last cry? When did I last cry? I sometimes have to start. to stop myself from, because it becomes, I can see that Sarah Jane can sense there's drama coming. But I'll get, I'll get touched and moved by things all the time.

Certain things can trigger it off. Would you cry during an argument or would you cry? No. At a movie or would you cry like at a piece of sad news or? I could cry at a piece of sad news. Because I know when I interviewed Rob Beckett, again, it was really interesting. He was talking about just that whole thing of mental health and blokes talking. about that more and he was keen to encourage that you know because I always get that

sense that women get together and they chat about how they're feeling you know and men in my experience and this may be a generalisation but I don't get the sense they do that as much well I think you're as a man I think you're right I it's quite it's different I've got a couple of friends that I'll I'll sit and have a good chat and a cry away from time to time if you're You'll cry in front of your male friends then. Yeah, absolutely. Your friends wouldn't have an issue with that.

Your friends would support that. They would understand why you're crying. But I think as well, you know, it's great that people want to share, and I think we live in such a healthy period for mental health. I think more and more and more high-profile people are sharing and more and more high-profile people are getting involved and posting things about it. I also think that, you know, one can spend.

a long time feeling around the rim of their hole of grief to figure out its parameters. Yeah. And sometimes with a friend, you choose to dive in. The vast majority of people. And that's one thing they say, isn't it? You know, if someone says they're okay, ask them again. Yeah. Because the vast majority of people have got something going on.

And I think that, well, the way I visualize it is a hole. And you kind of feel around and you feel where it's bound. are and sometimes you get sucked in and sometimes you choose to jump in don't you yeah but I I'm always working at feeling my way around in the darkness for that does that make any sense no it does I want to know that's how I visualise it in my mind they might might sound like nonsense but that's have you ever had therapy Dave no would you uh I I would I'm not averse to it it's it's something that lots of my friends have done it's yeah I find my therapy is Well, I can't say it's because I've never had it.

And I think it's so important, and I know it helps so many people because it helps a lot of my friends. Yeah. But I find talking to them about that and them listening to me a therapy. Yeah. You know, every October, we try and go away, me and a small group of friends. We go to a different city. So we went to Amsterdam first.

Let's, let's, let's, let's. Do you do lads as lads? No, we don't do that, really. No. I imagine you don't. I think you're more three-piece suit and wonderful red wine. Well, we're a bunch of kind of, we're a bunch of... Yeah, we are a red wine drink.

You're a bit young fogies. Young fogies. But there's, you know, amongst them are songwriters and writers and musicians. So we're all sat around drinking wine and crying. It's like the grand tour, which these stuff. Did you, how was some, you had Evangeline? It's like a more emotionally involved the grand tour. So you had Evangeline, your baby last year.

And how did that, well, it sounds like a cliche, how does it? change you but obviously it does was it what you were expecting well it's changed me as in you know even a year ago I would have finished the show and I would have been desperate to get home but now I'd rather walk around in a park with you than go anywhere near the responsibilities that I know are waiting for me is it hard work it is hard work but it's very very rewarding and it's it's full of it's full of a joy that is that was difficult to comprehend before you she came along. Yeah.

And I think the three of us, as a little family, are doing, we're doing well. We've got, I have nothing but respect and understanding for Sarah Jane as a new mum. And I'm conscious that she is more than just a young mum. She's a new mum. She's a person who had a life. should continue to have a life. So we all pitch in, and Evangeline is a good baby, and we're kind of, we're making it work.

Oh. Are you a feminist, Dave? I like to think so, yes. I think what you just said is a feminist thing to say. Do you know what I mean? I love you saying about your wife that it's so true, because I think a lot of women lose, you know, struggle with your identity a bit, I imagine.

I haven't had kids because I forgot, but I think that can happen. You know, and I think to have a husband who sort of says, right, you're a person, first and foremost, and a mum, do you know what I mean? Yes, so we're in it together. Yeah. And another, you know, another advantageous thing of the kind of hours I normally keep. I mean, often there's other things going on in the day, but it does mean I'm able to come home and have a little bit of daddy daughter time while Sarah Jane can go to the gym or go to go meet her friends or whatever. And then because, well, in Sarah Jane's case, new mum,

in Evangeline's case, six months old, my case breakfast show, we all go to bed together at half past eight, so it's perfect. Actually, that's true. We've all got our reasons, Emily. Thank you, Absolute Radio. Exactly, yeah. For making Dave a brilliant hands-on dad.

It's been so lovely today, Dave. Oh, look. Thanks, Emily. And you've been your... Thanks, Raymond. You know what, I describe you as an old-fashioned gent? I'll take that. Are you happy with that?

I'm really happy with that. I'm going to put that on the next run of part. hosters. I really hope you enjoyed listening to that and do remember to rate, review and subscribe on iTunes.