Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Jimmy Carr

Episode Date: August 10, 2017

Emily heads out for a summer stroll in north London with Jimmy Carr and his super-cute Yorkshire Terrier. The pair discuss the comedian's early family life, his thoughts on fame, and the secret to happiness. We also discover that when it comes to shoes, Jimmy knows his Louboutins from his Miu Miu's. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Look at the size of those dogs. One of those wants to eat you, you want no more than a snack, Marnie. Hey dude, what kind of dogs are those? An American bulldog and a French Mastiff. Wow. I don't know who sold you with them, but they're the same. You know that, right? Hi, I'm Emily Dean.

Welcome to Walking the Dog. Remember the three things on your to-do list today. Rate, review and subscribe. I genuinely feel really excited to hear what you think of the show, so please keep your thoughts coming. This week I went out for a stroll with the hilarious. Jimmy Carr and his beautiful little Yorkshire Terrier Marnie. He's also got two English toy terriers, but we left them at home because they're too good

looking in high maintenance to have to walk anywhere. Also is Jimmy come to think of it? He likes to keep it real. He didn't even use gloves when he handed me the poo bags to carry. Hashtag blessed. Do not poop. Don't poop. No pooping. Come on. Jimmy, you know me better than that by now. I use the toilet.

Come on. Come on, Marnie. Right, come on Marnie, we're leaving now. Oh, what a lovely day for it, Jimmy. Is that your car? Yeah. Okay, and you're doing regional sales? Jimmy's being rude about my bends. Very nice.

Jimmy, are you rude about my Mercedes? No, because I know you like you like your Muck, so I thought I would tease you. You know what it? It does look a bit like I own a really successful chain of dry cleaners in the North London area. Yes, indeed. Well, I just watched this show. Is it Ozarks or Ozarks on Netflix? Okay.

About money laundering. And suddenly, suddenly, so many businesses now make sense to me. You know when you see a nail cell on and like no one's in there? You go, I've never seen anyone in there. And you go, oh, that's a money laundering place. Welcome to North London. I love your phone naivety about money laundering. So we should say this is...

My phone naivity about money laundering. Hey, listen, there was a bit of tax avoidance. There's nothing too bad. It's all paid back. So it is paid back. Can I just say it is all paid back? Not a lot of people know that, but it is. So we should do the intro.

So this is my dog, Marnie, who we rescued. This is Jimmy Carr, by the way. Oh, hello, I'm Jimmy Carr. This is Jimmy Carr. And I'm Emily Dean. Two dogs that are English toy terriers who are a, I don't want to say a nightmare, but they've both got sort of health issues, so they don't really come out a lot, which is just as well.

I mean, they're only 12 inches tall. They're like a Doberman Pinscher far away, is what my other dogs are like. They are like a sawn-off Doberman Pinscher, and that's how I see them. So they're crazy, like taxi, the little one, who I call taxi so I could take to the park and shout. Taxi. I thought that might have been my name to the taxi. It's a good name, right? Taxi and Macchi, adorable.

I love them, but they can't be around other people because taxis a little bit. I don't think you've got quite enough oxygen very early on, and as a result of that, he is proper crazy. But that's okay. I don't mind. I don't mind getting nipped every now and then. But then we rescued Marnie from, you know these people, Blue Cross. Oh, yeah. Oh, very good.

I've got a photo shoot with their phone. Blue Cross this week with Rankin who I really like. So we rescued her from Blue Cross although the rescue dogs don't get a rescue dog. Why? My nana got one and then she had a fall and it just sat there and did nothing. They're a disgrace. They're not the fourth emergency service that I thought they might be. The producer is actually laughing. That's good Jimmy. He's giggling. Okay all right. We'll cross the road. Marnie is looking around for tennis balls. No tennis balls. Right. She's upset. So when we adopted her we had to have

We had to have like a date. We basically did Tinder for dogs. Oh, did you? She came over for a date with the other dogs and the other dogs who are crazy had a little sort of little sort of tentative sniff around and went, you know, I like that. That's pretty good. And is that? We got her like as a little, I mean, we just thought we've got a house that's big enough for another little dog and, you know, why not? And she's an absolute joy. She's like the best thing that's ever happened.

And what is she, Jimmy, breed wise? She's a, she's a Yorkshire, like a classic Yorkshire. When we got her, obviously, she had slightly longer hair. Yeah. And I thought, well, she's cute. And then I cut the hair and kind of went, oh, actually, she's sort of the nicest thing that's ever lived. And the other dogs, I know you've said to me in the past, which I really enjoyed this observation, that you thought they were a bit like, it was a bit like dating models or something.

Yeah, I mean, I think English toy terriers are maybe the most beautiful dog. And they're also, like, the heritage is really interesting. They're the first ever sort of town dogs. They were bred to be kept in town in the, remember A.A. Gill, God, God Rusty's Rusty Soul, sort of told me the heritage of the dogs. Came over one day and went, oh yeah, I know what they are. And it's the first ever sort of city dogs. And they were ratters.

He was a big dog lover, wasn't he loved them? He was like, they were ratters and they were there to kind of be, you know, small. And you could sort of have them in town and they looked cute. So sort of London back in the heyday. And then this is just a, you know, a Yorkshire Terrier. And they're just, I don't know, she's adorable, so playful. It sort of feels like you've got a puppy. Do you think she's made, she brings out the best in Mackie and Taxi?

Her sort of lack of neurosis is infectious in a good way. But that was certainly the plan. It hasn't happened. Hasn't happened. It's, yeah, it's... But you know, some people are too good looking to be nice. And I think that's true of your dogs. I think the... I think our ones, yeah, they're...

Yeah, it's... it's dating a supermodel. It's... It's... I don't know. Some models are all right. Some are a laugh. But, I mean, that's a real... That's a real unicorn. Money's just having a...

Having a pee on everything as we go. And she hasn't pooed yet. I've got the bags here, just in case I've given them. Just in case. She or I poo, we've got bags. And did you, so were you from a dog or a cat family, like a pet family when you were growing up? No, when I was growing up, we had, my mum enjoyed buying a dog, did not enjoy keeping a dog. And then we had various family members and a wonderful lady called Joan Coleman, who's sort of, you know one of the people that's kind of like an aunt? Because they're around so much you just think, well, they're pretty much family.

Yeah. And she was, so Joan used to, was my auntie, he took my first dog. It was a shih Tzu called Suti. And that was your dog? And that was your dog? Yeah, it was my dog. But it was an older lady who lived on her own in London and she took care of the dog. We went on a holiday once.

We went on a holiday for like a week and she took care of the dog and then we got back and she went, yeah, I mean, I mean you're not taking the dog back because I really, like she was like really begrudging about taking the dog and then went, yeah, I mean this dog's amazing. I've never lived with another thing. It's amazing. I love it. And then the dog lived like... And did your mom just say, oh, that's okay?

Yeah, what was she going to say? What was she going to say? Some poor, old, lonely relative goes, kind of keep the dog? Yeah, you can keep the dog. 100%. You never got to meet my mum. My mum was properly the funniest person I've ever met. Not in terms of kind of gags, not kind of what I do, like, I've written this joke and it's like a magic spell and you will laugh when I say it. Like she just organically was just funny. Was she? Yeah, well, I think I'd a really interesting chat about mums the other day with Clang, Jim Carrey.

I'm such a big hitter. I've just got back from this comedy festival. But we had a chat about mothers. We were chatting about, because he said this beautiful thing on stage about how most comedians, you know, people talk about tears of a clown. Yes, they do.

Oh, hang on, did she just do a poop. I think she just did a poop. I'm going to run in. Poop, we did a poop. I really hope that's Marnie's poo. I'm pretty sure it is. I mean, I'm not being, not being sort of specialist about this.

It's definitely not mine. Yeah, but it's quite big. It looks like it could be sort of Greg Davis's poo. Greg Davis is, he's mainly an indoor man these days. I'd say 90% of the time that might be it for money So we're chatting about mothers and saying

That cliche about comedians Like the tears of a clown, they're all depressed I don't think that's true But I do think universally You can ask any comedian you know Oh, did you have a sick parent Did you have a mother or a father That needed cheering up, either depressed or physically sick

That's almost 100% Really? Of like, oh, they needed cheering up You needed to make it all right And which one was true in your case Then your mum was ill, yeah Yeah, and a bit depressed or whatever, you know, latterly. But just, you know, comedy had like that was the way of kind of making everything's all right.

If we're laughing, then everything's okay. And was that your role in the family, do you think, as the person, you were the funny one? I'm not sure whether I really had much of a role, you know, I mean, one of the kids. One of the kids, try and keep quiet, stay out the way. Because I heard you talking, I listened to your Desert Island Discs and I absolutely loved it. Well, that's what this show needs some records. Well, I know. I was going to say, I mean, I... We're walking a dog.

So, Jimmy Carr, you've chosen, Beyonce's crazy and long. I did. But now, I loved your... Death Car, poracuti. You made you sound like Frankie Boyle. Yeah, same, same. That's what I hear. Yeah, the Beyonce was a really good choice because there was, there's been an ongoing thing online for years about no one's chosen Beyonce for their Desert Island discs. Oh, look, Marney's met someone.

Marnie's met a dog. No, no, no. No, he's a nice boy. He's a nice boy. He's a nice boy, Arne. Or girls. I'm not good with these things. Yeah, you never know.

girl, it's got massive testicles. Mine's not too much of a fan of other dogs. Not huge. She's having a very nice time. She's a happy little creature. You talk with such affection about your mum, and it seemed to me that you had a really lovely relationship with her. Yeah, it's like, you know, it's a nice thing as well, and it's that, God, I had a beautiful

quote the other day, which I'd never heard before. I'm sure it's a very common thing, but the grief is the price we pay for love. So there was a really beautiful way of sort of saying, actually that kind of slight melancholy remembering. is actually a lovely way of kind of remind you how much someone meant to you and how much that was kind of worth. It's kind of a nice way of something out. But do you think also, you know, you were saying your mate's Jim Carrey.

Oh, well, I mean, you just, yeah, yeah, sure, sure. No, but you were referencing your conversation with Jim Carrey, which I liked what you were talking about, because there's also as lot, as well as tears of a clown, there's another cliche which is that sense of people who lose a parent, at a slightly early age that's too early. In your case, it was too early, I think you're in your 20s, weren't you? So do you think that sort of propels you?

And, you know, people like whether it's Madonna or Chris Evans, or I don't know, you know, those people often talk about how that was the inciting incident in their life. If they've led a slightly unusual, a kind of extraordinary life. I don't know. I mean, I think you look for reasons, don't you? You look back and look for, I think you just sort of live your life and you make the choices that you make and you try and do the best that you can. and then you try and analyze it when you're talking like this and you try and sort of find a pattern you try and find something that kind of make sense of it

I think often it's the case that we feel so sort of it's such a privileged life what do I do for a living I tell jokes to people that come out and want to spend a night with me sort of you know telling them jokes it's a pretty sort of privileged position and you kind of come on money money can't smell everything it's such a privileged position you kind of look for a way of kind of taking ego out of it a little bit and going well maybe it's because of that thing that happened early on that maybe that's what made me do it rather than just going, well, I'm pretty terrific. I suppose it was destined, you know. So I don't know. I mean, I think it can be certainly the catalyst. I think it's sort of the, I certainly think it kind of makes you, gives you a certain sort of independence or sort of belief in what, you know, I've just got one life. Yeah, I'm just going to put the poo in their bin. I mean, I lost people, but mine was more like a kind of Game of Thrones episode. It all happened very quickly. Yeah, it was really, I think even, even, even on Game of Thrones episode, it all

happened very quickly. Yeah, I think even even even even even even even even even even on Game of Thrones they would have gone oh that's a hell of an episode that's a season finale. It's a it's a it's a it's an odd thing that well yeah because I think it does change your your perspective because it's um I think death is is something that we sort of spend I mean there's a lot of kind of talked about how you know sort of laughter and it's kind of the opposite of death you know sort of feeling alive we spend so much time kind of avoiding that yeah and then when when it happens it does change. the way you think about everything because it's obviously it's the always the elephant in the room.

Yeah. When you were sort of growing up you had, after you went to Cambridge, which was obviously kind of a big deal. Well, even though you play it down, I think of it. I don't know. I mean, I always, I think like everyone that ever goes to those kind of places, I thought it was an admin error. Marnie's met, is that a schnauzer? Yeah, she met a schnauzer and I think she's going to f*** him. Think she's going to break him off a piece of this Kit-Cat bar. Come on, Marnie. Come on, get some. Get some. Is that? No, good-looking fella? Not for you.

That's the worst piece of porn I've ever seen. Come on, Marnie. Did you like that, Schnauzer? Yeah, so what I mean by that is, like, a lot of people don't know you went to Cambridge. Frank's going to said, oh, I didn't know Jimmy went to Cambridge. Not in that thick-o way. They've really tightened up the admin process now. They've really tightened it up since they went that, never again. I don't think it's that big a bigger deal.

I think there's like a, I read a brilliant thing that, J.K. Rowling wrote about this, about there being a statute of limitations on certain things in life. And it sounds really harsh, but I think there's like, I'd say the age of 30. If you're still going on about an academic achievement

after the age of 30, something's gone horribly wrong. Something's gone horribly wrong. What are you doing? Oh, I've got a lot of A levels. Right, I mean, no one cares. You're 44. Get over it.

And we've all got friends. we could name them now, that I've never got over their academic achievements. You go, that's just an, unless you're an academic, just enough. I mean, you're not Naomi Klein. Get over it. You know, it's, but also I think there's a statute of limitations on the other thing that we're talking about, which is childhood trauma. I think that they come, and it should be like a societal thing if you go,

25, you're 25, it's a big birthday, you get a cake, we're all going for drinks, and anything that happened in your childhood, enough already. Enough, no matter how bad it was, you have to take responsibility now. That doesn't seem like an unreasonable thing. And I know that's really callous, because some people do have the worst time. But to what end? It's no good complaining about that beyond a certain point. You want to kind of go, well, no, you've got to do your own thing.

Make your own life. Make this one better. There's one that that's callous. And then there's another one which I tend to subscribe to, which is that you're sort of taking responsibility for your life, aren't you? And you're saying that's not providing you. Yeah. It's a little bit, Christina Aguilera.

Thank you. It's a little bit as a philosophy. But I view that as a good thing. I think hell of a voice that got. After all you did to me. Yeah, hell of a voice. I love that quote. What did they do to? I think they broke up with you. I think they put her in chaps. Did they? Backless chaps. Backless chaps. That is a, whoever, I don't know who, obviously it's the unsung heroes of pop. But whoever put Christina Aguilera in backless chaps, can we buy her a drink collectively? That was a wonderful thing. I've moved on to Selena Gomez now.

Jimmy loves Selena Gomez. The new track, well not the new track, this will be going out in a while, but the track with the, it's got the bass line from Psycho Killer by, and it's just so catchy. I mean, it's the crack cocaine of pop. So is that in Jimmy's car when he's driving to one of his gigs? No, I just, you know, it's on, it's on occasionally, that kind of thing. I like a little bit of, like a bit of pop. I've got quite Catholic taste in music. I like everything. We should say we're in a leafy part of North London. Well, we're just about to come to the top of Prim Roselle, which is, I kind of, I find this view, I mean, I do like a view. I mean, I do like a view. That's kind of my idea of sort of heaven is like someone nice for lunch and a nice view. That's kind of, I mean it's like it's sort of London in front of you and it kind of just feels like you can sort of take it all in. So also there's a wonderful thing up here like... I realise you have a long-term partner but do you come here often?

Yeah, I come down the park a lot, yeah. Yeah. Yeah, no, I come up here quite a lot. I really like sort of really like the feel of it because it feels very, it feels obviously it's the heart of London, sort of perimeter and it feels, it's a beautiful area to live. It's a beautiful area to live in, but also because there's always loads of tourists around, it always feels quite sort of quite fun. Like there's quite a nice energy to that. It always feels like kind of, it's almost like you've kind of gone on holiday.

Yeah, I know. And then if you can kind of stop from it and stop thinking about living here and sort of go, well, if you went anywhere else in the world and they showed you this, you'd go, wow, it's pretty amazing. And it's other people enjoying London, isn't it? Which is nice, which is kind of a healthy reminder. Yeah, I think we're... I think I'm in London next week. I've got like sort of four days off in a row next week, which is sort of unusual.

for me and I think we're just going to stay in London and try and do just fun stuff here rather than rather than sort of fly somewhere and do fun stuff there because it's kind of great isn't it I always kind of think whenever I drive past the zoo I go I never spend enough time in the zoo I go out of my way when I'm going to London to drive past the bit where you can see the giraffes actually this is amazing this view I mean I appreciate I've lived here a long time but you can't see this of course but take our word for it yeah I mean this is this is the worst thing that anyone's ever said in a podcast Next week, ballet.

But, you know, we've got the kind of... The post office tower. Didn't we turn around. We're going to have our picture taken. Oh, okay. Three, two. Right, why do we have to go quiet for the picture? I don't know.

Why do I go quiet? I don't know. We have to go quiet for a picture. Yeah, but there's Marnie in it. Can you see Marnie in the picture? Can you see Marnie Veen. Look, that way, that way. Yep, yep, just, yeah, look at my balls.

Cool. So yeah. So after Cambridge, Jimmy. Yeah, go on. And you did political... Social and political science? He did political science. Pau-Pourri of a degree. Yeah. I believe. The general studies of a degree. A lot of little things. Nothing in depth.

But when you decided to do that, was that with a view to, did you think you'd go into politics or something? No, no, no. I didn't have, I mean, it was literally, I mean, I've sort of talked about this before. But I don't think, I'd made a decision really in my life until it was about mid-20s. It was just like, oh, shall I do A-Levels? Yes, obviously. Shall I go to university? Yes. Which one? Well, the best one I can get into. And then, you know, and what course shall I do? The easiest course. place not an idiot and you know so that it really kind of didn't fit and then why should I get a job while I guess some blue chip big company is that what people do no money you can't you can't be on that that's a man's a man's

leg stop it is a man's leg it was a lamp post-coloured leg he's not he's not gonna he's not gonna hit you is he money people are sunbathing it is not warm enough to sunbathe no but they're enjoying themselves look they are enjoying themselves it's like a surah painting I always think it's, I always think sort of this time of year, it's kind of a wonderful time to feel more. I mean, I don't mean this to sound callous, but the rest of the year you pass homeless people in the park drinking at 10 in the morning and think, oh, where did, you know, why did their life go wrong? That's terrible. This time of year, you sort of go, oh, yeah, it's a pretty good idea.

We should get some cans. Do you need some weird things? Yeah, when the sun comes out, you kind of go, yeah, outdoor drinking, yeah, let's. Yes, you're right, actually. it's more kind of inspiring outdoor life. Outdoor life doesn't become a, it's not necessity. A couple of guys. He's got a Stella, he's got a Cronenberg.

No, no special brew. They haven't gone to the special brew level yet. You know the story on special brew? You know the story on special brew? No, go on. It was made for Churchill. Is that right? Yeah, so Churchill, you know, the Danes after the war went Churchill.

Thanks awfully, we never like those Nazis. What can we do for you? We're going to brew you a beer. And obviously, then Churchill's people went, yeah, don't brew him a beer because he's actually, actually, he's an alcoholic. He likes drinking. Beer, he's no interest at all.

For women and children, as far as Churchill's concerned. And then they went, well, what if we made you like a ludicrously powerful beer? And they went, have a darted. Have it. Have a darted it. And they made special brew. And for him, like, presented him with a can. I'm sure he's shotgunned it.

I can't imagine Churchill with a special brew. I can. I can imagine him in the park. Because you know the other great park story about Churchill, which was during the war, one of the, a minister was caught in flagrante in the park. Yeah. I think in like Westminster or like Green Park or something, there was like a cottaging toilet.

So a gay member of parliament during the war though, part of the coalition government was caught by police officers in the park toilets with another gentleman and or in the park actually just outdoors in the park with another gentleman. And obviously they went to war time. They're not going to arrest the guy, whatever, it's a matter of, you know, national interest. So they went to Churchill, you know, gets woken up. up early and in the morning the briefing or this minister has been, you know, and his reaction was to say, what, what, uh, what temperature was it last night?

So, what, minus four, sir. Uh, makes you proud to be British. Such a lovely. Leave that lady's eggs alone. I like that reaction. I like to think that would have been your reaction. I think that would have been, you know, well, of course we sort of, you know, obviously all the, it's kind of the anniversary of that recently, all that, all those kind of, laws, you know, their decriminalisation, but it was still like a stigma for many, many years being gay, but it feels like there was like, it must have been a case in society where people,

you know, knew. There was, that was always a, that was always a thing. There must have, well, that's the thing, what I suppose you just, have you had enough? You're in a kerfuffle, yeah. She's, I would say she's a bad, bad walker. I think she's doing pretty well, actually. She's doing away? This kind of stops dead every now and then. Look at the size of those dogs. If one of those wants to eat you, you want no more than a snack, Marnie. Oh my God, they're huge. Yeah. What are they, Jimmy?

What are they? I don't know. I know, whatever. Again, this isn't very interesting for you, but they're big boys. Whatever a cross between a dog and a horse. That's essentially what they're. They look a slightly bovine. Hey, dude, what kind of dogs are those?

An American bulldog and a French mastiff. I don't know who sold you them but they're the same you know they're both the same they're both rescues they're both rescues yeah I got mine's a rescue from a burning building

like actually a rescue actually and it was pretty dangerous I don't want to make a big deal but I'm basically a hero we better get away before one of your dogs nice to meet you they're beautiful aren't they oh they're lovely dogs

I bet they eat a lot though mainly children of course How gorgeous looking creatures But obviously that's fascinating to people And it's interesting how you had that life change Which you did, your life was going in one direction really Wasn't it?

Well I think there's a weird thing where people Well certainly I thought That unless you went to drama school Or were somehow in a family that did comedy or something You couldn't be a comedian I had no conception of how does that happen How do you become the person that tells the jokes for a living? But I think that life changed things quite.

It's quite nice when you chat to people that have, you know, just left college. Yeah. And they're kind of doing something and they go, right, I'm being a lawyer. And that's going to be it now. I'm a lawyer for life. And you kind of go, I don't know whether it works like that anymore. I don't know whether. I mean, for some people it does.

But mostly people kind of go, well, they do a bunch of different things. And did you feel once you'd made the decision, which was it just a case of waking up one morning thinking. Oh, no, I think it's quite a long. I mean, I think it's really about not depression, but sadness. It's about feeling like, um, you kind of, you don't like your life, which isn't sort of, I think a lot of people, you know, depression is a horrible thing and I haven't really suffered with depression. I'm very lucky, I think. But are we just seen a chew her, hoo, which I believe. Go on, eat it, eat it.

Come on, Moni, you can eat that. It's a little tchewa. Very tiny chihuahua. I mean, it's a beautiful dog. It's very cute. Oh, no, don't eat it, don't eat it, or do eat it. Do eat it? I don't think you're going to eat it.

Is that a puppy? Yeah. Is he a puppy? How old? Four months. Four months. Four months. Okay.

Is he a teacup though? Yeah. He's lovely. It's a big cup of tea, isn't it? I mean, it's a tiny dog, but it's a big cup of tea. It's probably too much tea. You need four sugars in that. Oh, oh, oh, yeah.

That is adorable. It's so gorgeous. Yeah. Oh. Hello. Oh, no, it's fierce. It's taken M's finger off. She's being very brave.

You know when people say, oh, your eyes are bigger than your belly? Yeah. Oh, Matt dog, actually the case. So, love. lovely to meet you and good work on the shoes you're wearing for the dog. Yeah, that is a very strong, very strong shoe game. This lady's got, I think, mu-mutes? The boot-hans or mu-mus?

Oh, jeep. You got it right, I'm so proud. I know, not even gay, but I'm good with shoes. Well, look, good luck. Good luck with the teacup. Lovely shoes and dog, thank you, in that order. That's a nice Chihuahua interlude. I know, I'm so sorry, the embarrassment. You are the worst.

You are the worst. It's like being with... The interview ends now. It's like mean girls. So you know, you were saying, I think that's interesting. So you were saying, actually, you just, that's what propels you? You're thinking, oh, I could be happier than this. Is that what it was like?

I think so. I think you've got a sort of, not a rock bottom, but you have to kind of, I always really like that quote, the good is the enemy of the best. The idea that you go, like, if your life's all right and you got quite, I had quite a good job. And, you know, John Bisham and I have sort of spoken about this because he had a good job. You know, if you've got a good job, it's tough to leave. If you work in a call centre and you hate it, then it can be easier to kind of take the leap because you go, wow, I've got to do something.

Whereas if you've got quite a good one and you can see your boss's life is quite good and you could have that in five years. Yeah. Yeah, that thing of kind of going, you have to do something better. You have to kind of... Maybe the death thing as well kind of comes into that

because you've got one life. What are you doing? What are you doing? If you're not having fun, what's it for? And did you think there was a point where you thought I might be the funniest man in the office? That's what's going to happen to me. Not so much. Not that because actually I was so kind of down when I worked. I wasn't really

that fun in the office. I think I was just kind of, oh God, we've got to do more of this. Really? Which wasn't, you know, it wasn't a bad job, wasn't a bad office, wasn't a bad, you know, wasn't a bad place to be. And people were very supportive. I remember I had a really nice boss at one stage called Mike Haal, who was just very encouraging. And I sort of, I thought, well, I want to leave this job and I went and got a job with some consultancy for Boston consulting or whatever I was going and having an interview with. And when I did you and he won't, what are you doing? That's the same job somewhere else.

What are you doing? Go do something else. This isn't for you in the nicest possible way. It wasn't being, you know. You know, it's interesting what you're saying, when I interviewed Alan Carr, he was saying he worked in a factory. You know, that idea that you're either a transmitter, basically, or receiver. So you're someone who likes to communicate.

I think you've misunderstood the conversation with Alan. It feels to me like he was explaining an intimate detail of his life to you. And you've gone, oh, you're either a transmitter or a receiver. And you go, yes, yes, we understand how tops and bottoms works. Was you trying to involve me in something? I don't know. Hold this. No, but you know what I mean?

It's not, I see what you're saying, I suppose, is you're not saying, oh, people that do jobs like that, how can you? It's just that sense of, that wasn't right for you. That didn't feel like you were living your best life. Some people are like, you know, I think I've got a lot of friends that kind of have jobs that are, they work to live. Yeah. Not live to work. You know, and my thing, I'm very lucky, you know, when I talk about having a privileged position, I do something that I love for a living. And I suppose, you know, you could, you could say,

oh, you probably work too much, but you sort of go, yeah, but work is more fun than fun. Yeah. There's nothing more fun than what I do for a job. So it's a, it's a kind of false read, I suppose. You seem, I think you're really happy person. Like, I think you've got a happy disposition. Yeah. I'm good at knowing what makes me happy. That seems to be the interesting question. Like, if you're a good at, you're a happy. I'm good at knowing what makes me happy. ask anyone anything like the what do you want fundamentally the most important question is what you want and if you can answer that getting it comparatively easy knowing what makes you happy

is actually the tough thing you know in that way that people kind of go well you know I want to buy I want a Ferrari you go well do you though what you actually want is excitement or you want the admiration of others or you want to feel self-confident or you know whatever those things if you can get to kind of that base level of knowing what you want then and I think that's you know not to be too objectivism and Aang Rand I think it's That personal responsibility for your happiness is all you can have. You can never really be responsible for anyone else's happiness. And so what do you want?

What do you want? Well, I mean, this life's pretty good. You know, the life of a... I like the life of a comedian. I think the idea of success is you get a false read on what that is because people sort of think it's being on telly or being... getting a Hollywood deal or stuff. And it's actually the first time you get paid to say funny things at a club.

That's when you made it. That's it. as long as you can, you know, pay for your life with that, then that's a joy. That's everything. Do you think also you differ from some people in that the intention I never felt for you was, I will get on TV by any means necessary, it was I want to make people laugh. You know, I feel like being a gig in comic seems to be your driving force rather than... Well, I suppose the reason I work the way I work is because it's ultimately the tele thing

is someone else's decision. Right. And at some point you have to be gracious when someone comes along and says, that's not you anymore. we've got some new people and they're younger and they're funnier and we prefer them and you're yesterday's news and at some point that phone call comes or that I mean it gradually comes hopefully

and you transition into something a little bit different but no one stays at the top of their game forever no one stays kind of doing those shows well I think that's inevitable but the stand-up thing if you build an audience and you're good to them and you do funny shows then hopefully they keep coming back and you get to kind of sustain that and even if the

audiences get smaller and play smaller places yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah you know Don't have an ego about it. Just go out and... Well, these people turned up. Come on. But you've got to the stage now where you're so established

and you've got such a big fan base, presumably, that you'll always have people come to see your show, won't you? Yeah, I think so. But I mean, in the same way as those kind of old-school comics, you know, always had that thing. You know, so if you look at someone like, I don't know, you know, Jethro, it's like an old-school comic

that's never been on telly, but still does his thing. Still plays the gigs that he used to play. Might not be as big as it used to be, but it's still, you know, it's still a thing. still a great job. And there's something about the adrenaline or the high of being on stage, the fun of making people laugh, that's just you can't, I mean, you kind of can't beat that. I think you enjoy fame. I mean in the sense that there are some people I know who are really

privileged, you know, and have great lives and have achieved everything they want to, but it's like it seems sometimes to make them quite unhappy. And I've never really had that sense with you. And I wonder why that is. I think it's a very, you know what, I've got a very comfortable level of fame. And it's, you know, and again, you know, you have to realize how lucky you are because a lot of people want to be famous. I think it's kind of a, there's an argument to say it's a natural state. Because, you know, for hundreds of thousands of years, humans lived in groups of what,

about 60, and we all knew each other. Yeah. And seeing a stranger would have been the unusual thing. You know, that would have been the, it would have been out of the ordinary. Whereas we're walking through a park and just nothing but strangers. And weirdly, I get a thing where I'm recognised by a lot of people And it's a nice little... You're not stranger to these people.

I mean, even when we walk around the park, I've been recognised by, I don't know, 30 or 40 people. But no one comes up. People just, all right? It's like, I mean, partly that's a London thing of like, oh, whatever. And partly I'm not that... You're not that bigger deal as a comedian. And I don't mean that in a bad way.

I just mean that everyone's got a sense of humour. No one thinks they're bad at sex and no one thinks they don't have a sense of humour. No one. Everyone thinks, oh, I'm all right, I'm all right. So everyone's got their sense of humour, so it's right for them. So if you make someone laugh, it's sort of the closest you can get as a celebrity to being someone's friend. Whereas a singer or an actor, they're on a pedestal. You can never do that.

You hear Adele's voice. You go, well, no, never going to happen. I'm never going to be able to sing like she sings. It's a siren call. Or you see an actor do something that's just extraordinary. You kind of go, oh my God, they're in your favourite film and it means so much to you. Whereas when you hear me make a joke, you go, yeah, we've all told jokes. Here's one for you.

The amount of people that come up and tell you their joke. Do they? Yeah, that's nice. Do you like how people do that? Of course. Yeah. I mean, it also, the thing I like most is that the, almost the Pavlovian response that you will work dogs in somehow.

The Pavlovian response you get for, such a pro. For people, when people go, they come up, do you're in a news agent buying a, you know, a can or something. And they go, and they go, all right, how are you? Kind of a, and there's kind of a laughter, but you haven't said anything. It's just they've kind of remembered, oh, you've thought. the funny guy from the show that we watch. Well, in the numskulls of their mind,

they've stored you away in the department marked funny, haven't they? Yeah. So, yeah. But you, it's interesting, because your comedy is, it's quite distinct from your personal life, isn't it? I think there's a real, it's not,

because you don't do observation comedy. Well, it's, yeah, in the traditional sense. You do, it's very unusual in this day and age, because it's, I tell jokes. Yeah. It's very old-fashioned.

I mean, in a way, it's kind of, it's kind of corny, or it's very exposing as a, as a sort of method of doing comedy. Why? Because if you talk about your life, even if there's no punchline there, it's quite interesting.

So if you get a good observational comic, even if they just tell you a story about how their life made them feel, it's like, well, that's the interesting bit. There's a brilliant American comic called Neil Brennan. You know him? He did a show called Three Mikes, which is on Netflix. Oh, okay, yeah. It's a genius idea for a show.

So basically, one of the mics is one-liners. Yeah. One of the mics is stand-up, and one of the mics is The Truth. and I'd recommend you watch it. It's really interesting, but you watch the hour. And at the end of it, you kind of go, no, just be on the truth.

Just be on the truth. Don't worry about the jokes. Just tell us, what happened with your dad? That's the thing. Exactly. But it's interesting when you see the three together, you go the difference, and I just do the one-liners, just the jokes,

just the, I remember seeing a comic many, many years ago on stage, he just went, I'll start off with some jokes, and he told ten jokes in a row, just one-liners in a row. And I remember really clearly thinking, that should be the whole show. that should be the whole thing. There's no fat on that.

You're just making people laugh. And then they get into this kind of an altered state. Yeah. I was just like washing over them and like, you know, enjoying the jokes and liking the phrasing and that's what I would want to see as a punter. But, you know, sometimes, I mean, the grass is always green. You sort of watch someone do a brilliant observational piece and think, oh, wow. That's really touching and beautiful.

Does something really hilarious ever happen to you and you think, oh, that would be, maybe I'll do my show this year like this? I'll just do an hour long observation. No, I've got some kind of notes on things that I think, oh, maybe I could do that as a bit of a show at some stage. But I almost feel like that would be a great gear to find later. Like at the moment, I've got the energy and I write a lot, and I'm sort of doing this best of tour at the moment,

which is almost like having a sabbatical. I'm knocking out the hits like a rock band. It's weird. It's a weird thing, because, I mean, the first night was so nerve-wracking because I thought, this is either going to work, and I've booked two years of gigs, it's either going to work or it isn't. And if it isn't, I don't want the fuck I do.

So it's just two years this tour then. And it's your best of. So presumably... I've done like nine or nine specials, close to sort of 12 hours of material. And I just picked my favourite sort of 10 minutes out of each show, my favourite jokes. Yeah.

And then wrote other bits for them around them and there's a few little sort of new bits in there. But basically it's kind of telling those again. But I'm kind of amazed at the response it gets. Because people, because of the volume of jokes I tell, in an hour, they don't kind of acknowledge, somehow they haven't registered that they know the joke. That's interesting. Because you forget almost instantly.

I think you just remember the laughter. You don't remember the line. Yeah. So it's not like, I don't know, Monty Python doing the, you know, because my jokes aren't that famous. There is that sense of comics becoming stars. I think we had a few moments where I think there's, I mean, my opinion is kind of there's, there's comedians that you go to see, and there's comedians you go to listen to.

And I think someone like a, you know, Peter Kay or Michael McIntyre, I think a kind of good comedians get laughs, great comedians get love. I think people go and see them and they love them. They just want to be in the room with them. They want to, it's almost kind of worshipping. It's almost like, even if they were saying stuff they'd said a million times before, they find them just, it's like a friendship. They're a wonderful presence.

And then there's people you go to, you know, I think I've got a different thing where people come and they go, just going to, obviously they're coming to laugh at their jokes as well. I'm not like denigrating those guys. They're coming to listen to the jokes as well, but there's another factor. So I think they can carry off an arena and be like, and that rock star thing, whereas I think me and an arena would just be a bit like,

oh, we're a long way away, aren't we? Hang on, I told him to fuck and he didn't hear me. She's terrible. Little Jimmy. You're very well known as well, aren't you, for your ability to kind of take down hecklers. Oh God, I had a great one last night, crazy. What was that?

Just someone proper crazy. Proper crazy in the front row. But there's always, you know, You can always find a fun way of doing it. And I'm always very conscious of, are they drunk or do they have an issue? Is there something going on there? Isn't that just the equivalent of the troll on Twitter saying,

I will be heard? I suppose. I mean, I always think it's quite well-meaning. I always think like anyone that shouts out in a club, it's quite well-meaning. They want to be part of the show. They want to be up there. Maybe they're a frustrated performer or they want to do something.

So, let them. Great. And ultimately, there's no lose with hecklers. I think people worry about being heckled and made to look like a fool, but they've paid to see you, you know, beyond a certain level. You kind of go, well, you can't go wrong with this, can you? Do you think great than that happens? Yeah, it's got someone else taking the strain.

And if they get a brilliant laugh, you know, if they say something genius, you kind of go, well, all right, it's a big laugh. Yeah. I'm not splitting the money with you. Good luck at everything. But again, that's a very, um, let's go down here and then we can get a drink, because I'm quite thirsty. But again, Jimmy, that's a very old.

What happened? I'm getting the... Oh, just a wee, okay. Just a wee. Just a wee. That's a very glass, half full approach, which I think you have. So when you're feeling more... You must have sad moments sometimes.

When? Jimmy's sad moments. When? What are you... Okay, when did you last cry? Oh, God, I'm trying to think. Probably yesterday. I went to see Dunkirk.

And I cried at the end of Dunkirk. Like, like properly streaming... Spoiler alert. Sorry. Spoiler. It turns out we won the war. I googled it. That was close.

Yeah, you know, I'm quite, you know, I think that's an absolutely legitimate thing as well. You watch that and kind of go, oh God, our generation, what have we done? What have we got to grumble about? But that's a nice cry, isn't it? Yeah, it's a, well, it's also that kind of thing of you have sort of the admiration for not even those individuals,

but that generation of like, what? total, I can't imagine, like total war now would be like, if you don't believe what they couldn't charge their phones, they go, well, I'm not sure, I'm not sure. What are the Nazis say about phone charging? Well, that would be the reason for draft dodging. I can't, oh my God, I can't even get reception out there. Yeah. I can't believe it. Would you mean it's top secret? I've got it on Facebook. It's a private Facebook. It's encrypted though. I thought it was okay. Yeah, no, it's on Snapchat. Don't worry about it. Yeah, honestly, don't worry about it. Oh, there's the Chihuahua, Jimmy. Oh, yeah. I really like that Chihuahua. Should we go back to ask for something to do? Yeah, shall we?

Let's want to do. So I'm really lucky because I get invited to your parties, which are incredible. You're like a modern-day Gatsby, Jimmy. How do you feel about that comparison? I am a modern-day Gatsby. I may a guy once who claimed he was related to the Great Gatsby, genuinely, claimed he was related to the Great Gatsby. And I went, uh, it's a fictional character. It was based on my grandfather.

was it? And then it turned out his grandfather would kill the Pope. So it was a... Wow. I met a madman. Yeah, I like having a party. I think it's a really nice... There's nothing nicer than hosting.

Yeah. And having people over and kind of, you know, the largesse of, hey, come over and let's, you know, celebrate. Yeah. But what I love about your parties is that it's not just like any other party, because you walk into a room and then there's Stephen Hawking in one room. And then in another room there's sort of the killer. and then you go outside and then there's two people playing tennis who both won Wimbledon.

And it is quite strange. I've got an odd group of friends. I'm not, you know, I think it sounds, there's a lot of old school friends as well and kind of, you know, regular folk. But yeah, I suppose that's one of the great things about, you know, the life of show business is you get to meet interesting people and you'd be crazy not to, you know, be, I'm always kind of a little bit. I'm still very sort of starstruck when I meet people and very kind of. Are you? Yeah, I really like it. I really sort of, I don't know if starstruck's the right term, but it's, but it's. just seems like a wonderful thing when you meet people that do interesting things and I've got a

great story you kind of way of course yeah celebrating it in a way well I don't just think that would be there'd be nothing worth some being sort of jaded about it and go yeah whatever and your friends I get the impression are really important to you I really like it I really like that sort of that thing of the I think that's why jokes kind of are almost like a currency of male friendship I think women are much better you know there's a much higher um sort of average emotional intelligence with women than there is with men. I think a lot of men have got a slight arrested development when it comes to sharing and opening up. And I think jokes are a way of

kind of, talking about sport is another one, but, you know, talking, you know, making someone laugh is why of saying, I like you and I hope that you like me too. Yes, that's so true. We're in this space together. So I think that's why a lot of people just, here's one for you. It's kind of a nice, it's a nice thing. I think sometimes you give people the, uh, the ammunition

for that. I really like that sort of sense that sometimes people, like fathers and sons will come to the gig and kind of, you've feel like, oh yeah, just sort of having a laugh together. This is their thing. It's not mum's thing, it's their thing. Stay like this. Well, it is that need to share it, isn't it? Which you really get with comedy. I think you sometimes get it with a brilliant joke.

Yeah, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Wow, that's an incredible thing. Although I feel tense when someone says I've got a great joke. I think just tell it. I feel real pressure. I feel you're putting pressure on me now. I've started doing a thing now. Just to sort of make it interesting for me. I've going, tell me the setup. I'll do the punchline. I'll do the punchline. I'll do this for a living.

Honestly, worst case, you know, it'll take me 20 seconds. to work it out but they're you know because people tell me like pub jokes and I just I know the punchlines because oh okay I see I found that if you tell someone I've heard it you can slow them down right but you can never stop them if someone's halfway through a joke and you go I've actually heard this they go oh well I don't know if you've heard because the ending it's a twist I go yeah it's a fucking joke I know it I know I know this one my favorite thing is getting told back and I got this on email the other day from a friend who sent me one of my jokes we're exchanging jokes on email because I was trying to cheer him up.

And he sent me one of my jokes back, which I just thought was, like I didn't say anything because it would be a dick move. But it's like the nicest possible thing. Oh, you'll like this? Yeah, I do like that. Because you're not saying, actually, no.

Well, that's good thing you didn't. Well, actually, actually, that's one of mine. Yeah, no, I should have said that. Great move. So, Jimmy, I also wanted to say, you give very good advice. And what I like about the advice you give, I find, is it's very practical because you're quite a pragmatic person.

Do I give good practical advice? Yeah, you do. No, I don't mean like my car's broken down. You'll just say, well. Yeah, I fix love. I think there's a lot of people don't listen very well. You know, I think when a friend comes to you with a problem, they invariably know the answer.

And they're just checking. They're just kind of double-checking their logic. That's an amusing looking dog. It's basically a cartoon dog. We've just passed a dog that's made of scribble. It was drawn by... A scribble dog. Yeah, I was sort of drawn by a child and then brought to life somehow by magic.

I love scribble dog. There's nothing, you know, better to be than, you know, a foul weather friend. You know, if someone's going through something, it's good to be the person that calls. You always say, you've realised that. Always called. Even if you don't know what to say, even if you sort of go, I don't know, do I know him well enough? Do I know him well enough to go and visit? Well, he's definitely dying of something, so go.

Go. Don't feel awkward. Well, if you do feel awkward, just go. I feel a bit awkward, but I thought I'd come and say. And you learn, oh, do you think this is all right with these, what are these characters are like? Yeah, they might eat my dog. I've got other dogs. We've been through this. Fine, well, I'm good.

I'm interested in what you think of this, because you were kind of a late developer. That's not unkind. No, no, I think that's fine. I didn't lose my virginity until I was 26. That's very late in this sort of day and age. And that meant, why was that, do you think? I don't know. I think I was quite sort of repressed emotionally, a little kind of block on that.

It was quite a religious kind of person. I sort of had, you know, some faith and stuff, and I kind of, I don't know, I think I had sort of maybe grand romantic ideals. I'm not, I'm not sure. I mean, it's difficult to kind of, to pinpoint and I kind of, in a way, not to be, not to dismiss the question, I sort of think it doesn't matter. I kind of think you could spend your life in Freudian therapy analyzing why. It doesn't matter. Just what you're doing now, how you, what's the next, what's the future? We spend a lot of our time in the, in the present or in the future. And there's only kind of right now and trying to be in that. So I don't try and overanise it. My God, I'm an

amazing-looking greyhound. It's incredible. I whip it. Alright, it's a... It's a... It's a... It's a... It's a... It's a... It's a... Yeah. That is a great colour. That should really live in my front room. That would go with everything. It really would. It's good for your colours for. Yeah. Oh, I can't remember. What was I wittering on about?

You were just saying that you don't think it's relevant, essentially, that you lost your virginity late. I think it's a nice thing to discuss. I know that it sounds sort of a bit self-aggrandizing. It's a nice thing to discuss, but... nice thing to discuss because I think someone listening to this who's 22 and hasn't done that and feels like oh life's passing me by I think especially now the fear of missing out in society or the fear of everything's happening somewhere else to someone else and if you if you're not a billionaire by the time you're 21 like Justin Bieber somehow life's rubbish it's like I didn't really have to deal with that as a child I sort of grew grew up in slough in quite what I thought was a very nice

place with nice people I didn't sort of feel like I was missing out on anything because I wasn't aware that there was anything better than that. Now it feels like it's very unfair on, you know, children growing up because they get to see everything else. They get to see like, you know, these, you know, Sweet 16 shows on MTV where people get bought Lamborghinis and you kind of go, oh right, that looks, that looks good. Where's that going on? Yeah. So it encourages the feeling of dissatisfaction with your own. I think, or a little bit of kind of alienation or whatever, you know, kind of feeling like there's a better world. And I mean, maybe that makes you strive for more things. Maybe that's not

so terrible, but it strikes me that that kind of material kind of worship is kind of a bit I don't know, I think social media is kind of, it's amazing in so many ways. It's, you know, it's given everyone a voice, everyone an opinion. But it's also very sort of dangerous as well because you go, well, there's no, the post-fact world that we live in is a product of

that, where everyone's opinion is as valid as everyone else's opinion. Yeah. And it used to be, no, no, but just like an expert on the news. He's an expert. He's got a degree in that. He's like, he's a doctor. Listen to him. And then someone else goes, no, actually, I think MMR, I think, probably gives you something. You don't know anything about it.

And it's weird that whole notion of having a trusted news source as well, which obviously that's all kind of collapsed a bit as well. Yeah, it's a, you know, and I think that, you know, for me it's the most sort of, I mean, I sort of don't mind that for me as much as the teenage thing of going, you know, the idea that you're on Instagram and Twitter and everything else. and it feels like your life is sort of, you know, being judged against everyone else's very early on. But you didn't, when you were growing up then, I think you were probably just thinking, I don't know, but like you didn't feel that pressure, did you? So when you went to Cambridge, did you,

were you kind of sociable? Were you going out a lot? Yeah. Drinking quite a lot, I think, you know, kind of college was, it was mainly around booze, like in a way that wasn't entirely healthy. I've got quite a non-addictive personality, Have you?

Yeah, I'm not very good at, I mean, I'm quite good at sort of, I don't need to, I didn't drink for about 12 years when I started doing comedy. Not out of any great, I mean, I wasn't properly teetotles. Tea t-toggled for probably about eight. But it wasn't out of any kind of I need to give up booze because I'm drinking too much. It was just like, well, I can't be hung over tomorrow because I want to write jokes, or learn how to write jokes. And then I can't be drunk tonight because I'm on stage and then I've got to drive back.

And it was almost a kind of a practical thing. And it was also, I was drinking, I think, not at college, but after college, I think was about kind of sort of cheering myself up a little bit or like drinking for the wrong reasons. Like trying to recapture the college years. That's an odd phase of life that no one really talks about. Post-college trying to keep that going. Well, yeah, that's a bit of a depressing three or four years, isn't it? Well, you sort of go, yeah, because I remember chatting to my friend Rufus,

who's, you know, wise beyond his years, sort of, like my first job going, oh God, I feel a bit down. This is rubbish. He went, he went, yeah, you've never worked before. Shit, isn't it? You go out the 6 in the morning and you get home at 8 and you're exhausted and then you have to do it again. It's rubbish. College was easy, wouldn't it? But you, but I like that you've sort of made that distinction between clinical depression and environmental satisfaction.

Sadness. Yeah, sadness. What? A weird thing in our society, there's so much, there's virtually no stigma to saying I'm depressed. There's almost a bit of a glamour to it. Like, oh, I'm depressed and I'm suffering from this. Like not, not to, you know, put it down, but it's a very serious thing. But sadness, there's a real stigma to that.

I'm just really sad. You know, so I haven't got a girlfriend and my job's boring. There's a real stigma to that. But I think actually there's something about facing up to that and acceptance that kind of drives the next step. That's a really, like accepting what is rather than how you want things to be. Accepting what is and then moving on to the next thing seems to be really good. Living in the present, that's what they say.

But my larger point as well, I've got this theory. Because you know when people say, well, the great thing is he's sowing his wild oats, he's getting it all out of his system. My theory on that is it's a bit like saying it's great that you start smoking, you'll get it all out of your system, you'll never want to do it again. It's like injecting heroin, just do it, and then you'll just give it up and you'll never get a sense of, oh, I wish I could do that again. I think the problem is, once you start, you just think, oh, okay, I'd like to do that again. So what I'm saying is, I think you did the right thing. like what would you in your dotage in your later years are you going to be would you like to be doing like a

a light ent show would you like to be still gigging I think it's I'll come back to my earlier point on this I think it's whatever I do I'll post rationalise and go yeah I always thought I would end up yeah but but it's um but it's never it's never really the case I mean I think it's you know if I got offered you know in 10 years time if I got offered the one show I sort of think the one show is the best job on British television. Do you? I know it's a weird thing but it's because it doesn't seem like the most glamorous, because you think that you go every, basically doing an interview show with everyone.

Everyone comes through that door and you get to meet everyone and it's an easy gig and it's fun. Yeah. And it's like there's no pressure to be hilarious on it, but it's kind of lighthearted. It's a lovely, you know, it's a nice gig. But I can see you carrying on doing comedy forever pretty much, you know. Well, it's an odd thing though. I sort of, there's a, there's a, When I say comedy, I mean, doing gigging. There's a bit of, yeah, I think I would try and do that. But there's a bit of me that goes, I kind of have quite a dark sense of humour. And you kind of want to be authentic.

You want to be authentic. You want to be authentic when you're, oh, hang on, someone's doing a poop. And then you want to be authentic on stage. So it's that thing where you go, at some stage, I slightly worry about the kind of social media thing of going, you could be deplatformed as a comedian now in a way that, didn't seem feasible 10 years ago. Yeah. Do you know what I mean?

Because it doesn't feel like now you could... It feels like you could say the wrong thing. When you say de-platformed, I like that word. It's the idea that it can happen overnight. I find that the most shocking sort of thing that's happened in the last maybe five years. Not what Jermaine Greer said, but the fact that Jermaine Greer,

the woman that wrote the female unit, like a proper era-defining feminist thinker, was de-platformed. She can't speak at a university now. You go, well, that's just... you're not having the debate. This is, and it's coming from the left, this kind of right wing sort of,

I don't know, it's a very odd time. And it feels like comedians, we have a certain license to say whatever we want and just go, look, it's just a joke. But at some stage, something could happen and you kind of go, it could be taken away, you might not. And I suppose that's a way of me also

kind of reminding myself of, again, how lucky I am that I get to tell jokes. Because at some stage, you could have gone another way with any of the controversial jokes that, you know, the papers go, oh, there's, there's, there's been a meltdown on Twitter.

People are very upset about this. But do you get the sense as well with that? You don't strike me as someone that would allow that to inhibit you professionally? Not really. I think you get into an odd situation now where it's probably best never to apologise for a joke. You think so?

Well, because otherwise you might as well just apologise for all of them. Because you go, well, I didn't tell it, I'm not an idiot, I didn't tell it by mistake. It didn't just, you know, yeah, I said that. I thought it was funny. People laughed. you know, I don't know. I don't know what you're...

And the end of it is, you know, people kind of go mixing up a joke and advocacy of whatever it is you're talking about. Yeah. You tell a joke about ISIS or terrorism. You're not advocating anything. You're just... You're laughing. What else are you meant to do with these terrible things? Or, you know...

But there is more fear surrounding that, isn't that? I think people are more careful about that. And actually, you've made a point in the past, which I tend to agree with. You know, I think I heard you possibly... I don't know as an artistile, but I've heard you make this point before that, you know, you're not going and shouting it through someone's letter box. Yeah. I think there's certainly a difference in what you do on television and what you do live because it's,

you know, they're literally buying into your comedy. We've reached the house now. We have reached the house. And so it's pretty much the end of the walk. Just another two and a half miles up the driveway to the front door. And then you're going, you're gigging tonight, aren't you? Of course, yeah, Sunday night. So you'll have your little drive.

Jimmy in the car. I've got. With his music on. I've got, yeah, with a little bit of... What will you have on, Salina Gomez? Yeah, probably. Yeah, maybe. A little bit of that.

I'll probably, I don't know, a podcast of some description, something, you never know. I can recommend one. I mean, I've really enjoyed our dog walk. I'm holding poo. Yeah, it's weird. But I'm going to come in for a cup of tea. Come in for a cup of tea. Thank you so much for the dog walk.

Well, thank you. Thank you for letting me be part of this podcast, which will... And you've got a grey, you've got a, what looks like a clown's, on your neck, which is the microphone, but I quite like it. The clown's button. Okay. Again, that feels like something Alan Carr told you about and is actually not what you think it is. Thanks for listening.

I really hope you enjoyed it. And here's this week's doggy tip. Remember, money can buy you a lot of things, but it doesn't wiggle its butt when you come in the door. Well, unless you've paid someone to do that and they'd probably charge you by the hour, if you know what I mean. Well, that's all for now. We'll be back soon with some of my human and furry friends. Join us again next time.