Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Lloyd Griffith (Part Two)

Episode Date: December 5, 2024

We’re in Battersea Park with Lloyd Griffith! Lloyd tells us about his recent experience of having a hair transplant, his love for hi-vis and the importance of being ready to appear on TV as a comic. He also tells us the story of auditioning for a part in Return To Paradise - the second spin-off series of long-running crime series Death In Paradise - and what it was like to move to Australia to film the series. All six episodes of Return to Paradise are now available on BBC iPlayer, with the series airing weekly on BBC One from 8pm every Friday! Follow @lloydgriffith on Instagram Follow Emily: Instagram - @emilyrebeccadeanX - @divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Faye LawrenceMusic: Rich Jarman Artwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Really hope you enjoy part two of Walking the Dog with Lloyd Griffith. Do go back and give Part 1 a listen if you haven't already and do watch Lloyd in the brilliant series Return to Paradise which is currently on BBC IPlayer. Thanks so much for listening to Walking the Dog and I'd also love it if you gave us a like and a follow so you don't miss an episode. Here's Lloyd and Ray Weigh.

You know you pop up on things like Live at the Apollo and things like 8 out of 10 cats and how do you find those performances? Are you quite good? You always seem very relaxed. Are you quite good at managing your nerves? Do you enjoy those shows? I think, again, because you've been doing it for so long, you kind of know what's funny and what would work.

And, I mean, with the Ayrton Cats one, you know, Rob was obviously hosting it, who's like one of my best mates, and Catherine was on it who I love, and Tom Reed Wilson, who I'd met once before. So I was like, oh, this would be quite nice. Can I say, I brought you to the noisiest park. Now, if there's not, like, a helicopter or a leaf blower,

We've now got, I'm going to guess, they're actually police cars. Usually I'm quite good at guessing. They are police bikes, actually. How are they? Hello, police. I've got a real fascination with fire engines, fire appliances. Do you? Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Why? Childhood trauma, had a chimney fire at the age of nine months old. Did you? Yeah. I don't remember everything about it. And now as a result, like, so for example, my wallet is made of recycled fire hose. my key ring is made I have a recycle at home

I have maybe five helmets at home on my wall yeah to that could be like a royal thing no they're not to mansplained or to bore you

but if it's a royal if it's a royals thing there'd be outriders who don't have sirens they have whistles so they're just and do you know that's a fire one

no they're just police they're police sorry they're just police so I don't know where they're on to but the outriders don't have sirens, they have whistles. Is that right? And the reason why I have whistles is because people pay

attention to it because they're not used to it. Oh, yes, I hear those sometimes. That must have to be awful, that fire. Was everyone okay, Lord? Oh, it's just a chimney fire, yeah, just a chimney fire. But you must, I presume that stuff, you know, the family were probably talking about it a lot and you were always aware that it was something to be careful of.

I don't think so. I was just like quite like the fire engine. And tell me about, you were saying about 8 out of 10 cats. Oh yeah. So on 8 out of 10 cats, Rob was one of the team captains. I've done a couple of things in Jimmy. I know Catherine really well. She's always been very supportive.

That's where we met originally was at Catherine's house. Catherine's house for Bobby's birthday. Bobby and I went out and played golf in the morning and she had a pizza valve. And we should say who Bobby is. Bobby is the sexist man in the UK slash Canada. Bobby Kay. That's all you need to know. He is also happens to be married to Catherine.

Yeah. Do you've got a bit of a bromance with Bobby? I love Bobby. Also, like Bobby started playing golf when he, properly when he came back over to the UK and was like, hey, do you want to play golf? I was like, yeah, sure. Oh my God, like the guy had my pants around my ankles.

He was unbelievable. Like, anything he tries his hand at, he's just so good at. And then he just worked and worked and worked at his handicap. And now he's like, his names on the... I used to go to the same golf club as him. His name's on the bloody wall.

Do you know what? As well, and it's annoying because he looks like, someone playing a golfer in a movie, it's not fair. Yeah. Like, he could absolutely be an extra. If they were doing some sort of like film about Tiger Woods' life, he could 100% be one of Tiger's mates who doesn't say much,

but it's just beautiful and plays the most incredible golf and knows what it's like to be on a film set. Like, he's absolutely got it now. But yes, I, on 8th 10 cats, he was, I was kind of quite lucky. It was coming towards Easter. Weirdly, like, Rob was like, well, you better hope there's around about cathedrals and then genuinely notchardam cathedral burnt down that way and Rob was like he went he texted me goes have you done this I was like I haven't done it no but oh yes of course because of

your experience in cathedrals as a chorister no yeah and I just I'm obsessed with cathedral so that was quite nice but I think if you if you've been doing this for so long and I don't want to throw any shades to anybody I'm not single about anybody but I think sometimes people can do TV shows but they're just way too inexperienced and you can tell that because they are They don't have any experience in that they've not been doing comedy for that long and you know you can kind of tell. So back in the day like oh look at this little red setta. Is it a red setter? Oh Lloyd this will be a nice dog for you.

Yeah. Hello. Is it a red setter? No, I think it's a red setter cross. Oh it's a beautiful dog. Is it a seta or a spaniar or something? Oh hello it's so sweet. Hello mate.

Hello darling. Beautiful dog. It looks like a red seta but it's a little bit but it's got almost domerman colouring. Yeah, I think it might be maybe a doorman and doberman. It's a little cross, aren't you, darling? Careful with Ray, because he gets a bit frightened, my sweet, of big dogs. He's, um, he's tails waggling.

Good doggy. That is nice. He's ever so sweet. Yeah, off and off he trots. And he seems to be home alone. Oh, no, that lady, she's got a, um, she's got other priorities. She's got a lead around her waist. She didn't want to speak to us.

She has heading the phone. She said, no, thank you. She doesn't want to sign a disclaimer before. No, but if I had a red set of the out, my only issue is like, dirty bottom, quite a lot of hair. But then also, I mean, you've probably got that with Raymond, so yeah. Story in my life. They just like looked at, just pointed at Ray's bottom. Look at what you're doing with here.

So, yeah, so. I would just say, you were just saying how it's important to do those shows when you're ready for them. Yeah. Like growing up, you know, you'd watch live at the Apollo and they're like, you know, Flanagan would come on and he had like 13 14 years of experience and it's like well no wonder he's so good and then goes on to do set out tours because he's been doing it for five or six nights a week for the last 15 years so do you think this the key to it is you've got to be I often wonder if the absolute secret to it is resilience that you think when

the people that tend to do well on those shows I think they pick themselves up again and they realise not everything's going to go well on the night, but you've got to keep going. You need that resilience to get back up. You know, you can go out and occasionally the audience, if you're not a huge name, they might, you know, or they instantly know you, they might take a while to warm up to you

and you've got to push through that, you know. As long as you know you're good, then, you know, you can keep going. You know, I've done gigs where I've died on my backside. But you go, well, look, like 48 times out of 50, I have very nice gigs. And occasionally I'll have bad ones. I still think of the bad ones. Berry Civic Hall.

The promoter asking me to come off. I was supposed to do an hour's preview. But you just at the back just gave me like the little sign of like hand across your neck. Be like, mate, get off after 30 minutes. I still think about that. And then this guy, there's a guy on the internet. Every time I'll do something, goes, mate, I still remember Barry Civic Corps. It reminds me of arguing my worst gig today.

I'm like, yeah, no, fair enough, yeah. So I think it's just resilient. Also, I think, you know, like it's like any job, you just got to spend time doing it. The more you're doing it, the better you'll get, really. I want to talk, Lloyd, about Return to Paradise. Yes. Which is the brilliant new BBC show that you're currently starring in.

Yes. And this is, of course, a spin-off. they call it the paravverse, don't they? Because it's the the Death in Paradise franchise essentially. Yeah. And someone said the other day

like, oh, you know, the word franchise sometimes feel like might cheapen it. I'm like, well, I think it's just a sign of if it's good. I mean, if they're expanding it and they're making more of it, then I think it's a sign

that people want that. You know, obviously in a capitalist world, sometimes that's found upon. But I think when it's something creative and you're creating a franchise and more of what. people want then it's that's only a good thing so death in paradise is the original they've made beyond paradise which is set in Cornwall the original set in the um in the in the in the in the

in the in the in the in the in the world of the world of the world in a place called a fictional called dolphin cove yeah and what i love i mean you must have been how pleased were you because you know respect to beyond paradise but what what what what what you're you what what you must have been how pleased were you Was there a part where you're thinking, oh, I got the Australia call? I auditioned for a small part in Beyond Paradise and didn't get a recall. And I was like, it's quite mad, isn't it? I was like, I was like, I was like, oh, that's a shame. Actually, my mate got the role.

My mate actually got the role. And then I got this one. So what you must have, how did it come about then, Lloyd? Did you, because we should say you play. I played Colin Cartwright, Detective Senior Constable Colin Cartwright, who is a British person, the only British person in the show. And so like usually in the, you know, death in paradise and beyond paradise, well, death in paradise specifically, it's like a British cop that's a fish out of water

that then has to adapt to, you know, life as a police officer in uncertain territory. So in Returns Paradise, I play the British cop who has been there for a little while, but the lead is Mackenzie Clark, who's played by Anna Samson, who's an incredible actor. And so I've kind of been there a little while trying to get up the ladder in the police force. Loves life in Dolphin Cove. And then McKenzie comes back over to Dolphin Cove. And I guess my nose is put a little bit out of place because she's come over with a bit more wealth and experience. And she's got a bit of a history of it.

But it was fascinating getting the role, you know, auditioning for it. Was it a long process? Because that's such a big show. Lloyd and in many ways I would suggest potentially quite a life-changing role to get. Yeah, potentially. I guess it's still early days and stuff, we'll see. But, you know, I've been involved in jobs in the last, what, audition process over the last kind of like three or four years where I think there's one that happened maybe three years ago that I dashed really wanted. I did like 10 to 12 chemistry sessions and, you know, maybe like two or three or four

auditions at start and then 10 to 12 chemistry sessions where you're basically in with other actors you know they're just trying to find that special bond and that went on for like four or five months and I didn't get it and it's just quite disheartening because you're going oh you kind of you know they say I'll never spend the money like I hadn't spend the money but in my head I was in the project I thought well this is how I'd play this so it kind of like psychologically when you're going for these jobs there can be a bit of a of a nightmare and you see it now do I mean like especially in you know much bigger productions but

With this, I had to say I was quite lucky, like sent a self-tape off. Because was it just post-COVID or was it quite a well? It was last year. Oh, quite a year. The turnaround of the show has been unbelievable. So it was basically... Yeah, because these things I normally imagine would take two years or something. So I was asked to audition in January last year and I did the self-tape.

And two friends had also been asked to audition for it. So I was like, oh, right, well, they're, you know, and the two friends that had been asked to audition do not look like me. So I was like, all right there, casting there, and net, very wide and diverse and what have you. So auditioned for it. I can't wait for you to tell me after this who those two friends were. Yeah, obviously, not on camera. But then I got, like three weeks later or four weeks later, got asked to have a Zoom audition.

And then got the job. So it's only two auditions, which is quite nice. Because I know that a lot of these things can, you know, have experience, like taking ages. stuff so yeah it was it was quite nice and then I just had to move to Australia like a month later what's interesting about that show well I think I was going to say actually what I loved about your performance in it because I've just binged on them now one of those shows that you really binge on yeah and what I've just done the same with Ludwig as well which is similar kind of concept like an overriding arc of a story but ultimately every week it's a who done it and do you want to

know and also as well with sorry to interrupt but like with Return to Paradise like the crimes that happen are all really interesting. Even when I was reading the scripts, I never guessed who had done it. I'd never done, oh, it's so and so. And that's why I never knew the backstory. Well, I think what's clever is, I think the why done it aspect of it is always really clever because even when, I mean, I'm really nerdy because I kind of pause it and I go, oh, what did he say? I might rewind it on the eye player. Just to hear, you'll say something. But I think What's wonderful about this show is it's very warm and there's something oddly comforting and reassuring about it. But what I also love is I get my Agatha Christie-Denouement at the end where they all gather together.

And I literally think, oh, I put the kettle on now. I'm going to find out. But I loved your performance, Lloyd, as well, because I was going to say it would be easy in shows like that, which are kind of cozy and warm and gently humorous in some ways. it would be easy to go big and sort of camp it up. Whereas what I like is that you realise it's a real lesson, I think, watching you. You play it quite straight and you're very subtle and nuanced. And actually you get so much more comedy from that.

Yeah. I think that was kind of in the direction at the very start. Like they said that Colin is a character that's basically in England. He's just a very normal guy. And he just goes to Australia for a little bit of an adventure and then just falls in love with it. And then he's there. and, you know, he's not, you know, he's, he just wants to, I guess, be accepted. And he's just, you know, just a normal chap.

So that's how I played it. And then in the, you know, when I had my audition with Peter Mattessi, the showrunner and the directors, it was very much like, they liked my, kind of as you said, like the, I'd say, I don't want to say natural, because it's kind of like blow mo. in trumpet but it was you know it's quite similar and that's the thing that a lot of people said it's a very natural performance because I think you can camp it up and I think that a lot of the time in this show the star of the show is you know the setting and stuff and frankly the dog and the dog which was actually a bit of a nightmare to work with why no Raymond Raymond would have been great

would have been fantastic yeah like the dog was lovely but there were a few elements like my trousers just full of chicken for like the whole shoot like I'd get back into my trailer I'd oh my trailer smells a chicken again because I've just got chicken bits it's like fridge raiders that yeah like basically though he's but an Australian version just my pockets was like heiki heki like like like like like like like like like like like just to make it behave yeah yeah yeah so look at the dog was absolutely fantastic and it came out very well on the edit let me tell you that for nothing but there were moments where myself Ty and Anna were like come here, come here, come here, come here.

And then there's moments where we are acting. But yeah, I think you see, you know, I just wanted to play a relatively natural performance and what was quite weird, you know, when we were chatting about who Colin would be and where Colin would be, because Peter was, Peter Metessie, again, the showrunner who created it,

was great in saying, look, you know, you're a British man, you know, a British person. Give me your experience on what he would say. And Peter's worked a lot in the UK. worked on these standards and stuff. So he's very familiar with, you know, live over here. And Matt King, the director,

he lived here over here for a long time up in Sheffield and stuff. So they've got, like, learned experience of, you know, what Colin and who Colin would be. But I said, I kind of see him being relatively abnormal guy from a place not too dissimilar where I'm from. Yeah. Because they wanted, like, a bit of a northern accent, but not too much of a northern accent that people were like,

what's he saying? What's that, man? So I said, look, I think, I think, me from like a market town like 20 minutes south of uh grimsby called louth and so i kind of like taught them about louth and where this was being in my head when i go on set you know i mean that's where my friends and my family are from in my head and uh weirdly when the show came out on the other friday i was doing my last tour show in louth yeah that's uh it kind of came full circle really but what an experience as well i just want to say it's so brilliant and your performance is

fantastic in it and I'm really happy for you Lloyd I think you really deserve the success because you seem such a nice bloke so well thank you that's very nice you're quite okay with compliments aren't you well yeah some comics are a bit funny about them

I just take them which I think it's disrespectful to not take them but it's like oh thanks that yeah thank you you do I mean but also as well I think if you don't then what are you getting out of that yeah just making the other person feel awkward You're making the other person feel awkward. Like, it's not like a, there were two more bikes just riding plus. You know what, I've read it about you?

You're very into sort of... People watching. Yeah, but you're also into things like fire engines. You've got something on the local council about you. Yeah. You like the fire engines. Oh, I love a high viz. If I wasn't doing what I'm doing, I would love to be a traffic cop.

Yes. Oh, I'd love to be a traffic cop. Well, now you are a cop. I know. So I said to my agent, few years back. I would love to, I would love to be a cop in a, and I am. And I was like, I can't a way to drive a fast car. There has been so far no fast driving, absolutely for you. No. So I've said, look, if season two were to go ahead, can there be a car chase?

And can I be involved in it, please? Lord, I want to talk to you about something else, which is an article you wrote recently, which I really loved. And you wrote about your experience with losing your hair. and how you'd had a hair transplant. Yes. And I thought it was such a brilliantly written piece and also so great at how honest you were about that because it gave me such an insight into...

It was quite a lot of stress in your life before that, wasn't it, when you started losing your hair? Well, yeah, there was stress, but I think it was more like just... The hassle, is what I mean, yeah. Hustle and just like an underlying level of anxiety, but not in a kind of like life-defying way, but it was, I think I'd always had hair. I was there, I think I've always had, I mean, I know I've always had it.

I've always had hair. And I think, you know, what we talked about earlier about finding your voice in comedy, you know, it's about finding out who you are as well. And I'd always had hair, and I just wanted to be that person that I'd kind of helped mould. And I think also, as I've gotten into acting, it was the acting element as well being oh actually do you know what we'll mind having hair but also it was just

you know what we're taught as a kid's you mean the whole samson complex of like if people lose their hair then they lose their strength and i think that is ingrained in us slightly which is a bit upsetting um bald men are often vilified you know like we've never seen a bald contestant in love island you know even though actually male pattern baldness affects such a high percentage of men under the age of 30. They're often like the baddies in movies. You know, they're the Mitchell brothers in Eastenders. You know, in a comedy club that are the first people

to kind of like be picked on. And it's kind of deemed acceptable to take the Mickey up someone that is bald and call them baldy. But if, you know, if there's anything else wrong with them, it's kind of, oh, you can't do that. And I think that was also it as well. I'd always been a fat lad and a chubby guy. So I was happy with that.

And I'd kind of accepted that. So it wasn't, you know, I'd kind of, I'd kind of, I've been defensive in the past about my weight and stuff. I've always owned my weight. And, you know, I've, quite as to say, like, it's been part of my voice and who I am as a stand-up. But I think with the hair, I was like, you know, it's just another thing that I just wanted hair.

Yeah. I like styling my hair. I know it sounds ridiculous, but I've always liked styling my hair. I've always liked having hair. It's kind of shaped who I have. I look in the mirror and go, oh, yeah, I like having hair. And, you know, I'm fully aware that this is all due to the fact that you know, beauty standards are insane.

And that's, for men, it's really, you know, it's really baldness that is the issue. Whereas with women, you know, growing up in a family of women, it's just like the beauty standards from such a young age, I mean, having to, like, shave your legs on an early day, early days and having to, like, do your eyebrows so you don't get taken the Mickey out of at school and stuff like that. So I've seen, seen that.

And luckily, for men, it's not really, anything you have to deal with. You know, and I had like hairy shoulders and hairy back and hairy arms, which annoyed me, but it only really affected me if I was going swimming or on holidays or, you know, dating and stuff. So in the last year, I've kind of had a real bit of a renaissance. I've had my shoulders and back and upper arms all lasered. So I'm now smooth as a whistle.

I've had my hair, I've had a hair transplant. And that was, you know, a number of friends had it done. And again, I'm in a fortunate position in that I've got friends that are ex-footballers or still footballers that have had it done. And I asked them for a bit of advice and was like, look, I've seen, I think you've had an air transfer about that. Oh, yeah, I have, yeah. And so, asked them for opinions on it. And you were saying, Lloyd, one thing you wrote about, which I thought was interesting, was that you were actually in the makeup chair about to go on a show. Yeah.

Was it a makeup artist? Make a artist. She started putting these, it's called nanogen keratin protein fibers, which basically thickened the hair. It's brown powder. Yeah, thick in the hair. They're different shades. So not just brown, but you can get black. You can get blonde.

Essentially, it thickens the hair, so it sticks to the hair, but also can stick to the scalp as well to make it look like you're not as bald as you are. So when studio lights shine on your... And basically, it's used in studios so that, for men and women, but mainly men. And then it's always to stop the lights shining off your ball patches for the camera. And I was like, oh, right, he was the first person that I wasn't friends with her. had said that I was bald and I was like, oh, and then how to just go and be myself. And again, you talked about like how, you know, when you do these shows like,

I have to take cats and the, you know, the magazine shows and the sofa shows, you've got to be yourself. It's like, hey, how are you doing? Do I mean? But then to basically just get that dagger before you go on. Anyway, be funny, though. Oh, and you're like, oh, God. So, yeah, I just, I think I'd waited long enough for technology to get to a point where I was like,

oh, I think this is as good as it's going to get for a long time. And it's just that hassle, as you were saying at the time, which I thought was a really, again, very honest of you to point out that, you know, you were dating at the time. Yeah. You would say there was the practical thing of, you have to spray, obviously, or put these fibres in. And then it would, then you have to buy navy pillows. Yeah. So that if someone stayed. I remember I was going on a date with a girl and it would been, it had been, I think, like three or four dates. I think it was inevitable that she was going to stay over.

Well, I think it was, Lloyd. Yeah, well, I mean, I went to, literally, I said, I went to John Lewis, I actually went to Peter Jones on Sloan Square. I remember exactly it was their, like, their range of any day. You know, like any day, like the, that's like, slightly cheaper ones.

And I bought two navy pillows. So it didn't look like I just bought one. So I just bought two navy pillows either side. And I was like, okay, so that looks, that looks normal, isn't it? So I've like, I think we talked, I think producer Farine and I actually talked about bedding, previously.

I'm quite like, I love my bedding. I love my furniture. I love like... Can I just say, when they say producer fair and I had talked about bedding? Oh yeah. Can we just clarify?

You mean sheets? Yeah, so yeah, yeah. And also just they did they produce a couple of podcasts of writing recent back in the day. No, no, but I didn't, I didn't want to cast aspersions on either.

We said, we'd talked about bedding but then we decided against it. No, we talked about sheets and stuff. And I like usually go for, I go for quite a nice sheets and I'm very like I never have patterned sheets it's always like quite you know so I this lady was coming over and been dating for a little while and I was like right way to because I knew that the sprinkles would basically I knew the sprinkles would

come out on the on the on the white pillow so I went and got these blue pillow cases and that's that's the rest is history we're not together after a while though you know like when I was dating I was saying I'm bald I'm going bored I'm going I bought a hair transplant because I was just bored about hiding it. If you're into that, fine. If you're not, fine. And you had it done and you showed me, you pulled your coverbook and it actually looks great, Lord. There it is now.

Really good, doesn't it? Not great for a podcast. Showing someone else's your hair. And presumably when you were doing Return to Paradise, that was pre the transplant. Yeah, pre the transplant. Yeah, so basically I was going to go on tour. You can wear hair pieces and things. Well, I was going on tour at the start of the year and then have the hair transplant after.

What happened was, I had to go to, or something. Australia, then I got back from Australia, went to the Euros, came back, hair transplant. Then I've, you know, I'm in the, what happens here is just quickly, you have the hair transplant, all happens in one day. I have three and a half thousand grafts from the back of my head, so it's grafts that are taken from your own head that are put into the top of your own head. So it's your own hair that you're getting a transplant off. Is it very expensive as well? So mine was £6,000.

I had it on in central London, so like a 15-minute cab drive. And a very posh, I imagine. Yeah. I didn't mind was a brain surgeon, but the thing is like, again, they used to be a lot more expensive, but they've just come down in cost because, again, technology's got better. How fascinating it's a brain surgeon? That must be quite reassuring in some ways. Yeah, he was really reassuring. So the place I went to was, you know, was, I think he's great, and friends had been there. I've got friends that gone out to Turkey and had a good job.

So I've got friends that have been to Turkey and had bad jobs. I've got friends that have gone to Manchester, you know, Dublin had good and bad jobs. So it's just, most of them, very good jobs. Ireland was where they used to go. Yeah, Ireland's a good place. But I really respect you. Because I, you know, listen, we're both working the same business. And I know a number of people who've had hair transplants. Yeah.

And I know someone in particular I'm thinking of it. It always made me very sad that he felt he couldn't just be honest. He was a well-known person. And I thought, actually, there was a shame he had over it. And I felt, you know what, there's nothing to be ashamed of. Just tell people. You know, there's nothing wrong with just telling people. Earlier when you said, oh, you know, you're quite going to taking compliments.

Like with this, with the hair transplant, it's like, well, actually, with that, I'm like, well, it'd be mental if I didn't say that I had it done. And to be fair, a lot of people gone... But Jimmy Carr's honest as well. Yeah, I think you just got to own it. Like, it's, you know, like a friend of ours growing up when we were younger, she had a breast augmentation. And she was like, I've obviously got to tell people if I've had it done. I can't just turn up to work with 20. size tits, you know, it's like it's ridiculous.

And it's like with hair as well, like doing the various things that I do, be it, you know, acting or presenting or stand up, you know, I can't just like, just turn up with much stick of hair and just, oh yeah, no, I don't know, so I'd rather own it also as well. I found it quite hard to get information about having a hair transplant. So I'd like to tell people about it. And I just think, you know, why not? Has it helped your confidence, do you think, since you had it done? Yeah.

Do you know what? I just worry less. I'm not arse anymore. Even now, like, I'd happily walk around like this, with my hair in there, so you basically have it done, and then 15 days later after the transplant, your hair falls out.

So it's called the shedding phase, and you're in the ugly duckling phase. So basically the hair all falls out. It's called shock loss, and then it takes three to six months for it to basically grow back again. So my head in the transplanted areas is slightly red, but that's because there's blood flow. That's because, you know, there's growth happening.

it's something that you just are told, don't worry about it. Because I was in the shower. And then all those like, hairs in my hand. I was like, £1,000 worth of hair there. I'm not trying to put it back in again.

And then like you've got to trust the process. It's all fine. Now you know how we feel with those extensions. Well, you know, with anything. And, you know, like I think I'm quite happy. I do worry less. You know, like I'm doing TV shows with my, with my hats off.

But yeah, no, it's been a real, it's been a fantastic experience. Oh, that'd be a good memoir. Hats off. Hats off, yeah. Lloyd, can I ask you a question? How are you feeling, presumably, you know, you occasionally get people, comes with the nature of the work that you do, you get recognised and feedback and stuff like that. Being in a show like Return to Paradise is kind of a different level, really,

just in terms of the sheer amount of people invested in that show. And that is going to change things a bit. for you in terms of your privacy I would imagine and just scrutiny on you. How do you feel about that? Are you comfortable with that? Yeah, I am. I think what's been good is that I've been doing this for 15 years and so you're aware of the situation.

And you know, I'm aware of friends that have, you know, gone on and done jobs that all of a sudden they're in the spotlight. You know, like Brett Goldstein, you know, who was, you know, who I remember doing a show with him. Yeah. Wickham Swan Theatre, me and him and Zoe Lyons. And I remember Shane Richie coming in dressed as widow, coming in dressed as, you know, buttons

because he was doing the pantomime next door. I mean, can I say, when I think of Shane Richie, all I would think about is him dressed as buttons. Yeah, great, yeah. And he just came in, he's like, all right, Letch, can I come in here? Cinderella's been right, see you and see you next door. And we're like, yeah, of course, come in.

And then, you know, if you look back to that and going, Greg Goldstein is now Hollywood superstar. You know, so I think. Lassau, of course. Yeah, and I think you see these people that go on to do things. You know what I mean? It helps the fact that, you know, I am friends with Rob Beckett, and I've seen his, you know, ascension.

And, you know, you see things like X Factor and how people deal with him. This isn't like an overnight thing. This has been for so, so you're aware of it. And it's supporting yourself with amazing people. And that comes from my friends and family keeping me grounded the whole entire time. It comes from having a great support network in my agents, you know, Carly looking after me and stuff. Oh dear.

What's that? Well, there's a tampon on the ground, but I'll tell you what it is. It's an applicator. And I believe, I learned this from the Johnny Depp trial that some people use it for drugs. Oh, right, okay.

Well, I wouldn't know that. So what I would say is I feel that makes sense that actually doing a job like this at this stage, it's a bit like, I would say Ricky Javeh certainly strikes me

from my experience of him and knowing him a little bit as someone who never lost his head. Ricky Jervase always puts down the fact that he's remained level-headed to the fact that he was a little bit older.

And he had all that experience and it kind of didn't change who he was because he worked out who he was. And they always say, don't they, that the age you are, is it, Oprah Winfrey says that. The age of all when you become famous is the age you stay. Yeah.

So that's quite good in your case. Yeah, and I think, you know, like, I get recognised for various different things over the last kind of like five, ten years. But it is increasing, do I mean? So it's, you know, it'll be from like Lively Apollo or be from like supporting Jack Whitel or Soccerer M or whatever. So, you know, these things around, so it's not just an overnight thing. And I think you just use that. You know what I mean? So you go, oh, I've kind of, I've experienced.

isn't it? And what I've seen now, that I've had, like, people go out, do you know what? I've always seen you doing it, I've just seen, I can believe it, mate. And then they'll start following it.

So it's like, oh, right, there is a new audience that this is, you know, you know, and also people going, you're going to get the grandparents now. Well, absolutely, yeah, it's probably less swearing in the stand-up shows, but like people being like,

well, I never knew you could act. It's like, oh, yeah, you know, yeah, you can. Can I say I always knew he could act? Bless you. But I was at the football the other day with my mom, over and, you know, like, I'd never seen them at the football.

I can't, like, know a lot of people at the football that are going to at Grimsby, and they just came over, like, mate, the old family were watching it. We were like, that's him. He sits down the road from I was at the club. Oh, I couldn't believe. I didn't know you acted. I was like, oh, yeah, I do, yes. Lloyd, can I just say, we're going to have to let you go now, because you're a busy man.

I've got to run home and leave in 15 minutes. So we're going to let you run off. I have loved our war. Oh, thank you. Well, thank you for coming to Battersea as well. Have you enjoyed it? loved it. And what are your final views on Raymond? Oh, I've, I've, I've, I've, I've, I've had, I love Raymond, and I think I've kind of, like, I feel like I've known him for years.

Do I mean, just through Instagram and stuff. And I've met him more, obviously, he came to Catherine, so I met him then. Did he come to Catherine's? Yes, because he's, you know, he's the brother of Meg Ryan, her dog. Yes, of course, that's why, yeah. That was a family visit. It was a family visit. And then I think I was, oh, yeah, because you said as well on the podcast, oh, he looks the same as the front of the back. And I said that in front of other people. And I was like, oh my gosh, no, no, no, no, I said that. She said it herself.

Because sometimes you can, like, look around and go, oh, which one, you know, who's looking down. Yeah. Sometimes you're going, well, which ends the front end and which of the back end. But yeah, I feel like we're pals. I think we've gone. Well, Lloyd, you know what? I would like to add to that to say, I feel we're pals.

Oh, yeah, 100%. Oh, 100%. Lord, I'm so happy for you. And I wish you continued success. And it's so honestly, I mean, I don't need to tell people to watch this hugely successful show, but please do if you haven't, because Lloyd is so brilliant in it. All episodes on my pleasure. Can we have a hug?

Yeah, bless you. Thank you very much. Can you say, Raymond, can you say goodbye to Lloyd? That's me, by the way, not Raymond, just in case. I do actually do quite a good dog impression. Do you want to hear it? Go ahead. It's quite good, isn't it?

Do it again? He does. It does hurt me and it means a cough. But apart from that, it's a small sacrifice to make for entertainment, isn't it? I really hope you enjoyed that episode of Walking the Dog. We'd love it if you subscribed. And do join us next time on Walking the Dog wherever you get your podcasts.