Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Marcus Brigstocke (Part Two)

Episode Date: March 28, 2024

We’re back for the second part of our walk in North London’s Highbury Fields with Marcus Brigstocke. Marcus tells us all about his fabulous wife Rachel Parris and what it’s like working together on their new podcast, How Was It For You? We also discuss Marcus’s starring roles: Love Actually, Hole In The Wall… and King Stupid. If you haven’t heard Part One of this chat - you can listen to it here! Listen to Emily’s walk with Marcus’s wife Rachel Parris from April 2022 here!How Was It For You? with Rachel Parris & Marcus Brigstocke is available from 10th April wherever you get your podcastshttps://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/how-was-it-for-you-with-rachel-parris-marcus-brigstocke/id1731856696https://open.spotify.com/show/1dDLtEESkLO0v2XPkKikrz?si=f0ef948d45c845e1 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.

Welcome back to part two of Walking the Dog with comedian and actor Marcus Brickstock. If you haven't yet caught part one, do go back and give it a listen as I think you'll love it. Really hope you enjoy the second part of our chat and remember to subscribe. Here's Marcus and Rayway. Marcus Brickstock. Is there a middle name by the way? I'm imagining a posse. Go on, give them to me.

Alexander Owen. So all the Brickstock men are something Owen Brickstock. apart from controversially mine and Rachel's little boy Billy. Who is Billy, who is not Billy Owen Brickstock.

Well this we should say is Rachel Paris. Yes. Your partner. My brilliant wife. Your brilliant wife who's been on this podcast. She has.

When she was last on here... She recommended it. Love her. Yes. I was going to say what first attracted you to the beautiful, smart, funny, bright, charismatic.

It's hard to know, isn't it? Rachel Harris. We worked with each other on a few improv things but we were both in other relationships and I'm proud to say didn't transgress even a little bit.

We didn't even flirt with each other. There was one occasion where we went for a walk together but even then it was really nice and I felt it was really nice but we didn't flirt so I'm proud of myself for that but anyway then when neither of us were in

relationships and by then proper friends I was like oh no oh what do I do because you only have to say one thing once to someone who's your friend and then it's unrecoverable you can never take it back if you say the wrong thing and so she came to my house for a new year's eve party and at five something in the morning when eventually her Uber confirmed that it was on its way, I thought, she's still here and it's five and it's only the two of us. That must mean something, it must. So I stood very still and very upright and said,

would it be right if I gave you a kiss? And she just gave me the biggest smile and went, yes. In a kind of, for God's sake, man, I've been here, I've been here for hours. Will you get on with it? I mean, which part of still? here at five in the morning did you not understand? I know, I know, I know, but you have to, you have to get it right. It's very hard with friendships because once you break cover, as it were.

You can't put that back in the box. No. So anyway, it all played out beautifully and we got married and and so weird, you know, we got, we got married and we're both going, okay, so I've got two older kids from my first marriage and, but we knew we wanted to have a chance, together or possibly children and both knew what we were doing workwise and we were like, this is exciting and a bit scary, you'll go there and I'll go here and we'll do this together and blah, blah, blah. And then, of course, COVID happened. And then there was absolutely no work and it was really scary. But we then started making stuff together and it was brilliant. It was absolutely brilliant. And apart from the, obviously, ongoing exercise.

fear of death and the constant rage at the government and how they were running things. We had a good time, really good time. We did a live show every Tuesday night. And these are also the lip sinks that you did, which really took off and became this global phenomenon. You ended up on Graham Norton. You were on American. Good morning, America. And do you want to just remind people what those were?

Yeah. So we both had COVID and then we both got better from COVID and suddenly, you know, came out of that fog and went, this is weird and what do we do? And like everyone else, we were just at home twiddling our thumbs and all the rest of it. And a track came on the radio and Rachel just danced around and lip synced to it in that banana bread frenzy that we were all in. And I went, holy shit, that's so good. Do it again. And I put a baseball cap on her and she did it again. It was even funnier. And then we put like a bomber jacket on her.

And I went, right, now do it properly and I'm going to film it. And we went, that's really funny. Let's just put that out. And we weren't thinking we were not in any way media literate. If we'd been media literate, we could have nailed this. But we didn't. We just went, oh, that's good. And because everyone was at home, a few hundred thousand people watched it and went,

that is great. And then I went, well, I'm doing one now. That's that. So then I did one. And we did about 40 of them, I think. And also you've got previous with your ministry moves. Yeah, well, I busted out some of the big moves. And you are, we should say, in case anyone's not all right, I'm sure you will be.

Marcus is also a musical theatre star as well. Yeah, lovely. Absolutely lovey. So yes, we did those and they would just great. And the Good Morning America thing was so brilliantly insane. They contacted us, and we had about 10 big Zoom meetings with people going, you guys are just, you're the most incredible people. And we were going to build a whole segment around this,

and this is what's going to happen. And we rehearsed a lip sync to do live on the show. Then there were more meetings and more meetings and more meetings. And then it got to Good Morning. America and these two entirely nonplussed presenters went and over in the United Kingdom a pair of I want to say comedians have been passing their time doing lip-syncing videos and well here they are we kind of went hi hello hello and they went now do your thing and we did it and then they went and that was them and

then they moved on to something else So it was delightfully bonkers. You know, if we'd been in any way sort of smart or media literate, as people call it, we would have gone straight from the end of the pandemic into making stuff. Wait, Raymond has fully found a friend. Marcus, I think this could be the one. A tiny little white and grey and black-haired shih Tzu. Is that another shih Tzu?

Very good. I think so. Not imperial, though. I'm all right? I mean, come on. Not quite our sort. No, absolutely not, PLU. I'm seeing the Owen coming out here.

Yeah, here he is. Here he is at last. He's arrived. Yeah. Raymond, have you pulled, darling? What's your dog called? Dory. Dory.

Dory. Oh, look, Raymond, you found Dory. Match made in heaven. Maybe it's time. Raymond, stop being aloof. You see, the trouble is he's got no game. Either that or he's got all the game and he's, what do they call? He's nagging her.

Oh, he necks her. Yeah, he is a bit Premier League footballer. Do you know what I mean? He's got that, yeah, whatever, we had a good time. Don't make a thing of it. We met in the park. Let it be what it was. Hey.

See you, Dory. Bye-bye, Dory. So tell me, Marcus, all. about this podcast that you and Rachel are now doing? Well, we should have been smart. We should have just cracked on and done this straight after the pandemic, but we were so keen to get out into the world and start gigging again that we didn't. And then obviously we had our baby and that's that.

But we've been back and had a look at what we've been doing. And so we've got this new podcast called How Was It for You? And it's less sexual than the title suggests. But anyway, it's, as simply put, it's reviewing stuff. And so we're not going, oh, have you seen that film? It's either good or bad. We are, for example, talking about what's it like when people are noisy in the cinema? Or it's all the stuff sort of surrounding things.

So we tend not to kind of review art and say whether it's good or bad. But I have done some reviews of new gourmet tinned fish that has recently come to the market. I'd like to think, Rachel disagrees with this pretty profoundly, that it will become an indispensable guide to the modern world where people are like, but what did Paris and Briggs stock think of this cultural thing or this material thing that you can have? But it isn't that really, it's just the two of us just being funny. It's kind of an insight into your energy together as a couple almost, isn't it? That's 100% what it is.

Yeah. It's 100% what it is. We're looking for stuff that obviously is interesting to talk about, but we're looking for stuff where we either both passionately agree or disagree. And then, yeah, just see what happens. Because we, you know, people are always asking us like, oh, and is it funny at home? Are you funny at home? And the answer is, yeah, we are.

We make each other laugh. God knows whether anyone else would think we're funny. We'll find out, won't we? When they listen, how was it for you? but we do stuff all the time, voices and characters and bits. Well, that's it. And I think it's an interesting thing, obviously, when you met Rachel, even though, you know, you were both doing the right thing.

You do pick up on that energy. It's a sense of the surreal and the absurd. And you know it within minutes when you meet someone that you think, oh, yeah, this can work. We can be friends or in your case. You just know, don't you? If someone, if you, if you, if you, if you sort of put something out there, some comment or you see something and it makes you

giggle or pleases you or displeases you and the person you're with is just blank. And I have a series of deal breakers, one of which, it's very specific. If you're doing a voice, so if I'm saying I'm talking about someone we both know and I said, oh, they said this to me. I will probably do subconsciously I'll do a vague sort of go at their voice obviously avoiding racism here

but what I mean is I would want the anecdote to sparkle a bit and give it a bit of energy so I wouldn't just say it in my flat voice what I hate is when you do that and someone says oh I didn't know they were Welsh oh yeah no it's exhausting I sort of think

what you've done is you've killed the anecdote for no reason and also what you're saying is it's that improvisation thing of you've just put a wall up. Absolutely. Do you know what I mean? It's all always status stuff. You can play with status in a joyful way.

But when people are just trying to put their hand on your face to squash you down, I'll never forget. It's a really weird thing that happened. So when I gig, club gigs, not tours really, I leave very quickly after I've been on. I don't love the interaction with an audience after I've been on. Why is that, Marcos? I tell you what it is, when you've been on, you've been a version of yourself that's very big, very opinionated, very loud, very dominant, and you can't then have a normal conversation with someone who's seen you.

You can't. And they don't believe you, even if you sincerely go, but what do you do? Who are you? They just don't believe you. They're like, I've just seen you do this thing. So anyway, I tend to leave very quickly and I was at the comedy store and I said to a mate who was there with me, I said, oh, just so you know, after the show I do tend to sort of put my head down and leave as quickly as I can up those famous stairs. And they said, oh, why? And I said, well, there's that. And then there's this thing, especially blokes, where they'll try and score points off you.

And he said, oh, what do you mean? And we were going up the stairs and I got to the top of the stairs and a guy who'd been in the audience went, But oh what I mate, absolutely loved that, loved it. Oh, sorry, not you, the other comic. And I was with my friend and I went, that, that. And the guy went, what, what, what? It was really defensive. And I said, well, I was just explaining to my friend how, like, after you've been on stage,

if you've had a good gig, sometimes, and particularly men, will feel a bit threatened. And then they'll sort of feel like they need to squash you down by saying something negative about what you did. And I was trying to explain it, and then you just did it. I mean, I was very lucky not to get punched, let's be honest. I've always thought when it comes to fights, I'm very likely to come second. But yeah, so I don't stick around after shows. I find it really... It's weird because I'm such a comfortable person with other people.

I love talking. Do you think you're happier now than... I suppose what I mean by that is that... Than when we started this walk? I do. Actually, I've had a lovely time. But no, what I mean is that I feel like there was a bit, a period of time when there was, I call it, everyone gets that white heat period. And I mean, they're spam a lot, you were doing a lot of TV.

And there's a sense, I know this from comedian friends of mine, that I sort of feel that's not when they're at their happiest. That there feels like there's a contemptent around you now, that you're doing what you want. And there's no compromises to be had in your life to the same degree, you know. I think very largely that that is true. I think that, yeah, that's dead right. The kind of the white heat thing where what you're doing is saying no to things because you're so busy doing other things. And it's just a frenzy. And it's really thrilling.

But I don't think it's necessarily very satisfying. But then there's sort of two things have happened. So one is post-pandemic, I certainly have, and I know some other comics have. to. We've changed our relationship with working. We've changed it so that driving to Norwich and back in one night is something that I don't treat privially anymore and go, yep, it's my job I have to. I go, maybe not. I think maybe that might maybe feel very tired and a bit unhappy. I might go to Norwich for two nights, but then I have to weigh up, well, I'll be away from Rachel and Billy then, so maybe I don't want to do that either. So I'm working less, but that's

also come at the same time as I'm 50 now and I'm one of the big group of straight white predominantly straight white men have to say that if you've been to boarding school you know of the of the big loud white straight men who who had it so good for so long and I am working less and I get fewer offers now I have the bonus the benefit that when I feel like but why are I being asked to do that anymore I have an answer which is because because my wife is. And it's very pleasing, right? So then you're like, it's not a mystery

and no one's got it wrong. The things I was asked to do, Rachel's 11 years younger than me, she's being asked to do now. And I'm like, that seems about right. I think that is fair. That's probably her and that helicopter, by the way.

I assume she's asked to do one of my television shows. She's going to Wembley Arena, to perform with Gary Barlow. It is. No one should pretend it isn't a bit painful because it is. And it's weirdly a little bit humiliating. Right? No, I don't mean Rachel having that work.

I mean, it's a little bit humiliating. And the reason I can say that, not just about myself, is you know it is. It has currency when people go, didn't you used to be on telly? Or didn't you used to be something or whatever happened to? Everybody knows there's a currency of humiliation in the fading. of people who've had a lot of very public success. And I think that you have to just, not you, I have to just sort of measure how I feel about that

and be conscious of it and go, sometimes it's a bit painful to me that I'm not as wanted as I used to be, but it isn't humiliating. It's a bit painful. It isn't humiliating. And it also isn't wrong, right? It isn't, it's not wrong.

I didn't make a terrible mistake. the industry isn't mistaken in what it's doing, this is just the where we are of it, you know, and it's okay. There's two types of performers, essentially, and I suppose there are some performers who would be, yeah, give me that, give me that, I'll do anything, I'll do anything. I've never really seen you as that kind of performer, I suppose. I think your stuff is very considered. Although, let's not forget, I was on hole in the wall.

you had to do a shape and the wall came towards you and if you didn't do the shape it knocked you into the pool but can I just quickly having told you I did it just defend it so they sent me a tape of it of Dick and Dom hosting that show

they made a pilot with Dick and Dom who I didn't know but they are funny men they are funny funny funny men really like Dick and Dom and they made this show and I went that is so fun That's what my brother and I would do, right, next to a pool growing up, or even now we would. We would go, right, stand there.

I'm going to run towards you with this pool chair. See if you can dodge it. We'll see what happens. Right? It's that. So I saw it. And then I got there to the studio and I said, oh, it would be great to say hello to Dick and Don before we start. And they went, oh, have you not heard?

And I went, no. And they went, it's not Dick and Dom, it's Dale Winton. So Dale took it very seriously. Right. So when you got knocked in the pool from the funny shape, Dale would go, are you very disappointed? And you go, no, Dale, I'm not. I am not.

Keep it lying, Dale. If you treat this like it serious, then me being on it looks very bad. Very bad. Whereas I was there, I've still got the silver suit they gave me for it, because I think it's so funny. But Dale treated it really seriously and it was awful. But apart from that, I stand by all my choices. And the jump you did

But I would do the jump again Would you? Even though my knee As I stand here now You'll see I'm standing on my Right leg With my left leg held out to the side Because this knee still hurts 10 years later

I think you'll find that's called contraposto The classical position of Michelangelo I've simply got what Channel 4 call Akey Knee from the jump But isn't that interesting Things like the jump You say I do that again Do you still have that, I suppose it's an adrenaline, dopamine thing.

Am I reading too much into that? No, no, no, you're not. You're not. So winter sports is a passion for me. I set up the Altitude Comedy Festival so that myself and all my mates in comedy could go skiing and snowboarding. And it still runs and it's amazing. And I love, love, love that feeling of being 100% present. skis or a snowboard and just being like this in this moment.

And there's loads of dopamine and adrenaline tied up in that. But with the jump, I mean, I was trained by Olympians to do stuff that I've always liked since I was a kid. I've always thought, that looks amazing. Look, they're going so fast. So I was trained by these brilliant people to do this amazing thing. And so I thought it was great. And I, you know, I watched it back and I went, I know how that looks. But I also know how I felt about it.

So, come on. I think the urge for authenticity, the keenness for authenticity, for me, only extends as far as you should always make the next thing. Right. That as if you, if you're a creative person, your task should be make the next thing. If you stop on something that's been a success or a failure, then you're sort of deluding yourself. because I've sometimes felt like, oh, well, I've made it now. I am successful or whatever. And it's a nonsense.

It's a total nonsense. The only success is, are you willing, are you brave enough to make the next thing? So that's where what matters to me about sort of authenticity is, is that really. And that's, yeah, I mean, that brings us back to the podcast with Rachel. that's the next thing and I've held out against podcasts for a long time because I was so unclear about what the rules were right what are the rules well who's in charge of this I just met you in a park we've been for lovely walking out of chat is this it and it is that's the thing you know so that feels that feels like a

really authentic and really fun thing to do you are incredibly open I can tell that we've done a have a lot of work on yourself. Yeah. And... I've done the work. You strike me as a very considered calm person. Are you, do you have triggers? Can you lose it occasionally?

If you... Not so much. I definitely have political triggers, I would say. And sometimes writing political comedy, I had a really good producer who I didn't get on with who used to say to me, this is only funny if you agree with you and that's not your job.

Oh, darn it. And I'd have to go back and rewrite things. And there's always an element of that that's true because sometimes someone's disagreement will get in the way of them finding something funny. But the aim should always be that whether someone agrees with you or not, that they're capable of finding what you make funny. But I do have political triggers.

there's some stuff makes me so angry that I kind of go a bit blind but otherwise no. Do you know what's interesting? Since we've been on this walk you're probably not aware of it but there have been so many people sort of like touching their point and look it is look it is in and to me that's a nice kind of fame but do you know what I mean? Well you're not you're not famous enough for them to want to come over or take a picture but they do go that's that person. No but what I'm saying is you've got there's a high recognizability factor with you. Yeah. And is that something you enjoy? Do you feel comfortable with it? Do you know how comfortable I am with it? I have genuinely no idea that it's going on and

Rachel is always, it's always going, you're such a knob. You've no idea. You've no idea. Now though, there's, so I made a couple of kids shows. I made a show called King Stupid and another one called Sorry I've Got No Head. And they're... I never interrupt. but stupid. Stupid. Right, there you go. How old are you? I'm 28.

Perfect. You see? The producer, when Marcus just mentioned King's Stupid, I'm going to say what happened. I mean, it was like Harry Styles had walked it. So, bright red. So King's Stupid was a character I played and he's in charge of all of the stupid things that happen in the world. And I had a Gremlin assistant played by Rusty Goof, Goober. Yeah, there you go, Raymond.

Raymond. And we sort of, um, oversaw all these stupid things, which were all sketches, and they were sketches with mostly child performers. So there's now, like, an age group of people for whom I'm very famous, because I'm a big part of their... I'm so sorry, Marcus, if I didn't know, our producer was... No, no, no, we should have started with this. I'm a stalker.

So I'm like, I'm super famous with those people, and I totally forget about that, and I do have, like really young people coming up to be going, Are you a king stupid? Oh yeah, I am. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Actually, it's a real sadness to me. I made the first series of that two weeks after my eldest son was born. And so it was a really mad time.

And just as the pieces fell, I was asked to make the second series a couple of weeks after my daughter was born a couple of years later. And I said no, because it was too much. And I just went, do you know what, I can't? And that was the right decision.

I've 100% stand by it. But I do wish they'd been able to go, fine, we'll make this in six months' time or whatever, and they couldn't, they used someone else. But that tells me a lot that you did that, because those are the choices which I think, you know, when it all comes to an end, those are quite defining.

And I don't think, much as, you know, I know you enjoyed King's stupid, I don't think that will be. I think one series made it even more special. You're not going to be lying there. So I just wish I'd done another thing as stupid. No, exactly. I think you will be saying, God, I'm so glad I was there for my kids.

Yeah. Well, and now, so my big kids are 21 and 19 and Billy is two. How's that? How lovely, though. It's amazing. Yeah. It's amazing. It's so fun.

And I'm able now, as you said, you know, that's sort of the white heat, voracious hunger for everything has faded and I'm able now to spend loads of time with Billy at this age and he's so funny and exhausting and all of those things you know but he's so funny and so joyful um so I say no to loads of stuff just to just to go and do the family thing I think the thing about the white heat thing is I think it's you know it's a temporary form of insanity necessarily it's like going viral. It's like actually you have to get off that train. Yeah. Because it's not, it doesn't slow down. No, exactly. Exactly. And if you start

imagining that you're in some way in charge of what happens next. I mean, you are obviously, you have your choices about what you do. Yeah. But in charge of the bigger picture, you're not. You're not ever. You can only end up giving away too much of yourself in order to try and keep that, that thing going and I'm glad to say that that's not the case anymore you know and like I said the pandemic really changed that for me it made me realize how valuable time at home is and Rachel's way smarter where that's concerned than I am she's always understood the value of of stillness and just being she's more patient what have you learned from Rachel in terms of how to be I suppose what do you inspiring about? Loads of things. One is don't let her cook unless she absolutely insists.

Is it bad? No actually it isn't but I'm the worst backseat cook in the world. A bit of a control freak? Are you? Yeah, dreadful. So one of the big things I've learned and I must continue for me I have to work on it is read novels. Read novels. Novels are better for you than probably anything else. They're slow, they take concentration, they don't flood your brain with dopamine, and they all novels, even quite bad ones, grow empathy. So, and she's a voracious reader. I love that, Marcus. She's always got a book on the go, whereas I'm like, I'll read all the news every day. I've nearly completed Twitter, you know. I think it, it's kind of also a cure for narcissism because you're immersing yourself in someone else's world.

Absolutely. Twitter's about you and your world. Absolutely. 100%. And they're so, yeah, it's just such a good, a good, it's such an obviously good activity. I just read a book called Demon Copperhead, which is based loosely on the story of David Copperfield. And my God, it's so good.

It's so good. Just brilliant. And entirely Rachel's recommendation. recommendation. And so I think she the thing she gives me in exchange for the thing I give her, she says like slow down, you know, just just be a bit more present. And I give her. And I give her some of the opposite of that, which is be brave. Be braver. Be, you know, like take a big step forward. You know, I've been a big, loud stand-up for much, much longer than she has. And I think she knows she's very funny, but I do remind her how funny she is often because, I don't know.

It doesn't seem as obvious to her how funny she is sometimes as it is to me. I see her on stage and I just think she's amazing. But bear in mind as well, it is that difficult thing, whereas a woman you are encouraged to, don't be boastful, don't be arrogant. Yeah. You know, it's the Barbie speech, isn't it? Absolutely. You know. Absolutely.

Well, Marcus, I've honestly had such a lovely time with you. Wasn't this nice? What a nice man you are. And I knew you would be because I loved Rachel. The 5am moment, I feel deeply invested in that. And I was rooting for you. We were all rooting for you. And you were in love, actually.

The most romantic film of all time. Although, you know, a bit problematic. to the younger generation. I still love it. I'm old. Pivotal scene though, mine. Absolutely pivotal. The rest of the film hangs on that one moment.

It is with Bill Nye. I would just tell you very quickly, the read-through for that. Just think about the read-through, the table read for that film. Because we all went off to do, that went that way and that went that way,

and Colin Firth went over there and da-da-da. There was one day where we sat around a table and we read that whole script. Was it amazing? Did you know it was going to be? It was astonishing. I did know it was going to be huge

and I also thought at the end of the four and a bit hour read, this is too long, some of these stories won't make sense. And what's really sad is that Laura Linney's story in that with her brother who is in a sort of care home and is really struggling with his life and he nearly hits her at one point. In the final edit of the film, in my opinion, it doesn't make enough sense.

But I can tell you when we sat around the table and read the entirety of that story, and what you saw was a story about a carer. And those people are hidden all the time. Richard Curtis knows all about them because comic relief is so involved with helping people who spend their lives caring for relatives. But her story made everybody around that table cry, and she did it so brilliantly. And the story was stunning. And then in the film, it's quite truncated.

and you're like, she should go with the guy, not look after her brother, bye, and it's gone of over. And I did have a feeling like, this is too long. But I really love the film because I've read the full version. So the truncated stories, I'm like, I know what that bit is and that bit. And do you know that Rowan Atkinson is an angel? Is that in the film? He's Clarence, from It's a Wonderful Life. Oh, of course.

He's an angel. And the reason. Because he interferes essentially with the narrative. wraps up the present that... The necklace. The necklace that Emma Thompson's husband... Cheating Alan Rickman. Cheating Alan Rickman is buying is so that she sees it happen.

And the reason Rowan is there at the airport and opens the gate when the boy runs through for true love is because he's Clarence from it. It's a wonderful life. Well, Marcus, I cannot tell you what pleasure it's been. I'm going to let you go back to... Lovely Rachel, Billy Briggsstock, Billy, Billy Brickstock. Yay! And Roy the Chameleon, let's not forget. Now one-eyed Roy.

Can I ask one question about Roy? Does he, is he emotional? Do you have an emotional relationship with a comedian? Really? Not as emotional as you would with a dog. Like I don't really know if Roy's okay. But, you know, he communicates his feelings with his colours. And so they don't hide, some chameleon species hide using their colours,

but mostly they're telling you what's going on for them. So if he's depressed, what is colour does he go? Dark, grey, grey and dark drab, really drab colours. When he's excited, he's bright orange and yellow. Well, so am I. Yeah, right? I'm totally honestly, if human beings could express more through just changing colour, that whole thing with Rachel of going, would it be okay if I gave you a kiss?

I could have solved that by 2am. Listen, listen, young lady. She's getting a bit orange. of these colours right now, ba- bam. But yeah, Roy is, he's, I have an emotional relationship with Roy and I'll be very sad when he

passes away. But what a life he's had. Nine years of having locusts and other live bugs and delivered to him. What a life. Oh Roy.

I'm so glad you've had Roy. It's a good egg. He's a good egg. Exactly the right sort of pet for a comedian as well because... Why? Well, because I go away a lot. That's why I don't have a dog. Some comedians shouldn't have dogs.

Yeah. Some it works. Some it doesn't. Because if you're going to have a dog, you have to look after it really well. Do you? Oh, now you tell me. I leave him home alone. With Roy, I can leave Roy in his vivarium.

It's heated. His light comes on and off. He has running water in there. All right. You know, so he's like, yeah, exactly. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. Have you enjoyed meeting Raymond?

So much. What do you think? I just think he's regal. Do you know how he carries himself? He knows he's important. Not arrogant, he just knows he's important. And I wish you so much success with your podcast with Rachel Powers. Well, you two, thanks so much for having me.

It's just been so nice. And we should say it's called How Is It For You? How Was It for You? Yeah. I think it starts on April the 10th. Where are you get your podcasts? Yeah, that's right. you're going to find yourself saying a lot.

I think, do I have to say like and subscribe? Is that the thing? Like and subscribe. Can you give Raymond a goodbye? You're known for your voices. Can you do a voice? I'll tell you what, Raymond. I'm going to bust out my favourite voice of all time.

Big Jez of Vine. 288-91 Vine at pbc.com.com. We really want to hear from people about this one. Are you an imperial shih Tzu? if you are, give us a call 288 to 91 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