ROB BRYDON: I CRIED FILMING THE GAVIN AND STACEY FINALE

Summary

Podcast Summary: "ROB BRYDON: I CRIED FILMING THE GAVIN AND STACEY FINALE"

Podcast Information:

• Title: Great Company with Jamie Laing
• Host/Author: Jampot Productions
• Episode: Rob Brydon: I Cried Filming the Gavin and Stacey Finale
• Release Date: December 23, 2024

---

Introduction

In this heartwarming episode of Great Company with Jamie Laing, host Jamie Lang welcomes the multifaceted entertainer Rob Brydon. The conversation delves deep into Rob's experiences filming the much-anticipated finale of the cult classic series Gavin and Stacey, his journey in the entertainment industry, personal anecdotes, and reflections on fame and vulnerability.

---

Reunion and Emotional Impact

[05:26] Jamie Lang initiates the discussion by asking Rob about the overwhelming success of Gavin and Stacey during its initial run. Rob responds with humility, acknowledging the show's strength without anticipating its massive success.

Rob Brydon:
"I always say that the fact is, most things are not hits... But then on this. So the script, you go, so being Welsh, I look at its portrayal of Wales and I go, oh, yeah, yeah, that chimes with me. These characters are terrific."
[05:30]

Rob further elaborates on the seamless chemistry among the cast, highlighting characters like Dave Coaches and Dawn, suggesting that each could easily stand on their own in separate shows due to their strong characterization.

Jamie Lang:
"They're so well written and they're such good characters that you could see everything branch out."
[06:40]

The emotional crescendo of the episode comes when Jamie inquires about Rob's feelings during the reunion. Rob shares that reuniting with the cast after nearly two decades was profoundly moving.

Rob Brydon:
"It felt beautiful, really. It felt so emotional... Floods of tears."
[11:01]

He reminisces about the enduring friendships formed on set, the passage of time, personal growth, and the bittersweet nature of revisiting cherished memories.

---

The Challenges of the Entertainment Industry

Transitioning from the reunion, Jamie probes Rob about the difficulties inherent in the acting profession. Rob candidly discusses the relentless cycle of rejection and the necessity of perseverance.

Rob Brydon:
"You can only do it if you have to do it. So it has to do."
[31:58]

He recounts his stint in telesales during a financial downturn, illustrating the humbling experiences outside the limelight and how those moments reinforced his passion for voice acting and entertainment.

Rob Brydon:
"I had a very limited palette... but I started to blitz voice agents, production companies, trying to get voice work. And eventually, I did, and then everything was okay."
[35:05]

Rob emphasizes the importance of viewing his career as a vocation rather than just a job, underscoring the deep-seated love for entertaining others as the driving force behind his resilience.

---

Personal Insights and Vulnerability

Jamie deepens the conversation by exploring Rob's personal vulnerabilities and self-perceptions.

Jamie Lang:
"Do you find it easy to get emotional?"
[12:11]

Rob admits that he does not shy away from emotions, both on and off the screen, revealing a softer side that contrasts with his often comedic public persona.

Rob Brydon:
"I genuinely mean well. I don't really wish anybody any harm... I like that I'm able to do that."
[52:09]

He discusses the balance between maintaining authenticity and the pressures of public expectations, highlighting moments where vulnerability has played a crucial role in his personal and professional life.

---

Humorous Anecdotes and Improv Moments

Throughout the episode, Rob's quick wit and penchant for improvisation add a layer of humor and relatability.

During a segment on his role in the Barbie movie, Rob shares a humorous behind-the-scenes moment where he improvised his lines, leading to a memorable and spontaneous performance.

Rob Brydon:
"I'm not a sugar daddy and I hold the dog up. I say, this is sugar and I'm her daddy."
[41:14]

His ability to infuse humor into everyday situations shines through, making the conversation both entertaining and insightful.

---

Q&A Session: Eight Personal Questions

Towards the end of the episode, Jamie engages Rob in a rapid-fire Q&A segment, uncovering more personal facets of his life and personality.

1. What's the saying or phrase that always makes you smile or cheers you up?
   Rob Brydon:
   "Anything that might. Whenever my kids say anything to me that makes me think I've done something right as a dad. That's a fantastic feeling."
   [45:44]

2. Best compliment anyone's ever given you?
   Rob Brydon:
   "Billy Connolly once paid to come and see me do standup and that blew me away... Billy Connolly is like Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy... these are special people."
   [46:22]

3. What scares you most about yourself?
   Rob Brydon:
   "We have nothing to fear but fear itself. When fear gets a grip of me, I hate that. I hate that."
   [46:47]

4. What's something you can't let go of?
   Rob Brydon:
   "Love Elvis."
   [47:35]

5. What's something that you'd be embarrassed for people to know you like or want?
   Rob Brydon:
   "I don't like acne scars. I'd like nicer skin. I'd like skin like yours."
   [47:55]

6. What turns you off?
   Rob expressively shares his pet peeves, ranging from inconsiderate behaviors like littering or blocking views at football matches to the annoyance of modern vaping practices.
   [48:03] – [50:09]

7. What turns you on?
   Rob Brydon:
   "I see trees of green and skies of blue and I think to myself what a wonderful world... The natural world."
   [50:53]

8. What do you like most about yourself?
   Rob Brydon:
   "I genuinely mean well... I like that I'm able to do that."
   [51:37]

9. Favorite swear word (Bonus):
   While Rob hesitates to perform in his Uncle Bryn's accent, he shares his humorous side by explaining how he swears playfully during his workout sessions.
   [52:43] – [53:55]

---

Conclusion

The episode wraps up with Jamie and the production team sharing their excitement for the upcoming Gavin and Stacey Christmas special. Rob's genuine appreciation for his work, the enduring friendships formed during the show's run, and his reflections on personal growth provide listeners with a heartfelt and inspiring narrative.

Jamie Lang:
"Whether you were born to do it or not, I think we've all been thoroughly entertained. You're amazing. You're inspiration to me and so many other people."
[56:07]

Rob’s closing remarks reinforce the themes of gratitude, resilience, and the enduring power of storytelling in connecting with audiences.

---

Key Takeaways

• Emotional Depth: Rob Brydon's reflections highlight the profound emotional connections formed during the filming of Gavin and Stacey, underscoring the show's legacy and impact.

• Resilience in Entertainment: The discussion sheds light on the challenges of the entertainment industry, emphasizing perseverance and passion as essential traits for success.

• Authenticity and Vulnerability: Rob's openness about his emotions and vulnerabilities offers a relatable perspective, breaking the stereotype of the unflappable entertainer.

• Humor as a Coping Mechanism: Throughout the conversation, humor is portrayed not just as a profession but as a personal coping mechanism, showcasing Rob's innate ability to find lightness in various situations.

• Personal Growth: The episode illustrates the balance between personal life and professional commitments, highlighting how responsibilities and relationships contribute to overall stability and groundedness.

---

Notable Quotes:

• Rob Brydon on Show Success:
  "Most things are not hits... But then on this. So the script, you go, so being Welsh, I look at its portrayal of Wales and I go, oh, yeah, yeah, that chimes with me."
  [05:30]

• Emotional Reunion:
  "It felt beautiful, really. It felt so emotional... Floods of tears."
  [11:01]

• On Entertainment as a Vocation:
  "You can only do it if you have to do it. So it has to do."
  [31:58]

• Personal Vulnerability:
  "I genuinely mean well. I don't really wish anybody any harm... I like that I'm able to do that."
  [52:09]

• Favorite Swear Word Humor:
  "I have a trainer, right. And when I train... I will, I, I can act. I, I can make people laugh."
  [53:07]

---

This episode of Great Company with Jamie Laing offers an intimate glimpse into Rob Brydon's multifaceted life, celebrating his contributions to entertainment while exploring the personal experiences that shaped his career and character. Listeners are left with a deeper appreciation for the man behind the laughter and the enduring bonds formed through shared creative endeavors.

Transcript

[Mom]

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[Jamie Lang]

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[Rob Brydon]

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[Rob Brydon]

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[Rob Brydon]

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[Rob Brydon]

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[Jamie Lang]

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[Rob Brydon]

20. Get 20. 20 better get 15. 15, 15, 15. Just 15 bucks a month. Sold.

[Jamie Lang]

Give it a [e-mail] $45 upfront payment.

[Rob Brydon]

Equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only.

[Mom]

Taxes and fees, extra Speed slower above 40 gigabytes. In detail.

[Jamie Lang]

Hello, everyone. My name is Jamie Lang and this is Great Company or Merry Christmas.

[Jemima]

Oh, oh, oh, oh, sorry, Rafi. Are we recording? Yes. Oh, sorry.

[Jamie Lang]

That's staying in right at the top.

[Jemima]

Are we recording this?

[Jamie Lang]

You said ho, ho, ho, Rafi. Oh, and I just hiccups a new burp.

[Jemima]

Is that hiccup or a burp?

[Jamie Lang]

It's mixed between the two. And also this is our first.

[Jemima]

We're doing a Monday release Funday drap.

[Jamie Lang]

Can you explain why we're doing that?

[Jemima]

We have this fantastic guest coming on the show today and we're heading into Christmas and traditionally, Christmas is a time when listening figures do go down. People's habits change.

[Jamie Lang]

Their podcasts, people out and socializing, Christmas drinks, all that good stuff. Yeah, yeah.

[Jemima]

And also podcasts are a real, like, habit media.

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah, it's habitual. You know, you get up, you go and listen to your podcast. You maybe go On a school run, you listen to your podcast, whatever. Exactly.

[Jemima]

So Christmas, the old schedule out the window, so listening figures go down. So, traditionally, what happens at Christmas is lots of shows will put on best ofs, or we have some special Christmas episodes. But we also thought, well, let's just give you a proper portion.

[Jamie Lang]

And also, today's guest.

[Jemima]

Oh, my God.

[Jamie Lang]

Has a very special reunion episode of Gavin and Stacey coming out at Christmas time. So we thought it was a perfect time to launch it.

[Jemima]

Yeah, 100%.

[Jamie Lang]

Now, before we kick off. Hi, everyone. If you don't know who I am, my name is Jamie Lang. I'm the host of the show Great Company. And you are?

[Jemima]

I'm Jemima, the producer.

[Jamie Lang]

That's why she knows all the understanding of this and that. And when we put things out, all those different things. Right, so who's today's guest? Jemima?

[Jemima]

Well, they've probably read the title. It's Rob Brydon.

[Jamie Lang]

Rob Brydon.

[Jemima]

Uncle Brynn.

[Jamie Lang]

Uncle Bryn from Gavin and Stacey. I mean, look, he needs no introduction. He is an actor, he's a comedian, he's a musician, he's a host, he's a voiceover artist. I mean, his book of what he does and doesn't do is pretty big.

[Jemima]

He presents a show called Would I Lie to youo? Have you done that?

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah, it was great.

[Jemima]

What was your lie?

[Jamie Lang]

My lie? I didn't have a lie. I had a truth.

[Jemima]

What was your truth?

[Jamie Lang]

My truth was is that I burnt down a sauna in Brazil by putting pouring vodka on the rocks in it. Cause I thought it'd get me drunk.

[Jemima]

That is really stupid.

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah. I didn't think they trusted me with a lie. And I love that show. And Rob is.

[Jemima]

It's such a good show.

[Jamie Lang]

I mean, he's done so many amazing things, from movies to incredible TV shows like Gavin and Stacey and the Trip. He was recently in the Barbie movie A Very Short Little Bit. I can't wait to talk about that. But Rob is great. I went on Rob's podcast and he's now come on mine. So this is gonna be a great little moment, and hopefully he enjoys it. Are you ready for this?

[Jemima]

I'm very, very excited.

[Jamie Lang]

Okay. So please, ladies and gentlemen, please enjoy this episode. Now, if you haven't subscribed to the show already, please do. And also, please remember to get in touch with us. I'm gonna leave all the information at the end of the show when we come back and we have a little chat between each other. Are you ready for this?

[Jemima]

I'M ready.

[Jamie Lang]

Please enjoy the episode of Great Company with Rob Brydon.

[Rob Brydon]

Hi, I'm Rob Brydon, and I am in the great company of Jamie Lang.

[Jamie Lang]

Knock, knock. Rat tat tat. Rat a tat tat. Is there any room in the inn?

[Rob Brydon]

Not for you, not for you, not for you.

[Jamie Lang]

Rat a tat tat. Rat a tat at any room in the inn.

[Rob Brydon]

Not for you, not for you. Take your sugary snacks away with you. They're bad for your teeth and your gut.

[Jamie Lang]

You don't know that. You're just guessing.

[Rob Brydon]

I think it's been scientifically proven.

[Jamie Lang]

When you were doing Gavin and Stacy, do you realize how big it was going to be when you started shooting it?

[Rob Brydon]

No, no, no, no, no. I knew it was good. I knew it was really strong.

[Jamie Lang]

Why do you know when something's good? When you're. When you're starting to do something, do you just get a feeling for it?

[Rob Brydon]

Well, you just make a. You, You. You make a qualitative judgment. I mean, I. I always say that the fact is, most things are not hits, right? Most TV shows are not hits, most films are not hits, most books are not hits, Most records are not hits, right? Most of them just come and go and that's okay. But then on this. So the script, you go, so being Welsh, I look at its portrayal of Wales and I go, oh, yeah, yeah, that chimes with me. These characters are terrific. And all the characters are so well drawn, you know, they could all stand their own show. I think you could have a show, you know, just about Dave coaches. That would be interesting. You could have a show just about dawn and Pete. I mean, that would be great, wouldn't it? To see a show just about them. There we are. It's getting giggles here.

[Jamie Lang]

They're all liking it.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah.

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah, look at that.

[Rob Brydon]

So. No, but you never know.

[Jamie Lang]

I mean, that's really interesting you say that, though. That is so true.

[Rob Brydon]

Because they're so well written.

[Jamie Lang]

They're so well written and they're such good characters that you could. You could see everything branch out. You almost know their backstory without knowing their backstory.

[Rob Brydon]

That's because it is beautifully written. I mean, what James and Ruth have done in that script, it's a. It's as good as anything because it combines incredible character studies with tight, tight plot. It's as tight as a soap opera. You know, the way a soap opera has to be economical and move you on and move you on and keep you. Keep you guessing. And Gavin and Stacy has that to It.

[Jamie Lang]

You have to be honest.

[Rob Brydon]

Okay.

[Jamie Lang]

What happened on the fishing trip?

[Rob Brydon]

I'm not gonna tell you. But you wouldn't really want to know, would you?

[Jamie Lang]

I do. I think everyone wants to know.

[Rob Brydon]

See, I'm somebody who. Right. If they. If my wife has bought me a present.

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah.

[Rob Brydon]

Say at Christmas or birthday or say at Christmas, and it's under the tree. There is no part of me that wants to go, I wonder what it is. No, no, no. I am for delayed gratification. Let's wait, let's build, let's. Let's enjoy it. And even when I'm opening it, I'm opening it slowly.

[Jamie Lang]

Oh, you're not a YouTuber.

[Rob Brydon]

Yes.

[Jamie Lang]

No, you're not.

[Rob Brydon]

I want this moment to last.

[Jamie Lang]

So when it's Christmas time and you get my present and we open it.

[Rob Brydon]

Up, it's gonna be sugary crap, isn't it?

[Jamie Lang]

It's not gonna be sugar crab. It's gonna be lovely and you're gonna love it. We're sitting together and you're opening it up little bit by little bit.

[Rob Brydon]

No, not like that. Not. Not psychopathic. I'm not. I'm not tearing tiny strips. But I'm going. I'm. I'm like an old. I'm going, oh, save the wrapping now. No, but I. I take my time. And also, even when I've taken the wrapping off, I might not have looked at it yet. I might have done that and gone, oh. Because isn't that all about enjoying life? I mean, who wants a kid of seven goes, don't they?

[Jamie Lang]

I still do that.

[Rob Brydon]

Of course you do. And that's no surprise to anybody.

[Jamie Lang]

Gavin Stacy is such a. It's a complete cult classic in so many ways. And for everyone, it's coming back for a Christmas special. Holy. Rob, that's big.

[Rob Brydon]

Holy, Jamie. It is. Holy shit. Holy. Who says holy shit?

[Jamie Lang]

What would Al Pacino say?

[Rob Brydon]

Oh, it's back.

[Jamie Lang]

Was it amazing when. When the decision like that starts to happen and the feelers go out? Because it's been rumored for a while. Right. And then suddenly. And what's so amazing is that if you see on all social media, TikTok and things like that, there are crowds.

[Rob Brydon]

Oh, we had. Yeah, we had even more than last time because obviously when we did the series, we didn't have crowds, I don't think. Maybe towards the end a little, but I don't think so. When we did the last special five years ago, we had big crowds this time. Oh, wow. Even on the days when we were just shooting interiors so that. So that all they'd see of us is when we got out of the van and went into the house and then came out of the house to go to the other house, where we would just chill out, you know, and occasionally you'd walk up and say hello, but, you know, there's not a lot to see now. Sometimes you're filming in the street, I suppose that's quite interesting, I suppose. But even then, they'd have to put barriers up, so to not give any. If there was stuff happening that might give you a clue as to what's happening in the story, they put big screens up so then you wouldn't see anything.

[Jamie Lang]

Do you think the audience are going to. Are there surprises or is there something that you're going to tell me that we have to wait or anything. Is there anything that you can tell me that is. Does anything really big happen?

[Rob Brydon]

I've been instructed to not let anything. And I am terrified of being the idiot who says something. Ruth, not so much. James. Ruth is one of the most secretive. She likes to keep everything on that. If we were to discover one day that Ruth works for Putin, I'd go, yeah, yeah, I can see that. Yeah.

[Jamie Lang]

How did it feel to get everyone back together?

[Rob Brydon]

It felt beautiful, really. It felt so emotional. I thought it would feel emotional on the last day, which indeed it did. Floods of tears. But anytime we were doing a sort of communal scene where there's a bunch of us, I would sit there and I'd look and I'd see Alison Stedman and Larry Lamb, and I'd see Ruth, I'd see James, and, you know, and I would think, wow, the word journey is overused, so let's not. Let's not indulge it now. But I would say, wow, I have lived this experience with these people, and it's been 20 years pretty much now, since it sort of began, more or less 20 years. And we've all grown and changed. Joe's had a lot of kids she didn't have when we started. You know, all sorts of, you know, we. We lost Maggie, John, who played Doris. We've all gone and done our different things, you know, James, I suppose, most notably, he went off and he conquered America.

[Jamie Lang]

Wow. Right. It's amazing.

[Rob Brydon]

Which is. Which he doesn't get the praise for that he deserves. I mean, unprecedented. Who else has done that? And there we all were, back in the room. And so, yeah, it was really. It was really emotional.

[Jamie Lang]

Do you. Do you find it easy to get emotional?

[Rob Brydon]

Yes, yes. My children would say, Yes, I. Oh, Dad's tearing up. Yeah, yeah, I do, yeah, yeah, I.

[Jamie Lang]

Like it as well. I think I like it as well.

[Rob Brydon]

I really like it. I like emotion Rob, as well. What are you saying? I like it as well.

[Jamie Lang]

I really like, I think, having a good cry, being vulnerable. I love it. I can cry at anything. I cry at the John Lewis Christmas advert. I just saw this news Amazon advert. I cry at everything.

[Rob Brydon]

What's the Amazon advert?

[Jamie Lang]

Oh, it's amazing. There's a guy who comes onto stage and he's a janitor and he's singing.

[Rob Brydon]

I've not seen that.

[Jamie Lang]

It's so good. He's singing.

[Rob Brydon]

So you sit through the adverts, do you?

[Jamie Lang]

I like watching because it's emotional. Yeah.

[Rob Brydon]

Advertiser's dream, aren't you? Wow.

[Jamie Lang]

I think it's beautiful when people cry.

[Rob Brydon]

You were about to ask me when was the last time I cried?

[Jamie Lang]

I was gonna ask you that at the end, but I want to ask you now, when was the last time you cried?

[Rob Brydon]

Well, I cried on the last day.

[Jamie Lang]

Did you?

[Rob Brydon]

Gavin and Stacy? Yeah, yeah. And I filled up, you know, during it, particularly if I look at Ruth, because we were kids. We were literally. We were kids. We went to school discos together.

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah.

[Rob Brydon]

You know, before we could drive. I taught her to drive. I took her around. I was older than her, took her around in the car, in the car park by the beach in Porthcawe. So, you know, and then this show, aside from just being a delight to do, it's a hit, everybody wants a hit. That's the other element you gotta put in the experience, getting back together. Right. Is we're all aware, hey, we're in a hit and actors like to be in hits and they're very hard to come by. They're very hard to come by.

[Jamie Lang]

Rod, do you think you were, truthfully, do you think you were put on this earth to entertain?

[Rob Brydon]

I would never make so self aggrandizing a statement, but it's certainly what I like to do.

[Jamie Lang]

What do you love about it so much? What does it do to your body, to your mind, to make you feel.

[Rob Brydon]

That's a great question. No one's ever asked me that because.

[Jamie Lang]

Just just to caveat, just for a second. And I want you because.

[Rob Brydon]

Because, Rob, I don't find you entertaining, but I know there are people who do and I just want to understand.

[Jamie Lang]

It because every single situation, whenever I've met you, whether it's on a TV show or when we go for our dinners that we go for.

[Rob Brydon]

Or in rehab. All those times we've had to get sorry. If you have been to rehab. I'm sorry, I'm saying it because I'm not a rehab, where we met in.

[Jamie Lang]

Rehab, all those places. But you, you love to make people laugh in such a beautiful way. And when you do, would I lie to you? And for lots of people know there are breaks and certain things like that, that you have to reshoot something or do whatever. You even make the audience laugh, you really do. And so you have this innate ability firstly to entertain. But. So back to my question. Do you think you were put on earth to do this?

[Rob Brydon]

No, I'm not going to say that.

[Jamie Lang]

You can say it though then.

[Rob Brydon]

That's a quote. I was put on this earth. No, but I do. You're absolutely right, I do. On that very basic level. Yeah, like. And sometimes it's almost a dirty word, you know, to say. Or entertainer. I think it's very noble and I like that. And yeah, yeah, I do, I do.

[Jamie Lang]

What do you love so much about it?

[Rob Brydon]

I suppose how it makes me feel. You know, ultimately, I suppose it's a selfish thing because that's how I like to be. I like to have that interaction. Although I suppose then when sometimes I think that, you know, we have a. We have a group of friends, my wife and I, and they're the parents with three other couples who are the parents of fundamentally our, our 13 year old son, our youngest, and we, we really hit it off with them and we have holidays that we hang out together with barbecues and stuff. And it occurs to me that, yeah, with them I probably don't then. Now I will try and be funny, but generally I sort of don't with them. I like just, just being, you know.

[Jamie Lang]

That makes sense. That makes total sense. That's interesting because then I tell you what, I had for a bit because I did a reality show for so long which I don't know if you've seen it. We act. We, we want a bafta. You haven't, but that's fine.

[Rob Brydon]

And you know what? That's true. Well done. Oh, like, what can I say? Well done. I'm still trying.

[Jamie Lang]

But I. Because it was so much. It was 160 days a year we were filming.

[Rob Brydon]

Right, 160 days a year.

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah, 160 days a year we'd film. So what would happen was, is that I was in this constant like entertainment mode all the time. So then when I was off camera, I would still feel like I needed to entertain and so that, that became quite psychologically, I suppose, quite like, exhausting in a certain way. And what I realized is that I just didn't feel comfortable that much being in my own skin. So if I could entertain that made me feel more confident. Here we go now. We're getting deep now. Here it comes. So do you think that within yourself that when you are your true comfortable self, you can sit back and relax and maybe that you find entertaining easier in a sort of social situation? This is where he doesn't like to go deep.

[Rob Brydon]

No, no, no, no, no, no. It's interesting. Maybe. I, I, well, you know, that's a, that's a big old question.

[Jamie Lang]

It's a big old question.

[Rob Brydon]

You can't just, you can't just rattle off. And I'm giving it some thought. I mean, I don't, I don't honestly don't know how to answer your question. I mean.

[Jamie Lang]

Well, I suppose the question is.

[Rob Brydon]

Ask it again in a different way.

[Jamie Lang]

Okay, I'll ask in a different way.

[Rob Brydon]

You're asking, am I comfortable in my own skin.

[Jamie Lang]

I don't know. Maybe I'm asking something different as a. Okay. When you were a child.

[Rob Brydon]

Yes.

[Jamie Lang]

Were you also. Did you realize that if you could make people laugh and entertain people, you could gain popularity and become friends with people?

[Rob Brydon]

I suppose I was aware of that, but. But it was the other way around. I think it was just who I was. And, and, and the things that you talked about were a benefit of being that person.

[Jamie Lang]

Got you.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. So I was never particularly judgmental or opinionated about things. I've always been kind of centrist, you know, but equally swayed by, you know. I mean, typically, I will hear a politician from the left talking, and I'll say, well, that makes sense. And then I'll hear a politician from the right talking. And I honestly, I mean, and I'm very embarrassed by this. I'll go, well, I mean, that makes sense, right?

[Jamie Lang]

I'm exactly the same.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah.

[Jamie Lang]

I get swayed very easily.

[Rob Brydon]

I mean, I watch Questing Time and I go, well, yeah, yes, but, yes, but that's always been in me. And in fact, the first thing I did that was any good was a show called Marion and Jeff, which was a series of monologues. A taxi driver, like an alter ego for me. And he has a line in it which I think is quite revealing about me because he says, he says, I will always see the other side. He said, if Michael Owen scores a goal, he was a footballer years ago. I'm delighted, but I Will spare a thought for the goalkeeper. Now that's a comic line, but at its root I can see a lot of me in that. So I find it quite hard to be especially opinionated about anything really, because I go, well, there's always.

[Jamie Lang]

But that's a nice way to be. I think.

[Rob Brydon]

Yes and no.

[Jamie Lang]

I think it. But even you saying that Rob is so nice. We. I sat with Alan de Botton. Do you know who that is?

[Rob Brydon]

Yes, I do.

[Jamie Lang]

He's amazing, right? And he said, I, I wish I can ask you at the end, I said, what's your, you know, when you.

[Rob Brydon]

Ask, do you know who that is?

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah.

[Rob Brydon]

Is that because you think old lightweight Rob wouldn't be aware of modern day philosopher Alain de Botton?

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah, I thought that.

[Rob Brydon]

I bet you did, didn't you? I did, yeah, I bet. No, I bet you did. I bet you otherwise you wouldn't have asked me.

[Jamie Lang]

Do you know I was being polite?

[Rob Brydon]

No, you were being patronizing.

[Jamie Lang]

It's not patronizing.

[Rob Brydon]

Have you ever heard Jamie of Sigmund Freud?

[Jamie Lang]

Have you ever heard of Siegfried Sassoon?

[Rob Brydon]

Oh, yes, Wonderful haircuts.

[Jamie Lang]

For me, the reason why I did a reality show, I always loved entertainment more than anything, right. I loved it. I loved being on stage, I loved making people laugh. I loved, always wanted to be in tv, all these different things. And I think there's a part of me that wanted to do it because I think probably I thought I'd get the validation from the crowd or the people watching and that maybe came from a small insecurity within me. And there's that kind of idea that most entertainers have something that they're sort of harboring, I suppose. Talk about it.

[Rob Brydon]

Okay, yeah, yeah, I understand how it works. Am I allowed to pause briefly?

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah, you can pause.

[Rob Brydon]

So all right. Okay. I think there's a lot to be said for introducing the pause into podcasts. There's another one. If yes, subconsciously, not consciously, I, you know, I just liked, always liked making people smile or laugh. I had an ability to do voices and of course, not everybody can. And when you can, you forget, like, not everybody can sing. Not everybody can make their voice do silly things and sound like somebody else. But I was always able to do that. So wow, how lucky. You know, we can do a thing. You know, I do that stupid thing where I go, I go, hi there. How you doing out there? Great to see you. Oh, I word. How are you today, Jamie? What an amazing place. And that's got such reactions from people, but it's Just a stupid, dumbass trick that I'm able to do, you know? I mean, it's not a talent. You're not really a skill. You can slowly finesse it a bit, but I do that, and I quite just. Just enjoy it, you know?

[Jamie Lang]

Do that one more time.

[Rob Brydon]

Hey, Jamie. How are you doing today? Great to see you. Oh, my word. Look at this voice. This voice is now even smaller than it was before. That's really tiny.

[Jamie Lang]

It's absolutely mad. You ready for me? Hold on.

[Rob Brydon]

Can you do it as well?

[Jamie Lang]

You ready?

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah.

[Jamie Lang]

Okay. Okay, here we go. Hold on. I've got this. Come on, Jamie. I'm. When it's Robin, I'm not sitting in a box. How on earth. Sounds like I need a poo.

[Rob Brydon]

Well, it does.

[Jamie Lang]

That's what it feels like.

[Rob Brydon]

It sounds like you were having a poo.

[Jamie Lang]

How so? That's your very sort of famous man in a box.

[Rob Brydon]

I call it small man in a box. Yeah. Just a stupid thing.

[Jamie Lang]

How did you discover you could do it?

[Rob Brydon]

I was sitting around at home thinking about ventriloquists. I don't know why. I was thinking about how they throw their voices and make them sound like they're coming from somewhere else. And I started going. And then all of a sudden I was doing that, and I went, oh. And, you know, the canny part of me. Not as canny as you, the sweet factory, but the canny part of me went, oh, that's a thing.

[Jamie Lang]

What was the first play you did or show you did as a kid?

[Rob Brydon]

Well, we actually put on a play. We did a stage production of Star wars because Star wars was the hit film. Honest. Honestly.

[Jamie Lang]

Who's we? Who's we?

[Rob Brydon]

I was the ringleader.

[Jamie Lang]

Okay. How old are you at this point?

[Rob Brydon]

I think I'm. When did Star wars come out? 77. 78.

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah, yeah.

[Rob Brydon]

I'm 12, maybe 13.

[Jamie Lang]

Okay.

[Rob Brydon]

We write a script. I'm Luke Skywalker. Course, we couldn't make an R2D2. It's a very challenging shape with the thing. So at the time, Doctor who was on, and they had a little dog robot called K9, which was a much more achievable shape. So we made that. We had toy lightsabers. We made a door on the starship out of silver foil. And the stormtroopers were dressed in white skateboard helmets. The plastic stormtrooper mask with the elastic and cricket whites to look like stormtroopers. And they. At the beginning, to make their entrance, they burst through the silver foil. It was quite dramatic.

[Jamie Lang]

That is dramatic.

[Rob Brydon]

I played Luke. And before we started, I went out the front, in front of the curtain and did jokes from the Two Ronnies joke book. So that was probably my first stand up, stand up on stage, telling jokes. So we did that. And then I moved schools and I went to Porthcall Comprehensive and I met Ruth Jones there, and they had a superb drama department with a young, dynamic drama teacher who put on brilliant musicals every year. And that was me. That was my life mapped out.

[Jamie Lang]

I heard a rumor that you stole money from Catherine Ceta Jones.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah, well, there's some truth in that. Catherine Teeter Jones. I mean, every school I went to had a future star. Yeah. Honestly, the first little school I went to, Eddie Izzard was at, not when I was there. He was there two years before. Yeah, yeah. And then.

[Jamie Lang]

Love Eddie Izzard.

[Rob Brydon]

Well, of course, everybody's unbelievable. Eddie and I have shared photos of the school sports day. Eddie was probably. Eddie's good at everything and he's probably very good. But I've got me coming last in the. In the sack race. Then Catherine Zeta Jones was at this school in Swansea, you know, very young, doing tap dancing and performing. And one day as I was arriving at school, her mama just dropped her off and said, oh, I've forgotten to give Catherine a dinner money. It was about a quid in change, I think, from memory. Would you give her to her? I said, yes. I took it, put it in my pocket, forgot all about it, and then we would go down to town at lunchtime and have fish and chips or whatever. And I remember coming back and we were at a sweet shop. Then I go, wow, I'm cash rich. What's going on here? Forgot. And I spent the money. So it wasn't really theft.

[Jamie Lang]

That is theft.

[Rob Brydon]

No, it's me forgetting. It's me forgetting even at that age. And then Ruth was then at this other school and that began that sort of lifelong friendship with her. Everybody around me behaved to me as though I was talented and as though I was good. That's all I've ever known, really, in my life, from when I was a little kid, is people going, oh, he's very good. Oh, he's good. Oh, Robert's very good, isn't he, with the voice? Oh, he's good. That's all I've had.

[Jamie Lang]

So you had that inner confidence.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah, I never had that. See, where I come from is this portal. But you hear, don't you hear actors say, oh, say, where I come from, there weren't any actors. So, you know, But I come from where Richard Burton and Anthony Hopper. So you could you go, well, yeah, you can, you can become an actor from here. Tom Jones wasn't that far away. And Shirley Bassey wasn't that far away. Catherine is younger than me, but Catherine Zeta Jones is down the road. Michael Sheen is. I mean, my God, you can't move.

[Jamie Lang]

You almost feel like you were failing.

[Rob Brydon]

Exactly. Well, it's just expected of you, isn't it? The people in Wales that don't become famous artists of one type another, they stand out more than the ones that do.

[Mom]

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[Jamie Lang]

Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. With the price of just about everything going up during inflation, we thought we'd bring our prices down. So to help us, we brought in a reverse auctioneer, which is apparently a.

[Rob Brydon]

Thing Mint Mobile unlimited premium wireless. 20, 20, 20. Get 20. 20, 15. 15, 15. Just 15 bucks a month. Sold.

[Jamie Lang]

Give it a [e-mail] Switch.

[Mom]

$45 upfront payment equivalent to $15 per month. New customers on first three month plan only. Taxes and fees, extra speed, slow or above 40 gigabytes. Detailed.

[Jamie Lang]

I think acting's sort of hard gig in lots of ways and especially the entertainment industry.

[Rob Brydon]

You don't say because.

[Jamie Lang]

But I do. Because it's so hard to get.

[Rob Brydon]

You said that as if nobody's ever lots of people.

[Jamie Lang]

People don't know that because I think it's hard to get successful.

[Rob Brydon]

It's hard to get work.

[Jamie Lang]

And you know, something like last year, I think the statistics Are something like that. 92% of working actors and actresses earned under 10,000 pounds.

[Rob Brydon]

Yes. Everybody knows that.

[Jamie Lang]

No. Does anyone know it here? No. Shaking head. See, there you go.

[Rob Brydon]

That's more. That just says who you hang out with. These people should be at school.

[Jamie Lang]

But it's true. It's crazy.

[Rob Brydon]

So firstly, it's an inset day. Is that why you're here? What is this?

[Jamie Lang]

This is the real kids who turned up. But it's hard. So first it's hard to get any work whatsoever.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah.

[Jamie Lang]

Then you potentially get.

[Rob Brydon]

The odds are all stacked against you. I mean, it's, it's. It's hard to get an agent, right?

[Jamie Lang]

Anything.

[Rob Brydon]

It's hard to get any sort of work. And then it's hard to keep working and it's hard to be in a hit. And then if you're in a hit, it's hard to get another hit. It's really hard.

[Jamie Lang]

It's really hard.

[Rob Brydon]

So you can only do it if you love it. And I always say to people, you can only do it if you have to do it. So it has to do.

[Jamie Lang]

What do you mean, if you have to do it?

[Rob Brydon]

Well, it has to be like a calling, it has to be like a vocation. You've got to. Because, you know, if you had the decency to read my autobiography, you'd see all the rejection that I went through. Years and years and years of it.

[Jamie Lang]

Talk about it. I want rejection.

[Rob Brydon]

And you'd read that and you'd go, why the hell didn't you give up? You know, when I read it back, I read it back and I said, well, if that was a friend of mine, I would have been advising them with a gentle hand on their shoulder. This probably isn't for you.

[Jamie Lang]

So what keeps you going?

[Rob Brydon]

As I said, pay attention, Jamie. It has to be like a calling, right? It has to be like a vocation. You need to do it. You need to do it because that's where you feel that you are you. That's where you are being yourself is doing that.

[Jamie Lang]

What jobs are you taking between.

[Rob Brydon]

I go, so there was a point where there was just no money coming in, you know, I was, I. We had to sell some of the furniture in our house to pay some bills. We defaulted on the mortgage. So I did one morning in Kensington High Street Telesales, environmentally friendly industrial cleaning agents. And I went in and I tell you a funny thing that happened with that was I had to have an interview. Well, I'd never had an interview for a job because I was A dj, a presenter, an actor and everything. And the guy was. And I felt like a failure, you know, and he's a very sweet guy. And I had to fill in a bloody form. You know, I'd never done that. And they said, hobbies. I don't have hobbies. I want to be. I. This is what I do. So I put. I keep rabbits, right? And then he.

[Jamie Lang]

As a hobby.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah. And then he said, so tell me about the rabbits. He was being very sweet. He was being nice. So I said, some waffle? And then I instantly felt guilty because I thought, well, this guy's just doing his job, isn't he? And I started making stuff up about rabbits. Anyway, I go in to do the job, and they give you a script, and they give you all these numbers, like Glengarry Glen Ross. They give you all these leads, right? And you phone him up. And what you do is you lie. You say, hey, Jamie, Hi, it's Rob from, you know, Acme Cleaning Products. And just wanted to say. Just wanted to say thank you for helping us out with that survey. Cause we've had the. What survey? Cause we've had the results back and. What survey? We've had the results back. I don't remember us. We've had the results back. Are you sure? I'm. The. The results are amazing. And listen, I just want to thank you. So. Thanks for that, Jamie. Oh, and by the way, we've got an offer now on such and such, and you've got to get them to give you an order number, right, for this product, okay? And there's a script, and you've got to find. I got to find out details about Jamie, what's that accent? Jamie, where are you from? I had one guy, I remember he was German. Where are you from? I am from Stuttgart. I said Stuttgart. We had our honeymoon in Stuttgart. We didn't. You. You. You say this and you've gotta. And as you're doing this, you've got headphones on. There are supervisors coming around, and they're listening in, and they're going, come on, come on, come on. And you gotta get to the stage where you get an order number. And if you get that order number, bang. And you get to ring a bell at some point. And there's all the. The best sellers up and think, well, I mean, I was. I was doing this and I did it. And we got to lunchtime and I was hating it. And I went out onto Kensington High street going. Because, you know, I'd been working on radio, but it. I Thought, oh, what's happened? You know? And I remember thinking, here's what I thought, right? I thought. I thought, I can do funny voices. I thought, not everybody can do funny voices, right? There must be a way of getting paid for doing funny voices. So I didn't go back. I walked away from that and I got home and I started to blitz voice agents, production companies, trying to get voice work. And eventually I did, and then everything was okay. Cause I can make a living doing that.

[Jamie Lang]

What was the turning point in your career?

[Rob Brydon]

Marion and Jeff. Human remains were the two shows in 2000. Once those shows came out and once I was working with those people, it felt entirely like, these are my people, this is where I should be.

[Jamie Lang]

When you get that success, how do you keep your feet on the ground?

[Rob Brydon]

Oh, quite easily, because. Well, unless somebody wants to say, well, what about when you behave like this? But I think I did because I was already 35. And there's a well known thing that the age that you acquire fame at whatever level, because I appreciate that we're not talking about Leonardo DiCaprio here, but you, you know, when you acquire whatever level of fame, you can sort of cease to develop emotionally. It happens to pop stars, of course, they suddenly room. They're not developing. I was 35, I already had three children. So, you know, I had responsibilities.

[Jamie Lang]

Yes, your feet were on the ground.

[Rob Brydon]

And I think the great thing that's done for me is it has given me this great appreciation of it because.

[Jamie Lang]

You work towards it and then you got it.

[Rob Brydon]

But, you know, even today, I mean, even today. But today I'm coming in. In the car to. To do this and I'm going, this is great, isn't it? I'm being driven in. I'm gonna chat with Jamie on. Honestly, I'm going, ah. I don't take it for granted. I mean, you know, this is. It's lovely.

[Jamie Lang]

35 is when you started drinking, though.

[Rob Brydon]

Yes, it is, but not in a. I mean, it would be lovely if there was some dark undercurrent to that. It's really not. I mean, what was your. You picked up the Alka Pops. I tell you what happened. So I get. I get to about. I never. When I was a kid. Yeah. It just never appealed. Right.

[Jamie Lang]

Just never wanted it.

[Rob Brydon]

No. And I tried it, like, get all kids do it. I don't know, 13, 14, 15, whatever. And I would go. I had a very limited palette. I think that probably affected it. Oh, that's not nice. Whatever it was, beer or wine or. I can't remember now, but, oh, no, I don't like that. But also, I never felt the need. I never felt like. I think some kids would have gone, finger me down there. Just score, you know, Friday. Oh, it's great. Cause it loosens me up. I mean, idiot here never made that connection. Right. So I'd be at school discos, and I was always smart enough to make girls laugh and keep them. Keep their attention, but I was never confident enough to go, you know, because for fear of rejection. Oh, that was. That'd be awful. Right. With hindsight now, I think if I had done that, I might have been okay. And I would see these other boys, who I consider to be positively Neanderthal by comparison, snogging girls at the end. I think, well, how are they? And it was simply because they had Dutch courage.

[Jamie Lang]

So funny. You were so scared of rejection, but you went into an industry which is so full of rejection.

[Rob Brydon]

That's interesting.

[Jamie Lang]

It is.

[Rob Brydon]

No one's said that before. Okay. It's so refreshing, Jamie, when you've done a million interviews and somebody finds another genuinely. It's really interesting. Yeah. Well, okay, let's really delve here. If someone was rejecting me as a performer, as an actor, I thought they were wrong. Right. But if a girl was going to reject me, I would think she was probably right. Does that. Oh, I just made somebody go, oh, does that make sense?

[Jamie Lang]

Very true.

[Rob Brydon]

Because I had a real belief about my abilities, whatever they may be, as a performer, but not so much with girls.

[Jamie Lang]

You were in the Barbie movie Six seconds. Can you tell the audience who you were? Because they may have forgotten.

[Rob Brydon]

I was Sugar Daddy Ken or Sugar's Daddy Ken.

[Jamie Lang]

When you went through the script and you found your part, you did you find your lines quickly?

[Rob Brydon]

They only sent me my page. I don't think it was even two pages. Who did you play in Barbie? Oh, that's right. You weren't in it. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean, take me on if you want, Jamie, but I will hit back.

[Jamie Lang]

What were your lines in Barbie?

[Rob Brydon]

So America Ferreira goes to the home of the discontinued Barbies. Wow. Okay. Where Kate McKinnon is. Yeah, yeah. And as she arrives, she sees me stood upon the next level of this Barbie house with Tom Sturton, who's playing Magic Earring Ken.

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah.

[Rob Brydon]

And she sees me stood with my little plastic dog, and she says, sugar Daddy Ken. And I say, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. And I improvised that. That wasn't in the script. I say, I'm not a sugar daddy. And at this Point. We are halfway through my performance. I say, I'm not a sugar daddy and I hold the dog up. I say, this is sugar and I'm her daddy. That's it.

[Jamie Lang]

That was it.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah. Yeah.

[Jamie Lang]

How many takes?

[Rob Brydon]

Not many. I'm very good. No, it was about. It was about. I don't know, I can't remember. There's lots of improv as well. That, of course, doesn't make it. Oh, you also see me, to be fair, there's a bit loss of improv. That doesn't. No. Well, it's always the way. I mean, did you improvise much when you were on it? Oh, no. You were at home, weren't you? You were at home. That's right. I remember. You were in your house. That's right. That's right.

[Jamie Lang]

Do you know what, though? Because that performance just then, I felt like I was there.

[Rob Brydon]

I tell you what, if you. If you went to the cinema to see it and you had a box of Maltesers, you'd miss it and you looked down the wrong time. You would have no idea I was anywhere near that film.

[Jamie Lang]

So do you get paid for it?

[Rob Brydon]

No, Jamie, I thought it was a favor out of your course. I get paid for it.

[Jamie Lang]

Okay. That's good.

[Rob Brydon]

You honestly think just for what? Work experience?

[Jamie Lang]

I thought that's all you'd. Yeah, I'll do it. Yeah, it'll be fun. I like Margot. Margot Robbie likes me. I'll just go and do it.

[Rob Brydon]

Incredible, isn't it? Incredible.

[Jamie Lang]

I think you would be surprised how interested people are in you.

[Rob Brydon]

I would.

[Jamie Lang]

I really think they are, because I.

[Rob Brydon]

Look, I've become defensive.

[Jamie Lang]

I know. Why? Why have you closed your body up like that there?

[Rob Brydon]

So? You're so bright and bushy. How many coffees have you had?

[Jamie Lang]

None.

[Rob Brydon]

Is that right?

[Jamie Lang]

I just. I don't drink caffeine and I think.

[Rob Brydon]

It'S for the best if this is how you are without it. Wow. Honestly, Jamie, I swear to God.

[Jamie Lang]

Can't drink it. If I drink. What happens if I drink caffeine? I get. I get almost jittery. I become worried, anxious. I get anxious.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah. Yeah, well, I. I get that. But I can have it if. If I've got stuff to do. Do. But if I haven't got anything to do. So I had one caffeinated coffee this morning at about 8:00, something like that, and then this, and then I won't have any more today. But maybe because it makes you jittery. It makes anxious so jittery sounds like. Oh, yeah, but I mean, like. Oh, you know that feeling. And a lot of people don't get that feeling with it, do they? They get the hey, here we go feeling. So I've got to get.

[Jamie Lang]

And they become American.

[Rob Brydon]

Yes, they do.

[Jamie Lang]

Hey, here we go.

[Rob Brydon]

Here we go. What you doing? You're drinking the coffee.

[Jamie Lang]

Oh, hey, you want the coffee?

[Rob Brydon]

Do you ever see that Al Pacino? He's just released an autobiography and he talks about, very openly about when he lost all his money because he had. He was. Had very bad advisors. So he lost all his money and he just assumed he'd never taken an interest in it. Suddenly he's got no money, so he has to do lots of jobs he wouldn't have done. And you can see it. He does this coffee commercial, and it's a perfectly good coffee commercial, but it's Al Pacin. And he's walking around soho in New York and he goes, oh, oh, I like a coffee. And it's Al Pacino. And you see him, he's got us. If you ever see one of my scripts, it'll have coffee on it. I'm doing Al Pacino. And then he drinks. At the end, he goes. He goes, that's good coffee. And if that was my coffee company and I allow Pacino saying that I would go, take me now. Lord, I like you, Jamie Lange.

[Jamie Lang]

Ro. I really like you. I really do like you. And that sounded really insincere, but I really do. I think you're amazing. And what I find.

[Rob Brydon]

So I'd rather be insincerely liked by someone than sincerely disliked by someone. How about that?

[Jamie Lang]

We like to end the conversation with eight questions.

[Rob Brydon]

Let's do it.

[Jamie Lang]

You ready?

[Rob Brydon]

I can manage. Seven, eight.

[Jamie Lang]

What's the saying or phrase that always makes you smile or cheers you up?

[Rob Brydon]

Anything that might. Whenever my kids say anything to me that makes me think I've done something right as a dad. That's a fantastic feeling.

[Jamie Lang]

A little bit of vulnerability there. I loved it.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah, some vulnerability outside that normal cast iron, hard man exterior that we've. That we've come to know him for.

[Jamie Lang]

Best compliment anyone's ever given you.

[Rob Brydon]

Billy Connolly once paid to come and see me do standup and that blew me away. And then I ran into him at an awards due and he quoted bits of it to me.

[Jamie Lang]

What did he quote saying?

[Rob Brydon]

You know that bit when you were talking about the so and so, that made me think about so and so. I thought that was so good. I thought, bloody hell. Because to my mind, Billy Connolly is you Know, like Robin Williams, Billy Connolly, you know, these are special. Eddie Murphy. These are special people.

[Jamie Lang]

What scares you most about yourself?

[Rob Brydon]

Well, I always think that thing. We have nothing to fear but fear itself. When fear gets a grip of me, I hate that. I hate that. And sometimes I can keep it at bay, which is why I do all these things like exercise and. We talked earlier, didn't we? Was that today? It was today. And saunaing and coal plunging. Trying to eat the right food. You know, part of that is to stay in a good place physically and mentally live for longer, but in the short term, be strong and robust.

[Jamie Lang]

What's something you can't let go of?

[Rob Brydon]

That I can't let go of? Yeah, like, what's. What do you mean by that?

[Jamie Lang]

I don't know. It can be a physical object. It can be a memory. It can be an emotion, A thing you've said, a moment you've had with someone.

[Rob Brydon]

Rob Briden is really. I mean, I don't know. Thing I can't let go of. Love Elvis. I love Elvis. There you go.

[Jamie Lang]

It's Elvis.

[Rob Brydon]

Stupid answer, stupid question.

[Jamie Lang]

You're gonna like this one then. What's something that you'd be embarrassed for people to know you like or want?

[Rob Brydon]

Oh, is there any embarrassment anymore?

[Jamie Lang]

I don't think so.

[Rob Brydon]

I don't know if there is, is there? I don't like acne scars. I'd like nicer skin. I'd like skin like yours.

[Jamie Lang]

You have beautiful.

[Rob Brydon]

But I'm not embarrassed by that. I mean, that's just, you know, as you said, I mean, it's wonderful vulnerability, isn't it?

[Jamie Lang]

What turns you off?

[Rob Brydon]

Oh, okay, right. What turns me off? Oh. Oh. All the typical, terrible, reactionary, he's getting older things. People being inconsiderate. I mean, they're pathetic. Daily mail things. You know, people throwing litter out of the car window. I don't understand that. People having their seat up on their feet. Up on the seat on the train. Those things. People not being considerate of other people. People vaping in the street when you're behind them and you get this nuclear fusion plant of vapor. Seeing somebody holding their vape and feeling sorry for that level of dependency. That annoys me. People smoking. Although now I look more kindly on smoking because I think it's not as bad as vaping. People vaping surreptitiously with those little plastic ones that don't give much and they think you can't see the other vapors with the lightsaber thing in their hand who stand like that. And go, those people. Horrible football fans. I took my kids to see Chelsea the other day and we're down near the away fans who were from the football club, the Arsenal and North London club. And there we were and there was one guy, he looked like. Like Jack Loudon from Slow Horses. He had a tidy beard, he had slicked back blondish hair, quite well dressed. He had one of those lightsaber vapes here. And he would stand up and he would look across like that and he would start making the wanker sign and he would start using the C word at them. What the hell are you doing? What are you. I don't understand that. Number one. He's blocking the view of the people behind. That's the first thing. Yeah, occasionally.

[Jamie Lang]

Wanker.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah, you are. And what is he doing? Then? Saka came off for Arsenal, right? Lovely, great, wonderful, talented man, devoted his life to football, has become the best of the best. He's walking past us because he goes off behind the goal and then he starts, not in a racial way, but he's doing. He's giving him all this abuse and I'm going, well, what? What, what? And then he has to. He has to come out of his row, right? And he's being so polite to all the people that he's going past going, sorry, sorry. And he winks. He goes, sorry, mother, you don't get to be polite after what you've been doing. Polite is gone now.

[Jamie Lang]

What turns you on?

[Rob Brydon]

Oh, baby, here we go. What turns. What you mean in a sexual way?

[Jamie Lang]

Up to you.

[Rob Brydon]

Well, what you mean. What do you mean?

[Jamie Lang]

Well, what turns you on?

[Rob Brydon]

I see trees of green and skies of blue and I think to myself what a wonderful world. More and more, more and more. The natural world. Beautiful and shagging within it. No, more and more. The natural world. Seriously now. Seriously. Right, the natural world. And that can be my garden, right? Coming here today, I'm looking at all the leaves that have fallen, and I got real pleasure from that. I'm just looking at them and going, wow.

[Jamie Lang]

What do you like most about yourself?

[Rob Brydon]

Oh, for God's sake. What do people say to this?

[Jamie Lang]

I don't know.

[Rob Brydon]

Yes, you do. You've been sitting there.

[Jamie Lang]

What do you like most about.

[Rob Brydon]

Can you say to this without sounding like an ass?

[Jamie Lang]

You don't sound like an ass.

[Rob Brydon]

I like about. I mean. Well, there we go. I do. I genuinely mean well. I don't really wish anybody any. Any harm. I don't wish anybody any ill. I like the fact that I have some natural Abilities. I feel very grateful.

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah.

[Rob Brydon]

That I can do that stupid thing with my voice. I can sing. I can, I can, can I, I can act. I, I can make people laugh. I like that. I can, I can, I can portray a story as an actor. I, I really like the fact that I'm able to do that because that's just a thing that you either are, you are. You can finesse it, you can work at it. Right. But I, I do, I like that. I like that I'm able to do that. Yeah. Yeah, I would say that.

[Jamie Lang]

Bonus one.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah.

[Jamie Lang]

Favorite swear word. But you have to do it in Uncle Bryn's accent.

[Rob Brydon]

Oh, no, I won't do that for you. That's not fair because that's not Bryn. But it's probably the F word. I have a trainer, right. And she trains me over zoom. I've got a garden room with a gym. I've done very well and I do that right. So I have music on in there. So. A train.

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah.

[Rob Brydon]

And when I train, right, what I love to do is swear at my trainer. And she likes it too, right. Maybe because I'm paying her. She finds it funny. I do. Listen, I tell you what, this is interesting. I quite like to entertain when I'm, when I'm training. It makes you feel good. So I will. Eff and blind. I'll say. So she'll say, she's Canadian. She'll go, she'll. Nadia. She'll go, okay, Rob, now let's. You want to do. She doesn't speak about. She goes there and I will. Are you out of your fucking mind? And then I'll imagine I'm telling someone else. Then she told me to do like the box rotation and then do the long leg mountain climb. I said, out of your fucking mind. The fuck are you trying to do here? You're crazy. That's when I enjoy bad language. But generally speaking, there's no need. There's no need.

[Jamie Lang]

I love that.

[Rob Brydon]

There's no need, Rob.

[Jamie Lang]

Well, whether you were born to do it or not, I think we've all been thoroughly entertained. You're amazing. You're inspiration to me and so many other people. And thank you so much for being on Great Company.

[Rob Brydon]

I've thoroughly enjoyed it. When I arrived, I mentioned that my 13 year old son said, oh, bring some of his sweets back. And you said, oh, you can take plenty of sweets. I just on, on camera. Are you still gonna honor that pledge?

[Jamie Lang]

They're upstairs waiting for you, Rob. Thank you so much. You're the best.

[Rob Brydon]

Jamie. Lang speaking earlier today in London.

[Jamie Lang]

Okay, so at the end of the show, this is where we talk a little bit more. Do you think people will stay on to listen to this bit?

[Jemima]

I don't know. I probably. Would you stay on to listen to it?

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah, I think I would stay on 100%. I would.

[Jemima]

I'm a person who doesn't finish books.

[Jamie Lang]

Sorry.

[Jemima]

Yeah.

[Jamie Lang]

What do you mean?

[Jemima]

So in terms of whether I'd stay on, I often, if I'll get partway through a book and be like, no.

[Jamie Lang]

You don't wanna know the end of the story.

[Jemima]

Well, if it's not piquing my interest, I don't like the way it's written.

[Jamie Lang]

That is interesting. Yeah, I do that with TV shows.

[Jemima]

Really? Anyway, I hope that you've stayed and if you have.

[Rob Brydon]

Thanks.

[Jamie Lang]

Yeah. If you haven't, you don't even know.

[Jemima]

This is the best bit.

[Rob Brydon]

Yeah.

[Jamie Lang]

If you haven't, you don't even know we're talking about this. What do you think of the episode?

[Jemima]

Lovely. Lovely. It's made me feel very Christmassy and.

[Jamie Lang]

I cannot wait for Gavin and Stacey.

[Jemima]

Oh, my gosh. I don't think we'll ever know what happened on that fishing trip. I'm glad that you did ask.

[Jamie Lang]

I'm sorry I didn't find out for everyone.

[Jemima]

No, it's okay. But I. Yeah, it's made me feel very, very excited and it's just. Oh, it's just such a war. Warm, warm show. And the way he speaks about it, like, made me feel of those things.

[Jamie Lang]

Okay, so we also have mentioned this before, but potentially we're going to be starting our bonus episodes and we would like some questions from you guys. It can be any question at all. Maybe it's about how to make a podcast. Maybe it's about guests, maybe it's about ourselves. Anything that you want, Please send us any questions, but also comments. If you want to ask anything about the podcast, we reply on our social media ate company podcast or you can send us an email. Great. Companyampproductions.co.uk everything is in the show description and if you haven't subscribed or followed the show already, please do.

[Jemima]

Please do.

[Jamie Lang]

Okay. Thank you, Jemima.

[Jemima]

Thank you, Jamie.

[Jamie Lang]

Merry Christmas.

[Jemima]

Merry Christmas, Happy holidays.

[Jamie Lang]

And we'll see you next week for another episode of Great.

[Mom]

Well, will we?

[Jamie Lang]

Yes, we will.

[Rob Brydon]

Will we?

[Jemima]

Well, we've actually got an episode coming up on Wednesday.

[Jamie Lang]

Oh, we have an episode coming out on Wednesday and then the follow.

[Jemima]

Yeah, we will.

[Jamie Lang]

But then there'll be an episode you know what?

[Jemima]

Just watch the space. There'll be stuff coming in your feed all over the bloody shop.

[Jamie Lang]

All over the bloody shop. So we'll see you then.

[Mom]

Bye bye.

[Rob Brydon]

Night.

[Jamie Lang]

So good, so good, so good.

[Jemima]

Get ready cuz.

[Mom]

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