Guz Khan Gets Real on Success, Culture & Not Selling Out

0:00Mo Gilligan: Yes, what's good people? My name is Mo Gilligan and today you are tuned in to my podcast, Beginning, Middle and End. And we've got an absolute legend in the studio who's gone from being a school teacher in Coventry to becoming a viral star, a stand-up sensation and having his very own BBC show, which has been running just over four years. From there, he's starred in comedic and dramatic roles in films and prestige Netflix series. You might know him as the creator and star of Man Like Mo Bean. Please, welcome to the podcast, the one and only Guz Khan. Oh, no. Who are you saying, though, bruv? What are you saying?

0:37I've been trying to get you on this podcast, you know, bruv.

0:40Mo Gilligan: You know how much kids I got. You know how much kids I got, Mo. I've been trying to get Guz, you know. No, I'm here for you any time. No, no, I appreciate that. But how am I here? Me and you communicate through voice notes, randomly, middle of the night. That is true. I remember the first time I met you. When was the first time we met? I was thinking of this today, you know, on the way here. I still remember the first time I met you, yeah? Did I meet you at a comedy show? No. Did I meet you on TV? Not TV, yeah? So, you had a high top as well, yeah? Yeah, high top. Yeah? And I remember that, yeah?

1:16And I, bro, bro. I remember, I was in London. There was bear packs in the car as well, yeah? Because at these times, this wasn't like my comedy career was going well, yeah? You know, all the minds are like, if you go London, you've got to be careful. Motherfuckers are dangerous, yeah? The car's full of hackies, yeah? And I walked into this restaurant to see Tez. Yeah. You were there? Yeah. Kay was there? But I remember meeting you and I remember thinking, your energy's fantastic. Oh, big up. Because you need to, like, I think something that I think God's given me is that I can tell you if someone's energy is off with me and I mean at a corporate level or a street level or whatever it is I remember me and I was like oh that's a very sincere brother then you find out this guy is hilarious and you know I think you'd I think your clips had maybe gone viral at the time and I remember me it's funny

2:13Mo Gilligan: yes yeah yeah it's very funny and I'm always drawn to that because I fluked it right I have to remember my journey in this industry how long did you say you fluked it though I can't put a clip into the world at nearly 30 years old. Three kids trying not to return to Rhodes because his teaching thing is shit. Because you was a teacher. That was your thing, innit? For three years. And I know that was really good for TV. It was a great story. Isn't O wonderful? Isn't he like Ramesh?

2:47It's a good story, man. It's a good story, man. so that's what they ran with i was fighting for my life in that school yeah yeah i was having kids have straightness to sort out their problems i was sticking it on teachers because they were looking at me like you're not meant to be here and to be fair to them i wasn't i didn't know anything about curriculum yeah yeah no when i became a teacher i'm reading my wife of 15 years i've known this woman 21 years she looked at me she said you got me pregnant twice i'm having another one yeah you better do something with your life that keeps you out of the bin because all our friends she had family members everyone's going away she's like do something and i was like i did get a degree a teaching sounds sensible it sounds like what a dad doesn't it yeah yeah right

3:34Mo Gilligan: i'm a dad yeah yeah let me do it yeah teaching yeah and so it took me the but i was fighting for my life bro i was every day turning up to school like this is not good this money is I had an E39 M5 when I was 20 years old and now I'm sitting here listening to something like that my homework this is rubbish bro it's bad because I feel like when most people are teachers they say oh I loved it man and the students kids are funny yeah yeah yeah but I was a fraud bro yeah yeah what am I doing what did you teach anything

4:14Mo Gilligan: What's your subject though? Mo, anywhere there was a fire, I mean, in terms of behavioural, they sent me there. A-level biology, what does man know about that?

4:30I don't know nothing bro, I was there, that's it, read the book, read the syllabus boys. So I feel like you was a cool teacher though. What I was very uncomfortable is like, you know, relationship that you have with a young person, it can go many ways. I was like, there's lots of people here who are communicating with these people in different ways. I just saw kids that reminded me of me and my lot. So this area that I taught in in Coventry is called Woodend. It's notorious. It's notorious mostly for white working class kids living in like social housing for many generations. This is very different to the side of Cov we're from.

5:07where it was Caribbean, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Indian, Irish on that side of the city. And over them sides there, it was always like, oh, don't go there, don't go there. So I'm teaching these kids and it's the first time I really, in my adult life, realised, oh, white kids got it hard too. Right? So we knew the white kids from our ends, but it was different, Mo, because they're eating roti in our house, they're eating salad in our house. Mum speaks a bit of Punjabi, eat comes send gifts christmas comes send gifts this is a part of the city where when we were around it was very alien and i'd never taken time to realize oh there's there's poverty on a next level scale yeah in a white majority area and it blew my mind bro because they got all the same problems as we did yeah they got all the same issues they've got they've got all the same worries aspirations but i just i was embarrassed bro i remember being like that was mid-20s when i was teaching mid to late 20s and i was thinking i've gone nearly 27 28 years of my life not

6:15Mo Gilligan: realizing oh shit life's hard for everybody do you get what i mean yeah and so that really set home to me because and also in that environment i was seeing stuff that i hadn't seen before which she is one of my students and you grow to like really be a a big brother or even a parent figure local parentis when your parents not around i'm a step in and i was seeing people who were like in their teens getting pregnant and having children that didn't really happen on our side of the city bro yeah right so i'm seeing like somebody i'm looking at this little baby like it's year 10 yeah yeah there's a baby here bro and the baby's having a baby but she was used to it because her Mum was very young when she had a kid.

6:55She had a child, yeah. So it really just opened up my mind and made me feel embarrassed that, oh my God, life is hard for everyone. It's crazy.

7:04Mo Gilligan: I was quite fortunate in London that I grew up in a very working class estate. You get to see bits of wealth that are not far. Do you know what I mean? So you can go down a road, which might be, I don't know, Camberwell, and you go down a road and you're like, rah, look at these houses. This is wealth. We've got Dulwich Village. We could see it. We could also be around children that you're like, you know, you'd be like, hang on a minute, you guys go on holiday every year. And it's not like, in our head, it was the glamorous holidays. We're thinking like, right, would you go Florida, Disney World?

7:36Mo Gilligan: They're like, no, we go South France. And you're like, oh. But that's that old money. Yes. But the kids weren't dressed in new money. Do you know what I mean? So we had like our Nikes on and whatnot. They used to have this brand called Cica. You remember that brand? C-I-C-A, I think it was. so that they would wear those and we would want the la gears and stuff and i think that was my first like i think the first time when i was one in school in primary school and being like oh i think we're the poorer kids like so that's your first point of realization there yeah because when we go to their house and you see these you know it's only until like you you're in a house and it's a big townhouse and you're like oh right there's bad levels in this house you don't make you might got five levels like you got a drum kit in your house that used to blow my mind one kid the drum kit bro I said let's play the drum kit bro he said I don't know let's just go outside and play some worms and stuff I said I want to play the drum kit man play the drum kit bro but it was the realisation that we was like oh rah we have this sense of community though but we are the poorer kids we just didn't know it do you know what I mean to follow off exactly what you just said me and my wife were discussing this this week

8:50in the pursuit of like social mobility going from like what life was like so I was raised by my mum and my two sisters my dad died when I was three so no man in the family money there was always food on the table but I could see how hard my mum was working as a Pakistani woman in them days to just put bread on the table yeah and I looked at my wife and I'm with the kids and we're at the airport and I was saying to her like we've been working to get to this point where life financially is nowhere it's not even comparable to what our lives would have been like growing up right both of us Alhamdulillah where we are thank God

9:30Mo Gilligan: where we are now it's so different but what's happened in that journey is with my kids I see everything in my kids that they don't even know what they're missing out by fat Sajid knocking on the door at 6am on Saturday morning oh you don't come outside I'm a hungry man tell your mum sense of food yeah yeah yeah and he's six and i'm looking at fat sag like because leave it leave it out and he's like you know i'm hungry my mom said no more food i've done the food today yeah yeah they're not even gonna have a fat sag mo because they go to good schools with well established friendships and their mom's vetting who their friend you get what i mean yeah my mom never vetted who my friends are mad guys turned up at the door and mom was like yeah you behaving yes auntie yeah that's it but also do you know what is the thing of like knowing that their dad is on TV.

10:22Yeah, yeah, yeah.

10:23Mo Gilligan: That is a different flex as a child where you're like, what does your dad do? Oh, my dad, he's a builder, a property, that's what he does. Even though they come from money or whatever, but, you know, kids will, they might go to the building site, put the hat on and the high vis and stuff. But knowing you're like, yeah, like my dad was on Live at the Apollo. You can Google him. He comes up and that's him. That flex as a child must be a different flex. And it's growing up knowing that, that you're like, yeah, look, you know, you being out in the public and people coming up to you and being like, yo, you're saying God's ass, it's your kids, hello, you all right, right, right, right, right.

11:00Mo Gilligan: Just even seeing like how people in the public would respect you when you're with your kids, knowing that who you are. And I remember seeing that with my dad when, you know, my dad wasn't famous or anything, but everyone knew him. He was well known, yeah, yeah. Yeah, but seeing that as a kid is just like, you know, people going up to my dad, Like, what are you saying, Rash? You all right? Yeah, man. We got your thing, bruv. There's this little man. Hello, little man. You all right? And I'm like, oh, we're off, eh? Do you know what's crazy, eh? My dad used to live in Brixton, innit? Yeah. I used to go to my dad's every weekend.

11:29Mo Gilligan: And we lived in Campbell. And I'd walk. I'd always walk. How far is that? How far is that walk? And the walk was, like, you go through Ruskin Park, through the back of Cold Arbor Lane and stuff. Go through Angel Town Estate. And this was very normal for me. Because I'd be like, I'm just going to go to my dad's, innit? me and my dad had a flat there go to my dad's and I never knew how bad the area was until I got older and one time me and my dad it was like my dad's in St. Lucia I was just like hey dad you know that it's crazy like how like I used to probably like just fully walk like to your house when I was like 13 you know and no one would trouble me he's like yeah because everyone knew that I was your dad didn't it so there's me thinking right I'm untouchable I can I can walk through the estate you're walking around like bloody Superman and Pops is like yeah just I remember I go to his house every other weekend you know because I used to play football when I was younger innit so sometimes I might go to my dad's they'll give me a little change and what not and I used to always be like right boy no one no one troubles me what's this A town what's back then you didn't care when Pops had you covered when you when you was a kid and people like because I never had that my dad had passed away bless him so when you when people recognize did you have like a sense of pride were you proud like yo that's my dad that he's getting or was it just yeah yeah yeah because i i used to be shy as a kid i was quite shy so seeing people go up to my dad like other rasters especially within that brixton area brixton stockwell and then be like oh he's saying yeah all right yeah man yeah yeah man here's my son and and then when it was probably when i think when i went tost lucia and people were coming up to my dad and And they were like, oh, that's your son.

13:11Mo Gilligan: And they were like, oh, wow, nice to meet you. You know who your dad is? And I'm like, what? What's this? And he was like, everybody knew him in St. Lucia, innit? So that was just like a different level because now I'm much older. I'm in my 20s. So it was like, oh, really? This is cool. Because people thought we were brothers because we look alike as well, innit? And that was the feeling of like, oh, wow, that's a sense of real pride there. Do you know what I mean? Which is interesting where pride, I think, sometimes can come from when you're young and when you first see it. Yeah. You're quite prideful of being from Coventry.

13:43Mo Gilligan: Like you're very, like, I feel like you really put Coventry on the map. Yeah, because, you know what I mean? Because, there was like Coventry City Football Club. After they got dipped out of the Premier League. Yeah. There was nothing. I know there's been like historical music stuff, but that historical music stuff is not connected with any, I would say anything of the last 20 years. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Nothing. So, what's a city like Coventry? It's slap bang in the middle of the country. It's where all the Brummies send their food to be a little bit safe because Brum's hot. Yeah. I'm talking about drugs, weapons, human beings, like human trafficking from Brum to Coventry is your safe spot before you then put people out to work.

14:25Coventry is something you can drive past and not even know. But it is, has always been quite a dangerous place.

14:33Mo Gilligan: Is it? Yeah. And Coventry was unique because growing up, you had... I'd go to other places, even in the West Midlands, and it felt different. But in Coventry, you had families from very early on. So my earliest memories are being from a family where my uncles came from Pakistan and they married two white Irish women. It's quite unheard of at the time. Man brought up in the flares. Hello, darling. What's going on? I don't know what they said. I don't know what they said to my auntie, but it was something like that because that's how the accent was coming. Hello, baby. So they drew these women. My aunties married them.

15:15My cousins are half Pakistani, half Irish. My mum's best friend, Auntie Eunice, Jamaican. Her grandkids, her daughter and our friends across the road, our family across the road. You've got Jamaicans who are speaking Punjabi and Urdu. So where? So to me, when I'd go to the places, I'd be like, oh, so I'm going to go to Tiki, get a Tiki. And the man would be like, you're all right. You're all right. So the Coventry is very unique for the types of people that were there. Like, big of those families, I'm not going to mention their names, but big of those families, like, they're real pillars of our community.

15:54So growing up, I always wanted people to see Cov because I was like, we've got mad relationships and situationships going on in Coventry. And I just felt it wasn't like that anywhere else in the country, really.

16:06Mo Gilligan: Yeah, yeah, yeah. So, I mean, we've got our own accent. We've got, you know, poverty is... People use that word in a really negative way. If we weren't... If we weren't in a position... If me and you... I'm going to include you in this because I know you're in the same position. If me and you weren't in a position where we knew, if we don't make it, no one's coming to save us, we wouldn't be here, bro. Do you get what I mean by that? I'm not inheriting no money from nobody yeah yeah yeah me and daddy aren't gonna you know give us any money for a deposit on a small property there's no heirlooms no heirlooms nobody's coming no one owns their property it was a luxury if someone had a car back in the day that was like you drive you got a car and if someone did drive it's funny because I used to go Cardiff a lot so people who did drive had a car what was you going to Cardiff for?

16:55Mo Gilligan: to my granddad's for a minute oh for you yeah yeah so when my granddad first came over here he settled in Cardiff so I've got bare family in Cardiff big Jamaican community Bangladeshi community Somalian and Chinese community in Cardiff big up Grange town that's where my granddad was from but it's it's interesting because people would have a car but they had no license that was very very common seeing that was like oh Russ everyone's got a car you got a car yeah yeah come and I'll drop you there yeah I'll pick you up from the station yeah yeah and I'm like I know it you ain't got no license like you ain't got no license You know, bro, I remember one of them got pulled, yeah?

17:37And he had a van full of kids. They were going back and forth from us. And the police pulled him. They weren't bad. The police weren't bad to him. But I just remember he did have a license. And instead of like trying to do it, they said to you, Rock, can we have a look at your ID, please? And he had ID. Can we have a look at your license, please? And instead of like, there was, You could have come with any number of excuses, didn't you? Man went, what's the licence? He said, bro, that was his excuse. They went, wow. And he couldn't believe it. I remember we said, we're fucked, man. Everyone's going back to Pakistan.

18:12We're finished here. He goes, what is the licence? Nobody told me. And they're like, so you're driving? Yeah, I don't know what is the licence, man. That was his excuse, bro. And it was so complicated. I think they let him off, to be honest with you. but like it was so commonplace like you said that i don't know i just feel like my kids are gonna miss out on this your kids are gonna miss out on this too yeah they're never gonna have a friend whose dad or he's taking them around somewhere they don't have a license me and you will flip what you mean is dad didn't have a license you're never gonna be friends with that kid again bro growing up it was like i wouldn't be the person i was if it wasn't for experiencing

18:52Mo Gilligan: like that ain't it it's crazy because there's no mobile phones as well you know so you can just play out where your friends don't know where you are but they know you'd come back you come back it's mad innit so what like you so you was a teacher yeah grew up in coventry and then you were saying that like you posted a video online i feel like i remember that video pachyaurus yeah yeah yeah that was so funny i think so when i met you in this restaurant then i think that was the first thing i said to you because i'd seen the video yeah yeah yeah yeah so was you doing videos before that or was that just a one-off two three oh yeah so i don't know if i ever explained for like we were all nearly 30.

19:29me haroon my best friend from childhood long with my other best

19:32Mo Gilligan: mate from childhood that's the one who's in the video yeah i met him before yeah yeah so these these are my childhood guys and you get into this age where i had two kids i had another one on the way uh haroon had a little one and you know you're just like evaluating like what is this and he Haroon, thank God, alhamdulillah, he's a practicing Muslim. So he was always like, don't go back to a lifestyle that will take you away from what's really important in life. And I love Haroon for this. But then what? I'm not going to do this teaching anymore. It's killing me. Right? It's killing me. There's no money in it.

20:07There's no progression in it. I'm not good at it. Like, what the fuck am I doing, bro? I knew what I was good at. And he goes, you always made everybody laugh. you gotta show people that you can make them laugh and I was like what does that mean imagine someone says to you Mo you're brilliantly funny go and show them what

20:26Mo Gilligan: knock on someone's door and tell them jokes bro what's the process what's the process and at that time I want to say it was Vine maybe Vine was popular at this time and I was like oh people are just turning their phone around that's probably the easiest way I turned the phone around and I did the first Wallahi bro the first and maybe one of the first two or three clips I ever did went on to a local West Midlands news, BBC West Midlands news. And they were like, who are you? What do you do? And I remember feeling so weird about it at first, because I was like, I didn't even know what this is. I like attention in this sense, fame.

21:04You know, everyone knows from the ends, but this is different. Now you've got some uncle you've seen on West Midlands news for 20 years, pulling up at your place of work, your house saying, can we do an interview quickly? I find it really funny. that clip you did so did you go performing art school no did you stand up no there's nothing so I felt very vulnerable because I'm just saying stupid stuff

21:24Mo Gilligan: funny stuff and now it's getting traction so within a short period of time I put Pachysaurus up and that's where that's where the world changed for me bro in that sense Joe Lycett big up Joe Lycett yeah yeah he reached out and he goes so do you do stand up comedy and I was like yeah

21:48and everything snowballed from there but i'm so glad one thing and you mentioned cough i'm so glad i stayed in coventry if i didn't stay in coventry when it comes to stand up i think the

21:58Mo Gilligan: only thing i'm good at is crowd work i'll go out and i'll do it now you're good at crowd work i think i've seen you at when you hosted live at the apollo one time yeah yeah i think and i remember watching you and i think that's like the first time i'd really see you do stand up yeah because we've always done a lot of tv stuff together yeah yeah yeah but seeing you do stand up and the way you had the crowd and i feel like you lifted the crowd as well yeah because it always put me on apollo when at the end like at the end of a night and they've done two back-to-back shows yeah you know them shots that are a bit like and yeah and i remember doing it and i remember thinking i'm not very good at sitting down and writing jokes it's not what i do i do everything instinctually right if I'd have moved to London Mo everybody would have said to me I mean like agents, managers, other you know you get into this comedy world you've got to sit down and write an hour you've got to sit down and write an hour mate you can't just come on mate that's what they say but Mo little do they know the last Apollo that I did on my tour and I went out and it was like it was easy 45 minutes of crowd work you put a mic back and you walk back and then Lumber was there and another couple of guys are there and I remember thinking bro if I'd have killed myself saying I've come true right now I would even be on this stage would I?

23:26because I'd be second guessing myself this wasn't good enough

23:29Mo Gilligan: oh shit man where's this journey where's this track bro people come because they want to laugh yeah for me Kane is the best crowd work guy in this whole country and when I saw Kane I'm like imagine Kane gets dragged into the BBC offices or China office me and you get dragged and they're like right we've seen it it's great but why why take out the things that someone's good at isn't it I think it's interesting you say that because I feel like sometimes whenever you get into a space where like I'm in the room now what happens and sometimes they have an idea for you for what they're like well this worked for this person and it can work for you when you're like no but that's not what got me in the room you like those clips that i was doing that were quite silly so now to turn this into one thing it's it's not gonna work you know what i mean i remember when i was doing later show and i got to choose my production company and i'm sitting there with some of these production companies and i'll never forget one company went into and it was just like i said look i've got this idea for this show you know it's going to be on 10 o 'clock channel 4 shiny show i had an idea in my head already yeah and my idea was always like i want it to look like an american show in it band gravitas energy yeah yeah yeah red tech this one guy was like you know i'd like to really destruct the geezer let's rip it up start again who is julie like who is she like the couple of cans is that does he ever get the cans does he not i'm thinking brother you think i'm you think that's what i want to do They just said I could have a show at 10 o 'clock on channel 4 and now you want to do this artsy show Who's Julie?

25:10I sat there That's the show bro

25:12Mo Gilligan: Who's Julie? The maddest thing is I sat there and I was like oh okay cool and I'm very honest isn't it? You have to be The problem is sometimes I think I'm too honest because I'm just like yeah I just I don't think that's what I want to do and he's like well what do you want to do? And I remember saying I was like well I want to come out wearing a suit and just have a band that are black and they're just going to vibe with me. And they're like, oh, okay. What about the keys and stuff? And I was like, well, I don't know, man. We'll figure that later, but I'm trying to come out of my way to suit it.

25:39Mo Gilligan: Bro. Oh, man. Have you ever had those kind of moments? Because I know what you're saying where it's like, once you get the success of doing the videos and you do stand-up, but once you get in the room, because I know you go to LA and stuff a bit. Do you know what I mean? Yeah, I've been sacked from these places as well. I go there and I get sacked from these jobs because much like yourself one thing maybe it's age right so nearly 30 is when we stumbled into this I'm a big man bro I've got three kids I know who I am I know what I I'm doing I don't need somebody to say so dinosaurs let's let's join with Attenborough and venture on a just show man you don't know what it is right so I remember and I get a lot of trouble whether it's social media or in real life because if I see something sometimes I'll be right sometimes I'll be wrong every human being is not infallible you know what I mean like you're going to make mistakes Man Like Mo Bean I did the pilot they commissioned it Mo wallahi bro this is my first few months in the industry now they've commissioned me a show I'm here thinking this is normal number one because no other picture gone like that ever since then let me tell you that that was quick it must be like this it's like everyday that was like he got commissioned I said alright boy it was like 18 months alright cool I did it and the pilot comes and the pilot is the biggest piece of shit I've ever seen in my life I watched it more I was angry with myself I was like what is this yeah it's been commissioned good news I'm vexed I took lumber with me yeah I'm dying to took my best bit into the meeting he didn't have done to say he just came to the meeting sat down they said it's really exciting so we're going to develop these guys excuse me stop this pilot is shit I hate it I said it's cheesy it's corny I want to start again the next man who's the head of the production company sat in front of me man said what do you mean it's been commissioned and I was like I know it's been commissioned but decommission it I'm not doing this bro I'm not doing this decommission it take it away man reverse it give it to Lolly and the Fope whoever's got their comedy show give it to Lolly and the Fope man give it to her instead I'm not doing this bro he's stressed he says to me what's your problem I said this is nothing like I want it to be bro and then I explained what I wanted it to be like and I said I just need the trust to make it what I want it to be my man looks at me I'm not going to say his name it's very well known he says I just want to remind you you get one chance in this industry you're four months into your career and the BBC have commissioned you a show good luck

28:48that's what Kud said to me I'm sitting there I'm saying Don't worry Okay let me show you What's going on I'm so glad he said it Because what When we made Is what I really wanted to make And Tez was a huge part of that And the whole cast Tolly was a huge part of that I said to them They don't really know what it is I'll tell you the truth boys I think I know what I want it to be All I want is us man To just have fun together I was doing You know That's producing By the way For people who listen to this Yeah yeah yeah That's what producing is But I'm doing it I don't know what a producer is bro Me Tolly test turned upset first day auntie comes she goes would you like sides tolly goes no i had my breakfast too we didn't know what's going on i didn't know what's going on i didn't know what

29:33Mo Gilligan: sides was it's the same thing when you go on set it's like you got some sides for you i said what's this what's that bro i'm so glad i told you but but years later you asked like have i been through that yeah because years later he was in the audience and i was doing a q a and i retold this story but i said and they were like oh oh and how did you feel about that i was like well ask him he's here yeah yeah mom was like i never did that i was like oh yeah come on man i was like yes you did do that but i say this because maybe someone's listening to this and they feel like you have to bend and mold to this industry bro why would you brother or sister let yourself be changed for the purpose and the will of people who are business people at the end of the day this is a commercial industry in america you know what i like about america show business they say that word explicitly yeah oh you've got plenty of show where's the business right If you don't know the business If you don't know the business Brother it's in and out boy Because then Some people What I've always noticed With America is When you go there It's like You can tell them the artistry And they're all like Oh my god it's great It's amazing man Oh my god wow When it comes to the business Side of it And you're like Hang on I ain't making any money From this you know No but honestly You're like Yeah let's Let's have a proper conversation We're like we'll circle back that's what it was we'll circle back so like when you get your you get Man Like Mo being commissioned yeah I felt like that for you is a chance for like really to show yourself in your original light but also get people to watch it and be like oh like I relate to this in terms of comedy that's like oh this is like someone that I see myself in I had one aim and I remember thinking that when even in the first series of my life movie it's only four episodes I think it was but I remember thinking this is all gonna go away anyway bang on and I'm gonna have it as a memory and certainly we did but I was so focused on making something that had characters that were like like real yeah that it was my only aim so there was no conversation of series two there was no conversation of oh do you think it's gonna be pop it nothing more i was like i was that first is i don't know what it's gonna become of it but in the last episode i want to be sitting in the back of a van with a far right wing nationalist and i want to have it out with him yeah yeah and they were like right right um you've been commissioned a sitcom here i was like no i know i know i know but like you can have funny conversation but i want to be in the back of this van with this guy because that's really what's happening in our ends and on the street there was lots of protests and counter-protests in the west midlands about how muslims are terrorists how muslims are a scourge on the society and lo and behold bro 10 years later seems cyclical everything's cyclical it's the same thing again um and i remember making it thinking yeah it's gonna be funny but i want to say the things that probably no one's gonna get to say again so in that episode i was talking about terrorism they was talking about grooming gangs we took everything we were buying this guy like yeah but in a funny way and i got to there and i was so brah i was just so happy my best mate lumber was with me there and i was just happy like oh man that's mad and it like at least no matter what happens we've got to say these things and it went on bbc and our gang would be like yeah because that's what i feel bro yeah that's what i'm feeling man i'm feeling that i could never ever But still today, it's a shock to me.

33:28Like that show, what it means to people, how many people it brought together, how on TV, me and Tolu play best friends in the West Midlands, South Asian and black boys grow up together like this. You are friends. You're learning each other's languages, cultures. It's nothing in it. You know, man's saying words you probably shouldn't say. And it's just like, that's my brother. What the fuck are you talking about? And I was so happy that these things were shown on TV. I'm thinking there four episodes no matter what happens it doesn't matter because I said what I wanted to say I told the kind of comedy I wanted to tell and bro that show I can tell you bro like how much people over the years have said I didn't talk to my dad for a long time and then man was like have you seen this show

34:19Mo Gilligan: he's like oh yeah yeah I actually find that quite funny like those things really matter to me because like that's when you realise oh this ain't just comedy Mo someone sits down and watches a special on Netflix me just thinking this is a guy telling jokes and he's telling a story man the people are actually like rekindling family relationships over something that we put out in the world that's mad to me bro so going back to what you asked me Man Like Mobin was the first time I think that a Pakistani British Muslim could show his world because there was Citizen Khan and big up Adele Ray I was very critical of him and that show but he's matured as a person I think and he's doing journalism now, very intelligent guy but Citizen Khan was a caricature this was getting man laughing at us not with us and so I was so desperate to get that right to the point that Jill Isles who's the producer of that show I took her and the director of the show to Small Leaf and I said before we make any shows can you just talk to the people and we walked the streets of Small Leaf and we spoke to the people of Small Heath and they told them everything about why they hadn't liked the way they've been showcased before and I have to give big love and respect to them because they didn't have to do that.

35:32They said, I'm busy, I don't have time for that. But all those foundations were so important to me because I was like, there must be a reason why we don't, any of us, I mean, our community, your community, we don't get shown on TV properly. And it's because I feel like nobody does the due diligence bit for us. Yeah, yeah. When you want to make jokes about, Someone wants to come make jokes about our communities. We love to laugh. I think that's the biggest headache that we get. People are like, oh no, very insular. No, we love to laugh. We're human beings, bro. We love to laugh. You just got to do it in a truthful way.

36:04Mo Bean is a drug dealer. He's essentially a single dad to his sister. Like his parents have dipped and left. Like, oh no, I don't want to say that. That's not very nice. He's really looking after his sister. That's what I like. But as long as it's truthful, I think as long as it's rooted in reality, people will adopt it bro and I just for sure Pakistan has changed my life Man Like Mobing changed my life and the thing I like most about Man Like Mobing bro in terms of the amount of people it brought together like it's crazy bro man stopping beef like it's mad it's like

36:38Mo Gilligan: where have you been in the world where someone has not so much recognised you but has quoted or said or even been like like some people must be like I'm not being that's like where's the world this place you think the first thing that comes to my head is i was in an obscure discount nike outlet in california i'm with my wife and three kids outside and has four the newest baby had just come anyway she's pushing a buggy i'm with the other three now these brothers bald heads face tattoos mexicans yeah bro they're standing like look they're standing you know how you you'd imagine yeah you could see the many shorts everything yeah look bro like this and i'm like today my last day today I'm finished I came to America to film a show but I'm going to die at the hand of this Mexican gangster so I'm walking quick now and he said hey hey let me talk to you man bro I was like today is jihad or death today that's the only option I put the kids in the car I slam the door and I turn and I say what's the problem he went man you're running man and I was like yeah your voice so creaky yeah I'm running I'm going to put my kids in the car what's the problem brother what's the problem he went we don't want you to say man like Mobeen's crazy man oh shit voila bro my arsehole unclenched bro bro my arsehole was you gonna fit a truck up there cause I'm like oh bro Mo he goes bro my house uncle Shady Shady crazy man bro I couldn't and it was so surreal that I got in a car my missus is like and I was like they're like man like Mobeen she was like shut up bro I could not Bro, it was such an obscure part of California.

38:19I could never have thought it. Like, obviously, culturally, these guys are different to me than all Pakistanis. You know all the things you think in your head. Oh, yeah, someone from England, you're going to spot you. Bro, I couldn't believe it. He knew storylines. He wanted to know about the characters. And that's when I knew, I was like, oh, shit, when you make something that's good, it doesn't matter if the industry we're in likes it. I don't know if the industry likes man like Mo Bin. Yeah, yeah. But bro, if I got Mexican gangsters in obscure parts of California saying I spent... Because he gave me the whole explanation.

38:54He said he looked after his little sister. He went to prison. And I was like, whoa. Who could have ever thought? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Who could have ever thought?

39:02Mo Gilligan: That's what's mad about the job that we get to do. We make something that's funny and provides humour. But the laugh can go... You don't know where it goes. And sometimes I think you can take for granted of like, yeah, like I do this thing and I'm on TV. and for every person being like, oh, what's happening, guys? You all right, mate? Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's someone who you're like, oh, you know, I'm with the kids. I'm just, I'm not on. I'm just being dad today. And someone stops you and said, no, I know you and I've connected with your stuff. And you're like, what? Especially, I guess it's in the places where you least expect it.

39:36Mo Gilligan: That's like one of the best things I think I'm able to do in my job, you know. And I think we're going to have something in common in this sense that we both have, would have spent time over this last 10 years with people who are like famous maybe they're famous because they're a brilliant athlete or a brilliant singer or a brilliant actor I've been with them and I know you're going to have felt this as well but when man stop us bro it's stopping you like they're your cousin bro do you understand it's much deeper they've they've not fallen in love with the role they've fallen in love with Mo Gilligan right so I give you you never met them you met two of my kids you met my missus but if I was like and you're watching something like my daughter my eldest she'd be like oh he's really funny he seems like a really cool guy that's a blessing bro yeah right that's a blessing because we know Daniel Day-Lewis cuz yeah doing all them films and legs all chopped off and your arms chopped off you get what I'm saying it's different it's a real blessing bro because it's a testament to what you've put out in the world and I think like I never want that to change like I we know this for a long time I know in your core you're still that same guy I 99 % think I'm that same guy and like that's that's important you can come into this industry and not be a dickhead yeah you can come into this industry and not switch on everybody I'm still around you're chatting to me I'm here bro I can't pay off your mortgage but like you want to go out for dinner you want to yeah yeah yeah get some time like that's that's so important and in that sense maybe we're the first of our generation that's like come from a working class like lads of colour in the UK to this I think we're probably the first comedically anyway I definitely think we're probably like I always look at it as like probably maybe fourth generation in a sense where we're in like our 30s but also we have a generation before us who are younger who are like yeah like I've grown up watching you purely on social media then we have this other audience who was like I remember the people before you who was on television but now you're of a generation where I'm 10 years older than you I didn't see people do what you lot get to do though I didn't see that freedom and I think that's where sometimes I stop and I'm like oh right I didn't look at it from the perspective of someone that's much older than me and they're like yeah bro you think we could have anyone on TV saying tuck your mum down the camera like that was not a thing that we was ever able to do remember bro last time we was we did your show together and we always we always make a habit of saying well go on before we go yeah before we leave because that's also this is culturally who we are as well it's like we did the show but I want to check in with you just even two minutes you're okay you're good you know all this stuff and like I remember like you were tired because this is what people forget this job is very tiring it's a very emotionally physically draining and intense vocation shut up guys you're so lucky no okay yeah come do it for a week because come and do the job for a week then tell me about how lucky you are.

42:41You'll be the first thing, bro, I'm going back to prison. Fuck this, man. Yeah? So you did it and you were, but I remember looking and you look so tired and I remember thinking, man, because myself, I was feeling like that two weeks before after finishing off set and I was like, this game is mad because who can you even, who can we even talk to?

43:03Mo Gilligan: Yeah. I'm going to pick up the phone to Lumbu and Lumbu's in Cov doing deliveries and working. I said, Lumbu, I'm just really drained this week. I was like, is it? You're drained? You're drained? You're sick though. Okay, thank you. How many people can you interact? This game is about creating brilliant stuff and putting it out into the world. Otherwise, we wouldn't get any recognition. You have to do it. But I'm as happy for you when you say you got a new show. Bro, I'm even happy if you were to call me and say, bro, I just purchased this property. I'm like, yes. why am i happy bro because you see that i'm like yeah because you see that property purchase that property purchase is now going to become generational wealth because your children will get it and within a couple generations you hopefully say oh my god we've gone from my mom living in yardley street flats yeah it's the flats where my sisters were raised council flats that her grandkids know that it's now their responsibility not to piss whatever we do away to grow it, to give back.

44:10That is, for me, one of the most important things that people don't really talk about in our industry, but the people who commission us our shows, they care, buddy. Right? CEOs, CFOs, they care, buddy.

44:24Mo Gilligan: Oh, Mo's invested in... Oh, that's amazing. Yeah, yeah, yeah. I fancy doing a bit of work with Mo. Smart boy. This is important, bro. No one talks about this stuff. I'm going to tell you, write funny jokes, yeah, but bro, I've got this really good idea. Oh, but did you hear Mo? Fucking hell. He's done really well in the crypto space. I'd love to make a show with him. This is part of the game, bro. It's so true, you know. Because then you tell them, yeah, I bought a house now. And they're like, wow. Wow. Where? You're joking. Wow. Bro, bad one. So, Cass, you've been spending a lot of time in the Middle East, have you?

45:02Yeah, I know. I've ventured out into some restaurants. Really? tell me what kind of food is it oh it's like fusion how many oh it's about six different chains my god let's talk about that commission

45:18Mo Gilligan: because i guess it's like for them they're like okay cool you serious i think it comes from that as well yes bro that's the business side that's we don't think of that but they definitely do they're gonna be like well we're gonna give someone a show bro they successful people are enamoured by success. Right? They look at us doing stand-up, and I still believe stand-up is the truest art form on planet Earth. You can act, you can play football, you can hoop basketballs. Stand-up is a different thing. Oh, no, it's a different beast, man. Different beast. So we've got them, like, oh, they're talented.

45:55Oh, they're fucking talented because they can go on stage for an hour plus and entertain people. When you mix in that we took the money that we made and we invested it into property. Now there's multiple property. Now we're in this business venture over here. Mo, I feel like people need to know this. It's mad. That gives you a stronger command of your own career. I find that in my own career, bro. People are like, I haven't really seen you for a bit. What are you doing? I'm like, well, I'm busy on this venture outside this. Like a genuine thing.

46:26Mo Gilligan: Yeah. I remember once where I'd done a show with you. I don't know if you remember this. And I think it might have been the last time I've seen you. And we'd done a show together. and it was so mad because we never spoke about it. We haven't, and even to this day. But I remember how I felt on the show, and I know that you was the only person that was like, yeah, you man are violating the ting. But you didn't say it, I didn't say it, but I know that you felt it. Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, bro, no, Wallahi. Wallahi. Bro, Allah's my witness, yeah? Listen to me. you know if I went yard yeah you know if I went yard yeah that man never invited me back on the team I didn't think after that no no no no no I never got invited back on the team so I went and not I stuck it on man yeah yeah so it's mad because we've never spoke about this but also I know do you remember when we had to walk through the back of the set and then back to our changing rooms and I think it was just me and you and we walked yeah None of us said anything, but we both thought the same thing.

47:35Mo Gilligan: And it was also my realisation of being in television. And sometimes it's like you can do the thing and you're like, oh, I'm on set and blah, blah, blah. But sometimes it's being around certain people where you're like, I know it's not just me feeling and experiencing this because I also know that you don't even need to say nothing, but I know that you know what I know. Does that make sense? and that's why it's so important to be in the room where you're like I'm in the room but like are my people here in the room with me because I think that's the difference when you get into television or you do stand up and you know you get the commissions and you sit there and you're like something don't feel right and it could be a look it could be something and then you're like it weren't just me it's not my paranoia you know what's really sad about that is like you always I always try and give like a percentage of that that comprehension to is it me like you just said paranoia is the key word right so when I'm in a situation I forget like this industry even life as well roads everything you're like I'm feeling paranoid here am I going to mess this up because it's me or is there actually something going on but I feel like in particular in that moment all it would have taken is somebody with a conscience to be able to say right yeah yeah yeah yeah and and and that is one thing that i am i am prescribed to ensure that i do spiritually i mean from a faith point of view that if i can see a brother or a sister yeah and by the way when people hear that term that's any human being by the way if i see a brother sister who is clearly uncomfortable, in need of, you stop and you say, let's facilitate this in a different way.

49:29Mo Gilligan: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. That, unfortunately, whether someone considers themselves hyper-liberal, right? Because, you know, I'm lovely. I believe in everything and everybody. I'm like, yeah. Not right now. You're missing. Oh, really? Are you hyper-liberal? Are you, miss? Because you don't give a shit right now. Guys.

49:5312 minutes left. He's dying. I don't give a fuck. 12 minutes left. No, he's dead. Oh, fuck it. Get somebody else. 12 minutes left.

50:04Mo Gilligan: Testing game. We working, bro.

50:18Mo Gilligan: but you know what I have to rate for you though for cousins like how your your ability of doing what you do on stage whether it's like TV shows you're always yourself very stylish as well I know you're like your Maharishi and your Nike Krebs and all that stuff do you know what I mean I do like a little more but like, also like, in terms of acting roles, like, like, your, your credits are, your credits are crediting, bruv. You know what's crazy, is I watched The Gentleman, I didn't even know you was in that, you know? Yeah, yeah. I didn't know you was in that, bruv, and I said, I remember watching that, bruv, that's kind of this, you know?

50:54Mo Gilligan: I'm fucking hard. Like, but like, your ability to like, like, I don't know how you pick your roles, or, and I know what it's like and you've got to do the self-tape and there's this thing and rare tear tear but like you have a really good ability of like one being yourself in stuff but also how you lend yourself to acting where you can be very funny and you can read the lines and read the roles and also I guess it's like there's a lot of people that are seeing themselves like in positions that you're in and being like oh right that's guys with Idris Elba and you know in spaces that even me again i didn't even know he was in the gentleman because i got into it late but then when i watched it i said right it because it's in there you know and there's him asking me about dogs and that brother but i said like so so how do you how do you find it like when you are on some of those sets and have those pinch me moments where you're like right look at what i'm doing this is different to stand up but this is like where stand up has kind of got me in some ways do you know what i mean yeah bringing that energy to set whether and these are they're amazing for like whether it's kaya or theo or these are hollywood a-list unbelievable performance you know what we know it's it's the same thing that they know they're just people too bro that when we come to set and we're delivering funny lines and improv with people bro they might have gone five weeks where they're just doing bar for bar for bar that's quite you know it's it produces something brilliant but it's not spark, it's not magic.

52:29Mo Gilligan: Yeah, yeah. And there's a few times I was acting opposite Keegan-Michael Key and this guy to me these are funny these are funny people bro me and Samson me and Samson are sat here on the chair me and Samson are just man them just talking trying shit like Keegan-Michael Key's here and now we're riffing with him together and Karen get Pedro Pascal over there busting up laughing like this is not normal ain't it, right? It's not normal but what we met like in these moments what makes me feel comfortable is i know that someone's here with me and we're doing this together in that moment on that movie judah 30 me and samson on the gentleman thing it was me and adam man like mobin it would have been tez or tolu i tend to try and pick a project that i know we're gonna be able to be like authentically comedically ourselves so if somebody if somebody wants me to come and do a serious drama I few occasions you have to reject that stuff why more you really got opportunity but why I hadn't fancy four months of my life every day with we have to get the sequence of words in all guys I've done this 14 times and you've not delivered the line correctly.

53:50I'm not that guy. Leave that to them, man.

53:54Mo Gilligan: Yeah, yeah, yeah.

53:59Mo Gilligan: It's mad because as a comic, when you deliver a line, you're like, I got a funny way I can do this line. It is. Bro, when you're like, I'm cut. And the director goes, yeah, if you can just do it how we've said it. And you're like, oh, man. This is boo, man. oh man and respect bro me and you will give respect to them man who can go six months of a project and do every bar as it was written and then what happens is them man bail you up a week after it comes out and they say you know what they say oh god not very good is it no Abaco you said you said every word how they told you to say it yeah yeah if you'd have given me I would have told you it wasn't going to go very well brother like me and you we're trying to help you I'm not trying to help me with the gentleman I love that they gave me the role this role was written for somebody else bro this was not me the character was in their 60s and I was like listen I loved Snatch but just let me come and play a little bit you said it to Gary G to the whole team I said you've got to let me come play a little bit and you know what the man said come on I swear this bear body bro I'm calling Theo James is a sister fucker in Punjabi bro the man don't know about this stuff but credit to them because that's why the show is good when you're looking at all these people in that show and it's a fun show because people was having fun they weren't getting Mo Gilligan in for the day saying Mo and is in this part of the sentence you just say and Mo Gilligan won't go home why you brought me here to do this stuff it's mad because when you're on set as well you're just like and it's i feel like the other actors can see they're like yeah man this is what we've got to deal with and you're like i get it i get i get that we have to do the line so you have it but it needs a bit of a bit of flavor do you know what i mean bro imagine i invite you to man like mobin the movie i say mo you're playing this role but what i'm gonna need you to do is i'm gonna need you to say everything as it's written why did i call you bro I've invited you because you have extreme talents in your field now come come show me cause imagine there's a difference between come and do this and then come show me bro anyone who's been on Man Like Mobian the whole time knows that they got invited to set and there's bars but if you got something better oh man let me hear it just do it let me hear it shut up can I do it right now there's a difference Mo And the people would say, no, but you took time writing.

56:45I'm like, I don't even share it. Who cares if I took time writing it? This individual is here in this moment, and they are shelling. Shell more. Because we're not going to get your lines. Fuck it. I'm tired anyway. Let him shell. Shell, shell, shell. The benefit is for everybody, for that person, for the show, for the audience. That's the magic to me, bro. Do you get what I mean? Yeah, yeah, yeah. Like, me and Samson were in that cast. It's mad. Me and Samson in that cast. Keegan-Michael Key, Karen Gillan, Leslie Mann, Fred Armistead. All these massive names, bro. Me and Samson didn't sit there and say, shall we?

57:25I don't know. Is it the right time to do a bit of improv? Me and him were like, brrr, da-da-da-da-da. What happens? You get a tap on it. I'm going to need you to do that again tomorrow. Why? Because this script here, I'm not too sure about this. Make sure you shell tomorrow. you're building your performer you're making a better show you're getting a better scene to me that's the way to make TV just the way to make movies you get what I mean especially comedic stuff

57:52Mo Gilligan: yeah and sometimes it's the writer's ego as well where the writer's like oh I didn't write it like that and you're like yeah but I got cast in it so it's too late it's too late you're gonna de-cast me it's like come on man we gotta laugh you know like when you're in the room and like everyone's there is like, hi, I'm exec. Hi, I'm director. You're in the room. Well, I feel like that's more tense than being on set, I find. When there's a writer's room and everyone's in there, you've got everyone from everywhere. It's so tense because it's just like, oh, okay, all right. Everyone's really here. Why is it so tense?

58:34Because on set, it just vibes. Yeah.

58:37Mo Gilligan: But in that room, everyone's got their little thing folded down with their name. oh no but you have to remember those ones are extremely pressureful because i've seen it in my uh in my own life once so brilliant actress really funny and we're doing this table read i didn't quite get it why everyone's so tense bro i really i really mean it and the zoom's on and there's people listening from america and you've got hey the execs are here damon's here Who the fuck's Damon? Who the fuck is Damon? Why is everyone shitting it from Damon? It's not even in the room, bro. Damon's here. So everyone does this read through.

59:17The bars are not good enough. But everybody, for some reason, keeps looking at this lead actress and going, and I'm like, why do you keep shaking her head at her? I'm doing these bars. They stink. You're laughing, but they're stinky bars, bro. Right? Gets to the end of that. 10 minutes after we did that table read they recast her off you go easy the next table we came in there's a new actress brilliant amazing person so good but that mo is the game that we play that people don't realize that that actress was sat there and i was like because clearly some things had gone on previously there'd been some conversations outside that but it's such a ruthless thing

1:00:07Mo Gilligan: that bro like you know some kind of man like Mobin and they're not great they're not getting sacked bro that's on me to figure out a way to facilitate their talent in whatever way that is imagine bro this is the game where in me you could be sat there we've got a new body cop thing and if somebody decides that's it you're gone that's that's not moral that's so ruthless do you get what I mean and it was no fault I still have to say because obviously some people got things going on no fault of that individual you've given that person something to work with that's not great in the first place and now you're sticking it on them that it didn't work and so when I'm when I'm seeing these things Mo in this last 10 years of my career I'm learning quickly oh that's how it really is that fickle so bro as important as it is for me to get these bars right and make television shows I best make sure I invest in that next property bro yeah i best make sure that i listen to that venture over here and i say yeah i'd like to be a minority investor in nothing because bro we don't know what tomorrow holds bro and like that i suppose in the context of this industry people need to be aware especially the young people coming through lots of people who i mean they certainly don't have to do what me and you did because now a lot of people can just go and get a a brand deal with a with a huge gambling corporation right now they can stream all day and now they're earning loads of money through that so there's different avenues that weren't there when me and you started you couldn't just turn the camera on all time do live streams bro we might we me and you might have been you never know it streamers you could have been you just don't you don't know how you could have been but in this game like we have to encourage anybody who's coming to the door like yo get your house in order first don't ever listen to an agent or a manager that tells you you don't need to you don't need to pay off the mortgage you've got your whole career because if you've got the means and you want to pay off your mortgage do that because your agent manager friend they're not going to be there when it goes wrong you know what's going to be there your house paid off you just say what I mean bro no it's so vital because I feel like once you get into this world you get into a world where you're like okay cool I'm earning a bit of money I want to invest it and it's like the volatility of how you can be on something I remember watching a film recently and someone told me that person who's meant to be in the film they filmed it and all that person's scenes got cut I couldn't believe it bruv it was like no no no we fully filmed it and all the scenes got cut and it's one thing going to the table reading and you're like cool we're getting changed but also knowing you're like yeah I told all my family I was going to be in this I filmed this for almost two years and due to other decisions it's just the scenes aren't there and even other actors that I know and they've told me it's like yeah that's what happens if they cut it they just cut it I'll give you one thing because it's truthful just in this vein I was on a show the episodic fee was like you get guaranteed the amount of episodes you're going to be in was a life changing amount of money I did the first series knew something wasn't right get a phone call 12.30am from my agents I was like what's this bro pissed vexed upset cut you from the show like yeah you gone from the show any particular reason we're gonna get to the bottom I goes don't worry about getting to the bottom of it I said don't worry about it this is where faith obviously plays a part I said whatever's coming to me is written for me what is written for you will never pass you by but conversely what wasn't meant for you you can chase run I want this it's never going to come to you if it's not written for you and it was a life changing amount of money but I remember I put the phone down I remember the missus like you okay because I was preparing to like visas and like maybe move the kids out there to go to school because it's six months and just in a night it goes like that right every single one of these experiences bro I've never been like you just realise oh okay we have to make sure that we as individuals are setting our bases.

1:04:28Mo, no one's going to come and do it for you, bro. No one's going to come and do it for me. You've got to do it ourselves, right? And I think it's so important because the culture of this industry, how it operates sometimes, how we can be the favourites in January and by September, you're unemployable. You're never going to get employed again. That is the frames of reference in which we operate. and to understand that you can be a person who's on your best behavior but if someone takes if someone takes a negative view of you or who you or what you are what you represent it can be game over bro and for anybody new who's coming into this game understand my guy my sister whoever you are when you get your bread you make sure you're sensible on that first run you make sure you're sensible on that second run have a bit of fun on the third run no problem like yeah go on get it go on go get a bit get about this thing go on if you're doing that well but the first couple runs re-op when you do the re-op then decide how much fun you can have because bro this game is crazy yeah yeah yeah

1:05:34Mo Gilligan: how do you start looking at like later life now because like where you've got like five kids and you're very successful in your job and you have like you know you have so many different things you can do where you have stand up you know you're acting you have your different ventures um you know how would you teach your younger self at later in life when it comes to who guz khan is and what he represents and what he stands for i'll go full circle back to what i was talking to you about right at the beginning when we were talking bro about how i wake up often and have always my whole life knowing that this life is fleeting in islamic theology it says that this dunya this world is an illusion in the sense that in this world a man or a woman can build their wealth their reputation their family everything around them you can curate it smash it i've done it but none of it the material stuff is going to go with you and I see my eldest she's 15 my youngest is 11 months and the three boys in between I know I blink my eyes and my daughter was this big Mo she was this big and I was thinking I've got to make it I've got to make it like for this family I open my eyes now she's 5 foot 8 she's 15 years old she's going to be a woman.

1:07:05Next time I blink my eyes, bro, she might have a family, right? The next 10 years that goes, she might be a mother, she might be a... any number of things. In this next part of my life, I have to make sure that I'm preparing myself for the eventuality that comes to every human being. I've never met somebody who's in this... This could be the last part of my life, bro. I've done 40 years. Alhamdulillah. or grace you to God. But between 40 and 60, it's not like, when you start talking about images, it's not rare that people just go.

1:07:39Mo Gilligan: Yeah, yeah, yeah. That you're going to get a call one day and be like, yo man, Guz ain't here no more. Passed away, heart attack, cancer, whatever it might be. That this next chapter is to continue to have fun. I'm always going to have fun. That means smiling, laughing, giving good energy and looking for that in other people too. Like I want that too. I love that bro. We love when people make us laugh. People forget. It was like, you might want to make people laugh I'm like I want to laugh too man you know come and entertain me say something silly bro I want to be laughing too but to prepare myself and hopefully my children that if we're talking about legacies of course we can have legacies in work and production companies and making sure you make great content and leave it for the world we've done that alhamdulillah me and you have both done that already Man Like Moby stand up comedy your show whatever it might be we've kind of done that right yeah yeah this this last part is trying to dedicate my time to being the best version of what is being asked of me i'm a muslim the best version of a muslim is somebody who is giving their time in prayer who's giving their time to their family who's giving their time they're communicating what does the community mean by the way oh yeah yeah of course you're gonna help the fuck your muslims I'm like, mate, you're fucking Muslim yourself.

1:08:56No. No. I mean, anybody in my community of human beings that needs guidance or assistance, I have to make sure I do that. Because now, especially now, I'm like, bro, me and you can go and make a new show and we can make lots of money and da-da-da-da-da. But I also know, I also know that the time that having finances and stability gives you is the biggest blessing it's never the money mo money never broke wallahi whether it was roads or now money has never given me happiness what it has done is allowed me to facilitate that holiday there and everyone had a great time buy that house there and everybody come together like this is uncle i'm uncle now this is uncle guzzies i'm gonna come here we're gonna chill the money provides you the chance to give people and yourself experiences and so to just make sure i don't get caught up in the the dunya this illusion of like guzz mate you're great and gentlemen i reckon if you get in shape buddy get your lead in this thing cool cool man you know see me doesn't mean get a six pack keep it bro yeah yeah I've got five kids.

1:10:19I've got a missus. I've got a mum. I've got sisters, nieces, nephews, friends. There's a lot to life. And knowing within the context of that, that when people talk about worship, worship, you're also rewarded for your intentions. And smiling in Islam is a form of worship. Imagine that. It's like a, it's a charitable thing. You give, you smile to somebody. You don't have to make them just smile at somebody. But usually, unless you look like a pervert, yeah which can happen some you make somebody feel really good like you know somebody's just walking you're looking stressed you're like and oh these are the things i want to focus on take myself out of this world too too much bro and i know that's gonna sound hypocritical compared to what i was talking about be sensible invest your money but i'm told you that's about me me is to be less concerned with this dunya and more concerned with if god gives me another 10 years on planet earth did i waste it chasing like this gig here or that job there would i really do something of value do my sons have respect does my daughter have respect these are the things that i feel like are really important and i know i don't want to sound like a wanker because I have the money to think about that.

1:11:41Whereas my mum was worried about I gotta work to put this bread on the table. But I mean in my spoiled life, right? Me. The true marker I think of me as a man is gonna be how much I can give back and dedicate to this last part. And I really mean that. And I don't want anyone to think, oh isn't that sad? Bro, it's a blessing. If I get to 60 years old, my father didn't see 36. right if i get to 60 years old what a journey bro what a blessing and to be grateful like trying to be if i get the i always thought about this if i get the bad news that i have some crazy health condition that my faith is telling me that in the good times and the bad times you say alhamdulillah alhamdulillah the translation is all praise the greatness of god all praise is due to god in the in the good times and the bad times and I hope in this final chapter of my life 40 years old to 60 to 70 whatever I've got left on this planet that I do the service and due diligence to that part of it for sure

1:12:46Mo Gilligan: right guys man I feel like we could sit here for another yeah I know bro I know I've been taking two years of time bro no no no no of course I think as I said like before we started this has been so overdue man I just feel like you're very like sincere pure soul do you know what I mean I pray I pray and you know bro I know and I have to tell you something I was so happy I don't know maybe I'm lying in my head but I'm sure I saw it you posted a quote on Instagram I liked it straight away and it was a quote from gospel or Bible you posted it on your stories or something it was something faith based on your stories bro was that recently?

1:13:23I can't remember the time but I remember sitting there and I remember it because my missus looking at me because I was looking at the post or something, I was smiling, yeah? Like a big smile. You know, you get smiles because you're laughing, you get smiles because you're happy. I'm like, yo, what are you smiling at? Yeah? And I was like, nah, man, these brothers. I knew, I knew, oh, that's security in your soul, bro. Like if you ask me now, Guz is your brother, what do I want? I do want all the things in this dunya for you. but I want things in the hereafter for you even more and your children and your mother and your partner all of it and like that's the bit that's not like this I say that to you from my heart because that's what I genuinely mean that's not and I know some people are stupid because they're just worried about the world but that means more to me than the worldly things too basically

1:14:17Mo Gilligan: no I appreciate you guys man of course bro really this has been your beginning middle and end thank you very much thank you bro appreciate you man hey what's up thank you so much for listening to the podcast today now a lot goes in to making each episode i know you hear my voice but there's a team behind the scenes who helped make it and if you did enjoy it i'd really really appreciate if you could show the love to them by giving us five stars and if you also have the time please leave us a review it's always appreciated and we love reading the comments and of course we want to keep making it better thank you for listening and have a great day peace