Second Helpings - Rob Brydon

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3:16Lennie Ware: Hello and welcome to Second Helpings, our final instalment for you before we're back with you for more Table Manners Season 19. So we're going to finish with Rob Brydon, who came on the podcast in December 2021. It was another season finale. And he kept it a secret what happened in Gavin and Stacey on that fishing trip. I was desperate to find out, Will we ever really find out what went on? You made spiced spatchcock chicken, bejeweled rice, pecan pie, and he was midway through a huge UK tour. It was his memoir, but through music. It was also really special to have Rob on, because obviously him and Steve Coogan did the trip, which was my inspiration on creating Table Manners.

4:06Lennie Ware: So thanks, Rob. We spoke to Rob about growing up in Wales, eating his grandma's custard tarts, his heroes Uncle Bryn Uncle Bryn the trip and life with five children Rob Brydon coming up on Tabor Manor's Second Helpings We have Rob Brydon here thank you so much you are you came in I told you that I'd been using a whip today and I feel very inappropriate about that but that's another conversation and we're so thrilled to have you well thank you for having me I've been looking forward to this because I listened I've heard three of those you've done a lot I you know I can't hear every one of them but I I I love them and as I was listening to them I thought oh I'm gonna be doing this oh how sweet but I who told you to listen to them uh well you want the honest answer yeah um yeah because they you know they do but I'll give you I'll give you the honest the honest truth right is that you you do stuff to promote what you're doing so I'm promoting a tour so you look in your phone you look at the right what am I doing?

5:08Oh, I'm going to do Table Manners. Well, I've heard of that. I've heard of Table Manners. Yes, I've heard of it, but I never heard it. And then I would be flicking to my diary and I would see Clapham of an evening. And I went, oh, I'm going to Clapham and food. I've got to eat. So I thought, well, I'm going to, so I was on tour. So I listened to it and I went, the first one was Stanley Tucci and I love Stanley Tucci. Who doesn't? And And I really liked it. And then I listened to the Schwimmer one, David Schwimmer, and then the Tom Jones one. So by the end, I went from, oh, I've got to go to Clapham, to, ooh, I'm going to Clapham.

5:45Lennie Ware: Oh, good. It was a journey. Where do you usually reside? Well, not in Clapham. Where? Strawberry Hill in between Twickenham and Teddington. Oh, lovely. Yeah, it's nice, yeah. It's lovely there. Not far from here, but just in terms of getting here, you know, it's that classic London thing of it takes forever. So tell us about the tour. Are you halfway through? Quarter of life? Maybe a quarter. It's a tour with a band, and it's very old-fashioned. We just did two nights at the Palladium in London, and one of the reviews said, it's hard to imagine any show more suited to the London Palladium. Oh, wow.

6:26Well, it is a compliment, But because it is an old-fashioned, you know, sort of one-man variety show in that I tell stories, I sing songs. Some of them are serious, some of them are funny. It's an incredibly talented band.

6:39Lennie Ware: Did you start as a comedian, an actor or a singer? Well, I went to drama school. So you'd say, well, you're going to be an actor. But it was always comedy that I wanted to do. and then I left drama school early because I got offered a job as a DJ on the radio in Wales. So I did that. You do have a beautiful voice. You have got gorgeous. I mean, our listeners are purring into their ears. You and Tom. Well, exactly. That's right. It was 1949, quarter to six on the 2nd of June. It was a full moon. What a memory that man has. I know. It's astonishing, isn't it? Yes. Wow. When he arrived, it was really funny because I thought I'd do something Welsh for him, like a home-cooked meal.

7:27Lennie Ware: So I don't think lamb shanks. He's so really disappointed. I thought I was going to get a Jewish meal. Oh, really? And then when he brought out the pud, flipping heck. Oh, no, chocolate. He doesn't eat chocolate. No, he loves it. He loves chocolate. And I've done it. What did I do? I think I did one of my best, my roulade or something. I think you did a beautiful passion-free roulade with lemon curd. But old Tom just wanted a square of chocolate. So we'd have chocolate, would you? Because I find chocolate, I'm avoiding chocolate while I'm singing. Don't you find it creates... I'm going to introduce an unwelcome word here.

8:00What? Mucus.

8:02Lennie Ware: Oh, my God. Nobody wants that. That's worth moist. No, moist can have lovely connotations. Mucus can't. We had Rick Astley on and we talked about moist a lot. And he said he was once... Because I'd done a moist cake. Why wouldn't you? And he said, God, moist. he said God it's a bad word isn't it I was like yeah it's not a very nice word is it and then he said something like yeah I once he said he was in the gig and he was playing and it was like it was really going well and he went are you moist no what did he mean did he mean sweaty and stuff I don't know it was raining and he's never forgotten it and the regret of asking like a room full of kind of very middle aged women if they were moist oh my god yeah but I would say of moist and mucus I would say, as I say, moist can have a positive connotation.

8:53Yeah, it can have a positive connotation. Of course it can. Things are looking up. Whereas mucus has no redeeming qualities.

9:00Lennie Ware: I need to speak to you about the trip. Because I have to say, it did kind of inspire this podcast. Really? Did it? In a sense, well, initially. You've never told me that, darling. No, but I, well, more. I was so jealous of you going out to wonderful dinners. And I thought, I want to do that. Oh, really? But I'm not a comedian and I'm not Steve Coogan or, you know, Rob. And so it started at a point where I was like, God, wouldn't it be nice just like chatting restaurants? I mean, you don't just do that. It's a beautiful thing that you do, but you do eat good food. And I wanted in on it. And I thought, well, I can get good dins at mum's house.

9:40Lennie Ware: So I thought, well, sod it. We'll do something like that. But who thought of that idea? Michael Winterbottom. He's the director and he writes the whole story. you know a fair bit of the dialogue as well and then Steve and I sort of color it in and invent stuff but the the meals that you like they're always lunches and it looks like when you watch it as if you're just eavesdropping on us but of course you're not it's constructed and with the lunches we eat every course three times so we have a starter and we shoot whatever we're going to shoot then we go okay cut bring in another starter we start again and then we'll cut and then they bring in another starter you're just trying to make me feel less jealous aren't you well because whatever that's the reality of it and then three mains and three puddings so so which has been your most cherished meal out of those kind of you know multiple starters it's Italy Italy Italy um particularly when we go down to the Amalfi coast and especially on on Capri there's this very fancy hotel called the Capri Palace, I believe.

10:48And it's twinned with a restaurant called Il Riccio, which is the one that you see in the trip when we're on Capri. But it was just, it was also the environment. It was a beautiful, I've been back with my wife and the weather wasn't as good. When we were there in the early summer, it was perfect.

11:05Lennie Ware: But you're gazing at Steve Coogan. Now, I wouldn't mind gazing at Steve Coogan, but did you kind of look at Steve and you thought, I'd really like my wife to be right here right now? Actually, oddly enough, she did come out for that weekend as well. And then we went back out. I took her back. It was her birthday in September. But the weather had kind of turned. So that was one of the meals that I really remember. But, you know, the truth is because we are improvising a lot of stuff, I'm not really thinking too much about the food because I'm thinking, what am I going to say next? And we're trying to be funny.

11:40so I almost remember the meals we had in the evening off camera more than the ones we did on camera

11:49Lennie Ware: do you find it hard being funny? or do you just give that impression? no I just wonder because we're doing two nights at the London Palladium good for you but I'm just I am relying on the guests being funny not me all you've got to do is just be yourself is that what you think? that's what sold out the first one already Exactly. Thank God, darling. Exactly. Well, you've got a cast-iron formula, format, so just don't change. Just be yourself. Do you think we should add Jessie singing a song? No. Just to keep things going? No, because that's not in the format. I think people like to join in. I'm hoping that we're going to have Islands in the Stream all together at the end.

12:28Lennie Ware: I think it's almost inevitable. I think it is, too. It is one of my favourite songs. There's a horrible sense of impending doom, and I think it's shaped like Islands in the Stream. Well, I know that you do a Guys and Dolls cover. Yes, that's right. Which one do you do? Well, two, actually. I do all of Sit Down, You're Rocking the Boat. Wow. I love that one. It's a big song. That's a big song. Showstopper. And then a bit of I've Never Been In Love Before. Because I tell the story about being at school. It's where I met Ruth Jones, because she was at the same school, you see. And Nessa. Nessa, so I should explain to people.

13:02Lennie Ware: And you never married her? No, she was married together. No, that's a different note. Oh, right, sorry. What, I never married Ruth in real life. No, well, I always say she's like the sister I never wanted. No, Ruth is probably my closest female friend, I would say. I've known her for, well, since I was about 14. And we were both in Guys and Dolls. Who was she? She was Miss Adelaide. Oh, Jessie was Miss Adelaide. Were you? I knew me and Ruth had an affinity somewhere. Were you? Were you? It's a great part, isn't it? Well, yeah, I was only at school as well. And I played Sky Masterson. Oh, my God.

13:37Lennie Ware: Of course you did. The handsome Sky. No, not of course at all. You know, I say this in the show. I say, no, it's a bit of a shock. You know, what was Uncle Bryn doing playing the Marlon Brando role? But I played that part. And in fact, my wife went to an all-girls school and they did Guys and Dolls and she played Sky Masterson as well. Oh, lovely. So when we first met, the day we met... Had a sing-off. We did. We sang in the back of a taxi because we'd both played this same role. Were you drunk? Yes. I love that. Yeah. Was it your first dance? No, no. What was your first dance? Jack Johnson. Oh, sweet.

14:15Lennie Ware: Better together. Oh, God, that reminds me of going travelling in Thailand. Does it? And wearing a lot of fisherman trousers. Yeah. Yes, yes, yes. It was very popular then. Oh, I love, yeah. It's a lovely song. It is lovely. Yeah. So, Rob, where did you grow up? I grew up in South Wales. I could listen to your voice. I know. It's his gorgeous. And your wife is Welsh as well? No, no, both of my wives, Lenny, because I... You've got two. I've known the heartbreak of divorce. You're polygamous. Oh, right. What did you say? Polygamous. Yes, I've not said it. I'm going to announce it on your show. I am a polyg...

14:52A mon-mon-mon. A mon-mon. Yes, both my wives have been and remain English.

15:00Lennie Ware: OK. Yeah. I mean, don't get me wrong, I have nothing against... Can I just say something very personal? Oh, God, what? Is Uncle Brin supposed to be gay? In Gavin and Stacey? I've always wondered. Yeah. Or just a bit androgynous. No, well, there's a part of me that doesn't want to say anything because I think it should be in the mind of the audience, you know. Because obviously they've written it. Well, it's not ambiguous, is it? I mean, I'd be surprised if he wasn't. Okay, fine. But I wonder perhaps... Because I have no gay doll whatsoever. But I wonder if he's just never acted on it. I mean, they've never said to me, you know, it's just what's there in the script.

15:43But, I mean, you know, the way he gazes at Larry Lamb, you know, at Mick and stuff.

15:51Lennie Ware: I'd gaze at Larry Lamb, to be honest. Well, he's a lovely-looking boy. But they've never sort of nailed it on their head. But I think it's for the audience, you know, to decide for themselves rather than... Just might be just not interested. What's that? Is that asexual? Asexual. Or is that liking it from everyone? I can't remember. I don't know. No, asexual is someone who's not fussed. Not fussed. I wanted to know about whales and who was cooking in your family and were you cooking and were you a fussy eater? No, it would have been mum but I've been thinking about this obviously in advance of coming.

16:34Lennie Ware: Thank you for prepping. Well, yes, yes. It deserves a little bit of prep. And we were a very limited palette as a child. Very limited palette. I mean, I won't say embarrassingly so, but when I went to drama school when I was about 19. Which drama school? Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff. Were your family kind of actors and musicians? Were they shocked when you chose that? No, because I'd always been a bit of a performer. And no, they were always very encouraging. And as a parent now, I find that more remarkable than ever. Do you? Well, yeah, because most people that go into this line of work do not succeed.

17:17It's true. So it could be concerning, although the other side of that is it's great to do something that you have a passion for.

17:25Lennie Ware: How many kids do you have? Five. do your kids any of them want to go in this direction the youngest is seems to have a performing bent and eldest is involved in the business but not as a performer but then the others uh how old are your oldest i go 27 25 22 13 thank you lenny i like you look in your late 40s. Were you quite young when you had kids? My first one, yeah, married at 27. I sound like Tom now. It was October the 6th. Yeah, I married at 27. First child, my daughter Katie, when I was 29. And then... So I'm working it out now. Yeah, well, she's 27, so 27, 25. Girl, boy, girl, boy, boy.

18:18Lennie Ware: So you're in your 50s. I'm 56. Very good fettle handsome oh no good hair if i don't mind a third wife rob a third english wife why not so so so what was your mother cooking well it was i as i as i think back it was very i mean i i don't want to i don't offend my mum but it was my memory of it is pretty plain don't worry some people only had frozen food we've had no but that was probably because I think that's what people had then. But also, you probably wanted that. Well, you might not have done. You didn't know. No, I certainly wasn't adventurous when it came to food. I wasn't adventurous when it came to textures.

19:00I can remember at school they had semolina, or what do you call it, rice pudding. And I remember thinking... Frog spawn stuff. Yeah, exactly. But I do remember there was a kid who ate spaghetti hoops or something, and I remember thinking that was a step too far. That was exotic.

19:19Lennie Ware: On toast or off toast? I think possibly on toast. So we were meat and potatoes, steak for a treat, fillet steak for a treat, fish on a... My memory is the window in the kitchen getting very steamed up when it was fish night. So it was very an adventurous, very nice food. my maternal grandmother would make a stew and would also make Welsh cakes my paternal grandmother would make egg custard tart and when she came for lunch and you know we'd have a normal Sunday lunch and she would bring this is when I was very young egg custard tart to have afterwards and she and I would talk about a bit of nutmeg on the top yeah yeah and I always remember she would talk about having seen that week's Benny Hill and wasn't he funny and she used to use the word comical oh it was comical, wasn't it comical?

20:21Lennie Ware: Did you model your comedy on any particular person? Yes I can't say Benny, I don't feel like it's Well I know but the thing is now you see we are in 2021 but this was 1972, 73, it was a different climate it uh i'm not going to get into a defense of benny hill but he was not he was not without his skills um let's just say that right um so yes i would watch all sorts of people i always had a very wide taste in comedy so from the very popular popular stuff like bruce forsyth watching what he did and then the slightly more trendy stuff like peter cook and dudley moore barry humphreys has always been a huge sort of hero of mine.

21:06But loads, loads of comedians. It's harder for me to find a comedian I don't like than one that I do like.

21:13Lennie Ware: Do you think comedy's harder now because of all the kind of restrictions and woke and things? I don't say that in a pejorative way. No, but you see what happened with Dave Chappelle. Yeah, but you can get yourself into a big hole by saying something that would have been totally acceptable when you started out. now isn't. I think there are new challenges with it. I think there are some comedians, frankly, who don't care. So I can't imagine a Ricky Gervais or a whoever worrying about it. And you wonder as well how much these Twitter storms actually affect anything. I mean, if someone were to lose their job as a result of it, you'd say, well, it has.

22:00But a lot of these things because she used to blow up and then go. I've never been particularly controversial in my comedy.

22:09Lennie Ware: Are you political? No, I've always been very wishy-washy. Have I gotten news for you? Only once I didn't enjoy it. Didn't you? No. Why? Was it intimidating? No, but I was hosting it. It's not my world. I think you've got to know what your strengths are. And topical, political stuff, because it's not all politics in that show, but that's not where my strengths lie. So I didn't enjoy it. So, I mean, and please forgive me if you've already done one, would you go and do musicals? I would. The reason I haven't done them is because of never stopping having children in the last, you know, however many years.

22:47Lennie Ware: How old's the youngest? Ten. Okay. So I've done theatre runs. I did a play at the Ulrich, a play at the Garrick, and a play at the Pinter. So I've done a few runs of plays. but as you know it takes over your life. You are out every night of the week. Sunday you collapse so it's very hard on if you're a family person you have young children. Basically I have to wait until my kids are teenagers until I do a musical theatre job. Well I think that I did a I think the last play I did was at the Old Vic and it was about education. I played the teacher and all the other meant to be the students. Which play was it?

23:27It was called Future Conditional, directed by Matthew Warchus at the Old Vic. When was that? It was the first one of Matthew's tenure as the head of the Old Vic. When was it? I don't have that memory. I don't know. I'm going to say five years ago, maybe, something like that. And all the other, well, they were young, these actors, all in their early 20s, and we'd be in the wings before we go on. And they'd say, so what did you do after the show last night, Rob? I go. Went out. I went home. Oh, we went off to this so-and-so place and then we ended up in this salsa bar. And then after that, I said, well, no, no, I went home and went to bed.

24:08That's about it for me, really. Because you have to, I find now, as you get older, you've got to conserve that energy. And I want, sorry, the answer to your question, I definitely want to, and I will do a musical. This tour is my way of getting around that because I can pace it exactly as I want to. So I do two, maybe three shows a week, maybe one, two, a day off, another one, two days off, another one, another one, so that I can be at home, back and forth.

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28:07Lennie Ware: Mom, I'm a bit hungry. Is it ready? What are we having? I have no idea what we're having. She's pulled out. I hope it's nice. I've done a spiced chicken with bejeweled rice. Let's see if that works. Don't you find that the vajazzle has rather diminished the word bejeweled? Yes. Because the minute you said bejeweled, that's where my mind went. You thought of a fanny. No, honestly. Good God. What are you lying? There's nothing I can do about it if that's the way. It goes straight down there. Oh, my God. Oh, my God. Because of the... Because of the only way is essence. I'm really looking forward to tucking into that.

28:46Lennie Ware: OK, shush. And then I've done carrots roasted in my smooth. Oh, God, now I'm thinking phallic images, Mum. Stop, stop, enough, enough. And I've done a pecan pie because it's Thanksgiving today. I appreciate that. Lovely, lovely. Because I am very jealous. I'm very jealous of the Americans. Not so much about what Thanksgiving stands for, but the fact that they get to have turkey twice. Yeah, they get the excuse to have the occasion and get together. You know, it's a bit of a variation. You don't get big presents, though, on Thanksgiving, do you? No, but it brings everyone together. Yeah, it does.

29:17I quite like that.

29:18Lennie Ware: Love it. Is your wife a good cook? Brilliant. She's a brilliant cook, and she can bake. Yeah, she's terrific. So what's your favourite dish by her? There's one thing she does, and I won't say this is a favourite, but it's great, and it's a quiche. Quiches seem a bit uninspired. No, I know. And it's basil and feta cheese. Is that so? No, it sounds fabulous. I'm forgetting another ingredient. That's delicious. But she can kind of make anything. She's one of those people who can... Does she make it up? She can do that, yes. She does both. I can't do that. She can make it up. She can see what's left and stick it all together.

29:55And she can bake. And our 13-year-old bakes as well. He's got into that. So he'll make blondies and things like that. Yeah.

30:05Lennie Ware: and I as a result I mean I was never a cook did you not bake in lockdown I tried something I had to go at um oh yeah she said close I tell them about um I tried cooking a nigella thing which was something to do with crispy chicken and I just cremated it it was an absolute disaster kids were appalled by it do I want to know where was your first date with your wife like food well Well, it was that, oh, the first one we actually went out. Because we actually sort of went on a date the day we met. Because I met her at these awards, which were lunchtime awards. And I had tickets for this advanced screening of Ocean's Eleven.

30:46Lennie Ware: Oh, wow. With George Clooney. You were going to compete with him. Yes. Are you mad? So you were like, hey, why don't we get out of this, hey? I was drunk. And I'd seen her, you see, in this reception. I said, oh, who's that? and so I'm talking to her then and I thought and this screening was about half six or something you see so we were now in the American bar and we're having drinks and there's a crowd of us and I'm talking to her quietly and I say look hey you want to come with me I got these tickets for Ocean's Eleven it's not out yet she said oh I saw it last week oh my god but nonetheless I persuaded her and it was in the taxi that we I think that's when it emerged that we both played Sky I don't know how it came up I love that.

31:29And then we went and watched this film.

31:32Lennie Ware: Did you make out in the cinema? Oh, sorry. Thank God that went off then.

31:40We might have kissed in the taxi. We might have. We might not. Who knows?

31:44Lennie Ware: I love it. I don't think we'll ever know for sure. You know, you've eaten at some amazing places. But anywhere local that you really, really love, or any London places that you could not live without? I like... Well, I just happened to be at Scott's today. That's always great. When I was in the theatre, I used to like going to Sheiky's after the show because it feels like you're part of that theatre life. Yeah. And that's... Is that like the new Joe Allens then? Yeah, I suppose you could say that, yeah. I mean, that's where... Because it was round... We were at the Garrick. so that's where I would go, I like it there where else?

32:33there are nice places out near us there's one in St Margaret's, I don't know if it's still there I think, was it called Brula? oh, it's a nice one, there's one in just before we get to Richmond, they call it East Twickenham, called Achena we've gone there quite a bit but all that kind of stuff has been gone hasn't it really, because we've got out of the habit

32:55Lennie Ware: At Marble Hill, that pub on the... Yeah, on the Crown, is it? Just near the Crown, that's a nice pub. On that little mini roundabout. Yes, yes, we've been there. Do you eat out a lot? No. I think Richmond's nice. Richmond's lovely. The gaucho, right? Gaucho, yes, great on the river. During lockdown, they would do stuff outdoors. So, you know, you'd go for your huge walk on a Sunday with another family. And in that crisp air at the feel of a ski resort, you know, you'd be queuing up for your food. and that was kind of nice. No, there's loads of nice places. Do you still have family in Wales? Yeah, yeah, mum and dad in Port Talbot.

33:32Oh, great.

33:33Lennie Ware: We didn't actually speak about, yeah, so Port Talbot. Well, some people call it Port Talbot. I've always said Port Talbot. That's not where Michael Sheen lives. Yes, yes, yes. Oh, he doesn't live there now, but he's from exactly the same place. His parents go to the same church as my parents. And did you go to the same drama school? No, I'm older than him by about, I don't know, eight years, something like that, maybe. And he, I've only known him as an adult. I didn't know him when I was a kid. But I heard of him because he was in youth theatre. But he was in a different youth theatre, a different county, because I'd moved schools, blah, blah, blah.

34:12Lennie Ware: I feel like the Welsh are like Jews in the sense that like... I agree with you. I've said that before. I've said that many, yes, many times. It's like when you meet one, you're like, hey. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We say shalom. Absolutely. I've said that many times. I always feel an affinity with juice. I always do. Yes, yes, yes, yes, yes. It's very interesting. So, okay, we're about to eat. Oh, is that the bejeweled? It's not bejeweled yet, though, is it? Yeah, darling, it's just cooking, darling. It's not bejazzled yet. No, no, let's put that bejazzled thought out of our minds. Okay, well, whilst mum bejewels her rice, please tell us what your last supper would be.

34:50oh okay well i think yeah because you don't you're not going to go healthy are you um what's the point what's the point what's the point i would go for oh i watched that netflix documentary about veganism and went vegan for about the one about the athlete yes yeah so we all did i know everybody did. I didn't. Never. Well I so I would probably have a rib eye salt crust steak.

35:25Lennie Ware: For starter. Oh sorry. No I thought I was bold. I liked it. No not for starter. Okay for starter I would oh it's so hard isn't it? I mean. Have a few small plates you know. Okay well I have a few I love scallops. Okay. Were they good scallops today? Are they scallops? I can never remember. I don't know. Scones, scones, scallops, scallops. I say scallops. Okay. I don't know. Oh, they were good. They were lovely. Yeah, very nice indeed. What did they come with? In shells with some sort of juice of something. Was it like a buttery lemory? And they just do it well. I probably... See, I like the most simple of starters, the old Palmer ham and melon.

36:08Lennie Ware: Oh, I like it too. No one's going to be impressed by my sophistication, but I like that. And when it works, and it hits the spot and refreshes. So that would be, oh, I'll tell you what they could have on the table as well. They could have some, what do they call it when they do something with cauliflower? Cauliflower popcorn, do they call it that? Oh, you're into cauliflower popcorn. You like that? Yeah, I really like it. It's lovely. Wherever you had one that you like? At the Mitre. Oh, they tell you a nice place near us, the Mitre, on the river at Hampton Court. Okay. That's where we, I was trying, no, we've been somewhere recently.

36:37We went there quite a bit over the summer. I'm just trying to decide whether to tell you this story or not

36:43Lennie Ware: I want to hear it now It shows me in a very poor light I took my wife there for her birthday So you can see where it's going, can't you? With Capri first of all, right? And then we're down, suddenly we're in Hampton Court No, there's a lovely restaurant there and it's on the river And I'd been there a few days before with some of my older kids For one of their birthdays and I'd noticed a boat, a big fancy boat coming up and some people getting on it. And I thought, right. So I arranged that at the end of the meal, this boat would come and would whisk us off back down to where we live, which is downriver.

37:22Lennie Ware: Yeah, lovely. So the boat comes and she knows something's up because I'm making little gestures to the staff and everything. And then, I'll tell it anyway. So we get up to go and someone comes over and says, oh, hello, can I say I'm a big fan and I love you? He said, can I have a photo? I said, yeah, okay, fine. So we do that. And then someone else from another table then comes over. You didn't miss the boat? No, no, no, no. It's better than that. So I'm stood there like this. Oh, thanks very much. You know, it's lovely. And she's just stood there. And then as we leave, everybody applauds me as I leave.

37:54It's her birthday. The whole restaurant is applauding as we walk down the steps.

37:59Lennie Ware: What, did there such a big difference? On the boat, yes. Oh, God. How did you feel about it? Did you feel really great about it? I thought it was hilarious. And how did she feel about it? Oh, she was laughing. I mean, she was joking about it. It's hilarious. Does it happen quite a lot? Because I feel like you're quite an approachable man. Well, not spontaneous rounds of applause. I won't pretend that's happening all the time, no. But yes, people come up all the time, yes. But there is that feeling that you are approachable. Yes. So therefore I feel like probably people approach you more than maybe they would someone else.

38:29Lennie Ware: Whoever else, yes. Yeah, another comedian or actor, yeah. And how do your family find that? nine times out of ten it's fine and then once in a while it'll be not the right moment and you'll think and how do you behave in that moment well you try and be nice I'm sure you could find someone who says well he wasn't nice when I approached him but I try to be nice because why wouldn't you try to be nice so we've got you were mentioning the main course hang on Okay, so I'd have a rib eye steak, and I'd probably have some potato dauphinoise. I love that. Mum did dauphinoise the other night, and I said, I bet you Rob Brydon would like that.

39:15Lennie Ware: Yeah, I did it the other night. She's given you Vajaz's rice. Dauphinoise, and people probably ate that more than that. Yeah, it's a real treat, isn't it? It's so lovely, isn't it? You're not getting that tonight. You're not getting that. As well as that, there's I'd like just some just some chips but but lovely chips thrice cooked well not necessarily those there's a we we go we go to an area in France um uh near Carcassonne and a lot of was the Languedoc area which is you've got on that one there right and a lot of the restaurants you go to there that do their chips the same way which is all i can say is they're quite brown that's that's the only way i can describe them right this is but so not like these fancy yeah thrice cooked like little little are we talking like wide or thin irregular shapes okay which is nice yeah lovely um and different sizes they're delicious i'll have some of those as well and then I'd want some sort of greenery on there.

40:23I might have... Well, I'd use what I'd have. I can't eat mushrooms because it affects my skin. So I'd have mushrooms because presumably I'm going to die imminently, yes, with this meal?

40:37Lennie Ware: Listen, either... Well, it's your last supper. Or you're going somewhere and nobody's going to see your bad skin. Oh. So it's like either way, you basically, you're going to die. Does it hurt you? You've said it's my last... Last supper or before you go to Desert Island or Death Row, it's up to you. It's upset a lot of listeners when we said it was Death Row meal. So we've kind of given the option. All right. Well, if there was no more living, I'd have some lovely mushrooms. So you like mushrooms? Yes. And how does it affect your skin? Well, it gives me horrible kind of, you know, big, horrible spots.

41:12Lennie Ware: Oh, really? It's to do with... When I was a teenager, very bad acne, had tons of antibiotics, because in those days they would just send them out. And as a result, I've been told I don't digest yeasty fungal things, you see. And also citrus I often react to, but mushrooms in particular, you see. You haven't got any of that. Lovely. So I would probably have some of those. And then for pudding, oh, probably something chocolatey. because mucus wouldn't be a concern. Oh, the words come back. Oh. I can't stand it. Shall I put it over here to serve? Yeah, sure. Oh, look at that. A spatchcock. I was about to say the word spatchcock.

41:58Lennie Ware: Yeah, I know. But given that we've already had moist and bejazzle, I wondered whether it was wise. Oh, jeez. Mum, I wonder whether that could have a sprinkling of herbs just to really... Darling, it's not supposed to. You're an affectionist, you. there's no way there's no way I'd suggest anything else to that Jesse how much have you cooked of this yeah I know Jesse wow we got so far before you said it did you go to Panto yeah I have done the Richmond Panto is always great isn't it Anton Dubeck is doing it this year I love him who doesn't who doesn't love Anton are you a Strictly fan yes yes yes we watch Strictly so I think we may go I'll tell you a funny story about Pantoman Here we go.

42:44Finally he comes up with a funny story. Oh, good. I did a charity event and I was with Gerry Hall.

42:53Lennie Ware: She was at Richmond Pantone. That's part of the story. Stop spoiling the bank's eye, mother. Sorry, I was just trying to commune with him. She says, I'm going to be in Richmond in Pantone, man. You must come to the opening night. I said, that's Gerry Hall. I said yes of course so we go and we're sitting up in the circle how do you know her? because I was at a because he's fabulous, die I was at I'm an ambassador for the Princess Trust and I think she is and we were at a lunch and I'll tell you the story they were auctioning off a round of golf with me and at one point she stood up and she said she said I've spoiled everything.

43:42Do you not like golf? You hate golfers.

43:44Lennie Ware: No, it's just about golfing. I have a problem. People who play golf. No, you are, well, I'm going to say prejudice. I think I am a bit. I'm calling you out for prejudice. I know. All right, well, you need to take a long, hard look at yourself. I do. I probably do. It's an unappealing quality in an otherwise very appealing package. so and we're at this thing and they're bidding for this to play golf with me so at some point she stands up she goes I'll caddy for Rob so I had it was going that badly Rob no seriously I think that's why she did it because who would want to play golf with me so we go and we do this thing and she caddied and she walked the course with me and it was great which golf course do you belong on?

44:32Wisley.

44:34Lennie Ware: Oh, right. I don't belong there. They arranged it, you see. So we're going around the golf course, right? And she's caddying. Yes, and she's lovely, right? She's vivacious and lovely. She's gorgeous. But she's also not just look. She's very appealing. She was lovely. Anyway, she says, I'm going to be in pain, ma 'am. You must come. So I said, OK, lovely. So we go, and here's the story. We're sat behind Mick Jagger. He went to the Because they're all, you know, they all get on, don't they? And they're la-di-da. So she plays the baddie. So she's on, they're going, I'm evil, I'm bad. And he's there going, boo, piss, boo.

45:17It's behind you.

45:18Lennie Ware: It's behind you. And then in the interval, I went. You've got the voice, exactly. Thank you. And then in the interval, I went to the loo and I came back and he was in the queue for ice cream or something. and he went, oh, some good jokes, Rob. Oh, God. As if to say, I'll talk to him about comedy. Do you get hecklers? Oh, not in a nasty way. Jo Brand, if you listen to her, she came on and she said she used to have the most, the most horrendous thing. When I was starting out, I was playing, I was doing an open mic spot. That's where you go on for no money and you're allowed five minutes maybe, okay?

45:57Lennie Ware: Terrifying. Yes, so the audience don't know you. You're totally unknown. The expectation is that you won't be very good. And I was at a place up in Greenwich called Up the Creek, famously tough. Oh, Up the Creek, yeah. Famously tough place. Is it still there? It was Crete Road. The guy who's died, Malcolm Hardy, who was a well-known guy that ran it. So I go on. I'm doing whimsical observations about Wales, and I'm getting nothing. And at one point, somebody in the audience goes, and I go, I just carry on. Then someone else goes, oh, that's like our cat. No, get that. Now, when we clap, we've got two cats and Biscuit is the button.

46:41But when we clap, he just thinks, oh, I'm doing well. He says, well, thank you, my darling. You're very kind. So I do it again. So if you clap when he's near food, he won't come down, but yours, that's good. So anyway, so one person does sheep, another one does sheep, another one, another one. And before long, the whole room is doing sheep noises. That is terrifying. Terrifying. Did you want to cry? Yes. And I carried on. And I remember when I drove back home from that gig, it's a long way because we lived then in Mortlake, East Sheen. And I remember thinking, well, that's it. It's all over. And I was doing okay.

47:21I was making a living as a voiceover artist. This was in the 90s, mid-90s. So we were doing quite well. But I remember thinking, it's all over. And my thought was, don't spend any more money. That was my thought. Just in case. Just hold on to it because you're going to need it. But the next morning I woke up and I thought, right, I'll show you, buggers, and I'll go back. And I did go back. And I certainly didn't raise the roof, but they didn't.

47:49Lennie Ware: Didn't do shoot me. Can I just point something out? Often when people come on this podcast They end up doing duets with Jessie Like Kylie Minogue Did you do one with Kylie? Yeah it's out now She's good She's very good Do you want to do a duet? Of course What would be our song? I'm not singing No we're not going to sing now No but what would be We're going to put one out professionally I think you should Listen we could do Guess it's over Call it a day Which one is that? You don't see I'm too old for you No it isn't Sorry that it had to end This way No reason to pretend We knew it had to end Someday What's the chorus?

48:32Well, it's going to be me and you, Lennie. Yeah, I think it will. Someone forget about me. You must know this. Who sang it? Too much, too little, too late To ever try again I like it.

48:40Lennie Ware: Who sang it? Johnny Mathis and somebody else. No, you... No. Johnny Mathis, was it Peebo Bryson? I don't think it was. That's the first song that came to my mind. Where is the love Remember that one? Yeah, I do Or Jessie, you could suggest a song from the last 50 years maybe No, Donny Hathaway and Roberta Flack Where is the love you said you'd give to me Or okay, what about let's come bang up to date Shadows falling baby I stand alone Out on the street You need everybody you meet You've got a heart I love you're all You want to be a hero Making a crime To be lonely or sad Ain't ought to be illegal You've got a reason for living You battle hard You do everything With the love we're building I think I'm going to be right We used to put in Barbara We used to put the friggin' tree up To that Guilty Was my birthday Guilty our love we'll climb any mountain near or far we all got a highway to the sky yeah I love it gorgeous have you ever met Barbara?

50:02no nor Barry I'd rather meet Barry

50:06Lennie Ware: that sounds like when you were Barry you said that very well I met Robin Gibb because he was on because the Bee Gees wrote Islands in the Stream so Robin did backing vocals But he's wrote it! I can't realise that! Now think about it again. Oh my God, but I thought it's a country. When I met you, there was peace unknown. I said I'd to get you in the fire drop gone. Yeah, so Robin did backing vocals and he was in the video, so I got to meet him, which was really good. And we did Top of the Pops singing that, and Oasis were on it and Take That. Did you feel bloody rock and roll? Number one! And I said to him as we were about to do it, I said oh I'm quite nervous Robin and he said do you know what I do when I'm nervous I said no he said I turn what if into so what I love that oh that's such a good motto have you gone on to open mic night since and thought that's what if so what who would like some pecan pie me I for one would love some of your pecan pie Jess would you get a little jug out I eat the whole pecan pie.

51:16Lennie Ware: So what if I eat the whole pecan pie? Just get a little jug, darling. Now, can I ask, will it be sufficiently moist? Oh, my God, I don't know.

51:29Lennie Ware: Rob, do you cook? No, I flirted with cooking over the years. It's something I'd like to do. And when I do it, I enjoy it in a kind of therapeutic way. Do you? I like the beginning. yeah because I'm not if I had to do it all the time but I think if you can treat yourself to just doing it now and again I love the beginning middle and end nature of it barbecue oh yeah yeah I'm I'm mr. barbecue but that doesn't count yeah yeah we we gas or a gas but I actually went to I went to a day-long course it was given to me as a as a Christmas present once at the Weber Academy in uh wow Weber Academy and if that if that doesn't give me a free new barbecue nothing does Oh, Jessie, that is such a webber.

52:12Lennie Ware: It's a good thing. We've all got webber. It's a day long. Yeah, it's great fun. It's really enjoyable. And I switched to gas after that because we were always charcoal and a little snobby, if I'm being very honest. The webber, have you got the spirit? The small one. No, it's got a big one. It's big. Oh, you've got a big one. Got a big one, yeah. And the general opinion at home is that I've got better. Really? Since the academy? Well, no, since lockdown. because we did more of it in the lockdown. The difference is I take a bit of a chance now as to whether or not it's done. As opposed to cremating it, I layer on the other side so that there's a lot more flavor.

52:52You let it rest. It's always done, but I don't overdo it in the way I used to.

52:57Lennie Ware: Have you got a meat thermometer? I don't need it. I've asked for... I go on instinct. Do you do like the poking of the finger? He's an instinctive meat cooker. No, I'm an instinctive. I'm an instinctive... You can tell I've had a drink. I'm starting to get... I'm having to pull myself back from certain jokes. Oh, no, carry on. I'm waiting for them. I am with the barbecue as I... Yes, so I've got better at it anyway. And my wife says, oh, you've got better. You've got better because there's more flavour. Yes, I do. When you graduated from the Weber Academy, what do they give you as a symbol of your graduation?

53:37I think they basically try to sell you stuff is what happens. They say, well, you're so good, Mr. Brydon. Would you like to buy this?

53:45Lennie Ware: They don't give you a hat and tongs. They might. It was a few years ago. They might have done. But seriously, they taught you, for example, the importance of cooking with the lid on and all the stuff you can do with indirect heat. So as opposed to just, you know, you put the thing at the other side and you have the heat down at that end. So it's just like an oven, really. But also chocolate puddings done. Oh, what? No, seriously, in the barbecue. Have you done it since? Yes, once. Does anyone want a bit more ice cream? I'm done, Mum. Oh, no, no, I mustn't, but thank you. I'm, like, landscaping my garden and...

54:21Lennie Ware: So the children can't use it. But I... My landscaping designer... Alice knows where I was going with that. Nobody else does. Oh, what? Let me hear. OK, yeah, bejeweled rice, landscaping... Got it, Rob. I looked round and saw Alice would... Whereas you two were blissfully unaware. I wanted to talk about my layout. I think it's quite completely... LAUGHTER

54:51God, you are drunk, Rob. Look, if you want to talk about your layout... LAUGHTER Please don't let me stop you. It's Christmas.

54:58Lennie Ware: I think you probably could get diabetes after that pecan pie. I really love pecan pie. Good. So thank you, Mum. That was delicious. Thank you for dinner. It's too sweet. I don't think so. Well, it was sweet, but, you know, in moderation. Yeah. Anyway, back to your layout. What is your karaoke song, Rob? Because we ask everyone. My karaoke song? Oh, probably Delilah. Oh, for God's sake. I sing that in this show. Don't you really stick to that again? Bloody hell. Well, look, why go elsewhere? Should we just have one chorus of it? Or, well, no, hang on. No, I'd rather sing something. Okay, go on, sing something.

55:34Well, we've already sung a bit of Guilty. No, I'd like another one.

55:38Lennie Ware: Guilty is a great album. Guilty is a good one. Don't you love that album? Oh, yeah. I'm a man of information I'm a stranger to the cost Been watching you, watching me, baby But I hang my head and find a new heart A room with a view Is heaven and heaven Is that the one that's got Woman in Love? Yeah. I am a woman It's a ride out of care! What does he go? Life is a moment in time When the dream is on It's a lonelier place I kiss the morning goodbye I stumble and fall But I give you it all I am a woman in love We're very low now And I'll do anything To get you into my world And hold you within It's a ride I defend Over and over again What will I do?

56:40Lennie Ware: You came into work! You were in too soon, you were in too soon. Oh, that's me, in too soon. Anyway, okay, well, Rob Brydon, it's been an absolute pleasure. Oh, my pleasure. Losing my voice for my tour with you. And talking to you about, honestly, you're just lovely, and thank you very, very much for doing this. Thank you for having me.

57:16Lennie Ware: So that was Rob Brydon. What a fabulous guest. Second helping. There was a lot of singing. Yes. Curiously. Yeah. Yeah, we still need to release our duet, Rob. Also, Rob has his first children's book coming out in September. The Cat in the Cupboard. No doubt it will be a hoot. And brilliant. So please go and get it. Thank you to everyone for listening to Second Helpings. It's always fabulous to go through old episodes. And shout out to producer Alice for getting this all together. Jessie, do you think everyone's got a ticket for your show? I don't know. Well, they haven't got long now, have they?

57:52Lennie Ware: No, I'm going on tour very, very soon. I'm banking a few eps before I go. Yes. Yeah, come see me around the world. America I start with you first Europe you're next and then we finish in the UK thank you for listening we are so excited to start the new season of Table Manners very very soon and we can't wait to give you a whole new feast of guests and memories lots of feasting

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