Brian Conley: How He Became Saturday Night TV’s Biggest Star

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1:10So my defense mechanism was making everyone laugh. And that was the moment where I went, I am never going to waste a spot anymore.

1:21Welcome back to What's The Trick? I am your host, Ben Hanlon, and this is the podcast where I sit down with the world's most creative people and try and understand their creative process. And today's guest is legendary entertainer Brian Connolly. So let me bring you up to speed about Brian. He started his career in the clubs as a singer, as an impressionist, as a comedian. Fast forward, he got his own show in the 90s on ITV, prime time, the Brian Connolly show. He was massive. The viewers were regularly 15 million people and more. and one of the reasons I need to get him on the show is he's been a big thing in our house.

1:57I remember gathering around watching tapes of him and his show and as a family we loved him. So it very much I think now I look back influenced a lot of my humour because it's very cheeky, it's very quick, it's witty but it's also really family friendly. So I think he has shaped a lot of that. But what I wanted to figure out was his characters. So you do need to know about his characters. He had this character called Dangerous Brian, who was like a stuntman goofball. He had another character called Septic Peg, who was like Mystic Meg. And he had another character called Larry the Loafer, who was a puppet.

2:30And that gave way to his big catchphrase, which was, it's the puppet. So I think you've been brought up to speed now on those. And we talk about them in a bit more detail. And since doing all of that, he's gone on to now be in the West End. He's played Fagin in Oliver. He's been Al Jolson in Jolson. and now he's preparing for a big tour with his buddies. He's got Shane Ritchie, Joe Pasquale, Bradley Walsh. They're going out on tour in the Brat Pack. So he's always busy doing something. And one of the big reasons, though, that I really wanted him on the show was I wanted to know why him? Why was he able in the 90s to rise up above his competition?

3:08What was it? Was it him? Was it his act? And also, how do you devise all those famous characters and catchphrases? and how do you deal with dealing with 15 million people uh what is his secret weapons to being able to do all of that and we cover that it's a really great conversation i think you'll hear it in this that i loved loved talking to him and it was recorded in london where we sat down together at the fantastic podcast room which i'll talk about later on in the show it's a really fun one this so enjoy it hope you love listening to it i love to recording it this is what's the trick with Brian Connolly.

3:43First of all, Brian Connolly, welcome to What's the Trick? I'll tell you what, mate, I love this show. I've listened to it a long time, and I know I've always wanted to be on it, but you never contacted me, but I'm very pleased that I'm now on it. I do. I just think it's fun. It's incitive. Is that the right word, incitive? I suppose so. It's informative. Informative, yeah. And I like your pillows. Thanks. I love that. I feel like I'm playing the bag part. We're off already. Put it here. We're going to start. I'll tell you what I do, because there's loads of places I wanted to start with you, Brian.

4:18But actually, I want to start. Go on. In around about, and you can narrow this down, but around about 1989, where someone says, you've got your own TV show. Because that was 15 million people live. Because there was only three channels. It was never live. I mean, if you're talking about live, it would have been, of course, to Jimmy Talbot live from the Palladium, live from Her Majesty's, live from the Piccadilly, which was the best-known laxity in the show business when you were told you got that, or the Royals, obviously. This was when the Royal Varieties were the big show on TV every year. How did you get to a point where someone said, all right, Brian, you've got your own show?

4:57Well, it was obviously a gradual build-up, step by step, you know, and then sort of, you know, doing the live froms and doing Her Majesty's and everything, which of course was mega in its day and doing well on them. And then, of course, a pilot, and we'd done a pilot, and then I'd done a show called Brian Connolly This Way Up. That was my first television series. And then that done well, and then I had the producer, Nigel Lithgow, sort of come on board, and we then done, but it ended up being too expensive, Brian Connolly, like as if it was filmed live in a theatre. It was normally the Churchill Theatre.

5:39And we used to do them. Of course, they were six shows. That's what you used to do then, you know, like a six-show block. If you had any more than that, it was very unlikely you had more than that. So we've done all in about a week. We've done these six shows, which were so full on. And that was successful, but then that obviously sort of got too expensive. And they said, let's do it in the studio. and then I had the honour of being in Studio One at LWT for many years. Yeah, and you did that. And do you remember when that was coming into fruition and it was getting pitched, were you part of it going, I want to do this, I want to do singing, I want to do comedy?

6:16How did all that shape? Well, of course, we'd done Brian Conley this way up and then I had a big say in that as well. sort of how I wanted it done. Obviously, we had to play to my strengths, and that was pretty much everything, you know. So, you know, we had a bit of singing. We had stand-up. We had acting. It was very much, you know, that format, which, of course, was Madhouse, you know, initially with Freddie Starr. Freddie Starr's Madhouse, then Russ Abbott's Madhouse. Everything sort of followed that format, where the Starr would sing a bit, do some, you know, sketches, and then maybe have a guest.

6:59but we came up with trying to make it look live so we had a lot of Velcro jackets and a lot of walking into sets which was all my idea to develop Nick Frisbee and the puppet because we've done it as one sketch and just knew it was successful and we come up with Dangerous Brian and I would do a stunt every week so every week we would do Nick Frisbee Every week we would do Dangerous Bright, every week we would do Mystic Make, called Septic Peg, which was quite unusual then. No one would do the same sketch every week. But that really resonated and went into the British public, sort of, you know, went to their soul.

7:43Well, even now, I mean, I'm 40 now, and I remember, I can literally, I remember all of that. Septic Peg, the winner of the lottery will be either a man or a woman, celebrating a birthday this year. you know the good thing about your comedy was and I think I said to you this off camera is I remember my childhood and I even think about it now because I've been speaking to my mum and dad about this coming up the last few days the happy memories of gathering all of us gathering around the telly watching your show and it catered for me because I was like he's the Dangerous Brian guy so I love that but then my mum was howling with laughter at other things and then the singing so it really did cater and it's hard it's a variety show but I think comedy to cater for a seven-year-old and a 90-year-old is hard.

8:29Especially at that time, I very much admire Michael McIntyre. I think, you know, his comedy's strong, and when you're going out to a family crowd, that is the hardest gig, you know, because you are very restricted with what you can talk about, very restricted on how funny you can be, because you can't be cheeky. You know, I very much admire the strength of his comedy week in, week out when he's doing that show at the Palladium, and I know how that feels. but yeah it was an era where you couldn't say bum I had a joke about something about I can't remember but it had the word bum in it no you can't say bum it was like really but of course we're in an era where initially there was only three channels and then there was four and then people go hi and you got 12 million oh blimey oh god 12 million viewers 12 million views um or but we used to average 15 sticking with the characters for a moment so come on I've got to say it's a puppet Genuinely now, how many days a week or how often do you?

9:29Do you hear that every day? Yes, I do. Do you still? Yeah, and I do a bit, mate. Well, anyway, every bleeding day of the week. That was 45 years ago and no one had a mobile phone and a selfie meant something completely different. That's what I say. But, yes, I've embraced it. Yeah. Because there is that famous thing in Blackpool, the comedy carpet, and it's on that. And then one year my brother bought me for Christmas a big poster that had classic catchphrases, Tommy Cooper, you know, just, you know, Larry Grayson, just all these wonderful catchphrases. And he had, it's a puppet. And I went, so have you had this made up there, bro?

10:08And he said, no, I just bought it. It's like, oh, my God. I'm an icon. It's a puppet. There was a moment in the second half of Jolson, where Jolson, this was like the second big show I'd done back in the early 90s, where Jolson would talk about his mother and the regret that his mother never saw him become famous and that his mother died in his arms. And it was a really emotional moment. And so we're opening night in Canada, you know, so we're doing it there and I go, you know, my mama she never saw any of this you know and then she she laid on my lap and she made a noise I never heard and obviously he's talking about that that death row when she went she made this noise I never heard and then she shouted it's a puppet and only the one person in that well it was 1500 seater knew what that meant everyone else what did she say that for look out at that and then you as a performer that works that can add Adlib, every bit of you wants to break character and ad-lib.

11:15You couldn't stop and explain why he might have shouted that out. And it was such an emotional moment. So much of the show pivoting on this moment, especially when he's about to sing Mammy. You know, just totally burst the bubble. And I went down there and kicked shit out of him. No, I didn't. He's dead now. Do you know, I was on the train, because I told you I got the train in today. Yeah, it was late. I thought we weren't going to talk about that, Brian. I was late, okay? So I had a lot of time to think. And as I was thinking about the literary, I didn't even go on YouTube. I didn't look this up.

11:48This is absolutely honest, true. A thing popped into my head. There was a bit you did with Nick Frisbee and Larry the Loafer where you read a poem. And I know it word for word, 30 years later, it was Larry was in church. Singing a hymn, someone threw a tomato at him. Tomatoes don't know it, they're coming in skin. But this one did. It was in a tin. Yeah. I love that joke. That's lodged into my brain and probably into millions of people's brains. Yeah. You were probably like, I don't know, 11, 12. Yeah, exactly. It was a long time ago, though. Right. So, okay. So, that set the scene as to kind of how you got in there.

12:28Like you say, you worked your way up. You got spotted. You got your opportunities. You nailed those opportunities. And then you played to your strengths. You did your show. Question, though, and be honest here. Yeah, yeah. Why you? because in any game, there are thousands of people all trying to do the same thing. What was it about you or your act or what you were doing that got you above everyone else, do you think, at that time? Well, I look back now and I think about it, and I'll tell you why, because it's Haylen Pace. Do you remember Haylen Pace? Yeah, the sketch. Haylen Pace were mega. My manager had Haylen Pace, so he could play a game.

13:07If you want a hail and pace, you've got to have Brian. And that's how it works, this business. You've got to hold the cards. If you want this, you've got to have that. And, of course, my management also, and I was lucky, I was spotted by Bob Boyce, my manager at the time. This is when people had managers, people that manipulated and structured and worked on your, you know, it was a team effort to get to the top. So we were Canon and Ball, who were mega at the time, international artists, had all the comics, you know, Ken Dodd, everybody was with them. And I was very lucky. I was spotted young, which is another very long story.

13:50But anyway, Bob took me on board and we worked on the act. And suddenly I'm doing 12 minutes with Canon and Ball. I'm doing all these, working with all these big names and getting seen by the right people. and then I do a bit of telly and then I'm not any good at telly because no one knows how telly works. It's not like now when you watch Brent's Got Talent, there's a camera behind the camera. Oh, this is how it works. This is the audience. When you were doing a telly back in the day, it was so difficult to not play the audience. You've got to look at the cameras. That's where the money is, bro.

14:27Look down the barrel. So I ended up, Bob said, right, I think we should take you back now and do warm-ups. And I went, yeah, but that's such a step back. I'm doing telly and everything. And by warm-ups, you mean the warm-up, so when they're filming a TV thing with an audience, in between the filming, they need a guy just to keep the audience warm. And it's usually a comedian that just, and it still happens today, it's still a job. No, you can't really pump them with a load of jokes. You don't want to make them too pumped up. There's a fine line. Yep. So anyway, I went back and started doing them and started doing all of Kenny Everett's shows.

15:03So Kenny Everett, when he was at ITV in the Beeb, the very first time I went on board, he wanted me all the time. And then, of course, I'd done all the BBC shows, you know, New Barry Cryer and people like that. And then I'd done Wogan for a little bit, only a little bit because I got the sack, so I was too funny. No Ledman shows. Can we just talk, I've heard you say this before. Why would you get the sack for being too funny? Because I sort of, you know, you go live, it would go live. And so about 15 minutes beforehand, you would go on and even do the countdown. We're going live when, you know, when Terry comes on, give him a great big cheer, you know, this countdown, 10, 9, and then they play it.

15:44So it was a lovely little gig because all you had to do was that little bit. It wasn't on and off all the time. Yeah. And I just whipped him up too much. You know, I just whipped, you know, and everyone thought it was fine. But there was another note from Bob was don't hold back. You know, I've done the laughter show for... Sorry, Bob, my manager. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So I've done the laughter show for Les Dennis and Dustin J. I also used to do Russ Abbott's. But I never held back. So I was quite happy to get the sack because the right people were there, the exec producers, they're listening, and it just started to plant a seed.

16:21What you said there really is strategy. The strategy was really clever. You got yourself in the conversations. you got yourself in the room of where stuff was happening and then your manager sounded like he had a great strategy of how to get you better so that's all strategy but then equally there had to be a point where you still had to do the thing and deliver so of course i was eventually coming up with the goods but i remember watching bobby davro do a life from my majesty's he was on in the second half and uh well i done my first time i've done a little bit that was great and then david went on in the second half and that freddy star no one had ever seen it he'd done all these bit and that eight minutes he became a star.

16:59He absolutely blitzed him. He'd done Jim Davis and he was doing all this. And I was in the wings and I was watching this and then I saw how Ian got a lovely new car, he got a nice little house and he got a television series and it all came off the back of this eight minutes. One spot could change your life. Yes. And that was the moment where I went, I am never going to waste a spot anymore. I'm going to get right as on ball, I'm going to be as original and as topical as I can. There was a wonderful impressionist and he was doing a place called Bayliss and Watford and he used to do the impressions of boxers while skipping because this impressionist used to be a boxer.

17:39So he'd skip and he'd do Hamid Ali and Henry Cooper and how they would skip. And then everyone, it became like, I think, oh, have you seen him do the skipping routine? Oh, the skipping routine. Oh, yeah. and now I'm just thinking well what do I do that's really different, what do I do what do people go, oh you've got to see him do that I say it's nothing really different to what is coming out at the moment so now I'm going to do fire eating that'd be funny, I was like yeah I'm going to learn how to fire eating and then I'm working with the great Soprendo who was Geoffrey Durham and his wife was Victoria Wood who used to just sit in the dressing room very quietly, Geoff was talking about, yeah and I used to fire Eowyn I went, use the fire.

18:22Can you teach me the fire? So there was that, and I developed that blimmin' fiddle. Do you mean Devil Went to Georgia? Yeah, Devil Went down to Georgia, which I still do, and it still brings the house down, even though half of them have seen it. So this, for anyone who hasn't seen this, this is, I'm going to paraphrase it, right, because this is how I remember it as a 12-year-old boy watching this. Funnily enough, my mum sent me this video this week. She was like, do you remember this? Oh, yeah. So it's, and it's you, what it looks like from the beginning is you're standing there with a fiddle and it's this devil went down to Georgia and it's this song and then you're doing the fiddle.

19:00Yeah, and he's clearly miming doing the fiddle and you're like, okay, that's the gag, fine. And then there's a kind of camera almost zooms out, whatever. You notice what I can only be described is your Willie. He's out of your flies and he's moving to the beat. And then when you look a bit closer, you realise, I think you make a go, there's a nail on it. and it's your finger. And what you've done is you put a fake arm in to hold the fiddle and your other arm is down there. And it's just silly. And it's ridiculous. It holds the bow and it keeps grabbing the mic stand and moving that about. Where did this idea, do you remember having that idea?

19:34Did you go, I've got it. Oh, yeah. Go on. This came about because I was working one of the only groups at the time, one of the only acts that would, because then you can get to a point where you're not a star but your act is so strong that a lot of people don't want to be with you. You know, they go, oh, what about, no, we're not having him closing first half, it's too strong. But the only ones that would were the Grumbleweeds, who were mad and zany. They used to do The Devil Went Down to Georgia, and I just thought it was a great song, and of course it had that violin bit in it. And then I don't know, of course at that time, you had Steve Martin.

20:11He used to do a bit where he had a false arm. and he used to do The Magician but you're a cloak or something like that. The great, he used to, oh he had a character didn't he? The great something or other but yeah, because a lot of your stuff has got Steve Martin-esque. I love Steve Martin. I thought he was brilliant. I listened to all his albums and was aware of you know, just how mad he was but I don't know if I was influenced by that. It was possibly part of that era anyway but then those two things come together where I thought oh well, maybe if I do the Devil Went Down Georgia and I've got a full time up here, then my phone.

20:46And then I've done it, and I've done it at the beginning of my act because it took a lot of setting up. Yes. But then I couldn't follow it because it was so funny that I couldn't follow it. So I thought, I've got to put it near the end. So that's how it came about. And I've done it ever since. Even in this show, The Pratt Pack, the first half we finish on it. And when I do it and eventually my finger holds the violin bow, So you get that rock. I look out and that whole roll is rock forward with laughter and come back. And that is the most unbelievable thing. You know, it's just, I love that silliness.

21:24And I've looked back. Then suddenly I do a Royal, I think it's on YouTube. No, it's not a Royal. It is a Jimmy Tarbutt show. It's the first one back at the Palladium. And it's the first time Tom Jones has been on a British TV show. for years and he had been in Vegas and very successful in America. So everyone's watching this show and I'm right on at the beginning and still a young guy who's – and my act is going very well and then I go, oh, we've got Tom Jones on. I once sung with Tom Jones. He was on the radio and I was on the toilet and it was just a little throwaway and I don't know why I did it but I swung the mic between my legs to do like a Tom, did you know?

22:08Oh, yeah. I swung the mic through my legs and then as it came up, the mic came off the lead and it fell in the audience. This is live. In front of like 15 million people. Hello. That refresh you've been putting off until the right deal came along? It's here. Wayfair's Black Friday in July sale is happening now so you can finally get the style you've been waiting for for less. Get up to 80 % off area rugs and up to 60 % off outdoor and bedroom furniture. Shop Wayfair's huge selection of styles and find the piece to fit your style, budget, and space. Plus, free shipping. Black Friday in July ends July 27th.

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22:53Brian Conley: Wayfair, every style, every home. Do you keep hearing podcast ads, like this one for example, but always wonder how you actually get involved with them for your own brand or organization? Well, it's easier than you think. We're Acast, and we give you the platform to do it all yourself. Browse thousands of popular podcasts, choose the shows that match your perfect audience, set your budget, and launch. And if you want a hand, our podcast specialists are there to help you launch with confidence. This is podcast advertising without barriers. Get started at acast.com slash advertise. Hello, it's Ben, and this is a short commercial break.

23:34And I usually say that because even though we have no sponsors, but that has changed because we now have our first ever sponsor, which is the podcast room, which is where we recorded this episode with Brian. It is just to give you a bit of context about these guys. They're two lads who started this amazing business where they've got studios up and down the country, Leeds, Birmingham, London, Brighton. And that's why I like them is that sometimes I need to record with guests all over and they've probably got a studio near them. And wherever you go, their staff are really friendly. The video quality is great and the audio quality is great.

24:10So if you are thinking about recording any corporate videos or any podcasts, go and check out the podcast room. I can thoroughly recommend them. Let's talk about Brian. This is just a brilliant interview. We're going to jump back in. A couple of things about him. He's on tour with the Brat Pack. So have a look at the dates. He's starting from September and I'm sure he's coming to a city near you. he's also on channel 4 right at the moment in celebrity hunted with his daughter lucy conley who's also a comedian so you can have a look at that what do i need to tell you about my own stuff at the moment by the way as i record this is no word of a lie it is 10 past 5 in the afternoon it's the summer holidays and my i've locked my son in the garden uh he's currently just kicking a ball i'm watching him he's just kicking a ball and throwing stones in the air at the moment which is great because I'm trying to get them to be as quiet as I can once I record this so if you're any parents on summer holiday we've got six weeks of this good luck everyone but I am also taking a bit of a summer break from my normal work which most people will know I do a lot of corporate events and keynote speaking and my keynotes are really going down extremely well at the moment I'm building courses around them it's all about human connection and the way we command rooms and communicate and i do this talk on human connection is your competitive advantage and if you've got any conferences or any work things and you think you might need a host or a speaker or anything like that all the information is on benhanlin.com i've got loads of videos there and it's a completely different side to what you'd see me on here or even on my instagram even so have a look at all of that stuff what else do i need to tell you let's talk about the pod we've released a new social media specifically for what's the trick it's on instagram it's what's the trick pod so So if you are a fan, do me however, go and follow that.

25:54And I'm posting more clips of the episodes there. So it's a home for all of that content. And I'm also talking to you guys on stories a bit more. So hopefully building a bit more of a community. So it's whatsthetrickpod on Instagram. Go and have a look at that. And I'm going to ask you to do what I always ask you to do every week, which is lovely. And if you are a new listener, welcome. You are very welcome. Drop me a message, a DM. And if you know anyone that might like this, my mom and dad, for example, are loving this episode. They've already listened to it. you can share it with them drop them a whatsapp and say hey listen to this or if you know people that are into music comedy whatever it is creativity you can send them this show that would be amazing and this also as well a couple things if you didn't check out brett brent forrester's episode last week i've had some lovely messages about that the writer of the simpsons in the office go and have a look at that one and i'm also gonna just i don't know i've been looking at my analytics uh one of the best performers last month was go way back when was a music producer owen cuts who was storms these producer he's been doing really well as well so going to have a look at that one and i like how we just talked about this amazing about this podcast we've talked about brian connolly a writer on the simpsons in the office and storms these producer all pretty much in the same sentence that's what i love about this is the variety of the guests we're having which is great so thank you from me for everyone that's been getting on board that's been dming sharing let's keep it up let's build this little lovely community i'm going to tell you some more stuff in the outro but for now let's get back into what's the trick with brian conley you can initially see this horror in my face but then it suddenly like goes oh this is good and then i'm sort of just holding this blimmin mic lead uh you know running about the audience are roaring.

27:42One of the crew guys comes on with a mic, Jimmy Tarbuck's on the other side and I'm trying to clip it back in and it just became a moment and then of course I look down in the pit I go, sorry Mike and all this and then I've got Alan Ainsworth who is the musical director winding me up going, hurry up, hurry like this is life, come on get off and I'm like, oh yeah but then so suddenly I now got a little hook oh you're the guy where the microphone fell off you're the guy where the microphone fell off but also in that moment So, yeah, as you've just described there, this thing's gone wrong live. And your thing was to, and this is what a lot of, even people in real life, they've got to do a performance, a presentation, or even young performers or anything.

28:22You leaned into it and went, oh, here we go. This is going to make this special. And there's a skill there, isn't there, too. When the wheels are falling off, play with it rather than brush it off and go, oh, sorry about that, everybody. Do you know what I mean? You've got to tell the truth when you're out there. you know and it's like sieving for gold you know if you've got you you're on stage there dodgy curtains or you know just something that uh i appreciate that oh this is happening now and it's real and uh and i do i have a good look around i'll look at uh exits and think oh i could go out that exit i can come in that exit i'll look that uh fire door if i open that that now goes to uh this the road oh this is funny because i'll get someone in you know so we'll open the door right Come and watch the show and just get them.

29:10You people, move up a bit. You sit there, sit there. And just make it fun and live and used to the real cream and funny stuff comes out of real, you know, and telling the truth. And then, Attil, just to quickly talk about that time. Imagine this if you're listening to this. You're in the wings of this Live at the Palladium show and the red light's on and you know almost half the country is watching this. This happens every Sunday in Outreach. It's your spot. When you're in the wings, how are you dealing with the nerves? Well, that's a really good question, man. The very first time I'd done it, you wouldn't have a red light, but you'd have the adverts.

29:51So the adverts, and they'd have a telly that was, okay, well, any other show, it would just be the monitor. No, this is a real telly that people are watching at home. And, of course, I've done that many times where I'm watching the telly now and I'm going to go on next. and not really being known. See, now it's easy. You know, I walk out there, they know what to expect. They've seen me, they know, and they know my history and what I've done. So in those days, you're just a young comic that no one will know. If it was now in those adverts, I would rush on. I'd go, I'm really nervous. I'm really nervous.

30:25The adverts are on. Please, please, you know, be good. Laugh. All right, I'm going to go off now. So I would do that now. But then you're waiting in the wings and you've got Tarbot coming and he goes, oh, this is always the first spot of the night. If you get a young comic on, you know, he could make him a star. And you're going, oh, God, I don't want this intro. And in 1999, the last one of that, the millennium, I hosted it. And that was a huge honour, huge, you know, to actually host the Royal, introduce all these huge stars. And then one of the highlights of my career was at the very end when everyone bows, right at the very end, before they go into the handshake a bit with the Queen.

31:07You come forward and one, this person has to say three cheers for her majesty, the Queen. And I remember the producer come out and go, right, so Brian, you come forward. What, me? Yeah, you come forward and you say three cheers for her majesty, the Queen. Oh, right, okay then. That was mega. Then after that, every royal I'd done after that, I would do my spot and I would book a hotel the nearest to, say, the Palladium, the Majesties, and that's where I would go. I would go there. I wouldn't watch anything. I would just go there. And then just before the show, I'd come in, put my suit on. And that's the worst thing when you do big tellies like that.

31:42I'm sure you're aware. Is that they always get you down really early. I hate waiting in the wings. I put my suit on and I just, I'll go walking through the dressing room. I'm quite renowned for it. And I would just grab that mic and walk on. I do not want to be standing there because I've stood there so many times, quite honestly, shitting myself. But I tell my daughter who's in the business, I say, you've got to remember, nerves keep normal people away from our jobs. If it wasn't so terrifying, you know, everyone would be doing it. You know, you do get that where people are sitting there going, I don't know how he does it.

32:19But, you know, I'm battling through nerves to get to that. So with your daughter, when she's saying I'm nervous and you said, OK, that's what keeps them away. What do you what are the mantras or the sayings to help her or help you get on that stage? The first couple of minutes, like the back of your hand, absolutely backwards. You know, even if you don't get one laugh, you're okay because it is like a hypnotic thing, you know. And it sort of talked to me when I used to do the nightclubs and obviously the social clubs way back. You know, the first sort of five minutes has got to be some of your strongest stuff.

32:54And like a machine gun, bam, bam, bam, bam, bam. Don't even wait for them to laugh. So you've got to know that. And also know that my act, I'm so confident with, I don't get nervous. You know, if I'm doing a West End show, I'm doing a big show and it's the opening night, yes. But what I do know is over the week it will calm down. But what I tell Luce is just, you know, don't expect too much and just know that you'll have to battle through it. You know, that's what sorts the men out from the boys, you know, where you've got to cross that line. But the more you do it, the easier it gets. And the audience writing, that's what I say.

33:38You know, you've got to be honest. I'll tape from taping my show, taping my own little act, always tape it and listen to what works and what don't and be the worst critic and go, no, why am I doing that? I don't need that bit. There's two things you just said. And if you think that somebody listening to this might have a corporate job but I have to present, right? Both of those things, what you said there, apply to anyone. First of all, it's know the beginning, let your back of your hand. And you're exactly right because obviously if it's comedy, when you get that first big laugh, everything can relax.

34:08But just, and I've said this to CEOs walking on stage, just know your first minute well so it's sharp and everyone can go, okay, this is tight, right? But second thing you just said is listen to your audience. A lot of people don't do that. But actually every time you present or perform, there's a chance to go ooh that bit didn't get any head nods that bit didn't get a lot and constantly tweaking and changing right? All the time. Oh do you know what? One thing I really wanted to ask you and obviously your career you've got talent and skill and your joke writing's good and your singing's good but actually at the core of you when I see you on stage is you can look at the audience look at the camera and you do a smile and everyone smiles you're very likeable.

34:50Well that's it and you have to be like that in comedy I've got to like you first If they like you, you can get away with murder. But not everybody is as likeable. And I'm not saying that, but how important do you think that's been for your career? And also, how do you do it? Because you almost have this like wink of we're all in this. Come on, we're all going to have a bit of fun here. It's very infectious. It falls down to parents and everything. My dad was a cab driver, very much down to earth. And I don't take myself too seriously. And I've had a very, very lucky life. and I appreciate that.

35:24And as I get older, yeah, I just look back on how lucky I've been because that's it as well. You need a bit of luck along the way. You need to roll those doors. You've got to come up with the goods. If the door's open, you've got to say, I'm ready for this, but you need a bit of luck for those doors to open. And I think for a British audience, you have been quite self-deprecating on stage. It's very important. Like you say, you're happy to make fun of yourself. Yeah, absolutely. And people like that. And I don't mind looking like a right idiot or real happily wear whatever. I don't take myself too seriously.

35:57I do like Burst in That Bubble, you know, with how pretentious theatre can be. And it does annoy me sometimes. I'll stop making it so important, you know. At the end of the day, it's me and them, you know. And I very much, there's a light switch goes on when it's live. If you put me in a room and I've had to audition quite a few times, like I did for Doc Brown in Back's Future, Hairspray, I'm doing auditions for people that don't even know who I am or what my history is. So you've got to come up with the goods in the tiny little room, and I hate that. I hate that. You know, that's difficult for me.

36:41But get me in front of 1 ,500 people, that's when I come alive. Well, let's talk about that pivot then. So there's a point then when you stopped doing as much telly and you went into musicals. And if we can zoom in on that particular moment in your life, because it was, you know, you're almost not shutting the door, but you had all this stuff going on. And some people might have gone, why the hell are you trying to start over here when you've got this over here? and so how what was the thought process of why the move and how difficult was it for the people in the west end to take say you seriously well you have to there's always say brian connelly uh no brian connelly's a singer um you know and everything else i learned uh my father was a good singer i always had a strong singing voice i am dyslexic and i couldn't keep up in the classroom and so my defense mechanism was making everyone laugh.

37:39But, yes, so they kept asking me to go and be a me and my girl. Right. You know, Robert Lindsay had been in it. It was on at the Adelphi. And due to my now fame, television fame and that, the doors started to open. So I did not want to be a me and my girl because I thought it was a twee. I thought I'd have to be a me and my girl meant for each other. I thought, I don't want to do that. So anyway, they kept going, well, just go and see it, go and see it. So I sit there, and I am blown away, because me and my girl is about this cheeky, cockney, barrow boy who becomes an Earl. I run my manager in the interview and went, I have got to do this.

38:20And then suddenly I've done it, I learned it. I had to learn to tap dance, which I've played Barnum, and I've walked on a tight wire and done many things, but it was the hardest thing. Everything I looked at when I was watching was going, oh, I'll do that, that'll be all right, that'll be all right, I can do that. And then suddenly there's a four-minute tap routine. And I was like, oh. So anyway, I go in early to start rehearsals before anyone else. Six weeks before, and I am bashing out this whole four-minute tap routine. And eventually, by the time we get to rehearsals properly, I've sort of got it in my head.

38:55And then my leading lady came in, and she learned it in about an hour. And I was like, this has taken me six weeks. I really enjoyed tap dancing by the time we got to the show. And then there would be reactions from family and friends, and everyone had come back afterwards, and they couldn't say anything. You know, before they'd go, oh, what a lovely show. Oh, it was so funny. Oh, there they'd be like, I can't believe what I've just seen. And that was something really special for me. Like, yeah, this is good. Making people feel something. It feels something and, yeah, fulfilling something in myself, you know, to go, I'm not just a zany comedian Brian Conley.

39:42Just Dangerous Brian and Nick Frisby and Septic Peg is a little bit more to me. And that was suddenly now I've got the bug. Suddenly I want to do something else. And I wanted to do something that I could say was mine and original, and that's what moved on with Jolson. And then obviously you've done Jolson, you've done Fagin, you've done loads ever since. Is there any role, forget age now or anything like that, that you would love to have played or play? I always wanted to play Fagin. And I must tell you, you'll love this story. So I'm at stage school and that was a lovely move for my parents because obviously I was struggling at regular school and of course now I'm in stage school in the 70s.

40:26And that's because your teacher said to them, didn't she, Miss Griffiths? Yeah, yeah. She said when we had the parents' evening, and I'd just done the musical Yeoman in the Garden, I was only 11, 12, and my mum and dad said, oh, he was good in that, but we didn't know what to do with him. And she said, oh, I want tickets to his first head on business series. What do you mean? He said, he's got something, you've got to nurture it. You know, he's a big fish in a small pond. Go and put him into a stage school. I eventually did give her tickets, which was lovely. So I went to stage school. I was still a big fish.

41:02And then one particular day, Miss Speak used to come around at the end of, it was called Barbara Speak Stage School, and Miss Speak would come around at the end of every day and go, well, tomorrow there's auditions. It's four o 'clock, there's the address, there's the address. And now we have the responsibility of either going as a group because we're all going for the audition or individually. Or it might be a job. you know, because, and of course it was the 70s, I was the only kid in my class who was happy to have his hair shaved right back. So it was always period bits I'd do. I've done the film with Richard Burton, but I was like a choir boy and all these funny bits I've done over the years as a young kid, but never a big lead or anything.

41:44So she goes, right, well, there's auditions. Roy Hudd's playing Fagin. Auditions for Oliver, and you're going, So I was like, you're going, you're going, you're going. Brian, you're not going. You're going, you're going. And then I was sort of upset because I knew it was a singy bit. And then wherever it was a singing audition, I would normally be taken along. And I went, oh, Miss Speak, why not I go in? She said, and this is in front of everyone across. She said, because you're fat. You can't have a fat kid singing food, glorious food. It ain't going to work. And I went, oh, OK, then. And then this is in the 70s.

42:20And I go home. And you have a good day at school. And I went, yeah, mum and dad was sitting there. And I went, yeah, but there was an audition for Oliver. Oh, that would have been good. And I said, but Miss Speed said, I can't go because I'm fat. And you can't have a fat kid singing food, glorious food. And my mum and dad went, yeah. And that was it. I love it. I love it. But what was lovely, and it's in that era, is that it toughens you up. And she's right. You can't have a fat kid singing food, glorious food. But you got, it toughened you up for that rejection that you would get constantly in this.

42:55But also, it wasn't personal in that sense. I mean, obviously, somebody listening, well, you shouldn't talk about weight with children. There's all that. And who knows what that could lead to. But in essence, all the judgments weren't personal. It wasn't you as a person. It was, these are the information and you don't fit the criteria. You know, it was like taking notes in those days from directors. They didn't hang about. But I'm not saying I was never fat or fuddly. Well, I was going through that period, you know, suddenly, you know, coming into being a teenager. Yeah, right. Let's talk about the Pratt Pack.

43:29So what I think is really interesting, obviously most people will know about it. It's you, Bradley, it's Joe, it's Shane on tour. So what I really want to know, though, as we sit here today in July, and I think you're on stage in September, what... Rehearsal? No, what stage is the show at right now? We're also arguing what bits we should take out. Oh, great. This is what I wanted to hear about. Well, no, we should take that bit out. And Brad's going, we should lose that, lose that. So you've got to a point now where you, in theory, should have it taped. So you have a rough skeleton. Yes, without a doubt.

44:06But how have you got to that point? Do you all sit down months ago and go, right, what worked last time? What do more of? How does that all work? It all came about a couple of years ago where a certain style was meant to be doing the Palladium. And we had always said we should do this show, do the Pratt Pack. We had come up with that idea many years before. And then Bradley got the offer of doing the Palladium on this night because the other person couldn't fill it. And then we put it on sale and within two days it was completely sold out. And the tickets weren't cheap. So we thought, right, we're committed now.

44:45what we're going to do so we all sat down and thought well let's put this on the table let's work this works in my act this works this works okay then and uh and yeah and that night we were all petrified uh but we went out and we all gelled and because of our age everyone put their ego to one side and just went this will work better for you brad or if you if i'd say that this will work better for you and then we realized what the audience loved was us just ripping into each other. We all come out all suited and booted just like the Rat Pack and then the first, it started off as 10 minutes but it ended up 28.

45:22We are now arguing Uzu you know, your sonata I'm Dean Martin, you know Peter Lawford and of course Joe is Sammy Davis Jr. But hearing Joe sing it's just hilarious. And we get questions from the audience which is hilarious. We do a bit from the chase. I come on as a gladiator because and i wear the most well i'm dangerous bro oh dangerous yeah but we're in the oh scotty this one but we're in the lycra gladiator costume and i look such a cow it's just mayhem and they love it and we love it because we try and keep it fun and original so where you're in this point now you've filmed it and you're now as a group four of you got to decide what stays what yeah yeah how do you decide do you take votes do you just somebody we've all come in with ideas and like i've said before the audience right here so we go all right let's change all the opening and let's try this and this and this so we know we've got that you know what we've already done so we've got a template we know that at the beginning we're gonna we're gonna introduce and have a bit of fun.

46:37Then we all do 10 minutes each. Yeah, so that's your structure. That's the first half, which is like what the Rat Pack would do. Then we all are on for the second half, for the whole of the second half with the band. So we are at a point where we're all arguing it out. Is that on a WhatsApp group? Are you back and forth? Yeah, we've got WhatsApp. You've got to come in. You've got to know me. Yeah, okay. So we are now at a point where we go, we're going, well, look, I don't know how to say it works. And we go, well, let's try it. And then we've got nothing to lose. Let's try it. And I only have a thing, and I think we're all like that.

47:12I don't have to do it for a week. I don't have to do it. I know immediately if it's working or not. If it's got something. Yeah, go right. No, it doesn't work. So we all try and chip in, and then the best thing works. And then we sit in the dressing room and run it and run it. But we are always in the dressing room together. That became something last time. So we share a little tour bus that takes us to the next venue. that evening and we stay in a hotel always a premier inn very rock and roll and and then off we go again but we stay we keep that energy together you know with Joe irons a shirt Brad went to Primark and bought in the last two 26 white shirts because he wears them and he chucks them away does he?

48:00but we and Joe get him out of a bed take him out wash him and keep him Oh, he's doing well, isn't he? He's done with that chase. It's changed him. Yeah. I mean, he's got the Primark, but yeah, he buys all his shirts. We can't even wear it twice, you know. But anyway, that's our hilarious thing. And we all know each other's quirks and how we sort of prepare and how we get on with it, you know. Great. Well, look, it's going to be, it sounds amazing. It's going to be very, very funny. We are going to wrap things up with my Fast Five. Whoa. Are you ready, Brian, for your Fast Five? I am indeed. Okay.

48:34If you need to look, you can think. Okay, yeah. I want to have a little look. Right. Hold on. Okay, right, because I've made notes. Question one. Okay, go on then. Do you remember the film Highlander? Yes, I do. Where they go around chopping each other's heads off, and when you do that and you kill another immortal, you steal all of their skills or expertise. If you could steal the skills or expertise of anyone, dead or alive, who would it be? It would be anyone that is either an incredible piano player or an incredible guitarist. Gershwin. Gershwin. Or, who is a friend of mine, Tony Iommi. So I've got the skill of Tony Iommi, obviously with two fingers.

49:14Tony Iommi's lost his two fingers there. Do you know that? No. So Tony Iommi is the king of heavy metal. Yeah. Because Tony Iommi, when he was 17, cut off his two fingers on a sawmill. There, there and there, just saying. And now he's a guitarist and he wants to be in a band. So over the course of another year, he develops two little metal fingers that go on top, which then makes that heavy metal sound out of it. Right, time capsule. It's going to be difficult for you, Brian. You can only keep one project, character, joke, something you've ever done and to put into a time capsule everything else is going to vanish forever what are you keeping?

49:59It's me and my girl because it's the first musical I've ever done and it's the night Bob Hope came to see the show oh really? and he was sitting there with his wife Dolores and his son and this is fame this is fame so he was sitting five rows back you'll love this and he brought out the three seats in front the three seats in front the three seats in front of him. Did he? He had a clear view of the stage. And as you know, about five, six rows back, it was about the best sort of spot to sort of watch it. You really feel the atmosphere. So he brought them out. And then he's going to come back and say hello to us all.

50:37And we were all standing there. And he came back. And I had a photo with him, but it looks like I've got a coat hanging in the middle because I'm so happy to have a photo. He can bob ho. And then he said to me, how old are you? And I went, oh, at the time I was 13. And he went, let me tell you, my boy, you got it all. And I will never forget that. He said that. Culture Vulture, what have you seen, watched, done recently that you wanted to share? Anything that you've, could we film, TV, theatre? Well, I've got to look at this. Brian's checking his phone again. Well, I'll tell you what it is, and I only saw it recently, War Horse.

51:12And I saw it at the National, yeah, War Horse. I mean, I've seen a few things recently. Oh, I'll tell you what blew me away, Andy, the other day. Two days ago, I went to see it. Sam Ryder as Jesus Christ Superstar. Oh, my God. Is it good? I haven't seen it yet. Go and watch it. It is phenomenal. Let's talk about the magic wand. I'm going to give you my magic wand. With that magic wand, you can make anything in the world of entertainment vanish. Oh, yeah. I've thought about this. Go on. It's getting in at 6 o 'clock to do a vocal warm-up for a West End musical or any musical. They get you in at six, and you have to do half hour of going, like this, and then you've now got a blimmin' hour to kill before the show.

51:57And they don't do it on Broadway because if anyone's on stage, they have to bring in all the crew. They have to pay all the balls down the money. And I think, you know, you have to take that responsibility of warming up. And, you know, it is relentless when you're doing eight shows a week. and, you know, say you're doing a two o 'clock show, then you've got to get in at half twelve, you know, and it's sort of, you know, it is relentless. So I want to moan about it. We say, what have we got to come in now? We've done it. We have made warm-ups vanish. You don't have to do them ever again, Brian.

52:33It's done. Final question. And I wanted to think about it. In everything you do, whether it's, and you've mentioned it, panto or singing or comedy or TV, you connect with audiences so what is the trick to being able to walk on stage and connect with an audience um you've got to own it you've got to own it when you walk out there with your whole body language and uh just the way you stand just the way you take that mic and uh they've got to see there's not one ounce of nerves in you you are in command and no matter what happens and i've People die because it's the law of averages. You know, if you're walking out in front of 1 ,500 people, 2 ,000, three and a half as we're doing on the Pratt Pack, you will eventually find someone, get someone who dies, you know, during the show.

53:27And I've had that. I've had that four times in my illustrious career. It's nothing to do with the age demographic that you're having. Yeah, I would say, you know, certainly my fan base will be dead within the next five years. I absolutely rip into them. You've probably all got a bath with a door in it. That's my act. I talk about getting old and how old you lot are. That's what I do. As I spoke about, I'm telling the truth. My comedy is telling the truth. I don't even have to be here. I've minted. Why am I doing this?

54:06What was the question? You've got to own it. With every bit of your body. Or walk on and go, you know, I'm here, and I'm going to take you on a journey. And you're either going to come or you're going to really miss out, you know. And then, like, if they've all paid us here, you know, you're like, look, there's no one coming on after me. This is the best it's going to get, you know. So you better enjoy it and own it. Yeah, and I tell that to Luce, you know, my daughter, who's in the biz. And I'd love you all to watch out, or you could possibly on at the moment, me and Lucy done a thing on Channel 4 called Celebrity Hunting.

54:42You haven't got your phone, you haven't got any money, and you have to, that was a real culture shock. You have to burn lifts off people, you have to stay in complete strangers' houses, and it was such an adventure for me and Lucy that for the time we were in it, we didn't have any money, and we didn't have a phone, and we had to zigzag our way around this country. Well, that'll be on. Keep an eye out for that on Channel 4. Brian Connolly it's been an absolute pleasure Boone I love a good podcast and yours is thank you so there we go that was Brian Connolly fantastic conversation there and I'm going to be very quick with this outro because do you remember I said that my son is off school and he was in the garden well he's had to go to the toilet so I reckon we've got about a minute or so before all hell breaks loose in this kitchen so I'm going to carry on super quickly what did I take from that episode with Brian that thing he said about making every single tv spot count really resonated with me because it reminds me of something my dad said to me when i first started performing and he said it doesn't matter what kind of event it is you might think it's the worst event ever the crowd might be small you might not be getting paid much money but you go out there and you give it absolutely everything with every single show because you never know who's in the room you never know who's watching because one person could then lead to another opportunity that leads to another so it's that idea of every time you have an opportunity to get on stage in front of an audience smash it um so i thought it was kind of interesting i resonate with that and and the other really interesting thing i don't we've had this much is that he worked really hard to be different and i think being different is harder than it sounds because it's the difference between being good and great you can be good and have a career out of doing what most everyone else is doing but the guys at the top and the women sorry the people at the top two percent one percent five percent have strived to be different and it it's hard because you have to keep pushing yourself and being really honest with yourself and critiquing yourself and going yeah that's not original enough mate yeah that's not different enough mate and it takes a long time but eventually if you get there you get all those rewards that he's talked about so i thought that was really interesting right a couple final things from me uh we recorded it in the podcast room in london thank you to that team and if you need a great podcast studio you know where to go thank you to my team for editing the videos and making the video content and putting the whole uh podcast up that would be creator social jack you'd be jen uh my podcast producer big thank you to bryany who's also my wife so if i'd have forgotten that i'd have been in big trouble and also to annika who helped scheduling all of this that's my team that is all of us here what's the trick remember Remember, we're on socials, What's The Trick?

57:26pod. And hit subscribe and I'll see you all next week. Thanks a lot. Bye-bye.

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