1 00:00:00,720 --> 00:00:04,920 Coming up EastEnders, the drama you live through in EastEnders 2 00:00:04,920 --> 00:00:06,800 was nothing compared to our childhood. 3 00:00:06,920 --> 00:00:11,280 The the the problem is you do get cast a lot as a Haram zada, 4 00:00:11,680 --> 00:00:13,360 a real bastard. Yeah. 5 00:00:13,360 --> 00:00:15,720 What does that say? I took Banjo to the mainstream. 6 00:00:15,760 --> 00:00:17,400 What a word. I should get an eye out for. 7 00:00:17,400 --> 00:00:20,360 That we tried to get it in in EastEnders. 8 00:00:20,480 --> 00:00:28,280 I did say Guddi. Paul Chowdreys, Don't Ask Me 9 00:00:28,280 --> 00:00:30,720 That is sponsored by Mrs. Elswood Pickles. 10 00:00:31,080 --> 00:00:35,080 Seriously, top tier Pickles. Give your lunch a proper lift 11 00:00:35,400 --> 00:00:40,040 with Mrs. Elswood. Brilliant in sandwiches, banging 12 00:00:40,320 --> 00:00:44,000 in burgers and a game changer in salads. 13 00:00:44,480 --> 00:00:49,280 Look out for Mrs. Elswood in the pickle aisle next time you're at 14 00:00:49,280 --> 00:00:52,240 the shops. Welcome back to the Don't Ask Me 15 00:00:52,240 --> 00:00:56,360 That podcast with me, Paul Chowdhury, another exclusive 16 00:00:56,640 --> 00:01:01,840 episode I bring to you. I've known this man my entire 17 00:01:01,840 --> 00:01:04,599 life. He tried to kill me on several 18 00:01:04,599 --> 00:01:11,200 occasions and has succeeded on multiple TV shows, movies, 19 00:01:11,440 --> 00:01:16,960 plays, theatrical releases. Voted the most evil man in 20 00:01:16,960 --> 00:01:22,520 Britain, He's a Hollywood actor who has appeared in Britain's 21 00:01:22,760 --> 00:01:28,120 best ever soap opera. He's also related to me. 22 00:01:28,440 --> 00:01:32,760 His surname is also Chowdhury, and he doesn't run a restaurant. 23 00:01:33,560 --> 00:01:36,960 Today you have two Chowdhurys for the price of one. 24 00:01:38,000 --> 00:01:41,000 He's appeared previously on the podcast. 25 00:01:41,360 --> 00:01:44,160 One of the greatest guests of all time. 26 00:01:45,240 --> 00:01:52,200 Arguably the best actor of his generation, if not in the entire 27 00:01:52,200 --> 00:01:57,240 business. I bring back my cousin brother 28 00:01:58,160 --> 00:02:05,240 Naveen Jordidi Saab. Wow, I thought the old 29 00:02:05,240 --> 00:02:07,640 introduction that we did last time could not be beat. 30 00:02:07,840 --> 00:02:09,800 Just improvised it. That was unbelievable. 31 00:02:09,919 --> 00:02:12,680 It was like word for word you did exactly what I asked for. 32 00:02:12,760 --> 00:02:14,600 You know, you know. Thank you. 33 00:02:15,000 --> 00:02:17,360 It doesn't matter what I do now for the rest of my life. 34 00:02:17,840 --> 00:02:22,240 No one ever will speak about me like you will just did. 35 00:02:22,680 --> 00:02:24,680 We'll do a few pick ups and I'll try and improve. 36 00:02:24,680 --> 00:02:27,960 I, I think the, I think the keyword was arguably, I think 37 00:02:27,960 --> 00:02:30,840 there's a lot of, there'll be a lot of argument about a lot of 38 00:02:30,840 --> 00:02:32,680 what you just said. No, you, but we'll, we'll go 39 00:02:32,680 --> 00:02:33,880 with it. You know, you the people are 40 00:02:33,880 --> 00:02:35,960 going to say, well, because you're my cousin, that I'm going 41 00:02:35,960 --> 00:02:38,280 to say that. I'm just going to say that about 42 00:02:38,280 --> 00:02:40,160 you, but I'm not obviously I've known. 43 00:02:40,160 --> 00:02:41,800 Well, you said it. I, I did say it. 44 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:43,000 There you go. I've said it. 45 00:02:43,080 --> 00:02:46,440 And and I, I would say even if we weren't related, because I've 46 00:02:46,440 --> 00:02:49,800 known you before your first ever audition when we were just 47 00:02:49,800 --> 00:02:52,560 aspiring, we, we weren't even aspiring. 48 00:02:53,200 --> 00:02:55,160 I was here on this planet when you were born. 49 00:02:55,160 --> 00:02:57,320 I know you were here before me. I was. 50 00:02:57,320 --> 00:02:59,240 Let's not go into that again. You were here. 51 00:02:59,320 --> 00:03:02,600 Way before me I was. Not way before me for a few 52 00:03:02,600 --> 00:03:06,840 years, but but a big enough gap to the point, to the point that 53 00:03:06,840 --> 00:03:09,240 I was a young, you know, when, when is that many years as a 54 00:03:09,240 --> 00:03:11,680 youngster? It's a big gap now. 55 00:03:11,680 --> 00:03:13,480 It's not a big gap, no. I was. 56 00:03:13,480 --> 00:03:15,000 I was old enough to push you around. 57 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:17,240 Yeah, you were. Older brother, kind of Indian 58 00:03:17,240 --> 00:03:18,440 stuff. I was allowed to. 59 00:03:18,960 --> 00:03:21,040 I was allowed to push you all around. 60 00:03:21,040 --> 00:03:22,160 Yeah. Yeah, you were. 61 00:03:22,160 --> 00:03:27,200 Gave you a hard time. Yeah, you were 1971, 97, I was 62 00:03:27,200 --> 00:03:29,840 1974. So yeah, that that was a big age 63 00:03:29,840 --> 00:03:32,520 gap in those days, you know, the early 70s. 64 00:03:32,560 --> 00:03:35,280 Yeah, I was the mid 70s. Looking at you now, it feels 65 00:03:35,280 --> 00:03:37,080 like a even bigger age gap. I I. 66 00:03:38,280 --> 00:03:40,680 You know. Well, I do I look older or do 67 00:03:40,680 --> 00:03:42,560 you look? Older I look, listen, listen. 68 00:03:42,560 --> 00:03:47,200 You looking good man, you know. People say that I they asked me 69 00:03:47,200 --> 00:03:49,120 and I know that you were going to ask like, is there anything 70 00:03:49,120 --> 00:03:50,200 that you don't want to talk about? 71 00:03:51,520 --> 00:03:56,400 And I think it's about dying hair, right, Because I don't now 72 00:03:56,400 --> 00:03:59,600 this thing here, this beard went grey. 73 00:03:59,600 --> 00:04:02,240 I don't know about 10 years ago, something like that. 74 00:04:02,240 --> 00:04:06,480 But the this and it is greying, but people can't you know, even 75 00:04:06,480 --> 00:04:09,000 when I go in and I'm I'm doing some filming and I'm in a make 76 00:04:09,000 --> 00:04:14,560 up truck make up who are there on top of you making you up? 77 00:04:15,040 --> 00:04:17,200 Asked me, do you dye Hester? I don't I don't dye. 78 00:04:17,200 --> 00:04:19,040 It is grey. It's coming. 79 00:04:19,320 --> 00:04:21,959 But this I don't know what happened here. 80 00:04:21,959 --> 00:04:25,800 No, but it yeah. Whereas yours is, yours is, I 81 00:04:25,840 --> 00:04:28,200 mean. How has it not gone grey? 82 00:04:29,720 --> 00:04:31,520 It's a miracle. Do you know what it is? 83 00:04:31,640 --> 00:04:34,480 It's those two jars of pickle on yourself. 84 00:04:34,480 --> 00:04:38,480 I don't know, like at my age, how has this remained this 85 00:04:38,480 --> 00:04:41,200 colour? I I need to know, I need to find 86 00:04:41,200 --> 00:04:44,640 out. Don't even ask just for men, but 87 00:04:44,640 --> 00:04:47,880 how have have I managed to keep this? 88 00:04:48,640 --> 00:04:52,720 And you know, this is also going grey and whatever's left of it, 89 00:04:52,720 --> 00:04:55,720 this is a comb over. But yeah, obviously. 90 00:04:55,960 --> 00:04:57,680 But this is whole, whole like this whole. 91 00:04:58,040 --> 00:05:00,640 You're not fooling anyone with this tie. 92 00:05:01,600 --> 00:05:04,280 It's a very smart and like the glass of what I mean. 93 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:06,320 I don't. I don't even wear glasses. 94 00:05:08,440 --> 00:05:10,920 What's what's what's happened? I'm not buying it. 95 00:05:11,000 --> 00:05:12,160 No, I am actually. It's a good look. 96 00:05:12,160 --> 00:05:13,880 Sorry. So what you I take cut that bit 97 00:05:13,880 --> 00:05:15,560 out. I I take you've. 98 00:05:15,560 --> 00:05:17,640 Got to you've got to take these things very seriously now. 99 00:05:17,640 --> 00:05:20,360 Yeah, you do. Even if me and you were talking 100 00:05:20,560 --> 00:05:22,960 at a family event, which we have done previously. 101 00:05:22,960 --> 00:05:24,920 Many times. To to our humiliation. 102 00:05:24,920 --> 00:05:27,680 Yeah, you've, you've got to take yourself seriously in this 103 00:05:27,680 --> 00:05:29,480 profession when nobody believed in US. 104 00:05:29,520 --> 00:05:31,240 I take you very seriously. When? 105 00:05:31,280 --> 00:05:34,880 You're in that outfit with those jars of Pickles either side of 106 00:05:34,880 --> 00:05:37,080 your left shoulder. Mrs. Ellswood. 107 00:05:37,360 --> 00:05:40,760 I noticed those when I watched a clip of one of your previous 108 00:05:40,760 --> 00:05:44,400 guests and I was going it's it's a touch. 109 00:05:44,560 --> 00:05:49,240 You know, they say you shouldn't sell out when Mrs. Ellswood 110 00:05:49,560 --> 00:05:52,880 approached me and said we'd like to put Pickles in the background 111 00:05:53,000 --> 00:05:54,160 of your set. I'm not. 112 00:05:54,160 --> 00:05:55,400 It's not going to look out of place. 113 00:05:55,640 --> 00:05:58,120 How is this out of place? No, at your house you've 114 00:05:58,120 --> 00:06:01,120 probably got Pickles on the. I'm going to have those two 115 00:06:01,120 --> 00:06:02,320 jars. You are actually. 116 00:06:02,520 --> 00:06:03,640 I'm going to leave with something. 117 00:06:03,640 --> 00:06:06,200 That's the fee. I have to leave this podcast. 118 00:06:06,200 --> 00:06:09,760 You have to with something. And we've known each other since 119 00:06:09,760 --> 00:06:16,200 the 1970s, ironically, which is returning to, to to the national 120 00:06:16,200 --> 00:06:18,320 psyche, the stuff we live through. 121 00:06:18,600 --> 00:06:21,560 And we have discussed it before. We have we were actually talking 122 00:06:21,560 --> 00:06:25,400 on the phone last night about how how it almost feels like 123 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:28,760 we've they say history repeats itself, right? 124 00:06:29,120 --> 00:06:32,400 And they say human beings don't learn from history. 125 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:34,360 I think this goes, I didn't think that was true. 126 00:06:34,360 --> 00:06:38,440 And I think this is only going to prove what mean you lived 127 00:06:38,440 --> 00:06:42,560 through in the 19, well 70s where we were young, 80s, 128 00:06:42,560 --> 00:06:47,280 nineties and up to the current day, nothing much has changed. 129 00:06:48,240 --> 00:06:52,040 It's escalated to a level that I don't think we imagined. 130 00:06:53,760 --> 00:06:56,240 You'd tell me a story about you walking a dog. 131 00:06:57,360 --> 00:06:59,360 Yeah, but, you know, that's the thing. 132 00:06:59,360 --> 00:07:02,960 So we had this and your reaction was how most of my friends have 133 00:07:02,960 --> 00:07:04,520 reacted. But I, I want to give this guy 134 00:07:05,760 --> 00:07:07,760 the benefit of the doubt. I think, you know, in 10, 135 00:07:08,360 --> 00:07:11,000 there's a conversation to be had about what is said. 136 00:07:11,000 --> 00:07:16,280 And in 10, who is the human being behind things that are 137 00:07:16,280 --> 00:07:18,840 said and articulated? And I was, I was walking the 138 00:07:18,840 --> 00:07:25,200 dog, our lovely cockapoo, and she had a bad tummy. 139 00:07:25,520 --> 00:07:27,320 She eats a lot of stuff. She gets a bad tummy. 140 00:07:27,680 --> 00:07:31,680 So I was there, as you do, cleaning up after her. 141 00:07:32,760 --> 00:07:35,160 And this guy just looked at me and said, oh, hello, mate, how 142 00:07:35,160 --> 00:07:36,920 you doing? I said, yeah, I'm, you know, I'm 143 00:07:37,120 --> 00:07:37,600 good. Thank you. 144 00:07:37,600 --> 00:07:38,600 How are you? Yeah, yeah, yeah. 145 00:07:38,920 --> 00:07:41,080 What kind of dog is it? I said it's a cockapoo or what? 146 00:07:41,120 --> 00:07:42,520 It's a cockapoo. I said, Oh yeah, it's great. 147 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:44,720 He said I love those dogs, I love dogs. 148 00:07:44,720 --> 00:07:47,720 I want to get a dog, but it's that that stops me. 149 00:07:47,760 --> 00:07:53,720 While I was cleaning up Mabel's mess and I said, yeah, well, you 150 00:07:53,720 --> 00:07:55,400 know, you same. But you get used to it. 151 00:07:55,400 --> 00:07:56,600 And particularly it was your own. 152 00:07:56,600 --> 00:07:58,000 It doesn't matter. He said, yeah, yeah, yeah. 153 00:07:58,920 --> 00:08:01,000 Anyway, what kind of dog is it? I said it's, it's, it's a 154 00:08:01,000 --> 00:08:03,320 cockapoo said yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. 155 00:08:03,440 --> 00:08:05,240 I couldn't, I couldn't do that. What you do? 156 00:08:05,240 --> 00:08:07,680 I couldn't clean up that mess. I was going, well, you know, 157 00:08:07,680 --> 00:08:09,960 she's got a bad, she's got a bad tummy today. 158 00:08:10,000 --> 00:08:11,920 Normally it's not this bad. She's got a bad tummy. 159 00:08:12,200 --> 00:08:14,560 And they looked at me and said, well, that'll be all the Curry 160 00:08:14,560 --> 00:08:20,680 you're feeding her. And so why, Yeah, I mean, when I 161 00:08:20,680 --> 00:08:22,640 told you what was your reaction, when I told you I was like you, 162 00:08:22,680 --> 00:08:23,880 you lost. It yeah, I was like, you're a 163 00:08:23,880 --> 00:08:26,800 bastard. You know, and I was there and I 164 00:08:26,800 --> 00:08:30,120 just thought, OK, now. Sort of Curry you're feeding 165 00:08:30,120 --> 00:08:32,000 now, mate. Whoa, yeah, OK. 166 00:08:32,919 --> 00:08:34,799 I was, you know, I was in a good place. 167 00:08:35,679 --> 00:08:41,640 I had managed to sort our dog out and I just said OK, well see 168 00:08:41,640 --> 00:08:44,920 you later mate. And and, and and walk past and 169 00:08:44,920 --> 00:08:49,440 then you, you just, you then sort of analyse a little bit 170 00:08:50,520 --> 00:08:52,240 about it. But I was in the place I was. 171 00:08:52,240 --> 00:08:54,640 I'm not going to if, let's be cynical about it. 172 00:08:54,640 --> 00:08:59,000 If it was, I believe it was just the misguided harmless. 173 00:08:59,320 --> 00:09:01,560 You know, I'm very sensitive to that kind of stuff, as you are. 174 00:09:02,880 --> 00:09:06,040 I think the radar and instincts are quite good most of the time 175 00:09:06,040 --> 00:09:10,520 when that stuff arises. I just felt, do you know what? 176 00:09:10,760 --> 00:09:12,560 Yeah. And after his advice, I never 177 00:09:12,560 --> 00:09:16,040 fed a Curry again, even. The dog was like. 178 00:09:17,320 --> 00:09:20,200 She was, yeah, she was offended. Man, how dare you speak about 179 00:09:20,200 --> 00:09:22,720 Mabel like that? Even the dog, even the dog was 180 00:09:22,720 --> 00:09:25,440 offended by the and also Charlotte, I don't even think 181 00:09:25,440 --> 00:09:27,240 makes Curry your wife. She. 182 00:09:27,280 --> 00:09:28,600 No, she. She. 183 00:09:28,720 --> 00:09:30,000 She. Does she makes Curry? 184 00:09:30,040 --> 00:09:31,680 Yeah. Because she's not brown, she 185 00:09:31,680 --> 00:09:35,760 can't make a Curry. And she's from Cornwall. 186 00:09:36,320 --> 00:09:39,440 She's from Wales. Wales, it's all right, the 187 00:09:39,440 --> 00:09:42,000 marriage was in. Where did we have the marriage? 188 00:09:42,400 --> 00:09:45,840 We had that in West Country. In the in Taunton, Taunton, that 189 00:09:45,840 --> 00:09:47,800 was, yeah, we were there. I was there. 190 00:09:47,840 --> 00:09:49,280 I'm glad it made such an impression. 191 00:09:50,480 --> 00:09:53,960 I just remember it being very far away down South. 192 00:09:54,200 --> 00:09:55,520 What wedding? That was a great wedding it. 193 00:09:56,480 --> 00:10:00,800 Was it had its moments, that is. I don't think we've ever been to 194 00:10:00,800 --> 00:10:02,560 a family occasion that didn't have its moments. 195 00:10:03,240 --> 00:10:04,480 There are a lot of it was dramas. 196 00:10:04,720 --> 00:10:08,960 Yeah, my mum for that. It was a it was like a three day 197 00:10:09,040 --> 00:10:11,240 event. Which is a short Indian wedding 198 00:10:11,320 --> 00:10:12,920 by. The way but you know, we're 199 00:10:12,920 --> 00:10:14,040 sick, isn't it? It's Sadaaz. 200 00:10:14,040 --> 00:10:17,000 So it was so we had like the sort of English wedding, the 201 00:10:17,000 --> 00:10:19,960 white wedding and then we had the, the the Sikh wedding and 202 00:10:19,960 --> 00:10:21,600 then reception, all that kind of stuff. 203 00:10:21,600 --> 00:10:28,120 And you know, it's my mum sort of day one kind of God rest her 204 00:10:28,120 --> 00:10:33,080 soul lost her. You know, she, she wasn't happy 205 00:10:33,080 --> 00:10:36,480 with a couple of the things that the venue had organised and she 206 00:10:36,480 --> 00:10:39,480 let them know and it's like, man, you don't have to sort this 207 00:10:39,480 --> 00:10:42,680 out in front of 300 guests, we can do it privately. 208 00:10:42,680 --> 00:10:45,320 But mum being mum, she went for it. 209 00:10:45,320 --> 00:10:48,680 And so for a day and 1/2, it was quite it was quite something. 210 00:10:48,840 --> 00:10:51,120 Well, I still miss your mum to this, you know, every day 211 00:10:51,120 --> 00:10:55,400 because Simran, Auntie, my auntie, your mum didn't hold 212 00:10:55,400 --> 00:10:59,040 back with any of her thoughts, her views. 213 00:10:59,200 --> 00:11:00,600 Some would call it Tourette's these days. 214 00:11:01,400 --> 00:11:04,080 But but she there was I mean, we called it a lot of things. 215 00:11:04,480 --> 00:11:08,680 It was progressively as she. She was a fierce woman, she. 216 00:11:08,680 --> 00:11:14,400 Was a fearsome woman that instilled, you know, she taught 217 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:18,600 us, as my dad did, how to stick up for yourself. 218 00:11:19,080 --> 00:11:21,800 You know, they talk about Asian women being submissive. 219 00:11:22,200 --> 00:11:25,160 We grew up around feminism at its highest level. 220 00:11:26,080 --> 00:11:27,960 We, yeah, the women in our family. 221 00:11:27,960 --> 00:11:30,880 Were hierarchical. We we we used to escape to our 222 00:11:30,880 --> 00:11:33,000 dads for some kind of. They were quiet ones. 223 00:11:33,520 --> 00:11:35,160 They were. Yeah, well, they had their 224 00:11:35,160 --> 00:11:37,200 moments too. Yeah, and then and if they said 225 00:11:37,200 --> 00:11:38,960 something and then the women, then they didn't. 226 00:11:38,960 --> 00:11:42,240 Take it No, no one, no one. They yeah, no one could say 227 00:11:42,240 --> 00:11:45,560 anything to. We saw some rocks that was at 228 00:11:45,560 --> 00:11:49,520 family occasions. It was still triggering, Yeah, 229 00:11:49,520 --> 00:11:52,360 still trying to. Still. 230 00:11:54,520 --> 00:11:58,360 Trying to. Yeah, that was, we saw some, you 231 00:11:58,360 --> 00:12:01,560 know, EastEnders. The drama you live through in 232 00:12:01,560 --> 00:12:03,960 EastEnders was nothing compared to our childhood. 233 00:12:03,960 --> 00:12:06,440 This it was. It was, yeah, easy. 234 00:12:06,640 --> 00:12:08,520 We would have had. I thought it was, I thought we 235 00:12:08,520 --> 00:12:11,240 said it was a comedy at times and this is, this is this is 236 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:13,120 nothing compared to what happened in the Jordan East. 237 00:12:13,120 --> 00:12:17,480 We sit down and write down what we live through as children and 238 00:12:17,480 --> 00:12:19,640 teenagers. It would be a it would be a 239 00:12:19,640 --> 00:12:21,720 better than drama. No, it would, you know, it is, 240 00:12:21,720 --> 00:12:25,920 it is, it's unbelievable. And you know, a lot of it is 241 00:12:25,960 --> 00:12:30,160 feel very blessed to have gone through and, and and lived 242 00:12:30,160 --> 00:12:32,880 through. But a lot of it you, you do 243 00:12:32,880 --> 00:12:37,440 wonder whether that was at times the best upbringing for, for, 244 00:12:38,160 --> 00:12:43,000 for all of us. But yeah, it's, it was, you 245 00:12:43,000 --> 00:12:48,760 know, I, I, I think these were immigrants from India that came 246 00:12:49,200 --> 00:12:53,960 very young to this country and they were learning their way in 247 00:12:53,960 --> 00:13:00,360 life in a foreign land, having children at a young age, working 248 00:13:00,360 --> 00:13:03,080 out where their careers and still studying and, and what 249 00:13:03,080 --> 00:13:06,440 have you. And they tried to do the best 250 00:13:06,440 --> 00:13:10,280 that they could. And I think we're all very, very 251 00:13:10,280 --> 00:13:15,120 lucky to feel a huge amount of admiration for for what they 252 00:13:15,480 --> 00:13:20,680 what they did for us. But it was colourful and it was 253 00:13:20,680 --> 00:13:26,720 terrifying and and still can't get lost stuff out of my head. 254 00:13:26,720 --> 00:13:30,640 Oh, yeah, I mean your mum, my auntie, similar auntie would, 255 00:13:30,920 --> 00:13:32,840 would you? I was in London, you were in 256 00:13:32,840 --> 00:13:37,080 Bristol. She would help Asian women who 257 00:13:37,200 --> 00:13:41,160 had been gone gone through domestic situations and domestic 258 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:44,720 violence and marriages and have that to flee their homes and 259 00:13:44,720 --> 00:13:46,840 gave them a shelter. She she ran a charity. 260 00:13:46,840 --> 00:13:52,240 She ran a charity women victims of domestic abuse. 261 00:13:52,280 --> 00:13:57,040 She did it for like, you know, 25 years in the Bristol area and 262 00:13:57,040 --> 00:14:01,000 obviously the the stories and the incidents that that could. 263 00:14:01,000 --> 00:14:03,280 But you know, mum wouldn't. Mum wouldn't. 264 00:14:03,280 --> 00:14:08,640 She was a relentless in her pursuit for justice for these. 265 00:14:09,240 --> 00:14:11,640 I mean, I can remember 1 incident and she was, she was 266 00:14:12,080 --> 00:14:16,800 screaming at someone very high in the Bristol police thing 267 00:14:16,800 --> 00:14:20,440 about the way that some of the victims that she was helping 268 00:14:20,440 --> 00:14:23,000 through a charity. She was screaming at this guy. 269 00:14:23,000 --> 00:14:26,400 And I was, she was on the phone and I was sort of like came 270 00:14:26,400 --> 00:14:28,680 upstairs and I was going, you know, just, but the more you 271 00:14:28,680 --> 00:14:32,840 would tell mum, the more you would tell her to, to, to stop. 272 00:14:33,440 --> 00:14:37,880 It would just, it would just inspire her more to go for it. 273 00:14:37,880 --> 00:14:40,840 And I remember she was giving this man this copper hell. 274 00:14:41,280 --> 00:14:42,600 And I was saying just, you know, to do that. 275 00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:44,920 And then she said, no, no, no, I'm telling you Alfredo, 276 00:14:45,680 --> 00:14:49,880 Alfredo, I'm telling you no more nice Mr. Guy, right. 277 00:14:50,200 --> 00:14:52,120 And I'm there, you know, she's trying to make some serious 278 00:14:52,120 --> 00:14:54,160 points. And then and so I said, no, no, 279 00:14:54,200 --> 00:14:56,560 it's nice guy. No, no, no. 280 00:14:56,560 --> 00:14:59,120 And then it just make her do it again. 281 00:14:59,120 --> 00:15:02,640 So she kept saying it in my face, no, no, no, no more nice 282 00:15:02,640 --> 00:15:05,440 Mr. Guy. And you're like, Oh dear. 283 00:15:05,440 --> 00:15:10,160 But that was that was that was mum like we touched on, touched 284 00:15:10,160 --> 00:15:12,080 on last time. And, you know, we've obviously 285 00:15:14,520 --> 00:15:20,160 experienced and we're living through the the loss and the 286 00:15:20,160 --> 00:15:25,880 grief of losing these amazing women that were in our life. 287 00:15:25,880 --> 00:15:29,240 And it does open up it, it, it gives you a different, you know, 288 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:32,720 I'm a father of two. And I thought having children 289 00:15:32,720 --> 00:15:37,520 and it does, it opens up just a different outlook to the 290 00:15:37,520 --> 00:15:39,560 universe. But I also think at the same 291 00:15:39,560 --> 00:15:43,960 time, losing your, well, any loved one, but I think losing 292 00:15:43,960 --> 00:15:49,560 your mum just takes you to places that you've never you've 293 00:15:49,560 --> 00:15:54,120 never been before. And we all, yeah, we all, we all 294 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:57,320 have to wrestle with that. Yeah, we were lucky to have her 295 00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,520 as long as we did. You know, I remember she booked 296 00:16:00,520 --> 00:16:06,520 me for a show in Bristol for the, for the charity to the, to 297 00:16:06,520 --> 00:16:10,920 the kids in the afternoon of the charity, which was great. 298 00:16:11,000 --> 00:16:12,920 And she booked me for two shows. I doubled up that day. 299 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:15,680 First of all, I said. So in the afternoon. 300 00:16:15,680 --> 00:16:18,880 It was in in the hotel where your dad went to the gym. 301 00:16:19,400 --> 00:16:24,320 The Hilton wasn't it? Yeah, yeah, yeah. 302 00:16:24,320 --> 00:16:25,480 And. Then I was doing a show in the 303 00:16:25,480 --> 00:16:28,080 conference room. There's kids, Great. 304 00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:32,760 And then in the evening or close to the evening, our dads went to 305 00:16:32,760 --> 00:16:36,800 the show and then they brought a lot of their parents with them. 306 00:16:37,200 --> 00:16:41,840 So there was some. And then one guy don't say these 307 00:16:41,840 --> 00:16:43,560 things in front of the children's. 308 00:16:43,560 --> 00:16:45,960 He lost it at me. And that was me. 309 00:16:46,080 --> 00:16:51,760 That was you don't say this offensive and then I didn't know 310 00:16:51,760 --> 00:16:55,080 what to say to that. But your your mum then stepped 311 00:16:55,160 --> 00:16:58,640 on the stage or a snare. If you don't like it, get out. 312 00:16:59,760 --> 00:17:01,200 He just didn't know what to say, man. 313 00:17:01,520 --> 00:17:02,600 I couldn't have said that to this guy. 314 00:17:02,600 --> 00:17:07,160 He was an elderly Asian man. You don't like it, Get out and. 315 00:17:07,280 --> 00:17:09,000 She said that to me lots of times during my life. 316 00:17:09,760 --> 00:17:11,079 You don't like in the wind? Get out. 317 00:17:11,240 --> 00:17:15,280 And our dads went quiet. They didn't say anything. 318 00:17:15,920 --> 00:17:16,880 When? Yeah. 319 00:17:16,920 --> 00:17:19,000 When the mums were talking. Oh yeah, you don't. 320 00:17:19,040 --> 00:17:21,240 Stand back. Yeah, we we understood the true 321 00:17:21,240 --> 00:17:24,760 meaning of feminism the hard way. 322 00:17:24,760 --> 00:17:26,240 But these were these were. Yeah. 323 00:17:26,400 --> 00:17:31,000 But good values there. There was something incredibly 324 00:17:31,360 --> 00:17:37,120 empowering about having those women in your life. 325 00:17:37,520 --> 00:17:42,200 And, you know, we were a part of an extended family where there 326 00:17:42,200 --> 00:17:45,560 were some men, as there are in all cultures, but particularly 327 00:17:45,560 --> 00:17:49,800 ours, who will inhibit, won't we'll do what they can to not 328 00:17:49,800 --> 00:17:52,440 allow that. And we didn't, we didn't have 329 00:17:52,440 --> 00:17:58,160 that. And I think we are all, you 330 00:17:58,160 --> 00:18:07,040 know, that's the reason why mum could deliver so much help to so 331 00:18:07,040 --> 00:18:12,440 many people because that's the truth that she believed in and, 332 00:18:12,440 --> 00:18:17,280 and, and lived her life by. You know, it wasn't always easy 333 00:18:17,840 --> 00:18:20,560 for us as kids, but you look back in it now and you go it 334 00:18:20,560 --> 00:18:24,600 was, it was brave and it was strong, similar to, you know, to 335 00:18:24,600 --> 00:18:26,840 your mum. We realise how short life is 336 00:18:26,840 --> 00:18:30,880 when you get to our ages, you know, 19 from kids from the 70s. 337 00:18:31,200 --> 00:18:34,840 And then you look at where we are now and then you lose 338 00:18:34,840 --> 00:18:38,680 parents who are essentially a part of us, right. 339 00:18:38,680 --> 00:18:41,720 So now you have your children, but I'm in the middle zone, you 340 00:18:41,720 --> 00:18:44,320 see, I'm on my own, you know, no children. 341 00:18:44,320 --> 00:18:46,440 So you're thinking, yeah, you've got a reason. 342 00:18:47,320 --> 00:18:49,840 You've got a hope, you hear for them. 343 00:18:50,200 --> 00:18:51,960 But then when you're in the middle zone, it's like it's a, 344 00:18:51,960 --> 00:18:53,720 it's a, it's a dangerous place to be. 345 00:18:57,560 --> 00:19:01,800 You know, we're, we're a generation that have, it's often 346 00:19:02,240 --> 00:19:05,840 spoken about that we have our children that we're raising and 347 00:19:05,840 --> 00:19:08,400 elderly parents that we have to to care for and we're caught in 348 00:19:08,400 --> 00:19:10,280 the middle. And there's, you know, there's 349 00:19:10,280 --> 00:19:16,160 so much going on on either sides of the of the equation, you 350 00:19:16,160 --> 00:19:20,600 know, but there are times and every parent will tell you there 351 00:19:20,600 --> 00:19:25,840 are times that, you know, my boys are one is approaching, you 352 00:19:25,840 --> 00:19:28,840 know, he's full on teenager. The other one is approaching 353 00:19:28,840 --> 00:19:33,320 that and there were there were times when, you know, no one's 354 00:19:33,320 --> 00:19:37,080 spoken to me, no one's spoken to me like my boys do. 355 00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:39,520 And there are times when you think, do you know what? 356 00:19:39,520 --> 00:19:43,880 Your zone, get me a first class ticket to your zone, because 357 00:19:43,880 --> 00:19:47,480 when they are on even this morning, my eldest and you're 358 00:19:47,480 --> 00:19:51,600 like, come on. And you know, ordinarily you'd 359 00:19:51,600 --> 00:19:55,040 be like, no one's going to get away with that. 360 00:19:55,440 --> 00:19:59,560 Not a chance, but they do. Right. 361 00:20:00,280 --> 00:20:02,400 Shocking. Yeah, it breaks my heart. 362 00:20:03,200 --> 00:20:05,520 Yeah, what did our parents do at that time? 363 00:20:05,520 --> 00:20:08,600 Oh man, the truffles mum were really. 364 00:20:08,680 --> 00:20:10,800 My face is still red. Really. 365 00:20:12,680 --> 00:20:15,000 You got away with it. I I got I got away with it 366 00:20:15,080 --> 00:20:16,920 weirdly. If there's any consolation, she 367 00:20:16,920 --> 00:20:20,240 would have loved to to, you know, sort of chuckle at you 368 00:20:20,240 --> 00:20:21,480 too. Don't feel left out. 369 00:20:22,080 --> 00:20:24,200 Chuckles for the people, yeah. It's the thought that counts. 370 00:20:24,200 --> 00:20:25,360 Yeah, it's the thought that counts. 371 00:20:25,440 --> 00:20:28,560 And but, but your dad was A and he's a softie. 372 00:20:29,520 --> 00:20:32,520 Yeah, I mean, he's a hard man, but yeah, he never, I mean, I 373 00:20:32,520 --> 00:20:37,920 can't remember ever once him telling me off. 374 00:20:37,920 --> 00:20:40,640 I mean, I see. So me in a desperate attempt to 375 00:20:40,640 --> 00:20:45,720 try and be a better father and to emulate to, to kind of copy, 376 00:20:45,720 --> 00:20:50,040 even have 10% of what he was like as a father or continues to 377 00:20:50,040 --> 00:20:52,520 be as a father. I, I mean, I've just been trying 378 00:20:52,520 --> 00:20:54,160 everything. I even gave up caffeinated 379 00:20:54,160 --> 00:20:56,880 coffee for six weeks. That's how bad it was really. 380 00:20:57,080 --> 00:20:58,680 I thought, you know, maybe I'm playing the caffeine. 381 00:20:58,680 --> 00:21:00,080 That's just making me angry, dad. 382 00:21:00,680 --> 00:21:03,800 So I thought, look, I'll, I'll stop the coffee and start 383 00:21:03,800 --> 00:21:06,320 drinking cacao, which is amazing, man. 384 00:21:06,320 --> 00:21:07,400 I mean, I know it's the rage now. 385 00:21:07,440 --> 00:21:09,920 It's, it's incredible. But I gave up coffee for 6-7 386 00:21:09,920 --> 00:21:12,040 weeks thinking, yeah, this all this all calm me. 387 00:21:12,240 --> 00:21:15,280 Cortisol will come down and I'll be a better father. 388 00:21:15,600 --> 00:21:19,960 And, you know, maybe a week and 1/2 it was all right. 389 00:21:19,960 --> 00:21:23,040 And all I can say is now I'm back to drinking caffeinated 390 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:24,520 coffee. It didn't work. 391 00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:26,000 Yeah. But we try. 392 00:21:26,160 --> 00:21:27,040 Yeah. We try. 393 00:21:27,040 --> 00:21:28,960 I don't know. We grew up to coffee when we 394 00:21:28,960 --> 00:21:30,960 were kids. It wasn't really a thing around 395 00:21:30,960 --> 00:21:32,200 our house, was it? I do. 396 00:21:32,600 --> 00:21:36,400 You know what I only I bore people with this, but I only 397 00:21:36,400 --> 00:21:38,920 started drinking coffee. But it's a big actor thing. 398 00:21:38,960 --> 00:21:41,440 But I only started drinking it about two years ago. 399 00:21:41,640 --> 00:21:43,760 Really. Yeah, finally. 400 00:21:43,760 --> 00:21:45,760 I just thought, let me give it a go. 401 00:21:45,760 --> 00:21:48,840 And then we went free and we got Beautiful Machine at home and I 402 00:21:48,840 --> 00:21:50,080 loved it. And I thought, my God, this is 403 00:21:50,080 --> 00:21:54,560 life changing. And then I sort of blamed it on 404 00:21:54,560 --> 00:22:00,080 my parenting skills and yeah, it was like, damn you, caffeine. 405 00:22:00,080 --> 00:22:04,080 This is the reason why I'm shouting at my kids 24/7. 406 00:22:04,080 --> 00:22:06,680 Do you think it was caffeine? No, it's me. 407 00:22:06,920 --> 00:22:09,040 It's me man I have to take responsibility for. 408 00:22:09,720 --> 00:22:11,360 But you were doing long hours at that time. 409 00:22:11,640 --> 00:22:15,200 You were you doing a, doing a sitcom like EastEnders. 410 00:22:15,240 --> 00:22:18,640 I remember you were doing like 10 scenes a day. 411 00:22:18,640 --> 00:22:20,840 At one point you were telling, yeah, no 55 scenes they were 412 00:22:20,840 --> 00:22:21,200 making. You. 413 00:22:21,200 --> 00:22:22,400 Yeah. Yeah, we were making. 414 00:22:22,520 --> 00:22:24,640 Yeah, it was. It was an insane schedule. 415 00:22:24,640 --> 00:22:26,200 A script to remember over the weekend. 416 00:22:26,200 --> 00:22:29,360 But, yeah, you, you know, people think that it's, it's, it's not 417 00:22:29,360 --> 00:22:31,960 just the the days that you work, but it's when you come back from 418 00:22:31,960 --> 00:22:34,440 work, you've got to learn the stuff for the next day or at the 419 00:22:34,440 --> 00:22:35,840 weekends or even when you book a holiday. 420 00:22:35,840 --> 00:22:38,680 Like when you've got. The way I looked at it was that, 421 00:22:38,680 --> 00:22:42,720 yeah, it was the most intense volume of work that you'll ever 422 00:22:42,720 --> 00:22:45,760 have as an actor doing. You know, maybe on days when it 423 00:22:45,760 --> 00:22:49,440 was your storyline sort of 25 pages a day. 424 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:51,200 But it wasn't just that particularly because with our 425 00:22:51,200 --> 00:22:54,440 family, it was the stakes emotionally were so massive. 426 00:22:54,960 --> 00:22:56,920 You know, you're going to 1:00 and you're, you're trying to 427 00:22:56,920 --> 00:22:59,480 kill your son. You go into another scene and 428 00:22:59,480 --> 00:23:03,280 you're threatening your your wife, then you're going in your 429 00:23:04,200 --> 00:23:06,440 kissing cats later and then you're coming back and you're 430 00:23:06,440 --> 00:23:09,880 beating somebody else up So that the stakes were were so high. 431 00:23:09,880 --> 00:23:11,720 But at the same time, it's like, you know, if you're getting this 432 00:23:11,720 --> 00:23:15,760 material, then you're in a very lucky you're in a good place. 433 00:23:16,120 --> 00:23:20,000 You know, I didn't go there to just sort of sell fruit in the 434 00:23:20,000 --> 00:23:23,560 market. It was like they when we first 435 00:23:23,560 --> 00:23:26,160 discussed it. There's a real excitement about 436 00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:29,040 how we were going to do this. But you never know if it's going 437 00:23:29,040 --> 00:23:30,440 to work out that way. You never know if you're going 438 00:23:30,440 --> 00:23:34,000 to jail with people, if the storylines come to fruition, 439 00:23:35,080 --> 00:23:39,160 some things will go in a certain direction and then they will 440 00:23:39,160 --> 00:23:41,720 deviate somewhere else or some will carry on. 441 00:23:41,720 --> 00:23:45,240 And this just caught fire. And we went for it. 442 00:23:45,240 --> 00:23:52,520 And it was for those years, a wonderful thing to be a part of. 443 00:23:52,520 --> 00:23:56,080 I think last time I spoke to you, I was just gearing up 444 00:23:56,080 --> 00:23:57,400 though. It was the secret I was just 445 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:02,760 gearing up for, for the exit and the big death finale and and 446 00:24:02,760 --> 00:24:07,200 stuff like that. But it will always, always have 447 00:24:07,200 --> 00:24:10,640 such a loving place in my in my heart. 448 00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:12,800 I felt very lucky to say that. Yeah, it's a tough. 449 00:24:13,680 --> 00:24:18,160 I did devils for a couple of years and doing time on a set 450 00:24:18,160 --> 00:24:20,600 like that. Yours was on another level, 451 00:24:20,960 --> 00:24:25,560 doing a doing a soap opera and the Dial and the intensity and 452 00:24:25,560 --> 00:24:27,680 also going from scene to scene because it's not short on order. 453 00:24:27,680 --> 00:24:30,040 People don't remember that. And then you, oh, you've got to 454 00:24:30,040 --> 00:24:32,120 jump into this character, this kind of zone and this 455 00:24:32,120 --> 00:24:34,080 psychological. It's not things, it's not short 456 00:24:34,080 --> 00:24:38,560 on order, but also you're doing about 3, there's like 3 or 4 457 00:24:38,560 --> 00:24:40,920 film crews. Essentially, you're doing about 458 00:24:42,600 --> 00:24:49,360 sometimes 912, sometimes more episodes at the same time. 459 00:24:49,720 --> 00:24:52,440 So that is an equivalent of when you see on telly, you're 460 00:24:52,440 --> 00:24:57,400 watching about 3 weeks worth of telly that you are filming at 461 00:24:57,400 --> 00:25:00,640 the same time. It's just a constant, constantly 462 00:25:00,640 --> 00:25:03,920 revolves, you know? And so you might be doing 463 00:25:03,920 --> 00:25:07,680 something that you're filming, say this is Christmas Day, and 464 00:25:07,680 --> 00:25:11,400 then you'll run off into a scene that's January the 7th and then 465 00:25:11,400 --> 00:25:13,520 you'll go back and you're doing the week before Christmas. 466 00:25:13,520 --> 00:25:17,680 So it really does. I mean, I can remember my wife 467 00:25:17,680 --> 00:25:20,280 took a couple of photos when I'd be learning lines and rehearsing 468 00:25:20,280 --> 00:25:23,320 and the dining table was just scripts everywhere. 469 00:25:23,680 --> 00:25:28,680 And then my head, you know, just about afloat with all these 470 00:25:28,680 --> 00:25:31,240 scripts everywhere. But like I said, and I tell the 471 00:25:31,240 --> 00:25:33,200 kids and and stuff like that who are on it. 472 00:25:35,440 --> 00:25:39,560 You should. It's a wonderful place. 473 00:25:39,880 --> 00:25:42,200 It's it's wonderful to have that responsibility. 474 00:25:43,360 --> 00:25:45,480 And also when you were doing the show. 475 00:25:45,480 --> 00:25:47,680 And then if anyone's doing a show like that, if they get a 476 00:25:47,680 --> 00:25:50,520 haircut or shave the beard in the wrong place, you're done. 477 00:25:50,600 --> 00:25:52,680 Yeah, Yeah, yeah, yeah, you're done. 478 00:25:52,680 --> 00:25:53,760 I mean, you wouldn't stand a chance. 479 00:25:53,760 --> 00:25:56,280 No, I remember doing that. I remember doing devils and they 480 00:25:56,280 --> 00:25:58,160 were like, you know, because they've got to cut your hair. 481 00:25:58,760 --> 00:26:00,600 They've got, because you're doing, as you say, 3 weeks 482 00:26:00,600 --> 00:26:04,240 within one episode. If you don't look the same in 483 00:26:04,240 --> 00:26:06,720 those three weeks, it ruins the episode. 484 00:26:06,720 --> 00:26:08,280 Yeah, Yeah, you can't. I mean, you know, and that's 485 00:26:08,280 --> 00:26:11,560 contract you there. I mean, I did a I did a film in 486 00:26:11,560 --> 00:26:15,560 Bollywood a few years ago and that again is a alone unto 487 00:26:15,560 --> 00:26:17,160 itself. And good film though I watched 488 00:26:17,160 --> 00:26:18,240 it. I never saw it. 489 00:26:18,240 --> 00:26:19,520 I watched it. I never saw it. 490 00:26:19,520 --> 00:26:24,280 And it was, you know, one of the actresses sort of turned up 491 00:26:24,520 --> 00:26:27,880 because she was doing another film and just turned up with a 492 00:26:28,040 --> 00:26:30,760 effectively a shaved head. And then they had to just 493 00:26:30,760 --> 00:26:33,280 suddenly improvise and get wigs and not care in the world. 494 00:26:33,280 --> 00:26:36,080 But that's how they, that's how they roll. 495 00:26:36,080 --> 00:26:38,960 It's a different discipline there. 496 00:26:38,960 --> 00:26:41,920 But yeah, you know. So 1 scene she was bald and the 497 00:26:41,920 --> 00:26:44,760 next scene and it was all just just ignore that I. 498 00:26:44,920 --> 00:26:46,280 Think they must have kept the camera on me. 499 00:26:46,440 --> 00:26:48,920 But a lot of these actors looked up to you. 500 00:26:48,920 --> 00:26:52,800 I remember when you came to see me once with some of the actors 501 00:26:52,800 --> 00:26:56,640 from EastEnders show I was doing and they really looked up to 502 00:26:56,640 --> 00:26:58,720 you. You really are, in their 503 00:26:58,720 --> 00:27:01,920 opinion, a lot of Asian actors in the UK. 504 00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:07,960 The Godfather, one of the four founding fathers of the acting 505 00:27:07,960 --> 00:27:11,480 scene within our. I think it's because I'm so old, 506 00:27:11,520 --> 00:27:13,400 the spokesperson. So old. 507 00:27:13,400 --> 00:27:15,880 They say respect your elders. Community Leader. 508 00:27:16,000 --> 00:27:18,120 That's where the that's where the respect comes. 509 00:27:18,120 --> 00:27:20,920 You're the community leader. I think they're very generous 510 00:27:20,920 --> 00:27:22,920 and sympathetic. And and some people will let go. 511 00:27:23,000 --> 00:27:25,520 My family I. Remember, I remember some of 512 00:27:25,520 --> 00:27:27,400 your family members. They just didn't. 513 00:27:27,600 --> 00:27:29,200 It is tough. I'm sure it is tough. 514 00:27:29,200 --> 00:27:32,560 I'm not criticizing any of these actors, but they will let go for 515 00:27:32,560 --> 00:27:35,200 certain sort of without without naming anyone to just let go 516 00:27:35,200 --> 00:27:38,040 because they they couldn't live up to that and the the heat and 517 00:27:38,040 --> 00:27:40,520 the intensity of filming such. You know, I don't know if the, 518 00:27:40,600 --> 00:27:43,960 the, the storytelling, there's so many stories and characters 519 00:27:43,960 --> 00:27:48,680 and things just have to change and, and, and move on. 520 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:51,520 So it's, it's not necessarily anything to do with them. 521 00:27:51,520 --> 00:27:54,320 Just characters will come and go. 522 00:27:54,400 --> 00:27:56,880 There's always a high turnover because you have to just keep, 523 00:27:58,600 --> 00:28:02,920 you just have to keep this machine moving. 524 00:28:02,920 --> 00:28:04,440 And it is an extraordinary achievement. 525 00:28:04,680 --> 00:28:08,160 The volume of content, not just that show, but all of them. 526 00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:13,800 How to keep an audience millions tuned in four times a week? 527 00:28:13,920 --> 00:28:18,600 The the problem is you do get cast a lot as a Haram zada, a 528 00:28:18,600 --> 00:28:21,600 real bastard in a lot of shows. Yeah. 529 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:23,080 What does that say? Getting a bit worried about 530 00:28:23,080 --> 00:28:24,200 this. What does that say you're 531 00:28:24,200 --> 00:28:26,760 getting? Typecast We we did grow up to 532 00:28:26,760 --> 00:28:30,040 Jack Nicholson films, you and I. I sometimes look at photos and I 533 00:28:30,040 --> 00:28:31,360 go, man, what are they? I know. 534 00:28:31,480 --> 00:28:35,080 Why are you getting cast? Doctor Foster and. 535 00:28:35,160 --> 00:28:37,880 But then he was a good guy. Yeah, he was a good guy. 536 00:28:37,880 --> 00:28:40,920 All right, well then let me let me throw this at you that when I 537 00:28:40,920 --> 00:28:45,840 did so years ago, I did this thing called teachers and I was 538 00:28:45,840 --> 00:28:50,360 playing just a lovable sweet. Idiot. 539 00:28:50,400 --> 00:28:52,520 A lot younger then though. Yeah, yeah, yeah, right. 540 00:28:53,200 --> 00:28:56,280 But I was essentially playing a fool, a buffoon. 541 00:28:57,440 --> 00:29:02,400 But I went to that meeting the coolest I've ever dressed in my 542 00:29:02,400 --> 00:29:05,800 life, and I get to play a Lulu, right? 543 00:29:06,320 --> 00:29:07,920 So look at that. I think the show. 544 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:10,680 So what? What did they see in me, in my 545 00:29:10,680 --> 00:29:12,040 thing, when I'm going? I was playing. 546 00:29:12,040 --> 00:29:14,760 I wasn't playing it. I wasn't playing it like this, 547 00:29:14,760 --> 00:29:23,520 this absolute sad human being who can't that no woman would 548 00:29:23,520 --> 00:29:27,840 ever look at in their lives. I played it as charismatic as I 549 00:29:27,840 --> 00:29:29,560 could when? Do you do? 550 00:29:29,560 --> 00:29:32,080 You're still the cool guy and. And luckily they they gave me 551 00:29:32,080 --> 00:29:34,360 the part, but they gave me the part of an absolute buffoon. 552 00:29:34,360 --> 00:29:36,840 Yeah. And Andrew Lincoln, he from this 553 00:29:36,840 --> 00:29:38,960 life, at the time, we just done this life, and then he went on 554 00:29:38,960 --> 00:29:43,840 to do that was the kind of cool. He was brilliant in it. 555 00:29:43,840 --> 00:29:45,960 Yeah, it was. It was one of the best casts 556 00:29:46,680 --> 00:29:48,760 I've worked. I think we, I've, I've said many 557 00:29:48,760 --> 00:29:51,680 times before that I was very lucky to work with some huge 558 00:29:51,680 --> 00:29:52,760 stars. James Corden. 559 00:29:53,520 --> 00:29:57,200 And he was there. Yeah, as a kid, as a kid, he was 560 00:29:57,200 --> 00:30:00,960 one of the kids that worked with some huge names. 561 00:30:00,960 --> 00:30:03,680 And naturally the conversation goes, but, you know, what did 562 00:30:03,680 --> 00:30:05,080 you learn from this person, that person? 563 00:30:05,080 --> 00:30:08,760 And what do they teach you? And, you know, what do they, 564 00:30:09,000 --> 00:30:10,760 what advice do they give you and stuff like that? 565 00:30:10,760 --> 00:30:13,880 But, you know, I will, I will say, and I've said it many 566 00:30:13,880 --> 00:30:17,880 times, that as amazing as that was as a young actor working on 567 00:30:17,880 --> 00:30:21,560 some of my teachers, with that ensemble, with Andy and with 568 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:28,120 Adrian Bauer, Raquel and Nina, I learnt just as much from being a 569 00:30:28,120 --> 00:30:31,560 part of that with them and watching them work as I did 570 00:30:31,560 --> 00:30:34,800 with, you know, Sheeran MacLean or Peter O'Toole Paris, 571 00:30:34,800 --> 00:30:36,560 whatever. It was a wonderful thing to be a 572 00:30:36,560 --> 00:30:39,000 part of, Yeah. Yeah, So Sheldon MacLean, 573 00:30:39,680 --> 00:30:42,800 obviously, if you haven't listened to our podcast, this 574 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:45,920 isn't a podcast anymore. He referred to Madame Suzatska, 575 00:30:46,360 --> 00:30:49,240 which is the royal film of 1989. We all went. 576 00:30:49,320 --> 00:30:50,960 I was in it. Obviously I was. 577 00:30:50,960 --> 00:30:51,720 You were there. I was. 578 00:30:51,960 --> 00:30:56,440 Really stole it met Shirley MacLaine you did Shaban Azmi, 579 00:30:56,440 --> 00:31:00,240 who learnt how to make samosas in in in my dad's shop she. 580 00:31:00,320 --> 00:31:02,680 She did an amazing an amazing woman. 581 00:31:02,680 --> 00:31:09,080 In Southall we had a snack bar where I used to make sandwiches 582 00:31:09,160 --> 00:31:12,720 and well on the odd days here and there and that's where 583 00:31:12,720 --> 00:31:17,080 Shirley MacLaine came to. Who would have thought we would 584 00:31:17,080 --> 00:31:21,200 be in such prestigious studios? Hope you're enjoying this 585 00:31:21,200 --> 00:31:24,160 podcast. Just a quick reminder, this show 586 00:31:24,320 --> 00:31:27,280 is brought to you by Misses Elswood Pickles. 587 00:31:27,680 --> 00:31:32,160 Bringing punch to your podcast and crunch to your lunch. 588 00:31:32,560 --> 00:31:36,480 Misses Elswood are packed with freshness every time and who 589 00:31:36,480 --> 00:31:39,960 would have thought from all those the early days when you're 590 00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:45,160 going up in a casting session with the entire which was cast 591 00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:48,320 in Southall, I, I believe Southall, Madison Zaska. 592 00:31:49,080 --> 00:31:52,160 There was a lot of casting in Southall. 593 00:31:52,160 --> 00:31:56,560 My particular auditions were outside of there, but there were 594 00:31:56,560 --> 00:31:58,600 lots of adverts. Well, Southall was a massive 595 00:31:58,600 --> 00:32:00,840 part of the life. I think they met almost every 596 00:32:01,080 --> 00:32:02,960 Indian boy of that age in that time. 597 00:32:02,960 --> 00:32:04,960 I was too young at the time and I probably couldn't even act. 598 00:32:07,040 --> 00:32:11,760 And and and then you went for up for that audition in and in 599 00:32:11,760 --> 00:32:15,360 South Rajpal. Uncle, I'm dear your uncle. 600 00:32:15,440 --> 00:32:18,320 Rest is so also put you up for that. 601 00:32:18,320 --> 00:32:21,240 It was just some cold call. Who would have thought Asian 602 00:32:21,240 --> 00:32:27,880 actors of our ilk would be so much further in in film and 603 00:32:27,880 --> 00:32:30,840 television as we speak? Who would have thought there'd 604 00:32:30,840 --> 00:32:34,160 be still a handful of us? How far we've come. 605 00:32:35,800 --> 00:32:41,880 Yeah, it's hard. Well, you know, listen man, as 606 00:32:41,880 --> 00:32:46,640 they say, talent finds a way. I can name on less than one hand 607 00:32:47,320 --> 00:32:51,080 the amount of Asian actors in Hollywood major productions. 608 00:32:53,000 --> 00:32:56,800 Yeah, but you compare it to what things were like. 609 00:32:57,520 --> 00:32:59,320 Yeah, at least we've got less than 5 now do. 610 00:32:59,680 --> 00:33:00,920 You know what I was watching with my boy? 611 00:33:00,920 --> 00:33:04,600 My boy sometimes watched Grey's Anatomy American Medical Show. 612 00:33:05,160 --> 00:33:07,000 Well, I did. I did Devils with Patrick 613 00:33:07,000 --> 00:33:08,960 Dempsey. Right, Yeah, OK. 614 00:33:10,080 --> 00:33:14,400 And it's amazing that this particular episode I think was 615 00:33:14,920 --> 00:33:18,760 probably about 10 years old, maybe 12 years old this episode. 616 00:33:19,800 --> 00:33:24,440 And there weren't any S Asians in this episode, but you know, 617 00:33:24,440 --> 00:33:27,360 there's about 3 or 4 regular black characters in there. 618 00:33:27,880 --> 00:33:29,520 And this is from, from, from back then. 619 00:33:29,520 --> 00:33:34,960 And it was amazing to see because it's taken a long time 620 00:33:35,360 --> 00:33:42,200 for TV in this country to, to get anywhere, get anywhere near 621 00:33:43,240 --> 00:33:46,560 near what America had at, at, at, at that stage. 622 00:33:46,560 --> 00:33:50,280 And, and, and continues to continues to deliver. 623 00:33:50,280 --> 00:33:53,200 I mean, I remember when I started out, you would look at 624 00:33:53,200 --> 00:33:59,960 scripts and there would never be unless it was a show about an 625 00:33:59,960 --> 00:34:04,120 Asian family or an episode about an Asian couple, you wouldn't 626 00:34:04,120 --> 00:34:06,280 have two brown people in the same episode. 627 00:34:06,280 --> 00:34:10,000 It, it, it wouldn't happen. You would look at the script and 628 00:34:10,000 --> 00:34:15,000 you go, if there's someone, if there is a lead role or a series 629 00:34:15,000 --> 00:34:18,400 regular that is of colour, there's no way there's going to 630 00:34:18,400 --> 00:34:21,159 be somebody else. So you would literally go to a 631 00:34:21,159 --> 00:34:24,199 meeting going, well, there's already an Asian girl in it or 632 00:34:24,199 --> 00:34:25,239 there's already a black guy in it. 633 00:34:25,239 --> 00:34:28,040 So this isn't going to happen. And, and, and that was the 634 00:34:28,040 --> 00:34:31,639 truth. The one time was actually 635 00:34:31,719 --> 00:34:33,840 teachers when there were billboards and there were 636 00:34:33,840 --> 00:34:40,320 posters of the five of us and two of us, there was Nina and 637 00:34:40,320 --> 00:34:43,719 myself. And you had out of the five, two 638 00:34:43,719 --> 00:34:47,679 of us were were people of colour. 639 00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:51,280 And it was amazing. And even publications like 640 00:34:51,280 --> 00:34:56,199 broadcast and and trade magazines did articles about it. 641 00:34:56,679 --> 00:35:00,720 That was how that's how big it was then. 642 00:35:00,720 --> 00:35:05,640 And this was the year 2000. And, and there was a feeling 643 00:35:05,640 --> 00:35:08,200 that OK, as ground breaking as that was because there was no 644 00:35:08,600 --> 00:35:10,880 cultural relevance to that. It was just that these are the 645 00:35:10,880 --> 00:35:13,200 actors. I think for my character, he was 646 00:35:13,200 --> 00:35:16,000 originally German. That's why his name was Kurt. 647 00:35:16,360 --> 00:35:18,520 And I came in very late to the process. 648 00:35:18,520 --> 00:35:20,600 And, you know, you do what you can. 649 00:35:20,720 --> 00:35:22,440 You know, I played it cool and then played an idiot. 650 00:35:23,960 --> 00:35:27,240 But you just have to get lucky with you give them something 651 00:35:27,240 --> 00:35:31,800 that they want, which is why you see a lot of the advice now 652 00:35:32,160 --> 00:35:34,920 that's all over the place about auditions is like, you know, you 653 00:35:34,920 --> 00:35:37,720 don't don't focus on getting the part. 654 00:35:38,040 --> 00:35:40,000 Just focus on what you can do with that part. 655 00:35:40,440 --> 00:35:44,040 And the rest will take care of itself if it's if it's needed. 656 00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:48,080 And then you thought maybe that would create a tsunami of 657 00:35:48,080 --> 00:35:51,280 similar type of of casting. And I think what happens is that 658 00:35:51,280 --> 00:35:55,200 when you then embark on a journey where you're, I went on 659 00:35:55,240 --> 00:35:58,640 a brilliant run after that, show after show and characters that 660 00:35:58,640 --> 00:36:02,800 weren't Asian and stuff. And it was there was a slight 661 00:36:02,880 --> 00:36:07,160 disconnect with what you would regard as progress. 662 00:36:08,400 --> 00:36:13,520 And when you start out, you think if you're a good actor, if 663 00:36:13,880 --> 00:36:16,680 it doesn't matter about the colour of your skin, you just 664 00:36:16,680 --> 00:36:20,000 play a particular part. And so when you're playing a 665 00:36:20,000 --> 00:36:22,040 part that was written for a white guy, you're thinking, wow, 666 00:36:22,040 --> 00:36:24,720 this is progress. But where the real progress 667 00:36:24,720 --> 00:36:30,280 should be is, is alongside that is, but stories, Asian stories 668 00:36:30,280 --> 00:36:32,440 and black stories still need to be represented. 669 00:36:33,520 --> 00:36:38,400 And that was perhaps where things didn't go as, as as well 670 00:36:38,400 --> 00:36:40,680 as one would have hoped back then. 671 00:36:40,680 --> 00:36:46,880 But now it's accelerated to, to, to such a, to such a degree that 672 00:36:46,880 --> 00:36:53,000 there are series and stories focusing quite rightly on our 673 00:36:53,040 --> 00:36:55,160 culture. And it's, it's, it's, it's 674 00:36:55,160 --> 00:36:57,840 brilliant. It's, it's brilliant to see. 675 00:36:58,960 --> 00:37:00,960 But it's taken a long, it's a long time. 676 00:37:00,960 --> 00:37:02,360 Well. It's, I don't think it's still 677 00:37:02,600 --> 00:37:07,240 where like they were talking about sinners obviously sweeping 678 00:37:07,720 --> 00:37:11,720 at the award ceremonies. And then ITV News spoke to 679 00:37:11,720 --> 00:37:16,040 Delroy and said, what's it like the, you know, this, the 680 00:37:16,080 --> 00:37:18,320 emergence of black cinema? And he said, it's it's not 681 00:37:18,320 --> 00:37:19,320 black. This is a film. 682 00:37:19,400 --> 00:37:21,800 Yeah, this is a film. What's it got to do with black? 683 00:37:22,160 --> 00:37:24,520 If anything, why didn't they say, what's with this vampire 684 00:37:24,520 --> 00:37:27,120 film they didn't ask about? They're talking about black and 685 00:37:27,120 --> 00:37:31,040 America has transcended race to a degree where you've got you 686 00:37:31,040 --> 00:37:34,360 can go to award ceremonies and be in a room full of a list 687 00:37:34,360 --> 00:37:36,440 black celebrities and entertainers. 688 00:37:36,720 --> 00:37:38,880 I don't think we could do it in an award ceremony in England 689 00:37:38,880 --> 00:37:41,280 with Asians I. Don't think we'd be invited. 690 00:37:41,280 --> 00:37:42,400 We. Wouldn't be invited. 691 00:37:43,320 --> 00:37:45,200 There's been a few recently. I mean, you never get killed. 692 00:37:47,200 --> 00:37:49,800 It's, you know, it's, it's hilarious. 693 00:37:49,800 --> 00:37:55,000 You think, wow, ITV will give you an award many times will 694 00:37:55,000 --> 00:38:00,040 give you an award, all these other institutions that will, 695 00:38:01,320 --> 00:38:04,920 you know, recognise your work. But it's interesting. 696 00:38:05,480 --> 00:38:11,800 Apne log apne bande. Yeah, I I think somehow the 697 00:38:11,840 --> 00:38:15,360 invites aren't. I always remember, you know, I 698 00:38:15,360 --> 00:38:18,920 always remember a thing. This is about 20 years ago, 699 00:38:19,320 --> 00:38:22,000 right, When teachers in this thing. 700 00:38:22,000 --> 00:38:24,680 And for people who don't know it, it was, you know, it was a 701 00:38:24,680 --> 00:38:28,160 really groundbreaking comedy drama, you know, nominated for 702 00:38:28,160 --> 00:38:29,520 everything, BAFTA and all this stuff. 703 00:38:29,520 --> 00:38:31,560 And it was at the time considered one of the most 704 00:38:31,560 --> 00:38:34,160 exciting shows on telly. Anyway, there was this there was 705 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:36,680 this Asian awards thing called Emma. 706 00:38:37,600 --> 00:38:40,400 I did it Ethnic. Yeah, ethnic Multicultural media 707 00:38:40,400 --> 00:38:42,280 Award. And if it if it's still going. 708 00:38:42,280 --> 00:38:44,600 All right. But we were invited to present 709 00:38:45,000 --> 00:38:47,520 an award. So me and my mate from the show 710 00:38:47,520 --> 00:38:50,160 we went and we presented an award and it was a lovely night. 711 00:38:50,160 --> 00:38:53,280 And it was quite glitzy and, and, and all that kind of stuff. 712 00:38:53,480 --> 00:38:57,280 The next year, teachers was nominated for best drama. 713 00:38:57,880 --> 00:39:02,360 And I didn't get, I didn't get an invite, but I was working, I 714 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:03,400 was filming. So I couldn't have done it 715 00:39:03,400 --> 00:39:04,840 anyway. But I spoke to my agent and I 716 00:39:04,840 --> 00:39:11,600 said that's weird because it's it's, it's honouring Asian 717 00:39:11,600 --> 00:39:15,920 culture. Our series has been nominated. 718 00:39:17,160 --> 00:39:21,320 And by that stage, Nina had, Nina had left the show. 719 00:39:21,320 --> 00:39:28,920 So I was the only Asian person in that show on the poster and I 720 00:39:28,920 --> 00:39:30,840 hadn't been invited to that show. 721 00:39:31,240 --> 00:39:34,280 So I said, it's what, you know, so and, and my agent called up 722 00:39:35,520 --> 00:39:37,760 and they said, oh, well, you know, we're, we're, it's really, 723 00:39:37,960 --> 00:39:39,960 it's really busy. But if he wants, he can come to 724 00:39:39,960 --> 00:39:44,000 the he can come to the after party, right. 725 00:39:44,800 --> 00:39:48,160 And you're thinking this is this, this is where there's 726 00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:50,360 something and I you know, I couldn't go and say no, you 727 00:39:50,360 --> 00:39:52,200 know, no, thank you. I mean that would have that 728 00:39:52,200 --> 00:39:55,800 would have never happened. But it was the principle behind 729 00:39:57,880 --> 00:40:00,520 how I think it's different this generation. 730 00:40:01,640 --> 00:40:05,360 But where? Who were you honouring when the 731 00:40:05,360 --> 00:40:10,160 show that and we won it and there was a brilliant actress, 732 00:40:10,800 --> 00:40:14,640 Ellen Thomas. A black actress who played one 733 00:40:14,640 --> 00:40:19,120 of the other older teachers, I think she went to to collect it. 734 00:40:19,720 --> 00:40:26,400 But you're thinking, where's the celebration of our talent if 735 00:40:26,400 --> 00:40:31,480 they're not even invited to a show that's won? 736 00:40:32,480 --> 00:40:37,200 And that wouldn't happen celebrating black talent. 737 00:40:37,960 --> 00:40:41,840 Well the good thing about the BBC is since they they cancelled 738 00:40:41,840 --> 00:40:43,840 the Emma awards it was it was scrapped. 739 00:40:44,080 --> 00:40:45,040 What? What happened? 740 00:40:45,120 --> 00:40:47,480 Well, they just got rid of it, it was cancelled, but the good 741 00:40:47,480 --> 00:40:51,080 thing about the BBC is they've never bought back an Asian award 742 00:40:51,080 --> 00:40:53,240 ceremony. So all credit to the BBC. 743 00:40:53,560 --> 00:40:54,960 You don't need those brown bastards. 744 00:40:55,480 --> 00:40:58,160 Get rid of them, give them a network, call it the Asian 745 00:40:58,160 --> 00:41:00,960 Network and put it on the side somewhere, you know, put, put 746 00:41:00,960 --> 00:41:04,360 it, hide it in some an online, you know, desk. 747 00:41:04,360 --> 00:41:06,280 That's why I really commend the BBC. 748 00:41:06,560 --> 00:41:08,960 Get rid of those brown bastards. You don't need them. 749 00:41:09,280 --> 00:41:12,840 I, I, I was booked for the Emma Awards in 2001 to do a stand up 750 00:41:12,840 --> 00:41:15,840 set, all right. And they called me and said, oh, 751 00:41:15,840 --> 00:41:19,000 can you come do 5 minutes? And it's a hard gig at the 752 00:41:19,000 --> 00:41:21,480 Grosvenor House Hotel. I think that was the one we went 753 00:41:21,480 --> 00:41:22,440 to. I think I must have seen you 754 00:41:22,440 --> 00:41:24,720 then. I think Ahmed Jalali did a set. 755 00:41:25,480 --> 00:41:27,520 I don't think he was on my year, he must have been on another 756 00:41:27,520 --> 00:41:29,520 year. So they they'd only booked one 757 00:41:29,520 --> 00:41:32,520 comedian a year to do 5 minutes on my. 758 00:41:32,520 --> 00:41:33,600 Bus then there was only two of you. 759 00:41:34,600 --> 00:41:38,200 He's Iranian. He they used to think. 760 00:41:38,200 --> 00:41:39,880 They used to think we were the same as Iranian people. 761 00:41:40,240 --> 00:41:43,720 Yeah, and the difference? The difference is Iran is very 762 00:41:43,720 --> 00:41:46,520 different to India, OK. So you learn something every. 763 00:41:46,520 --> 00:41:47,680 Every day we learn. We didn't know. 764 00:41:47,680 --> 00:41:50,480 We didn't know these things. Not not back in 2001. 765 00:41:50,480 --> 00:41:53,000 And Chappie course, Andy, a friend of mine and and Ahmed 766 00:41:53,480 --> 00:41:57,160 and, and they booked me and then you got, you'd get thrown out in 767 00:41:57,160 --> 00:41:59,320 between everything. So there's all these awards and 768 00:41:59,320 --> 00:42:01,240 then go and do 5 minutes, which is hard. 769 00:42:01,320 --> 00:42:02,160 I don't know. I don't know. 770 00:42:02,160 --> 00:42:05,640 Been in comedy a couple of years and you're looking out and 771 00:42:05,640 --> 00:42:10,280 there's Rio Ferdinand, there's David Beckham sat there. 772 00:42:10,760 --> 00:42:13,120 There's you look over there, Richard Attenborough was sat 773 00:42:13,120 --> 00:42:17,880 there, right? Richard Attenborough's SAT Who 774 00:42:17,880 --> 00:42:21,280 did Gandhi right? No, no, no, not Richard 775 00:42:21,280 --> 00:42:22,240 Attenborough. He's his brother. 776 00:42:22,960 --> 00:42:25,320 Dickie Attenborough did. Yeah, so who? 777 00:42:25,320 --> 00:42:26,760 Richard Attenborough did Gandhi. Yeah, Richard. 778 00:42:26,840 --> 00:42:28,400 So it was David. David Attenborough's the 779 00:42:28,440 --> 00:42:29,560 brother. Yeah, David's the brother. 780 00:42:29,560 --> 00:42:33,480 So Richard was sat at the end of the, these are people that, and 781 00:42:33,480 --> 00:42:36,000 I walk out and I'm trying to do and I'm, you know, it was so 782 00:42:36,000 --> 00:42:39,840 hard for the first few minutes and I dropped an F bomb and, and 783 00:42:39,840 --> 00:42:43,720 it carried and, and then after the 5-6 minutes, Bali Sagu, 784 00:42:43,720 --> 00:42:45,600 everyone was there and it went well. 785 00:42:45,720 --> 00:42:50,840 But I dropped an F bomb And then I come off and I, I walk up to 786 00:42:50,840 --> 00:42:53,280 my room. It was televised. 787 00:42:53,280 --> 00:42:55,840 I walk up to the. I get into the lift, and then in 788 00:42:55,840 --> 00:42:57,920 the lift is Chris Eubank and his wife. 789 00:42:59,440 --> 00:43:01,520 And this is Chris Eubank just after he retired. 790 00:43:01,520 --> 00:43:02,960 Yeah, one of the biggest stars, but. 791 00:43:03,000 --> 00:43:04,280 You're mates with his son now. I I. 792 00:43:04,560 --> 00:43:06,840 I am actually mates with this son that comes to my shows at 793 00:43:06,840 --> 00:43:08,520 the O2. But then Chris Eubank said to 794 00:43:08,520 --> 00:43:11,720 me, well, when when one is performing at such audacious 795 00:43:11,720 --> 00:43:14,600 events, one must not use such profanities. 796 00:43:14,600 --> 00:43:15,560 This. Is like bad language. 797 00:43:15,800 --> 00:43:19,440 One profanities is not when you one is. 798 00:43:19,480 --> 00:43:22,360 Why did you use such language at such an event? 799 00:43:22,960 --> 00:43:24,560 That's a word. Sorry, I just I dropped 800 00:43:24,560 --> 00:43:28,480 accidentally dropped it in. The thing is, you knock people 801 00:43:28,480 --> 00:43:30,560 out for a living. But Chris, you might not. 802 00:43:31,000 --> 00:43:32,600 He's not from the Middle East. He's not. 803 00:43:33,960 --> 00:43:36,720 Habibi, why you? Habibi yella yella. 804 00:43:36,720 --> 00:43:39,280 Yeah, and I was at his son's last fight with Connor Ben. 805 00:43:40,040 --> 00:43:41,880 Well, that's the first fight I watched at your house. 806 00:43:41,880 --> 00:43:43,480 Yeah, we were together. They were there, man. 807 00:43:43,480 --> 00:43:45,880 That was that was an intent. Wow, What a fight. 808 00:43:46,560 --> 00:43:51,080 What a fight. Now, we saw the fight with Yeah, 809 00:43:51,080 --> 00:43:51,880 we did see that. We. 810 00:43:51,880 --> 00:43:52,240 Saw. No. 811 00:43:52,360 --> 00:43:53,840 Yeah, but we saw. So at yours? 812 00:43:53,840 --> 00:43:55,160 Yeah, at your place, I was supposed. 813 00:43:55,160 --> 00:43:57,400 To go to it and I thought no. Mine is too hectic with all the 814 00:43:57,400 --> 00:43:59,320 kids. Yeah, and all the, you know, 815 00:43:59,320 --> 00:44:00,560 people. And then we were gonna watch the 816 00:44:00,560 --> 00:44:02,840 second fight and end up getting ringside tickets and you. 817 00:44:03,200 --> 00:44:04,360 Didn't go. You didn't take me. 818 00:44:04,360 --> 00:44:05,800 You didn't. I told everyone. 819 00:44:06,320 --> 00:44:09,800 So yeah, I saw them. Baba, that's what I call Paul's 820 00:44:09,800 --> 00:44:11,760 name is is is Baba in our family? 821 00:44:12,440 --> 00:44:13,760 Baba went on his own. He didn't take. 822 00:44:13,920 --> 00:44:15,520 You got away with it. You don't have a nickname. 823 00:44:15,560 --> 00:44:17,720 It was his name or Tiger. Tiger. 824 00:44:18,120 --> 00:44:20,720 Tiger was the thing. Still, my dad called me Tiger. 825 00:44:22,280 --> 00:44:24,680 But we were lucky we didn't get the Minto Shinto's, Minto's 826 00:44:24,680 --> 00:44:26,360 Limpos or Tempos. I had, you know, I had a funny 827 00:44:26,360 --> 00:44:31,000 one and no one knew what it meant, but I think like one of 828 00:44:31,000 --> 00:44:32,680 the uncles used to call me Langri. 829 00:44:33,000 --> 00:44:35,640 Who said that? Junction uncle used to call me 830 00:44:35,640 --> 00:44:36,480 Langri. Really. 831 00:44:37,000 --> 00:44:39,680 And I no one knew what that meant, but I think somehow 832 00:44:40,120 --> 00:44:41,760 someone told me once it might have been a Winder. 833 00:44:41,880 --> 00:44:43,920 Someone told me that meant head chef. 834 00:44:46,000 --> 00:44:47,320 I mean, that's a hell of a nickname. 835 00:44:47,320 --> 00:44:49,720 Yeah, I never. Yeah, I just remember being 836 00:44:49,720 --> 00:44:52,720 upstairs in the loft of the house with you playing table 837 00:44:52,720 --> 00:44:54,280 tennis. You never beat me. 838 00:44:54,720 --> 00:44:59,360 At that point I knew one day he'll be vote best villain. 839 00:44:59,520 --> 00:45:01,800 Best villain in in a in a soap opera. 840 00:45:02,200 --> 00:45:05,760 The problem is the country is being taken over as we speak. 841 00:45:06,400 --> 00:45:08,120 I'll just discussed this with my last guest. 842 00:45:08,120 --> 00:45:10,360 There's an invasion of immigrants. 843 00:45:11,200 --> 00:45:13,720 We've got to be careful with the door here in case some of them 844 00:45:13,720 --> 00:45:16,080 spill in and infiltrate the studio. 845 00:45:17,000 --> 00:45:20,760 If you watch the media outlets, there's an invasion. 846 00:45:20,760 --> 00:45:23,080 We're all being take. It's like 28 days later out 847 00:45:23,080 --> 00:45:25,000 there. You know, we need to get Andrew 848 00:45:25,000 --> 00:45:26,080 Lincoln to sort this out. He. 849 00:45:26,240 --> 00:45:27,680 Needs to. We'll give him a call, man. 850 00:45:27,680 --> 00:45:29,400 Ask the show. Yeah, and, and everyone's 851 00:45:29,400 --> 00:45:33,760 worried that England and Elon Musk is rightfully so in our 852 00:45:33,760 --> 00:45:37,200 corner and thankfully Donald Trump is backing us all up. 853 00:45:38,040 --> 00:45:40,640 Obviously our Prime Minister has no Winston Churchill. 854 00:45:40,800 --> 00:45:43,240 You see, he can't go to war quickly enough. 855 00:45:43,680 --> 00:45:45,960 And, and we're being we're being taken. 856 00:45:46,120 --> 00:45:48,680 I heard this this rhetoric when we were kids. 857 00:45:48,680 --> 00:45:51,960 I didn't realise it's taking them this long. 858 00:45:52,000 --> 00:45:54,800 You weren't listening. Man, I wasn't listening that 90% 859 00:45:54,800 --> 00:45:59,440 of the country is still white, but this 10% is is going to is 860 00:45:59,440 --> 00:46:00,680 going to take us. All, you know, we, we were 861 00:46:00,680 --> 00:46:03,880 having this, we were having this conversation of the day, right 862 00:46:03,880 --> 00:46:09,360 when one of the guys of one of these divisive parties that 863 00:46:09,360 --> 00:46:13,760 wants to change politics in this country was propagating and 864 00:46:13,760 --> 00:46:21,200 peddling this illusion about, you know, this Islamophobia and 865 00:46:21,200 --> 00:46:25,600 creating this, this fear. Shakira Lawman, you. 866 00:46:25,600 --> 00:46:26,720 Know. Yeah, exactly. 867 00:46:26,840 --> 00:46:30,240 Shakira Law. And we were saying that in our 868 00:46:30,240 --> 00:46:34,080 background as Punjabi Sikhs. You grew up in London, I grew up 869 00:46:34,080 --> 00:46:37,720 in Bristol, Mum ran a charity. We mixed with all faiths and 870 00:46:37,720 --> 00:46:41,160 cultures of our different communities there. 871 00:46:41,160 --> 00:46:43,720 Was the Bengalis there, Pakistanis, everything? 872 00:46:43,880 --> 00:46:49,240 Everything, all these, all these Muslim people that we have grown 873 00:46:49,240 --> 00:46:52,160 up with, that we have befriended, that we've worked 874 00:46:52,160 --> 00:46:57,720 with our parents generation, even in India itself, look at 875 00:46:57,720 --> 00:47:02,520 the Muslim population, right? I have never in my life met 876 00:47:02,520 --> 00:47:07,840 anyone, anyone Muslim who talks about Sharia law, right? 877 00:47:08,840 --> 00:47:12,200 This man and his party are saying it's coming to this 878 00:47:12,200 --> 00:47:16,640 country. And a cab driver, a cab driver 879 00:47:17,200 --> 00:47:25,560 that is the, the, that is the basic unit of currency in the 880 00:47:25,560 --> 00:47:31,000 logic that he is using to propagate his domestic policy 881 00:47:31,480 --> 00:47:37,160 against a certain religion. And it is absolutely astonishing 882 00:47:37,680 --> 00:47:42,040 that people like what people just, you know, freedom of 883 00:47:42,040 --> 00:47:45,480 speech is so important and whoever it is should have the 884 00:47:45,480 --> 00:47:49,280 right, the democratic right to to say whatever it is they want 885 00:47:49,280 --> 00:47:52,000 to say as we have the democratic right to listen to whatever we 886 00:47:52,000 --> 00:47:54,080 have to say. But if you're going to start 887 00:47:55,160 --> 00:48:01,200 making statements like that to people who are feeling quite 888 00:48:01,200 --> 00:48:05,160 vulnerable and scared about different cultures because a cab 889 00:48:05,160 --> 00:48:10,920 driver told you. And we as brown people, as 890 00:48:10,920 --> 00:48:15,360 Punjabi people who've grown up within that culture that we 891 00:48:17,040 --> 00:48:21,760 admire and have a great deal of affinity and affection for, have 892 00:48:21,760 --> 00:48:24,440 never met anyone who spouts that kind of. 893 00:48:24,440 --> 00:48:28,880 We are better informed than any of those political parties to 894 00:48:28,880 --> 00:48:35,080 spread the truths about stuff. And it is, it is extraordinary 895 00:48:36,680 --> 00:48:44,680 that those lies and fear are being peddled and everyone's 896 00:48:44,680 --> 00:48:47,520 grouped into that like what? What, what, what did? 897 00:48:47,520 --> 00:48:51,040 What? Do you expect Banjabi, Sikhs and 898 00:48:51,040 --> 00:48:54,560 Hindus to react? If, if, if that if, how? 899 00:48:54,560 --> 00:49:01,120 How would that even happen? Well, Nigel Farage does get his 900 00:49:01,120 --> 00:49:04,400 references from cab drivers, you know, and and he's very well 901 00:49:04,400 --> 00:49:06,360 informed. You see, when Nigel Farage gets 902 00:49:06,360 --> 00:49:09,920 in a cab and the cab driver officers taken over, mate, he's 903 00:49:09,920 --> 00:49:12,160 like, yeah, that's that's what I'm going to talk about 904 00:49:12,920 --> 00:49:17,440 Parliament or in interviews. And then and then when the 905 00:49:17,440 --> 00:49:20,640 unfortunate incident took place, the horrific incident with the 906 00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:25,560 the children in Wales and that Rudacarna piece of shit who 907 00:49:26,120 --> 00:49:27,480 should have been given the electric chair. 908 00:49:28,520 --> 00:49:33,240 He said he's an asylum seeker when he was born in in card. 909 00:49:33,600 --> 00:49:36,520 And his reference for that was what Andrew Tate said on a 910 00:49:36,520 --> 00:49:39,160 video. And these are the people they 911 00:49:39,160 --> 00:49:42,560 want as Prime Minister of England, if he gets in, mate, 912 00:49:43,000 --> 00:49:46,000 you know. I think, you know, people have 913 00:49:46,000 --> 00:49:50,720 the right to to follow and to listen to to who they want, but 914 00:49:52,240 --> 00:49:55,120 be very careful about being taken in by untruths. 915 00:49:56,280 --> 00:49:58,240 See, now there's no. Truths and people. 916 00:49:58,280 --> 00:50:04,840 Your truth. Yeah, people monetising and 917 00:50:04,840 --> 00:50:12,800 weaponising division. It's so clear to see and it's in 918 00:50:12,800 --> 00:50:17,640 my lifetime, I can't remember it being used so efficiently by 919 00:50:17,640 --> 00:50:20,600 these people. I guess because of the way in 920 00:50:20,600 --> 00:50:24,080 which you can have a voice now and have your voice heard. 921 00:50:24,080 --> 00:50:29,360 It's changed so much with social media, but it is just textbook 922 00:50:29,360 --> 00:50:34,240 the way that division is being created and hate is being 923 00:50:34,240 --> 00:50:40,760 peddled by people who have such a financial interest and a 924 00:50:40,760 --> 00:50:45,480 financial gain in doing that. I mean, you know, there's one 925 00:50:45,480 --> 00:50:49,080 thing having convictions in what you believe, but I think some of 926 00:50:49,080 --> 00:50:55,880 this stuff is so ridiculous and is so disrespectful of the 927 00:50:55,880 --> 00:50:59,640 generations that have come here and contributed lovingly to this 928 00:50:59,640 --> 00:51:04,240 country. To clump everything all into one 929 00:51:06,120 --> 00:51:11,080 is so dangerous. Well, we lived through the 930 00:51:11,080 --> 00:51:14,600 aftermath of Enoch Powell speech, Rivers of Blood in 931 00:51:14,600 --> 00:51:18,960 Birmingham in 1967. He did that speech. 932 00:51:18,960 --> 00:51:22,320 So our, our, our dads were here and Sikhs were getting attacked 933 00:51:22,320 --> 00:51:25,560 with turbans because they wanted us to go back to where we come. 934 00:51:25,560 --> 00:51:28,360 Even even though we were invited here after the Second World War 935 00:51:28,360 --> 00:51:30,880 because there was a lack of male labour forces in the UK. 936 00:51:30,880 --> 00:51:34,720 So we were invited to this country to sort it out and now 937 00:51:34,720 --> 00:51:38,080 we fix the country and we're British. 938 00:51:38,080 --> 00:51:39,680 Me and you were born here, right? 939 00:51:39,800 --> 00:51:43,320 Proud to be British, mate. We're British, but now we're not 940 00:51:43,320 --> 00:51:46,840 considered British. Now if you go back to the 941 00:51:46,840 --> 00:51:51,400 original Brits, the Celtics or the Romans or the Anglo Saxons, 942 00:51:52,400 --> 00:51:56,400 if Nigel Farage can't prove his lineage, I think you should be 943 00:51:56,400 --> 00:52:00,720 sent to Rwanda or the likes, because I'm more British than 944 00:52:00,720 --> 00:52:04,480 those bastards. You heard it here first. 945 00:52:04,520 --> 00:52:06,440 Yeah, I don't think we should be afraid of saying that. 946 00:52:06,440 --> 00:52:15,640 What what I find fascinating is that you have there are there 947 00:52:15,640 --> 00:52:20,880 are several ways of thinking of reacting, of engaging. 948 00:52:21,520 --> 00:52:25,040 And what gets me is that, you know, we grew up in a world 949 00:52:25,560 --> 00:52:29,520 where we were surrounded by different cultures and people 950 00:52:29,920 --> 00:52:34,080 can either find that intriguing and enchanting. 951 00:52:34,680 --> 00:52:38,880 I want to learn about it and and get to know it and experience 952 00:52:38,880 --> 00:52:41,920 it. And there are some grounded in 953 00:52:41,920 --> 00:52:48,640 fear and have been lied to who look at it feeling threatened 954 00:52:49,800 --> 00:52:55,040 and through hate. And that's amazing. 955 00:52:55,040 --> 00:52:58,960 Like, what is the biochemistry of the human brain? 956 00:52:59,760 --> 00:53:06,120 To look at it either in a way of huge generosity and intrigue, or 957 00:53:06,120 --> 00:53:10,800 to look at it so hatefully, murderously so. 958 00:53:12,160 --> 00:53:16,080 Conflict sells. Conflict is what gets clicked. 959 00:53:16,200 --> 00:53:24,040 Never has it been so monetized by so many people so, so well. 960 00:53:24,480 --> 00:53:27,800 The the dramas we've lived through, if we we wouldn't have 961 00:53:27,800 --> 00:53:30,120 to make this up, we wouldn't have to make. 962 00:53:30,120 --> 00:53:31,080 Up. It'd write itself. 963 00:53:31,080 --> 00:53:31,920 We would. Write. 964 00:53:32,400 --> 00:53:34,600 You remember, So you remember a couple of years ago, we were 965 00:53:34,600 --> 00:53:37,600 talking, people had come to us and said, look, guys, 966 00:53:38,720 --> 00:53:39,960 interesting combinations you want to do. 967 00:53:40,040 --> 00:53:41,520 And we were, you were busy. I was busy. 968 00:53:41,560 --> 00:53:43,720 We can do it. Like I remember we had talk once 969 00:53:43,720 --> 00:53:45,960 when you were going to do a gig, right? 970 00:53:45,960 --> 00:53:50,120 And there's this big thing about Paul, Paul Chowdhry, the biggest 971 00:53:50,120 --> 00:53:52,280 selling Asian comic the world has ever seen. 972 00:53:52,280 --> 00:53:53,360 Quite rightly. Yeah. 973 00:53:53,360 --> 00:53:57,880 Celebrate, celebrate and this big, big thing and people go 974 00:53:57,880 --> 00:54:00,920 mad. And then I'd come on stage, 975 00:54:01,640 --> 00:54:04,240 right? I'd come on stage and, and, and 976 00:54:04,240 --> 00:54:06,000 be you. And we'd just see how long it 977 00:54:06,000 --> 00:54:08,960 take for, for, for people to go, huh? 978 00:54:09,320 --> 00:54:11,760 Who the hell who's this guy? And I'd come on and go, I love 979 00:54:11,760 --> 00:54:13,560 Dave. All right, Dave, what's 980 00:54:13,760 --> 00:54:15,600 happening to white people, right? 981 00:54:15,680 --> 00:54:17,720 I love Dave. And we were going to do it, but 982 00:54:17,720 --> 00:54:20,720 we, well, I bought, I bottled it because I thought no one's going 983 00:54:20,720 --> 00:54:22,520 to really be like who that we should do it. 984 00:54:22,520 --> 00:54:24,320 What the hell is Nish doing on stage, man? 985 00:54:24,520 --> 00:54:27,680 He's dead, killed by his wife. Nish Pandasar, not Nish Kumar. 986 00:54:27,840 --> 00:54:29,960 No nish. Nishkumar is a different 987 00:54:30,040 --> 00:54:32,480 different nish. Yeah, apologies. 988 00:54:32,480 --> 00:54:35,320 And also Nish. You think when they named you 989 00:54:35,320 --> 00:54:37,320 Nish? It's not a hard name. 990 00:54:38,080 --> 00:54:41,360 Do you know what it is, though? It's there's, there's the, the, 991 00:54:41,400 --> 00:54:45,600 the, the sound consonance is vicious. 992 00:54:46,520 --> 00:54:48,760 It's nasty. Nish. 993 00:54:49,200 --> 00:54:51,640 Yeah, you don't think it sounds cute, Nish? 994 00:54:51,640 --> 00:54:53,000 And deep. It sounds cute. 995 00:54:53,080 --> 00:54:56,600 Yeah, it sounds Naveen is more threatening to me, probably 996 00:54:56,600 --> 00:54:57,800 because of it triggers me. Cute. 997 00:54:57,800 --> 00:54:59,200 My whole life, man, that starts saying. 998 00:54:59,200 --> 00:55:02,360 Yeah, but Naveen triggers me. Naveen's coming. 999 00:55:02,440 --> 00:55:04,560 Oh, shit, Naveen's coming. I've got to get. 1000 00:55:04,800 --> 00:55:06,680 A. Table tennis bat thrown in my 1001 00:55:06,680 --> 00:55:07,040 head. I wish. 1002 00:55:07,040 --> 00:55:10,200 It would trigger my kids. I was, I was. 1003 00:55:10,200 --> 00:55:14,960 I grew up scared of you. I would There I was on screen 1004 00:55:15,920 --> 00:55:21,000 terrorizing the nation and trying to do the same kind of 1005 00:55:21,120 --> 00:55:25,800 shizzle on my kids laughed in my laughed in my face. 1006 00:55:27,040 --> 00:55:29,640 You know the other day when I'm on they said I was having a go 1007 00:55:29,640 --> 00:55:32,200 at him and and blah blah blah and he just looked to me and he 1008 00:55:32,200 --> 00:55:34,560 went unemployed is. That what he said to you? 1009 00:55:35,840 --> 00:55:39,400 He said unemployed, I said. To Yeah, unbelievable. 1010 00:55:39,440 --> 00:55:41,600 Look at. That by the way, so so the 1011 00:55:41,600 --> 00:55:46,640 parallels of our careers for you to become a a leading star of 1012 00:55:47,040 --> 00:55:50,560 film and television and stage alike, which I've seen him. 1013 00:55:50,920 --> 00:55:53,200 I I was for me to become a stand up. 1014 00:55:53,440 --> 00:55:59,760 It wasn't, it wasn't a surprise because I'm such a mess, so. 1015 00:56:01,400 --> 00:56:06,640 What, what, what did they your first, so your mum and dad, when 1016 00:56:06,640 --> 00:56:10,320 it first started happening, your first sort of gig or when did 1017 00:56:10,320 --> 00:56:13,440 they, what, what did they think? Because also the, the language. 1018 00:56:13,480 --> 00:56:15,840 I mean, I can remember recently there was a gig and my dad 1019 00:56:15,840 --> 00:56:18,760 attended in Bristol and he got up, I mean it's job. 1020 00:56:18,760 --> 00:56:21,160 He got up and said mind your language, right? 1021 00:56:21,160 --> 00:56:23,240 But what did you what, what did they think? 1022 00:56:23,240 --> 00:56:25,960 Because I know a lot of family were like, you know, Baba I was 1023 00:56:25,960 --> 00:56:28,440 doing because you were very quiet, very shy. 1024 00:56:28,440 --> 00:56:31,040 They're like boy doesn't say 2 words and now he's doing 90 1025 00:56:31,040 --> 00:56:32,400 minute sets at Yeah It. Was weird. 1026 00:56:32,600 --> 00:56:37,440 Your dad was at the show in Bristol, Big packed out 1 1/2 1027 00:56:37,440 --> 00:56:41,200 thousand people. And then he didn't shy away. 1028 00:56:41,640 --> 00:56:44,880 He said he grabbed mic. We got to talk when you go home. 1029 00:56:46,000 --> 00:56:47,920 I brought the house down. I got the biggest laugh of the 1030 00:56:47,920 --> 00:56:49,800 night. My uncle. 1031 00:56:49,800 --> 00:56:52,760 An uncle more than I did. Well, I did one of the I made a 1032 00:56:52,760 --> 00:56:54,960 short film I wrote, which is a short film years. 1033 00:56:54,960 --> 00:56:59,160 Ago, I remember it, I've got it. And we got my dad, we got my dad 1034 00:56:59,160 --> 00:57:00,920 to be in it, and we had a great cast. 1035 00:57:01,560 --> 00:57:05,640 And there are Varma was in it and Nitin Ganatra was in it. 1036 00:57:05,640 --> 00:57:12,160 We had a lovely, lovely cast. But I think the second shot of 1037 00:57:12,160 --> 00:57:17,120 the film was my dad, my dad doing a, you know, a scene. 1038 00:57:17,120 --> 00:57:19,680 And he was well up for it. And it was all that, that the 1039 00:57:19,680 --> 00:57:27,360 short film was all about the challenges that Asian actors 1040 00:57:27,360 --> 00:57:31,000 face in the business. And it was set basically in an 1041 00:57:31,000 --> 00:57:34,600 audition room. And so we had my dad auditioning 1042 00:57:35,200 --> 00:57:39,280 for a part of a bus conductor. And so he only had one. 1043 00:57:39,720 --> 00:57:42,720 Which my dad was which. Right, so my dad only had, and I 1044 00:57:42,720 --> 00:57:45,480 told the director, listen, when my dad comes in, let me direct 1045 00:57:45,480 --> 00:57:47,400 him and we'll do. And everyone's really excited to 1046 00:57:47,400 --> 00:57:49,160 have him and, and stuff like that. 1047 00:57:49,160 --> 00:57:54,640 And so he had one line. It was like Dick it please, Dick 1048 00:57:54,640 --> 00:57:57,840 it, please Dick it, please, right. 1049 00:57:58,000 --> 00:58:01,520 So he comes and, and, and we do it a couple of times and he, he, 1050 00:58:01,520 --> 00:58:04,320 he, he starts, I said, look, you know, you're a little bit 1051 00:58:05,080 --> 00:58:07,400 irritated, you're a bit upset. This is beneath you. 1052 00:58:07,400 --> 00:58:10,040 You're a bit like that. So he starts doing and he starts 1053 00:58:10,040 --> 00:58:12,520 doing like, starts contorting his face a little bit. 1054 00:58:13,000 --> 00:58:15,400 Ticket, please. Ticket, please. 1055 00:58:15,400 --> 00:58:16,680 And I'll get da, da, da. What you doing somewhere? 1056 00:58:16,680 --> 00:58:18,840 You know, you wanted me angry. And then I'll just just just say 1057 00:58:18,840 --> 00:58:21,160 it normally. So we do a couple more takes, 1058 00:58:21,160 --> 00:58:24,560 and then he suddenly goes, ticket, please. 1059 00:58:25,200 --> 00:58:28,440 Ticket please. Tiger, I have an idea. 1060 00:58:29,360 --> 00:58:30,040 I'm going. Right. 1061 00:58:30,040 --> 00:58:31,160 Cut. Everybody cut right. 1062 00:58:31,160 --> 00:58:32,720 What is it? So I got an idea. 1063 00:58:32,720 --> 00:58:33,040 So. OK. 1064 00:58:33,080 --> 00:58:33,320 Yeah. Yeah. 1065 00:58:33,320 --> 00:58:36,640 Well, let's do it. He said instead of going ticket 1066 00:58:36,640 --> 00:58:39,360 please, Ticket please. Ticket please. 1067 00:58:39,760 --> 00:58:42,320 Why don't I try? Ticket, please. 1068 00:58:42,520 --> 00:58:45,720 Ticket, please, please ticket. Right. 1069 00:58:46,320 --> 00:58:50,080 I was like, OK, the whole set, everyone fell apart. 1070 00:58:50,240 --> 00:58:52,320 It's in the film. We've done it always. 1071 00:58:52,320 --> 00:58:55,080 It gets the biggest laugh of the whole short. 1072 00:58:55,240 --> 00:58:56,480 And we won awards for that short. 1073 00:58:56,520 --> 00:58:59,320 And you know the beginning of that. 1074 00:58:59,320 --> 00:59:00,600 The biggest laugh belongs to him. 1075 00:59:00,600 --> 00:59:04,480 Great short and a great line. This is where. 1076 00:59:04,520 --> 00:59:07,440 See detail. Comedy runs in our blood. 1077 00:59:08,960 --> 00:59:12,560 Comedy and drama runs and I think that's, you know, and your 1078 00:59:12,560 --> 00:59:20,760 dad is a hilarious individual. The funniest uncle, still, still 1079 00:59:20,760 --> 00:59:24,000 the funniest uncle. And yeah, I think the brothers 1080 00:59:24,000 --> 00:59:25,880 were very funny. Yeah, they were. 1081 00:59:25,880 --> 00:59:27,240 We used as kids, we used to just watch them. 1082 00:59:27,240 --> 00:59:31,160 To me, they just get together and I would drink whatever, 1083 00:59:31,160 --> 00:59:32,960 speaking Punjabi and we would just literally. 1084 00:59:32,960 --> 00:59:35,040 Joke with each other. We'd just sit around in the 1085 00:59:35,040 --> 00:59:38,080 language. I mean, is there any wonder that 1086 00:59:38,080 --> 00:59:40,680 your stand up is full of? It was influenced. 1087 00:59:41,160 --> 00:59:44,320 It was, it was taught to us at a young age. 1088 00:59:44,320 --> 00:59:48,000 I mean we would just literally would watch them like it was a 1089 00:59:48,160 --> 00:59:51,240 live theatre production. I didn't say anything as as I 1090 00:59:51,240 --> 00:59:52,560 was growing up because I was just listening. 1091 00:59:53,040 --> 00:59:54,360 Yeah. And. 1092 00:59:54,840 --> 00:59:56,720 I mean, they would say, and it's just that's the way, that's 1093 00:59:56,720 --> 01:00:00,400 where Punjabi isn't it? You could say pass me the cup 1094 01:00:00,960 --> 01:00:03,560 and it'd bring the house down. I took Banjo to the mainstream. 1095 01:00:04,360 --> 01:00:07,280 What a word. You know, and now white people, 1096 01:00:07,640 --> 01:00:11,520 your Pancho might, you know, that's you're welcome. 1097 01:00:12,240 --> 01:00:14,200 You're welcome. I've really. 1098 01:00:14,800 --> 01:00:17,200 Took Pancho to the mainstream. I should get a knighthood for. 1099 01:00:17,200 --> 01:00:20,720 That we tried to get it in, we tried to get it in, in 1100 01:00:20,720 --> 01:00:21,960 EastEnders. Oh really? 1101 01:00:22,640 --> 01:00:25,280 I think you said there were some Punjabi words you did manage to 1102 01:00:25,280 --> 01:00:30,080 sneak in. We we got some stuff in I think 1103 01:00:30,080 --> 01:00:33,680 we may have even done where we can say half, we can say half of 1104 01:00:33,680 --> 01:00:38,600 it bad. But I did say, I did say Guddi, 1105 01:00:39,440 --> 01:00:43,880 which is bitch. So I managed to say that, which 1106 01:00:43,880 --> 01:00:46,880 was a huge, I think that was great because he always 1107 01:00:47,000 --> 01:00:51,480 incredibly welcoming about ideas and cultural stuff. 1108 01:00:51,680 --> 01:00:54,200 But The funny thing about that is we all did that. 1109 01:00:54,200 --> 01:00:56,440 And when I said the line, because he was so angry, he was 1110 01:00:56,440 --> 01:00:59,200 just about to attack his wife. Guddi, bitch. 1111 01:00:59,400 --> 01:01:06,360 Like, that is stuff that grew up with that language amongst 1112 01:01:06,360 --> 01:01:10,080 extended family, right? And the Punjabis in the family 1113 01:01:10,080 --> 01:01:11,360 and on set were like, yeah, yeah, yeah. 1114 01:01:11,360 --> 01:01:16,920 This is this is this is it. And what was found unbelievable 1115 01:01:16,920 --> 01:01:21,120 was when it came out, someone sent me a clip of this little 1116 01:01:21,440 --> 01:01:27,560 podcast with some people saying it wasn't authentic. 1117 01:01:27,960 --> 01:01:32,680 And these were very, very well educated, some might say posh 1118 01:01:33,400 --> 01:01:36,680 Punjabis criticizing. And I'm going, I don't know 1119 01:01:36,680 --> 01:01:40,160 where where you grew up, but clearly you didn't. 1120 01:01:40,320 --> 01:01:44,240 You didn't hear what Banjabis and Raval Bindi used to say to 1121 01:01:45,720 --> 01:01:48,520 to each other. We were from Rahul Bindi, our 1122 01:01:48,520 --> 01:01:52,920 families for Rahul Bindi, which was in India at the time. 1123 01:01:53,400 --> 01:01:57,760 And then in 1947 there was a partition separation after 1124 01:01:57,760 --> 01:02:01,240 England, after England's rule. And then our families were 1125 01:02:01,240 --> 01:02:03,320 refugees. But your dad was a baby then, 1126 01:02:03,320 --> 01:02:06,000 wasn't he? He was young, he was. 1127 01:02:06,800 --> 01:02:11,000 Because my dad fled, our dad's, our dad's cousins got shot on 1128 01:02:11,000 --> 01:02:14,200 the roof and then they were fled and just left the house as 1129 01:02:14,200 --> 01:02:15,000 refugees. They lost. 1130 01:02:15,000 --> 01:02:17,920 They lost, yeah. We're the children of refugees. 1131 01:02:17,960 --> 01:02:20,560 They lost everything and then they just embarked on a mission 1132 01:02:20,560 --> 01:02:23,840 for for months till they settled and they moved around. 1133 01:02:25,080 --> 01:02:29,280 They moved around a hell of a lot with our grandfather Papaji, 1134 01:02:29,280 --> 01:02:33,000 his his job and stuff sort of took them to all all sorts of. 1135 01:02:34,560 --> 01:02:38,240 If we did a biopic, you and I and, and we played different 1136 01:02:38,240 --> 01:02:41,720 characters, it would be to a degree a period. 1137 01:02:41,760 --> 01:02:43,560 It would start off as a period drama. 1138 01:02:44,520 --> 01:02:49,200 We'd have to. We could do the Asian sinners, 1139 01:02:50,080 --> 01:02:54,640 the Indian version of sinners, and the vampires colonizing us 1140 01:02:54,640 --> 01:02:58,560 and and and occupying our land and then us finding. 1141 01:02:59,000 --> 01:03:01,960 I think if we told, if we just did a documentary, it'd be more 1142 01:03:01,960 --> 01:03:02,840 frightening. It would be. 1143 01:03:03,320 --> 01:03:05,800 It would documentary of how the chauderies, how we got, how we 1144 01:03:06,080 --> 01:03:07,400 brought up. The trauma. 1145 01:03:07,400 --> 01:03:08,400 How we grew up. The the. 1146 01:03:09,080 --> 01:03:10,680 They wouldn't put it on they you couldn't. 1147 01:03:10,920 --> 01:03:13,080 They'd. Be The Exorcist and the 1148 01:03:13,080 --> 01:03:15,600 Chauderies. The Exorcist is is less 1149 01:03:15,600 --> 01:03:17,240 harrowing. I think so. 1150 01:03:17,280 --> 01:03:18,760 Than what we've lived through 100%. 1151 01:03:18,760 --> 01:03:20,920 I don't know about you, but what I've lived through you had a 1152 01:03:20,920 --> 01:03:24,120 great you've had a great life. I make a lot of people laugh for 1153 01:03:24,120 --> 01:03:26,840 a reason. It's to escapism. 1154 01:03:27,840 --> 01:03:33,320 You know everyone we you know like you know the societies we 1155 01:03:33,320 --> 01:03:35,680 all as a Society of ups and downs. 1156 01:03:35,680 --> 01:03:38,480 We spoke about it, but I watched horror films just to get cheered 1157 01:03:38,480 --> 01:03:41,520 up. It would Take Me Out of the 1158 01:03:41,520 --> 01:03:43,720 Depression. I I write horror films to 1159 01:03:43,840 --> 01:03:48,160 somehow revisit my youth. You were making a horror film. 1160 01:03:48,520 --> 01:03:52,280 We yeah, we, we made one, yes. But in fact, it's suddenly had a 1161 01:03:52,320 --> 01:03:56,400 rebirth. So suddenly Amazon Prime, if you 1162 01:03:56,400 --> 01:03:59,160 the other streamers, 20 years old, we made it 20 years ago. 1163 01:04:00,120 --> 01:04:01,720 What can we watch this for the viewers? 1164 01:04:01,880 --> 01:04:05,560 It's on Amazon Prime and Toby. And it's called. 1165 01:04:05,680 --> 01:04:10,920 It's called The Haunting of 24. It was originally called Life 1166 01:04:10,920 --> 01:04:16,840 Still America got their hands on it, changed the title without my 1167 01:04:16,840 --> 01:04:18,360 permission. I was a producer. 1168 01:04:19,280 --> 01:04:21,680 They changed the title twice. Actually, they agreed not to do 1169 01:04:21,680 --> 01:04:26,320 it again for the 20 year anniversary release, but they 1170 01:04:26,320 --> 01:04:28,440 changed it because they do things their way. 1171 01:04:28,440 --> 01:04:31,560 But anyway, thankfully, yeah, it's it's doing it's, it's doing 1172 01:04:31,560 --> 01:04:33,720 quite well on those streamers. OK, actually I'm going to check 1173 01:04:33,720 --> 01:04:36,280 it out as soon as I get back. I'm sure I've seen it already, 1174 01:04:36,320 --> 01:04:39,920 but I'll watch it again. And obviously this is the 1175 01:04:39,960 --> 01:04:43,120 podcast where I ask questions that guests don't want to be 1176 01:04:43,120 --> 01:04:45,280 asked. Was there anything that I asked 1177 01:04:45,280 --> 01:04:48,200 you or is there anything that you wouldn't like to be asked 1178 01:04:49,440 --> 01:04:57,000 before we wrap up? Who's my favorite Asian stand 1179 01:04:57,000 --> 01:04:58,840 up? Yeah, I won't ask you that 1180 01:04:58,840 --> 01:05:00,720 question for obvious. Reasons it'd be awkward. 1181 01:05:00,960 --> 01:05:05,840 It'd be very, very awkward and we could obviously go on to talk 1182 01:05:05,840 --> 01:05:08,120 for hours and hours. Less not. 1183 01:05:08,360 --> 01:05:12,800 But as always, an honour and a privilege to call you my my 1184 01:05:12,800 --> 01:05:15,800 cousin brother. Likewise, although I never asked 1185 01:05:15,800 --> 01:05:20,640 you your pronouns, I never have. I don't think we, we've, we've 1186 01:05:20,640 --> 01:05:24,800 lived through different eras of, of transitioning, no pun 1187 01:05:24,800 --> 01:05:30,160 intended. Mr. Nish Panasar, the greatest 1188 01:05:30,160 --> 01:05:36,240 villain of British televisual history, my cousin, the scariest 1189 01:05:36,240 --> 01:05:38,040 cousin of the lot. And I've got a lot of them. 1190 01:05:38,040 --> 01:05:39,840 We have a lot of them. I'll take that. 1191 01:05:39,840 --> 01:05:41,240 I'll have. That we've we've got a lot of 1192 01:05:41,240 --> 01:05:43,360 cousins all over the world we don't even know exist. 1193 01:05:43,360 --> 01:05:45,200 They don't come close. How many have we got? 1194 01:05:45,200 --> 01:05:46,800 We've must been there hundreds by now. 1195 01:05:46,800 --> 01:05:47,920 Do. You know all their names. 1196 01:05:47,920 --> 01:05:50,960 I don't even know man, I sometimes when people say 1197 01:05:51,560 --> 01:05:52,960 something you sent to or Minto like. 1198 01:05:53,040 --> 01:05:55,240 Who do Minto's wedding and then? Dinku. 1199 01:05:55,240 --> 01:05:56,640 I don't even remember what they look like. 1200 01:05:56,920 --> 01:05:58,600 Dinku, Weds, Manu and all this stuff. 1201 01:05:58,600 --> 01:05:59,760 No, no, it's difficult. I have to. 1202 01:05:59,760 --> 01:06:02,240 My sister's my Oracle. I have to literally translates 1203 01:06:02,240 --> 01:06:03,440 to me again. Now this one is this one. 1204 01:06:03,440 --> 01:06:05,280 This was my this. Samantha knows all of them. 1205 01:06:05,280 --> 01:06:08,120 She knows all of them. She has the Encyclopedia of 1206 01:06:08,120 --> 01:06:10,440 Cousins. I only know you and about two 1207 01:06:10,440 --> 01:06:13,080 others. We're the only ones that talk to 1208 01:06:13,080 --> 01:06:14,600 each other. Who? 1209 01:06:14,640 --> 01:06:16,400 Who? We're meeting 2 now actually. 1210 01:06:16,400 --> 01:06:18,800 We are meeting 2 now that's. Going to be we're meeting 2 or 1211 01:06:18,800 --> 01:06:20,200 maybe 3 it's. Going to be very awkward. 1212 01:06:20,440 --> 01:06:22,160 It's it's. Going to be more awkward than 1213 01:06:22,160 --> 01:06:23,880 the podcast. I'll let I'll let you do the 1214 01:06:23,880 --> 01:06:24,920 talking. I'm more talked out. 1215 01:06:24,920 --> 01:06:27,120 And we're going to we. I just hope they get the bill. 1216 01:06:27,280 --> 01:06:30,360 Yeah, yeah, fat chance. Yeah, they're exactly. 1217 01:06:30,600 --> 01:06:32,000 We'll just do a runner. Yeah. 1218 01:06:32,920 --> 01:06:38,560 Ladies and gentlemen, Mr. Naveen Chaudhary, thanks for watching 1219 01:06:38,560 --> 01:06:41,480 this podcast so far. Hope you're enjoying it and if 1220 01:06:41,480 --> 01:06:45,360 you are, leave a five star review, drop some comments. 1221 01:06:45,680 --> 01:06:49,480 I might even read them out in future episodes and give you a 1222 01:06:49,480 --> 01:06:50,080 shout out.