CE L EBRIT Y INTERVI EW AL EXANDER ARMS TRONG
LIVE 24-SEVEN “ 14
I THINK I’VE BEEN ‘PHENOMENALLY LUCKY’ AND I THINK THAT’S THE THING THAT REALLY
STRIKES THROUGH, YOU CAN ONLY DO SO MUCH YOURSELF, SOME OF IT HAS TO BE LUCK.
really. Ben and I were musicians as well as comedians, when we used to sit and write sketches Ben always had a guitar on his knee [laughing]. The first iteration of any idea was always a song! And then you’d think maybe it’s not a song, maybe it’s a sketch – there was always a heavy undercurrent of music to anything we were doing, so we were a live act before we went on telly. I also love doing characters, if you’re a mimic, which I am, that’s my ticket or thing, you kind of need to get your teeth into that sort of thing or you go mad! [laughing] So I’m returning to something I’ve pretty much done all my life and I’ve been singing all the way through my life, so they’re quite ‘sensible’ to who I am as a person, all these different things. The lovely thing is I get to do it, I mean that’s the thing I’ve been incredibly lucky to do so many different things. Classic FM is just the same as Pointless really, it’s just me!
Despite your wealth of TV, acting and singing experience, you’re set to embark on your first solo stand-up tour, are you just a little nervous about taking to the stage…alone? Weirdly I’m not actually; not at all! I’m really excited! In a funny way comedy is something I haven’t done for so long, as a live presentation, if you know what I mean? I get to do comedy in Pointless, but you never how much is going to make it into the edit, but it’s really nice to be revisiting a full-scale comedy show and writing material! Certainly, it’s the first time I’ve done something like this, a stand-up show where it’s just literally me on my own, but it’s been really good fun as I’ve been writing a lot of comedy songs for it as well, which I just love doing!
You’ve reinvented yourself throughout your career – I think you’re the male version of Madonna! From Armstrong & Miller to acting, Classic FM, Pointless, voice overs for Peppa Pig and full circle to your one-man show, you’re like that fella Mr Benn and the magic door…what’s the secret? [laughing] [Laughing] Do you know what Katie, it’s all me, they’re all me! They’re the things I do. Do you know what I mean? I haven’t really reinvented myself at all. Let me think if I can put that slightly better? Umm, when I started doing comedy, from the outset it involved everything that I love, you can write characters, you can write sketches that involve music, you can write songs, perform songs, I can encompass everything I love doing with comedy. Then when I stopped doing comedy, I needed some kind of outlet, there were certainly itches I wasn’t scratching, if you know what I mean, and that’s the truth
It’s quite bold of you to do the likes of Have I got News For You and then Songs of Praise, I mean you couldn’t get more diverse shows could you? Yet you seem equally as comfortable and at home with both them? I guess I probably am. Yeah, I think I am. I think as long as you are comfortable, I mean I don’t think I’d ever pretend to be something I wasn’t. I mean take for example Pointless, Richard and I quite often forget that we’re being filmed! [laughing] We do honestly! We’re just having a lovely time. We spend about six hours a day making TV shows, but it’s made in such a lovely way, we have an audience that turn up and we know they’re there, but we just muck about and have a nice time. Not a bad day’s work! Yes, we love it. People say, “How do you keep so happy? Why are you so cheerful making Pointless?” The answer is because I genuinely am, we genuinely enjoy it – we’re half way through filming 219 shows at the moment – I’m leaving shortly to go film four more shows today and I’m genuinely looking forward to it. I know they’ll be fun – knackering, but fun!
Let’s go back to the impending tour; what can your audience expect? It’s a kind of… it’s sort of me spilling the beans on all the many things I’ve done. From leaving university to now, the kinds of twists and turns a career takes that you have no control over whatsoever, that’s the truth, to have a career in comedy or politics only happens if enough people like what you’re doing, otherwise you pretty much have to launch yourself or die, it’s a case of wherever the current takes you! I can think of so many people that started out in comedy and ended up in politics, or are psychologists or teachers – it takes you in all kinds of directions. You launch yourself age 22 and basically say I’m going to have to follow this wherever it takes me and I’ll give it my best shot! Truth is you just have to be true to yourself and make sure you don’t get into a position where you’re dishonest about anything you’re doing!
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