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Speaker 1: Ben Elton. On his way back, he joins a veritable

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Speaker 1: flotilla of British comics who seem to be hitting the

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Speaker 1: road these days, David Williams, Graham Norton, Stephen Fry among others.

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Speaker 1: So what's he got for us, ben Elton? As well

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Speaker 1: as very good morning?

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Speaker 2: Good morning indeed, and thank you for having me, very

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Speaker 2: pleased to be here.

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Speaker 1: No worries it or just to quick catch up the

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Speaker 1: tours receiving rave reviews and goods? Is this a comfortable

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Speaker 1: time of life where it doesn't matter anymore? It's all

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Speaker 1: cream on the cake.

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Speaker 3: Well, I certainly wouldn't say that.

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Speaker 2: No, I think it's as I certainly find it as

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Speaker 2: as kind of, you know, important and vaguely intimidating as

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Speaker 2: I did when I was young. I mean, I think

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Speaker 2: I'm better at it now and I certainly enjoy stand

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Speaker 2: up comedy more so as much as I think. I

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Speaker 2: know the audience have come because they want to see me,

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Speaker 2: So you know, I've got to be I've got to

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Speaker 2: kind of be bad, you know what I mean.

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Speaker 3: I've got to.

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Speaker 2: Prove myself, but I do have to justify myself. No,

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Speaker 2: I'm certainly not you know, sitting back on the big

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Speaker 2: fat Lauras. As my wife would say, I'm you know,

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Speaker 2: I took every gig very seriously. You know, a theater

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Speaker 2: full of people are going to invest in me for

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Speaker 2: the evening. That is a big responsibility. And also I

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Speaker 2: wouldn't do it if I didn't if the passion didn't

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Speaker 2: still burn. I mean, I have not lost the desire

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Speaker 2: to shout and swear and pontificate about all and sundry.

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Speaker 2: So no, I don't really feel much different. How I ever,

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Speaker 2: did you know I deal with this on stage? We

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Speaker 2: all we all feel twenty one inside. Our characters are

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Speaker 2: largely formed by the time we're in our twenties, and

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Speaker 2: that's who we remain. Meanwhile, the world passes on, which

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Speaker 2: is moves on, and you know, we who were once

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Speaker 2: the cutting edge and the change find ourselves being bewildered

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Speaker 2: and having to having to deal with a whole new

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Speaker 2: generations changes. And that's a lot of what I talk

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Speaker 2: about on stage, unpacking my bewilderment, having standing my truth.

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Speaker 1: Having said that, I wonder if your success is partly

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Speaker 1: somebody I read over the holidays. See in difficult times,

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Speaker 1: you've always got one foot in nostilgia, So we longed

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Speaker 1: for what was?

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Speaker 2: Is that that's something that they're not quote, not talking

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Speaker 2: about me. That's just a general.

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Speaker 1: That's a general observation that you know.

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Speaker 2: Yeah, well, I think everyone has a sense of nostalgia,

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Speaker 2: whether the times are difficult or not. You know, I think,

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Speaker 2: you know, the current you know, the current right wing

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Speaker 2: resurgence is in, you know, and sort of you know,

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Speaker 2: the white patriarchy is for a world that you know,

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Speaker 2: never really existed in their dreams, but they but I

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Speaker 2: think they were nostalgic for it even while it was happening.

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Speaker 2: You know, if you watched sort of John Wayne movies,

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Speaker 2: there's a sort of like, you know, the Old West,

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Speaker 2: that was the when real men were men, and now

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Speaker 2: now the sort of equivalent of John like you know,

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Speaker 2: now Sylvester Saalone is is saying, oh, when John Wayne

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Speaker 2: was a man, that was when real men were men.

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Speaker 2: So I don't think I don't think the times people

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Speaker 2: are nostalgic for necessarily ever existed. But I think we

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Speaker 2: all love a bit of nostalgia. You know, my personal

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Speaker 2: you know, if you know the great what what would

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Speaker 2: you wish for? If you had one wish I'd love

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Speaker 2: a time machine. I cannot imagine joy to be able

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Speaker 2: to go to the theater and see the opening of

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Speaker 2: a George Bernard Shaw, or see the Beatles at the

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Speaker 2: Cavin Club, or yes, drop in on the colise. Yes,

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Speaker 2: I'm a bloke. I'm interested in the in the Roman Empire. Yeah,

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Speaker 2: I think we all got good. Times are bad. We

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Speaker 2: love a bit of nostalgia.

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Speaker 1: Speaking of time machines, there seemed to be a lot

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Speaker 1: of writing about it. But you were talking about Blackhead,

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Speaker 1: of the possibility of and you seem to rule it out.

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Speaker 1: Where did that come from? I just read a lot

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Speaker 1: of articles about it. There's a lot of you know,

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Speaker 1: they why don't we bring it?

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Speaker 3: And so.

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Speaker 1: Show no, no, not not blackheaded? Where did the speculation

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Speaker 1: that there could be another one? And so I'm reading

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Speaker 1: you you said, there isn't one. Don't worry about it.

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Speaker 1: We're all moving on.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, it happens all the time.

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Speaker 2: I think whenever Tony Robinson's got a new show or

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Speaker 2: a new book out, he said, well, we're still talking

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Speaker 2: about so you can always hope. I'll always bring a

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Speaker 2: turner when balder It's doing an interview. I think that's

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Speaker 2: unfair really, because it's the same over all of us.

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Speaker 3: You you get asked, you say, well, you know, we're

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Speaker 3: not We've got no plans.

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Speaker 2: I shouldn't think it'll ever happen, but it'd be fun

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Speaker 2: and before you know it, the sun will say, you know,

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Speaker 2: hints of a new black Adder. I think you know,

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Speaker 2: it's obviously not something I'm complaining about. I mean, the

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Speaker 2: ongoing interest in Blackadder is is nothing short of.

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Speaker 3: Miraculous for all of us.

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Speaker 2: I mean, every single person involved in that show had

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Speaker 2: the unique privilege of really contributing to something that's sort

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Speaker 2: of bedded into British culture. And that's that's I think,

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Speaker 2: for for popular artists, and I think all artists really

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Speaker 2: want to be popular, but at least popular artists don't

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Speaker 2: lie about it. I think that's the that's that's the

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Speaker 2: you know, that's the that's the greatest thing you could do.

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Speaker 2: Is it have to have our whole generation to generations

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Speaker 2: since we finished it. You know, the last black Adder

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Speaker 2: when they go over the Top, that was shot in

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Speaker 2: nineteen eighty nine, so it's a long time ago, forty

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Speaker 2: six years, isn't it. So yeah, I mean I'm delighted

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Speaker 2: that there's still that speculation, but I can assure you

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Speaker 2: there is apps there is you know, look, there are

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Speaker 2: no plans, it will never happen. But then I was say,

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Speaker 2: well you know who knows? And then then oh well,

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Speaker 2: Ben Elton leaves door open to a new black Adder,

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Speaker 2: so you can't really win.

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Speaker 3: But hey, it's a lovely game to play.

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Speaker 1: Exactly which doves tails with my nostalgia question. I wonder

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Speaker 1: if it's like Faulty Towers, because it was so brilliant

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Speaker 1: and comparatively speaking, compact and short, we're desperate for something more.

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Speaker 2: Well, yeah, that Rick Mail, my dear friend, the late

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Speaker 2: great Rick Mail, always used to say that about the

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Speaker 2: young Ones. We only did twelve young ones, and he

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Speaker 2: always said, we've only got to do twelve. They only

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Speaker 2: did twelve forty towers, you know, And I always thought

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Speaker 2: it was stupid because they did loads of Dad's Armies,

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Speaker 2: they did loads of Steptos and Sons. More recently they

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Speaker 2: did about a million friends. I don't think you're right

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Speaker 2: about that. I think if you can keep the if

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Speaker 2: you can keep the standard up and Golton and Simpson,

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Speaker 2: I don't know if you remember, no, you won't remember

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Speaker 2: dad's a Steptoe and Son. But it was a very

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Speaker 2: famous I mean even I don't quite I mean I did,

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Speaker 2: I was in on the tail end of it. But

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Speaker 2: what I'm saying is you don't necessarily have to have

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Speaker 2: a whole writer's room like to have on Friends. I mean,

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Speaker 2: if the BBC for us, I've just done a show

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Speaker 2: called up Stark Crow, which was a stars David Mitchell

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Speaker 2: about Shakespeare, a bit of an adderish sort of take

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Speaker 2: on Shakespeare, and it was going great guns.

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Speaker 3: But you know, the BBC only have a certain budget,

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Speaker 3: so they stopped after three.

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Speaker 2: I think fourth would have been even better and it

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Speaker 2: would have built even more. So I don't really agree

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Speaker 2: with you about that, but there's no doubt about it

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Speaker 2: that there is a certain cachet to having that mystery.

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Speaker 2: I mean, it's certainly intrigued Rick because he never shut

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Speaker 2: up about the fact we can't do more than twelve.

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Speaker 1: Rowan Atkinson I'm dying to know about. The Only reason

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Speaker 1: I ask that is because of course all you guys too,

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Speaker 1: are you working? But is he actually active? I mean,

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Speaker 1: what does he do.

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Speaker 3: Well?

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Speaker 2: He's got you know, he's got his love, he's got

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Speaker 2: quite a young child. So that's a lovely thing. I

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Speaker 2: spoke at his birthday party only recently. I was very

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Speaker 2: privileged to big.

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Speaker 3: He's a very well adjusted, lovely man.

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Speaker 2: He has a lot of interest. I'm sure you're away.

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Speaker 2: He's very interested in cars. He's he's he was an engineer.

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Speaker 2: He did his under under he did his MSc, his

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Speaker 2: master's in engineering. I mean that when he first met

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Speaker 2: Richard Curtis and started their wonderful collaboration, he was an

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Speaker 2: engineering student. I mean, you know, he's a fascinating bloke

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Speaker 2: and he lives around in life. He has many friends

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Speaker 2: of whom I'm very proud and happy to call myself one.

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Speaker 3: And yeah, I mean I don't think he works as

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Speaker 3: hard as I do. No, well, he does work very hard,

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Speaker 3: but on a project.

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Speaker 2: So he'll spend a year on Man versus B or

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Speaker 2: something of the last thing he did for Netflix or something.

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Speaker 2: So yeah, I mean he's very, very focused and perhaps

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Speaker 2: not as eclectically energetic as some, but he certainly knows

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Speaker 2: sort of you know, some people have this idea of

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Speaker 2: this sort of Monkish weirdo. He's I mean, he's he's

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Speaker 2: a quiet bloke, I mean, and he won't you know,

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Speaker 2: he won't. He doesn't do many interviews. I don't know

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Speaker 2: if he does any interviews. Actually not for a long time.

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Speaker 2: But no, he's he's pretty well adjusted. I saw him

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Speaker 2: only a couple of weeks ago, as I say, at

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Speaker 2: his birthday party.

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Speaker 1: Fantastic. Just now, last time you're on the show was

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Speaker 1: five years ago. You won't remember any of this, of course,

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Speaker 1: you're on five years ago. But you came to the

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Speaker 1: country in the ensuing period, I think twenty one twenty two,

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Speaker 1: something like that, and there was a review on the

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Speaker 1: paper and you apparently.

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Speaker 3: You would go quoting reviews at me.

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Speaker 1: You apparently you attacked me, or you had you had

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Speaker 1: to go at me.

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Speaker 3: I have been.

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Speaker 1: I have no idea.

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Speaker 3: Wasn't an attack.

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Speaker 2: You were my peers, Morgan replacement, and I always felt

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Speaker 2: a bit bad about it, because I don't feel it's

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Speaker 2: the same at all. All are peers and I have

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Speaker 2: always got on, you know, when we meet, but as

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Speaker 2: you and I do.

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Speaker 3: Look, you know, I.

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Speaker 2: Won't say all's fair in love and war, but I

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Speaker 2: was using you as an example, certainly, not of right

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Speaker 2: wing commentating, but of the robust male voice on radio. Okay,

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Speaker 2: and if that doesn't make you hard with man love.

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Speaker 3: I don't know what will.

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Speaker 1: I love it? Oh well that's good. Well it didn't

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Speaker 1: bother me either way. It's just the review. I thought,

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Speaker 1: I wonder what he said. So anyway, we got that

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Speaker 1: cleared up.

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Speaker 2: It was in the middle of I might say something

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Speaker 2: which could be interpreted as a Wokes killing comedy, which

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Speaker 2: I don't think it is. But there is a case

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Speaker 2: to answer in a sort of new Maoist cultural revolutionary

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Speaker 2: absolutism on the fringes of good politics. As always you

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Speaker 2: have the the absolutists who suddenly you know, only the

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Speaker 2: purest line will do, and if you don't follow the

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Speaker 2: purest line, you need.

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Speaker 3: To be sent to a re education camp.

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Speaker 2: And I was saying, if I say something like that,

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Speaker 2: I'll end up getting depended by someone like you, and

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Speaker 2: before I know it, I'm in the other You know, yeah,

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Speaker 2: because we.

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Speaker 3: Have common ground. I'm talking living a democracy.

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Speaker 1: Do you think that's an age thing? Because, funnily, you

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Speaker 1: should say, because I've dealt with this my whole career,

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Speaker 1: and that is it. Like like, I don't know about

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Speaker 1: your I mean, I can get you politics, so I

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Speaker 1: don't really care. I like you. You're a clearer guy.

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Speaker 1: We have a chat. That's all good. Whereas a lot

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Speaker 1: of the artists look at somebody like me publicly and go,

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Speaker 1: hang on, there's something not you know what I'm saying.

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Speaker 2: I do, but I mean, I'm I'm I talk about

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Speaker 2: this on stage. I talk about how many I have

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Speaker 2: many friends who are Tories. You know, I wrote a

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Speaker 2: musical with a Tory, in fact, dropping a big name.

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Speaker 3: I got an email from him.

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Speaker 2: About five minutes ago, and that's Lord Lloyd Webber to you, mate,

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Speaker 2: and yeah, we wrote musical together back in the back

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Speaker 2: in the late nineties. So you know, I mean, I

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Speaker 2: think Donald Trump has shown us what happens when kind

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Speaker 2: of hatred and contempt is weaponized, when when you basically

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Speaker 2: are only interested in your tribe. I mean, I think

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Speaker 2: that goes for some of the zelots on the left

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Speaker 2: as well. You know, if you're not with us, you're

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Speaker 2: you're against us. And I think that way leads down

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Speaker 2: a very very very rocky path, indeed, and so within

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Speaker 2: you know, within a great deal of laxivity. I'm you know,

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Speaker 2: I'm happy to for one. Then, when I wrote that

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Speaker 2: musical with Andrew, you know, some people said, because I

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Speaker 2: publicly support the Labor Party in Britain, he publicly supports

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Speaker 2: Labor Conservatives, and I was accused.

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Speaker 3: Of hypocrisy and I couldn't believe it. I said, I'm

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Speaker 3: an artist.

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Speaker 2: When you think I asked what somebody votes when I

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Speaker 2: write a lyric with them, I mean, I have no

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Speaker 2: idea what Rowan votes.

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Speaker 3: I really genuinely have no idea.

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Speaker 2: And I'm sure he wouldn't tell me because he's very,

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Speaker 2: very English in that sort of way, and he would say,

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Speaker 2: that's you know, that's my business. I mean, you know me,

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Speaker 2: I wear my heart on my sleeve and if somebody

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Speaker 2: asked me, I'll tell them. But I really thought it

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Speaker 2: was genuinely crazy that I was. I came under a

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Speaker 2: lot of flak for working with a toy. I wasn't

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Speaker 2: working with a toy to get a Tory government elected.

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Speaker 2: I was working with him to write a musical and I.

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Speaker 3: Was very proud and happy to do so. And as

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Speaker 3: I say, he only dropped me a line just today.

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Speaker 1: Well, as always, we're looking forward to seeing you back

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Speaker 1: in the country again, So go well on the tour

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Speaker 1: in the meantime and maybe catch up when you're here.

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Speaker 3: Yeah, well I hope, so come and please come and

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Speaker 3: see the show. I think, I think, I think you're

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Speaker 3: going to enjoy it.

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Speaker 1: I really do, all right, mate, ketchup so I appreciate it.

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Speaker 1: Ben Elton, Wellington in twenty six April, Auckland twenty eight April,

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Speaker 1: takes a couple of days off and then on the

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Speaker 1: second of May is in Christ Judge ben Elton.

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Speaker 2: For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to

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Speaker 2: news talks.

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Speaker 1: It'd be from six am weekdays, or follow the podcast

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Speaker 1: on iHeartRadio.