WEBVTT - DYLAN LEWIS TALKS WINNING I'M A CELEB! 0:00:00.160 --> 0:00:01.720 It's in the news today, but it was actually on 0:00:01.800 --> 0:00:05.400 TV Reload the podcast last week. I'm right, welcome back 0:00:05.400 --> 0:00:08.480 guys to TV Reload. My name's Benjamin Norris and on 0:00:08.560 --> 0:00:11.320 this podcast I go behind the scenes with the biggest 0:00:11.320 --> 0:00:12.320 players in television. 0:00:12.560 --> 0:00:15.159 Yeah, great questions. The show's about the game. There's a 0:00:15.160 --> 0:00:17.520 lot of great television out there in Australia. 0:00:17.600 --> 0:00:20.040 But I've also got to go behind the scenes with writers. 0:00:20.120 --> 0:00:22.239 The truth is, when I started writing it, it wasn't 0:00:22.320 --> 0:00:25.200 had nothing to do with the news and casting agents they. 0:00:25.120 --> 0:00:27.480 Know from a casting point of view what they need. 0:00:27.280 --> 0:00:30.880 And editors because that's what we do as editors where storytellers. 0:00:31.040 --> 0:00:34.360 Not to forget some incredible executive producers who are making 0:00:34.400 --> 0:00:37.040 some of the best TV in Australia. I have been 0:00:37.080 --> 0:00:39.559 on the program since the beginning and it's kind of 0:00:39.600 --> 0:00:42.680 in my DNA. So thanks for joining me each week 0:00:42.720 --> 0:00:45.280 and I hope the podcast continues to give you real 0:00:45.360 --> 0:00:49.279 insight into the magic of television. Today. On the podcast, 0:00:49.320 --> 0:00:52.120 I have the winner of I'm a Celebrity twenty twenty two. 0:00:52.440 --> 0:00:55.920 It's Dylan Lewis. Dylan's been in our lives through radio 0:00:56.080 --> 0:00:58.840 and television for as long as I can remember he 0:00:59.000 --> 0:01:02.640 is a genuine who connects with audiences by being and 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:05.280 please don't come for me when I say this, but 0:01:05.400 --> 0:01:09.360 his authentic self. It is absolutely hilarious that he's just 0:01:09.440 --> 0:01:13.240 one another reality show, but it's also really heartwarming to 0:01:13.319 --> 0:01:16.120 know that he's just as love now as he has 0:01:16.280 --> 0:01:18.960 always been. I feel like this is going to be 0:01:19.000 --> 0:01:22.360 a really big reminder to studio bosses and executives that 0:01:22.440 --> 0:01:25.280 we need more Dylan Lewis in our lives. Today we'll 0:01:25.319 --> 0:01:28.160 be discussing the rumors about his casting on the show. 0:01:28.520 --> 0:01:32.440 He's passion for Lifeline, he's ambition moving forward, and I 0:01:32.480 --> 0:01:35.360 guarantee you a few good laughs and some thought provoking 0:01:35.400 --> 0:01:39.679 conversation as well. It's all very Dylan Lewis. Some of 0:01:39.680 --> 0:01:42.720 the conversation involves mental health issues, and if you are 0:01:42.800 --> 0:01:45.880 concerned that you or someone is struggling or you might 0:01:45.920 --> 0:01:49.360 be thinking about suicide, you can call Lifeline on thirteen 0:01:49.440 --> 0:01:53.080 eleven fourteen. One of their trained crisis supporters will be 0:01:53.120 --> 0:01:56.400 there to listen and support you. So, without further ado, 0:01:56.720 --> 0:01:59.040 I'm going to bring Dylan Lewis into the chat. I 0:01:59.040 --> 0:02:02.080 hope you enjoy this episode, and I welcome the King 0:02:02.120 --> 0:02:03.720 of the Jungle to tvvyload. 0:02:05.280 --> 0:02:08.000 I've never had this intense amount of interaction before. 0:02:08.200 --> 0:02:11.079 You're King of the I'm a Celebrity Jungle. 0:02:11.440 --> 0:02:14.280 It's hard too. It was too hard for me to share. 0:02:16.040 --> 0:02:18.280 I don't know if I am allowed to say those things. 0:02:18.360 --> 0:02:21.040 Dylan, you really gave us so many highlights. 0:02:21.480 --> 0:02:23.680 There's a bit of self editing that goes on. Dylan 0:02:23.800 --> 0:02:24.280 is a man. 0:02:24.160 --> 0:02:25.720 Who walks to the beat of his own drum. 0:02:26.160 --> 0:02:28.160 It's just easier to just be yourself. 0:02:28.520 --> 0:02:29.720 Hey, Dylan, how are you. 0:02:30.160 --> 0:02:33.520 I'm extremely well and very happy to see Benjamin. How 0:02:33.520 --> 0:02:34.040 are you doing. 0:02:34.760 --> 0:02:36.519 I'm doing so well, and I just have to say 0:02:36.720 --> 0:02:39.720 congratulations on winning this series of I'm a Celebrity. Get 0:02:39.720 --> 0:02:40.280 me out of here. 0:02:40.639 --> 0:02:43.920 I mean, what an experience, Thank you very much. I 0:02:44.000 --> 0:02:47.760 what an experience, indeed, And it's and it's a whirlwind, 0:02:47.760 --> 0:02:50.040 and that was it's been on no sleep and so 0:02:50.120 --> 0:02:52.040 it's like now I'm taking a breath and go, oh 0:02:52.120 --> 0:02:54.360 my god, this is happening. This is real. 0:02:54.760 --> 0:02:56.320 It must be like a bit of a reunion of 0:02:56.360 --> 0:02:58.960 sorts for you, because being in the industry for so long, 0:02:59.120 --> 0:03:02.839 you know, sitting down with these people in radio or television, 0:03:03.080 --> 0:03:05.120 there are all people that have interviewed you before. Does 0:03:05.160 --> 0:03:06.120 it feel like a reunion? 0:03:06.440 --> 0:03:10.239 Oh? Yes, I guess so. It's kind of nice. It's 0:03:10.400 --> 0:03:12.959 nice to be back, and it's been nice seeing people 0:03:12.960 --> 0:03:16.120 that have crossed paths within in the industry before. And 0:03:16.400 --> 0:03:18.920 then there's alt meeting all the new people who I 0:03:18.960 --> 0:03:23.720 was never going to cross paths with sport people. You know, 0:03:23.280 --> 0:03:26.280 I don't hang around the sports people very much, so 0:03:26.760 --> 0:03:29.560 having some sports friends is quite a novelty for me. 0:03:29.600 --> 0:03:32.639 But I think sometimes that's my favorite thing with an experience, 0:03:32.720 --> 0:03:36.800 a surreal experience like this. It's ending up in places 0:03:36.840 --> 0:03:38.840 and in situations that you were never going to end 0:03:38.920 --> 0:03:40.800 up in normal life. 0:03:40.880 --> 0:03:43.560 You were the bookie's favorite to win right from the start. Like, 0:03:43.640 --> 0:03:45.760 I don't know if you saw that online, but I 0:03:45.760 --> 0:03:47.880 want to know, did you put a bet on yourself? Like, 0:03:47.920 --> 0:03:49.440 did you have any money on yourself to win? 0:03:49.720 --> 0:03:53.920 Yeah? I did not. I'm not a gambling man. I 0:03:53.960 --> 0:03:56.800 did notice somebody who was sending me the odds, and 0:03:56.840 --> 0:04:00.160 I really didn't understand it. I'm like, two dollars for 0:04:00.200 --> 0:04:02.640 me that why how come other people are getting fifteen dollars? 0:04:02.720 --> 0:04:05.760 That sounds huge better? And so I really don't get it. 0:04:07.200 --> 0:04:08.760 So I didn't put a bet on, but I know 0:04:08.800 --> 0:04:10.800 a couple of my friends did. I saw one of 0:04:10.840 --> 0:04:13.200 my friends this morning dropping the kids off at school, 0:04:13.320 --> 0:04:15.600 and he said, dude, I put fifteen on you and 0:04:15.640 --> 0:04:18.760 fifteen on David and I won eight dollars. 0:04:20.880 --> 0:04:22.080 So don't quit your day job. 0:04:22.240 --> 0:04:22.400 You know. 0:04:22.440 --> 0:04:25.599 I heard a rumor that you were approached last year 0:04:26.279 --> 0:04:28.400 to do the show, and that you may have been 0:04:28.440 --> 0:04:31.000 a little bit disappointed to get the call, saying unfortunately, 0:04:31.000 --> 0:04:32.719 it's not going to happen last year. Now is that 0:04:32.839 --> 0:04:33.800 a true rumor? 0:04:34.160 --> 0:04:36.360 Oh, I don't know if I am allowed to say 0:04:36.360 --> 0:04:40.080 those things. If it was a true story, I am 0:04:40.120 --> 0:04:42.920 glad it didn't happen last year. I'm so glad it 0:04:43.000 --> 0:04:45.440 happened this year. I love all the people on every season, 0:04:46.160 --> 0:04:49.400 most of them, but this season was a season full 0:04:49.440 --> 0:04:52.000 of people that they all have such big hearts and 0:04:52.040 --> 0:04:55.520 we all connected, and I think that translated really nicely 0:04:55.680 --> 0:04:58.240 through the television. Just the willingness to get to know 0:04:58.320 --> 0:05:01.400 each other and ask questions to learn more about each other, 0:05:01.480 --> 0:05:03.840 and the amount of heart that was in camp. It 0:05:03.880 --> 0:05:06.000 was the year for me to be in it, and 0:05:06.120 --> 0:05:08.839 I'm really glad if that was a thing that happened 0:05:08.880 --> 0:05:10.839 last year. I'm glad it happened that I didn't do 0:05:10.880 --> 0:05:11.560 it last year. 0:05:12.560 --> 0:05:14.080 I just wanted to know because I thought we'd have 0:05:14.080 --> 0:05:15.840 a laugh about it, because I wanted to know if 0:05:15.880 --> 0:05:19.000 we knew who got in your spot last year. So 0:05:19.240 --> 0:05:21.080 I wondered whether or not you like a voodoo doll 0:05:21.320 --> 0:05:22.360 that you put pins. 0:05:24.040 --> 0:05:27.560 If it had happened, Benjamin, Yeah, I would. I imagine 0:05:27.680 --> 0:05:32.040 that someone like Ash might have taken my spot maybe. 0:05:32.839 --> 0:05:35.479 And no pins were put into an Ash Williams doll. 0:05:35.560 --> 0:05:36.320 That's all we'll say. 0:05:37.040 --> 0:05:40.360 No. I love Ashwilliams, his beautiful soul. So now I'm 0:05:40.400 --> 0:05:43.000 glad that he got to do it last year, and 0:05:43.040 --> 0:05:45.000 then I'm glad that I got to do it this year. 0:05:45.279 --> 0:05:47.479 One hundred percent. I mean, I think that this is 0:05:47.640 --> 0:05:49.520 the universe saying that you're in the right place at 0:05:49.520 --> 0:05:51.919 the right time. And you know, you being in the 0:05:51.920 --> 0:05:54.080 industry for as long as you have been, you know 0:05:54.160 --> 0:05:56.560 that this happens all the time. You know, sometimes things 0:05:56.600 --> 0:05:59.480 don't work out and it can feel really painful at 0:05:59.480 --> 0:06:02.440 the time, but then you realize down the track that 0:06:02.480 --> 0:06:04.120 there was something else waiting for you. 0:06:04.520 --> 0:06:07.479 Man, if only we had crystal balls. On crystal Ball, 0:06:10.279 --> 0:06:12.000 everything would be fine for those of us in this 0:06:12.080 --> 0:06:14.960 weird industry. But yeah, like you say, it is a 0:06:15.000 --> 0:06:17.280 bit of an odd industry, and especially due during the 0:06:17.360 --> 0:06:20.120 last couple of years during pandemic and trying to cope 0:06:20.160 --> 0:06:22.000 with all that in homeschooling, and I lost a lot 0:06:22.040 --> 0:06:24.480 of gigs because of the pandemic working in the arts. 0:06:24.680 --> 0:06:26.719 So it is a bit of a weird industry and 0:06:26.760 --> 0:06:28.400 you need to have your finger in a few different 0:06:28.440 --> 0:06:30.200 pies if you're going to be able to try and 0:06:30.279 --> 0:06:32.880 keep earning a living in this industry, especially at the moment. 0:06:33.040 --> 0:06:35.160 So yeah, it did come at the right time. And 0:06:35.240 --> 0:06:38.320 I do thank the beautiful universe all the time for 0:06:38.720 --> 0:06:41.080 not just this opportunity, but I've had so many weird 0:06:41.080 --> 0:06:43.479 and strange and wonderful experiences through my career and my 0:06:43.560 --> 0:06:46.120 life that I'm grateful for so the universe and I 0:06:46.120 --> 0:06:48.240 are quite tired at the moment. I love your universe. 0:06:48.800 --> 0:06:51.960 I've been in your audience for your entire career, just 0:06:52.320 --> 0:06:54.320 right from the very start. And you know, when I 0:06:54.360 --> 0:06:57.040 did Big Brother in twenty twelve, I thought to myself, 0:06:57.040 --> 0:07:00.599 about two weeks into the competition, I thought, I'm playing 0:07:00.600 --> 0:07:03.080 this all wrong. I need to be more like Dylan Lewis, 0:07:04.000 --> 0:07:07.320 because you had one this season, you know, before me 0:07:07.480 --> 0:07:09.760 doing the show. You know, what is it about these 0:07:09.880 --> 0:07:14.080 programs in your mind that makes you resonate so clearly 0:07:14.120 --> 0:07:14.920 with audiences? 0:07:15.280 --> 0:07:17.880 Well, that's a lovely in depth question, Benjamin. I like 0:07:17.920 --> 0:07:20.520 that one. I guess it's a little hard to answer 0:07:20.560 --> 0:07:23.280 because I'm me, but I think that might be the answer. 0:07:23.400 --> 0:07:25.760 And I think if anyone it finds themselves in this 0:07:25.840 --> 0:07:29.239 kind of situation, it's just easier to just be yourself 0:07:29.320 --> 0:07:31.280 than to try and put on an act, because you 0:07:31.360 --> 0:07:33.520 can't keep up an act twenty four to seven. And 0:07:33.600 --> 0:07:37.000 on these kind of shows, reality TV shows, the cameras 0:07:37.040 --> 0:07:39.040 are on you all the time, you know, and I'm 0:07:39.120 --> 0:07:41.880 really conscious of that the whole time. I'm conscious of 0:07:42.000 --> 0:07:44.400 there's a bit of self editing that goes on, you know, 0:07:44.440 --> 0:07:46.200 And I'm not going to reveal every single thing about 0:07:46.240 --> 0:07:49.320 my life because it'll be seen, and I like to 0:07:49.400 --> 0:07:52.520 keep some things private. Other people go into the situations 0:07:52.520 --> 0:07:55.480 and forget the cameras are there, or don't care what 0:07:55.520 --> 0:07:58.400 they say, and it's inevitably going to be used. So look, 0:07:58.440 --> 0:08:01.160 I guess there is a little bit of gameplay. Maybe 0:08:01.520 --> 0:08:03.520 is the wrong word, because it's not. I don't play 0:08:03.560 --> 0:08:05.920 these things like a game. I just go in there 0:08:05.920 --> 0:08:08.360 with the attitude of there's no point in acting because 0:08:08.400 --> 0:08:11.080 the act will drop within a few days, especially in 0:08:11.120 --> 0:08:15.920 something like the Jungle, where you're beaten down to a 0:08:15.960 --> 0:08:19.120 sad little shell of what you formerly were with no food. 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:22.000 So if look, if there was anything that I've taken 0:08:22.040 --> 0:08:26.040 away from having one celebrity big brother twenty years ago 0:08:26.360 --> 0:08:29.120 and then being crowned King of the Jungle a couple 0:08:29.120 --> 0:08:32.400 of days ago, it's just I'll just keep on being me. 0:08:32.480 --> 0:08:35.360 And you know, that's a lovely thing that I got 0:08:35.400 --> 0:08:38.480 out of this latest one, because I think I went 0:08:38.520 --> 0:08:40.840 in there going, oh god, you know what am I 0:08:40.880 --> 0:08:42.880 doing for my job next? I'm not sure. Is it 0:08:42.920 --> 0:08:44.920 going to be radio or Telly or will they write books? 0:08:45.000 --> 0:08:47.079 Or will I learn to poor beers or I'm not 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:49.599 I'm not sure. I'd sort of lost my way a 0:08:49.640 --> 0:08:52.439 little bit during the pandemic, losing work and working in 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:56.720 you know a few jobs that were kind of hectic 0:08:56.800 --> 0:08:58.719 for a while. So when I went in I was 0:08:59.040 --> 0:09:01.040 a little confused about what I am, what I am 0:09:01.040 --> 0:09:03.800 what am I? Am? I A bun nip? Why am I? 0:09:04.760 --> 0:09:07.000 And then by the end of it, I had, honestly 0:09:07.000 --> 0:09:09.360 I found myself and I was just in there. I 0:09:09.440 --> 0:09:12.520 was just inside me waiting to find an opportunity to 0:09:12.559 --> 0:09:14.679 come out again. I remembered what I do this for. 0:09:14.800 --> 0:09:16.760 I remembered why I got into this industry in the 0:09:16.800 --> 0:09:19.600 first place. And that was a that was a really 0:09:20.480 --> 0:09:24.360 transformative moment for me to go, oh, there you are. 0:09:25.000 --> 0:09:28.319 You know, in that film about Peter Pan called Hook 0:09:28.360 --> 0:09:31.160 with Robin Williams in it, and then the little kid 0:09:31.200 --> 0:09:33.880 comes up and stretches Robin Williams's face back to make 0:09:33.960 --> 0:09:35.920 him look young again. He goes, oh, there you are, 0:09:36.480 --> 0:09:39.360 there's the Pan. You are the Pan. It was that 0:09:39.400 --> 0:09:41.959 little moment of me stretching my own face back and say, 0:09:42.000 --> 0:09:43.880 oh my god, I don't I mean, it doesn't look 0:09:43.920 --> 0:09:44.640 that good when I do it. 0:09:44.640 --> 0:09:47.400 But I just think that, you know, when I was 0:09:47.440 --> 0:09:49.960 watching the finale and watching you being crowned, I thought, 0:09:50.000 --> 0:09:53.439 you know, twenty years a part of winning these reality competitions. 0:09:53.520 --> 0:09:56.320 I just hope that it was reassuring for you that 0:09:57.160 --> 0:10:00.240 you now know that Australian audiences have never left and 0:10:00.280 --> 0:10:05.679 that they've always been there in your audience, loving Dylan Lewis, Ah, what. 0:10:05.720 --> 0:10:08.319 A lovely thing to say, Benjamin, thank you. I did 0:10:08.360 --> 0:10:10.520 feel the love and I am feeling the love. And 0:10:11.720 --> 0:10:14.640 you know, when I did recovery back in the nineties, 0:10:14.679 --> 0:10:18.120 the Music Show or other music shows early in the 0:10:18.160 --> 0:10:21.480 two thousands, or Celebrity Big Brother, that was no social media, 0:10:21.960 --> 0:10:25.000 and so the feedback was just in public, like someone 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.400 in the supermarket would say say, oh my god, I 0:10:27.960 --> 0:10:29.760 liked you on this, or my husband thought you were 0:10:29.760 --> 0:10:31.920 a nod, but now he likes you. But now the 0:10:32.679 --> 0:10:35.360 feedback is so instant, isn't It's coming into my house, 0:10:35.400 --> 0:10:37.640 It's coming into my lounge room when I sit on 0:10:37.679 --> 0:10:40.520 my couch and I'm seeing these comments and ninety nine 0:10:40.520 --> 0:10:43.959 point nine percent of them really lovely, and so many 0:10:44.000 --> 0:10:48.200 people are sharing their stories with me, and it's a 0:10:48.480 --> 0:10:52.600 I've never had this intense amount of interaction before through 0:10:52.640 --> 0:10:55.040 social media, so it's a real eye opener for me. 0:10:55.400 --> 0:10:58.880 It's a little bit new to me, but it's been amazing. 0:10:58.920 --> 0:11:01.920 It's been wonderful. My favorite comments back in the day 0:11:02.040 --> 0:11:03.800 were like what I just said, my husband thought you 0:11:03.800 --> 0:11:05.199 were a NOD, but now he likes you, and I've 0:11:05.240 --> 0:11:08.280 been getting them again. I got one the other day 0:11:08.280 --> 0:11:10.480 and said, my husband said, oh no, this guy's a 0:11:10.520 --> 0:11:12.920 wanko when I went on the telly, and then by 0:11:12.960 --> 0:11:16.120 episode two or three, he turned and decided that he 0:11:16.160 --> 0:11:19.199 didn't think I was that way, and he thought it 0:11:19.240 --> 0:11:21.359 was all right. I love those kind of comments. 0:11:21.679 --> 0:11:24.000 It's amazing, though, because I mean, you're right about the 0:11:24.040 --> 0:11:27.560 instancy of being able to read these comments as it 0:11:27.600 --> 0:11:31.800 happens live. Because connecting to a really positive thing can 0:11:31.840 --> 0:11:34.480 be just as dangerous as connecting to something negative. You 0:11:34.559 --> 0:11:36.600 kind of have to attach yourself to it with a 0:11:36.600 --> 0:11:39.160 grain of salt, not to take yourself too seriously or 0:11:39.160 --> 0:11:42.840 not to believe everything that you read through your internet. 0:11:43.120 --> 0:11:46.160 So correct, absolutely, but I still think for you, like 0:11:46.720 --> 0:11:49.959 I was online watching the responses, watching every episode of 0:11:50.000 --> 0:11:53.400 the show, and you're right, it was just so intensely positive. 0:11:53.720 --> 0:11:57.040 When I started opening up and it was coming on, 0:11:57.120 --> 0:11:59.960 you know, opening up about bearing my soul and explain 0:12:00.120 --> 0:12:02.520 why I chose Lifeline for a charity and about losing 0:12:02.520 --> 0:12:05.360 my brother, the responses that were coming in were like, 0:12:05.880 --> 0:12:09.800 I'm a really empathetic person, and so I was reading 0:12:09.960 --> 0:12:12.520 every response on this on the first day when it happened, 0:12:12.800 --> 0:12:14.440 and the second day when it happened as well, and 0:12:14.480 --> 0:12:17.560 I was taking it all on board and really feeling 0:12:18.080 --> 0:12:22.360 so sad that something like trigger wanting suicide is so 0:12:22.440 --> 0:12:24.960 prevalent in society, and especially in this day and age, 0:12:24.960 --> 0:12:27.440 people are having a rough time. It was upsetting me, 0:12:27.640 --> 0:12:31.120 and I felt so drained reading and taking on board 0:12:31.160 --> 0:12:33.680 all these people's stories and finding some words that I 0:12:33.679 --> 0:12:35.600 could try and give back to these people. And it 0:12:35.640 --> 0:12:37.120 was a constant. It was two days of it, and 0:12:37.120 --> 0:12:38.840 at the end of the two days, I realized, like 0:12:38.880 --> 0:12:40.880 you say, you've got to take it with some grains 0:12:40.920 --> 0:12:43.360 of salt, You've got to also protect yourself a little bit. 0:12:43.480 --> 0:12:45.880 And so now I'm I'm trying to be a little 0:12:45.880 --> 0:12:48.280 bit more disciplined with how I handle the social media 0:12:48.320 --> 0:12:51.520 because every single comment matters to me, every single comment 0:12:51.600 --> 0:12:54.160 I read, and I want to find some words for 0:12:54.600 --> 0:12:57.920 comments that need words. Trying to find some discipline in 0:12:57.960 --> 0:13:03.040 this modern world of social media. This is it's a 0:13:03.080 --> 0:13:05.680 new skill that I'm learning. Wasn't born into that world 0:13:05.720 --> 0:13:08.800 in the nineties. The only trolling we got in the 0:13:08.840 --> 0:13:11.880 nineties was old people writing actual letters and sending them 0:13:11.920 --> 0:13:15.560 to the ABC and complaining that the gardening Australia had 0:13:15.600 --> 0:13:17.720 been taken off and replaced with a man with metal 0:13:17.760 --> 0:13:24.880 in his face. Very different. Yeah, it's differently, you know. 0:13:25.000 --> 0:13:26.920 I just I mean, not to go too deep with you, 0:13:27.040 --> 0:13:30.560 but in my life at the moment, it was really 0:13:30.600 --> 0:13:33.840 important to watch you tell that story about your brother 0:13:33.920 --> 0:13:37.360 on the show, and it was really powerful that the 0:13:37.480 --> 0:13:42.520 television network and ITV studios left that honesty and sort 0:13:42.520 --> 0:13:46.560 of that rawness since its proper form. I lost my 0:13:46.880 --> 0:13:51.360 brother in law to suicide in October last year, and 0:13:51.400 --> 0:13:55.320 so my whole world has been completely rattled to its 0:13:55.440 --> 0:13:58.280 very core. And the weird thing was, I mean, you 0:13:58.320 --> 0:14:00.520 and I both have worked in radio on and off 0:14:00.559 --> 0:14:03.520 for years, and you know Lifeline is always an ad 0:14:03.559 --> 0:14:05.040 that you did. It was one of those ads that 0:14:05.080 --> 0:14:07.520 you know, you'd always be promoting Lifeline on the radio station, 0:14:07.760 --> 0:14:11.360 and so I use Lifelines so heavily through the loss 0:14:11.360 --> 0:14:14.800 of my brother in law, where I wasn't feeling like 0:14:14.920 --> 0:14:17.600 bad myself, but I just needed someone to talk to 0:14:17.760 --> 0:14:21.240 and they were always there giving me advice. And I 0:14:21.280 --> 0:14:25.200 just hope that people have that reaction now people realize 0:14:25.200 --> 0:14:28.480 that doesn't need to be this big moment. It could 0:14:28.520 --> 0:14:30.680 just be a question that you have about your own 0:14:30.680 --> 0:14:33.440 mental health, and you can call these people and they 0:14:33.480 --> 0:14:36.200 will help you on both sides of the fence. You know, 0:14:36.240 --> 0:14:38.680 if you're worrying about someone else, so you're worrying about yourself. 0:14:38.960 --> 0:14:39.880 I can't thank you enough. 0:14:41.000 --> 0:14:45.280 I am so sorry for your life, you beautiful man. 0:14:45.280 --> 0:14:49.080 That is horrible, and unfortunately I know how it feels. 0:14:49.360 --> 0:14:51.520 So thank you for sharing that, and thank you for 0:14:52.080 --> 0:14:56.120 understanding and giving weight to how important lifeline is. It 0:14:56.160 --> 0:14:58.920 really is what you said. It's people who are not 0:14:58.960 --> 0:15:01.240 only empathetic and only a voice at the other end 0:15:01.280 --> 0:15:04.240 of the line who will listen to you, but they're trained, 0:15:04.520 --> 0:15:07.800 and they know steps to take, and they know urgency 0:15:07.880 --> 0:15:11.280 and when that's required. I think a big message and 0:15:11.360 --> 0:15:14.800 one that I've been trying to explain why I think 0:15:14.840 --> 0:15:16.640 it's so important. A big message I've been trying to 0:15:16.680 --> 0:15:20.000 say is please don't second guess yourself. Please don't think 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:23.040 I'll leave it for a bit. I might call tomorrow. 0:15:23.200 --> 0:15:25.680 You know, if it's about yourself, or if it's about 0:15:25.840 --> 0:15:27.840 someone that you love or someone that you know and 0:15:27.880 --> 0:15:31.440 you're worried about them, don't leave it. Do it, because 0:15:31.960 --> 0:15:34.280 there is a worst possible scenario that can happen if 0:15:34.280 --> 0:15:36.480 you do leave it. And that's what we're trying to 0:15:36.520 --> 0:15:38.560 avoid here, to be able to get this message out 0:15:38.600 --> 0:15:40.200 there and for you to be able to back it 0:15:40.280 --> 0:15:44.080 up with real life story. This is what this weird 0:15:44.080 --> 0:15:46.880 little platform of the media can do, isn't it. We 0:15:47.400 --> 0:15:50.920 can start the conversations, and that's what's happening. You know. 0:15:50.960 --> 0:15:54.400 The feedback I'm getting is parents telling me that they're 0:15:54.400 --> 0:15:57.320 able to talk to their children because the conversation started 0:15:57.360 --> 0:15:59.880 from watching the show, or it's people letting me know 0:15:59.920 --> 0:16:03.520 that it that they decided to call Lifeline because they 0:16:03.680 --> 0:16:06.920 were reminded of Lifeline because of watching the show. And 0:16:06.960 --> 0:16:10.520 people now listening to this, you know, maybe it's going 0:16:10.560 --> 0:16:12.200 to tweak with some of these people. And you know what, 0:16:12.280 --> 0:16:14.120 if we can, if we can get the message through 0:16:14.120 --> 0:16:16.800 to one person that needs it, then this has been 0:16:16.800 --> 0:16:18.200 a good, worthwhile experience. 0:16:18.200 --> 0:16:21.080 Well, sharing stories, in my mind is always saving lives. 0:16:21.080 --> 0:16:23.240 That's what I always say to people. You know, we 0:16:23.320 --> 0:16:25.600 so often have things that happen to us and we think, oh, 0:16:25.600 --> 0:16:26.440 I can't share. 0:16:26.240 --> 0:16:30.560 That absolutely of course, and it's hard too. It was 0:16:30.600 --> 0:16:33.760 too hard for me to share fifteen years. I'll talk 0:16:33.760 --> 0:16:35.800 about it with my very close friends. I talk about 0:16:35.800 --> 0:16:39.160 it with my family sometimes because it's so hard and painful, 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:41.960 but never in public. And it took me fifteen years 0:16:42.600 --> 0:16:45.280 to be able to talk about it, and I'm glad 0:16:45.280 --> 0:16:48.640 that finally I have. And I don't regret taking that 0:16:48.760 --> 0:16:51.000 long to do it, because that's what I needed to 0:16:51.000 --> 0:16:54.040 do on my journey. But you're so right. It's the conversation, 0:16:54.200 --> 0:16:58.360 the conversation about any kind of thing, whether it's suicide 0:16:58.360 --> 0:17:02.240 prevention or equality or anything that we're trying to still 0:17:02.240 --> 0:17:06.600 struggle with and evolve as humans, you know, towards being 0:17:07.480 --> 0:17:10.639 a more beautiful race of people. It's a good thing. 0:17:10.680 --> 0:17:12.879 It's a positive thing, and you're doing you're doing a 0:17:12.920 --> 0:17:15.040 good thing by talking about this right now. 0:17:15.080 --> 0:17:17.840 Well, just try and step out of that and to 0:17:18.000 --> 0:17:21.080 finish the interview. I mean, it's a fairly heavy conversation. 0:17:21.160 --> 0:17:23.000 But to shed a little bit of light on it 0:17:23.080 --> 0:17:25.760 was that I could always remember from doing breakfast radio. 0:17:25.840 --> 0:17:28.400 I couldn't remember, I should say, from doing breakfast radio. 0:17:28.600 --> 0:17:31.600 I'd always get the numbers confused between the competition line 0:17:31.640 --> 0:17:37.320 and the lifeline number. Remember once going down this conversation 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:40.359 out of the radio station and saying to someone ring 0:17:40.400 --> 0:17:43.720 thirteen twelve sixteen, which was the competition line. 0:17:43.600 --> 0:17:49.240 And oh bro, it's an honest mistake. However, a little 0:17:49.280 --> 0:17:51.680 bit shocking when you're ringing for some help and somebody says, 0:17:51.720 --> 0:17:57.000 I just put you on hald My god, it's true 0:17:57.040 --> 0:17:58.760 though it's thirteen eleven fourteen. 0:17:59.160 --> 0:17:59.360 Yeah. 0:18:00.119 --> 0:18:01.639 I just checked on my phone to make sure I 0:18:01.640 --> 0:18:03.840 got it right, because I know, thirteen years of working 0:18:03.880 --> 0:18:06.040 at a commercial radio station, I've still got the number 0:18:06.080 --> 0:18:07.280 in my head. Real strong. 0:18:07.880 --> 0:18:10.879 I know how ridiculous, how ridiculous? Had you been asked 0:18:10.880 --> 0:18:13.080 to do any other reality shows over the twenty years 0:18:13.080 --> 0:18:15.960 in between these two, because I mean now we're terrified 0:18:16.000 --> 0:18:17.400 no one's going to ask you to do them because 0:18:17.440 --> 0:18:20.119 they just know you're going to win. But I I 0:18:20.200 --> 0:18:21.840 just want to know have you turned any down? Have 0:18:21.920 --> 0:18:24.240 you turned shows down like this? Over the twenty. 0:18:24.080 --> 0:18:27.200 Years, There's been a couple of kind of reality shows, 0:18:27.200 --> 0:18:30.199 but they the more the more that the years go on, 0:18:30.280 --> 0:18:33.040 the more these reality shows become. They've become a real 0:18:33.119 --> 0:18:35.840 formulaate kind of program where people are going in them 0:18:36.160 --> 0:18:38.120 knowing they can get careers off the back of them, 0:18:38.119 --> 0:18:39.800 and people are going in them with a game plan, 0:18:40.040 --> 0:18:42.760 And I guess the nature of the programs through the 0:18:42.840 --> 0:18:45.840 years has sort of come to a place where the 0:18:45.920 --> 0:18:49.560 real kind of bitchy ones and the ones where they're 0:18:49.600 --> 0:18:51.320 putting people together because they know there's going to be 0:18:51.359 --> 0:18:55.840 some fighting, that's become quite prevalent. So going from Celebrity 0:18:55.840 --> 0:18:57.920 Big Brother in two thousand and two when Reality TV 0:18:58.160 --> 0:19:00.679 was new and no one knows, I knew what they do, 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:03.600 were a naive and we're just playing. So now doing 0:19:03.640 --> 0:19:05.760 this one where I've seen the seasons and I've seen 0:19:05.880 --> 0:19:08.040