:00:05. > :00:15.tough times. Now it is time for a Five Minutes
:00:15. > :00:16.
:00:16. > :00:24.With... Special and a selection of interviews timed against the clock.
:00:24. > :00:34.In a nutshell, how did you become a comedian? It is very hard to
:00:34. > :00:37.
:00:37. > :00:45.perform, the in a nutshell. I started by running a comedy club.
:00:45. > :00:55.D'you think you're stale has changed over the years? Yes, I
:00:55. > :00:56.
:00:56. > :01:04.think it has become more anecdotal. How do you get ideas? Do you sit
:01:04. > :01:08.down and think, right I have to be funny. Nor, ideas just come to you.
:01:08. > :01:17.Or maybe you might get any money back from something which happened
:01:17. > :01:25.10 or eleven years ago. Do you change your routine as relates to
:01:25. > :01:29.what audience are in front of you? No, if you maybe feel that one
:01:29. > :01:34.audiences particularly smarter than another, your mates Jane some of
:01:34. > :01:44.the material. But you're only relieve the pain it a few minutes
:01:44. > :01:48.
:01:48. > :01:58.here or there. How many inmates are you doing on tour? I can do up to
:01:58. > :02:01.about 140, including the Edinburgh Festival. Is that not exhausting?
:02:01. > :02:05.Yes, but as there is hardly something I go on about. The
:02:05. > :02:09.audience do not want to hear about some guide that the thing on my
:02:09. > :02:19.works to our words are made up on stage morning about his work
:02:19. > :02:32.
:02:32. > :02:35.schedule. Do you do any offence of comedy? I do not really do a lot of
:02:35. > :02:45.that stuff. I cannot really be bothered with the hassle of then
:02:45. > :02:47.
:02:47. > :02:56.having to justify myself afterwards. Do you move about the stage a lot?
:02:56. > :03:03.Goodness, you are getting desperate for questions now it! No, I am not
:03:03. > :03:13.really into that style of comedy. A I have seen you marching up and
:03:13. > :03:17.
:03:17. > :03:22.down. For the most part, I am more of the talking person. Sometimes, I
:03:22. > :03:27.must admit, I'd find myself actively thinking that I have not
:03:27. > :03:37.moved from the one spot for quite a while and that that point I will do
:03:37. > :03:37.
:03:37. > :03:42.something. What is the biggest venue that you have played in?
:03:42. > :03:52.lot of the venues are maybe 1,500 people and some of these a bit
:03:52. > :03:57.
:03:57. > :04:07.bigger. But anything more than the 1,500 is a bit daunting. How do you
:04:07. > :04:08.
:04:08. > :04:17.feel when you are about to go on stage? I think it is quite a bit of,
:04:17. > :04:25.let's call, let's do this. Where you a performer of when you were
:04:25. > :04:35.growing up? To be honest, I was not even the funniest person in my
:04:35. > :04:39.
:04:39. > :04:46.family. Who was? My brother was, and still is. Did you go to
:04:46. > :04:56.university? Yes, I studied horticulture at Strathclyde
:04:56. > :04:58.
:04:58. > :05:05.University in Glasgow. Tell me about you're outdoor pursuits.
:05:06. > :05:15.People who are really into claiming, such as the 19 years, I would not
:05:16. > :05:18.
:05:18. > :05:28.put myself in that bracket. many Munro's have you it claimed?
:05:28. > :05:29.
:05:29. > :05:39.have been up 75 of them and also been up Mont Blanc. Do you have a
:05:39. > :05:50.
:05:50. > :05:59.favourite pop star? Madonna. Favourite film? Sexy beast. Did you
:05:59. > :06:09.enjoy being on a strictly come Dancing? Yes, it was great. It is
:06:09. > :06:17.very hard work but I was prepared for that. Do you dance in your
:06:18. > :06:27.spare time? Occasionally, Icy wind, just to make sure that I was
:06:28. > :06:30.
:06:30. > :06:38.getting it right for a Friday night Appearance. Is a very hard doing
:06:38. > :06:45.your job? Yes, I think I have when it my way through it for the last
:06:45. > :06:55.15 years and hopefully there are a few years left. You have lived in
:06:55. > :07:02.Los Angeles for about seven years? What is that like? Fantastic. I
:07:02. > :07:09.would call it Disneyland for adults. I out of London compare to Los
:07:09. > :07:19.Angeles? It is chaos. I love the fact that there are always people
:07:19. > :07:21.
:07:21. > :07:24.coming in and out. You were brought up in Melbourne? Yes, I left when I
:07:24. > :07:31.was 18 and moved here for a couple of years before going out to Los
:07:31. > :07:41.Angeles. My mum has from Southampton and we have Spanish
:07:41. > :07:42.
:07:42. > :07:49.grandparents. For was a like growing up in Melbourne? It was a
:07:49. > :07:56.big mixture of Greek, Italian, Turkish, Chinese. It was the
:07:56. > :08:03.melting pot, which I loved. I miss the people, but I do not think I
:08:03. > :08:10.would live there again. He you have got British citizenship, so what
:08:10. > :08:18.would you consider yourself? would say everything. My mother
:08:18. > :08:28.calls me a citizen of the world. Her do you look back on your time
:08:28. > :08:33.
:08:33. > :08:40.It was amazing. You do not do so many hours with all these people
:08:40. > :08:48.week after week without having good memories. Were age where mate when
:08:48. > :08:55.you started on the programme? 15. It was amazing, but I had a few
:08:55. > :09:04.months where they do not think I would survive. Q get used to being
:09:04. > :09:14.famous? I am still uncomfortable with that. I have learned to hide
:09:14. > :09:15.
:09:15. > :09:20.it and manage it better. Are you very ambitious? I would not say
:09:20. > :09:30.ambitious, but from a very young age, I was always in a rush to do
:09:30. > :09:31.
:09:31. > :09:38.things. Do you still do it any music? I have not released any of
:09:38. > :09:46.my own records, but occasionally I work on other people's records.
:09:46. > :09:51.did you stop? I was simply not having fun. Life is not a dress
:09:51. > :10:01.rehearsal, so if I am not having fun, then I decided is time to move
:10:01. > :10:14.
:10:14. > :10:20.on. Is it nerve-racking working in Los Angeles? It's is very hard work.
:10:20. > :10:26.You simply have to get one programme on and then get on to the
:10:26. > :10:33.next one. You do not have time to think about it. What are your
:10:33. > :10:43.favourite things? I like racing cars and other boys' stuff like
:10:43. > :10:48.
:10:48. > :10:58.You have not said I am going to pit a battery in. Could she counters
:10:58. > :11:02.
:11:02. > :11:10.down to the start of the five minutes? Yes, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1. What
:11:10. > :11:19.is the best bit about being a musician. The I think he gives me
:11:19. > :11:26.the opportunity to campaign. What is you're strongest point in that
:11:26. > :11:34.respect? Mythic love songs are actually the best, because they are
:11:34. > :11:41.very personal and you can draw other people in. What is it like
:11:42. > :11:51.being on stage? It is fantastic. It is the best buys and I get paid for
:11:52. > :11:53.
:11:53. > :12:03.it. And you get that lot of feedback from the audience? Yes, I
:12:03. > :12:06.
:12:06. > :12:10.talk to them throughout the concert. I do a bit of Max Miller.
:12:10. > :12:18.Afterwards, it is interesting to talk to other people and that is
:12:19. > :12:25.how you meet other activists and things like that. Do you have a
:12:25. > :12:32.musical hero? I have several of them. I was very influenced by
:12:32. > :12:40.Smokey Robinson and Bob Dylan when I was younger, Johnny Cash. And of
:12:40. > :12:48.course, Woody Guthrie. Where do you get ideas from songs, from
:12:48. > :12:55.observing people? I think the idea for a song comes from something
:12:55. > :13:05.when you think you have something to say. What you want to do it is
:13:05. > :13:07.
:13:07. > :13:13.tell something which people do not know. Do you feel you still have
:13:13. > :13:19.development to goal as the musician? I would never have said
:13:20. > :13:27.they was a great musician. I have been very fortunate to be able to
:13:27. > :13:34.use the small tools that I have been given to forge a career.
:13:34. > :13:39.did you first start playing? about 16 I picked up the guitar
:13:39. > :13:49.because a neighbour played 1. But I have been writing poor young and
:13:49. > :13:55.
:13:55. > :14:01.things like that from the age of 12. When did you want to be a musician?
:14:01. > :14:06.I seem to be heading for a career in the car factory in Dagenham and
:14:06. > :14:16.I did not want to do that. And I was no good at boxing or football,
:14:16. > :14:17.
:14:17. > :14:27.soul music seemed the next thing. What do you think you're music says
:14:27. > :14:28.
:14:28. > :14:34.to people? It is about being English. But the thing is, that
:14:34. > :14:41.that means different things to different people. It is about
:14:41. > :14:49.belonging more than blood and soil. Do you think in the United system
:14:49. > :14:59.there is a class system in this country? Yes, there is a class
:14:59. > :15:07.
:15:07. > :15:10.I think people would try to ignore it. The language of Marxism, I do
:15:10. > :15:14.not think it is much help in trying to describe the world, but the
:15:14. > :15:19.things that Marx was talking about have not been resolved and we have
:15:19. > :15:29.to find a way to resolve those things, and class plays into that.
:15:29. > :15:30.
:15:30. > :15:36.What are your interests outside of music and politics? Reading,
:15:36. > :15:40.walking, my family trees. I have been doing that since I was 15.
:15:40. > :15:44.Where were you brought up? Barking in east London. Do you have a
:15:44. > :15:50.favourite author? George Orwell, both for his fiction and political
:15:50. > :15:56.writing. Do you listen to classical music as much yes, I am a big fan
:15:56. > :16:03.of Vaughan Williams. Life philosophy - do you have one?
:16:03. > :16:09.do it yourself. Thanks very much. Didn't feel a
:16:09. > :16:15.thing. 4, 3, 2, 1.
:16:15. > :16:20.Do you listen to lots of music? do. I go through phases when I
:16:20. > :16:24.listen to more. Sometimes more than others. Since becoming a mother, my
:16:24. > :16:28.life has changed so much that I do not listen to it as much as I did.
:16:28. > :16:32.The you have a favourite singer of all time? That is a very difficult
:16:32. > :16:42.question. I do not think I could see one particular. Can I name a
:16:42. > :16:53.
:16:53. > :16:57.few? Of very quickly. Dusty Springfield, Annie Lennox, Jessie J.
:16:57. > :17:07.What was it like embarking on a solo career after the Spice Girls
:17:07. > :17:11.
:17:11. > :17:14.prop up? It was scary and exhilarating.
:17:14. > :17:17.I laughed at being part of the Spice Girls and that is an
:17:17. > :17:22.incredible part of my history, but being a solo artist is my real
:17:22. > :17:27.passion. You have finished your fifth solo while bomb - how would
:17:27. > :17:33.you describe the sound? I would say that this album is quite eclectic-
:17:33. > :17:36.sounding. It is a pop record but it is beautifully produced. I love so
:17:36. > :17:41.many different styles and you will find it all on there. It is
:17:41. > :17:44.inspired with some rock, some dance, there is an acoustic number. It is
:17:44. > :17:49.quite atmospheric and dramatic, there are some beautiful string
:17:49. > :17:54.arrangements. Do you think the lyrics in the
:17:54. > :17:59.songs using influence people? think they can. I really think they
:17:59. > :18:05.can. And I have sat -- I have had some really positive, lovely
:18:05. > :18:09.feedback over the years from fans, saying how 0, often, lyrics and
:18:09. > :18:17.songs can help them through difficult times. What was it like
:18:17. > :18:21.becoming so famous so young? It was insane, exciting, scary. It was
:18:21. > :18:27.exhilarating and it was very interesting. Was it difficult to
:18:27. > :18:32.handle? Yes, very difficult. I do not think anyone can prepare you
:18:32. > :18:35.for something like that, probably a bit like having a child. You can
:18:35. > :18:40.read the books and speak to experienced people but, until it
:18:40. > :18:48.happens to you, you do not know how you will be affected. Tell me about
:18:48. > :18:53.live performance? Does that give you a thrill? Yes. For me, the live
:18:53. > :18:58.performances the end goal. Being in the studio, promoting, it is all
:18:58. > :19:04.about getting up on stage and performing live. This is why I
:19:04. > :19:11.wanted to do this. I love to perform. Do you enjoy going on
:19:11. > :19:21.tour? Yes, but there are negatives. Travelling Sandy can -- travelling
:19:21. > :19:21.
:19:21. > :19:24.can be so tedious. But it is the best part of what I do.
:19:25. > :19:34.Keeping some of your fans from the Spice Girls days have stayed with
:19:34. > :19:40.you? Yes, definitely. I would love to know if there are any fans of me
:19:40. > :19:44.who were not Spice Girls fans. Growing up, did you have any idea
:19:44. > :19:50.of what she wanted to be in life? Yes, I did. From quite a young age
:19:50. > :19:54.I wanted to be a pop star and work in music. Either that or an Olympic
:19:54. > :20:02.gymnast. Do you still do gymnastics? The occasional back-
:20:02. > :20:06.flip. I was quite young when I had to make the decision to continue
:20:06. > :20:16.with my dance training or gymnastics. They were not really
:20:16. > :20:20.complementing each other. No late bid for 2012? I am hoping
:20:20. > :20:25.there might be a little place for me somewhere! Do you play lots of
:20:25. > :20:31.different sports? I don't, you know. I have not really played sports
:20:31. > :20:35.since I was at school. A lot of guys continue to play football in
:20:35. > :20:40.pub teams and so forth, but, for girls, maybe I need to find a
:20:40. > :20:50.netball team or something. Is it right that you did a duet with your
:20:50. > :20:50.
:20:50. > :20:55.mum or your music GCSE? Yes, I did. It was the practical part of the
:20:55. > :20:59.music GCSE. It has probably changed by now. I have performed with her
:20:59. > :21:07.on a few occasions. She is a singer and she still sings. Do you think
:21:07. > :21:11.you'll have a normal life? There are lots of normal aspects to
:21:11. > :21:21.it but it would be unrealistic to say it is really normal.
:21:21. > :21:23.
:21:23. > :21:29.That is five minutes. That was a bit pathetic, that rain! -- ring.
:21:29. > :21:37.Are you a big reader? Yes, omnivorous. I read every type of
:21:37. > :21:43.book. I do not read him strictly or according to our religious schedule
:21:43. > :21:48.a stop if a book loses my interest I lose interest in the book. Do you
:21:48. > :21:54.have a favourite book? A favourite? Yes, I think my favourite is called
:21:54. > :21:58.The Magic Pudding. It is the funniest children's book ever
:21:58. > :22:05.written. I grew to love it when I was about eight years old. It is
:22:05. > :22:12.wonderful. Do you have a favourite film? Yes, The Magnificent 7.
:22:12. > :22:22.favourite composer? That is much more difficult. Sometimes it is
:22:22. > :22:24.
:22:24. > :22:29.Mendelssohn sometimes it is Beethoven. Metner Is a wonderful
:22:29. > :22:35.Russian composer. Do you listen to pop music? I have
:22:35. > :22:42.a soft spot for pop music that was there when I was a child. Did you
:22:42. > :22:45.want to be on offer when you were growing up? I think I did. I always
:22:45. > :22:49.wanted to write stories. When I realised that the person whose name
:22:49. > :22:59.was on the front of the book got paid as well, I thought that was
:22:59. > :23:03.amazing. Did you have a big imagination as a child? I do not
:23:03. > :23:07.think it was compared to other children. I liked playing with it
:23:07. > :23:11.and telling stories and getting lost in it. Do you think that
:23:12. > :23:15.storytelling is important? Well, it is something that we all do, even
:23:15. > :23:22.if we do not think we are doing it. The difference, I think, between
:23:22. > :23:26.someone who does a professionally and someone who doesn't is that we
:23:26. > :23:31.recognise when a story has possibilities, we know what to do
:23:31. > :23:36.with it. Many people think they have no ideas and which they could.
:23:37. > :23:40.The do, they just called in daydreams. Do you see yourself as
:23:40. > :23:44.more of a story teller than a writer? Do you see what I mean?
:23:44. > :23:47.I see what you mean. There is a difference. For a story teller it
:23:47. > :23:51.is the events that are more important than anything else, how
:23:51. > :23:57.they fit together, how the unfold and turn back on themselves, that
:23:57. > :24:02.sort of things. Plot is important for me. But, for a writer, I
:24:02. > :24:05.suppose words and sentences are the important things and plot is less
:24:05. > :24:10.important. They should be of the same importance.
:24:10. > :24:15.Do you target as special audience a rage group or does that look after
:24:15. > :24:19.itself later on? No, I never do that. It is my own business what I
:24:19. > :24:23.write. They can come into the transection -- transaction much
:24:23. > :24:31.later on when I have finished. I do not want them looking over my
:24:31. > :24:40.shoulder. You were a teacher for years - did it have an impact?
:24:40. > :24:44.it did, in two ways, I think. I grew to know what children were
:24:44. > :24:50.reading and it gave me a chance to practise story telling. I did that
:24:50. > :24:57.because I was allowed to. There was no national curriculum to tell me
:24:57. > :25:01.what to do. So I told them stories, all sorts of stories. That was a
:25:01. > :25:06.great apprenticeship that I had. Very few people have the chance to
:25:06. > :25:16.do that now. I was able, for example, to tell the Ailey at 30
:25:16. > :25:22.
:25:22. > :25:27.times in ten years. -- Iliad. you set out to tell moral tales?
:25:27. > :25:30.Every type of voice is moral, whether we wanted to be or not. If
:25:30. > :25:35.you do something seriously with all your mind and strength, as you do
:25:35. > :25:38.when you're writing a book, your moral values will come through. You
:25:38. > :25:44.cannot help in coming through. Inevitably they will be there.
:25:44. > :25:49.you see yourself as an agnostic or an atheist? In the strictest sense
:25:49. > :25:55.I would say agnostic, because I do not know. The world, the universe
:25:55. > :25:59.is much bigger than my understanding of it. I have been
:25:59. > :26:03.persuaded by no rational argument that we have to have a God, so, on
:26:03. > :26:08.a small scale, I am an atheist. would it take you to come but --
:26:08. > :26:13.what would it take to convince you that there was a god? And direct