‘I force myself to be more grown-up!’
Comedian David Baddiel on how he started in comedy and why he’s a big kid at heart
Funnyman David Baddiel is back and better than ever with his new stand-up show. As a big fan of social media, his routine is all about the perils of the internet. And with 650,000 followers on Twitter, he’s perfectly placed to share his experiences on stage.
Having found fame in the 1990s on the comedy circuit, David is probably best known for his hilarious antics with best pal Frank Skinner, which led to the creation of one of the greatest football songs of all time – Three Lions.
The 55 year old, who has two children, Dolly and Ezra, with actress Morwenna Banks, tells us about his TV guilty pleasures and how he handles hecklers…
Hi David. How is it being back on tour?
It’s a lot less rock’n’roll now I’m older. When the audience was younger there was more debauchery. Now
I go to bed after a gig and look forward to exploring the town I’m in.
The theme of the tour is internet trolls…
They’re online hecklers. Everyone being very angry and shouting at each other! There is no ability to make jokes without it offending someone. No one wants to discuss or learn or listen to other people’s opinions. Instead there’s just a binary idea of what is right and wrong. We all take sides.
We only care about winning and losing.
How do you deal with them?
Well, firstly I practise my jokes on Instagram before they go on Twitter
– where I have more followers – to see how people take to them. But I try to not get involved. Never reply and if you have to, never argue. That’s what they want. Always agree. In an extreme example of someone being horrible you can still be clever. Somebody tweeted me saying, “The only thing I want to read about you is your obituary.” I shouldn’t have replied, but I said,“At least I’ll get one.”
How do you unwind?
I’ll get in bed and watch something I’ve downloaded. I did love White House Farm. I think Freddie Fox, who played Jeremy
Bamber, wore a very weird wig in it, but the show was very good.
What are your guilty pleasures?
I’m a sucker forYouTube. I fall down a rabbit hole watching standup. But my “guilty pleasures” I feel no guilt over. My new weird thing is virtual reality. I have the headset and like to play games but also there’s a setting called “Beach in Bali”. It feels like you’re right there, it’s incredible.
Are you a gamer?
Not really, but I do have to force myself to be more grownup. I used to read fiction and watch cartoons that my son was watching and think, “This is really funny!”
Now I watch true crime and try to immerse myself in things that are completely true.
It’s like ordering fish at a restaurant.You don’t want it, but it’s the adult choice.
What would you order otherwise?
I still get excited about Rowntree’s Fruit Pastilles. I shouldn’t, it’s not helpful at my age as I’m overweight, but I need a pudding. If I have a meal without a pudding, it’s like a sentence without a full stop.
What were you like when you were at school?
I was good until I wanted to be a comedian in my last year. Having not been naughty before, there was a show and when I wrote it I changed some songs and performed two sketches about teachers that I didn’t like. One sketch, for example, was about a very Christian librarian having sex with a blow-up doll. It was a hit with the boys and I was feeling incredibly cool, hence why I pursued being a comedian. I was very nearly expelled but they kept me on, as I was going to Cambridge and it was good for the league tables. I saw someone from that school and they’re still not allowed to have a show because of me!
‘A joke about the librarian and a blow-up doll nearly got me expelled’