Sue Perkins
Why did you decide to do this show now?
I guess I’ve been thinking about it since I lost my dad (Bert, who sadly passed away in 2017 due to a brain tumour). This might not be the best metaphor, but I think when you lose a parent or a family member, it feels like someone’s snipped one of the cables in the hot air balloon you’ve been flying in. There’s a sense of precariousness, so for me to sort of recalibrate, I wanted to find out a bit more about my past – and also about him.
How did you feel about letting the cameras into your life?
I am a very sensitive and private person, but I have huge respect for this show – and they always handle things in an incredibly decent and thorough way. It was a case of working out whether my desire to answer questions was worth any potential upset it might cause my mum, Anne. And she was delighted, because she got to know her mum and grandparents more – it fleshed out a lot of her family history.
We see your pal Mel [Giedroyc] helping you sort through a box of old photos…
Normally, I’d have had a family member with me to go through this ancient box, but Mum would have started crying, then I’d start crying and the programme wouldn’t get made. I’ve known Mel for decades and it was interesting having her there because the parallels between my life and hers proved extraordinary. Some sort of weird, universal silliness going on.
There’s also the boxing ring connection…
I love to box because my brain is very, very busy and it dulls the chitter-chat. I went to the church in Lithuania where my great grandmother, Anna, was baptised – a sort of bleak, dilapidated building – and the first thing I saw was a sandbag. There was this realisation that the space had been repurposed to be a boxing gym – and I was choked up to read in my grandfather’s diaries that it helped him, just as boxing has massively helped me with my anxiety.
Will you be sitting down to watch it?
I want to sit with my mum and watch this together. There will be Mini Cheddars, our snack of choice, and probably lots of glasses of wine – and I’ll get the tissues ready.
‘There will be Mini Cheddars’