Is it true that you simply turned down an invitation to King Charles’s seventieth birthday so you would go to rugby coaching?
Sure, that’s 100% true. To be trustworthy, I knew I ought to have gone to the birthday however I actually needed to go to rugby coaching. That is ridiculous, however I’d been to Buckingham Palace a few occasions earlier than and I’m at a stage in my life the place I assumed: “Truly, I’d a lot quite go to rugby coaching.” I had began taking part in incapacity rugby league and I turned fairly hooked on it. Coaching was my favorite half, simply hanging out with a bunch of mates taking part in footy. That beats King Charles any day. No offence.
I met him proper earlier than Covid began, truly, when he was nonetheless prince. He mentioned, “They inform me we shouldn’t shake palms”, so he gave me just a little namaste gesture, which was good.
Has your prosthetic foot ever come in useful?
After I was a child, I bear in mind being at a wildlife park in Sydney – I used to be within the wombat enclosure and the wombat determined to attempt to chew my ankle. Folks round had been fairly bowled over and scared and protecting as a result of a wombat was biting a child! They couldn’t work out why the wombat walked away or why I didn’t even realise what was occurring.
There have additionally been a few occasions the place I’ve dropped a glass, and I’ve put my prosthetic out to interrupt the autumn as a result of it’s product of rubber – I’ve stopped a few glasses from breaking that method. It’s not an enormous superpower, however it’s a bonus.
What do you miss most about Australia if you end up within the UK, and what do you miss essentially the most about UK while you’re in Australia?
I miss Australia’s actually good espresso. And the brunches! Aussie brunches are type of famend around the globe. I learn an article yesterday about an up-and-coming suburb in London, and for instance of how stylish it’s they mentioned it had “an Aussie-style cafe”. Nobody else actually does brunches the way in which we do.
And for the UK – I don’t know if that is the correct phrase, however I miss the West Finish-ness of all of it? I’ll offer you two examples of what I imply. As soon as, after we had been making The Final Leg, we wanted a prop wrecking ball so we gave our props man 24 hours’ discover. The following day, he turns up with a wrecking ball. I mentioned, “How did you discover that?” And he went, “It solely value me £25. Did I not let you know I used to be the props grasp on Moonraker?” After which just a few months after that, we had been doing a Queen factor on the present and our wardrobe woman mentioned: “Are you doing that as a result of it’s Freddie Mercury’s birthday right this moment?” I didn’t know! She mentioned, “Oh, I do know Freddie’s birthday. I used to buy groceries with him and I did all his garments.” She mentioned she stayed up the night time earlier than they made the I Need to Break Free video, stitching the slippers collectively. There’s simply a lot occurring within the UK leisure business. You stroll by Soho, you’ll see Brian Cox going this manner and somebody from Ted Lasso having a espresso on the nook.
Of all of the TV reveals you may have hosted, which visitor have you ever been essentially the most enthusiastic about assembly?
Bizarre Al Yankovic. On Spicks and Specks, Myf [Warhurst] is at all times impressed by 70s rockers like Brian Mannix and Alan [Brough] was enthusiastic about Robert Forster from the Go-Betweens, however Weird Al Yankovic was my individual. I’m a comedy nerd. He’s genuinely one of many nicest individuals – we’ve stored in contact. I get a birthday card from him yearly. One 12 months he despatched me a video message. He mentioned, “Hey, Adam, I hear it’s your birthday. I simply wish to do one thing particular for you”, and he pulled out a harmonica and began singing. Then a barbershop quartet appeared behind him after which some dancing women – it was a full on manufacturing. My guess is that he does that for a complete bunch of individuals and simply adjustments the title originally. Or perhaps he spent $500,000 on my birthday message.
What’s been your most memorable interplay with a fan?
Years in the past I had a present the place I’d convey individuals up on stage and get them to shout their title to the viewers like they had been James Brown. One man, a firefighter, determined to shout “Go, you huge pink fireplace engine!” to the viewers they usually all shouted it again. It turned a catchphrase. Some time later, a person emailed me – he and his spouse had been at my present. His spouse had most cancers on the time and each time she went by chemo she would shout “Go, you huge pink fireplace engine!” So we stored in contact. She beat the most cancers. They’d some youngsters. Final 12 months I did a present within the north of England and he was within the entrance row. We nonetheless maintain involved. I believe we’ll at all times be linked.
What’s been your most cringeworthy run in with the movie star?
I grew up loving rugby league and the South Sydney Rabbitohs. They received the premiership in 2014, so that they turned these heroes. In 2015 they came visiting and performed a match in England and I ended up with the group afterwards within the bar. I used to be to date out of my depth. I believe I used to be speaking to George Burgess and Ben Te’o and we had been discussing the variations between rugby league and rugby union. I had undoubtedly had too many drinks at that time, and I obtained league and union confused they usually each checked out me like I used to be a moron. That’s in all probability one of many final occasions I drank alcohol. I didn’t stop ingesting due to that, however once I did that was behind my thoughts. Neither of them would bear in mind it. However I walked away going: “Oh my God, oh my God, oh my God.”
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In the event you needed to compete in opposition to Myf and Alan in anything aside from Spicks and Specks, what would you select?
I used to be about to say rugby, however whereas I reckon I might beat Myf, I believe Alan can be fairly unstoppable. Then I used to be going to say operating, as a result of I reckon I might outrun Alan however Myf may be fairly speedy. So, I’ll say tennis. I’m in fairly good tennis type proper now.
What’s the strangest job you’ve ever had?
I used to be a stage hand at Channel 9 once I first obtained out of college. I’d assist to construct the units for the Noon present and A Present Affair, and I’d stroll round behind cameramen ensuring they didn’t journey – it’s known as cable bashing. However then at some point somebody mentioned: “You’re good with know-how, proper?” So I operated the video wall behind the host of Australia’s Funniest Dwelling Movies. It was my job to push a button and resolve whether or not the movies would flash up or when the brand would come again.
However that wasn’t the weirdest job, which was: as a stage hand, I used to be requested to de-rig the workers Christmas occasion, which was held in a studio. I used to be flattening Christmas decorations and, at one level, I needed to mop up urine as a result of somebody had executed a wee within the nook. I bear in mind pondering: “This isn’t the place I need my profession to go.”
In the event you had a sandwich named after you, what can be in it?
Bear with me. I’m going to speak by the pondering. God. It’s actually pathetic, however I really like ham and cheese sandwich. Actually good sourdough, a little bit of grainy mustard, some skinny sliced ham and good high quality cheddar. I’m an enormous believer in one thing easy executed very well. God, I do know I’m going to hold up and provide you with one other reply. What’s your electronic mail tackle? I would electronic mail you. I’m going to be excited about that each one day.
Do you may have a nemesis?
He’s additionally my buddy, so I’m going to name him a fremesis – however Wil Anderson. It’s purely as a result of individuals maintain complicated Wil and I. They’ve for years. I believe it’s as a result of we had been each on the ABC on Wednesday nights at one level I used to be doing Spicks and Specks and he was doing The Glass Home. Additionally he was on a breakfast radio present with a man known as Adam [Spencer]. So individuals would come as much as me and go, “Oh Wil! I really like you on Triple J!” And I’d go, “No, I’m Adam.” They usually’d go “Yeah! You’re on with Wil.” And I’d go, “No, I’m a totally different Adam!”
He will get it on a regular basis too. He now tells a narrative about how he was as soon as on a long-haul flight and a feminine member of the cabin crew got here up and provided him a hand therapeutic massage. So she massaged his hand for a short time and on the finish she mentioned, “In the event you had been Adam Hills, you’d have gotten further.”
