It’s hard not to like the amiable Welsh comedian which makes him a game-show natural. Andy Welch reports
THE more Rob Brydon speaks, the more he reminds you of his most famous characters Keith Barret and Uncle Bryn. Although it must be stated that he’s infinitely more hip and self-aware than either his Marion & Geoff or Gavin & Stacey alter-egos.
Honest and sincere but witty with it, he’s happy to chat about anything and everything, adding in funny true stories, opinions and minute details.
Such amiable skills make him a panel-show natural (as anyone who’s seen his knowledgeable performances on QI will attest) and now he’s taking hosting a quiz of his own, Would I Lie To You?, which goes out on BBC One on Monday nights.
The aim of the game is to work out whether certain outrageous facts are true or false, with team captains Lee Mack and David Mitchell competing for laughs.
“It’s tremendous fun,” says Rob, 44. “We filmed earlier in the year, March and April, and I absolutely loved doing it.”
Chat doesn’t stick on this subject for very long, however. The two big things in Rob’s life at the moment are the forthcoming series of Gavin & Stacey, due on our screens later this year and his imminent UK tour.
“We finished Gavin & Stacey about two weeks ago,” he says of the award-winning show’s third run.
“I think it’s very good, another great script, but then it’s hard for me to tell because I’m so close to it now. I think the stories James and Ruth (writers Corden and Jones) have come up with are just splendid, everybody seems to be doing their thing in it. People who like the show already are going to love it.”
He umms and ahhs for moment when asked for a run down of what happens during the course of the series, but ultimately decides he will remain tight-lipped.
“They like it to be secret, but I will say lots of things, momentous things, happen. I can say Uncle Bryn is in it a lot, I think he has more to do than he has in previous series,” he adds, referring to his gadget-loving, easily pleased character, uncle of the eponymous Stacey.
“All the characters move along brilliantly. I just can’t wait to see it now, we all enjoyed filming it so much.”
It seems Rob enjoyed filming perhaps a little too much. He put on half a stone during filming – not that you can tell.
“All on my belly!” he says, laughing. “One of the crew on the set kept bringing me Kit Kats and soft drinks for the little fridge in my trailer. I say ’trailer’, it was more like a tiny shed. Anyway, I was averaging 2.5 four-finger Kit Kats a day, which is far too much.
