Rhod Gilbert in Leicester: multi-award winning comedian talks life, leukemia and potato tattoos

Multi-award winning comedian Rhod Gilbert returns with a brand new live show. Tonight he is in Leicester. Journalist Helen Barnes spoke to him about life, loccemia and grapefruit.

Helen Barnes Hi Rhod! How are you?

Rhod Gilbert I’m fine, you know, I’m fine. I am very happy and lucky to be alive and living life with renewed passion.

HB You’re coming to Leicester on June 15th with your new tour – can you tell us a bit about that?

RG Yeah, so it’s called Rod Gilbert and the Giant Grapefruit. I pinched Roald Dahl’s James and the Giant Peach there. It’s also a nod to the tumor in my throat, grapefruit, it’s a bit dark but it’s also very upbeat – it’s a happy, uplifting show and it’s the kind of idea that – you know that phrase, when life gives you lemons, do you make lemonade I took that and twisted it into what do you do when life gives you grapefruits? He starts throwing grapefruits at you. So this is my cancer story from diagnosis to now. I made it as funny as possible because it’s a stand-up show, so I want people to come in really beaming.

HB Now, there are 130 meetings. It works until 2025. There are many cities you visit.

RG Yes, I think they do almost every town and city in the UK. I’m doing a lot of smaller venues on this tour, some of them are 250 seats and some are 5,000, so there’s a real variety. I spread it out because I take it easy too. I have to go on. I have to maintain my health. I have to keep the resistance. Back in the day, I would do five, six, seven nights a week. I don’t do that anymore. I do three, four nights a week. So that’s why it’s going on for the next two years pretty much and we keep adding more shows, so happy days.

HB Fantastic. Now your latest tour, The Book of John, described by critics as “amazing, your best work to date!” Is it better in your opinion?

RG I think so. I’m going to go out on a limb and say this is the best. Well, let’s put it this way. That’s definitely the thing I do the most, which is weird for a cancer show, but it feels like—I don’t know. It’s nice to – it feels like you’re doing stand-up about important things, like things that matter to people, things that have a real impact, things that really have an emotional response from the audience, not just – you know, back in the day we used to do stand-up about quilts and TOG ratings and toothbrushes and lost luggage, and now I do it about much more meaningful things, but we’ll wait and see the reviews. I won’t read them – well, I probably will. I say I won’t. I can’t help myself.

HB Let’s talk a little about Cancer. You look amazing right now. How has it changed you?

RG God, how much time do you have? It changed everything. It’s obvious – it’s a cliché isn’t it, and everyone says it, but it changes your attitude towards life. It makes you realize the value of each day. You think Cancer happens to other people and you don’t think too much about it, but you think you have a lot of time left to do all the things you want to do and be with the people you want to spend time with, and suddenly you think, oh wait, that’s not how it works. I may not have much time. So it changes everything. Everything is a little more important. And it’s definitely changed for the better, I think. I am very positive about my cancer. I’d go so far as to say, if it’s gone for good, I’m not sorry I had it. There are many, many positive aspects.

HB What was the hardest part of the trip?

RG Well, I think diagnosis is hard. There is a long time when you don’t know where the cancer is, where it started, how far it has spread, where it is. That’s scary. But I think every cancer is different. Every patient is different. Each type of treatment is different. The head and neck cancer I went through is hard. It’s one of the toughest, as far as I can tell, and it’s pretty brutal. So the treatment was hard and you have to try to hang in there and listen to the doctors and oncologists. Things may feel like they will never be right, but they do get better. It’s really, really hard.

HB I watched your documentary, “A Pain in the Neck” and the part where you were crying, saying “how much more can I take of this”, I found it very hard to watch. What inspired you to keep fighting at that time?

RG I think it’s the people around you. I mean, I wouldn’t say I kept fighting, that’s another thing – I don’t think I did much. I stayed there. The doctors saved my life. I did nothing. I stood there, and their compassion, their kindness, their skill, saved my life. I don’t credit myself with any of this, really. I am lucky to be alive and I am also lucky to have had amazing treatment at a cancer center in Cardiff called Valindra. But, you know, there are points in it where you think things will never go back to normal. Things will never be the same and they can, you know. It’s a new normal. But for me to be back on stage, running like a maniac night after night, just like the old days, and it’s only been a year since I finished my treatment, so it’s amazing to do that.

HB How did you deal with the “fear”?

RG Well, not very well, I guess, is the answer. I wish I could say something inspiring. You’ve seen the documentary. I fell apart. Lots of tears, but I think I was lucky to have good people around me, friends, family, and you just have to rely on that, don’t you? And you really realize the value of the friendships you had. Some of my friends go back to elementary school and I am very lucky to have lifelong friends and great friends and family around me. So I think you do attract other people a lot, you know, but we also have wonderful cancer services in this country and there’s Macmillan to lean on and there will be local services that you can get help with and talk to people. And you are not alone. There are so many people going through this, it’s everywhere. On stage every night, I go out and talk about it, and hands go out everywhere. I have people who say, “I have ovarian cancer,” “I’ve had breast cancer,” “I have leukemia.” Hands go up everywhere. It is everywhere. We’re surrounded by it, so you’re not alone, and I think that’s a pretty important thing to remember.

HB Time Out says you are undoubtedly one of the best comedians in the world. If you’re out of it, who would you give that title to?

RG There are so many. There are so many… In this country, I’ve really enjoyed Bridget Christie’s work over the last few years, James Acaster, and one of my all-time favorites, who you may or may not know , is a guy. called Paul Foot, who I’ve been a fan of since the day I did the circuit. We did little rooms above pubs in London 20 years ago when we both started, and I’ve always been a big fan of his.

HB Now, Never Mind the Buzzcocks, 8 out of 10, Cats, Face Countdown, Would I Lie To You, all these shows we love to see you on. Which did you enjoy doing the most and why?

RG I love all of these. They are all so different, aren’t they? I like the variety more than anything, I guess. I think I like doing podcasts, I like doing stand-up, but I don’t just want to do something, so I like to do serious documentaries and then go from that to Would I Lie To You, and I think it’s variety that keeps it interesting for me. So I don’t really have a favorite at the moment. I guess I would have to say my favorite is Rod Gilbert’s Growing Pains, Growing Pains from Comedy Central. I should take this opportunity to plug my own TV show, so that’s my favorite, yeah, Rod Gilbert’s Growing Pains on Comedy Central, which is on Monday nights at the moment and we’re looking to do a new series later during the year. , so it’s exciting.

HB Great answer! I remember seeing a few years ago where you did this rant about an egg and cress sandwich on the train and it was hilarious. Is it really your favorite sandwich or do you have another favorite?

RG No, actually, it’s not my favorite sandwich at all. I’m actually a bit weird about egg and watercress sandwiches. I really don’t buy them. I don’t know why. I like mayonnaise with eggs. I’m not letting anyone else make me an egg mayo sandwich. I’m good with tuna, I’m good with ham, cheese and eggs. Ironically, I wouldn’t buy one either. After all the fuss about waiting for an egg and cress sandwich, I wouldn’t even buy one if you paid me.

HB My kids don’t think you have a potato tattoo, but you do, don’t you?

RG Yeah, I don’t know if I can show you. (Rhod pulls his top off his shoulder) Can you see a little? It’s a bit of King Edward that appears at the top there, with his hair sticking out, probably.

HB is this because you love Jackie Potatoes so much?

RG No, it’s a very long story. There was a show called Flaming Battenberg Tattoo in 2012 where I ranted about potatoes, how they only sold them in packs of two in my local Tesco, with a styrofoam tray and cellophane on top and a label. . I just wanted two loose potatoes. Actually, I just wanted a potato. And they only sold them in pairs. So I lost it and had a big old reveal on this thing. And then this became a whole story. I ended up going to New York with the spare potatoes. We had a vacation together, a romantic vacation. And then I ended up getting a tattoo of it. You’ll have to watch the show (laughing), it’s available on DVD somewhere on streaming platforms.

HB We’ll check it out! You’re married to a fellow comedian. Does that help you when planning your tour, does she help you with the jokes?

RG He hasn’t even been to see it yet. We don’t really work together. She’s a writer, a comic writer, and sometimes a performer, but we don’t really work together. We did a podcast together during lockdown for a few years. Was well. We don’t write together. We don’t go see each other’s stuff. We really don’t take it home with us. Every once in a while, I’ll slip it into conversation. I’m going to say, what do you think of this joke? What do you think about this? And, she’ll give me her take on it too. And yes, it has a very good radar for when I’m wrong.

HB Fantastic. Now normally I’d say “tickets are on sale now, why should we come and see the show?”, but your gig at De Montfort is already sold out! But sell it to us anyway – why come see this new tour?

RG Well, it’s a strange idea to come and see a show about someone’s cancer story if you want to cheer yourself up. But we need all the laughs we can get in the world right now. We all need encouragement. And if you want to walk in and walk out, have a few tears, laugh a lot, and feel better about the world, uplifted and full of life, then that’s how I’d sell it. Come and see, see me take some strength from cancer, rip it out a new one.

Rhod has embarked on a full UK and Ireland tour, playing over 130 dates nationwide and running until November 2025.

Tickets and tour dates here: www.rhodgilbertcomedian.com