I was raised, I feel like, on television, definitely a child of TV, and was always fascinated by storytelling.
I never went to acting school. I started in the circus, music hall, I was in a group, did kids' bits. I've always had this kind of insecurity being uneducated.
As a kid, I always loved Mel Brooks' stuff - 'The 2,000 Year Old Man' record was something my dad put me onto.
I've loved musical theater ever since I was a kid. My mother's a pianist, and my grandfather was an amateur theater director and stand-up comic. And I was an only child. And I loved attention. So from an early age, my family was teaching old musical songs.
Saturday Night Takeaway' is the show we always wanted to make. It's a direct descendant of 'Game For A Laugh' and 'Noel's House Party' and 'Russ Abbot's Madhouse,' and they're all shows we grew up on as kids.
We are a typical working class northern family, big into our football... no one in the family was into acting. But I remember seeing a panto when I was about six and thinking, 'Yeah... I wouldn't mind doing that.'
I've always loved film, and it started with Pixar movies.
I grew up listening to Steve Martin and Robin Williams, so I didn't ever intend to be a musical comedian. I sort of stumbled into it.
James Cagney, Steve McQueen, I loved all those guys. I grew up loving the movies but had no desire to be in them.
I was a funny kid growing up, and I did improv in college and went to Pratt Institute, but I did it very informally. It was just me and some of my friends goofing around on campus.
I grew up carrying crates of records for Will Smith and those guys.
