The Interview : Sue Perkins “ Births , deaths , lemon drizzle and getting fondled by a Cambodian hermit .”
but the tour brings extra stuff to it . The audience adds so much on top of that . It ’ s important to have that double act thing going on with them . So what subjects will you be covering in the show ? Births , deaths , lemon drizzle and getting fondled by a Cambodian hermit . I ’ ll talk a lot about the catastrophising that went on in my family . There was always a sense that something awful , that imminent doom , was around the corner . It came from my mum – she ’ s a worrier . Everything was a potential trip to A & E ! I believe you will also be showing some slides . Yes , there will be lots of slides . There is only one picture of me in the book and I have this horrific haircut in it . People say , “ Surely that was just one bad haircut day .” But I ’ m afraid I have 150 slides of myself at different ages , all with the same haircut ! My mum had someone round to cut my hair who , it transpired , had only done dog grooming before . So I had a low Dougal-style fringe that was perfectly straight . It swayed like a trimmed , bearded collie ! A bowl for all seasons . Perhaps that should be the title of the second volume …. You have a wonderful relationship with your fans . Do they frequently stop you in the street ? Sometimes , yes . Often they ’ ll want to ask about the weird things I ’ ve eaten . I ’ ve eaten everything . There ’ s nothing I haven ’ t eaten . I ’ ve eaten peacock , rat , squirrel , wigeon , teal , snipe , snake , moose and yak . Bear Grylls , eat your heart out ! In fact , he probably has eaten his heart out …
What else do the fans ask you ? They always want to know what Mary Berry is like . Well , Bez is the best . End of . She ’ s the nation ’ s sweetheart . I love her – so much so , I ’ ve been trying to get her to adopt me for the last seven years . Why do you think The Great British Bake Off has proved so popular ? I think the chemistry between the four of us – Mary , Paul , Mel and I – works so well . We ’ re all big kids at heart . We ’ re all very playful . We don ’ t approach it as a job . We approach it as a day out at a country fair ! But the real reason why the show is so successful is the 12 people who come to bake every year . Although we four have received a lot of attention , I really do believe that the bakers are where the magic is . Finally , do you believe that a sense of humour is vital ? Of course . Life is boring without the punctuation of punchlines . If you laugh at a joke , it ’ s because someone has put something you already know in a way you had never thought of before . You ’ ve always been aware of that idea , but it ’ s the expression of that idea that catches you . The other person encapsulates it or puts a new twist on it . It illuminates and cheers in one fell swoop . Without humour , what ’ s the point ? Life would simply be one long argument with a man from the BT helpdesk .
Tickets for Sue Perkins ’ tour , “ LIVE ! in Spectacles ”, can be found at http :// www . sueperkinslive . com
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