You are in the Special Features section - Tony Hawks, Round Ireland With A Fridge, Playing The Moldovans At Tennis, A Piano In The Pyrenees, One Hit Wonderland, I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue, Just A Minute, Red Dwarf, Tennis For Free campaign

Digger interrogates Tony Hawks, comedian and writer. 

 

Tony Hawks

 

Tony Hawks is a comedian who has published several very successful books and seems to have cornered the market in books based on absurd bets. The first, the ground-breaking Round Ireland With A Fridge, was a classic. As a result of a drunken bet, Tony found himself hitching across Ireland with a fridge in tow. Following that hilarious adventure, another such bet saw him rising to the challenge of finding all of the Moldovan football players who played against England in the World Cup and beating each one at tennis, entitled not surprisingly Playing The Moldovans At Tennis, with further highly amusing results. His two further books, one the story of his search for a retreat in France - A Piano In The Pyrenees, something of a departure from the two former wager-based books, and the other - One Hit Wonderland, about his attempt to become more than a one-hit-wonder (he charted in the 80s as Morris Minor and The Majors), are also available.

Tony is a regular on many panel games on radio and TV, most notably I'm Sorry I Haven't A Clue and Just A Minute. He was also heavily involved in the cult TV classic Red Dwarf. Tony is also passionate about tennis and is co-founder of the Tennis For Free campaign.

Often confused by skateboarding enthusiasts with Tony Hawk when Googling because they don't seem to be able to differentiate between a highly-toned and skilled athlete and a skateboarder, Tony patiently answers the umpteen emails he receives each week, offering his grammatical and lifestyle advice for these misguided youngsters.

Some images courtesy of and © copyright www.rexfeatures.com

 

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Digger: Who were/are the comedians who inspired you?

Tony: The Monty Python team

Digger: What are the best and worst things about being a comedian?

Tony: Best: Making people laugh. Worst: People expecting you to make them laugh.

Digger: What might you be if you weren't a comedian?

Tony: A gardener or a postman.

Digger: Language is clearly important to you and to your craft. What are your views on the 'text culture'
and the Americanisation and bastardisation of our language?

Tony: I'm probably not really in favour - but ultimately it's the idea behind what people are saying that's the most important - not how it's laid down.

Digger: Will Britain ever produce some top class tennis players? Why do you think we have created so many sports yet seem to excel at very few as a nation?

Tony: Tim Henman was bloody good. Got to number four in the world. Andy Murray will do the same, at least, I reckon. The problem is that we have no depth because not enough people play the game.

Digger: Who would you invite to a dinner party and why? The participants can be real of fictional, alive or deceased.

Tony: Gandhi. More food for me - and he's a bit of a hero of mine.

Digger: How daft and extreme would a bet have to be for you not to rise to the challenge?

Tony: Actually I only take on bets where I genuinely think I can win and they come out of a genuine argument - so in other words not a stunt.

Digger: On Mastermind you were asked a question about Irish geography and, I don't know how to put this
diplomatically, you got it wrong. Were you not paying attention to the map on your grand tour?

Tony: I wasn't paying attention on Mastermind. I didn't realise he said Southern Ireland - and I forgot about Donegal and went for Northern Ireland.

 

 

 

 

 

Digger: As a musician with an interest in eastern Europe, can you let us know your views on Eurovision and the influx of new countries to it and the impact that has had on the results?

Tony: It's shit now and it was shit before. There's just more shit, that's all.

Digger: Arthur Smith once sent me a lovely signed photo and hand-written reply to a letter I wrote to him in the 80s.
Is he really that nice or is it just hedging his bets from a PR point of view?

Tony: No, he's really that nice.

Digger: Why the move to France? How good is your French? What are the differences between the French and the British and their lifestyles in your experience?

Tony: I speak French pretty well. I did French A level years ago. I can hang out with French people and have fun.

Digger: What are your funniest memories of having worked on Red Dwarf?

Tony: We all used to joke and laugh all the time. Can't remember any specific moments. - Ooh yes - watching Danny, Craig and Chris being buried up to their necks in sand in freezing conditions on Barry Beach.

Digger: Are corporate events ever anything like Alan Partridge made them out to be?

Tony: Identical.

 

Tony relaxing

 

Digger: Just A Minute is a classic programme and a classic format. Does appearing on the programme help you
with general quick-wittedness and linguistic gymnastics?

Tony: I guess so - although it's a useless skill in any other walk of life.

Digger: Who are your musical heroes?

Tony: The Beatles, Paul Simon, Stevie Wonder, Carlos Antonio Jobim.

Digger: Are you nostalgic or do you tend to look forward?

Tony: I try to live in the NOW! But I do look forward - probably more than I should. The past has gone....

Digger: Is it possible that Tony Hawk gets twenty emails a week asking him about the best fridge to take on a backpacking world tour?

Tony: No.

Digger: Have you ever met Mr Hawk?

Tony: Yes, I met him on the Big Breakfast a few years back. He's very nice - if a little straight.