Interview: John Finnemore

John Finnemore, writer and star of many multi-award winning BBC Radio shows brings his brand new live show to the stage for the Brighton Festival. Victoria Nangle speaks to the man himself about writing, radio and Pooh Bear’s sticky habit.

Hi John, how the devil are you today?
Roaringly well, thank you, how are you? 
 
Spiffing, thank you! What has prompted you to take your show on the road to a live audience?
Well, in our radio sketch show, the cast and I get to do a lot of silly voices – but I don’t think our audience realise that we also have extremely silly faces. This tour is an attempt to put that right. 
 
Each episode has so many moving parts – standing alone as sketches, linking to previous sketches, and previous shows – what is your process for writing an episode and a series?
First, I organise a series of little try-out nights to make sure I write new sketches in good time, without a frantic scramble at the dead line. This never works – it just means I have six frantic deadline scrambles instead of one – but it’s a nice idea. Then, I ditch the mediocre ones, and re-write the rest; and we record them over three nights at the BBC. Then, Ed the producer and I get together with a whole pack of index cards representing the recorded sketches, again we ditch the mediocre ones, and compile the rest into episodes. 

And how did you choose from the series what to include in the live show, or is it all new material for the live show?
At the moment, it’s about half and half. But all the stuff that’s in there from the series has been picked because there’s something about it that will be particularly fun to do on stage, from the visual spectacular which is our song about posh men’s red trousers, to the technical challenge of dressing four of us up as goldfish….

The cast and I get to do a lot of silly voices – but I don’t think our audience realise that we also have extremely silly faces

As the Crown Prince of BBC Radio 4 comedy, is the sitcom format in any danger of calling you back – either as a follow on to Cabin Pressure or something completely new and wonderful?
It certainly might, though I am also enjoying the freedom I get from my series of one-off comedies, Double Acts, not to have to reset the situation at the end of every episode.
 
Would you ever consider moving to television?
By all means, if they let me do it my own way. But they tend not to. Radio’s much better at that.

Having had such a large output of memorable material, but with few typical catchphrases, are you surprised by which characters and creations of yours stick in your  fans’ minds? Speaking of which – did the Pooh Bear intervention  work?
Yes – it’s often things I don’t expect, though anything with animals tends to do well. As for Pooh, I’m happy to tell you that since that time in series one where all Pooh’s friends got together to tell him how worried they were about his destructive relationship with honey; he’s now been off the Yellow for nearly six years, and regularly goes on tours of clearings in the Hundred Acre Wood helping young bear cubs stay ‘non-sticky’. Tigger, on the other hand, is now in prison.

So… I ask you to tell me a story… Can you tell me a story… please?
Well! Since you ask me for a story… if you come along to the show in May, I am cooking up one about a dachshund dog-sled team you may find… ludicrous.

What next for John Finnemore, after the live tour?
Probably a nap.

John Finnemore’s Flying Visit, Brighton Dome Concert Hall, Thursday 17 May, 7.30pm, £21/17/10