David Walliams: Comedian surprises Mike Hosking in the studio

Newstalk ZB’s Mike Hosking might just be David Walliams’ biggest fan — and he couldn’t believe it when the comedian surprised him in the studio this morning. 

Walliams, who is in Auckland for his An Audience with David Walliams tour, sneaked into the Newstalk ZB studio on Friday before his first show, catching Hosking unawares while singing (I’ve Had) The Time of My Life from Dirty Dancing. 

When he spotted Walliams, the broadcaster was gobsmacked. “No fricking way, how exciting is that! This is magnificent.” 

“Hello mate, I’ve missed you. I worry about you in those tight jeans, a man of your age,” Walliams joked. 

Walliams met Hosking and his wife, Kate Hawkesby, in London last year, joking with the radio host, “I remember Kate, but not you ... still married?” 

He revealed the surprise had been in the works for some time “because you have a really huge crush on me, and it would be exciting for you”. 

“Yes, I do,” Hosking confirmed. 

When asked how the tour was going so far, Walliams said his shows in Australia had been “fantastic”. 

“I’ve been so popular in Auckland that we added this show tonight,” he said. 

David Walliams paid a surprise visit to the Newstalk ZB studio. Photo / Michael Craig

“I’ve got my funny stories that I’ve thought about what they are and I’m telling them ... but at the same time, the audiences have been so great in Australia, and I’m sure they’ll be even better in New Zealand, they sort of give you permission to kind of push it further and further and just be spontaneous,” the comedian told Hosking. 

“It’s really restored my faith in performing comedy. Like, oh yeah, when we all get together in a room, what we really want is a laugh and it’s spontaneous, I’ve been saying some pretty rude things.” 

Hosking confessed spontaneity was Hawkesby’s worry because she didn’t want to be embarrassed from their front-row seats. 

Walliams jokingly replied that shouldn’t be an issue for the radio host. “You look like the kind of man that’d like attention.” 

“No, I don’t want to be part of it, I just want to enjoy your talent,” Hosking responded. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
How many were gone? We only got one, Okay, caddies
with us Caddy, good morning.

Speaker 2 (00:06):
Good morning, Hey, congrats on a fabulous interview with Liam Lawson.
I know you're excited because you've got to speak to him.
And while I would love to stay in chat, as
you know, we've got a house full of builders and electricians,
it's all got's a bit noisy here, and I do
understand Sammy's organized just a wee surprise for you to
take my place. So I think walking into the studio
any moment should be a little treat for you in

(00:27):
the audience for after eight.

Speaker 1 (00:28):
So good luck with that, no frickin' way. How exciting
is that?

Speaker 3 (00:45):
Oh?

Speaker 1 (00:45):
That has made unificent.

Speaker 4 (00:50):
I've missed you. I worry about you exactly, a man
of your age.

Speaker 1 (00:56):
Come and have a see just sorry, sorry, what was
your name again? Oh David Williams? I remember now, remember Kate,
but not you? No, exactly do you want to? We'll
get them some hadphones because Katie will want you. No, no, no, Kate,
Katy's on the machine and it's still marriage. Oh she's gone,
So we just the whole siegments off and it's just

(01:18):
you and I. Yeah, we are still married. It's still married,
very happily.

Speaker 4 (01:21):
There was a look of terrible sadness in her eyes
when I saw her.

Speaker 1 (01:24):
Is that a tom Ford jacket?

Speaker 5 (01:25):
It is?

Speaker 1 (01:26):
Actually, you know, that's how I can do it.

Speaker 4 (01:28):
It's so relatable.

Speaker 1 (01:29):
Yeah, do you know how long has this been set up?
Because I was asking yesterday, I said, I said, what's
going on with Williams? I said, how is he's not done?
What's up waiting? How come he's not in the How
can he's not on the program? Because you're here tonight
for a show tonight and you've got your thing over
the weekend as well, Friday and Saturday.

Speaker 4 (01:50):
We've been working on this for years. That's a surprise.
Well they what did a surprise? Because I think they
know that you have a really huge crush on me,
Yes I do, and that it would be exciting for you.
And if they told you in advance, you know, you
might get just a bit too jittery.

Speaker 1 (02:08):
It's probably it's probably true.

Speaker 4 (02:11):
I don't know, it's been.

Speaker 1 (02:12):
It's been a very exciting morning for me. You won't know,
You won't know the name Leon Law. You don't follow
if one do you formulate?

Speaker 4 (02:17):
I went to Silverston although you actually, but I don't
really follow it that much. But I went to Silverston.

Speaker 1 (02:23):
Because Liam Wawson, who's a New Zealander. He's just been
appointed this morning for one of the Bee Cup for
the Red Bull racing teams. He's got his own seat,
so he's we've been following him, so we had him
this morning as a world exclusive Post Urban.

Speaker 4 (02:37):
Okay, well enough about him. Yeah he needs any promotion.
He seems to be doing fine. He is.

Speaker 1 (02:43):
And then now now you may, I know, look at us.
It's incredible. We were watching when I say we'll mainly
my wife because she's on social media. We were watching
you the other night in your Australian tour. Yeah, seems
to have gone down extremely.

Speaker 4 (02:56):
Yeah, it's been great. It's been fantastic. I've been in Australia.
Starts off in Sydney and been touring around. So right now,
as your listeners will know because you're in Auckland, I'm
in Auckland also and at the kiriy To Kanawha Theater
tonight tonight and tomorrow we so and also I'm doing
two children's shows tomorrow yes, well children Family eleven am

(03:18):
and three pm. Anyway, but Basically, I've been so so
popular in Auckland that we added this show tonight so
anyone who can't get into tomorrow night can come to.
Are you going to come? Well, of course when you're
going to come.

Speaker 1 (03:32):
I can't remember because I think it's tonight Friday.

Speaker 4 (03:35):
I mean, you know what's happening tonight.

Speaker 1 (03:38):
You have no idea how missing my domestic life is.
I think we were coming tomorrow, but then we ring
them up and see can we come tonight? And they
see there's a cancelation policy and a fee. Associated really
didn't get free tickets. I didn't, well know, because it's
my other thing. She said, what if he gives us
free tickets? I said, Williams is not that sort of person.
He's tight.

Speaker 4 (03:57):
That's not true at all. I like I like making people.

Speaker 1 (04:00):
Because you see it in London when we last met
a year ago, there'd be tickets for us, and of
course we've seen nothing, so we had to pay for
We're right right up the front.

Speaker 4 (04:10):
You're right, you're in the front row. I don't think
that did you pay for the meet and greet.

Speaker 1 (04:16):
And grit?

Speaker 4 (04:17):
You should have done something more. You've greeted me. Well,
some people like to come and have a photo with
me off, because if it's a couple of thousand people,
you can't have a photo with everybody. No, that's true,
And so some people come, which is very nice. Actually
to the family shows.

Speaker 1 (04:32):
How do you handle meeting? I mean, you're you're a natural,
but I admit people who aren't naturals with people you know,
and they go because people get very nervous.

Speaker 4 (04:39):
Yes, or if you were say a K pop band,
apparently the person having the photos ache and doesn't stop walking.
It's something telling you. They just stand still and you
kind of walk and at some point when you're passing them,
were just chat to everybody. That's really nice. That's lovely,
isn't It's really nice. Yeah, and everyone's got a kind

(05:01):
of different story. Also, I me and Matt Lucas toured
Australia in two thousand and seven. We didn't come to
New Zealand, which was remissive us. So actually in this
show this will be because I do some little Britain
characters do on stage.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
Oh brilliant.

Speaker 4 (05:14):
Yes, and and it will be the first time ever
done these live on stage. Was quite exciting. But yes,
so we we came to Australia and what the point
of the story was. There was people who came to
see us in two thousand and seven who were in
the audience, including there was a joke where Matt as
Marjorie Dores the Fat Fighters lady get someone out of
the audience at the end, gave them a T shirt.

(05:36):
But it's like a massive T shirt enough for like
fit three people and going there you are, darling, you've
got a T shirt might be a bit tight for you,
you know. And these women turned up wearing the T
shirt that they'd got into live. Yeah, I mean I'd
have thrown it away by now, because yeah, it takes
up a lot of space of the wardrobe.

Speaker 1 (05:56):
Hey, listen, I've got to I've got to go to
an a break. Are are you being pushed off to
somewhere else or can you stay?

Speaker 4 (06:01):
I'm not being pulled off.

Speaker 1 (06:03):
No, Can you stay very early?

Speaker 4 (06:08):
It is?

Speaker 3 (06:08):
Can you can? Can you stay for a moment, stay
the entire show? I can stay for your entire lifetime?
Me you and Kate making a go of it.

Speaker 1 (06:19):
Fantastic. David Williams is our surprise guest. Is it? As
it turns out, this.

Speaker 4 (06:23):
One wonderful surprise.

Speaker 1 (06:25):
It is a wonderful surprise. Did you sell your house
by the beach?

Speaker 5 (06:29):
No?

Speaker 1 (06:30):
Oh, you haven't sold it?

Speaker 4 (06:31):
No, why should I?

Speaker 1 (06:32):
Well I thought it was for sale.

Speaker 4 (06:34):
Well, why are you buying it?

Speaker 1 (06:35):
Well, funnily enough, we talked about it because it was
a beautiful Where is it? Tell me?

Speaker 4 (06:39):
Where can we not talk about?

Speaker 1 (06:41):
Where? I live.

Speaker 4 (06:46):
In Brighton in the United Kingdom and it looked beautiful. Yes,
well I thought you were selling it. Well, I was
thinking about it. But there's tours going well, so I don't.

Speaker 6 (06:55):
Have to attacks Billows bab exactly.

Speaker 1 (07:02):
How much of your show? Once again, we were looking
at this the other night on the old social medias.
How much of it's made up spontaneous?

Speaker 4 (07:09):
Well, the thing is, obviously I've got my funny stories
that i'm They're all you know. I thought about what
they are and I'm telling them because over two hours
doing a show, you've got to deliver, so you know,
it's not all just made up on the spot. But
at the same time, the audiences have been so great
in Australia, I'm sure they'd be even better in New Zealand.

(07:29):
Is this will give you permission to kind of I
don't know, what would I say, just kind of push
it further and further and further, and just be spontaneous,
because once you've got a room full of people all laughing,
you feel like you're kind of surfing those laughs as
if they're waves. And then all of a sudden, you've,
I don't know, you just grow in confidence and you
feel you lose any inhibitions. And so the shows have

(07:53):
been getting better and better, I think, but you know,
partly you just feed off the audience, and obviously I
get more relaxed and so I kind of can be
funnier and everything. So so yeah, it's been it's been great.
And as I was saying when the news was on,
or was it an ad break break, you know, it's
been really restored my faith in the in in sort

(08:13):
of performing comedy. Just because the audience has been so good.
I felt like I felt like, oh, yeah, when we
all get together in a room, what we really want
is a laugh and we shouldn't worried, and you know,
and it's spontaneous. I've been saying pretty rude things.

Speaker 1 (08:28):
That was the concern for my wife, because she's married
to you, is that she doesn't want to be sitting
up the front, and you.

Speaker 4 (08:40):
Would I would?

Speaker 1 (08:41):
Would you not to you?

Speaker 4 (08:42):
What would you like it? You're not like the kind
of man who'd like attention. No, what are you going
to be wearing tomorrow night?

Speaker 1 (08:51):
I don't know, sort of like this? Something similar?

Speaker 4 (08:56):
Trendy? She would you like to be part of?

Speaker 1 (08:58):
No? I don't want to be part of why? Well,
because she doesn't want to be part of it?

Speaker 5 (09:02):
I don't.

Speaker 1 (09:03):
I just want to enjoy your telling.

Speaker 4 (09:05):
Well so, but there is a point, There is a
part of the show where people get to ask me
anything they want, and that is the part of the
show I actually enjoy the most because I know I've
got to think at my feet. Yeah, come up with
something in the spur of the moment, and then the
audience know that this is a completely spontaneous thing that
hasn't happened another night.

Speaker 1 (09:21):
Has it gone off the rails yet?

Speaker 4 (09:24):
I got a great question for this, girl says, ah,
my mum actually bought the tickets, but then she couldn't
come in the end. Sold I'm twenty one. I just
have a question for you. Who are you?

Speaker 1 (09:39):
I love it? Hey, listen, thank you. You won't believe this,
But was it yesterday. It was yesterday in that very
room next door. I said, you were the nicest person
I've ever met when I was have been on the
road during tours and stuff. And there was another Graham Norton.
You remember Graham Norton. Oh yeah, Ghaton, But I'm nicer.

(10:00):
You were nicer. And I said that in front of them.

Speaker 4 (10:02):
And you've interviewed Donald Trump, You've met a lot of
nice people.

Speaker 1 (10:06):
All the nice people, and I said you were the
nicest person of Well.

Speaker 5 (10:10):
I wish I could say the same, But why lie?
I mean, you can't lie about these things. You're one
of the nicest, You're one of the top sort of thousands. Yeah,
well you are very nice, very well. So you're going
to come and see me. I don't know which you
don't want to let your listeners know.

Speaker 1 (10:31):
It's not there.

Speaker 4 (10:32):
They'll be a riot, I don't know. The police will
have barricades anyway.

Speaker 6 (10:39):
Let him pass and he's very tight trousers.

Speaker 4 (10:45):
Uh yeah, Carrie to kind of were theater tonight. It's
still some tickets availab because we just added this, and
then we've got a kids show at eleven am one
at three pm, and then I'll see you at seven
thirty pm.

Speaker 1 (10:56):
Do you have a halftime.

Speaker 4 (10:58):
Yes, there's an it's called an interval in the theater.
Have you ever been to the theater, It's called an interval.
And in the interval you can buy a wildly overpriced
program or in ice cream fantastic, or you can change
your genes if you want, spray on a new pair.

Speaker 1 (11:13):
Goodbye, I have to go, David Williams, Get out.

Speaker 4 (11:17):
Of here, David WALLI, geez, I'm wasting my time's don't
forget to take the medications.

Speaker 3 (11:31):
For more from the Mic Asking Breakfast, listen live to
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