October 9, 2025 • 6 mins
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Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
November seven atq PAC Concert Hall. You can catch this man.
He's behind some of the greatest iconic eighties TV shows
like Black Ada In.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Your service since I was two and off my Little
for Love as a least sick of the Young Ones.
I better get back to the Lentil casserole before I
get disorienta.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
It will soon be over for you. Lentils, one of.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
The only Ben Elton joins us.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good morning, Good morning, indeed, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Last time we caught up, my son and I came
to your hotel room in Fortitude Valley for your movie.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Oh three Summer, such a labor of love. I had
such fun doing that movie. But I appreciate your son.
I love it when young people recognize the classic.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
Ah, this is the thing I like to talk to
you about.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Ben is exually my son's twenty three now, but at
the time he was seventeen. You introduce him to shows
like The Young Ones and Blackadder and it's.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
All new to them. You know, they don't see it
as a classic.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
They just find the humor hilarious and something's probably don't.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Age as well as others. But yeah, I mean The
Young Ones.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Is Blackadder were both finished by the Well, The Young
Ones was finished by eighty four and Blackadder was finished in.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Eighty nine, but a lot of years past since then.
So it's great that they're still remembered.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Oh, it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
And you continue to do amazing things like the Queen
musical We Will Rock You. We just touched on three Summers,
your movie and now what have you done?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Written my autobiography it's called what have I Done?
Speaker 4 (01:24):
What have you done?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
It?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
All these years?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Most people write then when they're about twenty.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
Well, I'm just wondering.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
I mean, you rock up to Heathrow, will you be
arrested by five armed police officers?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Why would you?
Speaker 2 (01:35):
I mean, Britain isn't as far as I know, Britain
isn't arresting descenders at Hethrow.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Why have you said seen consider contention considered a national tread?
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Well, I saw, I saw go.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
You've obviously only dipped slightly into it.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
Yeah, well just a bit.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
When you started talking about The Young Ones and your
first paypack was I think two hundred and ninety seven
pounds that was.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
For the whole script.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Certainly wasn't going to pay the bills for a year,
which is how long it took to make it to
the screen. That's why I had to get a job
as a stand up.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
You said you had a barbecue with all your neighbors
and you celebrated with some steak filets.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
You know, I was in a scummy sort of shared flat.
Everyone was broken.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Suddenly I had this check from the VBC because I'd
suddenly become a script writer, and I was very excited,
and I went.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
To the local butcher.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
We used to have the butchers in those days, and
I normally only bought sausages, but because this was incredible,
I said, we're going to have steaks.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I'm taking steaks home the night.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
And they said, oh, you celebrating that, which is exactly
what I wanted them to ask, and I told him.
I said, yeah, I've just got a commission from the BBC.
Everyone was very excited, they were very nice about it.
But as I just mentioned, it actually took eighteen months
from that initial commission to the Young Ones to reach
the screen. And of course every time I've hit that
butchers for my sausages, it was like more piss taking
(02:47):
the sausages? Are you mister TV? I thought you'd been
a Rolls Royce and in the end I had to
stop going because they got so kind of into their
rolling joke about here comes mister big screenwriter.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Morral of.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
The story is never never buy stakes and boasted Butcher
until you've actually got your show on the screen, because
it isn't always done and dusted when you've just got
a little commission.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Well, you also said Boris Johnson stole one of your
lines in the House of Commons, and what was that about?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Well, I didn't say, I mean you've already dipped in
and out of this. Well, I mean it was it was.
I didn't say, well, I suppose he did steal. But
I was mentioning talking about how because I've always loved language,
That's what got me in the writing, sort of love of,
you know, finding ways of being funny, and both Young
Ones language and Blackadder language kind of entered the English language.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
I mean a lot of people make.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Jokes in the style of you know, Rowan having a
go Baldrick.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
You're as small as a very small person, who's.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
You know that kind of funny black out of talk
and the young.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Ones say, there you are, gaily swats.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
You know, there was a lot of stuff that we
kind of did that entered the sort of mainstream vernacular.
And yeah, and I said forty years later that you know,
Boris Johnson, and who is not somebody I have any
admiration for whatsoever? Was quoting black Ada sort of trying
to put down somebody for being clever and actually there,
oh you're oh, you're girly swat in the House of Gommon.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
And I wondered if he knew he was closing the Blackadder.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
I'm sure he didn't, and if he did, he wouldn't
have given it credit because he never gives credit for
anything to anybody.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Was it tough to write a book like this? What
have I done?
Speaker 3 (04:19):
I matter? No, I enjoyed it a lot. It's been
quite cathartic.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
I mean, I'm standing in my truths and you know,
and I'm up.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
To mind necking it.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
As my daughter said, I mean, there's a lot of
honesty in it. I talk about all my relationships with
all the sort of the great contemporaries, and some of
the many of the majority of them have been beautiful
and resulting in long friendships and some great work. But
you know, there's there's there's there's been some friction, there's
been some difficulties, and I don't I don't shy away
from talking about that, and I talk a lot about
(04:47):
my Australian life about how, you know, I took this
big fork in the road in my late twenties when
I met my wife, who's an Australian, and I have
through Rick Male because he and I were touring Australia
and and Sophie's band with book the Supporters, and you know,
she was the bass player and we ended up getting married.
So there's a lot of Australian stuff in this book
(05:09):
as well, because I became, you know, a sort of
person with two countries. So yeah, and that's why I'm
so thrilled that I'm HG. I've been a fan for
thirty years. HG.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Nelson. I actually had Royan HG on.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
My English TV show in ninety eight back in the
back in the day doing Seat of Australia, beaming in
a little guest performance from Australia. And he's going to
be talking to me about the book in Brisbane. So
people are interested in it, you know, they can come along,
get a book and hear me chat with with HG about.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
It November seven, on stage with HG. Nelson. What have
I done? Always wonderful to talk to you, Ben, so
thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
It's always a pleasure book.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
We're gonna have a lot of time to talk about
this book and take questions from the audience.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
You can ask what you like.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
You can get me canceled with your wont Although I'm
pretty quick on my feet, you have to work hard
to do it.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Ben Elton, you legend. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Thanks a lot, but I appreciate that. I really do
November seven atq PAC Concert Hall. You can catch this man.
He's behind some of the greatest iconic eighties TV shows
like Black Ada In.
Speaker 2 (00:08):
Your service since I was two and off my Little
for Love as a least sick of the Young Ones.
I better get back to the Lentil casserole before I
get disorienta.
Speaker 3 (00:17):
It will soon be over for you. Lentils, one of.
Speaker 4 (00:25):
The only Ben Elton joins us.
Speaker 2 (00:27):
Good morning, Good morning, indeed, thanks for having me.
Speaker 1 (00:30):
Last time we caught up, my son and I came
to your hotel room in Fortitude Valley for your movie.
Speaker 2 (00:34):
Oh three Summer, such a labor of love. I had
such fun doing that movie. But I appreciate your son.
I love it when young people recognize the classic.
Speaker 4 (00:42):
Ah, this is the thing I like to talk to
you about.
Speaker 1 (00:44):
Ben is exually my son's twenty three now, but at
the time he was seventeen. You introduce him to shows
like The Young Ones and Blackadder and it's.
Speaker 4 (00:52):
All new to them. You know, they don't see it
as a classic.
Speaker 1 (00:55):
They just find the humor hilarious and something's probably don't.
Speaker 3 (00:59):
Age as well as others. But yeah, I mean The
Young Ones.
Speaker 2 (01:01):
Is Blackadder were both finished by the Well, The Young
Ones was finished by eighty four and Blackadder was finished in.
Speaker 3 (01:08):
Eighty nine, but a lot of years past since then.
So it's great that they're still remembered.
Speaker 4 (01:12):
Oh, it's amazing.
Speaker 1 (01:13):
And you continue to do amazing things like the Queen
musical We Will Rock You. We just touched on three Summers,
your movie and now what have you done?
Speaker 2 (01:21):
Written my autobiography it's called what have I Done?
Speaker 4 (01:24):
What have you done?
Speaker 3 (01:25):
It?
Speaker 2 (01:25):
All these years?
Speaker 3 (01:26):
Most people write then when they're about twenty.
Speaker 4 (01:28):
Well, I'm just wondering.
Speaker 1 (01:29):
I mean, you rock up to Heathrow, will you be
arrested by five armed police officers?
Speaker 3 (01:34):
Why would you?
Speaker 2 (01:35):
I mean, Britain isn't as far as I know, Britain
isn't arresting descenders at Hethrow.
Speaker 3 (01:40):
I don't know.
Speaker 2 (01:40):
Why have you said seen consider contention considered a national tread?
Speaker 4 (01:44):
Well, I saw, I saw go.
Speaker 3 (01:46):
You've obviously only dipped slightly into it.
Speaker 4 (01:48):
Yeah, well just a bit.
Speaker 1 (01:49):
When you started talking about The Young Ones and your
first paypack was I think two hundred and ninety seven
pounds that was.
Speaker 3 (01:54):
For the whole script.
Speaker 2 (01:55):
Certainly wasn't going to pay the bills for a year,
which is how long it took to make it to
the screen. That's why I had to get a job
as a stand up.
Speaker 1 (02:01):
You said you had a barbecue with all your neighbors
and you celebrated with some steak filets.
Speaker 3 (02:06):
You know, I was in a scummy sort of shared flat.
Everyone was broken.
Speaker 2 (02:09):
Suddenly I had this check from the VBC because I'd
suddenly become a script writer, and I was very excited,
and I went.
Speaker 3 (02:16):
To the local butcher.
Speaker 2 (02:18):
We used to have the butchers in those days, and
I normally only bought sausages, but because this was incredible,
I said, we're going to have steaks.
Speaker 3 (02:24):
I'm taking steaks home the night.
Speaker 2 (02:26):
And they said, oh, you celebrating that, which is exactly
what I wanted them to ask, and I told him.
I said, yeah, I've just got a commission from the BBC.
Everyone was very excited, they were very nice about it.
But as I just mentioned, it actually took eighteen months
from that initial commission to the Young Ones to reach
the screen. And of course every time I've hit that
butchers for my sausages, it was like more piss taking
(02:47):
the sausages? Are you mister TV? I thought you'd been
a Rolls Royce and in the end I had to
stop going because they got so kind of into their
rolling joke about here comes mister big screenwriter.
Speaker 3 (03:00):
Morral of.
Speaker 2 (03:00):
The story is never never buy stakes and boasted Butcher
until you've actually got your show on the screen, because
it isn't always done and dusted when you've just got
a little commission.
Speaker 1 (03:09):
Well, you also said Boris Johnson stole one of your
lines in the House of Commons, and what was that about?
Speaker 2 (03:14):
Well, I didn't say, I mean you've already dipped in
and out of this. Well, I mean it was it was.
I didn't say, well, I suppose he did steal. But
I was mentioning talking about how because I've always loved language,
That's what got me in the writing, sort of love of,
you know, finding ways of being funny, and both Young
Ones language and Blackadder language kind of entered the English language.
Speaker 3 (03:36):
I mean a lot of people make.
Speaker 2 (03:37):
Jokes in the style of you know, Rowan having a
go Baldrick.
Speaker 3 (03:41):
You're as small as a very small person, who's.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
You know that kind of funny black out of talk
and the young.
Speaker 3 (03:46):
Ones say, there you are, gaily swats.
Speaker 2 (03:48):
You know, there was a lot of stuff that we
kind of did that entered the sort of mainstream vernacular.
And yeah, and I said forty years later that you know,
Boris Johnson, and who is not somebody I have any
admiration for whatsoever? Was quoting black Ada sort of trying
to put down somebody for being clever and actually there,
oh you're oh, you're girly swat in the House of Gommon.
Speaker 3 (04:09):
And I wondered if he knew he was closing the Blackadder.
Speaker 2 (04:12):
I'm sure he didn't, and if he did, he wouldn't
have given it credit because he never gives credit for
anything to anybody.
Speaker 4 (04:17):
Was it tough to write a book like this? What
have I done?
Speaker 3 (04:19):
I matter? No, I enjoyed it a lot. It's been
quite cathartic.
Speaker 2 (04:22):
I mean, I'm standing in my truths and you know,
and I'm up.
Speaker 3 (04:26):
To mind necking it.
Speaker 2 (04:26):
As my daughter said, I mean, there's a lot of
honesty in it. I talk about all my relationships with
all the sort of the great contemporaries, and some of
the many of the majority of them have been beautiful
and resulting in long friendships and some great work. But
you know, there's there's there's there's been some friction, there's
been some difficulties, and I don't I don't shy away
from talking about that, and I talk a lot about
(04:47):
my Australian life about how, you know, I took this
big fork in the road in my late twenties when
I met my wife, who's an Australian, and I have
through Rick Male because he and I were touring Australia
and and Sophie's band with book the Supporters, and you know,
she was the bass player and we ended up getting married.
So there's a lot of Australian stuff in this book
(05:09):
as well, because I became, you know, a sort of
person with two countries. So yeah, and that's why I'm
so thrilled that I'm HG. I've been a fan for
thirty years. HG.
Speaker 3 (05:21):
Nelson. I actually had Royan HG on.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
My English TV show in ninety eight back in the
back in the day doing Seat of Australia, beaming in
a little guest performance from Australia. And he's going to
be talking to me about the book in Brisbane. So
people are interested in it, you know, they can come along,
get a book and hear me chat with with HG about.
Speaker 1 (05:42):
It November seven, on stage with HG. Nelson. What have
I done? Always wonderful to talk to you, Ben, so
thank you so much for your time.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
It's always a pleasure book.
Speaker 2 (05:51):
We're gonna have a lot of time to talk about
this book and take questions from the audience.
Speaker 3 (05:54):
You can ask what you like.
Speaker 2 (05:56):
You can get me canceled with your wont Although I'm
pretty quick on my feet, you have to work hard
to do it.
Speaker 4 (06:02):
Ben Elton, you legend. Thank you so much.
Speaker 3 (06:04):
Thanks a lot, but I appreciate that. I really do
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