#28: MATT BERRY Sinks His Fangs Into Laszlo on 'What We Do In the Shadows' and Talks Some TV Topics!
June 16, 2025 • 42 mins
The talented Matt Berry sits on the TV Topics couch to discuss his work of bringing Laszlo Cravensworth worth to life...or is that to death or... the undead?? Anyway you want to put it the actor injects a lot of great detail and thought into crafting one of TVs funniest characters. Admittedly, he hasn't watched a great deal of television. But that was just a speed bump for the podcast. As he took me down roads, I didn't expect digging into his passion for music, some first time mentioned shows, and even some Benny Hill. It is a unique but fascinating conversation.
#WhatWeDoInTheShadows #MattBerry #KayvanNovak #NatasiaDemetriou #WWDITS #FYC #TV #Television #Emmys
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:03):
Hey, where's the remote? It's time for ATV Topics, where
those who love television discuss the series and
performances that should be on your radar.
Welcome to TV Topics. This is your host, Stephen
Percykowski. Today's guest is an actor whose
work you've probably seen or heard in series like the IT
(00:23):
Crowd, Community, Fallout, as well as other TV and film roles.
But most people will know him from what We do in the Shadows
as Lazlo Cravensworth, a vampirewith an insatiable sexual
appetite and an amazing knack for incredible line delivery.
I'll just save you the pain and avoid trying to replicate any of
those lines here. I'll leave that up to the
expert, of course. I'm talking about the great Matt
(00:44):
Berry. Hello, my name is Matt Berry and
you're hanging with TV topics, so good on you.
Hey, welcome to the show, Matt. That's my pleasure.
We'll hop into all of your work on what we do in the Shadows in
just a few, but first, let's talk some TV topics.
Remember, there's no pressure, there's no right or wrong
answers. It's all just a bit of fun.
OK, so looking back over the years, what has your
(01:05):
relationship been with TV? Were you a TV junkie who watches
everything? Were you very selective?
Did you have go to shows? I was born in the UK in the
1970s, so there was only three channels up until the mid 80s.
So everybody watched the same thing and as a result we are all
(01:29):
a captive audience. So you all, you all sort of bear
witness to the same event, you know, whether it was comedy, a
news event, you know, or whatever it was, which is
obviously not the case now, but was important then in as far as
the arts because we all watched the show called Top of the Pops.
(01:53):
You couldn't escape it because it was the only sort of pop show
that was on British television. And that was a huge, huge part
of my sort of growing up becausethat's the first time I saw
certain bands, certain people. It's basically sort of
performance art. Adam and the Ants.
(02:14):
I remember as a kid, I remember seeing Gary Newman, I remember
seeing David Bowie. All of this.
But anyone my age sort of says exactly the same thing.
That show was a huge influence to anyone sort of growing up in
the Sixties, 70s and 80s I'd say.
And what about when the 80s hit and you had more more access?
(02:35):
How did that evolve? When you had more what?
Sorry. More access you didn't you have
shows if that. No, you just had whatever they
bought. So there was then there was 4
channels up until the, you know,up until I left home.
So all that meant was that they would buy the A-Team or full
(02:57):
guy. So it's like living in, you
know, it's like being in like New Zealand where the
broadcasters buy certain shows. You're not in control of what
shows they buy. So you just have to watch
whatever, you know, American show they air.
And besides Top of the Pops, is there one prime time show that
(03:18):
you you remember really loving your first one that you felt was
your show? No, it would be Top of the Pops.
That was and still is the most sort of vivid for me, I would
say. Is that partially what kind of
influenced your music? It influenced everything because
it was full of eccentrics. But I wouldn't have known that
(03:39):
word then. I just thought, you know, they
were sort of special people on TV because, you know, they were
very colourful and they sang andthat was the best thing in the
world for me as a young kid. Is there a singular performance
that really stands out? Yeah, there's, there's quite a
(03:59):
few. There's Kate Bush.
She did, she did, she did Wild Ring Heights that would have
been 78 or 79. And I can remember that as if it
was like a week ago. I remember when Gary Newman was
on Top of the Pops and he had, he had blue hair, which I'd
(04:21):
never seen until then. So, you know, all these kind of
really sort of magical things asa little kid, you know, who's in
a normal town. Yeah, I grew up at the three or
four, three channels plus PBS and public station.
And then Fox popped up in I think the late 80s, early 90s.
(04:42):
But the, the communal experienceand you know what the people of
my generation in America all have, you know, certain shows,
it's not this wide variety that people are up to now.
Because you had Ed Sullivan, that was your sort of variety
show. That predates me, but I would
(05:03):
watch Carson at night, SNL on the weekends, I'd sneak that in.
Things like that. A variety of different shows,
but you know, not the same. I don't think we had the same
strong musical influence that asyou did.
Well, you had some pretty, you had some pretty cool bands on
the Ed Sullivan Show. Some of those performances, you
(05:26):
know, stand out now. Oh yeah, yeah.
Well, I mean, the The Beatles were, of course, the Doors.
And the Mamas and the. Papas, The Doors, Yeah, I think
the Stones were as well. And then, yeah.
So what about TV shows that makeyou laugh most?
Is there one that stands out, something that you go to that
stands out as like maybe a comedic influence?
(05:48):
I don't think so. Not that not that many.
As a kid, I used to enjoy Blackadder and Only Fools and
Horses, and then as a older person, I liked Curb Your
Enthusiasm. But I, I haven't watched a lot
of comedy and it, and it sounds odd because that's, you know,
(06:09):
what I'm sort of doing during the day, but not because I
dislike it in any way. It's just because I haven't had
any time. Everything takes takes time and
I've only got enough time to watch films, you know?
So I've I've like, missed an awful lot of TV and I'm
(06:34):
embarrassed about it and constantly feel shame due to not
knowing who someone is or what something is.
Yeah, so much to my embarrassment.
I haven't seen an awful lot of of TV shows, I'm afraid.
That's all right. Well, it's a first.
(06:55):
This is ATV based podcast, but I'll we'll make it work, you
know, and we'll get into your work specifically, but I have a
few more TV based questions. Yeah.
What about ATATVATV character from any era that you would like
to have played or would like to play?
It could be any for any reason, any age, any any.
Yeah, sure. Yeah.
I'd have liked to have been in black at it.
(07:17):
I mean, it ended before, well, before I was a teenager, but if
I'd have been born earlier, I would have liked to have been in
that. I like the energy of it.
I could have slotted in there. I think some people may
disagree, but that yeah, I, I would have, I would have had fun
(07:40):
with that show, I think. What is it about the show?
What what? Why do you connect with it?
It's very pantomime, it's very over the top, it's very sort of
British. There's no subtle performances
in there and it's all the betterfor it.
It's very funny. It's not for everyone.
(08:02):
It might, you know, it might seem a bit too much for a lot of
people, but I always loved it. What about like Monty Python?
Was that another influence? I was a bit young for that.
That was over and done because Iwas born in the mid 70s, so by
the time I knew what was what, that had already sort of done
its thing. And and because I was in the UK,
(08:24):
not everything was repeated. So that wasn't repeated as far
as I can remember. So I didn't see it.
It was for the generation sort of before me.
They all enjoyed that. Yeah.
So I sort of missed out on that one.
Yeah, I think we had it late nights after the news after.
(08:48):
I mean, we, we were watching fora kid growing up in the early
80s. For me, British TV was Monty
Python's Flying Circus and the and Benny Hill of course, which
I always find out that no one watches Benny Hill in the UK.
It's really an American thing, Ihear.
Well, yeah, yeah, it's always, it always kind of surprises me
(09:10):
that that was something that cutthrough over there.
It was. It was seen as very light over
here. That's what I remember.
Do you know what I mean? It was sort of shown almost in
the afternoon. Late afternoon maybe, Yeah.
No, But you know, you can't tellwhat's going to sort of catch
(09:31):
fire overseas. There's no way of knowing.
Yeah, I don't know if Benny Hillis considered quality, but it I
think it was because of that captive audience that everybody
for some reason had headed on after.
If you're watching our UHF stations, they're called.
That was one of the post news type shows.
(09:51):
So. Oh, right.
So it could have been because everyone was pissed then.
I mean, that's it might have worked even, you know, it might
have worked even better after a few beers.
I don't think anybody watched itlike that over here, but it
sounds as if it could have been much improved by that.
Yeah, I'm curious how it would play today.
I don't know if it still has errors anywhere because you
(10:13):
wouldn't be able to play. Yeah, it'd be 30 seconds long.
He's an old man who's like chasing young.
No, it wouldn't happen. Slapping old guys on the head
and chasing young women. Yeah, that's the majority of it.
So before we continue with the TV topics questions, let's like
discuss some of your incredible work on what we do in the
shadows, and let's start it. We actually predate that,
(10:35):
though. I want to know, you mentioned
Top of the Pops, but what kind of led you down in this career
path? How did it, you know, how did
you become get into entertainment?
And it sounds like music was as big of an influence as comedy or
maybe bigger. So how did this, you know, how
did you get to this point? Well, I never meant to be doing
this, to be honest. This was, I kind of drifted into
(10:58):
it. I was in bands and I was
painting and I was kind of waiting for one of those things
to sort of pick up. But it just so happened that I
was, I got a job in the London dungeon where I was acting.
Then that led to me doing some stand up across town.
(11:20):
And I wasn't really, I never thought about that, you know,
and it wasn't something, you know, that I had any ambition.
I just did it just to improve the timing from when, you know,
when I was in the dungeon. And then that led to me
supporting some comedy shows where I was seen by other
(11:44):
comedians who had sort of TV stuff going.
So that's how it happened. I didn't, I didn't plan any of
it. And I'm the worst person for any
kind of sort of careers advice because I don't know, you know
what I mean? It wasn't by any kind of design,
put it that way. Pure luck.
(12:04):
Well, that's the best thing that's like the that's the dream
for a lot of people is being discovered is not knowing, you
know, not not expecting it one day saying hey, you've got it.
And I don't know if that still happens these days with with
TikTok and everything else. It seems like things have
shifted more to digital, but used to always hear those
stories. I'm.
Sure. It still happens.
(12:25):
You know, there'll be somebody who somebody sees who fits the
bill exactly for their thing, you know, And then after that
one thing leads to another. Yeah, I'm, you know, I'm sure in
its own way it still sort of continues, I think.
And what about What We Do in theShadows made you want to be part
of it originally? I was doing a film with, I was
(12:48):
doing a film with Jermaine. And during a break in one of the
scenes, he just leant over and said, do you want to be in the
TV version of the vampire film that I did?
And I said to him, are you goingto be in it?
And he said yes. And I said, well, then yeah, of
course I'll do it. And that was it.
(13:10):
That was that was the sum total of how that whole thing kind of
came about. And.
That's great. I'd love to, I'd love to have
that, that story, that part of, you know, that kind of shortcut
or quick, quick transition in mylife somewhere.
Well, I mean, like, that's literally all it was.
And the next thing I knew, I wasin Los Angeles and we were doing
the pilot and I had fun. I didn't, you know, I wouldn't
(13:35):
have been able to tell you, you know, that it had legs for any
kind of series because you just don't know.
And I certainly didn't know then.
I liked everyone that was in it.You know, we all kind of got on
and it was good fun. And then you know the rest, you
know, then it went from that to six series.
(13:55):
Yeah, it's incredible. A lot of a lot of series don't
even get past the first year nowadays and to have 6 is and
and to get to wrap up the story too and not have it, you know,
left off it just like, oh, that's it for cancelled.
No, you got to close out things with the fans and with the
characters. Yeah.
(14:15):
Was Laszlo always the character you planned on playing or that
they they wanted you to play? He's the character that Jermaine
wanted me to play. I thought I was going to be
playing in Eastern Europe, an Eastern European vampire.
And then I said to him, I said, how do you want this guy to
(14:38):
sound? And he was like, I want him to
sound like you. And I was like, yeah, like me
doing an Eastern European accent.
He goes, no, no, no, no, he's got to sound like you.
So that was that idea sort of blasted out immediately.
So all my plans to do in EasternEuropean vampire sort of
disappeared pretty quickly and Idid him as a a fallen Lord, so
(15:06):
to speak. Yeah.
So that, you know, it was all kind of, you know, all those
sort of decisions were made sortof well ahead of time.
So I was going to get into that a little bit.
What, what was the back story? Were you provided much and and
or did you get to create and develop the character?
Well, I know it was. The fallen Lord.
(15:27):
No, it was Jermaine was quite loose with it, you know, he just
said, you know, this guy is an aristocrat who fell for this
Greek villager who bit him and then turned him into a vampire,
(15:51):
thus loosening him up. And, and he was from that moment
on preoccupied only with like, pleasure and himself, whereas
before, I think he would have been quite stiff and quite staid
and as you would expect. So her turning him into a
vampire sort of freed him up. And that's what I wanted to
(16:14):
show, you know, someone who had been very stiff and could be
quite sort of quickly, you know,if he like needed to be but had
been loosened up in under her influence.
Yeah, and the the characters hadsuch, you had such great
chemistry on screen. It must have been great to have
(16:35):
that. You know, kind of you set it up,
she knocks it down and vice versa.
She's the best, she's the best. I was so lucky, you know,
because that's not up to you who's, you know, who's who gets
to be cast. So yeah, that, you know, really
kind of lucked out because she'sgot an amazing sense of humor
and she is very good at what shedoes.
(16:57):
So it just made all my work mucheasier.
Yeah. It, it, it really just flows.
It, it, it does seem like you'vebeen together for hundreds of
years. Yeah, and you still have that,
that sexual energy, which is a, which is a nice thing for a
marriage that lasted. Centuries.
Yeah, I mean, and that's what Natasha always says as well.
And it's kind of true. It was sort of refreshing to see
(17:21):
a couple in a sitcom, you know, who actually kind of get on and
who love each other, you know, as opposed to what you normally
see, you know, to sort of, you know, a warring couple or the
material comes from them being fed up with each other.
Yeah, which is very common. And instead get the opposite.
(17:43):
Yeah, it's a little bit of the the Adams right, Gomez and and
Morticia, but kind of turned up to 11.
Yeah, and that Coen brothers film with Is It?
That's not Fargo. You know, she has a really good
relationship with her husband. It's there's a bit of that
(18:05):
there. I think it's probably probably
more that the film Fargo. Yeah, which is excellent.
So anytime you can, anytime you can connect have similarities to
that you're you're in a winner in the winner.
No, you know, I'm not saying youknow, you know, it's as good as
sort of performances, but the dynamic I think is fairly
similar. Yeah, you know what?
(18:26):
I, it's hard to compare, but youknow, this, this is more
definitely more comedy. But to me, I, I've, I've said
this many times, I think this isone of the best comedies ever on
television. I think line for line, shot for
shot, there's so much, you know,kind of I wouldn't, this is not
the right word. But crammed in there, yet it
doesn't feel crammed in. It feels natural.
(18:46):
It's just kind of sitting in theroom and this incredible comedy
is happening all around you. Yeah, that's very kind.
Laszlo's unique speech pattern and delivery is definitely one
of the most discussed parts of your character.
You, you mentioned kind of where, where it came from, but
how quickly did that you know kind of flow out of you?
(19:07):
Well, he's an aristocrat. So like all aristocrats,
especially, you know, sort of males of a certain age, when
they talk, it's not to be ignored.
You know, they talk to be listened to.
And that comes with bombast and a certain arrogance.
(19:32):
And I just applied that to him. You know, even if someone was
like a foot away from him, he would talk to them as if they
were, you know, at the back of ahall.
And it's that kind of stuff, youknow, or across, across a field.
And I just applied that to everyother character.
You know, he would talk at thesecharacters.
(19:53):
He wouldn't talk to these characters apart from his wife.
Everybody else, you know, had orders.
Oh, I love that. I didn't.
I'd never thought of that before.
And yeah, and you, you definitely have this kind of
much bigger delivery than you dowhen it's, it's Nyjah.
Yeah. And Lyjah last long.
Yeah, well, because she's because she's not.
(20:16):
He's talking to everybody else as if they're working for him.
I mean, I've experienced that, you know, with you've done jobs
for people. And so he has to there has to be
like a soft side for his wife and he doesn't talk to her like
she's working for him. He does every so often.
(20:37):
And when he does, she picks him up on it, which is great.
You know, where she say, you know, why don't you go and
fucking do this, that and the other, you know what I mean?
If he just sort of says you're not doing this, you know, or I'm
not having my wife do this, she's immediately back with, you
know, who's giving you permission type.
(20:58):
The the episode that on the run,the Jackie Daytona episode is
one that I again, one of the best episodes of TVI think ever.
I think it actually made some lists as being so it did.
Were you were you surprised how the high regard that fans have
for it? Did you or while you're shooting
it, did you know it was something special?
(21:19):
No, I mean, I still still sort of hugely surprised at how well
that one went down. I mean, it was very well written
and it was impeccably directed by Jana.
So again, a lot of the work was done for me, you know, and it
was also expertly cast with MarkHamill and everybody else in it.
(21:42):
So I was just sort of propped up, you know what I mean?
Like, they were all fantastic. They all did the best job.
Stephanie Robinson, she wrote that one.
You know, it's fantastic script,as I say, like Jana did a superb
job in directing it and every, you know, everyone else who was
(22:04):
in it with me were impeccable. So yeah.
And what was it like getting into that character, you know,
having to put the toothpick in your mouth and, and all that?
Well, that was that was still I,you know, still, I think that's
one of the best jokes in terms of the, you know, in terms of
the show. Just the fact that he's in
(22:26):
disguise when he wears A toothpick.
It was a brilliant idea. And still, you know, is a very
funny idea, I think six years later.
Jesus. Yeah, it's incredible.
The the amazing thing is with that, I always tell people to
(22:46):
watch this the series and then they they go, I don't want to
watch a vampire series. It's scary, etcetera.
We go through the whole back andforth.
I said, just watch it. And then when they do, I said,
and you know, I forget how many episodes in, but you'll watch
one of the best episodes in TV history, one of the funniest
things you'll ever see, and people always pick it up.
I don't know why, but not that the other work is is up here,
(23:07):
but it's just like like again, it's turned up to 11.
Yeah, it's very focused, isn't it, that that episode, you're
not left kind of hanging. It's very sort of satisfying in
how it all ends. And yeah, yeah, it's just, yeah,
it's all very well done. Do you have other favorite
episodes that stand out? For me, season 4 was the
(23:29):
highlight. That's such a sort of best of
season for me. Like I can remember nearly every
episode was a winner. I'm not saying, you know, the
other seasons didn't have reallygood episodes, but that season
everybody seemed to be on their game, like costume wise, makeup
(23:52):
wise, the props, that animatronics, all of that stuff.
For some reason for season 4 it all came and sort of like
clicked into place. Was that baby Colin season?
Yeah. Yes, yeah, excellent season.
You bring up the the sets and the and the costumes.
(24:13):
It's like another thing that's really, you know, must be a
treat to to work in is to have this setting and to have in
addition to the scripts and the cast to have this amazing
production design and costume design.
It's the best I've ever seen. And I've done films and
expensive, you know, and expensive, expensive shows.
(24:36):
But I can be honest and say thatnothing impressed me as much as
as the sets and the costumes that, you know, that were made
for shadows, the sets in particular for me, because
that's what that's what kind of motivates the performance.
If you sort of believe that you're sort of 360 in an old
(24:58):
Mansion House that, you know, that hasn't changed in hundreds
of hundreds of years, then it's going to it's going to kind of
show on your face, I think. And that was, you know, that was
like I would get to Canada. And during the first week of any
new sort of season, you know, you still sort of finding your
(25:19):
way. As soon as I got in the house
and sat down, that was it. I didn't need to do anything
else, you know, or take myself anyway, you know what I mean?
It was all done for me. As soon as I sat down, I felt
like, you know, I was in this sort of like, shabby Mansion
House. Yeah.
(25:42):
Yeah. I spoke with the production
designer and her attention to detail and the layers of detail
in everything. It wasn't just like, OK, we got
a lamp, but then the treatment of that lamp, it was specific,
you know, for time periods and to make it look like it hasn't
been, you know, taken care of and etcetera, etcetera.
Sean yeah, That detail is, I mean, like, you don't see like a
(26:08):
fraction of that. Like if there's a table, every
single bit of paper on that table will be, you know,
pertaining to the story that is kind of happening and will be
notes on physiognomy, you know, or whatever it happens to be.
You know, that's what the character is talking about.
Everything is completely relevant.
(26:28):
You know, even if it's screwed up, it's if you were to open it
up, it would be completely relevant to what's going on.
I mean, that's fucking class. Yeah.
You know, and I will always kindof champion everybody that
worked on on that because it's the best that I've ever seen.
(26:49):
It's a shame they don't get to put that in the museum somewhere
that people can visit it and seeit for years to come.
Sure. It's.
Yeah, well, they can't see the rug.
They can't see the rug because I've got that.
Oh, they'll maybe you'll make your house a museum someday and
come visit. Yeah.
Is there 1 moment that best defines Leslow for you?
(27:12):
I don't know. I think, you know, I think it's
possibly the toothpick, mainly because that's such a dumb joke
and the arrogance in which that was the attempt to sell that to
anybody that would sort of listen to him.
(27:32):
That sums him up, I think, something preposterous, yet kind
of, you know, sort of delivered so seriously.
Was that all in the script? The toothpick.
Toothpick. Yeah, that was Stephanie.
Stephanie. Yeah.
Stephanie Robinson, Yeah. She came up with that, yeah.
(27:53):
And it's been about a year sinceyou last shot the series.
Do you miss it? I miss everybody.
Yeah. I mean, I miss the cast.
I miss the crew. I miss Canada.
It's one of those, you know, you're lucky if you get one or
two jobs like that, you know, per per like career.
(28:16):
So I do. Yeah.
I mean, but you know, you don't want to sort of flog it to
death. And I don't want to be part of
something which is detrimental to the shows, you know, that
we've already shot. So you need to, you know, you
need to cut loose. When you cut loose, you can't
kind of fuck about. You need to go.
And that's what we did. And yeah, you know, and I
(28:39):
wouldn't touch it again because it's we were all who we were
when we, you know, when we did it.
And I'm never, I've seen other people go back to things and
it's it isn't ever the same. And it's not going to be, I
don't think, because, you know, you're all different people at
that point, you know, without the same sort of motivations
(29:01):
which made it interesting in thefirst place.
Yeah, when you set the bar so high too, it's tough to ever go
back. And, you know, it's like the
athlete that goes back to the Olympics after years of being
out and, you know, like, yeah, maybe we should have just kind
of stopped there because it it rarely doesn't work out where
you're winning those gold and and having capturing the same
(29:22):
magic. Yeah, agreed.
Yeah. So I don't know if you know
right now you're trending on on TikTok.
Right, I heard that one of the old songs.
Yes, yes, you all forgot that that this is the whole point.
Did you look into it at all? Have you?
Not really. I don't run any social media.
(29:43):
I I do have a music page which is run by the record label.
They told me that this was that this was happening, but I
haven't seen anything myself. But I think that's AI think
that's because it was used in the Gabby Petito documentary.
(30:07):
And as a result of that, it's been sort of taken up by, you
know, by various people. I have two daughters who bring,
who say I don't, I didn't know you knew this song or knew this
person. And I'm like, I, you know, I've
been fans of theirs or that songfor 20 years.
And it's all new to them. But it's.
It's amazing how. Yeah, yeah.
(30:29):
It's amazing how the world's collide sometimes.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Is there anything else that you haven't got to explore, discuss
about it that that you wish was brought up more often?
I don't think so, no, because it's not for me to say, you
know, I'm sort of here for you. You know, you enjoyed it.
It was made for your entertainment.
(30:49):
You know, it's not really, you know, I'm sort of happy to
answer. Again, you nailed it.
So I don't, you know, I've, I'vegiven enough praise.
I'll give more if you want, but.No, no, no, no, no.
Thank you very much. You can dive into all the into
the into the finer details, but you know what, I like to watch
(31:10):
it for what it is, what you haveon screen.
It's so well done and it speaks for itself so.
It does, yeah, agreed. So we'll close out with just a
few more TV topics questions. Yep.
And then we'll get you on your way.
So you grab a remote control anda genie comes out and offers you
ATV based wish. The wish is you get to have one
more season of any TV show. It could be a prequel, it could
(31:31):
be an extra season out of the middle.
It could be tagged on the end. Same crew, same people.
Time has never passed easy for me or show and why?
Mad Men. It would be Mad Men.
That's an excellent choice. Where would you put the extra
season? Oh, when he's doing the coke
advert, when he comes up right at the end, I want to know then
what happens to him. I want to know everything from
(31:54):
the early 70s. What is it about that show that
stands out? Because it was perfect for me.
There's not a bad performance init, there's not a dodgy script
among it, There's not a bad idea.
(32:15):
I firmly believe the world, eventhough I happened to go there, I
was doing Community, the TV showand upstairs they were, they
were filming Madness. So I got to see it and that
didn't even ruin it for me. I think it was upstairs or it
might have been across. It doesn't matter, who cares?
(32:35):
But but yeah, I would say yeah, I would.
I would have liked to have seen that sort of go on.
I mean, it ended perfectly, don't get me wrong, but you
know, just for sort of like selfish reasons.
I'd have liked to have seen how that would have changed his
life. Don Draper.
Is 1 of, I mean, right during that period, I think there's
crossover between him, Tony Soprano and Breaking Bad's
(33:00):
Walter White, which is like, I think three of the best
characters in TV history, the best.
And it's amazing that they're all right there at that time.
You wonder what influenced the writers who created these
worlds. I know, maybe.
It's Benny Hill. I don't think it is.
I think it's a Lennon and McCartney thing.
(33:21):
I think 1 spurred the other. I think the standard was so high
people were sort of like feverishly playing their A game.
That's mine. And we all benefited from it.
Yeah. And how about favorite theme
song? And you like music?
(33:41):
So is there 1 theme song you can't skip?
Yeah, but it's the original version.
It's the original avant-garde version of the Doctor Who theme
I. I love Doctor Who.
Delia Derbyshire, That was done on early since it wasn't even
done on since it was done on individual oscillators.
That's still still groundbreaking and for me, a
(34:07):
perfect theme. Perfect score really, I think.
Do you continue to watch Doctor Who?
I haven't seen it since since the 1970s.
I haven't seen it, really. I haven't seen it since Peter
Davidson took over from Tom Baker.
OK, I, I watched those with, with my siblings scare the crap
(34:31):
out of me. We were too young to watch it,
but I still remember it years later.
And then when it came back, I, I, I dove back in and my
daughter happened. My second daughter happened to
be born on on Doctor Who day thethe anniversary.
So something, something magic there.
How about? Well, actually, I was speaking
with Kayvon and he mentioned, hesaid he calls it dynasty
(34:54):
dynasty. And he said Matt would know what
instrument was used in this theme.
He's trying to recall what it was, but do you recall?
Would you know offhand the dynasty theme song?
Where was. Orchestral was listen.
Yes, I don't mean to put you on the spot.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, that was all.
I think the lead line was done on strings and probably a French
(35:18):
horn. I'd have to listen to it again.
Does he mean that one or does hemean Dallas?
Dallas was done with brass. No, he he means he meant
dynasty. Dynasty.
Yeah, that's that's an orchestra.
Yeah, he, but he mentioned the French horn.
So I guess you're, you're both on the same page.
But he was, he was trying to recall and he got into it.
(35:39):
Then he brought up you and I waslike, oh, it's, you know, really
interesting that you know, your,your music, music knowledge is
so, so vast. It's other bands.
Go ahead. Other what?
Sorry. Are other bands that you listen
to currently and any standouts? Yeah, I've, I've visited, yeah,
(36:05):
Cod, I'm listening to everything.
I'm listening to a lot of pop because I've been in some
writing rooms recently for pop artists.
So I'm having to listen to a lotof pop, which I love because
it's all about the melody and that's the most important thing.
(36:26):
And that's for me is the most important thing.
So it's been a a really kind of fascinating education.
Are there any artists that went up the.
Cool thing now is like, they don't.
There's no such thing as sort ofgenre anymore in the a punk
(36:48):
song, a goth song or everything is up for grabs, you know, and
nothing is looked down above. And it never used to be like
that. So, you know, people that kind
of moan about modern music, you know, it might not may not be to
your taste, but it's a lot like freer than it used to be.
You can do whatever you want in any kind of sort of genre and
(37:10):
anyone can have a hit in any sort of genre, which has never
happened before. And I think it's really cool.
Yeah, you see a lot of that now.And, you know, when I hear some
of the songs on the radio, I'm like, this kind of, this feels
like something from the early 90s or.
Yeah, exactly. You know, different eras and.
And they're capturing it well, yeah.
So some people look down upon itand say, oh, they're posers or
(37:31):
whatever. I'm like, no, you know what?
Embrace it and continue that. Let make it something that
wasn't just set in this small period of time.
Let it be something that extends, you know, who knows how
long. Yeah.
So influencing more music down the line.
Yeah. All right.
How about a TVATV death that youwould stop?
So any TV death on TV that you would stop if you could?
(37:55):
TV death. No, because they're all, they're
all great. They all, they all kind of have
to happen and it's always for the best.
You know what I mean? Like, you can't really say, oh,
you know, that's it's always forthe best.
How about one that hit you the most?
(38:18):
Well, that would that would, that would have to be something
from sort of decades ago becauseit's impossible to for anything
to talk to you by surprise now. So it probably would have been
someone from a soap opera when Iwas growing up sort of hit by a
car. Because like I said, you had to
watch soaps because there wasn'tanything else on.
(38:38):
Even if you, you know, sort of hated them, you didn't have any
choice. Yeah.
How about this one? The greatest moment in TV
history according to Matt Berry.So it doesn't have to be
objectively, no one has to criticize it.
Or, you know, just a moment thatstands out as as the greatest
(38:59):
moment or one of them for you. One of them, I was too young,
but I know what it did. I would say Bowie doing star man
and the sort of knock on effect that that had artistically.
Where was that? What was he?
What show was he on? Top of the Pops 1972.
(39:22):
Yeah, it was 1972. It's the first time a lot of
people had seen a young man withred hair, dyed hair, looking
like an alien, and that shook upevery household in the way that
it should have done. So that's what I would say.
(39:45):
And it's, it's, it's great that we had people like that.
And I'm hoping that we are not living in a world where we lose
that. It seems like we're we're going
backwards in many ways. Well, I think it's fine.
All it means is, you know, when the next one does it, it's going
to have an even bigger effect because there hasn't been
anything for so long that when someone else sort of culturally,
(40:06):
you know, takes everyone by surprise, it will.
It will actually mean something.Yeah, he was great.
He was one of the best. And I'm like, it's I, I, I have
discovered a lot of his stuff post his, his passing.
And it's just like, it's amazingwhat, how much artistry one man
(40:27):
can deliver. And for so long, cool.
Even his latest stuff, even his latest stuff is great.
Absolutely. How about how about four TV
shows that make up your TV MountRushmore?
40 God. Well definitely top of the pops,
definitely Mad Men and oh God I don't know all Grey whistle
(40:54):
test. Oh, and.
What's that one? The All Grey Whistle Test,
another music show and the 1980sSherlock Holmes.
Oh OK, some good ones there. I have to check out the 1980s.
There's been so many variations of Sherlock Holmes.
(41:15):
I think I recall which one? Who?
Who played? Who was the actor?
Jeremy Brett. I'm pretty certain I do know
that one. There's some PBS.
Yeah. And we'll close out with one
last one. If you had a magic door that
allowed you to access any TV show and you could live in it
whenever you want, go hang out, popping in and out your real
life pause so you don't lose that.
Yeah. Which show would it be?
(41:36):
Top of the Pops. Top of the Pops I I figured
that'd be and who would? If you could pick the date and
the show you would go to 1st, which one would it be?
Early 70s. The early 70s.
How long do you think you'd staybefore you headed home?
I would never head home. I'd stay there.
(41:56):
And now we got to, we have to get you the magic door.
But I, I think the fans need it.So thank you so much for your
time. Thank you and.
Thank you for all your work on the series.
Well, that's very kind. Have a good day.
Bye bye. Thank you to Matt for joining me
today on TV Topics. And when done listening, be sure
to watch all six seasons of WhatWe Do in the Shadows on Hulu, no
matter where you live, even if it is in New York City.
(42:20):
And if you're What We Do in the Shadows fan, be sure to listen
to episode 19 with Matt's costar, the great Kayvon Novick.
Keep tuning into TV topics and be sure to subscribe on Spotify
or Apple podcast or wherever youfind your podcast.
And if you really enjoy the show, please give it a five star
rating. It really helps.
You can also follow TV topics onInstagram at TV under score
(42:42):
topic. Thanks for listening and stay
tuned for more TV topics. TV Topics is produced by Stephen
Brzekowski. ZAP.
Hey, where's the remote? It's time for ATV Topics, where
those who love television discuss the series and
performances that should be on your radar.
Welcome to TV Topics. This is your host, Stephen
Percykowski. Today's guest is an actor whose
work you've probably seen or heard in series like the IT
(00:23):
Crowd, Community, Fallout, as well as other TV and film roles.
But most people will know him from what We do in the Shadows
as Lazlo Cravensworth, a vampirewith an insatiable sexual
appetite and an amazing knack for incredible line delivery.
I'll just save you the pain and avoid trying to replicate any of
those lines here. I'll leave that up to the
expert, of course. I'm talking about the great Matt
(00:44):
Berry. Hello, my name is Matt Berry and
you're hanging with TV topics, so good on you.
Hey, welcome to the show, Matt. That's my pleasure.
We'll hop into all of your work on what we do in the Shadows in
just a few, but first, let's talk some TV topics.
Remember, there's no pressure, there's no right or wrong
answers. It's all just a bit of fun.
OK, so looking back over the years, what has your
(01:05):
relationship been with TV? Were you a TV junkie who watches
everything? Were you very selective?
Did you have go to shows? I was born in the UK in the
1970s, so there was only three channels up until the mid 80s.
So everybody watched the same thing and as a result we are all
(01:29):
a captive audience. So you all, you all sort of bear
witness to the same event, you know, whether it was comedy, a
news event, you know, or whatever it was, which is
obviously not the case now, but was important then in as far as
the arts because we all watched the show called Top of the Pops.
(01:53):
You couldn't escape it because it was the only sort of pop show
that was on British television. And that was a huge, huge part
of my sort of growing up becausethat's the first time I saw
certain bands, certain people. It's basically sort of
performance art. Adam and the Ants.
(02:14):
I remember as a kid, I remember seeing Gary Newman, I remember
seeing David Bowie. All of this.
But anyone my age sort of says exactly the same thing.
That show was a huge influence to anyone sort of growing up in
the Sixties, 70s and 80s I'd say.
And what about when the 80s hit and you had more more access?
(02:35):
How did that evolve? When you had more what?
Sorry. More access you didn't you have
shows if that. No, you just had whatever they
bought. So there was then there was 4
channels up until the, you know,up until I left home.
So all that meant was that they would buy the A-Team or full
(02:57):
guy. So it's like living in, you
know, it's like being in like New Zealand where the
broadcasters buy certain shows. You're not in control of what
shows they buy. So you just have to watch
whatever, you know, American show they air.
And besides Top of the Pops, is there one prime time show that
(03:18):
you you remember really loving your first one that you felt was
your show? No, it would be Top of the Pops.
That was and still is the most sort of vivid for me, I would
say. Is that partially what kind of
influenced your music? It influenced everything because
it was full of eccentrics. But I wouldn't have known that
(03:39):
word then. I just thought, you know, they
were sort of special people on TV because, you know, they were
very colourful and they sang andthat was the best thing in the
world for me as a young kid. Is there a singular performance
that really stands out? Yeah, there's, there's quite a
(03:59):
few. There's Kate Bush.
She did, she did, she did Wild Ring Heights that would have
been 78 or 79. And I can remember that as if it
was like a week ago. I remember when Gary Newman was
on Top of the Pops and he had, he had blue hair, which I'd
(04:21):
never seen until then. So, you know, all these kind of
really sort of magical things asa little kid, you know, who's in
a normal town. Yeah, I grew up at the three or
four, three channels plus PBS and public station.
And then Fox popped up in I think the late 80s, early 90s.
(04:42):
But the, the communal experienceand you know what the people of
my generation in America all have, you know, certain shows,
it's not this wide variety that people are up to now.
Because you had Ed Sullivan, that was your sort of variety
show. That predates me, but I would
(05:03):
watch Carson at night, SNL on the weekends, I'd sneak that in.
Things like that. A variety of different shows,
but you know, not the same. I don't think we had the same
strong musical influence that asyou did.
Well, you had some pretty, you had some pretty cool bands on
the Ed Sullivan Show. Some of those performances, you
(05:26):
know, stand out now. Oh yeah, yeah.
Well, I mean, the The Beatles were, of course, the Doors.
And the Mamas and the. Papas, The Doors, Yeah, I think
the Stones were as well. And then, yeah.
So what about TV shows that makeyou laugh most?
Is there one that stands out, something that you go to that
stands out as like maybe a comedic influence?
(05:48):
I don't think so. Not that not that many.
As a kid, I used to enjoy Blackadder and Only Fools and
Horses, and then as a older person, I liked Curb Your
Enthusiasm. But I, I haven't watched a lot
of comedy and it, and it sounds odd because that's, you know,
(06:09):
what I'm sort of doing during the day, but not because I
dislike it in any way. It's just because I haven't had
any time. Everything takes takes time and
I've only got enough time to watch films, you know?
So I've I've like, missed an awful lot of TV and I'm
(06:34):
embarrassed about it and constantly feel shame due to not
knowing who someone is or what something is.
Yeah, so much to my embarrassment.
I haven't seen an awful lot of of TV shows, I'm afraid.
That's all right. Well, it's a first.
(06:55):
This is ATV based podcast, but I'll we'll make it work, you
know, and we'll get into your work specifically, but I have a
few more TV based questions. Yeah.
What about ATATVATV character from any era that you would like
to have played or would like to play?
It could be any for any reason, any age, any any.
Yeah, sure. Yeah.
I'd have liked to have been in black at it.
(07:17):
I mean, it ended before, well, before I was a teenager, but if
I'd have been born earlier, I would have liked to have been in
that. I like the energy of it.
I could have slotted in there. I think some people may
disagree, but that yeah, I, I would have, I would have had fun
(07:40):
with that show, I think. What is it about the show?
What what? Why do you connect with it?
It's very pantomime, it's very over the top, it's very sort of
British. There's no subtle performances
in there and it's all the betterfor it.
It's very funny. It's not for everyone.
(08:02):
It might, you know, it might seem a bit too much for a lot of
people, but I always loved it. What about like Monty Python?
Was that another influence? I was a bit young for that.
That was over and done because Iwas born in the mid 70s, so by
the time I knew what was what, that had already sort of done
its thing. And and because I was in the UK,
(08:24):
not everything was repeated. So that wasn't repeated as far
as I can remember. So I didn't see it.
It was for the generation sort of before me.
They all enjoyed that. Yeah.
So I sort of missed out on that one.
Yeah, I think we had it late nights after the news after.
(08:48):
I mean, we, we were watching fora kid growing up in the early
80s. For me, British TV was Monty
Python's Flying Circus and the and Benny Hill of course, which
I always find out that no one watches Benny Hill in the UK.
It's really an American thing, Ihear.
Well, yeah, yeah, it's always, it always kind of surprises me
(09:10):
that that was something that cutthrough over there.
It was. It was seen as very light over
here. That's what I remember.
Do you know what I mean? It was sort of shown almost in
the afternoon. Late afternoon maybe, Yeah.
No, But you know, you can't tellwhat's going to sort of catch
(09:31):
fire overseas. There's no way of knowing.
Yeah, I don't know if Benny Hillis considered quality, but it I
think it was because of that captive audience that everybody
for some reason had headed on after.
If you're watching our UHF stations, they're called.
That was one of the post news type shows.
(09:51):
So. Oh, right.
So it could have been because everyone was pissed then.
I mean, that's it might have worked even, you know, it might
have worked even better after a few beers.
I don't think anybody watched itlike that over here, but it
sounds as if it could have been much improved by that.
Yeah, I'm curious how it would play today.
I don't know if it still has errors anywhere because you
(10:13):
wouldn't be able to play. Yeah, it'd be 30 seconds long.
He's an old man who's like chasing young.
No, it wouldn't happen. Slapping old guys on the head
and chasing young women. Yeah, that's the majority of it.
So before we continue with the TV topics questions, let's like
discuss some of your incredible work on what we do in the
shadows, and let's start it. We actually predate that,
(10:35):
though. I want to know, you mentioned
Top of the Pops, but what kind of led you down in this career
path? How did it, you know, how did
you become get into entertainment?
And it sounds like music was as big of an influence as comedy or
maybe bigger. So how did this, you know, how
did you get to this point? Well, I never meant to be doing
this, to be honest. This was, I kind of drifted into
(10:58):
it. I was in bands and I was
painting and I was kind of waiting for one of those things
to sort of pick up. But it just so happened that I
was, I got a job in the London dungeon where I was acting.
Then that led to me doing some stand up across town.
(11:20):
And I wasn't really, I never thought about that, you know,
and it wasn't something, you know, that I had any ambition.
I just did it just to improve the timing from when, you know,
when I was in the dungeon. And then that led to me
supporting some comedy shows where I was seen by other
(11:44):
comedians who had sort of TV stuff going.
So that's how it happened. I didn't, I didn't plan any of
it. And I'm the worst person for any
kind of sort of careers advice because I don't know, you know
what I mean? It wasn't by any kind of design,
put it that way. Pure luck.
(12:04):
Well, that's the best thing that's like the that's the dream
for a lot of people is being discovered is not knowing, you
know, not not expecting it one day saying hey, you've got it.
And I don't know if that still happens these days with with
TikTok and everything else. It seems like things have
shifted more to digital, but used to always hear those
stories. I'm.
Sure. It still happens.
(12:25):
You know, there'll be somebody who somebody sees who fits the
bill exactly for their thing, you know, And then after that
one thing leads to another. Yeah, I'm, you know, I'm sure in
its own way it still sort of continues, I think.
And what about What We Do in theShadows made you want to be part
of it originally? I was doing a film with, I was
(12:48):
doing a film with Jermaine. And during a break in one of the
scenes, he just leant over and said, do you want to be in the
TV version of the vampire film that I did?
And I said to him, are you goingto be in it?
And he said yes. And I said, well, then yeah, of
course I'll do it. And that was it.
(13:10):
That was that was the sum total of how that whole thing kind of
came about. And.
That's great. I'd love to, I'd love to have
that, that story, that part of, you know, that kind of shortcut
or quick, quick transition in mylife somewhere.
Well, I mean, like, that's literally all it was.
And the next thing I knew, I wasin Los Angeles and we were doing
the pilot and I had fun. I didn't, you know, I wouldn't
(13:35):
have been able to tell you, you know, that it had legs for any
kind of series because you just don't know.
And I certainly didn't know then.
I liked everyone that was in it.You know, we all kind of got on
and it was good fun. And then you know the rest, you
know, then it went from that to six series.
(13:55):
Yeah, it's incredible. A lot of a lot of series don't
even get past the first year nowadays and to have 6 is and
and to get to wrap up the story too and not have it, you know,
left off it just like, oh, that's it for cancelled.
No, you got to close out things with the fans and with the
characters. Yeah.
(14:15):
Was Laszlo always the character you planned on playing or that
they they wanted you to play? He's the character that Jermaine
wanted me to play. I thought I was going to be
playing in Eastern Europe, an Eastern European vampire.
And then I said to him, I said, how do you want this guy to
(14:38):
sound? And he was like, I want him to
sound like you. And I was like, yeah, like me
doing an Eastern European accent.
He goes, no, no, no, no, he's got to sound like you.
So that was that idea sort of blasted out immediately.
So all my plans to do in EasternEuropean vampire sort of
disappeared pretty quickly and Idid him as a a fallen Lord, so
(15:06):
to speak. Yeah.
So that, you know, it was all kind of, you know, all those
sort of decisions were made sortof well ahead of time.
So I was going to get into that a little bit.
What, what was the back story? Were you provided much and and
or did you get to create and develop the character?
Well, I know it was. The fallen Lord.
(15:27):
No, it was Jermaine was quite loose with it, you know, he just
said, you know, this guy is an aristocrat who fell for this
Greek villager who bit him and then turned him into a vampire,
(15:51):
thus loosening him up. And, and he was from that moment
on preoccupied only with like, pleasure and himself, whereas
before, I think he would have been quite stiff and quite staid
and as you would expect. So her turning him into a
vampire sort of freed him up. And that's what I wanted to
(16:14):
show, you know, someone who had been very stiff and could be
quite sort of quickly, you know,if he like needed to be but had
been loosened up in under her influence.
Yeah, and the the characters hadsuch, you had such great
chemistry on screen. It must have been great to have
(16:35):
that. You know, kind of you set it up,
she knocks it down and vice versa.
She's the best, she's the best. I was so lucky, you know,
because that's not up to you who's, you know, who's who gets
to be cast. So yeah, that, you know, really
kind of lucked out because she'sgot an amazing sense of humor
and she is very good at what shedoes.
(16:57):
So it just made all my work mucheasier.
Yeah. It, it, it really just flows.
It, it, it does seem like you'vebeen together for hundreds of
years. Yeah, and you still have that,
that sexual energy, which is a, which is a nice thing for a
marriage that lasted. Centuries.
Yeah, I mean, and that's what Natasha always says as well.
And it's kind of true. It was sort of refreshing to see
(17:21):
a couple in a sitcom, you know, who actually kind of get on and
who love each other, you know, as opposed to what you normally
see, you know, to sort of, you know, a warring couple or the
material comes from them being fed up with each other.
Yeah, which is very common. And instead get the opposite.
(17:43):
Yeah, it's a little bit of the the Adams right, Gomez and and
Morticia, but kind of turned up to 11.
Yeah, and that Coen brothers film with Is It?
That's not Fargo. You know, she has a really good
relationship with her husband. It's there's a bit of that
(18:05):
there. I think it's probably probably
more that the film Fargo. Yeah, which is excellent.
So anytime you can, anytime you can connect have similarities to
that you're you're in a winner in the winner.
No, you know, I'm not saying youknow, you know, it's as good as
sort of performances, but the dynamic I think is fairly
similar. Yeah, you know what?
(18:26):
I, it's hard to compare, but youknow, this, this is more
definitely more comedy. But to me, I, I've, I've said
this many times, I think this isone of the best comedies ever on
television. I think line for line, shot for
shot, there's so much, you know,kind of I wouldn't, this is not
the right word. But crammed in there, yet it
doesn't feel crammed in. It feels natural.
(18:46):
It's just kind of sitting in theroom and this incredible comedy
is happening all around you. Yeah, that's very kind.
Laszlo's unique speech pattern and delivery is definitely one
of the most discussed parts of your character.
You, you mentioned kind of where, where it came from, but
how quickly did that you know kind of flow out of you?
(19:07):
Well, he's an aristocrat. So like all aristocrats,
especially, you know, sort of males of a certain age, when
they talk, it's not to be ignored.
You know, they talk to be listened to.
And that comes with bombast and a certain arrogance.
(19:32):
And I just applied that to him. You know, even if someone was
like a foot away from him, he would talk to them as if they
were, you know, at the back of ahall.
And it's that kind of stuff, youknow, or across, across a field.
And I just applied that to everyother character.
You know, he would talk at thesecharacters.
(19:53):
He wouldn't talk to these characters apart from his wife.
Everybody else, you know, had orders.
Oh, I love that. I didn't.
I'd never thought of that before.
And yeah, and you, you definitely have this kind of
much bigger delivery than you dowhen it's, it's Nyjah.
Yeah. And Lyjah last long.
Yeah, well, because she's because she's not.
(20:16):
He's talking to everybody else as if they're working for him.
I mean, I've experienced that, you know, with you've done jobs
for people. And so he has to there has to be
like a soft side for his wife and he doesn't talk to her like
she's working for him. He does every so often.
(20:37):
And when he does, she picks him up on it, which is great.
You know, where she say, you know, why don't you go and
fucking do this, that and the other, you know what I mean?
If he just sort of says you're not doing this, you know, or I'm
not having my wife do this, she's immediately back with, you
know, who's giving you permission type.
(20:58):
The the episode that on the run,the Jackie Daytona episode is
one that I again, one of the best episodes of TVI think ever.
I think it actually made some lists as being so it did.
Were you were you surprised how the high regard that fans have
for it? Did you or while you're shooting
it, did you know it was something special?
(21:19):
No, I mean, I still still sort of hugely surprised at how well
that one went down. I mean, it was very well written
and it was impeccably directed by Jana.
So again, a lot of the work was done for me, you know, and it
was also expertly cast with MarkHamill and everybody else in it.
(21:42):
So I was just sort of propped up, you know what I mean?
Like, they were all fantastic. They all did the best job.
Stephanie Robinson, she wrote that one.
You know, it's fantastic script,as I say, like Jana did a superb
job in directing it and every, you know, everyone else who was
(22:04):
in it with me were impeccable. So yeah.
And what was it like getting into that character, you know,
having to put the toothpick in your mouth and, and all that?
Well, that was that was still I,you know, still, I think that's
one of the best jokes in terms of the, you know, in terms of
the show. Just the fact that he's in
(22:26):
disguise when he wears A toothpick.
It was a brilliant idea. And still, you know, is a very
funny idea, I think six years later.
Jesus. Yeah, it's incredible.
The the amazing thing is with that, I always tell people to
(22:46):
watch this the series and then they they go, I don't want to
watch a vampire series. It's scary, etcetera.
We go through the whole back andforth.
I said, just watch it. And then when they do, I said,
and you know, I forget how many episodes in, but you'll watch
one of the best episodes in TV history, one of the funniest
things you'll ever see, and people always pick it up.
I don't know why, but not that the other work is is up here,
(23:07):
but it's just like like again, it's turned up to 11.
Yeah, it's very focused, isn't it, that that episode, you're
not left kind of hanging. It's very sort of satisfying in
how it all ends. And yeah, yeah, it's just, yeah,
it's all very well done. Do you have other favorite
episodes that stand out? For me, season 4 was the
(23:29):
highlight. That's such a sort of best of
season for me. Like I can remember nearly every
episode was a winner. I'm not saying, you know, the
other seasons didn't have reallygood episodes, but that season
everybody seemed to be on their game, like costume wise, makeup
(23:52):
wise, the props, that animatronics, all of that stuff.
For some reason for season 4 it all came and sort of like
clicked into place. Was that baby Colin season?
Yeah. Yes, yeah, excellent season.
You bring up the the sets and the and the costumes.
(24:13):
It's like another thing that's really, you know, must be a
treat to to work in is to have this setting and to have in
addition to the scripts and the cast to have this amazing
production design and costume design.
It's the best I've ever seen. And I've done films and
expensive, you know, and expensive, expensive shows.
(24:36):
But I can be honest and say thatnothing impressed me as much as
as the sets and the costumes that, you know, that were made
for shadows, the sets in particular for me, because
that's what that's what kind of motivates the performance.
If you sort of believe that you're sort of 360 in an old
(24:58):
Mansion House that, you know, that hasn't changed in hundreds
of hundreds of years, then it's going to it's going to kind of
show on your face, I think. And that was, you know, that was
like I would get to Canada. And during the first week of any
new sort of season, you know, you still sort of finding your
(25:19):
way. As soon as I got in the house
and sat down, that was it. I didn't need to do anything
else, you know, or take myself anyway, you know what I mean?
It was all done for me. As soon as I sat down, I felt
like, you know, I was in this sort of like, shabby Mansion
House. Yeah.
(25:42):
Yeah. I spoke with the production
designer and her attention to detail and the layers of detail
in everything. It wasn't just like, OK, we got
a lamp, but then the treatment of that lamp, it was specific,
you know, for time periods and to make it look like it hasn't
been, you know, taken care of and etcetera, etcetera.
Sean yeah, That detail is, I mean, like, you don't see like a
(26:08):
fraction of that. Like if there's a table, every
single bit of paper on that table will be, you know,
pertaining to the story that is kind of happening and will be
notes on physiognomy, you know, or whatever it happens to be.
You know, that's what the character is talking about.
Everything is completely relevant.
(26:28):
You know, even if it's screwed up, it's if you were to open it
up, it would be completely relevant to what's going on.
I mean, that's fucking class. Yeah.
You know, and I will always kindof champion everybody that
worked on on that because it's the best that I've ever seen.
(26:49):
It's a shame they don't get to put that in the museum somewhere
that people can visit it and seeit for years to come.
Sure. It's.
Yeah, well, they can't see the rug.
They can't see the rug because I've got that.
Oh, they'll maybe you'll make your house a museum someday and
come visit. Yeah.
Is there 1 moment that best defines Leslow for you?
(27:12):
I don't know. I think, you know, I think it's
possibly the toothpick, mainly because that's such a dumb joke
and the arrogance in which that was the attempt to sell that to
anybody that would sort of listen to him.
(27:32):
That sums him up, I think, something preposterous, yet kind
of, you know, sort of delivered so seriously.
Was that all in the script? The toothpick.
Toothpick. Yeah, that was Stephanie.
Stephanie. Yeah.
Stephanie Robinson, Yeah. She came up with that, yeah.
(27:53):
And it's been about a year sinceyou last shot the series.
Do you miss it? I miss everybody.
Yeah. I mean, I miss the cast.
I miss the crew. I miss Canada.
It's one of those, you know, you're lucky if you get one or
two jobs like that, you know, per per like career.
(28:16):
So I do. Yeah.
I mean, but you know, you don't want to sort of flog it to
death. And I don't want to be part of
something which is detrimental to the shows, you know, that
we've already shot. So you need to, you know, you
need to cut loose. When you cut loose, you can't
kind of fuck about. You need to go.
And that's what we did. And yeah, you know, and I
(28:39):
wouldn't touch it again because it's we were all who we were
when we, you know, when we did it.
And I'm never, I've seen other people go back to things and
it's it isn't ever the same. And it's not going to be, I
don't think, because, you know, you're all different people at
that point, you know, without the same sort of motivations
(29:01):
which made it interesting in thefirst place.
Yeah, when you set the bar so high too, it's tough to ever go
back. And, you know, it's like the
athlete that goes back to the Olympics after years of being
out and, you know, like, yeah, maybe we should have just kind
of stopped there because it it rarely doesn't work out where
you're winning those gold and and having capturing the same
(29:22):
magic. Yeah, agreed.
Yeah. So I don't know if you know
right now you're trending on on TikTok.
Right, I heard that one of the old songs.
Yes, yes, you all forgot that that this is the whole point.
Did you look into it at all? Have you?
Not really. I don't run any social media.
(29:43):
I I do have a music page which is run by the record label.
They told me that this was that this was happening, but I
haven't seen anything myself. But I think that's AI think
that's because it was used in the Gabby Petito documentary.
(30:07):
And as a result of that, it's been sort of taken up by, you
know, by various people. I have two daughters who bring,
who say I don't, I didn't know you knew this song or knew this
person. And I'm like, I, you know, I've
been fans of theirs or that songfor 20 years.
And it's all new to them. But it's.
It's amazing how. Yeah, yeah.
(30:29):
It's amazing how the world's collide sometimes.
Yeah, exactly. Yeah.
Is there anything else that you haven't got to explore, discuss
about it that that you wish was brought up more often?
I don't think so, no, because it's not for me to say, you
know, I'm sort of here for you. You know, you enjoyed it.
It was made for your entertainment.
(30:49):
You know, it's not really, you know, I'm sort of happy to
answer. Again, you nailed it.
So I don't, you know, I've, I'vegiven enough praise.
I'll give more if you want, but.No, no, no, no, no.
Thank you very much. You can dive into all the into
the into the finer details, but you know what, I like to watch
(31:10):
it for what it is, what you haveon screen.
It's so well done and it speaks for itself so.
It does, yeah, agreed. So we'll close out with just a
few more TV topics questions. Yep.
And then we'll get you on your way.
So you grab a remote control anda genie comes out and offers you
ATV based wish. The wish is you get to have one
more season of any TV show. It could be a prequel, it could
(31:31):
be an extra season out of the middle.
It could be tagged on the end. Same crew, same people.
Time has never passed easy for me or show and why?
Mad Men. It would be Mad Men.
That's an excellent choice. Where would you put the extra
season? Oh, when he's doing the coke
advert, when he comes up right at the end, I want to know then
what happens to him. I want to know everything from
(31:54):
the early 70s. What is it about that show that
stands out? Because it was perfect for me.
There's not a bad performance init, there's not a dodgy script
among it, There's not a bad idea.
(32:15):
I firmly believe the world, eventhough I happened to go there, I
was doing Community, the TV showand upstairs they were, they
were filming Madness. So I got to see it and that
didn't even ruin it for me. I think it was upstairs or it
might have been across. It doesn't matter, who cares?
(32:35):
But but yeah, I would say yeah, I would.
I would have liked to have seen that sort of go on.
I mean, it ended perfectly, don't get me wrong, but you
know, just for sort of like selfish reasons.
I'd have liked to have seen how that would have changed his
life. Don Draper.
Is 1 of, I mean, right during that period, I think there's
crossover between him, Tony Soprano and Breaking Bad's
(33:00):
Walter White, which is like, I think three of the best
characters in TV history, the best.
And it's amazing that they're all right there at that time.
You wonder what influenced the writers who created these
worlds. I know, maybe.
It's Benny Hill. I don't think it is.
I think it's a Lennon and McCartney thing.
(33:21):
I think 1 spurred the other. I think the standard was so high
people were sort of like feverishly playing their A game.
That's mine. And we all benefited from it.
Yeah. And how about favorite theme
song? And you like music?
(33:41):
So is there 1 theme song you can't skip?
Yeah, but it's the original version.
It's the original avant-garde version of the Doctor Who theme
I. I love Doctor Who.
Delia Derbyshire, That was done on early since it wasn't even
done on since it was done on individual oscillators.
That's still still groundbreaking and for me, a
(34:07):
perfect theme. Perfect score really, I think.
Do you continue to watch Doctor Who?
I haven't seen it since since the 1970s.
I haven't seen it, really. I haven't seen it since Peter
Davidson took over from Tom Baker.
OK, I, I watched those with, with my siblings scare the crap
(34:31):
out of me. We were too young to watch it,
but I still remember it years later.
And then when it came back, I, I, I dove back in and my
daughter happened. My second daughter happened to
be born on on Doctor Who day thethe anniversary.
So something, something magic there.
How about? Well, actually, I was speaking
with Kayvon and he mentioned, hesaid he calls it dynasty
(34:54):
dynasty. And he said Matt would know what
instrument was used in this theme.
He's trying to recall what it was, but do you recall?
Would you know offhand the dynasty theme song?
Where was. Orchestral was listen.
Yes, I don't mean to put you on the spot.
Yeah, yeah. I mean, that was all.
I think the lead line was done on strings and probably a French
(35:18):
horn. I'd have to listen to it again.
Does he mean that one or does hemean Dallas?
Dallas was done with brass. No, he he means he meant
dynasty. Dynasty.
Yeah, that's that's an orchestra.
Yeah, he, but he mentioned the French horn.
So I guess you're, you're both on the same page.
But he was, he was trying to recall and he got into it.
(35:39):
Then he brought up you and I waslike, oh, it's, you know, really
interesting that you know, your,your music, music knowledge is
so, so vast. It's other bands.
Go ahead. Other what?
Sorry. Are other bands that you listen
to currently and any standouts? Yeah, I've, I've visited, yeah,
(36:05):
Cod, I'm listening to everything.
I'm listening to a lot of pop because I've been in some
writing rooms recently for pop artists.
So I'm having to listen to a lotof pop, which I love because
it's all about the melody and that's the most important thing.
(36:26):
And that's for me is the most important thing.
So it's been a a really kind of fascinating education.
Are there any artists that went up the.
Cool thing now is like, they don't.
There's no such thing as sort ofgenre anymore in the a punk
(36:48):
song, a goth song or everything is up for grabs, you know, and
nothing is looked down above. And it never used to be like
that. So, you know, people that kind
of moan about modern music, you know, it might not may not be to
your taste, but it's a lot like freer than it used to be.
You can do whatever you want in any kind of sort of genre and
(37:10):
anyone can have a hit in any sort of genre, which has never
happened before. And I think it's really cool.
Yeah, you see a lot of that now.And, you know, when I hear some
of the songs on the radio, I'm like, this kind of, this feels
like something from the early 90s or.
Yeah, exactly. You know, different eras and.
And they're capturing it well, yeah.
So some people look down upon itand say, oh, they're posers or
(37:31):
whatever. I'm like, no, you know what?
Embrace it and continue that. Let make it something that
wasn't just set in this small period of time.
Let it be something that extends, you know, who knows how
long. Yeah.
So influencing more music down the line.
Yeah. All right.
How about a TVATV death that youwould stop?
So any TV death on TV that you would stop if you could?
(37:55):
TV death. No, because they're all, they're
all great. They all, they all kind of have
to happen and it's always for the best.
You know what I mean? Like, you can't really say, oh,
you know, that's it's always forthe best.
How about one that hit you the most?
(38:18):
Well, that would that would, that would have to be something
from sort of decades ago becauseit's impossible to for anything
to talk to you by surprise now. So it probably would have been
someone from a soap opera when Iwas growing up sort of hit by a
car. Because like I said, you had to
watch soaps because there wasn'tanything else on.
(38:38):
Even if you, you know, sort of hated them, you didn't have any
choice. Yeah.
How about this one? The greatest moment in TV
history according to Matt Berry.So it doesn't have to be
objectively, no one has to criticize it.
Or, you know, just a moment thatstands out as as the greatest
(38:59):
moment or one of them for you. One of them, I was too young,
but I know what it did. I would say Bowie doing star man
and the sort of knock on effect that that had artistically.
Where was that? What was he?
What show was he on? Top of the Pops 1972.
(39:22):
Yeah, it was 1972. It's the first time a lot of
people had seen a young man withred hair, dyed hair, looking
like an alien, and that shook upevery household in the way that
it should have done. So that's what I would say.
(39:45):
And it's, it's, it's great that we had people like that.
And I'm hoping that we are not living in a world where we lose
that. It seems like we're we're going
backwards in many ways. Well, I think it's fine.
All it means is, you know, when the next one does it, it's going
to have an even bigger effect because there hasn't been
anything for so long that when someone else sort of culturally,
(40:06):
you know, takes everyone by surprise, it will.
It will actually mean something.Yeah, he was great.
He was one of the best. And I'm like, it's I, I, I have
discovered a lot of his stuff post his, his passing.
And it's just like, it's amazingwhat, how much artistry one man
(40:27):
can deliver. And for so long, cool.
Even his latest stuff, even his latest stuff is great.
Absolutely. How about how about four TV
shows that make up your TV MountRushmore?
40 God. Well definitely top of the pops,
definitely Mad Men and oh God I don't know all Grey whistle
(40:54):
test. Oh, and.
What's that one? The All Grey Whistle Test,
another music show and the 1980sSherlock Holmes.
Oh OK, some good ones there. I have to check out the 1980s.
There's been so many variations of Sherlock Holmes.
(41:15):
I think I recall which one? Who?
Who played? Who was the actor?
Jeremy Brett. I'm pretty certain I do know
that one. There's some PBS.
Yeah. And we'll close out with one
last one. If you had a magic door that
allowed you to access any TV show and you could live in it
whenever you want, go hang out, popping in and out your real
life pause so you don't lose that.
Yeah. Which show would it be?
(41:36):
Top of the Pops. Top of the Pops I I figured
that'd be and who would? If you could pick the date and
the show you would go to 1st, which one would it be?
Early 70s. The early 70s.
How long do you think you'd staybefore you headed home?
I would never head home. I'd stay there.
(41:56):
And now we got to, we have to get you the magic door.
But I, I think the fans need it.So thank you so much for your
time. Thank you and.
Thank you for all your work on the series.
Well, that's very kind. Have a good day.
Bye bye. Thank you to Matt for joining me
today on TV Topics. And when done listening, be sure
to watch all six seasons of WhatWe Do in the Shadows on Hulu, no
matter where you live, even if it is in New York City.
(42:20):
And if you're What We Do in the Shadows fan, be sure to listen
to episode 19 with Matt's costar, the great Kayvon Novick.
Keep tuning into TV topics and be sure to subscribe on Spotify
or Apple podcast or wherever youfind your podcast.
And if you really enjoy the show, please give it a five star
rating. It really helps.
You can also follow TV topics onInstagram at TV under score
(42:42):
topic. Thanks for listening and stay
tuned for more TV topics. TV Topics is produced by Stephen
Brzekowski. ZAP.
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