Feb 19, 2018
You’ve got to be seriously funny to be Simon Cowell’s go-to funny man. As the comedian in charge of warming up audiences for the X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent and much more Ian Royce has entertained people the world over. He’s worked on cruise ships, been weed on in Barbados and once performed on the roof of a tank in Bosnia. Despite this outwardly charmed life he’s been open about depression and dedicates a lot of energy to fighting this cause. His brilliantly funny accounts of his travels will make you laugh, smile and might even bring a tear to your eye.
On this episode we cover a whole range of subjects include the X Factor, Britain’s Got Talent, America’s Got Talent, Simon Cowell rescuing kittens, charity work, improvised banter, Vernon Kay’s Family Fortunes, finding shocking items in audience members handbags, Loose Women, The Karma Sutra, on the road with the X Factor artists, New York with One Direction, being mobbed by fans (One Direction ones), Trump Tower, knowing the acts that are going to make it, JLS, performing at Wembley, James Arthur, Alexandra Burke, Susan Boyle, entertaining the troops, buying roadside moonshine in Oman, drinking meths with Tony Hadley in the Middle East, performing on the Ark Royal, performing in the middle of the desert, performing on top of a crashed tank in Bosnia, performing in aircraft carriers, Croatia, UK RAF and Navy bases, driving a tank, showering with soldiers, Gary Barlow, the Great British holiday camp, becoming a Blue Coat, cruise ships, Airtous, Thomson’s, P&O, Thompson’s Holidays, offending the Germans in Cyprus, flooding resorts with ping pong balls, being fired from Haven for decapitating the kids’ mascot, his first trip abroad, Lloret de Mar in the 70s, camping in France, the perils of being a mod in 30-degree heat, his love of Italy, babysitting Nonnas on the Almafi Coast, comedians and depression, when anxiety gets crippling, suicide in young men, how we need to talk more about mental health, Heads Together mental health charity, reaching out for help, loving his X Factor family, the future of X Factor, Piers Morgan’s nice side, gang rehabilitation in Los Angeles, audience punch ups, masquerading as M15 on long-haul flights, cruising the Caribbean, Catamaran trips in Montego Bay, picnics at the end of the runway , celebrity hairdresser Phil Smith, getting stung by jellyfish, getting weed on by Jamaicans in thongs, Harry Styles, Louis Tomlinson, Boris Johnson’s Dad, his top tip for travelling with hand luggage, The Tongan national diet, drunken air crews (off duty) and naked men on the beach.