Rob Brydon recalls bizarre encounter with Boris Johnson
Actor said prime minister jabbed finger at his chest
Rob Brydon has recalled a bizarre encounter he had with Boris Johnson at a party.
The Gavin & Stacey star was discussing the prime minister in an interview with The Guardian when he did an impersonation of Johnson.
“Hruff! Hruff! Hruff!” he said.
Recalling meeting Johnson in a corridor at a party, Brydon said the politician pointed a finger at his chest and said the word “funny” several times. “I think I nodded,” said Brydon. “I can’t remember what I said, but I didn’t stick around, because I didn’t want to… I didn’t want to, um… I suppose I didn’t want to be charmed by him, if I’m going to tell the truth.”
Brydon also bemoaned the fact that many people call Johnson “Boris”, arguing that it “softens him, like all the Wodehouseian nonsense that he does”.
Condemning the lack of support for theatres during the pandemic, Brydon also said Johnson was a better panel show host than he is a prime minister.
“Johnson was good on TV,” said Brydon. “He should have stayed there. On TV? Fill your boots, good for you, have all the character flaws you want. But not in the slightly more important job you occupy now, please.”
Johnson was criticised in March after telling the public to avoid theatres rather than forcing the venues to close, a move that many said could block insurance pay-outs.
Brydon’s new live tour, Rob Brydon: A Night of Songs and Laughter, begins at the Pavilion Theatre in Rhyl on 27 March 2021.
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