James Lipton and the Actors Studio did it for fun with the actors…..Now, I’m doing it for fun with the writers.
Before I start on Robert, I must just tell you this. Many years ago, I was fortunate to attend one of his personal appearances. I remember a story he told like it was yesterday. That story is this. Robert’s friend had (decades earlier) offered him the chance to invest in a little unknown venture called ‘the internet’. Robert didn’t think it would amount to anything, and declined the generous offer. Thank god he did or today he may have been too busy counting his zillions to take part in the ever popular 30 Second Interview.
1956 saw the birth of one Robert Llewellyn. He never had any desire to perform and at the age of 16, was expelled from school and became a ‘hippie’.
At 24, and with only a Christmas charity puppet show under his ‘belt of experience’, Robert entered the world of show business.
What began as a hobby, Robert’s amateur cabaret evenings in a riverside warehouse overlooking London’s Tower Bridge, soon became a great success. Together with Bernie Evans, Nigel Ordishand, and Graham Allum, Robert formed the alternative comedy group, The Joey’s. The first year alone would see them tour the UK and Europe, clocking up a massive 260 performances; thousands more over the following four years.
Spurned on by their success, Robert turned to novel writing. But ‘All Quiet in the West End’ was never published. A good thing according to Robert, “as it was total trash.”
Robert was an avid writer for the show, and as their success grew, so did their singing talents.
After the Joey’s split, Robert, along with Chris Eymard, wrote and starred in Channel 4’s comedy, ‘The Cornerhouse’. Robert remembers it as a “true disaster that just wasn’t funny.”
Undeterred, and inspired by Paul Verhoeven ‘Robocop’, Robert wrote comedy play ‘Mammon’. It premiered in 1988 at the Edinburgh Theatre Festival and was a great success.
‘Mammon’ was seen by Paul Jackson, the then producer of Red Dwarf, who immediately offered Robert the part of ‘Kryten’. But Robert’s show, ‘Mammon’, had been commissioned by Channel 4 and he nearly declined the offer.
Luckily, he didn’t. In 1989, Series three of Red Dwarf aired. Robert joined fellow cast members Craig Charles and Chris Barrie, and stayed until the show ended in 1999, five series later.
But, Robert’s career didn’t stop there. As well as appearing in TV classics such as Bottom, Discovery Channel’s How Do They Do It?, and the ever popular Scrapheap Challenge, Robert started a web series called Carpool. Carpool was simple. Robert picked up a ‘famous’ person and drove them to work. During their journey, Robert and his passenger would chat and laugh. The series was an instant hit and in November 2010, UKTV began broadcasting the show on Dave.
Along with his screen success, Robert has also written eight books; ‘Girls Night Out’, ‘Scrapheap Challenge’, ‘The Man in the Rubber Mask’, ‘Thin He Was and Filthy-Haired’, ‘Punchbag’, ‘The Man on Platform 5’, ‘Sudden Wealth’, and ‘Brother Nature’.
So, now for the long awaited questions. A funny man with very funny answers.
1. What is your favorite word? Cunnilingus
2. What is your least favorite word? Ananas
3. What turns you on? Hands
4. What turns you off? Touchiness
5. What sound do you love? Laughing
6. What sound do you hate? Diesel Engines
7. What is your favorite curse word? Tosser
8. What profession other than yours would you like to attempt? Sewage Work
9. What profession would you not like to do? Singer
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates? “Tosser. In you come.”
Contact Information
For more information regarding Robert Llewellyn, please check out his Website, Facebook, twitter
If you want more of me, I can be found on Facebook, Twitter, Google+ and Linkedin
Donna Collins' Blog 
Super, lovely, great, fantastic! Very funny guy and not one bit a Smeg Head!
Can’t wait for the Man In The Rubber Mask update after Red Dwarf X is “in the can”.
Now must dash and renew my Red Dwarf membership!!! :0)
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And you really mean that about your Red Dwart membership, don’t you. I’ve seen the card, lol.
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Hi Donna and Robert! I am from the other side of the pond and I unfortunately am not that familar with Robert’s work. But I must say that these 30 second interviews are amazing! Looking forward to the next one. 🙂
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Karen, Mark got me into Red Dwarf back in the eighties. I must say, they are very funny.
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Ahh, I love these interviews! I get to know interesting people and learn new curse words. Tosser! Who knew? I think I’ve heard it before, but it never really made me giggle like it did today. Maybe that’s the pain meds, but who cares, I love the word and am going to use it every day from now on.
I especially love that you turned Robert’s poor internet decision into a positive!
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Tameri, Robert is such a funny fellow. I think he could make anything sound funny.
And Tosser is a word I use quite a lot when I’m driving 🙂
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Hi Donna.
I don’t believe it. RL Stine and now Kryten. I’ve spent a significant proportion of my life repeating Kryten skits. I still watch Red Dwarf over here. If I’m not careful I start thinking like him after watching the show. In fact, I can already hear Kryten saying “That’s easy, sir. Cunnilingus.”
Cheers!
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Nig, Mark told me they have just started filming a new Red Dwarf. I’ll keep you updated 🙂
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