Latest news with #AlanDavies
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Science
- Yahoo
Chris Hadfield: ‘Worst space chore? Fixing the toilet. It's even worse when it's weightless'
What's the most chaotic thing that's ever happened to you in space? Launch – you go from no speed at all to 17,500 miles an hour in under nine minutes. The chaos is spectacular, the power of it is just wild, the physical vibration and force of it is mind-numbing – and it all happens so blisteringly fast. In the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, you go from lying on your back in Florida to being weightless in space. It's just the most amazing, chaotic, spectacular, rare human experience I've ever had. As an astronaut you have to master so many skills; have you ever not known something in space and wished you did? Onboard a spaceship, if you have an electrical problem, an attitude control problem, a propulsion problem, a computer problem – one of the first things you lose is communications with Earth. So it's really important to have all the skills on board. I served as an astronaut for 21 years and I was only in space for six months – that gave me 20-and-a-half years to not have to be surprised or flummoxed while I was in space. Related: Alan Davies: 'I get called Jonathan Creek all the time – nowadays people think I'm James May' As an example, I qualified as an emergency medical technician. I worked in the cadaver lab [of Hermann hospital in Houston, near Nasa] to get familiar with the human body and then I worked in all of the wards of the hospital. I assisted a surgeon who was doing full abdominal surgery on an accident victim and then I worked in emergency, doing all the immediate triage. I had to get all of those skills just in case we had a medical problem on the spaceship. We take preparation really seriously so that we won't just be tourists up there. You've written six books; which book or author do you always return to? It depends which book I'm writing. I've written three nonfiction and three thrillers, and when I'm writing thriller fiction I tend to read that, because it gets your mind in the groove. I have lots of favourite thriller authors – Robert Ludlum, John D MacDonald and Jonathan Kellerman … I go back and read those, study how they make you feel so compelled. What about favourite sci-fi? [Growing up] I read Asimov and Arthur C Clarke. I got to spend a day with Arthur C Clarke – he came to the Kennedy Space Centre, I spent a whole day showing him the space shuttle and the launch site, and it was like a dream come true because he'd been one of my science fiction idols growing up. [In 2015] Ray Bradbury's family asked me to write an introduction for the Folio Society rerelease of The Martian Chronicles – I'd read it once a long time ago but I'd forgotten just what an exquisitely good writer he was. The Martian Chronicles was written just after the second world war, so after the first two atomic bombs had been released and killed so many people but before the very first space flight. It was a really interesting moment in time – of both despair and disgust at human behaviour and then hope. And it's a beautiful book. How likely do you think it is that there is intelligent life in space? We have found no evidence but we know that every star has at least one planet, and our telescopes are so good now that we can actually find how many of those planets are close enough to Earth that they could support life as we know it, and it's around 5%. And so if 5% of every planet could sustain life, we can count the stars in the universe and [estimate] how many planets there are that could sustain life. And the number is staggeringly huge – it's like a quintillion of planets. So the odds are overwhelming that there's got to be life in other places … [But] it was only quite recently that life on Earth evolved – through time and chance – into multi-cellular life, and then complex life, and then to be self-aware and have intelligence. My conclusion is that life will be common: we'll find slime and scum all over the place. But intelligent life I think is exquisitely rare and I think we should internalise that and think about the level of responsibility that we should adopt. What's your favourite space movie? 2001: A Space Odyssey. I just find it fascinating and intriguing and a beautiful Stanley Kubrick adaptation of Arthur C Clarke's vision of things. It's very thought-provoking even almost 60 years later. I think The Martian is a very good movie and the Andy Weir book [it's based on] – I love that. I think Ron Howard did a beautiful job with Apollo 13 – it's almost a documentary. He worked so hard, he spent time with the astronauts, he filmed in a zero G aeroplane. Tell us your favourite fact. The most experienced astronaut in all of American history is a woman named Peggy Whitson. She's flown in space multiple times [and] been longer in space than any other American. She's commanded the space station twice. She's done 10 spacewalks and she's been the chief astronaut for Nasa. She's a tour de force. She's a good friend. She's a great person. Do you have a party trick? I'm a musician, I play guitar and sing – and I have the type of head that remembers lyrics. So my party trick is that I have probably 500 songs that I can play at any moment and know every single word and every single chord all the way from the start to the finish. It's just the way my brain works. It's kind of silly but it's really fun to be a human jukebox and have people say, 'Hey, can you play that song?' When I'm on stage in Australia, I'll have a guitar and I'll play a few songs. What's the worst space chore? Fixing the toilet. They break all the time. Being elbows deep in a toilet anywhere is no fun – it's even worse when it's weightless. And the trouble with our toilets is they have really nasty, poisonous chemicals and filters in them to try and process what's going through so that we can turn our urine and sweat back into drinking water, because we recycle about 93-94% of the water on board. Related: The Superjesus' Sarah McLeod: 'Everyone should have a nemesis' What's the best lesson you learned from someone you've worked with? We were in the space shuttle simulator [with commander Kent Vernon 'Rommel' Rominger] and one of the crew members, Scott, had this cool and exciting idea. He came ripping up to the cockpit and plunked his laptop down to show him the solution to the problem and he knocked over Rommel's can of Coke – it flipped upside down and started emptying itself into all of his checklists. Rommel turned the can right side up and didn't say a thing. What this guy had come up with would be hugely important in the success of our mission. A little Coke spilled is unimportant – you can get more checklists. The natural reaction would have been, 'What the heck are you doing? Don't be so clumsy and look at the mess you made.' Instead, Rommel was like, 'Who cares? What I don't want Scott to think about next time he's got a great idea is, 'Oh, I gotta be careful I don't spill the commander's Coke.'' He should be excited about new ideas. And so, for me, it was a really great study of leadership. What song do you want played at your funeral? Danny Boy. It's a lovely reversal of how people normally look at death and who's grieving and why, and how you anticipate the grieving of death. It is an exquisitely and hauntingly beautiful song, and it's worth knowing the lyrics. Chris Hadfield's Journey to The Cosmos is touring Australia: Perth (27 June), Sydney (28 June), Brisbane (29 June), Melbourne (1 July) and Adelaide (3 July)
Scotsman
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Scotsman
Unmissable shows at Gilded Balloon's 40th Fringe
Continuing on from my last column, I'm delighted to give you another rundown of some of the unmissable shows taking place at Gilded Balloon's 40th Anniversary Fringe. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... First up, 30 years after their last appearance at the Gilded Balloon, we have the return of the Oblivion Boys and Gayle Tuesday. Steve Frost and Mark Arden were an '80s double act who performed in The Young Ones, Blackadder and were the boys who caused havoc in Channel 4's The Tube. You may also recognise them from their hilarious Carling Black Label ads, in my opinion some of the funniest TV ads from the 80s! I can't wait to see them treading the boards once more. QI panellist, comedian and Jonathan Creek star Alan Davies, is back with his new show, Think Ahead Another familiar face making a welcome return is QI panellist, comedian and Jonathan Creek star Alan Davies, back with his new show, Think Ahead. After making his first fresh-faced appearance at the Gilded Balloon in 1994, he's back after a 10-year break with his new show. Also, impressionists Ronni Ancona and Hal Cruttenden will join forces for their parody podcast, In Pieces, where they seek help from celebrity guests dealing with performance chitters. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Comedian and actress Rosie O'Donnell, 11-time Tony and Emmy award winner and American talk show host, is making her Edinburgh Fringe debut after recently relocating to Ireland. Her new show, Here & Now, reflects on her life and extraordinary career, with Rosie's signature blend of heart, humour and honesty, this is a rare chance to see one of America's biggest TV stars in a Fringe setting. We also have another star returning in Aunt Hilda herself, Canadian-born comedian Caroline Rhea of Sabrina the Teenage witch and Pineas and Ferb fame. Caroline is a close friend and very much one of the Gilded Balloon family. She's a class act and loves Scotland – so much that she popped over for a Scottish tour last year. She has been working as a stand-up comedian for over 35 years and has some very funny showbiz stories to tell. There's a hub of Scottish stories in our 40th programme, including the incredible acting of Gail Watson in Ian Pattison's Faye's Red Lines. It received rave reviews from its run at Oran Mor earlier this year. Gail appeared in last year's Chemo Savvy and is part of BBC TV's River City, and we're so excited to have her with us as the star of this incredible piece of writing. Mary, A Gig theatre show uses original music and spoken word in this feminist retelling of Mary Queen of Scots' iconic story. F Bomb Theatre also return with a new autobiographical show telling a heartfelt, hopeful and immersive story about the turbulent journey of experiencing pregnancy loss as a young queer person. And there is so much more – head to our website and come and see some incredible entertainment at the Gilded Balloon this year.
ABC News
02-05-2025
- Entertainment
- ABC News
Comedian Alan Davies says he never remembers the facts from QI
British comedian and star of the popular comedy panel show QI Alan Davies says he struggles to remember any of the facts from the series. Davies has been a staple on the long-running BBC quiz show since its launch in 2003, first with original host Stephen Fry, who left in 2016, and now with Sandi Toksvig. Despite being QI's only permanent panellist for more than 20 years, Davies told ABC News Breakfast he "can't remember anything that happens" on the show. "We record early in the year usually, we just recently recorded a batch, and they go out six months later and I don't remember a thing. Literally not a thing. I don't remember anything that has been said. Alan Davies with current QI host Sandi Toksvig, former host Stephen Fry, comedian Johnny Vegas and long-time series producer John Lloyd in 2010. ( Supplied: BBC ) "Sometimes I watch it and someone says something and I'm sitting on my sofa at home and I think what I would say, and the person on screen does say it. So that is weird. "My brain is quite limited which has made it easy for them to catch me out over the years." Davies, who also starred in the BBC mystery drama series Jonathan Creek, is returning to Australia in November and December for the first time in a decade with his new stand-up comedy show, Think Ahead. He says he's looking forward to coming back, describing Australian audiences as a "little bit louder" than British audiences. "I had some terrific shows on my previous tours," he says. "I am 60 in 2026 and the show is called Think Ahead because you have to do that at this moment. Alan Davies will tour his brand-new stand-up show, Think Ahead, across Australia later this year. ( Supplied ) "When I started in stand-up, I didn't look further than three months ahead because that was how far ahead the comedy clubs would book you. "So I am thinking ahead all the time and now that's fed its way into my act. It's a chance for me to let the little middle aged man scream." COVID-19 'catastrophic' for comedians Davies, who started performing stand-up comedy in 1988, says he is still capable of feeling nervous before a show, especially if he hasn't been in front of a live audience in a while. "Getting onto the stage is the thing. Then it just comes back like a muscle memory, it is the most fun for me. "I have been gigging all the time, apart from during COVID which was awful for our profession, it was catastrophic, with all the live venues shut down. "This is the first tour since COVID. Theatres are packed again and I love being face-to-face with the audience, it's the best thing. So I have been gigging, just not touring. "Apart from COVID, having a third child really impacted on my tour time." Loading YouTube content Davies says putting together a new stand-up show is like "panning for gold". "I just sort of jot things down, things I've heard, things I've thought of, start doing a few gigs and stuff starts to come up. "I have got some funny things to say when I come." Davies's tour will mean he's in Australia for Christmas this year. He says he'll be joined by his wife, Katie, and his three children. "I am looking forward to doing all the work and then putting it down and having a great Christmas in New South Wales." Think Ahead will be touring across Perth, Adelaide, Melbourne, Hobart, Newcastle, Toowoomba, Caloundra, Brisbane, Canberra, Thirroul and Sydney in November and December.
The Herald Scotland
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Herald Scotland
Rosie O'Donnell among headline acts at Gilded Balloon celebrations
It is her first ever Edinburgh Fringe show and comes after she swapped America for a new home in Ireland in protest against Donald Trump's election as president of the United States. And she said: 'I'm beyond excited for my first Fringe Festival! I'm thankful to be a part of this historic gathering of artists of all shapes and sizes - I'm so happy to be included and hope you can stop by and say hello.' She'll be joined by other top comedians such as Alan Davies, Fred MacAulay and Smack the Pony over the course of the festival. It is a venue that will see some huge names in August that also includes a Donald Trump musical parody. Read More Karen and Katy Koren, Artistic Directors of Gilded Balloon said, 'We can't believe it's been 40 years since Gilded Balloon first presented shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, from small beginnings in the Cowgate. 'We're so proud to still be working with some of the most exciting acts in the country at the world's biggest arts festival. To mark our 40th anniversary, we've revisited our archive to revive iconic shows like Women in Comedy, and invite back some of Gilded's closest friends and success stories like Alan Davies and Jenny Eclair, as well as a Fringe debut for the inimitable Rosie O'Donnell. 'We're thrilled to throw back to the heyday of British sketch comedy with the likes of Smack the Pony and Oblivion Boys joining us and as always, our programme will showcase some of the very best rising talent in comedy as well as hard-hitting theatre and fantastic musicals. We look forward to celebrating 40 years of wonderful talent this summer.' Alan Davies added: 'The Gilded Balloon is my home from home at the Fringe so I'm delighted to be in their programme for my first Fringe show since their 30th anniversary in 2015. 'I never come to the festival without seeing something or doing something at Gilded Balloon - it's an incredible achievement to run so many venues for so many decades while still championing the quirky, risky, bonkers Fringe shows we all love.' Hit BBC news podcast Newscast will make its Gilded Balloon debut with host Adam Fleming discussing the news of the day with Adam Fleming. The programme of shows also includes a host of rising Scottish talent with debut solo shows from Amanda Hursy and Hannah Morton, as well as hard-hitting theatre from Tatty Pants with 24Weeks, which explores a UK transformed by anti-abortion politics. The Smack the Pony reunion will see Doon Mackichan, Fiona Allen and Sally Phillips get back together and they cannot wait to get on stage. The trio said: "This is slightly surreal because it's 24 years since we finished - we're not old comedy, we now qualify as vintage, which is cool. Is it?' "Because we always talk sketch ideas when we get together, on some level it's almost as if Smack the Pony never really stopped - that it just kept going in some parallel universe. So it feels like Gilded Balloon is some kind of portal and we'll be popping into catch up with Series 26. We're very grateful to have this chance to hang out and take the piss out of ourselves again - we've missed it!"
