Sunday with Marcus Brigstocke: ‘Nothing beats watching an old musical’
Up early? My wife [comedian Rachel Parris] and I had a baby just over a year ago. The baby wakes before 7am, so we’re early risers.
Sunday brekkie? I’m doing the 16-hour fast thing. You eat for eight hours – as far as I can tell, nonstop – then you don’t for 16. I’m skipping one of my three favourite meals.
Sunday lunch? Ideally we go to our local café, Milk in Balham, and have the Sweet Maria – sweetcorn fritters with halloumi and this crazy, mustardy, tomatoey, spicy chilli sauce. Absolutely delicious, and incredibly good coffee.
Sunday telly? We’re prolific telly watchers. If the baby goes down for his nap, we’ll grab an episode of Happy Valley, Funny Woman or The Last of Us.
Sunday exercise? I like the parks, but road walking in London – going somewhere you don’t know, seeing what you see and peering at strangers’ houses – makes me very happy.
Sunday housework? We both think we reorganise the dishwasher. I’ve quietly thought: ‘I love my wife, but she loads it like she’s fallen over holding a tray of plates.’ She says she’s the one who reorganises the dishwasher. A third person must be coming in and fucking it up.
Sunday evening? If it’s cold, wet or rainy, there’s nothing better than curling up with a crappy old musical, like Seven Brides for Seven Brothers or Oklahoma!
Sundays growing up? We had a gathering of the Brigstocke family recently. There were nearly 60 of us. We’re a big old family – prolific breeders. My sister, brother and I would expect 10 or more to come and have a big old Sunday roast that would last all the way through the afternoon.
Love or dread Mondays? As a comedian, the weekend is often the busiest. Monday is your day off. My best friend and I will grab the baby, walk to the tractors on Clapham Common and chat about music, film, politics and telly, have a coffee and go our separate ways. Mondays are good – a lot like some people’s Sundays, really.
Marcus Brigstocke is on tour now and plays the Henley Festival in July (henley-festival.co.uk)
