Comedian Tim Minchin talks us through his guide to London, from eating at La Barca to exploring Highgate Woods.
Home is …
Currently Sydney. We were in London for the period we had babies. We moved to Crouch End when my wife was six months pregnant because my career and the foetus took off at the same time. Then we had another kid and lived here for eight years and it was absolutely my favourite place. But we’re both from Perth in Western Australia and we were aware we were going to get stuck in London and all our relationships were here and our kids were not going to want to leave. So I got a job in LA and we tore the plaster off and just left. That was horrible. We lived in LA for four years and now we’ve been in Sydney for seven.
Where do you stay in London?
That’s a good question. Have you got a spare room? It costs you £400 a night to stay somewhere nice in central London. So, I don’t know. I do stay at Soho House in White City and it is an amazing place. I love the era of architecture and I love the gym. I stay in Dean Street a lot. I love being near the Cambridge Theatre, where Matilda the Musical, which I wrote the lyrics and music for, is staged. So Covent Garden Hotel, all those Firmdale hotels. But I would love it if there were some nicer hotels in the north. I’d love to be closer to my friends in Crouch End.
Where was your first flat in the city?
We lived in Nightingale Lane on the other side of Hornsey High Street. The baby was in the box room with wind coming up through the floorboards because it wasn’t really sealed and I wrote in the attic. At some point we heard the owners wanted to sell and I went, “I think we can buy it.” And so we bought it. What an amazing feeling that was.
London’s my favourite place in the world. It changed my life and it’s where my babies were born
What was your first job?
When I won the Perrier Prize at Edinburgh and moved to London, I did a few corporate gigs. It was very fast. I didn’t do a normal comedy thing. I just went solo touring. I started doing art centres and they sold out and then I did theatres and they sold out. So I didn’t have a job. Not a real job.
Where would you recommend for a first date?
Where would I go on a first date if I was me? If I was a 50-year-old reasonably well-known cabaret artist? If I’m going out at the weekend, I try to go places where I won’t get hassled, so I’d go to Groucho or Soho House.
What’s the best meal you’ve had?
I’ve eaten so much good food in London. Do you know what I like? It’s La Barca on the South Bank. It’s an Italian with white tablecloths and grumpy Italian waiters who look like they’d rather you weren’t there at all. And the food comes fast and is good and it’s a five-minute walk from the Old Vic. That’s why I like it.
Who is the most iconic Londoner?
I’d say David Attenborough is maybe an iconic Londoner, but that’s just because I like David Attenborough. Matilda’s my iconic Londoner. A silhouette of a little six-year-old standing above Seven Dials with her hand on her hip. It’s still absolutely amazing seeing her there. It’s hard to explain when you come from playing in cover bands and it’s self-taught and doing youth theatre and stuff. It’s just a long way from my wildest of dreams. I’m so proud of it.
Where do you go and what do you do to have fun?
When I am away from my family and I just want to see a friend, I go to a show, or go and see a play. I will always get to the Old Vic and see whatever is on there because I’m involved with that theatre. I’ll go see Matilda. When I’m in London on my own I just see shows. I think I’m going to see Abba Voyage next.
Who do you call when you want to have fun?
When I land I go straight to my friends’ houses. I don’t like giving people lots of notice because it implies you expect them to change their lives. So I don’t say I’m arriving in London, I’ll go, “I’m at Heathrow, can I come round?” And I often arrive at 5.30am and need someone to hang out with for a while. I’ve never had loads of industry friends except my co-creatives. I won’t name them because they’re muggles but they’re people who are theatre directors and in the industry. Mark Watson is the only comedian friend I always want to see. He’s like a nutty professor.
What’s your London secret?
London’s my favourite place in the world. It changed my life and it’s where my babies were born and I could wax lyrical on running through Alexandra Palace on the Capital Ring, along the disused railway to Highgate Woods. I’ve written songs about it: Summer Romance is a whole song about summer coming to London and it talks about running to Highgate.
How far you can run without crossing a road? You can’t do that in New York or Sydney. It’s ancient forest as well. In summer it’s just the most gorgeous thing. When we had our daughter, Violet, and we were finding it a bit tough early on, that farmers’ market at Ally Pally was great as well — on Sunday mornings we’d go and chat to people and that was huge for us.
As told to Vicky Jessop
