S2 EP4: Tracey Ullman on finding fame in the US, her relationship with The Simpsons, and clubbing with Prince

The Louis Theroux Podcast

Spotify Studios

Comedy, Society & Culture, Arts

4.3 • 696 Ratings

🗓️ 13 February 2024

⏱️ 78 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

In this episode, Louis is joined in the studio by iconic character actor and comedian, Tracey Ullman. Tracey talks about how she found fame in the US, her relationship with The Simpsons, and a surreal night spent at an East Berlin nightclub with Prince. Warnings: Strong language Links/Attachments: Germaine Greer sketch - ‘Tracey Ullman’s Show’ (2016-2018) on BBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tzYi1TkIxaY Jeremy Corbyn sketch – ‘Tracey Ullman Breaks The News’ (2017-2018) on BBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GOhu9wYo-iI ‘Seven Up!’ (1964) – Granada Television https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAsL8nriAOs ‘Tracey Ullman’s Class Act’ (1993) – ITV https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FPpQWjWApWs ‘Three of a Kind’ (1984) – BBC Video compilation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uXIDEWicubQ Tracey Ullman as Renee Zellweger as JK Rowling – ‘Tracey Ullman’s State of the Union’ (2008-2010) on Showtime https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z3YWN8sXFlU The Simpsons on ‘The Tracey Ullman Show’ – Fox https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nekvVuoiTyA Chic, a Middle Eastern character on ‘Tracey Takes On…’ (1996-1999) – HBO https://youtu.be/SxVRDOf9Bwg?feature=shared&t=114 Mrs. Noh Nang Ning, an Asian character on ‘Tracey Takes On…’ (1996-1999) – HBO https://youtu.be/SxVRDOf9Bwg?feature=shared&t=418 Sheneesha Turner, an African-American character on ‘Tracey Takes On…’ (1996-1999) – HBO https://youtu.be/EyYskzH-iU8?feature=shared&t=1307 ‘When Louis Met…Jimmy Savile’ (2000) – BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/p0g3zjn9/when-louis-met-series-1-jimmy-savile (UK only) ‘Louis Theroux: Savile’ (2016) – BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b07yc9zh/louis-theroux-specials-savile (UK only) Black pastor character in ‘Little Britain’ (2003-2006) – BBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6BzBntT_w8 ‘A Christian’s job interview’ on ‘Tracey Ullman’s Show’ – BBC https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B_jzDGv0KKw ‘Louis Theroux’s Forbidden America: Extreme and Online’ – BBC https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m0014khc/louis-therouxs-forbidden-america-series-1-1-extreme-and-online (UK only) ‘I’ll Do Anything’ (1994) – Trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4UUAeof5Go Prince – I’ll Do Anything (Demo) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CfYj9vjNxcg Credits: Producer: Millie Chu Assistant Producer: Maan Al-Yasiri Production Manager: Francesca Bassett Music: Miguel D’Oliveira Executive Producer: Arron Fellows A Mindhouse Production for Spotify www.mindhouse.co.uk Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Okay, now we're doing this. You ready? Calm down.
0:09.0	Hello, Louis Theroux here. Welcome to the latest episode of my Spotify podcast, the Louis Theru podcast. Featuring Tracy Allman,
0:29.7	actress, singer, comedian, writer, producer, director, comedy, ledge.
0:35.3	And someone who I grew up with, you you know it's always slightly different when I'm
0:40.2	talking to someone who was a star when I was in my early teens to mid-teens and and the feeling of
0:46.7	like the doubling effect on me like I'm in here in the in the room as a 53 year old man but also
0:52.3	as a child thinking like how weird but also as a child thinking, like, how weird, like,
0:55.6	that after all these years, this person I saw as someone untouchable, someone incredible,
1:03.4	someone on my TV screen that now I'm just jaw-boning with in the flesh. And it feels,
1:10.6	I guess, quite special because of that.
1:13.4	She was the first British woman to be offered her own sketch show in both the US and the UK.
1:19.3	And her, the programs she's put out over the years, well, speak for themselves.
1:25.1	Although, sadly, they're quite hard to find. She owns most of them
1:28.7	and has chosen or for whatever reason. Many of them, especially the American ones, you can't
1:36.4	easily get to or buy. But a lot of the old British ones are on YouTube. A kick-up the 80s,
1:42.0	three of a kind, which she made with Lenny Henry and David Copperfield,
1:45.4	not the magician or the Dickens character. Basically, anyone in 80s comedy she would have worked with.
1:53.4	And as we go, I try and contextualize for those who are too young to know who some of those people were.
2:03.4	All of that would kind of be enough,
2:09.6	I suppose, like that kind of foundational status in the UK comedy scene. But then she moved to America with her TV producer husband, Alan McEwan, who had produced Alveda Zane Pet and Shine on
2:15.5	Harvey Moon and many other great comedies, sitcoms.
2:20.3	And she created the Tracy Allman Show under the egos of the legendary James L. Brooks.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Spotify Studios, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Spotify Studios and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.