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Beyond Today

Simon Amstell: how do you learn who you are?

Beyond Today

BBC

News

4.61.1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 March 2019

⏱️ 19 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The comedian and director Simon Amstell is a familiar face who a lot of us grew up with. He visited the Beyond Today studio to tell us about his semi-autobiographical film ‘Benjamin’ in which the main character is constantly seeking external validation. We also discussed his fear of intimacy, an imaginary gorilla, and veganism. 'Benjamin' is in cinemas March 15th. Producer: Duncan Barber. Editor: John Shields. Mixed by Nicolas Raufast.

Transcript

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0:00.0

BBC Sounds, music, radio podcasts.

0:04.6

Hello, I'm Tina Deheili and this is Beyond Today, the space to ask one big question

0:11.8

about one big story every day.

0:15.0

Today we're asking, how do you learn who you are.

0:27.0

Are we on now? Is this happening?

0:33.0

Uh, I mean, no, yes. Yes, I mean, we always record everything.

0:37.0

Okay, cool.

0:38.0

I just, so I know how to funny to be.

0:40.0

One of the best things about doing this podcast is that you get the chance to have some

0:44.9

honest conversations with interesting people and you don't get more honest or interesting than

0:51.6

Simon Amstel. He's a comedian and director and a familiar face who a lot of us grew up with.

0:57.5

I worked as a runner on Pop World with him more than a decade ago, although he doesn't seem to remember me.

1:04.0

Simon's just made a semi-autographical film,

1:07.0

which along with therapy and a psychedelic South American drug

1:11.0

has helped him to come to terms with who he really is and deal with his

1:14.7

anxiety and intimacy problems. The film is called Benjamin, it's brilliant and it's out today.

1:21.6

He popped in yesterday to tell us about it. He was very funny and we covered a lot of ground.

1:27.5

Our need for external validation, awkward sex scenes, my womb, an imaginary gorilla, and we even had time for a small diversion

1:37.2

into veganism.

1:39.2

How are you?

1:40.2

Yeah, I'm good, how are you, Tina Deheelie?

1:41.8

Yeah, very good, very good. How are you, Tina Deheelie? Yeah, very good.

...

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