Alex Brooker on singing opera live for Comic Relief: ‘I’m a chav – why have they asked me to do this?’

The comedian, 36, on chav opera, his mum’s Twitter and not wanting to ruin ‘the most important Comic Relief’.

When Comic Relief asked Jennifer Saunders to sing opera for Red Nose Day she told them not to be ridiculous. What was your reaction when you got the call?

I had two thoughts. First of all, have they ever seen me sing on The Last Leg? And if they have, I don’t know why this call is coming in. Second, there’s nothing about my persona that says opera. I’m a chav. There was one moment where I thought they had mistaken me for Lloyd Griffith, who’s another comedian with a beard. Lloyd is on Soccer AM and was a choirboy.

So did you think of turning them down?

I had to make it clear to them. I said, ‘You don’t think I’m good already, do you?’ My karaoke song is Regulate by Warren G. Then I thought to myself that I’ve had a year of lockdown and people have been learning new skills like baking banana bread. I couldn’t have given less of a s*** about banana bread. I’ve not bettered myself in any way. So I thought, wouldn’t it be nice to say I waited right till the end of lockdown? I left it, like homework, right till the last minute and then I came out and learned how to do a bit of opera.

How was your singing assessment?

They were like, ‘Well, you’ve got the big chest and the big neck to make that sound.’ Basically, they were telling me I was fat enough to be an opera singer.

And, what’s more, you’re going to be doing it live on Friday night!

Yeah, course it’s live. I thought, ‘That’s the sort of thing they’ll pre-record.’ But why would it be easy? It wouldn’t make for good television. I do live every Friday on The Last Leg but I’m never expected to be any good at the singing on that. But I try really hard once I get my teeth into something. It’s like when I did Sink Or Swim.

What is it about Lake Windermere? You and presenter Davina McCall came a cropper there…

You don’t get up and think, ‘Hopefully by four o’clock I’ll be crying and holding on to a kayak.’ Hopefully, this Comic Relief challenge won’t end up with me crying and holding on to Jennifer Saunders because that would be very embarrassing and break coronavirus rules.

Comic Relief co-founder Richard Curtis has described this Red Nose Day as the most important ever…

Jesus, I didn’t know he’d said that.

Don’t worry, he’s not putting it all on you.

Wow. That is a bit of pressure. I don’t think anyone will be saying, ‘I hope Alex Brooker brings out an album after this.’ I’m not using Comic Relief to launch my own singing career. I just don’t want to be the ones that ballses it up.

A Comic Relief survey has revealed that the average adult has spent less than two hours laughing in the last year…

It’s been a horrendous year. I’ve felt very fortunate. That first lockdown series we did of The Last Leg after we’d had a few months off, to go back to work and spend an hour on the Friday laughing with my fellow presenters Adam Hills, Josh Widdicombe — I cannot tell you how much that did for my mental health. I’ve spent a lot of time with my kids this year and it’s been hard at times. The first day I was looking after mine and I was like, ‘Do you just want to draw on my face or something? Because I’ve run out of ideas.’ But I’ve laughed every day with them.

You did your Disability And Me documentary last year. Were you pleased with it?

It was intensely personal and it was hard to do. I think people liked it because it was real, especially the stuff with my mum. She really enjoyed her bit of fame on Twitter and stuff like that. I have to keep telling her to not answer people back if there’s any criticism.

Does she like to steam in?

She’s like a little Rottweiler. I’m just going about my day and then I see my mum has called someone an arsehole on social media. I get it but this is Twitter. No one wins out of that game. I realised that very early on in my TV career. And don’t put ‘Alex’s mum’ in your bio.

So what are your plans after Comic Relief?

I’ve got it all planned out. Alex Brooker Sings The Classics — all your big ones, your Mozart, your Bach. Just me on the front sleeve in a tracksuit and a pair of Reebok Classics. Hopefully, The Last Leg will do the Paralympics in September but the first thing on my mind is not to ruin Comic Relief. Not to have Richard Curtis go, ‘We did make it clear this was the most important one but somehow Brooker’s managed to f*** up the last 35 years of great work we’ve done.’ Hopefully, I can contribute to what will be another amazing night.

Comic Relief airs on BBC1 from 7pm on Friday

MORE : Comic Relief 2021: Where to buy red noses and t-shirts

MORE : Justin Bieber and Gabrielle performing on Comic Relief 2021 with full line-up revealed