Johnny Vegas has revealed the unexpected journey of his show on This Morning.
Comedian and actor Johnny Vegas joined hosts Josie Gibson and Dermot O’Leary on This Morning today, opening up about his deep-seated love for camping, the challenges of restoration, and shared a brief health update.
Discussing the surprising renewal of his show, Johnny Vegas: Carry on Glamping, Johnny humorously reflected: “I thought we were done. It was a mid-life crisis that turned into a TV show! For me [I thought] the journey of it was over, and it was [initially] a joke that I wanted a helicopter next… and then we were up and running [again]!”
Johnny also touched upon the hurdles he faced in expanding the original site due to planning restrictions, leading him to search for new land.
He candidly confessed: “We couldn’t expand [the original site] because of planning permission and suddenly we were looking for new land… I just couldn’t help myself. It’s like a sickness!”
He delved into the origins of his camping fascination, which started with a campervan he used for writing retreats. The story turned poignant as he revealed his late father’s unrealised dream of owning a campervan, which influenced his decision to embrace this lifestyle.
After his campervan was stolen, Johnny decided to honour his father’s memory in a grand manner. “Then my campervan got stolen and if I’m going to replace it, almost in memory of my dad, then I’m really going to do it in style. Then got drunk, went online and bought a Maltese bus when I could’ve bought something in the UK… and I bought something that we almost had to rebuild from the chassi up! But this thing of rescuing vehicles is lovely.”
When discussing his working relationship with Bev, his assistant featured in the series, Johnny shared: “She’s better than me in every way – she’s organised, she’s driven. She runs my life! Do we have arguments? This series I was on site a lot more and a lot more hands on and we had our moments…”
He also opened up about his recent ADHD diagnosis, describing how it impacts his interactions and decision-making processes. “I’d gone through the process of having ADHD – I’ve had the diagnosis – and there were times I went ‘Bev, you’ve asked me 15 questions in the space of ten seconds’ and my brain just locks.
“She’s super organised, and I can take three days to decide if I want porridge or toast! So was it hard to pick the new site to relocate? Yes, that was hard. And that was almost my giving up point. Everytime we found somewhere, you have to learn that as much as my heart wants to say ‘yes’, the practicalities do kick in, but I was astounded when Melbourne Hall reached out to us. It’s a beautiful setting.”
This Morning airs weekdays from 10am on ITV1 & ITVX
