Top Gear host Matt LeBlanc: I still watch Friends with my daughter
The comedy star reveals his TV loves and hates, and also talks about the differences working in the UK compared to the US
Tell us about your TV set…
I have four televisions in my house in LA. In my lounge, I have a 65-inch screen, which could be bigger. I have a 90-inch television at my ranch. That’s cool, but only because the prices have come down a lot. Televisions are cheap now.
What’s your sofa like?
It’s huge, dark red, suede and down-stuffed. I love it. If you fall asleep watching TV on this sofa, your back doesn’t hurt when you wake up. That was the objective. There’s not much else in the room.
You’ve got a monster TV and a comfy sofa – so what are you watching at the moment?
I don’t watch any shows religiously. I tend to watch television that you can jump in and out of quickly. I tend to find myself watching documentaries. If there’s a silly show about the search for Big Foot, I’ll take a look. And I like fun shows about extraterrestrial life, like Ancient Aliens.
Who is your perfect TV companion?
I love to spend time with my daughter. She’s 12 years old, so we don’t have the same taste in shows – I want to catch up on the news in the mornings, while she wants to watch My Little Pony.
Do you watch Friends together?
Sure. It’s still on all the time, so we’ll stop and watch it if we’re channel surfing and it pops up. She loves to ask me questions about it. She’ll say: “Was that real? Did you really eat that? What did that taste like? Ooh, you ate that off the floor? That’s gross! You’re so funny, Dad.” It’s fun to sit and watch it with her. She used to call it The Joey Tribbiani Show – but now she knows to call it Friends.
Between Episodes and Top Gear you’ve been working in the UK a lot. Any drawbacks?
The food. I’m sure this is no secret, but people often comment that the food in the States is much better than the food in the UK. However, they get a lot more work done in the UK on any given day because nobody sits around eating all day. It’s a catch-22 situation.
How do British shows compare to American shows?
English humour is more subtle than American humour. American comedy often assumes the audience is unintelligent and we really have to spell things out.
Do you keep up on politics at home while travelling?
I try not to, but I’ve noticed that our President doesn’t have a lot of fans in the UK. Anyway, nobody really cares about my opinion, so I keep it to myself. It keeps me out of trouble.
Top Gear is on Sunday at 8pm on BBC2
