If you put nice out into the world, you are likely to get nice back – so says the creator of hit TV shows Everybody Loves Raymond and Somebody Feed Phil.
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00:00Good afternoon, my name is Phil Hewitt, Group Answer Editor at Sussex Newspapers, lovely
00:06to speak in Los Angeles of all places to Phil Rosenthal, Phil of Somebody Feed Phil fame.
00:13Now as a Phil myself, I'm all in favour of somebody feeding Phil, and I'm bringing the
00:19show, you're talking about it, in an audience with format in Brighton before too long, and
00:25goodness, you were saying just now that it's all about putting nice out in the world and
00:30nice comes back to you, is that, that's the essence of the show then is it?
00:35I think so, that's not just the essence of the show, it's how I try to live my life.
00:40I just find, you know, if you say hello to someone on the street in your neighbourhood,
00:47you're already making the world a tiny bit better. I also find that quite selfishly,
00:53and this has been studied, people who smile and say hello to a stranger on the street
00:59are happier people. It makes you happy, even if you get nothing in return. That attitude
01:05of just saying hi.
01:08It's just the lift, isn't it?
01:10It's just, it changes your perspective on life. Oh, here's not someone I need to be
01:15afraid of or shun or can't be bothered with, here's someone I'm actually saying hi to.
01:22Just that adjustment in your head makes you happier.
01:26And the show is about food and travel, but clearly the food is the oil that greases the
01:31wheels that makes us nicer, isn't it?
01:33The food and my stupid sense of humour is just there to get you the real message, which
01:38is that the world might be better if we all could experience a little bit of other people's
01:43experiences.
01:44So it must be very gratifying then, if that's the basis that the show has been such a huge
01:50success, doesn't it? What does that say about human nature?
01:53It's encouraging, isn't it? Not just for me professionally, but for people in general.
02:01We need a little bit of escape from the news and hopefully this show gives you a little
02:08bit of that, hopefully with laughs too.
02:11Absolutely. Now, in the format you're bringing to the UK, Brighton in particular, it's behind
02:17the scenes stories from the show, but it's also a question and answer.
02:20And you love doing this, don't you? Why do you love it?
02:23I love it because that's where I get to connect with the people.
02:27And that's what the show's about and what I'm about.
02:31It's my favourite thing in life is to meet new people and connect with them and see the
02:35similarities that we have, which are far greater than our differences.
02:39And I do tell my hopefully funny stories on stage, but then the second half of the show
02:45is all Q&A with the audience.
02:47And that is literally my favourite part.
02:49It's different every night.
02:51And it's life.
02:54For me, it's life.
02:55It's life-giving, in fact.
02:57Well, congratulations.
02:59Have a safe trip over here and enjoy the tour.
03:01Really lovely to meet you.
03:02I hope to meet you.
03:04Come to the show and say hi after, will you?
03:06I will certainly try to be there.
03:08Lovely to see you.
03:09I would love that.
03:10Okay.
03:11Bye, Bill.