Interview: Rufus Jones

Interview: Rufus Jones

28 February, 2011
by: Emma

Emma McAlpine chats to Rufus Jones, one half of the two-man character act No Son of Mine.

I reviewed about twenty Edinburgh shows last year and out of those twenty, only three really blew me away. One was Josie Long’s ode to breakfasts, one was interactive mime act Boy With Tape on His Face and the other was a two-man character show No Son of Mine.

No Son of Mine was in fact the first show I went to: a preview in a tiny little room in the Pleasance Baby Grand with about fifteen people in the audience. It was a comedy playlet of sorts, about a dysfunctional relationship between a father and his son. Alex Kirk (Katy Brand’s Big Ass Show, Two Pints of Lager and a Packet of Crisps) played Don Hazeley, a proud car salesman from Grimsby and Rufus Jones (of Perrier-award nominated sketch group Dutch Elm Conservatoire) was his son Dennis; an actor desperately trying to make his mark and distance himself as much as possible from his cringe-worthy father.

The opening scene where Dennis stars in a self-written play called Afghan Hounds (based on gay love in Afghanistan) was brilliantly satirical, the kind of show you could actually imagine seeing in your Fringe programme, right next to Dark Side of the Poon (which was actually in the programme). From there it just got better and better with alpha male Don entering the picture and causing as much embarrassment as possible to his effeminate son. It managed to be both funny and touching and had a tightly-written script, with plenty of dynamite lines. Both Kirk and Jones played their characters so well you'd have trouble imagining them in any other role. It may have had a small audience on its preview day but attendance grew rapidly throughout the festival, as did the gushing reviews.

As the show is back in London this week, I thought it a good opportunity to catch up with Jones (the show's writer) and find out a little bit more about his cult hit...

Have you known Alex Kirk long? Did you write the show with him in mind?

Al and I met about six years ago on a Channel 4 comedy pilot and we had lots of mutual friends. I'd had an idea for a father/son double act and so approached him probably in 2008 or so. We did a few 10 minute sketch slots which went preposterously well and the Edinburgh show grew out of that. Not only is he kind of believable as my dad but he's one of the funniest people I know so it was, as the Americans say in that accent of theirs, a ‘no-brainer’.

It's been a few years since you last performed at the Fringe - was it good to be back?

Yeah, we had a ball. I was nominated for the Perrier back in 2005 with the Dutch Elm Conservatoire, and those few years were a steep learning curve and quite stressful. Fun but stressful. I hadn't been back since 2006, so the plan was just to enjoy the show, which sounds tediously trite, but it's important. We were really proud of it and audiences backed it. It's been my most delightful comedy experience. I think Alex feels the same.

Were you expecting the show to be such a hit after previewing it in London?

We had the usual collection of previews in London. Some humdingers, and some where the three members of the audience decide to play Angry Birds instead. Previewing is a delicate mix of making changes but not getting so disheartened you scrap the whole thing. But we had some really good people overseeing it, like our brilliant director Ed Curtis and Dan Skinner, a pal from Dutch Elm who is now Angelos Epithemiou. You need to take advice from close friends and hold your nerve. As for Edinburgh, well we knew the show had 250 jokes and a heart. When you have those, you have a chance.

Are there any plans to develop it further?

We're working with a lovely production company to push it onto your telly, so fingers crossed it'll go somewhere. In the meantime we really want to keep gigging and may even do another Edinburgh with the same characters. It's a really special dynamic and just a bit of a pleasure really.

'Afghan Hounds' was quite a believable Fringe play! Have you seen any that came close to it in terms of absurdity?

Nothing quite as extreme as Afghan Hounds. Though someone told me about a production of Oliver! up in Edinburgh in 2010 that was set in a concentration camp. It was a school production as well!

What other projects are you and Alex working on at the moment?

I'm just starting the second series of Mongrels, which is an obscene puppet show on BBC3 in which I voice Nelson, the metrosexual fox. I actually owe getting that to No Son Of Mine, as Nelson is a vulpine version of Dennis Hazeley. And Alex is just starting filming on Mount Pleasant, a big new comedy drama for Sky1. Apart from that, I've just finished writing for Angelos Epithemiou who was presenting the NME Awards. Comedy at music awards shows is always tricky, but Angelos tore the roof off. At least we think he did. When Dave Grohl and Roger Daltrey are on the bill you just sort of hear screaming. An extraordinary experience.  

No Son of Mine is at the Leicester Square Theatre from Thursday 3rd-Saturday 5th March.

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