There are some big fans of ‘Come Dine With Me‘ here at Justgiving, so we were pretty excited when Dave Lamb, who does the funny voice over for the show, got in touch last week to let us know he’s running this year’s London Marathon.
He was good enough to answer some questions for us – you’ll find a few interesting insights into the show and his own private marathon voiceover…
Do you write the ‘Come Dine With Me’ voiceover yourself? How much do you ad-lib?
The Come Dine With Me scripts are written by the producer/directors of the program. I go in and read them to the television pictures. I don’t see them in advance and I never know what is going to happen. I also improvise quite a lot and they leave most of the improvisations in. They also have to edit quite a lot of the sweary, libellous ones out.
Have any of the contestants ever complained about your comments?
As far as I’m aware, no-one has complained about anything I’ve said, but maybe that’s the kind of thing the producers would protect me from.
How are your own dinner party skills and would you take part in a celebrity version?
I am utterly hopeless in the kitchen and would never take part in the celebrity version of the show. Having to take the mickey out of myself would make me feel slightly uncomfortable.
Is there any program that you would love to do the voice over for?
I want to do the Eurovision Song Contest, now that the great Terry Wogan has moved on. There, I’ve said it.
Will you be doing your own voiceover in your head for the marathon? What would you say?
I will almost certainly be commentating on my marathon run all the way round. Ever since I was a child I have commentated in my head on everything I do. I’m not about to stop now, when it could actually do me some good. I will probably be saying things like “There goes Lamb, still looking fresh, but being passed by what appears to be a giant rhinocerous.”
What inspired you to run the marathon?
Two things: I became a father for the first time at forty this year and I figure that if I am going to enjoy being a new dad I need to be fit. And secondly it is a great opportunity to make some money for a very worthy cause.
Are you running for anyone in particular?
I am running for the NSPCC.
Can you tell us more about your charity?
Specifically for their Childs Voice Appeal which aims to guarantee that a trained counsellor will be on the end of a phone 24/7 once a child has plucked up the enormous amount of courage it takes to ask for help.
How’s your training going?
My training has been absolutely hellish, but there are encouraging signs recently that it might not be quite as impossible to get round as it has seemed. I did the Sussex Beacon half marathon in 2 hours 15 mins, and have since run for 2 and a half hours without stopping. I want to break five hours on the day.
What are you looking forward to/not looking forward to about the race?
I am looking forward to all the free lucozade on the way round. I am not looking forward to getting caught short and having to do a Paula Radcliffe on Tower Bridge in front of thousands.
Have you got any good fundraising tips to pass on?
My big tip is this: Tell everyone you know that you’re doing the race. Leave no-one out. And then tell them that everyone else has paid up.
Where can people sponsor you?
You can sponsor me at www.justgiving.com/davelamb1 … everyone else has!
Thanks for talking to us Dave – we’ll be sure to look out for you on marathon day and wave.
Good luck breaking 5 hours and 5k!
Tags: celebrity, Channel 4, come dine with me, dave lamb, voice over
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