Kids’ TV presenters don’t really get much more iconic than Dick & Dom, whose early-2000s show Da Bungalow inspired a generation to start screaming loudly about snot in inappropriate places.
But bogies aside, the duo – now in their forties – helmed one of children's television’s most brilliantly chaotic, creative and downright bizarre series to date, and millennials up and down the country will be stoked to hear the twosome are taking Da Bungalow on a UK tour this year to mark its 20th anniversary.
LADbible caught up with Dick & Dom (that’s Richard McCourt and Dominic Wood, FYI) to talk tour, saving the world and why litre bottles of vodka are no longer on their rider.
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The BAFTA-winning Dick and Dom in Da Bungalow first aired on CBBC back in August 2002, which, quite frankly, is a hell of a long time ago.
While Dom was certain they’ll have no problems keeping up with the show’s much-loved pandemonium this time around – “We both keep really fit and healthy. We go out running all the time,” he notes – Dick was slightly less assured.
“Ask us in September, we haven't started rehearsals yet,” he quipped.
Da Bungalow tour will kick off this autumn and run until spring 2023, and if the fact they’ve yet to start rehearsals comes as a surprise, it shouldn’t.
“There were never any rehearsals really, it was all off the cuff and ad-libbed, we just got up there and saw what happened,” explains Dick.
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But while age hasn’t dampened their enthusiasm, it’s certainly tamed their backstage antics.
Asked about what items you might expect to see on a Dick & Dom rider, Dick shared: “We actually had to change it about five years ago because we got to a point where we were thinking, we can’t drink that much anymore.
“We used to get like a litre of vodka and have a proper night of it, but we just can’t do it anymore.
“[Now] it’s four bottles of water, four cans of coke zero, some snacks and a couple of beers.”
“It didn’t used to be that, I can tell you,” chimed Dom.
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Onto more important stuff, how exactly did an idea as mad as taking Da Bungalow on tour come about? Dom’ll tell you.
“The initial idea came about a couple of years ago when it was our 25-year anniversary of working together,” he began.
“I said to Rich, ‘why don’t we do a tour? Like a generic Dick & Dom tour?’ and we thought that could work.
“Then Rich said, ‘hang on a minute, next year is [Da Bungalow’s] 20-year anniversary, let’s just wait and do that’.”
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Dom continued: “So we talked to the creator of Da Bungalow, Steve Ryde, and he said ‘let’s do it!’ So we got a set built, we got some characters back. All the music, everything. It’s going to be great.”
Yes, you heard that right, the likes of DI Harry Batt, Diddy Dick and Dom and Mr Choosy will all be back in action when the tour commences this autumn. Not only that, but the presenting duo have committed to preserving the wacky gameshow format that glued millennials to TV screens Saturday morning after Saturday morning.
“It’s gonna be a family show again, we’re not gonna start suddenly doing stuff that we wouldn’t have done on the TV,” Dick said.
“But it's for the people who grew up with it, or the people who now have their own kids and want to bring them along to introduce them to it. It’s for vast, different age groups.”
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Dom added: “Kids can come, but it’s mainly for you guys.”
As for the question on everyone’s lips – will bogies be making a comeback? – rest assured, shrieking loudly about mucus is 100% on the agenda.
“Bogies will be there, don’t you worry,” Dick confirmed. “Someone once said to us it’s like a big band not playing their biggest ever hits. It’s like 'Mr Brightside', you’ve got to play 'Mr Brightside'.”
As for what they hope people take away from the tour, a warm, fuzzy feeling would be a great start in Dick & Dom’s book.
“We want people to have a laugh,” Dick said. “I think it’s what everyone needs right now as well because the world’s gone absolutely crazy. Come and be crazy with Dick & Dom instead.”
“The main thing we want to do is just make people really, really happy and laugh their heads off,” echoed Dom.
“We’re gonna save the world basically, and make everyone happy again,” he beamed.
Dick and Dom’s Da Bungalow tour will run from autumn 2022 until spring 2023 and tickets can be purchased here.
Topics: TV and Film
Aisha Nozari