Our 10-year-old reporter, Angelica, has been catching up with CBeebies' legend, Andy Day, to discover what animals he loves, what creatures he's scared of, and unearthing the fun facts we never knew about the Brit star...
Here at HoneyKids, the team is always on a mission to bring you the coolest tips, tricks and activities in Singapore, and we especially love getting our mini-reporters on board with some serious investigative journalism opps. They’ve hung out with Mister Maker, featured as child models in plenty of our videos and, if you follow our HoneyKids Insta feed, you’ll know that we bring them all over the island in the never ending search for thrills ‘n’ spills. So this time around we had 10-year-old Angelica feeling a little star struck when she interviewed CBeebies’ Brit legend, Andy Day! Was she nervous? Yep. Did she keep her cool? Totally. Here’s what Andy said to Angelica…
We love watching all your adventures with animals. My favourite animal is a fox. Do you have a favourite creature?
I love giraffes! They’re tall like me and rather interesting looking with their long tongues and gangly legs. I also really like sloths as, again, they remind me of myself. When I am not working, or entertaining on stage, I like to rest and sleep, just like sloths. Sloths have a great life!
It’s interesting that you like foxes as over here in the UK they get a bit of a bad rap. They tend to raid rubbish bins, and eat anything and everything. Personally I think they’re rather sweet and I have to admire how sly and cunning they are. They need to eat, so good luck to them, I say!
What has been the weirdest animal you’ve ever met?
It would have to be a sugar glider. They’re marsupials and look a bit like a flying fox. They move from tree to tree by gliding when they jump, which is pretty cool! I worked with one on Andy’s Secret Hideout and it had a great time jumping from the bed to my hair and hanging off my shirt. It was a pretty strange looking animal, and really interesting to hang out with!
Where do you think is the best place in the world for spotting cool animals?
India was a great place for spotting all kinds of awesome animals. I went there for a holiday and saw everything from monkeys to lizards and plenty of cows. Cows are sacred in India so they are everywhere, just minding their own business in the middle of the cities even. The Galapagos Islands was also pretty special and one of my best adventures. Marine iguanas, sea lions, snakes: there was so much to spot! I know that Singapore has some great wildlife too. One day I would like to meet a pangolin.
Are there any animals or insects you are afraid of?
I guess I should say no, but actually, although I don’t mind spiders, I am not a big fan of tarantulas. They’re so hairy and creepy!
Which of your TV shows has been the most fun to make?
All of them were fun, but I do have a soft spot for Andy’s Wild Adventures, which was one of the first shows I made a long time ago now. Kip the cat was cool! I also loved that one because I got to work with lots of animals in a safari park called Longleat, which was a fantastic experience. I have been very lucky to go on so many adventures.
Did you have a favourite subject when you were at school?
French! I used to speak very good French until I was 16-years-old, so I decided to take French for A level when I got to college. Unfortunately it was such a big jump from the high school French I had been learning, that I kind of lost interest, sadly. I did love copying words and accents.
I would like to be a vet when I grow up. Did you want to work with animals when you were a kid?
I actually wanted to be so many things that I would change my mind on a daily basis. I know I wanted to be an astronaut at one point. I did go for drama classes from a young age, and so I knew I would like to be a performer in some way as an adult.
We went to the Natural History Museum in London recently and were surprised to find the diplodocus replaced by a blue whale. Dippy is often featured in Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures: do you miss him?
I used to go to the Natural History Museum at your age myself, and Dippy was definitely iconic. It’s probably the thing that people associate most with that museum, and yes he was often in Andy’s Dinosaur Adventures. I have to say that although I do miss Dippy, the blue whale looks incredible and it’s one of my favourite sea creatures anyway. Dippy is actually on tour until 2020, going from place to place around the UK. I think he just wanted to stretch his legs for a bit.
And finally, tell us five things about yourself that we probably don’t know…
- I used to live on a boat.
- Once upon a time I was a massage therapist.
- I am about to have my first child. It’s a girl, and hopefully she will be just like you, Angelica. (Andy has since become a dad to a beautiful little girl named Ruby).
- I can juggle! Everyone should learn to juggle!
- I have a band. Not a rubber band, a playing band. It’s a musical band of five and we are called Andy and the Odd Socks.
Andy’s Secret Hideout (Series One) premieres on CBeebies (StarHub ch 303) on Monday, 6 August 2018 at 8.35am, with repeats at 2.35pm and 8.35pm.
Like this story? Here’s more we think you’ll enjoy:
Ethical animal encounters around Asia
Where to spot Singapore’s weird and wonderful wildlife
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Farm stays around Asia and beyond
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