I have finally gotten round to writing up the interview I did a few weeks ago with James, Rebecca and Ricci.

Remember, this interview was done before the first episode had been aired on television, so some of the answers might seem strange.

It was also done before James had been to Australia.

Please read, and let me know what you think on twitter!

Me: How do you think season 2 is different to season 1?
James: I think just because we’ve got two new people in the house, I think it just mixes it up so much. Cause like, all of us got to know each other really well. So we’re used to each other and a new lad coming in that obviously mixes things up a bit – girls fancy him, whatever. You [Rebecca] coming in it just absolutely mixes it up because no one expected it, do you know what I mean? No one expected a new girl in. So straight away there’s drama starting. Honestly, compared to series 1 it’s so much better. It’s hilarious.
Me: How did you two [Rebecca and Ricci] feel about going into a house with people you didn’t really know?
Rebecca: I was nervous; I’m not going to lie. But, see I’m a quite bubbly person like with all my friends they always say I’m a joker and I’ always up for a laugh so they were like definitely go for it and do it. And I did I really enjoyed myself – it was really hard, and I know I spoke to the girls from the other series and they said that they couldn’t have done it, they couldn’t have been the new housemate because it is hard to come into.
J: It is hard I’d imagine. Especially for a girl cause I think lads, we like adapt easier. When Ricci came in he was just one of the lads, just straight away. We were like “do you want a drink, sound to meet you” but the girls when she [Rebecca] walked in I think it felt like she was a threat so like who’s this new girl and that? So the lads had to take her under our wing as well.
Re: I know I was! I was in with the lads, wasn’t I?
Ricci: I knew Gaz before it so it was like, I wasn’t really that nervous. Obviously I didn’t know these [the rest of the cast] so I was going in there like James said – lads are a lot more taking in, like drinks straight away so I wasn’t really that bad but obviously for her I think it was a lot worse.
Me: Did you [Ricci] not have a fight with Gaz when you were in there, I’ve read?
Ri: With me and Gaz we’ve been good mates before it and good mates after but in there, you’ve got to think about tensions as well. I mean, it did flair a bit, we did fight. There was loads of arguments. Things got a lot more blown out. But next day we were sweet.
Re: Next day it was totally fine it was just an argument.
J: That’s the thing; you’re living in a house with people you can’t actually get away from them. Cause there’s only a few rooms.
Re: You can’t just run off.
J: You can still hear them, it makes it really hard.
Ri: When you go out with your friends, you’ll probably have an argument with them and you’ll be sound. When we’re living under the same roof 24/7 for six weeks, drinking and all that, We don’t get our phones, we don’t go home to see our parents, you’ve got to think in that intense environment there are going to be arguments and some are a lot worse than others but me and Gaz are sweet. No problem whatsoever.
Me: You get a lot of support on twitter – what’s it like having such a huge fan base
J: I think it’s crazy, just because if you think before Geordie Shore I was just a normal lad and now all of a sudden we’ve got 100 and odd thousand followers on twitter. People adore you and if you’re just having a down day just read twitter and it just cheers you up.
Re: I think it’s crazy.
J: Everyone’s so supportive, especially last night with TOWIE being on – everyone was just anti-TOWIE and all for Geordie Shore. That’s all I was getting last night. “TOWIE’s crap we can’t wait for Tuesday. Geordie Shore is the real reality show.”
Ri: [to me] did you watch TOWIE last night?
Me: Yeah
Ri: Yeah, you’ll see it’s similar to Desperate Scousewives. You’ve got two or three people each scene having a little conversation. They wake up in the morning they can do their hair, they’ve got their phones, they’ll go do a scene, and then they’ll go home. With us what you see is what you get. The girls wake up with no makeup on them in the morning. You’ll see us getting ready for nights out. Everything, people can relate to all across watching it – its reality, what you see is what you get.
Re: Yep. I second that one.
J: Alright then.
Me: You’ve done the Magaluf episodes, if you could do any special episodes anywhere where would you go?
Ri: Ibiza or Australia.
Re: Geordie Shore Down Under
J: I’m off to Australia on Friday I can’t wait for that.
Ri: Las Vegas. One of those three would be unreal.
Re: Oh Las Vegas would be unreal.
Me: You [Rebecca] and Holly wouldn’t be able to drink though cause you have to be 21.
Ri: That’s a good shout that!
Re: Oh my God I didn’t even think of that.
J: We couldn’t do it there then can we?
Ri: That would be a negative there then.
Re: I’d be on the shandies.
PR: You still can’t drink them.
Re: S**t – no chance then I’m not not drinking.
J: I don’t know, you know.
Re: Australia I think would be unreal. Can you imagine how unreal you’d look in the sun?
Ri: Australia would be good. I think they were saying with Magaluf, and where we were this year a lot more people know who we are now so there’s a lot more people who recognise us.
J: It’s a lot harder to film.
Ri: You’ve got to think of security, everything like that. So it’s harder to film everywhere.
J: Even Magaluf was absolutely solid to film.
Ri: It would have to be somewhere MTV could film.
Me: Do you feel it’s difficult being thrust into the celebrity world?
J: Nah I love it me like! Especially when you get sent loads of free clothes.
Re: I don’t know how I feel about the fame side of it. That’s what’s worrying me I think – people recognising me.
J: It does make things a lot harder.
Ri: Like in magazines and stuff? You look at them in a picture and you think “oh I wish I could be them.”
Re: Some people will be saying that about us now.
Ri: Yeah, I think every young person would love to be famous and love to be in the papers and love to be recognised. It’s nice people asking for photos – you’re recognised. It feels nice.
J: It’s got its pros and cons. Say you want to go somewhere, things take so much longer. If you go to the metro centre or you go shopping you’re going to get hounded – everyone’s going to want pictures with you, but you’ve got to get on with it. You can’t be rude you just take the pictures. I’m too soft I can’t say no to anyone.
Me: What’s the worst thing about being known? Do you miss anything from before?
J: You could say a normal night out. I’ve never had a normal night out with my mates since it started really. So you go out and there’s always people there that want pictures with you. I went out on Saturday; I literally went for a meal and a little bit after and there was groups of girls from Birmingham like all over us. I was out with a girl so it made that a bit awkward.
Re: Oh, were you?
J: Aye.
Re: No way. S**t.
Me: Sophie’s done Get Thin or Die Tryin, if you could do a spin-off show what would you do?
Ri: How to look ridiculously good looking.
[Everyone laughs]
Re: Mine would be something to do with, like, maybe go out to see the soldiers in Afghanistan or something like that. I want to do that this year – I want to do charity work. Like jump out of a plane and do different events and give all my money to charity for the lads in Afghanistan who have had their legs blew off to help fund legs and physio for them. That’s something I’ve really always wanted to do. So maybe something like that.
J: I don’t know. I fancy doing something like the jungle.
Re: I wouldn’t mind doing Dancing on Ice.
J: Nah I want to do the jungle.
Re: I’d do Big Brother as well.
J: I don’t think I could do that.
Re: Could you not? I would do the jungle just to see how much I can test myself and cause I’d get to jump out of an aeroplane.
Me: Would you trade places with anyone on the other reality shows?
J: Everyone’s got their turn.
Re: I think it would be good Geordie Shore vs. Jersey Shore. If we did a mixed one together. That would be absolutely outrageous.
Ri: I think no, because a lot of the other shows are scripted and a lot more set-up.
J: Their shows a more like work as well. Like a job. It’s like a job.
Ri: With us, we’re in a house. We don’t have to remember or think about what we’re saying.
J: It’s more like here’s a bottle of vodka, crack on! Reality.
Ri: I’d hate to have to sit there and be like “what do I say again?”
Re: I wouldn’t mind going on something like that later on. Like pantomimes or something.
J: I can imagine you as Peter Pan.
Re: Can you? [Does impression of Superman] Was that Superman?
J: Superman, aye.
Re: S**t.
Me: Are there any surprising hook-ups?
All: Yes.
Re: Oh God yes.
J: There’s one massive hook-up right, that no one will ever expect. I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces. It’s going to be so funny.
Me: Do some of the old couplings happen?
J: You could say one of the banks gets re-opened. I think you’ll be able to guess who that is. There’s new people coming into the house so obviously you get people fancying people.
Me: I’ve seen pictures of you [Ricci] and Vicky together, so are you together together?
J: Just friends.
Ri: Friends, yeah. We’re good friends.
J: He’s got the same personality as her so yous bond well.
Ri: Yeah.
Me: Who do you think most needs a Geordie make-over?
Re: Oh f**k.
Me: Anyone in the world.
Re: Anyone in the world?
J: I don’t know, but do you know who I would like to give one because I think it would be hilarious? Keith Lemon. I think his craic would be unreal.
Ri: He’s hilarious.
J: He’s class.
Re: I love him. Maybe someone like Natalie Cassidy.
J: Who’s that? Sonia?
Re: Stick some f**ing hair extensions in and some eyelashes on her.
J: She’d look like Holly wouldn’t she?
Me: Do you worry about your family seeing the show and thinking bad of it?
Re: Nah.
J: My mam and dad absolutely love it.
Re: You’re mam and dad will always support you, it doesn’t matter what you do wrong in life or what you do right. My mam and dad have been supportive.
Ri: We get asked this question a lot obviously with the PM talking about Newcastle. People saying “are you not embarrassed about what you do?” You’ll [to me] go out, get p***ed. We’re just doing the same thing, just on camera. People’s parents are ignorant to the fact or choose to ignore it that their son or daughter isn’t doing what we’re doing. We’re just having fun, going out. Yeah, we might be sick and having sex or whatever. We’re just doing what every young person does. We represent ourselves – we don’t represent Newcastle, we represent ourselves. To be fair, even though it’s all alcohol, alcohol, it’s not MTV doing that. You’ll see us drunk and what people don’t know is people [MTV] are like “oh you’ve had enough alcohol” – they’ll be putting us to bed.
J: Like mams and dads.
Ri: If we weren’t in control of that we’d probably keep going. You’ll keep going til you want to go to bed. But MTV are good in that sense, like our mams and dads – they look after us. Obviously we do get drunk and s**t like that. We aren’t hiding that. But a lot of people see it a lot worse because they want to get the viewings up, but it’s nothing different to anything any young person does.
J: No matter where you go in the country everyone goes out, parties gets drunk, wants to pull. That’s it really.
Ri: Everyone in the world can relate to us.
J: That’s why it went down so well. It’s so different compared to the other shows because you can blatantly tell they’re staged.
Me: How do you react to negativity on twitter and in the papers?
Ri: You’ve just got to get on with it don’t you.
J: No matter who you are you’re going to get people trying to give you stick. But the majority on twitter is just to make you bite. People will be like to me “oh come on we’ll try and get him to bite” and then as soon as you bite they say “oh we’re joking we love you really”.
Re: I can’t believe how many followers I’ve got already and I haven’t even been shown on tele. 20,000 people.
J: It’ll shoot up after the first episode.
Re: I’ve had a lot of good and nice things. But I know that opinions will change when they see me cause not everyone’s going to like me.
Me: Are you excited to see what everyone thinks of you?
Re: I’m a little bit worried.
Ri: I can’t stand the sound of my own voice. I cannot stand it! Not a chance. I’m excited to see what everyone thinks obviously.
J: Imagine what it’s like watching yourself back and listening at the same time.
Re: You are making me feel dead nervous.
J: Nah you’ll love it man it’s sound. You get used to it.
Me: Was there anyone like Holly was last year, with anyone on the outside?
J: Nah I loved everyone apart from Becca.
[Rebecca laughs]
J: I can’t stand her.
Re: I was probably it.
Ri: It took you [Rebecca] the longest to settle in.
Re: Definitely. I still don’t feel 100% there yet.
J: Just cause you are the youngest. Holly the first year, she was the youngest. She didn’t know how to go on with everyone.
Ri: With the lads everyone fitted in straight away. With the girls they were like “what the hell?” It was like a new threat.
J: No one expected that. There was no one thinking there was going to be a girl coming in. So that mixed it up a lot. It’s all your fault [to Rebecca].
Re: It’s all my fault. But I’m here to stay.
Me: What’s one item or regime that you can’t live without?
Ri: I’ll be here all day!
J: Mine’s the gym. If I don’t go to the gym I feel down.
Ri: Gym, sunbed, haircut.
Re: Being tanned.
J: If you want to have a big night out you have to hit the gym, you have to hit the sunbeds.
Ri: You have to.
Re: My nails.
J: You just get used to it.
Me: Someone on Twitter asked if the lads wear male makeup or is it just veet and fake tan?
Re: No comment was that what yous were going to say!?
Ri: Bronzer. If any lad tries it, it does actually make you look so much better.
J: I’ll say one thing – all the way through the first series, nothing. But then you start watching it back and when I started doing photo shoots there’d be makeup artists that start putting the stuff on you, you’d see a picture of yourself and you’d think wow I look better. Maybe I should get some of that for next series, so I just tried a little bit of bronzer but it does make you look so much better. I wouldn’t wear proper makeup but just a little bit of powder and you’re sorted. TOWIE and all that, they’ve all got their own makeup artist, the lads and the girls. So they’re all perfect all the time. Half the time we’re rough.
[Everyone laughs]
Ri: Like “here we go again.”
Me: Someone also wanted to know what’s your favourite thing to do at the gym?
Re: Don’t ask me because I don’t even go.
J: At the minute mine’s the 300 workout. It’s a routine. I’ve been banging on about it on twitter and loads of people – I’ve been telling them and they’ve been doing it. It’s really good. Or arms before a night out.
Ri: Chest and arms. Chest has got to be popping out. We’ve got the model here [points to James] Chest has to be popping out. And look at the biceps. [James tenses]
J: Chest and arms every day.
Me: Are you two [Ricci and Rebecca] excited to be in the press more and do the photo shoots?
Ri: I’ve already been in loads. Nah I’m joking.
Re: I am. I’m excited. I think I’m more excited for the side of Glamour and things like that and doing magazines. I’m not too conscious about my size or anything like that.
Me: Haven’t you done Nuts already? I saw on twitter [Pre release of Rebecca’s Nuts shoot]
PR: It’s out tomorrow. Don’t say anything until tomorrow.
Re: I didn’t know I wasn’t meant to tweet about it.
J: Oh God you didn’t do that did you?
Re: So I tweeted about it. Then I got off Nuts “Rebecca don’t tweet about it until the articles out” but yeah, it’s out tomorrow.
J: I think the second series; we’re going to be in the papers and the magazines a lot more.
Re: We were in the paper the other day.
Ri: Oh yeah we were doing the promo for the fragrance. Obviously if the pictures are nice it’s great. You want everyone to think they’re nice pictures. You don’t get to look at the pictures before they go out there so you’re conscious about what’s going in. But generally, they’ve all been really good pictures.
Me: Who’s the easiest to live with in the house?
J: Me.
Ri: Me definitely.
[Everyone laughs]
Re: I’d say Charlotte. She’s never unhappy about anything.
J: But then sometimes if you’re hung-over and you just hear her shouting.
Re: Sophie. Or Jay. Jay’s very laid back.
Ri: I found Jay as a really good friend this series. We’re a similar age as well so he’s been through the same experience and he never has a problem. Probably Jay, yeah.
Me: Who has the worst habits?
J: Holly.
Re: Holly? Would you?
J: Yep. Holly: fake tan all over the floor.
Re: Oh, Hair extensions. Eyelashes.
J: It’s safe to say the lads are definitely a lot tidier and cleaner than the girls. We look after ourselves a lot more.
Re: Eh?
J: You just leave your hair extensions all over, fake tan all over, clothes all over. You eat and then you don’t do the dishes.
Re: James, I used to. I was the only one in series 2. I was the f***ing Cinderella.
J: Yeah you were the only new one. I’m the best cleaner-upper.
Re: Sophie was the chef.
J: Sophie’s a good cook as well.
Re: I cooked a dinner once with Holly. Hash tag productive.
J: It was lush. [Does Pinocchio]
[Everyone laughs]

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