Tom Scott - Funny As Interview

After training to be a vet, cartoonist and writer Tom Scott ended up spending more time with creatures of the animated kind. In this extended Funny As interview he talks about his “Oh my God, Murray Ball wants me to write Footrot Flats with him" moment. He also discusses:

• Realising at an early age that he “loved making other kids laugh”, while also being “irritating to teachers” 
• Sending his best cartoons off to 25 newspapers and receiving only one response
• How PM Norman Kirk was difficult to draw, as it took “ages to crack the DNA of his face”
• Trading barbs with PM Robert Muldoon, and the relief of being banned from his press conferences
• Being under surveillance by the SIS
• The creation of TV series Seven Periods with Mr Gormsby and how it was slated by critics in New Zealand
• Visiting a Melbourne book shop with John Clarke and being asked to leave for “creating a public disturbance"

This interview was recorded for 2019 TV series Funny As: The Story of New Zealand Comedy. All audiovisual content is copyright to Augusto, and may not be reproduced. Publication of Funny As extended interviews made possible with funding from the NZ Lotteries Grants Board.