Richard Osman accidentally used David Bowie's toilet...

23 November 2023, 17:25

Richard Osman accidentally used David Bowie's toilet...

The writer and presenter was told to "evacuate" a very exclusive toilet at a Spanish festival...

Richard Osman has been telling Radio X about being the brother of Suede bassist Mat Osman - and how it once got him into trouble for using David Bowie's personal toilet...

Speaking to Toby Tarrant - sitting in this week for Chris Moyles - the writer and Pointless star explained what it was like growing up as the sibling Britpop star.

"Brett and Matt were in a band in their teenage years. Their very first band name was 'Geoff'. Then they were Paint It Black. Brett was so louche and cool.

"They would practise in my house when I was 15, plating upstairs very, very loudly."

Suede released their first single, The Drowners, in May 1992 and quickly became one of Britain's hottest new bands.

Richard said: "When they got big, it was like the best three or four years ever. It was amazing."

However, this sudden fame allowed the band to get up close and personal with music royalty... sometimes a bit too close.

Richard went on: "I remember being at a festival in Barcelona and they were just about to go onstage. The only good thing about being backstage at a festival is the toilets are nicer.

"But there was a particularly nice toilet at this one and I thought, it's Spanish, I guess - perhaps they do things better? So I go to this toilet; I've literally just started and there's a knock on the door."

He laughed: "A knock on the toilet door is never good, right? You're not going, 'Oh great! I wonder who this is'!"

"So I'm like, 'Just one minute!". And they say 'Please vacate David Bowie's toilet immediately!'"

"I was in David Bowie's toilet. It had carpeted walls! It was amazing. I understood then why it was such a nice toilet. Obviously I had to give it a few seconds before I could vacate.

"So yeah, David Bowie took his own toilet to festivals. But you would, right? He could presumably ask for a million dollars, but you might as well ask for half a million dollars and your own toilet."

Toby Tarrant is on the Radio X Breakfast Show every morning this week from 6.30am - catch up on Global Player.

Richard Osman's latest book The Last Devil to Die is out now.