From Bondi Vet to The Living Room, Dr Chris Brown has carved a successful television career. His best yet deals with celebrities stranded in the jungle, and I caught up with him before he ventured in!
Along with Julia Morris, you’ve hosted I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here for a few years now. Has there been a standout moment?
Dr Chris Brown: It’s usually those times where it gets flipped on its head, and as hosts, we have the pain inflicted on us! That’s usually a result of me being stupidly bold enough to think I can be better than the celebrities at eating disgusting things or performing difficult feats. If there’s one particular moment, it would be the time Warnie (Shane Warne) couldn’t eat a dish called Surstromming, which is pickled herring, and it’s awful! I thought I’d show them they were weak, and decided to eat it. I thought my job as a vet had given me a strong stomach, but it promptly came back up, on set and on TV!
Do you ever feel emotional when certain contestants leave the jungle?
Yeah, it’s not just the viewers who learn a lot about them. We do too, and they become our favourites as well. There are times where we’re really disappointed they’re going home, because they’ve given so much. They let us into their world and tell us about their new take on life from being in the jungle. It’s a cathartic experience, and you can’t help but form those bonds. In fact, it’s the people who really get under our skin and fire back, that we like!
Is it also cathartic for you, being part of the show?
Oh, it’s my favourite time of year! I get the chance to go on a working holiday in a part of the world that intrigues me. I get to do vet work on the weekends with different animal adventures. It’s an amazing dream location.
So you get some quality time with the African wildlife?
Yes, it’s because I’ve got to know the local vets, and if they’ve got a tricky case or need an extra pair of hands, they’ll give me a call. Some cases are serious and some are bizarre. For instance, we had to retrieve four lions that had escaped from Kruger National Park, who ended up on a cattle farm. Obviously they were having a great time there! I had to capture the lions before anyone could harm them. But there are comical ones too, like the hippo that just walked into a resort, saw a swimming pool and plonked itself in the middle! Trying to remove a hippo from a swimming pool is not easy!
Dr Chris runs a campaign to save wombats at www.drool.pet
Last time you did this interview, we spoke about gay animals, giving support to being ‘born this way’. Is there debate in this area?
It hasn’t necessarily been a huge area of debate, and it’s kind of become accepted that there are homosexual relationships in a lot of species, and probably all species to be honest. There were actually two penguins in Sydney’s Wild Life Zoo, where they adopted a discarded egg and tried to raise it. Penguins are always the standout because they form such distinct pairs. In recent years there’s been examples of swans doing it too, and lots of others. In fact, I had two horses on our farm that I reckon were probably gay!
Have you been to any gay bars?
I was in Iceland during Icelandic Gay Pride, which is probably the most unique Mardi gras festival you’ll ever see. I just happened to be there by chance. But when you’re out partying or with mates, especially overseas, you often end up in a gay bar without even realising it. I’ll look around and think, “This isn’t like the typical pub I’d go to back home”. Then the penny drops! But yeah, they always present a great time.
So do you ever get hit on?
I’m pretty clueless when it comes to being hit on. So if it’s happening, I’m probably not aware of it. I’ll just assume someone is being very friendly, very well mannered and very welcoming!
Dr Chris Brown hosts I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here, along with Julia Morris
Beau Ryan recently told us how hot he thinks you are, to the point of envying your pecs and six-pack. What would you say back to Beau?
He’s got one of the best rigs on the planet! I think he may be fishing for a return compliment there! (Laughing) Beau’s a lot of fun, and no one takes better care of their rig than he. It’s very kind what he says, but I think he should be talking about himself!
“I had two horses on our farm that I reckon were gay!”
Who’s your gay man crush?
I know Beau’s desperate for me to say him, but I’m not sure I want to be that easy…hmm…it probably tells you about our time musically, but I love the guys from Mumford and Sons. They toured last year, but I missed them because my favourite bands all tour around January while we’re filming.
In the past, you also said how much you get compared to cartoon characters such as Mr Incredible, Roger Ramjet and Chesty Bonds. Are there any new ones?
Every time a new Toy Story film comes out, I get Buzz Lightyear. He always gets a pretty good run.
Dr Chris Brown with python! Photograph by Nigel Wright
Is that due to the voice and stature?
To be honest, I think it’s just the jaw!
You really would be the perfect poster boy for Chesty Bonds…
Well…I mean, they’ve just got to pay for it. This is the thing. I’m sick of giving them the free publicity. (Laughing) That’s why you don’t see me in a white singlet. I’m basically just an ad for them!
“Carson Kressley informed me he was finding it hard to focus, because he could see my moose knuckle!”
Over your career, who has been your favourite person to meet?
I met Nelson Mandela once, which was a pretty incredible and profound moment, but I buggered it up. It was one of those times where you meet someone you really look up to, and it only just goes badly. He was giving a talk at Sydney University around the time of the Tampa crisis and John Howard was going to be there too. There were protests at the entrance, so they switched his talk to the Veterinary Science Conference Centre. I was skipping a lecture, sitting outside in the sun when all these federal police cars pull up and out gets Nelson Mandela. I walked over with two other mates, and the first says, “Thank you so much for everything you’ve done for the world” and the second said, “You’re such an inspiration”. When it got to me, I thought all the good stuff had been said, and I’d go a bit offbeat. So I came out with “I know you’re a big believer in the power of education, but I just skipped a lecture and look how well it worked out for me!” He gave me a completely nonplused look, politely shook my hand and walked off. I’ve been left to remember that moment for the rest of my life!
Well, it’s probably better than ‘who would you turn gay for!’
(laughing) That’s true!
Dr Chris getting familiar with DNA Magazine
Once on The Living Room you pretended to be an American soap star, and it looked uncannily realistic. What’s the story about how that almost came true?
One of the shows I do in the US is on CBS, and while I was there doing publicity, an appearance on The Bold and the Beautiful was part of the schedule. I was concerned that they actually thought I was an actor rather than a vet, but if they did want me to act, I’d go along with it. So I decided to have a go. My character was meant to be Ridge’s Australian nephew, and I learnt my script and all, but the day before, someone from production called checking on my work visa. I had a journalist visa, which didn’t qualify me to act, so at the last minute the whole thing was canned. But we did have Katherine Kelly Lang (Brooke Logan) in the jungle with us, so essentially I’ve now performed alongside her, and it feels like I’ve done The Bold and the Beautiful!
You’re currently involved in the conservation of wombats. Can you tell us about that?
I was doing a show for Animal Planet in the US, and one situation we wanted to help was the issue with wombats and mange. It’s a tiny mite that burrows into their skin and causes intense itching. They scratch themselves, get infections and eventually die. We went to a place in Northern Tasmania and did treatments to help a whole wombat group, but when I went back a year later, they had decreased from twenty wombats to one. It shocked me how this was out of control. So I put a campaign together which we launched on The Living Room, and within 48 hours we had over $100K, which goes into research for an effective treatment and community grants for people helping their local wombat populations. This mange mite affects about ninety percent of all populations and kills about ninety nine percent of the wombats it infects! And the thing is, no one really knows about it!
Hopefully they will now. Speaking of Tasmania, do you think there’s any chance that the extinct Tasmanian Tiger could actually still be around?
It’s a possibility. Considering it’s a most extreme form of Australian wilderness down there, it is possible. But I do feel there’d be more tangible evidence, if it did still exist. Sadly, I do doubt it’s still around. I also find it interesting that most sightings are on the way home from the pub!
Who has been the greatest influence on your career?
My dad. He still works as a vet. Growing up with him I learned a lot of skills, but I learnt the really important stuff, like how to relate to people and comfort them in their time of need. I think you’re sort of born with that, but I also really respected seeing his compassion and tried to make that part of my life as well.
Interviewing Dr Chris Brown in Sydney
Do you have a grooming tip for us?
I don’t wash my hair! It probably sounds gross, but if you don’t shampoo your hair, which will remove all the natural oils, then it will normalise itself. I get really frizzy curly hair and I swim in the ocean every day, but I find salt from the sea is enough. If you can get through the first month of not washing it, your hair will be more manageable!
Have you ever had a wardrobe malfunction?
On I’m A Celebrity a couple of years back, I wore a very tight pair of shorts for a trial episode and Carson Kressley was a contestant. He informed me that he was finding it hard to focus on the trial, because he could see my moose knuckle. At the time I wasn’t familiar with the term, and thanks to the poor African Internet I couldn’t Google it either. So I had to draw my own conclusions, which turned out to be correct!
Briefs, fitted boxers or freeballs?
I’ve always been a briefs man. I find boxers to loose and they ride up and get caught. With briefs you know where they’re going to be, and they do their job holding everything in place!
I’m A Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here returns January 5 on Network Ten.
For more on Dr Chris and his campaigns for animals go to: www.drool.pet
Ten years back I also interviewed Dr Chris, while he was host of the popular Bondi Vet
