Chat Ed : Welcome to this evening's FAKING IT chat with SPENCE BOWDLER. Spence is with us now... say hello!
cat : babe- well done!!
alexo : hello Spence
geoff davis : hello SPENCE
bulkhead bowdler : Tell us about your party trick. No seriously mate. top efort
groovysheep : that was amazing!!!
Spence : Hello everyone! Hope you enjoyed the show. I hope my answers will be OK, still recovering from a bit of an emotional roller coaster watching it.
groovysheep : Firstly you were amazing, what are u doing now?
Spence : Absolutely nothing.
Spence laughs
Spence : I wanted to join the police and so I'm just doing bits and bobs to keep the pennies coming in.
Mark Sue : Given that you are so clearly masculine, what prompted you to take that challange. We thgought you were fantastic
Spence : Ah that's Channel 4 being sneaky.
Spence laughs
Spence : At first they said they wanted to audition a man with spare time on his hands for a cabaret act. There was no mention of a drag queen, at first.
nelly : Do you think all police recruits should go through the same sort of training?
Spence laughs
Spence : Possibly! Especially if they are stationed in Brighton. But seriously though, it goes to show that most people in the world take other people at face value and anything that can help break down barriers is cool in my book.
Martin : Congratulations on your success. I noticed a complete shift in your attitude towards gay culture. I guess that a lot of us who consider ourselves true hetrosexuals are sub-conscious homophobics to an extent. How did your colleagues in the Navy react to your success?
pete : what did your navy mates make of it?
Spence : That's a good one. Every single one of my friends and shipmates have said how proud they are of me and I've not had one negative response or jibe from anyone around me. That put me at ease quite a lot. In the navy you travel the world and meet so many different cultures that you appreciate that people come in all shapes and sizes.
Celiamd : That was wicked, well done. Are you still in touch with Dave?
Lucy : Are you and Dave still in touch?
virgo : we really enjoyed watching u it was excellent and we would like to know if you are still in touch with Dave?
Colette : Spence, great show. Do you think you'll keep in touch with Dave ?
Spence : Yeah, I speak to Dave every 3 or 4 days. I go and watch him perform and we've created a bond that I think will last for many years. He's a great guy.
NicolaM : What goes through your mind when you hear Mustang Sally now?
Spence chuckles
Spence : If only I could sing it as Spence Bowdler rather than Britney Ferry and make a buck or two!
Colette : Spence, do you have more sympathy for women after your experience .... tights, boobs, heels, etc
Quasi : have you carried on waxing your chest?
Spence : Hehe, no I like my chest hairy and so does my missus. But, I don't know how you birds walk in heels and all that get-up all the time - it's so uncomfortable.
Blue : Which part of the whole experience did you find the most difficult???
Spence : Definitely the comic side of it. Trying to make an audience laugh when they are expecting to be entertained is unbelievably difficult. It's different when you're in a big group of guys because you can bounce off each other but when you are alone, looking at all those faces, it's more difficult than you can ever imagine.
SteveH : Has your experience on the programme given you a taste for showbusiness?
Stephen : You're singing voice is great - you should do more - any plans?
Spence : To be honest, yes. I've found a voice that I would like to make other people enjoy. But I wouldn't do the songs that drag acts do. I'm a bit of a soul boy, Marvin Gaye, Simply Red, Otis Redding and a bit of Elvis are my faves...thank you very much...ah huh.
h
olly : althought the experience built on your confidence as a whole, how did you feel at the first gig you did. i don't think i could stand there and take a boo.
Spence : Erm, well, as with life, you have to take the rough with the smooth. I was so nervous because what the film didn't show is that we were really late for that gig. Our 1950s car had broken down, so the police cameras on most of the roads in Brixton will have a right laugh at the Christmas Police Balls - seeing a couple of geezers in dresses pushing a 1950s Ford Cadillac!
Spence laughs
Bluey : When you saw yourself on TV did you thik you were funny? Tough job, you seemed to find banter more natural than telling jokes.
Spence : Banter comes quite easy. After 12 years of living in a tiny space (15ft by 20ft) with 20 other guys, if we didn't take the piss out of each other we'd all go mad, or even end up wearing dresses. But when I first saw myself on TV all I thought was 'what a fat bastard!' I've lost a couple of stone now.
Yorkie Bar and Irish : You were emotional at the end.. Was that relief or pride????
kingy55 : Your initial reaction was very pure at the end. Do you still feel the same as you did immediately after the show?
Spence : Yeah I still feel the same, if not more so. Lots of tears were shed just now as we watched it. The reaction was purely from the fact that I hadn't let the team down. That's been a big no no for me ever since I started playing rugby at the age of 12. Team is everything.
DannyBoy : How did the other drag queens in the competition react to the judges thinking they were the fake ones ? :)
Spence : I don't know because they weren't told until a couple of days afterwards, so sorry, can't answer that one. I do hope they took it in the true spirit of Faking It. I got to know the guys before we went on stage and we all had a really good laugh and they were all really cool.
Aisha : Were you shocked that all the judges thought you were for real??
Spence : Yeah, totally. As you can see in the film, I really thought they had sussed me out. But it's like I told a lot of people, if you put your mind to it, listen to what people tell you, listen not just with your ears but with your eyes, you can achieve pretty much anything. P.S. I have applied for NASA ; )
miami : Did you consider doing a runner at any point?
Ian24 : Was there a point when you thought 'I can't do this' and thought about walking out?
Spence : Yeah, a couple of times. The first time being when they got the dresses out and the second time when I first went to a gay nightclub in Brighton. It was a bit full on and I just wanted to be around my mates.
derbyphil : In what guise will you appear on RI:SE tomorrow morning?
Spence : Unfortunately, or fortunately, whichever way you look at it, it's just a telephone interview. But hopefully they'll show some clips. But not of my fatty belly being waxed I hope!
Tony W : Spence, were you sober when you went on stage or was a little Dutch courage required? (I seem to remember you liked the odd beer!! Tony Wringe)
Spence laughs
Spence : A little Dutch courage came in the cunning disguise of 3/4 of a bottle of best Smirnoff vodka, oh and maybe a couple of capfuls of diet coke. No wonder I can't remember the bloody night!
mculshaw : so spencer can i book you for my wedding?
AbiGayle : When will Britney Ferry be appearing again?
Spence : Yes, I'm available for weddings and Ann Summers parties although I haven't decided if Britney's frocks have been hung up for the last time.
Brian Roscoe : Did you get any chat ups from the gay guys in the clubs?
Spence : Yeah a couple of times. But, to be totally honest, I felt quite flattered. I just had a drink with them and obviously didn't pretend to be something that I wasn't. That way they got the message.
Nick and Jim : have you kept any of the frocks?
miami : Have you kept any mementos?
Spence : I kept everything. Me and Dave put on a show for everyone at my house. We turned the garden into a nightclub with a marquee because I really was proud of what I had achieved. I wanted to let friends and family see what a good time I had and they loved it. The only bad bit of the night was that I stepped in dog poo before I came on the stage so during the dance moves people actually went home with freckles.
Spence laughs
Nick and Jim : how did u celebrate after the competition?
Spence : Ooh crikey. We had a few drinks at the Brewers. Then went home to Dave's house and drank until 10am the next morning and took the dogs for a walk.
Chat Ed : That was the final question... we have to say good night but many of you wanted to say how well you thought he'd done.
Brownbear : You were fantastic - and tell Dave he should be proud too. Hope you both remain friends for a long time
Magenta : Good luck for the future, Spence. You're a total inspiration.
Hathor : I have to leave and I doubt my earlier question will make it to the poor guy, but please pass on my congrats ... he's a star and a credit to his Navy training.
Jason_watford : well done spence I'm proud
Spence : Aah cool. On behalf of myself and Dave, we both have really strong feelings on hoping that the programme will go some way to breaking down some of the crap that's out there. Live and let live. Hope you all enjoyed it.
Nick B : well done mate
David JM : Good luck Spence you are one in a million
dannyS : You were brill
Spence : Thanks for your questions.
LAURA : brightened up my night
Spence : I told you, you really don't see white dog poo anymore! Go and have a look!
Chat Ed : Thank you all for coming and thanks for coming and talking to us Spence.
Kevin Essex : What a Geezer !
Spence leaves the room
Chat Ed: You can read transcripts of the chats with the fakers from the previous series in the past chats section of channel4.com/community. Look out for more Faking It chats over the next few weeks.
