James Haskell on his new book, being a DJ, and his touring stage show

"It feels like a perfect transition for a sportsperson to go into I think, as you still have the crowds and the adulation, but also the attention to detail and the need to work really hard at it...I’m a very lucky man to get to do all these great things that I love.”

Haskell is the host of Amuse Douche, a podcast documenting his journey to becoming a stand-up comedian. He also presents The Good, The Bad and The Rugby alongside broadcaster Alex Payne and fellow former England player Mike Tindall, a show which sees the trio delve into the personalities of those involved in the sport.

They took that on the road in 2022 and will be performing live again later this year, on the theme of a World Cup After Party. But before that, Haskell is on tour with a new show charting his life and career, from his early days as a mischievous schoolboy, through his time as a professional rugby player.

"It’s an opportunity for me to tell some stories and get a chance to perform,” he says. “I’ve had lots of adventures in my career, which was very colourful to say the least. I worked under five different England managers, played in multiple different countries, I’m married to Richard and Judy’s daughter, I’m a DJ and producer, I host multiple different podcasts and I’ve gotten myself into a fair bit of scandal over the years. So there’s quite a lot to talk about.”

There’ll be a fair bit of rugby chat, with Haskell sharing life from his perspective, off the back of his books What A Flanker and Ruck Me. His latest book Approach Without Caution, published in January, is “much more about the mindset of how to deal with being successful and all the ups and downs that come with it,” he explains. “It covers things like how to reconcile your mental health and how to be constantly reviewing yourself getting better.

"That was one of the things for me that came out of the books, as people loved the stories, but they also wanted to know more about how I dealt with things like criticism and failure, or how you can pull yourself back up.”

As for the stage show, “I’m going to touch on the fact I’m a new dad, that I live with my in-laws and that I’ve been a victim of the media at times and I’ve caused trouble with them myself at times,” he adds. “The real life stories might be shocking and even unbelievable, but they actually all happened and that’s what I’ll be telling people about.”

James Haskell is at Leeds City Varieties with Sex, Tries and Videotape on April 6.