A lot went down in the year 2010. Kate and Wills put a ring on it, David Cameron got the keys to Downing Street, and football failed to come home after the South Africa World Cup. Meanwhile, over on Brentwood High Street, 23-year-old James “Arg” Argent was on the brink of fame as cameras started rolling for the trailblazing first series of The Only Way Is Essex.
“I’m proud that I was on it for eight years,” he says, adding with a cheeky smile, “I went the furthest out of all the originals!”
While his TV career remains in full swing 13 years on, it no longer involves larking about with best pal Mark Wright (on screen, at least) or navigating love triangles (remember Lydia Bright and Gemma Collins)? Instead, he’s now focused on ticking off serious life-skills stuff like improving his culinary repertoire on the upcoming series of Celeb Cooking School. “Before the show, oven cooking was about as far as my skills went,” he confesses.
With a jam-packed 2024 ahead – from crooning with his band to hopefully finally passing his driving test (it’s been a long road) – we just hope he finds time to whip up the homemade curry he’s promised us…
You’re on Celeb Cooking School – are we talking to the next Gordon Ramsay?
I don’t know about Gordon Ramsay, but you’re certainly talking to a new and improved chef who could definitely cook for a lady.
What would you cook for heat?
If I invited the heat team round for dinner, I’d do my signature Argy onion bhaji for starters, followed by a homemade chicken tikka masala with pilau rice and a little bit of spice. I’ll even knock you up a little homemade naan bread, as well – fresh dough, the lot. If you didn’t fancy an Indian, then I’m pretty good at knocking up a bit of pasta. But I will say, I’m a curry connoisseur and it will always be my number-one choice.
Sounds yummy! Any cooking disasters we should know about?
I’ve burned my fingers, burned my hands and burned the food. I’ve definitely left things in the oven for too long and set the smoke alarm off. Things like that have happened to me on numerous occasions. Hopefully not since doing the show, and hopefully not again. I want to be one of those cool, sophisticated, sexy chefs.
Who would be your dream celebrity to cook for?
Dead or alive?
Either…
Frank Sinatra. I love him and his voice – I’ve always been obsessed with him and would have loved to hear his stories.
Would you get dating advice from him?
Oh, yeah!
You recently played Peter Pan in panto – what was that like?
I can’t believe I was in a position where I could actually play Peter Pan. I was flying on stage, singing, dancing, acting… But I had to sing Defying Gravity, one of the hardest songs in musical theatre. You couldn’t write it.
What were you more nervous about – singing or heights?
I’m not too bad with heights, so I was 100 per cent more nervous about singing that song.
Did you have any pre-show rituals?
I did. They said to me when I got to the theatre, “There’ll be a ritual that you’ll do every day.” I was like, “Whatever. I doubt it very much.” I thought they were mad. But before every single scene, I combed my hair. They had combs on either side of the stage in the wings, just so I could brush my hair before I went onstage.
What was your biggest highlight of 2023?
Let me have a look and see if I’ve documented it on Instagram. [Scrolls.] It’s definitely band-related… performing with my band live on This Morning, the biggest daytime TV show in Britain, on my birthday. That was a beautiful moment and I was really proud of the performance.
Nice. So, we heard it took 11 years and 13 attempts to pass your driving theory test…
That expired during lockdown. But I’m so happy you brought it up, because I recently paid to download a theory test app, so I’m currently about to start revision. I have to drive!
Are you worried about taking the theory again?
Absolutely. I think I fluked it before.
Do you want 2024 to be the year you pass?
Yep. My number-one goal is to finally, after 36 years of my life, pass my driving test and theory test. That is going to be my goal and I really believe I can do it. I’ve got my weight off – I’m starting to tone up now – and I’ve been clean and sober coming up for two years. The Arg Band is absolutely flying… I’m living my dreams. But two other things I really want to achieve are driving and potentially meeting my future wife, the mother of my kids.
What about TOWIE. Could we ever see you on there again?
No. If I’m being honest, I would never go back. I gave my whole life to it, from my family relationships to my friendships, to girlfriends, to breaking up, to banter with the boys, to my singing and performances. You saw me grow up on there. I feel like I’ve done absolutely everything that there was to do on TOWIE. I’ve ticked every box and I’ve got very fond memories. I’m fortunate that I’m no longer “Arg from TOWIE” and I’ve been able to become James Argent in my own right – I’m a wedding singer now. But, who knows? Maybe if TOWIE ever comes to an end, I’ll come back for a cameo and perform with my band on the last episode.
We’ve got that on record now…
A cameo will do. But I’m finally doing what I’ve always wanted to do. I still don’t mind doing the odd reality TV show, but something positive like learning how to cook, learning how to dance, whatever that will be. But my TOWIE days are over, unfortunately.
You and Lydia are still good pals. What is the key to staying friendly with an ex?
It probably wasn’t very friendly and amicable when we first broke up. But I feel that even though it didn’t work out in a relationship, there was a friendship there with our families from both sides. My family loves Lydia, her family loves me. After a while, we just started being around each other and then we just realised that we’d love to be in each other’s lives forever, but as friends. We’re genuinely best friends. Nothing romantically has happened between me and Lydia for many years. If I had to count on one hand the closest people to me in my life, she’d be one of them still to this day.
She once joked the micro pig you bought was the worst gift ever – is this fair?
It was one of the worst gifts ever because it didn’t stay a micro pig. It ended up turning into a full pot-belly pig. I think it ruined Debbie [Lydia’s mum]’s garden, which she hasn’t really forgiven me for. I think I’ve still got an invoice I need to pay.
What’s the worst gift you’ve ever received?
I don’t know if it’s a little crude for the heat audience…
Don’t worry, we’ll love it…
I think Gemma got me some... I’m not actually going to say it, sorry.
You can’t do that!
It’s just a little bit crude and it’s not my style. Let’s put it this way, Gemma got me some intimate moisturiser once.
OK…
It was literally a moisturiser, nothing sexy, but for a certain area. It was a funny, joke-like Christmas present she got. You can imagine.
Moving on… are you travelling a lot with The Arg Band next year?
We’ve got lots of gigs coming up this year in Marbella, Majorca, Portugal, Salou, Ibiza, and obviously up and down the country. Getting to go to weddings regularly and performing, it’s just such an honour, especially when it’s the most important day of someone’s life. Every time a wedding gets put in the diary, it always brings a smile to my face.
What’s the most requested song to sing?
In 2024, we’re putting a completely new set list together because it’s always refreshing to do new songs. But one song that will forever be in the set list, no matter how mad it drives everyone, is the first song I ever sang on TOWIE and that is Can’t Take My Eyes Off You by Andy Williams. It always goes off!
Who would you love to perform with, dead or alive?
Michael Jackson, Elvis Presley, Frank Sinatra, Stevie Wonder, Will Young, Craig David. Oh, and David Bowie.
You perform a lot at Elliot Wright’s restaurant in Marbella, don’t you?
That is my bread-and-butter residency. We’ve built up Arg nights at Olivia’s as a brand in itself. We’ve had Jessie J come down, Tyson Fury, Mark [Wright] and Michelle [Keegan] obviously, Rylan, Denise Van Outen… it’s just such an established night. They don’t even want me to put up a tweet or an Insta story, because it’s always busy!
What’s next for you?
Today, I’m actually going horse riding in Hyde Park, I can’t believe it. It’s going to be incredible.
Are you a confident rider?
Well, no, I’m allergic to horses. I’ve taken an antihistamine and I’ve tried to cover up head to toe as much as I can. I’m wearing gloves, but I’ll take another antihistamine when we finish. I’m hoping that will kind of soften the blow.
Sounds a bit crazy to us…
I love animals and I just don’t want it to stop me. So, if I get a big, itchy rash or my nose dribbles for a day, so be it.
Well, we hope it’ll be worth it…
It will be amazing. Oh, just quickly, does heat still do a Christmas shoot?
You mean our Stars Dress Up shoot? You just missed it!
Well, I did the David Beckham one a few years back. But I’d happily do Elvis next Christmas.
Putting those feelers out early…
Yeah. If you do it properly, Austin Butler-style, I would love to do a proper dress-up as Elvis for the next heat Stars Dress Up Christmas shoot.
Celeb Cooking School starts 8 January at 8pm on E4. Stream on Channel 4.