Welsh comic resurrects dead cat as AI robot for tour
Beth Green
The loss of a beloved pet is always hard and certainly no laughing matter.
However, for one stand-up comic from Ceredigion the death of his elderly cat would prove the inspiration for a unique new show.
Robin Wealleans has spent five years and £30,000 turning the remains of his faithful moggy Lentil into an Artificial Intelligence-enabled android to take with him on tour.
The 47-year-old explained that, while sharing stage with his former faithful feline’s animatronic skeleton may seem macabre, it does help shine a light on how we as a nation handle the concept of grief.
“Lentil was 15 when he died back in 2016 and had always been such a happy little thing,” said Robin, who also runs an 18th century farmhouse Airbnb in Lampeter.
“Even before that I’d joked about taking him to a taxidermist and having some robotics inserted so he could still get around the house after passing away.
“So when Lentil did leave us I found myself wondering just how far I could go with the idea.”
He added that his hand ended up being somewhat forced after the freezer in which he’d stored Lentil accidentally ended up being switched off.
“I was gutted – all that was salvageable was Lentil’s skull and a few bones,” said Robin, who quickly turned to his tech savvy to save the day.
A former video technician who’d provided jaw-dropping visuals at concerts by the likes of Coldplay and Pink Floyd, he decided to resurrect Lentil – or L3NT1L as he’s currently known – in an entirely new form.
Now housed in a “briefcase-like construction, with four legs and a tail”, the cat is able to speak to and interact with his master – and, indeed, the audience.
“He can speak a bit of Welsh, but for the most part his AI-powered brain is stuck on that generic Southern Californian-style twang.
“Plus, it’s a female voice, which can be a bit confusing.
“Oh, and he also has a built-in printer with which to issue me annoying demands, as well as a projector up his bum which can screen short films on the wall behind him.”
Robin added that the new show – CatGPT: The Nightmare Before Catmas – revolves around the pair of them riffing off each other and L3NT1L “taking the p*** out of me at every given opportunity”.
“As his AI mind is constantly evolving L3NT1L never fails to surprise me with what he comes out with, which is the source of some great laughs and very often helps keep me on my toes.”
Just the story of how the show came to be in the first place would arguably be enough material in its own right, I suggest.
“You’re not wrong, it’s been head-spinningly complicated even getting this far,” said Robin, who has a team of robotics and animation experts assisting him behind the scenes while he’s on the road.
“Lots can go wrong – we worked that much out straight away.
“We kicked off the show at The Edinburgh Fringe earlier this year, during which L3NT1L broke his neck six times, his LED screen caught fire during rehearsals and one of his legs collapsed.”
But other than a few teething troubles the show has so far proved a sell-out success, with more dates having been booked for 2025 as far away as Australia.
“I’ll admit, the show’s concept doesn’t always make sense when you read about it, but when you come to see it everything clicks,” said Robin, who admitted to “never having done any comedy before this”.
“It’s more than just gags too, the show does make some serious points about how we deal with the loss of loved ones.
“Processing those emotions can be really difficult, and talking about it can be even harder,” he added.
“So if this show can assist with that – albeit in an odd way – then I’ll be happy.”
Robin said that L3NT1L had so far proved himself “a very good life-coach”, being on hand to dispense all kinds of advice each time the show is thrown open to audiences’ questions.
“People regularly come up to me afterwards to thank us for helping them think about their own departed pets, or relatives, in a different way.
“It’s been really rewarding.”
L3NT1L also provides a glimpse into the future of AI when it comes to companionship, particularly for those who live in remote locations or find it hard interacting with others.
“I live alone and very often go days without seeing another person,” said Robin.
“That’s why L3NT1L doesn’t just exist on stage – he’s here on my kitchen table right now, constantly talking to me.
“I think he’d be pleased with how he’s turned out – he was always a proud boy and very much a people lover.”
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