Best Of Belfast: Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast

Julian Simmons is the legendary UTV Continuity Presenter known for his sharp-tongued transitions between TV shows like Coronation Street and Emmerdale.

 

Being fascinated with planes and aircraft as a child, Julian became a travel agent before landing his dream job with Air Canada, a position that has taken him all over the world and back again.

 

After being "discovered by a guy in Holywood... County Down that is" during a play he was acting in, doors began to open up for him to work in television.

 

During a slow Christmas period while working for UTV, he decided to start introducing programs "his way" and the rest is history...

 

In today's episode, we had the opportunity to chat with Julian Simmons about:

• His first memories

• Some funny airline stories

• How he comes up with his transitions

• What he's up to now

• And the greatest challenge he's faced along the way

 

Julian is one of the most recognisable and loved face/voices in Northern Ireland and is one of our most requested guests so we were really chuffed to have the chance to find out more about his story and share this fun, light-hearted conversation during these uncertain times.

 

Really hope you enjoy!

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Julian (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/julian-simmons-utv

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

Had the absolute privilege of interviewing a guy today I grew up with who has gone on to live a very interesting life at a young age.

 

Andrew Agnew is the fifth generation of one of Northern Ireland’s biggest businesses — The Henderson Group — a business that is projected to turnover a billion by the end of 2020.

 

But growing up under such an incredible legacy isn’t as straightforward as it may seem from the outside.

 

In this interview, Andy shares the opportunities AND challenges this has led to — especially when it comes to his identity and proving himself.

 

We also chat about:

• The food situation during COVID-19

• What the future of the corner shop looks like

• Burnout and trying to slow down

• How running saved his life

• And his new exciting start-up…

 

Andy was extremely open in the conversation you are about to hear, and I highly recommend listening to it the whole way through.

 

Check It out!

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Andrew (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/andrew-agnew-henderson-group-spar

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

May McFettridge is one of Northern Ireland’s most recognisable and loved faces.

 

But what about the man behind the character?

 

John Linehan is the hugely successful comedian (and avid golfer) behind the Queen of pantomime and a regular in The Grand Opera House for 30 consecutive years.

 

In 2006, John was award an MBE for his charitable services and in 2014 he was awarded a bronze bust of May McFettridge outside The Grand Opera House to honour his many years of bringing smiles to adults and children alike.

 

Today’s episode gives you the chance to peek behind the curtain at John’s life including:

• His first memories and jobs

• How he came up with the character of May

• And his greatest successes and challenges along the way

 

We had a super fun, light-hearted conversation with John filled with lots of great nuggets of wisdom and laughs a long the way.

 

Check it out!

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to May (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/may-mcfettridge-john-linehan

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

We hopped on the phone with legendary West Belfast actor Geraldine Hughes (Rocky Balboa, Gran Torino, Harry Potter on Broadway) to catch up and see how she is surviving (and thriving) during these uncertain times.

 

In today's episode, we talk about her amazing play Belfast Blues, moving into new seasons and her recent engagement.

 

Check out our full 'proper' interview with Geraldine here.

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Geraldine (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/geraldine-hughes-new-york

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

 

If you would like to donate directly to someone in need in Belfast you can do so at https://app.esther.org.uk/

 

ESTHER is a pocket-to-pocket giving app that allows donors to directly fund people in need.

 

The Belfast tech startup is leading the way in peer-to-peer donations with their revolutionary app that puts transparency at the core.

 

100% of the money you donate goes directly to the person who needs it via a prepaid card (one that prevents spending on things like gambling and alcohol).

 

Plus with monthly updates from the person receiving funds, you’ll be a part of their transformational journey every step of the way.

 

In today’s show, we caught up with Newry born and bred cofounder Carol Rossborough to chat about how their startup is supporting the most vulnerable members of our community during the COVID-19 Crisis.

 

She also slips in some absolute nuggets of wisdom including:

• How to recover from burnout

• Why investing in your marriage is essential

• And finding our identity outside of work

 

All this and more in today’s episode.

 

Check it out!

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to ESTHER (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/esther-donation-startup

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

An episode where we don’t talk about the C-19-word.

 

Stick the headphones on and get lost in a series of ramblings about living in NYC, social media conspiracy theories, Denny sausages, BIG MILK, the best ice-cream in Northern Ireland and of course… Dog Vance.

 

Enjoy!

 

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• Sarah’s Twitter

• Denny’s Ad

• “Proper” interview with Sarah

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Sarah (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/sarah-mcbride-podcast

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

You guys asked for it.

 

Here's what was suppose to be "episode 101" where Andrew Trimble turns the tables and gets me on the other side of the mic.

 

We chat about selling Tayto crisps to Norn Irish people living abroad, starting up t-shirt businesses at 16, leaving Northern Ireland "forever" and coming back home to start Best Of Belfast.

 

(As well as dreams, short stories, mental health, burn out and tape cassettes).

 

Enjoy!

 

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P.S. I'll be doing a follow-up Q+A podcast with The Producer's Club online over the next few weeks where we'll get to questions submitted by you.

 

Watch this space. In the meantime, we're putting out a podcast every single day during the COVID Crisis.

 

"Quarantine Phone Calls" are an opportunity to take a break from screens and get outside while listening to me chat the ear of to someone interesting from this part of the world.

 

Check it out.

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Andrew (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/matthew-thompson-belfast

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

In today’s Quarantine Phone Call we hopped on WhatsApp to talk to Cordelia McKinley, a Northern Irish writer/English teacher currently living in Italy.

 

With Italy being two weeks ahead of us in terms of the spread of the virus, we caught up with Cordelia for some advice on how we can do our bit to contain the impact of COVID-19 here at home.

 

(Based on her Coronavirus Diary entries).

 

We also talk about top tips for surviving isolation, what brought her to Italy in the first place and whether or not it’s okay to have pineapple on pizza…

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Corcelia (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/cordelia-mckinley-italy

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

Would you swap your Twitter Blue Tick for a Nandos Black Card?

 

Do you take red sauce or brown sauce in a sausage bap?

 

What is Jeeves from Ask Jeeves up to now?

 

These are some of the important questions we cover in today's show. 

 

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Shanr (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/shane-todd-podcast-northern-ireland

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt 

 

Hopped on a phone call with one of the most insightful people I know when it comes to our emotional and spiritual well-being.     Kevin is a Results-Coach, Musician and lifelong student of the human condition.     In this episode we chat about our making decisions, learning to spot patterns of behaviour and our inner-child.   Enjoy!  

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To see a 'treasure trove' of all things related to Kevin (including a photo) please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/stories/sarah-mcanallen-design

 

Best Of Belfast is Northern Ireland's #1 Interview Podcast. We've shared 100+ hour-long conversations with incredible people from Northern Ireland.

 

To find out more, or join 'The Producers Club' please visit https://bestofbelfast.org/

 

Cheers!

 

— Matt