Lockdown Dads

James and Ian are joined by comedian, Philip Simon

Philip talks about the profound difficulties trying to make a living as a comedian at the moment and how his focus and creativity has massively increased as he struggles to earn a living and provide for his family..

Ian talks about solo babysitting his 2 year old niece and we contrast her simple needs with the challenges that James' 12 year old daughter is facing. Philip shares his experience of his son's return to school and the excitement of the yellow table.

We talk politics and the cynicism inevitably generated when it appears to be "do as I say, not do as I do". Watch out for some crazy metaphors in there.

Will we look back in 20 years and wonder how we survived? In the same way perhaps we laugh about 4 TV channels and a trip to Blockbuster. Plus we discuss if this year masks will become a fashion accessory with Philip, a man who shows us Captain America and Harry Potter designs, among others!

We dip into the culture of Guernsey v Jersey rivalry and my mother in law gets accused of being  a "donkey."

Then we finish with an Ikea joke that in a moment of classic lockdown Zoom hilarity, Philip had to rerecord after his audio cut out on the punchline.

Philip Simon 

School’s Out Comedy Club - Subscribe and watch the videos here: bit.ly/SchoolsOutComedy
Submit jokes here: bit.ly/SOGoogle_Form

Personalised Daddy Pig Videos:
Having played Daddy Pig in the original UK theatre production of Peppa Pig, Philip started producing personalised videos and birthday greetings to send to children stuck at home during the lockdown.
More info here: https://forms.gle/byviYhvRutKVHG7QA 

You can also catch up with Philip Simon here:

YouTube: bit.ly/P_S_YouTube
Facebook: www.facebook.com/PhilipsComedy
Twitter: www.twitter.com/PhilipsComedy
Instagram: www.instagram.com/PhilipsComedy
Newsletter: bit.ly/P_S_Newsletter
And, if you like what I do you can also buy me a Coffee: Ko-fi.com/philipscomedy

About Lockdown Dads

James and Ian are recording a weekly ‘show’ exploring the impact of lockdown, self isolation and social distancing on working dads. We’ll share tips, thoughts and stories with special guests, discuss our hopes for the future and the opportunities that all this represents, especially for dads who want to be more active and involved fathers but who until now have struggled with the expectations of what it means to be a man in the workplace.

We hope you enjoy watching and listening!

To get in touch, submit your tips and learn about us click here:

https://www.inspiringdads.co.uk/lockdown-dads

In Episode 5 James and Ian are joined by expert Psychotherapist , Noel McDermott

We talk about the some of the upside of lockdown - more opportunities for self care, better diet and exercise, but at the same time the risk of a 'tsunami' of mental health issues as people move out of survival mode.

Noel explains the importance of the 3 core elements of mental health stability - home, work and relationships and how this pandemic undermines each of them.

We discuss opportunities for improved equality and the challenges that we face along the way. James and I learn something new as Noel explains the physical and psychological benefits of housework that men are missing out on!

We find out why using alcohol in lockdown is a problem, in particular, for men. 

At the end Noel gives lockdown dads his 3 top simple tips to improve mental health - it's definitely worth sticking around to the end for those.

Noel McDermott
https://twitter.com/NoelMcDermott
https://www.noelmcdermott.net/

some benefits of housework
https://newsinfo.iu.edu/web/page/normal/14627.html
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/19934011/

About Lockdown Dads

James and Ian are recording a weekly ‘show’ exploring the impact of lockdown, self isolation and social distancing on working dads. We’ll share tips, thoughts and stories with special guests, discuss our hopes for the future and the opportunities that all this represents, especially for dads who want to be more active and involved fathers but who until now have struggled with the expectations of what it means to be a man in the workplace.

We hope you enjoy watching and listening!

To get in touch, submit your tips and learn about us click here:

https://www.inspiringdads.co.uk/lockdown-dads

In Episode 4, James and Ian are joined by former Labour MP, business owner and dad of 4, James Frith.

We talk about the competing needs of 4 kids of different ages and the struggle to find 1 on 1 time with children and your partner - in fact we go as far as to wistfully remember  "Date Night."

Join us as we dig deeper into the debate on reopening schools: Covid safety v equality issues. James Frith brings his perspective as a Dad and as a former member of the Education Select Committee.

We discuss the need to "build back better" and the hopes for structural change in society rather than just scrabbling around in an emergency.

Plus...
James channels his inner Norman Tebbitt (!) as we discuss the national shortage of bikes, Henry Frith (8) makes a guest appearance - we discover the like father, like son tales of DIY haircuts and James talks about 12 years in his band Finka and how he once played at Glastonbury.

James Frith
https://twitter.com/JamesFrith
https://www.inspiringdads.co.uk/articles/2019/2/18/jamesfrith


About Lockdown Dads

James and Ian are recording a weekly ‘show’ exploring the impact of lockdown, self isolation and social distancing on working dads. We’ll share tips, thoughts and stories with special guests, discuss our hopes for the future and the opportunities that all this represents, especially for dads who want to be more active and involved fathers but who until now have struggled with the expectations of what it means to be a man in the workplace.

We hope you enjoy watching and listening!

To get in touch, submit your tips and learn about us click here:

https://www.inspiringdads.co.uk/lockdown-dads

In Episode 3, James and Ian are joined by Comedian Tiernan Douieb.

We talk about how to explain Covid to a 2 year old, the struggles of the self employed, private renters and how comics are adapting to the new world.

Plus tales of excessive present buying for the kids aka "The Christmas of Death", should pandemics be more interesting and why does Ian have a cat called Boris?

Join us as we discuss the fortunate (suspicious?!) timing of the Disney+ launch, learn about the Immortal Jellyfish and discover exactly what upsets Tiernan about the remake of the Muppet Babies. 

Tiernan Douieb
https://www.tiernandouieb.co.uk/
https://www.facebook.com/tiernandouieb/
https://twitter.com/tiernandouieb
https://www.comedyclub4kids.co.uk/

The Immortal Jellyfish
https://www.bbcearth.com/blog/?article=the-jellyfish-that-never-dies

About Lockdown Dads

James and Ian are recording a weekly ‘show’ exploring the impact of lockdown, self isolation and social distancing on working dads. We’ll share tips, thoughts and stories with special guests, discuss our hopes for the future and the opportunities that all this represents, especially for dads who want to be more active and involved fathers but who until now have struggled with the expectations of what it means to be a man in the workplace.

We hope you enjoy watching and listening!

To get in touch, submit your tips and learn about us click here:

https://www.inspiringdads.co.uk/lockdown-dads

In Episode 2, James and Ian are joined by #1 Dad Blogger and LinkedIn "Changemaker", John Adams.

We discuss the Covid 19 opportunity to embed flexible working, the potential pressures on families when workplaces open but schools and childcare don't and legal and moral challenges facing employers of trying to return "to normal."

Discover why it's important to keep "your hand in" even if your furloughed and the benefits of involving the whole family in chores, all that, plus we talk about the community aspect of football and whether we will remember this as the year of the home haircut or the cherry bakewell digestive!

John Adams 
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-adams-dadbloguk/ 
https://dadbloguk.com/

Dr Jasmine Kelland, University of Plymouth
Press release: https://www.plymouth.ac.uk/news/survey-suggests-covid-19-could-have-long-term-benefits-for-family-life
Interview extract: https://twitter.com/heartswnews/status/1257966798269489152?s=12

In the debut episode of Lockdown Dads, James Millar and Ian Dinwiddy get competitive about press-ups, discuss tips for coping with lockdown and reflect on what we might remember "When I'm 64".

Discover the importance of non-iron shirts and how real dads are re-evaluating their work and family priorities. 

About Lockdown Dads

James and Ian are recording a weekly ‘show’ exploring the impact of lockdown, self isolation and social distancing on working dads. We’ll share tips, thoughts and stories with special guests, discuss our hopes for the future and the opportunities that all this represents, especially for dads who want to be more active and involved fathers but who until now have struggled with the expectations of what it means to be a man in the workplace.

We hope you enjoy watching and listening!

To get in touch, submit your tips and learn about us click here:

https://www.inspiringdads.co.uk/lockdown-dads