Adventure, nostalgia, trains, Cribbens and three elderly children posher than a lobster in a cravat: HOW JOLLY! Lionel Jeffries’ period piece based on E Nesbit’s 1906 book is a wholesome slice of classic British cinema, but what will filthy commoners Mick, Hannah and Jen make of it? And how will it go down with our resident five year old?

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Jessica Swale is a busy woman, so Hannah was surprised to discover the writer and director did have the time for a chat about some of her latest projects. They cover getting the tone right for Paddington: The Musical, working with children and dogs in Amazon's new Christmas film Merv, and Jessica's new book aimed at making sure we can all have A Year of Creative Thinking.

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Working in the 17th century gothic library at St John's College puts Tanya Kirk in an ideal position to talk about book-based ghost stories. She's just edited the latest in a series of short story collections - The Haunted Library: Tales of Cursed Books and Forbidden Shelves - so Hannah got on the Zoom to chat about why old books are spooky, why Christmas is a rich source of ghost stories, and the white gloves myth.

Tanya's latest book is available here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-haunted-library/tanya-kirk/9780712355292

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Richard Benjamin’s coming-of-age comedy-drama has a (sort of) dream cast, but how much will Jen, Hannah and Mick love central character Mrs Flax? Does the character even matter when she’s played by Cher? And can we get over a ropey age-gap and a real lack of DIY prep to allow Mermaids to shoop-shoop into our hearts?

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Padel might well be one of the fastest growing sports in the world, right now, but what exactly is it? And how is it different to tennis, squash, or pickleball?

Jen wanted to find out more, so she got on the Zoom with Alex Brodie, PR and sponsorship manager at UK Padel, one of the UK’s leading tournament organisers in the sport, to chat about the who, what and where of the game – and why it’s so good for women and girls.

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Let’s bring some cheer to the end of the year with Dr Suze Kundu – that’s right NASA’s Dr Suze Kundu. She and Mick* debunk some bad science, celebrate some impactful and robust research and tech, and create some positive associations with the work of millions. With added Katy Perry and a plea to outer space-related height restrictions. 

*mostly Suze, to be fair

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Just five per cent of people with a learning difference are in paid work, something highlighted by the recent case of Tom Boyd, who was let go by Morrisons after his family asked that he be paid for his work. That case spurred Liz Warner, a former CEO of Comic Relief, into action. Because the same thing had happened to her son and, we can all agree, needs to stop happening. Liz is launching a new initiative in the new year aimed to double the amount of people with a learning difference in paid work, so Hannah got on the Zoom to find out more.

You can find out more about The Different Kind here: https://thedifferentkind.com

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Reaction to Wes Streeting’s independent review on mental health, ADHD and autism might divide opinion, but surely we can all agree to be

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Watching 9 to 5, what a way to earn a living. Mick, Hannah and Jen revisit Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin and – people’s favourite – Dolly Parton in this classic comedy about sexism in the workplace that everyone knows inside out. Don’t they? 

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Given we’re deep into pantomime season, it seemed only right that Mick got on the Zoom with Vikki Stone, the woman behind some of the best pantos in the UK. Vikki tells us about comedy, getting kids into the theatre, toddler raves, prime-time telly and why pantos remain one of the most enduring of British Christmastime traditions.

Mama Goose is at Stratford East until Jan 3

Beauty and the Beast is at New Wolsey Theatre until Jan 17

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