Our guest this week is the very funny and very thought-provoking Lucy Davis!

Lucy is best known as Dawn from the British TV show The Office, she then went on to star in movies like Shaun of The Dead,  Wonder Woman and now lives in LA, having broken America and starring in The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.

We talked about pivotal moments in Lucy's life which has involved some setbacks including a kidney transplant and recovering from an eating disorder. In our conversation, we talk about disordered eating in some detail so that's something to bear in mind if you're going through it right now.

Lucy has really leaned into the spiritual side of her life, which is new ground for this podcast and we talked about positive thinking, healing and gratitude so it's a bit of a different conversation for the last in our series but it really made us think about the power of the mind.

The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead. And the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma

Make your moments last forever with Missoma and get an exclusive 15% by using MAKE15 now on https://uk.missoma.com/.

Our very special guest this week is Ruby Bridges who changed the world forever at just six years old. In 1960 Ruby was the first black child to go to an integrated school in the American South. This moment has become an iconic symbol of the civil rights movement and changed her life forever. Books have been written about her, movies made about her and the artist Norman Rockwell painted the moment of her first day at school - a work of art that Barack Obama moved into the White House during his precedency.

Ruby and I talked about her story, how she became an activist, the horrific racism she faced and how she feels about her place in history. We were so lucky to have this conversation and I hope it means as much to you as it did to us.

Ruby’s memoir This Is Your Time is released in the UK this month. 

***

Born on September 8, 1954, Ruby Bridges was the oldest of five children and at two years old, her parents moved their family to New Orleans, Louisiana in search of better work opportunities. Ruby’s birth year coincided with the US Supreme Court’s landmark ruling, which ended racial segregation in public schools. But southern states continued to resist integration, and in 1959, Ruby attended a segregated New Orleans kindergarten. 

A year later Louisiana was forced to desegregate. The school district created entrance exams for African American students to see whether they could compete academically at the all-white school. Ruby and five other students passed the exam.

On November 14 1960 Ruby and her mother were escorted by four federal marshals to the school and they escorted her every day that year. She walked past crowds screaming slurs at her - someone even held a black baby doll in a coffin. She spent her first day in the principal’s office due to the chaos created as angry white parents pulled their children from school. Some parents withdrew their children permanently. 

Over time, other African American students enrolled and Ruby graduated from a desegregated high school, became a travel agent, married and had four sons. 

Ruby has been a lifelong activist for racial equality and in1999 she established The Ruby Bridges Foundation to promote tolerance and create change through education. 

***

The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead. And the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma

Make your moments last forever with Missoma and get an exclusive 15% by using MAKE15 now on https://uk.missoma.com/

Welcome to the second series of The Making of... from The Female Lead

Our guest today is the award-winning poet Hollie McNish!

Hollie was UK Slam Poetry Champion in 2009 and went on to win the prestigious Ted Hughes Award for poetry in 2016. She's released 4 books of poetry and her fifth collection called Slug is out this month.

Hollie spoke about everything from childbirth to the magic of words and she even performed one of our favourite poems.

The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead. And the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma

Make your moments last forever with Missoma and get an exclusive 15% by using MAKE15 now on https://uk.missoma.com/

Welcome to the second series of The Making of... from The Female Lead

Our guest this week is the actor Rebecca Root!

Rebecca came to fame in 2015 starring in the groundbreaking BBC TV Series Boy Meets Girl, where she was the first transgender actor to be cast in a lead transgender role in a mainstream sitcom. Since then Rebecca has worked on a range of film and television shows including the smash hit The Queen's Gambit and The Danish Girl.

We talked about the huge changes in her life, the power of an inspiring teacher, struggling with gender identity & falling in love.

The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead. And the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma

Make your moments last forever with Missoma and get an exclusive 15% by using MAKE15 now on https://uk.missoma.com/

Welcome to the second series of The Making of... from The Female Lead

Our guest this week is the actor, writer and disability campaigner Samantha Renke!

Samantha came to fame in the groundbreaking Maltesers ad which was one of the first representations on TV of a wheelchair user as being funny and sexy. This moment was a turning point for Samantha's career but also a really painful time due to online trolling which we talked about in our conversation.

We also covered ableism, finding independence, dating and why she hates being called an inspiration. Samantha was so funny and so honest, it was one of the most enlightening conversations and we hope you think so too.

The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead. And the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma

Make your moments last forever with Missoma and get an exclusive 15% by using MAKE15 now on https://uk.missoma.com/

Welcome to the second series of The Making of... from The Female Lead

Our guest this week is Mandu Reid, leader of The Women's Equality Party.

Mandu made history as the first Black leader of a national political party in Britain. She was born in Malawi and lived for some time in Swaziland under the last years of apartheid. She's been campaigning for racial and gender equality throughout her life, leading her to The Women's Equality Party.

We talked about a lot of meaty subjects like racial segregation, abortion, sexual harassment and hitchhiking as a teenager through the night in South Africa.

The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead. And the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma

Make your moments last forever with Missoma and get an exclusive 15% by using MAKE15 now on https://uk.missoma.com/

Welcome to the second series of The Making of... from The Female Lead

Our guest this week is the writer and campaigner Bryony Gordon.  As well as her weekly column for the Telegraph, Bryony is a prolific author - writing six books in the last seven years. These memoirs are funny and painful explorations of mental health and addiction, and her most recent book No Such Thing as Normal is a practical guide for those struggling to cope

Bryony is a passionate mental health campaigner and in 2016 she founded Mental Health Mates - a network of peer support groups.  In 2017 she started her Mad World podcast, where Prince Harry chose to give his first interview about the mental health problems he has experienced. In our conversation we talked about addiction, rehab, motherhood, mental health, and why it’s good to choose the slightly dull guy. 

The two of Bryon’s books we talk about most are:

No Such Thing As Normal  (2021)

My Glorious Rock Bottom (2020)

And this is the excellent mental health support group set up by Bryony: Mental Health Mates 

The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead. And the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma

Make your moments last forever with Missoma and get an exclusive 15% by using MAKE15 now on https://uk.missoma.com/

Welcome to the second series of The Making of... from The Female Lead

Our guest this week is the fastest British Woman in history! It’s Dina Asher Smith

Dina’s career as a sprinter has been a series of firsts - she is the first British woman to win a major global sprint title. In 2018, she won three gold medals at the European championships making her the first British woman to ever win a treble at a major event.  

As a young athlete she was the world's fastest teenager ever over 60m and 200m. And Dina still found the time to get into King’s College University to study History - a subject that she says has given her a vital perspective on everything she does. And that is exactly the kind of astute comment that Dina comes out with throughout this conversation. Dina is so wise and inspiring at only 25 years old. Our chat delved into everything from the psychology of winning, how she deals with racism and the motivational power of a McDonalds apple pie!

The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead. And the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma

Make your moments last forever with Missoma and get an exclusive 15% by using MAKE15 now on https://uk.missoma.com/

Welcome to the final episode of this series of The Making Of... from The Female Lead. 

Our guest this week is the comedian, actor, writer and national treasure Mel Giedroyc!

This was our first ever conversation with Mel, but it feels like talking to an old friend because she is so relaxed and funny and loves a chat. She is also packed full of wisdom - just as a national treasure should be.

Best known as part of the Mel and Sue double act, she started out doing live sketch comedy, then moved into acting and presenting, culminating in seven years hosting the phenomenal Great British Bake Off. Famous for their unique style of gentle but irreverent humour, Mel and Sue set the tone for what has become one of Britain's best-loved shows. 

As well as presenting, acting and everything else, Mel has also written two books on motherhood and now her first novel The Best Things, which is out in the new year. 

Mel shared a great list of moments that have made her, ranging from her first “road to Damascus moment” in the theatre and up to losing her house in her 40s. We also talked about the loneliness of being a new mum, female friendship and how she managed seven years of eating loads of cake.

The interview was recorded over zoom, at the height of lockdown, so please bear with us as some bits may sound a little wobbly. 

Although this is the last episode, we will be back soon with a new series of brilliant women in the new year. 

*

Mel Giedroyc grew up in Leatherhead as the youngest of four children, 

she went to Cambridge University where she met Sue Perkins and they formed a double act which was shortlisted for the Best Newcomers Award at the Edinburgh Festival. They built a long-standing professional relationship including hosting Light Lunch and then Late Lunch on Channel Four. Mel & Sue are best known these days for presenting The Great British Bake Off. In September 2016, Love Productions switched the contract to televise The Great British Bake Off from the BBC to Channel Four. Both Sue Perkins and Mel Giedroyc stepped down as hosts of the show after seven years.

In her career, Mel has worked on numerous TV shows and radio shows, as well as on stage - most recently in Steven Sondheim’s Company in the West End and Much Ado About Nothing at the Rose Theatre. 

Mel has always loved writing and has published two books about motherhood  From Here to Maternity: One Mother of a Journey and Going Ga-Ga: Is there life after birth? In 2021 her first novel The Best Things will be released.

*

The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby and is edited by Lauren Lind. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead And the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma

Welcome to the 7th episode of The Making Of... from The Female Lead. 

Our guest this week is the classicist, writer, broadcaster and troll fighter Dame Mary Beard! 

Mary is the best-known classicist working in Britain today and has written many popular books on the ancient world including the award-winning Pompeii: The Life of a Roman Town.  She has also presented highly-acclaimed BBC documentaries and is a regular broadcaster and media commentator. She is classics editor of the Times Literary Supplement and writes a regular blog, A Don’s Life. 

Despite writing about and studying the ancient world, Mary is very much part of the now and is an avid social media user, where she became known for standing up to sexist trolls on Twitter. Her stance on how older women are treated in the media has also made her something of a feminist hero in recent years and we talked a lot about the disappearance of older women in our conversations. We also covered how to deal with trolls, how to not be boring and cancel culture.  

The interview was recorded over zoom, during lockdown, so please bear with us as some bits may sound a little wobbly. 

*

Mary Beard is one of Britain’s best-known classicists, Professor at the University of Cambridge and Fellow of Newnham College. She has written numerous books on the ancient world, has presented highly-acclaimed TV series and is a regular broadcaster and media commentator. Mary is one of the presenters for the BBC’s recent landmark Civilisations series. In 2013 she received an OBE for services to classical scholarship, her latest books include the critically-acclaimed SPQR: A History of Ancient Rome and thought-provoking Women & Power: A Manifesto. Mary was made a Dame in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list 2018

*

The Making Of is hosted by Bea Appleby and is edited by Lauren Lind. The production is brought to you by The Female Lead and the whole series is very kindly sponsored by Missoma