View From My Sofa

For our Radio Times Podcast Christmas special, host Kelly-Anne Taylor is joined by the comedian, actor and screenwriter, Mae Martin. Their first foray into stand-up came aged 13 – and by 15 Mae had dropped out of school to pursue comedy full-time. They relocated to London in their early 20s and made a name for themselves on the British comedy circuit. With two Netflix comedy specials under their belt, they’ve also conquered the world of television with the Netflix series Feel Good – which Mae stars in alongside Charlotte Richie. In this festive episode, Mae talks about how they spend the big day, what the best part of a Christmas dinner is, what part to avoid – and the worst Christmas present they have ever received.

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Joining me, Kelly-Anne Taylor, for the first episode of this brand-new series of the Radio Times Podcast, is the Scottish actress who took Hollywood by storm, Karen Gillan. Born and raised in Inverness, she moved to London aged 18 to pursue acting – after two weeks at drama school, she dropped out and worked in a pub until she was cast in a role that would change her life – the brilliant Amy Pond in Dr Who. Since then, she’s conquered Hollywood with her role as Nebula in the Marvel film franchise. In this episode, we discuss losing your anonymity, the pressures placed on women’s bodies and her brand new show Douglas is Cancelled.

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Joining Kelly-Anne Taylor in the studio this week, is the author and journalist, Caroline O’Donoghue. In 2018, Caroline launched the podcast Sentimental Garbage – with the tagline, Justice for dumb women. What started out as a chick-lit podcast – grew into a podcast that celebrated guilty pleasures – deep-diving, unpicking, examining everything from Gilmore Girls to Little Women to Taylor Swift. In this episode, Caroline discusses how she’s got a lot of mileage out of her comfort TV Sex in the City and how she reacted when she had the rug pulled out from under her feet. Plus, we talk about her latest novel, The Rachel Incident.

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This week’s guest is the TV presenter and reality TV star, Rylan. He grew up on a council estate in East London – with his mum, Linda, his nan and older brother. It was the era of reality TV – and Rylan decided that was the way to make his fame and fortune. In 2012, aged 23, he appeared as a contestant on X Factor – and his emotional reaction at the judges houses and his live show performances made him an X Factor icon. He turned his moment in the limelight, into a longstanding career – pivoting into the world of presenting. In this episode, he reflects about his time on X Factor, receiving death threats and handling overnight fame. Please note that this episode contains strong language.

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This week joining Kelly-Anne Taylor, in the studio, is the British actress, presenter and author, Joanna Lumley. Born in India, in Kashmir, Srinagar – she was brought up in the Far East, coming to the UK, aged 8, to attend boarding school. She went on to work as a model and actress, living in London in the Swinging Sixties – and made her name starring as Purdy in The New Avengers. She boasts a successful career – spanning over 6 decades – she had audiences in hysterics as Patsy in hit sit-com Absolutely Fabulous, has presented wonderful travel programmes – and, of course, captured the nation in Jan Etherington’s radio show, Conversations From A Long Marriage – in which she stars alongside Roger Allum. In this episode, she talks about why she doesn’t have a mobile phone and how difficult she found it to shed the ‘pretty girl’ stereotype when she moved from modelling to acting. Plus, she talks about raising a child as a single mother, how playing Purdy in The New Avengers changed things financially for her and why she wishes sex scenes would be cut from TV and film.

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This week’s guest is one of the QI Elves behind the hit podcast, No Such Thing As A Fish – it is Dan Schreiber! In this episode Dan sits down with Kelly-Anne Taylor to discuss how he broke into the TV industry and why he moved to London at 19 after receiving a letter from Richard Curtis. Plus, they speak about being starstruck, encouraging your inner weirdo and why it’s good to be in the wrong place at the right time.

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For this special episode of the Radio Times Podcast, Kelly-Anne Taylor is joined by the conservationists Chris Packham and Megan Mccubbin. Packham was born in Southampton in 1961 and spent much of his childhood exploring the nature he found at his doorstep. As a teenager with autism, he was picked on at school – his solace was the outside world. After studying Zoology at the University of Southampton, Packham found himself in the world of television and film, taking still photographs – but it was his audition for The Really Wild Show which kickstarted his career. Today, he is recognised as one of Britain’s most prominent wildlife TV presenters. He joins the podcast, alongside his step-daughter the conservationist and TV presenter, Megan McCubbin. In this episode, we discuss the perils of activism, the everyday changes everyone can make to fight climate change – and, the beauty of watching telly together.

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Happy New Year! Welcome to the first episode of The Radio Times Podcast in 2024! Joining host Kelly-Anne Taylor, this week, is the comedian – Ed Gamble! He first ventured into comedy whilst studying at the University of Durham and quickly made a name for himself on the London comedy scene – juggling part-time jobs with late-night gigs. A regular on panel shows, Ed Gamble has also found success talking about food – he is a judge on the BBC’s Great British Menu and host of the chart-topping food podcast, Off Menu – alongside James Acaster. In this episode, he talks about how losing 7 stone in his early 20s impacted how people treated him and why, as a type 1 diabetic, he hates dieting brands using medication intended for diabetics to promote weight-loss. Plus, he talks about the return of The Traitors and unpicks why everyone is obsessed with the show.

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In this week’s episode, host Kelly-Anne Taylor is joined by TV chefs, Si King and Dave Myers – aka The Hairy Bikers. Dave was born and raised in Barrow-in-Furness, and Si in Kibblesworth County Durham and both brought up in working-class families. They met on the TV set on Catherine Cookson’s The Gambling Man – Si was the second assistant director and Dave, head of make-up. It was their united love of motorbikes and good grub that helped launch The Hairy Bikers – but it’s not always been an easy ride. In this episode, they discuss low-ratings and the Christmas special that was supposed to be their swan-song, Dave’s on-going battle with cancer and why Christmas means so much to them this year.

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This week’s guest is the actress, Tamsin Greig. She grew up in London with her parents, two sisters – 5 lodgers and a handful of cats. Her mother had been in amateur dramatics – and Tamsin, absorbed by osmosis, the yearning to perform at a young age. She graduated from the University of Birmingham with a first-class BA in Drama and Theatre – and then, worked at the Family Planning Association – before getting her foot in the door with her role as Debbie Aldridge in The Archers. Since then – she has had a glittering career on both the stage and on television. She has starred in some of Britain’s most loved sitcoms – from Black Books to Green Wing – and most recently, Friday Night Dinner. In this episode, she discusses what it’s like to juggle parenthood with working life, her love of trampolining and playing a baddie in Paramount’s new drama, Sexy Beast, based on the cult-classic gangster film of the 00s.

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