Walking The Dog with Emily Dean

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with Dr Amir Khan, Amir opens up about the pressures and pleasures of life as an NHS GP, and why, despite his increasingly busy television and writing career, he has absolutely no intention of giving up his Bradford practice.

He shares what makes being a doctor so rewarding, the challenges facing those working in the NHS and why the relationships he's built with his patients mean so much to him.

There's also more about the formidable Mama Khan, whose cooking inspired Amir's new book, The Doctor Will Feed You Now. He reveals more about the family recipes that shaped his childhood and how his mum's influence continues to play such an important part in his life.

If you haven't already, catch up on part one of Emily's walk with Amir, where they discuss his upbringing in Bradford, his journey into medicine and his rather magnificent family of cat lovers.

The Doctor Will Feed You Now is available to pre-order now, ahead of its publication in February. You can also listen to Amir and Cherry Healey on their podcast, No Appointment Necessary.

Follow Emily:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean

X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with NHS GP, bestselling author and resident doctor on Lorraine, Dr Amir Khan. Impeccably dressed and immediately besotted with Raymond, Amir proves to be excellent company, although his affection for Ray might have something to do with his own beloved cat, who is apparently every bit as much of a diva.

Amir grew up in Bradford alongside his six sisters and his formidable mother, Mama Khan. He shares stories of family life, including the extraordinary name of one of their cats: Princess Jessica Monica Princess Diana Khan. Emily is understandably impressed.

They also explore Amir's journey into medicine, why he chose to become a GP and how his work on Lorraine, his hugely popular social media accounts and his writing career have made him one of Britain's most familiar doctors. Throughout their conversation, his passion for helping people is unmistakable.

His new book, The Doctor Will Feed You Now, is inspired by the food he grew up eating in Mama Khan's kitchen and is available to pre-order ahead of its publication next February. You can also hear Amir alongside Cherry Healey on their podcast No Appointment Necessary, where they answer all those questions you've always wanted to ask about your health.

By the end of the walk, Emily has decided she'd quite like to move to Bradford and join Amir's surgery. Better still, she's secured an invitation for herself and Ray to sample his famous lasagna. There's just one condition: Mama Khan has to be there.

Follow Emily:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean

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Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with William Hanson, William reveals more about his unlikely journey from a boy fascinated by good manners to one of Britain's most recognisable etiquette experts.

He discusses his rise to fame, the success of Help I Sexted My Boss with Jordan North, and how a lifelong passion for etiquette has turned into a career that's taken him in some rather unexpected directions.

There's also more about his latest projects, including a brand new course for BBC Maestro, exploring modern etiquette and social confidence, and his first foray into fiction with the crime novel A Fatal Forking. William shares more about the book and what inspired him to try his hand at writing a murder mystery.

If you haven't already, catch up on part one of Emily's walk with William, where they explore his childhood in Bristol and the etiquette book that started it all.

A Fatal Forking is available to pre-order now ahead of its release next May.

William's BBC Maestro course, Modern Etiquette and Social Confidence, launches on bbcmaestro.com on December 4th. BBC Maestro is the home of online courses taught by the world's leading experts, and William's is about helping people handle any social situation with confidence. To get 40% off the course, use the code - WALKINGDOG40

Follow Emily:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean

X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll through Hyde Park with etiquette expert, bestselling author and podcast host William Hanson.

Impeccably dressed, unfailingly polite and armed with plenty of advice, William was the perfect walking companion. Ray, meanwhile, chose to introduce himself by doing a poo. Not quite the first impression Emily had hoped for.

William grew up in Bristol, where a book on etiquette given to him by his grandmother when he was just 12 sparked a lifelong fascination with manners. He went on to become one of Britain's best-known etiquette coaches, sharing his expertise on programmes including This Morning and The One Show, and co-hosting the hugely successful podcast Help I Sexted My Boss with Jordan North.

Along the way, Emily discovers that William is considerably more than a man who knows which fork to use. They discuss his childhood, his extraordinary career and the finer points of modern etiquette, including whether it's acceptable to bring your dog as a plus-one. William has some thoughts.

There's also plenty to look forward to. William's first crime novel, A Fatal Forking, is available to pre-order ahead of its release next May, and he's been working with the BBC on a new Maestro course exploring modern etiquette and social confidence, available in December.

William's BBC Maestro course, Modern Etiquette and Social Confidence, launches on bbcmaestro.com on December 4th. BBC Maestro is the home of online courses taught by the world's leading experts, and William's is about helping people handle any social situation with confidence. To get 40% off the course, use the code - WALKINGDOG40

Follow Emily:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean

X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with Johnny Marr, there’s more from an extraordinary life in music, from the Manchester childhood that shaped him to the career that followed and the experiences that have stayed with him along the way.

Johnny shares more about his upbringing, his relationship with music and what it has meant to spend much of his life doing the thing he first fell in love with as a boy. There’s also plenty more on a career that has taken him from The Smiths through countless collaborations and on to his acclaimed solo work.

And it turns out guitars aren’t the only thing Johnny can’t resist. When a stray football appears during the walk, all thoughts of being a legendary musician are temporarily forgotten as he immediately has to give it a kick.

If you haven’t already, catch up on part one of Emily’s walk with Johnny. His new album, The Age of Everything, is out now, and the anniversary edition of his autobiography, Set the Boy Free, will be released on 22 October.

Follow Emily:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean

X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with one of the most influential guitarists and songwriters of his generation, Johnny Marr.

Johnny grew up in Manchester in a house filled with music, before going on to co-found The Smiths and create a sound that would influence generations of musicians. He tells Emily about those early years, the formation of the band and the extraordinary musical legacy they left behind, as well as the lasting impact that period had on his own life and career.

After The Smiths, Johnny built a career every bit as eclectic as you’d expect, working with artists including The Pretenders, The The, Modest Mouse and Gorillaz, before establishing himself as an acclaimed solo artist.

His new album, The Age of Everything, is out now, and a new anniversary edition of his autobiography, Set the Boy Free, will be released on 22 October.

And, crucially, Johnny is a serious dog person. He arrived for the walk armed with treats for Ray and plenty of stories about his two Rhodesian Ridgebacks, leaving Emily wondering whether she and Ray might be able to move in with Johnny, his wife Angie and the dogs. There is just one condition: absolutely no guitar playing while Emily is watching reality TV.

Follow Emily:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean

X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with Nick Knowles, Nick takes us behind the scenes of DIY SOS and explains just how much work, care and love goes into creating the transformations we see on screen.

He talks about the people and communities at the heart of the programme, why the show has remained so important to him after 26 years, and what it’s like being there when months of planning and hard graft finally come together.

Nick also opens up about the less straightforward side of being a familiar face, from dealing with press attention to the strange ways fame can affect your everyday life.

If you haven’t already, catch up on part one of Emily’s walk with Nick. And you can see the current series of DIY SOS on Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC One.

Follow Emily:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean

X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with Nick Knowles, who has been at the helm of DIY SOS for an incredible 26 years, or, as Emily prefers to call it, Time for My Weekly Cry.

Nick grew up on a council estate in West London, left school at 16 and spent the next few years doing just about every job imaginable. He tells Emily how he eventually blagged his way into television with the help of some questionably acquired BBC letterhead, beginning a broadcasting career that has made him one of the most recognisable faces on British TV.

There are stories from a remarkably adventure-packed life, from working with David Attenborough and orangutans to chatting with Prince Harry at Buckingham Palace, plus the fabulous revelation that Nick once owned a pair of chinchillas. He also looks back on his adventures in I’m a Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here!

And, of course, they delve into DIY SOS, the extraordinary people Nick has met through the programme and the communities who come together to transform the lives of families going through incredibly difficult times. The current series airs Tuesdays at 8pm on BBC One.

It’s a candid, entertaining and occasionally unexpected stroll with a man who has accumulated more stories than most, all delivered, appropriately enough, while wearing a cowboy hat. Now Emily just needs to persuade him to find a tiny high-vis for Ray.

Follow Emily:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean

X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with Caitlin Moran and Luna, Caitlin turns her attention to something many of us could probably use a little more of right now: hope.

Her new book, How to Be Hopeful, grew out of a search for ways to feel more optimistic about the world without simply ignoring everything that’s wrong with it. Caitlin shares some of what she discovered along the way, and why seemingly small things - nature, community, getting outside and, inevitably, dogs - can make a surprisingly big difference.

There’s also more from Caitlin on her life, family and extraordinary career, as the conversation ranges from the deeply thoughtful to the gloriously silly.

If you haven’t already, do go back and listen to part one. Caitlin’s new book, How to Be Hopeful, is available to buy now.

Follow Emily:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean

X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week Emily and Ray take a North London stroll with columnist and bestselling author Caitlin Moran and her adorable cockapoo, Luna.

Caitlin chats about her extraordinary childhood growing up as the eldest of eight children on a council estate in Wolverhampton, largely educating herself through books from her local library, and the remarkable start to her career which saw her become a published novelist and award-winning journalist while she was still in her teens.

She’s since become one of Britain’s most celebrated writers, from her hugely popular column in The Times to the million-selling How to Be a Woman and a string of bestselling books. Caitlin talks about that journey and what she’s learned from a life spent writing about everything from feminism and family to culture, politics and the everyday absurdities of being human.

Her new book, How to Be Hopeful, sees Caitlin searching for ways to find a little more peace and optimism in a sometimes overwhelmingly gloomy world. From putting down the headphones and making space for wildlife to the strangely addictive pleasure of litter picking and, naturally, spending more time with dogs, it’s full of small, practical ways to bring a little more hope into everyday life. How to Be Hopeful is available now.

You can also hear Caitlin alongside gardening expert Adam Frost on their podcast Outsiding, celebrating the joys of getting outside and spending time in nature.

It’s a wonderfully candid, funny and uplifting walk with Caitlin and Luna – although Caitlin’s extremely generous approach to dog treats means Ray may have fallen in love just a little bit harder than Emily did.

Follow Emily:

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/emilyrebeccadean

X: https://twitter.com/divine_miss_em

Walking The Dog is produced by Will Nichols

Music: Rich Jarman

Artwork: Alice Ludlam

Photography: Karla Gowlett

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.