In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with the fabulous Shazia Mirza, there’s plenty more from one of Britain’s most distinctive and brilliantly funny comedians, as Shazia reflects on her life, career and the experiences that have shaped her comedy.

If you haven’t already, do go back and listen to part one, where Shazia talks about growing up in Birmingham, secretly pursuing stand-up while working as a science teacher, and the special role Emily’s late mum played in encouraging her at the very beginning of her comedy career.

Shazia will be heading out on tour next year with a brand new show, 'Prude', so keep an eye on her Instagram, @TheShaziaMirza, for tour dates, tickets and all the latest details.

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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.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with the fabulous comedian Shazia Mirza.

Emily and Shazia actually go back a long way, as when Shazia first decided to pursue comedy, she took performance lessons with Emily’s late mum, an acting teacher who became a great friend and source of encouragement. This is Shazia’s first meeting with Ray, though, and despite admitting she’s usually a little nervous around dogs, it isn’t long before he’s won her over and been officially declared Britain’s first halal dog.

Shazia talks about growing up in Birmingham in a strict household with strong academic expectations, studying biochemistry at university and becoming a science teacher, before eventually realising that what she really wanted to do was stand-up. She began performing comedy in secret, and within just a few years found herself appearing on the hugely influential American programme 60 Minutes as the world’s only female Muslim stand-up comedian.

Since then, Shazia has become a fixture of British comedy, appearing on shows including Have I Got News for You, QI and Would I Lie to You?, as well as memorably reducing Hugh Jackman to hysterics on The Jonathan Ross Show.

It’s a funny, fascinating and at times very moving walk, particularly as Shazia remembers the support Emily’s mum gave her at the very beginning of her career. Shazia will be touring again next year, so follow her on Instagram at @TheShaziaMirza for details of upcoming shows.

Follow Emily:

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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 the wonderful Fay Ripley and Apple, Fay looks back on the huge success of Cold Feet and the incredibly difficult decision she made to walk away from the show at the height of its popularity.

She also tells Emily the story of how she met her husband, actor Daniel Lapaine, recalls a rather unpleasant encounter with a very famous actress, and reveals why her friendship with David Baddiel has reached the level where he feels perfectly comfortable popping round to her house for a poo.

If you haven’t already, do go back and listen to part one.

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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.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll across North London’s Parliament Hill with the wonderful Fay Ripley and her very smartly dressed dog, Apple, who arrived wearing a bow tie especially for the occasion.

Fay chats about her childhood growing up in Surrey, her brilliantly named dad Beverly and the three attempts it took before she finally got into drama school. She also looks back on some of the more unusual jobs she had before acting took off, including working in a tanning salon and, rather wonderfully, as a clown.

They talk about the role that changed everything, playing Jenny in Cold Feet, and how Fay dealt with suddenly becoming incredibly famous. There’s also the story of meeting her husband, actor Daniel Lapaine, and the rather surreal occasion when Fay found herself giving acting advice to Robert De Niro.

And away from acting, Fay talks about her other great passion, food. She’s written three bestselling cookery books and shares how cooking became another important part of her career.

It’s a wonderfully funny and unfiltered walk with one of Britain’s best-loved actors, featuring two extremely handsome dogs, some refreshingly candid thoughts on fame and a passing child who makes the grave mistake of complimenting Ray without extending the same courtesy to Apple.

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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 the wonderful Laura Aikman, Laura delves into her role in the acclaimed BBC drama This City Is Ours and gives us a tantalising tease about what we can expect from her in the new series of Line of Duty.

Laura also talks about a very different side of her life away from acting: her work as a volunteer for the mental health support service Shout. Since 2022, she’s taken hundreds of conversations with people experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives, and she explains why the work has become so important to her.

If you haven’t already, do go back and listen to part one. And if you want to see Laura on stage, she stars alongside Michelle Dockery in Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy, opening at Stratford East on September 3rd and running until October 10th. Tickets are available at https://www.stratfordeast.com.

Follow Emily:

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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.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with the wonderful Laura Aikman and her brilliantly named French bulldog, Eric Cantona.

Laura is perhaps best known to millions of Gavin & Stacey fans as Smithy’s formidable girlfriend Sonia, but her acting career stretches back much further. She chats to Emily about growing up in Hertfordshire with an actress mum and stuntman dad, becoming a child actor herself, and playing Anthony Hopkins’ daughter in Surviving Picasso.

They also talk about Laura’s career in shows including Archie and the acclaimed BBC drama This City Is Ours, before getting into that unforgettable return to Gavin & Stacey. Laura reveals the extraordinary lengths she went to in order to keep her appearance in the Christmas finale secret, even from her own parents, and the hilarious reaction video that subsequently went viral.

Laura also talks about her new play, Bloodsport: After Helen of Troy, a contemporary reimagining of the Helen of Troy myth in which she stars alongside Michelle Dockery. It runs at Stratford East from September 3rd to October 10th, and tickets are available at https://www.stratfordeast.com.

It’s a wonderfully relaxed conversation with an actress who is thankfully absolutely nothing like Sonia. Plus, the simple joy of repeatedly hearing someone shout things like “Eric Cantona, stop licking me” throughout a dog walk.

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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 the wonderful Gaby Roslin, Gaby looks back on the extraordinary success of The Big Breakfast and the whirlwind of suddenly becoming one of the most recognisable faces on television.

She also talks warmly about her friendship with Chris Evans, what made their partnership work, and the memories they still share from one of the most exciting and unpredictable periods of her career.

The conversation then turns to Gaby’s new ITV series, The Joy of Pets, and why a programme celebrating animals and the people who love them feels like such a perfect fit. Alongside Dr Bolu Eso, Gaby travels around the country meeting remarkable pets and hearing the stories behind the bonds they share with their owners.

If you haven’t already, do go back and listen to part one. The Joy of Pets begins on Sunday 23rd August on ITV, and you can also hear Gaby every Saturday morning on Magic Radio.

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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.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with one of the nation’s best-loved TV and radio presenters, Gaby Roslin.

Gaby chats about growing up with her beloved staffie Bazooka, dreaming of becoming a television presenter from a very young age, and the early children’s TV jobs that eventually led to her big break co-hosting The Big Breakfast with Chris Evans.

She also looks back on a remarkable career that has seen her work with everyone from Terry Wogan to the cast of Friends, and talks about why her natural curiosity and love of meeting people have remained at the heart of everything she does.

Gaby is now combining two of her greatest passions in the new ITV series The Joy of Pets. Alongside pet expert Dr Bolu Eso, she travels around the country meeting extraordinary animals and the people who love them. The series begins on Sunday 23rd August on ITV. You can also hear Gaby every Saturday morning on Magic Radio.

It’s a wonderfully joyful conversation full of warmth, laughter and unexpected encounters with passers-by. Gaby and Ray fall hopelessly in love almost immediately, although Ray is less than impressed when she fails to take him home at the end of the walk.

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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 the wonderful Jake Bhardwaj, Jake takes us behind the scenes of the day Prince Harry came on Joe Marler Will See You Now, from finding out one of the most famous men in the world was going to be a guest to what he was actually like when the microphones were switched on (and off).

Jake also talks about his own fascinating career shift, having spent years behind the scenes producing comedy for some of the biggest names in the business before gradually finding himself in front of the camera. He reflects on what gave him the confidence to start making his own content, and how he’s adjusted to suddenly becoming the talent rather than the person looking after it.

If you haven’t already, do go back and listen to part one. And if you’re at the Edinburgh Festival, you can catch Jake’s live show Not Another Quiz Night at the Gilded Balloon until August 30th. Tickets are available at https://www.edfringe.com.

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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.

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with comedy creator, writer, actor, producer and quizmaster Jake Bhardwaj.

You might know Jake from the hugely popular podcast Joe Marler Will See You Now, which he co-hosts with Joe Marler and has recently welcomed guests including Prince Harry. He’s also been hosting the behind-the-scenes content for Saturday Night Live UK and recently popped up in the new Diane Morgan series Ann Droid.

Jake chats to Emily about the brilliantly varied route he’s taken through the comedy industry, from one of his first jobs writing questions for The Chase, to years spent working behind the scenes as a comedy producer with the likes of Romesh Ranganathan and Joe Lycett. He also reveals what finally convinced him to step in front of the camera himself, posting comedy videos online and eventually becoming a full-time performer.

They also talk about Jake’s other life as a quizmaster. His live show Not Another Quiz Night has become a sell-out hit and is at the Gilded Balloon throughout the Edinburgh Festival until August 30th. Tickets are available now at https://www.edfringe.com.

It’s a funny, warm and fascinating chat with someone who’s spent years grafting behind the scenes in comedy and is now very deservedly having his own moment in the spotlight. And most importantly, Jake adored Ray, so he passes the Walking The Dog test with flying colours.

Follow Emily:

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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.