Our guest on this episode of White Wine Question time is the 'Queen of Burlesque' Dita Von Teese

She's a performer at the very top of her game who’s elevated striptease and burlesque into high art – from martini glasses to Swarovski carousels, she’s transformed a vintage niche into sell out tours around the world, and has her own residency in Vegas. 

But her story began far from the spotlight. Born Heather Renée Sweet, she was a shy, self-conscious child who cleaned toilets at her ballet school in exchange for lessons, and dreamed of escaping into the Technicolour world of 1940s Hollywood.

Alongside her stage career, she’s written books, launched perfumes, created lingerie lines, and is even producing her own French gin. She’s appeared in films and music videos for artists from Green Day to Taylor Swift, and continues her Las Vegas residency with over 100 performances a year. 

At 53, she shows no signs of slowing down. Next up is Noctornelle, her most ambitious production yet, inspired by 19th-century stage magicians, which will tour the UK in 2026.

She's an incredible artist and this was a Dita at her very honest best. Enjoy!

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Each week, in addition to a brand new episode, we delve into our back catalogue to serve up a vintage episode from our cellar.

All this month we're choosing from our excellent selection of authors - a mini literature festival if you will.

Today it's Donna Ashworth - a Scottish poet who shot to stardom during the COVID-19 pandemic and has since been credited with revitalising a national interest in poetry.

So as the weather takes a turn for the worse why not snuggle in and treat yourself to 45 minutes of something inspiring.

I hope you enjoy this episode - and we'll see you back here for a brand new interview next time.

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Lewis Goodall has fast become one of the biggest and most trusted voices in British journalism. As one third of the News Agents podcast (with Emily Maitlis and Jon Sopel) he brings his sharp political insight, compelling personal story, and adds a willingness to explore new media formats.

Born in Birmingham, he rose from a working-class background his father a welder at the Rover factory to studying history and politics at St John’s College, Oxford, as the first in his family to attend university.

Starting his career behind the scenes at Granada Studios writing questions for University Challenge and later at the think-tank Institute for Public Policy Research Goodall soon moved into journalism. He became a producer and reporter for BBC Newsnight, before joining Sky News as a political correspondent. His reporting on Brexit, the Labour Party and domestic policy earned him recognition and helped establish his reputation.

At a time of such division - the world needs communicators like Lewis - so it was a pleasure to sit down and find out what drives him.

Enjoy!

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Our mini literature festival continues with an author who helped shape the the early part of the millennium - her New York Observer column 'Sex & the City' would spark a TV show that endures to this day - 30 years on from the first published anthology of her work.

Candace Bushnell has gone on to write many more books, many continuing the tales of Carrie Bradshaw.

In 2023 Candace joined White Wine Question Time for a chat - and as we look back at some of the best authors to have appeared on the podcast it felt right to include this episode.

If EVER there was a time to pour yourself a glass - it has to be to this.

Enjoy xx

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Were you one of the six million people who watched the Women's Rugby World Cup Final on TV? An absolutely phenomenal performance from the England Roses saw them victorious, and in that moment their lives changed forever.

We're incredibly lucky to have the Captain of the England Roses, Zoe Aldcroft on the podcast reflecting on the huge team effort, the personal sacrifices and the whirlwind of the past few weeks.

You do not have to love rugby to love what these women have achieved - this is a story as universal as any - even with a little bit of romance thrown in for good measure.

Enjoy the episode - and don't forget to hit subscribe so you can get new episodes directly in your podcast app every Thursday morning. It's completely free but it really helps us.

Cheers!

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EL James doesn't do podcasts - in fact appropriately enough we popped her podcast cherry (Absolutely no safe words required).

As part of our look back at some of our favourite authors to have appeared on the podcast we couldn't look past this one. Erika (her real name) is one of the best selling authors on the planet - but her fame came later, after a successful career in British TV.

It is an extraordinary conversation - which took place back in 2001 - at a time when she was trying to juggle homeschooling and launching a range of adult toys. Weren't we all.

Hope you enjoy it - but just a word of warning, it probably is one for listening to on headphones - you can imagine but some of the chat is quite saucy.

Cheers

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Are you watching Blue Lights? If not, why not?

On this episode is one of the stars of the Belfast-based cop drama. She's a star of stage and screen at the peak of her acting prowess. You may have seen her as Sherlock' Holmes' evil sister in Sherlock alongside Benedict Cumberbatch or starring opposite Suranne Jones in Doctor Foster. If you're really lucky you may have even seen her break-out theatre role as Ophelia in Hamlet at London's Barbican.

Sian rarely does podcast interviews - so what an honour to share a couple of glasses of wine and a really lovely chat about the confidence gained from early drama classes, the women who've reached down to help her on her journey, and the illness that nearly ended her career before it really began.

Sit back, grab whatever drink you fancy and enjoy!

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Over the next five Tuesdays we're holding our own mini literature festival. We've delved deep in the archive to find some of the very best authors we've spoken to over the past seven years, and what an icon we have to kick it off!

After a successful career as an actor Lynda La Plante became intrigued by the production process of television drama and began writing treatments, ideas for potential shows that were, well, very much her own. Although most were rejected, one was praised as utterly brilliant. By 1983, her six-part series Widows premiered and became the highest rating series of the early 1980s. Following the show's success, she established herself as a highly sought-after crime writer with women at the heart of her stories, and the release of her debut novel in 1987 quickly established her as a critically acclaimed best-selling author to boot, paving the way for a series of hit books that followed in rapid succession.  

By 1991, she hit new heights and broke new ground with the premiere of the world-renowned Prime Suspect. A detective drama starring Helen Mirren as DCI Jane Tennyson, which went on to win numerous BAFTAs, Emmys and Golden Globes over the course of its seven seasons and made Helen Mirren a bona fide global superstar. It's no surprise that in 2008 she was awarded a CBE for her services to literature, drama and charity. is a member of the Crime Thriller Award Hall of Fame

We'll be back on Thursday with a brand new episode.

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Jon Richardson will not like this podcast description - as you'll hear!

Whether you know Jon from 8 out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, his stand-up specials, playing 'himself' in Meet The Richardsons or from his Saturday morning show on Absolute Radio - you'll know one thing... he's extremely funny.

Behind the humour is a man as complicated as he is kind - someone who hoards everything (he still has a copy of the newspapers from the day of the 1999 Solar Eclipse), but who values friendships from every stage of his life. We were delighted when Jon agreed to talk about his new acting role as a drug-taking ex-Marine-turned-Creative Arts teacher in Waterloo Road. It was fascinating to see how uneasily Jon takes a compliment, for someone so used to the validation of a live audience he struggled to watch the Gogglebox clip we played him.

Modest, sincere and painfully funny - it turned out to be a great conversation.

We hope you enjoy it!

Cheers.

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A National Treasure.

That's what Stephen Fry is. Whether you know him as General Melchett, Jeeves, half of Fry & Laurie, the sound of Harry Potter, the genius of QI or the modern Homer retelling Greek mythology to a new generation - he has touched most of our lives in some way over the past half century.

So seeing as Stephen is currently on our screens as himself in The Traitors we thought it was a timely opportunity to bring his episode of White Wine Question Time up from the cellar for another airing.

We spoke in early 2025 - with Stephen in LA - about the UK import of Jeopardy, what attracted him to It's A Sin, his incredible documentaries on gay rights around the world and his advice for young creatives joining the entertainment industry. As you would expect, it was truly fascinating.

Enjoy the episode and don't forget we'll be back on Thursday with a brand new episode.

Cheers.

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