Blank Podcast with Giles Paley-Phillips & Jim Daly

225. Fiona Murden on Mentoring

Mon, 25 Sep 2023 23:00:00 -0000

Fiona Murden is a psychologist and author, her books include Mirror Thinking and Defining You. She is also CEO of Oka Life, and innovative new app that matches people to mentors through behavioural science

We talked about Fiona's work on psychology, behavioural science, the power of mentoring and her new app Oka Life, that matches mentors to mentees

For more information on Oka Life and where to download go here: https://oka.life

Get more from the BLANK Podcast at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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224.Jon Terry

Mon, 18 Sep 2023 23:00:00 -0000

Jon Terry is an actor and producer, his company Rabbit in Headlights create theatre productions to enrich businesses and those in education.

We discussed discovering a love of acting, taking a leap of faith with your career and why George Orwell's Animal Farm is still so relevant so many years after it was written.

Buy Tickets for Animal Farm: https://www.rabbitinheadlights.co.uk/theatre-productions

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223. Mita Mistry

Mon, 04 Sep 2023 23:00:00 -0000

Mita Mistry is a Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapist & Coach, Acupuncturist and author.

We talked about Mita's journey into helping people, the rudiments of acupuncture, the challenges of trying to rest in the modern world and how to combat social anxiety.

Buy Mita's books here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/stores/Mita-Mistry/author/B0B1P24Z11?ref=ap_rdr&store_ref=ap_rdr&isDramIntegrated=true&shoppingPortalEnabled=true

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222. Lou Sanders

Mon, 28 Aug 2023 23:01:00 -0000

Lou Sanders is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actress.

We talk about being grateful, writing processes, not being hard on yourself and Lou's new book 'What's That Lady Doing?: False Starts and Happy Endings'

Buy Here: https://amzn.eu/d/1jYtC0Z

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221. Dr Poppy Gibson

Wed, 23 Aug 2023 13:30:00 -0000

Dr Poppy Gibson is a Senior Lecturer whose key interests involve children's psychological development and mental health and wellbeing.

We talk about the UK education system, the positive aspects of social media, what it means to be a doctor and what we will do in a robot uprising!

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220. Georgia Tennant

Mon, 14 Aug 2023 23:00:00 -0000

Georgia Tennant is an English actress and producer. She played Detective Inspector Samantha Nixon's daughter Abigail in The Bill, Jenny in the Doctor Who episode "The Doctor's Daughter" and Lady Vivian in the show Merlin. She has produced and starred in 'Staged' for BBC 2.

We talked about becoming a young parent, being aware of your privilege, social anxiety and the benefits of Netball

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219. Bibi Lucille

Mon, 07 Aug 2023 23:00:00 -0000

Bibi Lucille is an actress, comedian and writer. Her latest show 'Meat Cute' is currently on at the Edinburgh Fringe. Tickets are available here: bit.ly/3QilFEC

We talked about getting into acting through unconventional routes, comedy, losing your religion and imagining James McAvoy greeting you at the Pearly Gates!

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218. Anu Vaidyanathan

Mon, 31 Jul 2023 23:00:00 -0000

Anu Vaidyanathan is a filmmaker, comedian and engineer whose memoir Anywhere But Home was long-listed for the Mumbai Film Festival's word-to-screen market in 2016. Her show 'Blimp' is part of Edinburgh Fringe 2023, tickets are currently available here: https://tickets.edfringe.com/whats-on/anu-vaidyanathan-blimp

We talked to Anu about her segue into comedy via engineering, her time at the Philippe Gaulier clown school and using comedy as a vehicle to express bigger themes.

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217. Giles and Jim chat movies and 90s music

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 09:52:00 -0000

A special episode where Giles and Jim - just them - sit down for a chat. Among this episode topics were movies, DeNiro vs Pacino, 90s music and more.

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216. Richie Driss

Mon, 10 Jul 2023 23:01:00 -0000

Richie Driss is a TV presenter best known for being on Blue Peter for four years season 2019 to 2023. He has also presented for JOE.co.uk and written and hosted the BT Sport documentary The Special 1 on goalkeepers.

Watch The Special 1 here: https://www.bt.com/sport/football/features/bt-sport-films-the-special-1

Richie chatted to Giles and Jim about bad interviews, good interviews, grief, staying focused, perspective and his beloved Manchester United.

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215. Annabelle Knight

Mon, 03 Jul 2023 23:01:00 -0000

Annabelle Knight is a sex and relationship expert and novelist who has appeared on many TV programmes such as This Morning, Loose Women and Big Brother's Bit on the Side and is currently the Flirt Expert on ITV's Love Island, is resident Sex and Love expert for online retailer Lovehoney. She has written three books and her debut novel, The Endless Autumn, was a number one bestseller.

Annabelle spoke to Giles and Jim about her journey into sex and relationship advice, old mobile phones, social media, dating apps and her creative writing process.

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214. Malcolm Kamulete

Wed, 28 Jun 2023 17:00:00 -0000

Malcolm Kamulete is an actor and musician, known for Ill Manors (2012) Top Boy (2011) and most recently BBC One's Champion.

Giles and Jim talked to Malcolm about his love of football, following your gut instincts and finding your true purpose.

Champion will air on BBC One from July 1 at 9.15pm, with all episodes immediately available on BBC iPlayer

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213. Louise Boyce (AKA Mama Still Got It)

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 23:01:00 -0000

Louise Boyce is a fashion model, content creator, podcaster and mother of three, known by her hilarious online sketches about motherhood, which have earned her hundreds of thousands of followers and millions of views.

Louise spoke to Giles and Jim about writing her book; Mama Still Got It, online trolls, the modelling world and dads taking ages on the toilet.

Buy Louise's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mama-Still-Got-Louise-Boyce/dp/0008561842/

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212. Jon Culshaw

Mon, 12 Jun 2023 23:01:00 -0000

Jon Culshaw is an English actor, comedian and impressionist. He is best known for his work on the radio comedy Dead Ringers, Spitting Image and Doctor Who.

We talked to Jon about the art of impersonation, writing comedy and expressing yourself through your work

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211. Kat Ronson

Mon, 29 May 2023 23:02:00 -0000

Kat Ronson is a British actress, comedian, podcaster and creative. Featured on Missguided, Wonderland Magazine and known for her standup specials and hilarious social media content. She also creates videos with BLANK alumni Katrina Robinson. Check out their videos here: https://www.instagram.com/katandkatcomedy/?hl=en

Kat spoke to Giles and Jim about acting, exposing creepy DMs on social media, agents and Jim's weird broken toe.

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210. Amy Hoggart

Tue, 23 May 2023 00:00:00 -0000

Amy Hoggart is a British-American stand-up comedian and actress, best known for starring in Almost Royal, a faux-reality show on BBC America, and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee, an American political satire show on TBS. She has also hosted her own show It's Personal with Amy Hoggart, on truTV.

Amy spoke to Giles and Jim about Washington, DC, getting into comedy and acting, interviewing MAGAs and pregnancy.

Check out Amy's podcast here: https://shows.acast.com/femanism

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209. Mehreen Baig

Mon, 15 May 2023 23:00:00 -0000

Mehreen Baig is a former teacher and British television presenter. She has presented several documentaries on topics relating to Britain's Asian and Muslim communities. Her show Glow Up Your Grades helps support many pupils with their GCSEs every year. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUn2zTSlKmGBQ-qnL8iDEtg

Giles and Jim talked to Mehreen about her time as a teacher, the challenges of the education system in the UK, her move into broadcasting and her book Hidden Lessons - Growing Up On The Frontline Of Teaching. Buy a copy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Hidden-Lessons-Growing-Frontline-Teaching/dp/152938303X

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208: Louise Minchin

Tue, 09 May 2023 23:00:00 -0000

Louise Minchin is a TV presenter, journalist, author and athlete. She presented the UK’s most successful morning television programme BBC Breakfast for two decades and at 45 was inspired to take up triathlon after a BBC Breakfast challenge. Three years later she represented her age-group in the World and European Championships.

Louise spoke to Giles and Jim about getting into journalism, the perils of live television, and writing and researching her new book.

Pre-order Louise's new book 'Fearless: Adventures with Extraordinary Women' here: https://uk.bookshop.org/p/books/fearless-extraordinary-adventures-with-courageous-women-louise-minchin/7277897?ean=9781399401180

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207: Dr Rupy Aujla

Tue, 02 May 2023 13:30:00 -0000

Dr Rupy Aujla is a trusted NHS GP and food expert behind the bestselling Doctor’s Kitchen – a collection of over 100 recipes that put flavour and nutrition first. Dr Rupy is an International Health and Wellness speaker and regularly delivers lectures and talks at many international events including TEDx, The Royal Society of Medicine, The Royal Society of Culinary Arts, BBC Good Food etc.

Dr Rupy is also a Sunday Times bestselling author BBC Presenter and regularly appears on national television. He has a number one rated podcast, The Doctor’s Kitchen, with over 12 million downloads to date, over 295,000 Instagram followers and a million YouTube views. In January 2022 he successfully launched The Doctor’s Kitchen App, a personalised nutrition and healthy eating app.

Dr Rupy spoke to Giles and Jim about gut health, growing up and getting into medicine, the influence of his family and his nutrition mission.

COOKS is Dr Rupy's fourth book and follows his bestsellers, Doctor’s Kitchen 3-2-1 (2020), Eat to Beat Illness (2019) and The Doctors Kitchen (2017), and is available to buy here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dr-Rupy-Cooks-Healthy-Flavour/dp/1529148839/ref=asc_df_1529148839/?tag=googshopuk-21&linkCode=df0&hvadid=606879936666&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=17057741905474065191&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9045878&hvtargid=pla-1694412554799&psc=1&th=1&psc=1

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206: Molly McKew

Mon, 24 Apr 2023 23:01:00 -0000

Molly McKew is a writer and expert in information warfare specializing in U.S.-Russia relations. She served as an adviser to then-president of Georgia Mikheil Saakashvili from 2009 to 2013.

We spoke to Molly about weaponising narratives, the dangers of basically everything online...and cats.

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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205: Elizabeth McCafferty

Mon, 17 Apr 2023 23:01:00 -0000

Elizabeth Mcafferty is an actress and journalist, she has starred in Hitman's Bodyguard (2017), The Nutcracker and the Four Realms (2018) and Dumbo (2019) and her work has been published in VICE, The Guardian, Dazed and The Independent.

We talked to Elizabeth about getting into acting via body doubling, approaching stories with compassion and seeking out the stranger stories in life.

PLUS extra chat with Elizabeth over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

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204: Lucy Beaumont

Mon, 03 Apr 2023 23:01:00 -0000

Lucy Ann Beaumont is a British actress, writer, and stand-up comedian. Well known for her comedy series Meet the Richardsons, and Hullraisers. Lucy's 2014 debut show at the Edinburgh Festival, 'We Can Twerk it Out' was nominated for that year's Best Newcomer Award.

We talked to Lucy about how amazing grandparents can be, using challenging life experiences to inform your creativity, and trying to break into comedy.

If you enjoyed listening to Lucy go and see her on tour! Tickets are on sale now
https://lucybeaumont.co.uk

PLUS extra chat with Lucy over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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203: Pauline Cox

Tue, 28 Mar 2023 00:00:00 -0000

Pauline Cox is a nutritionist who co-founded Sow & Arrow in 2018 with a mission of creating easy-to-access information on health and wellbeing as well as a place to get convenient healthy food on the go. She is a functional nutritionist, passionate about food and nutrition, and also writes articles about health and well-being, particularly women's wellbeing.

Pauline spoke to Giles and Jim about her own health journey, the challenges that face getting nutrition information out against fast food advertising, and her new book, Hungry Woman.

Pre-order Pauline's book here: https://www.penguin.co.uk/books/452747/hungry-woman-by-cox-pauline/9781529199109

PLUS extra chat with Pauline over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

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202: Zoiey Smale

Tue, 21 Mar 2023 00:01:00 -0000

Zoiey Smale is an internationally acclaimed inclusion activist, her 20-year career in sport has seen her move from Athlete to Inclusion consultant, where she now works with amateur and professional sports organisations. Zoiey is a qualified coach across various disciplines and adjudicating official. She is also a podcaster and presenter.

We talked to Zoiey about the power of sport in building communities, the incredible work and impact of coaches at grass roots level and the ongoing work of promoting inclusivity and diversity at all levels of sport.

PLUS extra chat with Zoiey over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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Gary Lineker (Classic Blank Ep 7)

Tue, 14 Mar 2023 00:01:00 -0000

Due to scheduling issues we are unable to bring you a new episode this week so instead we have delved into the archives to bring you a Classic Blank episode with Gary Lineker.

Gary is in the new this week after being suspended by Match of the Day for refusing to apologise for tweeting his political views. Gary spoke to us way back in 2018 about his twitter usage and you can hear him talk about that at 50:05 in this episode.

His media career began with the BBC, where he still presents the flagship football programme Match of the Day since the late 1990s. He has also worked for Al Jazeera Sports, Eredivisie Live, NBC Sports Network and currently hosts BT Sport's coverage of the UEFA Champions League.

Gary very kindly invited Giles and Jim to his house in South West London back in 2018 for a cuppa and a chat about all things BLANK. We talked about making big decisions at a young age and the feeling of getting to a point where you're confident in what you do.

Gary also talked openly about those moments off the field, including when his first son George was diagnosed with leukaemia as a child, had affected him and how football helped him through that time. With Christmas just around the corner, Giles and Gary share some cooking tips while Jim ponders what a waterbath is.

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201: Kimberly Hart-Simpson

Tue, 07 Mar 2023 01:00:00 -0000

Kimberly Hart-Simpson is an actor best know for appearing in Hollyoaks and Coronation Street.

She spoke to Giles and Jim about auditions, growing closer to her mum, Naked Attraction, making up new phrases and loads more.

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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200: 200th Episode Special! Our favourite clips

Sat, 25 Feb 2023 07:05:00 -0000

Happy 200th podcast to us! To celebrate reaching this massive milestone we picked some clips from our favourite episodes and chatted about some of the stories behind them. Thanks so much to everyone who has listened to us over the past four and a half years.

Sponsored by Gousto. Head to gousto.co.uk and use code BLANK for 60% off your first box + 25% off all boxes for two months.

Full episodes:

John Motson
https://audioboom.com/posts/7927595-john-motson

Jon Ronson
https://audioboom.com/posts/7827989-jon-ronson

Dawn French
https://audioboom.com/posts/7827945-dawn-french

Sanjeev Bhaskar
https://audioboom.com/posts/7827959-sanjeev-bhaskar

Wim Hof
https://audioboom.com/posts/7827914-wim-hof

Dame Kelly Holmes
https://audioboom.com/posts/7827940-dame-kelly-holmes

David Harbour
https://audioboom.com/posts/7827955-david-harbour

Vicky McClure
https://audioboom.com/posts/7828302-vicky-mcclure

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199: Tom Chapman

Wed, 15 Feb 2023 00:01:00 -0000

Tom Chapman is an award winning barber, author, public speaker, global barber director and international educator.

We talk to Tom about his love of WWE, his journey into hairdressing via being a musician and founding The Lions Barber Collective, which started as a group of international barbers raising awareness for suicide prevention.

PLUS Ad free, extra content with Tom for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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198: John Simpson

Tue, 07 Feb 2023 00:01:00 -0000

John Simpson CBE is an English foreign correspondent and world affairs editor of BBC News. He has spent all his working life with the BBC, and has reported from more than 120 countries, including thirty war zones, and interviewed many world leaders.

We talk to John about his 50-plus years at the BBC, the scary moments when his life was in danger, reporting from the frontlines and trying to find the humanity in such a troubled world.

PLUS Ad free, extra content with John for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Tickets to Jim's February show here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/event-detail/jim-daly-football-and-fatherhood-9th-feb-the-bill-murray-london-tickets-202302091830

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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197: Andrew Gower

Tue, 31 Jan 2023 00:01:00 -0000

Andrew Gower is an actor and musician. Best known for his role as "Bonnie Prince" Charles Edward Stuart in "Outlander" and for playing Nick Cutler, the vampire solicitor in season 4 of "Being Human, he's also appeared in Carnival Row and Black Mirror. Andrew is also lead singer of The Gustaffsons.

We talked to Andrew about his love of football and how it often compares to acting, going through drama school and how we need to reframe failure.

PLUS Ad free, extra content with Andrew for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Tickets to Jim's February show here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/event-detail/jim-daly-football-and-fatherhood-9th-feb-the-bill-murray-london-tickets-202302091830

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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196: Martin O'Neill

Tue, 24 Jan 2023 00:01:00 -0000

Martin O'Neill OBE is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. His distinguished playing career included winning two European cups with Nottingham Forest and was capped 64 times for Northern Ireland. As a manager he has won two league cups with Leicester, he was the most successful Celtic manager since Jock Stein, winning 213 games in his time there. He has also managed Wycombe Wanderers, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest.

We talked to Martin about his early football memories, the highs and lows of playing and management and the story of how he acquired Eusebio's shorts!

PLUS extra content with Martin for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Buy Martin's book On Days Like These here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Days-Like-These-Life-Football/dp/1035008467

Tickets to Jim's February show here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/event-detail/jim-daly-football-and-fatherhood-9th-feb-the-bill-murray-london-tickets-202302091830

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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195: Bonnie Langford

Tue, 17 Jan 2023 00:01:00 -0000

Bonnie Langford is an icon of British stage and screen. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series Just William and went on to play companion Mel Bush in Doctor Who and Carmel Kazemi on EastEnders, for which she won the 2016 British Soap Award for Best Newcomer. She has also appeared in various musicals in the West End and on Broadway, including Peter Pan, Cats, The Pirates of Penzance and Chicago.

Bonnie chatted to Giles and Jim about being a child star and navigating that journey, being resilient, the secrets of what happens on set on a soap opera and plenty of animal analogies.

PLUS extra content with Bonnie for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Tickets to Jim's February show here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/event-detail/jim-daly-football-and-fatherhood-9th-feb-the-bill-murray-london-tickets-202302091830

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194: Martin Owen

Tue, 10 Jan 2023 00:01:00 -0000

Martin Owen is a British Film director and Producer. Martin's film directing credits include The Loneliest Boy in the World, Twist, Killers Anonymous and Exec producer on Save the Cinema.

We talk to Martin about growing up in the North East, his love of football and 80's film and TV and we find out what it's like for a director on set.

PLUS extra content with Martin for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Tickets to Jim's February show here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/event-detail/jim-daly-football-and-fatherhood-9th-feb-the-bill-murray-london-tickets-202302091830

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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193: Richard Makin AKA School Night Vegan

Tue, 20 Dec 2022 01:00:00 -0000

Richard Makin, AKA School Night Vegan, is a vegan food expert, author and influencer.

We talked to Richard about his vegan journey, food trucks, San Francisco, Finders Keepers, Regina Blitz, and lots more randomness.

Pre-order Richard's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anything-You-Can-Cook-Vegan/dp/152663841X

PLUS extra content with Richard for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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192: Kimberley Burrows

Tue, 13 Dec 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Kimberley Burrows is a blind, abstract expressionist artist. Using painting as a form of therapy, Kimberley’s eclectic prints capture emotions, moods and movement through vibrant colours and brushstroke technique. Kimberley's work has recently been adapted into a range of garments for high-street fashion retailer Warehouse.

We talked to Kimberley about the many challenges she has faced, from the age of four years old she has had multiple surgeries on her eyes and how art has provided constant therapy and respite to the trauma of going blind.

PLUS extra content with Kimberley for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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191: Chanel Cresswell

Tue, 06 Dec 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Sponsored by Babbel. Language learning that works. Go to babbel.com/podcast22, and use promo code BLANK for an extra three months free.

Chanel Cresswell is an English actress, best known for playing Kelly Jenkins in the film This Is England, Katie in Sky One's Trollied and as Coleen Rooney in the upcoming Channel 4 drama, Vardy Vs Rooney.

We talked to Chanel about growing up in a busy family in Derby, breaking into acting and her process for getting into roles based on real people.

PLUS extra content with Larsen for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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190: Larsen Thompson

Tue, 29 Nov 2022 01:00:00 -0000

This episode is sponsored by Aquila. Visit Aquila.co.uk/blankpod for 20 % off Aquila childrens' magazines.

Larsen Thompson is an actor, model, dancer and musician. She has appeared in music videos for Sia and Pink and is currently starting in The Midnight Club on Netflix.

She spoke to Giles and Jim about her experiences in the modelling and dancing world, moving into making her own music and how to embrace our imperfections.

PLUS extra content with Larsen for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

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189: Giles and Jim Answer your Questions

Tue, 22 Nov 2022 00:01:00 -0000

This week Giles and Jim have a conversation about life and dealing with difficult moments in creativity, they also answer some listeners questions about all things Blank.

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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188: Natalie Dew

Tue, 15 Nov 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Sponsored by Typology. Go to uk.typology.com/blank and you’ll receive a free lip & cheek balm worth £16 when you make a purchase.

Natalie is an actor and musical theatre star, well known for her roles in BBC's The Capture, Sandylands, The Great and Roadkill starring Hugh Laurie. She has also starred in the West End Musical adaptation of Bend it Like Beckham.

We talked to Natalie about live performance and having to learn how to play football, having acting as an outlet in difficult times and she helps Jim decide what to do with his clumpy shoes.

Plus extra content with Natalie over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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187: George Webster

Tue, 08 Nov 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Sponsored by 50 Coffee Breaks. Visit www.amazon.co.uk/50coffeebreaks to learn more about 50 Coffee Breaks and pick the language that’s right for you.

George Webster is an actor, writer and director who is currently playing Hugo Delaney in Disney+'s Wedding Season. He has also appeared in E4's Tripped, Irish independent film My Name Is Emily and Simon Mirren's French-Canadian period series, Versailles.

He chatted to Giles and Jim about Seaford, non-league football, writing, directing and acting in films, playing video games, and whether Die Hard is a Christmas film. (hint, it is: https://stephenfollows.com/using-data-to-determine-if-die-hard-is-a-christmas-movie)

For more information on Wedding Season have a look here: https://whatsondisneyplus.com/first-look-at-first-british-original-series-wedding-season.

PLUS extra chat with George for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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186: Amrita Archaria

Tue, 01 Nov 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Amrita Acharia is a Norwegian actress of Nepalese–Ukrainian origins. She is best known for her roles as Irri in the HBO series Game of Thrones, Aabis in The Serpent Queen and as Dr. Ruby Walker in the ITV series The Good Karma Hospital.

We talk to Amrita about the various school systems she experienced throughout her childhood, her love of performance and leaning in to tricky moments and finding the love for what you do

PLUS extra content with Amrita for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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185: Rob Rinder

Mon, 24 Oct 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Rob Rinder MBE, also know as Judge Rinder is a British criminal barrister, writer and broadcaster. Well known for his ITV show Judge Rinder, Rob is also the author of several books and has made several documentaries about his family and the Holocaust.

We talked to Rob about his early life growing up in a working class area of London, the feelings around not fitting in and the emotional baggage that comes with working on intense court cases.

Sponsored by 50 Coffee Breaks. Visit www.amazon.co.uk/50coffeebreaks to learn more about 50 Coffee Breaks and pick the language that’s right for you.

AND Aquila. Visit Aquila.co.uk/blankpod for 20 % off off Aquila childrens' magazines.

PLUS extra content with Rob for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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184: Bronagh Waugh

Tue, 18 Oct 2022 00:08:00 -0000

Sponsored by Typology. Go to uk.typology.com/blank and you’ll receive a free lip & cheek balm worth £16 when you make a purchase.

Bronagh Waugh is an actress from Northern Ireland. She played Cheryl Brady in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2009 to 2013 where she was nominated for Best Newcomer, Best Actress and Best Comedy Performance at the 2010 British Soap Awards. She has also appeared in The Fall, Unforgotten and Ridley, which is available to watch on ITV Hub now.

She spoke to Giles and Jim about social media, getting ignored in the industry and working extra jobs alongside your creative projects.

Plus extra chat with Bronagh over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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183: Andrew Bustamante

Mon, 10 Oct 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Andrew Bustamante is a former CIA covert intelligence officer, US Air Force combat veteran, Fortune 10 corporate advisor, author and podcaster.

We talk to Andrew about his time in the CIA, what it means to be a modern-day spy, and why he is opening up about his experiences.

You can find out more about Andrew and the work he does at: www.everydayspy.com

PLUS extra content with Andrew for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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182: Paul Chowdhry

Mon, 03 Oct 2022 23:02:00 -0000

Paul Chowdhry, is an English comedian and actor. He has been a guest panelist on 8 out of 10 Cats, Comedy World Cup, and Sorry, I Didn't Know and has appeared on Live at the Apollo twice. He was the first British Asian stand-up comic to sell out Wembley Arena and host the Channel 4 comedy series Stand Up for the Week.

Paul chatted to Giles and Jim about his writing process, overcoming racism in the industry and 'The Queue'.

Plus extra content with Paul over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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181: Lawrence Prestidge

Mon, 26 Sep 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Lawrence Prestidge is an author, podcaster and actor. Lawrence is the writer and star of Amazon Prime's British comedy series Keep Calm and Carry On, as well as the host of The Shapes of Stories podcast.

We talk to Lawrence about writing and starring in a sitcom, his creative process and playing Burt the chimney sweep at Disney Land Paris.

PLUS extra content with Lawrence for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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180: Emma Forrest

Mon, 12 Sep 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Emma Forrest is a film director, screenwriter and novelist from London who moved to LA to write screenplays for Hollywood movies.

She has written four Novels; Namedropper (1998), Thin Skin (2002), Cherries in the Snow (2005), and Royals, and two memoirs; Your Voice in My Head (2011) and her new memoir Busy Being Free, which is out now: https://www.weidenfeldandnicolson.co.uk/titles/emma-forrest/busy-being-free/9781474620659/

She spoke to Giles and Jim about selling out, solitude and scripts.

PLUS extra content with Emma for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen, Witnessthebigness.

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179: Omar Baroud

Mon, 05 Sep 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Omar Baroud is an actor and musical theatre star. Best known for his portrayal as Jackson in Disney Plus' Wedding Season and his roles in Baptiste and The Innocents.

For more information on Wedding Season have a look here: https://whatsondisneyplus.com/first-look-at-first-british-original-series-wedding-season/

Omar is currently starring in the West End in Cabaret in the role of Clifford Bradshaw.

We discuss with Omar his discovery of performing arts, the process of moving from one theatre family to the next, and the excitement of working on huge TV productions.

PLUS extra content with Omar for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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We Wrote a BOOK!

Mon, 29 Aug 2022 23:01:00 -0000

A special episode to the announcement to let you guys know that we have written a book! It's called Blank: Why it's Fine to Falter and Fail, And How To Pick Yourself Up Again and it's OUT NOW!!!
We are joined by Celine Hughes, our fantastic Senior Commissioning Editor from Quadrille Publishing, who has published the book to talk about why they acquired the book and the process of how a book goes from an idea to a fully-formed thing. Our book explores many of the themes that crop up on the podcast with the best bits of advice from our fantastic guests including Louis Theroux, David Harbour, Reginald D Hunter, Jon Ronson, Dawn French, Amanda Abington, Rufus Sewell and Gary Lineker. Some of the recurring themes include public failure, social anxieties, fear, mental health, grief, and more. Whether in your personal life, career, relationship, or in a public situation, writer's block, social anxiety, imposter syndrome, being off-form, or having an identity crisis can affect us

Our book explores many of the themes that crop up on the podcast with the best bits of advice from our fantastic guests including Louis Theroux, David Harbour, Reginald D Hunter, Jon Ronson, Dawn French, Amanda Abington, Rufus Sewell, and Gary Lineker.

Some of the recurring themes include public failure, social anxieties, fear, mental health, grief, and more. Whether in your personal life, career, relationship, or in a public situation, writer's block, social anxiety, imposter syndrome, being off-form or having an identity crisis can affect anyone at any time. It's part of the human condition and yet it can throw us off course and make us feel helpless.

You can order a copy now here: smarturl.it/blankmoments

An advert-free version is available to our Patreon at Patreon.com/Blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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178: Best of Blank Vol.4

Mon, 22 Aug 2022 23:01:00 -0000

It's the Summer break, so we thought we'd put together a little selection of clips from some of our favourite episodes from last year to keep you going till we return next week with some amazing new episodes.

An advert free version is available to our Patreon at Patreon.com/Blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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177: Ollie Phillips

Tue, 16 Aug 2022 04:00:00 -0000

Ollie Phillips is a former World 7s Player of the Year and England captain, who also played rugby union at the highest domestic level in England and France.
Ollie was forced into retirement at 29 through injury, which left him searching for meaning and not understanding his new focus or purpose.

Ollie joined PWC as a director within the real estate and construction team – but then developed Imposter Syndrome. He now runs Optimist Performance, a company specialising in performance coaching, leadership, and behavioural change www.optimistperformance.com

Ollie learnt a lot from his struggles as he transitioned and adapted from rugby player to where he is now. He has placed his focus on developing an ‘Attitude of Gratitude’ and wants to help people realise that it is possible to be grateful for what you have and the benefits that come from becoming comfortable with being uncomfortable.

Ollie has found that his many adventures around the world have helped. He’s claimed world records, climbed Everest and Kilimanjaro and raised millions of pounds for charity. His adventures also gave him something to focus on, be distracted by and helped transition from the reality of no longer being a rugby player.

PLUS extra content with Ollie for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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176: Kemah Bob

Mon, 08 Aug 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Kemah Bob is a comedian, actress, producer, and writer. Originally from Houston, Tx Kemah moved to the UK to study for a Masters degree before becoming a stand-up comedian. As well as her stand-up Kemah is a regular co-host on The Guilty Feminist and has made many TV appearances on shows such as House of Games, Jonathan Ross' Comedy Club and has contributed to shows such as Have I Got News for You and Netflix's Death to 2020 and 2021.

Kemah's new podcast which she created, curates and hosts is called FOC IT UP with Kemah Bob and showcases Femmes of Colour in comedy

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/foc-it-up-comedy-club/id1629955920

PLUS extra chat with Kemah just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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175: Amanda Clapham

Tue, 02 Aug 2022 08:31:00 -0000

Amanda Clapham is a British actress and writer, known for her roles in Channel 4's Hollyoaks, and most recently in the award-nominated short film, Voices.

We talked to Amanda about her journey into acting, the pressures of being thrust into the public eye when taking on a high-profile acting job, and gaining some autonomy on your career.

PLUS extra chat with Amanda just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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174: Hal Robson-Kanu

Mon, 25 Jul 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Thomas "Hal" Robson-Kanu is a former professional footballer who played for Reading and West Brom as well as 46 times for Wales, scoring one of their best-ever goals at Euro 2016.

Hal talks to Giles and Jim about his career and the life-changing moment he and his father discovered the healing powers of turmeric, which helped him recover from two devastating ACL injuries in his teens. He also talks about his time at Reading, West Brom and of course that goal against Belgium in 2016.

Find out more about The Turmeric Co and the how the power of turmeric can help you here: https://theturmeric.co

PLUS extra chat with Hal just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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173: Cally Beaton

Tue, 19 Jul 2022 08:07:05 -0000

Cally Beaton is a stand-up comedian, writer, and orator. Cally was a TV executive before turning to stand-up comedy. She has made many TV appearances including QI, The Apprentice: You're Fired and Pointless.

We talked to Cally about her earlier career in TV and her journey into comedy. She gives us her insights on perimenopause and the impact it has on mental and physical health and we discuss the joys of live comedy.

Listen to Cally's podcast, Namaste Motherf**kers here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/point-blank-with-guests-giles-paley-phillips-and-jim-daly/id1562113984?i=1000569084180

PLUS extra chat with Cally just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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172: Selina Giles

Mon, 11 Jul 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Selina Giles is an actress and writer, known for the roles in films such as V for Vendetta, Until Death, and The Netflix Series The Greenhouse Academy.

We talk to Selina about method acting, her love of theatre and Gaga, Ohad Naharin’s movement language that she experienced when filming in Israel.

PLUS extra chat with Selina just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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171: Jermaine Pennant

Mon, 04 Jul 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Jermaine Pennant is a former professional footballer who became Arsenal's youngest ever player when he moved from Notts County in 1999 for £2m, a world record for a trainee at the time. He went on to play for Birmingham City, Liverpol, Stoke City, Real Zaragoza making 353 career appearances in total.

Jermaine spoke to Giles and Jim about the pressures of being England's most talked about teenage footballer, escaping drugs and gangs in Nottingham, playing with an ankle tag at Birmingham City, the loneliness of football when the game lets you down, and naked Tony Pulis.

PLUS extra chat with Jermaine just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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@pennant83

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170: Elizabeth Morris

Mon, 27 Jun 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Elizabeth Morris is a British actor and screen-writer and actress, known for writing and starring in 2019 film Killers Anonymous alongside Gary Oldman and Jessica Alba. She has also had two other feature length scripts filmed and got her break writing and performing in the 2015 movie LA Slasher with Danny Trejo and Dave Bautista.

Elizabeth chats to Giles and Jim about her bold breakthrough in the industry, limiting beliefs, practicing self care and, among many other things, hobbyhorsing.

PLUS extra chat with Elizabeth just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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169: Katerina Robinson

Tue, 21 Jun 2022 07:16:11 -0000

Katerina Robinson is an actress and comedian. Having studied acting at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, Katerina appeared in the show LADS in 2021 and is currently touring her show 'The Whoring Twenties' alongside her comedy partner, Kat Ronson.

PLUS extra chat with Katerina just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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@misskaterinar

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168: Arthur Smith

Mon, 13 Jun 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Arthur Smith is a legend of the UK alternative comedy circuit.

Arthur spoke to Giles and Jim about his dad Syd, the birth of alternative comedy in the 19080s, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the art of farting.

Arthur's Edinburgh show: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/arthur-smith-my-75-years-edinburgh-fringe#overview

Jim's Edinburgh show: https://edinburgh.justthetonic.com/event/88:2863/

PLUS extra chat with Arthur just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bowen.

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167: Rosie Day

Mon, 06 Jun 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Rosie Day is an actress, author and playwright. having been acting since the age of 4, Rosie has appeared in Good Omens, Outlander, Prime Suspect 1973, and she starred alongside Sarah Jessica Parker in the feature film All Roads lead to Rome.

Rosie is also a writer and her play Instructions for a Teenage Armageddon is now a book and soon to be made into a film.

We talked to Rosie about her cat family, being a child actor and the many benefits of therapy.

PLUS extra chat with Rosie just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams.

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166: Patrick Foster

Mon, 30 May 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Patrick Foster is a former professional cricketer who was one of the rising stars of the scene in the late 2000s and played for Northamptonshire and Durham UCCE. After having his cricket contract ended he struggled with gambling leading to some very low moments.

After hitting rock bottom in 2018 Patrick has turned his life around and now works to raise awareness about gambling addictions. His is a truly inspirational story and in this very raw and open episode Patrick talks to Giles and Jim about falling into gambling, hitting rock bottom and how he managed to turn his life around.

PLUS extra chat with Patrick just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Buy Patrick's book Might Bite here: https://www.waterstones.com/book/might-bite/patrick-foster/will-macpherson/9781472992130

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams.

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John Sweeney (Classic Blank Ep 66)

Mon, 23 May 2022 23:01:00 -0000

We are releasing some of our classic older episodes for the next few weeks. This episode was originally released in June 2020.

John Sweeney is a British investigative journalist and author. During his time at the BBC he worked on shows such as Panorama and Newsnight where his combative and bold style have seen him doorstep Putin, go undercover in North Korea, challenge Trump on his association to the mob and most infamously the time he yelled at scientologists.

We caught up with John on what was VE Day and started our conversation by discussing the new normal, what we miss and what things we like about lockdown in the UK.

John tells us about his journey into journalism and his time working at The Observer, the subsequent move into broadcasting at the BBC and the darker moments he has experienced personally, since leaving the corporation after an investigation he was doing on Tommy Robinson saw him land in hot water.

John is wonderful company, with so many amazing stories from what is an incredible career spanning several decades and we hope this won't be the last time we talk. He is also currently reporting from the war in Ukraine so we thought it would be a good time to revisit his episode.

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams.

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David Harbour (Classic Blank Ep 35)

Mon, 16 May 2022 23:01:00 -0000

We are releasing some of our classic older episodes for the next few weeks. This episode was originally released in September 2019.

David Harbour is an American actor from New York who has performed in film, television, and the theatre. He is best known for his role as Chief Jim Hopper on the Netflix original series, Stranger Things and the lead in the new adaptation of HELLBOY

He is also known for his role as CIA agent Gregg Beam in Quantum of Solace, Shep Campbell in Revolutionary Road alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Van Hauser in End of Watch and Dexter Tolliver in Suicide Squad

Trying to arrange interviews for the podcast is often challenging, all our guests have extremely busy schedules and finding a time and place to record can be tricky. We tried really hard to meet up with David while he was fleetingly in the UK at the tail end of 2018, but we just couldn't make it work. However, David is a wonderful man and promised to work out some time for us in January whatever his schedule. So, we finally sat down at Acast studios a few weeks back and recorded our first episode live from New York via Skype, which we've tried to keep as natural and authentic to our own experience in the room listening through the headphones.

We discussed David's exploits living in Bristol, England when he was just 16, having been back there recently to shoot HELLBOY. We talk about working in theatre and the impact on David's life now being in a huge show like Stranger Things. David speaks openly about his mental health and the new book he is writing he hopes will open up more discussion around the subject.
Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams.

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Wim Hof (Classic Blank Ep 76)

Mon, 09 May 2022 23:01:00 -0000

We are releasing some of our classic older episodes for the next few weeks. This episode was originally released in November 2018.

Dubbed 'The Iceman', Wim Hof is a Dutch extreme athlete noted for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures. He has set Guinness world records for swimming under ice and prolonged full-body contact with ice, and still holds the record for a barefoot half-marathon on ice and snow. In short, he is superhuman.

He attributes many of his feats to his Wim Hof Method, a combination of frequent cold exposure, breathing techniques and meditation.

On this episode of BLANK Wim talks to Giles and Jim about his methods and how they can and have helped people, especially in the time of Coronavirus. He also talks about his own dark moments of the past and takes Giles and Jim through an introduction to his breathing technique.

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams.

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Our wonderful pod music is by the amazing Paul Pilot and you can hear more from him here: http://paulpilot.com

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Roisin Conaty (Classic Blank Ep 2)

Mon, 02 May 2022 23:01:00 -0000

We are releasing some of our classic older episodes for the next few weeks. This episode was originally released in November 2018.

Roisin Conaty is a brilliant and multi-talented comedian and actress. Having won the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award 2010 for Best Newcomer, Roisin is now one of the nation’s favourite comic faces on television, appearing regularly on hugely popular entertainment shows such as Have I Got News For You (BBC One), 8 Out of 10 Cats does Countdown (Channel 4), Would I Lie To You (BBC One), and the new Channel 4 edition of The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, having been a series regular on the BBC2 series. In March 2018, she also appeared on the Stand Up to Cancer Celebrity Bake Off edition. Roisin Conaty’s sitcom GameFace, which she created, writes and stars in, aired its first series on E4 in late 2017, quickly followed by a US release on Hulu.

We sat down with Roisin at Nordic Bar nr Oxford Circus to chat all things BLANK. We talked at length about the different aspects of performing live stand-up and how Roisin has used meditation as a way of focusing her creativity. We also chatted about her processes when writing her brilliant Channel 4 series Gameface and how that has changed as she's been writing series 2. Giles fails to get to grips with saying season and series and Jim gets some much needed stand-up advice as he looks to try out some new material live again.

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams.

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Our wonderful pod music is by the amazing Paul Pilot and you can hear more from him here: http://paulpilot.com

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165: Chrissie Wunna

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 23:01:00 -0000

This episode is supported by Surfshark. Get Surfshark VPN at Surfshark.deals/blank

Chrissie Wunna is an actress, model and reality TV star. Well known for her roles in B-Movies like DInosaur Hotel and Dragon Fury, and Amazon Prime's 'Series of Light'. Chrissie is also a regular guest and contributor to Channel 4's Steph's Packed Lunch.

We talked to Chrissie about her time in LA where she lived for six years from the age of 19, her time on reality TV and how she deals with negativity on social media.

PLUS extra chat with Chrissie just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams.

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164: BLANK Introduces: The Joe Marler Show

Mon, 25 Apr 2022 05:00:00 -0000

Something different from us this week, let us introduce to you a favourite podcast of ours; The Joe Marler Show.

England rugby international Joe Marler wants to know about your job. This is not another rugby podcast. It’s about prison guards, marine biologists, vicars, boxers, tattoo artists, sex workers and more. Because everyone is interesting if you ask the right questions.

This episode is about songwriters. If you’d like to hear the others, search for The Joe Marler Show, wherever you get your podcasts.

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163: Dr Sian Williams

Mon, 18 Apr 2022 23:01:00 -0000

This episode is supported by Surfshark. Get Surfshark VPN at Surfshark.deals/blank

Sian Williams is a journalist, current affairs presenter, author, and psychologist. Sian is most well-known for her work with the BBC. From 2001 until 2012, Williams regularly presented weekday editions of BBC Breakfast as well as being the main anchor of Channel 5 News.

In 2016, Williams wrote a critically acclaimed book on dealing with adversity; Rise Surviving and Thriving after Trauma.

PLUS extra chat with Sian just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki.

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162: Tom Speight

Mon, 11 Apr 2022 23:01:00 -0000

This episode is supported by Surfshark. Get Surfshark VPN at Surfshark.deals/blank

Tom Speight is a singer/songwriter with a string of EPs and a full-length album under his belt, gaining strong radio support from BBC Radio 2 with seven playlisted records in a row, and over 160 million streams across platforms.

Tom's new album ‘Everything’s Waiting for You’ is out now.

Tom spoke to Giles and Jim about his music writing process, the first album he ever bought, terrible stag dos, UK service stations, Batman films and loads more in between.

PLUS extra chat with Tom just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy, Vicki, Pistay Keirr.

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161: Lisa Ann

Mon, 04 Apr 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Lisa Ann is one of the world's most famous former pornographic film actresses, she is an author, radio personality, and podcaster. She has also worked as a director and talent agent. She parodied former Governor of Alaska Sarah Palin in six adult films and an Eminem music video.

She is the author of two books, 'The Life' and 'The Life Back', and is also an expert on American Fantasy Sports.

We talked to Lisa about her time in the adult industry, what made her decide to leave, her love of travel, and her organisation skills.

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160: Justin Moorhouse

Mon, 28 Mar 2022 23:01:00 -0000

Justin Moorhouse is a standup comedian, radio DJ and actor. He has been a mainstay of the UK standup circuit for the past 20 years and has appeared on Mock The Week and Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow.

He has had various TV roles including in Phoenix Nights, Looking for Eric, Guess The Attendance and Coronation Street. He has presented various radio shows at Manchester commercial radio station, Key 103 and is a regular on BBC Radio 5Live and TalkSPORT.

Justin spoke to Giles and Jim about meeting his Manchester United heroes, organising your creative diary, his mental health battles, his new show Stretch And Think.

PLUS we have extra content with Justin for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy, Vicki, Pistay Keirr.

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@justinmoorhouse

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159: Vix Leyton

Tue, 22 Mar 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Vix Leyton is a stand-up comedian and podcaster. her Edinburgh Fringe show was a sell-out and she acts as the TimeLord’s assistant on Rich Wilson’s Tuned Up Time Machine, a weekly music show on Islington Radio.

We talked about Vix getting into comedy in her mid-thirties after being discovered by comedian Mark Watson via a tweet, the ups and downs of gigging and why stag dos bring out the worst in people.

PLUS we have extra content for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast
Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy, Vicki, Pistay Keirr.
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158: Zoe Lyons

Tue, 15 Mar 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Zoe Lyons is a one of the UK's most recognised and successful stand-up comedians. She has been performing since 2003 and has taken multiple shows to the Edinburgh Fringe, appeared in many TV shows including Mock the Week, The Wright Stuff, Michael McIntyre Roadshow as well as being a regular on radio too.

She spoke to Giles and Jim about growing up in Ireland and going to catholic school, those early gigs in horrible venues and the constant pursuit of creativity.

PLUS we have extra content for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast
Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy, Vicki, Pistay Keirr.
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157: Les Dennis

Tue, 08 Mar 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Les Dennis is an an icon of British show business, having made his name as a comedian, television presenter and actor. He has been a mainstay on television light entertainment for more than 50 years, most notably as presenter Family Fortunes from 1987 until 2002.

Les spoke to Giles and Jim about the sliding doors moment that got him into comedy at a young age, the secret to a long career, being on stage when Tommy Cooper died and much, much more.

PLUS we have extra content for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy, Vicki.

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@LesDennis

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156: Phil Wang

Tue, 01 Mar 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Phil Wang is a comedian, actor, and writer. His Netflix special 'Philly Philly Wang Wang' explores race, romance, politics, and his mixed British-Malaysian heritage. He recently released his first book Sidesplitter, part memoir, and partly a series of observational essays.

We talk to Phil about his late teens when he returned to live in the UK after growing up in Malaysia, how he started getting into comedy and the joy of discovering our family histories.

PLUS we have extra content for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy, Vicki.

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155: Nova Reid

Tue, 22 Feb 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Nova Reid is an anti-racism activist, TED Speaker, author and podcast host.
She spoke to Giles and Jim and growing up in Hertfordshire, creating Nu Bride and what drives her in her work as an anti-racism activist.

PLUS we have extra content for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast
Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy, Vicki.
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154: Leonie Benesch

Tue, 15 Feb 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Leonie Benesch is a German actress who has played roles in major productions including Babylon Berlin, The Crown and Around the World in 80 Days.

We talked to Leonie about her journey into acting via circus school, moving to London to study acting, and her love of movement.

PLUS we have extra content for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy, Vicki.

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153: Florence Hall

Tue, 08 Feb 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Florence Hall is a actor who stars in AcornTV's “Queens of Mystery” and the massive Netflix series “The Princess Switch" alongside Vanessa Hudgens and Sam Palladio. She graduated from the Drama Centre London in 2009 and since then has worked for the BBC on Jonathan Creek, Holby City, Doctors and Mayday.

She is also an experienced stage actor and her theatre work includes "You May Go Now" at the Finborough Theatre, "The Importance of Being Earnest" and the Library Theatre, Manchester and "Birdsong", at the Comedy Theatre, directed by Trevor Nunn.

She spoke to Giles and Jim about her acting journey, having a second job alongside creative endeavours, and watching chiropractor videos on YouTube to relax.

PLUS we have extra content for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy, Vicki.

@blankpod
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instagram.com/florence_olivia_hall

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152: Tim Downie

Tue, 01 Feb 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Tim Downie is an actor and writer. Well known for his roles in Toast of London, Outlander, Upstart Crow, and Good Omens. Tim has also starred in many films including Paddington, War Machine, and The King's Speech.

Tim has also written several plays including A Portrait of Maureen Flange.

We started by talking to Tim about school and the challenges he faced having dyslexia. He shares his passion for film and literature and getting to do improv with Brad Pitt.

PLUS we have extra content for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy.

@blankpod
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@timdownie1

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151: Rich Wilson

Tue, 25 Jan 2022 00:17:00 -0000

Rich Wilson is a multi award-winning standup comedian who has been working in the industry for nearly 20 years.

He has performed at sellout shows at the Edinburgh Fringe, Adelaide Fringe, Melbourne Comedy Festival and the New Zealand Comedy Festival as well as winning Best International Guest at the 2016 New Zealand Comedy Awards, followed by a sell out run in 2017 which saw him nominated for the same award again.

He is also a successful writer -having contributed on shows for BBC Three, Sky Arts and Channel 4 - and podcaster and is the host of the wildly popular insane in the: podcast series; currently featuring Men Brain, Fem Brain and has been nominated for an award with Podbible and in 2019 won an award with JOE for best podcast with the likes of; Guilty Feminist, Off Menu and Films To Be Buried With.

PLUS we have extra content for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy.

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@IamRichWilson

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Stephen Fry (Classic Blank Ep 100)

Mon, 24 Jan 2022 00:01:00 -0000

In celebration of reaching 150 episodes, today we're bringing you a classic Blank episode from the archive.

Stephen Fry is a writer, comedian, and actor. A prolific career spanning some over 35 years, Stephen Fry has become an icon of British TV, film, and literature and a genuine national treasure.

We caught up with Stephen while he was in LA and began our conversation by talking about America and how it has changed since the time Stephen spent there filming his documentary series 'In America'.

Stephen shares his ideas and thoughts around the role of art and how realism has been somewhat sidelined by fantasy and he tells us about how at the age of 63 whether he still feels able to influence and have open discussions with those who have opposing views.

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Vicky McClure (Classic Blank Ep 108)

Sun, 23 Jan 2022 00:01:00 -0000

In celebration of reaching 150 episodes, today we're bringing you a classic Blank episode from the archive.

Vicky McClure is a Bafta award-winning actress and presenter. Best known for her roles as DI Kate Fleming BBC's Line of Duty and Lol in Shane Meadows This Is England film and subsequent series on Channel 4. In 2019 she made a very personal documentary called Our Dementia Choir, which showed the powerful and positive impact music has on those with all different types of dementia. Vicky tells us about her early days of performing and moving from her original love of dancing into acting and the TV workshop in Nottingham that really helped to craft and hone her craft. We discuss those difficult moments in carving out a career in acting and that you don't always have to have had a formal drama school education to succeed. Vicky talks about her time working with Shane Meadows and the process of preparing for roles in films like This Is England and she tells us about the joys of being in an acting family on shows like Line of Duty, and how that collaboration is what makes acting so speci...

Vicky McClure is a Bafta award-winning actress and presenter. Best known for her roles as DI Kate Fleming BBC's Line of Duty and Lol in Shane Meadows This Is England film and subsequent series on Channel 4.

In 2019 she made a very personal documentary called Our Dementia Choir, which showed the powerful and positive impact music has on those with all different types of dementia.

Vicky tells us about her early days of performing and moving from her original love of dancing into acting and the TV workshop in Nottingham that really helped to craft and hone her craft. We discuss those difficult moments in carving out a career in acting and that you don't always have to have had a formal drama school education to succeed.

Vicky talks about her time working with Shane Meadows and the process of preparing for roles in films like This Is England and she tells us about the joys of being in an acting family on shows like Line of Duty, and how that collaboration is what makes acting so special.

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Nick Offerman (Classic Blank Ep 111)

Sat, 22 Jan 2022 00:01:00 -0000

In celebration of reaching 150 episodes, today we're bringing you a classic Blank episode from the archive

Nick Offerman is an actor, comedian, writer and professional woodworker. Best known for his TV roles in Parks and Recreations, Devs and Fargo and films including We're the Mill, 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie.

We talked to Nick from his house in the hills of LA about his love of writer Wendell Berry, his journey into acting from his rural home in Illinois to his theatre days in Chicago and his passion for learning and discovery through farming and nature

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Dame Kelly Holmes (Classic Blank Ep 50)

Fri, 21 Jan 2022 00:01:00 -0000

In celebration of reaching 150 episodes, today we're bringing you a classic Blank episode from the archive

Dame Kelly Holmes is one of Britain's best-loved and most highly decorated athletes and what better person to help celebrate our 50th Episode.

We met up with Dame Kelly at Acast Studios to chat about all things Blank, she talked about her time in the army and how the levels of discipline helped her when competing as an athlete. We discussed the difficult moments that come when form dips and how one such period became incredibly challenging.

Kelly also opens up on how she has been affected by grief in recent years, about being her own person and the power of 'Come ON!"

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Louis Theroux (Classic Blank Ep 15)

Thu, 20 Jan 2022 00:01:00 -0000

In celebration of reaching 150 episodes, today we're bringing you a classic Blank episode from the archive

Louis Theroux is an American-British documentary filmmaker, journalist and broadcaster.

Theroux is best known for his documentary series, including Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends, When Louis Met..., and many BBC specials, including most recently his series Altered States. His career started in journalism and it bears the influences of notable writers in his family, such as his father Paul and his brother Marcel. The BBC has produced all of his documentaries and television series. He has received two British Academy Television Awards and a Royal Television Society Television Award for his work. 2017 saw the release of Louis' first feature film 'My Scientology Movie'

Giles and Jim met up with Louis down at Nordic Bar just after Christmas while Louis was taking a break from writing his new autobiography. We discussed many aspects of Louis' early career and how a mundane job in a glass blowing workshop led to him focussing his attention to other creative endeavours. Jim tells Louis about the time he nearly got sued for libel and we find out why Blankness is ever-present in Louis' life.

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Dawn French (Classic Blank Ep 45)

Wed, 19 Jan 2022 00:01:00 -0000

In celebration of reaching 150 episodes, today we're bringing you a classic Blank episode from the archive

Dawn French is a British actor, comedian, and writer. Her partnership with Jennifer Saunders, which began in the early '80s has produced multi-award-winning sketch shows for the BBC and made them household names.

She has been a successful actor in her own right starring in comedy shows like The Vicar of Dibley and dramas such as Delicious for Sky Arts. Dawn is also a prolific writer and has had several bestselling novels including A tiny Bit Marvellous and her ME/YOU Diary.

We met up with Dawn on a crisp autumn morning at Frequency Cafe near Kings Cross, our conversation began with discussing the merits of Gloucester services and the many times we have to stop when we're on the road whilst touring. Dawn spoke about her time moving around as a child because of her Dad's job in the RAF.

We discussed trying to find our thing and when we do making sure we own it. Dawn spoke about the serendipity of meeting her comedy partner Jennifer Saunders, dislike of awards and how blank moments for her need to be face head-on.

*Little warning; the c-word does appear once in this episode so if you have kids listening you may want to use headphones!*

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Jon Ronson (Classic Blank Ep 1)

Tue, 18 Jan 2022 00:01:00 -0000

In celebration of reaching 150 episodes, today we're bringing you a classic Blank episode from the archive

Jon is a multi-award-winning author, screenwriter, and documentarian, whose work includes The Psychopath Test, Them, The Men Who Stare at Goats and So You've Been Publicly Shamed AND the first-ever guest on the BLANK podcast!

We caught up with Jon while he was in the UK to do some live shows about his brilliant Audible series 'The Butterfly Effect'.

We talked about the destructive nature of a social media pile on and Jon's own recent brush with it. Jon tells us about his own methods for making sure he avoids going BLANK on projects and opens up about empathy being his first way into a story.

Let us know what you think of the pod: hello@theblankpocast.com or @blankpod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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150: Biff Stannard

Tue, 11 Jan 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Biff Stannard is a writer, producer, and record label owner. Biff has been responsible for some of the most iconic and well-known pop records in the last 25 years having worked with the likes of Kylie Minogue, The Spice Girls, U2, Ellie Goulding, Leona Lewis, Will Young, and many more.

He has won Ivor Novello and Brit Awards for his production and songwriting.

We talked to Biff about his earliest musical memories and how music was an escape for him. He describes the life-changing effects of having so many big hits in a short space of time and how lives his life with positivity and compassion at the heart of everything he does.

PLUS we have an advert-free version for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy.

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149: Rosie Wilby

Tue, 04 Jan 2022 00:01:00 -0000

Rosie Wilby is an award-winning comedian, author and podcaster who has appeared many times on BBC Radio 4 programmes including Woman's Hour and Four Thought. Her first book Is Monogamy Dead? was longlisted for the Polari First Book Prize and followed a trilogy of solo shows investigating the psychology of love and relationships. Her new book The Breakup Monologues is based on her acclaimed podcast of the same name.

She spoke to Giles and Jim about relationships, monogamy, comedy, and, of course, sex labs.

Buy tickets to Jim's London gig on January 26th here: http://www.jimdalycomedy.com/gigs

PLUS we have an advert free version for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy.

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148: Holly Matthews

Tue, 14 Dec 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Holly Matthews is a former TV actress, Ted X speaker, Life Coach, NLP practitioner and founder of The Happy Me Project. From an acting career that started at the age of nine on legendary children’s TV drama Byker Grove at the age of nine where she spent seven years, before leaving to pursue a career in singing. She has also appeared in Waterloo Road, Casualty, Doctors and The Bill.

In 2017, she launched The Happy Me Project after her husband Ross died of brain cancer. Her experience and vlogging in the lead up to his death, his death and aftermath was featured extensively in the UK media both in print, radio and television. The Happy Me Project in 2017 has helped hundreds of people through its virtual doors and many more in in-person workshops of the same name. Holly has also completed eight sell-out tour dates across the UK.

Holly talked to Giles and Jim live as part of Kind Fest 2021 about The Happy Me Project, juggling work and being a parent and how she overcomes the blank moments along the way.

PLUS we have an advert free version for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy.

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147: Gamba Cole

Tue, 07 Dec 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Gamba Cole is an Actor, recently seen in The Outlaws the comedy-drama written and directed by Stephen Merchant, Hanna on Amazon Prime and The Asset alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Maggie Q and Michael Keaton.

We talked to Gamba about growing up in Bristol and his journey into acting via being a security guard at the Olympics. Gamba tells us about negotiating the performance industry and dealing with the inevitable highs and lows.

PLUS we have extra chat with Gamba just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy.

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146: Rob Auton

Tue, 30 Nov 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Rob Auton is an English stand-up comedian, writer, actor, poet and podcaster. He is a veteran of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe, having performed a show there each year since 2012. He is also a poet and illustrator, with his work having been published in a series of books by Burning Eye Books and is a member of Bang Said The Gun, and as part of the 2014 Glastonbury Festival, Auton was given the position of poet-in-residence

He has has performed stand-up on shows including The Russell Howard Hour and Stand Up Central, and made his acting debut in 2018 as part of the long-running TV series Cold Feet and started a podcast titled The Rob Auton Daily Podcast, with a new episode posted every day during the year. It subsequently won the award for The Best Daily Podcast at the 2020 British Podcast Awards.

Rob spoke to Giles and Jim about creativity, his favourite poems and struggling with being self critical.

PLUS we have extra chat with Rob just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy.

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145: Daniel Mays

Tue, 23 Nov 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Daniel Mays is a British actor, known for his roles in Mike Leigh's Vera Drake, Line of Duty, Des and most recently Sky One's Code 404.

A prolific actor, Danny has worked with some of the biggest filmmakers in the world including Stephen Spielberg, Sam Mendes, Joe Wright and Mike Leigh.

We talked to Danny about his journey into acting, the incredible six-month process to creating the characters for Mike Leigh's film 'Vera Drake' and having to go out on stage when your heroes are in the audience.

PLUS we have extra chat with Danny just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy.

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144: Wendi McClendon-Covey

Tue, 16 Nov 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Wendi McClendon-Covey is an actress, writer, comedian and podcaster. Best known for her leading role as Beverly Goldberg in The Goldbergs, Wendi has appeared in many films including Bridesmaids, Blended and Army of One and TV shows Reno 911, The Office, and American Dad.

Wendi told us about her early life living in Long Beach and her always wanting to be a performer. We discussed having a regular job alongside creative work and Wendi's love of Father Ted.

PLUS we have extra chat with Wendi just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy.

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143: Andrew Hunter Murray

Tue, 09 Nov 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Andrew Hunter Murray is a writer, actor and podcaster. Well known for his work with improvisation group Austentacious and podcast No Such Thing As Fish, Andrew is also one of the amazing elves that work on QI.

We talked to Andrew about school and discovering improvisation groups at university, the perils of social media and how our brains might be getting a little lazy in the 21st century.

PLUS we have extra chat with Andrew just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy.

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142: Nazaneen Ghaffar

Tue, 02 Nov 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Nazaneen Ghaffar is a British television weather presenter. She currently appears on the Sky News channel, having previously presented for BBC South East Today and ITV West.

Nazaneen chats to Giles and Jim about what it takes to present the weather on TV, how weather affects our moods and Greensleeves, in one of our most fun episodes ever.

PLUS we have extra chat with Nazaneen just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Liam Deacy.

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141: Dean Hammond

Mon, 25 Oct 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Dean Hammond is an ex-footballer and podcast host. Dean played over 440 professional games at League One, The Championship and Premier League level.

Dean hosts the podcast Life outside of Sport, where he talks to professional sportspeople about life after sport.

We talked to Dean about his career in the game, from the youth team at Brighton and Hove Albion to playing in the Premier League with Leicester City, the difficult moments he encountered with his mental health during his playing days and the steps he has taken post-career to ensure that he continues to talk openly about getting through those difficult moments in life as well as work.

PLUS we have extra chat with Dean just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm.

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140: Samantha Baines

Mon, 18 Oct 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Samantha Baines is an actress, comedian and children's author. Known for her roles in The Crown, Lee Nelson's Well Funny People and A Royal Night Out, she is also a prolific stand-up and has recently seen the release of her second children's book The Night the Moon went Out. Samantha is also the host of the podcast The Divorce Social.

We chatted to Samantha about getting into drama at a young age and her first pinnacle role as Man 2 in Oliver. she talks about losing her hearing and the challenges that has had, especially doing live performances and how she has come to be known as a joy facilitator.

Plus we have extra chat with Samantha just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm.
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139: Kerry Howard

Mon, 11 Oct 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Kerry Howard is an actress and writer, known for her roles in Him and Her, Reggie Perrin and more recently HBO's Two Weeks to Live.

We talked to Kerry about paint swatches, moving in lockdown, her relationship with social media and her grandfather who always believed she'd become an actress.

PLUS we have extra chat with Kerry just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm.
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138: Michelle Ackerley

Mon, 04 Oct 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Michelle Ackerley is an English television presenter and journalist, best known for her work on BBC programmes such as Watchdog and The One Show.

She has worked on a myriad BBC and CBBC shows including Totally Rubbish, I Want My Own Room, Deadly Art All Over the Place and Crimewatch Roadshow since 2015.

Michelle talked to Giles and Jim about breaking into the industry, anxiety of being on the set of a live TV show and how she overcame her own blank moments along the way.

PLUS we have extra chat with Michelle just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm.
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137: Sophie Green

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Sophie Green is an award-winning conservation & wildlife artist from the UK, who specialises in capturing the photorealistic details of animals and their surroundings. Sophie has dedicated her time and artistic work to raising awareness for issues surrounding animal welfare and the environment.

She worked closely with foundations such as IFAW (International Fund for Animal Welfare) and Explorers Against Extinction (The Real World Conservation Trust) and was the winner of the Leisure Painter People's Choice Award 2020 and was shortlisted for prizes such as the Sketch for Survival Award, the DSWF Wildlife Artist of the Year competition and the Ashurst Emerging Artist Prize.

She talks to Jim and Giles about working in the movie industry as a body double, making the leap from full-time work to freelance and her passion for conservation.

PLUS we have extra chat with Sophie just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm.
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136: John Motson

Mon, 20 Sep 2021 23:01:00 -0000

John Walker Motson, OBE, also known as Motty, is an English football commentator. Beginning as a television commentator with the BBC in 1971, he has commentated on over 2000 games on television and radio.

We talked to John about his early life and discovering his love of football through attending games with his methodist minister father.

John tells us about those difficult moments in the commentary box and how sometimes he could be a little hard on himself. PLUS we have bonus content for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Shereen Qadri, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis.

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135: Alex Horne

Mon, 13 Sep 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Alex Horne is a comedian, musician and podcaster who is best know for creating the smash TV show Taskmaster. He has taken multiple shows to the Edinburgh Fringe and has been a mainstay on British TV for years.
Alex talks to Jim about being neighbours, the guilt of going to private school, Cambridge Footlights, the freelance juggle and, just for Patreons, the origins of Taskmaster.
PLUS we have bonus content with Dom just for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast
Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Shereen Qadri, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis.
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134: Dom Joly

Mon, 06 Sep 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Dom Joly is a multi-talent comedian, travel writer, podcasters, presenter and satirist. His breakthrough came with the worldwide phenomenon Trigger Happy TV which he produced and stared in, one of the biggest shows in the world of the early 2000s.

Since then he has travelled the world presenting travel shows and writing about his adventures in a series of best seller books, including The Dark Tourist, Scary Monsters and Super Creeps and the Hezbollah Hiking Club. He was also a columnist for The Independent on Sunday from 2003 until the paper closed in 2016 and was a special correspondent for the Independent at the Beijing Olympics.

He talks to Giles and Jim about embracing Twitch, what it's really like being famous and his love of condiments.

PLUS we have bonus content with Dom just for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022.

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133: Emma Jones

Mon, 30 Aug 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Emma Jones is a journalist, broadcaster from Leeds. She is best known for her work with Leeds United TV, BBC Radio 5 Live and hosting the brilliant podcasts The Dead Parent Club and Netball Nation.

Emma spoke to Giles and Jim and football (naturally!), England at Euro 2022, social media and much more.

(TW - This episode contains conversations on loss and bereavement)

PLUS we have bonus content with Emma just for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast
Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Shereen Qadri, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis.
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132: Best of Blank Vol.3

Mon, 23 Aug 2021 23:01:00 -0000

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130: Christina Trevanion

Mon, 16 Aug 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Christina Trevanion is a TV Presenter, auctioneer and antique valuer. Many people will know Christina from her appearances on shows such as Flog It, Bargain Hunt and Antiques Road Trip. Christina is also the Managing Partner of Trevanion Auctioneers and Valuers and Co-owner of Trevanion and Dean Auction House.

We talked to Christina about her lifelong love of antiques and auction rooms, university life, and the emotions attached to her work when helping clients through many life-changing circumstances.

PLUS we have bonus content for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022.

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129: The League of Gentlemen

Mon, 09 Aug 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Here is a little summer BONUS episode of Blank Podcast that features a compilation of our conversations with Mark Gatiss, Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Jeremy Dyson who make up the brilliant League of Gentlemen. We discuss all aspects of their lives, their careers, their working relationships and any difficult moments along the way

Massive thanks to our Patrons Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022.

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128: Jayne Sharp

Mon, 02 Aug 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Jayne Sharp is a presenter, broadcaster and voiceover artists.

We talked to Jayne about social media, being a parent to children who are digital natives and comedy videos

PLUS we have bonus content with Jayne for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022.

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127: Imogen Heap

Mon, 26 Jul 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Imogen Heap is a singer, songwriter and multi-Grammy and Ivor Novella award-winning producer and engineer.

A pioneer of electro-pop, Imogen's album Speak For Yourself went Gold in the US and her third album Ellipse was in the Top 5 on the Billboard Charts.

Her music has been used on many TV and Film soundtracks including The OC, Garden State, I Know What You Did Last Summer and most recently has reworked and composed music for the stage production of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child.

We talked to Imogen about getting into music as a child and school days getting to miss lessons to learn various instruments. Imogen tells us about getting into performing and the collaboration she enjoys, especially with her fans.

PLUS we have extra content with Imogen where she reveals her perfect song to open a playlist for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022.

@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy
@imogenheap

theblankpodcast2018@gmail.com

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126: Tamzin Outhwaite

Mon, 19 Jul 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Tamzin Outhwaite is a stage and screen actress, presenter and narrator. Best known for her role as Mel Owen in Eastenders, Tamzin has been starred in many theatrical productions including Alan Ayckbourn's How the Other Half Loves and most recently The Seagull alongside Emilia Clarke and Robert Glenister.

We talked to Tamzin about superstitions, her love of theatre and finding a process to calm performance nerves.

PLUS we have bonus content with Tamzin just for our Patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022.

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125: Jackie Adedeji

Mon, 12 Jul 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Jackie Adedeji is a presenter, podcaster, journalist and columnist for The Metro. She has also appeared as a guest on BBC Radio 1xtra Talks. Her podcast ''Jackie Big Tits'' discusses taboo subjects society might necessarily not want to discuss.

On this episode Jackie talks to Giles and Jim about social media, body positivity and all sorts of subjects in a joyous conversation that goes to all sorts of places. It was such a joy having Jackie's positive outlook on life on the podcast in a episode that is bound to leave you feeling good about life.

PLUS we have bonus content for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022.

@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy
@JACKIEADEDEJI

theblankpodcast2018@gmail.com

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124: Jeremy Dyson

Mon, 05 Jul 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Jeremy Dyson is a writer, comedian and musician. Jeremy is best known for his work creating and co-writing The League of Gentlemen, BBC's Funland and the stage production of Ghost Stories, which Jeremy later adapted and directed for the big screen.

We talked to Jeremy about trying to seek out new shows and music in a time where there is so much available, his move from performing comedy into writing it and exploring his love of horror with Ghost Stories.

PLUS we have bonus content for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey.

@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy
@dysonjeremy

theblankpodcast2018@gmail.com

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123: Rhys Darby

Mon, 28 Jun 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Rhys Darby is a comedian, actor and writer from New Zealand, best known for his roles in Flight of the Concords, Wrecked and big-screen roles in Jumanji, Yes Man, Hunt for the Wilderpeople and What we do in the Shadows. Rhys is also a prolific stand-up, writer and artist.

We talked to Rhys about his love of British sitcoms, especially Dad's Army and Some Mother's do Ave'em and how these shaped his journey into comedy. He tells us about being part of the blossoming comedy scene in New Zealand and why it is so important to be silly. PLUS we have bonus content for our patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patreons John Holland, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey.

@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy
@rhysiedarby

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122: Vikki Stone

Mon, 21 Jun 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Vikki Stone is a writer, comedian, musician and composer. Vikki has toured extensively as a stand-up as well as many TV appearances including The John Bishop Show, and BBC Radio 3's 'Proms Unplucked'

We talked to Vikki about her experiences of freshwater swimming, her musical journey, which included being a flautist in the National Children's Orchestra and her love of combining comedy and music. PLUS we have bonus content for our patreons at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patreons Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey.

@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy
@vikkistone

theblankpodcast2018@gmail.com

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121: Tom Kerridge

Mon, 14 Jun 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Tom Kerridge is a three-time Michelin starred chef, TV personality and author.

Owner of many well-known establishments including The Hand and Flower in Marlow, where he garnered his first Michelin Star, Tom has gone on to regularly appear on TV including The Great British Menu and hosting his own shows like the recent Outdoor Cooking on the Food Network.

We talk to Tom about his love of working in a professional kitchen, the collaboration that takes place every day and he explains what 'Battlefield Promotion' is.

@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy
@cheftomkerridge

theblankpodcast2018@gmail.com

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120: Alex Lowe

Mon, 07 Jun 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Alex Lowe is an English actor, comedian and voice artist. He is the creator and performer of the character Barry from Watford on Steve Wright's BBC Radio 2 show and Iain Lee's shows, as well as also being the creator and performer behind the character Clinton Baptiste, originally seen in Phoenix Nights, as whom he has since toured.

Alex chatted to Giles and Jim about performing, developing Clinton, and lots more, including some extra bonus content just for our Patreons at the end available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patreons Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey.

@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy
@alexlowe51

theblankpodcast2018@gmail.com

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119: Nina Conti

Tue, 01 Jun 2021 09:54:18 -0000

Nina Conti is a ventriloquist, stand-up comedian and actress.

Nina talked to us about her journey into performing and discovering the art of ventriloquism. We talk live performance and the anxieties and care of duty involved when having members of the public join in. We discuss philosophy and car crash dinner parties.

PLUS we have bonus content for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey.

@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy
@ninaconti

theblankpodcast2018@gmail.com

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118: Sophie Eggleton

Mon, 24 May 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Sophie Eggleton is a podcaster, writer, teacher and presenter, a proper all-rounder who's positivity and kindness is infectious and makes her a perfect guest for BLANK.
Sophie chats to Giles and Jim about presenting for Download Festival and working in the music industry, being a mental health ambassador and they all delve back into their MySpace pages.

PLUS we have bonus content for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey.

@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy
@sophieeggleton

theblankpodcast2018@gmail.com

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117: Graham Coxon

Mon, 17 May 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Graham Coxon is a musician, singer-songwriter, painter and is a founding member and lead guitarist in the rock band Blur.

We talked to Graham about his early musical influences whilst growing up in Colchester, Essex and eventually starting a band with long term collaborator Damon Albarn. He speaks openly to us about his experiences with alcoholism, his recovery and the enjoyment of writing his solo work.

PLUS we have bonus content for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons John Holland, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey.

@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy
@grahamcoxon

theblankpodcast2018@gmail.com

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116: Steve Pemberton

Mon, 10 May 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Steve Pemberton is an actor, writer and comedian. Best known as a member of The League of Gentlemen alongside Reece Shearsmith, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson. Steve and Reece have also co-written and starred in the sitcom Psychoville and the comedy-drama anthology series Inside No. 9. Steve has also starred in shows like Benidorm, Worzel Gummidge and Killing Eve.

We talked to Steve about his time at Bretton Hall where he met the other members of The League of Gentleman, and how that collaboration has always been something he has striven for in his work. We talk about creating the series Inside No.9 and Steve's own shyness when he's not working.

PLUS we have bonus content for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons John Holland, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey.

@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy

theblankpodcast2018@gmail.com

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115: Rosie Jones

Mon, 03 May 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Rosie Jones is a comedian, writer and actor who has risen to stardom in the past 18 months in the UK. She has written for panel shows like Harry Hill's Alien Fun Capsule, Would I Lie to You?, The Last Leg and 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown, and has appeared as a guest on most of them too.She has also written hit Netflix show Sex Education and hosts the podcast Daddy Look at Me with Helen Bauer.

Rosie talks to Giles and Jim about living and performing with ataxic cerebral palsy, what it's like to be recognised as a role model for disabled people and discusses her comedy journey and hopes for the future. PLUS there is 15 minutes worth of bonus chat with Rosie (which gets super weird!).

PLUS this is the first episode ever that we have bonus content for our Patrons available at patreon.com/blankpodcast

Massive thanks to our Patrons Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey and John Holland.

@josierones
@blankpod
@eliistender
@jimdalycomedy

theblankpodcast2018@gmail.com

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114: Taj Atwal

Thu, 29 Apr 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Taj Atwal is an actor best known for playing the role of "Jasminder" in BAFTA Cymru award winning comedy "Stella" aired on Sky1. She has also played a number of guest roles in comedies such as "Miranda" and "In with the Flynn's" as well as featuring in BBC Line Of Duty and upcoming BBC show The Syndicate.

She spoke to Giles and Jim about taking up singing during lockdown, how she got into acting, ripspeed, cold showers and giving yourself a break.

@tatwal1
@blankpod

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113: Henry Winter

Mon, 26 Apr 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Henry Winter is the most well known football journalist in the UK. He is currently the Chief Football Writer for The Times, having previously written for The Daily Telegraph and The Independent. He has been a regular on Sky Sports' long-running football review programme The Sunday Supplement, BBC 5Live and has ghost-written many footballer's autobiographies including Kenny Dalglish, John Barnes and Steven Gerrard.

Henry chats to Jim and Giles about their team Crystal Palace, getting into journalism, self doubt and persistence and the dreaded VAR.

@henrywinter
@BlankPod
@eliistender10
@jimdalycomedy

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112: Paterson Joseph

Mon, 19 Apr 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Paterson Joseph is an actor and writer. Best known for his appearances in films like The Beach and Aeon Flux and roles in iconic TV shows like Peep Show and most recently BBC Noughts and Crosses.

We talked to Paterson about writing his new book 'The Secret Diaries of Charles Ignatius Sancho', how we all deal with taking notes and the balancing act of social media and creative work.

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Blank Book is OUT NOW!!!

Wed, 14 Apr 2021 23:01:00 -0000

A special episode to announcement to let you guys know that we have written a book! It's called Blank: Why it's Fine to Falter and Fail, And How To Pick Yourself Up Again and it's OUT NOW!!!
We are joined by Celine Hughes, our fantastic Senior Commissioning Editor from Quadrille Publishing, who has published the book to talk about why they acquired the book and the process of how a book goes from an idea to a fully-formed thing. Our book explores many of the themes that crop up on the podcast with the best bits of advice from our fantastic guests including Louis Theroux, David Harbour, Reginald D Hunter, Jon Ronson, Dawn French, Amanda Abington, Rufus Sewell and Gary Lineker. Some of the recurring themes include public failure, social anxieties, fear, mental health, grief and more. Whether in your personal life, career, relationship, or in a public situation, writer's block, social anxiety, imposter syndrome, being off-form or having an identity crisis can affect us

Our book explores many of the themes that crop up on the podcast with the best bits of advice from our fantastic guests including Louis Theroux, David Harbour, Reginald D Hunter, Jon Ronson, Dawn French, Amanda Abington, Rufus Sewell and Gary Lineker.

Some of the recurring themes include public failure, social anxieties, fear, mental health, grief and more. Whether in your personal life, career, relationship, or in a public situation, writer's block, social anxiety, imposter syndrome, being off-form or having an identity crisis can affect anyone at any time. It's part of the human condition and yet it can throw us off course and make us feel helpless.

You can pre-order a copy now here: smarturl.it/blankmoments

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111: Nick Offerman

Mon, 12 Apr 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Nick Offerman is an actor, comedian, writer and professional woodworker. Best known for his TV roles in Parks and Recreations, Devs and Fargo and films including We're the Mill, 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie.

We talked to Nick from his house in the hills of LA about his love of writer Wendell Berry, his journey into acting from his rural home in Illinois to his theatre days in Chicago and his passion for learning and discovery through farming and nature

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110: Deborah Frances-White

Mon, 05 Apr 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Deborah Frances-White is a comedian, author and screenwriter who is founder of the Guilty Feminist comedy network, which help multiple charities, especially relating to refugees and/or human rights. She hosts the podcasts Global Pillage and The Guilty Feminist and is a prominent voice in the fight for equality.

Deborah chats to Giles and Jim about her comedy journey, escaping the Jehovah's Witnesses and how the comedy industry still has a long way to go to make is an equal experience for all.

@DeborahFW
@BlankPod
@eliistender10
@jimdalycomedy

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109: Tamzin Merchant

Mon, 29 Mar 2021 23:01:00 -0000

Tamzin Merchant is an actor and writer best known for her roles in 2005's Pride and Prejudice, The Tudors and most recently Amazon Prime's Carnival Row alongside Orlando Bloom and Cara Delevingne.

Her first book for children 'The Hatmakers' came out in February 2021 with Puffin Books.

We talked to Tamzin about the inspiration around her new book and her writing process. We discussed the ever-present feeling of imposter syndrome that stalks all creatives, and how Tamzin deals with her own moments with it.

Tamzin tells us about her love of gardening and creates a tea blend for us all to try in those blank times.

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108: Vicky McClure

Tue, 23 Mar 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Vicky McClure is a Bafta award-winning actress and presenter. Best known for her roles as DI Kate Fleming BBC's Line of Duty and Lol in Shane Meadows This Is England film and subsequent series on Channel 4.

In 2019 she made a very personal documentary called Our Dementia Choir, which showed the powerful and positive impact music has on those with all different types of dementia.

Vicky tells us about her early days of performing and moving from her original love of dancing into acting and the TV workshop in Nottingham that really helped to craft and hone her craft. We discuss those difficult moments in carving out a career in acting and that you don't always have to have had a formal drama school education to succeed.

Vicky talks about her time working with Shane Meadows and the process of preparing for roles in films like This Is England and she tells us about the joys of being in an acting family on shows like Line of Duty, and how that collaboration is what makes acting so special.

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107: Miranda Raison

Tue, 16 Mar 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Miranda Raison is an actor known for her many theatre, television and film roles, with an extensive back catalogue of performances, including appearances on Spooks, Doctor Who, Silk and Spotless on Canal+ amongst others.

She spoke to Giles and Jim about getting into acting, expanding into voice over work, speaking French and by association Jim's terrible French skills.

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106: Mathew Horne

Tue, 09 Mar 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Mathew Horne is a British actor, comedian, and writer. Best known for his work with Catherine Tate and for playing Gavin in Gavin and Stacey, Mathew has been a prolific stage and screen actor, most recently playing Raymond in Rain Man.

We talked to Mathew about his career where he initially started in comedy whilst studying at Manchester University, and how that eventually led to a now, 20-year collaboration with comedian Catherine Tate.

Mathew tells us about ambition never being at the heart of what he does, his lack of jealousy towards fellow creatives, and what he does to prevent that.

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105: Troy Townsend

Tue, 02 Mar 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Troy Townsend is Head of Development for Kick It Out, football's quality and inclusion organisation. A key part of Troy's work is addressing gaps in representation across all areas of the game and includes delivering equality and diversity workshops to English Football League (EFL) and scholars with the League Football Education (LFE).

We talked to Troy about his early life and how the lack of encouragement and supportive role models in his life at that time lead him to stop pursuing a playing career in football. Troy opens up about the loss of two huge figures in his life, his son Kurtis, who tragically died aged just 19 and his best friend Steve Browne, who he worked with for some 15 years or more. These two extremely difficult moments in his life leading him to question his own existence and experiences he is only just beginning to be open about.

We also discuss Troy's work with Kick It Out and the everyday challenges that his work brings.

(TW: This episode contains discussions on suicide and bereavement)

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104: Jill Halfpenny

Tue, 23 Feb 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Jill Halfpenny is one of the most recognisable faces on British TV. Her notable roles include Rebecca Hopkins in ITV soap opera Coronation Street; Kate Mitchell in BBC One soap opera EastEnders; Izzie Redpath in Waterloo Road; and Diane Manning in In The Club. She won the second series of the television dance contest Strictly Come Dancing in 2004.

Jill talked to Giles and Jim about auditions, self doubt, following your gut feeling and getting a book of poetry from Ken Loach.

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103: Harry Lawtey

Tue, 16 Feb 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Harry Lawtey is a British actor most recently seen in HBO/BBC series Industry

We talked to Harry about his early life living in Cyprus and moving to London on his own to study acting and performance and how it was hard to be away from home. Harry tells us about working on Industry and learning more about the finance industry to prepare for the role.

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102: Sophia Myles

Tue, 09 Feb 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Sophia Myles is an actor known for her roles inThunderbirds, Isolde in Tristan & Isolde, Darcy in Transformers: Age of Extinction, Erika in Underworld and Underworld: Evolution and Freya in Outlander.

We spoke to Sophia about her early life growing up in Notting Hill and being the daughter of a vicar. Sophia spoke candidly about her life and work as an actor and opened up about her mental health and how she is trying to come terms with the effects it has had on her wellbeing.

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101: Mike Fenton Stevens

Tue, 02 Feb 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Mike Fenton Stevens is an actor, comedian and podcaster. He is best known for being a founder member of The Hee Bee Gee Bees and the voice behind the Spitting Image 1986 number 1 hit "The Chicken Song". He was a prominent member in the birth of the alternative comedy scene in England in the 180s and also starred in KYTV, its Radio 4 predecessor, Radio Active and Benidorm as Sir Henry since Series 4 which was first broadcast in 2011, and as an anchor on 3rd & Bird on CBeebies.

Mike chats to Jim and Giles about his established career, how he dealt with blank moments and plenty more in between.

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100: Stephen Fry

Tue, 26 Jan 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Stephen Fry is a writer, comedian and actor. A prolific career spanning some over 35 years, Stephen Fry has become an icon of British TV, film and literature and a genuine national treasure.

We caught up with Stephen while he was in LA and began our conversation by talking about America and how it has changed since the time Stephen spent there filming his documentary series 'In America'.

Stephen shares his ideas and thoughts around the role of art and how realism has been somewhat sidelined by fantasy and he tells us about how at the age of 63 whether he still feels able to influence and have open discussions with those who have opposing views.

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99: Hayley Tamaddon

Tue, 19 Jan 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Hayley Tamaddon is an multi-talented actor, who is best known for her TV roles as Del Dingle in Emmerdale, Andrea Beckett in Coronation Street and as Calista in Shameless but has performed on stage in many huge productions.

She spoke to Giles and Jim about how she landed her first big roles in theatre and the graft it took to get there.

She also described being thrust into the fame spotlight after landing that role on Emmerdale and the perils of social media, how in particular she strives to keep her social presences so positive.

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98: Fred Sirieix

Tue, 12 Jan 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Fred Sirieix is a presenter, TV personality and maître d'hôtel, best known for his work on Channel 4's First Dates, BBC's Remarkable Places to Eat, Snackmasters and ITV's Gordon, Gino and Fred's Road Trip.

We talked to Fred about his early experiences with food and making his way in the industry, going from training to be a chef to working front of house.

Fred tells us about his difficult moments when his career wasn't quite going the way he wanted and the beauty of connecting and talking to all walks of life in the service industry.

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97: Sian Harries

Tue, 05 Jan 2021 00:01:00 -0000

Sian Harries is a writer, comedian and actress. Sian has written for both television and radio. She co-wrote both Greg Davies's Man Down for Channel 4 and 2018 sitcom, The Tourist Trap, starring Sally Phillips, for the BBC.

Known by her closest friends as The Giggler, we spent almost the entire podcast laughing at everything from school plays, live comedy performances and terrible names for super villains.

We also discussed collaboration min comedy and putting your trust in others when it comes to creative decisions.

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96: Charlotte Hawkins

Thu, 24 Dec 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Charlotte Hawkins is our special guests for this Christmas eve episode! Charlotte is a television and radio presenter, newsreader and journalist, currently getting up at stupid o'clock to brighten our mornings on Good Morning Britain on ITV. She also hosts a show on Classic FM and talks to Giles and Jim about her love of Classical Music.

She also discusses how she got into news and she and Jim swap stories about the joys of working in local news and Fred Dinenage. She also talks about how she deals with Twitter trolls and the trials and tribulations of working on live news television.

Merry Christmas everyone, thanks for all your support in 2020, we hope you have a wonderful festive time and well see you again in 2021.

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95: Naomi Wilkinson

Mon, 21 Dec 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Naomi Wilkinson is a television presenter, actress and producer, best known for her work in children's televsion on Cbeebies and Channels 5's milkshake.

We started our chat by talking to Naomi about her time working at Butlins as a a Red Coats and how that was in someways a launchpad for her career in presenting.

She admits that being a presenter on children's TV was always the dream job having watched shows like Choc A Block and Play Away as a child. We chatted about the challenges of working freelance and still being able to carve out a traditional television career in the digital age.

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94: Kevin Day

Tue, 15 Dec 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Kevin Day is a national treasure and one of the Uk's most recognised and well known standup comedians and comedy writers. Kevin came to prominence in the British alternative comedy stand up scene of the late eighties and early nineties, and quickly was MCing The Comedy Store. He has gone on to tour extensively, play the Edinburgh Fringe almost every year since the early 90s and write for multiple shows including Have I Got News For You and League Of Their Own.

Kevin talks to Giles and Jim about a range of topics, including how he got over stage fright minutes before the first run of an Edinburgh show after an absence from comedy, the grief of losing his mum and the changes he has witnessed in the UK comedy scene over the past 30 years.

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93: Ian Rankin

Tue, 08 Dec 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Ian Rankin is a multi-award winning novelist and writer. Best known for his novels based in Edinburgh starring DI John Rebus and in more recent years DI Malcolm Fox, Ian Rankin has regularly contributed to BBC Arts Review and several documentaries for Channel 4 and BBC Four.

We talked to Ian from his flat in Edinburgh and began by chatting about his first tools for writing, including the jotting pads from the school equipment cupboard. Ian tells us about feeling like a bit of an outsider growing up wanting to be a writer instead of learning a trade.

We talk about the challenges of working in isolation and we talk about Ian's passion for music and being a front man in a band.

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92: Emma Kennedy

Tue, 01 Dec 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Emma Kennedy is a writer, comedian, actress and Lego guru. Originally trained as a solicitor, Emma moved into acting and live performance and then onto writing. Her books include The Tent, The Bucket and Me, which went on to be adapted in a BBC Series called The Kennedys. In 2012 Emma won Celebrity Masterchef.

We started our conversation with Emma and Giles comparing Lego sets, a passion for them both. Emma tells us about her accidental move into acting and how writing has always been her first passion.

Emma gives us some wonderful tips on becoming a writer and how as creatives we have to consider ourselves as small businesses.

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91: Janet Devlin

Tue, 24 Nov 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Janet Devlin is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter who competed in the eighth series of X-Factor in 2011 where she finished in fifth place. Devlin's debut album was released in 2012 and her second studio album Confessional was released this year.

Jane is incredibly open about her career in the music industry and all the ups and downs that has brought her so far, including her struggles with alcoholism and addiction and getting screwed over by record labels. She talks honestly and candidly with Giles and Jim about all sorts of blank moments in this epic episode.

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90: Laura Whitmore

Tue, 17 Nov 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Laura Whitmore is a radio broadcaster, TV presenter, writer and podcaster. Laura's first big gig was presenting for MTV, which led to her then presenting on ITV's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! More recently Laura has presented her own show on Radio 5Live, as well as being the presenter for ITV's Love Island and team captain on Celebrity Juice. Laura also presents many podcasts including Cast Away, a podcast about podcasts.

We spoke to Laura from her home in London and started by chatting about studying journalism, and her experiences in both Dublin and Boston, US. Jim and Laura discuss thinking in shorthand and what led her into presenting.

We touch on the press and how a lot of people are really starting to switch off from the clickbait style of modern mainstream journalism, and in particular the print media and how podcasts have really helped to allow guests and presenters to express themselves and be more comfortable and candid.

Laura gives us her advice on dealing with her own blank moments and how imposter syndrome is often something she has to deal with.

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89: Nicky Campbell

Tue, 10 Nov 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Legendary radio and television presenter Nicky Campbell has been a mainstay of British broadcasting for decades. He has presented the BBC Radio 5 Live breakfast programme since 2003, BBC One's Sunday morning show The Big Questions since 2007, and Long Lost Family on ITV since 2011. He presented the game show Wheel of Fortune from 1988 until 1996, and the consumer affairs programme Watchdog from 2001 to 2009.

He joins Giles and Jim to chat about his established career, the ups and downs of live broadcasting, dealing with Twitter trolls and idiots in real life with fruit salads.

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We have written a book! (with Celine Hughes from Quadrille Publishing)

Fri, 06 Nov 2020 22:19:45 -0000

A special episode to announcement to let you guys know that we have written a book! It's called Blank: Why it's Fine to Falter and Fail, And How To Pick Yourself Up Again and it's out on March 18th, 2021. We are joined by Celine Hughes, our fantastic Senior Commissioning Editor from Quadrille Publishing, who have published out book to talk about why they acquired the book and the process of how a book goes from an idea to a fully formed thing.

Our book explores many of the themes that crop up on the podcast with the best bits of advice from our fantastic guests including Louis Theroux, David Harbour, Reginald D Hunter, Jon Ronson, Dawn French, Amanda Abington, Rufus Sewell and Gary Lineker.

Some of the recurring themes include public failure, social anxieties, fear, mental health, grief and more. Whether in your personal life, career, relationship, or in a public situation, writer's block, social anxiety, imposter syndrome, being off-form or having an identity crisis can affect anyone at any time. It's part of the human condition and yet it can throw us off course and make us feel helpless.

You can pre-order a copy now here: smarturl.it/blankmoments

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88: Mark Kermode

Tue, 03 Nov 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Mark Kermode is a writer, broadcaster, film critic and musician. As well as being chief film critic for The Observer, Mark is known for his broadcast work for BBC, Radio 5Live's 'Kermode and Mayo's Film Review' alongside Simon Mayo and his documentaries 'Mark Kermode's Secret Cinema'. More recently Mark present's his own own podcast 'Kermode On Film' and a music soundtrack show on Scala Radio. He has written several books including How Does It Feel?: A Life of Musical Misadventures

We caught up with Mark at the end of September and started by talking about Mark's early life and his love of music and in particular playing in bands and how that connection with others really helped during those sometimes challenging teen years.

Mark opens up about the insecurity he experiences with his written work and how that is a stark contrast to how he feels when performing music and we discuss what it's like when a critic gets criticised.

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87: Jenny Seagrove

Tue, 27 Oct 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Jenny Seagrove a legend of stage and screen, Jenny has been in films such as Local Hero, The Guardian, and most recently Off the Rails alongside Dame Judi Dench.

We started by asking Jenny about her early life in Malaysia, and her first forays into acting during her time in boarding school. Jenny tells us some wonderful anecdotes from being on stage when going blank often turn into giggles and we talk about how giving yourself a bit of time and calm can really help in difficult moments.

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86: Kayleigh-Paige Rees

Mon, 19 Oct 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Kayleigh-Paige Rees is an actress best known for her role as Julia Beaufort in ITV's Primetime period drama 'Sanditon'. Kayleigh-Paige started her career in successful independent films most notably, Ann in Ann Rolls Green currently on Amazon Prime and Mona in Skinny World, an award-winning short film taking a closer look at eating disorders.

She spoke to Giles and Jim about awkward auditions, the stress of working in the entertainment industry and opens up about her eating disorder.

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85: Professor Kate Williams

Mon, 12 Oct 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Prof Kate Williams is a British historian, author, and television presenter, she regularly appears on Television and Radio and has a role as Professor of Public Engagement with History at the University of Reading.

We caught up with Kate as children were returning to schools and we discussed whether having more time at home had helped Kate dedicate more time to writing. We talked about diary writing and its vital role in Historical research and how we all need to look far deeper into our own societies past to best inform our future.

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A special announcement

Tue, 06 Oct 2020 09:56:36 -0000

We have something exciting to tell you so we hope you'll indulge us this special, short, mini episode.

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84: Lorraine Kelly

Mon, 05 Oct 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Lorraine Kelly OBE is a Scottish broadcaster, interviewer and journalist, for over 36 years she has been a stalwart of ITV's Breakfast television coverage, including her own show Lorraine, which is live every weekday morning.

We started our chat by talking to Lorraine about adapting to working during lockdown and the challenges, but also the positive aspects this has brought to broadcasting.

Lorraine tells us about growing up in Glasgow and making her way into journalism in local news, before applying to work at the BBC. We discuss disappointment, something she experienced whilst on maternity leave when she was replaced in her job, and Lorraine reveals to us her worst interview.

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83: Maddy Anholt

Mon, 28 Sep 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Maddy Anholt is an actress, comedian and writer, having spent a number of years on the UK stand-up circuit, Maddy has regularly performed at Edinburgh Fringe, her latest show being How to Train Your Psychopath, and show she is now adapting into a book and several other projects. She Appeared and co-write the award nominated short film 'Kelly' and has made numerous TV appearances on This Morning, various panel shows and has written for BBC Radio 4, BBC Three and also Warner Bros.

We spoke to Maddy just a couple of weeks after she had moved to Brighton, having spent many years living in central London, we discussed how the change came about and the difference it will make to her life going forwards.

Maddy tells us about her latest show 'How to Train Your Psychopath' and its origins coming from some difficult relationships she's had in the past and we all have a go at expressing our thoughts out loud

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82: Suzi Ruffell

Mon, 21 Sep 2020 23:01:12 -0000

Suzi Ruffell is a comedian, actor and writer. She began her stand-up[ career in 2006 and has been touring extensively ever since. Suzi has regularly appeared on many panel shows including Mock the Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats and The Last Leg. Since October 2015,she has co-hosted the podcast Like Minded Friends with comedian Tom Allen and this year she started the podcast Out with Suzi Ruffell.

We began by talking about school and how at times is was extremely challenging for Suzi because of her dyslexia, but also how drama and performing gave her a focus and a distraction and eventually led her to stand-up. Suzi tells us about being dazzled by visiting the West End on a school trip and how that moment was the start of her creative journey.

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81: Dr Radha Modgil

Mon, 14 Sep 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Dr Radha Modgil is a medical doctor broadcaster and writer, she has appeared on many shows including The Sex Education Show on Channel 4 and Feeling Better on Cbeebies. She also co-hosts Radio 1's Life Hacks podcast.

We started the conversation talking about love and kindness and how we all need to consider these things more when we converse and connect, particularly online and on social media. Radha tell us about her time at Cambridge University and the realisation that she didn't want or need to strive so highly for perfection. We discuss her move into broadcasting and about the things we can all be doing to help with our own mental well being and how it's could to take our time and reflect before posting on Twitter.

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80: Angela Scanlon

Mon, 07 Sep 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Angela Scanlon is an Irish television presenter and broadcaster for RTÉ and the BBC having worked on a variety of different shows. Since 2016, she appeared as a reporter on The One Show, and presented in the absence of Alex Jones having had her first major British show role as a co-host of Robot Wars with Dara Ó Briain. More recently she has been the host on Your Home Made Perfect and her amazing podcast Thanks a Million.

Angela talks to Giles and Jim about her career, the ups and downs and why she has only recently found a bit of peace with what she does. She also tells them stories of things going wrong on live TV and her hopes for the future.

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79: Ronnie O'Sullivan

Mon, 31 Aug 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Arguably the greatest sportsman of all time, snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan, joins us to talk about how he navigated an incredible career and all the ups and downs that came with it. Now 44 and recently crowned World Champion for the sixth time he also holds a record seven Masters titles, and a record seven UK Championships for a record total of 20 titles in Triple Crown tournaments.

He is one of 11 players to win a career Triple Crown, O'Sullivan holds the all-time record for the most ranking titles with 37. He broke the record he shared with Stephen Hendry by winning the 2020 World Snooker Championship.

Quite simply he is a legend but also a really nice guy who openly talks about the moments in his star-studded 30-year as a professional when times were tough, the mental side of playing a solo sport and introduces Giles and Jim to card game kalooki.

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77: David Harewood

Mon, 17 Aug 2020 23:01:00 -0000

David Harewood MBE is a British actor and presenter. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in Homeland and as J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter and Hank Henshaw / Cyborg Superman in Supergirl. David spoke openly to Giles and Jim about his career, the ups and downs, racism he has suffered and the effect filming his BAFTA nominated documentary Pyschosis and Me had on him.

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76: Wim Hof

Mon, 10 Aug 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Dubbed 'The Iceman', Wim Hof is a Dutch extreme athlete noted for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures. He has set Guinness world records for swimming under ice and prolonged full-body contact with ice, and still holds the record for a barefoot half-marathon on ice and snow. In short, he is superhuman.

He attributes many of his feats to his Wim Hof Method, a combination of frequent cold exposure, breathing techniques and meditation.

On this episode of BLANK Wim talks to Giles and Jim about his methods and how they can and have helped people, especially in the time of Coronavirus. He also talks about his own dark moments of the past and takes Giles and Jim through an introduction to his breathing technique.

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75: James Felton

Mon, 03 Aug 2020 23:01:00 -0000

James Felton is a writer and journalist, whose articles regularly appear in the Guardian, Independent, Daily Mash and IFL Science, he hasn't also written for comedy panel shows and has two books published 52 Times Britain was a Bellend and SunBurn.

Giles and Jim discussed with James his move into writing following his degree in sociology at Warwick University, his rise in notoriety through Twitter and his interest in politics

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74: Grace Blakeley

Mon, 27 Jul 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Grace Blakeley is a political commentator, writer and activist, she has been a staff writer for The Tribune and economics commentator for The New Statesman.

We caught up with Grace to talk about her life in politics, which awaken in her early 20's but has probably been her destiny from a young age.

We discuss the state of international and community politics, something Grace has been able to look at during her time as an activist and her time in the states while touring with her book 'Stolen' and how powerful hope can be particularly in darker times.

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73: Sarah Barlondo

Mon, 20 Jul 2020 23:01:00 -0000

The multi-talented actress who is appearing in the upcoming Wonder Woman sequel 1984, Sarah Barlondo joins Giles and Jim over Zoom to chat about her eventful career that started off as a professional tennis player before incorporating acting before a horrific car crash took her down a completely different path that saw her study architecture and then return to acting but face many challenges along the way.

This is a brutally honest, open and uplifting interview with a brilliant guest who has so many lessons to pass on and so much great advice for blank moments that left everyone on the podcast in tears before the end of it!

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72: Evanna Lynch

Mon, 13 Jul 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Evanna Lynch is an actress, podcaster and writer. Born in County Lough, Ireland, Evanna first acting job was starring as Luna Lovegood in the last four Harry Potter movies, a character which has developed a huge cult following. She has appeared in many stage productions and has a her own podcast about veganism and animal rights called The ChickPeeps.

We spoke to Evanna at the end of May and started our conversation by discussing some of the interests she has been pursuing in recent months which include studying of Astrology.

We chat about Evanna's time joining the world of Harry Potter and how the book had helped her through some difficult times, the subsequent desire to work on more personal, passion projects instead of chasing fame and her new found love of circus skills.

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71: Blake Harrison

Mon, 06 Jul 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Blake Harrison is a British actor, writer and director, best known for his portrayal of Neil in Channel 4 comedy series The Inbetweeners, Blake has also been in Films such as Dad's Army, BBC hit drama A Very English Scandal and has also written with his wife Kerry Keenan Lynch and directed an award short film Hooves of Clay.

We spoke to Blake about his early life in Peckham before he went to creative arts school BRIT and how he felt more at home there among peers who were into the same things.

Blake tells us about his time just after filming the first series of The Inbetweeners, where he had to get a job performing at Madame Tussaud's. We discuss the perils of social media and how we sometimes envy the work others are doing and Blake tells us who are the nicest people to work with behind the scenes.

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70: Carrie Hope Fletcher

Mon, 29 Jun 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Carrie Hope Fletcher is an English singer, songwriter, actress, author and YouTube sensation. Carrie Started her musical theatre career at the age of 7 appearing on the West End in Les Miserables. She has appeared in many productions since including, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins and in recent years Heathers. She is also a bestselling author and has 652,000 Subscribers on her Youtube channel.

We caught up with Carrie during lockdown and started our conversation by discussing the merits of distressed jeans. Carrie told us about her early years in musical theatre and the support she was shown from her parents.

We talked about the perils of social media and how the trolling element is starting to spill into real life, where Carrie has received harsh comments at the stage door, which have led to a difficult time for her.

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69: Natalie Anderson

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Natalie Anderson is an English actress, singer and model. She is best known for her roles as Alicia Metcalfe in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 2010 to 2015 and Stella Davenport inThe Royal from 2005 to 2008. She also played the role of Nessarose in the West End production Wicked from May 2009 to March 2010.

She talks to Giles and Jim over Zoom (because that's how we all communicate these days) about her acting journey including Emmerdale and The Royal as well as how nerves became a part of her life later in her career rather than earlier.

She also, very patiently, puts up with Jim having terrible connection issues with his wifi.

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68: Louisa Connolly-Burnham

Mon, 15 Jun 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Louisa Connolly-Burnham is an actor who is best known for her performances as Shannon Kelly in Bafta-nominated Wolfblood, Willow Jenks in Bafta-nominated House of Anubis and Avril Fox in Bafta-nominated Call The Midwife.

She has also appeared in the multi-award winning short film Beneath Water for which she was nominated for Best Actress at the Queens World Film Festival , ITV's Midsomer Murders, Sky1's Little Crackers, BBC's Holby City, Doctors and Outbumbered.

She spoke to Giles and Jim about traumatic auditions, transitioning into writing and surviving the lockdown.

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67: Professor David Wilson

Mon, 08 Jun 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Professor David Wilson is a former prison governor, known for his work as a criminologist specialising in serial killers through his work with various British police forces, academic publications, books, and media appearances.

He is professor of criminology at Birmingham City University has published widely on the criminal justice system generally and prisons specifically, and was the Editor of the Howard Journal of Criminal Justice (2000–2015), and is the author of more than 15 books.

Prof David spoke to Giles and Jim over Zoom about some of the darker aspects of his job and how to spot a psychopath (thankfully none of this podcast we can confirm!)

He also talks about his love of rugby and pinpoints the exact moment he decided to pursue a life in criminology.

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66: John Sweeney

Mon, 01 Jun 2020 23:01:00 -0000

John Sweeney is a British investigative journalist and author. During his time at the BBC he worked on shows such as Panorama and Newsnight where his combative and bold style have seen him doorstep Putin, go undercover in North Korea, challenge Trump on his association to the mob and most infamously the time he yelled at scientologists.

We caught up with John on what was VE Day and started our conversation by discussing the new normal, what we miss and what things we like about lockdown in the UK.

John tells us about his journey into journalism and his time working at The Observer, the subsequent move into broadcasting at the BBC and the darker moments he has experienced personally, since leaving the corporation after an investigation he was doing on Tommy Robinson saw him land in hot water.

John is wonderful company, with so many amazing stories from what is an incredible career spanning several decades and we hope this won't be the last time we talk.

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65: Best of Blank Vol.2

Thu, 23 Apr 2020 23:01:00 -0000

It's the Spring break, so we though we'd put together a little selection of clips from some of our favourite episodes from last year to keep you going till we return in a few weeks time with some amazing new episodes.

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64: Fiona Murden

Mon, 20 Apr 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Fiona Murden is a leadership psychologist and author of several books, including Defining You, that looks at the process of psychological profiling and fulfilling your potential.

We've been wanting to speak to Fiona for quite some time to look at a bit deeper at some of the science behind what Blank moments occur and what is most effective in combatting them.

We started off by chatting about the full out from the coronavirus pandemic and how it will affect people's mental health in the longterm.

Fiona tells us about her work with big business leaders and what goes into doing a successful psychological profile of potential employees.

We discuss sleeping habits and the many themes we hear each week on the podcast from public failure to imposter syndrome.

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63: Paul Pilot

Mon, 13 Apr 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Paul Pilot aka Paul Wilkinson is musician, composer and producer from Northern Ireland. Best known for his band The Amazing Pilots and his recent film scores on documentaries like Finding Oscar and Netflix production The Final Cut for Orson, Paul has been a producer and sound engineer on works by Duke Special, Athlete, Rue Royale and All the Luck in the World. He is also the composer of our very own Blank Podcast title music.

Paul is based in Berlin and so meeting up to record had always been difficult to arrange so, a remote recording was always on the cards.

We started our chat by talking about expensive microphones and how much of a difference they make to the fine margins in vocal recordings. Paul tells about his own creative process and how we often find it hard to be satisfied with what we've made.

We discussed his time as a kid growing up in Northern Ireland during the troubles and his desire to eventually seek a career in music by moving away.

Paul tells us about collaboration and what it is like to be in a band with your brother.

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63: Bonus Episode with Giles and Jim

Thu, 09 Apr 2020 23:01:00 -0000

In a special bonus episode (which we've been thinking of doing for quite sometime) Giles and Jim chat with each other about all number of subjects from minecraft and cult novels to creativity, daily stress, and of course the current news around coronavirus and how we are both dealing with isolation.

A special thanks to Dominique White for a beautiful piece she emailed to us which is read out at the end of this episode.

We'll resume normal transition next week when our guest is the amazing Paul Pilot

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61: Marcus Brigstocke

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Marcus Brigstocke is a comedian, writer and actor. Known for satirical stand-up, musical theatre and radio broadcasting on stations such as Jazz FM.

We met up Marcus a couple of months back, to discuss all manner of stuff, starting with all of our passions for the arts, particularly music, each of us talking about our first albums.

Marcus tells us about his passion for cheese and the poignant moment in his life this passion stems from. The chat moved on to mental health and how Marcus makes a gratitude list each morning to help him stay level.

We thought we'd give you all a little extra this week and have put together a little Spotify playlist to accompany this episode, see if you can spot the songs from our first albums https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3icMfrPwid1Stu2l9DTUsI

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60: Chris Addison

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 23:01:00 -0000

Chris Addison is a comedian, actor, writer and director. Starting in Stand-up Chris made his name touring the UK and playing high profile slots at Edinburgh Festival before moving into acting with his role in the multiple award-winning The Thick of It. Further acting roles and regular appearances on panel shows like Mock the Week have propelled Chris to being one of the UK's most loved performers. He has recently taken up directing with his feature debut The Hustle starring Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway.

With the ongoing difficulties due to the outbreak of coronavirus, we have had to adapt to how we do things a little. It has always been our intention with Blank to sit down in the real world with our guests, we feel that physical connection is truly key in making sure we have the most authentic, natural and relaxed conversations, however with social distancing now being imposed we had to decide whether to have a break from podding for a while or to try some different approaches, so we've gone with the latter, because most of all, we want to continue to bring you the show, and we hope that it might give all of our wonderful listeners a little respite from the very challenging situation we currently find all ourselves in. The Pod MUST go on

So Jim and Giles sat down in our respective homes, in Amersham and Seaford, to record with the brilliant Chris Addison in London. We'd arranged to pod with Chris some time ago, but his work schedule had intervened, but with work going into shutdown, Chris messaged to say let's do a podcast.

We started off by chatting about messy workspaces and how this might be a good time to address it, or not as the case may be.

Chris talked about those difficult years directly after university and how people can often feel adrift and not know where their path will lead, for Chris it was dreams of theatre directing, but soon became a career in stand-up comedy.

We talked to Chris about his move into directing and how much of it is down to the inspiration and mentorship of people like Armando Innaucci who took a chance on Chris whilst making The Thick of It.

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59: Isy Suttie

Tue, 24 Mar 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Isy Suttie is an actress, musician, comedian and writer. Best known for role as Dobby in the multi-award winning Peep Show, Isy is also a hugely successful stand-up and is the author of the brilliant The Actual One.

We met up with Isy a few weeks back, but Coronavirus was very much on all of our minds and was the basis of our conversation.

The chat soon shifted to Isy's childhood in Derbyshire and her teen years experimenting with Quija boards and how she was the go to person at parties.

We discussed creativity and when it isn't quite working, Isy reveals to us her favourite pastime of looking around derelict buildings and we talk about the destructive nature of social media.

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58: Mark Watson

Tue, 17 Mar 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Mark Watson is a British comedian and novelist, originally from Bristol, Mark has been a mainstay of the UK stand-up scene and has had several fiction titles published including Eleven and Hotel Alpha.

We met with Mark down at Nordic Bar on what was an incredibly soggy day in London. We started our chat by talking about Seasonal affective disorder and how much the weather changes our moods. Mark told us about his early days doing stand-up and having adopted a Welsh accent, he explained the process of moving away from that and doing his own voice.

We soon moved onto our online lives and negotiating social media and what are the best ways to stay being creative.

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56: Layla Anna-Lee

Tue, 10 Mar 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Layla Anna-Lee is a television presenter best known for fronting live MMA action and interviewing the best footballers on the planet.

She sat down with Giles and Jim at Nordic Bar in central London to talk about moments on live TV when things went wrong, dealing with social media trolls and the pressures of being a presenter.

She also brought donuts to the pod, the first guest to do so, and the three of us rated an reviewed the treats she brought because why not?

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56: Stephen Mangan

Tue, 03 Mar 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Stephen Mangan is an actor and writer. Born in London in 1968, Mangan began his acting career in theatre before moving in TV working with the likes of Armando Iannucci, Steve Coogan and in the Multi-Award winning Green Wing. In more recent years Stephen has moved away from more comedy roles to concentrate on drama, and has recently been in BBC One's The Split alongside Nicola Walker.

We met with Stephen down in South London on a very brisk February morning. We began by talking about Stephen's early life as a young lad from a large catholic family, something that really resonated with Jim, who also came from similar beginnings.

Stephen told us how he got into acting the loss of his mother at a young age was a pivotal moment in him pursuing his career.

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55: Alastair Humphrey

Tue, 25 Feb 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Alastair Humphrey is an adventurer, author and public speaker, who has been National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year. Alastair has cycled the globe, busked through Spain and created a new movement of micro adventures.

We started our chat with Alastair about his epic journey around the world, where he cycled some 46,000 miles over four years, we find out the darker times along the way, when Alastair thought he might give up, and also the experiences of kindness and seeing the best sides of humanity.

Alastair brought along his violin for a short recital at the end of the pod and tells us how he achieved a journey across Spain by busking with it every day.

Alastair is an adventurer through and through and it was a truly memorable interview for us.

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54: Simon Brodkin

Tue, 18 Feb 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Simon Brodkin is a comedian, performer and renowned prankster. Best known for his character Lee Nelson, which had several series broadcast on BBC 2, and more recently his high profile stunts which has seen Simon give Theresa May a P45 and gatecrash a Fifa press conference to throw money at Sepp Blatter.

We met with Simon in Old Street a day or two ahead of his new stand-up tour, his first as himself. We discussed the process and differences this has been to doing character comedy shows and how it has been a freeing experience.

Simon tells us about those times in the early days when playing tricks didn't always go to plan and his years working as a junior doctor before launching a career in comedy.

Simon was on top form and sharply dissected Giles and Jim's patter throughout, leaving us, quite rightly, flustered and in fits of laughter.

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53: Emily Dean

Tue, 11 Feb 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Emily Dean is a writer and presenter, well known for her role alongside Frank Skinner on Absolute radio, she also presents the amazing Times podcast Walking the Dog and is the author of the incredible memoir 'Everybody died, so I got a dog'

We met up with Emily on a dreary winter's day in London, and started our conversation by talking about how we cope in a crowd, and are we performing and analysing what we say afterwards, and the perceptions we create about ourselves from the others point of view.

Emily tells us about her Bohemian upbringing and the desire to have the life of the various 'Dog families' she encountered, who had more settled and less chaotic lives.

We discuss Emily's brilliant book and the many aspects of grief she has experienced, and continues to experience and what led her to get a dog and how Raymond has changed her life.

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52: Jake Humphrey

Tue, 04 Feb 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Jake Humphrey is a sports broadcaster and presenter. Originally from Norfolk, Jake started in Local TV before joining CBBC as a presenter. He's best known for presenting Formula One coverage and more recently BT Sports coverage of the Premier League.

We headed down to Frequency Cafe near King's Cross to sit down for a natter with Jake over a very nice cup of coffee. Jake spoke to us about his upbringing and the encouragement and empathy he received from his parents, particularly during some challenging times at school due to be bullied.

Jake explained his move into TV after failing his A-Levels and his subsequent rise to where he is now as a leading sports presenter.

We discuss the many pitfalls of working in the football industry, with it's divisions of opinion and how Jake is trying to be a more positive and kind presence on social media, especially in light of Jake's own experiences with mental health in his early 20's

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51: Kerry Godliman

Tue, 28 Jan 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Kerry Godliman is a comedian and actress, best known for her roles alongside Ricky Gervais in Derek and After Life. She is a regular on BBC Two's Mock the Week and has toured extensively doing stand up for around 20 years.

Giles and Jim travelled down to West London to meet up with Kerry just before Christmas. We started by chatting about politics and Kerry having to do extensive research for her role on Mock the Week, before diving into growing up and getting into drama at school.

Kerry talks about why she doesn't believe in luck, how her love of acting has helped her craft her stand up and it's difficult to make people laugh when you're feeling sad.

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50: Dame Kelly Holmes

Tue, 21 Jan 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Dame Kelly Holmes is a one of Britain's best loved and most high decorated athletes and what better person to help celebrate our 50th Episode.

We met up with Dame Kelly at Acast Studios to chat about all things Blank, she talked about her time in the army and how the levels of discipline helped her when competing as an athlete. We discussed the difficult moments that come when form dips and how one such period became incredible challenging.

Kelly also opens up on how she has been affected by grief in recent years, about being her own person and the power of 'Come ON!"

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49: David Baddiel

Tue, 14 Jan 2020 00:01:00 -0000

David Baddiel is a comedian and writer from London. He is very well known for his work on The Mary Whitehouse Experience, Newman and Baddiel in Pieces and his work alongside Frank Skinner on Fantasy Football. In recent years he has branch into writing books for children and his sold out tours and recent play God's Dice have been highly acclaimed.

We met David on a very cold General Election Day in London, we tried to avoid politics, but could only hold back for a couple of minutes before diving in on the current political landscape. Thoughts soon changed to dealing with insomnia and David's early life growing up in North London, and his early love of music and trying and failing to be in a band.

We discussed getting into comedy, forming collaborations with others and how that has sometimes not always been the easiest way of working.

David tells us about his blank moments, which often manifest in his anxiety around health and mortality, that often been exacerbated by caring for his Dad, who had dementia

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48: Ben Miller

Tue, 07 Jan 2020 00:01:00 -0000

Ben Miller is a comedian, actor, and writer who is known for the award-winning The Armstrong and Miller Show and his acting roles in Death in Paradise and The Worst Week of My Life. In recent years Ben has appeared in many films including Paddington 2 and as well as publishing two highly acclaimed books for children.

We met up with Ben at Nordic Bar and began our conversation by discussing Vikings and their true motives back in the day. Ben told us about his life at school and being an academic before discovering comedy and pledging himself to the craft. We discussed being writers, how sometimes that gets forgotten as performing becomes more prominent and being away from home filming can be very challenging.

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47: Rufus Hound

Fri, 13 Dec 2019 12:00:00 -0000

Rufus Hound is an actor, comedian and presenter. He is best known for his regular stints on shows like Celebrity Juice and hosting coverage of Glastonbury and Top of the Pops. More recently he has been receiving critical acclaim for his acting roles in a number of stage productions including most recently The Boy in the Dress at the RSC.

We met up with Rufus in Stratford Upon Avon at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where we is currently performing in The Boy in the Dress, the new musical based on the book of the same name by David Walliams with music by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers.

We headed up to the 'Quiet Room' at the top of the building to chat about moving away from comedy, but still feeling like a comedian. The difficult moments at being away from home for long periods of time for work, being an absurdist and how disconnected we have become as a society.

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46: John Bradley

Tue, 10 Dec 2019 00:01:00 -0000

John Bradley is an English actor, best known for his role as Samwell Tarly in the HBO fantasy TV series Game of Thrones, and has recently finished work on the film Marry Me alongside Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson.

We met up with John on a very cold afternoon in London to sit down and talk at length about his acting process, the little intricacies that he wants to put into every role and how sometimes that attention to detail spills into his real life.

We discussed the pressure of expectation on being in such a huge show and John's own moments of coping with impostor syndrome and how home, in Manchester, is such an important part of his life.

John tells us about finding a quiet respite in drumming and his ultimate drum along song. Make sure you listen right to the end!

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45: Dawn French

Tue, 03 Dec 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Dawn French is a British actor, comedian and writer. Her partnership with Jennifer Saunders, which began in the early 80's has produced multi-award winning sketch shows for the BBC and made them household names.

She has been a successful actor in her own right starring in comedy shows like The Vicar of Dibly and dramas such as Delicious for Sky Arts. Dawn is also a prolific writer and has had several bestselling novels including A tiny Bit Marvellous and her ME/YOU Diary.

We met up with Dawn on a crisp autumn morning at Frequency Cafe near Kings Cross, our conversation began with discussing the merits of Gloucester services and the many times we have to stop when we're on the road whilst touring. Dawn spoke about her time moving around as a child because of her Dad's job in the RAF.

We discussed trying to find our thing and when we do making sure we own it. Dawn spoke about the serendipity of meeting her comedy partner Jennifer Saunders, dislike of awards and how blank moments for her need to be face head on.

*Little warning; the c-word does appear once in this episode so if you have kids listening you may want to use headphones!*

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44: Jess Impiazzi

Tue, 26 Nov 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Jess Impiazzi is an actress, writer and former glamour model and reality TV star. Jess first came to prominence during her time on Ex-On the Beach and Celebrity Big Brother, but her first love has always been acting, having trained at Italia Conti as a teenager and she's now back doing what she loves.

We met up with Jess in Surrey to talk about her early life and the many challenges and difficult moments she faced at a very young age.

Jess talked candidly about suffering from depression in her late teens and the moment she attempted to take her own life and why that was a turning point for her.

We talked about the negative aspects of reality TV and the lack of aftercare that is shown to participants and how Jess is excited about returning to her lifelong passions.

It was a real privilege to chat with Jess, and her warmth and positivity are truly inspiring.

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43: Sir Nick Faldo

Tue, 19 Nov 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Sir Nick Faldo is one of the greatest British golf players of all time, winning The Open three times – the first home player to do so since Henry Cotton – as well as the Masters also three times, he spent 97 weeks as No.1 in the world and is now a regular analyst for CBS and designer of courses.

We met up with Sir Nick in his UK home in Eton, right by the river Thames. It was an early start for us all, so we hastily retreated to a local cafe to grab a cuppa and chat about Sir Nick's incredible career, his dedication to the game, which started at an early age and how blank moments can be controlled by visualising positive outcomes.

Sir Nick tells us about taking risks, in particular, when going through a period of poor form he decided to drastically change his swing, which changed his career forever.H

Huge thanks to Ben Corrigan of the amazing Excuse the Mess podcast for the additional post production support.Check out his podcast here: https://castbox.fm/va/2111179

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42: Melvin Odoom

Tue, 12 Nov 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Melvin Odoom is a British DJ, Broadcaster and Comedian. Alongside Rickie Haywood-Williams and Charlie Hedges, Melvin has hosted Kiss Breakfast every weekday morning. Melvin has presented on TV shows like Xtra Factor, Bang on the Money and Channel 4's Lego masters.

Giles and Jim met up with Melvin just before the summer to chat all about 'blank' moments in broadcasting, how having a positive outlook on life has lead to many opportunities and considering new paths to travel including stand-up comedy

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41: Lucy Pinder

Tue, 05 Nov 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Lucy Pinder is a British model, actress, and podcaster. Originally from Winchester, Lucy has been seen in several films and has made many TV appearances in Dream Team, Book at Bedtime and Celebrity Big Brother.

We met up with Lucy back in July at Acast to chat about our mutual love of podcasting, changing careers and how Lucy's 'blank' moments come from an unexpected place.

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40: Jessica Fostekew

Tue, 29 Oct 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Jessica Fostekew is a comedian, actor, writer and podcaster.

We met up with Jessica just before the start of her Edinburgh Fringe show, which she was busily putting the finishing touches to.

We discussed food and podcasts before diving into finding out about Jessica's early life and negotiating friendship groups through secondary school and how one group allowed her to finally find herself.

Jessica tells us about finding comedy and the power of collaboration, working with a producer and also, starting to produce with others. We talk writing groups and the perfect 90's ice creams

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39: Ellie Gibson

Mon, 21 Oct 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Ellie Gibson is an award-winning journalist, presenter, stand-up comedian and co-host of the phenomenal Scummy Mummies podcast.

Ellie very kindly invited us around to the Gibson house for a natter about all things BLANK.

We started by talking about preparing for a live tour and Edinburgh Fringe, and the incredible success of Scummy Mummies and the podcast movement in general.

Ellie told us about her early career as a video games journalist and the challenges of working in such a male dominated industry.

We discussed how Ellie met her comedy partner Helen Thorn and then entering into the precarious world of stand-up and the hottest topic of all, which is better, Sonic or Mario?!

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38: James O'Brien

Mon, 14 Oct 2019 23:01:00 -0000

James O'Brien is a British broadcaster, radio presenter, journalist and podcaster. James is best known for his show on LBC and his recent book 'How To Be Right'

We met up with James back in July to talk about his early life, going to boarding school and how he eventually followed in his father's footsteps to become a journalist via a short stint trying his hand at acting.

James talked candidly about his time working as a gossip columnist and what led him into broadcasting and his now infamous take downs of callers on his live phone ins on LBC.

Amazingly it takes us nearly an hour before we talk about Brexit and Trump and we could have chatted for hours, James is always incredibly insightful, intriguing and wonderful company.

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37: Tiffany Stevenson

Mon, 07 Oct 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Tiffany Stevenson is an English stand-up comedian, writer and actress, who has starred in the highly acclaimed Gameface and People Just Do Nothing.

We met up with Tiff not long after she'd returned from LA, where she had been doing some stand-up shows as well as working on a new show she is writing for HBO.

We talked about the differences in the comedy scene in the US from the UK and how blank moments are a common occurrence when writing new material and formulating a new show.

Tiff told us about preparing for Edinburgh Fringe and the pressure and expense that comes from having a show at the festival and the continued elitism attached with such a prestigious event.

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36: Ed Byrne

Mon, 30 Sep 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Ed Byrne is a stand-up comedian and actor. Often seen on shows including Mock the Week and Live at the Apollo, Ed is currently on a huge nation wide tour with his show 'If I'm Honest'

It was down at the Nordic Bar just before the summer holidays that we met up with Ed to talk all things comedy.

Ed told us about his journey into stand-up from studying horticulture at university to heading to London to join the club circuit.

We discuss blank moments in writing new shows and searching for perfect book end jokes for a show.

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35: David Harbour

Mon, 23 Sep 2019 23:01:00 -0000

David Harbour is an American actor from New York who has performed in film, television, and the theatre. He is best known for his role as Chief Jim Hopper on the Netflix original series, Stranger Things and the lead in the new adaptation of HELLBOY

He is also known for his role as CIA agent Gregg Beam in Quantum of Solace, Shep Campbell in Revolutionary Road alongside Leonardo DiCaprio, Van Hauser in End of Watch and Dexter Tolliver in Suicide Squad

Trying to arrange interviews for the podcast is often challenging, all our guests have extremely busy schedules and finding a time and place to record can be tricky. We tried really hard to meet up with David while he was fleetingly in the UK at the tail end of 2018, but we just couldn't make it work. However, David is a wonderful man and promised to work out some time for us in January whatever his schedule. So, we finally sat down at Acast studios a few weeks back and recorded our first episode live from New York via Skype, which we've tried to keep as natural and authentic to our own experience in the room listening through the headphones.

We discussed David's exploits living in Bristol, England when he was just 16, having been back there recently to shoot HELLBOY. We talk about working in theatre and the impact on David's life now being in a huge show like Stranger Things. David speaks openly about his mental health and the new book he is writing he hopes will open up more discussion around the subject.

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34: Best of Blank Vol.1

Sun, 04 Aug 2019 23:01:00 -0000

It's the summer break, so we though we'd put together a little selection of clips from some of our favourite episodes so far to keep you going till we return in the Autumn with some amazing new episodes.

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33: John Lloyd

Tue, 30 Jul 2019 23:01:00 -0000

John Lloyd is an English television producer and writer best known for his work on comedy television programmes, including Not the Nine O'Clock News, Spitting Image, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Blackadder and QI, blackadder and QI.

We spoke to John as our special guest on our first ever live podcast at Latitude Festival, which was daunting enough in itself as well as meeting one of British comedy's most influential producers and writers.

We started our conversation by taking John back to school days where he began to first cultivate, what has been his lifelong determination to question authority and buck trends.

John tells how Blank moments are an ever present part of the creative life and how using mindfulness techniques and practices has really helped him in these moments.

We talked about the lack of questioning for high level politicians now that shows like Spitting Image are no longer on TV and how we need to get back to a place in comedy where we can start to do that again.

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32: Matthew Syed

Tue, 23 Jul 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Matthew Syed is a British journalist, author, broadcaster, and former British number one table tennis player.

We met with Matthew at Acast Studios near Old Street on a hot day in central London. We started our conversation by talking about the challenges facing top coaches in sport and in particular the ongoing success and adaptability of top football managers like Sir Alex Ferguson.

Matthew told about his journey to becoming Britains No.1 Table Tennis player and how he sustained that position for 10 years. We talked about the power of camaraderie in team sports allowing the victors a greater sense of achievement and enjoyment at winning, than in individual sports.

In discussing his new book 'Rebel Ideas' Matthew tells us about how he been looking into anthropology, performance and the echo chambers so many of us find ourselves.

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31: Sanjeev Bhaskar

Tue, 16 Jul 2019 23:01:28 -0000

Sanjeev Bhaskar is a British comedian, actor, documentarian and broadcaster, he best known for his work in the BBC Two sketch comedy series Goodness Gracious Me and The Kumars at No. 42 as well as documentary series 'India with Sanjeev Bhaskar' and Bollywood and Beyond. Most recently Sanjeev has been none for his role as DI Sunny Khan in Unforgotten and is currently the Chancellor of the University of Sussex.

Jim and Giles met with Sanjeev at Acast studio and started by talking about Sanjeev's lifelong love of The Beatles and how a lot of us consume music differently these day, rarely listening to full albums.

Sanjeev explains his late arrival into comedy having studied marketing at university and after experiencing a dark period in his professional life he decided to pursue comedy and live performance.

We discuss the power of the creative journey and how that is why we often do what we do, not the end goal.

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30: Rufus Sewell

Tue, 09 Jul 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Rufus Sewell is an Olivier award-winning actor and has appeared in films such as Dark City, A Knight's Tale, The Illusionist, Tristan and Isolde, and Martha, Meet Frank, Daniel and Laurence. As well as films Rufus has appeared in many high profile TV shows including Victoria, Zen, Pillars of the Earth, Middlemarch, and most recently The Man in the High Castle, Zen, The Pillars of the Earth.

We met with Rufus down at the Nordic Bar in central London to chat about all things BLANK. Rufus had just finished filming with Anthony Hopkins and Olivia Colman in feature film The Father, before heading back to his home in LA.

Rufus talked openly about his early life, the loss of his father at a very young age and how being a truant during secondary school had a lot to do with anxiety.

We talked about the power of critics and knowing when to say no to the things.

WARNING there is some strong language used in this episode that some might find offensive

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29: Jamie Murray

Tue, 02 Jul 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Jamie Murray is is a British professional tennis player from Scotland. He is a six-time Grand Slam doubles winner and a Davis Cup champion, currently the world No. 8 doubles player, and a former doubles world No. 1.

We caught up with Jamie just before the start of the grass court season, and with Wimbledon about to begin we chatted about what goes into preparing for a major tournament and processes you go through during each match.

Jamie talked candidly about his teen years when he was one of the top singles player in the world and the challenges of seeing many of his peers, among them Rafael Nadal, progress, while he struggled to settle whilst being away from home, and how it affected his confidence.

He tells us about how working with a new coach helped him to believe in his own style and play the game to his own strengths which lead to him become the No.1 doubles player in the world.

Jamie talks about living out of suitcases during the touring months and we discuss how the tragic events in Dunblane when he was a child, haven't changed the way he lives his life.

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28: Edith Bowman

Tue, 25 Jun 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Edith Bowman is a broadcaster, DJ and podcast presenter, as well as for presenting a variety of music-related television shows and music festivals.

We met with Edith down at the Nordic Bar to chat and have a cuppa tea. Edith tells us about her brilliant podcast Soundtracking and her methodical preparation for interviews, including the time she was able to keep Harrison Ford interested by talking about carpentry. We discuss dream guests and Edith's early days helping out at her parents hotel in Scotland.

Edith tells us about the time she was told by producer she wouldn't make it as a presenter because of her accent and we find out what it takes avoid blank moments in front of famous people.

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27: Lucy Porter

Tue, 18 Jun 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Lucy Porter is an actress, writer and comedian. She has performed extensively at the Edinburgh Fringe, the Brighton Festival and many clubs around Britain.

Jim and Giles caught up with Lucy for an epic chat about all things from sex robots to the menopause. Lucy tells us about her early stand-up gigs and working hard on the craft of comedy.

Jim talks about his own fears of getting back into stand-up and we discuss what it means to have empathy with an audience and dying on stage

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26: Hal Cruttenden

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 23:01:52 -0000

Hal Cruttenden is a stand-up comedian, writer and actor, who has appeared on many shows including Mock the Week, Live At The Apollo, Have I Got News for You, and The 11 O'Clock Show.

He has also written for The Omid Djalili Show and The Rob Brydon Show. In 2002 Hal was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Edinburgh Comedy Awards.

We sat down with Hal at Acast Studios in London on a warm day in May. Hal is a true bundle of energy and such lovely company, we started off by talking about Hal's university days and wanting to marry Kylie Minogue. We discuss

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25: Reece Shearsmith

Tue, 04 Jun 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Reece Shearsmith is an English actor, writer and comedian. He created, wrote and starred in sketch show The League of Gentlemen, along with Steve Pemberton, Mark Gatiss, and Jeremy Dyson.

Reece and Steve Pemberton also created, wrote and starred in the dark comedy series Psychoville, before going on to write and star in their anthology series Inside No. 9. Reece has also starred in Spaced, Shaun of the Dead, The World's End and Doctor Who.

Giles and Jim met with Reece down at the Nordic Bar and started our chat by talking about having vivid dreams and trying to come down from live performances. Reece tells us about that terror and injustice of being told off at school when you've not done anything wrong. We discuss a love of horror stories and Reece making mini-sketches of magic shows where he would fire shots with his uncle's air rifle at his toy Hugo the Man of a 1000 Faces.

We delve into shyness and how that forms a big part of Reece's 'Blank' moments and how difficult social occasions are if you are incredibly shy.

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24: Mike Dicks

Tue, 28 May 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Mike Dicks is a satirical cartoonist, illustrator, designer and humourist, who lives in Hove.

Mike has worked with some of the best storytellers in the market, including TV production companies, digital agencies and broadcasters. He's been involved in developing multi-platform gameshows for the BBC, interactive dramas and documentaries for Channel 4 and the BBC, music/comedy hybrids for Sony Playstation and gamified toys for Lego and Scalextric.

Jim and Giles headed down to Mike's place in Hove to chat about being creative. We talk about the current political discourse and how Mike's comic book creations, such as 'The Brexit' and 'Trumpton' are his way of shining a bit of light on some dark times. Mike tells us about how being diagnosed with leukaemia led to his career change and how his work helps him put processes in place.

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23: Steve Parish

Tue, 21 May 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Steve Parish is an English business man, part-owner and Chairman of Crystal Palace Football Club. He began his career working in computer graphics before going on to buy a stake in a company called Adplates Ltd, where he later assumed control of the business renaming it Tag Worldwide.

In 2010, Steve led a consortium named 'CPFC2010' acquired Crystal Palace Football Club during a period of administration. Three years later in 2013 the club won promotion to the Premier League via the playoffs and has now enjoyed six consecutive seasons in the top flight of English football.

Giles and Jim met up with Steve in his offices in Soho to catch up and chat about the club, but also Steve's journey in business. We discussed the brutal nature of football fandom and how social media is a toxic environment for any one who works in the industry, Steve talked candidly about how when losing a game he will often use Twitter as a form of punishment.

Steve is really open about his drive and desire to do the very best for the football club and how that can be all consuming at times. It's no secret that Jim and Giles are Palace fans and it isn't often that people in football are so open about what goes on in running a club, so this episode was both insightful and a real pleasure

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22: Rachel Parris

Tue, 14 May 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Rachel Parris is a multi-talented comedian, musician, improviser and presenter who stars in The Mash Report on BBC Two and is a regular member of the improv theatre group Austentatious.

She has made several appearances on BBC Radio 4 and BBC 6 Music, most recently in The Now Show, and on TV, she appeared in the highly anticipated IT Crowd Special on Channel 4, which was nominated in the Bafta Awards. Rachel presented the Game of Thrones fanshow, Thronecast on Sky Atlantic and she has appeared in BBC2's Murder in Successful, Russell Howard's Good News, satirical sketch show Revolting.

Rachel is one of the nicest people and very kindly invited us round for a coffee and we started by comparing the price of haircuts and the downsides of multi-option takeaways.

Rachel's tells us about her early life growing up in Leicester and enjoying school. We discuss the process of performance and wanting to have some order to things to help rein in the nerves and how a recent period of anxiety became a worry that performing live would be affected by it.

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21: Ben Bailey Smith

Tue, 07 May 2019 23:01:44 -0000

Ben Bailey Smith, also known by the stage name Doc Brown, is an English rapper, comedian, actor, screenwriter, radio presenter and children's writer. He has starred in many TV and film roles, most notably opposite Ricky Gervais in David Brent: Life on the Road.

He's released several albums including 2017's highly acclaimed 'Stemma'

Jim and Giles sat down to talk to Ben at Nordic Bar back at the beginning of the year, early on in the discussion Ben told us about giving up watching porn and why he chooses to avoid social media.

We talked about all the different aspects of Ben's career, and the BLANK moments that occur, especially when doing stand-up comedy and the highs and lows of gigging.

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20: Susannah Fielding

Tue, 30 Apr 2019 23:01:17 -0000

Susannah Fielding is an English actress who has worked in theatre, film, television and radio. After graduating from Guildhall she started her career in theatre where in 2014 she won the Ian Charleson Award for her portrayal of Portia in The Merchant of Venice at the Almeida Theatre.

She starred in the CBS sitcom The Great Indoors, and Channel 4's Pete Vs Life and High and Dry.

She has most recently won much critical acclaim co-starring with Steve Coogan in This Time with Alan Partridge.

Giles and Jim met up with Susannah on a beautiful sunny morning in March down at the Nordic Bar. We started by discussing being tidy and organised and how that relates and opposes our various creative lives. Susannah discussed growing up in Havent, near Portsmouth and the encouragement she received when first starting her acting career.

We talk Partridge and the pressures of being involved with such a huge character and the audition process involved. Susannah admits how sometimes being a risk taker has helped in her career.

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19: Mark Gatiss

Tue, 02 Apr 2019 23:01:00 -0000

Mark Gatiss is an English actor, comedian, screenwriter and novelist. His work includes writing for and acting in the TV series Doctor Who and Sherlock. Together with Reece Shearsmith, Steve Pemberton and Jeremy Dyson, he is a member of the comedy team The League of Gentlemen. His most recent work includes roles in The Favourite, and the forthcoming Good Omens and Dracula.

We met with Mark at Acast HQ on a crisp spring morning for a nice chat and a cuppa in one of the recording rooms which we all agreed could double for the lair of a Bond Villain.

Mark and Giles began by acknowledging their love of County Durham, where Mark grew up and Giles spent many childhood summers. Mark tells us about his time at drama school where he originally met the other members of The League of Gentlemen, and his love of the macabre and in particular Hammer Horror.

We talked Brexit and social media, as often happens on BLANK and the idea that some people appear to want to go back to a time when things were actually pretty grim.

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18: Caroline Lucas

Wed, 27 Mar 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Caroline Lucas is MP for Brighton Pavilion. She was elected as the UK's first Green Member of Parliament in 2010. Born in Worcestershire, Lucas graduated from the University of Exeter and received a PhD from the University of Exeter in 1989.

Caroline is a campaigner and writer on green economics, localisation, alternatives to globalisation, trade justice, animal welfare and food and most recently has been a vocal supporter of the 'People's Vote' a campaign group calling for a public vote on the final Brexit deal between the UK and the European Union.

Giles and Jim headed down to sunny Brighton to meet with Caroline at her constituency offices to talk all things BLANK.

Caroline talked to us about her early life and how she became interested in Politics and particularly Green Politics through the writing of Jonathan Porritt's and his book 'Seeing Green'

We discussed the state of British politics and the toxicity aimed at MPs on social media. Jim asks about the current turmoil surrounding Brexit, while Giles poses the question as to whether politics is now broken.

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17: Julia Bradbury

Wed, 20 Mar 2019 00:01:20 -0000

Julia Bradbury is an English television presenter, specialising in documentaries. She is best known for co-presenting the BBC's Countryfile from 2004 until 2014. She also presented Watchdog (2005–2009) and Planet Earth Live (2012) for the BBC and Take on the Twisters (2013), The Wonder of Britain (2015) and Britain's Best Walks (2017) for ITV. Julia's most recent project has seen her travelling around Australia in an eight-part series for ITV

We met up with Julia in central London for a catch up and a cuppa, she told us all about her early career on pioneering news shows with Janet Street-Porter and her early desires to work in marketing as a copywriter.

Julia explains how she avoids BLANK moments by continuing to hustle and that by staying busy she can sometimes buy herself more time. Jim and Giles trade stories about small town nightclubs and Julia tells us why she tried to design her own nightclub as a teenager called Cocaine!

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16: Warren Dudley

Wed, 06 Mar 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Warren Dudley is a screenwriter, producer and director, who work includes the feature film The Bromley Boys starring Alan Davis, Brenock O'Connor and Martine McCutcheon, horror film Cage and most recently Amazon Prime comedy series, Seaside Town a mock documentary about a local football team

Warren spoke to Giles and Jim at length about his writing process, what inspires his work and how cruel reviewers can be on social media for some of his films.We discuss those moments we are distracted by our work and we couldn't not bring up our own football rivalries

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15: Louis Theroux

Wed, 27 Feb 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Louis Theroux is an American-British documentary filmmaker, journalist and broadcaster.

Theroux is best known for his documentary series, including Louis Theroux's Weird Weekends, When Louis Met..., and many BBC specials, including most recently his series Altered States. His career started in journalism and it bears the influences of notable writers in his family, such as his father Paul and his brother Marcel. The BBC has produced all of his documentaries and television series. He has received two British Academy Television Awards and a Royal Television Society Television Award for his work. 2017 saw the release of Louis' first feature film 'My Scientology Movie'

Giles and Jim met up with Louis down at Nordic Bar just after Christmas while Louis was taking a break from writing his new autobiography. We discussed many aspects of Louis' early career and how a mundane job in a glass blowing workshop led to him focussing his attention to other creative endeavours. Jim tells Louis about the time he nearly got sued for libel and we find out why Blankness is ever present in Louis' life.

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14: Daniel Tuite

Wed, 20 Feb 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Daniel Tuite was born in Somerset, England and trained at The Rose Bruford College of Speech And Drama in London. He has performed extensively on stage, notably in The 39 Steps at London's Criterion Theatre, as well as productions at the National Theatre, The Royal Shakespeare Company, The Donmar Warehouse, Chichester Festival Theatre and The Open Air Theatre in Regents Park, where he played Boo Radley in the award-winning production of To Kill A Mockingbird.

He plays several musical instruments and has toured much of the world playing in the band Aqualung, as well as contributing to the albums Still Life and Words And Music. More recently Daniel has had roles in Game of Thrones, The Death of Stalin and BBC's Les Miserables.

We caught up with Daniel last Autumn not long after he'd finished filming on Les Miserables, we talk about the ups and downs in the life of a jobbing actor, and the feelings that come with of being ignored by casting directors and how the compulsion to pursue the art often outweighs the more negative aspects of the industry.

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13: David Morrissey

Wed, 13 Feb 2019 00:01:00 -0000

David Morrissey is an English actor, director, producer and screenwriter. At the age of 18, he was cast in the television series One Summer (1983). After making One Summer, Morrissey attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, then acted with the Royal Shakespeare Company and the National Theatre for four years. He is most well-known to fans of The Walking Dead and Dr Who, but his body of work is huge and diverse.

David met up with Jim and Giles down at the Nordic Bar just before Christmas. We examined David's early life, and the brave decision he made to leave home and pursue acting at the age of 16. We discuss what it means to be involved in a theatre company and the bonds you make with your 'Theatre Family'. David takes us through his love of the craft and those dreaded blank moments on stage. We also manage to chat a little football and David reveals one of his proudest achievements is the gig he got with Liverpool FC

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12: Lindsay Galvin

Wed, 06 Feb 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Lindsay Galvin is an author from East Sussex, whose debut novel from Middle Grade, The Secret Deep was released in late 2018 to much critical acclaim. Her second novel is due out in 2019.

Lindsay joined us on a sunny day back at the end of September to chat about her debut book and her experiences of being a first-time author. Lindsey opens up about her anxiety as a child and how that has resurfaced in later life. We discuss those blank moments that are common for writers and how we can overcome them.

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11: Gary Neville

Wed, 30 Jan 2019 00:01:06 -0000

Gary Neville is a retired football player and co-owner of Salford City. Since retiring from football in 2011, Neville went into punditry and was a commentator for Sky Sports until he took over the head coach position at Valencia in 2015.

After being sacked by the club in 2016, he returned to his position as a pundit for Sky Sports later that year. He was also assistant manager for the England national team from 2012 to 2016

We met with Gary just before Christmas to talk about his early life, his career at Manchester Utd and his subsequent move into punditry at Sky Sports. Gary talked openly about a 6 month period in his career which led him to talk to a psychologist and how the things that he learnt from that have continued to be effective in his daily life.

We discussed difficult moments in our lives and Gary spoke honestly about one of his hardest challenges being when he lost his Dad.

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10: Rachel Shenton

Wed, 23 Jan 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Rachel Shenton is a British actress who has appeared in a number of British television series and films. She is most well known for her role as Mitzeee Minniver on the Channel 4 teen drama Hollyoaks. Shenton made her American TV debut on ABC Family drama Switched at Birth in Season 3 as Lily Summers and stayed until the show's finale in Season 5. Shenton also appears in BBC2 comedy White Gold. In 2018, she won an Academy Award for her short film The Silent Child

Giles and Jim met Rachel at Nordic Bar to have a cuppa and catch up on what has been a whirlwind year for Rachel after her and her husband Chris Overton wrote and Directed the Oscar winning short film, The Silent Child. We talked at length about the genesis of the film and Rachel's longtime campaigning for the deaf community.

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9: Jim Piddock

Wed, 16 Jan 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Jim Piddock is an English actor, writer, and producer who began his career on the stage in the United Kingdom, before emigrating to the U.S. in 1981. He's best known for his work with Christopher Guest in films such as Best in Show, A mighty Wind and Mascots which he co-wrote. He's also starred in many movies including The 5 Year Engagement alongside Emily Blunt and Jason Segal.

We met up with Jim while he was over in London from L.A. where he spends most of his time these days. Jim talked about making the move to the US when he was just in his early 20s and treading the boards before making the move into film. We discussed working on multiple projects, being a writer, producer and actor Jim often wears many different Hats at one time.

Jim gives us some candid accounts of life on set, particularly when the chemistry isn't quite there.

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8: Amanda Abbington

Wed, 09 Jan 2019 00:01:00 -0000

Amanda Abbington has had an incredible and varied career starting in 1993 with roles on TV shows like the Bill and Wycliffe, but is probably best known for playing Miss Mardle in Mr Selfridge and Mary Morstan in the Hit BBC adaptation of Sherlock.

We met up with Amanda in London to talk about her BLANK moments in her working and personal life. We talked about politics, social media and in particular debating online and binary discussions. We delve into how things are more grey than simply black and white.

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7: Gary Lineker

Wed, 19 Dec 2018 00:01:00 -0000

Gary Lineker is a former professional footballer and current sports broadcaster. He holds England's record for goals in FIFA World Cup finals, with 10 scored and is England's third highest top scorer.

Lineker's media career began with the BBC, where he still presents the flagship football programme Match of the Day since the late 1990s. He has also worked for Al Jazeera Sports, Eredivisie Live, NBC Sports Network and currently hosts BT Sport's coverage of the UEFA Champions League. He currently hosts Lineker and Baker - Behind Closed Doors, a podcast that shines a light on the world of football.

Gary very kindly invited Giles and Jim to his house in South West London for a cuppa and a chat about all things BLANK. We talked about making big decisions at a young age and the feeling of getting to a point where you're confident in what you do.

Gary also talked openly about those moments off the field, including when his first son George was diagnosed with leukaemia as a child, had affected him and how football helped him through that time. With Christmas just around the corner, Giles and Gary share some cooking tips while Jim ponders what a waterbath is.

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6: Rebecca Callard

Wed, 12 Dec 2018 00:01:00 -0000

Rebecca Callard is an actress and writer, best known for her roles in Detectorists, The Grand and The Borrowers. Rebecca's first play A Bit of Light won a commendation award from The Bruntwood prize in 2017 and is currently being adapted into a screenplay.

Rebecca kindly invited us to her home in South London for a good natter about going BLANK. We chatted at length about Rebecca's impressive and slightly dated VHS collection and her obsession with Horror films. Giles and Rebecca look into each other's struggles with insomnia and how that has at times affected Rebecca's acting for good and bad, and also those times when BLANK moments have occurred during auditions.

Our wonderful pod music is by the amazing Paul Pilot and you can hear more from him here: http://paulpilot.com

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5: Reginald D Hunter

Wed, 05 Dec 2018 00:01:00 -0000

Reginald D.Hunter is an American stand-up comedian based in the United Kingdom. Originally from Albany, Georgia, Reg initially travelled to the UK at the age of 27 as a theatre student training at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art, He became a comedian after performing his first comedy set as a dare, for which he received £100. Realising that he enjoyed performing comedy, and that it might be profitable, he turned his attention from acting to stand-up. He has since been Perrier Award Nominated and appeared on many TV shows including Have I got News for you and 8 Out of 10 Cats.

We met up with Reg back in October just after he'd returned from appearing at Edinburgh Fringe. We discussed many aspects of being a comedian and Reg's feelings around staying relevant to new audiences. We also talk about career mortality and the idea of starting again somewhere new.

Reg gives Jim a personal comedy workshop to help with his stand-up fears and tells Giles about his new found enjoyment of coffee

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4: Susie Dent

Wed, 28 Nov 2018 01:04:33 -0000

Susie Dent is an English lexicographer and etymologist. She has appeared in "Dictionary Corner" on the Channel 4 game show Countdown every year since 1992. She also appears on 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and Dent's Guide to Swearing

Jim and Giles headed to the historical city of Oxford to meet up with wordsmith and National treasure Susie Dent to talk all things BLANK. Susie tells us about the origins of the word BLANK also about the various connotations of it. Susie explains how she is often most happy when she's living in her own head, and how a new found love for walking allows her that time. We discuss BLANK moments on the set of Countdown and one of Susie's favourite subjects - Swearing!

Our wonderful pod music is by the amazing Paul Pilot and you can hear more from him here: http://paulpilot.com

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3: Michael Rosen

Wed, 21 Nov 2018 00:06:01 -0000

Michael Rosen is a multi-award-winning English children's novelist, poet, and author of 140 books, including We're going on a Bear Hunt and Sad Book. He served as Children's Laureate from June 2007 to June 2009. He is also a TV presenter and a political columnist.

Michael met us down at Nordic Bar on a cold November morning to talk all things BLANK over a cup of tea. We chatted at length about Michael's early life and in particular, his adventures in the mysterious Metroland. Michael talks candidly about the controversy surrounding his sacking from the BBC in the 1970's and his subsequent diagnosis with hyperthyroidism.

We discuss the differences between having a creative BLANK and having a block and Michael explains to Giles and Jim about 'Ego Strength' and the issues that arise when some creatives can run out of it.

Michael's biography is available here: https://bit.ly/2zk3x4F

Our wonderful pod music is by the amazing Paul Pilot and you can hear more from him here: http://paulpilot.com

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2: Roisin Conaty

Wed, 14 Nov 2018 00:02:00 -0000

Roisin is a brilliant and multi-talented comedian and actress. Having won the Foster’s Edinburgh Comedy Award 2010 for Best Newcomer, Roisin is now one of the nation’s favourite comic faces on television, appearing regularly on hugely popular entertainment shows such as Have I Got News For You (BBC One), 8 Out of 10 Cats does Countdown (Channel 4), Would I Lie To You (BBC One), and the new Channel 4 edition of The Great British Bake Off: An Extra Slice, having been a series regular on the BBC2 series. In March 2018, she also appeared on the Stand Up to Cancer Celebrity Bake Off edition. Roisin Conaty’s sitcom GameFace, which she created, writes and stars in, aired its first series on E4 in late 2017, quickly followed by a US release on Hulu.

We sat down with Roisin at Nordic Bar nr Oxford Circus to chat all things BLANK. We talked at length about the different aspects of performing live stand-up and how Roisin has used meditation as a way of focusing her creativity. We also chatted about her processes when writing her brilliant Channel 4 series Gameface and how that has changed as she's been writing series 2. Giles fails to get to grips with saying season and series and Jim gets some much needed stand-up advice as he looks to try out some new material live again.

Our wonderful pod music is by the amazing Paul Pilot and you can hear more from him here: http://paulpilot.com

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1: Jon Ronson

Wed, 07 Nov 2018 07:00:00 -0000

Jon is a multi-award winning author, screenwriter, and documentarian, whose work includes The Psychopath Test, Them, The Men Who Stare at Goats and So You've Been Publicly Shamed AND the first ever guest on the BLANK podcast!

We caught up with Jon while he was in the UK to do some live shows about his brilliant Audible series 'The Butterfly Effect'.

We talked about the destructive nature of a social media pile on and Jon's own recent brush with it. Jon tells us about his own methods for making sure he avoids going BLANK on projects and opens up about empathy being his first way into a story.

Let us know what you think of the pod: hello@theblankpocast.com or @blankpod on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

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The Blank Podcast Trailer

Mon, 22 Oct 2018 12:34:55 -0000

This is the Blank Podcast, an interview pod where celebrities and well known people talk about moments things all went a bit "blank". The first episode with author Jon Ronson launches November 7th with new episodes every Wednesday thereafter. So hit that subscribe button to get the Blank Podcast in your feed every week.

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