Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh S07E34

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00:00:00It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas here at Manor Farm.

00:00:07You know Andy Williams, Owen, shut up.

00:00:09It's a time for reconnecting, not only with family and friends, but also the perfect time

00:00:13to reconnect with nature and make the most of the natural world around us.

00:00:17Meet Yorkie, a 14-day-old pygmy goat, here with his band of brothers and sisters and

00:00:24mothers.

00:00:25The pygmy goats are back, very good at weed control and everything else.

00:00:31It's time for Love You Weekend.

00:00:55This really is the most wonderful time of the year, a time when twinkling Christmas lights

00:01:13fill Britain's villages and towns and hot drinks offer comfort and warmth after cold winter

00:01:18wonders and we've sprinkled in plenty of that festive cheer on today's show.

00:01:23Coming up, Brit pop royalty and a big cheese in farming, Alex James on being catapulted

00:01:29into the live light with one of the world's biggest bands and leading a slower pace of

00:01:34life now on his Cotswolds farm.

00:01:36From the Cotswolds to the Cobbles.

00:01:39And it's farewell vicar, Daniel Brocklebank on his Weatherfield exit and taking to the

00:01:44stage in the scariest comedy of all time, Young Frankenstein.

00:01:49And a Christmas gift list for those who love the outdoorsy way of life.

00:01:54Chris holds here with gadgets and gizmos galore, perfect presents for adventure seekers, dog

00:02:00walkers and gardeners.

00:02:02Leslie Joseph and some festive donkeys take centre stage in a performance you won't want

00:02:07to miss.

00:02:08And a VIP pass to the home of the Crawleys.

00:02:11Lady Carnarvon welcomes us to Highclere as it's transformed into a Dickensian wonderland.

00:02:17Now that's one invite you won't want to miss.

00:02:25Not one, not two, but three gifts of a guest today.

00:02:28First up, he's the rock star turned successful farmer, Alex James.

00:02:33And she's our resident ornithologist, naturalist and zoologist, Leslie Joseph.

00:02:37We keep calling you that, people are going to think you went to university, but anyway

00:02:42there we are.

00:02:43And welcome the Reverend Billy Mayhew in what must be a busy time of year in Coronation

00:02:47Street.

00:02:48I jest.

00:02:49Welcome Daniel Brocklebank.

00:02:50Lovely to see you all.

00:02:51And you know, we're getting towards that season, and particularly being a vicar in your

00:02:56acting career.

00:02:57Yes.

00:02:58Are you a fan?

00:02:59Yes.

00:03:00Yes.

00:03:01I mean, you know, a little way in a manger or, you know.

00:03:02Yeah, why not?

00:03:03It was in one programme, I went to church once, a way in a manager.

00:03:06Alex, do you love them?

00:03:09It was my first taste of showbiz was singing the Descant harmonies in the school choir at

00:03:13the Winter Gardens carol service in Bournemouth.

00:03:16In Bournemouth?

00:03:17And that's still the most magical thing about Christmas, I just love those harmonies, you

00:03:22know, the high ones that, I can't get up there any more, but the high ones that kick in

00:03:25in the last, I love the Christmas carols.

00:03:26I love the Christmas carols.

00:03:27And the David Wilcox orchestra welling up underneath, those big Hark the Herald, you

00:03:31know, it's lump in your throat time.

00:03:33Leslie, can't?

00:03:34I love Christmas carols, but because I always do pantomime, I'm never free to go to the

00:03:38concerts.

00:03:39And I wish I was, because I love to sit there and hear it all waving over me, I love it.

00:03:43There's something special about winter in the UK too, isn't there really?

00:03:46I've never been in Australia and had, you know, turkey on the beach, it just doesn't

00:03:50appeal, does it?

00:03:51Couldn't do it, couldn't do it.

00:03:52Winter has to be here.

00:03:53It has to be cold.

00:03:54But when you're in panto and doing that, as you said, very little time to fit your Christmas

00:03:58in between that, isn't it?

00:03:59Yeah, you just have Christmas Day off.

00:04:01Yeah.

00:04:02I always decorate the dressing room, always decorate everything.

00:04:05Christmas Day is very special.

00:04:06But yeah, I do love my carol concerts, but haven't been for quite a few years.

00:04:10So, favourite spot in the UK then for Christmas, where would you go Alex?

00:04:14Oh, right home by the fire, definitely.

00:04:16It's a snuggle up time, isn't it really?

00:04:18It is.

00:04:19Yeah.

00:04:20Down at my mum and dad's farm in the winter, I think, is my favourite.

00:04:25So what part of the country are we in with the fire?

00:04:27Stratford-upon-Avon.

00:04:28Oh, right.

00:04:29Oh, lovely.

00:04:30It's a lovely part of the UK.

00:04:31Lovely.

00:04:32You all three work in these hugely sociable groups, either in theatre or in music.

00:04:39You know, this whole camaraderie, which I think is, particularly if you're in pantomime,

00:04:45the common predicament.

00:04:46You know what I mean?

00:04:47I don't mean it's unpleasant, but you're all in it together.

00:04:49And there is that feel, I think, in the world in which you work.

00:04:52But I love that about it.

00:04:54Yeah.

00:04:55And you make a lot of friends and you keep them for life.

00:04:57And then when you go and do a new play or a new pantomime or a new TV show, you'll meet

00:05:01new people and somehow they come into your life and you keep in contact with them.

00:05:05Because I suppose, yeah, you're putting your heart on your line in a way.

00:05:09It's, I'm talking to you, I'm acting with you.

00:05:12Yeah.

00:05:13I love meeting new people, working with new people.

00:05:15It's very extra exposing in a way.

00:05:17You're entrusting them, aren't you, with your emotions.

00:05:19You absolutely are.

00:05:20You're acting opposite somebody.

00:05:21Daniel, I mean, that's, you do invest a lot of yourself.

00:05:24Of course you do.

00:05:25Of course you do.

00:05:26The more people you work with, the more connections you gain.

00:05:29Yeah.

00:05:30And then, like, we've been sat to, we've got several mutual friends.

00:05:32Yeah.

00:05:33So, you know, Leslie and I.

00:05:34We've been sitting like this over hours.

00:05:35Yeah.

00:05:36So, you know, again, that's another.

00:05:37Well, you've got the Young Frankenstein connection as well.

00:05:39Because you did it way back with Mel Brooks.

00:05:41I did.

00:05:42As your, you know, companioning all the way through it.

00:05:44Yeah.

00:05:45And you're about to.

00:05:46And I'm doing it now.

00:05:47Yes.

00:05:48You are.

00:05:49Well, cheers to that.

00:05:50It's a wonderful piece.

00:05:52I hope I can get to see you.

00:05:53So, as the only two humans here, Alex and I.

00:05:56I love a panto.

00:05:57Oh, good.

00:05:58Good.

00:05:59Good.

00:06:00Is the camaraderie the same in music, in pop music?

00:06:03Oh, my word.

00:06:04Yeah, I mean, yes, it's a wonderfully unifying bonding experience,

00:06:08making a massive racket and getting a response from a big crowd.

00:06:14Yeah.

00:06:15That's what, I mean, obviously, when you're touring, you get very tired and emotional.

00:06:19You've got to be in a different place every day, often haven't had much sleep.

00:06:22But it's a really healing thing, actually playing music together.

00:06:26And also, I suspect, slightly less risky, in a way, than the theatre.

00:06:32Because fans are coming, you know they're going to love it.

00:06:35And I know talking to people about theatre audiences, they vary tremendously.

00:06:38Having a good night and a, well, it was all right.

00:06:40And some nights were outrageous.

00:06:42And presumably, it's much more consistent with music.

00:06:44Yeah, if they're familiar with the material, when you're doing something new, then terrifying.

00:06:49Ah, yeah.

00:06:50And you get saddled with that thing about, oh, they're not playing the ones we love,

00:06:53they're trying new things on us.

00:06:55Which I think is, it's really hard, I think, for musicians, and singers in particular,

00:07:00to balance the old favourites with new material.

00:07:05Well, whatever you do, it's always easier to just carry on what you have been doing, rather than kind of try and take it somewhere else.

00:07:11But that is kind of the most satisfying thing, actually.

00:07:14And I think that's part of the joy of working with a live audience, is you go on and every audience, every night is different.

00:07:20And your technique is how you deal with that audience.

00:07:23If they're laughing there, they didn't laugh last night, so we're going to duck and dive round that line.

00:07:27And I think that's what makes it so exciting.

00:07:30And that's how you get to know people really well, because you're working with them.

00:07:33And they're reading what you're doing, and you're all reading the same.

00:07:36And it's, yes, it's exciting.

00:07:38And that shorthand that you get between you, and you'll find one or two people,

00:07:43either musicians or actors, that glance across.

00:07:48Yes.

00:07:49And I bet it happens a lot with you in the band.

00:07:50It's amazing what you can say in a glance.

00:07:52Isn't it just?

00:07:54Well, generally complimentary, I'm not always.

00:07:57Really, you're doing it like that?

00:07:59There's always a couple of points, aren't there, when it's what's coming.

00:08:04Yeah.

00:08:05Much more from Alex, Leslie and Daniel coming up.

00:08:08I think it's going to be good company today, as it always is.

00:08:11And as it's nearly Christmas, we're already on the bobbles.

00:08:14Here we are.

00:08:15Look at that.

00:08:16An ass of something British, I do hope.

00:08:18Still ahead.

00:08:19Go on then, if I must.

00:08:21Jonathan Pang's here with the bite-sized afters guaranteed to satisfy

00:08:25when you've just enough room for a tiny treat.

00:08:28Plus, it's that time of year when I get to cuddle the guests.

00:08:31The pygmy goats are back for their annual visits.

00:08:34Well, it wouldn't be Christmas at Manor Farm without them, would it?

00:08:37I'll be back with the goats and their adorable kids right after this.

00:08:41Now, Leslie, can I interest you in a sponge finger?

00:08:44You can interest me.

00:08:46Thank you very much.

00:08:47Cheers, everybody.

00:08:48I couldn't resist asking.

00:08:49Cheers.

00:08:50Thank you so much.

00:08:51You can have a sausage roll as well if you want.

00:08:58Welcome back to Love Your Weekend.

00:09:12Coming up from secret toy boys to private assignations with Roger.

00:09:17Paul, Wayne, Charlie, well, everyone really.

00:09:20Chigwell's Dorian Green.

00:09:22Leslie Joseph on turning wicked for her latest Christmas role.

00:09:26And not for the first time.

00:09:28But first, Christmas is a busy time for most of us.

00:09:32Let's spare a thought for our nation's farmers, working long shifts in freezing conditions

00:09:37and with shorter daylight hours.

00:09:39These challenges are not unfamiliar to one of our resident farmers, Charlie Dodd.

00:09:43Add in the recent arrival of these pygmy goats.

00:09:47And it's fair to say she's got her hands full, so we're very thankful.

00:09:51She's managed to take a few hours off to bring them here to Manor Farm.

00:09:55It wouldn't be Christmas without them.

00:09:57Welcome back, Charlie.

00:09:59And your new brood here.

00:10:01We've got some mums here.

00:10:02We've got three mums.

00:10:03We do.

00:10:04One's escaped already and enjoying sniffing a camera tripod.

00:10:07But how old are the teeny weenies here?

00:10:09So, they're just over two weeks now.

00:10:11So, they're actually the youngest you've ever had here before.

00:10:13Well, I never.

00:10:14You always have the same mothers.

00:10:15They always return to you.

00:10:17So, the mothers are here.

00:10:18Thank you for your loyalty, mums.

00:10:19Exactly.

00:10:20This is her first-timer here, Ursula.

00:10:22She would have come to the show as a little baby, but she's returned as a mum for the very first time.

00:10:26Well, I never.

00:10:27Until we've been on there a while now.

00:10:28There's something about the pygmies, though, isn't there?

00:10:31I mean, where did they come from originally?

00:10:33So, they're from West Africa way.

00:10:35Yeah.

00:10:36And they're just the cheekiest naughty goats that you can find.

00:10:39I'm sure the pygmies, there's something about them that makes them even more naughty than anything else.

00:10:43But they're just bundles of joy to watch.

00:10:45I mean, we spend hours just watching them.

00:10:47They're complete time wasters, aren't they?

00:10:49You just find yourself staring.

00:10:50But they're quite bouncy.

00:10:52I want to see if I can pick one up.

00:10:53Oh, go for that one on the top, the dark one.

00:10:55Oh!

00:10:56No, he's gone.

00:10:57Come here.

00:10:58He's normally a cheeky one for cuddles.

00:10:59Come to your Uncle Alan.

00:11:00Here we are.

00:11:01He's lovely, bless him.

00:11:02Here we are.

00:11:03So, he's actually off to Yorkshire.

00:11:04We've sold most of them and they're heading to Yorkshire.

00:11:06Right.

00:11:07But with the letter Y this year.

00:11:08So, we need to come up with some names that start with the letter Y.

00:11:11Well, that's obvious, isn't it?

00:11:12He's got to be called Yorkie, haven't you?

00:11:13Yes.

00:11:14Especially if you're going up there.

00:11:15Now, I'll give you a few lessons in the Yorkshire accent.

00:11:18Okay.

00:11:19So, when you go bah, go bah, much better than that.

00:11:22Lovely.

00:11:23So, the youngsters, they, when people, I always worry a little bit when we do.

00:11:27People think, oh, they're lovely.

00:11:28Let's have a pygmy goat.

00:11:30If you want a pygmy goat or goats, because you never keep them separately.

00:11:33You know, on their own.

00:11:34What do you need to know?

00:11:35What do they need?

00:11:36So, they have to have a license first and foremost.

00:11:39Right.

00:11:40So, your land basically gets licensed.

00:11:41So, if there was any disease breakout, then the government would be able to know what animals

00:11:46are where.

00:11:47Other than that, goats are very much, it's not necessarily space, it's how you use the space.

00:11:51So, you want them to have things to climb on, jump on, bits of browse that they can eat along the way.

00:11:58Yeah, they don't go with gardens, do they?

00:12:00They don't.

00:12:01Because they eat them.

00:12:02No, exactly.

00:12:03Ours don't look very nice at the moment, because the goats have been little horrors escaping with them.

00:12:07Oh.

00:12:08Yes, absolutely.

00:12:09There are actually toxic plants, as well, that goats can't eat.

00:12:12So, they're really important to make sure you don't have those in your garden.

00:12:15The likes of rhododendron, laurel, all those shiny leaves.

00:12:18I don't know what you call those ones.

00:12:19Which they might be tempted by.

00:12:20Absolutely.

00:12:21The shinier, the better they think, but they are obviously not allowed them.

00:12:24How long do they live, John?

00:12:25So, they can live sort of up to 15 years-ish.

00:12:28Yeah, yeah.

00:12:29It kind of all depends on how you're rearing them and what they're doing.

00:12:31Obviously, it's a harder life for them, being mums, as I'm sure all the mums out there will agree.

00:12:35So, if they're just sort of sat in your garden doing not a lot, they tend to live slightly longer, because it's a bit easier for them.

00:12:41Now, do they yield much in the way of milk, goats milk?

00:12:43Goats milk.

00:12:44So, they wouldn't produce enough for the household, so to speak.

00:12:47Yeah.

00:12:48But they produce plenty in order to rear twins, and we have had one rear triplets in the past.

00:12:53Right.

00:12:54Is twins a common thing?

00:12:55Yeah, absolutely.

00:12:56So, in here, we've got three sets of twins and one single who's the first-timer.

00:13:00What about the amount of land you need, then?

00:13:01I mean, you say it's got to be licensed, but you presumably don't need a huge amount, do you?

00:13:05No.

00:13:06So, as I say, it's kind of what you do with the land instead.

00:13:08Yeah.

00:13:09Like, a very large garden would be fine, as long as it's not like in a housing estate where you're going to get people complaining that the goats are making noise and things.

00:13:16Yeah.

00:13:17Interestingly, actually, lots of the new houses state that you can't keep livestock on them, because I think people have gone down that route of, I'm going to keep a goat in my garden.

00:13:25Absolutely.

00:13:26They've been watching the reruns of The Good Life.

00:13:28Exactly.

00:13:29And when it comes to shelter and whatnot, what do they need in terms of that?

00:13:31So, if you're keeping two goats, they suggest an eight-by-six sort of shed is your best bet.

00:13:36As long as they can jump up high and have, like, a little shelf, then they're happy.

00:13:39Are they happy in wind and rain and snow?

00:13:41No.

00:13:42No.

00:13:43So, the second it rains, they all jump straight into the shelters, and everyone wants the top spot where they can keep warmest.

00:13:50It's not just pimping goats that you've got at Mary's Street.

00:13:52You've got all kinds of livestock.

00:13:53What kind of year has it been for farmers?

00:13:55It's been a very difficult year, to be honest.

00:13:57But people would say, oh, farmers always say that, don't they?

00:14:00Why has this year been ticket difficult?

00:14:01This year, we obviously had a very, very hot summer with no rain, which meant that there just wasn't the food out there for the animals.

00:14:07So, people were having to use their winter food in order to actually feed them throughout the summer.

00:14:12And then anyone that actually makes hay and sells it on, obviously, they were getting a much lower crop,

00:14:17which means that over winter, everyone's going to struggle for hay.

00:14:21And the price of that has gone absolutely through the roof this year.

00:14:23So, it's not good.

00:14:24Tough.

00:14:25Very tough.

00:14:26Figures crossed.

00:14:27We've been doing our bit on this programme and showcasing younger farmers, people who are coming into farming,

00:14:32coming into agriculture and horticulture.

00:14:34And from your point of view, as a college, what's the interest like now and the take-up in terms of studying agriculture?

00:14:40So, we have actually had the best year in terms of numbers this year.

00:14:43I think things like Clarkson's Farm, that has been fantastic for agriculture.

00:14:48Yeah.

00:14:49We've got our biggest course of agriculture students this year that we've had since starting the course.

00:14:54And they're all first generation farmers, which is fantastic to hear.

00:14:58They all want to go into different walks of the agricultural industry.

00:15:01It's been brilliant, but actually all of our animal agriculture courses have been fully filmed.

00:15:07Oh, we've subscribed.

00:15:08Wonderful.

00:15:09But it is getting, you know, the next generation engaged, isn't it, in where their food comes from,

00:15:15in the kind of farming sustainable, you know, and to be much more aware of our responsibility to the land.

00:15:21And the delight it offers you when you're working on it, whether it's as a gardener or a farmer.

00:15:25A hundred percent.

00:15:26I think on a lovely summer's day, you can't get better than sort of walking your fields,

00:15:30seeing the animals all enjoying themselves.

00:15:32Yeah.

00:15:33And everyone loves that sort of springing lamb view that you can get from the countryside, don't they?

00:15:37Yeah.

00:15:38And then you can become a TV presenter, and hopefully with any luck,

00:15:41you can have a pygmy goat fall asleep on your lap.

00:15:44You're stuck there now, Alan, I'm afraid.

00:15:46Just like that.

00:15:47I'm very happy.

00:15:48It's a nice hot water bottle.

00:15:49Aren't you a sweetheart?

00:15:50OK, Yorkie, good luck up in Yorkshire.

00:15:52Tell them I sent you, and you'll get on fine.

00:15:55You're absolutely right.

00:15:56A complete time wasted.

00:15:57I couldn't sit here.

00:15:58I don't think I want to go anywhere now.

00:16:00Thanks so much, darling.

00:16:02Still to come, lights, camera, action.

00:16:05I said lights, camera, no, never mind.

00:16:07Chris Hull has it all in his ultimate gift guide for those who love the country way of life.

00:16:13And mirror mirror on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?

00:16:17Leslie Joseph on the return of everyone's favourite wicked queen.

00:16:21Just don't let her near the apples.

00:16:24I'll be back with Leslie and much more, if I'm released when my duty's here, right after this.

00:16:30Welcome back to Love Your Weekend.

00:16:37Coming up, the platters and serviettes, or napkins if you prefer, are out.

00:16:43I'm sensing a bit of a doom in the offing.

00:16:57Jonathan Pang's throwing one of his merry mingles with mini-puds and dessert tipples on the menu.

00:17:02Can't wait for that.

00:17:03Also coming up, remember this?

00:17:05Lifts in a house, very big house in the country.

00:17:10Stepping back to the 1990s and the battle of Britpop and the sounds that defined an era.

00:17:16Swapping his big house in the country for our more modest abode here at Manor Farm,

00:17:21Alex James lifts the lid on his incredible rock star life.

00:17:25Apparently it's all a bit of a blur.

00:17:27Sorry, sorry, sorry.

00:17:29But first, what to say about my next guest.

00:17:33Quite a lot, actually.

00:17:34A mine of information she is.

00:17:36Educating us weekly with her knowledge of the natural world.

00:17:39When she's not impressing us with her knowledge of birds, trees and wildflowers,

00:17:43she's busy entertaining us in classic scenes like this one.

00:17:48We're having a giraffe.

00:17:49Ah, I couldn't.

00:17:51Not in there.

00:17:54Oh, big strong man like you.

00:17:56What are you afraid of?

00:17:57Ghosts?

00:17:58No, it just doesn't seem right, does it?

00:18:01Well, of course it's not right.

00:18:03That's what makes it so thrilling.

00:18:05How many people were coupled in the back of a hearse and lived to tell the tale?

00:18:10But if you don't want a feature in the climactic passage of Foxy Cohen's next bonk buster...

00:18:16What if you put it like that?

00:18:21Oh, my God, it is a gun!

00:18:34All right, all right, all right, careful!

00:18:35Only Dorian.

00:18:36I'm quite sure there were birds of a feather with Martin Kemp in the back of a hearse.

00:18:50I don't believe I've said that.

00:18:51I don't believe I saw what I saw.

00:18:53But I mean, there must be times when people just call you Dorian.

00:18:56They do.

00:18:57They really do.

00:18:58And you know what?

00:18:59Some people say, oh, I hate being stopped all the time in the street.

00:19:01I love it.

00:19:02I love it when people stop and they say, we still watch it.

00:19:05Our children watch it.

00:19:06Grannies watch it with all their family.

00:19:09We started in 1989.

00:19:11Oh, goodness me.

00:19:12So how many years goes out?

00:19:14Quite a lot.

00:19:15A lot.

00:19:16I did it over a period of about 30 years.

00:19:18You know, you and Linda and Pauline did cracking jobs.

00:19:22Pauline, not too well now, I gather.

00:19:24No, I haven't seen her for a while.

00:19:27I can't speak about her because it's too sad, but Steve and everybody, her family, are looking after her.

00:19:35She's a wonderful actress, Pauline.

00:19:37I mean, she's done some amazing work.

00:19:39And this amazing stage school work that she did.

00:19:41Yes.

00:19:42Everywhere.

00:19:43And a lot of people, again, stop me and say, I'm at Pauline Quirk's stage school.

00:19:47And they love it.

00:19:48Absolutely love it.

00:19:49So, yes.

00:19:50But you still see Linda Robson.

00:19:51I do.

00:19:52You did something together called the good shit murder.

00:19:54We did.

00:19:55She kills me in it.

00:19:57Does she really?

00:19:58She does.

00:19:59Got her own back at that.

00:20:00She has.

00:20:01Maybe I shouldn't have said that because it hasn't been on yet.

00:20:03But she does kill me.

00:20:04Oops.

00:20:05Yes.

00:20:06And she absolutely loved it.

00:20:07She said, this is what I've been waiting for for 35 years, waiting to kill Leslie Joseph.

00:20:12Bump her off.

00:20:13But, yeah, we work a lot together.

00:20:14Yeah, we've done a lot.

00:20:15The thing is, Pauline loves serious work.

00:20:18Absolutely.

00:20:19She did the sculptress and some wonderful, wonderful dramas, real heavy dramas.

00:20:25Linda and I love all the light entertainment stuff.

00:20:30Making people laugh.

00:20:31Yeah, we do.

00:20:32And I love that either on stage or the, although I do also keep thinking.

00:20:36And then I'm going back to, which I will tell you about, to something quite serious.

00:20:40After I finished pantomime, which is not quite serious, but I take it seriously.

00:20:46I've done it for well over 35 years.

00:20:49And it's one time maybe you can take the whole family to the theatre.

00:20:54I know you've said, particularly with pantomime, it changes lives.

00:20:59That seems like a grandiose claim, but it really does, doesn't it?

00:21:03Well, I think pantomime does.

00:21:04Because you've got song, you've got dance, you've got drama, you've got fantastic things

00:21:09to look at.

00:21:10Pantomime will be the first time that you might have taken your children and your grandparents

00:21:14to the theatre.

00:21:15All at the same time, all enjoying it in different ways.

00:21:18Some jokes for children, straight over there.

00:21:20Over the heads.

00:21:21Mind you, there's some we can't do now.

00:21:23Over the heads, yeah.

00:21:24We'll try and do them, but some we can't do.

00:21:26But, yeah.

00:21:27And I play Wicked Queen now with Robert Rinder playing my mirror man.

00:21:31And this is the fourth year we've worked together.

00:21:33And he's wonderful.

00:21:34He's absolutely well.

00:21:35We were in Plymouth last year.

00:21:36And actually, he was fantastic.

00:21:38He cooked my Christmas dinner, because we were so miles away from Emory.

00:21:41And we had prawn cocktail and then spaghetti bolognese.

00:21:44And then he gave me a foot massage.

00:21:45But the thing you are hugely well known for now as well, and there have been many and varied.

00:21:49Our musicals.

00:21:50Yes!

00:21:51Yes!

00:21:52Yes!

00:21:53It's history

00:21:54It's history

00:21:58It's history

00:22:00And he is

00:22:03The key

00:22:04Yes!

00:22:05Yes sir

00:22:06Yes sir

00:22:07Hey!

00:22:38Our salvation.

00:22:55Annie, Calendar Girls, Sister Act.

00:22:57Sister Act I did over a period of two years.

00:22:59It almost made me cry watching Calendar Girls, actually.

00:23:03We were all naked behind those things.

00:23:04I mean, imagine you meet, suddenly there's a cast of about nine people

00:23:09and you just have to take all your clothes off

00:23:11and then stand there naked behind them.

00:23:14It was quite liberating, I would say.

00:23:17Did you have considerably bigger buns?

00:23:19Yeah, I did.

00:23:21Very much bigger than most of theirs.

00:23:23But Annie I first did in 19...

00:23:25Oh, gosh, 1997, I think, or 87 or something.

00:23:3197, a long time ago, at the Victoria Palace.

00:23:35And I was doing Pantomime, which I've done every year,

00:23:37and Paul Elliott, who was our director, said,

00:23:40I'm going to bring in Paul O'Grady to take the part.

00:23:43And I think it was one of the first times that they gave a man

00:23:46this iconic woman's part.

00:23:48And then, of course, he and I job-shared when we did the tour.

00:23:52And, yeah, we had the man who wrote it and the choreographer

00:23:55came over and directed me.

00:23:58And it was, yeah, right at the beginning.

00:24:00It was very, very exciting.

00:24:01I've done that so many times.

00:24:03And I love musicals.

00:24:05But I came into the business to be a serious actor.

00:24:07I did Chekhov and Shakespeare so much in the early days,

00:24:11which I absolutely loved.

00:24:13Under Milk Wood, Down at the Minet Theatre.

00:24:15And I absolutely loved it.

00:24:17I played Titania in A Midsummer Night's Dream,

00:24:20The Cherry Orchard I did.

00:24:22And that's why I came into the business.

00:24:24And then somehow I found comedy, and this way before Birds,

00:24:29and then somehow I found musicals.

00:24:31And the first one I did was The Boyfriend playing Autonnes.

00:24:36Sandy Wilson.

00:24:37Singing soprano, which I can't do any more.

00:24:40You're going to do a bit more serious then.

00:24:42You're going to do some serious acting.

00:24:44I am, after Pantomime.

00:24:46Yes, I'm going to do a play called Road by Jim Cartwright.

00:24:49Yeah, now that's a famous play, isn't it?

00:24:51It's about 40 years old, though, isn't it?

00:24:52It's a very famous play.

00:24:52It's its 40th anniversary.

00:24:53And I'm doing it at the Royal Exchange in Manchester.

00:24:56And I'm playing a very old lady.

00:25:01Very heavy make-up, Leslie.

00:25:03Not so heavy.

00:25:04Just taking the make-up off and exposing me,

00:25:06as I am, quite seriously.

00:25:08And, yeah, we're doing that.

00:25:10And it's its 40th anniversary.

00:25:11So, yes, I'm really looking forward to that.

00:25:13It's a completely different discipline to, you know,

00:25:16a musical that gets all the audience on their feet

00:25:19with Joie de Ville and whatnot.

00:25:20Doing a heavier play.

00:25:21Good for you?

00:25:22It's just different.

00:25:23I mean, I've just turned 80, which I can't believe,

00:25:27and I find it very hard to take on board.

00:25:29But I've got as much energy as I ever got.

00:25:31And I love doing it all.

00:25:34What's your secret, then?

00:25:36How do you keep it?

00:25:36Are you a Pilates girl?

00:25:37No, I walk everywhere.

00:25:39I love walking.

00:25:41And, yeah, I do try and do exercise.

00:25:43I don't do Pilates.

00:25:45But I do try and do exercise.

00:25:46But it's walking.

00:25:48It's a very sort of metropolitan life, then,

00:25:50particularly with theatre.

00:25:51Are you a country girl at the time, for sure?

00:25:52I am completely country girl.

00:25:54I was brought up in the country.

00:25:54We used to be the last house in Northampton.

00:25:57And the cows and the pigs used to come down the road.

00:25:59And we had an old farm opposite us and a well.

00:26:02And we used to go up what we call the two paths.

00:26:04And we used to go up to the mill.

00:26:06And, oh, always countryside.

00:26:08Always country over.

00:26:09But at the same time, I love theatre.

00:26:12And I love travelling around.

00:26:14I love touring.

00:26:15I mean, sometimes you can go up to Scotland

00:26:16and have the most outrageous, wonderful audience.

00:26:20Sometimes you go down south.

00:26:21It might be a bit quieter.

00:26:23But that's what I love about live theatre.

00:26:25You work with an audience.

00:26:26And you play off the audience.

00:26:28And so you adapt everything.

00:26:29In television, you'll do it.

00:26:31And it's recorded.

00:26:32And you can't change it unless it's the first.

00:26:35I don't know if I've ever told you what my first job was.

00:26:37Live television, Thames television.

00:26:39And I used to travel out to Thames.

00:26:42And it went out live.

00:26:43So you can't find it on YouTube.

00:26:44And the person I used to travel with used to say,

00:26:47come and see me at the Arts Lab, Liz.

00:26:48Come and see me at the Arts Lab.

00:26:49And I never did.

00:26:50And it was David Bowie.

00:26:52No.

00:26:52That was my first job.

00:26:53That was my first television job.

00:26:55Look, my hands have gone like this just thinking about it.

00:26:58I worked with David Bowie before he became David Bowie.

00:27:00Yeah.

00:27:01And funnily enough, the agent who got me this job,

00:27:04who I used to live in his house, said to David Bowie,

00:27:07I don't think I can look after you anymore

00:27:08because I don't like your voice.

00:27:10No.

00:27:11Yeah.

00:27:12Well, great loss.

00:27:13I know.

00:27:14So the thing about interviewing Leslie Joseph is

00:27:16you only really need one question.

00:27:20It's lovely.

00:27:21It's lovely.

00:27:22Thank you, Leslie.

00:27:23And I know you'll be back later with a supporting cast of Donkeys.

00:27:26Donkeys.

00:27:27No, I mean, really, Donkeys.

00:27:29Honestly.

00:27:30Special Christmas edition of the Down the Garden Path segment

00:27:33that Leslie has made her own.

00:27:35All will be revealed and explained later.

00:27:38Now, a chance for us to marvel at the wonderful pictures

00:27:41that you've been sending us of your weekend strolls.

00:27:44I know this is your favourite bit because it's the bit you do.

00:27:46It's time for Walk on the Wild Side.

00:27:50Your dose of nature sorted.

00:27:54Walk on the Wild Side on Love Your Weekend.

00:27:57Sponsored by WWF.

00:27:58The Wild Side on Love Your Weekend.

00:28:28The Wild Side on Love Your Weekend.

00:28:58The Wild Side on Love Your Weekend.

00:29:28Oh, all your wonderful pictures there.

00:29:32Please do keep sending them in.

00:29:34We love them every bit as much as you do.

00:29:36Coming up, the musician turned farmer,

00:29:38where once he had groupies and an entourage,

00:29:41today he has 400 sheep.

00:29:43Alex James on swapping the Brits for Brie.

00:29:46And night vision goggles, a GPS tag and an extendable power tool.

00:29:51No, he's not turned to a life of crime.

00:29:54Chris Hull is here with his top gifts

00:29:56for adventure seekers and lovers of the wide blue yonder.

00:30:00I'll be back with Chris and his toys for country girls and boys

00:30:03right after this.

00:30:08As winter tightens its grip,

00:30:22much of the natural world takes a well-deserved rest.

00:30:26But that doesn't mean your countryside will be devoid of life.

00:30:30In fact, there's plenty to marvel at during December,

00:30:33much of it here at Manor Farm.

00:30:35Coming up, it's the most wonderful time of the year.

00:30:38When this man's around,

00:30:39Jonathan Pang welcomes us into his wickedly wonderful world

00:30:43of mini luxury desserts,

00:30:45washed down with a tipple or two.

00:30:48And to quote Jane Mansfield,

00:30:50I didn't come to Hollywood to be the girl next door.

00:30:53I came to be a movie star.

00:30:55Much like Leslie Joseph,

00:30:57outshining herself today

00:30:58with an Academy Award-winning performance.

00:31:01Leslie Joseph from The Donkeys takes centre stage.

00:31:04It's an exclusive.

00:31:05And we're crafting at Christmas

00:31:07as a new Manor Farm masterpiece is brought to life.

00:31:10Willow sculptor Natalie Maclay

00:31:12weaves her magic to create a festive-themed addition

00:31:14to our barn decorations.

00:31:17Now, with the big day less than two weeks away,

00:31:19you may not have quite completed your Christmas shopping.

00:31:22Or indeed, in the case of most men, started it.

00:31:26In need of some inspiration, look no further.

00:31:29Here with his pick of the latest gadgets, gizmos

00:31:33and outside-the-box ideas for lovers of the great outdoors,

00:31:36our very own personal shopper, garden designer, Chris Hull,

00:31:40standing there with a wicked-looking implement.

00:31:43I know.

00:31:43It's a great thing, isn't it?

00:31:45This is a great excuse for me to pick all the things

00:31:46that I find really fun.

00:31:48And for all the garden lovers out there

00:31:50and people who love power tools,

00:31:51this is Ryobi Telescopic Pole Saw.

00:31:54I have never seen anything like this before.

00:31:56We seem to have a chainsaw at one end

00:31:58and in a normal power pack at the other end.

00:32:01Exactly. So it is a battery chainsaw pole pruner.

00:32:04So for all those hard-to-reach branches

00:32:06that are too big for an extendable loppers or something,

00:32:09this is what you want.

00:32:11Well, I never.

00:32:12And it's nice and safe with the blade

00:32:14being that far away from the operator.

00:32:16It is. So what I'm going to do,

00:32:17I'll demo it on this apple tree

00:32:18that's growing into all the other shrubs back there.

00:32:20All right, see, good excuse.

00:32:21So we can take it back there.

00:32:22We'll do a little undercut.

00:32:24And we'll cut.

00:32:29Just like that.

00:32:29There we are.

00:32:30We'll have cut through it.

00:32:31You'd have a dickiest of a job to get to that,

00:32:33if you hadn't that bit of kit.

00:32:34I thought I'd save that for you

00:32:35to climb in there and drag it out.

00:32:38You know, the young today,

00:32:39no manners at all.

00:32:41Nice bit of kit, though.

00:32:42It is a lovely bit of kit.

00:32:43Lovely. Right, long-arm chainsaw.

00:32:45Now, we're coming indoors now, are we?

00:32:47Well, not everybody wants to be out

00:32:49in the depths of winter

00:32:50with a chainsaw on a pole, do they?

00:32:52They might want to be in the warm by the fire,

00:32:54but still looking at some greenery, right?

00:32:56So these are a selection of houseplants

00:32:57that look very difficult to look after.

00:33:00They look really interesting and rare,

00:33:01but actually, they're quite easy to take care of.

00:33:03So this is something a bit different

00:33:04if you just want to gift somebody a houseplant.

00:33:06Exactly.

00:33:06So it's the perfect gift.

00:33:07Now, this one is very Christmassy-themed,

00:33:09if you're in the Mediterranean for Christmas, maybe.

00:33:11A lavender Christmas tree.

00:33:14How divine, aromatic.

00:33:15You could even get some tiny whinny fairy lights.

00:33:17I've never seen one of these before.

00:33:18No, not me.

00:33:19These are all from patch plants

00:33:20and they are great for gifts.

00:33:21So it's just trained in a sort of cone shape.

00:33:24Exactly.

00:33:25So as long as it's in a sunny spot,

00:33:26you know, in a conservatory or in a sunny window,

00:33:28that would be absolutely fine.

00:33:30And then this one's a little bit more interesting.

00:33:31This is a philodendron,

00:33:32but it's growing via aquaponics.

00:33:34So you've got it sat in water

00:33:35and then all you need to do

00:33:37is chuck a little bit of feed in every now and again.

00:33:39And it's just like that.

00:33:40If you're someone who kills houseplants,

00:33:42this one should survive,

00:33:43even your ministrations.

00:33:44Yeah, no hassles of repotting with that one.

00:33:46Now this is one I think is really interesting.

00:33:49This is the fishbone cactus

00:33:51because it's not a cactus

00:33:54that grows in a hot, dry desert.

00:33:55This is a cactus that grows in a woodland on trees.

00:33:57It's an epiphyte then, is it?

00:33:59It hangs on trees.

00:34:00It's not a parasite,

00:34:01but it clings there for moisture.

00:34:02Yeah.

00:34:03And it's just got the really nice quirky leaves on it.

00:34:05So I think that one's good

00:34:07and it's fine in a little bit of shade,

00:34:08obviously, if it grows under trees.

00:34:09Does it flower at all?

00:34:10It does have flowers

00:34:11and they're scented as well.

00:34:12Oh, right.

00:34:12Which is really nice.

00:34:13So we like that.

00:34:15So this should keep you happy

00:34:16for the garden lovers inside.

00:34:17But then for those who like to go outside

00:34:20into the great outdoors,

00:34:21I've got a few other gifts

00:34:22What have you got there?

00:34:22lined up here.

00:34:24What's that?

00:34:25No.

00:34:25It's like one of those things

00:34:26you beat people around the head with on.

00:34:27Well, or you get an airplane in

00:34:29to come in and land it.

00:34:30Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:34:30So this is a light,

00:34:33but it's foldable.

00:34:34Packs down into a really neat little package.

00:34:36This is a smaller one,

00:34:37but it folds up.

00:34:37You just blow it up.

00:34:38It has a solar charger on the back.

00:34:40So if you're out camping somewhere

00:34:41and you just turn it on,

00:34:43it has loads of different settings.

00:34:45Wow.

00:34:45So you can,

00:34:46that's really handy, isn't it?

00:34:47You've got any garage

00:34:47or something like that.

00:34:48And it's actually magnetic.

00:34:49So look,

00:34:50if I blow this one up,

00:34:52super easy.

00:34:54You can turn it on.

00:34:56And stick it on the milk churn.

00:34:57Yeah.

00:34:58So perfect for going on the van door,

00:35:00or the garage door.

00:35:01Really easy.

00:35:02So it's called the Chill Beam

00:35:03and it's called Glomad.

00:35:05So get them from Chill Beam.

00:35:06And what have we got here?

00:35:07Now this is the Sniffer GPS dog tracker.

00:35:10It's just got a little elastic bit there

00:35:12that wraps around it

00:35:13and then it actually connects

00:35:15to an app on your phone.

00:35:16So if you lose your dog out on walks,

00:35:18get this.

00:35:19So this is Finn the farm dog.

00:35:22This is where he's been this morning

00:35:24around the farm.

00:35:25Finn,

00:35:26you can run,

00:35:27but you can't hide.

00:35:28So you can see he's been all over the place.

00:35:31So if you lose him,

00:35:31you can see where he is

00:35:32at the same time.

00:35:32You can,

00:35:33but what you can also do

00:35:34is you can set a boundary

00:35:35so around your property

00:35:36and if he goes out of that boundary,

00:35:38you get an alert on your phone

00:35:39and it tells you

00:35:40so you can run off

00:35:40and catch them.

00:35:41Quick, he's gone.

00:35:42Wonderful.

00:35:44Oh.

00:35:44Is it tea time?

00:35:47I think it is.

00:35:48Oh, I do love a whistling kettle.

00:35:53This is taking me back

00:35:55to my days as a scout,

00:35:56but we didn't have anything

00:35:57quite so sophisticated as this.

00:35:58It was a pan on the fire.

00:36:00This is clever.

00:36:01It's brilliant, isn't it?

00:36:02It's a kelly kettle

00:36:03and it's great

00:36:03because it packs down

00:36:05into this

00:36:06two little sections.

00:36:08I see the fire.

00:36:09Ah, right.

00:36:10The fire's underneath

00:36:11and it comes up

00:36:11through the kettle

00:36:12and the water

00:36:13is in a void

00:36:13around that sort of

00:36:15heat chimney.

00:36:16So look,

00:36:17here's what I've got for you.

00:36:18Look.

00:36:18Cops with these cups as well.

00:36:21It's perfect on a cold day.

00:36:22Oh, this is,

00:36:23this is so up my street.

00:36:24I'm going to get one of these

00:36:25for the garden.

00:36:26You need to,

00:36:26oh, look.

00:36:27I thought you were going to have

00:36:28to take that off

00:36:29and you don't.

00:36:29No.

00:36:31And it's boiling hot.

00:36:32Look at that.

00:36:33Fab.

00:36:34That's what you need.

00:36:34I'm not going to drink

00:36:35this straight away, Chris,

00:36:36because it would burn

00:36:36my mouth, won't it?

00:36:37There we are.

00:36:38So you've got the small one

00:36:39there for yourself

00:36:39and then there's

00:36:40the family size.

00:36:41And the family one.

00:36:42Exactly.

00:36:42I just want to say

00:36:44three words to you.

00:36:45Go on.

00:36:46On your bike.

00:36:48I've seen it.

00:36:48Let's go.

00:36:51Now,

00:36:51I always used to feel,

00:36:53being an occasional cyclist,

00:36:55and my wife would say

00:36:56very occasional,

00:36:57that having one

00:36:59that was powered

00:37:00by electricity

00:37:00was a bit of a cheat.

00:37:02I've got the age now

00:37:03where any help

00:37:04is welcome.

00:37:06Definitely.

00:37:06Especially if you're

00:37:07going out on a manual bike

00:37:08and someone's on an electric bike,

00:37:10you feel like you're

00:37:10getting left behind.

00:37:11I've done that

00:37:11with my wife

00:37:12who's been going uphill.

00:37:13She's been on an electric

00:37:14and I've been on all of them.

00:37:15She's shooting off.

00:37:15Look at that wimp

00:37:16behind his wife's

00:37:17beating him.

00:37:18Well, this is what you need

00:37:19then, clearly.

00:37:19It is, isn't it?

00:37:20Clearly.

00:37:21So what have I got?

00:37:22So these are two bikes,

00:37:23both from Halford.

00:37:24Now, this is sort of

00:37:25more of a budget electric bike.

00:37:26This one's £900.

00:37:27Yes.

00:37:28And then this one,

00:37:28you know,

00:37:29the one I've got

00:37:29is the upper end one

00:37:32from Halford.

00:37:32This is £2,300.

00:37:34Crumbs.

00:37:35This is great.

00:37:35It's a small family saloon.

00:37:36Exactly.

00:37:37But second hand.

00:37:38Second hand.

00:37:39But that's what folk,

00:37:40don't folk pay

00:37:41amazing amounts

00:37:42of money now for bikes?

00:37:43They do.

00:37:43You can spend a lot more

00:37:44if you wanted to,

00:37:45definitely.

00:37:45But they're really great.

00:37:46I mean, great for off-roading,

00:37:47great for the big outdoors.

00:37:48I love a mountain bike.

00:37:50We're talking about

00:37:50mountain biking here,

00:37:51aren't we?

00:37:52Not road biking.

00:37:53You can use them on the road

00:37:54as well.

00:37:55They're great for,

00:37:55you know,

00:37:56trails through the forest

00:37:56or, you know,

00:37:57going in a little bit

00:37:58more rough and ready as well.

00:37:59Yeah.

00:38:00So the idea is

00:38:01you have different settings

00:38:02on them as well.

00:38:03So you can save battery power.

00:38:04You can do a sort of

00:38:05eco mode.

00:38:06So you use less battery power

00:38:07and it gives you

00:38:08a little bit of energy.

00:38:09Or you can have it

00:38:10in full turbo mode

00:38:12and you use lots of battery

00:38:13and have lots of power.

00:38:14And everywhere in between.

00:38:16I love your hat.

00:38:18Well, when you come

00:38:19from Yorkshire,

00:38:20you don't like giving up

00:38:21your flat hat, you see.

00:38:22So you shouldn't have done that.

00:38:24I'm quite jealous.

00:38:26I'll have you know,

00:38:27it's French.

00:38:28Right.

00:38:29So I've got my saddle.

00:38:30I love the fact

00:38:31that my saddle's down here

00:38:32and yours is about half a mile high.

00:38:33It is quite high, isn't it?

00:38:34It's been very nice

00:38:35being with you.

00:38:36I'm just hoping

00:38:37I survive a couple

00:38:37of circuits of the paddock.

00:38:39Okay.

00:38:40Happy Christmas

00:38:40to all you cyclists.

00:38:42Oh, I can feel the power.

00:38:43Oh, this is good, isn't it?

00:38:43Oh, I can feel the power.

00:38:44Whoa.

00:38:50Whee!

00:38:51Fab.

00:38:52You do, you feel a bit

00:38:53like Bionic Man.

00:38:56I may not look like Bionic Man,

00:38:58but I feel like Bionic Man.

00:39:01I feel like you can keep up

00:39:02with your wife now.

00:39:02Cue the crash sound.

00:39:03Now, when the invitation

00:39:11came through

00:39:11to spend Christmas

00:39:13at Downton Abbey,

00:39:14it was an early Christmas present

00:39:16we could only have dreamt of.

00:39:18This year,

00:39:19the home of the Crawleys

00:39:20will be transported

00:39:21back in time

00:39:22to the Victorian age

00:39:23with the Countess of Carnarvon

00:39:25overseeing the castle's

00:39:27transformation

00:39:27into a Dickensian dreamland.

00:39:33Charles Dickens has inspired

00:39:40our theme this year.

00:39:42Charles Dickens was a hero

00:39:43to the Lord Carnarvon

00:39:45who lived here

00:39:45in Victorian times

00:39:46and all his family.

00:39:48So we've got some of his books

00:39:50in the library.

00:39:52They are so special.

00:39:54And the library here

00:39:54at Highclere reflects

00:39:56A Christmas Carol

00:39:57and the books that he wrote

00:39:58and it looks magnificent

00:39:59at Christmas.

00:40:01And here is the centrepiece

00:40:03is this red and gold

00:40:04Christmas tree

00:40:05with the calling birds

00:40:06on it as well.

00:40:08And then, of course,

00:40:08today,

00:40:09Charles Dickens' great-grandson

00:40:11comes and performs

00:40:12the Christmas Carol here.

00:40:14It's my favourite event

00:40:16of the whole time.

00:40:17And then, of course,

00:40:18so many scenes

00:40:19from Downton Abbey

00:40:20were set here

00:40:20on the red sofas.

00:40:22You can just envisage

00:40:24Maggie Smith

00:40:25delivering some line.

00:40:27Oh, and Rosamund's forced me

00:40:29to invite Lord Hepworth.

00:40:31Really?

00:40:32Well, I told him

00:40:33I was coming down here

00:40:34and he dropped hint after hint.

00:40:35Perhaps he has nowhere to go.

00:40:37It can be a lonely time of year.

00:40:39Jinks Hepworth lonely.

00:40:40I find that hard to believe.

00:40:42Hepworth men

00:40:43don't go in for loneliness much.

00:40:45How do you know him?

00:40:47I knew his father

00:40:48in the late 60s.

00:40:50Mais où sont les neiges d'antan?

00:40:52This gold music room

00:40:54is so pretty

00:40:55and against which

00:40:57all the red looks spectacular.

00:40:59But this is a bit of fun,

00:41:00this room.

00:41:01There's quite a lot of dogs,

00:41:02Chinese dogs

00:41:03and two Labradors by the fire.

00:41:05Downton Abbey begins

00:41:06with this waggling Labrador

00:41:08walking across the lawns

00:41:09and I have quite a lot of them.

00:41:11So in this case,

00:41:12in this room,

00:41:13we've had a bit of fun

00:41:14with the theme of dogs

00:41:16and how much love they give us,

00:41:18how much pleasure

00:41:19and how dogs make a home a home.

00:41:24This is a magnificent fireplace

00:41:26and even more so

00:41:27with a very Victorian scene

00:41:30set with decorations.

00:41:31And what's amazing

00:41:32is we can't use any gaffer tape

00:41:34so everything has to be balanced

00:41:36and carefully situated

00:41:37so as not to hurt the clock,

00:41:39the painting

00:41:39and not to fall off.

00:41:42These deer represent the link

00:41:44with Queen Victoria

00:41:45and Prince Albert

00:41:46who also really celebrated Christmas

00:41:48with Christmas trees

00:41:49and it provides the link

00:41:51to Balmoral

00:41:51and the love of Scotland

00:41:52which was very much inherent

00:41:54in the royal family of the time.

00:41:56It is quite an art form

00:41:58to produce all this.

00:42:00We used to have Christmas in July

00:42:03as well as December

00:42:04because Downton Abbey filmed

00:42:06their Christmas special in July,

00:42:08usually the only hot day

00:42:09of the entire summer

00:42:10and they'd be dressed

00:42:11in all their very warm clothes

00:42:12and singing Silent Night

00:42:14for at least 11 hours.

00:42:15The crew were in shorts,

00:42:16of course,

00:42:17but it was quite amusing

00:42:19in many ways

00:42:19but they were stalwarts

00:42:21and very resilient.

00:42:23We decorate the castle

00:42:24entirely ourselves

00:42:25at Team Highcliff

00:42:26and we actually begin

00:42:27in January

00:42:28and we prepare

00:42:29many of the trees

00:42:30and garlands.

00:42:31We put them away

00:42:32a month later

00:42:33and we bring them out

00:42:35and allow ourselves

00:42:36ten days to two weeks

00:42:37to reassemble

00:42:38the whole Christmas decoration

00:42:41for the castle.

00:42:43We have 60 Christmas trees

00:42:46down the drive

00:42:47and in and around the castle

00:42:48possibly even more this year.

00:42:50I think we used

00:42:51two and a half kilometres

00:42:52of garland

00:42:54which is completely bonkers

00:42:56and we have about

00:42:5712,000 baubles

00:42:59all of which need to be wired

00:43:00and then fixed to the trees

00:43:02so Christmas at Highcliff

00:43:04is quite some operation.

00:43:06These are certainly

00:43:07the tallest Christmas trees

00:43:08I've ever seen

00:43:09outside the front of the castle.

00:43:12The grand finale

00:43:13is Operation Christmas Tree.

00:43:16The Christmas tree

00:43:17is usually between 22 foot

00:43:19and 30 foot long

00:43:20and it takes a whole day

00:43:22to decorate it.

00:43:24Well, I hope Charles Dickens

00:43:26would think it

00:43:26that it's rather fun.

00:43:28Ah, thanks to the Countess

00:43:33of Carnarvon.

00:43:34What a spectacular

00:43:35transformation for Christmas.

00:43:37If you're keen to learn

00:43:37more about Highclere

00:43:39the Countess's latest book

00:43:40A Year at Highclere

00:43:42Secrets and Stories

00:43:44from the Real Downton Abbey

00:43:45is out now

00:43:46just in time for Christmas.

00:43:48Coming up

00:43:49from treading the boards

00:43:50with the RSC

00:43:51to treading the Corrie Cobbles

00:43:53Daniel Brocklebank

00:43:54preparing to hang up

00:43:55his vicar's robes

00:43:56after ten years

00:43:57of guiding the gentle folk

00:43:59of Weatherfield.

00:44:00I'll see you with the vicar

00:44:01and more

00:44:02right after this.

00:44:18Welcome back

00:44:19to Love Your Weekend

00:44:20this chilly Sunday morning.

00:44:22Coming up

00:44:22as George Bernard Shaw observed

00:44:24there's no sincerer love

00:44:26than the love of food.

00:44:28Well, it's as if

00:44:29we were talking about

00:44:30today's Best of British

00:44:31a blue cheese crostini

00:44:32with festive fig chutney

00:44:35and a chocolate orange fancy.

00:44:37Don't mind if I do.

00:44:38Yeah, you see you're interested now.

00:44:40Jonathan Pang's

00:44:41dishing out

00:44:41Moorish mini bites

00:44:43sure to add an air

00:44:44of sophistication

00:44:45to your Christmas get-together.

00:44:48And everyone

00:44:48on their best behaviour

00:44:49the vicar's popping in

00:44:50for tea.

00:44:51Actor Daniel Brocklebank

00:44:52on the sad demise

00:44:54of Weatherfield's favourite clergyman

00:44:55and also beating me

00:44:57in all-star musicals.

00:44:59I'm not bitter.

00:45:00But first

00:45:01it was six years ago

00:45:02that my next guest

00:45:03left behind

00:45:04a two-decade-long career

00:45:06as a paramedic

00:45:07to start out

00:45:08on her own

00:45:09as a sculptor

00:45:10specialising

00:45:11in willow work.

00:45:12she's built

00:45:13her own business

00:45:14crafting bespoke

00:45:15life-size sculptures

00:45:17of a range

00:45:18of animals

00:45:18from horses

00:45:19to deer

00:45:20and even wild boar.

00:45:22Here to share

00:45:23her passion

00:45:23for the craft

00:45:24and to very kindly

00:45:25create something

00:45:26unique for our barn

00:45:27welcome

00:45:28willow whisperer

00:45:29Natalie MacLeod.

00:45:30Oh sorry Natalie

00:45:31I thought

00:45:31you see

00:45:32it's so lifelike

00:45:33isn't it

00:45:33and I'm so shocked

00:45:35thank you so much

00:45:36for wearing

00:45:36the uniform.

00:45:38You see

00:45:38we both had

00:45:39the same vibe

00:45:39this morning

00:45:40when we got up

00:45:40more than the same thing

00:45:42thank you for that

00:45:43astonishing

00:45:44I mean it's a heck

00:45:45of a leap though

00:45:46from paramedic

00:45:47it is

00:45:48it's a complete

00:45:49career change

00:45:50so it started

00:45:52probably around

00:45:53about 12-13 years ago

00:45:55I went to

00:45:58a bushcraft festival

00:45:59with my new partner

00:46:01prior to that

00:46:02in 2009

00:46:03I'd suffered

00:46:04a double bereavement

00:46:07I lost my son

00:46:08and husband

00:46:08within eight weeks

00:46:09of each other

00:46:10and left with

00:46:12my one year old

00:46:13daughter

00:46:13to bring up

00:46:14so life was

00:46:16pretty hard

00:46:17back then

00:46:18but I met

00:46:19my new partner

00:46:19Rob

00:46:20and we

00:46:21he's very much

00:46:22into bushcraft

00:46:23and I went along

00:46:24with him

00:46:25to the festival

00:46:27and sat in the rain

00:46:28and made a basket

00:46:29and loved it

00:46:31there we are

00:46:32from there

00:46:32it changed

00:46:33your life changing

00:46:35in so many

00:46:36dramatic ways

00:46:37but what a positive

00:46:40outcome here

00:46:40they are amazing

00:46:42I mean

00:46:42this lady here

00:46:43with her curly hair

00:46:44and she's even got

00:46:46a necklace

00:46:46which is very nice

00:46:47the dogs

00:46:49all kinds of things

00:46:50useful things

00:46:51obviously baskets

00:46:52but beautiful

00:46:53I mean

00:46:53I know it's awful

00:46:54one always hates

00:46:55to ask artists

00:46:56how long it takes

00:46:57to do something

00:46:58but when you look

00:46:59at this you do think

00:47:00goodness me

00:47:00ages and ages

00:47:01and the horse

00:47:02and the rider

00:47:03with the jodpers

00:47:04I mean

00:47:05it's just

00:47:06astonishing

00:47:07all from imagination

00:47:09yes

00:47:09if I'm

00:47:10the lady was very much

00:47:12from my imagination

00:47:13I made her for me

00:47:14she actually took

00:47:16about three years

00:47:17to make

00:47:17just because

00:47:18I used offcuts

00:47:19from commission work

00:47:21and when I've been

00:47:22teaching willow workshops

00:47:23so that went into her

00:47:25let's talk about

00:47:26how you're doing

00:47:26what it is

00:47:27so this is called

00:47:27brown willow

00:47:28so it won't grow

00:47:30it has just been dried

00:47:31so it's harvested

00:47:33around about

00:47:33November December time

00:47:34when the leaves fall off

00:47:35and the plant is dormant

00:47:37I've got three

00:47:38different lengths here

00:47:39I've got three

00:47:39four and five foot

00:47:40and I have to soak

00:47:42for a day per foot

00:47:44of willow

00:47:44really

00:47:45so it's really saturated

00:47:46yes

00:47:46and then you leave it

00:47:47to what's called mellow

00:47:48you take it out of the water

00:47:49and leave it

00:47:51just to rest overnight

00:47:52the moisture goes

00:47:53right into the core

00:47:54and makes it pliable

00:47:55enough to use

00:47:56because if you did it

00:47:57dry it'd snap

00:47:58well absolutely

00:47:58as I can show you here

00:48:00so this hasn't been

00:48:01wet

00:48:02not good to you

00:48:03at all is it

00:48:04whereas that one

00:48:05you can

00:48:06thank you

00:48:07you can pretty much do

00:48:09good lord

00:48:09really flexible

00:48:11whatever you want with it

00:48:12so you start with

00:48:15a circle

00:48:16with any animal I'm making

00:48:17I start off by making

00:48:19a ring

00:48:19yeah

00:48:19I make two rings

00:48:21actually

00:48:22and I join them together

00:48:23with a third one

00:48:24that goes in the opposite plane

00:48:27and that makes it

00:48:28very very strong

00:48:29it's very rigid

00:48:30already

00:48:30and then from there

00:48:32I go on to doing

00:48:33a process called

00:48:34random weave

00:48:35or free weaving

00:48:36I have it really

00:48:38densely filled in

00:48:39so it

00:48:41it lasts longer

00:48:42it's also

00:48:42that's really rigid

00:48:44it's very strong

00:48:45and it holds

00:48:46the features in place

00:48:47so necks

00:48:47legs

00:48:48anything

00:48:48and at that stage

00:48:49it could be

00:48:50almost anything

00:48:51now I'm told you're

00:48:52going to make for us

00:48:53a stag's head

00:48:54for our barn

00:48:55now let's go and see

00:48:56how you do that

00:48:57you've got

00:48:58there's that piece

00:48:59we've just been looking at

00:49:00yes

00:49:00and then things start

00:49:01getting added

00:49:02so from there

00:49:03I've added two loops around

00:49:05to make just a bit of structure

00:49:08for the nose

00:49:09so we pop one end

00:49:11into the forehead

00:49:13now if you're just thinking

00:49:14I'm just going to make a cup of tea

00:49:15because it doesn't look like a stag yet

00:49:17so you know

00:49:17she's going to be ours yet

00:49:18no we're going to get

00:49:19a bit faster than this

00:49:20we'll show

00:49:21we'll show the next stage

00:49:22so this is a stage called

00:49:24random weave

00:49:25or free weaving

00:49:25yeah

00:49:26now you've got underneath the table

00:49:28I have

00:49:29go on we'll let you go on a bit further

00:49:30so because this would take me

00:49:32hours and hours

00:49:33yeah

00:49:33and we really don't have enough time for that

00:49:36here's one I

00:49:37have already

00:49:39oh my goodness

00:49:40prepared

00:49:40wowie

00:49:41I didn't

00:49:42do you know

00:49:43I didn't expect it to be that

00:49:44size

00:49:45so now we can see

00:49:46so that's that

00:49:47yes

00:49:48there

00:49:49it's on the inside of there

00:49:50yeah

00:49:50and in each antler

00:49:52there's 50

00:49:53willow rods

00:49:54going through

00:49:56through the inner bundle

00:49:57from the top here

00:49:58one at a time

00:49:59fed through

00:50:00into the head

00:50:01there you are

00:50:02and gets woven in

00:50:03yeah

00:50:03and then they get divided up

00:50:05you must work up a relationship with them

00:50:07when you're doing them

00:50:07in a way

00:50:08I do

00:50:08I

00:50:09it may sound silly

00:50:10but I feel that you put a bit of yourself

00:50:12into something

00:50:13when you're working

00:50:14yeah

00:50:14so hard on it

00:50:15it's

00:50:16so

00:50:17mindful

00:50:18and

00:50:18relaxing

00:50:19making things like this

00:50:21that it's just

00:50:22yeah

00:50:22you put such a lot of yourself

00:50:24and time into it

00:50:25you've got something to show for it at the end

00:50:27which is so beautiful

00:50:28thank you very much Natalie

00:50:30there you are

00:50:31welcome to the barn

00:50:32thank you Natalie

00:50:33thank you

00:50:34now over the years

00:50:41cinema

00:50:41film

00:50:42and literature

00:50:42have provided many a matchmaker

00:50:44I mean

00:50:45who can forget

00:50:45Dolly Levi

00:50:46in Hello Dolly

00:50:47Yenta

00:50:48in Fiddler on the Roof

00:50:49or indeed

00:50:50Emma Woodhouse

00:50:51in Jane Austen's

00:50:52Emma

00:50:52but little did I think

00:50:54I'd see this next name

00:50:55added to the list

00:50:56as my next guest

00:50:57will verify

00:50:58here's

00:50:59Emily Bishop

00:51:00working her matchmaking magic

00:51:01in this

00:51:02Coronation Street classic

00:51:04as I said on the phone

00:51:06I bumped into

00:51:07one of your parishioners

00:51:08who seems to have developed

00:51:11a serious problem

00:51:12what kind of a problem

00:51:14you could say

00:51:15it was a

00:51:16communication problem

00:51:18and you think

00:51:19I can help

00:51:20I hope so

00:51:21yes

00:51:21did you

00:51:22you want to set up a meeting

00:51:23oh there's no need for that

00:51:25we can do it now

00:51:26now

00:51:27sorry about that Emily

00:51:28you can never find a 50p

00:51:30when you need one

00:51:30you set me up

00:51:33she sat us both up

00:51:34I had no idea

00:51:35well someone needed

00:51:37to do something

00:51:38I do have other responsibilities

00:51:40you know

00:51:40other important things

00:51:41I could be doing

00:51:42in the parish

00:51:42I think the expression

00:51:44is

00:51:45get over yourself

00:51:47I am one of your

00:51:49parishioners

00:51:50and I know

00:51:51two stubborn people

00:51:53who won't talk

00:51:54to each other

00:51:55you are a caring

00:51:58sensitive

00:51:59vicar

00:52:00sort it out

00:52:02who'd have thought

00:52:07Emily Bishop

00:52:08would have had it in

00:52:09Eileen Derbyshire

00:52:10doing her stuff

00:52:11throwing you two together

00:52:13I know

00:52:14working with

00:52:15Coronation Street

00:52:15greats

00:52:16who've been there

00:52:17for an awful long time

00:52:18I've been there

00:52:19for 11 years

00:52:20yeah

00:52:20it's been

00:52:21it's been a lot longer

00:52:23than I'd intended

00:52:24actually

00:52:24but it's such a lovely

00:52:26place to work

00:52:26that once you're there

00:52:28you kind of don't want

00:52:29to let it go

00:52:30it's been very interesting

00:52:32to see how

00:52:32Coronation Street

00:52:33Emmerdale

00:52:34EastEnders

00:52:35they've all changed

00:52:36over the years

00:52:36there's much more

00:52:38sort of social messaging

00:52:39going out there now

00:52:40and reassurance

00:52:41for people

00:52:42with all kinds

00:52:43of problems

00:52:44in different situations

00:52:46yes

00:52:46there's a lot more

00:52:47I think

00:52:47issue-led

00:52:48storylines

00:52:49but I think

00:52:50when you look back

00:52:52to when

00:52:52Coronation Street

00:52:54for example

00:52:54first started

00:52:55I think life

00:52:57was simpler

00:52:58back then

00:52:59you know

00:53:01in

00:53:01compared to

00:53:02modern times

00:53:04there's

00:53:04you know

00:53:04I think

00:53:05and also

00:53:05back then

00:53:06television was

00:53:06much more

00:53:07about just

00:53:07entertainment

00:53:08and escapism

00:53:09Corey was always

00:53:10very good

00:53:11at tempering

00:53:12comedy

00:53:12with tragedy

00:53:13you know

00:53:14particularly

00:53:14in the sort of

00:53:14what you might

00:53:15call

00:53:15the Hilda Ogden

00:53:15years

00:53:16Hilda could make

00:53:17you laugh

00:53:17and then suddenly

00:53:18she'd turn

00:53:18and you'd be

00:53:19you'd be choked up

00:53:21yes

00:53:21because they were

00:53:22it's a very clever

00:53:23when soaps can do

00:53:26that kind of

00:53:26and I think that is

00:53:27the allure

00:53:29from an actor's

00:53:30perspective

00:53:30with Corey

00:53:31because you do

00:53:32get those

00:53:33that you do

00:53:34sometimes you get

00:53:35a scene that will

00:53:36make you laugh

00:53:37out loud

00:53:37and then

00:53:38you get a scene

00:53:39that you'll be

00:53:39reading and bawling

00:53:40your eyes out

00:53:41so it's

00:53:41you get to play

00:53:43that entire

00:53:43sort of arc

00:53:45but also

00:53:45when you come

00:53:46across a moving

00:53:47scene

00:53:47like this one

00:53:48curious to know

00:53:49what your feeling

00:53:50was when you're

00:53:50presented with

00:53:51this incredibly

00:53:52moving scene

00:53:53when you were

00:53:54married

00:53:54I, William

00:53:57I, William

00:53:59take you, Apollo

00:54:01take you, Apollo

00:54:04my Paul

00:54:06to be my husband

00:54:08to have

00:54:10and to hold

00:54:11from this day forward

00:54:13for better

00:54:15for worse

00:54:16for richer

00:54:18for poorer

00:54:20in sickness

00:54:22and in health

00:54:24to love

00:54:26and to cherish

00:54:28till death

00:54:32till death

00:54:36us two

00:54:37part

00:54:37according to

00:54:40God's

00:54:41holy law

00:54:42your partner

00:54:45your partner

00:54:45there

00:54:45suffering from

00:54:45motor neurone

00:54:46disease

00:54:46and it did

00:54:48so much

00:54:48I think

00:54:49that

00:54:50relationship

00:54:51that the way

00:54:52in which it

00:54:53was treated

00:54:53there

00:54:53to reach out

00:54:55in a way

00:54:55to people

00:54:56in similar

00:54:56situations

00:54:57and just say

00:54:58you're not alone

00:54:58it really did

00:54:59I'm hugely

00:55:00proud of that

00:55:01storyline

00:55:02there's so many

00:55:06factors to

00:55:06I mean that scene

00:55:07for example

00:55:08that's the first

00:55:09ever same-sex

00:55:10wedding

00:55:11that Corrie

00:55:12had ever had

00:55:12or successful

00:55:13I think there were

00:55:14three failed ones

00:55:15prior to it

00:55:16but that was the

00:55:17first one that

00:55:18actually went

00:55:19through

00:55:19which felt

00:55:21pioneering

00:55:22in certain

00:55:23respects

00:55:24especially because

00:55:24Corrie had always

00:55:25been a very

00:55:26sort of

00:55:27it had been

00:55:28a huge advocate

00:55:29for

00:55:29gay

00:55:31lesbian

00:55:32characters

00:55:33Tony Warren

00:55:34who created

00:55:35the show

00:55:35was

00:55:35a notorious

00:55:37homosexual

00:55:38so

00:55:38the show

00:55:39had always

00:55:40had that

00:55:40kind of

00:55:42empathy

00:55:43so I was

00:55:44quite surprised

00:55:45when we were

00:55:46told that

00:55:46we were going

00:55:47to be part

00:55:48of the first

00:55:48ever

00:55:49successful

00:55:50same-sex

00:55:51union

00:55:52so that felt

00:55:53lovely

00:55:53but also

00:55:55when you tie

00:55:57that in

00:55:57to the MND

00:55:58storyline

00:56:00which

00:56:01I think

00:56:02our team

00:56:02did

00:56:03incredibly well

00:56:04they constructed

00:56:05it beautifully

00:56:06my grandfather

00:56:07died of

00:56:08motor neurones

00:56:09disease

00:56:09I'm an

00:56:10ambassador for

00:56:11the MND

00:56:11association

00:56:12I've been

00:56:12working with

00:56:13them for

00:56:13nearly 24

00:56:15years now

00:56:15so long

00:56:16before this

00:56:17storyline

00:56:18fell

00:56:18at mine

00:56:20and Peter

00:56:20Ash's feet

00:56:21and when

00:56:22we were told

00:56:23that it was

00:56:24happening

00:56:24they had

00:56:25no idea

00:56:26of my

00:56:26connection

00:56:26with the

00:56:27disease

00:56:27so it

00:56:27was a

00:56:27completely

00:56:28coincidence

00:56:30how did you

00:56:31feel when it

00:56:32came through

00:56:32I mean

00:56:32well I was

00:56:33shocked

00:56:34I was

00:56:34shocked

00:56:35but then

00:56:35was sort

00:56:36of

00:56:36quite

00:56:38overwhelmed

00:56:39with the

00:56:39responsibility

00:56:40to make

00:56:42sure that

00:56:42we were

00:56:42getting it

00:56:43absolutely

00:56:43right

00:56:44because

00:56:44not only

00:56:45have

00:56:45myself

00:56:46and my

00:56:46family

00:56:47gone through

00:56:47it

00:56:47I now

00:56:48know

00:56:48hundreds

00:56:49of

00:56:50families

00:56:50that have

00:56:50lived

00:56:51through

00:56:51similar

00:56:53situation

00:56:53there have

00:56:54been lighter

00:56:55moments too

00:56:56there have

00:56:56and very

00:56:57glamorous

00:56:58moments as

00:56:59well

00:56:59I'm thinking

00:56:59in particular

00:57:00of Shakespeare

00:57:01in Love

00:57:02yes

00:57:03in which you

00:57:03featured

00:57:04I did

00:57:04with a certain

00:57:05Gwyneth Paltrow

00:57:06indeed

00:57:07look at this

00:57:08you'll have

00:57:09the chinks

00:57:10is she a

00:57:11Capulet

00:57:11oh dear

00:57:13account

00:57:14my life

00:57:15is my

00:57:15foe's

00:57:16death

00:57:16away

00:57:17be gone

00:57:18the sport

00:57:19is at the

00:57:19best

00:57:19aye

00:57:20so I

00:57:20fear

00:57:21the more

00:57:21is my

00:57:21unrest

00:57:22come

00:57:24hither

00:57:24nurse

00:57:25what is

00:57:26yon

00:57:26gentleman

00:57:27the sun

00:57:28and air

00:57:28of old

00:57:29Tiberio

00:57:30let it

00:57:32be light

00:57:32see what

00:57:33follows

00:57:33here

00:57:33that would

00:57:33not

00:57:34dance

00:57:34go ask

00:57:37his

00:57:37name

00:57:38if he'd

00:57:40be married

00:57:41my grave

00:57:41is like

00:57:42to be

00:57:42my

00:57:42wedding

00:57:42well you

00:57:54only got

00:57:54to spectate

00:57:55but nevertheless

00:57:56I mean

00:57:57it was the

00:57:59most amazing

00:58:00film

00:58:00it was a

00:58:01wonderful film

00:58:01and working

00:58:02with Gwyneth

00:58:02Paltrow

00:58:02not just

00:58:03Gwyneth

00:58:04I mean

00:58:04that cast

00:58:05was incredible

00:58:06Joseph Fiennes

00:58:07Joseph Fiennes

00:58:08Jim there

00:58:09you know

00:58:10I mean

00:58:10just incredible

00:58:11I was 18

00:58:13when we filmed

00:58:14that

00:58:14and I think

00:58:16at the time

00:58:16I didn't quite

00:58:17realise how big

00:58:17that movie

00:58:18was going

00:58:19to be

00:58:20or really

00:58:21what it would

00:58:21do for my

00:58:22career

00:58:23you got

00:58:24you got

00:58:24you got a

00:58:24screen

00:58:24actors guild

00:58:25award

00:58:25yes

00:58:25SAG

00:58:26award

00:58:26yeah

00:58:27it's

00:58:28again another

00:58:30hugely proud

00:58:31sort of moment

00:58:32in my

00:58:33well so far

00:58:3432 year

00:58:35career

00:58:35but you were

00:58:36with some of the

00:58:37greats

00:58:37I mean you're

00:58:37talking about

00:58:38working with

00:58:38Judy Dench

00:58:39there

00:58:39who got an

00:58:40Oscar

00:58:40she did

00:58:41for her

00:58:41eight minute

00:58:43performance

00:58:43as Elizabeth

00:58:44first

00:58:44yes

00:58:45yeah

00:58:45I remember

00:58:46seeing her in a

00:58:46play

00:58:47not long after

00:58:48the movie had

00:58:48come out

00:58:49and she'd won

00:58:49the Oscar

00:58:50for it

00:58:50and I went

00:58:51back to see her

00:58:52in her dressing

00:58:52room afterwards

00:58:53and there were

00:58:53other people there

00:58:55and she introduced

00:58:55me and she said

00:58:56oh this is Daniel

00:58:56and he was in

00:58:57Shakespeare in Love

00:58:58he was in more

00:58:59of it than I was

00:58:59but I got the Oscar

00:59:00you worked with

00:59:02Michael Gambon

00:59:03as well

00:59:03I did

00:59:04I did a play

00:59:05with Michael Gambon

00:59:06in the West End

00:59:06oh gosh

00:59:08when would that

00:59:09have been

00:59:09about 2001

00:59:10maybe

00:59:11Michael was

00:59:12wonderful

00:59:13he was a

00:59:14huge amount

00:59:15of fun

00:59:16yeah

00:59:16learnt a huge amount

00:59:17from him

00:59:18lovely mum

00:59:18well you and I

00:59:20encountered each

00:59:21other

00:59:21we did

00:59:21on the stage

00:59:22at the London

00:59:22Palladium

00:59:23did we not

00:59:23we did

00:59:24we both

00:59:24did a show

00:59:25called

00:59:26All Star Musicals

00:59:27in which we had

00:59:27to sing a song

00:59:28on the London

00:59:29stage

00:59:30and there were

00:59:30about eight of us

00:59:31I think

00:59:32doing it

00:59:32yes

00:59:32six

00:59:33eight of us

00:59:33in competition

00:59:35and Daniel

00:59:36won

00:59:37and you will

00:59:37see why he won

00:59:38when you see

00:59:39his performance

00:59:40in All Star Musicals

00:59:41here he is

00:59:50from now on

00:59:54what's great

00:59:55until tomorrow

00:59:56starts

00:59:57tonight

00:59:58it starts

01:00:00tonight

01:00:00let this

01:00:01promise

01:00:02in me

01:00:04spark

01:00:04like an anthem

01:00:07in my heart

01:00:09from now on

01:00:13from now on

01:00:18from now on

01:00:20Daniel Brocklebank

01:00:24with an all-star cast there

01:00:26in all-star musicals

01:00:27and that glorious

01:00:28song from

01:00:30The Greatest Showman

01:00:31with an enormous

01:00:33backup

01:00:33it was me

01:00:34and a peer

01:00:36to do some

01:00:37enchanted evening

01:00:38no backing

01:00:39no dancers

01:00:40nothing

01:00:41but I had a wonderful

01:00:42time

01:00:42it was

01:00:43it was wonderful

01:00:44I'd never

01:00:45I'd never sung on stage

01:00:46before that

01:00:47so that was

01:00:48it was a

01:00:49it was a strange

01:00:50I trained in musical theatre

01:00:51but my career

01:00:52just never went down

01:00:53that path

01:00:53mainly because

01:00:55I'm not a brilliant

01:00:57dancer

01:00:57and obviously

01:00:59a lot of musical theatre

01:01:00requires you to

01:01:01to be able to

01:01:01do all three

01:01:02a bit of a hoover

01:01:03yes

01:01:03the acting

01:01:04the singing

01:01:04and the dancing

01:01:05so my career

01:01:06just sort of

01:01:06went down a more

01:01:07you know

01:01:08acting route

01:01:10so when the opportunity

01:01:12to do all-star musicals

01:01:14came up

01:01:14I thought

01:01:15oh

01:01:15why not

01:01:16why not

01:01:16let's give it a go

01:01:17and you had a good time

01:01:18we all had a good time

01:01:19wonderful time

01:01:20I've got to ask you

01:01:21you won't tell me

01:01:23but I've got to ask you

01:01:24how are you leaving

01:01:25are you dying

01:01:27I can't tell you that

01:01:27or are you being

01:01:28sent to another parish

01:01:30I can't tell you that

01:01:31nobody's watching

01:01:33just tell me

01:01:34I have finished filming

01:01:36which was a beautiful

01:01:39beautiful day

01:01:40it's such a lovely place to work

01:01:43and I will

01:01:44I will forever hold

01:01:45Coronation Street

01:01:46very close

01:01:47in my heart

01:01:48and there are many

01:01:49many people

01:01:50cast and crew

01:01:51that I'm still

01:01:52very very close to

01:01:53and Billy will remain

01:01:56on screen

01:01:56long into

01:01:58next year

01:02:00but I can't tell you how

01:02:02I'm not going to spoil

01:02:03that for people

01:02:04no

01:02:04but enough about the past

01:02:06the future

01:02:06you're about to go into

01:02:07Young Frankenstein

01:02:08the musical

01:02:09I am

01:02:09indeed

01:02:10the wonderful

01:02:12Mel Brooks

01:02:13Young Frankenstein

01:02:15which he

01:02:15obviously

01:02:16there was a 1974 film

01:02:18which was fantastic

01:02:19and then

01:02:20Mel Brooks

01:02:21himself

01:02:21adapted it

01:02:22into a musical

01:02:23in 2007

01:02:24Leslie Joseph

01:02:25was in it

01:02:27and she was wonderful

01:02:28in it

01:02:28we've actually been

01:02:30talking about it

01:02:31in the green room

01:02:31and it's riotously funny

01:02:35the music

01:02:36is fantastic

01:02:36it's a brilliant

01:02:38production

01:02:38the cast

01:02:39are incredibly

01:02:41talented

01:02:42it's

01:02:44I think

01:02:45rather than a panto

01:02:47it's an alternative

01:02:48Christmas show

01:02:50horror

01:02:52with a wink

01:02:53the numbers

01:02:55the music

01:02:56is fantastic

01:02:57well you clearly

01:02:58got the part on the

01:02:59strength of all star

01:03:00musicals

01:03:00you see

01:03:00well obviously

01:03:01so we are

01:03:03at the Playhouse

01:03:04in Liverpool

01:03:05running until

01:03:06January the 3rd

01:03:07oh so it's a good

01:03:08compact run

01:03:09you can just

01:03:10jolly enjoy

01:03:10it is

01:03:11I mean we opened

01:03:11on December the 3rd

01:03:13so it's a

01:03:14five week run

01:03:15but it's

01:03:16brilliant

01:03:17yeah

01:03:17and then do you know

01:03:18what's after that

01:03:19or is it

01:03:20yeah there's a few

01:03:21things in the pipeline

01:03:21there's a couple of

01:03:23things that I've been

01:03:24attached to

01:03:24so we'll

01:03:26we'll wait and see

01:03:27what happens

01:03:28I mean that's the thing

01:03:28about being a

01:03:29freelance actor

01:03:30you know

01:03:31you just

01:03:32never know

01:03:33rogues and vagabonds

01:03:34well listen

01:03:34I've got an allotment

01:03:35so I'm spending a lot of

01:03:36time down there

01:03:37you know

01:03:37and picking my veg

01:03:39thanks Daniel

01:03:40sometimes things

01:03:47happen in life

01:03:48and you think

01:03:48why

01:03:49and this could

01:03:51possibly be one of

01:03:52them

01:03:52this is typically

01:03:53the part of the

01:03:54programme where we

01:03:55hear Leslie Joseph

01:03:56take us on a

01:03:57wander down the

01:03:58garden path

01:03:59well we're shaking

01:04:00things up today

01:04:00as Leslie's been

01:04:01upgraded to a

01:04:03location slot

01:04:04for a special

01:04:05Christmas tale

01:04:06and she's brought

01:04:07some friends too

01:04:08and before you

01:04:09hit the socials

01:04:10we know you

01:04:10don't normally

01:04:11find this particular

01:04:12animal at the end

01:04:13of the garden path

01:04:14but suspend disbelief

01:04:16dear viewer

01:04:16it's Christmas

01:04:17take it away

01:04:18Leslie

01:04:19thank you Alan

01:04:20oh it's good to be

01:04:21back outdoors

01:04:22come on

01:04:23one can get quite

01:04:25claustrophobic in a

01:04:26voiceover boo

01:04:26but I don't complain

01:04:27now look who we have

01:04:29here

01:04:30we're on Mavis

01:04:31please pay attention

01:04:32nothing screams

01:04:34Christmas

01:04:35more than our dear

01:04:36old friend the donkey

01:04:37and I do have a

01:04:38collection for you

01:04:39today

01:04:40welcome to the world

01:04:42of the miniature donkey

01:04:44did you know

01:04:45miniature donkeys

01:04:46typically stand around

01:04:4732 inches at the

01:04:48shoulder

01:04:49tiny as they are

01:04:50miniature donkeys

01:04:51have enormous

01:04:52personalities

01:04:52and enough cheek

01:04:54to rival Santa's

01:04:56elves

01:04:56every one of them

01:04:58has a mischievous

01:04:59twinkle in their eye

01:05:00and I do love

01:05:01a mischievous

01:05:01twinkle

01:05:02mini donkeys

01:05:03as I love to call

01:05:04them come in

01:05:05various shades of

01:05:06grey brown

01:05:07tan and black

01:05:08and their curious

01:05:09ears will stand up

01:05:10when you offer

01:05:11them a treat

01:05:12I said

01:05:15offer them

01:05:18a treat

01:05:18oh for goodness

01:05:20sake

01:05:21who said these

01:05:22donkeys were a

01:05:23one take

01:05:24wonder

01:05:24where's the donkey

01:05:26handle

01:05:26what

01:05:27matters of romance

01:05:28fussy is all I'll say

01:05:29fussy

01:05:30a donkey

01:05:31will take its time

01:05:32to find the right

01:05:33partner

01:05:33and enjoy a long

01:05:35courtship period

01:05:35before they're able to

01:05:36share the same pasture

01:05:38well don't we all

01:05:39donkeys also have a part

01:05:42to play in literature

01:05:43and popular culture

01:05:44but none more so

01:05:46than in the bards

01:05:47a midsummer night's dream

01:05:49where bottom

01:05:50had his head transformed

01:05:52into that of a donkey

01:05:53by the mischievous

01:05:54sprite puck

01:05:55me thought

01:05:56I was enamoured

01:05:57of an ass

01:05:59Titania

01:06:00at four

01:06:01scene one

01:06:02yes RSC

01:06:04I am still available

01:06:05so we wish you

01:06:06a very

01:06:07hee-haw-py Christmas

01:06:08back to you Alan

01:06:11but before I go

01:06:13I leave you with these words

01:06:14from the bard

01:06:15love looks not with the eyes

01:06:17but with the mind

01:06:18and therefore

01:06:19is winged cupid

01:06:21painted blind

01:06:22oh okay

01:06:24come on gang

01:06:25to the barn

01:06:27come on

01:06:28television

01:06:31at its very best

01:06:33thank you Leslie

01:06:35and our wonderful

01:06:36supporting cast of donkeys

01:06:37from Miller's Ark

01:06:39in Hampshire

01:06:39coming up

01:06:40farming

01:06:41famous friends

01:06:42and being rebuffed

01:06:43by Faye Dunaway

01:06:44and we'll

01:06:45Alex James

01:06:46reliving the heady days

01:06:47of Blur

01:06:48and the sellout reunion

01:06:49that had all their fans

01:06:51wanting more

01:06:52couldn't there be

01:06:53another tour

01:06:53I'll see you with Alex

01:06:55to find out that

01:06:56and much more

01:06:57right after this

01:06:57welcome back

01:07:12to Love Your Weekend

01:07:13still ahead

01:07:14mince pies

01:07:15and cherry brandy

01:07:16oh

01:07:16he knows how to win

01:07:18over a crowd

01:07:19Jonathan Pang's here

01:07:20with the festive

01:07:21mini treats

01:07:21for those with a sweet tooth

01:07:23guilty as charged

01:07:24now infectious melodies

01:07:26insightful lyrics

01:07:28and an artistry

01:07:29that encapsulates

01:07:30their visual

01:07:31and musical aesthetics

01:07:33in their decades long career

01:07:35they've not just created music

01:07:37they've crafted

01:07:37a multi-sensory experience

01:07:39that merges sight

01:07:41and sounds

01:07:42in a way

01:07:43that few bands

01:07:44have managed

01:07:45they are of course

01:07:46the Britpop sensation

01:07:48that is

01:07:49Blur

01:07:49girls who are boys

01:07:51who are boys

01:07:51who like boys

01:07:52to be girls

01:07:53who do boys

01:07:54like their girls

01:07:55who do girls

01:07:56like their boys

01:07:57who always should be

01:08:00someone

01:08:00you really love

01:08:03but they break that

01:08:06heart

01:08:07start

01:08:09and try

01:08:10to sit

01:08:10from

01:08:11lips

01:08:11in a house

01:08:12a very big house

01:08:13in the country

01:08:14he's never

01:08:16fog in his chest

01:08:17so he needs

01:08:18a lot of rest

01:08:19in the country

01:08:20when I feel

01:08:24that I'm in the middle

01:08:25and I feel

01:08:28that I need

01:08:28oh

01:08:29when I'm lying

01:08:31I'm eating

01:08:32all of the time

01:08:34but I'm never sure

01:08:36why I need you

01:08:37at least I need you

01:08:40and days

01:08:42they seem

01:08:43to fall through

01:08:44you will cut

01:08:45let them go

01:08:48they formed up

01:08:53in 1988

01:08:54and since then

01:08:55I'm not at all sure

01:08:55that Alex James

01:08:56has cut his fringe

01:08:571988

01:09:00it astonished me

01:09:01when I was doing

01:09:02my research

01:09:03is it that long ago

01:09:04that's literally terrifying

01:09:05it is indeed

01:09:06Alan it's so nice

01:09:07to be here

01:09:08when you live on a farm

01:09:10there's nothing

01:09:10quite as fascinating

01:09:11as someone else's farm

01:09:13I've got real barn envy

01:09:14this is a magnificent

01:09:15building

01:09:16so nothing quite as old

01:09:17on your farm

01:09:18or is there

01:09:18no we've got a nice

01:09:20Victorian wing

01:09:21I think that was the last time

01:09:23like farmers were really

01:09:25making good money

01:09:26we're exporting everything

01:09:28to the far corners

01:09:28of the empire

01:09:29been that long ago

01:09:30but it's such a contrast

01:09:33we'll come to the farming

01:09:34in a minute

01:09:34but from Blur

01:09:35which is

01:09:35I mean wow

01:09:37such an explosion there

01:09:38and that mischievous way

01:09:40in which they sort of set

01:09:41Oasis against Blur

01:09:43and Blur against Oasis

01:09:44which I suppose

01:09:45both of you are good in a way

01:09:46but you had then a reunion

01:09:49sometime

01:09:50because you were

01:09:511988

01:09:51you broke up in 2003

01:09:53I think it happens

01:09:55with all bands

01:09:55you know

01:09:56you go on doing the same thing

01:09:57every day

01:09:59with the same people

01:10:00there comes a point

01:10:00when you just go

01:10:01I want to do something else

01:10:02after about 15 years

01:10:04I think everybody

01:10:04just wanted to

01:10:06have a change

01:10:07and I got married

01:10:09and moved to a farm

01:10:10which is kind of

01:10:11I think farms are

01:10:12the kind of happy after place

01:10:14of rock gentlemen

01:10:15it's hard to think of

01:10:16it's interesting

01:10:17I know Brian May

01:10:18having talked to Brian

01:10:20on this show

01:10:21and he's just

01:10:21bought a bit more woodland

01:10:23now

01:10:23woodland really

01:10:24yeah nice

01:10:25and loves it

01:10:26it's a one

01:10:27well it's a sensibility

01:10:29isn't it

01:10:29in the same way

01:10:30that making music

01:10:31is a sensibility

01:10:32yeah yeah

01:10:34well happy ever after

01:10:35is a garden

01:10:35I think it was Voltaire

01:10:37who said

01:10:37who said that

01:10:38yeah I mean

01:10:39I think

01:10:40after years of

01:10:41living out of a suitcase

01:10:43it's nice to put down

01:10:44some roots

01:10:45and settle down

01:10:46now tell me about

01:10:47the run in

01:10:48with Faye Dunaway

01:10:49it's not a question

01:10:50I can ask to many people

01:10:51well that was a very long

01:10:56so the first time

01:10:57Blur got to

01:10:58to Los Angeles

01:11:00I didn't have

01:11:02anything to do

01:11:03and I'd heard

01:11:03the Chateau Marmont

01:11:04was the place to be

01:11:07so mid afternoon

01:11:08I wandered up there

01:11:09sat down at the bar

01:11:10and Faye Dunaway

01:11:12was the only other person

01:11:14in there

01:11:14and so I winked at her

01:11:17and she said

01:11:18off Sonny

01:11:19what

01:11:22you know

01:11:23an interesting encounter

01:11:25so it's a brief conversation

01:11:26well

01:11:28but memorable

01:11:29give it a shot

01:11:30you know

01:11:30yeah

01:11:30give it a shot

01:11:31and failed

01:11:32let's go back to Blur

01:11:34for a minute

01:11:34and do a bit

01:11:35from your reunion

01:11:36because this was

01:11:36the reunion

01:11:37of Blur

01:11:38are you willing

01:11:40to sacrifice

01:11:41to be in the band

01:11:42are you willing

01:11:42to subsume

01:11:44your ego

01:11:44it takes practice

01:11:46to let go

01:11:47of something

01:11:47that was your

01:11:48absolute identity

01:11:49and then practice

01:11:50being you

01:11:50without that protection

01:11:52success will mess you up

01:11:54far more than failure

01:11:55is this going to work

01:11:59or not

01:12:00ours is a brotherhood

01:12:05that has been

01:12:06sustained

01:12:07by our musical relationship

01:12:09I hope I've made

01:12:11the rest of the band proud

01:12:12the fact that we haven't

01:12:15always got on

01:12:15it's one of the

01:12:16chemistry points

01:12:17that has led to us

01:12:19being able to make

01:12:19the news that we do

01:12:20I've tried my best

01:12:23I've tried my absolute best

01:12:25let them go

01:12:27let them go

01:12:27you see you're talking

01:12:33about contrast

01:12:34and you know

01:12:35this relative solitude

01:12:36of farming

01:12:37and then seeing that

01:12:39stadium there

01:12:39with all those fans

01:12:40there

01:12:41made me feel quite

01:12:41emotional actually

01:12:42well it should

01:12:43it was emotional

01:12:44just looking at it

01:12:45well it was so

01:12:45unexpected

01:12:46you mentioned

01:12:48splitting up

01:12:49we never actually

01:12:51split up

01:12:51but the last time

01:12:52we'd done anything

01:12:52was 2015

01:12:54it was 8 years

01:12:56it was 2023

01:12:56those gigs were

01:12:57so

01:12:59that's the longest

01:13:00we've ever gone

01:13:01without doing something

01:13:03and you never really

01:13:04know if the appetite

01:13:05is still there

01:13:06until you put tickets

01:13:07on sale

01:13:07or if you can still do it

01:13:08no but I know

01:13:10that natural insecurity

01:13:13we used to do this

01:13:14are we still capable of it

01:13:15did you get a kick

01:13:16out of it

01:13:17oh my word

01:13:18it's insane

01:13:19yeah yeah yeah

01:13:20I mean

01:13:21Wembley's

01:13:23obviously

01:13:23really emblematic

01:13:26and because we hadn't

01:13:27played for a while

01:13:28it was quite

01:13:29it was quite

01:13:30you walk up the ramp

01:13:31to the stage

01:13:32and it's a big old chef

01:13:33you know

01:13:34I can't

01:13:37I can't begin to imagine

01:13:38when I look at shots

01:13:39of the size of the audience

01:13:40and I think

01:13:41oh my goodness

01:13:42you know

01:13:42the heart must be pounding

01:13:44but I mean

01:13:45what everybody wants to know

01:13:46is will you do it again

01:13:47would you do it again

01:13:48well that is

01:13:48that is the first time

01:13:49we've ever got

01:13:50to the end of a

01:13:51of an album

01:13:52or a tour cycle

01:13:53without at least

01:13:54at least one of the bands

01:13:55saying

01:13:55never again

01:13:57never again

01:13:57I think

01:13:58because we didn't do

01:14:00that many shows

01:14:01we made a new record

01:14:03as well

01:14:03which was received

01:14:04really well

01:14:04it's hard to think

01:14:05that was nerve wracking

01:14:06going to the studio

01:14:07for the first day

01:14:07of that

01:14:08because it's

01:14:08hard to think

01:14:09of a band

01:14:09that have made

01:14:10a half decent

01:14:11ninth album

01:14:12but you know

01:14:12that went well

01:14:13that all went

01:14:15better than expected

01:14:16tell me about

01:14:17Brit Pop Classical

01:14:19well that kind of

01:14:20that kind of happened

01:14:22by accident

01:14:23my day job

01:14:25now

01:14:26is

01:14:26organising

01:14:28Feastival

01:14:28festival

01:14:29we hold

01:14:30on our farm

01:14:31and it's

01:14:32it's literally

01:14:33the most fun

01:14:33I've ever ever had

01:14:34I couldn't really

01:14:35go on tour

01:14:36because I had

01:14:36lots of young kids

01:14:37but I sort of

01:14:38moved to the countryside

01:14:39for a bit of peace

01:14:39and quiet

01:14:40and then suddenly

01:14:40I'm having this

01:14:41massive party

01:14:42but it's just

01:14:44filling the farm up

01:14:44with everything

01:14:45food and music

01:14:46and family

01:14:46stuff

01:14:47I love doing it

01:14:48but the

01:14:49hardest thing

01:14:51every year

01:14:51is securing

01:14:52headline bands

01:14:53because there's

01:14:54so many festivals

01:14:54not enough bands

01:14:55to go around

01:14:56and we thought

01:14:58we had the

01:15:00headliners confirmed

01:15:01the blur tour

01:15:03had just finished

01:15:03we'd just done

01:15:04a huge show

01:15:04in Argentina

01:15:05they'd just won

01:15:06the football

01:15:06they'd just got

01:15:07a new president

01:15:07there was hundreds

01:15:08of thousands

01:15:08they were all going

01:15:09mental

01:15:09it was brilliant

01:15:10and there was

01:15:11a euphoria

01:15:12bittersweet euphoria

01:15:13of finishing the tour

01:15:14and literally

01:15:15the plane

01:15:16landed at Heathrow

01:15:17and I thought

01:15:17you know

01:15:18we'd get home

01:15:19for Christmas

01:15:19fantastic

01:15:20and my phone rang

01:15:22and it was the

01:15:23booker saying

01:15:24I can't even remember

01:15:25who it was

01:15:25the headline band

01:15:27we had for

01:15:27Saturday night

01:15:28had dropped out

01:15:28so I had to go

01:15:29straight on to

01:15:30a Zoom call

01:15:31with lots of

01:15:31panicky execs

01:15:33just all going

01:15:34what are we going

01:15:35to do

01:15:35what are we going

01:15:35to do

01:15:35and the booker

01:15:36said Alex

01:15:37trust me

01:15:38ministry of

01:15:39Sound Classical

01:15:40you're going

01:15:40to love it

01:15:40it's 90 minutes

01:15:41of hits

01:15:42it's fantastic

01:15:43so I didn't

01:15:45have much choice

01:15:45at that point

01:15:46but I said

01:15:46yeah okay

01:15:47book them

01:15:48and I went

01:15:48it was fantastic

01:15:50best headliner

01:15:51we've ever had

01:15:51and so I went

01:15:53straight backstage

01:15:53afterwards saying

01:15:54we've got to do

01:15:55a Britpop

01:15:56version of this

01:15:57but what you

01:15:58basically get is

01:15:59it's a rock band

01:16:00with a symphony

01:16:01orchestra

01:16:01a chorus of vocalists

01:16:03and then special

01:16:04guests singing

01:16:05their hits

01:16:06what's not to like

01:16:07and it is 90 minutes

01:16:09of hits

01:16:10after about

01:16:11several Zoom meetings

01:16:13many face to face

01:16:15meetings

01:16:15there's lots of

01:16:16mulling in the bubble

01:16:16bath

01:16:17we've managed to

01:16:17get it down to

01:16:18like four and a half

01:16:18hours of songs

01:16:19we've just got to do

01:16:20yeah

01:16:21but what an antidote

01:16:22then to make cheese

01:16:23and to make wine

01:16:25amongst all of that

01:16:26and actually

01:16:27festivals were all

01:16:28started with religious

01:16:30festivals actually

01:16:31so maybe I'm just a

01:16:33kind of modern day

01:16:34monk

01:16:34I don't know

01:16:35but how's the wine

01:16:37coming along

01:16:37because you're doing

01:16:38a fizz now as well

01:16:39aren't you

01:16:39well it's

01:16:40when I wrote my

01:16:41first book about

01:16:42the rock and roll

01:16:43years I boasted

01:16:44I kind of made it up

01:16:45everybody believed me

01:16:46that I'd spent a

01:16:47million pounds on

01:16:48champagne

01:16:48which I thought

01:16:50was a terrific

01:16:51waste of money

01:16:52but it turns out

01:16:53I know quite a lot

01:16:54about champagne

01:16:54now

01:16:55and so I was

01:16:56actually doing

01:16:57research

01:16:57the British food

01:16:58revolution

01:16:59of the last

01:17:00sort of 10

01:17:0020 years

01:17:01it's a wonderful

01:17:04story

01:17:05but British

01:17:05winemaker

01:17:06there was no

01:17:07English wine

01:17:08British wine

01:17:09commercially available

01:17:10in 1990

01:17:11it was all

01:17:11hobbyists

01:17:12and amateurs

01:17:13and actually

01:17:14an English sparkling

01:17:15one was just

01:17:15voted the best

01:17:16in the world

01:17:17at the

01:17:17kind of world

01:17:19sparkling wine

01:17:20it's something

01:17:20we celebrate here

01:17:21on every programme

01:17:22at the end

01:17:22of every programme

01:17:23and people think

01:17:24we only do it

01:17:24just to have a bit

01:17:25of a you know

01:17:25all the tough stuff

01:17:27we do at the end

01:17:28it's all British

01:17:29this country's so

01:17:30fortunate

01:17:30in having people

01:17:31like yourself

01:17:32who will go out

01:17:32and lift

01:17:33often small places

01:17:35small you know

01:17:36not necessarily

01:17:36well micro breweries

01:17:38but also micro

01:17:38distilleries

01:17:39I think it's

01:17:39I think it's really

01:17:40hard to be in

01:17:41an independent band

01:17:42these days

01:17:43just because of

01:17:44the way the industry

01:17:44works but actually

01:17:45independent food

01:17:46producers

01:17:47you can make

01:17:49make an interesting

01:17:50pickle

01:17:51pickled onions

01:17:51everyone's going

01:17:52oh let's have a look

01:17:53you know

01:17:53now Britpop

01:17:55classical

01:17:55Albert Hall

01:17:56it's going to be

01:17:57Albert Hall

01:17:58and then Birmingham

01:17:58Manchester

01:17:59Brighton

01:18:00Nottingham

01:18:00Newcastle

01:18:01Glasgow

01:18:02Sheffield

01:18:03there's a memory

01:18:03when

01:18:04that's in

01:18:05spring

01:18:06spring this year

01:18:072026

01:18:07yeah

01:18:08look forward to it

01:18:10always nice to have a year

01:18:11always nice to have a farmer

01:18:12and a pop star

01:18:14thanks Alex

01:18:16cheers

01:18:16now before we indulge

01:18:17ourselves in today's

01:18:18best of British

01:18:19I mean just talked about it

01:18:20it's time to indulge ourselves

01:18:22in a different way

01:18:23in today's

01:18:24Ode to Joy

01:18:24the time

01:18:28oh

01:18:28I mean just

01:18:29I mean just

01:18:31it's time to grow

01:18:31I

01:18:32I

01:18:33I

01:18:34I

01:18:35I

01:18:37I

01:18:38I

01:18:39I

01:18:41ORGAN PLAYS

01:19:11ORGAN PLAYS

01:19:41ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:11ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:13ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:15ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:17ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:19ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:21ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:23ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:25ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:27ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:29ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:33ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:35ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:39ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:41ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:43ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:45ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:47ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:49ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:51ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:53ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:55ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:57ORGAN PLAYS

01:20:59ORGAN PLAYS

01:21:01ORGAN PLAYS

01:21:03ORGAN PLAYS

01:21:05ORGAN PLAYS

01:21:07festive mini-puds and dessert tipples so when just one will do welcome back food

01:21:13drink expert Jonathan Pang. I think we're all salivating at the present of these. Jonathan!

01:21:19Hi there, how are you? I'm looking forward to this. Well good, so we're going to kick off with a little bit of a

01:21:25savoury number okay because we will have all that onslaught of sugar. So I've got

01:21:30this amazing semi-hard cheese from Aberystwyth in Wales called Batty Glass

01:21:35and it's a it's a blue cheese and it's made of raw organic milk. It's won about

01:21:4030 awards actually. You're very brave giving Alex James a cheese. It is soft isn't it? Yes it is.

01:21:49Really unusual texture but it's got a really long finish to it and it's got

01:21:54quite a complex flavour and I'm not a massive fan of blue cheeses I'll be

01:21:58honest I find some of them a little bit overpowering but this is I find really

01:22:03gorgeous. This is really nice. Very buttery. It's gorgeous. Because I don't eat blue

01:22:08cheese. I find it too strong for me. Have you tried some? If you're ever going to eat blue

01:22:12cheese you want to eat it at Christmas because this is made from the last flush of

01:22:16summer grass. 12 weeks is the best day. Bang some on there. All right give it a little go.

01:22:20Daniel I'm convinced. I am not mad on these cheeses. I love them. I love them. No I'm going to do it. You're the wrong person to say that too. Dive in. Okay. Brave man. Oh it's lovely. Happy Christmas. You know what? It's not bad is it? No. Well done.

01:22:39Good. Very nice. Lovely festive fig chutney too. It seems to me the texture is lovely on this as well as the flavour. It's got real creaminess to it which contrasts. Some of you get the texture bomb of the cracker and the soft cheese and the sweetness. Is that a bit of what's that?

01:22:54It's a little festive fig chutney from a page called Coppers in Barcher and just to sort of you know cut through that sort of saltiness but you know the texture really is very pleasing and very comforting. It's sort of buttery.

01:23:05I think it's gorgeous. And I'm serving it with quite controversially a negroni from the Balney Wine Estate in Sussex and this is quite a new product for them but I think it just what I like about it it doesn't fight against the cheese. It has that sort of background heat with that sort of ginger and a bit of botanicals. What's the alcohol in it? Well it's gin and vermouth and amaro which is that sort of bitter herbal botanical from Italy. Oh it's very fresh.

01:23:34It is. Wow. So next I've got these amazing chocolates with this morello cherry and marzipan which are one of the flavours of the festive season. Look at this.

01:23:44So the cherries have been soaked in an almond and raspberry liqueur for six months. Oh my goodness. And then it's put on a nice little bed of marzipan and covered in dark chocolate. And this is a local chocolatier to me in West London called Philip Neil.

01:24:00And he, you know, they're for special occasions. Oh this is really gorgeous. Do you see the cherries on the top of the marzipan? I mean this is heaven. I forgot. This is delicious. I've forgotten what marzipan tastes like because my wife will not have it in there. Oh wow.

01:24:18It is quite divisive isn't it. But they're wild morello cherries so they have a sourness to them as well as the sweetness and the fact that they've been soaked for six months.

01:24:28They've been really sort of soft. It is gorgeous. Absolutely delicious. If you're expecting us just to take a bite out of this and leave the rest. Oh no I'm eating the whole thing.

01:24:38You know and I thought for a little pick me up after you know postprandial we've got an espresso martini. Oh my goodness. And for eases sake we've got this box here from the drinks bureau so you can either get them in cans or in a party box. So it's a nice double hit of espresso.

01:24:54Nice little hint of vanilla as well. Merry Christmas. And a very strong hit of vodka so you know pace yourself. Cheers. Merry Christmas. Cheers. I mean that's got enough sugar and caffeine to kind of perk you up after a big old load of roast potatoes. I think I've just died and got to heaven with marzipan and relo cherry and an espresso martini. That's perfect combination. Actually that cherry chocolate and this is something really special. Really good connection. So after that we've now got our non-alcoholic coffee.

01:25:24So this is a sort of non-alcoholic Kia Royale. Yeah. With some wild idol from the Balfour Estate in Kent. It's a sparkling non-alcoholic wine and it's delicious. And I've just decided to sort of liven it up and make a sort of Kia Royale mocktail. Have you tried this? That's Tommy and Rupert's gear isn't it? It is exactly that. We had that feast on it. It's brilliant. This is my new obsession and a little of it goes a really long way. It's a real burst of fruity flavour. Oh it's gorgeous. Lovely. So just a little touch on it.

01:25:54It's a real conversation there. This is Tommy and Rupert's gear. Very pop star. Very pop star. I feel quite merry already. The world's poshest ribino is delicious.

01:26:08It is actually. And you look at the bottle and think that's really expensive but actually you need so little of it because it is completely organic. It's all fresh fruit and fresh botanicals.

01:26:19And it's a burst of flavour. What would it go with of your nibbles?

01:26:24Well, I'm serving it with Gower Cottage Brownie. And they've done this ice cream special which is a raspberry ripple brownie.

01:26:33So it's kind of the classic brownie mixed with some white chocolate and also some raspberry as well.

01:26:38So I thought that would go quite nicely together. Every drink and every nibble today is really something special.

01:26:44My goodness. It really is. Music to my ears. What's lovely about the fizz with the sticky stuff is it's a bit of a palate cleanser.

01:26:52Yes. And a nibble invites a sip and a sip invites a nibble and you're in this beautiful virtuous circle.

01:26:59I'd like that on a t-shirt I think.

01:27:01OK. And of course it is the festive season. It is Christmas. And so there we go. We have to have a mince pie.

01:27:10Yeah. And I remember from a couple of years ago you like a sort of frangipan topping.

01:27:15Yes. So this year we've got a nice crunchy almond topping from Jukes Hill.

01:27:20So it's everything you'd expect from a mince pie. It's a nice short crust pastry deep filled with mince meat, you know, juicy with a bit of booze in it.

01:27:28And then this almond topping. And I love these because they look quite homemade. They look a bit rustic.

01:27:32And I've decided to deserve it with some lovely English heritage cherry brandy because that reminds me of my mum and my heart because that was their favourite.

01:27:42Cheers.

01:27:43As James says, oh my word.

01:27:46Well, I love a cherry bread. It's so festive, cherry brandy.

01:27:49Do you know, my mum used to, bless her heart, not excessive, but my mum was a whiskey drinker, a whiskey and dry ginger.

01:27:54Right.

01:27:54And once she had a cherry brandy and she fell over.

01:27:57She passed out after a cherry brandy.

01:27:59She could take scotch but she didn't take a cherry brandy.

01:28:02I love that.

01:28:03I hope it's not reflected in her son.

01:28:05Cherry with the almonds works.

01:28:07Yeah, it does. It's a really, it's a marriage made in heaven.

01:28:10Oh my goodness.

01:28:10Cherry and almonds, isn't it?

01:28:12Oh, Christmas-y.

01:28:13So there we are.

01:28:14So do we rate all of those, chaps?

01:28:16Yeah, we do.

01:28:17There is nothing there.

01:28:18Every single thing.

01:28:20Yeah.

01:28:20And I haven't been sold on the cheese, which, you know, that's a hard sell.

01:28:25Shall we have a recap?

01:28:26Shall we just start at the beginning and work through again and remind ourselves how good they were?

01:28:30We'll do that when you've gone.

01:28:32But that is it for today's show.

01:28:34I'm sad to say thanks to all my guests, to Leslie, Alex, Daniel and, of course, particularly to Jonathan, who's given us some amazing combinations.

01:28:42Next week is Love Your Christmas, when we'll be celebrating with even more music, chat and bubbly.

01:28:50Fletcher's Farm is up next.

01:28:51Till then, to quote Mama Norton from the musical Chicago,

01:28:55You can like the life you're living, you can live the life you like.

01:29:00And I'm certainly liking all of this, especially my mince pie.

01:29:05Till next time, cheers.

01:29:06Cheers, all.

01:29:06Cheers.

01:29:07Cheers.

01:29:08Cheers.

01:29:09Cheers.

01:29:10Cheers.

01:29:11Cheers.

01:29:12Cheers.

01:29:13Cheers.

01:29:41Cheers.

01:29:42Cheers.

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