Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh - Season 8 - Episode 10 - video Dailymotion

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#video #Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh - Season 8 - Episode 10

Transcript

00:00:00The noble Frisian horse.

00:00:02What began as a regional war horse during medieval times

00:00:06has now been transformed into a show-stopping superstar,

00:00:10where once it trotted from battle to battle,

00:00:13now you'll find it capturing hearts

00:00:16with its majestic gait and beautiful black coat.

00:00:19Today, classic comedy, countryside capers

00:00:22and a couple of hedgehogs find their forever home.

00:00:26With these two beauties, it can only be...

00:00:30Love you, weekend.

00:01:06Beautiful wax wings, common spawning frogs,

00:01:10mizzle thrushes singing from the tops of tall trees,

00:01:14just some of the wildlife sounds and sights to enjoy

00:01:18as we emerge from those cold, dark months.

00:01:21Something to warm you up is today's show.

00:01:25Coming up from a geek in a duffel coat in Johnson Creek

00:01:28to TV's biggest taskmaster, Alan Davies,

00:01:32on returning to his comedy roots

00:01:34as he takes to the road for a brand-new tour.

00:01:36And she exploded onto our screens in the late 80s

00:01:40with shows like The Really Wild Show and The Hitman and Her.

00:01:44Remember that?

00:01:45Michaela Strachan, currently celebrating 40 years on the box,

00:01:49and she still only looks 23.

00:01:51And it's the Holby City for Hedgehogs.

00:01:54Our one Buckinghamshire couple

00:01:55have spent the past five years

00:01:57setting up a hedgehog hospital in their back garden.

00:02:00And their poplar's favourite duo,

00:02:03Annabelle Apsian and Cliff Parisi,

00:02:05on what's next for Fred and Violet.

00:02:08And we're sampling some female-owned bevies,

00:02:11sure to get your spirits up on a March morning.

00:02:14Drinks expert Becky Paskin

00:02:15on the women breaking the glass ceiling

00:02:18in this week's Leicester British.

00:02:26Let's start at the very beginning.

00:02:28A very good place to start.

00:02:30I feel a song coming on.

00:02:31Please welcome to the bar,

00:02:32Michaela Strachan and Alan Davies.

00:02:35Now, things guests have in common.

00:02:37You two, it's a big year this year.

00:02:3960. Alan, you've just turned 60.

00:02:42Michaela, yours is coming up in April.

00:02:43It's true.

00:02:44Am I allowed to say this?

00:02:46Months apart, we're both 60.

00:02:48Yes.

00:02:48Do you know, I'm really excited about being 60

00:02:50because I think once you get to 60,

00:02:52you can kind of say what you really want to say.

00:02:55I don't feel that the filter is there anymore.

00:02:58So this could go anyway, this show, couldn't it?

00:03:00Looking forward to this.

00:03:01You kind of know who you are.

00:03:03Yes, you do.

00:03:04Yeah.

00:03:05No, a bit more enthusiasm.

00:03:06Come on.

00:03:07No, I'm OK with it.

00:03:10I mean, I didn't have any qualms at 50.

00:03:12I quite liked it.

00:03:14But 60, when I was a kid growing up,

00:03:1860 was really ancient.

00:03:19Yes.

00:03:2170 was really old and 80 was unthinkable.

00:03:24But things have changed, right?

00:03:2560 is the new 40.

00:03:26That's all I'm told.

00:03:27And you don't let age define you.

00:03:29That's the thing.

00:03:29That's my new motto.

00:03:30Don't let age define you.

00:03:32I think you get kind of sort of bullish about it, don't you?

00:03:35OK.

00:03:36But what you hesitate, you suddenly realise,

00:03:40you say, I'm 76.

00:03:42And you don't want to turn into that little old lady

00:03:44who says, I'm 83.

00:03:45Yeah.

00:03:46And then you let a day go by without telling people

00:03:49how old you are.

00:03:50That's key as you get older.

00:03:52That's awesome.

00:03:52Some older folk, they do the same as you do when you're a child,

00:03:56which is you say, well, how old are you on next birthday?

00:03:59How old are you?

00:04:00I'm 83 next birthday.

00:04:01Next birthday.

00:04:02Did you celebrate?

00:04:04Yes, I did.

00:04:04In a huge way.

00:04:06I nearly didn't make it here, am I?

00:04:09You know, partying for your 60th,

00:04:11I've rather stupidly decided to go on tour six days after my birthday.

00:04:16Oh, no.

00:04:16That's really silly, isn't it?

00:04:18So, what do you think you'll have a six-day hangover?

00:04:20That's going to be a party.

00:04:21I'm postponing my celebration.

00:04:23You're going to do this filter-free tour now.

00:04:26It's going to be unmissable.

00:04:28Do you think so?

00:04:28Filter-free, because I can say whatever I like.

00:04:31Now I'm 60.

00:04:33It might as well.

00:04:33They've come.

00:04:34Not just a wildlife.

00:04:35It really will be not just a wildlife.

00:04:37Not just a wildlife, because you'll begin your life in musical theatre.

00:04:40I mean, she's a girl of musicals, you know.

00:04:43From your point of view, have you ever been asked to do musical theatre?

00:04:45Yes, I was asked.

00:04:47Oh.

00:04:48And you didn't?

00:04:49I was asked to do Caractacus Pots in Chitty Chitty Bankman.

00:04:53Oh, wow.

00:04:54My father said to me, the Dick Van Dyke part?

00:04:56And I said, yeah.

00:04:57And he said, but Dick Van Dyke was marvellous.

00:05:01That was encouraging.

00:05:02Don't need your kids then.

00:05:03Like father, like daughter.

00:05:05So I went and I said, listen, I've never done this.

00:05:08I don't know about singing.

00:05:09I went along to meet the musical director.

00:05:12And he said, well, we'll sing this song.

00:05:14I started to sing it.

00:05:16And then he came round and he put his hand on my diaphragm, which I didn't know I had.

00:05:22And he said to me, you're not breathing at all.

00:05:25Which I didn't take as a positive.

00:05:27And also I thought was medically not possible.

00:05:31And I didn't do it in the end.

00:05:33You have to sing with your diaphragm.

00:05:34Yeah, that's what he said.

00:05:35Yes, you do.

00:05:36Yeah.

00:05:36But also I was working with Leslie Sharp at the time.

00:05:39Oh, gosh.

00:05:40One of my favourite ever.

00:05:41Yeah.

00:05:41Co-stars.

00:05:42And she said, I said it'd be nice to do this.

00:05:45And she just said, la, la, la, la, la, la, la.

00:05:47La, la, la, la, la, la, la.

00:05:50La, la, la, la, la, la, la.

00:05:51La, la, la, la, la, la, la.

00:05:52I thought, what the...

00:05:52She said, in the next door dressing room, every night, for a year.

00:05:57Yes.

00:05:58So I had a little insight into what it might be like.

00:06:01It might have been a stage.

00:06:03So did they eventually say to you, thank you, but no?

00:06:06No, once I'd said, I don't think I can do this, never heard from them again.

00:06:10Maybe leave you.

00:06:10It is ruthless.

00:06:12There's nothing more ruthless in musical theatre.

00:06:15It's all this out front.

00:06:16Yeah, it's the jazz bands.

00:06:19i took the kids to see anything goes at the barbican which was not long after

00:06:25covid restrictions had finally been lifted so it's everybody packed in the theater for

00:06:30the first time for a while and it was euphoric it was extraordinary and they're two massive

00:06:36tap routines in that show full company and they got standing ovations in the middle of the show

00:06:42which was hard on the dancers they were all holding some pose in a lift

00:06:52there's nothing quite like a really good musical there's nothing quite like it

00:06:56i tap danced on all-star musicals i decided to do 42nd street because they i thought no one's

00:07:02tap danced on it before and i was thinking telly terms i think well that'd be a good variety wouldn't

00:07:06it so yeah i ended up doing 42nd street but i went to see showstoppers recently have you seen

00:07:12that oh yeah yeah now that is phenomenal so that is an improvised musical every night and the audience

00:07:18says what they want the musical to be about so five people will give titles and then you'll vote for

00:07:24which title it was so when i was there it was a static caravan and then they've got to make

00:07:28up a whole

00:07:29musical with songs and and a plot about a static caravan this takes him really to new heights yeah

00:07:36don't ask alan davis to do it especially if there's a number from chitty bang bang i think we should

00:07:41do it

00:07:42right here right now we could do it on something like let's make the musical about iced buns this is

00:07:48i've been worked out my show for months it's perfect oh let's do a song in it

00:07:55no you do yours this is clear i'll do my tour you do your tour it's like being in the

00:08:00hitman

00:08:02you do that michaela i'll stand in the corner and count the money do you know what i think would

00:08:07work

00:08:07really well alan if we did mix our tours you're going off in september i'm going on for april sometime

00:08:14in the middle we could put them together and see what happens special guest michaela stracken wait

00:08:19the audience oh brilliant she's gonna tap she's 60. i'm gonna skate on dance to an ice do a song

00:08:28i'm gonna go talk about wildlife come on a bit portly another story about my childhood

00:08:34oh god are you gonna come on i don't know i feel i've seen the show already mr t mr

00:08:45t comes on at

00:08:45the end of it early yes with a plant i pity the fool i think so he says to all

00:08:51his plants round it

00:08:52off with a few gardening tips i think it'd be an absolute hit tell you my favorite plant alan fritillaria

00:08:58oh very good yeah well the crown imperial snakes have the tall one a crown imperial yeah yeah

00:09:04i grew one by mistake how can you grow fritillaria by mistake i got some uh bulbs

00:09:10yes planted tulips and dafts and normal sort of bulbs yeah that's a normal they're the ones i know

00:09:14yeah yeah and that and in this package of bulbs i ordered a massive bulb came and i didn't know

00:09:20what

00:09:20it was and i put it in a pot on a windowsill and after a few months things started to

00:09:27appear anyway

00:09:27it grew to about this high and i didn't know what it was and i tell you told me what

00:09:32it was morgana

00:09:33robinson who's brilliantly funny comic actress i was in taskmaster with she's a gardener and i kept

00:09:39taking pictures of her and she told me what it was and it was beautiful it sprang up and then

00:09:44these

00:09:44little bells came out yeah yellow or orange orange yeah that's the the normal one it's a lovely story

00:09:50attached i don't take the mood down but the story was that when it first grew the crown imperial was

00:09:56white and its flowers were upturned and it was the only flower in the garden of gethsemane that didn't

00:10:03bow its head when christ died so an angel came down and admonished it it blushed orange turned its

00:10:11flowers down and if you look inside each flower you'll find a teardrop this is flower mythology but how

00:10:17amazing that he just brings it out the bag that's story yes yeah i mean you and i were hanging

00:10:23on your

00:10:24every word there it's unusual not many people do okay well we could i feel we're doing the entire show

00:10:33here but alas we have to move on more barn side banter from these two we can now and later

00:10:40coming up

00:10:41we'll try and fit the rest in if we can if you fancy a summer bounty of bargain bouquets now's

00:10:47the time to be planning and horticulturist ashley edwards on the cut flowers you can grow from seed

00:10:52rather than bulbs including poppies and marigolds you almost smell the summer and described as a

00:10:58modern day black beauty oh known for their majesty athleticism impressive gait temperament and shiny

00:11:06black coat you have to see these horses they're out there they're gorgeous frisian horses

00:11:10they've been captivating equine enthusiasts for centuries we'll be catching up with our noble

00:11:16steeds and much more right after this alan can i attempt you to a cream horn

00:11:22oh okay i'm strawberry oh how did you know i'd go for the strawberry i can just tell i've lost

00:11:30my

00:11:30nerve with the cream horn but i'm not i'm not disappointed

00:11:49for nature gives to every time and season some beauties of its own and from morning to night

00:11:56as from the cradle to the grave it is but a succession of changes so gentle and easy that

00:12:03we can scarcely mark their progress lovely words from hampshire born charles dickens on the ever

00:12:09changing face of nature in the british countryside which we continue to celebrate here at love your

00:12:15weekend coming up you've seen her wide awake on sassy mornings cuddling orangutans wrangling chris

00:12:22packham and keeping pete waterman in check in the hit man and her michaela strachan shares the

00:12:28anecdotes and the stories of an incredible career also coming up the awards just keep on coming

00:12:34recently voted best continuing drama how call the midwife continues to reign supreme taking time out

00:12:42from their haberdashery cliff parisi and annabel absin on poplar's favorite handyman and queen of local

00:12:48government fred and violet buckle but now if you've ever enjoyed a story of the knights of old galloping

00:12:56on horseback to perform a daring deed odds are you might have in mind a frisian horse they really do

00:13:04look as though they're trotted straight out of a fairy tale originally hailing from the netherlands the

00:13:10frisian stud book founded in 1879 describes the breed as fiery strong intelligent and looking just

00:13:18a bit superior as if she knows of her centuries-old heritage as if she knows of the place she

00:13:25has

00:13:25in so many hearts well they certainly won over my heart last time they were here it's a warm welcome

00:13:32back to frisian breeders ian garbert and gainer morris having brought with you today welcome who have

00:13:38we got here well this is uh vendor um we saw vendor here some time ago yeah her mother was

00:13:45here which

00:13:46is yeldo she was the two times british supreme champion um and we brought her here today so we

00:13:51can show you how we're going to start training with her now she's three years old and then we have

00:13:55senna

00:13:55here who's a five-year-old mare who's um in fall to the world champion stallion called yepa so we're

00:14:02very

00:14:02excited about that so uh so yeah i mean there's a lot of a lot of breeding gain i mean

00:14:08how many horses

00:14:08in foal have you got at the moment um we have seven foals drew this year wow uh four pure

00:14:13frisians

00:14:13and three uh part breads yeah um that we breed carefully with other horses to make more sporty

00:14:19um light-footed um animals it must be very exciting when you kind of don't know what you're going to

00:14:26get

00:14:26do you know especially when you've got a you know you're ready to jump in it's it's always um it's

00:14:31it's about improving all the time um no horse is perfect same as no people aren't but uh senna has

00:14:38faults um she's a star mare she's very good quality she's got a superb temperament and she's so calm for

00:14:43a five-year-old yeah ian can take her out happy hacking totally safely she goes in the carriage we

00:14:48only use her lightly because she's in foal but it's really good to keep them fit well for you ian

00:14:53why frisians you could pick any breed of horse you wanted i'm saying that looking and thinking

00:14:58well i know why they look so wonderful yeah well i know why as well i mean they're so majestic

00:15:03aren't

00:15:03they yes but it's actually gainer's fault believe it or not because around 13 years ago she brought

00:15:08me a book of horses for the world and i just went i want that one and that was it

00:15:13so you're training

00:15:14yourselves now i think we're training ourselves we've i think we've got to the stage that we've

00:15:18learned enough now that we know what the judges in in the kfps are looking for yes and therefore

00:15:24we're gonna start training ourselves this young lady has started her training only just recently

00:15:29because she's she's only just three years old yeah and she won't be grading until she's um three and

00:15:34a half in september and therefore she's just learning really it's about manners at the moment yeah

00:15:41i think we should let them have a run don't you do you want to just let one off then

00:15:45we've got some

00:15:45control if you go over that side and i'll go over here and she should run back towards center

00:15:49you can see the power can't go on these horses i don't know about you but watching a horse run

00:15:54like

00:15:54that i can just stand for hours and watch look at the way that it lifts its hooves it's just

00:16:05naturally

00:16:05elegant you can exercise yourself don't you yeah i don't know who's getting more the horse or the

00:16:17owner but look at that conformation look at the way it lifts its feet it seems to float

00:16:29wow you're very fit ian that's so impressive ian that's a wonderful conformation goodness me what a sight

00:16:41ian you've only cup of coffee that's all you get from me

00:16:45that is all we would ask from you i'd be skiing i'm no athlete i think you are now

00:16:53how wonderful so uh when's the foal due here she's due in uh at the end of may yeah so

00:17:01you can see

00:17:02she carries her first foal yes um and you can see she carries very tighter you can hardly tell she's

00:17:07involved it's amazing but the the big growth with the foal it's probably about the size of a cat now

00:17:12right it's amazing the last three months he's absolutely mad that's where the size comes so

00:17:16it's grown all its bits now yeah it has ears and eyes and legs and everything gestation is how long

00:17:2111 months and a week it's just wonderful to see you both again and yeah thank you to see these

00:17:26two

00:17:26yeah and meeting people who are passionate and knowledgeable about what they

00:17:32love yeah particularly in terms of livestock it's always such a treat it's quite by-blowing yeah

00:17:36it's thank you ladies very much indeed and ian you can have a light hand yeah i can't run to

00:17:43save

00:17:43my life brilliant frisian horses the original black beauty having coming up the couple who've

00:17:49devoted their life and their savings to helping hedgehogs even setting up their very own hedgehog

00:17:55triage room in the back garden can you imagine and the woman who shares my love for the great

00:18:01outdoors and everything that's great about our countryside with her trademark leggings hiking

00:18:06boots and a light waterproof mikaela strachan boots up once more as she takes to the great outdoors

00:18:13this time here at manor farm i'll see you with michaela right after this

00:18:32welcome back to manor farm coming up my favorite detective slash magician and of course there are so

00:18:38many to choose from star of jonathan creek and long-serving qi panelists alan davis on his triumphant

00:18:45return to stand-up comedy and it's a new memoir too also coming up the inspiring story of the couple

00:18:51who've set up their own hedgehog hospital in their back garden but first to quote the late great vincent

00:18:57van gogh as i so often do of a sunday morning if you truly love nature you will find beauty

00:19:03everywhere

00:19:04words that will no doubt resonate with my next guest who spent the last 35 years celebrating the great

00:19:11outdoors and the animals that inhabited well chulu may be a newcomer here at the orphanage but already

00:19:19she knows the milk routine and she's just as keen and eager as all the other orphans

00:19:31it's very obvious which one is chulu's bottle because it has this tea it's hardly surprising she's so

00:19:38keen to get her bottle it's thought that she was without her mom for about two weeks and in that

00:19:43time

00:19:44she became very dehydrated and the telltale signs of that are these sunken cheeks you shouldn't be able to

00:19:51see the cheekbones on an elephant of this age so we need to fatten you up a little bit look

00:19:57at you

00:19:58the elephant diaries amazing brave not just because there's quite a lot of weight behind a baby elephant

00:20:04but you are allergic to elephants i'm allergic i know as well you mad fool michaela what possessed you

00:20:09but you might be allergic to elephants i've never got close exactly which i did ride on one in india

00:20:15it seemed to pass without incident yeah i mean absolutely bonkers isn't it i'm slightly allergic

00:20:21to long-haired cats as well so maybe there's a link there but did you not discover it then until

00:20:25you were

00:20:25there not really i mean i i've been sort of on safari and every time we got near elephants i'd

00:20:31start

00:20:31sneezing so i thought that's interesting you know but it wasn't until i'm with orphans in nairobi elephant

00:20:37orphanage you know with with trunks all over me and saliva all over me and and really in amongst them

00:20:43that uh

00:20:43i realized that yes i i am definitely allergic but i was also pregnant at the time and your hormones

00:20:49when you're pregnant can heighten allergies so it was quite bad i mean there was a rash from like here

00:20:54to here and swollen eyes and yeah i looked like i had flu there's still a right picture on the

00:21:00box

00:21:00no close-ups please keep your distance but the fascination with animals i mean there since childhood

00:21:06obviously i've always loved animals but my passion as a youngster was musical theater yeah i share that with

00:21:12you so i trained for the theater and i was in musicals to begin with i was in seven brights

00:21:19of

00:21:19seven brothers and then went into presenting children's television and then sort of fell into

00:21:25presenting wildlife so that's how how it happened i mean i i was always incredibly empathetic towards

00:21:30animals but my my knowledge and my passion has has grown over the years but also an innate curiosity as

00:21:36well yes an inquiring mind and wanting to know because it's evident when you're presenting that

00:21:41that you are enthusiastic about your subjects and that you you know you you want to know more and

00:21:46this is one way i think it's john ruskin who said if you ever want to know about anything write

00:21:50a

00:21:50book about it that was before television existed but in a way the same applies doesn't it if you want

00:21:56to know more make a television series about it yeah and on spring watch you know every year we learn

00:22:01something new on all the watches i mean we delve into the little stuff which is always fascinating

00:22:07you know once you get into the macro side of wildlife then it's way more interesting than looking

00:22:13at lions and tigers and bears you know it's it it's the detail the devil's in the detail isn't it

00:22:21um

00:22:21but also just by watching wildlife as we do on on spring watch when we've got the the cameras in

00:22:27the

00:22:27little nest each year we see something that we've never seen before let's have a look at you on

00:22:32spring watch this a hugely successful series got a question for you go sometimes you like to name

00:22:39the animals that we feature okay so if you were going to name this partridge what would you call it

00:22:43think hold on think before you answer think about where we are okay um ken ken why ken okay

00:22:50it's no not ken we're in norfolk aren't we we're norfolk a partridge in norfolk aha knowing me knowing

00:22:58you aha alan alan partridge very obviously my goodness chris packerment is most off the wall

00:23:09that keeps you fresh doesn't it really i chose that clip especially for you i really did because

00:23:16it was so funny because i didn't get the joke obviously you could see the complete blank look

00:23:20on my face but but you know i often don't get what chris is saying a lot of us don't

00:23:25really he does he

00:23:26goes so off a tangent um but you know i'm going on tour and one of the things that i'm

00:23:32celebrating

00:23:33is our relationship and you know i've worked with chris packham for 35 years on and off and i think

00:23:40that's something to be celebrated and it's something to be congratulated upon really isn't it not just a

00:23:46wildlife you're calling this tour so are you covering the musical theater years and are you

00:23:50going to be doing any tap i should shouldn't i should i should come on tap dancing you should

00:23:55um not just a wildlife is the tour i'm going on and it's it's to celebrate 40 years in television

00:24:01um and it's called not just a wildlife because obviously these days i'm very well known for doing

00:24:06wildlife and conservation environment programs but before that it was saturday morning kid shows

00:24:12hitman and her singles or you know i have had a really varied career i mean you are living proof

00:24:18of variety being the spice of life really anything you wouldn't do anything you say no to do you know

00:24:25that in in the show in the tour there is the one thing that i bottled out of because i've

00:24:30done

00:24:30michaela's wild challenge you know i was challenged to do things i get mixed up with annika rice you

00:24:35know i'm somebody that likes a challenge and so all of that is in the show but but the one

00:24:40thing i

00:24:41bottled out of alan was and they were on the really wild show they were building a spider's web from

00:24:46clifton suspension bridge and i'd never been to bristol before i was 24 i didn't really know how high

00:24:51clifton suspension bridges it's really high i thought it was going to be like a bridge over the river

00:24:56thames and i thought okay i could probably manage that wasn't until i got there and i looked over

00:25:02at this drop that i just thought oh my gosh i've got a fear of heights i kind of forgotten

00:25:07that i'd

00:25:08got a fear of heights and i've got the footage um the rushes and i you can smell the fear

00:25:15so you were

00:25:15on camera when you said no you're you're you're actually there i was there that i was there and i

00:25:20bottled out i didn't do it we actually i was supposed to be dangling in the middle of this

00:25:25incredibly impressive spider's web built out of ropes and instead i i stood at the top so it worked

00:25:31as a piece if god didn't intend you to do that to give you another four limbs exactly the eight

00:25:38limbs michaela's but it's been so interesting looking back at 40 years and trying to pick which

00:25:45bits i want in in the show you know i mean i could have done a five-hour show it's

00:25:49been a long career

00:25:50you did really incredibly well on dancing on ice um and you you danced in front of torval and dean

00:25:57to bolero now this takes guts here we are

00:26:03so

00:26:10and

00:26:22you

00:26:28and

00:26:29and

00:26:30and

00:26:41and

00:26:42and

00:26:46and

00:26:48and

00:26:49and

00:26:50and

00:26:51and

00:26:52and

00:26:55and

00:26:56and

00:26:57and

00:26:59and

00:27:00and

00:27:02and

00:27:04and

00:27:06and

00:27:08and

00:27:17and

00:27:31and

00:27:35and

00:27:36and

00:27:37you know it's taken a long time for that injury to get better because because i'm older yeah

00:27:41now you spend you live in south africa so this is an amazing commute you have to do to come

00:27:46here for spring watch how does your year pan out what do you do and i tend to come over

00:27:50in big

00:27:51chunks yeah so i've just been here um for a month um and then i'm going home again and then

00:27:56i'll

00:27:56have a bit of time at home and working from home and then um then i'll come back and do

00:28:00spring

00:28:01watch well i'm coming back the next time i come back will be to do the tour it starts on

00:28:04april the 13th

00:28:05so then i'll be here for a few weeks doing the tour um going to all sorts of different theatres

00:28:09around the country

00:28:10you can escape our weather too

00:28:12do you know my family keeps sending me pictures of these gorgeous sunsets

00:28:17and i'm sending them pictures of you know another grey sky i mean it's rained rained a lot hasn't it

00:28:22it has rained a lot

00:28:23it has rained an awful lot and being a gardener people say to me good for the garden and i

00:28:27restrain myself

00:28:29from you know from that you have a son ollie yes interested in nature have you managed to let it

00:28:35rub off

00:28:35do you know i mean when we take him out he does enjoy himself but he's a he's but his

00:28:40passion is sport

00:28:41so he's at loughborough university and works for oxford united football club with our academy team

00:28:46and um not not playing he does the social media for them so his sport is his passion

00:28:52and i gather once you took him on a tour and he wasn't terribly impressed with backstage

00:28:56no is that right

00:28:58do you know i haven't been impressed with some backstage i did an arena tour once alan with um walking

00:29:03with dinosaurs

00:29:04and i was the only human in the whole thing the rest were huge animatronic dinosaurs

00:29:08and and i remember going to one of the back i think it was newcastle arena there wasn't even

00:29:13a mirror in the in the dressing room and there was just like a seat and that was it and

00:29:17i thought i'd

00:29:17made it you know i thought i've made it i'm in arenas and there i was in this seat but

00:29:21apparently

00:29:22the big stars bring in their dressing rooms so they'll bring in a fridge and a sofa and a plant

00:29:27and i was just knowing a 40 page rider saying what you demand whenever i've done it they say what's

00:29:34on your rider and they'll say glass of wine in the interval in the towel yeah that's all i need

00:29:40warm you up lovely to talk to you lovely to have you on the program it's always a lovely to

00:29:44get

00:29:44another nature lover on you know in a program which is actually predicated on the great outdoors so

00:29:49lovely to have you with us thanks very much i mean you know it nature heals you doesn't it the

00:29:53healing power of nature that's why you and i have big smiles on our faces it is

00:29:57it's why you know we feel connected to the earth sometimes a very wet earth now in this

00:30:04fast-paced world where the emphasis is on immediacy a still photograph stops time because in the

00:30:11same way that mikaela and i love nature so do you and this gives you a moment to think to

00:30:17reflect

00:30:17and to feel yep it's time for walk on the wild side

00:30:22it's great

00:30:23you and this doesn't work from that

00:34:57Thank you, Tamsin.

00:35:10Now, if you love a beautiful bouquet in your home, but don't love the price tag, growing cut flowers may

00:35:18be the answer.

00:35:19The low cost of annual flower seeds means that flowers like sweet peas, marigolds, snapdragons can provide charming displays at

00:35:27a fraction of the cost of your local florist.

00:35:30Yes, we need to support them, but we can also help support ourselves.

00:35:34Now's the time to be totally sowing seeds for the year ahead.

00:35:37Here to give us a masterclass in cut flower seed sowing, horticulturist Ashley Edwards.

00:35:43We're kind of born to sow seeds, aren't we really?

00:35:45I think so.

00:35:46And every time you sow seeds, it's always a little miracle happening.

00:35:50And the pleasure and the excitement never goes.

00:35:53It never goes.

00:35:53It's pathetic, really.

00:35:54Yeah, you see them sprouting out.

00:35:55Oh my gosh.

00:35:56Yeah, it still works.

00:35:57Spring has come.

00:35:58So now is the perfect time to sow seeds for summer, and that's what we need to think about.

00:36:02Think forward into summer, and if we sow now, then we'll have flowers continuously.

00:36:08So we can start indoors now while the temperatures are still cool outside.

00:36:11So we're talking windowsill sowing at the moment.

00:36:12Yeah, windowsill.

00:36:14Or propagator if you've got one.

00:36:15Yeah, if you're lucky to have a greenhouse, you could do them in an unheated greenhouse, or a conservatory even.

00:36:20But yeah, this is just a few of the things you could grow in your cut flower garden.

00:36:24Lovely things.

00:36:25I mean, sunflowers, classic for those competitions for primary schools.

00:36:29So what's your recipe for the tallest sunflower?

00:36:31I think you need to start with a good deep pot, because they don't like root disturbance.

00:36:37So you start them off strong in a small pot, and then plant them out when they're stocky,

00:36:41and they've got plenty of leaves on them.

00:36:43Because slugs and snails do love them as well.

00:36:44Yeah.

00:36:44So you need to protect them from slugs and snails.

00:36:46So get them out the way of slugs and snails.

00:36:47Exactly.

00:36:48And sun and really rich soil.

00:36:50Really, yeah.

00:36:50Full sun, as much sun as possible.

00:36:52And yeah, like you say, rich soil.

00:36:54And you could feed them, liquid feed.

00:36:56That will give them a boost.

00:36:57And hopefully they'll be ten foot tall.

00:36:58And stocks you've got here, which are a lot of glorious scent.

00:37:01Yeah.

00:37:02They smell amazing.

00:37:03Wonderful.

00:37:03And they're actually biennials, so they will likely flower in the second year.

00:37:07Yeah.

00:37:07But if you sow them now, then you'll get flowers earlier next year.

00:37:11So they're a good one to do.

00:37:12And another beautifully scented plant, sweet peas.

00:37:15Ah, a garden without sweet peas, like a kiss without a squeeze, isn't it?

00:37:20They are delicious.

00:37:21I just made a poem up there, I didn't realise, didn't you?

00:37:23Yeah.

00:37:23But they're fragrant.

00:37:25Wonderful sweet peas, gorgeous.

00:37:27And the colours are just fantastic.

00:37:28And they'll just keep coming and coming.

00:37:30And you have to keep cutting them to produce more and more.

00:37:32And then things like amni, they act as a great kind of filler plant for your vase,

00:37:37because they are quite a neutral colour.

00:37:39And, yeah, I love them for their dainty carrot-like flowers.

00:37:42And, yeah, marigolds.

00:37:43African marigolds.

00:37:44People are so sniffy about marigolds.

00:37:46I know.

00:37:46I think they, in the 80s, they used to plant, like, loads of them en masse.

00:37:49I remember, like, around my estate, they would have, like, big beds of them.

00:37:53And I don't know, for some reason they lost favour, but they're great.

00:37:56But they're cheerful.

00:37:57Yeah, they're so cheerful.

00:37:58People are sniffy about marigolds.

00:37:59And they're a great companion plant.

00:38:00So if you're growing things like tomatoes, they'll attract nematodes that can be beneficial for

00:38:06the soil.

00:38:07I actually saw a project where they're using them to get rid of rose sickness for replant syndrome.

00:38:12So it's not only great for the vase, but they're really good for your garden as well.

00:38:15Beneficial.

00:38:17So there's lots of ways you can sow these seeds.

00:38:19We've just got a few things here.

00:38:21You can upcycle things from your home.

00:38:22We've got cardboard rolls.

00:38:24So you chop these up into bits?

00:38:26Yeah.

00:38:26So they would be great for the sweet peas, which need to go quite deep.

00:38:29So these would be really good, almost like a root trainer.

00:38:31And then you've got reusable, this is actually rubber, natural rubber.

00:38:35And these, you can use them year after year.

00:38:38And then you've got biodegradable pots, which are great because the roots will actually

00:38:42start to come through this and you can plant the whole thing in the ground without disturbing

00:38:45the roots.

00:38:45Provided it's wet.

00:38:47Yeah, it does need to be wet.

00:38:48The important thing is not to let it dry out, is it?

00:38:49Exactly.

00:38:49Because that becomes a bit less permeable to the root.

00:38:51Yeah, I usually put them in a tray and let them absorb that water.

00:38:55Yeah.

00:38:55So I'm going to show you a few seeds that we've got to sow.

00:38:58I'm going to start with the sweet peas.

00:39:00Yep.

00:39:00They're a big seed.

00:39:01So that means they need to go deep and they like the darkness to germinate.

00:39:06So that's always a good indication looking at the seed size.

00:39:09And they are quite big.

00:39:10So these need to go a few centimeters deep.

00:39:12Mm-hmm.

00:39:13So there's a lot of guides with sweet peas that say you should nick the coat because

00:39:17they have a very hard coat and then you should nick them with a knife.

00:39:19And I've done that before.

00:39:20And cut your finger.

00:39:21Yeah.

00:39:22It feels really dangerous.

00:39:24And it's really fiddly.

00:39:25So what do you do, Alan?

00:39:26I don't bother.

00:39:27No?

00:39:27But what I do sometimes do is soak them overnight.

00:39:30Okay.

00:39:31With a little, you know, a lid from a jar, which is about half an inch deep.

00:39:35Just fill that full of water, drop these in and soak them overnight.

00:39:38But generally speaking, I don't bother with that.

00:39:41I just sew them straight into compost, water them in.

00:39:44And they come up because it's a miracle of nature.

00:39:47That's good to know.

00:39:47So many of these fiddly things.

00:39:49I will fill up a pot so we can demo this one.

00:39:53I'm going to fill this up to the top with some seed compost.

00:39:56And sweet peas need quite a deep root run.

00:39:58They don't like their roots disturbed.

00:39:59You could probably get away with sowing two in here.

00:40:01What do you think?

00:40:01Oh, I've had so three in there.

00:40:02Three?

00:40:02Yeah?

00:40:03Yeah, I'm greedy, man.

00:40:04And then all you want to do, you can use your finger or you can use a dibber if you

00:40:08fancy.

00:40:08So yeah, we're going to bury these about two centimetres deep.

00:40:11Put them in.

00:40:12And then, like you said, you want to keep them wet.

00:40:14Now we've got smaller seeds.

00:40:16I've got poppies here, which are almost like dust.

00:40:18Yeah.

00:40:19Don't sneeze.

00:40:19Yeah, don't breathe almost.

00:40:21So this is one that you can do in cells.

00:40:23So I would just fill this whole thing up with compost.

00:40:26You can smooth it out.

00:40:28There you are.

00:40:29Look how tiny they are.

00:40:30With these, they need to be closer to the surface of the soil to get light.

00:40:34And that's how they'll germinate.

00:40:36So that's why poppies grow in wastelands, really, because the soil is constantly disturbed.

00:40:41They get brought to the surface and they germinate.

00:40:42You take a little pinch and you can literally sprinkle, you can barely see them, in each

00:40:49cell.

00:40:50And with poppies, you don't really need to cover those.

00:40:53Because once you, you can either water it from below, or if you water that with a can,

00:40:58it would actually, with a fine rose, it would actually settle the seeds into the surface.

00:41:02These will germinate after a week or two weeks.

00:41:05And then, yeah, keep them in a light, bright place that's cool.

00:41:09So you don't want them near a radiator.

00:41:10If you are putting them on a windowsill, make sure they're not near a radiator.

00:41:13Or turn the radiator off.

00:41:14And then, once they've started germinating, you can prick them out using a dibber and pop them on.

00:41:20With poppies, you could probably just take that whole thing and put it into a new pot.

00:41:24Yeah, because they don't like root disturbance.

00:41:26They don't like being disturbed.

00:41:27That's the great thing about growing them in those cells.

00:41:29As you were saying, you pop those out without actually having to dig up the seedling.

00:41:34A lot of things like African marigolds, they don't mind a jot being dug up with a few little roots

00:41:38and transplanted.

00:41:39But things like poppies and a lot of hardy annuals don't like that root disturbance.

00:41:43So they're perfect.

00:41:44Yeah, and these are easy to push out.

00:41:46So that's really good.

00:41:47I like the rubber idea.

00:41:48Once they've grown to a decent size, so here we have a pot marigold as an example.

00:41:53And I just want to show you the seeds because I think they're so beautiful.

00:41:56And pop marigold is one of the first plants I ever germinated as a child.

00:42:01Because my neighbour, she used to make me pick off all the dead heads.

00:42:04Little curly whirlies, aren't they?

00:42:05They're great for kids, I think.

00:42:07And I know at the Eden Project they have a building actually modelled in the shape of one of these,

00:42:12which is quite cool.

00:42:13That's class isn't it really.

00:42:15I'm going to make my greenhouse in the shape of a pot marigold seed.

00:42:20So this is your pot marigold once it's grown on.

00:42:24And you want to pinch out the tops to produce more flower buds and a bushier plant.

00:42:29And it always feels really cruel to do this.

00:42:32I hate doing it, but all you have to do is take off the top few leaves, pinch it down

00:42:38to a strong set of leaves like that.

00:42:41And then it feels really evil, doesn't it?

00:42:45Yeah, but as you say, you'll then get more flowers.

00:42:47But in the long run, you're benefiting the plant.

00:42:50It's going to grow bushier, you'll have loads of flowers on it, and it's going to be a nice strong

00:42:54plant.

00:42:55Now you want to harden off your plants if you've grown them indoors.

00:42:59That's really important.

00:43:00Putting them straight outside can send them into shock.

00:43:02So you've got the air movement, less humidity outside, and also cooler temperatures.

00:43:08So ideally what you want to do is put this outside in the daytime and then bring it indoors at

00:43:14night time for about two weeks.

00:43:15And it should be hardy enough to then plant out permanently.

00:43:20And you need to protect them from any frosts, because you can get caught out by late frosts.

00:43:25I mean, you can have frosts in May, so you have to be really careful.

00:43:28Oh, you can, yeah.

00:43:28I always just say the end of May.

00:43:29Actually, it's generally felt safe for about the middle of May almost, isn't it?

00:43:32Yeah.

00:43:33I think in London, where we've got microclimate, where I'm growing...

00:43:36Say for about the middle of February almost.

00:43:37Yeah.

00:43:37No.

00:43:39You probably could get away with it in some places.

00:43:42And yeah, this can then go out into the ground, keep them well watered.

00:43:46You can mulch them with a really good farm of manure or garden compost if you have your own.

00:43:51And with taller plants like snapdragons, for example, you might want to put netting like string around them just to

00:43:57keep them upright.

00:43:58There we are.

00:43:59Thanks.

00:43:59Thanks, Alan.

00:44:05Since 2000, the number of hedgehogs has declined by up to 30% in rural areas and 75% in

00:44:15urban areas.

00:44:16They're now listed as vulnerable on the red lists for British mammals.

00:44:20So thank goodness for couples like Joe and Terry, who took a rather unusual step five years ago.

00:44:28They spent £60,000 of their own money and set up a hedgehog triage room in their back garden.

00:44:46So when my husband and I, Terry, moved into this house 26 years ago, the couple that we bought the

00:44:51house from asked us if we would continue to feed the hedgehogs that were visiting their garden.

00:44:55We said, of course we would. We couldn't believe our eyes when we saw a mum and babies walking across

00:45:01the lawn.

00:45:01And then from that day on, I said to Terry, I want a feeding station and I want some cameras.

00:45:07So when my wife came up with the idea of a hospital, you know, a hedgehog rescue, I immediately thought,

00:45:12oh, that's going to take over our life.

00:45:14And it has.

00:45:14And that's what we did. So we had a couple of years training. We then decided it was time to

00:45:18set up Frickle Lodge.

00:45:20We've given over our life and our house to hedgehogs and we love it.

00:45:24Hedgehogs are endangered. They're near threatened, which means that they could be vulnerable to extinction.

00:45:30And sadly, one of the main reasons is their loss of habitat and also loss of natural food.

00:45:35So since we first started five years ago, we've admitted over 500 patients.

00:45:42Last year was our record intake of just over 200.

00:45:45And I'm delighted to say that we managed to rehabilitate, treat and release over 80%.

00:45:53Looking after a rescue is pretty much full on. It is 365 days a year.

00:45:58Hedgehogs, of course, are nocturnal animals.

00:46:01You know, at night when we're all asleep, that's when they're foraging for food.

00:46:05If you see a hedgehog during the day, normally it's in trouble and needs help from a rescue.

00:46:10This is where all the activity happens. This is our mission control.

00:46:15So we've got 22 cameras in total.

00:46:18If we see that a hedgehog is particularly stressed, if they're climbing, if they're really unsettled,

00:46:25then it could be that there's something else going on internally that we're not aware of.

00:46:30So that's when we would go back and sample their poo just to see if there's something else that we're

00:46:35not aware of that needs to be treated.

00:46:36You know, I often get sort of elbow in the ribs at night.

00:46:40There's a hedgehog in need. We need to go down now and get it.

00:46:44The most common internal parasites that I see on a day-to-day basis is lungworm.

00:46:50Despite common belief, hedgehogs don't like to eat slugs and snails.

00:46:54The slugs contaminate the food that hedgehogs eat.

00:46:58A hedgehog's natural food in the wild would be caterpillars, beetles or grubs.

00:47:03But sadly there just isn't enough natural food.

00:47:06Michael was incredibly lucky because his finders have wildlife cameras in their garden and around the feeding station.

00:47:14And they heard Michael coughing on the camera and they knew that that was a sign of poor health.

00:47:21This is Ariana and Ariana's being treated for lungworm and also ringworm.

00:47:29Ringworm is a fungal infection and it creates intense itchiness for the hedgehog and also spine loss.

00:47:37So the ringworm treatment is a really soothing, medicated bath and it will kill the ringworm.

00:47:43So Ariana will need four baths over 12 days and this is her second bath.

00:47:49So there are lots of things that people can do to help hedgehogs.

00:47:53The first thing is to provide access into your garden.

00:47:56This will stop them from going into the roads and it will help them forage for food.

00:48:01It will also help them to look for a mate.

00:48:04The other thing you can do is to provide food and water.

00:48:07Any meat based kitten biscuits are ideal for hedgehogs.

00:48:12I think one of our biggest success stories is Izzy and Ryder.

00:48:16Izzy and Ryder were orphaned hoglets and they were brought into us when they were about 11 days old.

00:48:21They couldn't see, they couldn't hear and they couldn't walk properly.

00:48:24They required syringe feeding every two to three hours and their wounds needed managing to ensure that they were kept

00:48:31clean.

00:48:31And I'm delighted to say that they're both now in the garden.

00:48:35So we've got Izzy in here.

00:48:37So she's hibernating, conserving valuable energy through the winter, ready for the spring.

00:48:43Got Ryder in here but he's off walkabout at the moment.

00:48:48Very delighted to say that he's thriving in the wild.

00:48:53The hedgehog rescue is emotionally challenging.

00:48:55It's physically challenging and it's financially challenging.

00:48:59You're required to do things at all hours when you're very tired.

00:49:03But what we do takes over and we love it.

00:49:06Oh well done Joe and Terry.

00:49:08What a wonderful thing to do don't you think?

00:49:11Still ahead?

00:49:12Poplar comes to Manor Farm.

00:49:14Call the midwives Cliff Parisi and Annabel Apsian.

00:49:18Take a nostalgic look back at the iconic drama that continues to capture all our hearts.

00:49:24I'll see you with Mr and Mrs Buckle and more right after this.

00:49:43Welcome back to Love Your Weekend.

00:49:45Coming up from detective magician Jonathan Creek to mainstay on the QI panel, Alan Davis lifts the lid on an

00:49:53incredible career both on and off the comedy circuit.

00:49:56But first, known for their charming, often humorous and bossy on screen relationship.

00:50:03Violet and Fred Buckle have become, I can't say it any other way, something of a popular favourite.

00:50:08Reminding viewers that love, loyalty and shared laughter are often the strongest medicine of all.

00:50:14There could never be a portrait of my life.

00:50:26After the quiet ceremony Violet wanted, the wedding party went not to her home or to Fred's, but to a

00:50:34place where everyone was cherished and all doors and hearts were open.

00:50:38You will never see a portrait of my love For miracles I'll never see

00:51:06Like the face of a devoted parent Nannata's house was etched with a little more time each year

00:51:13With each small shadow, every fading grace

00:51:17It grew more beautiful And was loved more than words can say

00:51:22Cliff Parisian and Annemar Lapson

00:51:24It's such a tearjerker. I mean the music there, but also Vanessa Redgrave's voice finishes me off every time.

00:51:33Moving to be in, as well as to watch for you, is it?

00:51:38I felt very emotional watching that and seeing everybody so young, including us my dear

00:51:45Because that was probably 11 years ago, but it was very moving and seeing all of that. Yes, I was

00:51:52quite surprised.

00:51:53Most of the cast have now sat where you're sitting, which has been a delight for me as a firm

00:51:58fan favourite really.

00:52:00There's clearly a great family feeling, Cliff, in all the cast I think really.

00:52:04Oh yeah, I mean we've been working together for donkeys years now, haven't we?

00:52:09So 15 years!

00:52:11And everybody that's come into the show has slipped straight into the family

00:52:15And they've become part of the, you know

00:52:19And it's such a wonderful show

00:52:21I mean it makes you weep for joy and it makes you weep for sorrow

00:52:26And not many shows on TV can do that

00:52:29It takes you through the human condition from birth to death

00:52:33And relationships and community and family

00:52:38And all of those things are explored in real detail

00:52:40And some horror as well

00:52:43Because people can be bad

00:52:47Yeah

00:52:47And sickness can be cruel

00:52:51And so we explore all of that

00:52:53But what the backbone of it is

00:52:56Is that actually the nuns, the nurses, the community

00:52:59That come together always to support whatever storylines going on

00:53:06To try and drive it through to, you know, a conclusion

00:53:10And often that can be joyful

00:53:14It redresses the balance of the regular sort of tragedy and misery we get via the news

00:53:20Of showing the triumph of goodness

00:53:22And the fact that goodness and kindness exists in far greater quantities in the world

00:53:27Than the opposites which we're treated to every day really

00:53:31It just reminds us what human beings are capable of being with one another

00:53:35On the positive side really, doesn't it?

00:53:38And now of course it's worrying for me

00:53:40Because it's now coming up to the 70s, you know

00:53:43Hang on a minute, that's modern, isn't it?

00:53:46Fun parts to play for both of you I think really

00:53:48And the chemistry between the two of you is clearly enjoyable

00:53:52Thank you

00:53:53We always try and

00:53:55We don't really like each other, do we?

00:53:57We're wonderful actors, no?

00:53:59Yeah

00:54:00And of course you're not the only people in that household

00:54:02There is another person

00:54:03Yeah

00:54:04In the Buckle household, Reggie

00:54:10I'm really afraid

00:54:12There's a Battenberg cake by the kettle that wants a home

00:54:16Smashing

00:54:24Just a moment

00:54:30Oh, hello, Reggie, love

00:54:31Hello, Mum

00:54:42Don't you look lovely there?

00:54:44Oh, was he crying?

00:54:45Yeah, it was lovely

00:54:46It was a lovely storyline to do with Reggie coming into the family

00:54:51And Violet was saying, you know, he shouldn't be here

00:54:54And Danny does the part so brilliantly

00:54:57He's so lovely to work with

00:55:00So, yes, very special

00:55:01So, we, you know

00:55:03Sorry

00:55:04Well, I'm glad it works

00:55:06There is

00:55:07There is

00:55:08I'm a cup of tea, love

00:55:09I'm a cup of tea

00:55:09We're feeling like that

00:55:11You know, it's good to know that you do as well

00:55:13So

00:55:14From your point of view though, as an actress

00:55:16It's a part

00:55:18You've played quite different parts

00:55:20Quite different to Mrs. Beach in Goodnight Mr. Tom

00:55:22Who was a bit of a piece of work

00:55:25Tell us a bit about her

00:55:27Well, she sends her son off during the war, you know

00:55:31When they would get the children out of London to the countryside

00:55:36And he bedwets

00:55:38I don't know if you remember the story

00:55:39This is with John Thorpe

00:55:41With John Thorpe

00:55:42Who's Mr. Tom

00:55:43And he's a grumpy old man

00:55:45And he's

00:55:46But he starts to realise that the little boy

00:55:48Has had a very unhappy childhood

00:55:50And anyway, the mother wants him back

00:55:54So he's sent back to London

00:55:56And then you realise that she's very mentally unwell actually

00:56:01So it was a very challenging role to do

00:56:04Because I had to think myself into that part

00:56:08And think how could somebody do that

00:56:11So I had to do lots and lots of thinking

00:56:14What's happened?

00:56:15What's going on?

00:56:17Making your own backstory

00:56:18Yes

00:56:19Yes

00:56:20You were brilliant in that

00:56:22Thank you

00:56:23And really scary

00:56:24Let's have a look

00:56:25Let's be scared

00:56:30Willie?

00:56:35You look different

00:56:36Put weight on

00:56:40See, I'll take that for you

00:56:42I'll say what to take and not to take

00:56:49So, how are you feeling now?

00:56:52Fine

00:56:53I'm fine

00:56:53Only they said you was ill

00:56:56Did they?

00:56:59So, what you got in the bag then?

00:57:00Just me things

00:57:01And a present for you from Mr. Tom

00:57:04Mr. Tom?

00:57:04Mr. Oakley

00:57:06The man I stays with down there

00:57:08Well, I don't need charity, thank you

00:57:10It's just some bed socks

00:57:11And Mrs. Little, that's the doctor's wife

00:57:13She sent you a bottle of tonic wine

00:57:15Wine?

00:57:16Haven't I told you about the evils of drink?

00:57:19It ain't a real drink, Mum

00:57:20Like you get in a pub

00:57:22It's got iron in it to help you get your strength back

00:57:25And what would you know about what you get in a pub?

00:57:31He must have been really hard to be so nasty to such a lovely lad

00:57:34That lad was amazing wasn't he?

00:57:36He was

00:57:37And I'm going to meet up with him

00:57:40His partner contacted me and said would I meet up with him

00:57:44I used to do funny things in between the takes

00:57:47Because I was worried about him being upset by it

00:57:50So I can't wait to meet him

00:57:51I think playing against type

00:57:56You're actors, that's the challenge isn't it?

00:57:58That's what we do

00:57:59But again, in EastEnders, I mean as Minty

00:58:03Still got a pair of overalls on in I

00:58:06I've got my own overalls now, take them with me everywhere

00:58:09Yeah, I mean I tend to play characters that are working class

00:58:14Of course spanner in her head

00:58:16Do you yearn to play an aristocrat?

00:58:18Yes sir, I'd rather do that of course

00:58:21It's actually very good as Marlon Brando

00:58:25Aren't you?

00:58:25You're always doing The Godfather

00:58:26Well we generally do the scene

00:58:28And I will do the first rehearsal as Marlon Brando

00:58:31So yeah, Fred Brando

00:58:33You do do quite a bit of location filming on Call the Midwife

00:58:38And I gather there was a beach scene

00:58:40When Storm Agnes is coming through

00:58:42Which is meant to be jolly and funny and sunny and all that

00:58:45A bit tough on it

00:58:46Ice creams were sanding

00:58:47Yeah

00:58:48And shells

00:58:49Yeah

00:58:50It was sideways

00:58:51I mean literally sideways the weather

00:58:54It was impossible for continuity

00:58:56Because it was obviously supposed to be sunny

00:58:58And our wigs were like totally flat

00:59:01But there was no continuity

00:59:03And they just gave up

00:59:05So you know normally they would dry your hair and reset it

00:59:08They couldn't

00:59:09We had like hair like that

00:59:12But it was fun

00:59:14It was really good fun

00:59:16Yeah we just had to go with it

00:59:17Yeah we did

00:59:18Yeah

00:59:18Thank you both for coming

00:59:20Pleasure

00:59:20Lovely to be with you

00:59:21You're with us every Sunday evening

00:59:23Thank you

00:59:23For a good part of the year anyway

00:59:25So lovely to see the both of you together

00:59:27On our sofa

00:59:28Bless you

00:59:28Thanks you Alan

00:59:29Thanks you Alan

00:59:29Please Mr Alan

00:59:29Thank you

00:59:35We're talking butterflies now

00:59:37Not the 70's sitcom featuring Wendy Craig and Geoffrey Palmer

00:59:41The living jewels of the garden

00:59:43With their vibrant colour and magical elegance

00:59:47Here's Leslie Joseph and everything you need to know

00:59:50About that most delicate of insects

00:59:52The butterfly

00:59:55Good morning, Alan. There's a definite feeling of anticipation in the air, and we're all cautiously

01:00:00optimistic about putting the winter coat away right. And then, quite suddenly, a flicker of

01:00:06colour flutters past. Oh, hello, you gorgeous thing. Nothing says spring has truly sprung

01:00:16quite like a butterfly. Emerging from those colder months, the butterfly can now be found

01:00:21basking in the sunshine, angling their wings towards the sun, so they can heat their flight

01:00:27muscles, ready for take-off. The first butterflies we tend to see are the clever ones, spending the

01:00:33colder months tucked away in sheds, hollow trees, dense ivy, sometimes even the garage. They wait

01:00:39for the temperature to creep above about 10 degrees Celsius, before making their grand

01:00:45reappearance. Oh, gosh, I wish I woke up looking that refreshed. Butterflies are cold-blooded.

01:00:51They need warmth to fly. Well, rather like me before my morning tea. Did you know when it comes

01:00:58to colour, it's often the males who turn up the volume, brighter and bolder, because females

01:01:04frequently choose their mate based on that dazzling display. The females, meanwhile, tend to be more

01:01:10subtly dressed. Carrying eggs means keeping a lower profile, less eye-catching to predators.

01:01:17Sensible, understated, but oh so chic. Perhaps surprisingly, in many British butterfly species,

01:01:24females are slightly larger than males in order to carry those precious eggs. Each butterfly starts

01:01:30as a tiny egg, hatches into a ravenous caterpillar whose main hobby is eating. These hungry caterpillars

01:01:37moult and grow before forming a chrysalis, and out emerges a butterfly. Oh, who could resist such charm?

01:01:48And from one charmer to another. Back to you, Alan.

01:01:54Thanks, Leslie. Did you know butterflies can taste with their feet? It's true. They have sensors known as

01:02:00chemoreceptors on the bottom of their legs, which they use to sense nutritious sugars and viable food

01:02:06sources. Butterflies often drum with their feet against the surface of a leaf to bring out

01:02:10the plant juices. I just lob it in, you know. Coming up, showcasing the women tearing up the rulebook and

01:02:18making their mark in this section of spirit land, drinks expert Becky Paskins serves up some of her

01:02:24favourite female producers and distillers, including a spicy margarita and a strawberry rhubarb smash.

01:02:32Oh, yummy. And it was the role, he says, changed his life forever. The curly-haired divisor of magic tricks,

01:02:40who often found himself solving murders, as you do. Alan Davies, celebrating nearly 30 years of the

01:02:47iconic duffle-coat-wearing puzzle solver, Jonathan Creek. I'll see you with Alan right after this.

01:03:09Welcome back. Coming up, whether it's the drinkers, the makers or the shakers, the world of alcohol

01:03:16has historically been heavily dominated by men till now. Drinks expert Becky Paskins will be showcasing

01:03:23a handful of women tearing up the rulebook and making their mark with their gins, whiskies and

01:03:29pre-made cocktails. But first, improbable crimes solved with wit and flair. I'm talking the 1990s

01:03:37murder mystery, following the adventures of duffle-coat-wearing, curly-haired, magical mystery solver,

01:03:44Jonathan Creek. Well, any way you slice it, it couldn't have been the same woman both times,

01:03:50that'd be some trick. And you wouldn't say she was the cleverest person in the world. No.

01:03:56But maybe she didn't need to be. Say again? If I was to just suddenly disappear,

01:04:04now, right here in this garden, would you call that a clever trick?

01:04:09Come on. Okay. Close your eyes and count to three. Very quickly. One, two, three.

01:04:19Oh, hey.

01:04:30This is just...

01:04:42You see, it's just like that, wasn't it, really? Yeah. Very clever. Yeah. 20 years,

01:04:48Jonathan Creek. Yeah. That was 1999, I think. Yeah. That's Tom Goodman Hill. Yeah.

01:04:54Who's a wonderful comic actor, and he was part of a Jonathan Creek Appreciation Society,

01:04:59so that's why he's got the duffle-coat and the wig. Oh, right, yeah.

01:05:02And they had a meeting, part of the script, and all these actors and supporting artists

01:05:07turned up with wigs and duffle-coats on. It was very creepy. Do you mind, it's interesting,

01:05:13whenever you get with me, I suppose it's ground force, and I really don't mind. Glad to be remembered

01:05:17for anything. But is it a bit, yes, I've done a lot since then, or do you mind, Jonathan Creek?

01:05:22It was so quirky. I don't mind it, and not least because people still watch it, you know. Yeah.

01:05:30In fact, they've put it all up on iPlayer, and people still finding it, and younger audiences.

01:05:38It's timeless, you know. Yeah. It didn't rely on anything quirky or gimmicky at the time.

01:05:45David Renwick, who wrote it, he understood television and mysteries, and so it's something

01:05:51that survived the test of time because it's so well-crafted. You weren't the first choice for the

01:05:56part. No, I was the 38th person to audition. They wanted Nicholas Lindhurst. Right. And he had just

01:06:05finished, well, I say finished, Fools and Horses, because, of course, they revived Fools and Horses

01:06:09brilliantly afterwards. But he didn't fancy it, and then it was going to be Hugh Laurie,

01:06:14and then, anyway, it ended up being me. And no one knew I was in TV land, and so Alan

01:06:20Yentob,

01:06:21who was in charge of BBC One at the time, took some persuading, but he let me do it.

01:06:26Excellent. Well, the rest, as they say, is Jonathan Creek. You popped in last time to

01:06:32talk about your first, well, the volume of autobiography dealing with your early years,

01:06:38called Just Ignore Him, with the most heart-rending title, really. Your second one is out now,

01:06:44I'm about to go out of your paperback, White Male Stand-Up. So we're moving on now to slightly

01:06:48happier years, and, I mean, that's, it is a sort of really basic title, White Male Stand-Up. Going

01:06:55back to that, it's what you are. But, so this is the stand-up years, is it? Well, it goes

01:07:02really way

01:07:02up to the present day, really, but that's, that was the descriptive term for what I was. And,

01:07:09and they were very happy at times on the comedy circuit, and there are lots of little anecdotes in

01:07:14there from contemporaries of mine, like Harry Hill, and Lee Evans, and Steve Coogan, and Joe Brand,

01:07:21and all these people that I met at that time, did lots of gigs with. And then it goes into

01:07:26Jonathan

01:07:27Creek, and, and QI, and all the things I've done since, where I've been very lucky to have these

01:07:32long-running shows. But because in the background all the time, there's this lugging along this

01:07:38childhood trauma, which I sort of thought, oh, well, the future's ahead of me, the past is behind me,

01:07:43it's all going to be fine. And then you get to the future, and the past just turns up with

01:07:48you,

01:07:48like it's in the car. Yeah. And so you have to try and find a way to manage all that.

01:07:53So

01:07:53that's all in there as well. Didn't you do one at the Comedy Club in 1999? I think you're talking

01:07:58about doing one. You did one there, and it, and, and it really put you off doing stand-up. Well,

01:08:03I went down to the Comedy Store, which I love, and this is a wonderful, brilliant comedy room that all

01:08:08comedians love. And I went down, I thought, I'll just drop in, do 10 minutes, you know.

01:08:13I always felt comfortable and happy there. And I went on stage, and people started chatting out

01:08:18things about Jonathan Creek, or the Abbey National commercials I was doing back in the time, and

01:08:23did I have a perm, and was I having an affair with my co-star, and was, and lots and

01:08:28lots of shouting,

01:08:29and people that had a drink. And I couldn't really, all the time I was thinking, oh no, this is,

01:08:37this is my favourite thing, the stand-up with the microphone. You talk about, is it better to be

01:08:43well-known? It would, the, the anonymity to go on and they don't know you, and then they are amazed

01:08:48that you're funny, is actually really nice. And I really loved all the, and it had gone. And I didn't

01:08:52go back there for 10 years. Gosh. I should have gone away to little comedy clubs and worked up an

01:08:57act,

01:08:57instead of just thinking I could wander on and wing it. So I did, I did, I did lose stand

01:09:02-up for a

01:09:03while, and I don't think it was good for my mental health. I don't think having, not having that

01:09:08outlet. Yeah. I thought it was a disaster for me. You got it back, and you're doing a tour in

01:09:13New

01:09:13Zealand, and you're touring here as well. Yes. Later on in the year. Yes, in September, October. So the

01:09:19ticket's going on sale imminently. And so yeah, I toured last year, and it was, I loved it. And the

01:09:25show

01:09:25went really well. And the show, a lot of the show comes out of that book, which I was kind

01:09:30of doing the two at the same time. And I love being back on stage. And so we're just going

01:09:36around again. It's another 20 dates, and yeah, I'm looking forward to it. Well, Jonathan Creek

01:09:41might have stopped in 2016. QI keeps on going. You were in the very first episode of QI. Yes.

01:09:48All the shows, I've been there. We're doing the alphabet. Every year, it's the letter of the

01:09:54alphabet. We're doing X. As we speak, they say they've got a lot of X questions. And then Y,

01:10:05and then Z. Yeah. And I can hardly believe it, really, that it's gone so long. It doesn't seem

01:10:10like a quarter of a century. It never does. No. Let's have a look at QI. Spider-Pie

01:10:16of Bats, is he regarded as a bit of a looker? Yeah. If Yoda had accepted the dark side,

01:10:25that's how he would have looked. That's a very suave looking bat. Hello.

01:10:33Would you mind ultimately if I nipped you on the toe?

01:10:37Well, I'm having a few friends over. Would you like a liqueur? What do they do?

01:10:46How do they ingest their blood? I mean, what do they do?

01:10:50They bite and sniff it up, swallow it, lick it, slurp it, hide it,

01:10:55throw it, throw it up into a secantit. Who do you think you are?

01:10:57The secantit. The secantit. I don't know, but laid down for a couple of years.

01:11:04Stephen Fry, that is really, and you can just see how you enjoy riffing off one another. I mean,

01:11:08that's the capacity you need there, isn't it, is to be completely just relaxed into it and let it go.

01:11:14That's a lovely clip, actually, and Bill and Jimmy Carr were in the first series in the two of the,

01:11:23really, you could say this now with all the years gone by, two of the greats of British comedy,

01:11:27you know, and you don't really realise at the time what's happening, but Stephen Fry's a living

01:11:33legend of our lives, who I revere and love dearly, and see Bill and Jimmy there like that.

01:11:40Very, very happy memories. It makes you feel fortunate.

01:11:43It also sharpens your game, doesn't it? You know, it's like if you play tennis with a really good

01:11:46player, they say it lifts your own game. Those two especially, if they're going to start talking,

01:11:52it's going to be funny. Yeah, and then Sandy took over from Stephen, you know, thinking, gosh,

01:11:56who could possibly, and in her own way, the same ability to be shy. Well, I think the thing that

01:12:02people perhaps don't really realise is all the work behind the scenes, you know, there's a research

01:12:08team who work for months, and they create these scripts and all the stuff that's on the cards for the,

01:12:14host, and that's what keeps the show going really, and it's all that kind of, they're the kind of

01:12:20feet beneath the swan, while we're on our job as the comedians is to go and slightly spoil it.

01:12:28Not to do it quite right. A near effort. I love the fact that you were talking about,

01:12:35because you've got three children, and we've got, are they teenagers now? 16, 14 and 10.

01:12:39Well done, Dad. They'll be impressed with that. And a daughter who is obsessed with Agatha Christie,

01:12:46Oh, she loves Agatha Christie. Yeah, absolutely loves it. I mean, reads them all, and they've got

01:12:52the audio books, and I mean, I like that, about them, you know, reading for pleasure, and having

01:12:59books in the house. It's something that Katie and I really value. You know, Katie, my wife writes

01:13:04children's books, and I've got my memoirs, and so we just love books, and I hope that they continue

01:13:12to do that. It's hard, once they get the touching stone in their hands, and they're doing this all

01:13:17the time, it's quite hard for them. Some of these websites are so addictive. I say to them,

01:13:22it's not your fault. They're designed to keep you on there, but please put it down.

01:13:26Yeah. But you've done a Marple. She must have been impressed by that. Well, the funny thing about

01:13:31the Marple I did, which I love doing, with Geraldine McEwen, it was a story called Towards Zero,

01:13:37that Agatha Christie wrote, and Marple's not in that. So they inserted Miss Marple into it,

01:13:44and created a Marple episode. And it was fantastic fun. I was an inspector, and I had a couple of

01:13:51sidekick

01:13:52coppers, two young actors who were really funny. And we really, really enjoyed it. We shot it all

01:13:57down in Devon. I think it's one of those shows that people like. If you get the call, would you

01:14:01like to be in Marple? Yes. Well, I've got a little clip to show now of McDonald and Dodds,

01:14:07because you've now joined the Love Your Weekend alumni of regulars that we enjoy having. And Jason

01:14:14Watkins is a regular. And a few weeks ago, we had Sean Phillips. So I thought we'd haul out McDonald

01:14:21and Dodds and see all three of you together. Here we are. You, Sergeant Dodds, are most definitely a

01:14:29North Somerset man. Preponderance of centralised nuclei diphthongs would place you in North West

01:14:35Bath. But that post-vocalic roticity, those elongated vowels, leads me to the conclusion that

01:14:42you were born, bred, and still reside in South Twerton. My goodness, sir. That is remarkable.

01:14:52Die, golden year strikes again. As I was saying, sir, I wondered if I might pick your professional

01:15:00linguist's brain just a little. Well, I would love to help you, Sergeant, but I'm due to give

01:15:06another one of my talks. Oh, come on, Spud. Nobody cares about your George of the Jungle adventures.

01:15:12Help the man. I've always brought you up to be a law-abiding citizen, within reason.

01:15:23I remember that episode. We loved McDonald and Dodds, and they're not recommissioning it,

01:15:26which is tragic. It's a real shame. I love doing it, although I don't know why I wore that scarf.

01:15:33It looked like she got into the wrong part of the costume department. But yeah,

01:15:38Sian Phillips was amazing, and I loved being with her, and hearing her, and hearing her anecdotes about

01:15:44Peter O'Toole, and any number of people. And she always calls him O'Toole. Never calls him Peter,

01:15:51or Peter, it's always O'Toole. It would love to have a Sian Phillips gene, because it's a sharp attack,

01:15:56great sense of humour. Yeah. What about your comedy heroes? Um, well, I had a big hero of mine was

01:16:03Dave Allen. Oh, gosh, yes. But I suppose, thinking about Jonathan Creek, one of the thrills for me

01:16:10was having all, well, three of the main cast of The Young Ones turning up. Yeah. Nigel Plainer,

01:16:18Adrian Edmerson, and Rick Mayer all appeared in Jonathan Creek, and Rick in particular

01:16:25was such a comic hero. For my age, I was 16 when The Young Ones came on TV,

01:16:31and all of us at school came in the next day saying the lines, and also it coincided with

01:16:37getting a VCR for the first time. So then you could watch these episodes over and over again.

01:16:42And just for the younger, that's a videocassette recorder. Yeah.

01:16:45It predates a tape. Vinyl. And if you rented one, you had to rewind it, which took about 10 minutes.

01:16:53Yes. Oh, gosh, I'd forgotten that. Then take it back to blockbuster the following day.

01:16:58Exactly, yeah. Yeah. Oh, goodness me. Always a delight to talk to her. Look,

01:17:01good luck with the chalk, good luck with the book, White Male Stand-Up. It says what it is on

01:17:05the cover.

01:17:06Yes. Lovely to be with you. Thank you. Now, it's not always possible to get out and about in nature,

01:17:13and the British countryside, often because of the weather. But never fear, because we like to bring

01:17:18a slice of the countryside to you at home each week for a moment of calm. Yep. It's time for

01:17:25today's Ode to Joy.

01:17:27Now, go away.

01:17:27...

01:17:30...

01:17:44...

01:19:15Trailblazing women in distilling.

01:19:17Never thought I'd say that.

01:19:18If you're looking for a beverage to celebrate International Women's Day, look no further.

01:19:24Becky Paskins here with the female-owned drinks companies, sure to shake up your weekend soirees.

01:19:29I'll see you with Becky, Michaela and Alan right after this.

01:19:48Now, from craft distilleries to boutique breweries,

01:19:53female entrepreneurs are carving a space in an industry that's historically been dominated by men.

01:19:59Over the past few years, female ownership and leadership within the alcohol industry has been steadily increasing as more women

01:20:06create and lead beverage brands.

01:20:09And now, a significant share of new alcohol ventures are founded by women.

01:20:15Here to highlight the female spirit and give us rather a delicious selection of beverages while she's at it, welcome

01:20:22drinks expert Becky Paskin.

01:20:24Hi, Alan.

01:20:25I bet you had fun finding these, didn't you?

01:20:28Do you know what?

01:20:28It makes my life so easy when there are some amazing drinks that we can share with you guys.

01:20:33And the fact that they're female-owned as well is just phenomenal because it's very difficult for women in the

01:20:38UK and the world to raise capital to create their own brand.

01:20:41I think only 2% of venture capital investment actually goes to female-founded businesses.

01:20:46Deborah Meaden's not working hard enough.

01:20:49Well, there's a lot of hard work that goes on behind the scenes but also in front of them too.

01:20:54So, we've got some amazing drinks for you.

01:20:57We're going to kick off with Mother Roots.

01:20:59So, speaking of a dragon, this one is actually had investment from a dragon, Stephen Bartlett, but it was founded

01:21:06by Bethan Higson.

01:21:07So, this is Mother Roots.

01:21:08This is your first drink here with the pineapple on it.

01:21:10So, Mother Root is a shrub, essentially.

01:21:14So, it's based on apple cider vinegar with ginger root in there, some blossom honey.

01:21:18And I've lengthened it with pineapple juice and some soda water just to make it a really nice, refreshing, lifting

01:21:25drink.

01:21:25But there's a bit of chilli in the ginger which gives it the kick, which makes you think that maybe

01:21:30there's alcohol in there, but there's really not.

01:21:31But you've not put too much in it.

01:21:34That's very pineapply.

01:21:35It's very refreshing.

01:21:37It's very refreshing.

01:21:38That sounds like a sort of, it looks medicinal with a bottle, but it's not.

01:21:43I feel I should have played tennis before I had this.

01:21:45It's that sort of drink, isn't it?

01:21:46Yeah, summery.

01:21:47It feels summery.

01:21:48You feel like you should have got rid of some energy before you down this one.

01:21:52But it's lovely.

01:21:52Very nice.

01:21:53I like it.

01:21:53Great.

01:21:53So, does that get the thumbs up from both of you?

01:21:56Yeah, I love ginger.

01:21:57Yeah.

01:21:57Very nice.

01:21:58We like that.

01:21:58Next, we're coming on to a ready-made drink.

01:22:01So, I haven't really had to do anything here at all.

01:22:03But this is Pimento, which is a ready-to-drink margarita brand.

01:22:07And this is founded by two ladies, Alice Parmita and Winter Caro.

01:22:12And this is inspired by some of the drinks they had in Mexico.

01:22:16Brought them back to the UK, created their own brand.

01:22:18This is the spicy margarita version.

01:22:21Got quite a nose on it.

01:22:22Literally, you could just pour it into your glass, straight from the freezer.

01:22:25That might need some lengthening.

01:22:27Yes, it does.

01:22:28What have you put on the side of the glass?

01:22:30So, on the side here, this is just a sprinkling of tahin, which is a chilli and lime salt brim.

01:22:37So, you can drink from it or not drink from it.

01:22:39So, it's optional.

01:22:39It's totally optional.

01:22:41I do recommend you try it, first thing, Alan.

01:22:45Gosh.

01:22:46The thing that surprises you, you don't expect it to be a margarita, because it's not coloured like a margarita.

01:22:50It's very light.

01:22:51It's very light, very fresh.

01:22:53It does taste very strong, that, actually.

01:22:54I think maybe we'll only have a couple of those, Alan.

01:22:57How's the spice level for you in there?

01:22:59But, the stuff on the side of the glass is pretty cool.

01:23:02If you take it from the side, yeah.

01:23:02Yeah, you'll spice it up.

01:23:04No, it's weird.

01:23:05It smells like it's good, but actually, it's quite easy to drink.

01:23:08It's very easy to drink.

01:23:09I'm keeping away from that.

01:23:13It's actually nice.

01:23:14It's like, you know when you normally have the salt, it kind of takes the place of the salt, doesn't

01:23:18it?

01:23:18Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

01:23:19It's something a little bit different.

01:23:20So, every time you have a sip, you can sit from the side without, or the side with, and it

01:23:24just changes up your experience.

01:23:25What's the alcohol percentage in there, Becky?

01:23:2614.5%.

01:23:29So, about average for a margarita.

01:23:31Alan, you look like you're falling off the stool already.

01:23:34What the hell, already?

01:23:35I've had it too, sweet.

01:23:37It's always refreshing when you find your glass is fuller than your guest's glass.

01:23:41She's thinking it'd been a good house, do you know?

01:23:43Okay.

01:23:44Right.

01:23:44Well, we're moving swiftly on.

01:23:46Yeah, warm us up, that one.

01:23:46We're actually going to a brand which is close to my heart, being a Brighton girl myself.

01:23:50This is Brighton Gin.

01:23:52This is founded by Cathy Caton, who's a bit of a legend in the spirits industry.

01:23:57Brighton Gin is very much, embodies the spirit of Brighton, so we're very free-thinking and fun-loving down in

01:24:02Brighton, obviously.

01:24:04And this, if I do say so myself, this is made with, the glass from the bottle is actually 100

01:24:11% recycled glass from using Brighton recycled bottles, which is fantastic.

01:24:16Do you know you can taste that?

01:24:18You can taste the glass in the drink.

01:24:21But there's some beautiful orange notes and there's a very coastal style of gin.

01:24:25What I've done with this is I've paired it with a soda from Double Dutch.

01:24:29This is a pink grapefruit soda, also female-owned.

01:24:32So, Joyce and Raisa de Haas, they founded this incredible range of mixers.

01:24:36These are beautiful.

01:24:37And I've created a kind of coastal seaside paloma made with gin, just a touch of salt in there to

01:24:42bring out some salinity.

01:24:43Salinity, but essentially lovely, orangey, grapefruit-y.

01:24:47It is very grapefruit-y.

01:24:49Yes.

01:24:49Very grapefruit-y.

01:24:51I mean, it doesn't taste like it's got a lot of alcohol in it.

01:24:53That's always a bit dangerous, isn't it?

01:24:55Yes.

01:24:56So, in this serve, I actually put 50ml of gin, so there is a double serve of gin in this

01:25:00drink.

01:25:00So, if you can't taste it, then it maybe is quite dangerous.

01:25:03So, don't drink one of these before the tennis, Michaela.

01:25:06Yes.

01:25:07Moving on to our fourth drink, and this is where we move into whiskey territory, which is spirit.

01:25:11They're very close to my heart.

01:25:12And this is a newish brand that is called the Heart Cut.

01:25:16This is from a wife and husband duo, so Georgie Bell and Fabrizio Leone.

01:25:21They actually founded this at the same time as having twins, which is very brave.

01:25:25They probably needed it.

01:25:25So, they have three children at the same time.

01:25:28No doubt.

01:25:29Great wisdom, as a result.

01:25:30So, normally they focus on independent bottlings.

01:25:33So, whiskeys, they've sourced from all around the world, and they do small runs of them.

01:25:36But this particular whiskey is their first core whiskey.

01:25:40This is called barley, and it is a blend of English single malts.

01:25:44So, five different distilleries have gone in here.

01:25:46Lots of flavors of strawberry and cream, vanilla, marshmallows.

01:25:51So, I've created a strawberry and rhubarb old-fashioned, and just garnished it with a toasted marshmallow on the top.

01:25:59Ooh, that's, yeah, that's quite strong.

01:26:02That's delighted.

01:26:03Isn't it?

01:26:05It's quite strong, though.

01:26:06Yeah, no lengthening here.

01:26:07It's quite strong, though.

01:26:08I like that one.

01:26:09This is delicious.

01:26:10Mm.

01:26:11Yeah, I'm a bit worried about the marshmallow going in Alan's eye.

01:26:14That's my only worry.

01:26:16Take mine off.

01:26:19Tell me if I've got a marshmallow stuck in my eye, won't you?

01:26:24Well, Michaela, if you thought that one was strong, then we are moving into neat whiskey now.

01:26:29So, this is our fifth.

01:26:31And actually, this is one of my favorite whiskeys at the moment.

01:26:34This is called Nicknian.

01:26:36This is up on the west coast of Scotland, and it's founded by a lady called Annabel Thomas.

01:26:41So, she left her job working in the city in London to start a distillery on her family's farm.

01:26:47And created this beautiful, organic single malt.

01:26:50They have sustainability at their heart.

01:26:52But this is also made from 100% recycled bottles.

01:26:55Lots of flavors of peach stone, apricots, just maltiness.

01:27:00I just find it so fruity, so delicious, such a heartwarming, beautiful dram.

01:27:05That is your last swig before you hit the pillow, isn't it?

01:27:08Wow.

01:27:10That's a late-night sniff to that.

01:27:12It's gorgeous.

01:27:14Oh, yes.

01:27:14It's very nice.

01:27:15Yeah.

01:27:15Alan, you're leaning more and more on the bar.

01:27:17Look at me.

01:27:18You know, some of those Scotch whispers, they taste a bit weird in a glass.

01:27:22They taste a little bit antiseptic, some of them.

01:27:24It's one of those ones.

01:27:25That's probably the peat.

01:27:27So, actually, only about 10% of Scotch whisky is peated.

01:27:30So, it's only a small amount.

01:27:32This one doesn't have any peat in it.

01:27:34So, it's unpeated single malt whisky.

01:27:37What I would say is, if you're not too sure about the strength of whisky in sipping this

01:27:40neat, I think this is 46% ABV.

01:27:43So, if you wanted to, you could add some water or add a cube of ice.

01:27:47I think this one.

01:27:48You like the grapefruit one?

01:27:50Yeah.

01:27:51Alan, do you have a favourite?

01:27:52I like the margarita.

01:27:54It's really nice.

01:27:55That's it.

01:27:55Thanks to all my guests today.

01:27:57It's Michaela, Alan, Annabelle and Cliff.

01:27:59And, of course, to Becky, to rounding off a very verbose programme, which I suspect in

01:28:05the next hour or so is going to get even more verbose.

01:28:07Join me.

01:28:08If I could say the word, it'd be good, wouldn't it?

01:28:10Join me next week for Mothering Sunday.

01:28:12Queen of Crime, Linda Laplante.

01:28:14And Wild Cherry star, James Murray.

01:28:16Fletcher's Family Farms next, but I'll leave you with some meaningful words from Marlon Brando.

01:28:21No less.

01:28:22Regret is useless in life.

01:28:25It's because I've got a cold that I can do Marlon Brando.

01:28:27It's in the past.

01:28:29All we have is now.

01:28:31How terribly profound.

01:28:33A few glasses of this to come up with something like that.

01:28:35Now, though, I'm feeling very content.

01:28:37Happy 60th.

01:28:38Cheers.

01:28:39Cheers.

01:28:39Happy birthday.

01:28:41Happy birthday.

01:28:46Happy birthday.

01:28:48Happy birthday.

01:28:50Happy birthday.

01:28:53Happy birthday.

01:28:56Happy birthday.

01:29:06Happy birthday.

01:29:07Happy birthday.

01:29:08Happy birthday.

Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh - Season 8 - Episode 10

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