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00:00:01I know, you couldn't tell them, could you? You know, you'd try.
00:00:04Morning. Yes, just casually hanging out with my llama friends.
00:00:09Meet Indigo and Barnaby, stars of the silver screen
00:00:13and recently seen taking centre stage
00:00:16in Richard Osman's Thursday Murder Club.
00:00:18They'll be spilling the beans on their stardom later.
00:00:21It's time for Love Your Weekend.
00:00:24Come on, then. So, what was Pierce Brosnan really like?
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00:01:04Go on, breathe it in.
00:01:07That crisp, fresh spring air with a tang to it.
00:01:12The fields are stirring, the buds are bursting and everywhere you look, the British countryside is waking up around you.
00:01:21However you measure it, spring has officially arrived.
00:01:24Thanks to the equinox on Friday, we now get more than 12 glorious hours of daylight a day.
00:01:31As the late, great Robin Williams once said, spring is nature's way of saying, let's party.
00:01:37And here on the farm, we know the way to celebrate.
00:01:41Coming up, she made Head's Turn in the hit drama Cutting It back in 2002.
00:01:46And she's been making Head's Turn ever since.
00:01:48Sarah Parrish on teaming up with Rupert Penry-Jones for her latest theatrical foray.
00:01:54And he's led a rock and roll life, Peter André, currently celebrating 30 years since his big breakout and back
00:02:02with a brand new album.
00:02:03And whether you're a houseplant addict or completely devoid of any green housemates,
00:02:08houseplant expert Claire Lowry returns to the farm with her top houseplant first aid tips for your indoor greenery.
00:02:16And they already have an abundance of humps, but now they're adding stripes into the mix.
00:02:23We visit friend of the show, Daisy Fawcett, in Warwickshire, to see how some new arrivals at the family farm
00:02:29are overshadowing the camels.
00:02:36But first, the stage is set for today's guests.
00:02:40First lady of this parish, local Hampshireite and Manor Farm favourite, Sarah Parrish.
00:02:45And with a man who's been entertaining us for 30 years, unbelievably, with his genial personality and natural native charm.
00:02:54Welcome to Peter André.
00:02:55How do you find something in common between an Australian and someone who lives in Hampshire?
00:03:00And the answer is, unbelievably, Somerset.
00:03:02Yes.
00:03:03That's right.
00:03:04Australian, but Somerset now.
00:03:06Yeah, Somerset.
00:03:06So, I mean, my wife's family are all from Somerset, Taunton.
00:03:12And actually, my wife's father is a urologist, and he operated on my kidney.
00:03:17And that's how I eventually met my wife.
00:03:20I thought we were getting into the realms of oversharing.
00:03:23You were.
00:03:23I see why now.
00:03:24You were, because actually, had he known then what he knows now, he might have done a different operation.
00:03:30We, we, I love Somerset.
00:03:32I love that whole area.
00:03:33Isn't it lovely?
00:03:34I love it so much.
00:03:35And whenever we want to escape, that's where we go.
00:03:38But, you know, it's becoming very popular now, Somerset.
00:03:41Yeah, for lots and lots of people moving there.
00:03:43I can't leave the fact that you said, so he did the operation.
00:03:47Yes.
00:03:48And then you married his daughter.
00:03:49Yeah.
00:03:50You know when you wake up from the operating, in the operating theatre, and they have that big bright light,
00:03:54and he was standing in front of it, looking down to see if I was right.
00:03:57And I, honestly, I thought it was Jesus.
00:03:59I, I just, I just didn't know where I was.
00:04:02We became really good friends with his family for two years, and two years later, we were all together.
00:04:08And I literally realised I had feelings, and I thought, what do I do?
00:04:13What do I say?
00:04:14And I asked his permission if I could ask Emily for a date, and we did, and we went for
00:04:19a date, and that was that.
00:04:20Oh, that's so romantic.
00:04:21We're married ten years now.
00:04:23Gosh.
00:04:23Goodness me.
00:04:24Yeah.
00:04:25What a lovely story.
00:04:26Yes, what a nice boy.
00:04:27Yeah.
00:04:27Well, he's a, he's a good man, and we're still best friends.
00:04:31Well, with her whole family, they're lovely.
00:04:33So, Sarah, which operation did you have to meet Jimmy?
00:04:36Yes, I didn't, unfortunately.
00:04:39But no, Somerset, it is a lovely, lovely place.
00:04:41I, I mean, I don't very often go down there now.
00:04:44Obviously, both my parents have passed, but when I do go down, it's that sort of very lovely nostalgia.
00:04:52There's a smell about Somerset.
00:04:54There's something about it that calls me back.
00:04:56How long were you there?
00:04:58I lived there for 18 years.
00:05:00Oh, sure.
00:05:00Yeah, and then moved up to London after that.
00:05:03But I've got such fond memories of Somerset.
00:05:05It's a beautiful place.
00:05:06But also, I'm delighted that you both at least show an interest in gardening.
00:05:09I mean, I've either got to take an interest in it or just, you know, get somebody else to do
00:05:14it.
00:05:15Also, mum and dad are from Cyprus originally, and I bought land there maybe 20, 25 years ago, and I
00:05:22built a house there, and I, my gardens there are my pride and joy.
00:05:26And I only noticed it when dad first, dad designed it, and he put all the trees in their place.
00:05:31And I used to say to dad, yeah, this is all great, but what do I know about this stuff?
00:05:35And he said, just wait.
00:05:36And now, 20 years later, I go there, and I can't wait to just, that's where my real pride and
00:05:42joy.
00:05:42Now, Sarah, I remember you having a veg patch.
00:05:44You were quite keen on veg patch.
00:05:45I did.
00:05:45When I lived not far from here, actually, I had a big veg patch.
00:05:50It was great.
00:05:50I loved it.
00:05:51And we grew all our own veg.
00:05:53We had chickens, and, you know, they would, oh, it was just great.
00:05:57It was lovely.
00:05:58Now, Jim and I are too busy for the veg patch, unfortunately, so we have brought a gardener in, which
00:06:03I feel very embarrassed in front of you to say.
00:06:05That's all right.
00:06:05No, don't do that, because it just supports the industry.
00:06:08Exactly, exactly.
00:06:08That's fine.
00:06:09But, no, I loved it.
00:06:10I loved doing my veg patch.
00:06:12And I loved pottering about in the garden.
00:06:13It's just lovely.
00:06:14It's intriguing to have an actor and, you know, well, an actor, but also a musician, because I've noticed when
00:06:21I've been sort of keeping an eye on what's going on, you've both actually done crossover, because Peter's done some
00:06:25acting, and you've done some singing.
00:06:27And in McDonald and Dodds, there was an unforgettable moment where Sarah Parrish became Tina Turner.
00:06:35Oh.
00:06:36Oh.
00:06:37You should be the best.
00:06:41All the most.
00:06:45Better than anyone.
00:06:50Better than anyone.
00:06:52Well, I am so please.
00:06:56So was singing simply the most on camera fun or absolutely mortifying?
00:07:02Mortifying!
00:07:03It was incredibly embarrassing having to do that because I'm not a singer.
00:07:07And she's not supposed to be a singer.
00:07:09She isn't supposed to be a singer.
00:07:11But it was so much fun doing it.
00:07:13I loved it.
00:07:15But, no, you can see I won't be doing any musicals in the future.
00:07:19I bet you could absolutely do that.
00:07:21That was the character you were playing.
00:07:24Yeah, it was fun.
00:07:25It was really good fun to do.
00:07:26Do you fancy a new backing singer?
00:07:28By the sounds of it, I'm going to have to be a backing singer.
00:07:32Well, I've done it to you, so I've really got to do it to Peter as well.
00:07:35So shall we have a look at your acting place?
00:07:37Oh, yes, let's have a look.
00:07:37Well, this might have been my favourite, depending where you're going.
00:07:40We're going to football as wives.
00:07:42That was, like you, that was the one I just wish had never seen the light of day.
00:07:47Let's see.
00:07:48Let's have a look at it.
00:07:48Here we go.
00:07:51Peter, darling.
00:07:55How are you doing?
00:07:56You must be out.
00:07:57How are you going?
00:07:58Good.
00:07:59I'm a little confused, though, because my agent said something about Conrad, and you had a business proposition for me
00:08:04at some point.
00:08:05Conrad?
00:08:07Typical agent, say.
00:08:08No, it's just me, sweetheart.
00:08:11But why don't we talk shop over dinner?
00:08:13Right.
00:08:14Champagne?
00:08:15Yeah, all right.
00:08:17You see, the thing about a collaboration is there's got to be some sort of connection, you know?
00:08:24Spiritual.
00:08:25Well, that's why I think we could do it, because, well, I'm very spiritual, Peter.
00:08:32And I think Hal looks so complimentary.
00:08:34I could be your mysterious girl.
00:08:37Yeah, you could.
00:08:38A rather gruff and frustrated version of yourself, I feel there, Peter, very much wondering what she was going to
00:08:45say next.
00:08:47Yes.
00:08:47Were you the footballer or the wife?
00:08:49Well, I don't know what I was, but I just, it was one of those where I, because it was
00:08:55one of the first things I'd done, like 20, that was like 20-something years ago.
00:08:58Yeah.
00:08:59And I remember sitting next to my cousin, and he said, have you done acting before?
00:09:02I said, well, I studied it as a kid, but I've been doing music for 20 years.
00:09:06Yeah.
00:09:06And he said, yeah, just stick to music.
00:09:08I remember him saying that.
00:09:09And then, of course, since then, I've done film, but that was 20 years ago.
00:09:13I thought it was pretty good.
00:09:14No, that was shocking.
00:09:15Did you?
00:09:15Did you?
00:09:15Yeah.
00:09:16Thank you very much.
00:09:18Thanks for embarrassing us.
00:09:19That's all right.
00:09:20Well, I thought we had to do it both ways, really.
00:09:22That was great.
00:09:23They always say, they always called the filming business, hurry up and wait.
00:09:26In other words, you've got your, and then it's ages.
00:09:30Oh, yeah.
00:09:30What do you both do?
00:09:32Do you play games?
00:09:33Do you embroider or what?
00:09:35Sarah, what do you do to fill those boring gaps?
00:09:38All sorts, really.
00:09:39I mean, I always have a book on set so I can read.
00:09:42Obviously, I run a charity as well as acting, so if there's any emails to do, I've got my computer
00:09:46with me.
00:09:47I can, you know, shoot off some emails, things like that.
00:09:50But, yeah, generally, I try not to get on my phone all the time because all actors now, we've all
00:09:56got our phones and we just, and in the olden days, you'd all sit and chat to each other, which
00:09:59was great.
00:10:00You got to know the crew, you got to know everyone, and that doesn't happen so much now, so I
00:10:04try not to take my phone on set.
00:10:05Of course, you're instantly isolated, aren't you, at the moment you're doing it.
00:10:08Yeah, yeah.
00:10:09Peter, what do you do?
00:10:10Well, so I've been with the same manager for 30 years and I remember at the start when things were
00:10:16really going well on the music front, she said,
00:10:19oh, I'm going to get you into presenting, and I said, but why would I want to do presenting?
00:10:22I want to do music, and she said, because there'll come a time when the music will slow down and
00:10:26you need to have all these different avenues.
00:10:28So the benefit of that was I get to do loads of different things, but the downside of that is
00:10:33there's never, there's never downtime.
00:10:36Obviously, I'm very grateful for it, but it just, my brain's constantly going, I need to do something else.
00:10:41I can't sit still, so I don't really, the downtime is when we all as a family go somewhere.
00:10:50That's the only time, but apart from that, I'm just constantly thinking, what's next?
00:10:54What do I do next?
00:10:55What do I do?
00:10:56More coming up from Sarah and Pete a little bit later.
00:10:59Now, pull up a hay bale and grab yourself a caramel slice.
00:11:02Still ahead, adequate light, sufficient water and a strong root system.
00:11:07It's a houseplant's rescue.
00:11:09Claire Lowry and the houseplant hacks to help revive your leafy favourites just in time for summer.
00:11:15Also coming up, long eyelashes, banana-shaped ears, upturned mouths and stocky bodies.
00:11:21We'll be catching up with our movie star llamas, currently taking the spotlight over in Paddock 2.
00:11:27I'll see with our llamas and more, right after I've invited Peter to indulge himself with a fondant fancy.
00:11:34Oh, my God.
00:11:35Sorry about that.
00:11:35Already?
00:11:36I should have waited for my cue.
00:11:38I should have waited for my cue.
00:11:40Look at that.
00:11:41That's a fondant fancy and a half, isn't it, really?
00:11:46Have yourself.
00:11:47Sarah, do you want a bit of Battenberg?
00:11:48I will have a Battenberg, actually.
00:11:50Lovely.
00:11:50Look at that.
00:12:06There's an old country saying, told to me, by Percy Thrower, no less.
00:12:12March dust, worth a pound a peck.
00:12:15Meaning that a dry spell and a good covering of blue sky right now can mean great things for the
00:12:22season ahead.
00:12:22After the wettest start to the year on record, a few days of settled weather isn't just a good omen
00:12:29for growers.
00:12:29It's a real spirit lifter, isn't it?
00:12:31You just feel a whole lot better.
00:12:32Your shoulders come down.
00:12:34And we've lots to lift the spirits and lower your shoulders on today's show,
00:12:38including a man who oozes natural charisma, likeability and boasts a large fan base.
00:12:44No-one likes a show-off, Peter.
00:12:46Peter Andre, sharing the stories and the songs from the illustrious 30-year career.
00:12:52And forget the Cocteau Twins.
00:12:55Remember them?
00:12:55Today we bring you the Cocktail Twins.
00:12:58They're not twins, but never let facts get in the way of a good title.
00:13:02Master mixologists Hannah and Siobhan make their Manor Farm debut with some citrusy sippers in this week's Master British.
00:13:10Now, we welcomed a cacophony of animals to our paddocks in recent years, all enriching our understanding of the great
00:13:18British countryside.
00:13:20Today's visitors may be less recognisable than some we've met, but these herbivores certainly rival any when it comes to
00:13:28personality.
00:13:29A South American relative of the camel, llamas were first brought here in Victorian times as zoo attractions.
00:13:37Today, they're predominantly kept as pets, but some owners do specialise in breeding and offer llama experiences, trekking through the
00:13:47English countryside.
00:13:48It's exactly what Sarah Brown from Katanga Llamas in Northampton she does.
00:13:53She joins me now with indigo and Barnaby.
00:13:58It's very interesting.
00:13:59Normally, all animals present their bottom to camera.
00:14:02We've got half of tail here.
00:14:05Sarah, let's clear this up first of all.
00:14:07Difference between a llama and an alpaca.
00:14:09What is it?
00:14:10Alpacas are half the size.
00:14:12Yeah.
00:14:12They're slightly more timid.
00:14:14They're not as outgoing and, you know, confident as llamas.
00:14:18And they're predominantly a fibre and meat producer in South America, whereas the llama is the all-round utility animal.
00:14:24So, pack llama.
00:14:26They do use their fleece as well.
00:14:28And they use their dung for heating and cooking.
00:14:31They're just the all-rounder, basically.
00:14:33They've never ridden, are they?
00:14:34But they're beasts of burden.
00:14:35They carry stuff.
00:14:36Yeah, so they can carry up to about 25 kilos.
00:14:39So, they trade with other communities around the Andes.
00:14:42This is indigo, who you met last time.
00:14:46I've met you before.
00:14:47Do you know they're beautifully soft?
00:14:49They are.
00:14:49And you stroke them gloriously.
00:14:50And I love this hum.
00:14:52You're very handsome, aren't you?
00:14:54He is.
00:14:57This is indigo, that's Barnaby.
00:14:58Ages here, Sarah.
00:14:59Indigo is 17 and Barnaby is 16 this summer.
00:15:04And how long can they live?
00:15:05Late teens, early 20s.
00:15:07Yeah.
00:15:07I mean, we've got a 23-year-old at the minute, and his grandfather lived to be nearly 27.
00:15:11Graciously.
00:15:12Yeah, really.
00:15:13If you look after them, they can go into their 20s.
00:15:15But average is about 18, I'd say.
00:15:17And people come to you to go trekking.
00:15:19Yes.
00:15:20Long country walks with a llama carrying your bag.
00:15:22Yes.
00:15:23So, we do an on-farm trek and a half-day experience where we go cross-country, because we've got
00:15:2820-acre woodland at the farm.
00:15:29And they're just really, you know, confident companions to trek with.
00:15:34They have a reputation, even as whole llamas, they spit, don't they?
00:15:37They do have a bad reputation for it, but it is just a bad reputation.
00:15:41They do spit, but they should never, ever spit at people.
00:15:44And it's because of a lot of petting zoos and places where they're prodded and poked all
00:15:48day and quite, you know, stressed.
00:15:51They have the most wonderful eyes and eyelashes that most women would kill for, you know.
00:15:56You're getting hungry.
00:15:57But they're a large, they're a broad animal, aren't they?
00:15:59It's quite a broad back.
00:16:01Hence the beast of burden bit.
00:16:02They are, but actually, under all of that fibre, it's quite a small body, really.
00:16:07Yeah, they look bigger than they actually are.
00:16:09But they, yeah, you can carry...
00:16:10Excuse me while I do this, won't you?
00:16:12Yes, I'm just saying, oh, gosh, it's up to there.
00:16:16Yeah, look at that, really...
00:16:19There's loads of it there.
00:16:20Yeah.
00:16:21It's really, very extremely deep.
00:16:23Quite coarse.
00:16:24Is it coarser than alpaca?
00:16:26Yeah, so alpacas just have one coat, which is all down hair.
00:16:30Llamas have a double coat, so they have down hair next to their skin,
00:16:33and then they have this outer layer of guard hair, which protects the down hair.
00:16:37The neck is particularly soft.
00:16:39Yes.
00:16:39How long have you been working with them?
00:16:4113 years now.
00:16:42Gosh.
00:16:43Yeah.
00:16:43And you'd rather be with them than pigs, sheep and cows?
00:16:46Well, I used to be a pig farmer.
00:16:47Did you?
00:16:48Yeah.
00:16:48What a difference.
00:16:49Yeah, yeah, so I have...
00:16:50I used to be a pig farmer, and then I've gone to llamas.
00:16:53It's a lot less stressful.
00:16:54They have one baby.
00:16:55Yeah.
00:16:56Right, so they have one baby.
00:16:57Generally speaking, when?
00:16:58Um, so we're coming up to the crea season now.
00:17:02The young are called creas.
00:17:04Yes, so we'll do our first in April.
00:17:07So they're induced ovulators, so they don't have a season,
00:17:11so they can actually get pregnant any time of the year.
00:17:13So we breed them spring, summer, for a spring, summer baby the following year.
00:17:17So the climate's much better for them.
00:17:19Yeah, because it's an 11 and a half month gestation, so it's a long time.
00:17:22Yeah.
00:17:23Wonderful.
00:17:23Now, they've got this ability, because they're from the Andes,
00:17:26to cope with high altitude, I gather.
00:17:30They're particularly adapted to that, then, presumably.
00:17:32Yeah, their blood corpuscles are elongated, so they take in more oxygen,
00:17:36so they can be at such higher altitudes than us.
00:17:38They actually donated blood for cancer research years ago,
00:17:43because they were studying, you know,
00:17:44because they fight off viruses and infection a lot more than we can because of that.
00:17:48So they actually donated blood to cancer research because of that.
00:17:52So if somebody wants to keep llamas,
00:17:54as you say, more often it is alpacas,
00:17:57but what do they need in terms of accommodation?
00:17:59As long as they've got the right amount of grazing
00:18:01and field shelter or barn for them to come in.
00:18:04The right amount of grazing is what?
00:18:05Well, if you're having just a few llamas,
00:18:08you'd need at least an acre or two,
00:18:10and you'd need to be able to split the paddocks so that you can rest the fields.
00:18:15Wonderful.
00:18:16You're a sweetheart, aren't you, really?
00:18:18They're also television stars, aren't they?
00:18:20They are, yeah.
00:18:21Both of these are, actually.
00:18:21What have they been on?
00:18:22Come on, give us your CV.
00:18:24So, I mean, they've done lots, but we're recently...
00:18:27Well, apart from Indigo being on Love Your Weekend,
00:18:30which, of course, is top of the list.
00:18:31They recently did the filming for the Thursday Murder Club on Netflix,
00:18:35which aired at the end of last year.
00:18:37So Indigo and Barnaby went and did that.
00:18:39And then Barnaby has actually just done something else for Netflix,
00:18:44but we're not allowed to say yet,
00:18:45and that comes out at the end of this year.
00:18:47Right.
00:18:47But, yeah, that's quite a big one as well.
00:18:49When they come back, do you notice them being particularly starry?
00:18:52Oh, yeah, he's a terrible diva now.
00:18:55Look, I mean, I'm not standing still.
00:18:57I'm just going to strut me stuff.
00:18:59He's gone straight to his head.
00:19:00Are they always the same colour?
00:19:01We've got here really quite dark legs.
00:19:02No, these two are very similar.
00:19:04They have got the same dad but different mums,
00:19:06but you could put two white llamas together and get a brown.
00:19:09It's very random.
00:19:10So, yeah, you have no idea.
00:19:13We've got spotty ones, pure white ones, brown and white, you know.
00:19:16It really varies in colour.
00:19:18How many are you looking after?
00:19:20I think we've got about 38 at the minute.
00:19:22We've got three babies due.
00:19:24Now, diet, I mean, clearly they graze.
00:19:26Do they browse as well?
00:19:28Yes, they're browsers rather than grazers, actually.
00:19:30Yeah, so obviously if there was hedges and trees,
00:19:33they'd be straight in there.
00:19:34But they're continuous grazers and then they obviously ruminance,
00:19:37so they do have to eventually stop grazing and chew the cud.
00:19:41Right.
00:19:41But, yeah, grass and hay ad-lib, but they are grazers, so they do...
00:19:46And supplementary feeding during the winter?
00:19:48The older geriatrics we give extra feeding for
00:19:53and obviously the pregnant mummies and the youngsters.
00:19:57But these trekking boys are really hardy.
00:19:59So in South America, they'd have really sparse vegetation,
00:20:02so actually they can get too fat in this country,
00:20:05so you do have to watch their weight.
00:20:07They are really hardy because they're from the Andes.
00:20:10And presumably winter cold means nothing to them with a coat this thick.
00:20:13Do you use them as sort of therapy animals as well?
00:20:17Because a lot of animals now, horses, dogs particularly,
00:20:20are used for therapy.
00:20:21Yeah, we do have lots of groups come with various special needs.
00:20:25And we've had blind groups and, you know, all sorts.
00:20:28And I think also being head level with a calm animal that's not intimidating
00:20:35gives a lot of people confidence.
00:20:36We have a lot of children come as well, so they're all around us.
00:20:40It is interesting because, as you say,
00:20:42when you're in close proximity with this glorious head
00:20:44and these glorious eyes and that little hum.
00:20:49They call it Lama Karma.
00:20:50It is Lama Karma.
00:20:52Certainly calming Lama.
00:20:54Yeah.
00:20:55They're lovely.
00:20:55Bless you.
00:20:56Thank you very much for bringing them in.
00:20:57You're welcome.
00:20:57Indigo, nice to have you back.
00:20:59Glad you've made such a fuss of me.
00:21:02And Barnaby, you too.
00:21:03And we look forward to your appearance on the top-secret Netflix drama,
00:21:09whatever it is, come the end of the year.
00:21:12But lovely to be...
00:21:12I could just stand and gaze at these all day, you know.
00:21:16I love that.
00:21:17And you're very calm.
00:21:18I know.
00:21:19And you're very beautiful.
00:21:21And I think you know that.
00:21:23Oh, he is back.
00:21:24Is that a good thing or not?
00:21:26I'm not sure about that.
00:21:27I'm backing off now.
00:21:28OK.
00:21:28You've got my number.
00:21:30Thank you, sir.
00:21:31Thank you, Indigo.
00:21:32Thank you, Barnaby.
00:21:34Coming up, ahead of their retirement,
00:21:36we catch up with the zebras,
00:21:38currently residing at one Warwickshire farm.
00:21:41And it was the year they cloned Dolly the sheep,
00:21:44the Euros ended in disappointment,
00:21:46and the Macarena went viral.
00:21:49Do you remember that?
00:21:50Oh, I can't...
00:21:51You're not a fella, thank you.
00:21:53But to his adoring fans,
00:21:55the biggest revelation of 1996 was this.
00:21:58Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh...
00:22:01Peter Andre talks 30 years since the UK release of that song,
00:22:06and much more right after this.
00:22:09Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh...
00:22:13Mysterious girl, move your body close to mine...
00:22:23Welcome back to Love Your Weekend.
00:22:25Still aired, she's arguably the doyenne of alpha female roles,
00:22:29having starred in hits like Bancroft, Broadchurch and my favourite W1A.
00:22:35Hampshire local Sarah Parrish on cornering the market in TV baddies.
00:22:40And she's so nice in real life.
00:22:42Also coming up, how your trash is nature's treasure.
00:22:45TV carpenter Wayne Perry brings us everything that's great about the green, brown
00:22:50and the beautiful world of compost bins.
00:22:53Oh, the glamour of telly.
00:22:54Now, my next guest is a bona fide household name,
00:22:58who for 30 years has toured his way around the world and along the way,
00:23:02he's also picked up a rather successful TV career.
00:23:06But it's music that will always be his home,
00:23:09as he's about to release his most personal album yet,
00:23:11his 11th studio album, to be precise.
00:23:15Before we say hello or g'day,
00:23:17let's take an astounding trip back to the 90s.
00:23:21If you down, throw your hands up in the air
00:23:23The match's back with a flavour of the air
00:23:26Here we go, there's a party over here
00:23:28Oh, my God, my God
00:23:30Slip it down, throw your hands up in the air
00:23:33The match's back with a flavour of the air
00:23:35That's why I'm kickin' the flavour of the air
00:23:37That's right I'm kicking your flavour of the 레�-I-I-I-I-I-I-I
00:23:42Is a Doing-Islam
00:24:19I mean, be honest, Peter Andre, you never ate, did you?
00:24:23You just did not eat anything.
00:24:25You know, you just spent your life in the gym.
00:24:27Well, you do.
00:24:27You really think it's an interesting thing.
00:24:31Back then, I used to train to try and look a certain way.
00:24:34Now, I train to feel a certain way, and there's a big difference in that.
00:24:37Your baggy trousers aren't quite.
00:24:39Well, I mean, who wears jeans in a waterfall?
00:24:42I still sometimes see that video and think,
00:24:45why didn't anyone say, can you take your jeans off?
00:24:48Probably better I didn't, actually, thinking about it.
00:24:51Yeah, they were good days.
00:24:53They were good days as much as I can remember.
00:24:55A lot of it's a bit of a blur now, but great times.
00:24:5811th album, Legacy, with old hits, new stuff, you write as well as perform.
00:25:05But you've had a chance to sort of revisit the old things,
00:25:08re-orchestrate them, you know, and use Friends on the album too.
00:25:11Yeah, so basically the first song I wrote, I was 13.
00:25:14I was riding my bike home from school, and I wrote it.
00:25:19The whole thing really quickly ran home, said to my brother Chris,
00:25:22who is an incredible musician, what song is this?
00:25:25And he said, well, it might be yours.
00:25:27And I said, what do you mean?
00:25:28He said, well, you've probably just written a song.
00:25:30And I didn't know I could do that back then.
00:25:32So that was it.
00:25:33The obsession started.
00:25:35And some of the songs on the first album, we're talking 11 albums ago,
00:25:39was songs that I'd written when I was that young,
00:25:42and I eventually got to record them.
00:25:43And it was this summer, 30 years ago, that Mysterious Girl became a worldwide hit.
00:25:47So I thought, why don't I do something to celebrate that?
00:25:51Revisiting some of those old songs, and then writing some new songs.
00:25:55And that's what we did.
00:25:56Who are we heroes?
00:25:58Who are your heroes?
00:25:59I mean, looking back, and you've met a few of them, I guess.
00:26:01Yeah, well, I was six years old when I first heard Off the Wall album,
00:26:07Michael Jackson.
00:26:08And I remember it being this unbelievable sound,
00:26:10because it was all Quincy Jones production, wasn't it?
00:26:12And I remember playing it at home on a record player,
00:26:16and my dad walked in in his strong Greek accent,
00:26:18and he said, who is this woman singing?
00:26:22And I said, Dad, what do you mean?
00:26:24This is Michael Jackson.
00:26:25This is the greatest singer of all time.
00:26:26And he said, wait.
00:26:29And he went and he got this record of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin.
00:26:33And he said, this, listen to this.
00:26:35And back then, I didn't appreciate it, because I was into what I liked.
00:26:39And, you know, the songs were great.
00:26:41Michael Jackson's, of course, music was incredible.
00:26:43But I grew up understanding what my father listened to
00:26:46and what my brothers listened to.
00:26:47So I had a lot of heroes.
00:26:50But you're also, you know, utilising now the music of Frankie Valli.
00:26:53Frankie Valli.
00:26:54Frankie Valli in the Four Seasons.
00:26:56I mean, my daughters, when we took them to see the Jersey Boys,
00:26:59you know, they said, but we didn't know those songs came from that long ago.
00:27:02They knew the songs so well.
00:27:04Yeah.
00:27:04They were from discos and things like that.
00:27:05But Frankie Valli, you've also been enjoying that kind of music.
00:27:07I am.
00:27:08And when I first got approached to do it,
00:27:10I remember saying to the producer, that's really kind of you,
00:27:13but I don't really know any Frankie Valli songs.
00:27:14And he said, yes, you do.
00:27:16Yes, you do.
00:27:17And I realised that when we were kids on the Gold Coast,
00:27:20that the speakers, they used to have speakers on the beaches
00:27:22and they used to play local radio stations, used to play music.
00:27:26I always thought it was the Beach Boys, and some of them were.
00:27:29But what I didn't realise was a lot of those songs
00:27:32embedded in our childhood were Frankie Valli.
00:27:34So it was a real honour to take that on.
00:27:36Yeah.
00:27:38You've done various genres over the years.
00:27:40The people you've encompassed within your act.
00:27:43And also were encompassing people like Jack Sparrow.
00:27:47And I can never forget this scene from Strictly Come Dancing
00:27:53when Peter Andre suddenly descended.
00:28:25There you are.
00:28:26Wow.
00:28:26Your best Jack Sparrow.
00:28:27Your best Johnny Depp.
00:28:28There was Janet Menrara there.
00:28:29Wow, Janet Menrara.
00:28:30That music.
00:28:31I mean, you only have to hear that, don't you?
00:28:33And you all feel you could dance like that.
00:28:34Well, it's such powerful music.
00:28:37That was, I have to be honest, of all the TVs I've ever done,
00:28:41Strictly was the scariest experience I've ever had in my life
00:28:44because you're being judged by real dancers.
00:28:47You're not being judged by, you know, celebrities or you are being judged
00:28:52by people who know their craft.
00:28:53And when they tell you your foot's wrong, your foot's wrong.
00:28:56So you try so hard to do it properly.
00:28:59And it's really scary.
00:29:01Really scary, but very rewarding as well.
00:29:04You get to do different things with different people and different skills.
00:29:07I mean, Jeanette, they're a brilliant dancer.
00:29:08But it was very intriguing.
00:29:10Watching Jill Scott with you, doing Mysterious Girl in a League of Their Own.
00:29:17Here we are.
00:29:18You know, I said earlier that we hadn't booked Peter Andre to come out and sing with you.
00:29:22I was lying.
00:29:23It wouldn't be a League of Their Own without making dreams come true.
00:29:27It is time, Jill Scott, for your duet with Mr. Peter Andre!
00:29:31Thank you!
00:29:37Good job!
00:29:40Come on, Jill.
00:29:41I want you to sing it with me.
00:29:43You promised me your word.
00:29:45Oh, oh, oh, oh.
00:29:47You Mysterious Girl
00:29:49move your body close to mine.
00:29:53Are you going to do the rap?
00:29:54Here we go.
00:29:55Well, I've been sitting by the boards
00:29:58hoping you'd call my time.
00:29:59I hear your voice, I feel temp.
00:30:01I hear your voice, I feel temp.
00:30:04You know, she covered about three different keys.
00:30:09there but she just managed to do it perfectly was she got all the words
00:30:14right I can't get all those words right yeah she's such a lovely person I've
00:30:18met many times really lovely person isn't it wonderful to be able to bring joy into
00:30:23someone's laughter but she really had no idea that you were going to spring that
00:30:26and and this is the thing that I think is wonderful about the industry that
00:30:30we're in you know we get to do so many different things like you said and I
00:30:34feel very very blessed to be able to do that and we've met over the years a few
00:30:39times but it's it's amazing to think 30 years later I could sit here on the
00:30:43sofa with you and chat it's wonderful we're both very old now well that's
00:30:48probably why some of us are older than my dad said it's only the first hundred
00:30:51years that are tough he reckons it gets really easy after we're okay now he's 93
00:30:58okay not so great for him but it's great for us it's the variety the things that
00:31:04you go on and you're doing musicals as well and you don't very special you don't
00:31:07Greece now you had an acquaintanceship there with Olivia Newton-John I know she
00:31:13you were a great fan of hers well I mean I had the pleasure of working with
00:31:18Olivia Newton-John one night at the spine we did a spina bifida concert in
00:31:22Australia in aid of spina bifida and we all performed on stage together and she was
00:31:28exactly what you wish she would be like she just radiated from the second she'd
00:31:34walk in was kind to everybody and so you know I got to see her a few more times over
00:31:41the
00:31:41next few years after that and she was always just that lovely person I mean who didn't have
00:31:46a crush on Olivia Newton-John she was just agreed you know just and she's always been so lovely so
00:31:53well I can't bring you Olivia Newton-John from Greece I can give you Teen Angel but on Loose Women
00:31:59here we are brilliant
00:32:01baby you blew it
00:32:02baby you blew it
00:32:03baby you blew it
00:32:04you put out good and vice to shame
00:32:06how could you do it
00:32:08how could you do it
00:32:09bet you did Abby say the same
00:32:12cause there's no way to get through to you
00:32:15no matter how I try
00:32:22might as well look back to that more choppy mascara
00:32:38a pink curl pink wings I have to tell you this I'm so sorry four years before that five years
00:32:47before that I was offered the
00:32:48role of Danny Zuko and I couldn't do it how could I not do it I couldn't do it whatever
00:32:52the reason was it was a
00:32:55six or however many years later they came back and said would you do Greece and I said of course
00:33:00I told everybody I'm playing Danny Zuko I rang my in-laws I rang my parents in Australia I'm going
00:33:06to be Danny Zuko in Greece
00:33:08I said wow you know a little bit old but okay said no what are you talking about I can
00:33:13do it you know he's Italian he wasn't but anyway
00:33:16so I told everybody and what I didn't realize until the day of the photo shoot they sent a message
00:33:24saying can you please bring tight white jeans and a tight white vest top and I thought well Danny Zuko
00:33:29doesn't wear that
00:33:30so I turned up and they said well who told you were Danny Zuko I said I just presumed they
00:33:36said you're slightly too old for that so I was a
00:33:38teenager instead I still loved it but I didn't get to fulfill my Danny Zuko dream
00:33:44and tell me about working with Madonna I mean goodness me support up for Madonna and I bet you thought
00:33:49yeah I don't really does that one bite your hand off time yeah absolutely when I got the call to
00:33:56to open for
00:33:57for the girly tour it was all around Australia in stadiums now I'd never I mean most people don't start
00:34:03at
00:34:03stadiums they start at the bottom and eventually get there I started at the top there was only one way
00:34:08it
00:34:08was gonna go I was where do you go from that I mean that was Madonna and it was the
00:34:13most incredible experience
00:34:15she was lovely yeah we did a six-week tour I think together when you're working with something like that
00:34:20watching how they operate how they operate on stage and operate off stage it must be quite interesting seeing
00:34:26how they carry themselves how they relate to an audience can you learn from working with someone like Madonna
00:34:32well yeah of course I mean you learn from all the greats you see how it all works you know
00:34:39of course when
00:34:39you've got a budget you can put on the production that but you still need star quality you do and
00:34:45if you
00:34:45haven't got that yes all the bells and whistles don't really mean that's right well she's definitely
00:34:50got I mean the songs good to have you with this good luck with the album and Frankie Valli fabulous
00:34:56thank you Peter thank you delight now then a wonder through nature courtesy of you at home it's time
00:35:03the walk on the wild side
00:35:39this week it's time and the music out to be podcasting with you we'll need to get started
00:35:40to have you with the book for something I got here
00:35:40this week I hope it ain't that good luck with the book well
00:35:45I'm going to have you with the book I'm going to have you with
00:35:47this week once again I've been working on the songs
00:35:53and I'm going to have you with this big names
00:35:53I'm going to have you with this man
00:35:55I'm going to have you with this man
00:37:03Coming up...
00:37:19There really is no season like spring.
00:37:23And as our gardens wake from their winter sleep, it's no wonder that displays of our early risers can put
00:37:30a smile on anyone's face, as we hope we will today.
00:37:34Coming up, spoilt, psychopathic, salt of the earth.
00:37:38She's led a variety of characters.
00:37:40Sarah Parrish on mixing it up when it comes to choosing her roles.
00:37:44But first, it's time for your voice of nature.
00:37:47Today, it's the turn of Patience stars, Ella Mae Purvis and Nathan Welsh, with Hope by Edith Nesbitt.
00:38:04Oh, thrush, is it true?
00:38:05Oh, your song tells of a world born anew, of fields gold with buttercups, woodlands all blue with hyacinth bells.
00:38:14Of primroses deep in the moss of the lane, of a princess asleep and dear magic to do.
00:38:21Will the sun wake the princess?
00:38:23Oh, thrush, is it true?
00:38:24Will spring come again?
00:38:26Will spring come again?
00:38:28Now at last, with soft shine and rain, will the violet be sweet where the dead leaves have lain?
00:38:35Will winter be past?
00:38:36In the brown of the copse will white-wind flowers star through,
00:38:40Where the last oak leaf drops, and the daisies come too.
00:38:45And the May and the lilac will spring come again?
00:38:48Oh, thrush, is it true?
00:38:58Thank you, Ella and Nathan.
00:39:00Lovely words capturing that anticipation of spring renewal that we all feel when the sun comes out.
00:39:07Now, they've filled our shelves and populated porches for decades,
00:39:12from the exotic specimens in grand Victorian glasshouses,
00:39:16to the humble spider plants on 1970s windowsills.
00:39:20Our love affair with houseplants shows no signs of fizzling out,
00:39:24but after a long and dusty winter, it's time to give your leafy friends some TLC.
00:39:29Thankfully, we have just the woman.
00:39:31Welcome back, houseplant expert Clare Lowry,
00:39:35here with her rejuvenation masterclass to get your houseplants prepped, primed and positively thriving.
00:39:42Welcome, Clare, let me tell you back.
00:39:44Thank you for having me back.
00:39:45It is, isn't it, because there they sit, like bits of furniture,
00:39:48the occasional flick over with a feather duster,
00:39:50lobsome water, but now they're a bit weary, aren't they?
00:39:54They are.
00:39:55I mean, you actually, you just mentioned about the flick over with the feather duster,
00:39:58and one of the first things I was actually going to touch on is plants that don't get a dusting
00:40:02enough.
00:40:03And I think especially as the days kind of start to pick up and the light is beautiful,
00:40:08you really want to be kind of optimising that as much as possible so the plant can photosynthesise.
00:40:13And so I've got a very dusty plant here.
00:40:16I mean, I typically don't let it get this bad,
00:40:18but when it starts to kind of get quite dusty,
00:40:20because I think a lot of the time people kind of think,
00:40:22oh, no, my plants aren't dusty, they look absolutely fine.
00:40:24But you don't realise, in the same way as your skirting boards build up dust,
00:40:28your plants build up dust as well.
00:40:30Besides the fact that obviously you can't kind of allow them all the light that they need,
00:40:35it's kind of like having a sheer curtain over them.
00:40:37They can't absorb the light.
00:40:39They also are far more susceptible to pests.
00:40:43So, yeah.
00:40:44So clean them.
00:40:44Yeah, so I'm just using literally just some lukewarm water.
00:40:48Look at that.
00:40:49Oh, yeah.
00:40:50Hey, as Larry Grayson used to say,
00:40:52hey, the muck in here.
00:40:54But it looks totally different, it literally shines.
00:40:57And you don't need anything other than water.
00:40:59I know, I know, it's amazing.
00:41:01They used to say in the elders, do them with milk,
00:41:03and you think, well, actually, it then starts to smell a bit cheesy after a while.
00:41:07I've had all of these.
00:41:08But hairy plants, of course, you wouldn't do that with them.
00:41:11You have to be a bit careful with hairy plants,
00:41:12because obviously they're much more susceptible to mould, mildew.
00:41:16If you are going to wipe them down,
00:41:17I personally would recommend just dusting.
00:41:19Yeah.
00:41:20But if you do need to wipe them down,
00:41:21if you are dealing with pests or something like that,
00:41:23I would just make sure you've got really good airflow
00:41:25to allow the leaves to kind of dry off so that they don't start to...
00:41:28Isn't that gorgeous?
00:41:30It's beautiful, isn't it?
00:41:31Fresh and you can...
00:41:32It's sort of...
00:41:32Oh, Claire, thank you so much.
00:41:34Listen carefully and you can hear it.
00:41:36Yeah, it's like a whole new plant.
00:41:37It is.
00:41:38It is.
00:41:38The other thing that I was going to mention,
00:41:40this is a very...
00:41:41You actually mentioned spider plants at the beginning.
00:41:43The spider plant is obviously a very common house plant,
00:41:46and this one has been throwing out plantlets for months.
00:41:50This is great to start with this, isn't it?
00:41:52And start children off, too,
00:41:53because each one of these make a separate plant.
00:41:55It's fantastic.
00:41:56I think the reason that this one is probably doing it
00:41:59is because the plant is actually stressed,
00:42:01because this one hasn't had a repot in quite a while.
00:42:05Oh, yes, there's a lot in there.
00:42:07There's a lot in there.
00:42:08Now, if you've got that plant looking that healthy
00:42:10in that size pot,
00:42:11you obviously feed it really well,
00:42:12because it's still glowing with health.
00:42:13I mean, the amount of water this plant is requiring at the moment
00:42:17is ridiculous,
00:42:18because just look at those roots.
00:42:21They are crazy.
00:42:23Yeah.
00:42:24So, before I pot it up, I'll show you the soil mix that I quite like to use.
00:42:29This is, for me, just kind of like a generic soil mix
00:42:32that I'll use for most of my house plants,
00:42:36terrestrial house plants that grow from the ground.
00:42:37Now, you can buy it in bags or any mixer,
00:42:39you mix your own.
00:42:40To be honest, I do a bit of both,
00:42:42but there's something quite therapeutic,
00:42:44and I don't know, just quite nice about getting your hands in the soil
00:42:47and mixing everything up yourself.
00:42:49So, what have you got for?
00:42:50So, this is just a peat-free soil mix,
00:42:53and I'm going to put all of that in the bowl,
00:42:55and then I've got two different types of orchid bark.
00:42:58This is orchid bark with tree fern fibre,
00:43:00so it's really, really nice at adding aeration into the soil.
00:43:04So, that's the orchid, but what about the bigger chips?
00:43:07Yeah, this is just much chunkier,
00:43:09and typically, if I'm working with an epiphytic plant,
00:43:12so a plant that naturally doesn't grow out of the ground,
00:43:15and it grows on a tree, not a parasite,
00:43:17but an epiphyde just clings on.
00:43:19Exactly.
00:43:20So, I would typically add a lot more kind of chunky things
00:43:23like sustainably sourced sphagnum moss and stuff like that as well
00:43:26to really kind of replicate its natural growing conditions.
00:43:29For this plant, I think I'm just going to stick with the fine stuff.
00:43:34And then this is perlite,
00:43:35and when you're using perlite indoors,
00:43:38it's really important to make sure that you hydrate it first.
00:43:41Because it's very dry and fluffy. It almost blows away.
00:43:43It's almost like polystyrene granules.
00:43:44It feels different, but it's as light and fluffy, isn't it, really?
00:43:48Yeah, completely, but also the dust is really bad for you to breathe in.
00:43:52I mean, you can actually see just from how I've hydrated it already
00:43:55and see how it's kind of holding the moisture.
00:43:58And this just means that I'm creating a really nice airy mix
00:44:01that also is very moisture retaining.
00:44:03So, I'm not hopefully going to need to have to be watering this plant quite so much.
00:44:07It's that seeming contradiction with compost.
00:44:10They need to be moisture retentive, but free draining.
00:44:13Yes.
00:44:14And that means they're holding onto enough moisture,
00:44:16but not too much to get soggy.
00:44:17I can tell from the way you're handling it, that has got a lovely feel to it now.
00:44:21That's gorgeous.
00:44:22It is lovely.
00:44:22It's really nice.
00:44:24It is.
00:44:24And I love the smell of it as well.
00:44:26I know that's weird, but...
00:44:27No, not at all.
00:44:28I'm trying to be a gardener.
00:44:29It's not weird at all.
00:44:30Well, I don't think it's weird.
00:44:31It's quite normal.
00:44:32I'm sure no one at home also thinks it's weird.
00:44:35But yes.
00:44:36So, there's your mix.
00:44:37So, I'm just going to kind of get my hands in there
00:44:39and just try and work as many of the plants out as I can.
00:44:44It's surprising.
00:44:45I don't think there's a decent lump root on them.
00:44:47You'll be okay.
00:44:48Yeah.
00:44:49They're all so knotted together.
00:44:50That's your problem, isn't it really?
00:44:51I'm afraid this is an incense clay where I would go in with a knife.
00:44:55Would you?
00:44:55Well, as long as there's a big enough lump with each.
00:44:57Oh, we're almost there.
00:44:58Yeah, you're almost there.
00:44:59Yeah.
00:45:00The bits that do get cut off and broken off, it doesn't matter.
00:45:03There'll be enough remaining.
00:45:05It's like when you get, particularly between November and March,
00:45:08you get things like bare root roses and they'll be dug up from the ground
00:45:11and the nursery rose and they'll come to you with the top growth like that
00:45:14and roots going down here and you can take half of them off
00:45:17because they're all going to die the bottom ends anyway
00:45:19and new roots are going to come from the top half.
00:45:22So, if you're planting bare root stuff,
00:45:24don't be frightened of shortening by a good half the root that's on there.
00:45:26Oh, how fascinating.
00:45:28Would you put that back in the same pot?
00:45:29You know what?
00:45:30I probably would.
00:45:30It's about the right size, isn't it?
00:45:31But it is about the right size.
00:45:34Yeah, and I'll propagate that in a second probably.
00:45:38So, yeah, I'm just going to take a little bit of the soil mix
00:45:40and pop that in the bottom.
00:45:46There's a lovely line in Wind in the Willows, right?
00:45:48It says, one of the things about having holidays,
00:45:50it's not just that you've got time off yourself,
00:45:52it's watching the other fellas still working.
00:45:55You know, it's very nice when I lean here as a gardener,
00:45:58watching another gardener and then feeding it around the edge.
00:46:02Yeah, that's right, just kind of tipping it in.
00:46:04I mean, you can always feel that plant being grateful, can't you?
00:46:07Well, I really, I hope now,
00:46:10I mean, obviously it's kind of, it's a lovely healthy section we've got here,
00:46:12but I hope the roots will just kind of expand and fill that pot.
00:46:15And then the little plantlets here,
00:46:17there's a few different ways you can propagate them,
00:46:19but my favourite and the easiest way,
00:46:22we just chop the thing off that's attaching them.
00:46:25I just pop them in a little bit of water
00:46:27and I've just got a little pot of water here.
00:46:30And I personally just really like watching the roots grow.
00:46:34Drop it in there.
00:46:35So you can literally pop it in like that.
00:46:37Can you put it on your windowsill?
00:46:38Yeah, exactly.
00:46:39Absolutely fab.
00:46:40Yeah, no, it's great.
00:46:41Thanks, Claire.
00:46:41Not at all.
00:46:42Learn from you every time you come.
00:46:45And it's wonderful to see all these things
00:46:46which can go together to make the compost, you know.
00:46:48And making your own compost, great fun.
00:46:51It is.
00:46:52Thanks, Claire.
00:46:53Not at all.
00:46:59Now, Joseph's Amazing Camels is no ordinary farm.
00:47:04They're the leading specialists in humped animals,
00:47:08the kind you'd expect to see strutting across the sands of North Africa
00:47:12rather than grazing politely in Warwickshire.
00:47:15But just when you thought a camel in the Midlands was peak eccentricity,
00:47:19things took an even wilder turn.
00:47:22Enter the stripes.
00:47:23Yes, the farmers welcomed three eye-catching new arrivals,
00:47:28Aled, Maasai and Chad.
00:47:30And let's just say they didn't get the memo about blending in.
00:47:34To tell us more, friend of the show and young farmer, Daisy Fawcett.
00:47:47Camels are a usual on my parents' camel farm here in Warwickshire.
00:47:52I've been involved with this business since I was little.
00:47:55My parents started the company in 2000, so I've grown up with camels.
00:47:59We have the largest herd of camels in the UK.
00:48:01So we have 13 camels on the farm at the moment for events like racing and Christmas parades and obviously
00:48:08film and TV.
00:48:10I've got Mr. Baxter with me today.
00:48:12He is one of our film star camels.
00:48:14You might recognise him from Aladdin, for example.
00:48:18We also have some very special guests staying with us.
00:48:21These are my stripy new friends.
00:48:24They are Chapman zebras.
00:48:25So we've got Aled, Maasai and Chad.
00:48:29Aled is a little bit aloof.
00:48:31He's not too keen on people.
00:48:33I think he thinks we're giant carrots.
00:48:36Maasai is a real sweetie.
00:48:39The coolest thing about Maasai is his beautiful teardrop just underneath his left eye.
00:48:47And then Chad is like a giant dog.
00:48:49I just love Chad.
00:48:50He's probably my favourite.
00:48:51Don't tell the others.
00:48:51He's a little bit aloof, a little bit standoffish.
00:48:54But if you've got a carrot, you're his best friend for life.
00:48:58With their previous owners, they were actually film stars.
00:49:01And they've been around people their entire lives.
00:49:04Doing animal experiences.
00:49:05They've been on the set of Bridgerton.
00:49:07They're very, very cool.
00:49:09They are now retired.
00:49:10So we are a temporary home for them before they go to live their absolute life of luxury in a
00:49:17retirement home.
00:49:18There we go.
00:49:19There's enough around.
00:49:21No squabbling.
00:49:23Make sure it's all nice for you.
00:49:24There you go.
00:49:25Look at that.
00:49:26From afar, Aled, Chad and Maasai look exactly the same.
00:49:30But actually, their stripes are completely different.
00:49:33Like our fingerprints, each one is unique.
00:49:36Now these guys are Chapman zebras.
00:49:38They're a subspecies of plain zebras.
00:49:40They're found in southern Africa, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia.
00:49:44And they've got some really distinctive patterns that make them Chapmans.
00:49:48Their stripes go all the way down to their feet, which some zebras don't.
00:49:54But the biggest one is that they have something called a shadow stripe.
00:49:57It's a brown stripe between their white stripe.
00:50:00And this is a really distinctive feature that only the Chapman zebras have.
00:50:05Zebra stripes are actually a self-defense mechanism, which is so interesting.
00:50:09A herd of zebras is called a dazzle and it's supposedly because they dazzle predators.
00:50:15So a predator can't pick one individual zebra out of a group.
00:50:19Even though I've grown up around camels, zebras are a completely different ballgame.
00:50:25Our zebras are very tame, but they really are wild animals and they have that real prey instinct in them.
00:50:31Whereas camels are domesticated animals, so they're a lot easier to handle in a lot of ways.
00:50:37These guys can be far more unpredictable.
00:50:38They are not pets.
00:50:41Any training with animals, whether it be a zebra, a camel or a dog, it's always important to give them
00:50:47a positive reward.
00:50:50Alid, one of the three zebras, has been trained differently to Chad and Masai.
00:50:55Chad and Masai have been trained traditionally almost like you would a horse.
00:50:59Alid has been clicker trained.
00:51:02So when Alid touches the ball with his nose, like that, he knows he gets a treat.
00:51:09It's a way of positive reinforcement.
00:51:12He won't let you put the head collar on unless you give him the tennis ball first.
00:51:16Oh, good boy. There we go.
00:51:20When they're on a film set, this cone and tennis ball trick really helped the previous owners get them into
00:51:26position because he will stand wherever that tennis ball is.
00:51:30One of the most common questions I have had on social media about the zebras is, can you ride them?
00:51:36The answer, absolutely not.
00:51:38Their backs are not made for it because they're wild animals.
00:51:41They haven't been bred to be able to ride.
00:51:43Baxter, on the other hand, very comfortable.
00:51:45I would ride him all day long.
00:51:49It's going to be really emotional letting these zebras go.
00:51:53They've really become a part of our family, like any animal that comes here does.
00:52:01Thank you, Daisy.
00:52:02And good luck to Alid, Masai and Chad in their new home.
00:52:07Coming up, when life gives you lemons, make a gin and tonic.
00:52:11So the proverb says, well, I can't promise a G&T, but I can promise some rather refreshingly zesty libations.
00:52:19Cocktail twins, Hannah and Siobhan, make their Manor Farm debut with a round of fruity botanicals.
00:52:26And it's a loss about compost.
00:52:28So many people are.
00:52:30Wayne Perry is here with his guide to what's hot and what's not in the world of compost bins.
00:52:36It's all here, you know.
00:52:37I'll see you with the TV carpenter himself that afternoon.
00:52:55The sale of compost in the UK produces roughly 100 million plastic bags every year.
00:53:02In a world where we're all trying to have less of an impact on the environment,
00:53:06one way of scaling back your plastic consumption is by producing your own compost at home.
00:53:12Here to show us how to turn pallets into compost bins, TV carpenter Wayne Perry.
00:53:18We're talking here about compost to enrich garden soil rather than potting compost,
00:53:22which you're still going to have to buy unless you've got a way of making your own.
00:53:25But I don't think anyone should buy it. We can all make our own.
00:53:29The stuff to enrich the soil outside.
00:53:31Absolutely.
00:53:31So we've just got a few things here that you need to make perfect compost.
00:53:35I love the orange theme here. Your jumper, my jumper and the carrots.
00:53:38It's like we planned it, Alan.
00:53:39It is really. Carrot, do we?
00:53:41So what goes in?
00:53:42So you've got the brown and green.
00:53:44So brown is obviously your twigs.
00:53:46It's your hard barks.
00:53:48It's things that are, you know, going to take a little bit more time to break down.
00:53:50One of the best things I ever bought was a shredder to shred those and it all then goes in.
00:53:54It all goes in.
00:53:55But also your cardboards, your egg boxes.
00:53:58We did have, I've got a shredder at the front of my door for my paper and letters that I
00:54:03don't want.
00:54:04They get shredded. We were going to put them here. It's a bit windy.
00:54:06Blowing away.
00:54:07We didn't want to.
00:54:07So it's a good idea to get you some of that stuff as well.
00:54:09But then you've got the green stuff, which is obviously your vegetable peelings, your old flowers.
00:54:14And once they're all mixing together and turned in, you know, and keep layering them like a lasagna.
00:54:19And mixing.
00:54:20Mixing is the big thing.
00:54:21And not to put in thick perennial weed roots or any food like potato, you know, processed food.
00:54:28Yeah, any processed food.
00:54:29Cooked food.
00:54:29Chickens or anything like that.
00:54:30Nothing, yeah.
00:54:30And also just bear in mind, any diseased plants, you don't want to put those in there either.
00:54:34You know, you want to, it's got to be gorgeous stuff for your plants.
00:54:37So mixing, keep it moist and firm.
00:54:38And once you've collated all of those and you've got them together, we then need to put them into a
00:54:43compost bin.
00:54:44So this is your entry level compost bin.
00:54:47It's, you can get from B&Q, 32 pounds.
00:54:50Standard, it's recycled plastic.
00:54:52Lid comes off.
00:54:53Lid comes off.
00:54:54Throw your rubbish inside.
00:54:56Little flap at the bottom there that you can lift up if you want to access it so you can
00:55:00see how it's going.
00:55:01But what's great about it is on the ground, the worms and microorganisms are coming through.
00:55:07They're working their way up.
00:55:08So that's 32 pounds from most of your DIY stores.
00:55:11I love this one.
00:55:13Beehive.
00:55:13It's a beehive.
00:55:14So the idea of this is if your compost bin needs to be on display, it could be in a
00:55:20border.
00:55:20It could look pretty.
00:55:21You could paint it.
00:55:22This is from Bloom.
00:55:24So they're a small independent company who make them bespoke.
00:55:28They started off doing bins and storage bins for your front of your house to look pretty.
00:55:32But this one, it's a stained wood.
00:55:34It's pressure treated wood.
00:55:37195 pounds.
00:55:38But you could put a liner inside of that so the wood didn't rot.
00:55:41So it didn't rot.
00:55:42But what we've seen done with these before is because they look so pretty, sometimes once all your compost is
00:55:47in there, you can plant that up and just leave it.
00:55:49Use it as a planter as well.
00:55:51So it's a nice way of creating something, you know, compared to that one, which is black.
00:55:56But this one, painted, looks lovely.
00:55:58Like a WBC hive.
00:55:59Yeah, within your cottage garden.
00:56:01Now this one is all singing, all dancing.
00:56:03This is your hot bin.
00:56:05So the hot bin is insulated.
00:56:07So it gets hot inside there.
00:56:10It's a bit pricey.
00:56:11It's £215.
00:56:13This is the smallest.
00:56:14This is 100 litre.
00:56:15It can go up to 700 litres.
00:56:17So you can go big with it.
00:56:18But the beauty of this one is, these take about a year to turn.
00:56:23Once you've turned them every two months, a year to get some good compost.
00:56:26This one can take between 60 to 90 days for you to get some compost and you don't need to
00:56:31turn it.
00:56:31So that's two or three months.
00:56:32Two or three months.
00:56:33And there's a little thermostat, there's one on the top.
00:56:36It's like your meat thermometer.
00:56:38It's a joint done here.
00:56:40I don't know where the compost is.
00:56:41But when you say meat thermometer, what's great is once it gets to the temperature that you see there between
00:56:4540 and 60.
00:56:46When it's green.
00:56:47When it's green, it means you can throw in your meat waste.
00:56:50Whereas before you can't throw in your chicken bones.
00:56:52Once they're cut down, you can throw in anything in there and it'll heat it down and it'll work its
00:56:57way through.
00:56:58Again, you don't need to turn it.
00:56:59It's worth putting the layers in as you're adding stuff.
00:57:01I have to say, if life's too short to stuff a mushroom, I don't turn compost.
00:57:06If it's mixed and kept moist and firmed, a bit of old carpet oil on the top, that'll have enough
00:57:12to do with turning it every two months.
00:57:13I mean, some people do.
00:57:14It's just a matter of opinion.
00:57:15You don't have to turn it.
00:57:16It's more important to turn it in tiny bins, I think, than in bigger ones.
00:57:19Mine's about two metres by two metres.
00:57:21And also you can access this.
00:57:22There's normally like a strap that goes round.
00:57:23You'll take the strap off, you can access it.
00:57:25And the little blue tap at the bottom collects all those juices.
00:57:28Oh, your liquid manure.
00:57:29Your liquid manure, liquid fertiliser.
00:57:31So, you know, it's a great product because it means it can turn it quickly.
00:57:36Fast.
00:57:36Yeah.
00:57:36Fast.
00:57:37But of course, knowing you, you don't necessarily want to buy one that somebody else has made.
00:57:42No.
00:57:42You want to make one yourself.
00:57:43For free.
00:57:44Okay.
00:57:45Have a look.
00:57:46The ubiquitous pallet.
00:57:48The pallet.
00:57:49The pallet.
00:57:50Our world is held together by pallets.
00:57:52You either love them or hate them, and I've got a varied relationship with them.
00:57:56But pallets are free.
00:57:57They're amazing.
00:57:58If you find four pallets that are the same, joyful, you can make one of these.
00:58:03One thing to look out for, you'll see a little stamp here, there's two letters HT there.
00:58:08Yeah.
00:58:08That means heat treated.
00:58:09So, they've been heat treated so they won't rot.
00:58:11But they used to be covered in loads of chemicals and different things.
00:58:15So, check that it's heat treated because you don't want anything that's covered in chemicals,
00:58:18it's just going to leach into your gorgeous compost.
00:58:20So, we've got three equally sized pallets here, and we've literally just screwed them,
00:58:26spiked them through into place.
00:58:28We hold them into place.
00:58:29The next thing you need to do is get yourself some chicken wire.
00:58:32And what I love about chicken wire, you can literally just cut it with some strong scissors.
00:58:36You don't need any pliers or anything like that.
00:58:38And the reason we have chicken wire is we're going to line the inside edge with it.
00:58:42So, by...
00:58:43I'm going to hold it in place.
00:58:44Yeah, just by lining the inside edge.
00:58:47Do you want to stop with my fingers, Wayne?
00:58:48I haven't got your fingers.
00:58:50There's a deer.
00:58:51And this will go all the way around.
00:58:53And what this does, it allows the air circulation to go through, but it stops the soil or any debris
00:59:00falling out.
00:59:01Falling out, yeah.
00:59:02Are you doing another layer of that then?
00:59:03Or you would do another layer of that?
00:59:04I would do another layer higher.
00:59:06Yeah.
00:59:06Across that way.
00:59:07So, the idea then is anything's collecting there.
00:59:10Again, it's on the floor.
00:59:11Yep.
00:59:11We want those worms to come through.
00:59:13We want all of that nutrients to come through the floor.
00:59:16And the next one, you could put a full pallet here, but I like to cut mine down.
00:59:20So, I pre-cut this one down and we offer this one into place.
00:59:26You can put hinges on there, you can put latches so it opens like a barn door.
00:59:31But I think if you can just, if you can use a drill, you can unscrew something.
00:59:37That's within my capabilities.
00:59:39Yeah.
00:59:39So, I'm literally just going to hold this one in place for now.
00:59:41So, a diagonal bit of a nail down there.
00:59:46And the idea that we've cut it down lower is, if you're coming along with your wheelbarrow, you can hook
00:59:50it up and throw it over.
00:59:52But having this one, having this one in place so that you can unscrew it means that when you get
00:59:59in there, you can turn it.
01:00:01And then, once that's done, put on, I've just got an old throw here.
01:00:06If you've got a piece of carpet or something, lay that on top.
01:00:10And then put some plastic on top, just to stop too much moisture going in.
01:00:14Yeah.
01:00:14You don't want it to get too sodden.
01:00:15You want the air going through?
01:00:17You know more than me, but you want...
01:00:18Well, it's the three M's, isn't it really?
01:00:20Mix it, moisten it, and mash it.
01:00:23Keep it firm.
01:00:25And with those three M's, mix everything, rather than having a concentration of grass clippings in one place, just because
01:00:29it's brown and slimy.
01:00:31Mix that with everything else.
01:00:32And grass is great because it heats it.
01:00:34So, with all the things mixed up, with your browns, as you say, and your greens, if you hire a
01:00:39shredder, it's really useful.
01:00:40It speeds up the moving of it.
01:00:42And then, if you make sure there's three M's there, the mixing, the moistening, and the mashing, you'll find it
01:00:47rots down.
01:00:48I always give it a year anyway.
01:00:49Yeah.
01:00:49It's safe.
01:00:49And how many of these bins would you normally have?
01:00:51I've got...
01:00:52Well, as many as you...
01:00:53Depends on the size of your garden.
01:00:55But I always have a couple, at least, because then, one is full and rotting, and the other's being filled.
01:01:00And you've got this system, then, about a year on, you're using that one, and the following year, you'll be
01:01:04using that one while this one's filling up.
01:01:06I love the idea, though, of using the compost that you've created for your garden, and knowing it hasn't cost
01:01:12you anything to get rid of it, you've just re-put it back and purposed it.
01:01:15And it's the natural cycle. When trees lose their leaves, they fall on the ground, they rot, the worms take
01:01:20them in, and that's nature.
01:01:22And you've been a nice part of nature, haven't you?
01:01:24And look for the HT.
01:01:26Heat-treated.
01:01:27Heat-treated, Wayne Perry.
01:01:29Thanks, Wayne.
01:01:36Now, many legendary thinkers and creators kept famous diaries.
01:01:40Leonardo da Vinci, whose notebooks contain sketches of inventions and anatomical studies.
01:01:47Charles Darwin, who documented his geological and biological observations.
01:01:51Alexander Graham Bell, who detailed his telephone experiments.
01:01:55Albert Einstein, who filled his diary with calculations.
01:02:00And Leslie Joseph is no different, as she takes a leaf out of all their books with the first of
01:02:06her nature diaries.
01:02:08Chapter one, The March Hare.
01:02:14Hampshire, Sunday the 22nd of March, 2026.
01:02:18Dear diary,
01:02:20It's been a week since my last diary entry, but I am feeling quite rejuvenated.
01:02:25The weather is most agreeable, as spring grabs hold of us, and winter seems so very far away.
01:02:31Enter master hare, dashing, and deliciously naughty, with his large, long, powerful hind legs.
01:02:41Oh, dear diary, I itch in anticipation.
01:02:44I have been meaning to see the apothecarist about that, actually.
01:02:48Sorry, back to my diary.
01:02:51As I perch by the open window, absorbing the gentle spring breeze, the brown hare parades itself around, with a
01:03:01bouncy ease, along the heath and hidden in the grasses.
01:03:04Running across fields and hiding in the marshes, the brown hare plays and strays, whilst having the occasional vegetational graze.
01:03:13Glistening in the warm sun, embracing the hazy days.
01:03:19With long black-tipped ears worthy of a sonnet, no doubt having to poke two holes through a celebratory bonnet.
01:03:27With a super speedy and slick fast pace, the brown hare can certainly take on a race.
01:03:34I have a ball this evening, and word is spreading that Lord Biggins will be in attendance.
01:03:41Oh, I do hope he selects me to be part of his waltz.
01:03:45I hear he is quite the maverick on the dance floor.
01:03:48Now I must dash enough hare-related do-gooding, if I don't put down the quill, who will make today's
01:03:54plum pudding?
01:03:55Oh, fare thee well, brown hare, it's been a treat. Thank you for continually making my heart beat.
01:04:04Yours affectionately as ever, Leslie.
01:04:09Thank you, Leslie. Well up to Einstein standards.
01:04:12Did you know the expression mad as a march hare stems from their frantic mating behaviour,
01:04:17including high-speed chases, leaping and boxing, that peak in early spring.
01:04:24Fancy, it's an amazing sight when you watch boxing airs.
01:04:26Coming up, Sarah Parrish, back on stage in the bittersweet family drama Eclipse.
01:04:32I'll see you with Sarah after this.
01:04:47Welcome back to Love Your Weekend.
01:04:49Now coming up, drinks duo Hannah and Siobhan.
01:04:52See us out in style with zesty botanicals,
01:04:55including a burnt lemon spritz and a chilled martini with an orange twist.
01:05:00Can't wait.
01:05:01But first, saucy storylines and devious divas. Scandalous, sexy and seductive.
01:05:08It was the hit series, following the lives and loves,
01:05:11of a group of 30-something girlfriends and featuring my next guest.
01:05:16Yes, lovers may come and go, but friends last forever. Or do they?
01:05:21Katie, multiple choice.
01:05:23Sex, love or kids?
01:05:24What, can I only have one?
01:05:27Erm...
01:05:30Love.
01:05:34I think someone asked me out today.
01:05:37Really? Oh yeah? Hello.
01:05:39Well, he's a new dad at school and I think he just got divorced.
01:05:43And we got chatting at the supermarket and he said that we should go for a coffee and I went,
01:05:49erm, erm, erm...
01:05:50Hang on a minute. He asked you out for a coffee in Sainsbury's.
01:05:53No, in Tesco's actually. And...
01:05:57Well, I'm not really sure he was asking me out.
01:05:58Or what did he say? Erm...
01:06:01Exact words.
01:06:03Do you fancy going for a coffee?
01:06:04He said fancy.
01:06:05I think so.
01:06:06Well, if he said that, he was asking you out.
01:06:07Oh no, maybe he said want.
01:06:09Well, that's, no, that's different. That's more tricky to interpret.
01:06:12You see, this is exactly why I switched from English to modern languages.
01:06:17Mistresses, the deep bond and connection between the four of your characters with your shared sarcasm and ease with each
01:06:24other.
01:06:24Was it like that on set? There seemed to be some kind of chemistry going on there.
01:06:28Oh, we had such a good time on that show.
01:06:30We were out in Bristol, the four of us, and we all shared a big house, which was great.
01:06:35So we were together the whole time. Erm, yeah.
01:06:38And we really bonded on that show.
01:06:41It was a terrific show.
01:06:42And, you know, I get arsed often.
01:06:43It's the one show that I get arsed about all the time.
01:06:47I get stopped in the street with women saying,
01:06:49Oh, when are you going to bring back Mistresses?
01:06:50We'd love to see something like that again.
01:06:52Why do you think?
01:06:53I think it's a bit like Sex and the City, isn't it?
01:06:57I think women want to see themselves on television.
01:07:00So something like Mistresses obviously was very successful.
01:07:03And now they want to see where those women are at the age that they would be,
01:07:08which is in their fifties.
01:07:09But shot through with humour too.
01:07:11You've got to have humour.
01:07:12Yeah.
01:07:13You've got to have humour.
01:07:14And you're splitting, as ever, screen work, both, you know, large and small, with theatre work.
01:07:20Because you're now going into a play at Chichester Festival Theatre, Eclipse, which is written by the guy who wrote
01:07:27W1A,
01:07:28Yes.
01:07:28To which my wife and I were glued.
01:07:30And hilarious.
01:07:31Thinking, how on earth could the BBC do this about themselves?
01:07:33I know.
01:07:34Because it's so accurate.
01:07:35You know, good for them.
01:07:37So tell us about it.
01:07:39Eclipse.
01:07:39Well, yes.
01:07:40John Morton has written a play.
01:07:41It's the only play he's ever written.
01:07:43And he wrote it 20 years ago.
01:07:45So he's been sat on this play now for 20 years.
01:07:49And he wrote me a letter actually and said, look, I've written this play and I'd really love you to
01:07:53be in it.
01:07:53And I immediately thought, oh, it's going to be hilarious.
01:07:56You know, it'll be really fast and funny and probably set in an office, you know.
01:08:00Anyway, this play came through and it's it's I mean, it just shows what a brilliant, versatile writer he is.
01:08:07It's a very minimalistic play that happens over 24 hours, the last 24 hours of somebody's life.
01:08:15And it's about the brother and sister, the son and the daughter of this guy who's dying in the kitchen
01:08:21and just their relationship over this 24 hours, how they are with each other while their father is dying.
01:08:27So nothing happens and everything happens.
01:08:30It's one of those plays.
01:08:32And, of course, it's beautifully written.
01:08:34He's got such a wonderful way of writing.
01:08:37It's so naturalistic.
01:08:40It reads brilliantly.
01:08:41I'm surprised he's only ever written one play, really.
01:08:44So, yes, we're doing it at the Minerva in Chichester.
01:08:46So the smaller theatre.
01:08:48Rupert Penner Jones is playing.
01:08:50Well, my wife will be there, though.
01:08:52I know.
01:08:53He's not ugly, is he?
01:08:54It's Rupert Penner Jones.
01:08:54He's in it.
01:08:55It's Sarah.
01:08:56So, yeah, the two of us are brother and sister.
01:09:00So it will be a really lovely experience.
01:09:03You've got, you know, other TV things.
01:09:06Yes, yeah, yeah.
01:09:07There's all sorts going on.
01:09:08What was on...
01:09:09Piglets has been on again this year, which was a series that I do with Mark Heap about a police
01:09:16academy, which is quite funny.
01:09:18It's not my most attractive part.
01:09:21No.
01:09:21Now, tell me about this make-up for Piglets.
01:09:24We're going to have a look at it in a second.
01:09:26It's very funny.
01:09:27Well, when we were sort of trying to work out what Julie Spry would look like, they brought out a
01:09:32bag of wigs and I was sort of trying on these wigs.
01:09:34And literally, it was like Cinderella's slipper.
01:09:37One wig came.
01:09:38I put it on.
01:09:38I went, there she is.
01:09:39That's it.
01:09:40And the make-up lady said, I think we could probably push her a bit further and maybe have some
01:09:44teeth as well.
01:09:45So we went for these comedy teeth.
01:09:48And then Julie Spry was born, yeah.
01:09:50I love playing her.
01:09:52She's so much fun.
01:09:53Here is Julie Spry in Piglets.
01:09:56Let's start with the traditional good cop, bad cop scenario.
01:10:00So which one do you want me to be?
01:10:14I can do bad.
01:10:25I don't know how you did that.
01:10:29I'm doing it now.
01:10:31Do you know what?
01:10:32It's Mark Heath.
01:10:33It's so easy to work with an actor like that.
01:10:36He is a born clown.
01:10:37Some people have just got funny bones, haven't they?
01:10:40And he can't do anything without being funny.
01:10:44I mean, literally, I can't sit opposite him.
01:10:45I remember him being the postman in Lark Rides to Candleford.
01:10:47He was brilliant.
01:10:48And you just look at his face there.
01:10:49He's just funny.
01:10:51He was funny in Friday night, you know, Jim in Friday night dinner.
01:10:54He was boring.
01:10:54He's just a funny person.
01:10:55And it's such a fun show to do because we do get quite a lot of freedom.
01:11:01And lots of, you know, that was all sort of, not all improvised,
01:11:05but a lot of it was improvised.
01:11:06And we've got time to sort of muck about and try things out.
01:11:10And it's lovely.
01:11:11Looking at those four younger, looking at you,
01:11:15how they kept a straight face.
01:11:17That must have been hard.
01:11:19It was.
01:11:19It was.
01:11:20They did.
01:11:20There's a lot of corpsing in that show.
01:11:22It's good fun.
01:11:24You did.
01:11:24We heard you sing earlier on.
01:11:25I wanted to show a bit of your singing now because you sang in Blackpool.
01:11:29Yes, I did.
01:11:30Yes.
01:11:31Blackpool.
01:11:31It was called.
01:11:32In Blackpool.
01:11:33With David Tennant.
01:11:35Yes.
01:11:35Great cast.
01:11:36Gosh, that was a lovely show.
01:11:38You know, it's not often that you get a musical on TV.
01:11:43And I remember the read through.
01:11:45I remember it was me and David Morrissey and David Tennant.
01:11:47And we all met outside before the read through.
01:11:50So I said, do you think they're actually going to make us sing the songs in the read through?
01:11:53And I was like, no, of course they won't.
01:11:55They wouldn't do that.
01:11:56They did.
01:11:58They had a tape recorder and we all had to sing the actual songs at the read through.
01:12:02We didn't know each other.
01:12:03We'd never met each other.
01:12:04You know, it was hard work, but it was brilliant.
01:12:07It was so much fun.
01:12:08Peter Bowker wrote it.
01:12:09He's a fabulous writer.
01:12:12We were up in Blackpool for about five or six months.
01:12:15It was just a lot of fun.
01:12:17A lot of fun.
01:12:18Getting up every day, going to work and dancing and singing.
01:12:21It doesn't get any better than that.
01:12:23It doesn't get any better than this, does it?
01:12:24Yeah.
01:12:25Sure that I should have known.
01:12:26Should have still have known.
01:12:28Could I ever make a sense as I let you go.
01:12:32I didn't find the right words to say.
01:12:35Then maybe I'm getting in your way.
01:12:39I feel your warmth.
01:12:42Got me wanting more.
01:12:45You've left the door half open.
01:12:47I'm in too much to the floor
01:12:53Staring into each other's eyes
01:12:54There's something quite, it's quite difficult doing that actually
01:12:58You know, and you've got to do take after take after take
01:13:02So it was a tough job, but it was really enjoyable
01:13:05When you're not cavorting on the stage, or anywhere, or doing your TV
01:13:10Your original Murray Parish charity in memory of your daughter Ella Jane
01:13:17Has gone from strength to strength
01:13:19I mean, Ella died tragically young in 2009
01:13:22You, the charity going, you've changed the name of it now to widen it
01:13:26Because it's very much based in Southampton
01:13:28It was, yes
01:13:29So tell us about it now
01:13:30So we, last year, it was our 10 year anniversary as the Murray Parish Trust
01:13:35And we, we figured that we'd kind of done as much as we could down in the South
01:13:40We'd predominantly worked at Southampton Children's Hospital
01:13:43And we kept noticing there was a real lack of help for the mental health of seriously ill children
01:13:50So we kind of thought maybe now is the time with all our experience to expand and go national
01:13:55And maybe have a rebrand and change our name
01:13:58So it's not just about Jim and I, it's something a little bit bigger
01:14:01And, and, and just purely concentrate on the mental health of seriously ill children
01:14:06And their families as well
01:14:08Because you often find that the, you know, the child gets looked after
01:14:12But the, the, the fallback and the fallout for the family is terrible
01:14:16Talking of working, it seems to me the roles you choose
01:14:20Have always got some kind of central spark to them
01:14:24They're either completely bonkers
01:14:26As in the character in W1A, you know, where you're just going
01:14:30I mean, I can see you, you don't seem to want to play what you might call ordinary people
01:14:35No, I don't get ordinary people
01:14:37I mean, whatever ordinary people, I don't know what
01:14:39But no, they're, I mean, also as an actor, you pick, you pick what you want to do, don't you
01:14:44And, um, there are certain parts that I'm drawn to
01:14:46I did, I did go through a phase of playing quite a lot of psychopaths
01:14:50Which I bizarrely enjoyed a bit too much
01:14:53Um, I'm hoping to go into a nicer sort of, you know, time of my life
01:14:57And maybe more gentle characters now, who knows
01:14:59There are so many outlets as well now
01:15:01Not just BBC, ITV, but Netflix
01:15:04I mean, Geek Girl is on, is on Netflix now
01:15:07It is
01:15:07And that gives you, in a way, a longer life
01:15:09Yeah, Geek Girl was great
01:15:10I mean, Geek Girl looks fantastic
01:15:12And, uh, the kids in it were wonderful
01:15:14And it was a very funny
01:15:15Jude was a great part to play
01:15:16I couldn't turn Jude down
01:15:17So tell us about Jude
01:15:18Jude is, um, the head of a model agency
01:15:21She's a bit of a monster
01:15:23But, um
01:15:24Hang on, there's a sort of theme
01:15:26Come here
01:15:28She's great fun
01:15:29Um, she had all the, you know, she had a lot of great lines
01:15:32She's just a funny character
01:15:33And, yeah, I read it and went, oh, I'd love to be part of this
01:15:36And it was also, the first series came out
01:15:38Just when my daughter, Nell, was at the perfect age for it
01:15:42You know, she was 14
01:15:43I said, you're going to love this
01:15:45And she did
01:15:45She was absolutely glued to it
01:15:46So it's a lovely series for that age range, you know
01:15:50And older as well
01:15:51I've had a lot of older people that have loved watching it
01:15:53I should be looking it up now
01:15:54Geek Girl
01:15:56Go
01:15:58Let me do that one more time at this angle, just in case
01:16:03Okay, right, right, right
01:16:04Just hold it there
01:16:05Just hold it there
01:16:05You, have you ever worn glasses?
01:16:08No, I don't, I don't need glasses
01:16:09I have 20-20 vision
01:16:13It's actually
01:16:18Ah, okay, yeah, hold that
01:16:22And me, chin down an inch
01:16:26Actually, get rid of the feathers
01:16:27Get rid of the feathers
01:16:31Right, just hold it there, Ray
01:16:32Just hold it one minute
01:16:33Just hold it
01:16:50I can see what you mean by no expense spared, you know, quite a lot
01:16:57But you like being cruel, don't you?
01:16:59I do, I'm good at cruel, aren't I?
01:17:01I'm good at cruel
01:17:02Yeah, she's a really good fun character
01:17:04I've always wanted to play somebody in the fashion industry
01:17:06In those lovely clothes as well
01:17:08It was a real treat
01:17:09Look, always lovely to talk to you
01:17:10And you
01:17:11Thank you so much for coming
01:17:12Good luck with the charity
01:17:13Which is now called Imagine This
01:17:15Imagine This
01:17:15I've got to get that in my head now
01:17:16Rather than Murray Prash
01:17:17Lovely to see you
01:17:18Lovely to have Jim on last week
01:17:19We'll take you in rotation
01:17:20Yes, do
01:17:21His turn next
01:17:22Great
01:17:22Lovely to see you
01:17:23Time to pause, reflect
01:17:25And take a moment to enjoy some wonderful footage
01:17:28Set to some equally wonderful music
01:17:30It's today's Ode to Joy
01:17:50Ode to Joy
01:18:31Ode to Joy
01:18:34Coming up
01:18:35. oc explanation
01:18:36.
01:18:36.
01:18:36.
01:18:36.
01:18:36.
01:18:37.
01:18:43.
01:18:46.
01:18:46.
01:19:07ORGAN PLAYS
01:19:29Absolutely stunning pictures there, of the Cairngorms, courtesy of Sam Hales and set to the Symphony No. 4 by Felix
01:19:37Mendelsohn.
01:19:38Coming up, it's a juicy end to the show with this week's Best of British.
01:19:41Drinks experts Hannah and Siobhan prove that citrus tipples are the way to go.
01:19:47If you're having a springtime shindig, who am I to disagree?
01:19:50Zesty Botanicals, coming up right after this.
01:20:10Best of British time now.
01:20:12The days are longer, the soil's warmer, said the gardener,
01:20:15and the equinox has been and gone, which can only mean one thing, the unequivocal arrival of spring.
01:20:22And what better way to toast the new season than with an array of fresh and citrusy tipples sure to
01:20:27get you perked up and possibly even a little puckered.
01:20:30Behind the bar today, the double trouble, as we welcome for the first time not one but two master cocktail
01:20:37connoisseurs,
01:20:38Hannah Sharmancox and Siobhan Payne, founders of the London Cocktail Week.
01:20:44Why would you not have found that?
01:20:46And here they are with their rounds of zesty botanicals.
01:20:50What have we got today, then?
01:20:51Well, you gave us a brief of zesty botanicals, so we've stuck to theme.
01:20:56We're going to start with this, which is the burnt lemon spritz in your wine glass.
01:21:04And this is celebrating the lemon, so it's very, very lemony.
01:21:08Yep.
01:21:09We're starting with, at the base of it, is a Cornish vermouth.
01:21:13It's made down on the south coast, near St. Austal.
01:21:17It's called Naitor.
01:21:19I just love the bottle of this one, actually.
01:21:20It's so gorgeous, isn't it?
01:21:21It looks like a sort of Liebfraun.
01:21:23Yes, it does.
01:21:24I was going to say that.
01:21:25It was probably blue, none in the form of that.
01:21:27It's a working winery.
01:21:29You can actually get married there as well.
01:21:30They make all sorts of English wines.
01:21:32Their Blanc de Blanc English sparkling is very highly awarded.
01:21:36But this vermouth is really delicious.
01:21:38It's really, really grown up.
01:21:42It's really interesting.
01:21:43It's really, yeah, it's great.
01:21:45But we've paired it with...
01:21:46Yes, so this is Rapscallion Burnt Lemon.
01:21:50So it's designed to be a grown-up soft drink, and it's made in Glasgow.
01:21:55And they've called it Juicy Wee Tart, which I think is quite funny.
01:22:00But actually, it's designed...
01:22:02You can drink it by itself, and it feels grown up.
01:22:05You usually think of vermouth as a mixer.
01:22:07You do, don't you?
01:22:08You know, a martini.
01:22:09So to have that as a base...
01:22:10Yeah, and it's a lovely summery drink, isn't it?
01:22:13Yeah, it's always so nice.
01:22:14And the good thing about vermouth as the base
01:22:17is that it means that the cocktail is lower ABV,
01:22:21so less alcoholics.
01:22:22It's quite a good lunchtime cocktail if you want to...
01:22:25You can drink more.
01:22:26You can drink more.
01:22:27That is one way of looking at it, Sarah.
01:22:30Do you taste this, or...?
01:22:31Oh, it's lovely.
01:22:32This is delicious and fresh.
01:22:35Really lovely.
01:22:36Really lovely.
01:22:37Also, we thought we'd start with it,
01:22:38because it opens your palate for what is to come.
01:22:41Oh, yes.
01:22:41This is a non-alcoholic cocktail.
01:22:44And it is a twist on the Paloma.
01:22:46So classically, a Paloma is tequila with grapefruit
01:22:49and a bit of sugar.
01:22:50Oh, this is...
01:22:51But what we've done for this cocktail,
01:22:53because we wanted to do something not boozy,
01:22:56perhaps for breakfast,
01:22:58is mixed it with Bativo.
01:23:00Oh, that's amazing.
01:23:00So Bativo is made in Hertfordshire.
01:23:03That is lovely.
01:23:04And what it is is apple cider vinegar
01:23:06steeped in various herbs and spices
01:23:08and then sweetened with honey.
01:23:09So it's actually really good for you.
01:23:10This is a good feed drink, yeah?
01:23:12It's unpasteurised ACV.
01:23:14Really nice.
01:23:15And then mixed with grapefruit.
01:23:17Wonderful.
01:23:18It really is a beautiful soft drink, that, isn't it?
01:23:21Isn't it gorgeous?
01:23:22Two out of two.
01:23:23Oh, good.
01:23:24Oh.
01:23:26All right, a more unusual citrus fruit for you.
01:23:28We're going to yuzu.
01:23:30Some people call it a Japanese lemon,
01:23:33but it's more of a hybrid, actually.
01:23:34It's kind of closer to a Mandarin, probably.
01:23:37So we've gone all out.
01:23:39Yeah, we wanted to really celebrate the yuzu,
01:23:41so we've gone double yuzu today.
01:23:43We have.
01:23:43So the base of the product,
01:23:45like similar to how we did with the spritz,
01:23:47the base is a sake.
01:23:48So it's a rice wine.
01:23:50Oh.
01:23:52So Kampai, which means cheers in Japanese.
01:23:55Cheers.
01:23:55They are, cheers.
01:23:56They are based down in the arches near London Bridge.
01:24:00Oh, all right.
01:24:00Yeah, it's lovely.
01:24:02That's nice too.
01:24:02Yeah, it's really, yeah.
01:24:03We've paired it with a yuzu mixer
01:24:06and this brand of mixers called Kazimo,
01:24:10it's made by a bartender,
01:24:13so you know it's going to be good.
01:24:14They use yuzus from Japan
01:24:16and they don't use any artificial colouring,
01:24:18so it's really, really good brand of mixers.
01:24:21It reminded me,
01:24:21because it just reminded me
01:24:23that I know a bit of Japanese.
01:24:24Oh, go into it.
01:24:25Come on then.
01:24:29That means mind the gap
01:24:30when you're getting on the train.
01:24:34But the beautiful thing
01:24:35is that you can have that mixer just by itself
01:24:37and it still gives you that real yuzu flavour.
01:24:39Very nice.
01:24:40Yeah, very nice.
01:24:40Good for you, Sarah.
01:24:41That's really nice.
01:24:42Now we're moving on to celebration of Bergamot.
01:24:45Ooh.
01:24:46And this is a non-alcoholic cocktail as well
01:24:49and we're using Everleaf Marine.
01:24:52So Everleaf is such a nice brand
01:24:54and this is also created by a bartender,
01:24:57but he's also a conservationist.
01:24:59Oh, is that really nice?
01:25:00And actually, when I said we were coming on,
01:25:03we know Paul very well, who's the founder.
01:25:05He said that his dad might have met you, Alan,
01:25:09because he's the famous botanist Brian Matthew.
01:25:13Brian Matthew?
01:25:14Yeah.
01:25:15This is Brian Matthew.
01:25:16Brian and I used to work together at Kew Gardens.
01:25:18He's a famous botanist, Brian Matthew.
01:25:19Yes, he is.
01:25:19Very accomplished.
01:25:20He's a head of botany for Everleaf.
01:25:22He taught his son well.
01:25:24Yeah.
01:25:25Well done, Brian.
01:25:27Yeah, it's a really nice product.
01:25:29They've also got forest and mountain.
01:25:31This is marine.
01:25:32So this is lots of Italian Bergamot,
01:25:35but mixed with things like kelp to give it that sort of marine feeling.
01:25:37Yeah, you see, there's a seaside.
01:25:40Yeah, I can taste that, yeah.
01:25:41And what we've done to give it the sort of mouthfeel,
01:25:44because obviously, because it's non-alcoholic,
01:25:45sometimes non-alcoholic cocktails feel a bit thin,
01:25:48so we've put some coconut water and some lime,
01:25:51and that gives it a little bit more body.
01:25:54Yeah, it's super...
01:25:55So clever.
01:25:56No, but I mean, obviously, I stopped drinking 10 years ago,
01:26:00and to be able...
01:26:01Never...
01:26:0210 years ago, would you go and ask for a non-alcoholic drink,
01:26:05and it would never taste nice.
01:26:07Yes.
01:26:07You'd be like, well, what's the point?
01:26:09Yeah.
01:26:09I mean, these are beautiful.
01:26:11Like, really beautiful.
01:26:13These two are my absolute...
01:26:16Yeah, those two are my favourite.
01:26:17But this one's so...
01:26:19It's such an unusual taste, isn't it?
01:26:20They're all quite distinct.
01:26:22So, from not boozy to the most boozy...
01:26:25Oh.
01:26:26Here we go.
01:26:27It would be very rude for us not to...
01:26:28You've done it in the right order, haven't you?
01:26:30Exactly.
01:26:30It would be very rude for us not to bring our favourite drink,
01:26:32which is a martini.
01:26:34So, we have gone with...
01:26:36This is such a lovely producer.
01:26:39It's called Vault.
01:26:39Look at that.
01:26:41He's actually, much like everything else,
01:26:43he used to be a restaurateur,
01:26:44and then he got into production.
01:26:47So, it's a gin martini.
01:26:48It is...
01:26:48It's on the wet side, so it's not too strong.
01:26:52Blimey.
01:26:53And when she says wet, she means vermouth heavy.
01:26:56Vermouth heavy.
01:26:58That is, yeah.
01:26:59Good.
01:27:01The gin has got citrus leaves and orange blossom within it,
01:27:06and then the vermouth is a vermouth they call meadow,
01:27:09which is sweetened with Northumberland honey.
01:27:11Right.
01:27:12They also make...
01:27:13They make a coastal and a vodka, which is very chalky,
01:27:16so if you're into a vodka martini,
01:27:18like, that would be the combination of their products.
01:27:20But...
01:27:21Too much?
01:27:21No.
01:27:23It's just about enough.
01:27:26Yeah, this is...
01:27:26It's so rich and round,
01:27:29despite it looking like a very clear drink, like...
01:27:32But I can taste the honey in that.
01:27:33Yeah, can't you?
01:27:33Well, there's a nice, sweet twist to that, which is...
01:27:37It is the perfect martini.
01:27:39Your eyes are watering.
01:27:40Martini.
01:27:40Well, there were just two of you when we started.
01:27:42I can see about four of them.
01:27:46It's delicious.
01:27:47Really good.
01:27:48I mean, it's obviously very alcoholic.
01:27:50Oof.
01:27:50I don't think I could take two of those,
01:27:52but I'm very happy to take one.
01:27:55Well, it depends on the time of day,
01:27:57because I think if you were having one in the afternoon,
01:27:59maybe one's enough.
01:28:00But of an evening, after dinner, maybe.
01:28:03I mean, I tried this again.
01:28:04This is now becoming one of my favourites.
01:28:06It's really good, isn't it, that one?
01:28:08I really like that one, yeah.
01:28:09Thank you very much indeed.
01:28:10That's it for today.
01:28:11Thanks to all my guests,
01:28:13especially to the girls, to Hannah and Siobhan,
01:28:15and to Sarah and to Peter.
01:28:18They're not necessarily in that order after martini.
01:28:21Joining me next week, Phil Daniels, Adam Garcia,
01:28:24and Raquel herself, Tessa Peake-Jones.
01:28:27Fletcher's Family Farm is up next.
01:28:28Till then, I leave you with these words
01:28:30from American inventor Thomas A. Edison.
01:28:33Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.
01:28:36The most certain way to succeed
01:28:39is always to try just one more time.
01:28:42So I think I'll try another sip of this,
01:28:45but only a sip.
01:28:46Enjoy the rest of your Sunday.
01:28:48Cheers, all.
01:28:48Cheers!
01:28:57Cheers!
01:28:59Cheers!
01:29:03Cheers!
01:29:06Cheers!
01:29:08Cheers!
01:29:09Cheers!
01:29:12Cheers!
01:29:15Cheers!
01:29:15Cheers!
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