Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh - Season 8 - Episode 12 - video Dailymotion

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Transcript

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?

00:00:30Bye!

00:01:04Go on, breathe it in, that 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, and she's been making Head's

00:01:47Turn 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.

00:01:56Peter André, currently celebrating 30 years since his big breakout and back with 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.

00:02:22We 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 man-of-farm favourite, Sarah Parrish.

00:02:45And with her, a man who's been entertaining us for 30 years, unbelievably, with his genial personality and natural native

00:02:53charm.

00:02:53Welcome to Peter André.

00:02:56How 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 to the realms of oversharing, but I see why now.

00:03:24You were, because actually, had he known then what he knows now, he might have done a different operation.

00:03:30I 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, but lots and lots of people moving there.

00:03:43I can't leave the fact that you said, so he did the operation and 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 just, I just didn't know where I was.

00:04:02We became really good friends with his family for two years.

00:04:06And 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.

00:04:17And we did.

00:04:18And we went for a date.

00:04:19And that was that.

00:04:20Oh, that's so romantic.

00:04:21We're married 10 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.

00:04:28Well, he's a good man.

00:04:29And we're still best friends.

00:04:31Well, with the 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 mean, I don't very often go down there now.

00:04:44Obviously, both my parents have passed.

00:04:46But 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.

00:04:57How long were you there?

00:04:58I lived there for 18 years.

00:05:00Gosh, right.

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.

00:05:10I mean, I've either got to take an interest in it or just, you know, get somebody else to do

00:05:14it.

00:05:14But also, Mum and Dad are from Cyprus originally, and I bought land there maybe 20, 25 years ago.

00:05:21And I built a house there, and 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, when I lived not far from here, actually.

00:05:48I 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.

00:06:01So, we have brought a gardener in, which I 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.

00:06:07Exactly, 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 love 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,

00:06:19because I've noticed when I've been sort of keeping an eye on what's going on,

00:06:22you've both actually done crossover, because Peter's done some acting,

00:06:25and you've done some singing.

00:06:27And in MacDonald and Dodds, there was an unforgettable moment

00:06:31where Sarah Parrish became Tina Turner.

00:06:35Oh.

00:06:56So, what's singing Simply the Best on camera?

00:06:59Fun or absolutely mortifying?

00:07:02It 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, but 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.

00:07:26Would you fancy a new backing singer?

00:07:28Well, by 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 plays?

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 Footballers 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,

00:08:02and you had a business proposition for me at some point.

00:08:05Conrad?

00:08:07Typical agent, say.

00:08:09No, 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,

00:08:22you 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

00:08:44she was going to say 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?

00:09:15Yeah.

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.

00:09:23The thing they always say, they always call the filming business hurry up and wait.

00:09:26In other words, you've got your, and then it's ages.

00:09:30What do you both do?

00:09:32Do you play games?

00:09:33Do you embroider?

00:09:34Or what, Sarah, what do you do to fill those borings up?

00:09:37Gosh, all 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

00:09:46computer with 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,

00:09:55we've all got our phones, and we just, and in the olden days, you'd all sit and chat

00:09:59to each other, which was great.

00:10:00You got to know the crew, you got to know everyone, and that doesn't happen so much

00:10:03now, so I try 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?

00:10:11Well, so I've been with the same manager for 30 years, and I remember at the start,

00:10:16when things were really going well on the music front, she said, oh, I'm going to get

00:10:19you into presenting.

00:10:20And I said, but why would I want to do presenting?

00:10:22I want to do music.

00:10:23And she said, because there'll come a time when the music will slow down, and you need

00:10:26to 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

00:10:33is there'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

00:10:41to do something else.

00:10:41I can't sit still.

00:10:44So I don't really, the downtime is when we all, as a family, go somewhere.

00:10:50That's the only time.

00:10:51But 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.

00:11:06It's a houseplant's rescue, Claire Lowry, and the houseplant hacks to help revive your

00:11:12leafy 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

00:11:26in Paddock 2.

00:11:27I'll see you with our llamas and more, right after I've invited Peter to indulge himself

00:11:32with a fond and fancy overpunt.

00:11:34Sorry 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 fond and fancy and a half, isn't it, really?

00:11:46Have yourself.

00:11:47Sarah, do you want to be the Battenberg?

00:11:48I will have a Battenberg, actually.

00:11:50Lovely.

00:11:50Look at that.

00:11:51Lovely.

00:11:54Lovely.

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, meaning that a dry spell and a good covering of blue sky

00:12:19right now can mean great things for the season ahead.

00:12:22After the wettest start to the year on record, a few days of settled weather isn't just a

00:12:28good omen for 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.

00:12:33And we've lots to lift the spirits and lower your shoulders on today's show, including a man

00:12:39who oozes natural charisma, likability, and boasts a large fan base.

00:12:45No 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

00:13:08in this week's Master British.

00:13:11Now, we've welcomed a cacophony of animals to our paddocks in recent years, all enriching

00:13:17our understanding of the great British countryside.

00:13:19Today's visitors may be less recognisable than some we've met, but these herbivores certainly

00:13:26rival any when it comes to personality.

00:13:29A South American relative of the camel, llamas were first brought here in Victorian times as

00:13:36zoo attractions.

00:13:37Today, they're predominantly kept as pets, but some owners do specialise in breeding and

00:13:43offer llama experiences, trekking through the English countryside, which is exactly what

00:13:49Sarah 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.

00:14:03We've got half of tail here.

00:14:04We've got half and half.

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.

00:14:12They're slightly more timid.

00:14:14They're not as outgoing and confident as llamas.

00:14:18They're predominantly a fibre and meat producer in South America, whereas the llama is the all-round

00:14:23utility animal, so pack llama.

00:14:25They do use their fleece as well, and 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.

00:14:37Yeah.

00:14:37So they can carry up to about 25 kilos, so they trade with other communities around the Andes.

00:14:42I'm going to say, look.

00:14:43This is Indigo, who you met last time.

00:14:45Hello, Indigo.

00:14:46I met you before.

00:14:47Do you know they're beautifully soft?

00:14:48They are.

00:14:48And 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.

00:14:58That'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, so...

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.

00:15:22Yeah, so we do an on-farm trek and a half-day experience where we go cross-country, because

00:15:28we've got 20-acre woodland at the farm.

00:15:30And they're just really, you know, confident companions to trek with.

00:15:34They have a reputation.

00:15:35Even as all 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 day and quite,

00:15:49you 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.

00:15:56But they're a large, they're a broad animal, aren't they?

00:15:59It's just 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.

00:16:13I'm just saying...

00:16:13It is very dense.

00:16:14It's up to there.

00:16:15Yeah.

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.

00:16:52It's a lot less stressful.

00:16:54They have one baby.

00:16:55Yeah.

00:16:56Right, so they're one baby.

00:16:57Generally speaking, when?

00:16:59So 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...

00:17:26Andes, to 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, because they fight off viruses and infection a lot more than we can because

00:17:48of that.

00:17:48So they actually donated blood to cancer research because of that.

00:17:52So if somebody wants to keep llamas, as 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 and 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, you'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. You're a sweetheart, aren't you, really?

00:18:18They're also television stars, aren't they?

00:18:20They are, yeah. Both of these are, actually.

00:18:21What have they been on? Come on, give us your CV.

00:18:25So, I mean, they've done lots, but we're recently...

00:18:27Apart from Indigo being on Love Your Weekend, which, 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, and that comes out at the end of this year.

00:18:47Right.

00:18:48But, 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. I'm just going to strut me stuff.

00:18:59He's gone straight to his head.

00:19:00Are they always the same colour? We'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.

00:19:16You know, it 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 ruminant,

00:19:37so they do have to eventually stop grazing and chew the cud.

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.

00:20:07But they are really hardy because they're from the Andes.

00:20:10And presumably winter cold means nothing to them

00:20:12with 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.

00:20:25We've had blind groups and, you know, all sorts.

00:20:28And I think also being head-level with a calm animal

00:20:32that's not intimidating gives a lot of people confidence.

00:20:36We have a lot of children come as well, so they're all rounders.

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 llama karma.

00:20:50It is the hum, certainly calming llama.

00:20:55They're lovely. Bless you.

00:20:56Thank you very much for bringing them in.

00:20:57You're welcome. Indigo, 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

00:21:05on the top-secret Netflix drama, whatever it is,

00:21:11come 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. I know.

00:21:18And you're very beautiful.

00:21:21And I think you know that.

00:21:23Always back. Is that a good thing or not?

00:21:26I'm not sure about that.

00:21:27He's eyeing you up.

00:21:28I'm backing off now.

00:21:28OK.

00:21:28You've got my number.

00:21:30Thank you, sir.

00:21:31Thank you, Indigo.

00:21:33Thank 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?

00:21:50Mm-hmm.

00:21:51I don't know.

00:21:52Yes.

00:21:52Enough follow-up, 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, oh.

00:22:01Peter Andre talks 30 years

00:22:03since the UK release of that song.

00:22:06And much more right after this.

00:22:11Oh, mysterious girl

00:22:14Move your body close to mine

00:22:23Welcome back to Love Your Weekend.

00:22:25Still aired, she's arguably the doyen of alpha female roles,

00:22:29having starred in hits like Bancroft, Broadchurch and my favourite W1A.

00:22:35Hampshire local Sarah Parrish

00:22:36on cornering the market in TV baddies.

00:22:39Isn't she 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

00:22:49about the green, brown and 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

00:22:57who for 30 years has toured his way around the world

00:23:01and along the way he's also picked up a rather successful TV career.

00:23:05But it's music that will always be his home

00:23:08as 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're down, throw your hands up in the air

00:23:23to match back with a flavor of the air

00:23:26Here we go, there's a party over here

00:23:28Oh, yeah, it's coming in

00:23:30Slay me down, throw your hands up in the air

00:23:33to match back with a flavor of the air

00:23:35That's right, I'm kicking you a flavor

00:23:37Oh, yeah, it's coming in

00:23:43Oh, yeah, it's coming in

00:23:43Just to be with you

00:23:45I'm gonna be with you

00:23:49I'm gonna be with you

00:23:50Oh, yeah, it's coming in

00:23:51Come on

00:23:54And make it laugh all night

00:23:57Oh, oh, oh, oh

00:24:00Mysterious girl

00:24:02I wanna get close to you

00:24:08Oh, oh, oh

00:24:12Mysterious girl

00:24:13Move your body close to mine

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...

00:24:29It's an interesting thing.

00:24:31Back then I used to train

00:24:32to try and look a certain way

00:24:34Now I train to feel a certain way

00:24:36and there's a big difference in that

00:24:37Well, your baggy trousers aren't quite

00:24:39Well, I mean, who wears jeans in a waterfall?

00:24:43I still sometimes see that video and think

00:24:45why didn't anyone say

00:24:46can you take your jeans off?

00:24:48Probably better I didn't actually

00:24:49thinking 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

00:24:57but great times

00:24:58Eleventh album, Legacy

00:25:00with old hits, new stuff

00:25:03you write as well as perform

00:25:04but you've had a chance to sort of revisit

00:25:07the old things, re-orchestrate them

00:25:08and use Friends on the album too

00:25:11Yeah, so basically the first song I wrote

00:25:13I was 13

00:25:14I was riding my bike home from school

00:25:16and I wrote it

00:25:19the whole thing really quickly

00:25:20ran home, said to my brother Chris

00:25:22who is an incredible musician

00:25:24what 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

00:25:37we're talking 11 albums ago

00:25:39was songs that I'd written when I was that young

00:25:41and I'd eventually got to record them

00:25:43and it was this summer, 30 years ago

00:25:45that Mysterious Girl became a worldwide hit

00:25:47so I thought, why don't I do something

00:25:49to celebrate that

00:25:51revisiting some of those old songs

00:25:52and 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

00:25:59and you've met a few of them, I guess

00:26:01Yeah, well, I was six years old

00:26:03when I first heard Off the Wall album

00:26:07Michael Jackson

00:26:07and 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

00:26:15on a record player

00:26:16and my dad walked in

00:26:17in his strong Greek accent

00:26:18and he said

00:26:20Who 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

00:26:28Wait

00:26:29and he went and he got this record

00:26:31of Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin

00:26:33and he said this

00:26:34listen to this

00:26:35and back then I didn't appreciate it

00:26:37because I was into what I liked

00:26:39and, you know, the songs were great

00:26:41Michael Jackson

00:26:41of course, music was incredible

00:26:42but I grew up understanding

00:26:44what my father listened to

00:26:46and what my brothers listened to

00:26:47so I had a lot of heroes

00:26:49but you're also, you know, utilising now

00:26:51the music of Frankie Valli

00:26:53Frankie Valli

00:26:54Frankie Valli in the Four Seasons

00:26:55I mean, my daughters

00:26:57when we took them to see the Jersey Boys

00:26:59you know, they said

00:27:00but we didn't know those songs

00:27:01came from that long ago

00:27:02they knew the songs so well

00:27:04from discos and things like that

00:27:05but Frankie Valli

00:27:06you've also been enjoying that

00:27:07I am

00:27:08and when I first got approached to do it

00:27:09I remember saying to the producer

00:27:11that'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

00:27:15Yes you do

00:27:16and I realised that when we were kids

00:27:19on the Gold Coast

00:27:19that the speakers

00:27:21they used to have speakers on the beaches

00:27:22and they used to play local radio stations

00:27:25used to play music

00:27:26I always thought it was the Beach Boys

00:27:28and some of them were

00:27:29but what I didn't realise

00:27:30was a lot of those songs

00:27:32embedded in our childhood

00:27:33were Frankie Valli

00:27:34so it was a real honour to take that on

00:27:37You've done various genres over the years

00:27:40the people you've encompassed within your act

00:27:43also were encompassing people like Jack Sparrow

00:27:47and I can never forget

00:27:49this scene

00:27:50I know what you're talking about

00:27:51from Strictly Come Dancing

00:27:52when Peter Andre suddenly descended

00:28:25There you are

00:28:26your best Jack Sparrow

00:28:27your best Johnny Depp

00:28:28I mean that music

00:28:31I mean you only have to hear that

00:28:32don't you

00:28:32and you all feel you could dance like that

00:28:34It's such powerful music

00:28:36that was

00:28:37I have to be honest

00:28:39of all the TVs I've ever done

00:28:41Strictly was the scariest experience

00:28:43I've ever had in my life

00:28:44because

00:28:45you're being judged by real dancers

00:28:47you're not being judged by

00:28:48you know

00:28:49celebrities

00:28:50or you are being judged by people

00:28:52who know their craft

00:28:53and when they tell you

00:28:54your foot's wrong

00:28:55your foot's wrong

00:28:56so you try so hard

00:28:57to do it properly

00:28:58and it's really scary

00:29:01really scary

00:29:02but very rewarding as well

00:29:04you get to do different things

00:29:05with different people

00:29:06and different skills

00:29:07I mean Jeanette

00:29:07they're a brilliant dancer

00:29:08but it was very intriguing

00:29:10watching Jill Scott

00:29:12with you

00:29:14doing Mysterious Girl

00:29:15in A League of Their Own

00:29:16here we are

00:29:18you know I said earlier

00:29:19that we hadn't booked

00:29:20Peter Andre to come out

00:29:21and sing with you

00:29:21I was lying

00:29:23it wouldn't be A League of Their Own

00:29:25without making dreams come true

00:29:26it is time

00:29:27Jill Scott

00:29:28for your duet

00:29:29with Mr Peter Andre

00:29:31good job

00:29:40come on Jill

00:29:41I want you to sing it with me

00:29:43you promised me you would

00:29:44oh

00:29:48mysterious girl

00:29:49move your body close to mine

00:29:52are you gonna do the rap

00:29:54here we go

00:30:06you know she covered about

00:30:08three different keys there

00:30:10but she just managed to do it

00:30:11perfectly

00:30:12she got all the words right

00:30:14I can't get all those words right

00:30:16she's such a lovely person

00:30:18I've met many times

00:30:19really lovely person

00:30:21isn't it wonderful

00:30:21to be able to bring joy

00:30:22into someone's laughter

00:30:23but she really had no idea

00:30:25that you were gonna

00:30:26spring that on

00:30:27and this is the thing

00:30:28that I think is wonderful

00:30:29about the industry

00:30:30that we're in

00:30:31you know we get to do

00:30:31so many different things

00:30:32like you said

00:30:33and I feel very

00:30:34very blessed

00:30:36to be able to do that

00:30:37and we've met over the years

00:30:39a few times

00:30:39but it's

00:30:40it's amazing

00:30:41to think 30 years later

00:30:42I could sit here

00:30:43on the sofa

00:30:44with you and Chad

00:30:44it's wonderful

00:30:45we're both very old now

00:30:47well

00:30:47that's probably why

00:30:48some of us are older

00:30:49than others

00:30:49my dad said it's only the first hundred years

00:30:51that are tough

00:30:52he reckons it gets really easy

00:30:53after that

00:30:54so we're okay

00:30:55we're okay for now

00:30:57he's 93

00:30:58okay not so great for him

00:31:00but it's great for us

00:31:02it's the variety

00:31:03the things that you go on

00:31:05and you're doing musicals as well

00:31:06you've done various musicals

00:31:07you've done Grease

00:31:08now you

00:31:09had an acquaintanceship there

00:31:11with Olivia Newton-John

00:31:12I mean I know she was

00:31:13you were a great fan of hers

00:31:14well I mean

00:31:15I had the pleasure of working

00:31:18with Olivia Newton-John

00:31:19one night at the Spina

00:31:20we did a Spina Bifida concert

00:31:22in Australia

00:31:23in aid of Spina Bifida

00:31:25and we all performed

00:31:26on stage together

00:31:27and she was exactly

00:31:29what you wish

00:31:30she would be like

00:31:31she just radiated

00:31:33from the second she'd walk in

00:31:34was kind to everybody

00:31:36and so

00:31:38you know

00:31:38I got to see her

00:31:39a few more times

00:31:41over the next few years

00:31:42after that

00:31:42and she was always just

00:31:43that lovely person

00:31:45I mean

00:31:45who didn't have a

00:31:46crush on Olivia Newton-John

00:31:48she was just

00:31:49agreed

00:31:50you know

00:31:50just and she's always

00:31:52been so lovely

00:31:53so

00:31:53well I can't bring you

00:31:54Olivia Newton-John

00:31:55from Grease

00:31:56I can give you

00:31:56Teen Angel

00:31:58but on Loose Women

00:31:59here we are

00:32:00brilliant

00:32:01baby you blew it

00:32:03baby you blew it

00:32:04you put out good

00:32:05and vice to shame

00:32:06how could you do it

00:32:08how could you do it

00:32:09bet you did

00:32:10Abby

00:32:11you'd say the same

00:32:12cause there's no way

00:32:14to get through to you

00:32:16no matter how I try

00:32:22might as well

00:32:24look back to that

00:32:26more

00:32:26sharp

00:32:27in

00:32:29mascara

00:32:38a pink girl

00:32:39pink wings

00:32:41I have to tell you this

00:32:42I'm so sorry

00:32:44four years before that

00:32:46five years before that

00:32:47I was offered the role

00:32:48of Danny Zuko

00:32:49and I couldn't do it

00:32:50how could I not do it

00:32:51I couldn't do it

00:32:52whatever the reason was

00:32:53it was a

00:32:55six or however many years

00:32:57later they came back

00:32:57and said would you do Grease

00:32:58and I said of course

00:33:00I told everybody

00:33:01I'm playing Danny Zuko

00:33:03I rang my in-laws

00:33:05I rang my parents

00:33:05in Australia

00:33:06I'm going to be Danny Zuko

00:33:07in Grease

00:33:08I said wow

00:33:08you know

00:33:09a little bit old

00:33:10but okay

00:33:11he said no

00:33:11what are you talking about

00:33:12I can do it

00:33:13oh he's Italian

00:33:14he wasn't

00:33:14but anyway

00:33:16so I told everybody

00:33:19and what I didn't realise

00:33:20until the day

00:33:21of the photo shoot

00:33:22they sent a message

00:33:24saying can you please

00:33:24bring tight white jeans

00:33:26and a tight white vest

00:33:27top

00:33:27and I thought

00:33:28well Danny Zuko

00:33:29doesn't wear that

00:33:30so I turned up

00:33:31and they said

00:33:31well who told you

00:33:32you were Danny Zuko

00:33:33I said

00:33:35I just presumed

00:33:36they said

00:33:36you're slightly too old

00:33:37for that

00:33:38so I was a teenager

00:33:39instead

00:33:39I still loved it

00:33:40but I didn't get to

00:33:42fulfil my Danny Zuko dream

00:33:44and tell me about

00:33:45working with Madonna

00:33:45I mean

00:33:46goodness me

00:33:47support app for Madonna

00:33:48and I bet you thought

00:33:49I don't really

00:33:52does that one

00:33:53bite your hand off time

00:33:54yeah absolutely

00:33:55when I got the call

00:33:56to open for

00:33:57for the girly tour

00:33:58it was all around

00:33:59Australia in stadiums

00:34:00now I'd never

00:34:02I mean

00:34:02most people don't

00:34:03start at stadiums

00:34:04they start at the bottom

00:34:05and eventually get there

00:34:06I started at the top

00:34:07there was only one way

00:34:08it was going to go

00:34:09I was

00:34:10where do you go from that

00:34:11I mean that was Madonna

00:34:12and it was

00:34:12the most incredible experience

00:34:15she was lovely

00:34:16yeah we did a

00:34:17six week tour

00:34:18I think together

00:34:18when you're working

00:34:20with somebody like that

00:34:20watching how they operate

00:34:22how they operate on stage

00:34:23and operate off stage

00:34:25it must be quite interesting

00:34:26seeing how they

00:34:27carry themselves

00:34:28how they relate to an audience

00:34:30can you learn from

00:34:31working with someone like Madonna

00:34:32well

00:34:33yeah of course

00:34:34I mean you learn from

00:34:35all the greats

00:34:36you see how it all works

00:34:38you know

00:34:39of course when you've got a budget

00:34:40you can put on the production

00:34:42but you still need star quality

00:34:44you do

00:34:45and if you haven't got that

00:34:46all the bells and whistles

00:34:48don't really mean anything

00:34:49that's right

00:34:49well she's definitely got

00:34:50I mean the songs

00:34:51good to have you with us

00:34:52good luck with the album

00:34:53and Frankie Valli

00:34:55fabulous

00:34:56thank you Peter

00:34:57thank you

00:34:57now then

00:34:58a wonder through nature

00:35:00courtesy of you at home

00:35:02it's time

00:35:03for a walk on the wild side

00:35:13for a walk on the wild side

00:35:42and I'll see you next time

00:36:12and I'll see you next time

00:36:45oh thank you for all your wonderful pictures there

00:36:48please do keep sending them in

00:36:50it's a very special part of this programme

00:36:52still ahead

00:36:53if you think your houseplants need some CPR

00:36:55that's care, pruning and refreshing

00:36:57houseplant guru Claire Lowry has it covered

00:37:00how to repot, rescue and revive your plants

00:37:04coming up

00:37:19there really is no season like spring

00:37:23and as our gardens wake from their winter sleep

00:37:26it's no wonder that displays of our early risers

00:37:30can put a smile on anyone's face

00:37:32as we hope we will today

00:37:34coming up

00:37:34spoilt

00:37:36psychopathic

00:37:37salt of the earth

00:37:38she's led a variety of characters

00:37:39Sarah Parrish

00:37:41on mixing it up

00:37:42when it comes to choosing her roles

00:37:44but first it's time for your voice of nature

00:37:47today

00:37:47it's the turn of Patience stars

00:37:50Ella Mae Purvis

00:37:51and Nathan Welsh

00:37:52with Hope

00:37:53by Edith Nesbitt

00:38:04O thrush

00:38:05is it true

00:38:05your song tells of a world born anew

00:38:09of fields gold with buttercups

00:38:11woodlands all blue with hyacinth bells

00:38:14of primroses deep in the moss of the lane

00:38:17of a princess asleep and dear magic to do

00:38:20will the sun wake the princess

00:38:22O thrush

00:38:23is it true

00:38:24will spring come again

00:38:26will spring come again

00:38:28now at last with soft shine and rain

00:38:31will the violet be sweet

00:38:33where the dead leaves have lain

00:38:34will winter be past

00:38:36in the brown of the copse

00:38:38will white wind flowers star through

00:38:40where the last oak leaf drops

00:38:43and the daisies come too

00:38:44and the may

00:38:46and the lilac

00:38:47will spring come again

00:38:48O thrush

00:38:49is it true

00:38:58Thank you Ella and Nathan lovely words capturing that anticipation of spring renewal that we all feel when the sun

00:39:06comes out

00:39:07Now they've filled our shelves and populated porches for decades from the exotic specimens in grand victorian glass houses to

00:39:16the humble spider plants on 1970s windowsills

00:39:20Our love affair with house plants shows no signs of fizzling out but after a long and dusty winter it's

00:39:27time to give your leafy friends some TLC

00:39:29Thankfully we have just the woman welcome back house plant expert Claire Lowry here with her rejuvenation masterclass to get

00:39:38your house plants prepped primed and positively thriving

00:39:42Welcome Claire Lillian

00:39:43Thank you for having me 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

00:39:50I know

00:39:51Lobs of water

00:39:51I know

00:39:52But now they're a bit weary aren't they

00:39:54They are

00:39:54I 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

00:40:02Ah

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 optimizing that as much as possible so the plant can photosynthesize

00:40:13And so I've got a very dusty plant here

00:40:15I mean I typically don't let it get this bad

00:40:17but when it starts to kind of get quite dusty because I think a lot of the time people kind

00:40:21of think

00:40:22Oh no my plants aren't dusty they look absolutely fine

00:40:24But you don't realize in the same way as your skirting boards build up dust your plants build up dust

00:40:29as 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 cut and over them. They can't absorb the light. They also are far

00:40:40more susceptible to pests

00:40:42So yeah, yeah, so I'm just using literally just some lukewarm water

00:40:48Look at that. Oh, yeah, as Larry Grayson used to say either muck in here

00:40:55Look totally it literally sure and you don't need anything other than water. I know I know it's amazing

00:41:01They used to say in the elders do them with milk and you think well actually it then starts to

00:41:05smell a bit cheesy after a while

00:41:06I've heard all of these from what but hairy plants of course you wouldn't do that

00:41:10You have to be a bit careful with hairy plants

00:41:12It's obviously they're much more susceptible to mold mildew if you are gonna wipe them down

00:41:17I personally would recommend just dusting

00:41:19Yeah, but if you do need to wipe them down if you are dealing with pests or something like that

00:41:23I would just make sure you've got really good air flow to allow the leaves to kind of dry off

00:41:27so that they don't start

00:41:29It's beautiful, isn't it fresh and you can it's not okay?

00:41:35Yeah, it's like a whole new plot. It is it is the other thing that I was going to mention

00:41:40This is a very you actually mentioned spider plants at the beginning

00:41:43The spider plant is obviously a very common house plants and this one has been throwing out plant looks for

00:41:49months

00:41:50This is great to start with this isn't it and start children off too because each one of these make

00:41:54a separate plant

00:41:55It's fantastic

00:41:56I think the reason that this one is probably doing it is because the plant is actually stressed

00:42:01Because this one hasn't had a repot in quite a while and if I guess there's a lot in there

00:42:07There's a lot in there

00:42:08That plant looking that healthy in that size pot you obviously feed it really well because it's still glowing with

00:42:13health

00:42:13I mean the amount of water this plants requiring at the moment is ridiculous because just

00:42:19Look at those roots. They are

00:42:23Crazy. Yeah, so before I put 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 that I'll use for most of my house

00:42:34plants

00:42:35Terrestrial house plants that grow from the ground now you can buy it in bags really mix with you mixture

00:42:39at me

00:42:40Sure, oh to be honest

00:42:41I do a bit of both but I do I do quite this thing quite therapeutic and I don't know

00:42:45just quite nice about getting your hands in the soil and mixing everything up yourself

00:42:49So what do you got for?

00:42:50So this is just a peat-free soil mix and I'm going to put all of that in the bowl

00:42:55And then I've got two different types of orchid bark. This is orchid bark with tree fern fibre

00:43:00So it's really really nice adding aeration into the soil. So that's the orchid but what about the bigger chips?

00:43:07Yeah, this is just much chunkier and typically if I'm working with an epiphytic plant so a plant that naturally

00:43:13doesn't grow out of the ground and it grows on a tree

00:43:16Yeah, not a parasite but an epiphyte just clings on

00:43:19Yeah, exactly so I would typically add a lot more kind of chunky things like

00:43:23Sustainably sourced sphagnum moss and stuff like that as well to 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 and when you're using perlite indoors

00:43:38It's really important to make sure that you hydrate it because it's very dry and fluffy. It almost blows away

00:43:43It's almost like polystyrene granules. It's it feels different, but it but this is light and fluffy isn't it?

00:43:48Yeah, yeah completely

00:43:49But 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 how it's kind of holding the moisture

00:43:57and this just means that I'm creating a really nice

00:44:00Airy mix that 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 composts. They need to be moisture retentive but free draining

00:44:13Yes, and that means they're holding on to enough moisture, but not too much to get soggy

00:44:17I can tell from the way Andy that has got a lovely feel to it. It is lovely. It's really

00:44:23nice

00:44:23It is and I love the smell of it as well. I know that's weird

00:44:26No, I just I'm trying to a gardener. It's not weird at all. Well, I don't think it's weird

00:44:35But yes

00:44:37So I'm just going to kind of get my hands in there and just try and work as many of

00:44:41the plants out as I can

00:44:44And it's surprising something that decent lump root on them. You'll be okay. Yeah, they're also knotted together

00:44:50That's your problem isn't it really? I'm afraid this is an instance clear where I would go in with a

00:44:54knife

00:44:54Would you? Oh, as long as there's a big enough lump with each. Oh, we're almost there

00:44:58Yeah, you're almost there. Yeah, the bits that do get cut off and broken off doesn't matter. It'll be enough

00:45:03remaining

00:45:04It's like when you get some particularly in between November and March you get things like bare root roses

00:45:09And they'll be dug up from the grounds and the nursery rows and they'll come to you with the top

00:45:13growth like that and roots

00:45:15Going down here and you can take half of them off because they're all going to die the bottom ends

00:45:19anyway

00:45:19And new roots roots are going to come from the top half

00:45:22So if you're planting bare root stuff, don't be frightened of shortening by a good half

00:45:27Would you put that back in the same pot? You know what? I probably would

00:45:30It's about the right size, isn't it? It's about the right size

00:45:33Yeah, 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 and

00:45:42Pop 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 it's not just that you've got time off yourself. It's watching the other fellas still working

00:45:55You know, it's very nice when I lean here as a gardener, watching another gardener

00:45:59And 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?

00:46:08Well, I really, I hope now

00:46:09Oh, I 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, there's a few different ways you can propagate them

00:46:19But my favourite and the easiest way, we 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

00:46:34So you can literally pop it in like that

00:46:37Keep it on your windowsill

00:46:37Yeah, exactly

00:46:39Absolutely fab

00:46:40Yeah, no it's great

00:46:41Thank Claire, all you like, learn from you every time you come

00:46:44And it's wonderful to see all these things which can go together to make the compost, you know

00:46:48And making your own compost, great fun

00:46:51It is

00:46:52Thank you 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

00:47:11Rather than grazing politely in Warwickshire

00:47:14But 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

00:47:27Aled, 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

00:47:57So 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

00:48:05For events like racing and Christmas parades and obviously film 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

00:48:20These are my stripy new friends

00:48:23They 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

00:48:40Is his beautiful teardrop just underneath his left eye

00:48:46And then Chad is like a giant dog

00:48:48I just love Chad

00:48:49He's probably my favourite, don'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

00:48:59They 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

00:49:08They are now retired

00:49:10So we are a temporary home for them

00:49:13Before they go to live their absolute life of luxury

00:49:17In a retirement home

00:49:21No squabbling

00:49:22Make sure it's all nice for you

00:49:24There you go, look 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

00:49:35Now these guys are Chapman zebras

00:49:37They're a subspecies of plain zebras

00:49:40They're found in southern Africa

00:49:42Botswana, Namibia, Zambia

00:49:44And they've got some really distinctive patterns

00:49:46That make them Chapmans

00:49:48Their stripes go all the way down to their feet

00:49:52Which some zebras don't

00:49:54But the biggest one is that

00:49:56They have something called a shadow stripe

00:49:57It's a brown stripe between their white stripe

00:49:59And this is a really distinctive feature

00:50:01That only the Chapman zebras have

00:50:05Zebra stripes are actually a self-defense mechanism

00:50:08Which is so interesting

00:50:09A herd of zebras is called a dazzle

00:50:11And it's supposedly because they dazzle predators

00:50:14So a predator can't pick one individual zebra out of a group

00:50:19Even though I've grown up around camels

00:50:22Zebras are a completely different ballgame

00:50:24Our zebras are very tame

00:50:27But they really are wild animals

00:50:29And they have that real prey instinct in them

00:50:31Whereas camels are domesticated animals

00:50:33So they're a lot easier to handle in a lot of ways

00:50:36These guys can be far more unpredictable

00:50:39They are not pets

00:50:40Any training with animals

00:50:43Whether it be a zebra, a camel or a dog

00:50:45It's always important to give them a positive reward

00:50:50Alid, one of the three zebras

00:50:52Has been trained differently to Chad and Masai

00:50:55Chad and Masai have been trained traditionally

00:50:57Almost like you would a horse

00:50:58Alid has been clicker trained

00:51:02So when Alid touches the ball with his nose

00:51:05Like that

00:51:06He 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

00:51:14Unless you give him the tennis ball first

00:51:16Oh good boy

00:51:18There we go

00:51:20When they're on a film set

00:51:22This cone and tennis ball trick

00:51:24Really helped the previous owners

00:51:26Get them into position

00:51:27Because he will stand wherever that tennis ball is

00:51:30One of the most common questions I have had on social media

00:51:33About the zebras is

00:51:34Can you ride them?

00:51:36The answer

00:51:36Absolutely not

00:51:38Their backs are not made for it

00:51:39Because they're wild animals

00:51:41They haven't been bred to be able to ride

00:51:43Baxter on the other hand

00:51:44Very comfortable

00:51:45I would ride him all day long

00:51:49It's going to be really emotional

00:51:51Letting these zebras go

00:51:53They've really become a part of our family

00:51:56Like any animal that comes here does

00:52:00Thank you Daisy

00:52:02And good luck to Aled, Masai and Chad

00:52:05In their new home

00:52:07Coming up

00:52:07When life gives you lemons

00:52:10Make a gin and tonic

00:52:11So the proverb says

00:52:12Well, I can't promise a G&T

00:52:14But I can promise some rather refreshingly zesty libations

00:52:18Cocktail twins

00:52:20Hannah and Siobhan

00:52:21Make their Manor Farm debut

00:52:23With a round of fruity botanicals

00:52:25And it's a loss about compost

00:52:28So many people are

00:52:30Wayne Perry

00:52:31Is here with his guide

00:52:32To what's hot

00:52:33And what's not

00:52:34In the world of compost bins

00:52:36It's all here, you know

00:52:37I'll see you with the TV carpenter himself

00:52:40That's after this

00:52:55The sale of compost in the UK

00:52:58Produces 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

00:53:09Is by producing your own compost at home

00:53:12Here to show us how to turn pallets into compost bins

00:53:15TV carpenter Wayne Perry

00:53:18We're talking here about compost to enrich garden soil

00:53:20Rather than potting compost

00:53:22Yes

00:53:22Which you're still going to have to buy

00:53:24Unless you've got a way of making your own

00:53:25But I don't think anyone should buy it

00:53:27We can all make our own

00:53:29The stuff to enrich the soil outside

00:53:30Absolutely

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

00:53:36Your jumper, my jumper and the carrots

00:53:38It's like we planned it, Alan

00:53:39It is really, carefully

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

00:53:47It's things that are, you know

00:53:48Going to take a little bit more time to break down

00:53:50One of the best things I ever bought was a shredder

00:53:52To shred those

00:53:53And it all then goes in

00:53:54It all goes in

00:53:55But also your cardboards

00:53:56Your egg boxes

00:53:57We did have

00:53:58I've got a shredder at the front of my door for my paper

00:54:01And letters that I don't want

00:54:04They get shredded

00:54:05We were going to put them here

00:54:05It's a bit windy

00:54:06We 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

00:54:11Which is obviously your vegetable peelings

00:54:13Your old flowers

00:54:14And once they're all mixing together and turned in

00:54:17You know, and keep layering them like a lasagna

00:54:19Or lots of

00:54:19And mixing

00:54:20Mixing is the big thing

00:54:21Not to put in thick perennial weed roots

00:54:24Or any food like potato

00:54:26You know, processed food

00:54:28Yeah, any processed food

00:54:28Cooked food

00:54:29Chickens or anything like that

00:54:30Nothing, yeah

00:54:30And also just bear in mind

00:54:31Any diseased plants

00:54:32You don't want to put those in there either

00:54:34You know, you want to

00:54:34It's got to be gorgeous stuff for your plants

00:54:36So mixing, keep it moist and firm

00:54:38That's usually the best one

00:54:39And once you've collated all of those

00:54:41And you've got them together

00:54:42We then need to put them into a compost bin

00:54:44Right

00:54:44So this is your entry level compost bin

00:54:47It's, you can get from B&Q

00:54:4932 pounds

00:54:50Standard

00:54:50It's recycled plastic

00:54:52Lid comes off

00:54:53Lid comes off

00:54:54Throw your rubbish inside

00:54:55Little flap at the bottom there

00:54:57That you can lift up if you want to access it

00:54:59So you can see how it's going

00:55:01But what's great about it is

00:55:03On the ground

00:55:03The 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

00:55:12Beehive

00:55:13The beehive

00:55:14So the idea of this is

00:55:16If your compost bin needs to be on display

00:55:19It could be in a border

00:55:20It could look pretty

00:55:21You could paint it

00:55:22This is from Bloom

00:55:23Right

00:55:24So they're a small independent company

00:55:26Who make them bespoke

00:55:28They started off doing bins

00:55:29And storage bins for the front of your house

00:55:31To look pretty

00:55:32But this one

00:55:33It'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

00:55:40So the wood didn't rot

00:55:41So it didn't rot

00:55:42It can keep

00:55:42But what we've seen done with these before

00:55:44Is because they look so pretty

00:55:45Sometimes once all your compost is in there

00:55:47You can plant that up

00:55:48And just leave it

00:55:49Use it as a planter as well

00:55:51Yeah

00:55:51So it's a nice way of creating something

00:55:53Compared to that one

00:55:54Which is black

00:55:55But this one painted

00:55:57Looks lovely

00:55:57Like a WBC hive

00:55:59Within your cottage garden

00:56:01Oh nice

00:56:01Now this one is all singing all dancing

00:56:03This is your hot bin

00:56:04So the hot bin is insulated

00:56:07So it gets hot inside there

00:56:09It's a bit pricey

00:56:11It's £215

00:56:12This is the smallest

00:56:14This is a 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

00:56:20These take about a year to turn

00:56:23Once you've turned them every two months

00:56:24A year to get some good compost

00:56:26This one can take between 60 to 90 days

00:56:29For you to get some compost

00:56:30And you don't need to turn it

00:56:31So that's two or three months

00:56:32Two or three months

00:56:33It's fairly hot though

00:56:34There's a little thermostat

00:56:35There's one on the top

00:56:36It's like your meat thermometer

00:56:37And it literally

00:56:38It's a joint done here

00:56:39I don't know where the compost is

00:56:41But when you say meat thermometer

00:56:42What's great is

00:56:43Once it gets to the temperature

00:56:44That you see there

00:56:45Between 40 and 60

00:56:46When it's green

00:56:47When it's green

00:56:47It means you can throw in your meat waste

00:56:49Oh really

00:56:50Whereas before you can't throw in your chicken bones

00:56:52Once they're cut down

00:56:53You can throw in anything in there

00:56:54And it'll heat it down

00:56:55And it'll go

00:56:56And it'll work its way through

00:56:57Again you don't need to turn it

00:56:59It's worth putting the layers in

00:57:00Yeah

00:57:00As you're adding stuff

00:57:01Having all the different layers

00:57:02I have to say

00:57:02If life's too short to stuff a mushroom

00:57:04I don't turn compost

00:57:06If it's mixed and kept moist

00:57:08Aha

00:57:08And firmed

00:57:09A bit of old carpet oil on the top

00:57:11I mean enough to do with that

00:57:12Turning it every two months

00:57:13I mean some people do

00:57:14It's just a matter of opinion

00:57:15Yeah

00:57:15You don't have to turn it

00:57:16It's more important to turn it

00:57:18In tiny bins I think

00:57:19Than in bigger ones

00:57:19Mine's about two metres

00:57:20And also you can access this

00:57:22There's normally like a strap

00:57:23That goes round

00:57:23You'll take the strap off

00:57:24You can access it

00:57:25And the little blue tap

00:57:26At the bottom

00:57:27Collects all those juices

00:57:28Oh your liquid manure

00:57:29Your liquid manure

00:57:30Liquid fertiliser

00:57:31So you know

00:57:32It's a great product

00:57:34Because it means it can turn it quickly

00:57:35Fast

00:57:36Fast

00:57:36But of course

00:57:38Knowing you

00:57:39Yes

00:57:39You don't necessarily want to buy

00:57:41One that somebody else has made

00:57:42No

00:57:42You want to make one yourself

00:57:43For free

00:57:44Okay

00:57:44Have 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

00:57:53And I've got a varied relationship with them

00:57:55But pallets are free

00:57:57They're amazing

00:57:58If you find four pallets that are the same

00:58:01Joyful

00:58:01You can make one of these

00:58:03One thing to look out for

00:58:04You'll see a little stamp here

00:58:05There's two letters

00:58:07HT there

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

00:58:16Because 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

00:58:24And we've literally just screwed them

00:58:26Spiked them through

00:58:27Into 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

00:58:33You can literally just cut it with some strong scissors

00:58:36You don't need any pliers or anything like that

00:58:37And the reason we have chicken wire is we're going to line the inside edge with it

00:58:42So by

00:58:43Yeah

00:58:44Just by lining the inside edge

00:58:47Don't open my fingers

00:58:48This way

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

00:58:55It allows the air circulation to go through

00:58:58But it stops the soil or any debris falling out

00:59:01Falling out

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

00:59:11We want those worms to come through

00:59:12We want all of that nutrients to come through the floor

00:59:15And the next one you could put a full pallet here

00:59:18But I like to cut mine down

00:59:20So I pre-cut this one down

00:59:22And we offer

00:59:25This one into place

00:59:26You can put hinges on there

00:59:28You can put latches so it opens like a barn door

00:59:31But I think if you can just

00:59:32If you can use a drill

00:59:35Yeah

00:59:35You can unscrew something

00:59:37That's within my capabilities

00:59:38Yeah

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

00:59:48If you're coming along with your wheelbarrow

00:59:50You can hook it up

00:59:51And throw it over

00:59:52But having this one

00:59:56Having this one in place so that you can unscrew it

00:59:59Means that when you get in there you can turn it

01:00:00And then once that's done

01:00:03Put on

01:00:04I've just got an old throw here

01:00:06If you've got a piece of carpet or something

01:00:08Lay that on top

01:00:09And then put some plastic on top

01:00:12Just 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

01:00:16You know more than me

01:00:18Well it's the three M's isn't it really

01:00:20Mix it

01:00:21Moisten it

01:00:22And mash it

01:00:23Keep it firm

01:00:24And with those three M's

01:00:26Mix everything

01:00:27Rather than having a concentration of grass clippings in one place

01:00:29Just because it's brown and slimy

01:00:30Mix that with everything else

01:00:32And grass is great because it heats it

01:00:33And so with all the things mixed up

01:00:36With your browns as you say

01:00:37And your greens

01:00:38And if you hire a shredder

01:00:39It'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

01:00:44The mixing

01:00:45The moistening

01:00:46And the mashing

01:00:46You'll find it rots down

01:00:47I 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?

01:00:52I've got

01:00:52Well as many as you

01:00:53Depends on the size of your garden

01:00:54Yeah

01:00:55But I always have a couple at least

01:00:56Because then

01:00:57One is full and rotting

01:00:58And the other's being filled

01:01:00And you've got this system then

01:01:02About a year on you're using that one

01:01:04And the following year you'll be using that one

01:01:05While this one's filling up

01:01:06I love the idea though

01:01:07Of using the compost that you've created

01:01:10For your garden

01:01:11And knowing it hasn't cost you anything to get rid of it

01:01:14You've just re-put it back and purposed it

01:01:15And it's the natural cycle

01:01:17When trees lose their leaves

01:01:18They fall on the ground

01:01:19They rot

01:01:19The worms take them in

01:01:20And that's nature

01:01:22And you've been a nice part of nature

01:01:23Yeah

01:01:24And look for the HT

01:01:25Heat treated

01:01:26Heat treated

01:01:27Wayne Perry

01:01:29Thanks Wayne

01:01:35Now many legendary thinkers and creators kept famous diaries

01:01:40Leonardo da Vinci whose notebooks contain sketches of inventions and anatomical studies

01:01:46Charles 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

01:01:59And Leslie Joseph is no different

01:02:02As she takes a leaf out of all their books

01:02:05With the first of her nature diaries

01:02:08Chapter 1

01:02:09The March Hare

01:02:14Hampshire

01:02:14Sunday the 22nd of March

01:02:172026

01:02:18Dear Diary

01:02:20It's been a week since my last diary entry

01:02:23But I am feeling quite rejuvenated

01:02:25The weather is most agreeable

01:02:27As spring grabs hold of us

01:02:29And winter seems so very far away

01:02:31Enter master hare

01:02:34Dashing

01:02:35And deliciously naughty

01:02:37With his large

01:02:39Long

01:02:39Powerful

01:02:40Hind legs

01:02:41Oh dear diary

01:02:43I itch in anticipation

01:02:44I have been meaning to see the apothecarist about that actually

01:02:48Sorry

01:02:49Back to my diary

01:02:51As I perch by the open window

01:02:53Absorbing the gentle spring breeze

01:02:56The brown hare parades itself around

01:03:00With a bouncy ease

01:03:02Along the heath

01:03:03And hidden in the grasses

01:03:04Running across fields

01:03:05And hiding in the marshes

01:03:07The brown hare plays

01:03:09And strays

01:03:10Whilst having the occasional

01:03:11Vegetational graze

01:03:13Glistening in the warm sun

01:03:15Embracing

01:03:16The hazy days

01:03:19With long black tipped ears

01:03:21Worthy of a sonnet

01:03:22No doubt having to poke two holes

01:03:24Through a celebratory bonnet

01:03:27With a super speedy

01:03:29And slick fast pace

01:03:30The brown hare

01:03:31Can certainly take on a race

01:03:34I have a ball this evening

01:03:36And word is spreading

01:03:37That Lord Biggins will be in attendance

01:03:40Oh

01:03:41I do hope he selects me

01:03:43To be part of his waltz

01:03:45I hear he is quite the maverick

01:03:47On the dance floor

01:03:48Now I must dash enough

01:03:50Hair related do-gooding

01:03:51If I don't put down the quill

01:03:53Who will make today's plum pudding

01:03:56Fare thee well brown hare

01:03:58It's been a treat

01:04:00Thank you for continually

01:04:02Making my heart beat

01:04:04Yours affectionately as ever

01:04:06Leslie

01:04:09Thank you Leslie

01:04:10Well up to Einstein standards

01:04:12Did you know the expression

01:04:14Mad as a March Hare

01:04:15Stems from their frantic mating behaviour

01:04:17Including high speed chases

01:04:19Leaping and boxing

01:04:20That peak in early spring

01:04:23Fancy

01:04:24It's an amazing sight

01:04:25When you watch boxing airs

01:04:26Coming up

01:04:27Sarah Parish

01:04:28Back on stage

01:04:29In the bittersweet

01:04:30Family drama eclipse

01:04:32I'll see you with Sarah

01:04:33After this

01:04:46Welcome back to Love Your Weekend

01:04:49Now coming up

01:04:49Drinks duo Hannah and Siobhan

01:04:51See us out in style

01:04:53With zesty botanicals

01:04:55Including a burnt lemon spritz

01:04:57And a chilled martini

01:04:58With an orange twist

01:05:00Can't wait

01:05:01But first

01:05:02Saucy storylines

01:05:04And devious divas

01:05:05Scandalous

01:05:06Sexy

01:05:07And seductive

01:05:07It was the hit series

01:05:09Following the lives

01:05:10And loves

01:05:11Of a group of 30 something girlfriends

01:05:13And featuring

01:05:14My next guest

01:05:15Yes

01:05:16Lovers may come and go

01:05:18But friends last forever

01:05:20Or do they?

01:05:21Katie

01:05:21Multiple choice

01:05:23Sex, love or kids

01:05:24What can I only have one?

01:05:26Erm

01:05:30Love

01:05:34I think

01:05:35Someone asked me out today

01:05:36Really?

01:05:37Oh yeah?

01:05:38Hello

01:05:39Well he's a new dad at school

01:05:41And I think he just got divorced

01:05:43And we got chatting at the supermarket

01:05:45And he said that we should go for a coffee

01:05:48And I went

01:05:49Erm

01:05:50Hang on a minute

01:05:51He asked you out for a coffee

01:05:52In Sainsbury's

01:05:53No, in Tesco's actually

01:05:55And

01:05:57Well I'm not really sure he was asking me out

01:05:58Or what did he say?

01:06:00Erm

01:06:00Exact words

01:06:03Do you fancy going for a coffee?

01:06:04He said fancy

01:06:05I think so

01:06:06If he said that he was asking you out

01:06:07Oh no, maybe he said want

01:06:09Well that's

01:06:10No, that's different

01:06:11That's more tricky to interpret

01:06:12You see this is exactly why I switched from English

01:06:14To modern languages

01:06:17Mistresses

01:06:18The deep bond and connection between the four of your characters

01:06:21With your shared sarcasm

01:06:23And ease with each other

01:06:24Was it like that on set?

01:06:26You did seem

01:06:26There 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

01:06:31The four of us

01:06:33And we all shared a big house

01:06:34Which was great

01:06:35So we were together the whole time

01:06:37Erm

01:06:38Yeah, and we really bonded on that show

01:06:41It was a terrific show

01:06:41And do you know I get asked often

01:06:43It's the one show that I get asked 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

01:06:55A 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

01:07:01Obviously was very successful

01:07:03And now they want to see where those women are

01:07:06At the age that they would be

01:07:08Which is in their 50s

01:07:09But shot through with humour too

01:07:11You've got to have humour

01:07:12Yeah

01:07:12You've got to have humour

01:07:14You're splitting as ever

01:07:16Screen work

01:07:17Both you know large and small

01:07:19With theatre work

01:07:20Because you're now going into a play

01:07:23At Chichester Festival Theatre

01:07:24Eclipse

01:07:25Which is written

01:07:26By the guy who wrote W1A

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?

01:07:34I know

01:07:34Because it's so accurate

01:07:35You know good for them

01:07:37But so tell us about it Eclipse

01:07:39Well yes John 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

01:07:51And said look I've written this play

01:07:52And I'd really love you to be in it

01:07:53And I immediately thought

01:07:55Oh it's going to be hilarious

01:07:56You know it'll be really fast

01:07:57And funny

01:07:58And probably set in an office

01:07:59You know

01:08:00Anyway this play came through

01:08:02And it's

01:08:02It's

01:08:03I mean it just shows

01:08:04What a brilliant versatile writer he is

01:08:07It's a very minimalistic play

01:08:10That happens over 24 hours

01:08:12The last 24 hours of somebody's life

01:08:15And it's about the brother and sister

01:08:17The son and the daughter of this guy who's dying

01:08:19In the kitchen

01:08:21And just their relationship over this 24 hours

01:08:24How 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

01:08:43So 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 me wife will be there then

01:08:52I know he's not ugly is he?

01:08:54It's Rupert Penner Jones and he's in it

01:08:55Sarah

01:08:57So 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 there's all sorts going on

01:09:08What was on Piglets has been on again this year

01:09:11Which was a series that I do with Mark Heap

01:09:15About a police academy which is quite funny

01:09:18It's not my most attractive part

01:09:21No now 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

01:09:31They brought out a bag 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 I put it on I 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

01:09:43And maybe maybe have some teeth as well

01:09:45So we went for these comedy teeth and then Julie Spry was born

01:09:50Yeah I love playing her she's so much fun

01:09:52Here is Julie Spry in Piglets

01:09:56Let's start with the traditional good cop bad cop scenario

01:09:59So which one do you want me to be?

01:10:13I can do bad

01:10:15I can do bad

01:10:31Do you know what it'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

01:10:39Yeah

01:10:39Haven't they?

01:10:40And he can't do anything without being funny

01:10:43I mean literally I can't sit opposite him in London

01:10:45I remember him being the postman in Lark Rice to Candleford

01:10:47It was brilliant

01:10:48And you just look at his face there

01:10:49He's just funny

01:10:50He was funny in Friday night

01:10:52You know Jim in Friday night dinner

01:10:53He was brilliant

01:10:54He's just a funny person

01:10:55And we

01:10:56It's such a fun show to do

01:10:59Because we do get quite a lot of freedom

01:11:01And lots of you know that was all sort of

01:11:03Not all improvised

01:11:05But a lot of it was improvised

01:11:06And we've got time to sort of muck about

01:11:09And try things out

01:11:10And it's lovely

01:11:10Looking at those four younger

01:11:13Who's looking at you

01:11:15How they kept a straight face

01:11:17Well that must have been hard

01:11:19It was it was

01:11:20There's a lot of corpsing in that show

01:11:22It's good fun

01:11:23You did

01:11:24We heard you sing earlier on

01:11:25I wanted to show a bit of your singing now

01:11:27Because you sang in Blackpool

01:11:28Yes I did

01:11:30Yes

01:11:31Blackpool it was called

01:11:32In Blackpool

01:11:33Yeah

01:11:34With David Tennant

01:11:34Yes

01:11:35Great cast

01:11:36Gosh that was that was a lovely show

01:11:38You know

01:11:39It's not 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

01:11:59And 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

01:12:05But 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

01:12:17It was a lot of fun

01:12:18Being able to

01:12:18Getting up every day

01:12:19Going to work and dancing and singing

01:12:21It doesn't get any better than that

01:12:23It does get any better than this does it?

01:12:25Should I say, should I know

01:12:28Could I ever reach you since I let you go

01:12:32Can't you know I find the right words to say

01:12:35Then maybe I'm getting in your way

01:12:38I feel your warmth

01:12:42Got me wanting more

01:12:44You've left the door half open

01:12:47I'm into my stupid store

01:12:50Then again

01:12:53Staring into each other's eyes

01:12:54There's something quite

01:12:55It's quite difficult doing that actually

01:12:57You know

01:12:59And you've got to do take after take after take

01:13:01So it was a tough job

01:13:04But it was really enjoyable

01:13:05When you're not cavorting on the stage

01:13:08Just or anywhere

01:13:09Or doing your TV

01:13:10Your original

01:13:12Murray Parish charity

01:13:14In memory of your daughter

01:13:16Ella Jane

01:13:17Has gone from strength to strength

01:13:19I mean

01:13:20Ella died tragically young in 2009

01:13:23The charity going

01:13:24You've changed the name of it now

01:13:26To widen it

01:13:26Because it's very much based in Southampton

01:13:28It was

01:13:28Yes

01:13:29So tell us about it now

01:13:30So we

01:13:31Last year

01:13:32It was our 10 year anniversary

01:13:34As the Murray Parish Trust

01:13:35And we

01:13:36We figured that

01:13:37We'd kind of done as much as we could

01:13:39Down in the south

01:13:40We'd predominantly worked at

01:13:41Southampton Children's Hospital

01:13:43And we kept noticing

01:13:44There was a real lack of help for the mental health of seriously ill children

01:13:50So we kind of thought maybe

01:13:51Now 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

01:13:59It's something a little bit bigger

01:14:01And 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 child gets looked after

01:14:12But the fallback and the fallout for the family is terrible

01:14:16Talking of working

01:14:17It seems to me the roles you choose

01:14:19Have always got some kind of central spark to them

01:14:24They're either completely bonkers

01:14:26As in the character in W1A

01:14:28You know where you're just going

01:14:30I mean I can see you

01:14:32You 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

01:14:38I don't know what

01:14:39But no there

01:14:40I mean also as an actor you pick what you want to do

01:14:44Don't you

01:14:44And there are certain parts that I'm drawn to

01:14:46I did go through a phase of paying quite a lot of psychopaths

01:14:50Which I bizarrely enjoyed a bit too much

01:14:53I'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 or TV

01:15:02But Netflix

01:15:04I mean Geek Girl

01:15:05Yeah

01:15:05Is on Netflix now

01:15:07It is

01:15:07And that gives you in a way a longer life

01:15:09Yeah

01:15:09Geek Girl was great

01:15:10I mean Geek Girl looks fantastic

01:15:12And the kids in it were wonderful

01:15:14And it was a very fun

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 the head of a model agency

01:15:21She's a bit of a monster

01:15:23But

01:15:24There's a sort of theme

01:15:26Coming here

01:15:27She's great fun

01:15:29She had all the

01:15:30You 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

01:15:35Oh I'd love to be part of this

01:15:36And it was also

01:15:37The first series came out

01:15:38Just when my daughter Nell

01:15:40Was 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

01:15:48For that age range you know

01:15:50And older as well

01:15:51I've had a lot of older people

01:15:52That 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

01:15:59At this angle just in case

01:16:03Okay right right right

01:16:04Just hold it there

01:16:05Just hold it there you

01:16:05Have you ever worn glasses?

01:16:08No I don't

01:16:08I don't need glasses

01:16:09I have 20-20 vision

01:16:19Ah okay yeah

01:16:20Hold that

01:16:22The noise

01:16:23Now me

01:16:23Chin 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 hang on

01:16:48Oh, no, no.

01:16:49I'm afraid.

01:16:53I 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? I'm good at cruel.

01:17:03Yeah, she's a really good fun character.

01:17:04And I'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.

01:17:11Thank you so much for coming.

01:17:12Good luck with the charity, which is now called Imagine This.

01:17:15Imagine This.

01:17:15I've got to get that in my head now, rather 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.

01:17:21He's turned next.

01:17:22Great.

01:17:22Lovely to see you.

01:17:24Time to pause, reflect and take a moment to enjoy some wonderful footage

01:17:29set to some equally wonderful music.

01:17:30It's today's Ode to Joy.

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01:20:14warmer said the gardener and the equinox has been and gone which can only mean

01:20:18one thing the unequivocal arrival of spring and what better way to toast the

01:20:24new season than with an array of fresh and citrusy tipples sure to get you

01:20:28perked up and possibly even a little puckered behind the bar today the

01:20:32double trouble as we welcome for the first time not one but two master

01:20:37cocktail connoisseurs Hannah Sharman Cox and Siobhan Payne founders of the

01:20:42London cocktail week why why would you not found that they are with their

01:20:48rounds of zesty botanicals what have you got today then well you gave us a brief

01:20:53of zesty botanicals so we've stuck to theme we're going to start with this

01:20:59which is the burnt lemon spritz in your wine glass and this is celebrating the

01:21:06lemon so it's very very lemony yeah we're starting with at the base of it is a

01:21:12cornish vermouth it's made down on the south coast in near St. Austal it's

01:21:17called night or I just love the bottle it's so gorgeous isn't it

01:21:21it looks like it was probably blue none in the formula it's a working winery you can

01:21:29actually get married there as well they make all sorts of English wines their

01:21:33Blanc de Blanc English sparkling is very highly awarded but this vermouth is really

01:21:38delicious it's it's really really it's really grown up it's really interesting

01:21:43it's really yeah it's it's it's great but we've paired it with yes so this is

01:21:47rapscallion burnt lemon so it's a it's designed to be a grown-up soft drink and

01:21:53it's made in Glasgow and they've called it called it juicy wheat art actually it's

01:22:01designed you can drink it by itself and it feels grown-up you usually think of

01:22:06vermouth as a mixer you do you know martini so to have that as a base yeah and

01:22:11it's a bit a lovely summery drink isn't it and the good thing about vermouth as

01:22:16the base is that it means that the cocktail is lower ABV so less alcoholics it's

01:22:22quite a good lunchtime cocktail if you want to drink in the afternoon you can

01:22:26drink what Peter that is one way of making it to your taste this or oh it's

01:22:32lovely this is delicious and fresh so we thought we'd start with it because it

01:22:38opens your palate for what is to come yes this is a non-alcoholic cocktail and it is

01:22:45a twist on the Paloma so classically a Paloma is tequila with grapefruit and a bit of

01:22:50sugar but what we've done for this cocktail we wanted to do something not

01:22:55boozy perhaps for breakfast is mixed it with Bativo so Bativo is made in

01:23:02Hertfordshire it's in love and what it is is apple cider vinegar steeped in various

01:23:07herbs and spices and then sweetened with honey so it's actually really good for

01:23:10you it's unpasteurized ACV and then mixed with grapefruit wonderful it really is a

01:23:19beautiful soft drink isn't it good yeah two out of two yeah oh good oh all right a more

01:23:26unusual citrus fruit for you we're going to yuzu some people call it a Japanese lemon but

01:23:33it's more of a hybrid actually it's kind of closer to a mandarin probably so we've

01:23:38gone all out yeah we wanted to really celebrate the yuzu we've gone double yuzu today we have so the

01:23:43the base of the product like similar to how we did with the spritz the base is a sake so

01:23:49it's a rice wine

01:23:50oh

01:23:51so Kampai which means cheers in Japanese they arches they are based down in the arches near

01:23:59London Bridge yeah it's lovely yeah it's really yeah we've paired it with a yuzu mixer and the this

01:24:08brand of mixes called Kazimo it's made by a bartender so you know it's going to be good they use

01:24:14yuzus from

01:24:15Japan mm-hmm and they don't use any artificial coloring so it's really really good brand of mixes

01:24:20reminded me because I it just reminded me that I know a bit of Japanese oh my dog or joshua

01:24:27arigato guzaimashita that means mind the gap when you get in on the train but the beautiful thing is that

01:24:35you can have that mixer just by itself and it still gives you that real easy very nice yeah very

01:24:40nice

01:24:40good for yourself that's really nice now we're moving on to celebration of bergamot and this is a

01:24:47non-alcoholic cocktail as well and we're using Everleaf Marine so Everleaf is such a nice brand and

01:24:54this is also created by a bartender but he's also a conservationist and actually when I was said we

01:25:02were coming on and we know Paul very well he's the founder he said that his dad might have met

01:25:08you

01:25:08Alan because he's the famous botanist Brian Matthew and he said he might have Matthew this is Brian

01:25:15Matthew Brian and I used to work together at Kew Gardens he's a famous botanist he taught his

01:25:23son well well done Brian yeah it's a really nice product they've also got forest and mountain this

01:25:31is marine so this is lots of Italian bergamot but mixed with things like kelp to give it that sort

01:25:37of

01:25:37marine yeah yeah and what we've done to give it the sort of mouth feel because obviously because

01:25:44it's non-alcoholic it sometimes non-alcoholic cocktails feel a bit thin and so we've put some

01:25:49coconut water and some lime and that gives it a little bit more mmm body yeah it's no but I

01:25:57mean

01:25:57obvious I stopped drinking ten years ago and to be able never ten years ago would you go and ask

01:26:04for

01:26:04non-alcoholic drink and it would never taste nice yes be like well what's the point yeah I mean these

01:26:10are these are beautiful I like really beautiful this these two are my absolute yeah this one so

01:26:18and it's such an unusual taste isn't it they're all quite distinct yeah so from not boozy to the most

01:26:25boozy so we have gone with this is a this is a such a lovely producer it's cool he's actually

01:26:41much like

01:26:42everything else he used to be a restaurateur and then he got into production so it's a gin martini it

01:26:48is it's on the wet side so it's not too strong limey and when she says wet she means the

01:26:55move heavy

01:26:56a move heavy that is yeah good the gin has got citrus leaves and orange blossom within it and then

01:27:06the

01:27:06vermouth isn't for me they call meadow which is sweetened with Northumberland honey right they also

01:27:13make they make a coastal and a vodka which is very chalky so if you're into a vodka martini like

01:27:18that

01:27:18would be the combination of their products but much no it's so rich and round despite it looking like a

01:27:30very clear drink like but I'll taste the honey in that well there's a nice sweet twist to that which

01:27:37is it is your eyes are watering

01:27:40well there were just two of you when we started

01:27:46it's delicious I mean it's obviously very alcoholic you I don't think I could take two of those but I'm

01:27:53very happy to take one

01:27:55depends on the time of day because I think if you're having one in the afternoon maybe one's enough but

01:28:00of an evening

01:28:00after dinner maybe I mean I tried this again this is now becoming one of my favorites

01:28:06it's really good isn't it that one I really like that one yeah thank you very much indeed

01:28:10that's it for today thanks to all my guests especially to the girls to Hannah and Siobhan and to Sarah

01:28:16and to Peter

01:28:17they're not necessarily in that order after

01:28:21martini joining me next week Phil Daniels Adam Garcia and Raquel herself Tessa Peake-Jones

01:28:27Fletcher's Family Farm is up next till then I leave you with these words from American inventor

01:28:31Thomas A Edison our greatest weakness lies in giving up the most certain way to succeed

01:28:38is always to try just one more time so I think I'll try another sip of this but only a

01:28:46sip

01:28:46enjoy the rest of your Sunday cheers all cheers

01:28:49do

01:29:00do

01:29:01do

01:29:09you

01:29:11you

01:29:11Amen.

Love Your Weekend with Alan Titchmarsh - Season 8 - Episode 12

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