Love Your Weekend With Alan Titchmarsh S08E03

Carbonarapasta

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Transcript

00:00:00On a crisp winter's morning, you don't have to look far to be reminded of the countryside's quiet wonders.

00:00:06Take the Tamworth pig in these Tamworth saddleback crosses.

00:00:10The Tamworth's one of our oldest native breeds with that glorious russet coat glowing against the winter hedgerows.

00:00:18Even in the coldest months, there's still life, warmth and charm to be found outdoors.

00:00:23And we've plenty more moments of countryside comforts coming your way this morning.

00:00:28It's time for Love Your Weekend.

00:00:58You know, January is the quiet heartbeat of winter, isn't it?

00:01:08The festive glow has faded.

00:01:11The morning has arrived with a crisp bite and the countryside seems to draw breath.

00:01:16Yet look a little closer and the first hints of change are already stirring.

00:01:21And here at Manor Farm, we're ready to embrace whatever this wintry morning has in store.

00:01:26Coming up, he's the Liverpool comedian who became a national treasure when he swapped punchlines for Paso Doblis.

00:01:34Lifting the lid and the glitter ball, Chris McCausland, on the highs, the lows and the downright hilarious along the way.

00:01:41From sparkling dance floors to decidedly darker tales, Ella Maisie Purvis and Nathan Welsh on why solving crimes is anything but straightforward in the new series of Patience.

00:01:54And horticulturist Ashley Edwards shows us how to bring winter to life with a garden that looks good, smells good and even sounds good.

00:02:03And Ian Burrell returns with his pick of the new British rums, taking the drinks world by storm.

00:02:09And she's the acclaimed illustrator, whose gentle brushstrokes have shaped the childhoods of generations.

00:02:17Helen Oxenbury and the stories behind some of her favourite drawings.

00:02:26Well, this is a treat, a little comedy, a little drama and a little crime solving with Ella Maisie Purvis, Nathan Welsh and Chris McCausland.

00:02:35Welcome all and welcome to mid-January.

00:02:37And, oh, God, do you get the January blues, Ella?

00:02:41I do when people talk to me about their diets or their protein intake or how they want to better themselves.

00:02:49I don't care what you're going to do to make yourself happier.

00:02:53I really don't.

00:02:54So that's the only thing that gets me in January is when other people talk about what, you know, what they're going to do.

00:03:02People's attempts to better themselves.

00:03:04Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:03:04You don't like any positivity.

00:03:06Or the gym memberships.

00:03:07Or the gym memberships.

00:03:08None whatsoever.

00:03:10That's not what January's for.

00:03:11Yeah.

00:03:11No, January's for, you know, feeling really sorry for yourself.

00:03:14And, um, you're really cold and you don't want to put the heating on because the heating bill's going to be too much.

00:03:21So you have a hot water bottle.

00:03:23That's, that's January to me.

00:03:25Lovely.

00:03:26A friend of mine always used to have February.

00:03:27The trouble with February is it's a vile little month.

00:03:29You're fat, bored and broke.

00:03:32It's a bit the same in January.

00:03:33But it doesn't have the decency to get itself out of the way in 28 days.

00:03:36That's very true.

00:03:37That's very true.

00:03:38That's very true.

00:03:40Do you get them, Nathan?

00:03:41Do you get blue in January?

00:03:43I don't know if I get blue.

00:03:44I get, I think I get a bit lazier and I allow myself to be a bit lazier.

00:03:49Yeah, I think the fun of Christmas is sort of past and you've got a long time to wait until summer.

00:03:55So you're sort of like, all right, let's get this year started and get going.

00:03:58Yeah, but you see, you three helping us with comedy and with, well, also with crime dramas.

00:04:02I mean, here we are Patience, one of the favourites in the Titche Marsh household,

00:04:06with the lead role here, the title role.

00:04:08It's a shame it's not called Jake.

00:04:10I know, I know.

00:04:11He knows his case.

00:04:12What about other crime dramas then?

00:04:14I mean, are you into other crime dramas, Ella?

00:04:17Yes, Happy Valley.

00:04:18Cool.

00:04:19Sally Wainwright, yeah.

00:04:20Oh my gosh, she's amazing.

00:04:22I thought you didn't like Happy.

00:04:24Yay!

00:04:26Nathan, what about you?

00:04:27Crime dramas?

00:04:28Crime dramas, oof.

00:04:29I love crime dramas.

00:04:30I'm quite big on true crime as well.

00:04:32So I've been watching a lot of 24 Hours in Police Custody, which I think is wicked.

00:04:38You fall asleep to them?

00:04:38Fall asleep to, I literally fall asleep to a podcast.

00:04:41Why would you want to watch 24 Hours in Police Custody, except to any of them, and B, to fall asleep?

00:04:49Well, 24 Hours in Police Custody, I've always been interested in, like, the interview process.

00:04:53So, and in fact, when preparing for Patience, I watched a lot of it, just to be like, oh, it's a lie to get that mindset of being in that room.

00:05:02But crime, I don't know what it is about crime, true crime podcasts.

00:05:05I just find the investigation side of things...

00:05:08Really boring.

00:05:08Fascinating.

00:05:09No, it's fascinating.

00:05:10Yeah, and literally, it's like, the monotony of the, um, of the way they talk, maybe, is what puts me to sleep.

00:05:17Is that worrying?

00:05:18No, I have a video of you snoring to, uh, um, a true crime podcast, and it's like, and then he decapitated her head.

00:05:26Yeah, I agree.

00:05:27And he's like this.

00:05:29Yeah, see?

00:05:30Literally.

00:05:31He loves it.

00:05:31Chris, crime dramas for you, true or otherwise?

00:05:34Nah, me wife watches every single one of them.

00:05:37She's got over a thousand ways to dispose of a body in her head, so I've got to behave myself, because she'd never be caught.

00:05:46No, I don't bother with them.

00:05:48I have to, if I'm going to watch a show, I need to catch it.

00:05:51I need to be lucky enough to catch it on the first series as it comes out.

00:05:55And then, I did that with Ozark on Netflix.

00:05:58I loved Ozark.

00:05:59Unbelievable.

00:06:00Lucky enough to catch it when it first came out, and then I could follow it as new series came out.

00:06:04Whereas, usually for me, someone will go, oh, have you seen Breaking Bad?

00:06:08Or have you seen...

00:06:08And I look at it in the sixth series, and I go, oh, I just haven't got it in me.

00:06:12Oh, yeah.

00:06:12I haven't got it in me.

00:06:14That's a commitment, isn't it?

00:06:16Well, let's talk about dream roles, Ella.

00:06:18You're offered the pick of your dream role.

00:06:21Well, the pick is I grew up on Bond.

00:06:23I grew up on all of the James Bond films.

00:06:25Not actually grew up on them, but that's...

00:06:28Baby spy.

00:06:28It's what I was fed.

00:06:31That and Star Wars.

00:06:33So, I think my dream role would be a Q.

00:06:36Would be a Q.

00:06:37Oh, I could see you as Q.

00:06:39But Ben Whishaw is probably unlikely to relinquish it any time soon.

00:06:41No, and do you know what?

00:06:42And that's fine, and I'll fight him for it.

00:06:45Talk to Chris's wife, you can hide a buddy.

00:06:47Yeah.

00:06:48She'll get rid of him for you.

00:06:54I was talking about this, Ella.

00:06:57I think I'd like to play Lady Macbeth.

00:06:59Really?

00:07:00I'd put a different spin on it, obviously, not being a lady.

00:07:03Well, of course, when the bard brought it out, you could have played,

00:07:06because all the parts are played by men.

00:07:08I just think she's a cool character.

00:07:10I think she's wicked.

00:07:11She's complex.

00:07:12She's like, you know, she's got gusto.

00:07:14And I'd like to give it a go.

00:07:16Do the hand washing.

00:07:17Ouch.

00:07:17I'm so far out of the conversation.

00:07:21I've got no idea who she is, what happens.

00:07:24It's a clay-mye Shakespeare.

00:07:24I know, I know, and that's literally my level of knowledge.

00:07:27And then I'm, I don't know what the story is.

00:07:30She sells washing powder, and she says, out, damned spot.

00:07:33Yeah, yeah.

00:07:34She's trying to get it smooth, clean.

00:07:35She's got the village's laundry.

00:07:36Yeah.

00:07:37Or whatever.

00:07:38Chris, green roll for you.

00:07:40What are you writing?

00:07:40So, I'm lucky enough to get to meet a lot of people doing what I do,

00:07:45and I met a guy called Richard Naylor,

00:07:48who is the son of Doug Naylor,

00:07:49who created and wrote all the wonderful Red Dwarf episodes

00:07:53with Rob Grant back in the day.

00:07:55And so, Richard, Richard Wright sold a new series

00:07:58that were kind of brought back on Dave,

00:08:00and they've been fantastic.

00:08:02And I have been shameless in trying to secure myself a place

00:08:05on any future Red Dwarf project,

00:08:07to the point where I think he's taken a restraining order out.

00:08:10But he...

00:08:11What's that thing around your uncle?

00:08:14But he did write a new Red Dwarf for UK TV,

00:08:20and the plug got pulled on it.

00:08:23I know.

00:08:23And he said, he said, I've got a part in there for you.

00:08:26I need to look at that out.

00:08:27I was like, no.

00:08:28I'd rather you not at all.

00:08:31I had a similar experience with Nick Park and Aardman

00:08:36and the Wallace and Gromit films,

00:08:38and he said, oh, we had a part for you, a voiceover,

00:08:41but unfortunately it didn't make the final cut.

00:08:43Oh.

00:08:44And I tried for years to get Julian Fellowes

00:08:46to give me part of a gardener in Downton Abbey.

00:08:49As I said, all that landscape needs somebody to look after it.

00:08:51You never have anybody with a mower.

00:08:52I don't mind not being recognisable, can I?

00:08:54No, nothing can you.

00:08:56Tell them I'm stretching yourself, though, Alan.

00:08:57I'll play a gardener.

00:09:00Well, I thought I'd start with what you know, you know.

00:09:05There'd be very straight stripes on the lawn.

00:09:07However, you've had a dream, bro,

00:09:09because you are talking to a man who was auditioned for MI5 in real life.

00:09:14What?

00:09:15Auditioned.

00:09:17Well, you're an actor, sorry, wouldn't you?

00:09:19Can you say, where's the bomb?

00:09:23Where's the bomb?

00:09:24No, I'm feeling I think we should do with more kind of urgency.

00:09:27Did they?

00:09:28I mean, when you went along there,

00:09:30clearly, presumably, they saw that you couldn't find your own way

00:09:33into the room on your own.

00:09:34Yeah.

00:09:35But listen, I did say to them at one point,

00:09:37because they did say, they did say, you know,

00:09:39obviously you being blind is quite a security risk

00:09:42if we are in staked-out locations and you're procuring information.

00:09:45I said, what's more undercover than a blind bloke

00:09:48having a pint with his mate in the pub?

00:09:49And they went, yeah, good, good.

00:09:50Yes, that's not a bad point.

00:09:52Wrote something down.

00:09:53I always like to think you just wrote down more blind people.

00:09:56More blind people.

00:09:57I did the GCHQ quiz.

00:09:58No, you're thinking of GCSE.

00:10:01The GC, was it GCHQ?

00:10:04Yeah.

00:10:05They did a quiz.

00:10:06I did the quiz, and it was like,

00:10:08would you be a good spy, basically?

00:10:10Could you work for us?

00:10:11And it was like, do you like talking to people?

00:10:13It's like, oh, yeah, I love talking to people.

00:10:14Do you like working in a team?

00:10:15Yeah, yeah, I love other people.

00:10:16And I love, you know, sharing information

00:10:18and, you know, things like that.

00:10:20Would you say you're outgoing?

00:10:21Yeah, yeah, no, I love it.

00:10:22I love it, I love it.

00:10:23You might not be suited.

00:10:25Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:10:26I love sharing information.

00:10:28That's the thing that made me laugh.

00:10:29It's on the form.

00:10:30Oh, my chat box.

00:10:31You fill out the form to see if you make a good spy.

00:10:33It says name, address, and it's just like mistake.

00:10:36Don't tell anyone your name.

00:10:38Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:10:39Fool.

00:10:41Friend filling in the immigration forms for Australian.

00:10:43It's where it says, have you any criminal convictions?

00:10:47He said, I was very tempted to fill in the box,

00:10:49saying I didn't know it was still necessary.

00:10:52Yes.

00:10:53There we are.

00:10:53We'll have much more from Ella, Nathan and Chris a little bit later.

00:10:57In the meantime, help yourselves to anything you fancy from this amazing

00:11:01bamboucherie of forenoons.

00:11:04Still ahead, Ian Burrell brings his pick of the brand new bottles,

00:11:07shaking up the homegrown rum scene.

00:11:09And Fiery Red, famously friendly, and far cleverer than you might think,

00:11:13our very own VIPs, very important pigs, that is.

00:11:16Our Tamworths, ready to steal the show and our hearts.

00:11:19I'll see you with the pigs and the farmer right after we've talked into all this.

00:11:23Help yourself.

00:11:24Look at this.

00:11:25Chocolate.

00:11:25Let's talk to you.

00:11:25Yes.

00:11:26Thank you, handsome.

00:11:26January is a time to look forward, a time to think about the paths we'll take,

00:11:45the projects we'll start, and the small joys that brighten the winter days.

00:11:50And plenty still ahead to brighten up your Sunday, I hope.

00:11:53Horticulturist Ashley Edwards makes his Manor Farm debut,

00:11:58showing us how to create a winter sensory garden right outside your back door.

00:12:03And he's a Liverpool comic who swapped code-breaking for comedy.

00:12:07Chris McCausland on Near Misses with MI5,

00:12:10life on tour and returning to the Strictly stage a year on.

00:12:15But first, for generations, the gentle grunts and snuffles of pigs

00:12:19have been part of the soundtrack of Royal Britain.

00:12:22And few breeds are as special as the Tamworths.

00:12:25Hardy, intelligent, and wonderfully characterful.

00:12:28They're the ginger aristocrats of the pig world,

00:12:31and they're as rooted in our farming heritage as hedgerows and hay bales.

00:12:36But for one Hampshire farmer, they're far more than just livestock.

00:12:39Time now to catch up with Flavien Obiero and his Tamworth pigs.

00:12:44Flavien, welcome back.

00:12:44I can't believe it's only two years since you've been here.

00:12:46I know, yeah. I've never heard them described as aristocrats.

00:12:51Well, you'll probably see them close to him.

00:12:53No man's a hero to his valet, they say.

00:12:55Yeah, yeah.

00:12:56So, now, just tell us a bit about your story, first of all, just to remind us.

00:13:00So, we're on a Hampshire County farm, council farm, and we've been there now since April, end of April 2023.

00:13:09We've got pigs, sheep, goats, a few chickens for eggs, and they've also got a butchery where we sell the produce.

00:13:17Now, tell us about these guys here.

00:13:18The Tamworths are the ginger ones, the red ones.

00:13:21Yeah, so, the black ones are Tamworths too, but not pure Tamworths.

00:13:25They've got Saddleback in them.

00:13:26Yeah.

00:13:27So, yeah, we've got a boar called Pablo, and one of the sows is called Stumpy, and they're half Saddleback, half Tamworths, hence why you get the colour variation.

00:13:38And the reason for doing that?

00:13:40Actually, they were ideal, I got from a friend.

00:13:44So, he was moving on, and he needed to sort of offload Pablo and his siblings, so that's why I got them.

00:13:49So, how old are these pigs?

00:13:51So, these are varying between three and four months, and they stay in the same group the whole way through and just move them between paddocks.

00:13:59As you can see, they like grass.

00:14:02They're enjoying our grass here in Manosal, haven't they?

00:14:04Yeah, they love a bit of grass.

00:14:05Now, these chaps here, obviously, how many have you got now in your...

00:14:09So, breeding-wise, we've got the intelligence kicking in.

00:14:14Yeah.

00:14:14Breeding-wise, we've got...

00:14:16If I nudge this up, it opens.

00:14:17Yeah.

00:14:17Breeding, we've got 12 sows, three bores, and then the progeny, we have around just over 100.

00:14:26This is a big farming enterprise now, then, Flavien, from those early days when you started.

00:14:32Yeah, yeah, it's a lot.

00:14:34Yeah, sometimes I ask myself, what am I doing?

00:14:36But then I look back at where we've come from, and I'm like, actually, I'm doing something.

00:14:41Yeah.

00:14:41I don't know what, but I'm doing something.

00:14:44So, what have been the surprises? What have you learned that you didn't expect?

00:14:47So, surprises, fencing.

00:14:50I probably should have walked the farm a little bit in more detail when I first looked at the farm.

00:14:56And, yeah, we've had, this year, had a fair few issues with the animals getting out into neighbours' property or sometimes on the road, which is not ideal.

00:15:05So, but we've recently spent a fair chunk of money to build two paddocks with set fencing and electric on the inside.

00:15:12Yeah.

00:15:12And then the plan is to build, to replicate that on the three other paddocks so the pigs can just keep moving along to leave the ground to rest for more grass to grow for them to go back onto.

00:15:23They're great escapologists, aren't they?

00:15:24Yes.

00:15:25If they do that, they will.

00:15:26We've got a sow that can actually jump the electric fence.

00:15:30So, pigs aren't really known for being athletic.

00:15:32Yeah.

00:15:33But because these are fairly, a fairly ancient breed, quite close to the wild boar.

00:15:38Yeah.

00:15:38They're a bit more athletic than your usual commercial pig.

00:15:42What's special about the meat?

00:15:44It's fairly, I'd say it's fairly red compared to normal pork.

00:15:48And it's almost got quite a nutty taste.

00:15:52Maybe that's due to the fact that they eat a fair bit of the acorns.

00:15:57Yes.

00:15:57But I remember doing a taste test with some of my friends.

00:16:00One had middle whites, the other one had Gloucester Oldspot Cross.

00:16:04And there's a distinct taste difference in Tamworth pork.

00:16:07And most of our customers, actually someone said it's quite porky.

00:16:11Yeah.

00:16:11Which it should be because when you eat lamb, it tastes lamby.

00:16:14If you eat beef, it's beefy.

00:16:16So pork should be porky.

00:16:18They probably regard that as the ultimate compliment.

00:16:19It tastes like pork should taste.

00:16:21Yes.

00:16:21Yeah, that's it.

00:16:23And yeah, I think if it wasn't for that, I probably would have swapped their breed.

00:16:27But they've got quite a unique taste.

00:16:29And that's why I put up with their nonsense as much as I can.

00:16:32Well, from your point of view, it's always lovely getting you on.

00:16:35Because somebody of your age who's gone into farming, and it is quite an enterprise in the

00:16:39sound of it, to encourage others to do the same.

00:16:42From your point of view, the high spots of it, what you love most about it?

00:16:46I think getting experiences like this.

00:16:49I don't remember being at school thinking, oh, I'm going to be a farmer.

00:16:52I'll end up going on a show with Alan Titchmash.

00:16:55But I think for me, it's the interaction with customers at the market.

00:17:00Because I think there is this perception that people that live in the city don't care about

00:17:05their food.

00:17:05They just go into a supermarket.

00:17:06And I've found in the last few weeks I've been going to London on the weekend, it's completely

00:17:12wrong.

00:17:12Some of the conversations I'm having with customers, someone saying, why have you got

00:17:16this in a sausage?

00:17:17Why can't you not take away nitrites or sulphites?

00:17:21And what did the family make of it?

00:17:23Our little one, Noah, who's now two and two months.

00:17:26I remember the first time I was on the show, we didn't even have him.

00:17:28And he's, at the moment, he's just a bit, he's not really too bothered.

00:17:33He's not scared of them.

00:17:34Like whenever I do farm work, he's in a truck watching me.

00:17:37My wife sometimes probably questions why he ended up with a farmer.

00:17:42But now she enjoys it and she comes to markets with me.

00:17:45Tavia, it's hard work, isn't it?

00:17:47It's a lot of commitment.

00:17:48Yes, it is.

00:17:49And I think for any young people out there looking to get into farming, I'd advise them

00:17:55to do it.

00:17:55But you've got to be ready to slog because it's not a quick return.

00:18:00And sometimes you even think, have I gone in too deep here?

00:18:03Can I swim?

00:18:05But currently for me, my nostrils are definitely above the water, so I'm still getting oxygen.

00:18:10So we'll keep going for a little bit longer.

00:18:12Well, it's lovely to see your chaps, your growers, as they're called.

00:18:15It was a lovely, smooth corner of the paddock.

00:18:18A demonstration here of what pigs will do to feed.

00:18:22So if you ever need a piece of ground turned over, get yourself a few Tamworths.

00:18:27Just make sure, as Flavio says, that they're well penned.

00:18:30Yeah, definitely.

00:18:31Fencing is key.

00:18:33Fencing, love to tell you about it.

00:18:34Come and see us again.

00:18:35It's always a delight.

00:18:36I'll never see you again.

00:18:37Thanks, Flavio.

00:18:38Still to come, we've had our fair share of memorable sleuthing teams.

00:18:42Rosemary and Thyme, Poirot and Hastings, Sherlock Watson.

00:18:46Now we have two more, proving a rather unconventional partnership.

00:18:50Ella Maisie Purvis and Nathan Welsh in the return of the Yorkshire-based crime drama Patience.

00:18:57Prepare for some unique crime-solving and more right after this.

00:19:00Welcome back to Love Your Weekend.

00:19:17Still to come, Ian Burrell uncorks the latest delights of Britain's rum-a-sauce with his pick of the rums that'll put a spring in your step long before spring itself arrives.

00:19:26And from top tipples to a telly favourite, Chris McCall's then joins us to chat, tours, and the very personal tales behind his new book.

00:19:34But first, a brilliant young woman working as a police archivist in York, who uses her unique pattern-recognising skills to help solve complex murders,

00:19:44forming an unlikely but effective investigative duo that navigates trust, societal barriers, and the world of neurodiversity.

00:19:55My name's Patience.

00:19:56Patience is autistic.

00:19:58I need to find out and solve the case.

00:20:01Patience, you shouldn't be here.

00:20:03I just have a quick question.

00:20:04Found links to other cases.

00:20:05The only things that interest me are forensics and criminology.

00:20:14Actually, why I like Booz so much.

00:20:16Cause of death?

00:20:17She drowned.

00:20:19This is brilliant work, Patience.

00:20:20The solution lies looking at it from a different angle.

00:20:23Don't you have any friends?

00:20:25I'm not sure.

00:20:27Maybe it's the whole thing work.

00:20:29Stop, please!

00:20:30How can I give you what I do now?

00:20:32I need you on my team, Patience.

00:20:34Oh, joining me now are Macy Purvis and Nathan Welsh.

00:20:38There's an intensity to it, isn't there?

00:20:40My wife and I were hooked from the first episode and kept on going.

00:20:45But if it's so funny, that was so long ago, season one.

00:20:48It's baby faces.

00:20:50I'm afraid it's the case on television.

00:20:52You suddenly see yourself.

00:20:53It gets worse, I can't do it.

00:20:55You go further back.

00:20:56Clearly.

00:20:57Look at us.

00:20:59But you, Ella, you know, you are autistic.

00:21:01And to go on a programme like this, guilty, you must have thought,

00:21:06is this a good thing?

00:21:07Is this a bad thing?

00:21:08Do I want to be, you know, held up as an icon for autism or whatever?

00:21:12So tell me about the thought process about saying yes.

00:21:16Well, I mean, I think the thing is, it's hard when there are so few shows

00:21:20that kind of authentically cast someone,

00:21:24especially when you're, you know, you're talking about disability.

00:21:26So you kind of inevitably do become the sort of poster child.

00:21:32Especially because there's not many women on screen, autistic women.

00:21:35And so suddenly everyone goes, oh, she's autistic, but I'm maybe not like that,

00:21:40but I am like that in some respects.

00:21:41And so, you know, usually I say it's like, well,

00:21:44this is just kind of one story and one aspect.

00:21:47But, I mean, the reason that I said yes is because there's a lead in a TV show.

00:21:52And I was, what, 20?

00:21:55Obviously I said yes.

00:21:56Of course you did.

00:21:57It's title role.

00:21:58Yeah, it's all.

00:21:59Now, Nathan, from your point of view, as the sidekick,

00:22:03that must have been...

00:22:04Yeah.

00:22:05Did you like that?

00:22:06I did, I did.

00:22:07He's number three on the course.

00:22:09I'll be the sidekick.

00:22:10I'll be the sidekick if I have to.

00:22:12But again, from your point of view, you know,

00:22:14established actor with a good track record already,

00:22:16what was the attraction for you?

00:22:18I think I've always kind of been interested in crime dramas

00:22:22and I've always wanted to play a policeman.

00:22:24I think, especially a detective,

00:22:25I think it's just like something that really attracted me.

00:22:27And then when I read the script for the first time

00:22:29and saw the direction they'd gone in,

00:22:32I just thought it'd be a really interesting

00:22:34and sort of like valuable thing to be a part of.

00:22:40So, yeah, yeah.

00:22:41The chemistry work, clearly from the word,

00:22:44well, if it didn't work from the word go,

00:22:45it's certainly working now.

00:22:46Yeah, we have a great time on set.

00:22:48We're such good mates.

00:22:49Honestly, we have such a good time, yeah.

00:22:52Sometimes too much fun.

00:22:53Well, you're working with Mark Benton as well.

00:22:55Oh, mate.

00:22:55That man sneezes.

00:22:56He's so great.

00:22:57And it's funny.

00:22:58Yeah, he's a lovely, lovely,

00:23:00really, really talented,

00:23:02very professional, silly man.

00:23:04Professional's a stretch.

00:23:04Yeah, silly, silly man.

00:23:05He's great.

00:23:06Professionals are really a stretch.

00:23:06He's great.

00:23:08He is.

00:23:09He's great.

00:23:11He's great.

00:23:11To the series itself,

00:23:14with those lovely moments of levity,

00:23:15there is an enormous intensity in it, Ella,

00:23:19which is,

00:23:20one does come out of it in the end

00:23:22feeling enormously empathetic

00:23:24towards Patience as a character,

00:23:27and, in a way,

00:23:28wanting to make her life easier.

00:23:30Is it a useful thing

00:23:31to just to say,

00:23:33look,

00:23:33this is how you can

00:23:35make your attitude

00:23:37towards people

00:23:38who are neurodiverse in that way

00:23:39better for those who are?

00:23:41Well, I think there's a language thing

00:23:43because everyone is neurodiverse.

00:23:45Everyone has different brains,

00:23:47but not everyone is neurodivergent.

00:23:49It's a very, like,

00:23:50little language thing there.

00:23:52And I think it is,

00:23:54I get what you mean,

00:23:55but I think it's useful

00:23:57kind of, you know,

00:23:58finding out, you know,

00:24:00a part of your identity

00:24:01that, you know,

00:24:03my brain connects

00:24:04in a completely different way

00:24:06than someone that's neurotypical.

00:24:08And then you build community

00:24:09and you find other people

00:24:11that are like you.

00:24:12And, I mean,

00:24:14it's funny because neurodivergent people

00:24:15often kind of flock together anyway.

00:24:18I think I have a tendency

00:24:19to go straight to 100 very quickly

00:24:21and not a lot of people do that.

00:24:23And so, you know,

00:24:24I think day one

00:24:26we were probably already

00:24:27cuddling like this,

00:24:28you know,

00:24:29having a lovely time.

00:24:31Because the character

00:24:32you're playing, Patience,

00:24:32is quite the reverse.

00:24:33Oh, she does not like cuddles.

00:24:35No.

00:24:35She's like my cat.

00:24:36Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:24:37I know, yeah.

00:24:38Yeah, it's interesting.

00:24:40Yeah.

00:24:40You were excited

00:24:41and then you met me.

00:24:43You read the script

00:24:44and then you met me.

00:24:45So, your own autism,

00:24:46how does it manifest itself?

00:24:47What are your particular, you know?

00:24:48Oh, I think I'm very,

00:24:50very black and white,

00:24:51very intense.

00:24:53I don't have many,

00:24:55I don't kind of know,

00:24:57I'm a bit floaty sometimes.

00:25:00You tend to say

00:25:00what comes to your head.

00:25:01Yeah.

00:25:02Instantly.

00:25:02No self-eviting.

00:25:03Yeah, none of that.

00:25:04None of that.

00:25:05Which is a great quality.

00:25:06It's a great quality.

00:25:07I get in trouble,

00:25:08but it's a great quality.

00:25:09Let's have a look at you

00:25:12because of the series two,

00:25:13which started now.

00:25:14You've got Jessica Hines.

00:25:16Yeah.

00:25:16Yeah, yeah, yeah.

00:25:17Here's a bit of patience

00:25:18in series two.

00:25:20Sorry, why are you talking so fast?

00:25:22Well, because otherwise

00:25:23you'd walk off

00:25:23and order another coffee.

00:25:28Okay, well,

00:25:29thanks for this.

00:25:31Next time,

00:25:31put it in an email.

00:25:35You can go.

00:25:39Bring him in.

00:25:44Sure.

00:25:47Patience is autistic.

00:25:49Right.

00:25:50And?

00:25:52Well, maybe you could

00:25:53go a bit easier on her.

00:25:55Oh, you see,

00:25:56there we are.

00:25:58The explanations come

00:26:00and I mean,

00:26:01the character's very quick

00:26:02to share a forensics theory,

00:26:05very certain with her.

00:26:06There's no doubt there.

00:26:08Everything, as you say,

00:26:09is black and white.

00:26:10I mean, that's the thing

00:26:10about the character.

00:26:12That's the thing.

00:26:13I think she sees

00:26:13that she's solved something.

00:26:16She's got to some point

00:26:17in the case,

00:26:17so therefore she might

00:26:18as well relay that information.

00:26:20And I think what kind of

00:26:21is lovely,

00:26:22because when we meet Frankie,

00:26:23she is a cow.

00:26:26But what's great

00:26:27is that they both...

00:26:27As you say,

00:26:28black and white.

00:26:29Yeah, yeah.

00:26:30Literally.

00:26:31Literally.

00:26:31Ah, so many jokes!

00:26:36What's great

00:26:36is that they realise

00:26:37that they're both

00:26:38here for the work

00:26:40and they're both

00:26:41just as determined

00:26:42as each other

00:26:43and I think in that

00:26:44kind of respect,

00:26:45Frankie sort of

00:26:46meets her match.

00:26:47Let's look at you two

00:26:48the way you came to it,

00:26:49because a kind of spark

00:26:50was your first,

00:26:52sort of.

00:26:52Let's have a look

00:26:53at you in a kind of spark

00:26:54which again brought you

00:26:55to our screen.

00:26:55There you go.

00:26:56Bonnie Bridges,

00:26:58former Juniper resident,

00:27:00history nerd.

00:27:01And from what I heard,

00:27:03the Queen was actually

00:27:05betrayed by the Lord

00:27:06for a cash payment.

00:27:08Oh, that doesn't sound

00:27:10very sporty.

00:27:11No, but it's

00:27:12that kind of place.

00:27:14Bullies, baddies,

00:27:18betrayal.

00:27:19And from what I remember,

00:27:21whomever was crowned

00:27:23Queen of Juniper

00:27:24was usually the biggest

00:27:26fully of them all.

00:27:27I've actually really

00:27:28learned my lesson.

00:27:32Oh, so there was

00:27:33something then.

00:27:34Knew it.

00:27:35Yeah, you got

00:27:36the Juniper look.

00:27:37So she's a bit sharp.

00:27:39Tell us the story

00:27:41behind kind of spark.

00:27:42Well, you know,

00:27:43it's interesting,

00:27:44because that was also

00:27:44a lovely TV show

00:27:46with being neurodivergent

00:27:48at the heart of it.

00:27:49And she, it's great

00:27:52because she's jaded

00:27:54and she's spiteful

00:27:56and bitter

00:27:57because people

00:27:58have treated her

00:27:59really poorly.

00:28:00And, you know,

00:28:01I'm with her on that.

00:28:02I think that you

00:28:04should be angry

00:28:06and you should

00:28:07be allowed to

00:28:08kind of, you know,

00:28:09not lash out,

00:28:10express your frustration.

00:28:12Yeah.

00:28:13You weren't very nice

00:28:13in that.

00:28:14No, I wasn't.

00:28:15I didn't know

00:28:15that you weren't a

00:28:16very nice person

00:28:17in that.

00:28:18In that.

00:28:19In that.

00:28:20Be careful.

00:28:20Should we get our own

00:28:21back on him now as well?

00:28:22Yeah, go on.

00:28:22Well, you were the villain,

00:28:24really.

00:28:25I was.

00:28:25I was not a very nice

00:28:26person in Shetland.

00:28:27This is crazy.

00:28:35I didn't touch her.

00:28:36Do you know what?

00:28:38I don't believe you.

00:28:43Convince me.

00:28:43I did hit her

00:28:49when we were together,

00:28:50but I went to

00:28:51counselling in prison.

00:28:52I've turned my life around.

00:28:55I came up here

00:28:56to find her,

00:28:56not to hurt her,

00:28:57but to see if

00:28:58she'd take me back.

00:29:00She isn't interested,

00:29:01so I left.

00:29:02OK, so you've

00:29:04already lied to me.

00:29:06So why should

00:29:07I believe you now?

00:29:08You can believe

00:29:09you played Romeo

00:29:10at the Globe,

00:29:10can't you, really?

00:29:11And there's Romeo and Juliet.

00:29:12You look so tiny

00:29:13and young.

00:29:14I know, baby face.

00:29:15What time has it been

00:29:16kind to you?

00:29:18Like a white, yeah.

00:29:20With Douglas Henshaw

00:29:22in your show.

00:29:23The joy for you also,

00:29:24we talked about

00:29:25Mark Benton,

00:29:25they're playing

00:29:26with Doug Pension.

00:29:27I mean,

00:29:27playing opposite

00:29:28experienced actors

00:29:30who can give you

00:29:32so much

00:29:33in terms of

00:29:34everything,

00:29:35mood, experience,

00:29:36whatever.

00:29:36Some real legends.

00:29:37I think that's the thing,

00:29:38that's the beauty

00:29:38of this job sometimes

00:29:39is like,

00:29:41no matter where you are

00:29:41in your career,

00:29:42you sort of end up,

00:29:43you're always working

00:29:43with people that

00:29:44have way more

00:29:45experiences than you

00:29:46or less experienced

00:29:47than you.

00:29:48You're never comfortable

00:29:48if you're an actor.

00:29:50You're always just slightly.

00:29:51You're always learning

00:29:51from everyone

00:29:52and it's wonderful.

00:29:53And especially

00:29:54getting to this stage

00:29:55where you're like,

00:29:56I used to watch you

00:29:56on TV when I was 12

00:29:58and now I'm saying lines

00:30:00with you opposite

00:30:01the table to you.

00:30:02It's pretty cool.

00:30:03However you feel

00:30:04leading up to it

00:30:05or whatever work

00:30:06you've done,

00:30:06you're always forced

00:30:08to step up a level

00:30:09in some way.

00:30:10And you do get

00:30:11to see the world.

00:30:12You get to see York

00:30:12and you get to see Belgium.

00:30:13Oh my God!

00:30:14It's gorgeous.

00:30:15Belgium's somewhere

00:30:16I thought I'd never go.

00:30:17I would move to Antwerp.

00:30:19Yeah, it's lovely there.

00:30:20It's lovely.

00:30:20Belgium's lovely.

00:30:21York's beautiful.

00:30:22And it's nice

00:30:23when we're there

00:30:23when we're filming there

00:30:24isn't it?

00:30:24because suddenly

00:30:26we're in the world

00:30:26of patience

00:30:27and we're like

00:30:28getting there

00:30:28sits into it.

00:30:29And that helps.

00:30:30Yeah, it really helps.

00:30:31It's gorgeous.

00:30:32You know,

00:30:32walking around the shambles.

00:30:34We were lucky

00:30:35to film in the Minster.

00:30:37You went very well

00:30:38that day, were you?

00:30:38No, I was sick as a dog.

00:30:39Yeah.

00:30:40Yeah.

00:30:41We had to cover her

00:30:41in robes.

00:30:43I've rung the bells there.

00:30:45Have you?

00:30:46Yeah.

00:30:46Hang on a minute.

00:30:47It's not about you.

00:30:48We didn't realise

00:30:49this was a competition.

00:30:50I was very reluctant

00:30:51to put that in there.

00:30:52I thought I've got to share this.

00:30:53Didn't ask, Gallon.

00:30:54I didn't ask.

00:30:56And I think now

00:30:57I should say thank you,

00:30:58my husband.

00:30:58Thank you, Nathan.

00:30:59See you again

00:31:00in a little while.

00:31:01Lovely to have you on.

00:31:03Look for water patience.

00:31:04Now, and again,

00:31:06the natural world

00:31:06gives us,

00:31:07well, it gives us

00:31:08a moment worth pausing for

00:31:09rather like this one.

00:31:10But out there,

00:31:12a creature

00:31:13darting through forests

00:31:14or a field

00:31:15transformed by the

00:31:17morning sun.

00:31:18A squirrel

00:31:19pretending it didn't

00:31:20steal a bird's food.

00:31:21Proof, if ever it were needed,

00:31:23that the countryside's

00:31:24heartbeat never really slows.

00:31:27And once again,

00:31:28your photographs

00:31:28have caught its magic

00:31:30beautifully.

00:31:31It's time

00:31:32for a walk

00:31:32on the wild side.

00:31:47It's time

00:31:49to be a animal

00:32:03in a man.

00:32:05It's time

00:32:06to be a man.

00:35:36Bhatia.

00:35:37You're standing there by a tall bamboo which will make a lot of people nervous because

00:35:40everyone will think oh bamboo it's so invasive.

00:35:42Yeah you probably wouldn't plant this in the ground you could put this in a large pot but there

00:35:46are other bamboos like fargesia which are clump forming and so they will…

00:35:49So this is Filistachis nigra it was with the black bamboo….

00:35:50nigra that's right the black bamboo exactly and it has these amazing black stems and actually if

00:35:55you trim the lower branches you can really show them off and i've selected this plant because of

00:35:59the sound it creates when the wind rustles through it you know a lot of people don't

00:36:02bother this grass goes like this in the garden oh i'll shear them off now and it's such a waste

00:36:07isn't it it is and you know running your hands through these the texture is amazing you get

00:36:12spider webs in the winter and frost when the frost touches the seed heads it adds a whole

00:36:15another dimension to the garden and i love them for the visual effect and it's also great for

00:36:20habitat if you leave them insects will hibernate inside there you can cut them back in february

00:36:25when the new shoots start to show and yeah they form a really good structure in the winter garden

00:36:31you've got trubs at the back here which point out a the brilliant color of young corner stems dogwood

00:36:38stems but also how they fade with age i mean and these older ones that you've got here the older

00:36:45stems in the middle which you can prune out come about february it's these young ones that have

00:36:50the color it just sort of reinforces the fact keep it youthful yeah and if like you said if you prune

00:36:54them hard kind of late february early march you get these amazing vibrant new stems but again they

00:37:01add a really nice visual effect if you're lucky enough to have a water feature in your garden they

00:37:05go really well in a water feature that reflection is amazing and you also get that growth better if

00:37:09they're in decent moist soil often in dry soil it's a bit too mean for them to produce

00:37:14lots of these colored stems so be generous with them then really definitely yeah and a plant we

00:37:19used to grow as a pot plant in the parks department nandina yes i love nandina also known as heavenly

00:37:24bamboo it has that amazing winter color where it goes rich hues of red and orange it's also a really

00:37:31lovely plant in summer because it has it has flowers and then berries in autumn so it's a great all year

00:37:36round plant and it's not fussy they're really new foliage comes out sort of purply it does yeah i love it

00:37:40i really love it great color on your cotoneaster because some of these are evergreen some are

00:37:44semi-evergreen some deciduous but this one coloring up really before some of the leaves fall again

00:37:49really good as a visual plant and i yeah i love it it will grow quite large but you can prune it back

00:37:54and keep it compact and then the stars of the winter garden the heli balls lovely pure water now this is

00:38:00interesting because they've been grown in pots and i like to slightly earlier than now when those flower

00:38:05buds are beginning to emerge from the ground take all the foliage off but it's been left on here in

00:38:10the pot and you can see now i suppose really actually why it's worth taking that foliage off

00:38:14because it's just covering up the flowers yeah i also do the same take all the leaves off you'll get

00:38:18the flowers coming up on their own and it really shows them off and you can also grow them on a bank

00:38:23or a slope so they're kind of looking down at you because they often do nod downwards so and i've also

00:38:29seen them cut the flowers cut off and placed in a bowl of water it's really effective yeah i love it

00:38:34so we've got we're talking taste here now we're moving on to taste yeah taste with the bay so

00:38:39lovely evergreen plant again and just like to be able to crush this it's got such a amazing scent

00:38:45really pungent and yeah used in cooking like chuck a few when you're boiling rice put it in there

00:38:51and having herbs in the garden that's a great way to encourage you out because you need to go and pick

00:38:56them so you'll spend a minute out there yeah but also try and get near the back door because if it's

00:39:00pouring down the way down there you don't want to trek all the way down but yeah every

00:39:04garden is rosemary i always plant rosemary gardens and a plant so popular at this time yes skimier

00:39:09rubella the one with the the red buds and they're in bud for so long and brighter really than the

00:39:13flowers that come later definitely you get a really long season with this plant you've got those lovely

00:39:18bright buds and then in spring they open and they're scented so you're hitting multiple senses you've got

00:39:23sight and smell and this one also has a really lovely variegated leaf which i love and that one of my

00:39:28favorites now when this used to be called viburnum fragrance in the old days before they changed its

00:39:34name oh you knew what you were going to get yeah it doesn't like the frost much that's the only thing

00:39:40about it the frost can knock the it can knock the buds off but i think every winter garden has to have

00:39:45a viburnum and this one is so delicious the scent carries for for quite a way as well so planting it

00:39:51near a door or window you can actually invite that scent in and if you have it maybe near your front door

00:39:57every time you come home you'll you'll get that lovely scent and there's several of them just

00:40:00ask for a winter flowering viburnum yeah yeah and you'll get the one now here's a shop i struggle

00:40:05with you see i mean this is edgeworthier yes these these are going to open into clusters of

00:40:12of creamy yellow flowers that's right great scent but sell it to me because i really i struggle with it

00:40:19they can be a bit fussy and i know that some people find them easier to grow in pots with a loamy

00:40:24soil um so yeah if you do struggle with these in the border you might be better off in a pot but

00:40:30they do i think they're worth growing just for that winter scent they are so strong um and if you

00:40:35have it in a pot it means you can move it closer to the door and then later in the summer when they're

00:40:38just in leaf well you've got a container here you're going to plant it what for winter pleasure as it

00:40:42were of course yeah and we're going to use all these sensory plants and have a container full of

00:40:46them so i might need your help with this i'm going to go around the back get going i'll i'll fetch and carry

00:40:50what do i think if we have a dogwood for the middle for the height and a cotoneaster because

00:40:54that was looking lovely all right so let's do that okay oh look i've taken the pot off already

00:41:00dropped out coming around brilliant there's your dogwood yeah so that can go in there

00:41:08nice there we are that should be a height let me ease that viburnum away so we can see what we're

00:41:14doing and i think um we'll have some rosemary's in here as well all right and then i think for

00:41:20kind of sound and touch we probably need some grasses so maybe some steeper

00:41:29a bit of fluff from steeper tenuissima beautiful lovely got it

00:41:37what are we doing do you want a bit of a cyclamen or is that going yeah why not more the merrier

00:41:45and again these are if they get knocked by frost which some of these ones do just yeah they can

00:41:52i like being an apprentice again nice what do you think i think outside your back door yeah that'd

00:41:58really lift your spirits yeah yeah and you could always you know take this out plant it in your garden

00:42:03replace it with new seasonal plants in summer just keep changing when one thing goes over

00:42:07bunk something else exactly thank you actually lovely to have you with us lovely to be here thank you

00:42:17now the legendary paul nichols is one of the uk's most successful national hunt trainers a man who's

00:42:24helped shape the very landscape of jump racing we were lucky enough to follow paul along with his

00:42:30leading stable jockey harry cobden and rising star freddie gingell as they prepared for the start of the

00:42:37jump season at his state-of-the-art racing yard in somerset one more

00:42:51i'm harry cobden i'm 26 years old and when i was nine years old i was lucky enough to have a go pony

00:42:59racing so i suppose i caught the bug and it went from there i was fortunate enough to be champion

00:43:04jockey two seasons ago i've just ridden my thousandth winner harry cobden is our stable jockey which means

00:43:11he basically rides most of the horses very talented young man very good jockey and yeah he's our number

00:43:17one i've been here in ditch in somerset now 34 years i started back in 1991 with eight horses and 20 boxes

00:43:25we've now got approximately 130 horses in training i've been very lucky to have been able to be in

00:43:31the situation to win some of jump racing's biggest races the grand national channel gold cup jericho

00:43:36place and i'm not far off 4 000 winners and i don't think anyone's won 4 000 national hunt races in in

00:43:42in britain before obviously i'm a racehorse trainer that's where it all starts but you know it's a

00:43:47massive operation i have all the owners i have to look after horses to buy for the owners about 40 or 50

00:43:53staff to look after all the time we've got a very good head lad and clifford baker's been with me for

00:43:58the best part of 30 years and between us we run a big team of people but you never stop working

00:44:05thinking and really looking after people the horses are the easy bit and you need a top man as your

00:44:11stable jockey harry has the first choice on all of them and then when he's not available or other

00:44:16meetings then freddie ginger rides most of them my name is freddie ginjal i'm 19 and i'm a fully

00:44:21professional jump jockey growing up with harry for for years i remember going hunting with colin my

00:44:27granddad and harry would always come with us and i see probably harry probably more as a friend than

00:44:31the work work colleague but um yeah the things he's achieved is massive i also love beating him as well

00:44:39it's very important that those jockeys know the horses and form a relationship with everybody your

00:44:44owners your staff your team the horses and it's great having two top class jockeys on board like harry

00:44:49cobden and freddie ginger they're having a nice little trot now just as a bit of a warm up before

00:44:56we go jumping the key to it all is fitness so we treat the horses really as athletes and we're more

00:45:03interval training here we do lots of sprinting steady work stamina work we jump them a lot because

00:45:11it's great sand if you don't jump you don't win and they need a lot of practice like these babies you'll

00:45:15see in school this morning probably jump 32 hurdles the jump horses have to be big strong individuals

00:45:21lots of jumping ability and hopefully the good ones have got lots of class you know physically it's

00:45:26quite a demanding job i've been lucky enough to not break too many bones it's quite a dangerous sport

00:45:33but you've got to take your fall as long as you bounce back up you get on and ride the next one and

00:45:37we don't actually think about the risks and if you did you'd probably not do it during the jump season

00:45:44i'd have between six and seven hundred rides to be a national hunt jockey you've got to be tough you've

00:45:50got to have a lot of ability you've got to love the horses you've got to love racing them be able to

00:45:54cope with all the ups and downs and the pressure of a job mental preparation is as important as

00:46:00physical preparation when you're riding for six or seven different owners and multiple different

00:46:05trainers on a day and then you've got to work out how you're going to actually win on these horses

00:46:09and what you're going to do on everyone and you know mentally there's a there's a there's a lot going

00:46:13on riding the race is incredibly exciting you're obviously going 35 miles an hour there's a lot of

00:46:20adrenaline your heart rate is north of 180 and you know crossing that line it's one of the best feelings

00:46:28you'll ever get winning a race at cheltenham is every jock of the street the crowds are bigger

00:46:36but everything's a little bit more tense in the way room between everyone and it's probably a bit

00:46:40more high pressure there's something about cheltenham and winning that

00:46:48thank you paul and harry and freddy and next week we'll be going behind the scenes at cheltenham

00:46:54for something rather special coming up she's the illustrator who shaped childhoods with nothing

00:47:00more than paper and paint helen oxenbury on six decades of storytelling sketching and creating

00:47:08some of the most treasured illustrations ever to grace a bedtime routine including the family favorite

00:47:15we're going on a bear hunt i'll be back with helen and more right after this

00:47:33welcome back to love your weekend coming up he's brave strictly he's brave stand-up

00:47:39now he's brave the publishing deadline arguably the scariest of the three

00:47:44chris mccausland on life on the road and the perils of turning real life into print

00:47:49with the release of his brand new memoir keep laughing and cocktail check is at the ready

00:47:55ian burrell's here to prove that rum isn't just for sunshine holidays now if you've ever read a

00:48:01bedtime story to a small child or had one read to you chances are you've held the book brought to life

00:48:09by my next guest her illustrations are woven into the fabric of childhood tender funny beautifully

00:48:16observed and instantly recognizable and one of her most cherished works we're going on a bear hunt

00:48:23a bear hunt was brought to the screen in a festive adaptation celebrating her unmistakable style

00:48:30we're going on a bear hunt

00:48:38bear hunt bear hunt bear hunt he'll be this big

00:48:43bear hunt we're going to catch a big one what a beautiful day i am not scared

00:48:59based on the book by michael rosen and helen oxenbury whose images we see in our mind all the time

00:49:10your wonderful and unique illustrations they're brought to life whenever you talk to an author

00:49:16about a book that's been turned into a film they have really quite definite opinions about whether

00:49:21they liked it or loathed it did you enjoy having your work turned into a film i loved the whole process

00:49:29of it but um i think you have to you have to give it over yeah and and and sort of think you've got to

00:49:38have faith that they will do something that you like yeah and it's i thought it was very good the the final

00:49:46it seemed to me they kept your magic they kept your tone in a way there's a very distinct

00:49:52watercolor tone to your illustrations and they seem to keep yes i think they they did especially

00:49:58with the landscapes yeah when did you start working with michael rosen because it sold 15

00:50:05million copies now it's over i don't know how many years ago it is 89 it was 35 years yes wow i know

00:50:12had you any idea when you did it that's what it was going to do no absolutely no idea at all when

00:50:18it was first published it was it it was good it jogged along um but it slowly built uh to this rather

00:50:27quite a favorite book of children's i think that's what happens to children's books is the more that

00:50:32they're read at bedtime the more one child or one parent says to another parent and it is word of

00:50:38mouth very much isn't it i think it is yes that's right yeah absolutely but look at these images

00:50:44now as i say they're so sort of ingrained in our consciousness really uh michael then presumably

00:50:49would send you the words here's the the story the rhymes and whatnot and and you sit down and you

00:50:56scratch your head then presumably but i didn't um not quite like that michael i didn't meet michael

00:51:02and it's all done through the publisher yes and through the agent the latest one oh dear look what

00:51:12i got again i can tell your stuff just by if he didn't say you and michael rose and i met i'd know

00:51:18it was you yes because i can't see that beautiful you can't see i can't see what it was it's a little

00:51:26boy who goes uh all he wants is well he goes into a shop to get different things and they keep giving

00:51:31him animals and it's a lovely story about how it how it works through yes the different things these

00:51:37awful mistakes these shopkeepers shopkeepers make how did you set off how did you start as an artist

00:51:43what were you right at the beginning of your life well um i went to i went to art school yeah and um i

00:51:53specialised in theatre design at the central school of art and there i met john burningham

00:52:00who was to become my husband i was going to say that i know that name yes another illustrator and um

00:52:07at that point i had to really give up theatre and but i had to do something i said i should go mad

00:52:17so i thought well i'll try a children's book i'd watched my husband go through all the

00:52:21problems of illustrating for children and so that's how i first started um literally on the kitchen

00:52:29table that must have been an intriguing moment where you said oh i think i'll have a go at that

00:52:35now oh really so you think you can do it was there any of that was there any rivalry there at the

00:52:40beginning this is what i i think that he was wonderful i mean how many would would not have

00:52:49said you know go and find something else clear off this is my territory you do the faces are i look

00:52:58as an o level art student the only o level i ever got was in art and i plateaued very early and i look

00:53:05at when i look at your faces and see them and they are in essence so simple and yet fiendishly

00:53:13difficult to replicate if i sat down and tried to draw a face like the chap here on bear hunt

00:53:18yes i couldn't do it i mean not because i couldn't copy you yeah but but out of my head

00:53:24the visualization is tremendous the body movement the expression yes which obviously i know and that

00:53:31is what i i mean i think i also still struggle with that do you and um i mean if if one of those

00:53:39dots for eyes yes is a tiny little bit wrong it alters the whole feel of what he's thinking which

00:53:48explains to me why although it just looks like a dot it ain't just a dot what's your favorite moment

00:53:56when you're doing an outline presumably comes first and presumably when you're totally happy

00:54:01with the outline that's when the color starts to be applied or do you put color in quite early

00:54:05and fiddle around i work it out on tracing paper yeah and i do tracing paper because if you if you if

00:54:14the some of the paint drawing is okay and the other part isn't okay you put another piece of tracing paper

00:54:22over it keep what's good and redo the oh clever yeah then do you do that thing that we always used

00:54:28to do as children you put pencil on the back and you do outline it and it comes out on the no no

00:54:39we're better than that we professionals technology is better yes they have things called light boxes

00:54:47uh-huh you can use that you can use that yes which is brilliant tell me about the two ladies down here

00:54:53well they uh they appear in a story by trish cook and um it's a story that i immediately thought yes i

00:55:02want to illustrate that because the characters were huge lovely characters and these two are the two

00:55:10grannies in so much in so much yeah and um the the uh the story is that they're waiting the the mother

00:55:19and the baby are waiting and we don't know what they're waiting for and then the cousin arrives and

00:55:26and then the grannies arrive and they all say oh i love the baby and all this sort of thing and um

00:55:34um in the end it's daddy comes home and it's daddy's birthday and it's a sort of perfect story for

00:55:41little little children they're always so celebratory and so positive which is nice yes and it's the

00:55:47anticipation of the and the repetition they love helen it is such a delight to meet you having followed

00:55:54your work for so long i did say can we get helen oxenbury on and here you are oh it's a treat to have

00:56:01you well it's lovely to be here if you see him again if you do see him for the second time michael

00:56:06rosen give him my best we met many years ago did you yes i will of course yes thank you for

00:56:11contributing to our childhood our children's childhood and our children's children's childhood

00:56:16yes a delight to see you and good luck with oh dear look what i got oh dear look what i got

00:56:21i got helen oxenbury oh thank you thank you very much that's lovely

00:56:31but first jack frost is the personification of frost and frosty cold temperatures it's also a rather

00:56:38good title for a christmas album fancy that here's leslie joseph leading us down that garden path once

00:56:45more with a frosty tale all about frost

00:56:52and a very good morning to you alan my my what a chilly morning so what better way to pay homage to

00:56:58the chill than by going down the garden path for a touch of frost this sensational occurrence takes

00:57:07place when the temperature of the air encounters a ground that's below the freezing point of water

00:57:13but dear viewer it isn't a case of one frost fits all as there are a wide variety of frost types the

00:57:21most common being ground frost which refers to the formation of ice on the ground objects or trees

00:57:29frost is also a major symbol in poetry and storytelling acting as a symbol of stillness death

00:57:35or quiet emotion writers often use frost to convey suspended time or nostalgia oh how cinematically

00:57:46gorgeous

00:57:49even folklore pays homage to the delicate and decadent world of frost particularly with the persona of jack

00:57:56frost who traditionally left frosty fern-like patterns on windows on cold winter mornings according to

00:58:04some he is said to be the husband of susie snowflake oh those naughty frisky frosties

00:58:13artists have long been fascinated by the frivolous frost romantic painters like caspar david friedrich

00:58:19used winter scenes with frost to express solitude and human smallness in nature such a romantic

00:58:28composers have also used frost imagery for texture and tone of their pieces vivaldi's winter suggests icy

00:58:36sharpness in the violin lines bringing a positive chill to his four seasons now that's more like it as we

00:58:45begin a new year with frost at our feet let's stop to enjoy the beauty of winter after all it only comes

00:58:54around once a year over to you alan and do wrap up warm

00:59:04frost is indeed a beautiful natural phenomenon transforming ordinary landscapes and objects into

00:59:11delicate crystalline works of art thanks leslie still to come today he's the man who says britain's rum scene

00:59:18isn't just warming up it's positively on fire ian burrow reveals all on the great british rum essence and

00:59:26he's bringing along a lineup of british bottles set to make a splash in 2026 and he's conquered comedy

00:59:33countdown and the cha-cha-cha so naturally he thought why not write a book how hard can it be turns out

00:59:40very and chris mccausland on his memoir his touring life and why he'll never moan about strictly training

00:59:47again i'll be back with chris after the rain

00:59:50welcome back to love your weekend still ed if rum conjures up images of palm trees and pirates

01:00:10think again britain's joined the party and it's mixing quite the tipple

01:00:14ian burrow opens the manor farm bar with british rums so good even hampshire feels a little tropical

01:00:21now some people leave strictly and hang up their dancing shoes for good not chris mccausland oh no

01:00:27he went back for more glutton for punishment national treasure little bit of both i think here he is

01:00:34he is returning to the ballroom for something rather special

01:00:46he is

01:00:58he is

01:01:00Oh, walk on, walk on with hope in your heart

01:01:11And you'll never know I love you ever

01:01:24I find it difficult to listen to that music

01:01:43They're getting dewy-eyed at the best of times

01:01:45Oh, just listening to Tommy sing that gives me goosebumps

01:01:48Well, it does the rest of us, really

01:01:51It was, I mean, to use the word iconic is overused, I know

01:01:55But, oh my goodness me, that moment was so powerful

01:01:59And for you to experience it again like that

01:02:02Did you think twice before you agreed to go back and do it again?

01:02:05Do you know what? I was contracted in and I didn't realise

01:02:08So I was meant to be on tour

01:02:10My tour started again

01:02:12I was meant to be in crew at the Lyceum Theatre

01:02:14On the day that this was being filmed

01:02:16And they said, oh, no, the winner returns

01:02:19I said, do they? Do they always read it?

01:02:22It's in the contract

01:02:23And I was like, we'd never read that far down

01:02:25Nobody, like, we got the contract

01:02:29And we were like, well, the winner

01:02:30And they were like, well, we don't need to read that far, do we?

01:02:32Because I'm not getting that far

01:02:33So, yeah, we moved the tour date and went

01:02:36And it was lovely

01:02:37And I remember Anton

01:02:40Anton is a lovely man saying to me

01:02:42How are you feeling, darling?

01:02:44And I said, I'm feeling good

01:02:48I'm going to go out there

01:02:49I'm going to do my dance

01:02:50And do you know what?

01:02:51I don't really care what you think of it

01:02:52You can give your scores to yourself

01:02:55I don't need to

01:02:56I'm one of one

01:02:57Diane, what a star

01:03:00And now, of course, expecting

01:03:01Which is an additional pressure on her

01:03:04Did it come back quite quickly?

01:03:07Yeah, so we blocked off two days to do that

01:03:10To, you know, to relearn it

01:03:12And within half a day it was there

01:03:13You know, it took us half a day

01:03:15To blow the dust off it

01:03:16And it was just all there

01:03:19Just under the surface, you know

01:03:21And so really, really quick

01:03:23To, you know, get back up to speed

01:03:25And also, having said what you said to Anton

01:03:27It must have been lovely to do it

01:03:29For pleasure, really

01:03:30Without the pressure of

01:03:32Oh, it's got to be absolutely spot on

01:03:34You could really relax into it

01:03:35I could

01:03:36And I think, you know

01:03:37Part of the terror and the fear of Strictly

01:03:42Is the live TV nature of it

01:03:45It is the fact that you could go out

01:03:46It is the fact that you're being judged

01:03:48And, you know, we did that one there

01:03:50And, you know, after nine months off

01:03:51Diane said it was the best I'd done it

01:03:53And we got a 40 in the final

01:03:54In December for that dance

01:03:56You know, we got top marks for it

01:03:58It was the last thing we did

01:03:59But even just doing it without the pressure

01:04:01Of the final

01:04:02She said it was the best

01:04:04The best that I'd done it, you know

01:04:06You turned Strictly down several times

01:04:08Before you finally agreed to do it

01:04:11You must be glad you did now

01:04:12I mean, surely it's transformed your life, hasn't it?

01:04:15Yeah, yeah

01:04:15I mean, look

01:04:17Representation is only good

01:04:19If it's positive

01:04:20You know, if it sends out a positive message

01:04:24And the fear was that it would be a disaster

01:04:27And it does nobody any good

01:04:30If I go on it

01:04:30And I can't do it

01:04:32Not that I'm a bit goofy

01:04:33Like a lot of men are

01:04:35You know, dad dancing or whatever

01:04:36But that I can't do it

01:04:38That it's just not logistically possible

01:04:40It was a bit

01:04:41It was so unknown

01:04:43That that was the worry

01:04:44Did you feel a responsibility

01:04:45To the blind community

01:04:48Not to cock it up in that way?

01:04:49Well, I mean

01:04:50Yeah, it was the case really

01:04:53That, you know

01:04:54I can't go out of this

01:04:56For lack of effort

01:04:57You know, I have to

01:04:58The only way I can go out of this

01:05:00Is because the dancing

01:05:02Isn't up to scratch

01:05:03Or because it's just not possible

01:05:06But not because

01:05:07I'm not putting 100% in

01:05:09So if I'm going to do this

01:05:10It has to be all or nothing

01:05:12And we have to

01:05:13We have to kind of push boundaries

01:05:14And show that

01:05:15More is possible

01:05:16And surprise people

01:05:17And if we can't do that

01:05:19There's no point in me being there

01:05:20And Diane was all in on it

01:05:21From the start

01:05:21You know, doing a cartwheel

01:05:23And me grabbing her leg

01:05:24In the first episode

01:05:25And pulling it down

01:05:26And playing

01:05:26These things are

01:05:28Like, if they didn't work

01:05:29It should have kicked me in the head

01:05:31And we would have ended up

01:05:32In a heap on the floor

01:05:32But it did work

01:05:34And it made everybody go

01:05:35Wow

01:05:35And that's what it's all about

01:05:37Not least because of the amount of trust

01:05:40You had in each other

01:05:41Yeah

01:05:41Any dancer

01:05:42Any couple dancing

01:05:43Has to trust the partner

01:05:45Obviously

01:05:45With lifts and all that kind of thing

01:05:47But, you know

01:05:48When you can't see

01:05:48I think so much more

01:05:49And doing you there

01:05:50It's impossible to believe

01:05:52Unless you'd seen it

01:05:53Yeah

01:05:54So much more

01:05:55And, you know

01:05:56People would say

01:05:57That, you know

01:05:57They would forget

01:05:59That I was blind

01:06:00And that was the point

01:06:01You know

01:06:01I think, you know

01:06:03Making people forget

01:06:04About the one thing

01:06:05That people think defines you

01:06:07Is the only thing

01:06:07That defines you

01:06:08Is far more powerful

01:06:09Than bashing them

01:06:10Over the head

01:06:10With it all the time

01:06:11Yeah

01:06:11What it doesn't get

01:06:12In the way of

01:06:13It's humour

01:06:13Your capacity for it

01:06:15And you've been a champion

01:06:16On so many different

01:06:17Quiz shows now

01:06:18But one of my favourites

01:06:19Is this one

01:06:20And this is Chris McCausland

01:06:21On Would I Lie to You

01:06:23All these years

01:06:26I have been pretending

01:06:27To be blind

01:06:27If only

01:06:33Lee, would you read that

01:06:34For me, please

01:06:34Every night

01:06:37I use an unusual technique

01:06:39To make sure

01:06:39I wake up on time

01:06:41In the morning

01:06:42David's team

01:06:44OK, so

01:06:45What is the unusual technique

01:06:48The usual way

01:06:49Of making sure

01:06:51You wake up in the morning

01:06:52At the right time

01:06:53Would be to set

01:06:53An alarm clock

01:06:54Yes

01:06:55Yes

01:06:55I've heard of that

01:06:56OK

01:06:57So

01:06:58And you do something different

01:06:59Well, we don't need to know

01:07:00What

01:07:01I think

01:07:01It will go true

01:07:02What I've done

01:07:04Is I have

01:07:05Trained my brain

01:07:06To wake itself up

01:07:09No, you haven't

01:07:11At the right time

01:07:12By doing what

01:07:14When I'm lying in bed

01:07:15I will

01:07:16Bang out the time

01:07:18On the pillow

01:07:18With my head

01:07:20Right

01:07:21Saying the hours

01:07:22For the time

01:07:23That I want to wake up

01:07:24Yeah

01:07:25And that

01:07:26Subconsciously

01:07:28Programs the time

01:07:29Chris

01:07:30Yes

01:07:30Are you alright

01:07:31And how accurate

01:07:36Is this

01:07:3750-50

01:07:38A valiant effort

01:07:43Yeah

01:07:43Tough scrutiny

01:07:45Does being a stand-up

01:07:47Make it easier

01:07:48To think on your feet

01:07:49Do you think

01:07:49Do you know what

01:07:50It obviously does

01:07:52And it makes it easier

01:07:53For you to improvise

01:07:53And it makes it easier

01:07:54For you to be funny

01:07:55It gives you more confidence

01:07:56In what you're saying

01:07:57That what you're saying

01:07:58Is going to be funny

01:07:58But

01:07:59When you're doing something

01:08:00Like would I lie to you

01:08:01There's a lot more pressure

01:08:03On you to be the funny one

01:08:04When you're on with somebody

01:08:08I think the episode

01:08:09You showed

01:08:10There was Alex

01:08:10From the one show

01:08:11And

01:08:12You've got Lee, Matt

01:08:13And David

01:08:14And Rob Brydon

01:08:15All three of them

01:08:16Going

01:08:16Absolutely

01:08:17Yeah

01:08:17But when you're

01:08:18Amongst the other guests

01:08:19If you're the only comedian

01:08:20It's your job

01:08:21To kind of

01:08:22Bring the guest comedy

01:08:23So there's a bit more pressure

01:08:24On you from that point

01:08:25But sometimes

01:08:26On that show

01:08:27Like I've been sat

01:08:28Next to Lee or David

01:08:29And the two of them

01:08:30When they get going

01:08:31On one of Lee or David's

01:08:33Mad cards

01:08:33Yeah

01:08:34It's like machine gun fire

01:08:35I mean I just sit back

01:08:38It's like

01:08:38It's like being

01:08:39In immersive television

01:08:40You just sit back

01:08:41And you just watch them go

01:08:42Like you're watching it

01:08:43On the telly

01:08:44Because there's no way

01:08:45You're getting a word

01:08:46In Edgeways

01:08:46No one to chip in

01:08:48But you're never known

01:08:50For taking the easy route

01:08:51As it were

01:08:52And you've just done something

01:08:53Which is

01:08:54Completely

01:08:55Out of your comfort zone

01:08:56Chris McCausland

01:08:57The autobiography

01:08:58Keep laughing

01:08:59I mean

01:09:00How easy

01:09:01Did you find it

01:09:02To set down

01:09:03The story

01:09:04I mean

01:09:04Yeah

01:09:05Do you know what

01:09:06I actually enjoyed it

01:09:07I wrote it over six months

01:09:09At the beginning of the year

01:09:10Last year

01:09:11And

01:09:11It was

01:09:13Coming on the back

01:09:15Of Strictly

01:09:15I think it made all the difference

01:09:17Because I

01:09:18You know

01:09:19I've always been

01:09:20Very emotionally closed off

01:09:21I've always been

01:09:21Very private

01:09:22If I'd have written this

01:09:24You know

01:09:24Before Strictly

01:09:25I'd have written

01:09:25A compendium

01:09:26Of just funny anecdotes

01:09:28With no real

01:09:29Insight

01:09:30Or

01:09:30Revealing

01:09:31You know

01:09:32Emotion

01:09:32Or

01:09:33None of the

01:09:34Other side of the coin

01:09:35You know

01:09:36Lots of funny things

01:09:38Happen when you lose

01:09:39Your sight

01:09:39Over 25 years

01:09:40I'd have written

01:09:41All the funny things

01:09:41And not let anybody in

01:09:43Behind the curtains

01:09:44You know

01:09:44About how that was

01:09:46To experience

01:09:46I think

01:09:47But you do Strictly

01:09:49And

01:09:49All of a sudden

01:09:51It really made me

01:09:53Aware of the value

01:09:54In

01:09:55Connecting with people

01:09:56And the

01:09:56Sharing vulnerability

01:09:57And

01:09:58And

01:09:59And how that can

01:10:00Really connect with people

01:10:01In a way that

01:10:02I didn't appreciate

01:10:03But in a positive way

01:10:04As well

01:10:05You called the book

01:10:06Keep Laughing

01:10:06Yeah

01:10:07And obviously

01:10:08There's a lot of times

01:10:09When it is incredibly difficult

01:10:11To keep laughing

01:10:13You know

01:10:13You always say

01:10:14That failure

01:10:15Is the greatest

01:10:16Comedic vein

01:10:18In a way

01:10:19Rather than success

01:10:20Yeah

01:10:21Well I mean

01:10:21So

01:10:22Keep Laughing

01:10:23You know

01:10:23I think

01:10:24As a title

01:10:26It very much sums up

01:10:27I think

01:10:28What I think

01:10:28Is a good attitude

01:10:29Because we all have

01:10:30Obstacles to overcome

01:10:31We all have things

01:10:32That we need to

01:10:32You know

01:10:33We need to navigate

01:10:34In life

01:10:34And

01:10:35And often

01:10:36They can be difficult

01:10:37And I think

01:10:38You know

01:10:38To keep laughing

01:10:39Is

01:10:39You know

01:10:39As they say

01:10:40The best medicine

01:10:40And

01:10:41And also

01:10:42You know

01:10:42It's a very

01:10:43It's a very loose

01:10:44Tie into the

01:10:45Keep dancing

01:10:45Of Strictly

01:10:46For a little bit

01:10:47Of a marketing

01:10:47Marketing angle

01:10:48There

01:10:48That's what I thought

01:10:50When I came up

01:10:50With the title

01:10:51No one's really noticed

01:10:52That

01:10:52It doesn't work

01:10:53When I have to

01:10:53Point it at myself

01:10:54I have to say

01:10:54Actually

01:10:55I didn't notice

01:10:56Maybe if you

01:10:57Keep laughing

01:10:59I thought

01:11:02This is really clever

01:11:03No one's

01:11:03No one's mentioned it

01:11:04No I failed as well

01:11:05Chris

01:11:06Don't worry

01:11:06But you

01:11:10I mean

01:11:10You are keeping laughing

01:11:11You've been doing

01:11:12This tour

01:11:12Incredible

01:11:13Over 300 dates

01:11:15In this

01:11:15Yonks

01:11:16Stand up

01:11:17And you've

01:11:18Extended it

01:11:19Because

01:11:19Not surprising

01:11:20If people are coming

01:11:21Because they want

01:11:22To keep laughing

01:11:23It's been lovely

01:11:24And to have people

01:11:25Just come along

01:11:26And want to see me

01:11:27Do stand up

01:11:28Who

01:11:28I think

01:11:28A lot of them

01:11:29Maybe haven't been

01:11:30To comedy before

01:11:31And comedy isn't

01:11:32Really something

01:11:33That they regularly

01:11:34Go to

01:11:35Such as

01:11:37The stretch

01:11:38Of the

01:11:38Demographic

01:11:40Of Strictly

01:11:41My demographic

01:11:43Was always

01:11:43I would say

01:11:44Mid 30s

01:11:44To mid 60s

01:11:45Grumpy

01:11:46Miserable

01:11:46Northern comedian

01:11:47And all of a sudden

01:11:50Gangs of women

01:11:52In their 20s

01:11:52Are coming

01:11:53And generations

01:11:55Of families

01:11:56From 17 years old

01:11:58To great grannies

01:12:00And it's been

01:12:01Lovely

01:12:03You know

01:12:04So yeah

01:12:05We're going to

01:12:06Wrap the tour

01:12:06Up in May

01:12:07And I'm going

01:12:09To get to play

01:12:09The London Palladium

01:12:11Because they've

01:12:12Really lowered

01:12:13Their standards

01:12:13It's getting people

01:12:17To know you

01:12:18In a way

01:12:19Which makes

01:12:20Comedy

01:12:20I wouldn't say

01:12:22Easy

01:12:22Comedy is never easy

01:12:23But in a way

01:12:24When people

01:12:25Know and understand

01:12:26You a bit more

01:12:26They're that much

01:12:27More willing

01:12:28To be on side

01:12:29Aren't they really

01:12:30And I think

01:12:30There's a couple

01:12:31Of extra things

01:12:32To it really

01:12:33As well

01:12:33In that

01:12:33You know

01:12:34I didn't really

01:12:35Get on panel shows

01:12:37You know

01:12:37Until maybe

01:12:39I mean

01:12:39How long

01:12:4016 years

01:12:41I've been doing

01:12:41Comedy

01:12:4216, 17 years

01:12:43And you know

01:12:45I had a lot

01:12:46Of strings to me

01:12:46Bob at that point

01:12:47A lot of miles

01:12:48Under my belt

01:12:48You know

01:12:49Doing the circuit

01:12:50And all the clubs

01:12:51All types of rooms

01:12:52And audiences

01:12:52And they lend them

01:12:54You know

01:12:54All them skills

01:12:55Lend themselves

01:12:55To being able

01:12:56To improvise

01:12:57And do well

01:12:58On the telly

01:12:59But also

01:13:00I think

01:13:00I was just

01:13:01Comfortable in my own skin

01:13:02By the time

01:13:03I got these opportunities

01:13:04And was very comfortable

01:13:06To just be myself

01:13:07Are you

01:13:08I get the impression

01:13:09You're much more

01:13:09Comfortable in your skin now

01:13:12Knowing who you are

01:13:13Knowing what you've come through

01:13:15And in a way

01:13:15Having utilised that

01:13:18To your own advantage

01:13:19I don't mean that

01:13:20In a kind of

01:13:21You know

01:13:22Smart way

01:13:23But just working

01:13:24The biggest thing in life

01:13:25Isn't it for everybody

01:13:26Is working out who they are

01:13:27And being comfortable with that

01:13:28Yeah

01:13:28And especially in comedy

01:13:29You hear it said often

01:13:31That it takes a while

01:13:31To find your voice on stage

01:13:33It's ironic really

01:13:34That that basically

01:13:35Just means learning

01:13:36How to be yourself

01:13:36A lot of the time

01:13:37It takes

01:13:38You know

01:13:39It takes people

01:13:40A while

01:13:41To be comfortable

01:13:42With themselves

01:13:43And the bottom line

01:13:44Is you need to be comfortable

01:13:46With yourself off stage

01:13:47Before you can be comfortable

01:13:48With yourself on stage

01:13:49Sometimes being on stage

01:13:51Is almost an escape

01:13:53From having to be yourself

01:13:55But it takes those two things

01:13:58To line up really

01:13:59But famously

01:13:59That's not the case

01:14:00With comedians

01:14:01You know

01:14:02A lot of troubled people

01:14:03I mean

01:14:03Look at the great comics

01:14:04Of the past

01:14:05The Tony Hancocks

01:14:06The Kenneth Williams

01:14:06The people like that

01:14:07Who really are not

01:14:09Comfortable with themselves

01:14:10Yeah

01:14:11Yeah

01:14:11But I would say

01:14:13Tony Hancock

01:14:14Was not himself on stage

01:14:16Because he was a performer

01:14:17He was a character

01:14:18He was

01:14:18You know what I mean

01:14:19Yeah

01:14:19Totally

01:14:20Yeah

01:14:20And you know

01:14:21I'm not saying

01:14:21Milton Jones

01:14:23Does not need to find himself

01:14:24Off stage

01:14:25To find his voice on stage

01:14:26Because he's a character

01:14:28He's a comical exaggeration

01:14:30He's a wonderful comedian

01:14:31But for somebody like myself

01:14:33For somebody like

01:14:34I'd say

01:14:35Like John Bishop

01:14:36Like Kevin Bridges

01:14:37You know

01:14:38I'm very aware

01:14:39I've just put myself

01:14:40In the same category

01:14:41As big arena comedians

01:14:43And it wasn't intentional

01:14:44But guys who are just themselves

01:14:47Who are relatable

01:14:48You know

01:14:50I was working

01:14:51Living in Scotland

01:14:52Making a children's TV show

01:14:54When Kevin first started doing

01:14:56First started doing stand-up

01:14:58And he landed on the open mic circuit

01:15:01As just this

01:15:02Exactly what he is now

01:15:03He's just never

01:15:04You know

01:15:06His joke writing's got better

01:15:07His performance has got better

01:15:08But he was always

01:15:09Just absolutely natural

01:15:11I think that's a rarity

01:15:12I think it takes the rest of us

01:15:14A while to get there

01:15:15I think you've got there Chris

01:15:16We are confident

01:15:18We'll give you 10-10-10-10-10

01:15:19We'll give you 40

01:15:20You've got there

01:15:21Whatever you do

01:15:22Don't edit this

01:15:23To just be the bit

01:15:23Where I go

01:15:24Kevin Bridges is a freak

01:15:25Trust us

01:15:29So in terms of Strictly

01:15:32And writing the book

01:15:33Which is the most stressful?

01:15:35Oh Strictly is the most stressful

01:15:36Thing I've ever done in my life

01:15:37But probably the most rewarded

01:15:39You know

01:15:40So that's the nature of it

01:15:42Isn't it?

01:15:43The things that we do

01:15:45That scare us the most

01:15:46Can often be the most rewarding

01:15:48So it Strictly was

01:15:51A lot more daunting

01:15:53Than sitting at my desk

01:15:54In my lovely warm room

01:15:55Writing it right in the back

01:15:56Always a delight

01:15:57Cheers

01:15:58Let me see you again

01:15:59Now there are moments

01:16:01When apart from

01:16:02Having a laugh

01:16:03With Chris

01:16:03All you need really

01:16:04Is a stretch of open countryside

01:16:06And a melody to match it

01:16:08So settle back

01:16:09And let both do their work

01:16:11This is today's Ode to Joy

01:16:41Ode to Joy

01:18:11A rather sunny lift.

01:18:13I'll be back with Ian, Chris, Ella, Nathan and a selection of rums right after the break.

01:18:18Welcome back to Love Your Weekend.

01:18:35And now, if you thought January was all about early nights and herbal tea, think again.

01:18:40There's a rum revolution brewing across Britain and according to our resident rum guru, 2026

01:18:45is the year it truly takes off.

01:18:48Time to join the rumaissance with the one and only Ian Burrell and Nathan, Ella and Chris

01:18:52have joined us too.

01:18:53Why would they be left out?

01:18:55Ian, this is just another ploy on your part to get us to drink rum, really, isn't it?

01:18:59I know.

01:18:59It's part of my problem, though.

01:19:01To get the people feeling merry and happy and drinking rum and non-alcoholic rum cocktails

01:19:05as well.

01:19:06But yeah, that's the whole hospitality thing is something that's been passed down by my

01:19:09grandparents down to me.

01:19:10So, yeah, it is what I try and do.

01:19:13Go for it.

01:19:13Right.

01:19:14So, it's a new year and it's also dry January as well.

01:19:18So, I thought I'd combine both styles of rums and drinks with some new rums for 2026 or

01:19:24for new iterations and, of course, some non-alcoholic dry January cocktails.

01:19:28So, we're going to start off up in Sheffield.

01:19:32That well-known rum capital of York.

01:19:35Well, as this is best of British, we've got British brands.

01:19:39And so, this is a Sheffield brand.

01:19:40It's actually a rum bar called Rum Cake, 876.

01:19:43And what they do, they go to the Cilary in Nottinghamshire.

01:19:45They get a rum inside there.

01:19:47And it's really spicy and flavorful.

01:19:49But what I've done, I've made like a rum punch, a classic rum punch with that.

01:19:52So, a bit of rum, lime, sugar, water, and a bit of spice.

01:19:56And in a non-alcoholic version, I've created like my own non-alcoholic rummy spice product.

01:20:01A bit of water, a bit of lime, a bit of sugar.

01:20:02So, it's really nice and easy to drink.

01:20:04It's very nourish.

01:20:04Very nourish.

01:20:05Yeah, that's a non-alcoholic version.

01:20:06Yeah, I like it a lot.

01:20:07I like it a lot.

01:20:07You two's on the non-alcoholic.

01:20:09She's on the non-alcoholic.

01:20:11So, you and Ellen are non-alcoholic.

01:20:13Nathan and I are alcoholics.

01:20:14Yeah, discuss so much yourself.

01:20:15I mean, that seems right.

01:20:16I've only met you today, but I reckon you'd be a nightmare after a couple of times.

01:20:21You're not wrong, Chris.

01:20:24But we like it anyway, don't we?

01:20:26Yeah, I thought it was gorgeous.

01:20:27Do you like your version?

01:20:28Yes.

01:20:29Is that all right, Chris?

01:20:29Good?

01:20:30Excellent.

01:20:30It's delicious, to be honest.

01:20:31Coconut-y.

01:20:32Yeah.

01:20:32Very, yeah, because in the non-alcoholic, what's called rum-y type base inside there, it's

01:20:37a bit of coconut, a bit of vanilla.

01:20:38You're getting coconut in there?

01:20:39A bit of cinnamon.

01:20:40Yeah, touch.

01:20:40It's a touch.

01:20:40Yeah, no coconut.

01:20:41Did you see him put it in?

01:20:43I'm getting no.

01:20:46You're getting a bit of lemony citrus-y coming in.

01:20:47Bit of lemony citrus-y, yes.

01:20:48Yeah, yeah, yeah, got a bit of a lime peel on it, balance it out, and then the rum itself.

01:20:52No, that's quite nice and rummy, yeah.

01:20:53Right, so we've got, we're sticking to Nottinghamshire.

01:20:56The Drops Works, one of my favourite new distilleries here in the UK.

01:20:59This is one of the oldest rums they've created, and it's actually aged in chestnut barrels.

01:21:05So this will be one of the most limited edition rums you'll get in 2026, if there are any left.

01:21:10And what I've done, I've created like an old-fashioned style of cocktail inside there,

01:21:14but with a bit of, instead of using sugar, I've used chestnut syrup inside there.

01:21:18A bit of bitters inside there, just a length and a flavour.

01:21:20And a non-alcoholic version, we've got the chestnut syrup.

01:21:22Ooh, that's a real winter warmer, that one.

01:21:23Oh, yes.

01:21:24Quite boozy, that one.

01:21:26Chris and Eve's one's not boozy.

01:21:28Ooh, it's nice.

01:21:28You still get the chestnut flavour inside there, quite warmy, and the spice inside there.

01:21:32I'm not sure about these glasses, though.

01:21:34It's a weird shape, innit?

01:21:35Because, like, why would you have a glass that means you've got to elevate it at a ridiculous...

01:21:41Because that's how you drink glass.

01:21:42Yes!

01:21:43Do you want a straw?

01:21:45Get a straw off of it.

01:21:47Hello, it's yours nice.

01:21:48What's in it?

01:21:49So, with this syrup, it's got chestnut syrup, which is the flavour, the main flavour of there.

01:21:54A little bit of lime, orange peel, and then I've added a dash of what's called allspice, vanilla, a bit of cinnamon.

01:22:01So there's everything in it.

01:22:02A bit of everything, yeah.

01:22:02The cinnamon is what jumps out at me.

01:22:04A bit of cinnamon.

01:22:05Did you get that, Chris?

01:22:06I think he said there's a bit of allspice in it.

01:22:09A little bit of brood.

01:22:12You wait until you get to the next one, it's au sauvage, you're right on it.

01:22:19Right, next one.

01:22:21So, another part of the rum category that you're going to see a lot more in 2026 is the bling rums, the ones a little bit more expensive.

01:22:27This bottle here is about 100 quid a bottle, but it is an amazing creation, as you can see by the bottle.

01:22:31You don't even get a straight bottle.

01:22:33You drink more, it'll get straighter.

01:22:35What is that, can I be frank, is that rum with a twist?

01:22:37It, oh, oh, boom.

01:22:39Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

01:22:41So, this rum here is actually, originally, the liquid is from Panama, and they bring it down to Kent, and then they distill their own rum, and they blend the two rums together.

01:22:49So, it's a unique blend called the Curitus, this particular brand.

01:22:52And what I've done here is, because it tastes really well neat, I didn't want to do too much to it.

01:22:56So, I've added a bit of smoke.

01:22:57There is a chocolate rim, in case you want to do the rum and chocolate pairing, which is another thing you'll see a lot more in the 2026 rum and chocolate pairings.

01:23:04And then a twist of orange peel.

01:23:06So, it's quite boozy, again, for the boozy ones.

01:23:08The non-alcoholic ones is, again, my rum base with a little bit of water inside it and a bit of spice and a chocolate.

01:23:16But if you like the chocolate, it's got a nice chocolate rim.

01:23:17Nathan, this is really, this is like rum, but with the sort of body taken out underneath, so it's really quite sharp.

01:23:24Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.

01:23:25Yeah, it's got a bit of bite into it because of the young rums added to it, and that's why it works so well in certain styles of cocktails.

01:23:31It's almost like you want to get, like, a P.T. whiskey.

01:23:33Yes, yes, and that's the reason why I've added a smoke to it, to give it that beauty and smokiness, so it gives that element.

01:23:40So, it is a rum and a cocktail that we've made for whiskey drinkers.

01:23:43Anyone who likes that classic old-fashioned with a whiskey, like a smoky whiskey, this is the cocktail for you.

01:23:49But if you have a non-alcoholic, it's also the cocktail for you as well.

01:23:51Yes.

01:23:53Chris, I get the impression this is not the cocktail for you, then, is it?

01:23:56No, some of them are nice.

01:23:57This one, I'm not sold on this one.

01:24:00Can I try it or not?

01:24:03Yeah, and this is dangerous.

01:24:06I think putting chocolate around the edge of a glass is dangerous because you want to bite it up, but you don't want to end up with a mouthful of glass, do you?

01:24:13I mean...

01:24:14Also, especially when it's cold, you've got to kind of chew that chocolate.

01:24:16Yeah, where was the risk assessment in this?

01:24:18That's true, I've put lots of it out in the form.

01:24:21I wanted to create what's called a rum for the whiskey drinkers, and that's the reason why this has been aged quite extensively and added a little bit of local Kent rum into it.

01:24:29They're just absolutely right on that one, because it's very much.

01:24:32It's got a bit of Caribbean inside him, so he knows his rum, you see, that's the reason why.

01:24:39Oh, now this one's completely different.

01:24:40What's this?

01:24:41Sorry, we've moved now.

01:24:42We've gone from Kent down to Devon.

01:24:43We've gone from Devon, South West, and we've gone with a classic highball.

01:24:53You're going to see a lot more highballs in 2026.

01:24:56This is a rum that's an old rum, Vault 53, but it's been reformulated.

01:25:00So this is prickly pear and grapefruit.

01:25:03So you're going to have spiced rums and flavoured rums, seeing a lot more of those in 2026.

01:25:06So what we've gone with, a classic highball, grapefruit, prickly pear, and a bit of solar water.

01:25:10But just a prickly pear syrup, just to sweeten it up.

01:25:14The non-alcoholic version is just grapefruit, prickly pear, and a bit of solar water.

01:25:18Just a lengthen, and a really nice, refreshing drink.

01:25:20I like this.

01:25:21I like this.

01:25:21It's a lot going on.

01:25:23All right, that's what I'd like to hear.

01:25:24This one's, I reckon this one's dangerous.

01:25:26It is.

01:25:26I was about to say that because it seems really quite...

01:25:29I have put a double shot in yours.

01:25:32You have?

01:25:32So, yeah.

01:25:34Bottoms up, buddy.

01:25:35So it is quite dangerous.

01:25:37That's me thinking it was squash.

01:25:40Oh, yeah, that's delicious, though.

01:25:43Oh, yeah, but it's one of those drinks I love to promote because they are refreshing, easy

01:25:47to drink, and this little distillery, Vort Vort 53, they make a range of different flavours,

01:25:51but prickly pear and grapefruit for me is a really great combination, a unique combination.

01:25:55What's the thing, the pear, the prickly pear?

01:25:57Prickly pear.

01:25:57It's not nice.

01:25:57What is that?

01:25:58It's a cactus.

01:25:59Because it's not nice.

01:26:00Is it?

01:26:00Opuntia is the Latin name.

01:26:02It's not a pear, right?

01:26:03No, but it's a pear-shaped fruit, but it's not a pear.

01:26:06Oh, no.

01:26:07But it is a fruit.

01:26:08You know, Jungle Book, particularly, guys, you were thinking, what a stupid question.

01:26:12Now you know, you're like, oh, yeah.

01:26:14Can we grow them in England?

01:26:15Oh, Chris, absolutely.

01:26:16Can we grow them in England?

01:26:17Can we grow them in England?

01:26:19No, it's too tender.

01:26:20It's a cactus, really.

01:26:21Oh, right, so you need a bit of dry heat, things like that.

01:26:23Okay.

01:26:24Nice.

01:26:24So you get everything here.

01:26:25Conversion, learning.

01:26:26It's edible, it's edible.

01:26:28Yeah.

01:26:28Yeah, yeah, obviously.

01:26:29It's a drink.

01:26:30No, it's inedible.

01:26:31That's why we put it in.

01:26:32Yes, it's edible.

01:26:34And finally, the classic rum punch, but instead of drinking rum punch in a classic way, because

01:26:43it's a bit cold in January, we want to have a nice warm rum punch.

01:26:46So this is a classic rum punch where it's been orange juice, pineapple juice, a bit of

01:26:51syrup and grenadine, a bit of lime and a bit of nutmeg on top.

01:26:55So you guys have the alcoholic version, and Chris and Nellie, you have the non-alcoholic

01:27:01version, which is...

01:27:01This is my favourite.

01:27:02Oh, you like that one.

01:27:03This is my favourite.

01:27:03Orange juice, pineapple juice, grenadine.

01:27:04Well, our version is nice.

01:27:06Yeah.

01:27:08Smooth.

01:27:09I have a suggestion for the future of this show, though, all right?

01:27:12I think that you should do this at the beginning from now on, you should get Alan drunk and

01:27:16then let him do it to get the news.

01:27:18Yeah.

01:27:19Well, do you think there would be any better?

01:27:22No, but that'd be funny.

01:27:23I think people would be tuning in just for the chaos.

01:27:28I don't know.

01:27:28I think they're tuning in just for the chaos today, frankly.

01:27:33Lord knows what this show would have been like if I'd put you on this at the beginning

01:27:36of it, you know.

01:27:37On the job-keeping order anyway.

01:27:39It's just fancy juice, isn't it?

01:27:41Imagine what me and Ella would be like if we'd had a drink.

01:27:44A nightmare.

01:27:45Thank you for the glorious company today.

01:27:48It's been an absolutely life.

01:27:49That's it for today's show.

01:27:50Thanks to all my guests, to Ella, Nathan, Chris, and, of course,

01:27:53Ian, who's seen us off in more ways than one with his lovely rum.

01:27:57Joining me next week for more rural delights here in Hampshire, and I'll be joined by Dame

01:28:02Maureen Littman, Grantchester's Al Weaver, and currently wowing audiences in Hercules,

01:28:07Trevor Dion Nicholas.

01:28:08Until then, I leave you with these words from Marlon Brando, no less.

01:28:13Never surrender to the momentum of mediocrity.

01:28:18And I said that without any cotton wool in my cheeks.

01:28:21There's absolutely nothing mediocre about what we've been drinking here today.

01:28:25Viva the rum essence.

01:28:26Where was Marlon Brando from?

01:28:28The cold wool.

01:28:31It's just lip, isn't it?

01:28:32We'll just say cheers and goodbye.

01:28:34Cheers, Lord.

01:28:34Cheers, yes, yes, yes, yes.

01:28:36Ha, ha, ha, ha, ha.

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