Blank Podcast with Giles Paley-Phillips & Jim Daly

A special episode to announcement to let you guys know that we have written a book! It's called Blank: Why it's Fine to Falter and Fail, And How To Pick Yourself Up Again and it's out on March 18th, 2021. We are joined by Celine Hughes, our fantastic Senior Commissioning Editor from Quadrille Publishing, who have published out book to talk about why they acquired the book and the process of how a book goes from an idea to a fully formed thing. Our book explores many of the themes that crop up on the podcast with the best bits of advice from our fantastic guests including Louis Theroux, David Harbour, Reginald D Hunter, Jon Ronson, Dawn French, Amanda Abington, Rufus Sewell and Gary Lineker. Some of the recurring themes include public failure, social anxieties, fear, mental health, grief and more. Whether in your personal life, career, relationship, or in a public situation, writer's block, social anxiety, imposter syndrome, being off-form or having an identity crisis can affect anyone at any time. It's part of the human condition and yet it can throw us off course and make us feel helpless. You can pre-order a copy now here: smarturl.it/blankmoments Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Kermode is a writer, broadcaster, film critic and musician. As well as being chief film critic for The Observer, Mark is known for his broadcast work for BBC, Radio 5Live's 'Kermode and Mayo's Film Review' alongside Simon Mayo and his documentaries 'Mark Kermode's Secret Cinema'. More recently Mark present's his own own podcast 'Kermode On Film' and a music soundtrack show on Scala Radio. He has written several books including How Does It Feel?: A Life of Musical Misadventures We caught up with Mark at the end of September and started by talking about Mark's early life and his love of music and in particular playing in bands and how that connection with others really helped during those sometimes challenging teen years. Mark opens up about the insecurity he experiences with his written work and how that is a stark contrast to how he feels when performing music and we discuss what it's like when a critic gets criticised. Get BLANK Podcast merchandise here: https://www.podcastmerch.co.uk/blank Buy us a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/blankpodcast Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jenny Seagrove a legend of stage and screen, Jenny has been in films such as Local Hero, The Guardian, and most recently Off the Rails alongside Dame Judi Dench. We started by asking Jenny about her early life in Malaysia, and her first forays into acting during her time in boarding school. Jenny tells us some wonderful anecdotes from being on stage when going blank often turn into giggles and we talk about how giving yourself a bit of time and calm can really help in difficult moments. Get BLANK Podcast merchandise here: https://www.podcastmerch.co.uk/blank Buy us a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/blankpodcast Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kayleigh-Paige Rees is an actress best known for her role as Julia Beaufort in ITV's Primetime period drama 'Sanditon'. Kayleigh-Paige started her career in successful independent films most notably, Ann in Ann Rolls Green currently on Amazon Prime and Mona in Skinny World, an award-winning short film taking a closer look at eating disorders. She spoke to Giles and Jim about awkward auditions, the stress of working in the entertainment industry and opens up about her eating disorder. Get BLANK Podcast merchandise here: https://www.podcastmerch.co.uk/blank Buy us a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/blankpodcast Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Prof Kate Williams is a British historian, author, and television presenter, she regularly appears on Television and Radio and has a role as Professor of Public Engagement with History at the University of Reading. We caught up with Kate as children were returning to schools and we discussed whether having more time at home had helped Kate dedicate more time to writing. We talked about diary writing and its vital role in Historical research and how we all need to look far deeper into our own societies past to best inform our future. Get BLANK Podcast merchandise here: https://www.podcastmerch.co.uk/blank Buy us a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/blankpodcast Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We have something exciting to tell you so we hope you'll indulge us this special, short, mini episode. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lorraine Kelly OBE is a Scottish broadcaster, interviewer and journalist, for over 36 years she has been a stalwart of ITV's Breakfast television coverage, including her own show Lorraine, which is live every weekday morning. We started our chat by talking to Lorraine about adapting to working during lockdown and the challenges, but also the positive aspects this has brought to broadcasting. Lorraine tells us about growing up in Glasgow and making her way into journalism in local news, before applying to work at the BBC. We discuss disappointment, something she experienced whilst on maternity leave when she was replaced in her job, and Lorraine reveals to us her worst interview. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Maddy Anholt is an actress, comedian and writer, having spent a number of years on the UK stand-up circuit, Maddy has regularly performed at Edinburgh Fringe, her latest show being How to Train Your Psychopath, and show she is now adapting into a book and several other projects. She Appeared and co-write the award nominated short film 'Kelly' and has made numerous TV appearances on This Morning, various panel shows and has written for BBC Radio 4, BBC Three and also Warner Bros. We spoke to Maddy just a couple of weeks after she had moved to Brighton, having spent many years living in central London, we discussed how the change came about and the difference it will make to her life going forwards. Maddy tells us about her latest show 'How to Train Your Psychopath' and its origins coming from some difficult relationships she's had in the past and we all have a go at expressing our thoughts out loud Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Suzi Ruffell is a comedian, actor and writer. She began her stand-up[ career in 2006 and has been touring extensively ever since. Suzi has regularly appeared on many panel shows including Mock the Week, 8 Out of 10 Cats and The Last Leg. Since October 2015,she has co-hosted the podcast Like Minded Friends with comedian Tom Allen and this year she started the podcast Out with Suzi Ruffell. We began by talking about school and how at times is was extremely challenging for Suzi because of her dyslexia, but also how drama and performing gave her a focus and a distraction and eventually led her to stand-up. Suzi tells us about being dazzled by visiting the West End on a school trip and how that moment was the start of her creative journey. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dr Radha Modgil is a medical doctor broadcaster and writer, she has appeared on many shows including The Sex Education Show on Channel 4 and Feeling Better on Cbeebies. She also co-hosts Radio 1's Life Hacks podcast. We started the conversation talking about love and kindness and how we all need to consider these things more when we converse and connect, particularly online and on social media. Radha tell us about her time at Cambridge University and the realisation that she didn't want or need to strive so highly for perfection. We discuss her move into broadcasting and about the things we can all be doing to help with our own mental well being and how it's could to take our time and reflect before posting on Twitter. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Angela Scanlon is an Irish television presenter and broadcaster for RTÉ and the BBC having worked on a variety of different shows. Since 2016, she appeared as a reporter on The One Show, and presented in the absence of Alex Jones having had her first major British show role as a co-host of Robot Wars with Dara Ó Briain. More recently she has been the host on Your Home Made Perfect and her amazing podcast Thanks a Million. Angela talks to Giles and Jim about her career, the ups and downs and why she has only recently found a bit of peace with what she does. She also tells them stories of things going wrong on live TV and her hopes for the future. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Arguably the greatest sportsman of all time, snooker legend Ronnie O'Sullivan, joins us to talk about how he navigated an incredible career and all the ups and downs that came with it. Now 44 and recently crowned World Champion for the sixth time he also holds a record seven Masters titles, and a record seven UK Championships for a record total of 20 titles in Triple Crown tournaments. He is one of 11 players to win a career Triple Crown, O'Sullivan holds the all-time record for the most ranking titles with 37. He broke the record he shared with Stephen Hendry by winning the 2020 World Snooker Championship. Quite simply he is a legend but also a really nice guy who openly talks about the moments in his star-studded 30-year as a professional when times were tough, the mental side of playing a solo sport and introduces Giles and Jim to card game kalooki. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Harewood MBE is a British actor and presenter. He is best known for his roles as CIA Counterterrorism Director David Estes in Homeland and as J'onn J'onzz / Martian Manhunter and Hank Henshaw / Cyborg Superman in Supergirl. David spoke openly to Giles and Jim about his career, the ups and downs, racism he has suffered and the effect filming his BAFTA nominated documentary Pyschosis and Me had on him. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dubbed 'The Iceman', Wim Hof is a Dutch extreme athlete noted for his ability to withstand freezing temperatures. He has set Guinness world records for swimming under ice and prolonged full-body contact with ice, and still holds the record for a barefoot half-marathon on ice and snow. In short, he is superhuman. He attributes many of his feats to his Wim Hof Method, a combination of frequent cold exposure, breathing techniques and meditation. On this episode of BLANK Wim talks to Giles and Jim about his methods and how they can and have helped people, especially in the time of Coronavirus. He also talks about his own dark moments of the past and takes Giles and Jim through an introduction to his breathing technique. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

James Felton is a writer and journalist, whose articles regularly appear in the Guardian, Independent, Daily Mash and IFL Science, he hasn't also written for comedy panel shows and has two books published 52 Times Britain was a Bellend and SunBurn. Giles and Jim discussed with James his move into writing following his degree in sociology at Warwick University, his rise in notoriety through Twitter and his interest in politics Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Grace Blakeley is a political commentator, writer and activist, she has been a staff writer for The Tribune and economics commentator for The New Statesman. We caught up with Grace to talk about her life in politics, which awaken in her early 20's but has probably been her destiny from a young age. We discuss the state of international and community politics, something Grace has been able to look at during her time as an activist and her time in the states while touring with her book 'Stolen' and how powerful hope can be particularly in darker times. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The multi-talented actress who is appearing in the upcoming Wonder Woman sequel 1984, Sarah Barlondo joins Giles and Jim over Zoom to chat about her eventful career that started off as a professional tennis player before incorporating acting before a horrific car crash took her down a completely different path that saw her study architecture and then return to acting but face many challenges along the way. This is a brutally honest, open and uplifting interview with a brilliant guest who has so many lessons to pass on and so much great advice for blank moments that left everyone on the podcast in tears before the end of it! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Evanna Lynch is an actress, podcaster and writer. Born in County Lough, Ireland, Evanna first acting job was starring as Luna Lovegood in the last four Harry Potter movies, a character which has developed a huge cult following. She has appeared in many stage productions and has a her own podcast about veganism and animal rights called The ChickPeeps. We spoke to Evanna at the end of May and started our conversation by discussing some of the interests she has been pursuing in recent months which include studying of Astrology. We chat about Evanna's time joining the world of Harry Potter and how the book had helped her through some difficult times, the subsequent desire to work on more personal, passion projects instead of chasing fame and her new found love of circus skills. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Blake Harrison is a British actor, writer and director, best known for his portrayal of Neil in Channel 4 comedy series The Inbetweeners, Blake has also been in Films such as Dad's Army, BBC hit drama A Very English Scandal and has also written with his wife Kerry Keenan Lynch and directed an award short film Hooves of Clay. We spoke to Blake about his early life in Peckham before he went to creative arts school BRIT and how he felt more at home there among peers who were into the same things. Blake tells us about his time just after filming the first series of The Inbetweeners, where he had to get a job performing at Madame Tussaud's. We discuss the perils of social media and how we sometimes envy the work others are doing and Blake tells us who are the nicest people to work with behind the scenes. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Carrie Hope Fletcher is an English singer, songwriter, actress, author and YouTube sensation. Carrie Started her musical theatre career at the age of 7 appearing on the West End in Les Miserables. She has appeared in many productions since including, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Mary Poppins and in recent years Heathers. She is also a bestselling author and has 652,000 Subscribers on her Youtube channel. We caught up with Carrie during lockdown and started our conversation by discussing the merits of distressed jeans. Carrie told us about her early years in musical theatre and the support she was shown from her parents. We talked about the perils of social media and how the trolling element is starting to spill into real life, where Carrie has received harsh comments at the stage door, which have led to a difficult time for her. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Natalie Anderson is an English actress, singer and model. She is best known for her roles as Alicia Metcalfe in the ITV soap opera Emmerdale from 2010 to 2015 and Stella Davenport inThe Royal from 2005 to 2008. She also played the role of Nessarose in the West End production Wicked from May 2009 to March 2010. She talks to Giles and Jim over Zoom (because that's how we all communicate these days) about her acting journey including Emmerdale and The Royal as well as how nerves became a part of her life later in her career rather than earlier. She also, very patiently, puts up with Jim having terrible connection issues with his wifi. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Louisa Connolly-Burnham is an actor who is best known for her performances as Shannon Kelly in Bafta-nominated Wolfblood, Willow Jenks in Bafta-nominated House of Anubis and Avril Fox in Bafta-nominated Call The Midwife. She has also appeared in the multi-award winning short film Beneath Water for which she was nominated for Best Actress at the Queens World Film Festival , ITV's Midsomer Murders, Sky1's Little Crackers, BBC's Holby City, Doctors and Outbumbered. She spoke to Giles and Jim about traumatic auditions, transitioning into writing and surviving the lockdown. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Professor David Wilson is a former prison governor, known for his work as a criminologist specialising in serial killers through his work with various British police forces, academic publications, books, and media appearances. He is professor of criminology at Birmingham City University has published widely on the criminal justice system generally and prisons specifically, and was the Editor of the Howard Journal of Criminal Justice (2000–2015), and is the author of more than 15 books. Prof David spoke to Giles and Jim over Zoom about some of the darker aspects of his job and how to spot a psychopath (thankfully none of this podcast we can confirm!) He also talks about his love of rugby and pinpoints the exact moment he decided to pursue a life in criminology. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Sweeney is a British investigative journalist and author. During his time at the BBC he worked on shows such as Panorama and Newsnight where his combative and bold style have seen him doorstep Putin, go undercover in North Korea, challenge Trump on his association to the mob and most infamously the time he yelled at scientologists. We caught up with John on what was VE Day and started our conversation by discussing the new normal, what we miss and what things we like about lockdown in the UK. John tells us about his journey into journalism and his time working at The Observer, the subsequent move into broadcasting at the BBC and the darker moments he has experienced personally, since leaving the corporation after an investigation he was doing on Tommy Robinson saw him land in hot water. John is wonderful company, with so many amazing stories from what is an incredible career spanning several decades and we hope this won't be the last time we talk. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It's the Spring break, so we though we'd put together a little selection of clips from some of our favourite episodes from last year to keep you going till we return in a few weeks time with some amazing new episodes. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Fiona Murden is a leadership psychologist and author of several books, including Defining You, that looks at the process of psychological profiling and fulfilling your potential. We've been wanting to speak to Fiona for quite some time to look at a bit deeper at some of the science behind what Blank moments occur and what is most effective in combatting them. We started off by chatting about the full out from the coronavirus pandemic and how it will affect people's mental health in the longterm. Fiona tells us about her work with big business leaders and what goes into doing a successful psychological profile of potential employees. We discuss sleeping habits and the many themes we hear each week on the podcast from public failure to imposter syndrome. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Paul Pilot aka Paul Wilkinson is musician, composer and producer from Northern Ireland. Best known for his band The Amazing Pilots and his recent film scores on documentaries like Finding Oscar and Netflix production The Final Cut for Orson, Paul has been a producer and sound engineer on works by Duke Special, Athlete, Rue Royale and All the Luck in the World. He is also the composer of our very own Blank Podcast title music. Paul is based in Berlin and so meeting up to record had always been difficult to arrange so, a remote recording was always on the cards. We started our chat by talking about expensive microphones and how much of a difference they make to the fine margins in vocal recordings. Paul tells about his own creative process and how we often find it hard to be satisfied with what we've made. We discussed his time as a kid growing up in Northern Ireland during the troubles and his desire to eventually seek a career in music by moving away. Paul tells us about collaboration and what it is like to be in a band with your brother. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In a special bonus episode (which we've been thinking of doing for quite sometime) Giles and Jim chat with each other about all number of subjects from minecraft and cult novels to creativity, daily stress, and of course the current news around coronavirus and how we are both dealing with isolation. A special thanks to Dominique White for a beautiful piece she emailed to us which is read out at the end of this episode. We'll resume normal transition next week when our guest is the amazing Paul Pilot Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Marcus Brigstocke is a comedian, writer and actor. Known for satirical stand-up, musical theatre and radio broadcasting on stations such as Jazz FM. We met up Marcus a couple of months back, to discuss all manner of stuff, starting with all of our passions for the arts, particularly music, each of us talking about our first albums. Marcus tells us about his passion for cheese and the poignant moment in his life this passion stems from. The chat moved on to mental health and how Marcus makes a gratitude list each morning to help him stay level. We thought we'd give you all a little extra this week and have put together a little Spotify playlist to accompany this episode, see if you can spot the songs from our first albums https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3icMfrPwid1Stu2l9DTUsI Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Chris Addison is a comedian, actor, writer and director. Starting in Stand-up Chris made his name touring the UK and playing high profile slots at Edinburgh Festival before moving into acting with his role in the multiple award-winning The Thick of It. Further acting roles and regular appearances on panel shows like Mock the Week have propelled Chris to being one of the UK's most loved performers. He has recently taken up directing with his feature debut The Hustle starring Rebel Wilson and Anne Hathaway. With the ongoing difficulties due to the outbreak of coronavirus, we have had to adapt to how we do things a little. It has always been our intention with Blank to sit down in the real world with our guests, we feel that physical connection is truly key in making sure we have the most authentic, natural and relaxed conversations, however with social distancing now being imposed we had to decide whether to have a break from podding for a while or to try some different approaches, so we've gone with the latter, because most of all, we want to continue to bring you the show, and we hope that it might give all of our wonderful listeners a little respite from the very challenging situation we currently find all ourselves in. The Pod MUST go on So Jim and Giles sat down in our respective homes, in Amersham and Seaford, to record with the brilliant Chris Addison in London. We'd arranged to pod with Chris some time ago, but his work schedule had intervened, but with work going into shutdown, Chris messaged to say let's do a podcast. We started off by chatting about messy workspaces and how this might be a good time to address it, or not as the case may be. Chris talked about those difficult years directly after university and how people can often feel adrift and not know where their path will lead, for Chris it was dreams of theatre directing, but soon became a career in stand-up comedy. We talked to Chris about his move into directing and how much of it is down to the inspiration and mentorship of people like Armando Innaucci who took a chance on Chris whilst making The Thick of It. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Isy Suttie is an actress, musician, comedian and writer. Best known for role as Dobby in the multi-award winning Peep Show, Isy is also a hugely successful stand-up and is the author of the brilliant The Actual One. We met up with Isy a few weeks back, but Coronavirus was very much on all of our minds and was the basis of our conversation. The chat soon shifted to Isy's childhood in Derbyshire and her teen years experimenting with Quija boards and how she was the go to person at parties. We discussed creativity and when it isn't quite working, Isy reveals to us her favourite pastime of looking around derelict buildings and we talk about the destructive nature of social media. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mark Watson is a British comedian and novelist, originally from Bristol, Mark has been a mainstay of the UK stand-up scene and has had several fiction titles published including Eleven and Hotel Alpha. We met with Mark down at Nordic Bar on what was an incredibly soggy day in London. We started our chat by talking about Seasonal affective disorder and how much the weather changes our moods. Mark told us about his early days doing stand-up and having adopted a Welsh accent, he explained the process of moving away from that and doing his own voice. We soon moved onto our online lives and negotiating social media and what are the best ways to stay being creative. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Layla Anna-Lee is a television presenter best known for fronting live MMA action and interviewing the best footballers on the planet. She sat down with Giles and Jim at Nordic Bar in central London to talk about moments on live TV when things went wrong, dealing with social media trolls and the pressures of being a presenter. She also brought donuts to the pod, the first guest to do so, and the three of us rated an reviewed the treats she brought because why not? Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Mangan is an actor and writer. Born in London in 1968, Mangan began his acting career in theatre before moving in TV working with the likes of Armando Iannucci, Steve Coogan and in the Multi-Award winning Green Wing. In more recent years Stephen has moved away from more comedy roles to concentrate on drama, and has recently been in BBC One's The Split alongside Nicola Walker. We met with Stephen down in South London on a very brisk February morning. We began by talking about Stephen's early life as a young lad from a large catholic family, something that really resonated with Jim, who also came from similar beginnings. Stephen told us how he got into acting the loss of his mother at a young age was a pivotal moment in him pursuing his career. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Alastair Humphrey is an adventurer, author and public speaker, who has been National Geographic's Adventurer of the Year. Alastair has cycled the globe, busked through Spain and created a new movement of micro adventures. We started our chat with Alastair about his epic journey around the world, where he cycled some 46,000 miles over four years, we find out the darker times along the way, when Alastair thought he might give up, and also the experiences of kindness and seeing the best sides of humanity. Alastair brought along his violin for a short recital at the end of the pod and tells us how he achieved a journey across Spain by busking with it every day. Alastair is an adventurer through and through and it was a truly memorable interview for us. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Simon Brodkin is a comedian, performer and renowned prankster. Best known for his character Lee Nelson, which had several series broadcast on BBC 2, and more recently his high profile stunts which has seen Simon give Theresa May a P45 and gatecrash a Fifa press conference to throw money at Sepp Blatter. We met with Simon in Old Street a day or two ahead of his new stand-up tour, his first as himself. We discussed the process and differences this has been to doing character comedy shows and how it has been a freeing experience. Simon tells us about those times in the early days when playing tricks didn't always go to plan and his years working as a junior doctor before launching a career in comedy. Simon was on top form and sharply dissected Giles and Jim's patter throughout, leaving us, quite rightly, flustered and in fits of laughter. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Emily Dean is a writer and presenter, well known for her role alongside Frank Skinner on Absolute radio, she also presents the amazing Times podcast Walking the Dog and is the author of the incredible memoir 'Everybody died, so I got a dog' We met up with Emily on a dreary winter's day in London, and started our conversation by talking about how we cope in a crowd, and are we performing and analysing what we say afterwards, and the perceptions we create about ourselves from the others point of view. Emily tells us about her Bohemian upbringing and the desire to have the life of the various 'Dog families' she encountered, who had more settled and less chaotic lives. We discuss Emily's brilliant book and the many aspects of grief she has experienced, and continues to experience and what led her to get a dog and how Raymond has changed her life. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jake Humphrey is a sports broadcaster and presenter. Originally from Norfolk, Jake started in Local TV before joining CBBC as a presenter. He's best known for presenting Formula One coverage and more recently BT Sports coverage of the Premier League. We headed down to Frequency Cafe near King's Cross to sit down for a natter with Jake over a very nice cup of coffee. Jake spoke to us about his upbringing and the encouragement and empathy he received from his parents, particularly during some challenging times at school due to be bullied. Jake explained his move into TV after failing his A-Levels and his subsequent rise to where he is now as a leading sports presenter. We discuss the many pitfalls of working in the football industry, with it's divisions of opinion and how Jake is trying to be a more positive and kind presence on social media, especially in light of Jake's own experiences with mental health in his early 20's Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Kerry Godliman is a comedian and actress, best known for her roles alongside Ricky Gervais in Derek and After Life. She is a regular on BBC Two's Mock the Week and has toured extensively doing stand up for around 20 years. Giles and Jim travelled down to West London to meet up with Kerry just before Christmas. We started by chatting about politics and Kerry having to do extensive research for her role on Mock the Week, before diving into growing up and getting into drama at school. Kerry talks about why she doesn't believe in luck, how her love of acting has helped her craft her stand up and it's difficult to make people laugh when you're feeling sad. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dame Kelly Holmes is a one of Britain's best loved and most high decorated athletes and what better person to help celebrate our 50th Episode. We met up with Dame Kelly at Acast Studios to chat about all things Blank, she talked about her time in the army and how the levels of discipline helped her when competing as an athlete. We discussed the difficult moments that come when form dips and how one such period became incredible challenging. Kelly also opens up on how she has been affected by grief in recent years, about being her own person and the power of 'Come ON!" Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

David Baddiel is a comedian and writer from London. He is very well known for his work on The Mary Whitehouse Experience, Newman and Baddiel in Pieces and his work alongside Frank Skinner on Fantasy Football. In recent years he has branch into writing books for children and his sold out tours and recent play God's Dice have been highly acclaimed. We met David on a very cold General Election Day in London, we tried to avoid politics, but could only hold back for a couple of minutes before diving in on the current political landscape. Thoughts soon changed to dealing with insomnia and David's early life growing up in North London, and his early love of music and trying and failing to be in a band. We discussed getting into comedy, forming collaborations with others and how that has sometimes not always been the easiest way of working. David tells us about his blank moments, which often manifest in his anxiety around health and mortality, that often been exacerbated by caring for his Dad, who had dementia Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ben Miller is a comedian, actor, and writer who is known for the award-winning The Armstrong and Miller Show and his acting roles in Death in Paradise and The Worst Week of My Life. In recent years Ben has appeared in many films including Paddington 2 and as well as publishing two highly acclaimed books for children. We met up with Ben at Nordic Bar and began our conversation by discussing Vikings and their true motives back in the day. Ben told us about his life at school and being an academic before discovering comedy and pledging himself to the craft. We discussed being writers, how sometimes that gets forgotten as performing becomes more prominent and being away from home filming can be very challenging. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Rufus Hound is an actor, comedian and presenter. He is best known for his regular stints on shows like Celebrity Juice and hosting coverage of Glastonbury and Top of the Pops. More recently he has been receiving critical acclaim for his acting roles in a number of stage productions including most recently The Boy in the Dress at the RSC. We met up with Rufus in Stratford Upon Avon at the Royal Shakespeare Company, where we is currently performing in The Boy in the Dress, the new musical based on the book of the same name by David Walliams with music by Robbie Williams and Guy Chambers. We headed up to the 'Quiet Room' at the top of the building to chat about moving away from comedy, but still feeling like a comedian. The difficult moments at being away from home for long periods of time for work, being an absurdist and how disconnected we have become as a society. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

John Bradley is an English actor, best known for his role as Samwell Tarly in the HBO fantasy TV series Game of Thrones, and has recently finished work on the film Marry Me alongside Jennifer Lopez and Owen Wilson. We met up with John on a very cold afternoon in London to sit down and talk at length about his acting process, the little intricacies that he wants to put into every role and how sometimes that attention to detail spills into his real life. We discussed the pressure of expectation on being in such a huge show and John's own moments of coping with impostor syndrome and how home, in Manchester, is such an important part of his life. John tells us about finding a quiet respite in drumming and his ultimate drum along song. Make sure you listen right to the end! Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Dawn French is a British actor, comedian and writer. Her partnership with Jennifer Saunders, which began in the early 80's has produced multi-award winning sketch shows for the BBC and made them household names. She has been a successful actor in her own right starring in comedy shows like The Vicar of Dibly and dramas such as Delicious for Sky Arts. Dawn is also a prolific writer and has had several bestselling novels including A tiny Bit Marvellous and her ME/YOU Diary. We met up with Dawn on a crisp autumn morning at Frequency Cafe near Kings Cross, our conversation began with discussing the merits of Gloucester services and the many times we have to stop when we're on the road whilst touring. Dawn spoke about her time moving around as a child because of her Dad's job in the RAF. We discussed trying to find our thing and when we do making sure we own it. Dawn spoke about the serendipity of meeting her comedy partner Jennifer Saunders, dislike of awards and how blank moments for her need to be face head on. *Little warning; the c-word does appear once in this episode so if you have kids listening you may want to use headphones!* Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jess Impiazzi is an actress, writer and former glamour model and reality TV star. Jess first came to prominence during her time on Ex-On the Beach and Celebrity Big Brother, but her first love has always been acting, having trained at Italia Conti as a teenager and she's now back doing what she loves. We met up with Jess in Surrey to talk about her early life and the many challenges and difficult moments she faced at a very young age. Jess talked candidly about suffering from depression in her late teens and the moment she attempted to take her own life and why that was a turning point for her. We talked about the negative aspects of reality TV and the lack of aftercare that is shown to participants and how Jess is excited about returning to her lifelong passions. It was a real privilege to chat with Jess, and her warmth and positivity are truly inspiring. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sir Nick Faldo is one of the greatest British golf players of all time, winning The Open three times – the first home player to do so since Henry Cotton – as well as the Masters also three times, he spent 97 weeks as No.1 in the world and is now a regular analyst for CBS and designer of courses. We met up with Sir Nick in his UK home in Eton, right by the river Thames. It was an early start for us all, so we hastily retreated to a local cafe to grab a cuppa and chat about Sir Nick's incredible career, his dedication to the game, which started at an early age and how blank moments can be controlled by visualising positive outcomes. Sir Nick tells us about taking risks, in particular, when going through a period of poor form he decided to drastically change his swing, which changed his career forever.H Huge thanks to Ben Corrigan of the amazing Excuse the Mess podcast for the additional post production support.Check out his podcast here: https://castbox.fm/va/2111179 Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Melvin Odoom is a British DJ, Broadcaster and Comedian. Alongside Rickie Haywood-Williams and Charlie Hedges, Melvin has hosted Kiss Breakfast every weekday morning. Melvin has presented on TV shows like Xtra Factor, Bang on the Money and Channel 4's Lego masters. Giles and Jim met up with Melvin just before the summer to chat all about 'blank' moments in broadcasting, how having a positive outlook on life has lead to many opportunities and considering new paths to travel including stand-up comedy Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Lucy Pinder is a British model, actress, and podcaster. Originally from Winchester, Lucy has been seen in several films and has made many TV appearances in Dream Team, Book at Bedtime and Celebrity Big Brother. We met up with Lucy back in July at Acast to chat about our mutual love of podcasting, changing careers and how Lucy's 'blank' moments come from an unexpected place. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jessica Fostekew is a comedian, actor, writer and podcaster. We met up with Jessica just before the start of her Edinburgh Fringe show, which she was busily putting the finishing touches to. We discussed food and podcasts before diving into finding out about Jessica's early life and negotiating friendship groups through secondary school and how one group allowed her to finally find herself. Jessica tells us about finding comedy and the power of collaboration, working with a producer and also, starting to produce with others. We talk writing groups and the perfect 90's ice creams Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices