White Wine Question Time

Welcome to the first WEEKEND Wine Question Time... As we approach our 500th episode we wanted to invite YOU to have your say and put your questions to our guests. To get in touch you can DM us via Instagram or email us We'd love to know what you think! Happy Easter from the whole team at White Wine Question Time. Cheers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We have something new for you this week - in addition to a brilliant new episode from Cold Feet star Hermione Norris (we now have a full set of Cold Feet actors!) we're only days away from our first SATURDAY episode. We'll now be releasing a bonus Weekend Wine Question Time episode on a Saturday morning featuring YOUR questions put to our guests - so watch out for new guest announcements on Instagram and DM or email us ([email protected]) with your questions. Thanks as ever for listening - we hope you have a peaceful and relaxing Easter. Cheers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

For the last of March's Inspirational Women episodes we're looking back to 2023 and our chat with Brenda Edwards. From X Factor to the West End and spot on the Loose Women panel Brenda has kept moving forward through times of tragedy. She is the very definition of inspiration. We hope you've enjoyed this look back at our fabulous femails - next month we'll turn our attention to four fantastic April fools... the best of the comedians we've spoken to over the past seven years. As ever - let us know what you think about the podcast - you can email [email protected], leave a review wherever you're listening to this podcast AND you can now watch highlights from our conversations on our new YouTube channel Cheers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Born in Shanxi province, China in 1993 Carlos Gu was raised by his single mother who supported his dancing ambitions which saw him become a Chinese National Champion dancer.He’s been competing on a global stage since a young age but in 2022 he received the phone call he’d dreamed of – an invitation to join Strictly Come Dancing and a move to London – somewhere he’s always imagined could be his home.His new adopted home gave him a freedom to come-out as a gay man – something he’s described as being “reborn and to live the life that I've been dreaming of for years”He’s about to set out on tour with  fellow Strictly pro Amy Dowden – the show is called ‘Reborn 2.0’ a deeply personal show that tells the story of second-chapters and new beginnings. The timing is perfect – as his dream gig got even better last Christmas when he partnered Karen Carney all the way to the final and lifted the glitterball trophy.What an incredible story... cheers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Time for another trip to our cellar archive to find another brilliant inspiration woman - as we've been doing throughout March. This is one of our favourite EVER episodes - recorded in 2024 we surprised Jane McDonald with messages from her former colleagues on Loose Women as they reminisced over their favourite Jane moments. It's an absolute joy - and well worth another listen, Cheers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Steve Backshall is a BAFTA winning nature presenter famous for bringing wildlife and adventure to life for audiences of all ages. His infectious enthusiasm and a fearless approach to exploration, has inspired millions to take an interest in the natural world and the creatures that inhabit it. Born in 1973 in Bagshot, Surrey, he grew up exploring the world outside his front door, developing a fascination with ponds, woodlands, and local habitats which would eventually lead to a Masters degree in bioscience and some much bigger adventures.His route into television wasn’t straightforward – in the late 90s – after a period backpacking around the world he bought a video camera and decided to film himself trekking the jungles of Columbia – he sold the tapes to the National Geographic Channel who made him their ‘Adventurer in Residence’ A move to the BBC followed with spells on the Really Wild Show and Springwatch – but in 2008 we got our first glimpse of Deadly 60 – the show which saw Steve swim with great white sharks, catch king cobra, black mamba and lancehead snakes, have a redback spider crawl across his hand and was get bitten on the leg by a caiman while searching for anaconda in an Argentine swamp. The show was a huge success – and at its peak was broadcast in 157 countries and now tours arenas as a live show.Beyond television, Steve is an accomplished adventurer, author, and conservationist. He has led and taken part in numerous extreme expeditions, including pioneering kayak journeys and jungle crossings, often using these challenges to raise awareness of environmental issues, inspiring curiosity, courage, and care for the natural world. Enjoy Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

As we celebrated International Women's Day earlier in the month we've been looking back at inspirational woman who've appeared on the podcast over the past seven years. Today it's the triple threat of Hannah Waddingham. It's a fabulous conversation from 2024 as she started filming for series 3 of Ted Lasso, on the eve of Emmy recognition. Listen, be inspired, and enjoy. Cheers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Richard Herring became half of a decade-defining comedy act with Stewart Lee – thanks to a chance meeting in an Oxford cricket pavilion which was the genesis of a 13-year creative partnership which included the cult classic Fist of Fun and the legendary Edinburgh Fringe show ‘This Morning with Richard not Judy’ Another important pairing came along in 2008 when he teamed up with the NME journalist and then 6Music presenter Andrew Collins for a new show – but not on the radio or the television – to the dismay of many of their peers they would chat for an hour or so giving away material for free on a ‘podcast’. It’s a genre that Richard had helped define. From his decision to host his shows in front of paying audiences (long before podcasts were profitable!) Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast – of RHLSTP to those in the know recently put out its 600th episode, that’s in addition to the multiple spin-offs which help contribute to over a million downloads per month. As a comedian he’s been described as “One of the leading hidden masters of modern British comedy” – that’s despite deciding in the early 90s that he wasn’t very good at solo stand-up. In fact he describes his first attempts as “largely humiliating and unsatisfying.” A decade on from his early set-backs he toured shows like Talking Cock, Hitler Moustache, Someone Likes Yoghurt and Talking Cock: The Second Coming. In his show The Headmaster’s Son he focussed on life as the son of the Headmaster – dedicated to his Dad – very much his origin story as a comedian. Like many in comedy lockdown forced all of his content online – but Richard suffered a second setback when in 2021 he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. He wrote about it in his typically dark-humoured book ‘Can I Have My Ball Back?’, where he explored how his diagnosis and subsequent treatment forced him to reflect on his own mortality and masculinity.With almost 500 episodes of White Wine Question Time, and 600 episode of Richard Herring’s Leicester Square Theatre Podcast I wonder if this might be the most ‘capped’ interview on the internet?Cheers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

To celebrate International Women's Day we've dug deep in our archive to find some truly inspirational women. Bonnie Langford has been treading the boards and entertaining us since before she was a teenager. Her career is as extraordinary as it is long and she has the anecdotes and stories worthy of someone who's been in as many legendary shows as she has. In this chat we chart the ups and downs, the successes and the 'lessons' from 50 years in show-business.We'll be back with a new episode on Thursday and for the first time a BONUS episode on Saturday. We'll tell you more about that on the next podcast. Until then, cheers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On this week's episode we're chatting to one of the most instantly recognisable voices in British comedy. Lucy Beaumont was raised by her mother – the playwright Gill Adams in Hull, she went to school and University in the city and got her first acting jobs at the Hull Truck Theatre. Her comedy breakthrough was almost accidental – her first stand-up gigs were an attempt to conquer her stage fright – she entered the ‘So You Think You’re Funny’ Competition and went on to reach the final.Even after she left Hull – the city features heavily in her work – she made three series of the radio sitcom To Hull & Back, and co-wrote the Channel 4 comedy ‘Hullraisers’She’s become a regular on our screens on comedy shows like Live at the Apollo, Would I Lie to You? QI, Taskmaster, 8 Out of 10 Cats Does Countdown and the Bafta-nominated mockumentary ‘Meet the Richardson’s’ - an exaggerated version of her marriage to Jon Richardson.Last year millions watched Lucy get murdered in a Scottish Castle on Celebrity Traitors and she’s currently appearing alongside Johnny Vegas, Lesley Joseph, Shobna Gulati and a cameo from Sir Tom Courtenay in a sell-out 40th Anniversary revival of Jim Cartwright’s play ‘Road’ about 80s life in a Northern Town which has received rave reviews.Her next stand-up tour ‘Bad at Quiz Shows, Good with Weirdos’ will be her biggest yet – and it’s fair to say that right now she’s at the top of her game. Her material has always been autobiographical – she’s shared her stories of Hull, motherhood, and marriage – so I’m looking forward to finding out what this next chapter holds… Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Throughout March we're celebrating inspirational women, and where better to start than 80s pop star turned award-winning horticulturalist, Kim Wilde.In this episode, Kim takes us through her incredible journey—from a shy girl raised in a musical household to a teen being catapulted to global fame with "Kids in America", a song that changed everything for her and her family. Here, she reflects on the wild ride of her music career and reveals how stepping away from the spotlight and into gardening in her 30s gave her life a new sense of purpose.So join me as we head back to 2024 for another classic conversation from the Cellar. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our guest on this episode of White Wine Question Tim is Joanna Page, an actor and presenter from Swansea, who was told whilst she was training at RADA that she was not a bad actress, the problem was that she was Welsh…Luckily for all of us she didn’t let these comments hold her back, and ended up leaving RADA early to join the Royal National Theatre and then the Royal Shakespeare Company, appearing in the star-studded 1999 BBC adaptation of David Copperfield, and then what proved to be one of the nation’s all-time favourite Christmas films, Love Actually.She seems to have a knack of winning roles in some of our most beloved shows, playing the titular Stacey Shipman in the BAFTA-winning series Gavin & Stacey alongside Ruth Jones, James Corden, and Matthew Horne - the final episode was one of the most-watched TV shows of the last two decades, with an audience of over 20 million.She has four children with her actor husband James Thornton, who she starred with in David Copperfield, but in a truly Dickensian plot-twist she didn’t meet him at the time – it took a later introduction to throw them together from drama school friend Maxine PeakeSo sit back and enjoy this chat with Joanna Page as she discusses that Gavin & Stacey finale, Hollywood's very own Margot Robbie being a fan, and how she feels about nude scenes.If you're looking for more information about the National Lottery Open Week that Joanna mentioned - it runs from 7-15 March, and it’s your chance to unlock some of the UK’s hidden gems. You can show any National Lottery ticket, Scratchcard or Instant Win Game and get free or discounted entry, plus special offers, at hundreds of funded venues across the UK - from BFI Escapes to creative spaces and iconic hidden gems like Dover’s wartime tunnels and the Eden Project’s living clay sculpture. To find a participating venue near you, visit www.nationallotteryopenweek.comCheers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Time for our final look back at the best couples' conversations from our archive.This week we're heading back to one of our live episodes. After our interview Martin & Shirlie were good enough to stick around and record a special episode answering questions from our audience. You can find the interview in our archive but we wanted to play this bonus episode - Martin and Shirlie were on EXCELLENT form talking about Kemp's Crunchies (not at all what Kate was thinking!), Martin's gardening tribute to his dad, and the film you never knew Martin was involved in!Our 500th episode is coming soon - and we'd love to hear from you. Whether you're new to our podcast (welcome!) or an OG listener - we want to know which episodes you've enjoyed the most. Just drop us an email to [email protected] - we'd love to hear from you.We'll be back on Thursday with a brand new episode.Cheers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Dave Stewart is a true music icon. Born in Sunderland in 1952 his first love affair was with football – dreaming of a career playing for the Black Cats, but a knee injury and his parents’ divorce changed his entire outlook. Music filled a hole - despite a music teacher who described his dreams as ‘idiotic’ it became his passion, inspired by his Dad’s high-tech (for the 70s!) stereo system, a Robert Johnson blues album and some eye-opening teenage experimentation with acid.He signed to Elton John’s record label shortly after leaving school and after several false starts he met Annie Lennox in 1976 and formed a band together called The Tourists – a pre-curser to the significantly more successful 80s project The Eurythmics .In the 45 years since then Dave has done it all – as an artist he’s a Grammy winner, as a producer he’s won multiple Brit Awards, as a song-writer he’s won the prestigious Silver Clef award, he’s won a Golden Glove for composing a song with Mick Jagger for Alfie and in 2024 he teamed up with Joss Stone to write a musical version of The Time Traveller’s Wife. It’s hard to put his contribution to music into context because his impact on popular music is so vast.Let me list just SOME of the artists he’s produced, written for or recorded with:Paul McCartney, Bono, Aretha Franklin, Alison Moyet, Bryan Ferry, Sinead O’Connor, No Doubt, Jon Bon Jovi, Bob Geldoff, Bryan Ferry, & Stevie Nicks. In fact in 2011 he briefly formed a supergroup comprised of himself, Mick Jagger, Joss Stone, Damian Marley and A.R. Rahman.He’s one of the great innovators – in 1998 his album SlyFi became the first album to be released on the internet – it predates Google, and MySpace and Facebook wouldn’t be launched for another SEVEN years.Now in his early 70s he continues to inspire – until Covid he owned and ran a creative members club in London, and through his new venture Rare Entity he continues to push musical boundaries and work with some of the world’s biggest names in music.Enjoy our chat with an icon.Cheers! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Valentine's weekend may have been and gone, but throughout February we're looking back at some of our favourite couples' conversations from our archive. This week it's Strictly Come Dancing's power couple - Janette Manrara & Aljaž Škorjanec. Hear how their romance bloomed on the touring dance show 'Burn the Floor', why they only row once every three years and the best engagement story we've ever had on the podcast. Enjoy the conversation - we'll be back on Thursday with a brand new episode. Cheers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Josh Widdicombe is one of the most recognisable comedians on our TV screens right now. Along with Adam Hills and Alex Brooker (both in our back catalogue) he's presented more than THIRTY seasons into The Last Leg - a show which was only meant to run for a few weeks during the 2012 Paralympics!He's also, along with fellow comedian Rob Beckett, responsible for Parenting Hell - one of the most successful podcasts of all time. It's fast approaching a BILLION downloads, and having been sold to Spotify in a big money deal it's still a fan favourite.Now Josh is turning his attention to the 90s and his passion for the decade's pop culture. And why not - it was brilliant. From Nasty Nick to Mr Blobby, we chat about some of the moments that defined the decade, as well as his relation to Henry VIII and the moments that made him.It's a lovely chat as he joins us from his relatively new Devon home (which used to belong to Noel Edmonds!) so get comfortable and enjoy.Cheers Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Well we had to didn't we?Throughout February we're celebrating the best of the couples' conversations we've shared over the past seven years, and with the Winter Olympics under way in Italy we're reliving one of Team GB's most iconic moments on ice with Jane Torvill & Christopher Dean. WE KNOW their relationship is a professional one, and a decades-long friendship - but here on White Wine Question Time we think Valentines can be for those partners in life who just make everything better - so this episode is dedicated to the best friends, mates, and pals who are always there for us no matter what! Enjoy the conversation and good luck to the newest generation of Olympians in Milan. Cheers. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.