Well it feels like quite a while since we were here last… how have you been? What with the Leicester Weekend, and then dashing off on holiday I can't really remember where we had got up to, not that it really matters because this week was always going to be a bit of a catch-up and reset as far as TCD goes (...sorry Lucy). What I can tell you is that Lionel Plain, who is one of the Purple folk, came up with an inspired idea for the middle of the pod this week - which was welcome because it meant ...
Jun 16, 2025•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 237
There is a school of thought that TCD (...sorry Lucy) is just like listening to two blokes chatting in a pub, and there is indeed a lot in that observation that has merit. It would certainly go a long way to explain the slightly juvenile humour, the occasional grumpy chunter and the fact we often giggle uncontrollably and sound a bit pissed. And, as is the case with most good pub conversations, every once in a while we actually find ourselves having a relatively serious discussion. Today is one ...
May 26, 2025•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 236
There is a paradox at the heart of this weeks episode of The Corona Diaries (see what I did there…) and it is this. Getting Lucy Jordache on the zoom call was easy, she was more than up for a repeat appearance on the pod. Getting her to actually talk about herself and her life, was a darn sight more tricky. But we are nothing if not determined (creatives code for just bloody nosey) and between the two of us we were able to get to know a bit more about one of the significant dollops of glue that ...
May 12, 2025•53 min•Season 1Ep. 235
We have hit a bit of a milestone, and it is sort of crept up on us. Would you believe it has been five years (and a few days) since we announced the upcoming launch of The Corona Diaries, and pretty much five years to the day that the first chapter (This Strange Podcast) was offered up for your consumption. And haven't we been through some crazy stuff; in fact haven't we helped each other through some crazy stuff. We are bound together by a heady mix of the half-remembered and the humorous, by t...
Apr 28, 2025•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 234
I bet you never thought we would remember to pick up the Holidays in Eden chat. You know, the one we started before the first weekend at PZ. Well we did and we have. Of course it’s not without the usual TCD (…sorry Lucy) eccentricities. I was post-pub, post-airing cupboard and Ant was in a hotel library (who knew) that had more than a whiff of the Shining about it. But we did manage to get through to the end, both in regards to the plan and also the recording and we present it for your pleasure....
Apr 14, 2025•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 233
I am not really sure how to describe this episode of TCD (...sorry, Lucy). If it helps to set the scene then you might want to consider the following; I am/was in Montreal at the time of recording, and Ant was ensconced in his villains lair, in Heckmondwike. The wi-fi was more than a bit iffy, in fact for the first five minutes so it was looking like a bit of a non-starter. I hadn't put much thought into the rest of my week, and Ant hadn't really put much thought into anything other than questio...
Mar 31, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 232
Here we go then, an episode recorded over the kitchen table at Ant's chalet in PZ. Nothing too complicated in the notes because we are up against it for time, needless to say there are a few Marillion Weekend night one spoilers in here, so please consider swerving this one for the time being if you don't want that kind of intel. Right I have to dash, stuff to do, gin to drink. Love'n'four doors down. h TCD Merch Store Become Purple and support the show The Invisible Man Volume 1: 1991-1997 The I...
Mar 17, 2025•49 min•Season 1Ep. 231
Would you believe it’s been 34 years since we wrote and recorded the Holidays in Eden album… Yes of course you can, because you and I both know that a whole heap of stuff had happened since then. But still, 34 years, it does make you stop and think. Which is of course what I did, when I listened back to it the other day. So for this chapter of TCD (…sorry Lucy) we ar going to talk about side one of HiE heard through ears that are older by three decades and a little more. And if that wasn’t enoug...
Mar 03, 2025•1 hr•Season 1Ep. 230
For your discerning palette. Appetiser: A fact-free riff on the history of the Rolling Stones, complete with rugs, confectionary and transfusions. Entree: Quite an interesting chat about Holidays in Eden and its significance in terms of both the back catalogue, and the evolution of our work. Not the conversation we set to have, in true TCD style (sorry Lucy), but worth a listen. Dessert: A selection of three; an alternative take on Valentines, abstinence for those that get easily distracted, and...
Feb 17, 2025•59 min•Season 1Ep. 229
As we approach the five year anniversary of the podcast (and who would have thunk that would have been a thing) I never thought I would have been reading a recipe out loud. But after a bit of kerfuffle at Ant's end, I received the JPEGs required to make it possible. There is of course good reason, and it's a little complicated, but it involves fish finger apathy and me forgetting to listen to Holidays in Eden and by the time you get to the end of #228 it should all make some kind of sense. And t...
Feb 03, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 228
Apologies in advance for the first 5-10 minutes of this episode of TCD (sorry, Lucy) as Ant faffed around trying to get his microphone to send a signal to his recording software. We kept it in because it's a little insight into the technical challenges that men of a certain age often face. And on that subject I did finally manage to send Ant those two pictures I promised, only took three days... Anyway onto to the business in hand, and today we return to the subject of Marillion Promo Vids as we...
Jan 20, 2025•57 min•Season 1Ep. 227
Well hello, thanks for coming...it really is lovely to see you! Ant thought it might be nice to begin 2025 (HNY by the way, I hope you had a good 'un) with a bit of a pop quiz, based around what I can actually remember about my own podcast. Clearly he thought this would be hilarious, particularly as the only bit of a clue I was allowed was the chapter title and the date it was published. And because the whole world seems to be doing 2024 review-type stuff at the moment, we started with the first...
Jan 06, 2025•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 226
If everything has gone to plan, and you are a Purple, then I am currently in East Sussex, preparing for the second of my Christmas h Natural affairs at Trading Boundaries. Let me tell you that last night was amazing, and I’ll try to improve on it tonight. If everything has gone to plan, and you are listening to this upon general release, then Trading Boundaries was an absolute blast and to quote our Sue 'we all had a lovely time'. Anyway back to today and what we have for you is a bit of chat ab...
Dec 16, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 225
We are going back to '95 today as we continue on the promo-video chat, and get deep into the making of the Beautiful video. This if course is quite opportune, as most of these vids have finally been uploaded to the Marillion YouTube channel. Which means you can watch it right now by clicking here and then be slightly prepared for what is to come. Not much more you need to know before diving in, which is good because I am already behind on working up tunes for the Christmas shows, and writing out...
Dec 02, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 224
If you are a purple patron of TCD (sorry Lucy) then you will have heard some of this before, because we had a chat about the Brave movie (and working with Richard Stanley) in a recent Q&A. Well today we build on that conversation, as we have arrived at that point in our loose 'promo-video-reminiscences' timeline. And because of that slight crossover, now would be a good time to remind you that becoming a supporting patron of the podcast brings with it many benefits. Apart from being part of ...
Nov 18, 2024•1 hr 1 min•Season 1Ep. 223
This week’s episode of TCD (sorry Lucy) is one of those where we really benefit from having a clever and creative voice in the room. You may recall that we have been talking about the Marillion promo vids on a kind of ad-hoc basis, and that the last time we touched on that topic we talked about the singles from Holidays. That took us to the legendary Howard Greenhalgh, a bit of a creative trailblazer and all round top bloke. Fast forward a couple of weeks and following a couple of speculative me...
Nov 04, 2024•59 min•Season 1Ep. 222
Greetings from NYC…. I have to say that this week has gone by in a a bit of a blur. Indeed, it seems a long time since I was strapped to the chair, recording this week’s TCD (sorry, Lucy) pondering what I still had left to do, before I could set-off to board a plane and cross the Atlantic. Certainly, I wasn’t expecting Ant to take me back to shooting the promo videos for Holidays in Eden, or to be reminiscing about working with the legendary director Howard Greenhalgh. He was quite a character, ...
Oct 21, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 221
Here we go then, the second half of my Seasons End musings, based on having listened to the album again for the first time in ages. Of course since we last spoke it has tipped past its 35th Anniversary, which is a statement that has the power to stop you dead in your tracks, particularly if it feels like last year. Anyway we got as far as Holloway Girl on TCD #219 (sorry Lucy) so today we start with Berlin, and work our way through the latter stages of the album. And tbh there isn't much else to...
Oct 07, 2024•1 hr 4 min•Season 1Ep. 220
Who says you can’t teach on old dog new tricks, well to be fair lots of people - including me as it goes - but you know what I mean. So for this episode of TCD (sorry Lucy) we are having a crack at something a bit different, based around an idea that Ant had. I happened to mention a few weeks ago that I rarely listen back to the Marillion albums and haven’t done for quite a while. Consequently my experience of our back catalogue tends to be in rehearsal and on stage. Anyway he suggested that I s...
Sep 23, 2024•52 min•Season 1Ep. 219
The first TCD of September (sorry Lucy) and we are starting with what could be loosely called ‘a plan’. Following some imaginative intervention from the Purples, we have a rich vein of chat suggestions to mine over the coming weeks, starting with a belter from Roger Harvey. But I ain’t going to spoil the surprise, so you will just have to listen for the details - and of course we will also be requiring you all to help provide the clarifications when the timeline gets a little hazy. Love’n’linen ...
Sep 09, 2024•1 hr 3 min•Season 1Ep. 218
It’s literally two years since we had an episode quite like this one. And in an unusual foray into accuracy I can give you the exact details, because it was Chapter 122 The reason I know this is because that week Ant was on holiday in Catalonia, and as such he recorded his half of the conversation in a lively cafe in Platja d’Aro. And, literally just for the hell of it, he is back in the same spot - only this time it was a hotel reception. The good news is that the Wi-Fi was considerably better,...
Aug 26, 2024•1 hr 5 min•Season 1Ep. 217
Big shout out to Roger Harvey, who in a round-about way has filled the middle of the TCD doughnut this week. Confused? Well let me explain.. As you know I read a bit of something in the middle of each week's pod. Since I got through all of The Invisible Man diaries, I have been rooting around the bottom of the digital drawer looking for interesting (and previously unread) stuff to include. And, as most of you are aware I tend to do this a bit 'on the hoof' each week. Anyway this week I had to me...
Aug 12, 2024•53 min•Season 1Ep. 216
It struck me as I was listening to chapter 215 that one of the quirks of recording TCD (sorry Lucy) is that the process is often interrupted by what has gone before. It isn't exactly a 'ghost in the machine' because it is all very explainable, and indeed predictable. Let me try and enlighten you. The way I record my half of the conversation involves overdubbing onto a file that contains snippets of previous recordings; you know the kind of thing, old diary readings, the musical idents we use to ...
Jul 29, 2024•47 min•Season 1Ep. 215
I was minded on listening back that we spend years fine-tuning our quirks, in fact I am not convinced it's a process we ever actually get to the end of. But these are the things that define who we are. So to know me is to know both my caffeine routine and how I close an overhead locker when I am on a plane. So I say 'embrace all quirks without fear or self consciousness' and respect and cherish those of the people that you encounter along the way Because life for me often involves an imaginary p...
Jul 15, 2024•56 min•Season 1Ep. 214
This week's TCD (sorry Lucy) reminds me of when you take a drive to somewhere you travel to often. Not a quick-round-the-corner to the shop kind of trip, more a journey that you know well but maybe takes an hour to two. Sometimes you arrive at such a destination, not really remembering exactly how you got there. You know you have been in the car for a couple of hours, and that you have covered 103 miles but as to the specifics of the journey, well that kind of went by in a blur. So when I came t...
Jul 01, 2024•57 min•Season 1Ep. 213
It’s the end of an era, sort of. Back on the 27th April, 2020 the first episode proper of TCD (sorry, Lucy) was published and we have been chucking them out every week for well over four years. But with 212 that streak comes to an end, because as of next week we are changing our cadence. I don’t think either of us expected to still be doing this after 50 episodes, let alone 200, and of course life has moved on bringing more pressure on diaries and the time available to keep the content coming. A...
Jun 17, 2024•1 hr 11 min•Season 1Ep. 212
Apologies for missing last week (though very soon you will know why) This one was a little tough in prospect but alright once we got going. It sounds a bit different owing to Ant not being able to get his tech to work (post Spanish-holibobs) and having to use the USB mic instead of the flash one he normally uses. Having said all that, in many ways it is an archetypal episode of TCD - bawdy seaside postcards, eccentric village-folk and me with one leg in a fantasy-world, and the other one standin...
Jun 10, 2024•51 min•Season 1Ep. 211
Well it's been a bit of a palaver this week, trying to get TCD (sorry, Lucy) ready for the outside world. The recording seemed to go well, but when I was putting it together it became apparent that Ant had forgotten his trademark 'and we're back' after the diary reading, so I had to crowbar one in from a previous episode. Actually on that point, the first person who can correctly identify which of the previous 209 episodes it came from can have a bag of Starmix. So I got around that little faux-...
May 27, 2024•1 hr 2 min•Season 1Ep. 210
I am properly losing track of what I am reading every week in the diary section. Even since we finished Volume II of The Invisible Man (1998-2014) I have been scrabbling around on my hands and knees (figuratively speaking of course) under the lid of my MacBook trying to locate odd bits of stuff to read out. And because I keep stumbling on stuff, we have lost all sense of chronology in terms of what we have included and what can still be used. Which is why I sent Ant an email on Wednesday and ask...
May 20, 2024•1 hr 6 min•Season 1Ep. 209
We don't very often about the technical side of producing The Corona Diaries (see what I did there Lucy) mainly because we don't want to be seen to be blowing our collective trumpet, and partly because it isn't that interesting. But it is slightly relevant this week so here we go. Most weeks, usually on a Tuesday, Ant sets up a Zoom call and we congregate - rarely on time, and never before ten - to ease ourselves into the process. In short order we hit the record button, and away we go, but beca...
May 13, 2024•50 min•Season 1Ep. 208
