Martin O'Neill OBE is a Northern Irish professional football manager and former player who played as a midfielder. His distinguished playing career included winning two European cups with Nottingham Forest and was capped 64 times for Northern Ireland. As a manager he has won two league cups with Leicester, he was the most successful Celtic manager since Jock Stein, winning 213 games in his time there. He has also managed Wycombe Wanderers, Aston Villa, Sunderland and Nottingham Forest. We talked...
Jan 24, 2023•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 196
Bonnie Langford is an icon of British stage and screen. She came to prominence as a child star in the 1970s, when she had a notable role in the TV series Just William and went on to play companion Mel Bush in Doctor Who and Carmel Kazemi on EastEnders, for which she won the 2016 British Soap Award for Best Newcomer. She has also appeared in various musicals in the West End and on Broadway, including Peter Pan, Cats, The Pirates of Penzance and Chicago. Bonnie chatted to Giles and Jim about being...
Jan 17, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 195
Martin Owen is a British Film director and Producer. Martin's film directing credits include The Loneliest Boy in the World, Twist, Killers Anonymous and Exec producer on Save the Cinema. We talk to Martin about growing up in the North East, his love of football and 80's film and TV and we find out what it's like for a director on set. PLUS extra content with Martin for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast Tickets to Jim's February show here: https://www.angelcomedy.co.uk/event-detail/jim-dal...
Jan 10, 2023•1 hr 8 min•Ep. 194
Richard Makin, AKA School Night Vegan, is a vegan food expert, author and influencer. We talked to Richard about his vegan journey, food trucks, San Francisco, Finders Keepers, Regina Blitz, and lots more randomness. Pre-order Richard's book here: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Anything-You-Can-Cook-Vegan/dp/152663841X PLUS extra content with Richard for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Pivete...
Dec 20, 2022•1 hr 28 min•Ep. 193
Kimberley Burrows is a blind, abstract expressionist artist. Using painting as a form of therapy, Kimberley’s eclectic prints capture emotions, moods and movement through vibrant colours and brushstroke technique. Kimberley's work has recently been adapted into a range of garments for high-street fashion retailer Warehouse. We talked to Kimberley about the many challenges she has faced, from the age of four years old she has had multiple surgeries on her eyes and how art has provided constant th...
Dec 13, 2022•1 hr 29 min•Ep. 192
Sponsored by Babbel. Language learning that works. Go to babbel.com/podcast22, and use promo code BLANK for an extra three months free. Chanel Cresswell is an English actress, best known for playing Kelly Jenkins in the film This Is England, Katie in Sky One's Trollied and as Coleen Rooney in the upcoming Channel 4 drama, Vardy Vs Rooney. We talked to Chanel about growing up in a busy family in Derby, breaking into acting and her process for getting into roles based on real people. PLUS extra co...
Dec 06, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Ep. 191
This episode is sponsored by Aquila. Visit Aquila.co.uk/blankpod for 20 % off Aquila childrens' magazines. Larsen Thompson is an actor, model, dancer and musician. She has appeared in music videos for Sia and Pink and is currently starting in The Midnight Club on Netflix. She spoke to Giles and Jim about her experiences in the modelling and dancing world, moving into making her own music and how to embrace our imperfections. PLUS extra content with Larsen for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodc...
Nov 29, 2022•1 hr 32 min•Ep. 190
This week Giles and Jim have a conversation about life and dealing with difficult moments in creativity, they also answer some listeners questions about all things Blank. Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It's Coming Home 2022, Alice Chrystall, Maddie Lightfoot, Alex Collis, Martin Grimm, Vicki, Julianna Williams, Rachel Bo...
Nov 22, 2022•1 hr 4 min•Ep. 189
Sponsored by Typology. Go to uk.typology.com/blank and you’ll receive a free lip & cheek balm worth £16 when you make a purchase. Natalie is an actor and musical theatre star, well known for her roles in BBC's The Capture, Sandylands, The Great and Roadkill starring Hugh Laurie. She has also starred in the West End Musical adaptation of Bend it Like Beckham. We talked to Natalie about live performance and having to learn how to play football, having acting as an outlet in difficult times and...
Nov 15, 2022•1 hr 52 min•Ep. 188
Sponsored by 50 Coffee Breaks. Visit www.amazon.co.uk/50coffeebreaks to learn more about 50 Coffee Breaks and pick the language that’s right for you. George Webster is an actor, writer and director who is currently playing Hugo Delaney in Disney+'s Wedding Season. He has also appeared in E4's Tripped, Irish independent film My Name Is Emily and Simon Mirren's French-Canadian period series, Versailles. He chatted to Giles and Jim about Seaford, non-league football, writing, directing and acting i...
Nov 08, 2022•1 hr 24 min•Ep. 187
Amrita Acharia is a Norwegian actress of Nepalese–Ukrainian origins. She is best known for her roles as Irri in the HBO series Game of Thrones, Aabis in The Serpent Queen and as Dr. Ruby Walker in the ITV series The Good Karma Hospital. We talk to Amrita about the various school systems she experienced throughout her childhood, her love of performance and leaning in to tricky moments and finding the love for what you do PLUS extra content with Amrita for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast M...
Nov 01, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 186
Rob Rinder MBE, also know as Judge Rinder is a British criminal barrister, writer and broadcaster. Well known for his ITV show Judge Rinder, Rob is also the author of several books and has made several documentaries about his family and the Holocaust. We talked to Rob about his early life growing up in a working class area of London, the feelings around not fitting in and the emotional baggage that comes with working on intense court cases. Sponsored by 50 Coffee Breaks. Visit www.amazon.co.uk/5...
Oct 24, 2022•1 hr 47 min•Ep. 185
Sponsored by Typology. Go to uk.typology.com/blank and you’ll receive a free lip & cheek balm worth £16 when you make a purchase. Bronagh Waugh is an actress from Northern Ireland. She played Cheryl Brady in the Channel 4 soap opera Hollyoaks from 2009 to 2013 where she was nominated for Best Newcomer, Best Actress and Best Comedy Performance at the 2010 British Soap Awards. She has also appeared in The Fall, Unforgotten and Ridley, which is available to watch on ITV Hub now. She spoke to Gi...
Oct 18, 2022•1 hr 40 min•Ep. 184
Andrew Bustamante is a former CIA covert intelligence officer, US Air Force combat veteran, Fortune 10 corporate advisor, author and podcaster. We talk to Andrew about his time in the CIA, what it means to be a modern-day spy, and why he is opening up about his experiences. You can find out more about Andrew and the work he does at: www.everydayspy.com PLUS extra content with Andrew for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen...
Oct 10, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 183
Paul Chowdhry, is an English comedian and actor. He has been a guest panelist on 8 out of 10 Cats, Comedy World Cup, and Sorry, I Didn't Know and has appeared on Live at the Apollo twice. He was the first British Asian stand-up comic to sell out Wembley Arena and host the Channel 4 comedy series Stand Up for the Week. Paul chatted to Giles and Jim about his writing process, overcoming racism in the industry and 'The Queue'. Plus extra content with Paul over at patreon.com/blankpodcast Massive th...
Oct 03, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 182
Lawrence Prestidge is an author, podcaster and actor. Lawrence is the writer and star of Amazon Prime's British comedy series Keep Calm and Carry On, as well as the host of The Shapes of Stories podcast. We talk to Lawrence about writing and starring in a sitcom, his creative process and playing Burt the chimney sweep at Disney Land Paris. PLUS extra content with Lawrence for our patrons at patreon.com/blankpodcast Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay...
Sep 26, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 181
Emma Forrest is a film director, screenwriter and novelist from London who moved to LA to write screenplays for Hollywood movies. She has written four Novels; Namedropper (1998), Thin Skin (2002), Cherries in the Snow (2005), and Royals, and two memoirs; Your Voice in My Head (2011) and her new memoir Busy Being Free, which is out now: https://www.weidenfeldandnicolson.co.uk/titles/emma-forrest/busy-being-free/9781474620659/ She spoke to Giles and Jim about selling out, solitude and scripts. PLU...
Sep 12, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Ep. 180
Omar Baroud is an actor and musical theatre star. Best known for his portrayal as Jackson in Disney Plus' Wedding Season and his roles in Baptiste and The Innocents. For more information on Wedding Season have a look here: https://whatsondisneyplus.com/first-look-at-first-british-original-series-wedding-season/ Omar is currently starring in the West End in Cabaret in the role of Clifford Bradshaw. We discuss with Omar his discovery of performing arts, the process of moving from one theatre famil...
Sep 05, 2022•1 hr 11 min•Ep. 179
A special episode to the 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 NOW!!! We are joined by Celine Hughes, our fantastic Senior Commissioning Editor from Quadrille Publishing, who has published the 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 podcas...
Aug 29, 2022•1 hr 14 min
It's the Summer break, so we thought 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 next week with some amazing new episodes. An advert free version is available to our Patreon at Patreon.com/Blankpodcast Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, John Holland, Katherine Keen, Lynn Robinson, It'...
Aug 22, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Ep. 178
Ollie Phillips is a former World 7s Player of the Year and England captain, who also played rugby union at the highest domestic level in England and France. Ollie was forced into retirement at 29 through injury, which left him searching for meaning and not understanding his new focus or purpose. Ollie joined PWC as a director within the real estate and construction team – but then developed Imposter Syndrome. He now runs Optimist Performance, a company specialising in performance coaching, leade...
Aug 16, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 177
Kemah Bob is a comedian, actress, producer, and writer. Originally from Houston, Tx Kemah moved to the UK to study for a Masters degree before becoming a stand-up comedian. As well as her stand-up Kemah is a regular co-host on The Guilty Feminist and has made many TV appearances on shows such as House of Games, Jonathan Ross' Comedy Club and has contributed to shows such as Have I Got News for You and Netflix's Death to 2020 and 2021. Kemah's new podcast which she created, curates and hosts is c...
Aug 08, 2022•1 hr 9 min•Ep. 176
Amanda Clapham is a British actress and writer, known for her roles in Channel 4's Hollyoaks, and most recently in the award-nominated short film, Voices. We talked to Amanda about her journey into acting, the pressures of being thrust into the public eye when taking on a high-profile acting job, and gaining some autonomy on your career. PLUS extra chat with Amanda just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya ...
Aug 02, 2022•1 hr 31 min•Ep. 175
Thomas "Hal" Robson-Kanu is a former professional footballer who played for Reading and West Brom as well as 46 times for Wales, scoring one of their best-ever goals at Euro 2016. Hal talks to Giles and Jim about his career and the life-changing moment he and his father discovered the healing powers of turmeric, which helped him recover from two devastating ACL injuries in his teens. He also talks about his time at Reading, West Brom and of course that goal against Belgium in 2016. Find out more...
Jul 25, 2022•1 hr 30 min•Ep. 174
Cally Beaton is a stand-up comedian, writer, and orator. Cally was a TV executive before turning to stand-up comedy. She has made many TV appearances including QI, The Apprentice: You're Fired and Pointless. We talked to Cally about her earlier career in TV and her journey into comedy. She gives us her insights on perimenopause and the impact it has on mental and physical health and we discuss the joys of live comedy. Listen to Cally's podcast, Namaste Motherf**kers here: https://podcasts.apple....
Jul 19, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Ep. 173
Selina Giles is an actress and writer, known for the roles in films such as V for Vendetta, Until Death, and The Netflix Series The Greenhouse Academy. We talk to Selina about method acting, her love of theatre and Gaga, Ohad Naharin’s movement language that she experienced when filming in Israel. PLUS extra chat with Selina just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richar...
Jul 11, 2022•1 hr 33 min•Ep. 172
Jermaine Pennant is a former professional footballer who became Arsenal's youngest ever player when he moved from Notts County in 1999 for £2m, a world record for a trainee at the time. He went on to play for Birmingham City, Liverpol, Stoke City, Real Zaragoza making 353 career appearances in total. Jermaine spoke to Giles and Jim about the pressures of being England's most talked about teenage footballer, escaping drugs and gangs in Nottingham, playing with an ankle tag at Birmingham City, the...
Jul 04, 2022•1 hr 39 min•Ep. 171
Elizabeth Morris is a British actor and screen-writer and actress, known for writing and starring in 2019 film Killers Anonymous alongside Gary Oldman and Jessica Alba. She has also had two other feature length scripts filmed and got her break writing and performing in the 2015 movie LA Slasher with Danny Trejo and Dave Bautista. Elizabeth chats to Giles and Jim about her bold breakthrough in the industry, limiting beliefs, practicing self care and, among many other things, hobbyhorsing. PLUS ex...
Jun 27, 2022•1 hr 50 min•Ep. 170
Katerina Robinson is an actress and comedian. Having studied acting at Italia Conti Academy of Theatre Arts, Katerina appeared in the show LADS in 2021 and is currently touring her show 'The Whoring Twenties' alongside her comedy partner, Kat Ronson. PLUS extra chat with Katerina just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast Massive thanks to our Patrons: Mary Catherine Byrnes, Victoria Nielsen, Manya Kay, Alex Williams, Joel Piveteau, Richard Astill, Samantha Beaton, Claudia McKelvey, J...
Jun 21, 2022•1 hr 18 min•Ep. 169
Arthur Smith is a legend of the UK alternative comedy circuit. Arthur spoke to Giles and Jim about his dad Syd, the birth of alternative comedy in the 19080s, the Edinburgh Fringe Festival and the art of farting. Arthur's Edinburgh show: https://www.pleasance.co.uk/event/arthur-smith-my-75-years-edinburgh-fringe#overview Jim's Edinburgh show: https://edinburgh.justthetonic.com/event/88:2863/ PLUS extra chat with Arthur just for our Patrons over at patreon.com/blankpodcast Massive thanks to our P...
Jun 13, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Ep. 168
