The Jammy Podcast

In episode 21 of the podcast, I will be chatting to the marvellous Heidi Steel and Matthew Barker from the play 'The Fish Bowl' at Summerhall during the Edinburgh Fringe. 'The Fish Bowl' is a moving and emotional piece of theatre about the impacts of dementia on those who have it, and those surrounding them. Based on real people and true events, Matthew collected notes from his journal when working at a memory unit in an Australian care home, collating and adapting them into this magnificent new play. Both Heidi and Matthew starred in the production during the summer at the Fringe. In this interview, we discuss the emotional toll that the play has on the duo (performing it practically every day for a month), the chaos and madness of the Fringe, and how people with dementia still have so much to say, we are just not trained to listening. Follow @fishbowl_play on Instagram to hear the latest news on the production.

The podcast is back! After nearly a year away, we're back. After visiting the Edinburgh Fringe in the summer, I emailed my absolute favourite creatives to see if I could have a quick chat - thankfully, my absolute favs said yes! First up is Linus Karp - writer and star of "Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story". Linus is a theatre maker, actor, and all round icon. He is the artistic director and founder of Awkward productions, currently starring in his fabulous show ‘Diana: The Untold and Untrue Story’ touring the UK, which tells the story of Princess Diana if her life had panned out… rather differently. It’s hilarious, outrageous, and chaotic - it even has a a monster version of Camilla . Basically a hoot of a night out at the theatre. Linus has also received massive acclaim for his show ‘How to live a Jellicle life: life lessons from the 2019 hit musical Cats’. Despite the movie 'Cats' being hated by pretty much everyone, Linus maintains its legendary, and we all have lessons to learn from it…. It was named the 4th best reviewed show at this year’s Fringe, and is also magnificent. Linus and I chatted about a mind boggling range of things, from the hilarity of performing to ‘4 people in Leicester’ to a fast-paced this or that game, and more serious topics such as the disgusting manner this government treats the LGBTQIA + community. It must be said this was recorded a few weeks before Rishi Sunak made repulsive transphobic comments at the conservative conference 2023, but this element of the discussion feels very poignant at the time of release. Hopefully the interview should be entertaining and interesting - I certainly adored interviewing Linus. You can find Linus' production company 'Awkward productions' @awkwardprods on Instagram. 'Diana: The untold and untrue story' is currently touring the UK, and I STRONGLY recommend getting tickets. It's a joy to watch.

For the 19th episode of the podcast, James chats to half of the incredible theatre group “SPITLIP” David Cumming and Natasha Hodgson. Spitlip are The amazing creators of the hit London musical 'Operation Mincemeat' which is based on a true story about a secret WW2 operation involving a corpse being dumped on the Spanish coast. Since opening at the New Diorama theatre in London 2018 and returning twice to different venues since then, Operation Mincemeat has won countless awards, boasted sold out runs, and been given 5 star reviews from the Daily Mirror, the Financial Times, Whatsonstage, The Stage, The Daily Mail… the list goes on. Operation Mincemeat is taking the theatrical world by storm. David and Natasha not only co-wrote the show, they also co-composed it and star in the production too with David playing the socially awkward character of Charles, and Natasha playing the larger than life figure of Ewan Montegu. In this podcast, we’re going to be discussing the future of Operation mincemeat (including a possible cast recording!), what’s important for aspiring thespians going into the industry, and we’ll be talking about why horror plays full of music and vampires are wildly entertaining - yet don’t make that much money! https://www.operationmincemeat.com

For the 18th episode of the podcast, James is chatting to thriller author Phoebe Morgan. Phoebe has written 4 incredible thrillers - "The Doll House", "The Wild Girls", and "The Babysitter". Not only is Phoebe a hugely successful author she is also an editorial director currently at HarperCollins, working on Thriller, Crime, Women's Fiction, and Saga. During lockdown, Phoebe organised an auction which raised over £60,000 for the charity 'Care International'. In this interview, James and Phoebe will discuss why writing and books are still important in a time of such technology, why using a pen name may be a good idea for some already established authors, and how painful it can be to scrap a book and start again. Follow this link https://phoebemorganauthor.com to go to Phoebe's website where you can find all her books and any information.

For the 17th episode of the podcast, James is chatting to musical theatre star Joel Montague. Joel is currently playing the role of King George III in the smash hit musical Hamilton in London's West End. Joel has a massive list of theatrical credits to his name, including playing Eddie in Funny Girl at the Menier Chocolate Factory (for which he was nominated for a Whatsontage award for), Mendle in Falsettos London, and Ogie in Waitress London. Joel also runs his own theatre company called Curtain Call productions. In this interview, James and Joel will be talking about the impact COVID had on the theatre industry, why Hamilton is such a massive hit, and how every actor messes up on stage no matter how professional they are! Tickets for Hamilton London can be purchased here: https://hamiltonmusical.com/london/home/.

For the final episode of the trilogy, James is sitting down with actor, director, and lecturer Nick Hutchison. Nick lives in Suffolk and his work covers theatre, television, film, voiceover and radio. He has worked with the BBC, ITV, the RSC, the Royal National theatre, and does a lot of work for Shakespeare’s Globe. Directing wise, Nick has directed many many brilliant productions, notably he devised and directed “Noel Cowards’ Christmas Spirits” at the St James’ theatre studio which was critically acclaimed and had a sold out run. He also directed the Independent, The Guardian and Time Out's Critic's Choice "Crimes of Heart" at the Man in the Moon in London. You may have also seen Nick on screen. Starring in movies such as “About A Boy” with Hugh grant, "Miss Potter" with Renee Zelwegger, and "102 dalmations", Nick has worked on many famous films with movie legends. Nick is also passionate about the power of Shakespeare and lectures on Shakespeare as well as theatre more generally in amazing places such as RADA, Lamda, mountview, and the Globe theatre. In this interview, James will be talking to Nick about how theatre was hit by the pandemic, why Nick thinks Shakespeare is still relevant today, and what its like acting on screen with so many famous faces.

For the 2nd episode of the trilogy, James is chatting to the founder and artistic director of the nationally renowned and Suffolk-based theatre company " Red Rose Chain", Joanna Carrick. Joanna set up the company in 1990 and since then has directed and adapted many brilliant productions, including their highly acclaimed annual "Theatre in the Forest". Not only does the company produces brilliantly reviewed shows, they also hold many community workshops and groups with young people, people with learning disabilities, prisoners, and more. They believe theatre should be accessible to everyone. Joanna is also a playwright, particularly writing many historical plays. Notably, Joanna wrote the "Tudor Trilogy", three plays all set in Tudor times. One of the plays, "Fallen in Love: The Secret Heart of Anne Boleyn", played at the Tower of London. In the interview, James chats to Joanna about how Red Rose Chain used lockdown and isolation as a creative opportunity instead of a boundary, the amazing youth theatre the company has, and they will also be discussing the terrifying witch puppets which will be used in the company's production of "Macbeth". Red Rose Chain is bringing "Macbeth" to Sutton Hoo in Woodbridge from the 27th July 2022 to 20th August 2022. Tickets will be available for purchase soon from https://redrosechain.com This Christmas, Red Rose Chain is also producing a streamed production of "Treasure Island" which will be available to stream from the 17th December 2021 to 3rd January 2022. For more information and to buy streaming tickets , head to https://redrosechain.com. To support the company, also go to their website at https://redrosechain.com

The Jammy Podcast is back! After a long break, the podcast is back with 3 interviews with some incredible guests. To start the trilogy, Jammy will be talking to Susan Bennett - voiceover artist most famous for being the original voice of Apple's Siri. Susan has also done voiceovers for companies such as McDonald's, Cartoon Network, Coca-Cola, and Ford, as well as many other companies. Basically, Susan's voice is everywhere! They'll be talking about how Susan originally got the job as Siri, how voiceover artists were impacted during COVID-19, and what the future might hold for artificial intelligence and technology! Thanks so much for your continued support of the podcast. All music used in the podcast was found on fesliyanstudios.com

For the 13th episode of the podcast, Jammy chats with the award-winning improviser, comedian, actress, and author, Pippa Evans. Author of the book “Improv Your Life”, Pippa is a core member of the Olivier award-winning ‘Showstopper the improvised Musical’, and has toured the Uk and internationally. She can often be heard on BBC radio 4 in many comedy shows and is also an amazing solo performer. We’ll be talking about what it’s like to be in an improv show, how she first discovered improvisation, and what happens when things go wrong....

For the 2nd episode of season 2, Jammy will be chatting to the actor Peter Singh. Peter has had a massive career in film, tv and theatre. You may have seen him in The Personal History of David Copperfield, Disney's Christopher Robin, Hampstead alongside the academy award-winning Dianne Keaton, and Johnny English Strikes Again, as well as many other films. He is also often on tv including in hit series such as The Capture on BBC one, Doctor Who, and Coronation Street. In the interview, we'll be talking about improvising whilst on set, Peter's experience working with Disney, and how he ended up scaring the children on David Copperfield.

To open season 2, Jammy will be chatting with the esteemed mezzo-soprano singer Hanna Hipp. Hanna, a graduate of the Royal Opera House's Jette Parker Young Artist's Programme, has performed all around the world including in the Royal Albert Hall, the Glynderbourne opera festival, and the Royal Opera House many times. Hanna is extremely well-known in the opera world and has performed with some of the best orchestras in the world including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the BBC Symphony orchestra. Hanna is scheduled to be performing Mahler's Symphony No.3 at the royal albert hall in 2023 alongside the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. You can purchase tickets to this event here: Buy tickets for RPO Mahler No. 3 | Royal Albert Hall In this episode, Jammy and Hanna will be chatting about her experience in the Jette Parker Young Artist's Programme, how women often play male characters in opera, and how British people watch opera compared to the rest of the world. Please do contact us with feedback either by email - thejammypodcast@gmail.com, or via Instagram (@thejammypodcast)

For the 10th and final episode of The Jammy Podcast season 1, Jammy will be chatting to the runner up of Britain’s Got Talent 2015, and one of the most watched magicians in the world, Jamie Raven. Since coming second in the 2015 series of Britain’s Got Talent, Jamie has headlined the most successful magic show in West end history, toured the world with his own magic shows, and performed for multiple royal families around the world including doing magic for Prince Charles at his Christmas celebrations. They'll be chatting about how magicians cover up their mistakes, what it was like performing for royals, and whether tv magic is real.

For the 9th episode of the Jammy Podcast, Jammy will be chatting to the New York Times bestseller author and co-creator of Guardians of the Galaxy, Dan Abnett. Dan has had an incredible career in comic book writing and novels, having released over 50 books. In 2009, he co-created the famous “Guardians of the Galaxy” which has since went on to become a series of popular marvel films. They'll be chatting about how Dan writes books so fast, the challenge of creating a tabletop game into a series of novels, and his new books. link: Dan Abnett (fantasticfiction.com)

In the 8th episode of the Jammy Podcast, Jammy is joined by the incredible BBC journalist and podcast presenter Simon Mundie. Hosting his very own podcast for BBC radio 4 called Don't Tell Me The Score, Simon has interviewed some of the most famous sporting figures including Caitlyn Jenner and Sir Chris Hoy. As well as hosting his podcast, he is also a sports presenter on BBC radio 1 and 4 and is one of the BBC's main reporters from Wimbledon each year. They'll be chatting about the thrill sport can provide, Simon's favourite guest on his podcast, and how he found journalism by flicking through a book. Simon's podcast, Don't Tell Me The Score, can be found here: https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p06qbt0y

In the 7th episode of the Jammy Podcast, Jammy interviews the incredible film and theatre director Phyllida Lloyd CBE. Best known for directing the movie Mamma Mia! and The Iron Lady Phyllida has had an amazing career in theatre and film, directing theatre productions for the RSC and the National theatre (to name a couple), as well as Broadway and west end shows. A couple of weeks ago, Phyllida got nominated for a tony award for her work on Tina: The Tina Turner Musical... the winner is still to be announced. Jammy and Phyllida will be talking about her struggle to get into the industry, her mission for social equality, and her brand new film Herself.

For the 6th episode of the Jammy Podcast Jammy is chatting to two thirds of the wild swimming brothers! Growing up in the Peak District, brothers Jack, Callum and Robbie fell in love with wild swimming. After taking their separate career paths, In 2015 they swam the length of the River Eden together - the wild swimming brothers was born. Since then, they have been the first people ever to swim in the largest maelstrom (whirlpool) in the world, and have swam the 12.8km length of Loch Broom in Scotland. Jammy will be chatting with Robbie and Calum Hudson about their swimming adventures, how big an affect their Grandmother had on their lives and what hogwarts house they would be in!

In the 5th episode, Jammy chats with the associate musical director of Hamilton UK, Chris Hatt. Before Hamilton, Chris was the musical director of Billy Elliot and has musical directed many productions. They'll be talking about how Chris got into theatre, the emotional last night of Billy Elliot, and when the west end will return.

In the 4th episode of the Jammy podcast, Jammy chats with the Olivier award-winning composer Adrian Sutton. Writer of music for 8 National theatre plays including the hits Curious Incident about the Dog in the Night-Time and War Horse. They'll be chatting about all things theatre, as well as Adrian's favourite play to work on and where he keeps his Olivier award. Listen in to the Jammy Podcast!

This episode, Jammy chats the muli-award winning children’s author and illustrator Rob Biddulph. Winner of the Waterstones Children’s book prize 2015, Rob has created 10 incredible children’s books. During lockdown, Rob started “draw with rob”, his online art lesson, which earned him a guiness world record and a point of light award from the prime minister. They’ll be talking about art, Rob’s time as art director for magazines, and his adorable dog Ringo. Listen into the Jammy Podcast!

For the second episode , Jammy interviews the olivier-award winning playwright and actor Henry Shields. Long time member of mischief theatre, Henry is the co-writer of big west end hits such as The Comedy About a Bank Robbery and the Play That Goes Wrong. Henry will be talking about all things theatre, mischief's tv series and laughing on stage! Listen in to the Jammy podcast!!!