Showing results by author "Holly Newson" in All Categories

When Covid struck and the country entered lockdown, Widdicombe and Beckett were stuck at home and the reality of parenting young children without the escape of work hit hard. They decided to start a podcast, Lockdown Parenting Hell, which meant they could go upstairs, leave the children for a while, and moan about the difficulties of being a dad, which over 2 million people a month started listening to! With the success of the podcast, Beckett and Widdicombe decided there was plenty they hadn’t covered that would make a great audiobook.

Gaining international recognition for her role as Ginny Weasley in the Harry Potter series, Wright has gone on to star on stage, as well as found her own production company, BonBonLumiere, and direct critically acclaimed short films. Wright is now using her platform to inspire and motivate others to reduce waste, change habits, and become more environmentally friendly. She is an ambassador for the charities Greenpeace and Lumos, and has written her own guide on becoming more sustainable titled Go Gently.

Joining us at Audible Studios is sleep expert and Professor of Circadian Neuroscience Russell Foster. He’s created a book called Life Time which looks in detail at how sleep and our body clocks are essential in building optimum routines for a healthy body and mind, and why we need to escape the trappings of the 21st century such as high-level stress and artificial light. And there’s no better person to have written it....

Glover worked her way through the ranks of BBC Radio, starting as a filing clerk, and becoming the presenter of The Listening Project for BBC Radio 4 and My Perfect Country for the BBC World Service, besides many other award-winning projects. Garvey spent a lot of her career on BBC Radio 5 Live, being the first voice heard on the station when it launched at 5am in 1994. She presented some of its main shows such as Midday and Drive, going on to host BBC Radio 4's prestigious Women's Hour.

Joining us at Audible Studios is Rosie Jones, British stand-up comedian, screen writer and children’s author. Having begun her career as a junior researcher for comedy panel shows, Jones realised she wanted to be the one telling the jokes, not just writing them. A couple of years on, and Jones is a regular on shows such as The Last Leg, 8 Out of 10 Cats, and across BBC Radio 4. Jones writes for sitcoms such as Netflix's Sex Education and launched her own podcast called Daddy Look at Me.

After studying English at university, O'Leary had a successful career as a children's editor at the Penguin Random House publisher. Not enjoying living in London, O'Leary moved to the countryside and spent her daily commute working on her novel, The Flatshare. After its astounding success, O'Leary was able to achieve her dream of being a full time writer and released her second novel The Switch.

Giedroyc grew up in Leatherhead and attended Trinity College, Cambridge, becoming a member of the Footlights comedy club. Starting her career alongside Sue Perkins, the duo became the household names of Mel and Sue, known for their baking puns as presenters of The Great British Bake Off, following their stint presenting Light Lunch.

Joining us for a chat is the people's poet laureate, the punk performance poet, John Cooper Clarke, who is releasing his memoir I Wanna Be Yours. Clarke, born in Salford, is well known for his classic look of drainpipe jeans, wild black hair and sunglasses, whatever the weather, something which hasn't changed since the 1970s. Being inspired and encouraged by an English teacher at school, Clarke decided that he would make a living from poetry. He performed with many hugely successful bands, such as The Sex Pistols, Joy Division and New Order.

Ant and Dec met on CBBC's Byker Grove and an instant friendship was formed, on and off screen. They moved from acting to music, releasing three albums as PJ & Duncan, including their still popular hit, 'Let's Get Ready to Rhumble'. From there, presenting children's TV with shows such as SMTV and Gimme 5 was the next step in their journey towards international renown. Next came primetime slots, with the duo presenting shows such as Ant & Dec's Saturday Night Takeaway, Britain's Got Talent and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!

Thurlow was born and raised in Scotland and is a former Miss Edinburgh winner. After attending university in England and leaving with a First, Thurlow worked for four years with the Halo Trust in Explosive Ordnance Disposal: locating, de-arming and removing landmines that put lives and livelihoods at risk in former war zones. Thurlow found the work began to take a toll on her health and took a step back. At which point, she was approached to be a contestant on the reality TV show Love Island.

Born in Dublin, Dolan studied English at Trinity College, followed by a master's in Victorian literature at Oxford. Excerpts of Exciting Times have appeared in The Dublin Review and The Stinging Fly, but the book, which follows protagonist Ava and her relationships with Julian and Edith, can now be read and listened to in full - to great effect!

Joining us at Audible Studios is radio presenter, psychologist and journalist Claudia Hammond. She was born in Bedfordshire and began radio presenting at the age of 14 with a request programme on Hospital Radio Bedford. Hammond attended Sussex University and studied applied psychology, and then Surrey University to study for an Msc in health psychology. After university, Hammond began lecturing in psychology and reporting for BBC Radio 5 Live.

Joining us at Audible Studios is Lara Maiklem, who runs the largest online mudlarking community, and has recently released a book all about it: Mudlarking. Expert mudlarker, Lara Maiklem, is uniquely skilled in the art of seeking. Tirelessly trekking across miles of the Thames' muddy shores, where others only see the detritus of city life, Maiklem unearths evidence of England's captivating, if sometimes murky, history, with some objects dating back to AD 43, when London was just an outpost of the Roman Empire.

Joining us at Audible Studios is journalist, restaurant critic, radio presenter and jazz musician Jay Rayner, who has recently released his book My Last Supper. You’re about to die. What would your final meal be? This question has long troubled Jay Rayner. As a man more obsessed with his lunch than is strictly necessary, the idea of a showpiece last supper is a tantalising prospect. But wouldn’t knowledge of your imminent demise ruin your appetite? So, Jay decided to cheat death and create his last meal while he’s still very much alive - and write it all down in a book.

In this interview we spoke to Alastair about all three of his audiobooks and how things have changed for him over the years. Along the way we covered would he rather be too hot or too cold, adventure with a friend or alone, and even if it works to be married to someone with a different perspective on his travels.

Sean O'Connor brings the period beautifully to life with painstaking research and thorough detail, as well as having access to brand new evidence on the case - journeying from the South London slums in the 1880s to British Columbia, and reaching its dramatic climax in Bournemouth, England. In this interview we talk about how women are treated when accused of murder, what O’Connor’s biggest find was on this case, and how his writing on this murder tied in with a story line on BBC Radio 4’s The Archers.

Joining us at Audible Studios is Alex Bertie, YouTube vlogger of his transgender journey and author of Trans Mission: My Quest to a Beard. When Alex was born, doctors took one look and put an 'F' for female on the birth certificate, based on genitals. When Alex was 15 he realised he was a transgender man, through many years of struggling with identity. After coming out to family and friends, Alex battled the health-care system in order to take male hormones, have surgery, change his name and grow a beard.

His latest book, Black, Listed, is an exploration into 21st-century black identity, looking at why it's wrong to call someone a 'lighty', what a roadman really is, and why people think black guys are cool. It examines black identity through a list of insults and insights and everything in between. In this interview, Jeffrey told us what he learnt writing the book, why ‘black’ and ‘white’ are woefully inadequate and about the importance of teaching broad history and not getting stuck in old narratives.

Joining us at Audible Studios is Oscar Duke, a doctor working for the NHS who regularly contributes to The Surgery on BBC Radio 1, has appeared on Channel 4's 24 Hours in A&E, and presented his own documentary about albinism for BBC2, Born Too White. Dr Oscar Duke has written a book, How to Be a Dad, which gives a 'Doctor' section and a 'Dad' section for each and every stage of pregnancy through to birth and after, with handy tips for mums along the way.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo tells the story of Nuri, a beekeeper, and Afra an artist, who are warmly surrounded by friends and family in the beautiful city of Aleppo in Syria. Their world changes in an instant when war destroys everything they've known and loved and serves them unendurable heartbreak. In this interview we spoke about Lefteri's experiences in refugee camps in Athens, how these weighed on her, and thus her motivations for writing The Beekeeper of Aleppo. We also spoke about learning about beekeeping, PTSD and asylum.