Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball - 36: Retro Robbie Williams & Garden Clogs

Episode Date: November 12, 2025

Jo’s back from Brighton with sea swims, a moonlit Beach Box sauna and a bit of silver-birch “wellness” (yes, really).  Zoe gets misty-eyed over the John Lewis Christmas ad and those tender parent-teen moments.  There’s Mighty Boosh fancy dress at Butlins, Robbie Williams nostalgia via The Word, and… are garden clogs actually chic?  SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER Stay up to date with Dig It — new updates every Friday straight to your inbox. 👉 https://digitpod.substack.com/subscribe GET IN TOUCH 📧 Email us: [e-mail] 📱 Text or Voice Note: 07477 038795 💬 Or tap here to send a voice note or message on WhatsApp:⁠ ⁠https://wa.me/447477038795⁠⁠ SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONORS This episode is brought to you by AG1 and QVC & EE 💚 AG1 - Sign up at https://drinkAG1.com/digit to get a strictly limited AG1 Gym Bag, Travel Packs and a Welcome Kit (worth £79) free with your monthly subscription. ✨QVC - Click below to discover QVC’s range of menopause products and support. And don’t forget to use the code QDIG10 for £10 off your first purchase (minimum spends apply, see QVC website for full terms and conditions) - https://www.qvcuk.com/content/menopause-your-way.html?cid=PR-PR-Digit&e22=Digit 📶 EE - Whether you’re hosting or guesting this Christmas, stay connected with EE. Their broadband and mobile keep you covered with superfast speeds and rock-solid reliability - perfect for streaming, FaceTiming or gaming. Get ahead of the festive chaos and sort your connection early. For more, just search ‘EE Does More’. CREDITS Exec Producer: Jonathan O’Sullivan Assistant Producer: Eve Jones Technical Producers: Oliver Geraghty Video Editors: Danny Pape and Jack Whiteside Dig It is a Persephonica production

Coming up on Diggett. Oh, I would never wear a crock. Well, you would never wear a crock. And she's chatting away for ages and then right at the end of the conversation, she said this guy, you know, what did you do in football? And he went, I managed the Arsenal. And it was awesome. Thank you. No.

She was like, oh my God. Oh, my God. And that has totally got it. Oh, no. Bless her heart. All of that, right after this. At Harrison Health Care, we know that lasting health starts with personalized care. We're not just a clinic.

We're your partner in prevention, helping you achieve your health and longevity goals. Our expert team combines evidence-based medicine with the compassionate, unhurried care you and your family deserve today and for many years to come. When it comes to your health, you shouldn't settle for anything less than exceptional. visit harrisonhealthcare.ca.ca.com slash Toronto. Hey Joe. Hi. How are you doing? Hello, darling. How are you? How was your weekend? You were local this weekend. I was living, I was living your life. I came down to Brighton to see what you do.

I tried to find you everywhere, everywhere I went. They were like, no, she's not. She was here five minutes ago, but she just left. I was like, is she hiding from me? I went into Resident Records this weekend, and I was thinking, oh, I'd love it if I walked in here. and I ran into Joe here. Did you do some exploring? Did you have a good? The weather was perfect for you. Yeah, the weather.

No, we got down Friday. And that classic thing, when you have a younger member of the family and you try and persuade them to do something and then it goes horribly wrong. So we decided we'd go out for cocktails and said to Coco, it's just down the road. It won't take us very long at all to get there. I don't think it's raining outside. No, it's fine. You can come with us.

And she just kept saying, I don't want to come out. I just want to stay here. But we made her come out. And as soon as we stepped outside, it started bucketing down. down with rain. And we got to this bar. And she honestly looked like a drowned rat and looked like she was going to kill me at any second in time. So Friday night was disastrous, like really bad. And then for the rest of the weekend, it was gorgeous. It was really, really lovely. We got off and we did lots of swimming in the sea lanes, which I cannot recommend highly enough

in Brighton. You're so lucky to have this whole area. They do volleyball. There is this fantastic swimming pool, which is a 50 metre pool. It was 20 degrees, which I thought was going to be quite warm. I was like, yeah, I've definitely swam in much colder water than that. But when you get in without a wetsuit, it's quite fresh when you're swimming lanes. Yeah. Yeah. And then we also did the beach box sauna set up, which is on the beach. And again, when living by the sea, you're so, so lucky.

We live in the Midlands and I miss it. It's one of the worst things about where I live. But yeah, to do the, you know, getting in an ice bath and then in a plunge pool and then getting in a sauna. We got whipped by the sauna master with some silver birch. Sounds like a pleasure. experience. All the men were like, bring it on, bring it on. I was like, do I really want this? I guess that's really good because it brings all the blood to the surface of you. That's great for your circulation. I don't know why she was doing it, but it felt really good. But it was lovely because you have that gorgeous smell of the wood burning.

And it just felt like we were in some kind of fairy tale or Game of Thrones or something like that. It was dark and it was just brilliant. It's a really good experience. And there are so many of these setting up, I think, all around the country. So that was my Brighton experience, but there are loads of them all over the place. Those late night saunas, they're such a good place to go to talk. When you're stuck in a sauna, like, you haven't got phones to distract you. You haven't got magazines. You've just got each other to talk to. And that was the thing I probably loved about it the most.

Have you been there? I've been to the one down in Shoreham, the other end. Okay. My friends all swim in the sea lanes all the time. Yeah, I'm not a great swimmer, Joe. I know. That's fine. But I did go to the swimmers.

saunas, I did one in Shoreham with a friend on a birthday and I was thinking, I don't think I really enjoy this. I absolutely loved it. And you're talking about people talking in saunas. I'll never forget my friend Kirsty was in a sauna and she was chatting away to this really lovely guy in the sauna, chat, chat, chat. And Kirsty's late dad was, I think he was one of the directors at Crystal Palace. So she was talking to this guy and she was like, no, no, no, no, you know, what do you do? And he's like I work in football and she was like, oh, my dad over Crystal Palace and she's really chatty. She's right, chatty, Kathy is cursed. And she's chatting away for ages and then right at the end of the conversation, she said to this guy, you know, what did you do in football?

And he went, I managed the Arsenal. And it was Arsumvenger. No. She was like, oh my God. Oh, my God. She'd been chatting all the time to Arsumenga. How fantastic. She had no idea.

She said he was absolutely lovely. So you never know who you might be talking to in a sauna. I know. I think it was obviously quite, she was quite sort of steamy and hadn't really noticed his face at that point. You can't see people. No, you can't really see people. It's all misty. And people wear those really comical pixie hats as well that are supposed to kind of protect your ears or keep, I don't know what they do really.

What do they do? Do they look very funny. I know. I wasn't sure whether to wear those or not. Well, for comedy value, obviously, we all did. What is the whipping, by the way? The whipping when you go for a son and what is all that about? Yes, so it's silver birch, which is a very special tree.

and then they and it's to improve your circulation apparently and to like open up pores and make everything yes my skin felt gorgeous afterwards it looked you know we had cedarwood um she came in with an ice bomb which had cedarwood infused in it and then put it on the hot coals and then that melted it was it was really great it was lovely i love the smell of cedarwood i really do which reminds me that i in the in the bathroom upstairs i've got this thing that i bought online which is sort of like you hold the handle and it's loads and loads of different bits of wood and you thwack your legs

and you're under arms with it and it really helps your circulation I think it's quite good for lymphatic drainage and I bought loads of them for people for Christmas and I bet you all my friends don't use them either but it's upstairs gathering dust and I'm going to get that out and I'm going to thwack my legs with it

I remember the first time the lodger walked in and saw me doing it and he just sort of turned on his ear and he's still around he's still in your life He's still here at the moment. He's still lodging. It's nice to do different things, isn't it? It just felt really good to be somewhere different. And I felt like, was it four seasons, that TV series that we loved recently?

It kind of felt like that because we go away with the same friends and their kids every so often. And it's a really lovely thing to just reconnect and catch up on all the rubbish that's going on in our lives and to have a chat about it and have a lot of drink and work it all out. And then to just go on to the rest of the week feeling like you've had a really great cathartic. experience. And it's lovely. It's a great idea. Quick. They get really booked up as well, those saunas. I need to try and book them up. We've got lots of friends coming down for my birthday next weekend. So I must try and book that because they all love that sort of stuff. I get the boys with the whipping with the birch. They'll love that stuff. Birthday next weekend. Yeah, I'm going to be 55. It's really weird. I sort of don't feel anything about it. That's good. The thing,

the only thing I'm really looking forward to is getting together with all my lovely friends. because we are all so spread out all over the country. And, you know, my girls, we talk to each other all the time, but, you know, everyone's really far apart. So we all get together. And lots of friends have been going through a bit of a tough time at the moment. So it's great that we're all together and we just laugh. And all our kids have grown up together.

And they're all getting older and older and older. So I'm looking forward to cramming everyone in the house and then take them for an amazing meal and having some cocktails. And the kids are going to play some tunes for us and we're going to dance. So that's not next weekend after I'm really looking forward to it. You loved The Mighty Boosh, didn't you, Joe? Yes. Yes, so much so we named our dog after The Mighty Boots.

Yes. Of course. So Wood, I was so proud of Woody and his friends this weekend. They all went down where Norm played all back to Minehead, which is this amazing event he organizes at the Butlins in Mindhead. And he had Simon Pegg DJing, Goldie. DJing. It's such a crazy event. Like everyone goes down and stays down and everyone does fancy dress. They're all in the swimming pool together. Woody always goes down and DJs. And he does

a really lovely thing with his dad and also Uncle Dennis, who is kind of was the original Uncle Dennis, Dennis Cook, the OG original DJ in the family. And he does norm Uncle Dennis and Woody do a back to back. It's just so brilliant. I'm so proud of him. But anyway, so it's all fancy dress and Woody FaceTime me on Saturday night. It was like, Mom, check out the outfits. And he was my favorite person ever, Howard. Howard from the Mighty Boosh, who I love and adore. So he and his friend Rugi, all of them, Geronimo, who's Alex James' son, he was the moon. Hello, the moon. Hannah was Naboo. they just they did it so brilliantly I was so proud of them

I've actually put some pictures up on my socials the outfits were incredible and Norm love the Mighty Boosh as well so he was like have you seen the kids I'm like yes I was so impressed if you're loving dig it so far hit follow so you never miss an episode

is that time of year again Joe the Christmas adverts Oh, I know, God. Have you seen the John Lewis advert? Yeah, that flawed me. I think it was really, really well planned because it was just before the school run. So I can imagine I was just one of this like fleet of people doing the school run, tears running down my face. Having watched that advert, because it was so, it packs an emotional punch, right?

Did you cry? I did. I did. It's, you know, there is this lovely, slightly awkward teenage son. And his dad's found a present under the tree and he opens it. And it just spoke to you on so many levels of the slight awkwardness, perhaps, between a father and a son, which can also be between a daughter and a mom or a mom and a son. You know, just that awkward stage where you kind of want to talk about stuff, but maybe you can't talk about stuff. And this beautiful present, a son has bought his dad, which is a record.

Where love lives, isn't it? As you call it. Yeah, Alison Limerick. And it's taking his dad right back to his youth and watching all those memories flood back. And then the way it breaks suddenly into a father who can see his son so far away, but they can't connect. And he's worried about him. And then suddenly he's the little boy. And that feels like moments ago.

And there's so much emotion packed into that. And then they reach out and they have this hug. I was in an absolute basket case. I really was. I was just, I was thinking of Wu and his dad and then I was thinking of my brothers and my dad and, you know, just those relationships where sometimes it's not always easy. No, and it's about the passing of time, isn't it? The passing of time.

And the passing of time, both for us as parents, for our own parents and then for our kids, I thought it was beautiful. And I did check, because I did think, well, this is a great advert, but can you buy records in John Lewis so I was like went on my app and sure enough you can buy vinyl and you can buy really good record players their high-fi area is great it's really good yeah I always forget about the high-fi area because when you go in the shop it's in between isn't it because I'm always in the you know interiors or I'm in the kitchenware or in the shoe department I'm often in the towel or in amongst the towels no go upstairs get the escalator go upstairs invariably where we are

anyway, it's upstairs. And it's much calmer. There's not as many people there and everything set out really nicely and it's quite peaceful and you know it's really good quality. I kid you not, I really enjoy going there looking at the cameras, listening to the radios, looking at all different stereos. Honestly, such a radio sound ball. It's so good. And I love shopping online, but I also really like physically going into the shops. So, you know, and they did loads of lovely events around it where Alice Limerick played. And yeah, I thought it was, I thought it was really beautiful. It's so different, isn't it, from all the others around at the moment. There's, there are various different adverts and they're all quite comical and you just kind of, I think

they've just hit the nail on the head this year. I think I actually watched a video of Amanda Holden watching the advert and then bursting into tears. I watched the whole of that. I was like, I'm actually watching Amanda Holden watch watch the advert. She's got her tree up already. She's not the only one. Scott Mills. I've got a history up. I know. I know. Madness.

Absolute madness. I hate it. I have been doing Christmas shopping. I know. But since, since like March. I'm trying to become more like my mum was. Yeah.

And be really organised. So I've been doing Christmas shopping and I've been buying bobbles and I am so desperate to get a tree. But it's too soon. I've got to get through my birthday, my mate's birthdays. Then I've got Woody's birthday is about the 15th of December. So normally, I mean, I mean, to be honest, the tree will go up in the beginning of December. Yeah, it will.

As long as it's December, it's okay. November is, that's just madness. I mean, I presume it has to be an artificial when you cannot keep a normal tree alive from now right up until January. I know. I'm actually looking forward to Joe, to when we get into December, I'm going to sort of Christmas, Christmas-ise this area. Oh, nice, yes. Make us into little fairies, get some baubles hanging. It's going to be a grotto.

We'll have our dig-it grottos that we broadcast from and we do the show from. I love that. And have we booked Disco, Stephen, to do a Christmas quiz, please? Yeah, guaranteed. That's going to happen. Yeah, don't worry, don't worry. Now, we'll definitely need tips about when it comes to Christmas, how to keep your tree alive and stop the leaves dropping,

because that's always a nightmare for us. Speaking of the John Lewis Christmas advert, we got a text from Emma, who says, whilst doing my usual phone scrolling in bed, I saw all the posts of the John Lewis Christmas ad, always a tear joker, but so poignant for me this year. My husband died almost three years ago and I have two now older teenagers. Seeing this ad made me think so much about their dad. Big rava and break dancer at Rock City back in the day and all those moments of connection

they'll miss. I can't stop crying thinking about it. Oh, darling Emma is so emotional. So I just wanted to give a big shout of love and support to all those lone parents who've lost their partner and are dealing with. their own loss and grief whilst trying to do the best for their kids to help them navigate this heartbreak. It's the hardest job in the world and it's forever. So keep going through the bleak lows and bask in those sunshine moments when they come. There are more of us out

there than you realize and you are not alone and that's from Emma. And that has totally got me. Oh no. Oh, so bless her heart. I know. That's so beautiful. useful and Emma thank you for writing that because you're right there are so many people who probably really need to hear that and Emma I imagine you are doing an amazing job looking after your boys, your teenagers and oh gosh I was we've had so many comments on you know when we talked about Christmas and doing Christmas on your own yeah doing you know doing Christmas in different ways and I'm still reading them even now they keep coming in yeah so thank you you for sharing and I really want to come back on all of them and go back to people and

respond and it's really it's really hard but emma thank you for speaking for I imagine so many people going through that and you keep doing an amazing job you're a fantastic mom to know that they're not alone that there are other people out there to go and I'm so sorry for your loss yeah yeah lots of love to you Emma lots of love to you oh sorry about that I've got myself together now oh my god thank you I know but it's tough for you it's really moving is it. This episode of Digit is sponsored by QVC. Zoe, do you ever feel like this time of year just flies by?

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Have you seen the new Robbie Williams video? The song is Pretty Face and the video, have you seen it? It's so excellent. I have just seen this where they have, where Robbie is on the word. Yeah.

No, I've booked a load of bands on the word. So it makes me feel really strange watching it. And when it first came up, I thought, did I book Robbie for the word? I honestly was trying to remember if I did. And then I read what he was saying about it. And it was 1995. And I thought, no, I wasn't working on the word at that point,

so I can't have done. But it's brilliant. It's been done. So it looks like his performing. So you've got all the angular shapes in the background, all these weird patterns everywhere, the strange camera angles. It was always, it was a psych, wasn't it?

I think they used to call it. All the psychedelic on the psych. Yeah. In the background. Yeah. And he's wearing what he was wearing in 95. So he's got the red Adidas track suit top on and then his hair is bleached blonde. I've got a photograph of me with him backstage at Glastonbury in that same outfit.

I've got pig tails. And it was when he turned up and I think he went on stage with Oasis. He certainly had absconded from Take That. It was like when Robbie left, take that and went to Glastonbury. And this ties in with his album that's coming out next year, which is called Brit Pop. And he said that he wanted to, you know, if Brit Pop is the album for next year, then this is the video. This is him kind of going back in time, his DeLorean moments. Do you like it?

Oh, my God. It's bonkers. But also just watching that video reminds me of all the Friday nights that we would, you know, watch the word before we went out, weirdly. We'd always, you know, and went out. God, you are such a raveer. before we went out I know and it properly

was so we all worked on the pig breakfast you were the guys working on the word I remember once being asked in the office can you come and be on the word

you're going to be hypnotised and so we because the shows were all based in the same office we often had to do favour as we're like yeah sure you were there

booking the bands and you booked amazing bands for that show even the stage where Robbie is in this video and the angle where it is it's the same angle

that Nirvana played on. It's like, I can picture it's the left corner area of the studio floor. And I remember standing at the feet of Kurt Cobain and watching him do that performance and just being like wowed by it. So it's a very, very faithful replica. I probably would have booked Robbie for the word because he's perfect, you know, that whole rebellious spirit. And that's what the word was all about.

It was, we were so, it was like a playground. It was really fun when a band came on and you knew they were going to misbehave. And nobody particularly talked about it. But you knew that when it went live, when that show was live on air, they could do whatever they wanted to. So hence, the Manick Street Preachers swearing, Navarne swearing and just playing on and on and on and like everybody doing different stuff than what they should have done. So Robbie would have fitted in so well. He's actually always reminded me of Oliver Reed. I remember seeing L7?

Where L7 on did you book L7? Oh yeah, forgot about L7. Yeah, that was when, so L7 were part of the grunge scene. So you have Nirvana, you have Pearl Jam, you have Dinosaur Junior, and then L7 with this girl band. And the cameras used to do these crazy angles. They'd zoom in at different points. And they zoomed in on this, I think it was the bass player's crotch as she was playing guitar. And she just dropped her pants, dropped her trousers.

And all you could see was her beaver. And it was a very close shot. My God. How times have changed. Yeah. You don't get that kind of rebellion now, do you? It was groundbreaking. It was so, you know, and quite often it was car crash.

Things would happen or things would go wrong or guests would just say really. But that was what you watched it for. It was brilliant. It was so exciting. It was so exciting. You'd have great guests. Terry Christian, Danny Bear, Katie Puckrick, all the gang and the most amazing music. To be honestly, it was often the music that was my favourite bit.

Because you did for such incredible bands. We were lucky. It was a great time. watching Robbie in this video is all the dancers as well because you'd have a few dancers and then the crowd

and you were really encouraged to properly go for it. There's nothing like it now, is there? There is no place for music. I mean, Jules does a brilliant job with later but it's very much its own thing but everything is pretty sanitised and you just don't get those live music moments anymore

and nobody dares to misbehave anyway. Yeah, people want long careers. They're not going to do anything radical. No. And also, Do you remember, it used to do the white room? Did you do the white room? I did the white room a bit, yeah, with Mark Radcliffe.

That was a good show. With Mark Radcliffe. And that was another great music show. I know we miss these shows. And the MTV's gone now. Yeah. And now MTV's gone. Oh, that's really sad.

MTV. Well, well done, Robbie. Brilliant video. Yeah, really, really good. Inspired. Excellent work. You've got to find that photo, please. I will.

No, I'll find the video. I'll find the photo. It's a favorite of mine. Jo, can I see some fantastic awards slightly to the side of you there? You can, actually, yeah. Not one, not two, but three glamour awards. When we were discussing what we were going to be chatting about in the programme today, and someone said we were talking about the glamour awards,

I went, I think I might have won one of those a long time ago. And then I went to my mantle of me, some of three. Fantastic. What about you? What's the best award that you've won? I think I got a Sony for turning up, which was very nice. No, I did get a sonia. It was given to me by Marianne Faithful. Oh my God, how cool.

Chuffed. I was really chuffed. And I think Cana of the year for something, I can't remember. Respect. That's, yeah. But I think that's about it. I think that's about it. We won a BAFTA for the last ever live and kicking, which was amazing. But I don't even have a copy of it. I need to get one and put it on the, yeah, the Lodgers won loads of awards.

I need to up my, up my, uh, well, you need to get his awards and put them on behind. you now on the mantel pieces around you steal them that's fine yeah maybe i'll just stop making myself some the glamour women of the awards so i think i think they're very important and it's very it's very important to recognize women for everything that are doing in all aspects of life so glamour tends to be you know like radio and tv and um but there are other awards too i went to the women of the year awards i took my mum and it was so incredibly inspiring and very moving just um listen to people talking who were educators, who were scientists, who were astronomers, who were working the community, caring, and to see them standing up on stage, having a platform, being

respected, getting an award for everything they've done all the hard work, because you can bet you bought some dollar, they didn't get paid very much for it, and they don't get any glamour award for it. Who were your female role models when you were growing up? Oh my gosh. Oh, blind me, it was probably Debbie Harry, so straight into music straight away. Why wouldn't it be Debbie Harry? Yeah, she was the one, doing Atomic on top of the pops, looking at her just going, God, one day, I'd love to be as cool as her.

But nobody could ever possibly be, because she was the epitome of cool. You're as cool as Debbie Harry. Oh, I'm 100% not. Who would your role models have been? When I was really young, it was Barbara Streisand, and it was Barbara Streisand in Funny Girl playing Fanny Bryce. So I guess it was Fanny Bryce because she, Fanny Bryce was a woman who was not really glamorous, who, was not, you know, like when Siegfield used to do all his shows and he'd have all the, you know, the Tiller girls and they'd do all the dancing. And along came Fanny Bryson. She wasn't as beautiful

as the rest of them. And she was a comic actress. And, you know, she was breaking the mould. And I loved her, I guess, because she just, you know, she'd put her in his shows. And it was a real risk for Ziegfeld to put her in his shows. And then she'd go out and do something really hilarious or go completely off-piece. And people absolutely loved her. And she became a huge, huge star. So I guess again, a woman who broke the mould, who changed it for other women. And then in turn, Barbara Streisand did that herself. You know, she was a woman who basically took control of her own career and was like, no, I don't want to make albums like that. This is what I want to do. And I want to be in charge of my own contracts and stuff like that. And, you know, and she was directing, you know, she directed

Yentel. And so she again was a woman who just changed things for a lot of other women. But I guess when I loved Fanny Bryce and I loved Barbara Streisand, at that point in my life, I didn't realize quite how iconic they were as women. And also I have to mention, of course, Andrea Arnold, who presented number 73 with Sandy Toxwick and she will roller skates. And I thought she was the coolest woman on Saturday morning telly and she actually went on to a really brilliant job of making movies and she's a fantastic she's an Oscar winning director now but there she was on roller skates on a Saturday morning I was like I want to do that job that looks brilliant and Sarah Green you know oh my yeah Sarah Green was great those Blue Peter yeah the Blue Peter and Tiswall's

presenters they were there I was just thinking there weren't really there were nowhere near as many women visible to inspire us to have as role models because when you asked me that question then I thought God, I really don't, I can't think of anyone, apart from Debbie and then Annie Nightingale and Janice Long because they were doing the thing that I wanted to do in music. But I really, really was hard struck to think of incredible women who inspired me that I was watching because everybody was male on TV, on the radio, in films largely. It's changed now, isn't it? It's great. There's so many women doing, you know, doing so brilliantly. But still often having to fight a bit of a fight. Yeah. You know? And the

fight stereotypes and and fight the way we can be judged for the way we are. There was a comment the other day. There was someone talking about Strictly and they went, you're too old. And I was like, you are never too old to do anything, actually. I wanted to say back. And it's that thing of,

oh my God, what a woman would be too old to do something. Yeah. So they suddenly lose all their skills. It's like things have changed. These aren't messages that we should be, you know, repeating. It's like, no, you are never too old. Whether you're a woman or a man.

They're never too old to do anything. You know, so, yeah, there we go. I ran over. That's fine. I watched the Girl Band documentary, Girl Band Forever. A bit of that last night. And that's a prime example of women who or young girls. I could not believe how young they were, like Louise and Kelly from Eternal.

And so many of those girls who were recruited in bands. And inevitably, the guys were the people who were the managers or the producers and they were making decisions. making decisions, tell him to lose weight, telling him how to look, how to be. And then the Spice Girls came along and they owned it. And suddenly it was like a light bulb. Like, oh, that's why they were so important

because they sacked their first manager because he didn't do things the way they wanted him to. And they really, really properly inserted their own authority. And that is why they are so important, why they inspire the likes of Adele and Lily Allen to this day. Do you know what? I remember being on the Big Breakfast when their first single came out and sort of not, at that time,

you didn't realize how important. and those girls were going to be for other girls, you know, they really did change things. Yeah. I remember hearing self-esteem, Rebecca, talking to you, you know, about how it is still really tough for women in certain industries, you know. And so women who are strong and brave and sort of take on the patriarchy, I'm like, you go, girls. Now, so, you know, it's... like the temperatures are dropping and the rain is getting heavier and heavier. So the desire to be

out in the garden is getting harder and harder that you have to look out of the window and you're like, oh, God, I should go out and I should finish those jobs, but I don't know if I want to. And what do I wear as well when I go out into the garden? Because I'm just going to get drenched. I just have a question for you. Would you ever wear a garden clog out? To be honest with you, in the garden, I'd wear anything because it's just about comfort and practicality. And often someone will come around and I'm like covered in earth and I'm like please don't judge me I'm wearing a Mac

and I've got one Wellington on and I've got muddy knees but if you're talking about the garden clog which has become a bit of a fashion statement as worn by Jennifer Lawrence on a night out recently I'm not sure I would

because unlike J-Law who I love and adore I don't have those lovely skinny little ankles I have cancals and they're pretty white and my legs are often unshaven because it's the winter and I like the hair to keep me warm it's just I'm really lazy and I can't see even when I am shaving them

so the the clog would not look like it looks like on J-Law on me it would just look like you've just come out of the garden or someone would think I've escaped from somewhere apparently they're very fashionable now I actually ordered some last week but I ordered them for the garden but now I've seen the photograph

no but now I've seen the photograph of Jennifer Lawrence I'm trying to work out whether I could style it out, whether, I mean, could you wear them with socks? They're literally just like clogs, but they're made of, I think, like black neoprene or black rubber. Okay, are they lined? Do they keep your feet warm? I don't know. Until they arrive. I was hoping they were going to be here today, but they haven't arrived yet. What colour have you ordered, Joe? Black. Black, I wouldn't wear any other colour. Obviously.

Not if you're going to go into London and go to a restaurant. I'm looking forward to seeing you out in them when you are papped, Joe. Wiley out for dinner with Disco Steve in Soho Will you be bare ankles like Jennifer Or will you be in a naty sock Like you've got some stripy socks Match your stripy jumper that you're wearing

These I actually bought these for someone for Christmas But then I've decided to keep them for myself Because I'm obsessed with green stripes At the moment as you might be able to see slightly clashing ones But they're really long They go to my knees Yes I reckon you could wear them with a sock

I love this fashion though because obviously I've got India and Coco, Coco's 17 and is like this little fashion guru, so immaculate dressed all the time every time she goes out. And then India, who has a very distinct style of her own and her and her and her boyfriend, Alex, they're very much the outdoors Patagonia kind of fashion. But it's equally as cool. So they, you know, Alex walks around in, I don't even know where they're from or what they are, but they're kind of orange felt.

I think they look like garden clogs that he's wearing. But he looks super cool wearing them. And I love that fashion Like woolly hats Beanie hats Possibly Dungarees But looking like you're about to climb Snowden At any point

And probably I don't know Whatever, wrestle a bear But they're really Polar Opos the ends Of the fashion spectrum But you're comfy Aren't you when you're wearing a garden clog Okay so next week on the podcast

You can do a little leg extend And show us your garden clog I will do that for you What are they called by the way Glogs? I don't know Are they, is it a brand name? No I think there's a kinds, like Birkenstock. I mean, I think people have been wearing those Birkenstock

cloggy things forever, the ones that have got sheiling. Let's not confuse them with crocs. I have two pairs of crocs. I would never wear a crock. Well, you would never wear a crock. I would never wear a crock. Cass wears crocs. I, I, someone bought me a floral pair and a bright yellow pair. I wear them in the garden. In the summer, very wacky. I don't wear them to be wacky. I just wear them to be practical. But you look wacky. What's so? different between a crock and a clog? I think the weight, the weight, maybe it's the weight and the colour. Because crocs come in all these bright colours, so like purple or rainbow, whereas a

clog will be an earthy, black, thick rubber or, you know, we'll have sheepskin and shearling. Wear them next week, we'll have a little look. And by the way, haven't we got the fabulous Pollyanna Wilkinson doing something about gardenware next week? Yeah, we do. Polyana's going to be telling us how to look okay in the garden. So what to wear, even down to makeup, just giving us a guide of the kind of stuff that will help get you over winter looking okay. So, yeah, Pollyanna, who is amazing, she's going to be on. She's really good on fashion, really good on gardening, so she can combine the two.

What we should do is have Pollyanna's gardening outfits and then I'll send you a picture of me in my gardening outfits. We'll do that. Where's all gummage times two? The family always lit me up and down like, who are you? I'm like, I don't care. Should we do crate digging? Oh, let's do some crate digging. What have you got to offer this week?

Well, I have three albums on the ground because I also went to Resident Records to try and run into you this weekend. And I have, I treated myself because I didn't get tickets. I didn't get tickets to Radiohead and now everyone started putting up their videos of going to see Radiohead in concert.

This, I think, I mean, it's hard to choose my favourite Radiohead album, but in rainbows is up there and I've been listening to it a lot having seen all the footage of people at their gigs which look so good I think all the gigs they're doing

are in the round and they are sounding phenomenal but I shall live my radio head experience just by listening to albums and I have been listening to it in rainbows again it's just one of my favourites I think it's about 2007 it came out

and you know weird fishes Reckoner house of cards I just love this album so much and all of their albums you listen to from the beginning to the end because they are so fantastic. So this has been very much on the playlist this week. That's my offering.

What's your offering, Joe? Well, I went to Resident Records and they had sold out, and I think they've also sold out everywhere, like the planting presses have sold out of the new album from Rosalia, Spanish singer Rosalia. The album is called Lux. She's dressed as a nun in white on the front cover, but she's holding herself beneath the clothing that she's wearing.

It looks kind of like a, yeah, no, she's just got like a white dress on. Anyway, she's hugging herself, which I think is the message of this album. And it's like you just said about Radiohead, it's a complete experience. So don't put it on, expecting to hear hit after hit after hit pop song. It's none of that. It's the most dramatic, beautiful, operatic odyssey that you could hope to listen to. She's singing in, I think it's 13 languages on this album. And it's, I mean, her voice is absolutely extraordinary.

It's amazing. She's got Bjerk on the album as well, Eve Tumor. And it's just wonderful. There's one song that is, I think it's called La Perla, and it's like a waltz. It just takes you in all these different musical directions. And I'm, you know, I don't know much about classical music, but I really enjoyed this album. I thought it was wonderful. Really, it's getting rave reviews everywhere.

Also be like a straight jacket. Yes, that's when I looked at the photograph, that's it. But she's comforting herself. There's so many things. going on just in that image there. And she said it's an antidote to the TikTok generation of like being overstimulated all the time. I mean, it is

when you listen to the album, it's a massive overstimulation but I guess if you listen to it in the dark and you let it seep over you, then maybe that's the point of it. Well, lots of friends were texting me going, oh my God, I'm obsessed with the Rosalia single and you've been playing at Lodes, which features Bjork and it's sort of

almost operatic and a big orchestra and it takes you on this huge journey. And I was driving in my car quite a lot last week around the UK doing filming and you were playing at Lowe's and I just whack it right up and it sounds incredible in really dramatic weather on the roads listening to it was like wow this kind of it's it's bonkers she it's like nothing else you would hear yeah she's she's amazing she's sold out yeah sold out everywhere five-star reviews yeah no just yeah stream it download it um five-star reviews across the board but it is

like nothing else. It's not a pop song. It's not an album of greatest hits. It's a, it's a musical odyssey. And it will challenge you, but you'll enjoy it. If you surrender to it, you'll, you'll enjoy it, I think. Joe, I look forward to seeing you in your very fashionable clogs next Monday. Thank you. Yes, of course. No, I'll be wearing them. I'm going to try them on with socks, going to try them on without socks, and I will give you the best version of myself. Have a lovely rest of the week. I will do, darling. All right. Lots of love. Bye. Bye. Digit is a Persephonica production.