Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball - Bush Thongs, Strictly Shock & Jo’s New Addition

Episode Date: October 29, 2025

Jo welcomes a new family member — Nemo the kitten — while Zoe is reeling from the news that Claudia and Tess are leaving Strictly Come Dancing. The pair chat about Lily Allen’s explosive new alb...um, the rise of rage rooms, and a surreal debate over the now-infamous “bush thong.” GET IN TOUCH 📧 Email us: questions@digitpod.co.uk 📱 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 SPONSORS This episode is brought to you by QVC   ✨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 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

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Starting point is 00:00:00 Coming up, on Digit. If you want to make a revenge record and you want to really, really pack a punch, then you do it like Lily has just done. There's an album, as a concept, it is perfection. Yeah. Why would we want a bush thong? I don't know. And do I need one? Oh, yeah, Claudio and Tess quit strictly.
Starting point is 00:00:19 Total shocker. I don't want to put you on the spot, but would you like to do it? All of that right after this. This episode of Digget is brought to you by QVC. You know, Joe, anxiety was the hardest part of menopause for me. That's why the articles and videos on the Menopause Your Way section of QVC's website really struck a chord. One was from Olympian, Michelle Griffith Robinson, who shared simple everyday hacks to boost confidence. And another from Karen Arthur, all about finding joy in what you wear.
Starting point is 00:00:58 And it reminded me that getting older. isn't about becoming invisible it's an opportunity to rediscover your style and your spark I've really enjoyed the sleep content Dr Kat Lidler explains how our circadian rhythm shift and that we don't all need the mythical eight hours it gave me permission to find my own sleep window
Starting point is 00:01:16 and it made me realise how in tune I need to be with my body and there's loads more on QBC's website nutrition tips from Karen Newby articles from psychotherapist Holly Rubin even fitness and confidence advice from Kate Roham. Plus, the shop by symptom tool makes it so simple to find the relevant product supporting you wherever you are in your menopause. To take a look, just search menopause at QVC UK.com. And don't forget to use the code QDIG 10 for 10 pounds off your first purchase
Starting point is 00:01:50 over 30 pounds. That's QDIG 10, QDIG10 for 10 pounds of your first order over 30 pounds. For full terms, visit the QVC website. Everyone's got a pro. Need tires? I've got a pro. Car making it a weird sound? I've got a pro. So who's that pro?
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Starting point is 00:03:15 Who is this? Say hi, Nemo. Hello. This is Nemo. I know how cute is he. Nemo. We have another family member. gorgeous kitten.
Starting point is 00:03:26 He's a ginger and white cat and I think he's fluffy because we've had ragdoll. He's gone now. He's gone. Sorry. That's it. We might be hanging around because I've got food here. Here we go. If I put that on my lap. Oh, well done. She is Dr. Doolittle. He's checking out Greg James' new book.
Starting point is 00:03:43 He is. He's so cute. All we can see, if anyone is listening to this, all I can see at the moment is like a tail or a paw or ears come into shot and then disappear again. He is the cutest, littlest, fluffiest, most adorable, gorgeous cat. How long has he been with you, just days? He's been with us, yeah, about five days now. Oh, he is, he's checking out Greg James' book.
Starting point is 00:04:10 So, yeah, I think he's nine weeks old now. And we've, Coco had been doing a lot of research, looking at a lot of kittens online. And because we were so sad, having lost Simba, our beautiful Bengal and then Brodie the other day, The house was very, very quiet, which I mentioned, and it was really sad. And we'd plan to get another cat anyway, because we're a family of four kids, and we like to be a family of four animals. So we just... It's really hard to listen to what you're saying, because at the moment, Nemo is doing the most amazing catwalk, sort of wrapping himself around the light in the little cat lamp and checking out Greg James. And now sitting absolutely perfectly, he's checking out the candlelight.
Starting point is 00:04:50 Look at him. He's never seen a candle before. He's transfixed by it. He's so, so gorgeous. Are you managing to get anything done? All I will say is he's made such a difference to the house and to everyone's spirits. It's been, he's been a little miracle. He really has.
Starting point is 00:05:03 He's just made everyone smile again and be happy and he's given us something to do if he had to look after him. And he's really, when he came home, the kids were like, oh, we chose him because he was the most chill and he was just relaxed and didn't really, you know, just let us cuddle him, which he did for the first 12 hours. And now he's just like this, this rocket is running around the house all over the place, causing chaos, but is absolutely adorable. sleeping with me at the moment. And he's just really well behaved. And obviously everything is just so fascinating. He's leaping everywhere, biting everything, checking it all out. We're trying to introduce him to Django, who's our golden retriever and to Kiki, who's the ragdoll, who at the moment is very disdainful. But she's tolerating him, which is good. Cass has been doing chat GPT, how to introduce a new kitten to the rest of your animals. And he's been following it to the letter.
Starting point is 00:05:49 So we've done that. It's all, it's going okay so far. But he's made us really happen. this week. It's been really good. Do you know what? He's making all of us really as well now. Nothing beats a kitten really, does it? Wilbur, what do you reckon, mate? Do we need a new? Maybe you do. He's not looking very impressed. How old is Wilbur? Wilbur is probably, I'm so bad. I don't even know the ages of my children, yet alone the cat. I think he's about six or seven. Perfect time to get another one. But he does rule the roost, you know? Maybe, would it liven you up, love? Would you, do you fancy it? I'm not sure. Maybe he's just really happy on his own. The only thing, thing I'm worried about is when, because obviously we looked at loads and loads of different kittens
Starting point is 00:06:28 and then Coco just fell in love with this one. She really wanted, all the kids wanted a ginger cat, which I've always said no to. I don't know why. And so they just went off. I went and did my show and they were going off to check out this cat. And they sent through a picture of him in the car coming home. And I was like, okay, so we've bought a cat, have we? That's what. We've got one, have we? And he was adorable. And I looked at this photograph and I was like, his ears are really pointy. Like, they're very, very pointy and they're quite fluffy as well. In fact, they look remarkably like a main coon. And they were like, no, no, no, no, he's not a main coon at all. No, no, no, no. Because main coons are massive. They get really big, don't they? Really big.
Starting point is 00:07:04 Yeah, like people have to, you know, use their arms and a wheelbarrow to hold them. And I was going, sure, he's not a main coon? No, no, it's not a main coon. And then after a couple of days when he was home, I kept looking at him more and more. And I was going, do you know what, those ears, I swear they're growing. They're looking bigger and bigger. And then Cass did chat GPT. which is his Bible, and just said, what is this kitten? And it comes back and goes, oh, it's adorable, a little fluffy bundle of joy. It looks very much like a main coon. I was like, kids, what have you bought?
Starting point is 00:07:33 I'm looking forward to when I'm checking with you on a morning and this huge beast just goes through the back of shot, the size of a lynx. It'll be like that goodish sketch, anybody who's old enough like us, the goodest sketch where the kitten is like on the is it oh i don't know what it is it empire state building i think that'll be it i'll have a main coon on my shoulder when i'm talking to you um so who knows what we've got oh it's like when people buy micro pigs and then they turn out to be real genuine pigs and they live with them for you know a year and then they have to go okay you belong in a pigsty outside in the garden now yes oh i'm so glad though he's bringing a bit of joy into
Starting point is 00:08:13 the family i took him to the vet to get his first jab and um and she was saying that I didn't know this, but cats can have a litter and they can have two different fathers when they'll probably have three different fathers. So you can have kind of different breeds from one litter. I didn't know that. It's amazing, isn't it? How outrageous. You see, that's so cat, isn't it? That's so the behaviour of cats. They just make up their own rules. They don't abide by anyone else's rules. They're just, and then they look at you like, yeah, it's just the way it is, deal with it. Yeah. That's why I've always loved cats. Let's think about what else has been going on since we last spoke. Oh yeah, Claudio and Tess quit strictly.
Starting point is 00:08:51 That total shocker. I tell you, I thought you were an insider and you knew these things. No, I don't know anything. But yeah, I think everybody woke up that day and saw the news that Tess and Claude was stepping back. You know, for Tess, it's been 21 years. She's been there since the beginning. She hosted with Brousie, you know, I think she was probably about 13 when she started that job. She was so young. And those girls, you know, they broke glass ceilings because it's, I mean, it seems ridiculous, doesn't it? But the Saturday night, light entertainment, the lass was always the lovely dolly bird or the assistant. My glamorous assistant, that was a phrase, wasn't it.
Starting point is 00:09:32 And here's my glamorous assistant. Yeah. And Tess was the, you know, she wasn't the assistant, but Tess was the co-host with Bruce in it. And there it was. So when Claude started doing Sunday nights with Tess, and Bruce carried on with Saturday nights. And then when he stopped, to have two girls at the helm of a Saturday night entertainment show was so unique. And why shouldn't it be that way? It's brilliant.
Starting point is 00:09:57 Because you had Mel and Sue doing shows together and you had French and Saunders. But hosting Saturday Night Telly and the girls together have just, oh, they've made that show so fantastic. They have. They have. They have. And I love the fact they've owned this story and they're going together. and they've decided this now is the time to do that
Starting point is 00:10:18 and I thought you know it was such a shocker for everyone we're all like what? Yeah it was a powerful move wasn't it my phone was going beep beat beat what why did you not tell me this was happening it's like I didn't know why would I know so I just want to say to the girls
Starting point is 00:10:33 Bravo I think they're both fab and I you know they're going to be a tough act to follow on that show well they are going to be a tough act to follow miss ball and can you think of anybody who might be good to host that show Hannah Waddingham. She'd be good. We also heard the Eurovision
Starting point is 00:10:50 she is. I mean, it depends, I guess, if she can commit, you know, 12 weeks of the year on a Saturday night because she's always doing movies and she's doing Ted Lassau. I think she'd be amazing. I've already been down the bookies, though. I've put everything I own. On Alan Carr. On Alan Carr.
Starting point is 00:11:06 Doing that show, yeah, because I think he'd be perfect. With you as the main presenter. I mean, just saying. With Amanda, glamour, be amazing. Do you know what? Everyone's going to want that job. Yes. There will be queues going around the block. I'm just going to say this, you would do it best. So I'm just I'm hoping I'm going to get big rewards from the book is. I'm sure it's all going to come back. You would do it best. But obviously, like you say, I think my ship may have passed. But that's
Starting point is 00:11:32 okay. The thing is, I often think this about traitors and those shows, do you want to work on them? Or do you want to watch them? Because they're so good. But I think, I think let the girls finish their run and they'll be doing the Christmas show as well. It's a little, but I was watching Claude this weekend thinking, oh my God, no, this is, you know, this is, there's only like eight more shows. And then the Christmas special, but those girls should bow out with such pride. They are so fabulous and they will be really sorely missed. And good luck to the bosses of the BBC, because that's going to be a tough decision. But they've got loads of time, haven't they? After the girls finished, they've got all of next year to think about. I don't want to put you on the spot, but would
Starting point is 00:12:12 you'd like to do it? I think everyone would like to do that job. It's an amazing job. It's the best Saturday night show when I'm watching Ellie dancing with Rita or, you know, Lewis and Katia and Alex and Jojo. And they're just so amazing. It still brings so much joy to people's lives, that show. So yeah, whoever takes over will have the best gig in the world. I love hearing the love that you have for Strictly and the knowledge that you have for Strictly. When you talk about it, it's such a fire within you. It's such a passion. And obviously because you did, it takes two and you danced and you were amazing. You were in the actual show. And it just shines through. So whenever you talk about it, I love it. I feel like from here until Christmas, I'm safe in your hands because I'm just, I was never into strictly in the very beginning. And I've kind of grown into it. And I now really appreciates it. And I'm getting to know the characters. But through you, I'm having a whole deeper level of appreciation. And I thank you for that. We'll get Joe on it one year. You'll be surprised. Christmas special. Joe Wiley
Starting point is 00:13:09 Dancing with Vito I'll just I'll just give you a quote that Cass said in the bathroom the other day I would die if you ever did that show I would die so that rules me out because I can't have my kids dying
Starting point is 00:13:22 you've got to do what your kids say yeah I know there are definitely shows where my kids are like yes you can do that no you can't do that yeah please don't do that one you would totally humiliate yourself yes you're absolutely right
Starting point is 00:13:34 by the way if you are enjoying ticket, if you are one of our diggers, make sure you hit follow on Apple or Spotify and that way everything is so much more simple. Every new episode just lands on your phone the minute it's out and there will be in your lives. Tell you what is really good that I watched it other day and I bet you've watched it and you liked it, Riot Women.
Starting point is 00:13:56 Oh, God, I love that show. It's so different to what I was expecting. I thought it was going to be, I was a little bit nervous and I thought it was going to be kind of, oh, I don't know, stereotypical menopause, women. It is not that at all. It's about it's about real women and their lives and the overloading and the pressure and the stress and the complexities. And there's also this passion for music and an amazing soundtrack. It's such a good show. I've only watched a couple of episodes so far. So you might be deeper into it than me. I'm a couple of episodes in as well. Sally Wainwright obviously wrote Happy Valley. She's such an amazing writer. And for her to go, do you know what? I'm going to write something about women and this time of life that we go through. And I think you're right. It could have been really. cliche. But when I saw the cast, I knew it was going to be excellent. And it's Sally Wainwright and she's writing for those incredible women. And also I found it really moving. I went watching the
Starting point is 00:14:48 first episode, you know, some things that the characters going through are so devastating that it really took my breath away. It's like, oh my goodness me. And it covers all of that stuff of, you know, who we are and how lost we get in menopause and how we lose who we are and how we appear to our families and to our friends. And it's such, menopause is so tough to navigate this time of life. And there are these women who find strength in each other and help each other through the stuff that they're all going through. And it's hilariously funny. It's made me cry a couple of times. The cast are phenomenal. And I absolutely love it. And it's great, great fun. It's kind of made me want to learn to play the drums as well. I'm not sure I've got an amazing
Starting point is 00:15:35 amount of rhythm, but I quite fancy it. Do you play any instruments? Because also you have spent your life bringing incredible music into our lives. No. That's why I play other people's records on the radio. Because I can't do anything. I've got no musical talent. I've got no, I've got no talent. I've got, I can't dance. I can't sing. I can't play an instrument. I've tried. I tried to do the clarinet at school and the teacher told my mum and dad to take me out of the lesson because it wasn't worth it. And that was at a young age and that message hit home and I've not gone back and tried anything at all. It's terrible really, isn't it? Because anyone, can play stuff. You need to be encouraged. And some people have more skill at that. I did see something
Starting point is 00:16:11 that I did think was really good. And that was a rage room. So it was Coco's birthday. And traditionally, we've done escape rooms. And I got to this year and I was like, coax, are you still into escape rooms? You're too old. You're two grown up. And all her siblings who are like ranging from 33 down to 25 were going, dude, please can we do an escape room again? Please can we? So we all went off and we did an escape room. But some of the options, there was also an option to do a rage room, which is where you just go into a room and you just smash stuff up now that i could have done this really appeals it's so true i remember years ago we had a spare room upstairs and it was too small to really do anything useful in and i'd said to some friends you know what we should just have up there is loads of like
Starting point is 00:16:51 crockery and you go in with like a rubber hammer and just be like when you know whenever the people get to that point where just nothing's going right or people aren't listening to or you can't breakthrough or you're really emotional for no reason whatsoever, but you just need to get it out. I tell you, if there is a raid room in Hove, Brighton, London, anywhere, please let me know because I will go with my friends. I think that's a brilliant thing to do. Oh, this could be your Christmas present. There's bound to be one there. There is bound to be one there. It's such a good idea. Another great thing I saw this week is Phil, who works at Radio 2, I'd saw on his socials that he'd gone, maybe with his girlfriend, with some friends. And, you know,
Starting point is 00:17:31 like if you think of Jackson Pollock you know throwing the paint at a big canvas and my brother is an amazing artist and we've always I love this quote from Woody Allen
Starting point is 00:17:43 about Jackson Pollock and he painted me this plate and I said Nick we need to go there and you basically it's somewhere where you go and you put on the overalls and you throw paint and I guess you get to come away with your own artwork
Starting point is 00:17:55 and it looked so much fun and everyone's throwing cans of paint at each other and you come home with something fabulous. I was like, I need to go there. That looked like a really good idea. These are all ideas for anyone who's looking for things to do for birthdays or entertainment. Can I tell you about something really, really touching that happened? I was going to work at the weekend and I suddenly remembered it was Ryland's birthday and I dashed to a shop that a lot of my friends call my second home to get him a present and I'd sort of parked and I was running through the door and as I was
Starting point is 00:18:31 running through the door, this lady came through the door with, it turned out, it was her daughter and she looked so fabulous. She was wearing incredible colours and she really took my breath away and I said to her, I was like, wow, you look amazing. And I was having a really sort of stressful morning and nothing was going right. And this woman, she just was shining. And so I said to her, you know, you look fabulous. Anyway, she went on. and I went about my day and I woke up today and I had a message and we both get so many messages through social media and I try to read as many as I can and often they might be about stuff we've talked about and you know we've talked a lot about grief and we've talked about
Starting point is 00:19:17 losing people and we've talked about where we put our ashes and stuff and I've had so we've both had so many moving messages from so many people and it's hard to get through them all sometimes but this morning the first message I opened was from this lady and now I won't say her name in case she doesn't want to be mentioned on a podcast but it turns out that this wonderful lady who had Sean as she walked past me is going through a really tough time at the moment she's been really poorly and she's waiting for a transplant and she was with her daughter and she said thank you so much for that moment I've really been going through it and you just said this thing to me because I've been feeling so terrible.
Starting point is 00:19:59 And it just goes to show, doesn't it, that in a little passing moment with somebody, you never know what people are going through. And just for that little moment, we'd connected. And it really moved me this morning to read that message. And I sent her so much love and all her girls. And I really hope that, you know, she's doing all right. And thank you for reaching out.
Starting point is 00:20:21 What else did you get up to over the past seven days? What's been going on to? What have I been doing? It's been, it's all go at the moment. My lass has an audition for where she wants to go after her GCSEs. So we're all on tent hooks at the moment and hoping that she's got to do a drama piece. So is she a performer? Is she got that in her?
Starting point is 00:20:42 She has, yeah. And she loves acting and she loves singing. And I don't know whether it's necessarily what she wants to do as a career. I don't know whether she's made that decision yet. But I think a bit like Wu and a bit like me growing up, you know, she's not particularly academic. And I think any subjects that are more performance or doing stuff, you know, and artistic, she's much more into that. So instead of doing A-levels, if she can go and do this course, this fantastic place in Brighton, I can't concentrate because Nemo is the perfect showbiz kitten. I think he's going to fit right in with the digging community.
Starting point is 00:21:19 He's just sat perfectly on the little side table next to you. He's sort of chewing his tail. and he is being insanely cute. I can't concentrate. If this isn't incentive enough for people to watch it on YouTube or Spotify, I don't know what it is. I'll get a new kitten every few months
Starting point is 00:21:34 and we can just stick them here. Hey, what's going on with the kitchen? Can we have a kitchen update, Joe? So kitchen is going on in the background, by the way, all the time. I'm so indecisive and I have not been able to decide about the kitchen cupboards at all. So everything else has been painted and it's the whole weekend
Starting point is 00:21:48 this has been like the massive elephant in the room. Everyone's taking the piss out of me so badly. Like, what colour are they going to be? Because every single cupboard painted, blue, pink, mizzle, tar, like tapestry. They're all these different elephants breath, is the classic, of course. And everybody in the family has an opinion. It's not the same opinion as me.
Starting point is 00:22:07 So I'm just like completely and utterly confused as to what colour I wanted to be. But I got up at six this morning because I found out the painters opened at seven. And I got up at six and I got to the paint shop and I bought pale clay. It's essentially off white. Pale clay, which the cupboards are going to be. I've bought new handles from DeVol, which is a really cool kitchen place that I've discovered. And I love the handles. So in my head, and then I'm going to get new tiles, which will be either I'll go for wallpaper, I'll go for blue tiles behind.
Starting point is 00:22:37 But when I said to India, I was having off-white cupboards and then blue tiles, she just went, it's just going to be kind of nautical, isn't it? And with that one phrase, I was just like, oh, just like completely withered. Oh, my God. Back to square one. It's so difficult, isn't it? Because some people are really good on that stuff. I need guidance.
Starting point is 00:22:58 I always need guidance because I know what I like. I know what I love. But I just cannot tell people. I sort of like, I like this, but I don't know if I like that. And then when it all goes up, I think, oh, I don't know. I sent Pete the painter a message this morning and I just said, right, I'm going to go for the pale clay. If I hate it, I'm going to paint them myself. You don't have to repaint it.
Starting point is 00:23:17 So after I've finished talking to you and I go, when we've done the podcast, I'm going to go out to the kitchen. Like, with so much trepidition. to see what it looks like. And if I hate it. And Disco Steve just keeps coming in going, I just like it the way it is. I just think it's really cool. It's dark great.
Starting point is 00:23:31 Why are you changing this? Why? I just really like it. That's not helpful, Steve. I know. I keep saying, but it's been like this for nine years. I just want to change. I'm loving the updates.
Starting point is 00:23:41 So keep giving us the update. Time for a quick ad break. However, if you'd like to skip them, all you have to do is become. a potting shed member. You'll get bonus content, longer episodes and early access to live shows. But most importantly, you'll be supporting the show to subscribe head to digitpod.com.uk. Or tap the link in the show notes. We've received a question from Ian in Cumbria on eating from your garden. And Ian says,
Starting point is 00:24:18 firstly, thanks for such a great podcast. Look forward to every episode, even as a 50-something male without menopause. He probably feels like he's going through menopause listening to us, bang on about it all the time. Although I may be portraying some manopause symptoms such as a short temper and irritability. It is a thing, Ian. It is definitely a thing. I have two trees in the garden that for the first time in seven years have battled the winds in Cumbria to produce a nut of a decent size. The tree plan left by the previous owner, state, chestnut and they look like sweet chestnuts from their appearance, the tree bark and the leaves. The question is, would you risk roasting and eating them with a little salt in front of an
Starting point is 00:25:05 open fire? Have you ever tried eating something you later regretted? I will postpone any trial cooking and I look forward to your reply. Yes, Ian, we know what happened with that lady who cooked the meal with the mushrooms for her family. But, I think there'll be probably quite easy ways to identify if it is a sweet chestnut, like you say, because sweet chestnuts are so very different to horse chestnuts. And, you know, if you've bought chestnuts from somebody roasting them on an open fire in the street around Christmas time, I did it in the streets of New York, absolutely loved it. They are quite easy to spot, aren't they, a sweet chestnut?
Starting point is 00:25:47 Yeah, but now, I mean, how much responsibility, Ian, thank you very much indeed for this. So Zoe said it's fine. I just want to make this clear. he said it was fine. No, I'm saying let's identify. So I think if we put up a picture of what a sweet chestnut looks like and the leaves of a sweet chestnut tree, so that you know you've definitely got the right. You know, you can't really miss a sweet chestnut because they have that lovely little tuft at the top. And I did look up a recipe. Ian, if you can have maybe get, say, what should we say, three sources to tell you. If you have three different witnesses to tell you that it is indeed. sweet chestnut. But because it's a mast year and a lot of the trees are, you know, producing more fruits and seeds and nuts than ever, you should have hopefully quite a lot of sweet chestnuts from the tree this year. Because I know there have been so many acorns. My friend who lives in the countryside was telling me at the weekend that quite a lot of the farmers have had to move
Starting point is 00:26:46 sheep to different fields because the oak trees that occasionally don't put out many acorns. putting out loads of acorns and it's quite dangerous to some animals to eat acorns. So if it is a mast year, fingers crossed you, would have loads of sweet chestnuts, if it is the right kind of chestnuts. And I did look up, the simplest way to cook sweet chestnuts is that you sort of, you cut little grooves into them. I think you can either do one or four and then put them into a little pan with perhaps a bit of salt over it and put them into the open fire. Sounds lovely. And they are so delicious.
Starting point is 00:27:24 I have no knowledge of chestnuts at all. No, they, yeah, I can eat them. Can I, I, I'm going to sound so ignorant here. And I think we've mentioned it a couple of times. And I never actually put my hand up and said, I don't know what you're talking about. What is a mast year? A mast year is when all the trees, I don't know whether they communicate and say, this is the year we're going to do it.
Starting point is 00:27:40 But all the trees will basically almost double or triple their fruit, their nuts. And so what it means is that all those nuts, and fruit will, you know, give such a huge harvest that the trees will then create new trees. So new, all the acorns, if you think of, if there's more acorns, there are definitely a strong chance that new acorn trees will survive and start growing. So it's basically that the trees are putting out an extra amount of fruit. So, you know, if you've noticed how many slows there are on the bushes, people who make slow gin, it's been a real bumper crop this year. On the subject of trees, we've got a voice note now. And this is a
Starting point is 00:28:22 is Jo. Girls, my name's Joe, loving, loving the show. Just a little note on plant life that we plant for people we love. My lovely mum died 13 years ago and my son was three at the time. He loved his nanny and also he loved his apples. The day she died, he wanted to plant a seed from an apple. He just ate. Now, I know we all know apple trees come from apple seeds.
Starting point is 00:28:49 But honestly, I never thought it would work. But wow, I've got an gorgeous apple tree that is flourishing. And every time I look at it or we look at it, we obviously think about my mum. And it's just wonderful. Love, love, love the show. Also, as a side note, thanks for the tip about skim's underwear. I just bought some of their knickers and, oh my gosh, obsessed. Joe, isn't that wonderful?
Starting point is 00:29:17 I love the fact that Joe's saying, you know, of course apple trees come. from a seed from an apple. But when you plant that seed, because how many times have we done that with kids where I let's plant this or let's try and then nothing ever comes of it? So when that actually happens, how special is that? And I love the idea that one day Joe and her son can have an apple from that tree, from the seed that was planted after they lost granny after they lost her mum. Isn't that beautiful? To see the evidence is just, it's overwhelming, isn't it? It's really moving. We both, as soon as we saw the photograph, we were like, oh, open-jawed, that is, and heart, my heart.
Starting point is 00:29:56 Yes. That's so lovely. Oh, thank you, Jo. That is really special. Also, the skims brought, when we were talking about skims, Joe, there's a brother I recommend, which is a skims one, which is really tight. And it's like made of Lycra. A lot of their stuff is made of Lycra. But this is one I love, because it holds you in so firm, but not uncomfortably firm.
Starting point is 00:30:16 So it's really, it's really tight. And it's like a crop top. And, but it also kind of. moulds to the shape of your boobs. So whether you're big or small, it will just hold you in, hold you firm. I wouldn't wear it all day, every day because it can be a little bit restrictive. But that is my top of choice from skims. I just want to throw that in there. Could I wear it with my 38c? Yeah. Am I a 38B? I don't know what they're doing these days. Yeah, you could. But yeah, because sometimes you don't want to wear a bra bra, do you? No. No. No. I love a little sort of
Starting point is 00:30:45 sporty bra type thing, but you don't want it to be too, too sort of structurally. You want it to be comfortable. No, these are great. It's like really, it's like it's made out of tight material, but really, like, I guess it is, but really quite firm. So it holds you in. If you want, because I love a T-shirt where you don't get your boobs sticking out very much. And that's what that does. It's like the perfect T-shirt bra.
Starting point is 00:31:10 They're not too crazy priced either skims, are they? They're not. No, no, they're okay. You think they're going to be mega expensive because they're Kardashians, but actually they're okay. Oh, I forget it's Kardashians, isn't it? Yeah. Oh, God. I've just had an image now of the Bush thong. Sorry, we've gone back there again. We did not talk about the Bush song. Did we not? I need to talk about this because I don't understand, okay? I know I'm a woman of a certain age.
Starting point is 00:31:35 You know what? I used to think I was quite cutting edge. Well, no, I never thought I was cutting edge, but I thought I was, you know, on the finger on the pulse, know what's going down, what's popular with the kids. I am so out the loop. Why would you want a bush thong? Is it for people who have the full, you know, I don't know what they call it these days. What is it a Brazilian? Is it a Brazilian? What's it when you have it all taken off? Hollywood?
Starting point is 00:32:01 I don't know. Why would we want a bush thong? I don't know. And do I need one? It just looks like it's a bush. Like it's literally what it is what it sounds like. It's a thong and then it's just got faux hair. So it just looks like you've grown your bush back.
Starting point is 00:32:14 Does it come in different shades? It comes in all different shades. It's all different skin tones. So it will suit everybody no matter what your skin tone. So you can have matching curtains and cuff if you want. Sold out. Oh, no. Fully sold out.
Starting point is 00:32:28 Well, I mean, I say, oh, no, but I don't want one. I guess it's for people, if you've waxed so many times that nothing is growing back anymore and you're having those regrets, this is what you'd want. So maybe everyone's bought everybody for Christmas already. When you get to a certain age, goes two-tone, you know, because it's not just the hair on your head that can go grey. So then you can end up with, like, two-tone. So you can go a bit Dickie Davis underneath there.
Starting point is 00:32:50 So I guess if you want to be fully one-color. I don't understand it though. How have I got to this conversation? How have we got here? I don't know. I just, I was shocked. I'm getting you one for Christmas. If the wait list, if it comes off the wait list,
Starting point is 00:33:05 parading around on Christmas Day. Should we do some crate digging? Do you want to go first this time? Well, crate digging this week, we've got our, a bumper harvest hall, haven't we? Because Lily Allen dropped her album this week. And my lord, Bravo that girl. It's quite something, isn't it, Joe? It's an epic piece of storytelling. When I first, I think I got sent it the day before it came out and I just was doing my makeup and I put it on. And it was like I'd just open the best book in the world ever. I was so distracted from putting my makeup on. I was literally looking up with my phone just going, oh my God. Oh, and then what happened? And he's, He did that. Oh my, he did that. And you've gone through this. I mean, I love, I've always loved her voice. She has the sweetest voice. I think the album is unbelievably produced. So in terms of the musicality of the whole thing, it's almost, it's just brilliant. It's absolutely brilliant. Perfection, really, isn't it? Yeah. It's Lily's life unfolding. Well, it's storytelling of what might have happened to Lily. And she said it's, you know, partly fictional, but also partly what happened to her and her relationship. And it's, it's really moving.
Starting point is 00:34:17 It's very, very moving. It's, I have to say, I haven't heard one person say anything negative about it. Every single one of my kids has listened to it on their own. And they've all come together and said how utterly brilliant it is. We listen to it all weekend, on repeat, all the different songs. Everyone has, I don't think everyone's got the favourites because we think the whole thing is perfection. Well, this is the thing. I think it's, you know, it's the first time in a long time that I've heard an album that needs to be listened to from beginning to end.
Starting point is 00:34:47 because it takes you on the journey through the starts and then the breakdown and the heartbreak and the devastation that a relationship can bring in your life. And it's the mood of each track, the style of the music. I can't believe that she made this album in 10 days. Me neither. She obviously had been through so much, you know, and some of it we know about from listening to her on the podcast, some of Lily's life you know about because you read about it in the papers because the tabloids have always loved her. She's always been pretty candid. She's always been
Starting point is 00:35:24 quite open about stuff she's been through. But as a body of work, it works so brilliantly from beginning to end, taking you on this journey. And some of it you're listening to with real pain because as you listen to some of the things that she's singing about, you know how painful relationships can be. You know how they can flaw you, what heartbreak feels like, what trying to fit into the mold of what somebody else expects you to be in a relationship and being so in love with them that you'll do anything to make it work. You know, and how much of it is actually spot on and true. We'll never know. Only Lily will know, you know, what was real and what wasn't real in that relationship or what
Starting point is 00:36:07 really happened. But it really does make, it opens all those, you know, those little plasters you put over your heart when your heart is broken and you hold it all together. As you're listening to some of these songs, you feel those cracks opening up thinking, oh, yeah, I know that feeling. Oh, yeah. I know how it is to go through something like that. And I just think as an album, as a concept, it is perfection. Yeah. She's done something so incredible here. And I really hope it's been cathartic. Great therapy for her to go through something so tough. Also, Zoe, the timing of this. I mean, she's done, she's played it very, very well, hasn't she? Because. Stranger Things is coming out. And obviously it's the relationship with David Harbour that we're all talking about and she's talking about on this record, we presume. And I mean, he's going to be out there doing interviews, I presume, promoting stranger things or there's going to be an awful lot of attention on him. So if you want to make a revenge record and you want to really, really pack a punch, then you do it like Lillia's just done. So perfectly timed
Starting point is 00:37:08 to cause as much devastation as possible to him, as I presume she has felt from their relationship. She talks about it in the record moving her family to where he was and changing her life to be with this man and then trying to adapt yourself to something that you think is them trying to, you know, which is what a lot of people do in relationships. You know, you try to mould yourself into being the person you think this person you're in love with needs. And you do that to your own detriment sometimes. And at the end of relationship, you look back and think, why did I try to do all of that to fit with them when I should just be me and let them come to me or meet in the middle? or, you know. We went through our old back catalogue yesterday on a very long drive. And every single song you're like, wintzing because they're obviously about a relationship.
Starting point is 00:37:52 And she is just taking them apart. And this is why she was taken on stage by, it was Olivia Rodriguez, wasn't it? Yeah. Who she joined on stage. And everyone was a bit like, oh, but Olivia's this princess. And now she's brought out Lily. And we don't really know what Lily's doing so much at the moment. But actually, she has reclaimed her title as this queen of pop, of pop music.
Starting point is 00:38:13 It's why everybody used to look up to her. Olivia Rodrigo looks up to her now and she was such a role model for so many of the artists who are around right now making music because she was there and she was pulling no punches. She was really, really, yeah,
Starting point is 00:38:26 just making amazing records and being a very strong female at a time and she is the one that they're all looking up to. Bravo, Lily. It's an amazing, amazing piece of work. Giving Taylor Swift a run for her money when it comes to revenge albums, I think about it. Absolutely. And Dolly Parton with Jolene
Starting point is 00:38:41 And yeah, it's so good. But if you haven't listened to the album, listen to it from the beginning to the end because it's like a whole body of work and it's so excellent. So as Nemo, the kitten, sleeps perfectly on your little side table, we have Mr. Greg James eyeballing
Starting point is 00:38:58 from his book on your table. We love Greg, don't we? We do love Greg. Sometimes I would hear his radio shows and be, I've got to be better because he's so excellent at what he does. And now he's written a book. I mean, we know he's written loads of kids' books because Nell's read them all,
Starting point is 00:39:14 but he's written a grown-up book. He has. And he's, yeah, I think he's in the, he's the Steve Wright of this generation. He's one of those broadcasters who just wants to make it as good as it can possibly be. The way he communicates with his audience, when you listen on Radio One, he talks to the people who are listening to his show. It's just pitch perfect, the way he does it. He's so, he has so many ideas.
Starting point is 00:39:37 He's so creative when it comes to making radio. And then he does podcasts as well. He has so many passions, and he is also one of the nicest people that you could ever hope to meet. He's got such a huge heart, is incredibly kind. But also tells it like it is, and that's why I think people relate to him. He's just like, you know, rubbish things go on, and he will say that. And that is why he's so unbelievably relatable. He's just sent me a message.
Starting point is 00:40:00 How bizarre. How weird. He's there there. He can feel it in the ether. He's like, Joe Wiley is talking about me. I know. It's really weird. He didn't even know that we were going to mention his book, but I've just got a photograph from him, which is strange.
Starting point is 00:40:11 But the book is great. It's kind of like a rule book to what life is going to throw at you if you're a young person, how to deal with all the rubbish that comes along, how to look on the bright side, how to get on with everything. It's very funny. He's a great writer. And yeah, that is what I've been obsessed with reading this week. And I've left it out and all the kids are reading it too. Thank you, Greg. It's Greg James, all the best for the future, all the best of the future. My book this week, I know we've probably got way too much, but I'm obsessed. I've got a new favourite person who is Maddie Alexander Graham. out. And she talks a lot about ADHD. And as a family of ADHD, although I am, I need my sweatshirt that says undiagnosed, this book I have actually got for Woody and for I, I've bought him a copy and one for me. It's called Mad About Money, Managing Finances and Life with ADHD. So as I'm trying to teach Woody how to manage his finances when he's living with ADHD and I have ADHD and I'm realizing that I, is the blind leading the blind. This book from Maddie is brilliant and anyone else who's struggling with stuff like that also it's a great
Starting point is 00:41:16 book on guiding you with your finances anyway even if you don't have ADHD but it's such a brilliant read and Maddie I'm really chuffed to have found you so that is definitely excellent I will give it to Woody but whether he reads it or not is another it's going in his stocking if you want to find all of these song selections in one place anything we've talked about the book recommendations the music recommendations our Digit playlist is part of our weekly substacked newsletter, which will be in your inbox every Friday. Essentially, what I've been reading, what we've been wearing, listening to and the link to subscribe is in our show notes. That's all we've got time for today. We're back again on Monday to dig in and hear what
Starting point is 00:41:54 you've been saying. If you have any questions, tips or general thoughts and stories, do contact us. We love hearing from you. Our WhatsApp and our email address are in the show notes. And if you're loving the podcast, please leave us five stars on Apple or Spotify with a little review because it just helps other people to find a show. Have a good week. Enjoy whatever you're up to this week, yeah? Have a good week. Please keep us updated on the kitchen and Nemo, absolute superstar, who has stayed snugly asleep next to you, the whole of the podcast. Yeah, it's been well behaved. Bye, Dunning. Bye.

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