Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball - Trolls, Goals & Saying Goodbye

Episode Date: July 22, 2026

Jo opens up about her dad’s ill health and the heartbreak of saying goodbye to a beloved parent. As the World Cup comes to a close, Jo and Zoe share what the tournament has meant to them, and it’s Manosphere - 0, Love - 1. Jo tells all about becoming Woman & Home magazine’s latest cover girl, and the advice she got from Dame Judi Dench. Plus, Zoe’s review of the film everyone’s talking about, ‘The Odyssey’, and the online comment that got Jo and Zoe all fired up… Content warning: This episode contains discussion of serious illness, death and bereavementVOTE FOR US AT THE BRITISH PODCAST AWARDS!We’ve been nominated in the Listeners’ Choice category and we’d love all our diggers to vote for us! - Simply go to britishpodcastawards.com/voting- Type ‘Dig It’ in the search bar- Enter your name and email to vote.- And don’t forget to verify your email to make your vote count!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/447477038795SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORSThis episode is brought to you by Panda London and Costa Coffee.🐼 Panda London — Make hot nights more comfortable with Panda London’s beautifully soft, breathable and thermoregulating bamboo bedding. Head to pandalondon.com and spend over £50 to receive a free Bamboo Eye Mask with your order using code DIGIT.☕ Costa Coffee at Home — Start your morning with the same great Costa taste you know and love, now in your own mug at home. Costa's new Everyday Instant Coffee is inspired by their iconic Mocha Italia blend and comes in three varieties: Smooth, Intense and Decaf. Available in selected large format supermarkets across the UK, subject to availability.CREDITSExec Producer: Jonathan O’SullivanProducer: Harriet Thurley & Samantha PsykAssistant Producer: Eve JonesTechnical Producer: Oliver GeraghtyVideo Editors: Cameron Laird and Jack Whiteside Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Coming up on Digit. I hate the word manifesting. When people say, oh, you need to manifest something and then it will happen. I'm like, no, you make it happen. You have a goal. You have something that you want to happen. You have an ambition. And then you just work really hard to make that happen.

It'd be quite nice to be able to save that person. Do you really believe? What do you want us to do? Disappear behind the door. Yeah. Never come out again. Goodness me. Is this what bloke's are like now?

Is this what young boys are going to grow up to aspire to be? No, they're not. They're going to aspire to be. Jubillium or any of the England players, they're going to want to be kind, selfless people. It's the antidote to the manosphere, this whole thing. All of that right after this. Hello, Diggers. Hello, Joe.

My darling. Hi. How are you doing? It's a bit of a time for you at the moment, isn't it? I haven't had the best week, Zoe. I'll be honest with you. Yeah. It's been quite, it's been quite a tough week.

I remember talking last week. and we were and I mentioned about my dad and how his Parkinson's seemed to be playing up and how he wasn't great. And then we finished doing the record and then everything just went to shit after that. I shouldn't swear because my parents don't like me swearing. But yeah, I went and did my radio show. And actually before I did the radio show after we finished recording, I went and saw my mum and dad.

And it was really clear that my dad wasn't very well, but we weren't quite sure what was wrong. He was moving very slowly. It really wasn't all there. And so anyway, went to my radio show, then got a call to say that dad was talking nonsense, was talking gobbledygook. And we were like, oh, okay, alarm bells. Disco, Steve and I went to see him. We got an ambulance out.

He got taken to hospital. And he'd had, we found out, a massive bleed on the brain. So we stayed with him for quite long time in the ambulance. Can I just mention the paramedics who were in the ambulance because they were so brilliant. They were Charlie and Andy, I think. My mum was obsessed with how Andy looked like Ian from casualty, which he was quite happy about. And he went and got his hot chocolate. So they were just amazing, those paramedics.

They were so good. So I think he stayed in the ambulance for quite long time. Then we decided to go because there was nothing we could do. Went back to see him on the Monday and the doctor said that, yeah, he'd had a massive bleed. He was kind of a little bit with it when we, We saw him. We spent the whole day in accident and emergency. He slept there all night. Talked to some amazing doctors by the end of the day. They're obviously, you know, the NHS is incredibly short-staffed and it's very, very tough for all those people who work there. So we talked to the doctors,

got some answers, gave our answers to what we wanted to happen with Dad. And he's now we've moved on to a ward where he's just been kept comfortable. So he's not going to get better. So everyone's been and said, hellos and goodbyes. Oh, my God. Oh, darling. Yeah. It's just saying those things out loud, isn't it?

It's really tough. You're holding it together for everybody else. Yeah. Yeah. No, the only person who hasn't got upset is my mum. Oh, really? I've always said she's this amazing power house. And even like old friends of mine have got in touch and they've said,

how's your mom? I know she's stoic. And I'm like, yeah, she's still being stoic. So, yeah, the hardest thing is for the kids going to see their grander. and seeing how upset they are. But it's been good because they've all gone. The thing I've learnt is it's really important to speak to people. No matter, you know, we don't know whether they can hear or what's going on.

And they say that hearing is the last thing to go. So we've had some really nice conversations talking to him. So the family sharing memories and telling him how much you love him and him, if he can hear, to be able to hear your voices and know that you're with him. because it's such a shock when you're faced with that, oh gosh, should I be saying things? Is this, will they be able to hear me? It's actually harder.

You think quite romantically about how those times might be. And I found that actually when you get to that, it's actually not as romantic as you think it would be. It's actually quite hard and really sad. And you're like, should I talk? Can you hear me? It's, yeah. No, you feel ridiculous.

You really do. And I think the first time I saw him, I was, you know, we were trying to get a reaction from him. We were trying to read signs as to whether he could hear us. And he was responding initially, which was wonderful. And then everybody got time with him on their own. And it was really, really important just for it to be us, just alone, me and my dad and Jude's granddad and India and Coco and Cass. And you do say those things that you've never said. And Jude very astutely said, we were reflecting on it.

And he was like, yeah, because granddad would never let us say. this to him normally and he absolutely wouldn't. My dad never wanted to talk about feelings or emotions and as soon as you'd say anything, he'd be like, yeah, yeah, yeah, no, no, no, no, no, no, that's fine. It's all good. It's all good. Yeah, la, la, la, la, not listening. So it was kind of funny because there was nothing he could do to stop us from telling him how much we loved him and say thank you. So we were like, sorry, Dad, we're just going to, we're just going to say these things and you're going to listen to them. And, you know, and it's a day or a week or a scenario that I've been dreading, especially with my sister who, you know, she absolutely adores my dad, as we all do.

And I just could never imagine how she would take not having him here. But she, you know, as she always does confounds us. And she's been unbelievably extraordinary. And she's been very accepting. And she's been to see him. And she's very loving when she sees him. And she kisses him and she strokes him and she talks to him. And we have this.

Oh, God, this will make me cry. I promised Indiore. I wouldn't cry. You can cry down in. It's tough stuff. Yeah, so Francis has been extraordinary. She completely understands what's going on. She knows that he's not going to get better. She just keeps saying, not going to die. And instead of sugar-coating it, you just have to say, where he's not going to come home? And she kind of pauses and she's like, okay, where's he going? And my mum is a really, really devout Christian. And she says, well, he's going to Jesus. And that's where we all go. And Francis's like, okay, how old is he? He's 86, 87? And we're like, no, he's not going to be

87 and she thinks about it and she's like, okay. And she's just been so tender with him. It's been beautiful to watch. I've talked about her accepting grief before I come to terms with things. And then there was this really lovely moment when she was leaving the other day. And it was when he was on the cusp of consciousness. And she was going, say my name, say my name. And he actually said the word francis. Oh, wow. Wow. And it was lovely. It was really good. That's really lovely. Oh, my goodness me. And she keeps saying that. She keeps saying, Daddy said my name.

And it was lovely. It couldn't have been better. Do you know what? But it just goes to show, doesn't it, that talking to him is good, you know, because he can hear and he is aware in those moments. That moment when he said her name, she's taken that and she keeps saying to everybody, Daddy said my name, Daddy said Francis. And that's really lovely.

And Mum has been amazing. She's really kind of bearing the way and being super cool about everything. and just caring for him. And that's all we can do at the moment. By the time this goes out, he may not be here with us. That's the reality of it. And all I want is for him to not be suffering. So that's fine.

He wouldn't want to be here. Yeah, he would not like to be kept here. And I don't want to see him struggling. And I'm hoping that he'll be out of pain and misery very, very soon. But all my friends have been amazing. You've been incredible. Thank you so much. Everyone's been checking in.

And I know that lots of people lose loved ones. the time and that's why I'm talking about this just to share real life because that's what we do and dig it. It really helps sharing as well and I know our diggers share with us quite a lot about losing loved ones and I know that it will be so much love coming back from all our diggers to you and your family at the moment and to your dad. And you're really brave to talk about it and it is good to talk about it because it's something that we all go through and my heart goes out to all of you.

the moment and squeezing you tight during the coming weeks. And all I'd say is that as much as you dread these things, because, you know, my dad's been a lot of physical and mental anguish for a long time. And I have dreaded it. But when it comes, it's okay. Yeah. That's what I take away from it. You know, and like I said, with Francis, I've always dreaded her losing one of our parents and the children losing one of their grandparents. But it's okay because you'll have each other. Yeah. You have each other. It's hideous and it's painful and it's sad. But we will get through these things and, you know, life carries on.

Life carries on. We've had a lot of hilarity. There have been lots of funny characters on the ward and lots of hilarious moments. And yeah, it's okay. Those moments, they do kick in, don't they? With the heartbreak, it also comes these funny little moments that make everyone smile for a minute and make you forget for a minute, bring you together for a minute. So just hold tight.

to each other and we'll be all holding you in our hearts at the moment and to any other diggers who will totally know what you're going through because they're going through some of the stuff as well. Been there all going through it. Yeah. Absolutely. It's been hard with life carrying on like the kids happen to go to work and it's like, oh my God, do I go now or do I, when, at what point do I say goodbye to granddad?

And I was like, you say you goodbye and then that's fine. He would hate you to not be doing what makes you happy. So just go and do your thing. And so they've gone back and they're doing their respective things. And Coco's had to go on holiday. And that was really hard for her to decide to go. But she's gone and all he would want is for her to have a lot of fun. And so she is doing that.

And I know Nell's away as well, isn't she? Like their first grown-up holidays without us. She is. Our little baby girls are away on their first holidays without either parent. And that's a thing in itself as well. So Nell's being really good. checking in, let me know how she is. Obviously, my brain goes straight to the darkest places.

And I'm like, oh, what if this happens? What if that happens? But she's fine. And I'm glad, yeah, for Coco, that she's having that break. Yeah. And, you know, because it's such a hard thing at this time as well, isn't it? Because you're sort of sitting and you're waiting and you don't know. Yeah.

You can't ever put a timescale on things. So it's like, yeah, for the kids to do what they should be doing and enjoying, you know, and then there'll be time later. to all be together. Absolutely. We also say goodbye to Keith today, who's Steve's dad, who's going back to Thailand. Now he's 90. And so there's also that thought in all of our heads is this the last time that we see him. We've had three weeks with him, which has been lovely. But he's now going and he's like, well, I won't be back again. And as much as we can all laugh about it, it's really hard. Like for the kids and for Steve in particular, just that coming to terms with aging parents and both sides. Yeah. And do you know what? Keith may well. well, show you all. Disco Keith. I know. And he could be here when he's 100.

You don't know. But it is, I wouldn't understand that. Just to show you all. Oh, my love. Yeah. Feelings are raw. Yeah. Feelings are all.

Well done for sharing. And also, I can I say, my dad was a legend. Like in the village where he lives, there'll be so many people who remember and love him. He was everybody's granddad. Like, I've had so many messages from people just going, oh my God, granddad. I can't believe this has happened. He's been grander to all my kids' friends as they've grown up. He's done all the things that I wouldn't do is taking them to McDonald's constantly,

has fed them all the wrong food, is given them all the wrong treats all the time. And that's why they absolutely loved him. And the most selfless kind person that you could possibly expect to meet, he's just, you know, he would put everybody, the entire universe before himself. And that was how he lived. And that's the lesson he left us. Yeah. Should we take a break and move on?

on to something. Let's take a break, darling. Yeah, and then we'll talk about, yeah, absolutely. Let's do that. You deserve a break. Exciting news. We have been longlisted for a few categories in the British podcast awards, which is frankly amazing. Yeah, we're absolutely cock a hoop. There's one award in particular, we have to tell you about Diggers, the Listeners Choice Award. It's decided entirely by you. Now, the Diggott community is one of a kind. This is what we've discovered. We have laughed together, we've cried together, we've gardened together, and it feels to us like we've got a whole new crew of friends to help us through this time in our lives. So if you're loving Digit, you can vote for us in the Listeners Choice Award. Simply

click the link in our description or go to British Podcast Awards.com slash voting. So type Digit in the search bar, then enter your name and your email to vote. And don't forget to verify your email so that your vote counts. Thank you so much. know what, I'm really missing all the football already, Joe. I am missing these incredible footballers from all over the world who we have got to know and love more and more during this World Cup, which has been just so brilliant. You know, there's lots of people saying, you know, you actually look at how fabulous every team has been, how amazing the supporters have been how everybody's got involved in this World Cup and it's really sort of gotten rid of lots of

the divisive, terrible news that we're surrounded by. And also, I felt love won in the end. Yeah. In the football as well. Firstly, to England having that match against France that was such an incredible match when the pressure was off. I was feeling before they played that match against France I'm thinking, poor guys, they probably feel so disheartened, they might just want to go home and they've got to then play this match to see who comes third. But actually, it was a thrilling game and just with the pressure off to see so many goals from both sides. But it was an absolute thrill and I felt really happy for the England players to have that joy as an end to their World Cup. And they are all heroes and legends. And, you know, it really irks me when people are like, well, he's not as good as him and he's not as good.

It's like they are a team. Be supportive. Don't be so picky. You know, I understand people have got issues with Thomas Tuchel for various reasons. But actually, you know what, let's remember the good stuff from this. And let's remember the heroes from that team who have just shone and they have made us really proud. And some of them are at the beginning of their England journey. and some of them are coming towards the end of their England journey, but I thought as a team they were fabulous. And also Spain beating Argentina,

I think the entire world, apart from the Argentinian fans, were so happy because there was some dirty play from the Argentinians and I have to say when Fernandez was sent off, it was like, hang on, someone needed that. You know, and their behaviour at full time when you saw, you know, Yamal, amazing Spanish player,

dropped to his knees and he was thanking God and he was celebrating that win. And then behind him, it's kicking off with Argentinian players being so disgraceful at the end and losing so badly and then fighting the Spanish players. It was pretty shocking. And you can win by playing by the rules and not playing dirty. You know?

I know. I know. Their behaviour was. appalling. No, I think the takeaway from the World Cup has been just an incredible, yeah, like you say, love, but love can conquer. There have been so many beautiful moments, so many acts of selflessness, of kindness,

the image of all the players, or the selected players, like from both teams, praying at the end of the England-France match. I mean, how beautiful was that? That was just so wonderful. And all the different characters that we've got to know, and their backstories and their families. And we were despairing, or I was

despairing. I think we were both despairing. Everyone was despairing about the manosphere when that Louis Thruh documentary came out and there was just such this ubiquable behaviour from so many guys. And I was like, oh God, is this what blokes are like now? Is this what young boys are going to grow up to aspire to be? No, they're not. They're going to aspire to be Jude Belliam or any of the England players. They're going to want to be. Yeah, just spend selfless people, yeah, who just think of others, put others in front of themselves before themselves and strive to be as good as they can possibly be. That is my takeaway, and I think many people's as well. It's just been, it's the antidote to the manosphere, this whole thing.

I know, it really is. And, yeah, just like, you know, I'm going to miss them all. I'm already missing Erling Harland. You know, I'm really going to miss the, you know, Yarmal's little brother, his gorgeous little brother. I mean, isn't he the cutest? We know now, don't me, about all the families, which we didn't with football, whereas now we can, or with lots of sports, but now we can buy into. And no one's ashamed. no one tries to hide their families.

It's like, oh yeah, this is, this is my mom. This is my dad. This is my little brother. And so we were so involved in their life stories. And it's really nice. It's really good that it's extended into sport. The joy that it has brought has been something else. Oh, the halftime show.

We haven't even talked about the halftime show. Oh, my goodness. Me, Madonna and Ronaldo and Ronaldino. Being driven in the car by Ronaldo. That was so brilliant. The Muppets. The Muppets. but also Wayne Rooney's incredible response live on telly.

I thought it was crap. So I love Wayne Rooney. He's been good this year. I've loved his commentary. I didn't really know I care so much about him before. But I think he's been really good. Joe Hart as well has been lovely. Joe Hart. Fantastic.

Yeah, getting to know all the commentators has been, it's been wonderful. All I need in my life is Micah Andrews laughing as well. Yeah. And Gabby and the team and chappers. and all the coverage. I am, she can, they become like family, don't they? Ian Wright, everyone, because they're in your homes every night. And I think we've all enjoyed watching together.

And it's been what the world has needed. So thank you very much, the World Cup and the whole gang. 100% yes. If you're enjoying Digit, don't forget to hit follow or subscribe. And also, if you're looking for more great podcasts, we think that you would love, Miss Me, with Makita Oliver and Jordan Stevens. Okay, well, no three of us are parents. But if we ever are, would you not, if your baby cries, you're going to get that baby.

You're not going to let them cry out in the cot. I would get the baby, yeah. Yeah, because then you teach the baby, if you need me, I'm here. Right. Yeah. And then the child doesn't have to become famous. Yeah. And the child doesn't have to become everything we've striven for.

Very good point. Very good point. Ah, love them. Search, miss me wherever you get your podcasts. Can I just say, Joe? I know you're going through all sorts at the moment, and it probably won't be the first thing on your mind. But you have done a woman and home magazine. And we have one of the images here of you in this stunning blue dress.

And my friend, yet again, you have a stout. We're so proud when I see you on the shelf. It's like, that's my mate in magazines. And I know I hate doing photo shoots. You quite enjoy them. Was this one you enjoyed? Can I just say it was an unfathomably surreal sitting by my dad's bedside with my mum. It was just the two of us on the Saturday all day.

And oh my God, weekends in hospitals is very quiet and quite bleak. And then this suddenly popped up on social media and I was like, oh, God, this is a million miles away from where I am right now. And I guess I should post this, but everything feels so trivial and so ridiculous when you're in a dire situation. Yeah. So it was a lovely shoot and the people I worked with were amazing. And woman at home is a, you know, I love working with those people. Yeah. I did that shoot.

The day after I'd done that half marathon and the Olivier's, that crazy weekend that I had, I was so tired when we did the photo shoot. So it was kind of turning everything up to 11, like all the music was super loud. Everybody was giving me 110% just trying to get me through the shoot. Your poor legs. And it was really lovely. He'd been running and standing. Yeah, my legs were in heels.

A couple of the things that were picked up on the article, they're manifesting versus goals. Tell me a bit about this. Oh, yeah. Oh, God, I hate the word manifesting. When people say, oh, you need to manifest something and then it will happen. I'm like, no, you make it happen. You have a goal.

You have something that you want to happen. You have an ambition. And then you just work really hard to make that happen. And that's what I've always believed in. And the more this word gets banded around, the more ridiculous, I think it becomes. You know, people just, if something's not happening for them, if they're struggling with something, people go, oh, no, just manifest it. And I'm like, it's just not real.

That's just not realistic. just by thinking about something, it's not going to happen for all kinds of different reasons. And if it is maybe work-related or something in your personal life, maybe you can work to make it happen. But quite often, you can't. You can't make these things happen. So I'm a little bit skeptical. And that's okay. Yeah. And that's fine. But it's good to have goals. It's good to have ambitions. Yeah, because I manifested that job that didn't happen. And everyone was like, you've got to manifest, you've got to believe it. You've got to believe it. But the realist in me is like, but the odds are very low because there's lots of people who could do that.

So it doesn't always work. People are like, well, you didn't manifest properly. It's like, well, no, I think you have. I think you're right. It's quite nice to manifest lovely things, but we do also have to be realistic about life. It's very true that shit happens. Stuff doesn't always work out. Life gets in the way.

And yes, as much as it is a thing to manifest, perhaps, if you want to change things, you want to change jobs, if you want to change the situation. But you can't always become the World Cup winner. That doesn't always happen as much as you manifest. At the end of the day, you might have a shit game and it might not work. Also, decluttering versus memories. This was another good point. Oh, yeah, this is because I'm a bit of a moniker around the house.

I don't know about you, but I really like everywhere to be clean. and tidy and everything in its right place because then my head can be in the clean and tidy and everything makes sense. So when it's really messy and there's just stuff everywhere, I find that I just can't think properly. So I've, I've decluttered and I've got rid of lots of stuff and I've got nice pictures on the wall, but I've taken down various photographs. And then I went to Judy Dench's, Dame Judy Dench's house for the Roots podcast that I do. And she was showing us around her house and garden. And she had so many photographs and memories and little scribblings and drawings of her daughter, Finty, and pictures of her husband Michael Williams, who died so long ago

that I was like, oh my God, this is a house of memories and how special and precious is this? And I immediately came home and sort of went through and got more photographs out and I put them around and just thought, no, I want to live and be surrounded by all the memories of the stuff that we've done. So I really took that away from Dame Judy Dench, that it's okay, not necessarily to have clean walls and tidy shelves. Judy's house is amazing, isn't it? I was lucky enough to go and we interviewed her for the Breft Show. And she treats you so well and you're so welcome and how gardens are beautiful.

And the house is wonderful. And she gives you champagne and they feed you. And then she tells you the most fantastic stories. And you're absolutely right. When I went to visit Bob, our friend Bob Harris, you know, just the walk to the loo. There's pictures of Bob with, you know, Robert Plant. And then there's pictures of Bob with the Beach Boys. And it's fantastic.

And it's like, what a life well lived. And I am trying to be Monica. I am having some decorating done. So I've had to clear a room out that's full of boxes. And it's got boxes and boxes of photographs, mementos, cuttings of mine. And then it's got lots of things of mums. And I sat there yesterday with the football on and the telly on. And I've got myself new boxes and I'm being ruthless. It's like, right, I do not need these love letters from a boy who treated me really. badly, bin. I might need these photographs though. And I've started collecting. I've got different folders. I've got folders for tickets from shows and football matches and things that I found going, oh my God, I forgot. And I did that. That was amazing that I'm going to put into a frame. So I can look at it and go, these are all the amazing things that I went to and shared with friends and families and lovers and stuff and put that on the wall. And I was really harsh. I was shredding lots of mum's paperwork that she did. Obviously, she doesn't need any more. I was like, right, okay, we don't need all these things to do some shredding and do that with some my own stuff.

So I'm trying. If you saw my lounge right now, Joe, you'd be horrified, but it's a hell of a lot better. And I've got from 12 boxes to eight boxes, but I need to do more. I've also got, Joe, VHSs of every television show I've ever been on in a certain era on VHS is for a thing. And I'm looking at them thinking, I don't need all these copies of live and kicking. and oh, when I was on big break. Top of the pops. But I don't know what to do with them. Did your mum keep these?

Mum kept loads. I kept loads. I haven't even started the cuttings that mum's got. She kept everything I ever did, like cuttings in magazines and stuff. And they're quite interesting to look through, but I'm thinking, oh God, what am I going to do? The lodger was saying, put some of this stuff in a book. Because I forgot all mum's love notes, her little notes that she used to leave her husband. and Rick and they used to leave each other love notes. I'm like, oh, God, these are wonderful.

And I was like, what do we do? I don't want to throw them way. And the lodger was saying, put them in a book. I was like, that's a really nice idea. Put them into a book and have a book and you can put that on the shelf. But anyway, I'm trying to be more you, Joe. I'm trying to be more Monica. So thank you for inspiring me.

I think, be more Judy. I was thinking again with my dad, I was like, God, what did he have that I really wanted, I would like to keep? Yeah. And I looked in his drawer by the side of the bed. and there was some dominoes and they're in a red plastic folder and as soon as I saw them I was like

oh my God the dominoes and that box I remember it's so vividly from you know all my life he had that same pack of dominoes and I think we're so disposable with things now we're like we'll lose a domino and we're just going to buy a new box of dominoes but he didn't he just and he never lost them. And he never lost them. He kept this one

box of dominoes and he kept it and I was like yeah and I mentioned it to India and she went I know the one I know the dominoes you mean so he had very very very, very few artifacts that meant anything to him. He really didn't need anything like that. But the dominoes I would love to have to keep in the family heirlooms. Just certain funny memories from your childhood, hey? You know, after we did the Digit live show that we did, which was amazing. We met so many great diggers and we had a lovely response and it was really fun to do.

And I just looked at a few of the comments and some people were there and some people had watched it and said how fun it was. And then there was this one comment. which really annoyed me for what it represented. And it was someone who just said, they were referring to middle-aged women being passed their sell-by-date. That was a comment. It was just like, oh, God, middle-aged women

they're past their cell by date. And I was like, that's so rude. That is so rude. And what an antiquated opinion to have. I couldn't believe that somebody still had that belief and voiced it in a public domain. It was just ridiculous. And I'm wondering whether people do think

for ages and something. exist. I thought it hadn't. Like, sexism and ageism. I thought that in the workplace, in the wider arena, that people didn't have those old-fashioned values anymore, or thoughts. But why would somebody say that? Do they want middle-aged women just to crawl into a box, never ever be in public domain again, never be seen? I know. And it's like, well, do you really, it'd be quite nice to be able to say to that person, do you really believe? I mean, what do you want us to do? Disappear behind the door, never come out again. You know, it's like, goodness me, age should not be a problem for anyone. It's like, you know, it's a gift to live this life and share and be able to, yeah,

and I like to think that amongst most of the people I know and love, you know, look at Dame Judy Dench still working. Phenomenal. And how fabulous is she? Would you say that to her? I don't think you would. I think you'd be like, wow, what an amazing woman. Would you say it to people's face? Yeah, Helen Mirren. You know, Madonna performing at the half-time show. It's like, what do you expect everyone to do? Just go up and shrivel up somewhere. Could you do that? Could you do what Madonna does?

Could you really look at yourself? No, you couldn't. And age shouldn't be a thing to women or men. It's like you should, the longer you're living and loving your life and loving what you do, the better it is, you know, for everybody. Yeah. Show some respect to people, to everybody. That's what it's all about. But it's quite easy to write things, isn't it, under things like.

things like that. But also I often think if I see comments like that in our Digit community, I'm like, what are you doing in this community? Because you obviously don't really get it. And Digit is a space where we are just really positive and we share about, you know, stuff. But that's not an opinion shared by the rest of us. Thank you very much. I know we will not shut up and disappear. I mean, I think we're quite, we're quite lucky in the job that we do. Oh, my God. There's such great representation of a. amazing women, yeah. And you've got great women. We've had great female bosses. We've got great female team members. And we are surrounded by the great and the goods who have gone before us and

have paved the way for us to be able to do what we do. And I know lots of our diggers will work with incredible people. But there will be diggers who have experienced ages and perhaps in work or have found it harder to get a job perhaps later after bringing up your kids. You know, it does happen. So let us know your experience. and if you've experienced ageism and if you've, you know, what you've done about. How you dealt with it. Yeah. I'd love to know how it made you feel and how you dealt with it. Let us know, because, you know, we love your voice notes. We love your comments all the time. You can always go to the show notes and just leave it there.

So until time, I haven't even got in my garden very much this week. All I can tell you is it's a bit dry, Joe, and I'm slightly looking with blinkers on as some of the plants look. very unhealthy. Others are thriving, but yeah, the lack of water is a bit of a worry. We need some rain. Definitely down in the south. We need some rain. But this week's show and tell is from Sarah, who got in touch after listening to one of our dig-in episodes a few weeks ago. And she says, I was listening to the pod where you were discussing taking plants with you when you move house. I just wanted to share the flip side of it. We moved into our new home in January and we've been so lucky to have acquired an amazing garden. Yes, the previous owner took a few of the pots with her,

but she left the beds untouched. We're not green fingered at all, so it's been a brilliant incentive to learn more as we look after all the wonderful plants. I've been learning from your guest gardeners and your listeners too. It's interesting as we feel a real duty to continue the legacy of the garden and make sure we can hand it on some time, hopefully a lot of. way off in the future. Thanks from Sarah and she's included some pictures. So if you're watching on YouTube, you'll have to see now. Look at that. So you've got you've got a lovely brick path that comes all the way from the house and you've got borders on either side that are something to be so proud of. They look lush. There's all sorts of colors. There's blues and whites

and yellows in there and the greens look freshly green. It's very cool. Really. Really. really cool garden. It looks stunning and I see what you mean. A lot of work has gone into that. Is that a mature garden Joe? It's... It really is an incredible gift, isn't it, to give to someone who's buying your house to get to... It's your legacy. You've created this amazing thing. It's like leaving a wonderful bit of art. But it's a living thing. So to move on to another house and to leave your garden behind and not to take everything with you, you can maybe take one or two things. But it's, it's the greatest gift. Oh, Sarah, you're so lucky. Yeah. And you're going to maintain and you're going to learn. It's lovely.

really beautiful. Yeah. And don't panic because you learn about the garden across the year. Something I found quite helpful, which I really need to do at the moment is I'm looking at things that have struggled in the heat at the moment. I'm looking thinking, take a picture now during the drought, during the heat wave and remember what was suffering where because then in the spring time or whenever the time is right, I might be able to move a couple of bits or replace in the spring next year a couple of bits that might do better in certain areas. But also, taking pictures of your gardens throughout the, you know, the season's always a really good idea when you can see what happens when. Because when you're creating a new garden, you sort of,

dwell on, when you're starting off, Joe, you just kind of go for, you're like, right, these are the three plants I know the name of, this is the thing. And it is such a journey. Yeah, that I really like. I really like these. And then you learn the rhythm of a garden over the seasons and things that leave you with their colour in the winter and things that pop up in the spring. It's just, Oh, but Sarah, you're very lucky. You discover whether they like it in your garden and which areas they like to be. And I'm just, I know I was banging on about pelagoniums at the beginning of the summer, spring. But they're literally about the only thing that's surviving at the moment in my garden.

Sweet peas have just really, really struggled. Sweet peas have gone. The roses are kind of doing, okay, the geraniums. I mean, they don't call them hardy geraniums for nothing. But geraniums are great in this weather. They're just about thriving. Oh, but I wanted to show you my daily as if you're watching this, So you'll be able to see them if you can.

Wow, the size of them. Monsters. Yeah. These are Penn Hill Monarch. They're massive dinner plate pink, creamy dahlias. And they have finally decided to come out. I actually bought these from waitros because all the ones in my garden have been taking absolutely ages to come out. Nothing has shown its face yet.

And I saw this big like bush that had lots of buds on it, put a waitress. And I was like, I'm just kind of buy that and put it in a pot. And it has given dividends. It's just so beautiful. It's so gorgeous. Mine have all failed. I planted so many bulbs that a lot of that were gifted. They have either been munched or perished in the heat. And so I guess it's a lesson to me. They either need to go in the ground or just not, but I think no pots for me. I think it's watering. It's the conditions.

Yeah, it really is. Yeah. It's got to be in the ground. Some of my dailies are just beginning to come out, but nothing's being magnificent yet. Yeah. So it was just going, literally going to a supermarket and seeing what they have, they're selling outside that looks vaguely healthy. It's worth just splashing out occasionally and sticking it in a pot. And because you can water the pot a bit more easy if you've just got one or two. And they're spectacular. Dalyas are spectacular. So gorgeous.

I'm missing Waitrose Hove. Can I just say there was a fire in Waitrose Hove. It was the gossip of the town. And it's taken ages to open, but apparently it's reopening this weekend. And I have missed Michael and Kea and all my friends who work in Waitrose. I see all the time. And I've gone to loads of other supermarket. because we're not short of supermarkets in Brighton and there's loads of lovely ones,

but you know when you get to know, you know your route around. Oh, yeah, you know where they are. You know where everything is and you know the lovely gang who worked there. So gang of misty all, but apparently they're coming back. Yay. But I tell you what, the local, is it Audi? It might be little. Blimey, what a bargain.

Tell you what, I've got some great bargains in there. Yeah, really good. Anyway, sorry, all supermarkets are available. Yes. Hey, crate digging. If people watch this religiously, then you will be aware that we talk about things that we're obsessed with, things that we really like and we think that you'd like as well. So that's what we put in crate digging. Sometimes it's music and it's records that we are obsessed with or artists we're obsessed with.

Other times it's books, sometimes it's films, TV shows that we're watching. So it's a really good place to go to to discover. It's kind of like this great cultural melting pot of things that you can go to every week and you can have a look and then you can pick up on the tunes that we absolutely. love TV shows and the reeds that we're loving as well. So that is essentially what crate digging is all about. We reflect it in our substack as well. Do you have anything for the crate this week, Zoe? Offerings this week. Firstly, we finally finished Widows Bay, which we loved with Matthew Reese and Kate O' Flynn. Such a brilliant cast. So jump scares. I couldn't watch it on my own. I had to wait for the lodger to be here. And I was on my own with

the cat last night. And sure enough, my mind kept thinking, the boogeyman, the boogeyman. But it's really funny. It's proper Stephen King jump scare, but I've loved it. And I think there's going to be another season. So that, I think is it on, I don't know, I don't know what it's on. But anyway, Widows Bay, it's absolutely brilliant. It's had loads of Emmy nominations, hasn't it? I remember the Pits doing a couple of years ago and everyone going, oh God, we must watch the pit. And then, so this time it's Widows Bay. And I'm following on from the football and Wimbledon, all being over, that has been the one thing that I'm thinking, right? Now we're going to sit and watch Widows Bay.

Don't watch it on your own though because it will scare you and it does get inside your head. You're like that. Even though it's really funny, there are some real sort of jump. And I do that thing when I'm waiting for something scary to happen where I hide and I hide and then I look and then it comes and it comes a little bit after you think it will come. You still scream and jump. I also went to see The Odyssey at the Crawley IMAX on Saturday. Oh my God, I loved it. I always enjoy Christopher Nolan films.

I mean, I really loved Oppenheimer. but this is excellent. Try and see an IMAX if you can because he shot it on IMAX cameras. There's actually a really good 21 minute how they made it. Little documentary doing the rounds on Sky TV at the moment, which is also, once you've seen, it's really good to watch because you see how they did it all. And he tried not to use loads of CGI, so a lot of it is shot as you see. There's some amazing, they've used puppetry for some of the giants. It is so good.

I really enjoyed it. Bravo to an amazing cast. Samantha Morton is fabulous in it. Matt Damon's so good. Anne Hathaway. John Bernthal, who I love. And John Leguizamo, I think I might be saying his name right.

But everybody's so good, Zendaya, Charlize Theron. Is it just fighty? Is it really, really fighting? Because I love Greek mythology and all that kind of stuff. But is it just like three hours of fighting? Well, there are. I mean, no, definitely not.

It's not, it's not, it is, it's the story of a man's journey back home and a journey through, you know, what he has been through. And, you know, it's, it's, it's, it's, so it's basically the story of, you know, the, the, the, the, the, the, the odyssey, which is all about Odysseus trying to get home after the Trojan War. So it does feature the Trojan War. The horse they build is incredible. and it jumps back and forth in the story. And Odysseus is played by Matt Damon and he's trying to get home to his wife, Penelope and Hathaway and his son, who's played by Tom Holland.

And he's been gone one hell of a long time. But that journey to get back from the Trojan War and back through everything that he's going through mentally and everything his men have to go through on their boats to survive, to get home. Will he ever get home? is quite a lot and that's what you see a lot. So there is fighting in it because you do see the Trojan War. There is fighting in it. There's quite amazing skills and it is quite horrific in

places. There's an amazing scene where the men are changed by a witch. I won't say any more than that. There's some scary monsters. There are sea a lot. But it's gripping and it's, I mean, it's three hours long, but I was sat at the edge of my seat like that. And it's really moving in places, you know. It brings a tear to you. The music as well, as we're talking about crate digging. Oh, yeah. The music is Ludwig Gorinson and oh my goodness me, it is incredible.

And there's in the documentary you can see a lot about how he created some of the sounds using. He's like, let's look at bronze because, and metals because it was the bronze era this story was from. And it's just so, and the end track features James Blake. In fact, James Blake does some of the vocals for some of the. the sounds during the soundtrack. And there's this amazing track at the end,

which features Travis Scott, who also stars in the film as well. And it's the music he's made. I mean, surely he's going to win more Oscars. I know he's won Oscars already, but he'll be winning more. So that soundtrack's incredible. But yeah, as a whole package, I really loved it.

And I won't give any spoilers because it's so good. I'm going to go now. Yeah, it's pure escapism. But it is loud in places and you will hide but it's pretty epic. I think you'll enjoy it. No, I've seen five-star reviews above, just across the board, across the board,

everyone just saying five stars, so yeah. And go as a family when you can, because I know your gang are really into their movies, but if you can see it at an IMAX, I would try because that's how he kind of wanted it to be seen. Okay, I thought you were going to say, go in fancy dress, go as a Greek character or something. You can if you want.

Yeah, my family would do that, actually. Yeah, we would. You could do that. If you want, to be a siren. Do that. And also, whilst I'm talking about me, music because the soundtrack that's really amazing. I'm just still really loving James Blake's album that came out back in March. It's so good. And there's a new Beck track that's just

come out called In the Night. His album's not out until September, but I'm loving Beck's new songs from his new album, which are going to have to wait for a bit. And they did this amazing concert at the Hollywood Bowl that I would love to have been at, which was the way they do all the music from Wes Anderson's films. And Wes was there and Bill Murray and lots of stars. But Beck actually covered some of the songs. He did Love's Again or, what's it called? Alone Again. Alone Again Or Alone Again. Yeah, that's it.

And he also did Needle in the Hay. That new Beck song is great. Yeah, yeah. Brilliant. There you go. There's some of my recommends for you. That's very nice. There's only two albums that I wanted to mention, which I think are worth listening to to see whether you like it if it's up your street.

And that is Yard Act, who are great. They're back with a new album called You're going to be. need a little music. They're just some really fun and quite an intense listen, but I have a lot of respect. The words are always really good. Brilliant performers. And then Gracie Abrams, if you've got a teenage girl or boy in your household, you'll probably love and have listened to Gracie Abrams for a while now. But her new album is out and it's called Daughter from Hell. So there'll be my two recommendations. Such a good name for an album, isn't it? It's really good. It's very memorable. Yeah. Yeah. Daughter from Hell. Can I just, at the end of

this, I just want to mention, daughter from hell, I've got two daughters from heaven. India, I just want to say thank you to her because I've been at, obviously, I've been at the hospital a lot in the past week. And, you know, hospital food and what's on offer, you just end up snacking and everything kind of gets out of control at home. And I got back the other day and she just went, I just wanted to do something for you to help. So she went through my fridge and she got rid of all the rubbish food. Everything that was out of the day, everything that was a little bit manky, you know, those jars at the top shelf that you can't normally reach. and she cleaned every single shelf. She did the door and I got back in my fridge

was just immaculate. It was really sparse and it was the kindest thing she could possibly have done. So those little acts of kindness when you think about them, do them because they mean the world. And then her and Alex,

her boyfriend, cooked us all a really big roast on Sunday night and I picked my mum from the hospital and she came and it was the first time that she'd had the chance to socialise to see the kids and to eat a proper meal. And eat some good food.

And it was, oh my God, it just, it was, it fought it. us all, I think. It was just a very, very special and a great thing to do. So thank you, India. Thank you, Lexi. Oh, bless you. And obviously, Joe, we are sending you all. Thank you. So much love. My darling, and hold tight. I appreciate it. Yeah. I just want to keep talking so I don't want to go and find out what's going on. But anyway, I better go and, yeah, face up to the real world. Okay, sweetheart. Lots of love. Thank you so much. We love you, Joe. We love you, Diggers.

Thanks for listening. Bye. Yeah. Thanks, Diggas. Thank you.