Life with Nat - EP104: KERRY GODLIMAN!

Episode Date: April 6, 2025

The incredible Kerry Godliman joined Nat for a chat. Plants, telly, parenting, and plenty more. What a hilarious darling of a women! Enjoy!! x Do catch her on tour - https://kerrygodliman.com/ Please subscribe, follow, and leave a review. xxx You can find us in all places here; https://podfollow.com/lifewithnat/view INSTA: @natcass1 We're also on Facebook now too: https://www.facebook.com/lifewithnatpod A 'Keep It Light Media' Production Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: [e-mail] SHOW INFO: Life with Nat - it’s me! Natalie Cassidy and I’ll be chatting away to family, friends and most importantly YOU. I want to pick people's brains on the subjects that I care about- whether that’s where all the odd socks go, weight and food or kids on phones. Each week I will be letting you into my life as i chat about my week, share my thoughts on the mundane happenings as well as the serious. I have grown up in the public eye and have never changed because of it. Life with Nat is the podcast for proper people. Come join the community. ♥️ Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

With the Fizz loyalty program, you get rewarded just for having a mobile plan. You know, for texting and stuff. And if you're not getting rewards like extra data and dollars off with your mobile plan, you're not with Fizz. Switch today. Conditions apply. Details at fizz.ca. Okay, flights on air Canada. How about Prague? Ooh, Paris. Those gardens. Gardens. Amsterdam. Tulip Festival.

I see your festival and raise you a carnival in Venice. Or Bermuda has carnival. Ooh, colorful. You want colorful. Thailand. Lantern Festival. Boom. Book it. Um, how did we get to Thailand from Prague? Oh, right. Prague. Oh, boy. Choose from a world of destinations, if you can.

Air Canada. nice travels. Hello you lot, welcome to Life With Nat. I hope you've all had a fantastic weekend. Ooh, the weather's been amazing, hasn't it? It does change things, it's life-changing. Been out in the garden. I've got me flip-flops out, even though I did pick me toes. So I do need to get me nail varnish sorted. But anyway, we're out and about.

There are a few people I've seen though, with the vest top and sometimes a no shirt. We are in April. Throwback to when I first started this pod last year, people do get excited in this country. It's been lovely though. It's been absolutely beautiful. Now as you know, usually I chat to family members, you guys, and not many celebs come on and that's just because I don't want a barrage of people

who are promoting something and go on a loop of press and you're listening to the same person all the time. But every now and again, you meet someone and you think, oh, I'd love to talk to them for half an hour. I was very starstruck when I met her, but we got on well and I did her podcast, Memory Lane, which was brilliant. Please, please go and find it. But Kerry Godleman, I met whilst doing a job with Rickage Face. Can't believe I can even say that sentence. Hello. But anyway, I did and she's a really, really fantastic woman and she is hilarious. Her tour, Bandwidth, is out at the moment. Please check it out and see if she's coming to a place near you because I saw her for 10 minutes at the Bedford

in Ballum for a charity gig that I hosted and I couldn't speak, which you'll hear in a moment. But please enjoy me and Kerry having a chat. We talk about lots of stuff, including social media and the kids and sowing seeds, which I hope if you are sowing along are enjoying. Have a brilliant, brilliant week and I'll speak to you Thursday. Cheers everybody and thank you for listening as always. They get you in the end, it just feels like the world of socials. It's like even if you try and practice a sort of like, let's keep it boundary. Yes. And then it just creeps into your life

and suddenly you're gazing into a camera going, hi guys. Yeah. Fucking hell, how's this happened? I do it all the time with Eliza. My Eliza's 15 in September. And I say, let's have a break from the phone. I'm so bored of talking about the phone.

Yeah, me too. And now she just slings it back at me. It's like, well, have a break from the phone. I'm so bored of talking about the phone. Yeah, me too. And now she just slings it back at me. It's like, well, you're permanently on your phone. You're permanently on your phone. I said, I am, but I'm working. It's so unfair Natalie though. But she, you know, I am. You are, of course you are.

But it's just, you end up having these like shrill, like I'm doing now, shrill like, yeah, but I'm working. And then you lose all power. I have it with the same with my son, he's the same age, he's literally just turned 15. And he's like, but you're on it. I'm like, yeah but I'm not on TikTok, I am doing my job. And we're not just, I don't know about you, I'm doing, I'm ordering shopping for Easter Sunday. I'm sorting out the bins. I'm looking at a holiday. I do everything on it. And then she goes, maybe you should do more on your laptop.

Maybe you should. And I don't fucking like using my laptop. I know. I know. I don't know what the answer is. Now we're all like obsessed with adolescence. We're just happy they're not on Incel. That's correct.

I said to Frank yesterday, my son, because they're going to make them all watch it, aren't they? It's cool. And I'm like, I'm not sure it's for the kids. I think it's for the parents. But Eliza was obsessed with it. All of our mates watched it. Again, it was all viral on TikTok, all the clips. And now they really fancy the little boy.

Right. So they kind of missed the point. Yeah. My Eliza's ordered a t-shirt with his face on. I said, OK, they've all got a crush on Owen. Do you know what? I do think that's pretty, I think that's pretty great. It's fine. It's fine. It's absolutely fine. It's fine. And it has sparked conversation. Yeah, totally.

And I went, I texted her, I know you're at your friends, but just put the phone down. Things are blowing up. She's like, Mum, I'm not going to kill anyone and I'm fine. Just leave me alone. I know. That's the problem. It has started a conversation, but it's just started a very hand-wringing conversation and I'm not sure that it's the right conversation. I agree with you. I agree. Thank you so much for joining me this morning. Oh, it's an absolute honor, Natalie.

Honestly, it really is because this pod at the moment is sort of all me and friends and family and I don't really have celebs on if you like only if I really like someone oh well I would rather be the friend category than the celeb category that's very kind so it's lovely to have you on because when I last saw you we did that little gig at the Bedford in Ballon and this is not I promise you I'm not just saying this I watch a lot of comedy I couldn't breathe after watching you wow no I couldn't get up I I was presenting it, wasn't I? Hosting it. And I couldn't say the next act. I had tears running down my face and I couldn't breathe. And I just thought, I cannot wait to see you because you're coming to Hartford June 12th.

The tickets ain't out yet. I keep looking to get them. Well, you let me know when you want to come and I'll just sort you out. No, that's fine. But I cannot wait. I've been telling everyone, all my family, I said, we've got to get loads of tickets, we've got to go. How's it all going? How long have you been touring? I've, you know what? I've turned a corner with it now and now I am really enjoying it. Yeah. I think a little bit about what we were just talking about, just that sort of like panic

in the world and to do something that is just to bring joy and it is just, I got out of my head because I think there were bits of it where I was like right this is going to be the profound bit and this is going to be the on message bit and this is where I'm going to fix the world in this bit between these two knicker jokes and then I just went oh dump all of that that's not what people are here for you just got to tell jokes and be daft and clown about and just try and bring some joy. And then now I'm enjoying it more. And I'm loving the people that are coming.

They're just really up for it. And it's just such a, I think standup is just such a lovely thing. It just is a pure and lovely thing. I agree with you. I love watching it. I'm obsessed with comedy. I always have been.

Are you? I've always been obsessed.'m obsessed with comedy. I always have been. Are you? I've always been obsessed. Oh, that's so lovely to hear. From a very young age, just watching all the stuff with my dad, you know. We've talked about this and I think you should do it. Nah. I've seen it in your eyes. I know that there's a comedian in there.

Listen, I just, I don't believe that. you know, it's that little small person thing. I'm like, oh, no, no, no, there's no way I can do that. But I am stepping out and doing things and I am being brave. So who knows? Well, you were great that night. Did you enjoy it that night? Yeah, I really enjoyed it. Yeah, really enjoyed it.

You look fabulous because we all got done up, didn't we? So we all look fabulous. Yeah. So it was like a fashion charity event called Fashion Loves Comedy. And they very kindly glam us up and let us wear the clothes. I had like a 70s shirt and I felt a bit Austin Powers. Yeah, it had that vibe. You did look pretty fabulous. I messaged you didn't I said, did you get to keep that top? Yeah, I did kept it. What was that? Mind you, it's very thick silk so you can wear it, you know, be a bit pongy I think. Oh you'd get hot in there. A bit hot, yeah. But I did enjoy it, I did enjoy it.

I'd like to do more of that sort of thing and maybe if I take this on tour and do a couple of little... Live ones. ...shows, you know, that's, if I do that, that's sort of halfway and maybe I'll chat anyway because it's just me. I think you're right, I think that's the way in. I think a lot of people are finding that live world. Cause now that I'm doing a tour, I obviously see in all the venues,

I see what other shows are on, what other things are happening. And I've seen things like an evening with Nigel Havers and you know, like writers and actors like yourself, doing live shows and finding different ways to connect. And it's like, oh, I see that this is another another it isn't stand-up but it is stand-up adjacent yeah it's using live and jokes I suppose what you're doing is when you don't say it stand-up you if you're not funny you're alright aren't you if it's like an in conversation in

conversation yes all right there's no phrase I find more comforting than Q&A yeah Q&A I'm like we're in a safe space with the Q&A. If I ever flounder on stage and think, oh shit, I think, right, any questions? So how many years have you been doing stand up? I started around 2002, 2003, so 20 odd years. Wow. 22, 23 years. I hosted the funny women thing the other night they've launched the funny women competition and I said I was in the first one which was 2003. Right. So that's kind of around the beginning for me. So a good while, fair old while, but I was acting first. I was going to say you do lots and lots of acting, don't you? Yes, I was an actor first.

And then I did a couple of years of sort of like bits and bobs. Like, you know, I wasn't unemployed. I can't say it wasn't working. I was sort of, you know, getting by little bits and pieces, but it just wasn't really enough, either financially or creatively. It just wasn't enough. Yeah. And then I found stand up and and then I was like, oh, I can really go for this. And I did.

Yeah, it's incredible. And when you first did, do you remember how you felt when you first, that's the thing for me, I don't understand. How do you- I did a course. Oh, you did a course. Yeah, I did a course at the City Lit. They've offered me one of those like fellowships now.

Oh, that's lovely. I mentioned them, it is, I'm really chuffed. It comes up because people obviously ask how you get started. And for me, I did a course. So there's a college in London, an adult education college. They run hundreds of courses in anything from tap to Japanese to performance, everything. And they got a stand up comedy course. And I did that. And me and a mate did it and I loved it. And at the end, you did a showcase, taught you how to build a set, write jokes, save space, think about all that.

And at the end, we did a gig and that was it. I got the bug. That's amazing. Yeah, it was fun. You didn't have children then or? I didn't have children then. You didn't have children then. I started pre-kids.

Right. Because it is a challenge. That is a challenge when you're kind of building, you know, that kind of career that is sort of like working on the road and being away and nights and all the rest of it. Yeah, so when I had the kids, it did become a bit more challenging. But I got a great partner who really encouraged me. I remember when we first started going out, I was only just started gigging and he came to see me do a gig and he was like, that is what you should be doing. That is 100% what you should be doing. That is so brilliant that you're at that. Yeah, it was. Yeah. And he really encouraged me and, you know, it was full support.

Yeah. That's amazing. And the kids now they're older. Do they come and see mom? Do they know what they're doing? Now and then if I'm doing a festival, like they're only up for it if I'm doing like Latitude or a big festival or something like that and Gastonbury. But if it like a couple of times I've said to them lately, I'll do it, you know, I'm going to do a gig.

Do you fancy it? No, half the time they just not remotely interested. I mean, I've got a bit in my show about this. My daughter doesn't even find me that funny. She's just like, I just, I don't find you funny. I'm really sorry. I don't know how you pulled this off. So yeah.

But you know what it's like having teenagers in a way. It keeps you grounded, doesn't it? Yeah, it keeps you grounded. You get roasted every day, but I sort of get it. It's like, of course she doesn't find me funny of course she doesn't yeah it would almost be weird if she found you funny it'd be weird it'd be it'd be weird if she was cracking up at my jokes I'd be like oh you need to get out more it's so true and Eliza she she loves EastEnders so she watches EastEnders as a fan you know no she's

she fast forwards me she said I can't bear Sonia. She said, she said, you're so boring. That's me. She said, it's so dull, your character. That's so horrible. But like you say, fair enough, isn't it? Keeps grounded. I go, all right, fair enough. I say, it's not my, you know, she's been there a long time. That's the way she is. And she loves EastEnders, just whizzes through you. That's so fucking rude.

Whizzes through me and a few others. Yeah, she's got opinions on others. So it's not just me. I won't go into that. Don't want to upset anyone. But no, you think fair enough, you know. whizzes through me and a few others. She's got opinions on others, so it's not just me. I won't go into that, don't want to upset anyone. But no, you think fair enough, you know. Yeah, well, that's also, that's a little bit to do with how they consume telly. They do whizz through things. They just want, you know, they haven't got time

to sit through anything that's in their view, not useful or interesting. They're like, right, crack on, let's go. Yeah, go, go, go. So true, so true. Do yours have, we're going back to the bloody phone thing again, but I am interested. Do you also have social media and everything? Yeah, I don't think my son does, but I think we're all learning like we were just saying, post adolescence. I think we're all learning to reframe what we think social media even is.

Because I say no, I say, Oh, no, my son hasn't got social media. But my daughter sort of corrected me and went, but he has because he's got, so he hasn't got TikTok and Insta, but he is on WhatsApp and he is on, I mean, like, I think they all just consume these platforms in ways that we don't fully comprehend. I mean, I'm just saying, I hope he's not on the dark web. That's just where we're at now. I think you're right. I do think you're right because Eliza's on everything, but I do trust her as well. And then I sort of, I do, and I check it.

It's not them though, it's like the car thing. When my daughter goes out on a bike with that helmet, I'm like, it's not about trusting you, it's other people. I know I trust you, but it's the things on the internet I don't trust. No, you're quite right, but you gotta check it. You gotta do this. I don't trust. No, you're quite right. But you've got to check it. You've got to do this. I'm rubbish at tech though, Natalie. I can't check it. I don't know how to disable their phones or I don't know how to do anything.

Do you do that? Can you kind of monitor her phone? I can put an hour on if I want, but I don't. Life gets busy and I go, oh shit, I haven't looked at her phone for two weeks. Right. But I've got her Instagram account on my phone so I can go into Instagram at any point and her full account's on my phone. I know every message, every follow. But again it is another job. I keep saying to people you can't just leave it because you've got to keep on top of these things and then I go oh

I'm really good because I check her Instagram and my niece will go what about a TikTok and I go oh no I don't know how to use that. Yeah there you go. So if you're guarding the front door they're coming in through the back. I don't understand any of it. I mean like I'm a total Luddite with all of it and I think that's the bit that that's where the hand wringing comes in because all of us are are like, oh, we think we know this world, that world, that online world, and we don't. That's the scene. I was, this is the media show on the radio yesterday. That's the scene in adolescence that they clicked up.

It's the scene where the young son is enlightening the cop character about the coding. And it's like, even if that's just a metaphor for the fact that they understand things that we don't, it's like, oh God, that's just a metaphor for the fact that they understand things that we don't, it's like, oh God, that's terrifying. But it's no different to us though, is it? If you go back, I mean, it is, it is different because technology has grown so much and it

is a much scarier world. Yeah. I'm sure that our grandparents, when we were 12 or 13 people on MSN you know the internet started. Well I'm pre-internet I mean I didn't grow up with any of it. Did you have a phone when you were a kid? I had a BlackBerry. Right how old? I'm not sure age. I'm 42 in May so I had a BlackBerry. Right so you're the generation that did have it. I did but very early. Yeah Nokia,. It was early. Yeah. Yeah. I had a pager. See I was 28 when I got my first mobile phone. Wow. So total Gen X

Luddite. Don't really do it. I mean I do it, but I didn't grow up with it. But like you said with our careers and stuff, you sort of have to. Yes. You don't have to. You do when you don't. I don't know. I do. Loads come out of it. When I do my Instagram, there's loads come out of it. I'm doing a book. This goes well. I think it is actually a positive thing for me. It's a creative thing as well. And it is creative. But at the same time, if I could sling it all in the bin tomorrow, I think I would. What would you do? What would you do with your time? If I could sling it all in the bin tomorrow, I think... What would you do? What would you do with your time? If I could sling it all in the bin and still do what I'm doing, which is impossible, isn't it?

Yeah, it is challenging. It's finding ways to make it interesting to you. Also, I said to someone the other day, can you just post but not follow? Because it's the scrolling. Yeah. And most of it is just lovely people. I just follow. I follow women that knit with their arms. I mean, I'm just like, I'm I'm just, you know, spoon carvers, let's go. I'm just on there consuming lovely things, but I am still, and then the news creeps in and

then a bit of this and a bit of that. And then suddenly you're like, Oh, now it's gone by what's happened. Yeah, that's the thing. And it is the dead scrolling. I went to a spa a couple of weekends ago and I'd said to Mark, my brain feels like it's going to explode. So when I'm there, I'm going to leave the phone. Yeah. I don't want to look at the phone.

You're with the kids. How did that go? I left the phone, didn't look at the phone a lot at all. Yeah. What it did, when I've come home, I do feel aware. I think, no, that can go down now for a couple of hours. Yeah. I don't need it in my hand permanently. Yeah, it's just been on top of that. Like I took Insta off my phone recently. I just took it. I just had a break and I did feel better. I did. I did feel it's like a little kind of just, you know, not being all pious and like I'm, you know, I'm better than everyone else and I don't do it. It's like,

it's just having regular breaks. Yeah. And just being aware of your use and stuff like that. It's just staying on top of it. It's like anything. It's like exercise or drinking booze. Just keep an eye on it. Yeah. Keep an eye on things. Everything in moderation, isn't it? Yeah. Totally. Mind you, my niece stayed last night because her partner was away and she's got a little baby. My little great nephew, baby James, he's six months. And we had a Chinese last night and two bottles of Rose. And I woke up at three o'clock this morning and was violently ill. Oh no. Yeah. Was that the booze or the Chinese?

No, the Chinese. It was really dodgy. Really not good. Sorry to share that. I had food poisoning a couple of weeks ago and I was throwing up. It's the worst, isn't it? I ate a goat's cheese quiche. It was awful. I haven't had it for years. It was awful. Goat's cheese quiche? Yeah.

From a bougie deli in town. Came straight out. Did it? I mean, it was awful, wasn't it? It was so upsetting. I'm sorry that happened last night. You must feel awful. No, I feel, honestly, I feel fresh as a daisy

because it was so bad. Oh really, once you got it out and you just went back to sleep yeah oh good well don't go back there sorry this is what my pods like I'm really sorry I just this is what this is what pods are it's just people chatting yeah you can literally put a mic on the back of a bus and put it out as content You can't. It's literally all we're doing is just chatting and calling it podcasting. If you like. I don't know if that makes me feel good or bad.

Well, either way it's happening, mate. We're doing it. Right. Let's talk about something really good now. So I feel horrible now. Are you still doing your Whitstable Pearl? You know what? I don't know. It still exists in the world. I don't know if we're going again. I'm filming at the moment. I'm on tour and I'm doing Trigger Point at the same time. Okay.

So that's the show I'm working on at the moment. I'd love Whitstable Pearl to go again, but you know what Tellyland's like. Of course. Who knows? But what a lovely job that was. Oh my God. It was such a delight. It must've been so amazing to do that. It really was, honestly, it really was.

The first season came out of nowhere. It was at the tail end of that lockdown year. An email popped into my inbox saying, would you like to do this? And I thought, what? And as soon as I engaged fully with what they were suggesting and offering me, I couldn't have been happier.

And I went down to Wichita Ball. I had a lovely little house down in Wichita Ball. And I really loved it. It's a delight, that job. Isn't it amazing in life that, especially in our careers, you never know what's going to happen next? You don't know. No, you really don't know. It can be scary and frightening, but also amazing like that.

Just getting an email, pop in the box and think, I had one a couple of weeks ago. Something again, it's so boring, you can't say, but just something coming in and I thought, oh, that's, I really want to do that. Like, I really, that'll be really fun. And yeah, I'm going to do that. You're a bit like me in that we both have quite eclectic, you're doing some presenting as well aren't you? Yes, yeah. And like you said doing this and then the acting so it's lovely. I do like that because I do love acting and it's always delighted to do it but it just doesn't always come around so I'm really glad I've got other

things that I do as well. 100% I see myself above everything when I talk to people, I like money. Right. Above everything. I don't care what people say. I want to earn money for my kids. I want to do my bathrooms up. I want all my house decorated. And I want to pay my mortgage off. You know, that's what we're doing. That's why I'm working. Yeah, fair enough. So when people say, oh, would you go into the jungle? And I say, No, I'm all right at the moment. But yeah, but we'll see. Don't shut any door. Don't shut anything me. No, I think that's a very, I think you got to have a bit of a hustler in you to be self employed to work in, in the arts in one form or another.

I think so. Have you done a book? No, I had a dabble. I did have a dabble. Again, like you, I wouldn't shut that door. I did have a dabble and I put in a pitch and I got a few notes back and then I got another acting job and life got busy. But like you say, you never, never say never. No, I'll tell you why I'd struggle with a book is because my memory isn't great. So when I started having to sort of like go back into, you know, because it would be a sort of memoir, a sort of joking memoir. But I was like, oh man, I can't remember anything. My memory is terrible.

We've got to talk about this because this is mad. Honestly, I believe because of the acting and because of what we do, our brains, the muscle in there, we learn something and we throw it away. Yeah. We learn something and we throw it away. And I genuinely don't remember anything. Did you ever keep diaries and journals when you were young? Nah.

Right, because you were too busy. I was at work. You were so busy when you were young. Yeah, I think I used to scribble the odd bit down, but I'm doing a book in October and I've done that. Exactly what you said, it's a bit autobiographical. And they're going, when you were, you know, four and I said, I'm sorry, I said, I really, I've really sort of vivid memories of certain things and that's it. But that's why I like Mine and Jen's podcast is it sort of like, because you told some

lovely stories on there about your mom and when you were little and stuff like that. So if you can find an in, and in our case it's a photo. If you find a way of like tapping a memory, you can open up, do you know what I mean? And you go, oh, right, yeah, I remember loads about being a kid.

Like the pictures you offered and we had a laugh at some of your dresses. Do you know what I mean? And then you start to talk had a laugh at some of your dresses. And then you start to talk about a specific thing and then your memory activates. Yeah and it is a wonder it's a lovely pod yours isn't it? It's gorgeous. I do love it as a as a it's a jumping off point and it's just a nice way to get people to just talk about their lives and some people are very nervous about talking about things that they're like oh it's private where when you go you go, fine, I get that. Just send us a picture of something you did then

and we'll talk about that. It's just a way in to talk about life really. But like you say, old pictures or music or smells, they do unlock the memories, don't they? 100%. So is that how you got your book, The Memories Going, just triggers? Yeah, I was just, yeah, triggers and to think back and I lost my mum at 19 and

you know I lost my dad a few years ago, it'd be four years April. Yeah. And I don't want it to be all doom and gloom either but you know it's hard actually you know sometimes it is hard to talk about trying to remember all the memories from when you were little you know that feels so long ago. But you've got such a close family, they probably remember things. You compete it together with your siblings and nieces and nephews and stuff. Yeah, no, we are lucky in that respect. And the family's just growing, growing all the time.

Sounds fabulous. Do you have a big family? Have you got brothers? I've got a brother and he's got three kids and we see them, but it's not like we don't all live near each other. I think that's what struck me about your setup is that you all live near each other so you're in and out of each other's houses. Yeah. And I don't really have that. Like last night I wanted to see my mom. My mom lives in northwest London and I live southeast and I was like, I really want

to go and see my mom. And then I looked at the sat nav and it was an hour and a half and it was already gone seven. I was like, I wish she lived down the road. Yeah. I just thought I can't pop over. Can you not coax her nearer? Oh, I've tried. Can we not get her moved? No. Don't, don't, don't push that. Oh, all right. It's back, talk about, you know, triggering. But yeah, I've tried. But my mum's got a life where she lives and my dad, they live where they live and that's where their makes are and that's where they've got their life. I'm the one that moved away. Yeah. And we do exactly the same with Mark's mum. She lives in Kent. We're in Hertfordshire and she comes over. She loves seeing the kids, you know, lovely, whenever she can. But I

keep saying, you know, I don't, you know, your mum could be nearer and she says, I have my craft clubs, I've got my friends, I go for my walks. She's got a life and you go, no, fair enough. It's actually quite selfish of me to say, I'd like you a bit nearer. But because you've got it with your family, you kind of want your partner to have it with him and stuff. I would love it if my mom and dad lived nearer because I would see a lot more of them. And it'd be that just, there's an ease to it,

isn't it then? It's the popping in. It's the popping in. It's not the big thing, what we doing, what time is it? Get your diary out, week on Sunday, I'll cook a roast. It's like, all right, just pop in for a cup of tea. Yeah, yeah, yeah.

I wish I had a bit more of that. Do you look forward to the children having children and things like that? Do you ever think about stuff like that? Yeah, I do. I think about because my daughter just turned 18. So I'm in this real like she's an adult now. I mean, she is and she isn't, you know, obviously they're still your kids and they're still

little in your head. But I do think about this sort of next chapter, I don't know about them having kids yet, but I do think about them being young adults and me not being needed. When you're a parent, so much of your headspace is occupied with that, isn't it? Yes, it's all about the kids. You think about them all the time. Yeah, you do. And I don't think that ever stops, but obviously they're not going to need you as much and

you're like, right, okay, what's that going to be like their life when they're up and running? But again, I think we're lucky in what we do as creative people. I don't think we're ever going gonna sort of sit down and go, oh, I'm bored. We're gonna be doing stuff, aren't we? You're gonna be doing your stand up, your pods. I never get bored, Natalie.

I've got a potting shed, mate. I mean, I'm in my potting shed most of the time doing gardening. Hey, listen, don't talk to me about potting seeds. I've started, I've done it on the pod. Have you? Have you? I've done it on the pod. So my friend, Kara, I've done a sew along. Oh my god, this is wonderful. So I've done a sew along because I'm rubbish and

I love cut flowers and they're so bloody expensive to buy in the supermarket and everything. Yeah, yeah. So she said, right, we're going to plant some zinnias, cosmos, sweet peas, few dahlias and we're going to start them from seed and she's going to help me and then we're going to pod about it and I've got, I swear, it makes me so happy. I've got all the pictures from the listeners who are doing it. Oh my God, well I'll share mine as well. Share yours, share mine. It brings me so much joy. This time of year putting those seeds in, it's just, I love it. It is so good. And Mark does loads of chillies and tomatoes. So we've put in some runner

beans, courgettes. I'm just going to do it all in pots and a little bit of the bed. But nothing brings me more joy than picking a tomato and a chilli and making a pasta out of it. And I don't think nothing makes me happier. I agree. I think it's just an absolute delight. That's where we're at now in life. My kids just look at me like I'm having a breakdown, scrabbling around in the mud. And I'm like, you don't know. You don't know the happiness that I've accessed.

And I can remember it with my mom. I remember when she was into gardening and I was a teenager and I just thought, well, that's tragic. There's a woman on her knees on the ground. Yeah. You feel like they're your babies, don't you? Because I've still got some on the windowsill, some haven't sprouted yet. Oh, when they start coming through.

Oh my God. Oh, God. Especially those Cosmos trays. And I just sort of run my hands along the top of those little baby seedlings. Yeah, yeah. And I just think there's no sensation. More joyous. Keep me posted on the dahlias because I've given up on dahlias. I find them so hard to grow. I get them germinated, but those sails, man, they want them. I will let you know. I'm going to probably do them

in pots and probably name them. I'm not sure yet. You're meant to wait, aren't you? And let them go in much later than you think. So is your friend, she's kind of got skills? She's the gardener. She's got the skills and I'm following her. I've got friends like that. So yeah, I'm following her. We're going to see how it goes. But from pot now, where they are, from when I put them in, I mean, they're beautiful. They're great. They're strong. They look very strong. Yeah. And then you get really anxious of talking about them being your babies

because when they're in their pot and you've got control over them You're like right that that's like when the toddler years and then when you put them in the ground That's like sending them to school because you're like now they're hanging out with people. I can't no Now they're like making new friends in the garden That I can't control anymore or enemies enemies Yeah, all the little slugs and the snails are coming in and the other weeds and yeah, that's when you gotta let them go.

That's the next phase. So what do you grow? Do you do flowers, veg? Do you do it all? I used to have an allotment, but I've had to let that go because I couldn't keep on top of it. No.

My friend's still got it, so I am allowed to go and she lets me visit. I'm like the old landlady. But so I still can go up there she lets me visit. I'm like the old landlady. So I still can go up there and have a little gossip and a dig. But I'm very lucky I've got a nice big garden and I just have to manage on that. So I've had years where I've done lots of edibles. I said this on my pod yesterday and Jen said you can't say edibles.

Oh, because of the mushrooms? Yes, it's a sort of drug reference. But I'm like, in the context of gardening, it's edibles. We use the phrase edibles. No, I get that. Yeah, food. So I've done that in the past. I've grown too many edibles and they're not eating them. And then they're quite hard to keep on top of. So this year I'm trying to do just things that are like things that self seed so that once they're up and running, I don't have to manage them. Right. So things like the bean and to manage them. Right. So things like the Bina and fennel and things like that, that really do sell seeds. So once they go, they go that they'll just you'll find them all over the garden next year.

Okay, right. That's like my worst nightmare. That feels really sort of spurned. Yeah, but it's pretty. But they're really pretty and they get tall and then you can put other things around them. Are you going to Chelsea? I'd love to go. Natalie. I think Cara's going, I took Mark's mum

a couple years ago for her birthday. In fact, it was longer than that, a few years. I've only ever been once, but honestly, I think it might have been the best day of my life. Yeah, it's a brilliant day out. It's so great. And this is what I mean about getting ideas.

Because I watch Gardeners World religiously. Like, Friday for me is like, oh, it's Gardeners World today. It's your favorite. I learned like that kind of self-seed, like doing things that suit you. Do you know what I mean? And you go, right, I know now that previous years

I've done too many tomatoes. I've got nowhere to keep them. And then if I go away for a week, they die because I can't keep the water in and blah, blah, blah. That's the problem. So I'm trying to do things that are a bit lower maintenance. Yeah, I get that.

These things that just self seed and do their own thing. Right. I can kind of manage it to a point, but actually they're quite self contained. Do you know what I mean? I'm not constantly having to worry about them. Oh, I love that. I love the fact that you like gardening. Oh, I love it.

See, that's why potting is good. Yeah, and I should be like, you should post more about it. It's like we were just saying, I know we are in this world where we do have to sort of put stuff out. I love it. That's why podding is good. Yeah, and I should be like, you should post more about it. It's like we were just saying, I know we are in this world where we do have to sort of put stuff out. Yeah. And I do resist that putting stuff out.

And then like my agent was like, but why don't you put out things you really love, like gardening? I'm like, yeah, why don't I do that? You should do that. Yeah, because I love it. And then you could have a show, you could go on garden as well with Monty Don. Oh, I'd love that. I'd love that. I'd love that so it. And then you could have a show. You could go on garden as well with Monty Don.

Oh, I'd love that. I'd love that. I'd love that so much. That's what you need to do. I love Monty Don. I love Adam Frost and Francis. I love them. Yeah.

I feel like they're my friends. I've never met any of them. It's so tragic. Right. Well, you need to get onto it. You need to start posting stuff. But I do need to get onto it. You do some stand up and I'll

do some some Monte Donning. Yeah. These are the little seeds that we need to grow. It is true. You're a little fledgling comedian because you love comedy and you like doing it. I don't know why I try and get everyone. I don't need the competition. I try to get all these brilliant people to do stand up. I'm like, you do it, do it! Talking about stand-up and obviously, you know, Ricky, who you've worked with lots and lots, Ricky Gervais. That's how we met, yeah. Oh, that's how you met through stand-up? No, that's how I met you, isn't it, through Ricky?

That's how we met, yeah, that's how we met. Yeah, which was lovely. Do you ever look, because when I'm watching, obviously you watch all the stand up and that. I don't understand, how has he done what he's done? He's a genius, isn't he? Like to fill up the Hollywood bowl and stuff like that. I know. It's amazing to stand up on a level that is... Not many people get to be as big as that. It's an amazing thing to see a comedian that big

in a room that big and put out specials and blah, blah, blah. That's obviously like in our world, we always have these, like there are people in the acting world as well that are like, you know, stars and leads and they play in movies and then you've just got, it's like a garden Natalie, that's a lovely metaphor. You've got the big trees and then you've got the lion. It's just this whole world. Yeah, like the stand-up comedy world. You've got like the Rickys and the Katherine Rines and they're the big shining stars and then you've

got the touring comics and then you've got the club comics and then you've got the on now there's this whole other generation of like younger comics that don't even come through the clubs they come through socials and they come through tiktok oh absolutely yeah like rossi d words i said tick top like an old woman that's what my mom calls whatsapp she calls it whatsapp i just did it a malaprop just tiktok fucking hell i was in selfages with my daughter yesterday we had a mummy and daughter I just did it! A malaprop! Tic-top! Fucking hell. I was in Selfridges with my daughter yesterday. We had a Mummy and Daughter Day, right? So I took her for some lunch and we had a walk around

and I took her to Sub Jude and Brandy Melville. Oh, you're not meant to do Brandy Melville. Watch that documentary, Brandy Hellville. Anyway, go on. It is Hellville because all the clothes are the same size. They're all for like this. They're all this big. There's a documentary called Brandy Hellville where they the clothes are the same size. They're all like this. They're all this big. There's a documentary called Brandy Hellville where they show... Is it really?

Yeah. And the horror of it. I'm going to get her to watch it. I am going to get her to watch it. Yeah, but don't get her to watch it because I made my daughter watch it and she was like, oh, that's awful. I've got that top. I hate the shop. I hate it. I'm really pleased to hear that there's... Horrible shop. It's a horrible, horrible shop. Watch that documentary. So, did horrible shop. Watch that documentary.

So, did the shopper whatever. And I said to the lovely man, he was all camp at the Narz counter or whatever. And I said, I need a lip liner. And he said, oh, babes, I know a colour for you. So you've got the colour. And I put it on. I went, oh, that's lovely. And I said, I won't wear a lipstick.

I'll just put on a little bit of that, like, the Narz lip balm. I don't want to look around. What did you mean? See, I don't know what you said wrong because I don't know the l balm. I don't want to look around. What did you mean? See, I don't know what you said wrong. Cause I don't know the lingo. Lani, I don't even know. Laniage.

Maybe it's Laniage. I don't know. I say Linaje. It's a fucking lip gloss. She went, you're so embarrassing. Oh, it's awful. I said to my daughter, do you want me to get you tickets for Broadmoor? She went, you don't mean Broadmoor mum.

It's a festival. Broad stairs. What's it called? Broadmasters. Broadmasters. Right. So do you want't mean Broadmoor mum. It's a festival, Broadstairs, what's it called? Broadmasters? Broadmasters. Right, so tickets for Broadmoor. She went, you don't mean Broadmoor. That's down in Watergate Bay, in Cornwall isn't it? Broadmasters. It's delightful, but no one wants to go to Broadmoor for a long weekend do they? Not really, not unless you've been really naughty. These happen all the time now, they're getting it wrong. Yeah, yeah. And then that's what my mum did. Yeah.

My mum said she loved the film 12 Angry Monkeys. It's like what? So here we are. It all comes around. This is where we find ourselves. It all comes around. Her mum said, oh, John Lennon married the okie-okie. Every generation has its thing as its mum, Malaprops. It's so, so true. My mum's friend, she used to say, I'll tell you something. She said, we've got to move that furniture around in the bedroom. She said that toy boy is driving around. She used to say it all the time and everyone needs to just sit there.

Hang on, what does she mean? Toy boy in her bedroom. Toy boy. Funny. But yeah, we're all doing it. That's the book. Someone needs to write a little book of Mumpho Paz. That's the book. That would be good. That's what you should do. Like the little book of, you know, little book of this, little book of that. It's the little book of mum, Malaprops. I like that. Do you do a lot of reading? I bet you do. Bet you read loads of books.

Yeah, I do like, I do like it. But my husband is really, really bookish. I mean, he doesn't understand all this stuff. We're talking about the world of the Internet. I said to him the other day, God, I'm really worried about all this Manosphere stuff that everyone's talking about. He had no idea what I was talking about. I said, it must be so

lovely in your head. Must be so nice in there, not having to worry about Andrew Tate or any, any, any of these things that all the rest of us are worried about. Yeah. And he's just got absolutely just walking around. He just finished Frankenstein. He said it was a tremendous, he just, he's always reading a book, always. He's just a big book fan. And occasionally I'm very lucky because he's good at recommending books. So he'll just say, read that.

I think you'll like that. And he's usually right. And then you do. And I do. Yeah, so I do enjoy reading. And I find that an antidote to scrolling. If I've got a good book on the go, I'm like, right, no scrolling.

Let's get back to the book. Yeah, that's good. I need to start reading more. I've got an obsession with bookshops. I could sit in a bookshop all day. I love them. I love the smell. I just love it.

And I buy lots of books and I've got a lot of books downstairs on the shelves. You'd think I was really well read, but I don't. But you've been writing a book. Yeah, that's true. I have. And I've been editing it. I can't believe it. It's been brilliant.

It sounds wonderful. When's this coming out? October. Oh, how exciting. It is. It would be love. And you've been, what's this TV show? Because I've seen you promoting that. That's presenting. Is it a consumer? Consumer type thing. Do you know what? That just came in.

Out of luck. I had four months off of EastEnders. Are you on EastEnders now? No, I've left. Completely gone. But not dead? Not dead. Door's always ajar. It, I've left. I've completely gone. But not dead? Not dead. Door's always ajar? It is ajar. So I'm very grateful. Yeah, because it's slammed shut when you're dead.

Well, you say that too. People have come back from the dead quite recently. Who? Cindy Beale came back from the dead. How did they wipe round that? How do you bring people back from the grave? With a lot of difficulty. They said, well, she didn't die on screen, so they said she was in protection and that she'd been living in France. That's very creative, isn't it? And Cathy also died and then stepped out of a black cab on the 35th anniversary. I love it. I know. It's all very Dallas. It's magical realism. That's how I've decided to approach that. No, do you know what?

It is a lovely place to work, but it is also nice to be away from there. Because your life is just continuously on hold, really, because of the calls. It's constant every week. You don't know what you're doing. So it's nice to step away from there. Yes, I'm sure. And you've been doing it since you were a kid. So it's full on. Yeah. So like I say, it's lovely to be away from there. Yes, I'm sure. And you've been doing it since you were a kid, so it's full on.

Yeah, so like I say, it's lovely to be away from there because it's a great job, but at the same time, it's relentless. You get your calls on a Thursday evening for the following week. You can't plan anything. Wow. So it's nice to have that. Yeah, I can't really imagine that because the only equivalent I have is when I'm on something like Whistler Pearl, which is the only time I've had a big sort of a big all consuming project. And it's like when I'm on that show, that's it. I can't

plan anything. I can't do anything. It's like relentless, but at least it's finite. I know it ends. Yeah. You've got your dates and you know it ends, whereas that just keeps going. It's a massive, massive machine. I can't imagine. And I was there for 12 years. I was there 12 years, eight years off, 12 years back. And I really feel, I do, I feel like a different person.

And it's not a negative thing towards the show. It's just I desperately needed to not be there. So it's great. Yeah, yeah. I'm really pleased. And do you know, how far away do you live from it? It did play a part. Yeah, you're right.

Sort of where I am. I mean, I suppose I've always been 45 minutes to an hour away from it. Right. That's manageable, isn't it? Because I've worked with a few other East... I worked with Lacey Turner years ago. I did Our Girl. Yeah, she said. Yeah. Yeah. And she lived really near it, didn't she? Ten minutes. I think things like that can make a massive difference.

I think... Am I right in remembering her nan's bedroom she could see Albert Square? That's how near. That's right. Yeah. Yeah. She knew it really well. That's how near. That's right. Yeah, she knew it really well. That's how near she was, yeah. I want you to get on with your day. You've got a busy time. I've got a seeds to sow.

I've got a gig tonight. I've got one of my tour shows. I've got to go to Norwich. Amazing. Norwich tonight, tomorrow Farnham. That's right. They're very well spread out. They're good.

They're going right through to June, yeah. They're very spread out. Yeah, and June the 12th is my local one. So I can't wait. Yeah. Looking forward to that. That'll be actually, you know what? That's the last one. Oh, that's the last.

Yeah. So that's the end of the tour. Or maybe we can have a quick drink after. Yeah, that'd be nice. I'd love that. Oh, you might want to just get home. This is the thing I find now is I can never predict how much energy I'm going to have. I'd love that. Oh, you might want to just get home. This is the thing I find now is I can never predict how much energy I'm going to have. I sleep my bad. You're like, how old today?

But have I got loads of energy? If I'm in a good mood and I've got loads of energy, we'll have a drink. If not, we won't. I won't see you. But I tell you what, I will be. I'll be bloody happy because I just think I can't wait to see a full show of yours. I've never seen it. And you were so funny for those 10 minutes. I urge everybody. I'm going to put all the tour links

and everything up for the listener. You've got to go and see Kerry if she's near you. She's amazing. Listen to her pod, Memory Lane. I love you to bits. I love you to bits. I just think you're wonderful. I could chat to you all day Natalie.

Oh, thank you so much. Well, listen, maybe we'll have to do something with the garden. I'll have to come around to something. Yeah, we'll share some pictures. Yeah, listen, maybe we'll have to do something with the garden. I'll have to come round to see the garden. Yeah, we'll share some pictures. Yeah, definitely. That would be delightful. Lovely. Show me all the developments of your dahlias. Keep me posted on the dahlias.

OK, I will do. I will, for sure. I'm quite invested. They'll probably get absolutely annihilated by slugs before we know it, but I'll enjoy them while it lasts. Yeah, exactly. Well, listen, have a brilliant day. Thanks so much. Bye bye. See you love.

See you.