Life with Nat - EP145: Tony talks #12 - School exams, are they fit for purpose?

Episode Date: August 24, 2025

Nat and Tony are taking on school exams, the expectation that university is the only way for kids to earn their way into the workforce, and whether Tony is going to be recognised (either dirty or cleaned up). Enjoy!! 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 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 megaphone.fm/adchoices

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Wendy's most important deal of the day has a fresh lineup. Pick any two breakfast items for $4. New four-piece French toast sticks, bacon or sausage wrap, biscuit or English muffin sandwiches, small hot coffee and more. Limited time only at participating Wendy's Taxes Extra. Hello and welcome to Life with Nat. I hope you're all really good. hope you're all really good. I hope you had a lovely weekend. I am with me brother Tony. How are you? I'm not too bad. How are you? Yeah, I'm good. Good. Really good. Been a busy week.

For you? Yes. I'm sure it has been for you as well. Yeah, well, what have you been up to? I've been recording my audio book. Oh! It's quite mad because obviously, doing the podcast, you're talking a lot. Yeah. But talking for eight hours. On your own? Yeah. Was you in a little dark, like, cupboard? It was exactly like that. Wow. But yeah, got through it and it was really good.

Excellent. So it was good. What have you been doing? Oh, a bit of this bit of that. Plumbing in some sinks. Yeah. Put some washing machines in. One and about a lot.

Getting stressed. I'm doing the kitchen indoors. Fantastic. Yeah, long overdue. It's going to look fantastic. Well, I might have to do some photographing bits or whatever. It'd be lovely, because you're knocking down the wall, aren't you? I've knocked the wall down.

Brilliant. Yeah, yeah, I've really gone for it big time. Yeah, good. After sort of 20 years too late, when it needed to be done ages ago, I've just gone for it. So I'm working seven days a week at a minute. I'm absolutely knackered. You don't look knackered. I said this to you, you popped up kindly with Joni's presents for a birthday.

Was that last Friday, wasn't it? Last Friday. Yeah, I was just around the corner. funny enough looking at a job which is unusual but it worked really well really well but i feel like you look much younger really yes um honestly not sure not sure why because i have about four hours sleep a night and i've got much worry at the moment um i do slap a bit of um sharon's got this stuff that she puts on and i put a bit out now and again she goes i got i get very dry skin if i've been knocking walls down i got all plaster and dusting stuff in me and i and i

I have a shower, I've got very dry skin. So Sharon advises me to use this particular cream that she uses. And it is very nice. What is it? I don't know. That's a shame. I don't know. Could have given it a shout out?

Could have got a freebie. I could have got a freebie. It's very expensive, apparently. I don't know. Oh, right. And funny enough, and this is a true story. Go on. So when the Fish and Tackle shop I used to use was still open,

because it's shut now, which is unfortunate. We were going out for a curry one night. So I had a wash and brush up as you do, from work. Yeah. And I did my air and whatever. and put some decent clothes on rather some rotten old t-shirt and I put a bit of this stuff on

Sharon said, you put this on and she went, it'll make your face look nice and I don't want all that anyway, she made me put a bit of stuff on and I walked into the tackle shop and one of the fellas in the tackle shop looked at me and he went he went, have you had some work done?

I said, what? I said, Ben, you're talking to me he went, you look like you've had some work done he said you've had a nip and a tuck and a bit of this and a bit. I swear, I swear to God that was, he's a reaction. Well, please, I know we'll never get Sharon on, but Shazza, can we have the name of the cream? Because we'll want some.

I'll tell you what I'll do. I'll take a picture of it. Please. And I'll pop it on Instagram. Brilliant. The cream. The cream. It's a regime, apparently.

But I just slap a bit of the cream and when I'm really dry. And it does make you, yeah, it makes you look sort of plump your face up a bit and makes you look a little bit. So maybe it's that. Maybe? Yeah. You've been using it this week? No. Oh, no.

Oh, all right, then. Brilliant. That's fuck that then. No, I haven't used it at all, actually. It's because I have my hair cut. Maybe. I have a shave and a haircut. You know, like, you know, 10 years younger.

Remember that show 10 years younger? Oh, they did was cut their hair. If I was, I would have been the easiest 10 years younger subject ever. Basically, I'd have grown a bit of like five days of growth. Let me air grow. Yeah. Right. slept for a couple of nights,

put me rotten old t-shirt and a track suit bottoms on. Yeah. me shuffled down the precinct with a camera crew. No, this is true, right? And Edda said, and that lovely Australian girl with a glass, hey, isn't it? And how old do you think this guy is? I'd have gone, oh, E-60. E-65, if he's a day, maybe 70. They'll whip me around the corner. Give me a shave, cut me here, slap a bit of the gear on. Stop laugh. They could have willed me Never mind all that Going and have your teeth done And injections Let's fly him off to turkey

Yeah Never mind all that They could literally Whip me around the corner To the local barbers Two hours Clean shirt I'd have been 20 years younger

Straight away It's true It's true Years ago One of Evie's young friends Thought she had two dads Why So she brought a friend in from school

To have tea This was probably I don't know Oh no stop And you went for a shower I swear this is true This is a true star and shave. Not quite that.

A little bit too graphic. Excuse me. But I came in from work. I had a really tough day. I was filthy dirty. I think I might have taken the ceiling down. I was absolutely dust everywhere. Fulf.

And I walked in, knackard, and I said, and I went, hello, girls like that. And I went upstairs and had a shower and sort of myself come down. And this little girl was sort of having a dinner and looking at me and looking at everyone. And then when we finished, she was on the sofa with Evie,

and she said, Evie, have you got two dads? Because I look so different. That is brilliant. Yeah, two dads. So. There you go. We digress again, sorry. This pod is the way to digress.

Oh, yes. If you can't digress here, you can't digress anywhere. Yes. And digression is good sometimes. Very much so. So we've come together tonight. Mm-hmm. And your beautiful wife, Sharon, came up with the idea.

She did. She did. She's very, very good at topics. Fantastic. We've got a couple more for the future. We have. We've bag them. We've banked them away for those long, cold winter nights when we might need them.

Absolutely. Absolutely. And they're crackers. I think they're quite good, yeah. Very good. But tonight we're going to talk about the relevance of A-Levels and GCCs. Yes. Because A-level results came out last week. Yep. GCSEs came out today. Today. I know. I know. I know.

Now, it's such a broad subject. I want to thank everybody. Yeah, I mean, I can't believe the response. It's been mad. Like, literally, my phone's been going off all day long with messages coming through and stuff. Yeah. And I think it's really, I mean, we hit some nerves sometimes, but this has really hit a nerve of people because I think there's such a difference in the way people view what we're going to talk about. Yeah.

It's very personal to some people. For some people, it's relevant. For some people, it's a little bit irrelevant. For some people, it's the bill and end all. Yeah, I was quite surprised that the amount of, you know, like message and traffic we got really. Absolutely. And thank you, as always.

It's brilliant. It's so brilliant. Yeah. We could just play all the messages and not talk. Well, if you did that, I think you'd still be here on sort of Sunday afternoon. Yeah, that's true. If you read all the messages and played all the messages, I mean, they'd go on for hours. They would.

but the reason we wanted to talk about it It's a lot of it's the university thing as well Is it a degree thing and that sort of It's about the pathway That you're told to take at the moment Obviously Eliza is nearly 15 So she's going into year 10 And she's starting the GCSE course

And that sort of pathway I've been doing my BBC documentary Where I've been in a college And it's been brilliant but there's lots and lots of different opinions. I don't even know where to start time. Where do we start? Well, where I would like to start,

so when I was a kid in a very working class, a lovely working class family. Yeah. We weren't impoverished. I don't mean that. But working class. And we went to school and the word university was not even used in our demographics.

it was just you could have said about going to the moon it was not even an option when I grew up did you hear about university it was for posh kids okay right and I'm going to use that term yeah not as a don't mean to denigrate any or whatever

that is a term that was used regularly it's only for posh kids yeah that was the way it was seen you went to eat and we're talking about late 70s yeah yes 79 to 84 around that sort of time yeah and I remember, so I was good at history at school. I hated school, left at 16, I didn't like it, but I was good at history. And at parents' evening, my history teacher, was my form teacher,

said to mum and dad, look, he's really good at history. You should really think about university for him. And we got home and my mum, I'm just, no way, you're not going. There's no way you're going to university, all those drugs. Because then all you thought about, there was this, again, there was this misconception at the time that it was very hedonistic. This head and this druggy and whatever. Bohemia. And being from a working class background, people just,

we just didn't understand that life. We didn't understand that. Well, it was a different world. So that's where it starts. And then I think it was Tony Blair that brought in this thing about, he wanted 50 or 60 or 70% of kids to go university and get degrees. Because that was the way that we should be going towards this highly skilled, highly educated sort of group of people of a certain age of whatever.

whatever. So we sort of in the time from when I left school till the mid-90s or whenever it was the 2000s, there was this C change. It was a shift. Yes. Especially from the working class or the middle class, if you want to call it that, you know, the working middle class, you know, people that went to work and wanted to do a bit better. There was a shift of you left school and you went to work or you did some A levels and then went to work to all of a sudden this world of going to university was opened up. yeah completely opened up

and it wasn't just for the rich or the landed gentry or the ones that went to eat and or went to this school or went to stow or went to you know grammar school or whatever it is that you know comprehensive kids could actually go and study at university yeah so I think if you frame it in that context

we went from unattainable unachievable probably not even considered on the radar Did you ever think about that? Or was that just the way it was? It's just the way it was.

Yeah. You know, when they mentioned it to my mum and they said, oh, you know, he's good at history and you might want to consider it. And I just sort of shrugging. She went, you're not going now. And I said, all right, fair enough. Yeah.

So I went, I left at 16 and became an electrician. So that's what you did. So I think we've, in many ways, so what's happened is it's great because social mobility and all that sort of stuff. That's what they, I think that's what they were trying to get at was that, you know, you can't just be rich and from a private or public school or whatever

is to go to university. You know, we should allow people from different social backgrounds, different walks of life, different... Which is how it should be. However. However. Amazing. What you've said's brilliant.

Tony Blair had it right, lovely. Inclusiveness, equality, bring people in. Yeah. But now we're... at a stage where if you don't take the route of university, you're a failure. All I can talk about is where, like, my kids went to school and all their friends went to school. We're in London.

I can't talk about, you know, someone in the Midlands or in Yorkshire or whatever. No, of course. But certainly, at the school my kids went to, it was a grammar school, it's a very good school, very good school. We worked hard to get them in and they did really well and they've done really well. but I just know from that one instance there was never ever an option other than what university you're going to

yes there were kids that went to that school who were clever that weren't university kids should never have gone when or some didn't you know evie's got a friend who has done a modern apprenticeship and he's with Ernst and young

and he's flying he's doing really well he was just not a university boy and I think we've gone too far the wrong way now I think this idea that you've got to go to university to get an education or to have a career of some sort and if you don't, you're not going to achieve. I just think it's completely wrong. It's bonkers.

I believe there are lots of people that go for the right reasons. I think there are lots of people that go where they're doing a course that's vocational. That's my thing. If you've got a vocation, you've got a passion, you go to uni, that's amazing, brilliant. And I've said it, and I'm very vocal about it. And again, it's an opinion.

It's my opinion. But my children, I always say, unless you have a vocation, I don't really want them to go to university. No, and I don't, for the debt. I agree. And I'll be honest, again, you know, we've got to be careful because this is a very personal subject to people. Of course.

Of course it is, yeah. I'm talking about from personal experience, I have numerous kids I know through my own children. I had a couple that have worked for me on summer holiday come and do some labouring for me and stuff like that where they need a job they can come and carry some stuff for a few weeks and earn themselves a few quid and whatever

and these kids have they've gone and done a degree in whatever they've done it in they've come out 40, 50 grands worth of debt they're not going to use their degree in any way, shape or form they go into the meat grinder of the job market there's thousands like them and they've not got any experience

and they've got no experience and I really feel sorry from because they've been with a lot of kids there is an element of when they do their A-Levels and they want to go to uni so that they get away from home

and their mum and dad they want to be independent they want to do the things they can't do when mum and dad are there I'm going to be honest sorry it's a fact you know

they're going to get drunk and do this and do that and have these hedonistic you know nights where they fall over and they're sick in the curb and whatever we all know that goes on and I think when they're 18

and they're 18 looking at why they're going to university, that's quite a primary move with a lot of them, not all of them. No, but I think it is a social element. It's a social element. Yeah. But then, unfortunately, they get to the end of the three years,

and they've had a great time. They've met a load of new friends and probably friends for life, and I understand all that. But then reality kicks in. So I know loads of kids, literally, not loads, but two handfuls at least, who did that. and then went into the job market and literally just fell on their ass.

Totally lost. They're working, but they've ended up doing whatever they can get their hands on just to get into the job market. So my point is that if it's not vocational, you don't know what you want to do or not so much you don't know what you want to do, but I think there must be a place, a huge place, for a scheme, and I know they're out there,

but they're not publicised well enough to say to kids, look, if you're really not sure about the university thing and the debt thing, why don't you look at a modern apprenticeship? Why don't you look at going into the workplace at 18? So by the time all the graduates come out, you've got three years' experience, you've got no debt. I just think it makes sense.

And I think we're on the same page. It's Rona Week. Now until Wednesday. You hear that? That's the sound of your summer getting a second life. It's the sound of a Rona pressure washer at only 9999. It's the sound of a clean patio, a sparkling truck, clear gutters, and a shiny driveway.

Build it right, build it Rona. Conditions apply, details in store, and more offers at Rona.ca. Okay, shut it off, fellas. Let's start some messages. Okay. I would love to get through some of them because people have taken their time. Oh, yeah, I have, yeah. This is from Danielle.

She said, just saw the note on exams and results. My niece is going through this and it brings back all the feelings of my own summers filled with exams and the agonising wait for results. I've said to her that this stage is only to get you to the next and to keep your options open. I don't believe it's necessary to go to university. I work in a global consultant. consultancy firm and I've crossed paths with so many who haven't and have taken just a different route to get in the same place I'm at. I did go to uni and looking back on the experience, I wasn't ready

for it straight out of school. I wish I'd given myself more time and looked at all my options. Exams aren't everything and even failure has taught me so much about myself. So thank you, Danielle. But I thought it was really, really nice message, you know. What Daniel said is there's a theme through a lot of our messages. So let's be straight. We've had messages from teachers and vets and doctors, people that knew they had to train in their field academically. There's people that want to be academics

that have to train in their field and be academic to become an academic. Yes. So there's lots and lots of reasons for people to go to university and to do what they do. but equally I don't think kids are told at the right age that is not the end of the world if you don't if you can't if you fail something they're not told there are opportunities elsewhere

there are other options you can take some time off and go I mean I hated school but I did a degree when I was 22 to 26 I did a four year part-time degree because I found went into a job and found that that's what I needed to do to progress in my job. Yes. And so for me, it's this be all and end all, you know, I must get my grades,

I must get into university or else I'm a failure. Absolutely right. That's a problem for me. And also a problem for me, coming from a construction background, is that the way it's going, I've got no idea where the next wave, the next generation of tradesmen are coming from. And someone's got to build houses and, plumbing sinks and washing machines.

And I'll tell you something else. AI ain't going to do it. AI is not going to do that. No, no. But we've had loads of messages exactly on that theme, which is people that didn't do what they thought they should have done at the time, but their life has taken a different turn. Yeah.

They've got a job doing whatever, and then they've gone on and on and on, and now they're head of such and such. And, you know, and there's loads of people like it. You know, Alan Sugar has got one-0 level. Simon Cowell's got one-0 level. It's all, you know, Richard, and hasn't got an O level to his name.

You know, there's all these people. It's a lot of it's about attitude. Social skills. Social skills. Social skills. The way you handle people. Exactly. The way you handle situations.

Yeah, just, just even knowing, I taught my kids from a very, very young age that when you meet someone, you stand up, you shake their hands and you look them in the eye. Because that first connection with anybody is critical. Agreed. And it stood them in very good stead. and I'm afraid there's a whole generation of kids that are not even taught the very, very basics of walking... But now we're getting into phones and social...

Well, I do. Sorry, well, we are, but what I'm saying is that we're talking about this whole thing about when a child gets to a certain point in their lives and they're told your basic only option is to either go to university or be a failure or whatever it is, there's got to be something at that point that helps these kids give them some tools

in order to go out into the workplace if they want to and be told there's options. But also to be told there's the path of university, but there's this path and this path. It's not a failure. No. They're different choices. I mean, I've never seen one post ever on social media

where someone comes on and says, oh today you wouldn't believe it magnificent I've been accepted on a modern apprenticeship with the BBC I've been accepted on a modern apprenticeship

with Ernst & Young I've been accepted on a modern apprenticeship for MI5 I know never never ever ever ever even heard the never even heard

the term mentioned last week on the A level thing because that's why we did it obviously I'm on Instagram and you have a look and I just saw all of these posts with nines or whatever it is

A star A star A, yeah. I've got five A's, I've got three A's, I've got, I just thought this is so difficult for people. This is so hard for kids who are getting their results. It's hard for the ones, again, you know, there's some kids who, they get the A star A star A, and you're celebrating. We've had it. I've had it with Evie, you know, she needed A star A, star A to get into Cambridge and she got it. And for us, from a working class family, it was just blind-blumming.

So I understand that whole thing about achieving and you've got to get, you know, getting your grades and getting your university place. I completely understand it. But there has to be, there has to be, and also an understanding, there are kids that are not going to be like that and not going to do that. And to make them feel like they're a failure is, I mean, it's... Well, it's very detrimental to their mental health. I mean, it's not just that. It's actually, it's failing a generation of kids. And we need to think more about the workplace

and we need to think more about what the country needs. You know, we can't, and that's an age old saying, we can't all be brain surgeons and doctors. We can't. We need people like me. You know, you need people like the bloke who delivers the milk. You need people, you know, like the guy that picks the bins up. You know, what if no one wants to be a bin man?

Yeah. Sorry, society would fall apart. Look what happened in Birmingham when they had a strike. You know, society fell apart in six weeks. So you have to have people. I just think everyone should be proud of what they can achieve, no matter what it is. I think you're right, yeah. And we should celebrate everything.

Yeah, correct, but it's not. No. So they're not, you know, if someone says, well, I'm going to do an, like, where my kids went to school, if someone said I'm going to do a modern apprenticeship, they'd sort of people be looking at them sideways saying, what are you talking about? You mean you're not, you're not going to university? But that's exceptional. I don't, I'm not, I'm not so, but I think there's a bigger picture.

You know, we're talking about results and all the rest of it. I think there's a much bigger picture about how you, the kids that are coming out of school, how you make them realise that there isn't just one way. Absolutely. Let's listen to these. Hi, Nat, just seeing your message about A-levels in uni, I don't do either other than the University of Life. It's a while back for me now as I'm 48,

but I would consider myself to have done quite well in the working world without a higher education, unlike some of my friends that did go to university and still haven't used their degree. I've got one mate that's got letters after her name and she can't even boil an egg or make fucking mashed potato. So there's a lot to be said for common sense. Emma from Bromley this year.

She also said, I saw on the news today a girl who sat and got 23 A levels mental. I didn't even think there were that many subjects. Nor did I. Sorry. But also, why is that on the news? Why is that even on the news? It's one of those things that they put on the end, don't they? But it's stupid. Not for the girl that's got 23A levels. It's not. It's a major achievement. Come on. It is. But also, for someone who hasn't passed today, that's really horrible. Yeah, but they're just going to look at that person and say they're just a one-off. No one else has got 23A levels of day.

Well, this girl has. Excepts her, yeah, exactly. So she's an exception. Yeah. You know? No, you're right. Oh, we've got some cracking messages. This is a long one.

Hey, it's Stuart. Hope you're well. I had a great holiday. And just sending you a message about the university chat. So my kids are too young to start thinking about that at the moment. They're only eight. But we've got all that to come. But thinking back at myself, I was just a regular kid, you know, working class family.

Fortunately, my dad died and I was 14, so academically I didn't probably do as good as I could have done because my brain was distracted by everything else going on. But I wanted to be an actor and I went to drama school and I did okay in that. But now, fast forward, I'm in a completely different industry. I'm in a really senior role. I work in aviation. And really, I have no academic qualifications to support my career. But life's a journey.

you take opportunities and you go with it. You know, I started off as cabin crew, then I became cabin manager, then a base manager, then in charge of the custom experience for an airline, then I worked internationally and I worked for an airport. And all of that was just opportunities that were presented to me at the time

and experiences I've had have led to one route to another route. And yeah, if I look now and think how I got here, my goodness, completely different. what I thought my life was going to be, completely different to what I trained to be, and academically is not where I probably should be. And now I'm studying to my master's, my MBA, and it's really difficult, but actually it's something I want to do to fill the gaps I think I potentially have. But I'd say to anyone who's going through at the moment, life is long,

life has many opportunities, life has many roads, it will take you on, and just be open to change direction at any time and enjoy every opportunity that life has with you and just be happy. Okay. Bye. That is lovely Stuart and we had a little texting conversation

and he was absolutely mortified. He said, I've listened back to that voice note and it sounds like I said, fortunately my dad died. So can I just clear up for everybody he did say, unfortunately. Oh no. It was unfortunate, straight away.

But he was very worried about it. No, no, no, no, Stu. No, no, definitely not. No. So I think tone of voice and the manner in which it was said. And the context. And the context. I never would ever thought, fortunately.

Absolutely not. So there we go. I promised him. I'd say that. No, that's what. If you promised someone, you've got to fulfill the promise. I thought it was a brilliant message. It's so right, though, isn't it?

Yeah. And I think all of us now, we're all older and whatever. And it's this thing about hindsight, isn't it? It's sort of, we can all sit in and say things like, Stuart said, and he's absolutely right. But, you know, there'd have been a time at drama school when he didn't get a part and it'd have been devastated. There'd have been a time when he was cabin crew and he might have been overlooked for, you know, to be cabin manager. And so then you think it's the end of the world at the time. And all of this stuff makes or breaks you as a person

and it is about how you deal with the setbacks and not the successes in life. Definitely. That's what makes you the person you are. I do believe that. But again, how do you say that? That message that shirts just sent or sent us is a brilliant message. But how do you couch that in a context that you can tell an 18 year old? You can't. This is a problem. Because they haven't got the experience. They've got the experience and they just think it's just like if I was to stand there and in front of some, you know, some kids at 18 and whatever and try and motivation he speak to and they'll just see this old bloke standing there and think, what's he talking about? It's not, he's not relevant to me. I don't know relevance. It's no difference to when you stand in front

of your kids and you try and talk to them. And they say you, you'd don't understand. You don't understand. And you go, well, I've been in the class, but you were eight, it was ages ago and you're old and you've got, like, it's the same thing. And I do think as well, I might be wrong and someone might pull me on this, but certainly when I left school, and we've, again, we've had lots of messages from people, the same sort of thing, you just went and got a job. You know, literally, you'd walk in, I knew a guy years ago, he was a, he'd done very well in the city, like very wealthy men. and he started off. He literally said, I was 16.

I just went in the city and walked into offices and just said, have you got any jobs going? Yeah, yeah. And someone went, yeah, well, we need someone to, you know, run tea and coffee to the desks and stuff. And then all of a sudden, like a year later, he was doing bits and pieces. And a year after that, he's such and so.

Then the seat came up at a desk, and now he's a very wealthy man because of that. And that doesn't happen these days. You can't do that these days. It's just not the thing. You've got to go through websites and portals and algorithms. It is a shame. It's a terrible shame.

But that's the world we live in. So again, not only the kids that are 18 and they're wondering what am I going to do and how am I going to do it, the job market is so different to what it was. They can no longer say, well, I'm just going to go and walk into Marxists and say, have you got any jobs? Can I come and have an interview? And they go, yeah, come back on Saturday morning and the store manager will interview or whatever.

That doesn't happen anymore. So the whole thing is more convoluted. It's more difficult. It's more bloated. There's more paperwork. There's more bureaucracy. All of this stuff doesn't help. It's like Eliza, actually.

Years ago, you could be 14, nearly 15, and you could get a little job. I think you'd get a Saturday job. You could get a little Saturday job. And she'd love one. Yeah. But now you need, you know, your number, your national insurance, you've got to be 16 to work. Yeah. And that, I think that's a shame.

Yeah. Because how lovely for 14, 15-year-olds that are bored. So just working a hairdresser, sweeping up hair, making a cup of tea. Yeah. Get him 30 quid. That's brilliant. That's brilliant. Evie did it.

Such a shame. Yeah, Evie did it. Because Eliza's chumping at the bit this summer holiday. Yeah. To work. She would have worked straight away. Yeah. So that's a shame.

We've got a lovely message here from Debs. Hello Debs. And Deb says, Hi Nat. Just a quickie to say, I absolutely love the pod. My daughter did better in her GCSEs than we anticipated. School was a struggle for her, and her late autism diagnosis came as she was starting her GCSEs.

She passed nine. out of 10. Amazing Debs. She didn't get amazing grades but she passed. She didn't want to go to six form or college. Instead, she started an apprenticeship in a local nursery. She's absolutely amazing and a key member of the team, even carrying them through recent Offsted inspection, stepping in when the manager struggled. She's just turned 17. We are so super proud of her achievement and her tenacity when she wakes up ready to face a 10-hour day. She's earning her own money and has gained so much confidence around people. We have always said to both of our kids, grades do not matter, your kindness to others does.

Everything else is a bonus. Isn't that brilliant? Absolutely brilliant. And she's found her slot. She has. That's a classic example of someone that could have gone down the wrong route and been in the job she hates. And she's absolutely found her slot and bang. she's done it and she's in there and she's brilliant.

And like you said, it's an apprenticeship. Yeah. I just don't feel that there's any, I know I'm begging on about it, but I don't feel there's, it's just not publicised. I mean, you know, people don't even know that there's alternative routes. But something you did touch on earlier, which we've spoken about before, and I think he's huge. If I had kids at Eliza's age now or a bit younger, without a doubt, I would.

we'd be looking at what AI is going to do to the job market. And again, I know it's, we do, it's all the same thing really, because we're talking about career paths of kids. We're talking about how they're going to transition from school into the workplace. Yes. And I think for me, for any parent looking at the future,

they've got to take this massively into consideration. Well, we were saying earlier, for me, surely, Correct me if I'm wrong. It's so amazingly clever. I'm not having a go at it. I'm not one of these people. Yeah, it's terrible. It's brilliant.

It's going to improve stuff. It's clever. It's brilliant. But the middle jobs, and I'm talking about mailouts, mailing lists. Coal centres. Yeah. Possibly supermarket. Yeah.

Surely in 10 years, all those jobs are going to go. I think they will. Surely. I think they will. Yeah. and there's going to be massive holes in the job market for certain people of certain ages who do those jobs

and again I don't want to be the... I'm not being a doom munger and I don't know enough about it I really don't I read bits and pieces and... Yeah but we're here to have a chat it's an opinion so I've got to worry about that.

I read a statistic a while ago where someone said in the next 10 to 15 years 40% of all whatever collar white collar jobs it's basically like middle management all the grunt what they call the grunt work

you know people that are crunching numbers people that are crunching contracts or sending stuff out or whatever 40% of all of the anything that can be replicated by an AI on a computer on a machine those jobs are all going to

like 40% of a massive job market is just going to go there's not going to be a discussion there's not going to be a let's go on strike because we don't agree with it, they're just going to disappear. But then, what are we doing? Why are children sat memorising things?

Be honest. We've got to really be honest now. They're never ever going to need what they're learning now. No. Whether you like it or not. They're really not because you just go, sorry, when was the Second World War, what happened with the Treaty of when it comes up? Within a second, you've got the facts.

So the whole system is completely flawed. Well, that's a different rabbit hole that we're going down there because we're then talking about changing the whole educational system. Well, I am. In order to equip people for the future, which is never going to happen. It's not going to happen. Clearly, it's not going to happen because, you know,

kids are not even taught how to open a bank account, I don't think, these days, or, you know, how to save money or anything like that. There might be taught where certain places on Earth are or, you know, what the chemical system means. I know, but we don't need to know. No, and if you're going to be a chemist, you need to know. Don't, but do they?

No. Well, I think they do, yeah. I think you go to, yeah. No, I'm just saying, but no, I'm just, but in the, in the, in the future, I'm talking about the future. Well, I don't, yeah, I mean, yeah, in 50 years time, will they? Well, would they ever, yeah, in 50 years time, will you need anyone, I suppose? That's, you get to that point. Well, who are you going to need in 50 years time if machines can do it all?

I'll tell you what you will need. Mm-hmm. You'll need creativity, yeah. Kindness. Yeah. And social interaction. You will. You'll also need Tyler's.

You will. Because we've had Tylers since Rome and, well, way, way beyond, way before the Roman Empire. So if you're a Tyler, you're laughing. Or a plasterer. Or a plasterer. Because AI's never going to be able to do that. They talk about robots building stuff, but it's all out in perfect situations. Agreed.

Listen, you're not walking up to a loft bathroom in the middle of Enfield with a robot and tile in the bathroom. No, in the middle of December anyway. Not in the December anyway, yeah. No, but you are right. No, listen, we're going off piece. But I'm just saying, the whole system is quite assured, isn't it? Well, I think it is, if we look at how fast technology is moving, so for me, five years ago, three years ago, AI wasn't a thing. It might have been in commerce and it might have been in computer science and laboratories where they're testing stuff.

but you know chat GPT or whatever it's called I've never used it I don't use it has come about probably in the last three years I would say I've only started using it in the last six months but I'm hooked I say in the last three years that's when it's come about and the pace of change is absolutely unbelievable and we're going to get left behind if we're not careful

because the technology is going to outpace us and then all of a sudden everyone is going to be staring at each other and saying, well, we haven't got any work. But that's why we need to think outside of the boxes and go, what should we do that's fun? Because it's emotional stuff that they can't do. Yeah. So we've got to be emotionally intelligent.

That's right. And kind and creative and funny. Yes, exactly. But if you've got no money, you can't be, you know, if there's no jobs because AI's taking them all, then you can't be funny and emotional and intelligent and all the rest of it, can we? Well, we're just going to have to come up with some new jobs.

I've got one. AI can't do this. It can try. I bet it could. It can try. I bet in 10 years' time it could say, right, there's these power. Do us a favour. Read the Encyclopedia Britannica or, you know, all the news today in 10 seconds.

Everyone would be fan. They'd be well pleased, weren't they? Your fans. Yeah. If AI did an encyclopedia Britannica of Tony's voice. Well, yeah, maybe. I'm not sure. And they probably could come up with that.

They probably could come up with me and you in 10 minutes. They could, but they couldn't get the nuances. They couldn't. You know what I mean? Yeah, yeah, they couldn't. It's there, but it's still quite robotic, I feel, when you read it or when you see it. But you're right, it can change. This is from Alex.

Hi, Nat, one of my biggest bug bears is schools parading their top performing students. the end grade does not show how hard they worked what else they were dealing with or how much progress they have made it shows how good their memory is life is not a memory test so why do we still use that as a valid assessment of education he's right yes someone once said to me if you can't measure something you can't improve it right in a different context yeah and I'm afraid that the way that everything runs, particularly with education, is if you can't measure it, you can't measure progress or you can't measure how good or bad that particular year has been and you can't improve it. And I think there's, I think there's always an element of that.

You've got to be able to measure stuff in order to know where you are. And I'm afraid that means you'll have people, some sort of test. And some sort, you'll have people at the top who are the ones who are paraded and they've done this and they've got all these brilliant grades and then you'll have the kids in the middle and the kids at the bottom of feeling like the world's ended

because they've done no good and that's just life I'm afraid but I suppose our thing tonight is saying for the people that haven't done great there you could do great elsewhere and let's champion that and go let those people the people have got all nines

are all laced eyes, amazing. Or the people who want to be a vet or a doctor or a teacher or a social worker. Academic or whatever, or an academic, they will find their way, I think, doing what they want to do. Which is brilliant. Which is perfect and good luck. And the same way I did, I needed a degree to get on with what I was doing

and I did it because I knew how to do that. But equally, we need to look at all the kids that are not going to do that. And champion them and go, is brilliant for you. This is the path. You could do that apprenticeship or you could go to college and do this carer's course or you could do this or why don't you think about rewiring and electricians or heating engineer or because every job, really what we're saying is every job is something to be proud of. If you go to work and do something that you come home and go, I've done really good today, it doesn't matter what it is.

said it? Well, the other thing as well, again, I'm going to be a little bit controversial, and this is anecdotal, but it's true, is that in my industry, a trade industry, certainly, what I've found in the last 20-odd years is the kids that come to us are the kids that have got no other choice, they've got no other option. Not there'll be people out there that run businesses and they have, they have lads turning up at 16 and saying, I want to be a bricklayer and whatever that's, but trust me, there's a lot of kids that come into our industry, they've literally, in construction, they've got no other choices. They can't do a white-collar job.

They can't do insurance. They don't want to be a banker. They don't want to do this. They don't want to do that. And they don't know what else to do. So it's all, I'll go into construction. You know, because that's where you end up. And it's wrong.

Yeah. It's wrong. When I was 15, I knew I wanted to go into the building industry. I knew that. And it was a valid, admirable profession to choose to do that. that. And I feel today that that somehow is lost. And that's got to change. It's got to change because the country needs people doing those manual jobs. And there are manual jobs that need those kids to want to do them. Yeah, of course. You know, so. No, I completely get that.

Yeah. And it feels like sometimes certain industries, you know, we're not achieving what we should be achieving because people coming into it are not coming into it because they want to do it and they want to be part of it. But they feel like that's the only option. My mum said, you know, you better go and be a plaster or something or rather than taking pride. Yeah, go and be a labour or whatever it might be anything just to get them out of the house and get, you know, I had a lad working for me.

You know, he wanted to be electrician and couldn't get anything and whatever. So I took him on for a few months just to give him some experience and he's never. Now, sort of somewhere else, but it was a classic example. You know, he was never, he was never going to go into an office or do any sort of sort clerical type, but it just was not him. He just wasn't going to do it. So I gave him a start, and after a few months, it wasn't right for him because we didn't do enough, we don't do enough electrical work, which are more builders.

We're not electrical contractors. But thankfully, that got him into the job market. It meant he could go to college and start doing his college stuff. Oh, that's brilliant. And now he's got a job with a proper electrical. firm doing his apprenticeship and stuff like that which is really good. But that's what I'm saying to you. It's sort of

it was very much you know he knew what he wanted to do in that case he knew what he wanted but he just couldn't get into it. And again I think that's all the whole thing is it's all about you know you need to give these kids openings

you need to give them options and he didn't have them but hope and in a positive way like you say not putting them down that's the only thing you can do but saying look at these options. These are brilliant. But that's what I think we are. A lot of the times in my industry

and there's probably other industries like it. There's other industry of service industries and stuff like that where, you know, again, there's people that choose, they want a career in hospitality, let's say. But equally, there'll be kids that just fall into it because they can't find anything else. And that's wrong, you know,

because hospitality is the same as construction, is an admirable, you know, wanted, needed, required part of what we do in this country. You know, we need people to run restaurants and hotels and guest houses and do it really well and love it. Exactly. Be passionate about what they do. Absolutely. And I just think that's all lost with this push towards, you know, I want to say too much academia,

but it's lost insofar as it's not currently seen as a valid career alternative. I agree. But it shouldn't even be an alternative. a vocation It should be a chosen vocation Correct Chosen vocation That's right

I agree Oh my goodness When you look at all these deleted messages You're going to think I'm crazy So hi Nat Love the pod Love all the episodes

This is the one that got me really excited To ring in to do a voice note The A level question So I'm 44 So I did my A levels Quite a long time ago I don't have kids, so I can't speak from that angle. But I decided not to go to university for sort of family

reasons. I did A levels drop one, so I did two. I got good grades in one, not great grade in the other one. And I started work in a hospital as an operating or training to be an operating department practitioner. So brilliant career, very, very proud of my roots in the NHS. We're the people that work with the anaesthetist and look after you while you're asleep having surgery. It's a great job that no one's ever really heard of. And after I did that for a long time, I got a great opportunity to do some research with one of the surgeons that I'd worked with. So I'd spent about six years doing research with liver transplant and organ donation in that field. And then I got offered a job to join a commercial company, which I still now work for in the same sort of

space, in the liver transplant space. And that job's actually taken me to America, which is where I now live. I came over here temporarily for work and I met my husband here and my now husband here and I have a great job and a great career and I didn't go to university and I have two A levels. So for anyone getting their results this year, it's not the be all and end door. You can always redo it. You can always look at other avenues. It's not the end of the world. If you don't get what you want, that's it from me. Love the podcast. Love all of the different episodes, love you and Mark, Auntie Linney, Uncle Tony, obviously,

Nat's nieces, you're all brilliant. I feel like I'm hanging out with my friends when I listen and it reminds me of home. So thanks ever so much and can't wait to read your book when it comes out. Lots of love. Bye. How lovely.

Thank you so, so much for listening all the way across the ocean. The pond. But how brilliant is that? Amazing. Can I just say as well, you know, people going about my voice, I think that's probably the most beautiful voice.

Yes. I've heard on my podcast anyway, so she didn't leave her name, did she? Or did she? She didn't leave her name, no. But anyway, yes, again, it's almost like, I feel so strongly about this that I think not so much GCSC week, because I think, although GCSC is a mega important. Are they? I'm going to say, are they? In today, I think they are in just, you know, even if you want to go on to a very, very basic course of some sort, you've still got to have...

You've got to have maths in English, haven't you, or whatever. So I almost feel like this time of year, in addition to all the stuff that we're talking about with, you know, results and blah, but there needs to be a social media campaign, there needs to be a television campaign of famous people and not so famous people, people like me and you who didn't do... And that beautiful lady. And that beautiful voice lady there, where there is a montage of people saying, this is not the end of the world, there are other options. There are,

if you've not got what you've got, you know, just to publish, because I think kids need some steering in that direction. And also, just as an aside, what does make me laugh is Jeremy Clark's and every year,

when A level's come out, he does the same type of message every year. So this year it was something like, He said... Do you watch Clarkson's Farm yet? No, bits of it. I haven't. I'm too busy, Nat.

Listen, I'm working seven days a week doing my kitchen as well as running a business. I haven't got time to sleep, let alone watch the telly, so... But I will watch it at some point. You've got to. I will do. So Jeremy this week,

I think he tweeted or X or whatever it's called a message to say, to all of you that didn't do well in your A levels, I got one D and two U's, and I'm currently changing the light bulbs in my helicopter landing. pad so every single year

he comes on I think last year it was something like I'm just I'm just sort of I'm just painting the deck on my yacht or whatever it might be

and it's absolutely brilliant because it just it completely encapsulates the futility of of you know

the whole educational thing because for people that have achieved without it it just shows that what you can do. It is. But I do feel with all of what we're saying,

it is really important. I know we have said it a little bit, but I'm going to say it again. For academics, it's amazing that people can achieve nine A stars like Evie did or, you know, people who are getting the top A levels that they ever wanted. And it comes with ease and they're just so clever. Because like you say, you need the Oxbridge lot.

You need people to come up with miracles. You need people to stand in a science lab. And please, God, make cures for terrible diseases. So you need the academia. Yeah, absolutely. You do. And I'm very passionate about that. Well, I've got, I mean, Evie's got two friends who are medics.

Yes. To, you know. Georgia? Well, Georgia's a vet. Oh, she's a vet. Yeah. Yeah. Sorry.

Yeah. Right. So, but she's got two friends who are medics and, you know, what I have to go through to do medicine is quite incredible, actually. And, you know, that is a true calling in life. That's a true vocation. And you have to have your degree for that. And you have to have all your training for that.

I think it's slightly different to what we're talking about. You know, because Alex, her friend Alex and Liam, her other friend Liam, they knew from a young age that they wanted to do medicine. I think they were 12, 13 and they knew that. And they was never going to do anything else unless something happened. Yeah. They were never going to. But you need those people as well.

You need those people as well. So all I'm saying is with what we're talking about, we're sort of championing people that haven't got that academia and that they need those choices. But also I'm so, I cry if I go to Cambridge. I can sit in a coffee shop and I watch the bikes. going around or people with 400 books and I love people that are clever. Yeah.

I absolutely, I'm in awe of people that are so, so clever and intelligent. And I love that too. That's all. Hi, Nat. Just seeing your shout out about you and Tony doing your pod. What is wrong? Denise in Holbridge. Yeah, I don't.

Loud that telly. Yeah, turn a telly down, Denise, please. Sorry, I just realised my programme was very. allowed him back then. Yeah, well done. Well done, Denise. Excellent. This whole uni A style, whatever,

I've got two sons. They are now 24 and 22. One was great at school and he was a popular boy. He's now a popular man. Did well. A level's went to uni. The other one, bless him, always hated school. Felt loads of pressure.

COVID came. He didn't even get the predicted grades he should have got. And so he has struggled ever since. and didn't do well in college, all the rest of it. He's now, you know, making his own way, up in Skegness, did a little bit at Buckling's now working, doing some chef training. But I'm so proud of him because without all of that, he's renting a flat with some friends, he's doing well, working hard, earning money to pay for the life he wants at the moment. So I just think it's too much pressure and not everyone's ready for it at that age. Sorry, I'm rambling, but that's what I think.

P.S, I went to a conference school, did O-Levels because I'm that old, got a job in a bank because that's what you did in the day and it was easy. But I've done most of my studying and retrained a couple of times, went to uni part-time to become a counsellor, all in my 40s and now in my 50s. so that's just proof. Don't have to do it all at 16, 17, 18, 19. There we go. I think they call that QED, point proven,

exactly what we're saying, really. It really, really is. Yeah. I also think support as well is a big thing at this time of year and most kids are a little bit headless chickens at this sort of age we're talking about. It's an absolutely mad age to be doing all this stuff.

Your hormones are raging. That's right, yeah. You don't know who you are. Yeah. What you're doing, what you're, you don't even know what you're supposed to be doing. Just, I mean, worried about what you look like. I'm just talking as a human being. Yeah, yeah.

You're trying to grow into yourself. Yeah. You're trying to discover your style. Yeah. What are you? Who are you? Yeah, exactly. As well as all of that.

I remember that very well, yeah. And then going also, what do you want to be? Yeah. You go fucking out. I got a clue, yeah. I don't know. I was very lucky. I went to work and I was at work at 10.

Yeah. I never had any of this. No, no, no, no. Well, that's one in a million though, isn't it, really? But I'm just saying it's amazing. I never, ever, ever had a conversation of what am I going to do? Yeah. Because I was just in it.

Well, I always, I started out as an electrician, apprentice electrician, and then decided to try and do a, you know, go into the office and be a QS and got a degree and done all that. and at one point I thought that was where I was going to be for the rest of my life I was a you know a divisional director in a consultancy in London and I've been over it before but and I never ever saw me going back on the tools the last thing I ever ever thought I would do and then things happens mum passed away at it we had James Evie was born and and I just thought I've got to do something I've got to do something more than what I'm doing in for the family that's how I saw it so I thought I'd start my own business with

my business partner and so now it's turned full circle I'm 57 and I'm still doing what I was doing when I was 16 and then in between I was I was you know doing some really important stuff for big companies and whatever so it is that as they say life's a journey I think we know that but you never I don't think you can ever rule out where you go you know if you put yourself out there as well. That's another thing. Well, I was going to say, I think you've got to put yourself out there as well. You've got to be brave. Yeah.

And unfortunately, you've got to be ready for a door to shut on you. Yeah. Or someone to say, no, thanks. No, thanks. Yeah. But if you can be brave enough to be, again, it's about that social skill. Yeah. And to say, I'd really love to do that.

I've got no experience. I'll start at the bottom. I'll make the tea. But I'd love to come into your business and just be around. Yeah. Yeah. And if you can make an impression. Yeah.

I think that is going to be a huge thing of the future. Social skills is critical. Massive. It's more important. If you look at all the people in the world who are rich or famous or successful, to a more or lesser extent, they've all got one thing in common.

They're all communicators. Absolutely. And they've all got some form of social skill that enables them to get across their point. And to get into places, others wouldn't. That others wouldn't. And see things that others wouldn't. And I think sometimes that is far more important than just education.

I say it all the time to my girls. Yeah. I say if you can talk to someone and have a conversation, be it they're the same age as you or they're 80, you'll do well in life. Yeah, absolutely. Because I talk to everybody. Don't care who they are.

Yeah. And I've noticed. You know what I mean? Yeah, you've got those people hanging outside the gate. I think you've got to get rid of them. you've got to stop talking to I do talk to a lot of people all the time

but I can't help it I like people I'm intrigued by people what they're up to that's why I do this we had a conversation we had a conversation the other night so I think it was

it's me and Sharon James and Olivia James's girlfriend and we were talking about you know awkwardness in social situations and I don't know how we got onto it but you know whatever

and I said to them this is true my dream evening is for someone to open a door full of strangers and then just chuck me in there just have a laugh and talk to people

but that is mad because that is quite a rare thing no but it's my I just like I'm the bloke on holiday that always comes back of a holiday friend yeah yeah you've got everyone

because I like speaking to people and it can be a bit dangerous sometimes I also come back from Sainsbury you say I've been having a great old chat she go I met this guy I had 25 minutes he was 82

he was talking talking to the baby, I've found out where he lives. But that is, again, I think that's sort of a little bit in certain people's genes, you know what I mean? We do like... We love a nag, don't we? I love a nag. And I'm intrigued by people. Yeah, yeah. Like you'll sit somewhere and you think, oh, what's going on

over there? Yeah. What's that scenario? Yes, that's right. And Mark, I go, what are you doing? And I go, yeah, I'm just interested. We bet this, we was on holiday in Portugal one year, and there's this bloke, and he just used to prance about the poll. He fancied himself a little bit. and he was probably mid late 50s I mean he looked good for his age don't get me wrong

and he was an Arsenal fan so he had this Arsenal shirt on every day like different arms of shirt every day and after about day five he just he couldn't help himself and he sort of came over and said hello to us and how are you and da da da da da da and this and he said he said to me

and what did I said I told him what I did for letting me know having a chat and he went I bet you don't know what I do I said well I thought of course I don't admit you before he said go on guess guess he was one of those I said, astronaut, concord, pilot, mining engineer. And he was looking at me, like, laughing. And he went, he went, I sell cruise ship berths.

And I went to him, well, how on earth was I ever going to get that? I said, I didn't even know that was a thing. He said, what I'd do is he said, I take all the cruise ships, when they can't sell out their allocation of beds or berths, or whatever it's called. He said, they'd give them to me. and I knock them out cheap to people. That's hilarious.

Yeah. That was his job. How were you ever going to guess that? I don't know. I don't know. It's a bit like the father Ted scene where he was trying to guess the bloke's name. Mrs Dole went for a million names and finally got it.

I would have got there in the end in about 2027. Yeah, I was going to say about four years. Yeah, yeah. Through all the seasons of Portugal. I know, but I am that bloke who just makes friends and sometimes it's good and sometimes it's bad. Yeah. Yeah, we're quite similar like that.

Yeah, I know. There you go. There you go. These lot all know I'm like it because I text them all the time. They all think I'm there, mate. All the listeners, I'm going, lull, hot. How are you?

But I can't thank you all enough. Do you think I'll need to get into a bit of that, you think? Well, it would be nice. Yeah. You should do it on the old Facebook or Instagram. I've told you. Shall I do an Instagram? Yes.

Do you think so? Tony Talks or Tony Builder. Tony Talks, isn't it? Tony Talks, brackets, life, and that. Just pop on there. Do you not think it's a bit weird for 57-year-old bloke to do that? No, not really. No?

No. No, not really. I can do Tony's tips as well. I've got some good tips. Tony Talks, Tony's tips. Naomi will help you. Tones tools. Tones tools.

Tones tools. Tools for life. I could show. Not only tools for the building. Yeah, tools for life. Yeah. I can see it all coming together. Really?

We're going somewhere, but this, aren't we? You could do a few stories on there as well with the voice. Do you think so? You know, after the cameo, you know, when we had the joke about, you said about cameo and then, and I said, oh, what the bloke that sang word up? That was a few points ago, wasn't it, yeah, yeah. Well, I actually had a look on cameo, funny enough. Oh, did you?

Yeah. I thought I might be out of knock a couple out of sort of five quid a go or something, you know, sort of. I reckon, I absolutely think you could. Do you think so? Yeah. Five are. Should I do it for a laugh? Why don't you go and cameo for a laugh.

For a laugh. Just to see if anyone, actually pays for a message. I bet they would. Oh, please, can we do it? No, should I do it? We should do it. No, we've got to do it now.

Please can you do it? Well, the thing is, is that we've been doing this for sort of 15 months, and I've never been noticed anywhere. No. So I don't know where our demographic is, but it's not where I live. I've never been, anyone waive at me or anything like that. Yeah. So.

Yeah, but you haven't been on lots. No, I know. I know, but, you know, I was, I might have expected one person in the world to sort of recognize me, but it's not happened. It's because you're covered in shit in a red t-shirt and you haven't had your shower. It's like the girl having a dinner. It's the two-dad scenario.

It's a two-dad scenario again. That's what it is. So I need to walk about all day with my hair done and my glasses on. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, yeah, and with a nice t-shirt. And a microphone. Yes, and a microphone and some headphones. With life with that written across your chest.

Well, if we ever get the merchandise, I'll do it. It's coming. Yeah. Because I said I'm cold at the moment. I'm waiting for a new sweatshirt. 0-7-8 2019-19 We've got to get tone on cameo

Even if it's for a week Just for a laugh Would anyone seriously Would anyone pay We could even just knock it Just A pound Just pop it on there

Two quid I don't think I could I think it's too embarrassing It would be funny though I mean we could put them all up On Instagram It'd be hilarious I can't believe anyone

Would want to pay money for it You brought it up Let us know I hope you've enjoyed this. Thank you, everybody, for all of your messages. As always, we had so many, but all of them mean so much. We've read them all. We have read them all.

We really, really have. And it's just one of those ongoing conversations, I think. But congratulations to everybody for A-Levels, GCSEs, whatever you got, whatever you've done. You've gone to school. You've done well. You've come out of it. So that's all you need to know. And whatever you do in the future, I hope it's what you want to do and I hope you're happy.

Because happiness means more than anything in the world. Time, thanks for tonight. Thank you. Been lovely, isn't it? Oh, brilliant. Really enjoyed it. Absolutely brilliant. And I'll see you on Thursday. You take care now.

See ya. See you. Bye.