Memory Lane with Kerry Godliman and Jen Brister - S02 E06: Suzi Ruffell

Episode Date: August 9, 2023

"The 80s boom times... Then the arse fell out the lorry game and he went bankrupt..." Suzi takes Kerry and Jen on a tour of her amazing life! Photo 01 - Me and my brother (me on the toilet) Photo 02 - Mum and dad in fancy dress Photo 03 - Me nan taking a rest (on me) Photo 04 - Me and Alice Photo 05 - Live at the Apollo PICS & MORE - https://www.instagram.com/memory_lane_podcast/ A Dot Dot Dot Production produced by Joel Porter Hosted by Jen Brister & Kerry Godliman Distributed by Keep It Light Media Sales and advertising enquiries: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This episode is brought to you by Peloton. A new era of fitness is here. Introducing the new Peloton Cross Training Tread Plus, powered by Peloton IQ. Built for breakthroughs, with personalized workout plans, real-time insights, and endless ways to move. Lift with confidence, while Peloton IQ counts reps, corrects form, and tracks your progress. Let yourself run, lift, flow, and go. Explore the new Peloton Cross Training Tread Plus at OnePeloton.ca. Is it the macha or am I this energized from scoring three Sephora holiday gift sets?

Definitely the sets. Full size and minis bundled together? What a steal. And that packaging? So cute. It practically wraps itself. And I know I should be giving them away, but I'm keeping the summer Fridays and rare beauty by Selena Gomez. I don't blame you. The best holiday beauty are only at Sephora. Gift sets from summer Fridays, rare beauty, way and more are going fast. Get full-sized favorites and must-have minis bundled for more value.

Shop before they're gone. In-store online at Sephora.com. They'd listen to the one where I am interviewing Zoe from season one. Yeah. And she'd said to her, did you see this? Or maybe it was a private DM to her. Anyway, she'd said to her partner, I listened to Kerry Godleman and Jen Burista's podcast,

but I don't know why she got involved with Jen because Jen doesn't speak. And then realized that it was pre-you doing it with me. She did make me laugh the way she worded it. It was very funny. I really don't know why she's brought Jane before because she's bringing nothing. Hello and welcome to Memory Lane. I'm Jen Bristair and I'm Kerry Godleman.

Each week we'll be taking a trip down Memory Lane with our very special guest as they bring in four photos from their lives to talk about. To check out the photos we'd be having a natter with them about, they're on the episode image and you can also see them a little bit more clearly on our Instagram page. So have a little look at Memory Lane podcast. Come on, we can all be nosy together. Okay, how was Montreal? Okay, it was great.

it was really good yeah that's all you want to say about that you sound like forest gum that's all I got to say about that and that's I have to say thank you very much you came you saw you conquered yeah it was I mean you're like you're there for a week

how many gigs did you do well you do I was doing this show called British because I'm yeah okay good so I did that every night and then you do other shows like you do like I did a spot on May Martin's May Martin and Friends I did the best of the fest

you do anyway you do other stuff like Edinburgh like a mini Edinburgh like a really really mini Edinburgh okay mini Edinburgh or Edinburgh but actually not like Edinburgh at all because Edinburgh is absolutely insane and a month long and a month long and also every corner of Edinburgh is taken up by the festival whereas just for laughs there's just like a little area and everything sort of happens in that area

and outside of that, you wouldn't know that necessarily that there was a comedy festival happening. Oh, okay. So... And was Montreal nice? I've never been to Canada. It's very nice, very nice. Very beautiful. I went for a swim in a lake. Did you? Yeah. Yeah, I did. That's nice, because you like it. You're a swimming lady.

I'm a swimming... Is that what I'm... Is that my tagline? Well, it's one of them. I mean, I'm a swimming lady. You are a swimming lady. We share this enthusiast. and swimming. Yeah, it was in a man-made lake in, in, they don't call it Montreal, actually. What do they call it?

Montreal. Okay. Montreal. Which is French for Montreal. I might have made that up, actually. Sounded great. This is sound good, didn't it? It sounded real.

And so I did that. That was about the only sort of, like, touristy thing I did, because I was tired. And I felt a lot of pressure to go out and look at stuff, and then I didn't know what to go and see. Yeah. But I had a little mooch about the old town. I had a Polish dinner. Nice. And I had some putteen.

What's that? Do you know about Poutine? No. You've never had Poutine? No. Oh my God. Well, anyway. Food?

I think you can... Why are you making me feel like I'm just sort of some peasant that's never left the island? I think you can... Poutine? What is it? Hasda? Never had protein. Never had hummus.

Never had pasta. It's a cross between. Only eat potatoes. It is. It's potatoes. Oh, right. Okay. It's potatoes and cheese.

Cheasy potatoes? Cheasy potatoes, yeah. Okay. But you haven't got its own name. you've got lots of different ways to do it because it's French, isn't it, Putin? So you've got to do it lots of different ways. You can steam the putteen, you can fry the putine, you can have it with chicken, you can have it vegetarian. Well, you really drank the Poutine.

You can have it in the Tate. You work for these guys now. Sponsored by Poutine. I can help thinking that Poutine sounds a bit like Pumtang. What the fuck is Poontang? Or am I thinking of Poonani? I think you're thinking of Poonani. I knew there was a phone word.

So I was working with Jeannie Eshre who has, am I allowed to do something? This is her joke, but it's very funny. I can't tell someone else's joke. Can't you? But you just said it's her joke? Yeah, but it's her joke, but telling someone's joke is still, it's still, anyway, I won't say her joke,

but she has a very funny joke about, and there's a, we can't do that. It's like Tommy Cooper, I know what's coming. Because it's, everyone speaks French. Oh, you're having a good time with your imaginative? and your memories and locking me and Joel out. No, look, here it is. I can't do it actually, no.

Oh, great. This is great content, babe. It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. Oh, God, you're one of those people. I've got some great gossip. I can't tell. Oh, really?

What's the point? What's the point? You'll have to listen to Ginny Ashro's Gala when it comes out. Oh, well, I will anyway. Yeah, but it's got, anyway, the word Pusei comes up. That's all you need to know. Okay, and you were with Gina and who else? Josie Long, Alan Davis,

Ruben Kay, Jamali Maddox. Did you book them all for our podcast? They're all doing it. Excellent. Absolutely. They've all committed, actually. Excellent. And I've got it in writing.

So we can definitely... That's a very solid, real thing that has come out of Montreal that we can all celebrate. Well, if that is the thing that we wanted from Montreal, Kerry. We didn't actually need to go all the way to Canada. You're swearing a lake? Just to like, people like, what this fucking mosquito keeps getting in my face? Just so a load of people that we...

By the way, already know, have relationships with, and could literally contact directly. But then you get to network, don't you, and be a mover and a shaker? Albeit with people you already know. I'm not networking with fucking Josie Long and Jamali Maddox. I already know them. Hello, what are we networking with?

Hello. It's all about how you sell yourself, Jen. I would love to see you networking, Kerry. This is something I would absolutely love to see. Kerry Goddman, networking. I can work a room. I've literally never seen that happen. And you and I have been in rooms

where we've been surrounded by people who, let's be honest, both of us could have networked with and frankly have decided to sit in the corner with the last wine. No, that's not true. Are you talking about that award thing we want to? I thought we were magic. Who did you? You left at the point when the networking started said I've had enough, I'm off and then left me on my own to network. I

couldn't cope with it, so I left with Sarah Kendall and we just go to the pub for a beer, which we did. But look at us now, it didn't hold us back. Yeah, but it hasn't pushed us forward. My point is, you and I have got absolutely no idea how to network. We've got no idea. No one does. No, what? It's a miss.

But believe me, you are wrong. Who? Oh, I can't mention names. But what does it look like, someone working a room? It's terrifying. It's absolutely disgusting. I have a little bit of vomit in my mouth on and watch them doing it. Not me.

Anyway, let's talk about who we've got as our guest, who is a queen. Not of networking, of comedy. And a very dear friend of both of us. I saw her at latitude. I saw her set at latitude. She smashed it. Can you blow a roof off a tent anyway? way she did. She, oh, she did. She's absolutely on fire at the moment. If you haven't seen Susie

Ruffle, I urge you to go and see her live. Her tour, I think, continues from September. So if you haven't got a ticket to see her, check out her website, see where she's playing and go see Susie Ruffle live. But in the meantime, why don't you enjoy the little chat that we had with her? It's Susie Ruffle! Yay! Thank you for coming in. It's my pleasure. And thank you for sending us your photos. What a dream to spend an hour with you to.

This is the only way people see each other now is. Yeah, we used to be friends, but now it's like, do you want to go on my podcast or when you was? It's like podcast of charity gigs or Instagram. I quite like watching you all on Instagram, actually. That's enough for me. But that isn't real. You know that people talk shit on those socials.

My mum will say, oh, I saw you did that. Well, I did. But I mean, you know. Six times ago. Yeah, ages ago and I was pretending to be happy. Don't confuse that with real life. Don't conflate those two things. How do you feel about photos?

So when we asked you to do this, what are your thoughts about accessing photos like this? Old photos. I love looking at old photos. And where are they in a box, in an album? No, some of them are in an album. And then some of them are in this big sort of... I mean, it's not a bin, but it's just like a bin.

It's got bin vibes. It's just like a big sort of... It's got wheels on it. It's not a wheelie bin, is it? Her mom's through our childhood. Have you thought about... Because I've got... So after my mum died, I got all their...

photos and all the albums and everything and I've got all of them. Are you happy to have them or is that stressful? It's quite stressful because now I've got all of these photos and a lot of them were in albums but for some reason they're not in albums anymore anyway it's inexplicable but I'm now looking at them

all going I said to Chloe right well I'm just going to buy a load of albums and I put them in the album and she went oh no no no we're not doing that and I was like oh but what do I do these photos and she was like oh well take photographs of the photos and then we'll put them in a book and then that way it takes up less space and then you've got them forever.

Will that happen? I was like, I don't know what you're talking about. That will never ever happen. My mum's been saying she's going to do that or a form of that for 40 years. Yeah. I mean, it's never going to happen. No, it's never going to happen. It's a lovely idea and I believe that Chloe means it when she says it,

but I'm telling you now, it's never going to happen. She would do it if it was her photos, but am I going to do it? No. No. Okay, you have to talk us through this. Okay, so that is me. We're in our house in five Shakespeare Terrace. I mean, I don't know.

We don't know there anymore. It's fine, go there. And... Who is that with you? That's my brother. And you're sitting on the toilet. Oh, I'm sitting on the toilet in a velvet dress. I must be too, do you think?

And you're properly going to the toilet, not just sat on it. No, I'm having wee. Yep. And he's helping. And my brother Joe is holding up the back. lack of my dress for me so I don't weigh on it. I mean, that's so sweet. It's such a lovely photo.

And look, Susie, I mean, honestly, that is the cutest photo of you I've ever seen. I mean, and that really... That's when I've got makeup. I think you should do a fresh shot of you sitting on the toilet. I think this is your next show poster. With Alice holding the back of my dress. Who's taking this photo? So my mum would have been taking that.

And is she being funny? Like, that's my two kids going to the toilet. I'm going to have to get a picture of that. Yeah, yeah, that's hilarious. Because I think it's my brother helping me, which is just two cute. So he would have been six there. And you're two. And I'm two.

And is that a lobster hanging up on the wall? Let me have a quick look. Because you're from the seaside, aren't you? Yes, yes, we are. So I assume everyone who has a sort of... Is that a lobster hanging from the wall? No, I think that's one of those spider plants. Oh, hang on.

I think that's a spider plant. I just assume everyone who grows up by the sea has lobsters and anchors. You should notice the wood panelling. And I would say that was very much a theme. throughout that house. That's a very... Wood panelling. I remember my arm polishing the walls.

What year with that was that, Sue? That would have been 88. That was quite a 70s thing, wood panelling. 70s and early 80... Less so than 80s, I think, isn't it? Because I remember in the 70s,

if you had wood panelling, you were... Doing alright. Oh my goodness. Well, I think we were... Maybe the person that lived in the house before us were doing all right.

And your mum... And we were of maintaining it. So the maintenance was quite full on. My mum's... I grew up in a very... and tidy house. I mean, when you've got wood panelling, you know, your house looks to be like a sauna,

but you've got to like polish that wood, haven't you? You've got to really get Mr Shee now. You simply must polish your own. And you're not polishing you. There's a gold tap there as well. Oh, and you would imagine my mum would have been going at that with a dry cloth.

Well, no wonder, she's probably not even taking the picture of you and your brother. It's just a tap and the wood paneling. It's just, yeah, it's just a coincidence we're there. Absolutely. We're just pulling focus. And where did you grow up? I grew up in Portsmouth.

And what do you think about that? Is that somewhere you're... So I went through a phase of really hating it as a teenager. And I think it's because I thought it was... I left when I was 18 before I'd come out. And I... In my mind, I'd sort of just decided it was this really homophobic place where everyone was really sort of...

Oh, God, no one understands me and no one can... You know, there's no one like me here. I'm so original and I'm so creative and I'm so artistic. Portsmouth couldn't possibly contend with this that's happening here. This big fish. in this tiny pond. I mean, she must leave. And so I moved to London

and had those feelings, not as, obviously I'm not that much of a dickhead. But I did genuinely feel like I didn't belong there for the longest time. And then, I mean, not that long ago, about five or six years ago, I went back because I was filming something there. And the guy that, one of the guys

that was working on the show was like, oh yeah, we'd be great for you to go to like a gay bar. And I was like, oh, I mean, good luck. I mean, I think there's like one gay bar. And I don't think it's like, I'm not sure what it's like. turned with this gay bar it's like oh there's thousands of people like me and it was the best gay by you ever like loads of drag queens drag queens from ports and they were like susie where have you been

like it was such it was such like a lesson in like oh there's people there's people like you everywhere you know but as a teenager but you didn't find them when you were there no not at all not at all I really felt like I didn't uh I didn't I never had a really good group of mates as a kid right or as a teenager I had like a couple of mates here and there but I was someone that like flitted around groups. And I think, like, retrospectively, and with the help of the therapist, I've realised it's probably because I wasn't being myself. And so I was really worried about people working out who I was and working out the truth about me.

You couldn't find your tribe, like, through school or college. Well, I was just, well, I was also, I don't, no one was coming out. Right. So I think, like, the idea of me being comfortable with, like, the idea of me being comfortable with my sexuality was like, well, that's never going to happen. And then when you moved to London, all of that clicked into place? After a couple of years, I moved to London with a boyfriend. friend because I got into drama school and in my head I sort of went where you can either be an actress or a lesbian and I thought I'll probably go for actress because I didn't I didn't know that the two I thought they were mutually exclusive I didn't think you could do both of them right I mean I'm not acting that much at the moment so maybe you can't do both of them maybe you're on to something maybe I was onto something I'm really close to my family and I've got I was always massively accepted with by anyone everyone in my family I've got loads of cousins who are all lovely and really supportive like when I gig in a good and I'm really supportive like when I gig is a lot of my family and I'm not really accepted and I'm going to be a good and I'm

imports, everyone comes too many of them. So it feels like home, but you were never going to stay? Yeah, it does feel like home. Like, it very much feels like my hometown gigs when I go and do the theatre there on my tour. Although my uncle did try to get around in during the first half of the show by standing at the side and being like, who wants a drink? Maybe like, I'm on steak. I can see you.

I envy that. Because I'm from London, you're from London. We're from suburbs of London. Yeah, suburbs. So when people, they come to London, when you're from it, although where I'm from it was a very, very boring suburb. So I always wanted to leave and go to the fun parts of London. I remember there was a point.

So I went up to drama school and I, it was like, I remember getting prospectuses from drama schools from when I was 14. Wow. I used to get them. You really knew you wanted it. I really wanted to do. But I wasn't good at anything else. Right.

I found school very, very difficult. Really disliked. Lexic, didn't really have a group of mates there, hated going. Just every day was terrible. I used to cry loads. It was really hard on my mum. Now that I'm a mum, I'm like, oh, good. I'm really sorry about that.

It was four years. But I just hated it. And so I had made this decision of like, I'm going to go to London when I'm 18. I'm going to go to drama school and I'm going to be someone else. It was everything you wanted. Yeah, it really was. And I remember moving to London and we went, one night we went clubbing. We were going to a place called Funky Buddha.

One of our friends had managed to get us on the guest list. all felt unbelievably chic. And I didn't have any clothes that would go. So one of the girls like lent me something and I looked so much, so not like me. I was wearing like a mini skirt and a strappy top. And I mean, I looked like I swim for a living so it wasn't the one. Like I've got pipeboard shoulders. It's not the one for me.

And we were getting the bus home. We'd all had quite a few drinks. We were on the, and we were going all the way from Leicester Square to Tooting. And with Matt, who's very similar, had sort of the similar journey to me of like desperate to get to drama school. He was also 18. and we were like the youngest in the year. And we turned around the corner by Piccadilly Circus.

And we saw, you know, all the lights of Piccadilly Circus, the fountain and the Criterion Theatre, and that sort of image that is London. Yeah. And Matt turned around to me and went, fucking hell, we live in London. And we both screamed. Oh, wow.

And it was just like a time of being, and when I was at drama school, I came out, and all my friends were so supportive, and I was so worried about, like, what the girls were going to say. I wasn't really worried about what the boys were going to say, but I was really worried about the girls were going to say. And, like, they were all so supportive and, like, no one cared. And it was this, I thought everyone was going to care.

And it was just such a great time. So it did sort of validate your need to get out of Portsmouth. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Well, that's great. It really did. Whether it's a pair of running shoes or a new car.

You check how well something performs before you buy it. Why should investing be any different? At Fidelity, we get that performance matters most. With sound financial advice and quality investment products, we're here to help with accelerating your dreams. Chat with your advisor or visit Fidelity.ca. Performance to learn more. Commission's fees and expenses may apply.

Read the funds or ETFs prospectus before investing. Funds and ETFs are not guaranteed. Their values change and past performance may not be repeated. When you support Movember, you're not just fundraising. You're showing up for the men you love. your dad, your brother, your partner, your friends. It isn't just a men's issue. It's a human one.

That's why Movember exists to change the face of men's health. From mental health and suicide prevention to prostate and testicular cancer research and early detection, Movember is tackling the biggest health issues facing men today. Join the movement and donate now at Movember.com. It's hockey season and you can get anything you need delivered with Uber Eats. Well, almost, almost anything. So no, you can't get a nice rank on Uber Eats. But iced tea, ice cream, or just plain old ice?

Yes, we deliver those. Goaltenders, no. But chicken tenders, yes. Because those are groceries, and we deliver those too. Along with your favorite restaurant food, alcohol and other everyday essentials. Order Uber Eats now. For alcohol, you must be legal drinking age. Please enjoy responsibly.

Product availability varies by region. See app for details. Talk us through what we're looking at right now. So that is my mum and a spider's out. that I would have been about four there but I'm not in the picture. Okay. So my dad

has done lots of things. Okay. For work. Yeah. And one of them was owning a fancy dress shop. Oh my, that is not something I knew about your dad. Like I've known,

you've told me about a lot of his business. Sure, sure, sure. Sure. This is not one that I knew of anything about it. Is that your dad in the gorilla outfit? That is my dad in the gorilla outfit. How long did he have this? Ladies and gentlemen,

my mum and dad. Right. So your mum's in a spider outfit and your dad's in a green outfit. So to give you an idea, for the listeners, what would happen with the spider outfit is she'd have her arms down by the side. It would look like she was just a lady in a sort of a black, fuzzy outfit. Then as she pulled her arms up, other legs came out. Excellent. Look at that.

Absolutely brilliant. But she seems to only have six legs. Listen. What were going to do about that? Well, she's got her two legs. Oh, yes. This is great. She looks so happy with this situation.

She's having a grand old time. Because her husband runs a fancy dress shop. Listen, so there was a brief period where the way that my dad would say it, be like, oh, you could borrow against the bank. It was fucking brilliant. You could do this. You could do that. This is the 80s.

Boom times. Then it, in his words, the ass fell out of the lorry game and he went bankrupt and lost everything. But there was a brief period where it was like, this time next year with millionaires. I love the phrase that the ass falling out of it. Yeah, that might be, you know, my dad said. Yeah, the ass fell out of that. The same thing happened when my cousin had a baby.

But that was literally so that. So that would have been Portsmouth Carnival. Portsmouth's got a carnival? I don't think it has anymore. I don't think it has anymore. It looks low key. There's no one else in this picture. Where's the bunting?

You can't see what's behind the camera. You've got to just use your mind. You've got to just imagine. So everyone, not everyone, a lot of businesses in Portsmouth would have a float. Oh, yes. in the Portsmouth Carnival. And so my dad would have one for masquerades,

which was his fancy dress shop. And so everyone... It's brilliant. Yeah, that's great. Everyone would... So basically all of our family, any of my mate, like, not my mates, I was for, all of mum's friends, whoever wanted to,

dad would be like, do you want to come and be on the float? Come down, get an outfit, jump on the float, have a dance. So everyone would just... I think all the grown-ups were having a drink, like all my mum, my auntie and calls... So it was a health and safety night then. Yeah, I mean, it's amazing I'm here to tell this story.

Dressed up. Anyone full of us? of excess legs. Christ. My dad was driving. A gorilla is driving the... Wow. He can't see through that, Ken?

No, but he would have been driving with that mask on. I love that he hasn't done the zip up on it. It's like, no, that'll do. I've gone far enough with this outfit. I'll just... He's bulge it out of it. I need to worry about that.

But everyone... So the theme that year was Safari. So everyone was in a safari outfit. Right. Everyone. So there's maybe like... I've got 14 cousins. So there's probably 30 people on the back of a float, all in safari, other than me.

And why not you? Because I apparently threw myself on the floor until they let me have the pink panther outfit. That's why I was just on the back as the pink panther. I love a story where someone's in the wrong outfit. I had a cowboy in Indians party when I was just not a phrase we used now. But it was very much a phrase we used in the 80s. And my friend Zoe came as a cat. And I was like, she did not read the invitation.

She's got to be extra. Zoe Cook. She had to come as a cat. So you were a pink panther. I was a pink panther. Everyone else were on the safari. Right. But there's a great picture of my cousin Holly,

who is a bit younger than me. And she was a very chubby baby. And it's just her in a buggy, looking livid as a lady bird. I love seeing kids dressed up. Looking young. Absolutely pissed off. My favourite is when you see a toddler

in one of those superhero with the false. muscle having a meltdown. You're like oh not so much of a superhero then yeah what are all those muscles for if you can't manage yourself yeah but I remember turning up to a fancy dress party and I think it was pirate themed and I went as a gypsy yeah I mean that's I was like I want to go as a gypsy my mom was like but everyone's dressing up as a pirate and I thought that's a lot about you that level of rebellion a bandana rules are for fools aren't they Jen I mean if you're saying come as this, I'm coming as that. I had a little sarong, had an earring, a little clip on

earring. You really went for it. I really went for it, but everyone else was like, well, you're all pirates and I'm I'm the gypsy. You and Zoe Cook would have got on really well. Listen, just be you, that's what I say. I mean, fancy dress is very, you know, you know, it's, you have to have found, you don't like it at all? I don't like her. What about just come as a thing? What now? As a grown-up, just come as a thing. No, I don't want to.

So if I had a fancy dress birthday party, you just wouldn't come. No, I'd come, but I'd come as a You wouldn't be in fancy dress. It would just come as I am. Why? As a middle-aged base lesbian. Jen's come as a... Why'd be so willfully joyless?

It's not joyless, though, is it? I'm still coming and I still have a lovely time. What would be joyless is if I came dressed up and then I was miserable all night? And you'd be like, you've got a face like a smart task. Why do you look like that? Yeah, but if you're dressed as banana man, I wouldn't mind that you look miserable

because I'd be so amusing you're dressed as a banana man. You have to be so fucking miserable. But that's her vibe, isn't it? You've been friends with... Well, I mean, it's like, I don't understand why. we're even having this conversation like we've never met. Because this prompted by this photograph of fancy dress. And my mum looking absolutely

thrilled with themselves. Look at the joy you can access if you dress up as a spider. Well look, I mean if I could be your dad and I could just put that something on my face. Oh, that's joining in. That sounds really bad. I could be your daughter for something on my face. So what's this next photo

that someone's sitting on you? That's you on the floor. How old are you there? I'm probably about 25 there. post-drama school. Right. That's my nan. And we had gone for a walk. I feel like I knew you at this age, didn't I?

Yeah, you would have known me. I'd start a stand up by then. It was quite new to stand up. Maybe I was 26, yeah. Been to stand up a couple of years. We'd gone for a big walk, and my nan was very tired, and there was nowhere for her to sit down. Oh, your lovely nan.

So I got on all fours. And she just had a little rest on my back for a minute. And how old was your nan in this photo? Can you remember? Maybe. Maybe, so maybe let me think. She would have been her late 80s. So she's no longer around?

She's no longer around. You two were very close. Very, very close. Yeah, she was amazing. Yeah, really close. Is she your mum's mom or your dad? Mom's mom. What's her name?

Joan. My name was called Joan. It's a great name. It's a great nun name. It's a great nun name. So did she come and see you in London? Yeah, yeah, yeah. She used to come and see me in London with mum.

She'd get, like, I think like maybe the last time she came up to London, and she was 90 on the train. So she was fully, like, fit and compass, mentis, right? Totally. She would, she was just very independent and very, she'd sort of lived through the war in Portsmouth,

and Portsmouth was obliterated. And had had, and was just very sort of stoic. And she was the person I was really worried about telling about, about coming out to. And how was she about that? I was just about to ask you what you're, that was the thing, we hid it from her for a really long time.

really damaged mine in my mum's relationship because I don't think my mum liked having a secret from my nan. It's just it's just like it was just scratchy. So your mum wanted to tell your nan about it? No I think no one really knew what to do. It's a weird thing isn't it to hide something like that about yourself from somebody you love?

Yeah and eventually my auntie Jack told my auntie Jack who I think you've met I've met your aunt's Jay yeah. How did you react? She's very direct. She's unbelievably direct. I'm really close to her but she's unbelievable I'm unbelievably direct. She really tells, like she had a row in Aster and they court marshaled her out. Like she's your band. Yeah, I mean she was only banned for two weeks. She was like, I can go back in two weeks. It's fine. But she, um. So how did you, your

name yet? So my auntie rang her and said, if you're wondering why Anne's been weird, that's mom, it's because Susie's gay. And don't say anything to her about it. The poor cows have like this one. The poor cows. This is how I approach life. Yeah. Don't, don't make a fuss about it. This is how secrets should all be dealt with. Because she's, she's having enough. trouble with her mum, Susie doesn't know whether she's coming or going, and doesn't know how to feel about it, and you've got to be far with it. That's all the information that's necessary, isn't it? Yeah. Bullet pointed.

Yeah. And then Jackie was like, I've told you, Nan. And I was like, okay, but it was great, it's what needed to happen. It was huge relief. And then I rang my nan and I said, oh, I've heard that you've taken to Nanny. And I said, is everything I can? She went, I love you as much as I did yesterday. Oh, that's so sweet. I don't know why you think I care. And it was so nice. And then there was a few years after that that she was still around and she knew exactly who I was and she still really loved me

and then when she died it really yeah really it really hit me hard is that quite recent not that recent I guess it was about six years ago this year so yeah but you know she was 95 and she had like a great death like as deaths

she was in her bed at home the day before I had been there all day I got in her bed with her we looked through old photos. She was totally complicitous and then my mum and my auntie were sort of there the whole time with her trying to stay with her and like we knew it was going to happen she was 95 and she was you know she was like I'm not going into hospital I want to be in my bed and then they were doing they were with her all the time and then my mum's my auntie jack's friend uh works with old people

works with people that are at the end of their lives from old age and my auntie rang her and said look me and Anne need to go home and have a shower we've got to have a shower we're just going to go back to mine which is around the corner we'll have a shower put on some clean clothes and then we'll come back and she my auntie's friend Frankie got there Frankie was sat by my nan's bed the door slammed she said to my nan you can go now Joan they're gone and she was dead by the time they got in their car nun was just waiting she didn't want them to be there I think I think she was

I think I've heard that quite a lot that people are like with their person that they love, they step outside to get a glass of water or tea or come back and that's when they've gone, oh, I can go. Yeah, I can go. Yeah. And so she was, yeah, she was amazing. So I wanted to put in a picture of NAM. And I loved that picture of us because. It's funny.

Yeah, because she was just like, oh, my legs are killing me. And there was like nothing else I could do. Yeah. So it's quite symbolic that you, you know. Yeah, that's my name. You provided her with a seat. Yeah. That's my nun.

That's annoying. What? You're a muffler. You don't hear it? Oh, I don't even notice it. I usually drown it out with the radio. How's this? Oh, yeah.

Way better. Save on insurance by switching to Bel Air Direct and use the money to fix your car. Bel Air Direct, insurance, simplified. Conditions apply. Now streaming on Paramount Plus. It's the epic return of Mayor of Kingston. Warden?

You know who I am. Starring Academy Award nominee, Jeremy Runner. I have sway in these walls. Emmy Award winner, Edie Falco. You're an ex-con. who ran this place for years. And now, now you can't do that. And BAFTA award winner Lenny James.

You're about to have a plague of outsiders descend on your town. Let me tell you this. It's going to be consequences. Mayor of Kingstown, new season now streaming on Paramount Plus. You know what's better than the one big thing? Two big things. Exactly. The new iPhone 17 Pro on TELUS's five-year rate plan price lock.

Yep, it's the most powerful iPhone ever. Plus, more piece of money. with your bill over five years. This is big. Get the new iPhone 17 Pro at tellus.com slash iPhone 17 Pro on select plans. Conditions and exclusions apply. Susie, I want to look at this third photo of you.

No, which one is that? So the one I've got, me and Al. The one I've got is, there's two here. There's one with you, well, you tell me, there's one with you onto the stage at Live of the Apollo. Let's do the one of me and Alice. And then we'll do, because that one's, if we're doing it chronologically.

Okay. So it's me and Alice, both wearing cagoo. having a drink. So Alice is my wife, who you both know. For the listener. Yes, for the listener. Alice is who you know pretty well. Yeah. And why are you in gougal's having a drink? We were at my friend James's house and we were in his conservatory and it started raining and it started leaking and it was in doesn't have enough room for a so he gave everyone hats and coats so we had to eat in his conservatory that was leaking. It's cheaper to buy a few gougal's and get your roof fixed.

That's what that's yeah that's what he's always said. And tell us about Alice. Where did you and Alice make? Me and Alice met out a wedding. I remember this story. Oh, I, I remember. Go on, take for... We were one of the listener.

Can you tell us about this? We were set up at a wedding by a... Who set you up? By our mutual friend Camille You Chan. And I know Cam through the comedy circuit and Alice knew Cam because she used to temp in her office. Right. And they became really good pals.

And then we were both invited to Cam's wedding. And Cam was like, you two should know each other. You're both lesbians. This was, I remember when you told me about this, it was like an absolute and you were like, oh, for goodness sake, just because we're lesbians, why do you think we're going to have something in common? And then, screen swipe, their wedding. Exactly that. We have a really fun, happy marriage. Yeah.

And we really get on and we really have a laugh. And I think I always sort of thought that relationships had to be quite hard. Do you know what I mean? Like, I'd had quite a lot of hard relationships before where it's like, arguing, drama. Like, you know, and you both know, no, my, I think. some of my exes. And it was always like, I remember phoning you crying one day at maybe like 10 in the morning. And it was...

Your mum and dad, were they quite sparring? Because sometimes when your mum and dad spa, you think that's just a normal relationship. And I remember someone saying to me once, don't confuse uncompatibility with passion. What a great bit of advice. Yeah, that's a great bit of advice. No, mum and dad do get on really well, but they sort of jokerly argue. But mum always wins. It's quite, but it's quite an addictive thing.

Yeah. And I think to be in a relationship that's not quite perfect, and so you have these huge highs and these dreadful lows. And the lows are justified because of the highs. But actually, what you really want from a long-term relationship is just someone who's even. Yeah. Well, she, that's exactly what Alice was. She was always, like, just so.

No games. No games. So, like, just like, she is just like an anchor. or like a ship. A port and a storm. She is so together. She knows exactly who she is. I found it so attractive that she didn't,

she wasn't like trying to be anyone. She was just like, well, this is who I am. I can't pretend to be that. They must also as well, when you do what we all do, sometimes there's something, apart for the fact that my husband is an actor, but I was going to say there must be something quite nice about them not having the same kind of lifestyle.

Oh, yeah. Because there's enough kind of, I don't know, drama and disappointment in our kind of work lives. You don't want it in your relationship as well. I mean, I think Ben's an anomaly, your husband is. I know he's an actor. But he's not actory at all. But he's not even vaguely actory and he leaves his ego at the door.

Whereas I think I cannot think of anything worse. For me personally, same. And to be in a relationship with a comedian. I mean, literally another person like me in the, the house. Oh my God, it would be... Imagine if we were married.

Oh my God, it would just be traumatic. That's really harsh. Kerry would not be talking to us. No. Drott's up a long time ago. You know, I'm going to have to move on, guys. Good luck with it all. Call me when you split up.

And this photo's lovely because you're just in your girl's having a lovely drink. So you're married, so you haven't given us a wedding photo. No, because our wedding was in COVID. I was really looking for it. I was really looking for to your wedding. When is that?

We're going to do a big part. When? When? When is it happening? You're coming over a bit needy, mate. No, I don't go to any parties, do I? Unless one of my mates has a party, I don't go to any. I was so looking forward to your wedding.

Yeah, my wedding would have been great. So, there are wedding photos. So you got married, just immediate family? No. Just the two of you? Yeah, we had one witness each. Did you get any pictures on that day? Yeah, we've got a handful of pictures actually.

Did you go, what did you do to market? Did you go for a meal? Did you go to you? So we went with, uh, So Alice had her best friend Delina. I had one of my best friends, Ruth, and we went to Bromley Town Hall because we kept moving it.

And it was becoming so... Because it was smack in the middle of COVID. We kept moving it and trying to organise it. And then eventually Alice just said, I don't care about any of it. I just think we should be married. And I was like, yeah. So she was like, do you just go to a town hall?

Brilliant. And was Bromley the only one that you could... It's our local town hall. Oh, that's where it had been... Right, right. That's where it had been like pinned up. to say whether anyone says that we couldn't do it. And we found out that we had like a couple of months left on the,

you know, because you've got to then resubmit to be married. You know, you've got, because they have to pin it on a board and say, come in if you've got a problem with these people getting married. It's like some archaic thing that they do. So they were like, oh, we've got a couple of months left, but we could get married. And so Alice was like, she was going to do it with Ruth and Alina. And so she rang them and was like, when's the next slot that you've got?

And they were like next Thursday at 915. Brilliant. We'll be there. So I didn't share a wedding photo, Just because I said to Alice, which photo do you like of us? And she went, that one just always makes me laugh. It's a lovely photo. Because I think we're quite pissed in it.

And we're just wearing cagulls inside because it's raining so well. And you're like having fun. But you look really like together. Yeah. You know what I mean? Like you look like a really good couple. Yeah. Which and yeah.

And I feel like I'm in a, I feel like I'm in a great team with her. I feel like I always feel like, oh, we could do anything. Oh, it's so nice for you to have a girlfriend that I like. It really is. Now a wife. Because it is about you, isn't it? It really is. It's often about me.

It is, yeah. And if we can always bring it back to me. Yeah. I said to you, isn't it great that you found a wife that Jen liked? Yeah, that's the first thing you said, wasn't it? Yeah. It's what she wrote in the wedding card. It's what I'll be writing in your card.

And is there going to be a big bash? Yeah, I think so. I think we might do something. Can we crack on with that? I want that. So I do that. Can you do fancy dress for Jen? Fuck off, Perry. She can come as a spider.

It's just spiders. Everyone's going to spiders. Now let's move on to your next picture. My last picky. I want to ask you about this photo because it's clearly a photo of you at Live of the Apollo but you've chosen a picture of you walking off stage. Yeah.

Why is that? After it had gone well. So my friend Laura Checkley, who you probably both know. Laura Chekley, she came, her and her girlfriend came to support and came along and Laura took that as I was leaving the stage.

and best bit because you go thanks for much good night and then you walk when you're hosting Apollo which you've both done

and I did my first Apollo with Kerry hosting oh my goodness that was so cool that you guys got to do that together it was amazing and Kerry said it up so perfectly I had like

the best gig I'd had all year because Kerry had said such lovely things about me and then it was just so lovely it's all about you because I made it back here because I made it back here

It's all about me. It's sorry about you. And then to be invited back three years later to host it felt like an enormous privilege. And like you're both stand-ups, you know. Like getting on the show is incredible. Then getting to host the show, you're like, this is amazing. It's funny, isn't it, live at the Apollo,

because it is one of those gigs you just want. You just want that picture with those colours behind you. Yeah. And it is a kind of badge for stand-ups to play it. Me and Ed Gamble both hosted this year. year and he and I were texting about it and what material we're going to do and this, that and the other. And he said, in the sticker book

of comedy, hosting Apollo's a shiny. Do you know what I mean? And it's so true. Like it feels like one that. Oh, yeah, I got that one. I don't think in terms of British TV and like entertainment, I don't mean like in terms of doing sitcoms or anything, but in terms of

entertainment, for me, I do not think there is another, there's anything like it. No. Because it's doing what we do. Yes, pure standard. Here it is. Here's the shop window. This is me. You might not have seen me.

You might not have heard me. I've been going for a long time. Yeah. But here I am. You might want to have a little look at this. And then you get to do it. And then people go, oh, I've never heard of you. This is really good.

And I like you. It's a platform. I might come and see you. Yeah. I can remember watching it when it was Jack D's life at the Apollo. Yeah. At home when I still lived at home. Yeah.

Like, it's been going that long that I would watch it with my dad. Wow. And like, and it's just always been around. Yeah. And so. Yeah, so I like the photo of me walking off because... It is a good shot, actually. You do look happy.

You can see the stage as well. You can see how big the stage is. Yeah, and it had gone really well, and I had to do a couple of pickups at the end, and I was really... And because I had a good gig, I was so silly with them, I was like messing about with the audience.

Relaxed, yeah. Really relaxed, being really stupid. And then, yeah, walked off and, you know, backstage is, you know... It's a funny place, isn't it, behind those big letters? Yeah. I can remember getting my heels stuck in a hole

on the floor as the thing came up. Oh, no. Stressful. Yeah, really stressful. My favourite opening line, I think it's Holly Walsh, when she came out and went, So much attention. Well, I hope you like my photos.

I'll see you later. I loved your photos. And thank you so much for coming in and sharing your pictures with us. Oh my wonderful. It's my absolute pleasure. Always a delight to look at your little head. You're right, it is.

I'm Max Rushden. I'm David O'Daradie. And we'd like to invite you to listen to our new. podcast, What Did You Do Yesterday? It's a show that asks guests the big question, quite literally, what did you do yesterday? That's it. That is it. Max, I'm still not sure.

Where do we put the stress? Is it what did you do yesterday? What did you do yesterday? You know what I mean? What did you do yesterday? I'm really down playing it. Like, what did you do yesterday? Like, I'm just a guy just asking a question.

But do you think I should go bigger? What did you do yesterday? What did you do yesterday? Every single word this time I'm going to try and make it like it is the killer word. What did you do yesterday? I think that's too much, isn't it? That is, that's over the top. What did you do yesterday?

Available wherever you get your podcasts every Sunday.