Off Air... with Jane and Fi - I long to squeeze one of those tomatoes (with Fats Timbo)

Episode Date: August 14, 2023

Fi is doing her best to cheer Jane up after a 're-shuffle' at her other job. They chat TV recommendations, hopeless babies and weeing on the collar of your jumpsuit.They're joined by Fats Timbo, a comedian, model and influencer with more than two million fans on TikTok.Follow us on Instagram! @janeandfiIf you want to contact the show to ask a question and get involved in the conversation then please email us: [e-mail].  Assistant Producer: Kate LeeTimes Radio Producer: Rosie Cutler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Right. Are we ready to go, Kate? Hello, and you join us in our glacial off-air studio, which, for reasons none of us can understand... It's always so cold. It's like a bloody fridge. The rest of the building is overheated. This one kept deliberately cold. So I think it's to shorten the addition of podcast.

Well, it's also where they record all of the talk sport trails. And I wonder whether they're just so butch and hot. Oh, it might be that. They just need to keep it fridge-like conditions for all of that pulsating energy, Jane. Do you think alan brazil sat in this chair has he oh my god i would love to have him on we need to get him on the program now i've just been you you say it's not as good as hijack because you've watched hijack haven't you and i've started manifest oh i've got something about tv here oh have you okay right

well manifest if anyone else is remotely interested yeah i am interested because i looked at it and i just thought i can't watch it because i've just watched okay well i'm i don't have the apple telly thing so i can't watch hijack but manifest is on the flicks and um it's it starts with a plane that just for reasons that it's not really explained and perhaps we'll never know because it could it could well be one of those very lengthy serials with no satisfactory conclusion. But it sets off from Jamaica back to the States and takes five years to get to its destination.

We've all been on a flight like that, but it's usually from Birmingham to Aberdeen. It was Montego Bay, I think, back to the States. I can't remember where. Anyway, it takes five years. So you can imagine what's happened to the life of the rest of these people. They've all been buying a meal deal from WH Smiths for half a decade, waiting at arrivals.

Yeah, exactly. Well, things have moved on. Some people have moved on in any number of ways when their lost loved ones return. Sorry, but that is just such a bizarre... It is. It's rather a troubling concept, actually. And I thought it was absolute pants, but then ended up watching two and a half episodes.

So there you go. Well, you're not going to like this. From Best Wishes, Rachel. I know Jane has been the resident TV expert of the two of you, but Fee's recommendations over the past few months have been excellent. Well, on TV recommendation news, I'm no longer the TV columnist at the Radio Times. Showbiz is a

very cruel world. I thought I was performing way above expectations, but apparently not. Well, no, they've just had a big rejigger. You don't need to be kind to me. It's heartbreaking. I watched Blue Lights based on Fee's recommendation and enjoyed it from the outset.

No, I love that too. It was a little different. It took me a while to get past the constant swearing, but it does really draw you in. And I loved the play on all the classic police drama tropes. It cleverly starts off, for me at least, as a spoof that then draws you in and gradually becomes more of a thriller

without abandoning the comedic elements. and I'm delighted that other people liked it because actually I think I know that sometimes you've said about your TV recommendations that you slightly worry when you recommend things in a magazine or a column will everybody like them and I wasn't sure when I was watching Deadlock that people would you won't watch it will you i don't know why no i won't okay is it because i've recommended it there may well be so miserable uh but anyway rachel i'll come up with some more recommendations i would say colin from accounts but you wouldn't watch that one either oh no i think i will that's on my kind of back burner my televisual back burner waiting to be explored okay i think you'll really like that. I think it's clever and it's funny and, you know, it puts

a dog on wheels. What's not to like? Well, there's nothing. What's not to like? But anyway, I'm sorry about your TV thing, but you've had a blast doing it. You've met some amazing people. Who did I meet? All the people from Liverpool. What people from Liverpool? Oh, I did do

lots of interviews with people. Jodie Comer. Oh, I didn't meet her. That was all on Zoom during the pandemic. No, I did do lots of interviews with people. Jodie Comer. Oh, I didn't meet her. That was all on Zoom during the pandemic. No, but he kind of met her. I mean, that's as good as it gets now. Oh, I met that lovely bloke, Aidan Turner. There you go.

He was nice. I did meet him. He was lovely. Anyway, can we bring in Gabby? Yes, let's. My sadness is my own. Gabby has some, there are various things in this email. All of them are fascinating, Gabby.

But let me just bring you some highlights. She had to stop going to her family's yearly holiday to Somerset. 16 people in a house with style mole on her top lip. Never more so than after a long Saturday spent trawling around Kensington Market. It would look, no, let me get this right. On the subject of pretentious teenage affectations, Gabby used to pencil in a Marilyn Monroe style mole on her top lip which she says looked utterly ridiculous never more so than after a long Saturday spent trawling around Kensington Market when she'd obviously rubbed her face and now resembled a goth chimney sweep yeah I can

imagine when she was readmitted to hospital with a five-day-old baby who'd lost too much body weight, her breast milk hadn't come in, she saw an NCT poster on the wall entitled 10 Reasons Why You Should Breastfeed. Number 10 claims Gabby, I shit you not, her language not mine. She says this was the number 10 reason. Have you seen this? I have. Breastfed babies are less likely to end up in prison.

I am beyond shocked at that. I can't believe. Was that really on a post? I can't believe it. Anyway, she goes on to say, and this is a useful recommendation, she'd like to recommend the NHS Squeezy app. Oh, for your pelvic floor. Yeah, so so all together now let's all do it okay you can tell can't they so when someone's doing that on the tube just done it uh this app reminds

you three times a day to do your pelvic floor exercises and explains how to do them it's had a really positive impact on my ability to wait for the loo my new love of dungarees and jumpsuits has caused problems on several occasions the worst of which was when i left it too late and ended up peeing on the collar of my jumpsuit in my desperate panic to get undressed and you're never too old for dungarees she says i'm 48 and according to my mum i have an arse like a brewer's dray i don't really know what that looks like that is a brewer's dray. I can't believe that your bottom in any way resembles a brewer's dray. It's like a horse, a horse-drawn carriage,

the brewer's dray that carried the beer as it was taken around pubs. Okay. I've recently discovered dungarees and get compliments on them all the time, especially from older women. I'm just going to check that gabby doesn't mind if we use her name no she doesn't no she doesn't okay it's a very it's a brilliant email it covers so much ground ranging isn't it i think the breastfeeding thing jane probably is true because you know you must have done this loads of times at the previous

place uh you know with the with the womanly things uh the you know the claims made about breastfeeding are extraordinary and and i remember doing stuff about uh you know brain development is better breastfed children are more likely to go to university that kind of massive leap that's made so it wouldn't surprise me if that was on a sign but how terrifying and we've spoken about this before making a mum feel bad about not being able to do something that is just so difficult and it's not you that can't do it no you know it's just such a complicated thing because your nipples might be a bit inverted or your ducts blocked or actually your baby's hopeless. No, but that's the kind of inference that's given and it's just really hard.

So I hate anything that's making mums feel bad because when you can't feed your baby, it's the worst feeling in the world. I agree. I think it is one of the hardest times in your life. And the last thing you need is stuff like that. Yeah, so take those signs down. Yes, take them down if they're still up. But look at the signs that say squeeze your pelvic floor up and then you won't wee all over your jumpsuits. And I really, really sympathise with Gabby about that

because that is the terrible problem with a jumpsuit. And actually, on my early morning dog walks, if I was ever wearing a boiler suit or a jumpsuit, I wouldn't double lock the front door just because I knew that there'd be, there's a little bit of a balance going on about time there. And if I was wearing normal trousers, I'd double lock the front door. All right, that's enough. That really is enough. No, it's good. People will like this, Jane, because it just meant that there weren't so many barriers between me and the loo.

Here is Stephanie Hobart, who says, Hi, Jane, I've been listening for years through good times and bad, two pregnancies, two babies, one pandemic. This really tickled me, see attached. I had a feeling it might be your sort of humour too. And Steph has said, if you read this out, can you please send love to Lisa and Laura, who are also our BFFs and long-time listeners

and sadly not always living on the same side of the world as me. And we're very happy to be a kind of postal box, aren't we, for messaging. Yeah. If you need to do that between the continents, you can just leave a message with us and we'll pass it on. Well, we might charge. Oh, good idea. This is what Stephanie has sent.

If the person who named walkie-talkies named everything. Are you ready? Yes. Stamps, licky-sticky. Defibrillators, hearty-starty. Bumblebees, fuzzy-buzzy. A pregnancy test Maybe Baby That's really clever

Actually I'd never thought about that It's really childish to call something a walkie talkie A bra Bestie Nesty Socks Feety Heaty A hippopotamus Floaty Bloaty

I love that It comes courtesy of the language.nerds Right, thank dot nerds. Right. Thank you, nerds. Claire wants to talk about taxidermy and I'll just allow this. And then we end. I don't know if it's been mentioned, she says, but the Natural History Museum at Tring is just purely stuffed animals. It was always my wet weather plan when my son was young and his favourite section was the dogs. I found it gruesome. Claire, I know you've had a bit of a challenging time lately. Glad we've helped a little bit. Thank you very much for that. Please keep listening.

Jackie, who's joining us from Chandler's Ford in glorious Hampshire. I just haven't heard Chandler's Ford mentioned in such a long time, Jackie. It was really, really lovely to see it there. And always remember, it's not Southampton, Jane. Chandler's Ford is separate. What do you mean? It's not. It's not Southampton. But it merges into it. No. People in Hampshire will completely understand. Well, I... It's not Southampton. I could barely tell the difference. Stop it.

I just caught up on Wednesday's podcast, the mention by a listener of the Wimpy Bar in Beckenham. And you're right, Jackie, it's not the Wimpy. It was a Wimpy Bar, wasn't it? Yeah, I suppose it was. Well, that's the full term. Why was it called a bar, though? It definitely didn't serve booze, did it?

No. Root beer, possibly. It brought back memories for Jackie, most particularly the tomato-shaped ketchup bottles. And she kept on pestering her mum to take her so she could try the tomato shaped ketchup and it turned out to be deeply disappointing well it wasn't Heinz it was thin and vanilla no I was about to say it's what's in the squeezy tomato that counts yeah but I long to

squeeze one of those tomatoes as well to make matters worse for Jackie I sprinkled salt on my chips before mum could stop me turns out I don't like sugary chips either. So I went home hungry and disillusioned. The Wimpy Bar was still there in 2020 when I was clearing the family home after my dad died. But I've never been in since my first experience. In our teens, we favoured Pizzaland in Bromley. Do you remember Pizzaland? I'm just reading this, it's very funny.

Where slices of pizza came with a baked potato, coleslaw and a mug of coffee that had no flavour whatsoever. My friends and I thought it was the height of sophistication until we graduated to the Bernie Inn. Oh, yeah. Oh, it's all there, Jackie. All the memories, all the memories. And we had a pizza land in Winchester. And that was where mum would take me sometimes on a weekend when I was being kind of difficult and

teenager-y and it was our kind of ladies lunch destination, Pizzaland. It was wonderful. Would you have a baked potato? I don't think I would have a baked potato but I would definitely have a salad and of course we were far too well behaved to ever ramp up from the salad bar Jane, that was just what other people did.

I'm sorry to hear that. Yes, we didn't do that. You cast a disapproving glance. Very much so. And then we ate our pizza with our knife and fork. Yes, well, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that. News in about guns again. We're probably going to stop talking about guns, but I do think this is interesting.

When I was in Alaska for work a couple of years ago, I was horrified to see guns in a regular supermarket, but even more astounded to see the enclosed selection of colourful guns for youth designed to look like toys. I'm writing to you from Tel Aviv. I enjoy the podcast and I especially enjoy the fact

that I know my friend Sue in Manchester is listening too with her dog, Hugo. Right, so again, we're sort of, we are keeping people in touch and Hugo is obviously getting something out of this. It's hard to know what. Brief mention, I just need to apologise.

I'm on bended knee here apologising to everyone who loves football. Just a quick note about football, says Jane. I played at school. Netball. You mean netball. I do mean netball. Football's on my brain, sorry. Just a quick note about netball. I played at school, continued with a local team until i was 45 says jane i loved it but i have to take issue with jane not rating it because players can't move with the ball despite that it's a very fast game and depends entirely

on agility and fitness and height unfortunately for me but even a netball lover like me has to admit it isn't a great TV spectator sport. It just doesn't have the tension of football where one goal is huge. Having said that, I'm so glad that women's sport is being shown on TV more. When I was younger, you never saw women playing sport except for the rather genteel games of tennis at Wimbledon. Things can only get better. And actually, thank you, Jane, for that. Things have got better in terms of women's sport. to get better and actually um thank you jane for that things have got better in terms of women's sport i mean you know i think i think it was seven million people watched the england columbia game

on saturday and bearing in mind it was 11 30 i think it kicked off i had to time my pedicure i had one booked and i was able to get back just in time without smudging anything i had a shellac yep and actually it's really good that you mentioned the viewing figures because they are already up there in the women's world cup with the men's world cup and you know we might make the assumption because there's been so much hoo-ha about the women not being paid as much in advertisers not spending as much that the figures have a great disparity but they don't at all they're neck and neck, if not in front for the women. Well, it's really interesting because the figures for Match of the Day on BBC One on a Saturday night are not enormous.

I mean, sometimes when you hear, talk about the eye-watering salaries paid to some contributors to that programme, it is not watched by 10 or 15 million people. I think it's more like two and a half. So, you know, we have this extraordinary reverence for that programme, which I know is hugely significant. I know people watch on catch up, but it's not a massive terrestrial television audience anymore.

No, we got more downloads than that. Dave the Minion says the following. Thank you, Kate. Nodding. I'm nodding. Are you nodding? Vigorously. I'm also doing my pelvic floor.

Just catching up with Thursday's podcast and picked up on the where did you meet query. I'm nodding. Oh, are you nodding? Vigorously. I'm also doing my pelvic floor. Oh! Just catching up with Thursday's podcast and picked up on the Where Did You Meet query. Listen to this, Jane. Go on. Way back in 1981 at the age of 17, I met my wife in the Tiffany's nightclub in Leeds at Grabber Granny night. I know.

Was that over 25 tonight? I wonder now when this hugely un-PC Wednesday night out for single older gentlemen and ladies actually came to an end. Actually, that's so rich. You know, I was only thinking about this the other night because we used to have a disco in Crosby at a hotel I won't name, which was called the Grab a Granny. Grab a Granny?

It was on a Tuesday from memory. Brilliant. So you could have gone to that on a Tuesday, made your way over to Leeds by Wednesday. Yeah. All the grannies you want. Yeah. My sister used to that on a Tuesday, made your way over to Leeds by Wednesday. Yeah. All the grannies you want. Yeah.

My sister used to go. I never went. Dave goes on to say, my wife was with a group of people who had pre-mobile phone days, arranged to meet there and were warned on the way in what the particular night was. I was with a couple of friends and had been playing pool all evening. And when last orders were called, we wanted to carry on with the night out as we were at college the next day rather than work. The lady on the admissions desk asked us with a huge grin on her face if we were sure we wanted to come in but didn't specify why. My friends and I took no notice of the night's proceedings until leaving when the last slow dance came on.

As we left, I noticed a poor girl being pestered by a man she clearly wanted to have nothing to do with and as I walked past, I took her hand and swept her onto the dance floor to save her later oh we've got tingles jane i know it's rather lovely isn't it later that day well apart from it's lovely apart from the predatory man bit yeah no but this is a this is the rest the night in shining armor yes yeah later that day at college neither of my friends could enlighten me on what the girl looked like i just had her phone number scrawled on my hand i rang her to arrange a date out of curiosity and we've been together ever since was she a granny well i don't well i don't know but it doesn't really matter if she was older and that's

from dave the minion and dave i think you wrote us that fabulous email when we were talking about kind of uh needing to be alpha alpha you wrote a really really lovely thoughtful email about how you know an awful lot of people need to be the minions in order to allow for the alphas and the satisfaction that you get I think if I remember rightly from having a job that enables you to spend a lot of time with your family but what a lovely, lovely, lovely Where Did You Meet story. That is great. And grab a granny night. Are they still a thing? Let's throw it out there.

Are you a granny? And did you meet someone who was not a grandad? Or perhaps you did. You see, that's sexism in plain sight, isn't it? Isn't it just, Jane? It wasn't called wrestle with a grandad night, was it? No. No. Right. I did say that several people had been really very angry with me

for being rude about netball. In the interests of balance, I need to bring in Kate, who agrees with me on the subject of netball. I agree with Jane. I love it. I don't think there's a sentence I like more than that in the whole world. Kate says, I've always felt it's basketball horribly cut down to size just for girls i.e minus the dynamic movement and avoiding body contact i had dreadful eyesight and i was hopeless at all

ball sports at school but did manage to blast the ball so hard in the wrong direction one day that it smashed our teacher in the face broke her glasses and badly banged her nose. Sorry Miss Brown. A similarly lame girly version of cricket existed at my all-girls high school in 1970s Sydney, Australia. It was called Vigaro. I've never heard of this. Have you? No. Sorry, I'm disagreeing

with you there. Will that be alright? Not to be confused with either the feminist publishing house Virago or the tablet taken by gentleman viagra bet you've never heard of it um it involves shorter distances and a big round wooden bat the size of a dinner plate aiming too low at a low-lying ball once i managed to smash the head of the bat in half right down the middle i felt weirdly good about it no lack of vigor in my vigaro says kate there we are that's another slice of social history of which i knew nothing

vigaro cricket for ladies i don't think it's going to catch on now today's guest jane yes today's guest is fats timbo um fatima timbo but she Fats by, that's her sort of, I'm not going to say stage name, but that's her professional name. That's how she's known. She's in her mid-twenties. She is a comedian. She's an influencer. She has millions, two million at least followers on TikTok, a quarter of a million over on Instagram. It's a tiny, just a tiny bit more than we have currently on Jane and Fee on Instagram. It's a tiny, just a tiny bit more than we have currently on Jane and Fee on Instagram. We're currently just topping 8,000.

No, we're over nine. Are we? We are over nine. Okay. So we're not doing badly at all, but that is where you need to go if you're young and happening like Fiona and I.

By the way, Fiona's hair has been changed with a lovely elfin bob and I think finally my influence has worn off. So I walked By the way, Fiona's hair has been changed with a lovely elfin bob. And I think finally my influence has worn off. So I walked into the office today. I have had a lot of my hair cut off. And Jane genuinely said,

have you had it done to look like me? It's just like, not everything. Just my little joke. Anyway, back to Fat's Timbo. I have had my hair cut. Yes, it does look very nice. Fatats Timbo has over two million followers on TikTok and over a quarter of a million on Instagram she has written a book too called main character energy 10 commandments to living life fearlessly she's been on the cover of magazines as well glamour and vogue which isn't bad is it so here is Fats Timbo hi how are you well i'm all right but i understand

let's be honest because you have told us you've not been all that well have you i haven't i've had the worst case of food poisoning ever okay in my life right uh are you more or less over it now yeah i'll say i'm more or less over it and to be honest with you i'm glad that i'm speaking to you and trying to get better and yeah i'm just i just want to get over it now okay tired yeah i'm sure you are well we won't dwell on it but can i just ask i mean if haven't you eaten any white toast or anything like that that's always what i go to when i'm in recovery from something like that i've had juices mainly and smoothies i think um when i had uh bread because i'm intolerant to gluten it kind of upsets my stomach okay don't go to toast then i will have none i'll have um gluten-free bread though okay soak it all up all right well i'm glad

that you're in recovery at least um and i really wanted to talk to you because you are such a positive person. I appreciate you might not be feeling at your most energetic and bouncy today. So we really appreciate you coming on the programme. You identify, and I really want to get this right, you identify as a little person, don't you? We need to get that clear right at the start. So just tell us a little bit about yourself. We need to get that clear right at the start. So just tell us a little bit about yourself.

So I identify as a little person because I was born with a condition called achondroplasia. It's a type of dwarfism. It happens in one in 30,000 births and it can happen to anyone. The reason why I prefer little person instead of dwarf is because dwarf is used in in movies and and it's a medical term and it's also a mythical creature as well I don't want to be referred to as a mythical creature whatsoever I want to be referred to as a person who happens to be little so little person is the best sounding term for me but I guess for me personally that's a personal thing it's different for every little person or dwarf. Yeah can I just ask a little bit about I mean I hesitate to use the word community but is there a lively conversation amongst people who have achondroplasia about how you would like to be referred to?

I would say on the Little Women shows, we commonly say that we prefer little woman, little person. prefer little woman little person um but i think through through different interviews with different little people they say what they prefer um but i wouldn't say like there's a proper community because there's not many of us no at all no as you said i mean that statistic one in 30 000 this is not common is it it? And for those people listening who don't truly don't know quite what the explanation for achondroplasia is, is it, am I right in saying it's a lack of cartilage? Yes, it's a lack of cartilage that doesn't help to, basically, I can't produce as much bone as the average person so my torso is average height and my head is average height is it I don't know it's quite big but um my limbs are

shorter than the average person because of my because I'm not able to produce as much cartilage as the average person. And your mum found out about your condition when she was pregnant with you? Yes, when she was six months, six months pregnant, they called her in to do some extra scans because they noticed through the scans that I wasn't growing at a normal rate and they thought I'd either have Down syndrome or dwarfism and at that time they said to her you know because your child isn't practically at the time they kind of I guess it was taboo back in the day, they offered her a termination, which she refused, of course. And growing up, how did your family make you feel and did they ever treat you differently?

When did you first begin to believe or begin to see that you were a bit different? begin to believe or begin to see that you were a bit different? My family treated me exactly the same as my other siblings. I have one brother and four sisters. And honestly, at home, I've never felt any different. I guess when I have to struggle to get things, that's the only time I feel different but they're very my family are so supportive they're so helpful and the time I did notice that I was different was when I was in school I was in nursery and people are asking me questions why are you so small why are you different from everyone else I had no idea I had no idea at the time because my parents never made me feel any different so when people in school said those things to me it kind of made me feel insecure it made me feel

really sad about myself and people looking at me on the street um that was a lot because you know it was like, why me? You know, I'm in this world and I happen to be the one that's different. How do you now try to educate people around that ignorance? I just wonder whether I want you to be as honest with you with us as you possibly can. Fats, I mean, when you go out every day, do you have to steel yourself for the reaction of others? Yes, I do. I think when I was younger, it was daunting.

It was really scary. It was just something that I hated to do, just to go outside and anticipate all this discrimination staring comments um people laughing at you people filming you um I just found it so unbearable that's that was that's the word for it unbearable and now how I educate people is I basically kind of tell, especially parents, because kids don't know any better. And of course, they're going to stare if they've never seen somebody like me before. So I often tell parents that you should tell your child that, you know, I'm just a little person. And then I, oh, oh, they never expect me to stand up for myself. And a lot of parents have actually taken initiative

and educated their kids on the spot. And some parents just kind of push them away or don't say anything. Do you have reactions like that every time you go out or twice a week or once a month what is it i would say every day yeah every time i go out every single time right because nowadays i don't look for it anymore before because i was very conscious very self-conscious i was looking for it but because um i'm more focused on myself I put headphones in I try my best to not look at what's around because I know everyone's looking at me well on that note actually I saw you

uh on the tube platform at London Bridge Station a couple of months ago uh you've got very you've got very distinctive pink headphones haven't you i have loads of headphones okay well i'm here to tell you i'm here to tell you that that day you had you had some very very beautiful um it was the headphones i noticed because i thought i'd like those um and you were absolutely um you were dancing and you were completely owning the space yeah I love dancing in random places I love it that sounds like me that's definitely me I don't know why this is but as soon as I have headphones in I don't care about where I am I'm just dancing I don't care if people are looking at me because I know they're looking anyway so that's that's the attitude I have when I'm out and about. In fact when you were younger did you have anybody who you could look to in the same way that I am sure some of your younger followers look to you? If I'm being honest not really because I feel like I was probably um I probably had self-hate because I didn't have anyone around me anyone on tv anyone I could look at that represented me

so like at one point I couldn't even look in the mirror because I didn't want to face that I was different to everyone else so um when I was 13 years old I saw a little woman black little woman on the undateables and I shouted to my dad I was like oh my god she's just like me she's just like me I was so happy to see somebody that was just like me it was so refreshing to see and now we're friends because I'm honestly in awe of her her name's Mary Russell um and she's the one who kind of inspired me to go on the undated balls as well so um it kind of happened later on in life but I guess not later on in life from a teenage from a teenager I'd say but before then I didn't have anyone to even look up to but the very fact that you went on the undateables I mean I think you said at the time yourself that

you were not undateable at all for a start yes it's true I knew I wasn't undateable but I knew that I'm going this is this is for a higher purpose I need to I need to go on this show to inspire others tell people my story you never know where it can go to or I just thought of the positive sides of it I didn't think oh I'm going to be classed as undateable because when I look at when I watch people on the undateables I don't think they're undateable whatsoever so I knew if people love and enjoy the show they won't see me like that. And our guest this afternoon is the author and influencer Fats Timbo. Fats, I should have asked you a little bit earlier on about what it's like to be a big star on TikTok.

Some of our more mature listeners may not really understand the appeal of TikTok. Why is it such a good platform for you, do you think, to spread your message? for you do you think to spread your message? I think on TikTok especially over the pandemic a lot of us needed to connect and TikTok was the best way to do that because it was short form content and people could learn how to cook, people could watch skits. People could listen to people's stories. TikTok is just such a great way to just connect with creators and watch so much content. And for me, I loved making comedy content. That was my first time actually trying it out and experimenting. And people absolutely loved it. I was so shocked because I didn't really expect

anything from it I just was bored at home if I was being honest um and I wanted to show off my dance moves as well so the fact that people enjoyed it as much as I loved making it it was a bonus it was amazing it is a massive democratization of creativity isn't it because uh I mean I may be completely wrong on this but if you've got two million followers on TikTok and a quarter of a million on Instagram I bet that the TV producers are crawling all over you in a way that they probably wouldn't have done without that kind of data backup yeah I agree um I think it kind of backs up that people are fascinated with the fact that maybe I'm a talented little person who just happens to dance happens to make you laugh I've got multiple things going on. So I don't shy away from anything that I want to learn or do, especially on TikTok, because TikTok helps me showcase that.

Do you feel, though, that you have to be positive, Fats, when you may not always feel that way? when you may not always feel that way? I think being positive really helps with my mindset. Even if I am feeling down, I try my best to put myself in a positive mindset. But at the same time, I do recognise that you can't always be positive. You're going to have your down days. Let it pass but always remain constant in

trying to be positive in life because negativity can just spread like wildfire in you and I don't want that I want to always be positive so that I can spread that positivity for other people as well and what about your modeling career because you I think the very first modelling gig you got was for underwear. And I think you did have a few reservations about that, didn't you? I did. I was absolutely terrified.

I thought, I haven't even done modelling, and then do an underwear campaign. It was just insane. But I knew for some reason I just knew this is going to take me somewhere whether it's confidence I'm going to build more confidence from this or maybe I can just do another job after this I just thought there's something that's going to take me from A to B by doing this so I just I heard a motto at the time as well feel the fear and do it anyway and I said when I first heard that I was like I'm going to live by that because I've already been living like like that as soon as I step outside I'm scared sometimes because I know I'm going to live by that because I've already been living like that. As soon as I step outside,

I'm scared sometimes because I know I'm going to get the attention that I don't want. But at the same time, I need to do what I need to do. So I thought I need to implement that in so many different ways and so many aspects of my life. And presumably, Fats, it was also just a very good opportunity to really find a decent bra that fits. And that, Fats, it was also just a very good opportunity to really find a decent bra that fits. And that can be a lifelong challenge for all of us. So I hope it came good in the end. Can you tell us a little bit about your 10 commandments to living life fearlessly in your book with the most fantastic title, Main Character Energy. Can you tell us how to achieve this thing? So Main Character Energy is all about self-care, self-love, boosting your own self-esteem.

And it's not from any outside source. It's all about trying to cultivate your true self, basically. So my first commandment is to be unexpected um i the reason why this is the first one because i always say that people are trying to stand out but they're trying to fit in it doesn't make any sense if you're trying to fit in because you will never be able to stand out and i use the example of myself as soon as I stand as soon as I step out on the road or on the streets I'm unexpected people don't usually see people like me so I'm always pointed out I'm always the odd one out and my motto now is if they're going to look at me

I might as well look good whilst they're looking at me so I shared that commandment um the second one is let love be your superpower and this is where I discuss the fact that my family has helped me tremendously through loving me caring for me and being the support network that I needed um and honestly I don't know what I'll do without this support honestly because it's a tough world but coming home to a stable family that actually love you and help you and um I'm forever grateful for. So I'd share how important it is to have a support network that helps you live life. The next one is Rise Above. Rise Above is all about basically protecting your mental health from haters. from haters. As I've said, I've faced so much discrimination from people on the street, people from school. I talk about as well the fact that these group of boys put me in an industrial bin in school and that was probably the most traumatic thing that I've gone through and

I still think about it to this day but I thought it's good if I share it in this book um even though these bad things have happened to me I've risen above all of that I've always realized that you can't change people's actions you can always change how you react to things but of course you but you shouldn't clearly you should not have been put through any of that um yeah and i'm just conscious of course that i said that i'd seen you on the station platform because as you know you are noticed every time you go out people like me seeing you for the first time um we do take notice I mean I can't pretend otherwise and you're so aware of that every time you set foot out of your front door yeah exactly it can I just ask

you very briefly if you don't mind that's just about accessibility in terms of traveling around is it better than it used to be is London from your, the best place to live? Personally, I think it is helpful having lifts. Having lifts and having... Do you know what? I think London could do better, if I'm being honest. They could, because not every station is accessible. A lot of my disabled friends they do struggle to get to places because some stations they have to go to the next one and then maybe take a cab to wherever they're going because that station that they need to get off at is not accessible

um i i would say london is better than other cities like Paris or for example I went to Antalya, I don't remember as many lifts as London but I do think London still has some improvements to make to their accessibility. Yeah. Access for people with people in a wheelchair because for me I'm quite lucky that I'm able to walk um and I do get really tired so the lifts do help a lot I certainly learned something from uh listening to facts in the course of that conversation so I think accessibility is something that if you you know, I just don't think we think about it often enough in terms of the ease of movement around big cities. You are. Well, it just doesn't cross my mind. And it really is hugely significant for people who are, you know, just have any number of different challenges.

So I just think we need to do and london isn't bad is it in terms of the provision of lifts but i think like the local station i go to every day there is just no lift and there's quite a big steep staircase yes yeah i know that so many wheelchair users will often say that we just haven't come far enough in terms of accessibility do you know what i was very struck by what she said about um children in their innocence asking questions when they meet her for the first time or see her in the street and what it is that a parent then needs to do and say and do you know what that's one of those things that we could all do with having a bit of a think about and a bit of our chat with our kids before it happens because it's not fair no to wait for she's not she shouldn't be to educate every single person yeah who comes along

with a completely understandable and innocent question or double take or extra look. But, I mean, I confess I don't think I've ever done that. I don't think I did that with my kids when they were very young. So, yeah, loads to learn from her. And I was very grateful to her for pushing on with the interview because actually I think she was probably a little bit more ill than she had originally let on when she said yes okay I'll do it on Zoom. Well that's why I'm really

grateful. You can tell when someone's just sort of. A bit below par. Just a tiny bit. As we say. Us golfers say. A little below par. Should take my clubs to the angle. Well I mean you've got some amazing courses

there. Why don't you? Because my idea of a holiday, as you know, is simply to plough through. I am agonising over which paperbacks to take with me, as I do every single year. And I do not trust the Kindle. I've got one, but I just think it'll break. OK. Will you do a list of what you're reading before the end of the week?

Because also we need to reintroduce our Book Club book. Yes, we haven't actually had our copies through yet. No, not yet. Get on it. So we'll do that towards the end of the week. Thank you very much indeed for listening. Jane and Fi and Fee Glover. Our Times Radio producer is Rosie Cutler and the podcast executive producer is Henry Tribe. And don't forget, there is even more of us every afternoon on Times Radio. It's Monday to Thursday, three till five. You can pop us on when you're pottering around the house or heading out in the car on the school run or running a bank. Thank you for joining us and we hope you can

join us again on Off Air very soon. Don't be so silly. Running a bank? I know ladies. A lady listener. I know, ladies. A lady listener. I'm sorry.