Off Air... with Jane and Fi - The curious problem of the inactive lady-stunt-rider (with Harry Redknapp)

Episode Date: June 12, 2025

This episode bounces from decimalisation to Avanti West to ventriloquism to lucky bags to motherhood – you can't say we don't have range. Plus, bear with us as former Premier League manager Harry Redknapp and Jane chat football, reflect on his career, and discuss Soccer Aid. If you want to contribute to our playlist, you can do that here: Off Air with Jane & Fi: Official Playlist - https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3qIjhtS9sprg864IXC96he?si=9QZ7asvjQv2Zj4yaqP2P1QIf you want to come and see us at Fringe by the Sea, you can buy tickets here: www.fringebythesea.com/fi-jane-and-judy-murray/And if you fancy sending us a postcard, the address is: Jane and FiTimes Radio, News UK1 London Bridge StreetLondonSE1 9GFIf you want to contact the show to ask a question and get involved in the conversation then please email us: [e-mail] next book club pick has been announced! We’ll be reading Leonard and Hungry Paul by Rónán Hession.Follow us on Instagram! @janeandfiPodcast Producer: Eve SalusburyExecutive Producer: Rosie Cutler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Where do you stand on ventriloquism? I can't stand ventriloquism. I just, you know, you can't even say it. Nevermind. From the world wars to Trump's trade wars, the drama of Washington DC to the twists and you turns of Westminster. Times and Sunday times are on the ground, taking you to the heart of the story,

restlessly reporting the facts to bring you the first draft of history for 240 years. Times change. The Times remains. This episode of Off Air is brought to you by Thomas Fudges Biscuits. We've got a bit of a reputation, haven't we Jane? Our desk here at Times Towers is pretty famous for having the most delicious sweet treats in the office. Yep, guilty as charged, but we're not into any old treats. No sir, only the most elevated biscuit makes the grade. Because we're so classy. May we introduce you to Thomas Fudgers, born from the expert British craftsmanship of inventive Dorset bakers in 1916. Thomas Fudgers' Florentines

are an indulgent blend of Moorish caramel, exquisite almonds and luscious fruits, draped in silky smooth Belgian chocolate. Oh, you've said a few key words there, Fee. Exquisite. Moorish. Exactly the way my colleagues would describe me, I'm sure. Did you say sophisticated? I didn't, but I can. Just like the biscuits, you're very sophisticated, darling. And like you, Thomas Fudges believes that indulgence is an art form and it should be done properly or not at all, Jane.

I concur. Thomas Fudges, hats off to Remarkable Biscuits. Can I say a huge personal thank you to Emily who has sent a beautiful, beautiful touch note photograph postcard of Frank, who is a Whippet Saluki cross and he is looking down the camera lens, he's peering down, and there's something about a hound's face, Jane, don't you think? Which is just so expressive, I know that other dog breeds are available and people always have their favourites but look at Frank he's basically saying I love you I need you but just be very careful. He is he's majestic it might just be the angle his face looks about three foot long. Yep that's the long nose of the Hale metric.

No I can't do metric at all actually we were trying to do something for the pavers, you know, trying to do a line drawing thingamajiggywhatsit for them and it's just a bit embarrassing isn't it? I'm still a fetus and always will be and I shouldn't be because I'm not nearly as old as you and metric was very much around throughout my entire life actually. You see I am genuinely old enough and other people listening will remember this, to recall decimalisation. What year was it? I think it was 72 or 3 Young Eve, would you mind checking up? And there were information leaflets everywhere and special guides to how the new system would work.

And it was it was properly tense in the nation while we waited for all this money to change. I remember being sent round by my mum to help our next door neighbour pay her home help because she couldn't work out the new system. There's Schilling's and Pence just in there. 71. 71, there you go. Okay.

Ooh, now that I don't know. That'll be Europe. Yes, I think there might have been a bylaw there. I tell you what, we'll look into it later because it's not that interesting. I just remember that the price of a lucky bag. Do you remember lucky bags? I do remember a lucky bag. Yeah, I used to always get lucky bags hoping for a water pistol. I'd never got one. They changed price from sixpence to two and a half D, or sorry, to two and a half pence. And I remember thinking that sounds a lot for a lucky bag, but I'll still keep buying them. So the modern interpretation of the lucky bag is that app where you can register for bags of goods at the end of the day from various bakeries and shops and stuff, isn't it?

Yes. That's the grown-up modern equivalent. Yeah. It's a really terrific idea. Yeah. Really terrific idea. The lucky bags were... I never, as I say, never got the water pistol, which is very, very hard to get in the lucky bag,

but you'd get a drumstick, maybe a blackjack. Yeah, if you were really lucky you'd get a sherbet dib-dab. You'd have to be... that would be very rare. Yeah. And some sort of toy like a really useless boomerang or something like that. Anyway, happy days! Lucky bags everybody,

fondly remembered here on Off Air with Jane of Fee. It's like Antiques Roadshow. I wonder whether or not the boomerang can go in the same category as swing ball and the polo stick. Will the boomerang make a comeback? Well, I mean... Boom, boom, boom, boom, boom! We're really loving all of your pogo stick stories and your pictures of swing ball and I will go to my grave cheered up by the Nan who plays played swing ball on her own. Just whacking it around, round and round and round.

What a great way to keep fit. Good stress reliever. Yeah, Maybe put that on the NHS. Now can we just say hello to Ali who for the second time in two weeks has boarded an Avanti West train and been overwhelmed with its fanciness. I cannot believe that Jane complains about it she should try cross-country or GWR. I have. There's a challenge for your weekend. I genuinely had to check I wasn't in the first class carriage.

And they had a bar cafe section. Not a trolley that can't get through because of suitcases in the way. Such glamour. It definitely helps as I'm currently doing regular trips to North Wales from Dorset as a social worker to visit a child in a residential school because we couldn't find a more suitable school any nearer. It's a crazy situation in a broken children's social care system but that's another story. Ali, to be honest we'd really like to hear a bit about your stories. You do not have to personalize it and obviously you could

meld some stories together in order to protect anonymity. But I think it's something that we don't talk about often enough. That voice of children who are in care quite often is a story that isn't told until much further down the line in their adult life and obviously you are at the forefront of some of these situations and that just sounds incredibly difficult. North Wales to Dorset is quite a schlep. That's incredible isn't it? So thank goodness that you've got a decent train actually to be sitting on and presumably with the Vanity West it's not necessarily the stock, it's the way that the stock is being used. Would that be fair? The trains themselves Fee? Are they lovely? They're perfectly acceptable. It's just the service itself is sometimes, shall we say, unreliable.

But as you know, I had a very, very helpful conversation with the press officer of Antewest and he couldn't have been nicer actually, that man that was after the incident on the hard shoulder as I attempted to make an epic journey from Liverpool back to London on that difficult and challenging date for public transport in the UK, the 27th of December. But anyway, all seems like ancient history now. And I really, like you, I think that we need to hear more from our correspondent about just that. I mean, it's just the first... Yes, shine a light on that for us.

Do please. Yeah, again, obviously, as Fee says, without revealing anything that would and should remain confidential. Hello to Pam, avid listener of the pod, first time emailer. Long time listener? Oh, avid listener of the pod, first time emailer. Doesn't that count? Oh, you wanted the fan... We haven't decided what it is yet. Well, can't you just do your oboe... No, not really.

Mournful way. What, you did it? I did laugh when Jane remembered Nooky Bear from childhood. Me and my best friend were both proud owners of this questionable t-shirt which we bought from CNA. I kept it for years as I was fond of it. I live in Hightown, it's not far from Crosby. If Jane, if you fancy a trip to Hightown, it has a new coffee shop and a revamped pub. It would be good to see you. I enjoy my connection to Liverpool as I have an L in my postcode. However, most Scousers would call me posh. I'm sure they do because I'm sure you are Pam. Thank you very much. Do you remember Nooky Bear? There we go. There's the CNA t-shirt.

I don't remember Nooky Bear at all. Until now, Pam, I hadn't actually realised that Nookie was called Nookie because of its association with sexual activity. So that's why the bear was called Nookie. Until this very moment, Pam, I'd never made that connection. So that's what people in Hightown bring to the podcast. They do. Thank you very much for that. Okay, I'm a bit confused.

Well, Nooky Bear was owned by Roger de Corsi and Roger de Corsi came into my head because we were talking about... Roger de Quincy, the second Earl of Winchester. Exactly, how did you bring that back? I mean, no one can say, they say there are politics podcasts and there are history podcasts, there's nothing like our podcast for merging everything. I mean the way you brought that to the forefront of your subconscious there, that is superb. Well, it was our detailed research on the lexicon behind lady bank, wasn't it? I don't think lexicon is the right word. I always get the whatever. We have roamed the highways and byways of the British Isles and also of our own minds

and yours this week and thank you very much. Anyway, back to Roger De Quincey who's not Roger De Quincey. And they never met. And if they'd married and had a gay partnership they'd have been the Rogers... De Quincey. And we would have wished them well. But I suspect such things would have been frowned upon certainly in Roger De Quincey's time back then in the 13th century.

I'm just, I'm sorry but I'm genuinely a bit concerned about Roger De Corsi now having a bear called Nucky because it was based on snogging. What's this from? It's from the 70s. The showbiz world back then wasn't quite as it should have been. I don't know about you, where do you stand on ventriloquism? I can't stand ventriloquism. You can't even say it, never mind the standard. Just the notion, you know that somebody's got their hand up the puppet's bum. I know. And you just spend the whole time watching the ventriloquist's mouth to see if you can catch them out moving.

It's such an odd thing to want to be good at. It's bizarre. Which a six-year-old grows up saying, I really want to be able to speak without moving my lips. Let's concentrate on that instead of geography and physics. That's all I want to do. That's how I see my future. And remember, this is another bit of a nugget for the young ones. They used to do ventriloquism on the radio. They really did. I do remember though, being so upset when I went to Brownie Camp, again back in the 70s, I don't know why I'm mining this rich scene today. My sister went with my mum to see the Sooty show

when I was away. I just was livid, Fee. How could they have done that? Why did they go without you? I think just to leave me out. I'm still right over it. Sooty and Sue and Sweep were quite a good kind of combo of puppets. Well they weren't horrible and they weren't rude. I think Nookie was probably a bit rude. Yeah I think it's one of the things we should be grateful for the animation and computer aided designers taking away the need for people to put their hands up puppets bottoms and perform something. Well let us know what your views on ventriloquism are and if you have a ventriloquist dummy lurking somewhere in your attic maybe you could send us another image. We've been so enjoying the stuff you've been sending in with

your artwork. I bet somebody somewhere has in their family memory locker a showbiz giant or even not a giant who experimented with putting their hands up puppets. But also there's a lot of puppet making that goes on in the primary school era, isn't there? And we've got some truly frightening puppets at home. I'm keeping them because they are so, so scary. They're up there with, you know, most kids will at some stage do a form of pottery, a bit of clay work in primary school, and it doesn't matter what they've tried to create. What comes home looks like a rude vegetable.

It just will have some kind of a phallic quality that will make all of the adults chortle. And obviously there's an innocence there. Oh, it's not meant to look like that. We've got a tractor. Boy, a tractor. We've got a tractor with some vegetables attached to the back of it that is one of the most phallic pieces. Grayson Perry would be proud of it.

It's just got a phallic quality to it that knows no bounds. I'm not going to put it up on the Insta because they're my kids and enough, enough, enough. Can I just say that I finished watching The Gold last night, it's season two of it, and we discussed that on the podcast before, that actually season one was great drama but the portrayal of these villains, horrible, horrible villains, as being a bit kind of charismatic and actually a little bit full of sexy swagger, did take the edge off the series for a lot of people. Can I just say that the portrayal of Kenneth Nye in particular in season two... He was the...

He was part of the Brinks Mat robbery team and he went on to commit the most atrocious murder, which was dubbed road rage, but it really wasn't. There were two young people, Stephen Cameron was the young man who he killed with a knife. They ended up having a bit of a set to on the hard shoulder of a motorway in Kent and he got a knife out and he killed a young man. He's a really, really nasty piece of work. But they really portray him as that in season two. And I thought it was actually really

really good TV so I'd just like to pop that in there as a recommendation and all of that stuff about timeshares in Tenerife which is how John Palmer one of the other villains of the piece made a substantial fortune I mean that was one of the biggest scandals of our time wasn wasn't it? The timeshare selling. I've forgotten about this. Was this people who bought timeshares but in fact the timeshare didn't exist? It didn't exist or there were so many charges that were coming down the line. You would never actually be able to really enjoy your week in the apartment. It definitely wouldn't save you money, which is what it was builders doing in the long term but you know timeshares I don't think people buy them

now because it became such a tarnished industry but it's it's a magnificently dramatized piece I mean not least because the effort they've gone to to place it back in the 80s and the early 90s and stuff you know right down to the the type of mobile phones they're using and all that kind of stuff. But there's also an awful lot of running. They're always running from the police. And I don't know if anybody will share this feeling. I hate running on the television. It makes me incredibly nervous. When there's a chase with criminals. I almost can't watch it. I just always think, oh, it's going to fall over at any moment. I just said last night...

They wouldn't show it if they fell over. I did have to look away a couple of times. I just thought, oh, running too fast. Well, as Britain's official speediest walker, I would have thought you'd have a certain amount of sympathy for people running on the television. I've mentioned this before, it's worth saying. The ground that, she's not big, but by God the speed this woman walks at. Well maybe the two things are connected. You can cover a lot of ground. The running thing, I don't like it Jo, I want you to stop. The other TV recommendation was Department Q on Netflix wasn't it, that somebody said,

but then other people's are always a bit gruesome. Then someone else says, no, the only gruesome episode, the last episode, give it a whirl. I just haven't got time. I'm too busy housekeeping, as you know. I'm either here or I'm keeping house. Philippa says, greetings. She's written a postcard. Thank you for the cards, which keep on coming and we are very grateful.

Jane and Fee, greetings from central Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan, yeah. Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan, yeah. Kyrgyzstan. Kyrgyzstan. I've been enjoying catching up with Ofair in Kazakhstan, I see, where my daughter is studying Russian on her year abroad from uni. Wow, now that must be incredibly interesting. Last night we took the bus over the border to Kyrgyzstan, where I have bought lots of beautiful felt souvenirs and this postcard.

I wonder if anyone else has ever sent you a card from Bishkek? They haven't have they? This is a tall order that. Thank you very much. So in Kazakhstan nips over the border to Kyrgyzstan and very sensibly buys us a postcard and sends it. Thank you very much indeed. She sent us an image of a yurt camp in the Jetty O'Goose Valley. This is dated the 22nd of May and it arrived I think two days ago Philippa. So it got here and thank you very much. I think that's the most, I'm going to say that is the most exotic card we've had so far isn't it? Throwing out the challenge there. Are you fond of a yurt? I've never stayed in one. I have erected bell tents and

I consider them to be, broadly speaking, similar to a yurt. So I feel I might be at home in a yurt. But are they, these yurts, are traditional, look as though they're made from the, is it cowhide? Is that what a real yurt is made of? Glastonbury has sort of other kinds of yurts, doesn't it? They've got glamping yurts, haven't they? But that's a permanent structure, isn't it? Is it? Okay. Well thank you, we need to know more about the stands. I did speak to a very interesting woman at Haye, actually, who is making documentaries with someone we both know very well. She's been on Times Radio quite a lot and this is a woman who works with her on making her extraordinary travel documentaries. Who? Bettany Hughes. Oh, Bettany Hughes.

One of her colleagues I was speaking to at Hay and she said they're trying to get into the stands at the moment because apparently there's all sorts of undiscovered, uncelebrated glories in the stands and we need to know more about them but you'll be amazed here Fie that they're not always the easiest people to deal with. Does that surprise you when be amazed here, Fee, that they're not always the easiest people to deal with. Does that surprise you when you ping off an email to one of the stand's tourist boards, that they sometimes don't reply?

Well, maybe they don't want us. Why do we need to know everything about everywhere? Well, because we do! We're extremely nosy and important. Now we've trashed the Mediterranean. We've turned our noses up at Florida. Not going there. Not going there while that evidence is in. We've decided that we're going to holiday in the Nordic regions because their weather conditions are still suitable to our very pale skins. And marvellous country. Absolutely marvellous countries. And now we're going to head off to the stands.

I'm with the stands, tourist forms. Are you? Okay, well maybe that could be your next role. Just putting the phone down. Just slamming the phone down. Like they used to do at Leicester police station when I rang to see if anything had happened in the 1990s. Anyway, I'm over that. I'm over so many things that have happened to me and thwarting my journalistic career. Shall we talk? Because I wanted to mention something happy. Oh, who's our big guest?

Harry Redner. Unbelievable, isn't it? Variety is still our middle name. Guide dog fostering. I just love this because I didn't know it was possible and I think people would love to hear about it. I want to share my guide dog fostering experience after hearing the email from the listener whose daughter has an assistant assistance dog. We're currently in week 13 and it's been one of the most wonderful experiences of my life. Buster, photo attached, yes there's Buster, he does look sweet, is an 18 month old golden Labrador Retriever cross. He's doing his initial training at the moment, that takes around six months depending on the dog. So we take him to guide dog school every day between eight and nine and then we collect him between five and six. We have to send him in with his lunch and he has a

home school book. I can't believe this. There are lots of things we mustn't do with him, e.g. we mustn't let him on the sofa because his future blind owner may not want this. We mustn't allow him to have things that could be withdrawn at a later date. My husband and I are both 62 and we are transitioning into retirement. I was a primary school teacher and although I know I don't have the energy anymore, I have missed that buzz of being with children every day. So I work part time in a different role supporting parents and preschool children who have an autism diagnosis in their homes. A lovely job but I can feel lonely at times because I don't catch up with my colleagues regularly. Buster has brought sunshine back into my life in a way I never thought possible.

Every day he makes a smile. And we've lived in St. Auburn's for nearly 10 years. And I have spoken to more people in the past 14 weeks than in the previous decade. And I do think that's significant. It's because our correspondent, who is Diane, goes out and about in St.

Auburn's with Buster, and people are just drawn to him because they are so lovely, these these golden retrieversvers and people just want to get involved and they want to know what they're up to. So does Buster identify himself as a foster guide dog? So is she taking him in a harness? She must be. Hence a real conversation starter. Because I do agree actually just having a dog full stop it just enables so many people to strike up a conversation With you via the dog. It's a wonderful thing. She does go on to say I'm such a proud foster mom I've just got to share he is currently top of the class. Oh

That's right when you can't you can share I mean honestly how proud you must be We've been on a steep learning curve though the first couple of weeks. It did feel like having a baby He can be very cheeky and he grabbed and swallowed one of my husband's socks and we spent a late night at the dog equivalent of A&E while they induced vomiting and then they stopped the vomiting. Right, thanks. Gladbusters over that. We have two cats that have got used to a dog in the house. It's been gradual but they're all good friends now. Like you and your listeners I despair of so much that's happening in our world at the moment and I just wonder at animals ability to rub along and see the positives in each other without

the need to manipulate or corrupt or bully. Diane thank you so much for that and what a lovely thing to be able to do looking after a guide dog. I know you're going to have to give up the guide dog but as you say Buster's going to make a wonderful, well more than companion to the person who gets them in the future. Fantastic. We were at Paddington station on a really really busy Saturday afternoon last weekend and we saw a guide dog with his or her owner coming across the concourse. It was so busy, you know, there were people just running for trains. It must be incredibly difficult to navigate everyone who's got one of those wheelie cabin bags, you know, tagging along behind them. They're just such a trippable thing aren't they? And the guide dog was just charting a path in a little twist and a little turn here. It was remarkable, Jane, it was just remarkable.

I didn't actually realise that there were people who looked after them before they went to their next step. I just didn't understand that. So this is a whole new world. So thank you for introducing me to it Diana. And I'm also intrigued by the guide dogs who then retire and who takes them on. And because there must be a period of kind of debriefing for a guide dog when they're no longer leading. Yeah, I'm just trying to remember the actor, is it Martin? Very famous. Clunes?

Yes, Martin Clunes has taken, thank you, has taken a retired guide dog. Has he? Yeah. Oh. Let me take you into the world of sexism, chauvinism and lady stunt riders. Now this is a new one. Extraordinary times. This one comes from Fiona, who's a long time listener. Semi-regular writer.

There's no jingle for that. Sorry. At the weekend I attended our local county show. It got off to a bad start when the parking attendant gesticulated at my daughters and me to smile. This led to me ranting about how we don't owe men smiles. I will smile when I bloody well feel like it. My old favourite wouldn't have done that if I was a man. Things got worse when we went to watch a motorbike stunt display. I haven't encountered stunt motorcycle riding since the 80s and Evil Knievel and Eddie Kidd. Sadly, this guy seemed to have remained in the 80s. His colleague was a lady motorbike rider he called Tasty Tina.

Sorry! That's how she's built. Yes. What year is this? Now! Because she's a lady, she rides a smaller pink bike. I found myself having to look up his website to see whether Doug up this dinosaur. I attach a section of it which gives you a flavour of the chauvinistic drivel coming out of his mouth.

When he was going on about tasty Tina struggling to learn wheelies because you know she's a girl, I looked over to my sister who appeared to be about to self-combust with indignation. Right, let's all take a deep breath, here we go, this is from this guy's website. Alongside Ryan is Tasty Tina, the UK's only active lady stunt writer. Because the UK's got lots of inactive stunt writers. Well that's one of our problems. You get Rachel Reeves on to that. On the couch watching the telly. Oh dear, the UK's only active lady stunt rider who adds energy and enthusiasm to the show with her smaller, but still daredevil stunts.

Bless her. Jumping her smaller. I'm not exaggerating anything here. It actually says this. Yep. Jumping her smaller 150cc motorcycle through the air with random screams of excitement as she jumps over more daring and bigger obstacles. Tasty Tina also performs comedy routines with Ryan and tries her best at wheelies which are also a cause of great

excitement for the ladies and girls in the audience. Oh my god! Oh, deep breaths everybody. Tina is also our pyro technician. Oh! Well go figure Ryan, and produces the show's merchandise. Oh bless her, that's probably Irons it as well. Yep, that's more her form isn't it. Stand behind a table and sell things love. Which is available at all shows that we perform at. And so it goes on, so it goes on, so it goes on. I've got one more mention. This experienced motorcycle duo thrive on the cheers of the crowd and do their best to get them shouting and cheering, making the wheelies more daring, and the jumps bigger and bigger. Tasty Tina performs safely alongside Ryan throughout the two different 30-minute displays,

and for a finale uses her pyrotechnic abilities. Oh god, I'm in the brace position now. To do what? Hang on everybody. Uses her pyrotechnic abilities to create an exploding ball of fire that Ryan and his vintage two-stroke fire bike jumps straight through. Well I tell you what Tina, I mean if you ever need a hand just making sure that the exploding ball of fire isn't safe.

There's not quite a lot of our lady listeners and the nice gentleman on board as well. Might be able to help. Right, well that's just so patronising. Okay, hard to believe that's still going on, but it is. Tasty Tina. What would you be? Juicy Jane? Feisty Fee? I've been called that. Yeah, by a very well respected female radio reviewer. Feisty? Fee? Well it's alliterative isn't it? Yeah, it's annoying. Which county show was that out of interest? I don't think it's been placed. I wonder if we... OK. Can you find out where Ryan and Tasty Tina have most recently performed Eve? Thank you. Do you think we should have a day out? Well,

it is, it's county show time, isn't it? This is that time of year when the Three County Show for example in Malvern is on around now and it's that lovely, lovely time of year where all these big agricultural and horticultural events take place. Yeah, they are magnificent. Oh, they are, yeah. Fiona ends by saying, We left as Tina was doing stunts using him as a human ramp. I was silently wishing Tina might accidentally miss or decide to shove her tiny pink motorbike up his crankshaft.

OK, thanks. Thanks so much for that email. Brilliant, Fiona. Yes, many, many, many, many, many thanks. Yes, a little bit feisty yourself, thanks. Thanks so much for that email. Brilliant Fiona, yes. Many, many, many, many, many thanks. Yes, a little bit fussy yourself Fiona. Thank you for the email. Where would we be without your emails?

Now, very briefly I wanted to mention this from Emma because I do think she's got a good point here. I've been listening to your conversations about the transfer of wealth. I thought it was interesting. I'm 35, I'm middle class, my parents have done well, but they're not rich. Now my gut reaction was, well my parents had chances to buy and continually upgrade their homes from a young age and have in many ways amassed wealth through just being born when they were born. Isn't it their duty to pass some of that good fortune on to the next generations who are struggling in comparison. Now Emma, I would say I was probably in the same category as your parents. By pure dint

of good fortune of being born when I was, I have done well out of property as well. Emma goes on to say, but then I also remembered I'm increasingly doubtful I'll inherit very much because of how much care costs. Now, my parents are healthy at the moment, but there's going to be a time when they need care, and I simply won't be able to afford to pay for it. They will have to use my so-called inheritance to foot the bill. I can't be the only millennial and younger

who's coming to this realization. It feels like for the middle classes, the upcoming wealth transfer may be largely claimed by care homes Emma I think you do speak for many people in your generation. It isn't fair I mean, I'd be that I'd be the first to admit it is not fair Some people just depending purely on when they were born are going to be well Will have have done pretty well out of the property market and it's so hard at the moment for young people to get on it and I don't think it really matters whereabouts in the country you are.

If granny or granddad obliges you by dying and passing on some sort of chunk of money that can allow you to get on the property ladder, that's a big help. But it just doesn't happen to most people. Well, no, and I think the point about care being increasingly expensive and it just will become increasingly means-tested, won't it? How could you possibly balance the books with the ageing population tipping the way it is at the moment without making it even more means-tested? And so you would not be able to guarantee, even if you hadn't made your money silently

through accumulating property wealth, it's just not a given that money can be handed down that you'll make your family's life better because the cost of care is just going to go up and up and up and up and up. So it is a, it's quite a painful system to be in but at least we can, you know, we're not having a conversation about there never having been any money in somebody's family and we should recognise there are an awful lot of people who have that. Exactly. Flying Ryan, he's based in Northamptonshire. Northamptonshire. Well that would make sense, there's a lot of high sea seige isn't there in Northamptonshire? Home of Silverstone. Yep. So we've had a couple of emails, sort of broadly speaking on the same topic, one from T and one from a non, and I think I'll just... T, we've

definitely thought of you and thank you for your email. In short, T is, I think she says she is 39 and she wants to know about the experiences of your listeners with medical staff, families and friends with their own pregnancies and births and motherhood in general at her relatively advanced age of 39. So thank you for that query T and Anonymous says, your space is special because it allows the sisterhood to talk to each other over our different stages in life which is very comforting when you're trying to navigate the world as a 20-something. Well, anonymous thank you because I think we're rather proud of that, aren't we? That we do try to offer that without being too pompous. We do try to offer that.

So my question to you and the listeners is what things do you wish you'd considered before having a baby? I don't mean logical things like work and finances and housing as me and my partner have both always been passionate about starting a family ASAP so we put lots of effort into shaping our lives so we are ready. I mean other stuff like did it affect your relationship with your partner or your friendships? Do you feel like there were things that you should have done before you had a baby? Thank you for helping me out. It's not the sort of thing I feel comfortable asking my friends or family, as I want this to be private between me and my partner.

Right. Anonymous, thank you. Shall I answer this just very briefly? I mean, I could go on for four to five days on this topic, Anonymous, but I would say, did it alter my relationship with the father of my children? Yes, but of course that's not, I mean actually it changes regardless of what happens, but there is no doubt that I think some women, and I'd say I was one of them, found it, perhaps more pressure was put on me and I wasn't prepared for that pressure and that led to Shall we say a number of challenges?

However, it also has added so much to my life that it is without question And I'm sure I've said this before the best thing I have ever been able to do and I say able because not everybody is Able and I'm very glad I was able and I did it a lot of friendships I've just made more friends, I've made more friends. I mean, I suppose the child, when you're having a child, if you're in your 20s or 30s, your friendship circle will be around if they are the same age as you, they'll be asking themselves all the same questions, but they will be at different stages, won't they? Some people get pregnant very easily, not everybody does, and there's no doubt about that. That can lead to tensions in friendship groups, can't it?

Yes. I think the question that I'd be happiest to answer out of all of that is about what you should try and do before you have children. I think that's such an interesting one. You know, whether or not there is a kind of bucket list of stuff that you should try and just enjoy together. And I think there is actually, I think you can just be really, really practical about it. I would say definitely try and enjoy every single moment of it just being the two of you. Because it changes so exponentially when you have a child. You've got a third point in your love triangle

that both of you hopefully are focusing on and that completely changes the dynamic between the two of you. So, you know, if you're happy bobbing along just with each other, I'd say just really celebrate that and then just know that it's going to change. Don't mourn its loss, just know that it will change, but you had it once and you know the other side if you're lucky kind of 25 years down the line you might get that feeling back but

you know not everybody does it's just such a different journey for everybody Jane I'm always slightly uncomfortable to kind of... It is very different yeah and I wouldn't I wouldn't I'd shay or discomfort in some ways but I do think you can overthink it that's the other thing but the only other point I'd share your discomfort in some ways, but I do think you can overthink it, that's the other thing. But the only other point I'd make is that please don't underestimate the overwhelming sense of responsibility you will suddenly feel and that is then with you for the rest of your life. So you have to be a bit prepared for that. Yes, and in a way you never can be though because that's what the massive change is. In the same way that you can't imagine grief, you know, people will say,

oh, you should be prepared for this and you should be prepared for that. You cannot manifest it in your life until it happens. But if you've got a good relationship, then go and celebrate that, celebrate that fantastic foundation with each other and just know that what's coming might knock you for six, seven or not at all. But you know, know that you've got something really good to fall back on. That would be my take on it really. But other people might well have little nuggets that they can share

and as ever we will keep you anonymous. And I think being 39 is, I mean it used to be considered ridiculously old but look from my perspective it seems really frisky. So if you and your partner as Fee says are in a good place you get on well together. I know you do actually say that your husband has a chronic illness which has added a layer of complexity to the children question. Well yeah but that is a layer of complexity. That is a layer of complexity, that is a consideration but you know there'll be plenty of people who have who unthinkingly go into parenthood you know

in a very sort of good spirit and then challenges occur along life's highway even before the child is born never never mind afterwards. Life happens to all of us, challenges will crop up. If you and your partner want to have a child, why not try? I mean, you know, just, yeah, you'll be able to give it a great start in life, I'm sure. But don't come to either of us for relationship or indeed parenting advice. Well, you just, you never know what the path of life might take its twists and turns. Somebody else's life is, you know, somebody else's life. It is.

There's been a lot of highfalutin, estrogen based chat. What we need now, Fee, is a great big lovely, lovely hug of a man. Well we've got Harry Redknapp. Welcome Harry. He was crowned the king of the jungle in I'm a Celebrity and he's without question the emperor of football that's what I'm going to call him. Former manager of Bournemouth, West Ham, Portsmouth twice, Southampton Spurs and QPR. He is also renowned as the journalist chum, the man who could always be relied upon to just put his car window

down and give a waiting journo a bit of a juicy quote on transfer deadline day. Here's Harry Redknapp and this weekend he takes charge of Team England at Soccer Aid for UNICEF which is at Old Trafford I think this year, is that right Harry? It is at Old Trafford on Sunday, yeah looking forward to it, should be a great day. Now who have you got in your team England side? Got lots of good ex-footballers, Jack Wiltshire, Jermaine Defoe, Aaron Lennon, loads of really, really good ex-players. And also, obviously, Tom Grenham is a fantastic footballer.

He's one of our celebrity players, who's an excellent footballer. So, yeah, a good lineup and both teams look very strong. I've just been out there on the training pitch with them and looking forward to Sunday. It should be a great game. Yeah. I mean, away from the ex-pros, you've got Paddy McGuinness in goal. Paddy? Yeah. Is he handy? He's a bit more handless when he plays in goal.

Right. He's a bit more handless when he plays in goal. Yeah, no, he's all right, Paddy, he's okay. Yeah, it's normally, see what happens, you have to have a celebrity playing half a game in goal and an ex-pro professional goalkeeper for the other half. So we normally wait until Paddy comes on and bombard him with shots from everywhere. That's probably the best tactic. Okay. You've also got one of my favourite actors, James Nelson Joyce. Now, he's a scouser, so it goes without saying he's bound to be good. Is he good? Yeah, I think he's going to be a decent footballer. Yeah, as you say, all the boys, they can all play from Liverpool. All the guys, the boys and girls from Liverpool,

they all love their football. They're brought up with it. So they're normally very, very good. So I'd be surprised if he's not a good player. I'm also intrigued by Mo Farah. Now, great runner. Is he, how does he handle himself on a football pitch? OK, he's not bad, Mo. You know, sometimes the ball can be a bit of an endurance to him, but in the main it's OK.

When he's just running off the ball he's at his best yes you know he's like a great you know we send him on decoy runs Moe don't run 150 yards up that way 100 yards that way and 100 yards this way and then you know it might take a few defenders with him but the ball doesn't always but no he's great and what a great guy he's just such a mate an amazing fellow you know to do what he did, win Olympic gold in England, you know, for GB, you know, the Olympics in England. I mean, what a man. What has he achieved? It's been incredible. Yes. We don't want to give away

your team's tactics. No. I'd hope the opposition... You haven't got any. You haven't got any, okay. We're still trying to figure them out. It's okay. I'm talking to Vicky McClure, she's my assistant here at the moment. We're waiting, yeah, we're waiting. Tyson Fury's not turned up yet, he's coming. But yeah, Tyson and myself and Wayne Rooney and Vicky are all on the bench together. So, but I think whatever, whoever Tyson, whatever decisions Tyson makes, I think I'll go along with them. Yes, I probably would if I were you. I'm glad that Vicky's there though, a bit of a bit of brains, bit of acumen there on the bench. Absolutely. What a lovely lady she is. She's brilliant. Loved it every year. Many people would have loved you, Harry, to actually manage the England men's team. Yeah. Is this the next best thing for you? Oh yeah, absolutely.

Every year I've done it for so many years now and I have great fun. It's really, you know, we've raised lots of money for charity, for the UNICEF and it's a great charity. So everybody comes along, we all give out a bad time, free of charge, and just come and enjoy it and try to raise as much money as we can. And yeah, everybody, Tony Bellew, Tony, you know, ex-World Champion, he's just decided to boot a ball without even warming up and just tore his groin. But he's probably so tough, he'll play on with it.

Has any celebrity genuinely surprised you with their natural ability over the years? Yeah, I mean, Tom Grenham's a really good player. Tom's got great ability, can really play. I think he could have played at a level, you know, he could have certainly lower divisions and without a doubt he's a real talent, you know. Mark Wright was always a good player. Mark was outstanding, you know, when Mark played all over the years. So there's always a few of the guys who are really good, yeah.

And the girls this year, we're not sure who's going to be the best out of them, but Jill Scott's here, so she was obviously a great player. So they'll be good. Yeah, and actually, was it Ellen White scored the first goal by a woman at Soccer Aid? That's right, yes. Yeah, I was here, yeah. So it's great. So, yeah, the girls get to play now, and at least, you know, we have to have the rules on this year. We've seen the change.

I think maybe three on anyone have to be on at one time. So it gives a nice balance to the game. I mean, it's quite amazing. We've got Leonardo Benucci here, who's won everything there is to win. Italian international, played for Juventus, won the Euros when they beat England at Wembley a few years ago. He has won ago. He has won everything. He's looking at it and he's thinking, what is this? I'm looking at

his face. He can't quite make out what is going on here. We're all out there, people trying to kick a ball, can't kick a ball, falling over the ball and he's thinking, oh my God, what is this? But I said, listen, you'll have a great time. So I'm sure he will. Can we talk about England and their performance this week against Senegal? Now, I'm guessing that you and Sandra were on the sofa at home, taking it all in. What did you make of it? Do you know what? I have to be perfect. I'm going to be honest with you. I don't even watch the friendly games. I don't. And Dora and whoever we're playing, Azerbaijan or someone, I can't be, you know, winning 10-0 normally back in the day we did anyway.

So I didn't, and I was actually out that night, so I wasn't around, but I was following the score on my phone and I was quite surprised. But Senegal have got some very good players, if you look, a lot of them playing in the Premier League. I mean, Senegal, I watched most of the game, they've got some very good players. The suggestion is always that England are just a bunch of pampered individuals who just are no good at being a cohesive unit when they've got that white England shirt on. Could you have motivated them do you think, even in a friendly against Senegal? Yeah, listen, I still think it's that with that squad we should be winning a tournament.

I really mean that. I think that the last few years we should have had a tournament under our belt by now and the manager's got a great opportunity still. We've got some outstanding young players in this country who would, you know, get them in the right system, get the best out of them and I'm sure there's a tournament there for us to win. Whether it be the World Cup won't be easy out in America but I do think that there's a chance that if he can get it right too, it's a great opportunity for him. So let's just keep our fingers crossed and hope we can finally do it. Do you think Tuchel is the right man for the job? I mean I was interested in what he said about Bellingham's behaviour. This might be a language problem, by the way. He said his mother, this is Thomas Tuchel, would have thought that

Bellingham's, let's call it, stroppy attitude after the game was something his mum would have found repulsive. Now, what do you make of that? No, I think Thomas Tuchel actually speaks better English than me. So I think that I think he knows what he's saying. I think he said what he meant. So I mean, to listen, how many times do you see players go back home to play for their countries and they slag the manager off or they in their own when they're doing a press conference back in wherever it may be. And then it gets back and so it was transit lost in translation. He knew what he was saying, he said what he meant. Now maybe, I don't know if they're trying to backtrack on it, but he said what he said. He's a very

clever guy, speaks perfect English, he knew exactly what he was saying. Right, okay, so do you think some of Bellingham's behaviour is frankly repulsive? No, no, I didn't see him. I think he's a fantastic footballer. I know he comes from a lovely family. He is temperamental though. Yeah, I suppose. Well, yeah, he wants to win, doesn't he? He wants to win. He cares. He wants to win. He gets the hump when he's not winning and he doesn't like it. He shows it. He wears his heart on his sleeve a bit. I didn't see what he did, but if he booted a water bucket, I've booted water buckets before when I've been on the touchline as a manager. That's how

you get when you want to win. It's something you can lose your head for a second or 10 seconds and you probably calm down after. Listen, he's a great player. He is for sure. Declan Rice will be England captain for many years to come. I don't know which one of them it will be, but they both would make great captains of England, so it would be interesting. What about old Kyle Walker? Has he played his last game for England? No, he's great players. He's 150, Harry. No, I signed him. I signed him an 18-year-old from Sheffield United. I took him to Tottenham. He's the machine. He's still the best right back. I didn't see it again. Was he bad the other night?

He was pretty slow. I mean look. He ain't slow. He's lightning. Well he wasn't the other night. I tell you what, I still think he could beat me in a race. Well yeah. I don't know whether he'd beat your midfield general Mo Farah. To be fair, General Icah's Harry I think. I don't know if he could beat Mo. No, I don't think he could either. OK, so Kyle Walker stays in your England team. Yes. What is, honestly, just to be realistic,

what's the best England fans can hope for next summer? Seriously. Winning the World Cup. No, but that's not going to happen, Harry. It won't. It's coming home. It's coming. Football's coming home. It's coming. Football's coming home. It's coming home. We're going to win it.

Yeah, but Gareth Southgate should have won one and he didn't. He nearly did. He didn't, no, he didn't, unfortunately. But listen, Tuchel, I can't say too much about Tuchel. I get in trouble. I got in trouble the other week. So I was only having a joke about him. Yeah, we know. I wasn't going to get you on that. I like Tuchel.

Do you? Yeah, OK. But I think I've really, in all honesty, I want to see Eddie Howe as England manager, if I'm truthful. But Eddie had a great job at Newcastle and he will probably get the job in the future. But in the meantime, Tuchel is got a good record and he's got a great opportunity to do something great for this country. So let's hope he can do it. Do you have any concerns, Harry, about the links between particularly the Premier

League and betting companies? And I ask you, very well aware, as many listeners will be, that you do work with one of the betting companies. We know that some young men in particular are pretty vulnerable around betting. Are you worried about it? I don't know what it's like. Yeah, of course I worry about it in life in general with people. It's an illness. It's an addiction. It's like other terrible addictions and gambling is a big addiction. I don't think gambling adverts, honestly, and I mean this, it's in you. You're a gambler.

You know, you get with your mates, and you're not looking at a TV and someone's telling you a bet, and you think, oh yeah, I'm gonna go and have all my money, lose all my wages on. It's, if you've got an addiction like that, then go to Gamblers Anonymous, get help, because it is a bad addiction.

It can affect your life, it can affect your family. So I'm not sitting here encouraging, you know, and every gambling company says gamble, you know, responsibly. And that is the answer. Don't chase your money when you're losing because if you chase, you'll get worse in and then you become really addicted to it. So be careful. Yeah, it is though hard, I think, for a lot of people to understand the continued link between football and the gambling industry. I mean, it's nothing to do with sport really. I know it has been for decades linked to sport, but it is an odd link, isn't it? Well, they pump so much money and that's why the football industry obviously wants the gambling

companies, but they're involved in all sports, not just football. Oh, I know, yeah. They sponsor, you know, every sport that's going, they're involved in probably. So, and yeah, if people want to have a bet, it's great fun. I love a bet. I love having a bet. I love a bet on Saturday, on the racing, on the football. I enjoy it. I love a bet on the golf now, on the American, the US Open. But you know, don't bet when you can't afford. Don't lose your money. Don't make your family suffer with it. That's the key. Harry, thank you very much. That's Harry Redknapp. I'd like to go out to all the people in that terrible air crash. You know, in my prayers that it's so sad to hear that news today.

It's absolutely devastating. Thank you, Harry. Harry Redknapp, who is supporting that UNICEF game Soccer Aid. It's this Sunday at Old Trafford in Manchester and it's going to be shown on ITV1. It's worth saying that Harry has written a book about his lifelong love affair with his dear wife Sandra. It's called When Harry Met Sandra. Get this for you. the subtitle is more than 50 years of marriage, love, life and strife. Well that's your birthday present completely sorted. Coming up. Placing an order now. Harry Redknapp. We can agree on that can't we? We certainly can. One of the loveliest moments of TV was Harry Redknapp in the jungle. I'm a celebrity get me out of here. Had hadn't seen Sandra, his precious

wife for a good couple of weeks and they planted her in a grove where Harry discovered her and he genuinely, you could tell from his expression, he didn't know that she was going to be there. He did recognise her. He did recognise her. The love between them, it was just a moment. It was an absolute moment caught on camera where he was just so, so happy to see her. So it'd be very similar if you were on I'm a Celebrity, get me out of here. And I was planted. Yes, you would be. You would be a bit like it. You wouldn't be like it at all.

Oh, no, come on. Right, have a decent couple of days and we will be heading in your direction, although if I'm navigating, that's not really a guarantee. Get out of the way! Next week. Take care, it's Joan and Fia at Times.Radio. Congratulations, you've staggered somehow to the end of another Off Air with Jane and Fee. Thank you. If you'd like to hear us do this live, and we do do it live, every day, Monday to Thursday, 2 till 4 on Times Radio. The jeopardy is off the scale and if you listen to this you'll understand exactly why that's the case. So you can get

the radio online on DAB or on the free Times Radio app. Off Air is produced by Eve Salisbury and the executive producer is Rosie Cutler.