Off Air... with Jane and Fi - Two tiny halves of a big-gobbed broadcasting hole

Episode Date: October 22, 2025

Fi is still easing herself back onto solid foods, so she joins from home. She and Jane are preparing to shortly pop off to an awards luncheon — they're so showbiz... Before that, they chat house-wif...ery wisdom, emergency farmhouse loaves, AI, and luxury pet hotels. Plus, Nancy the greyhound makes a brief surprise appearance! We've announced our next book club pick! 'Just Kids' is by Patti Smith. You can listen to the playlist here: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3qIjhtS9sprg864IXC96he?si=uOzz4UYZRc2nFOP8FV_1jg&pi=BGoacntaS_uki.If you want to contact the show to ask a question and get involved in the conversation then please email us: janeandfi@times.radioFollow us on Instagram! @janeandfiPodcast Producer: Eve SalusburyExecutive Producer: Rosie Cutler Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Transcript
Discussion (0)
Starting point is 00:00:00 And obviously, if we win the award, I'm going to give you a very, very big hug. I literally, I don't want you to. Your weekend, your weekend could be dicey. Okay, Wednesday has dawned and I'm delighted to say that we can make contact with Fee. She's not with me, but she's not far away. As the crow flies, you're only about. it about a mile away from where I am at London Bridge? I think it's very close. It's about 1.2 miles, yeah.
Starting point is 00:00:36 Yeah, okay. But due to traffic weirdness and the way that the tube lines run, it's about 750 miles in terms of trying to get there on a daily basis. But I'm at home just because it seemed a bit silly to come all the way over London Bridge and then come all the way back to go to our award ceremony, which is even closer. That's about 10 minutes down the road. So what are we up for, Jane?
Starting point is 00:01:02 What are we up for? Well, it's the London Press Club Awards. I mean, by some margin fee, they are the most prestigious awards in media. Very much so. I mean, you are... We've maybe never heard of them before. But that doesn't matter. They're extraordinarily important.
Starting point is 00:01:24 And the ceremony is taking place. And I am intrigued by this at the stationers hall. And I think we've been talking, haven't we, about all these incredible establishments in the city. These livery companies and things like that. So I looked it up and it looks an amazing venue. Anyway, bogg all that. We've been nominated slightly curiously for broadcaster of the year because we are two tiny halves of a big gobbed broadcasting hole
Starting point is 00:01:53 and we're very flattered, don't we? We won't win, but we're very flattered. Well, we are because we're actually, we're up against really proper solid journalists like Jeremy Bowen so it will it will be delightful to be there and we are fascinated by all these livery companies and the just amazing headquarters that they have and we should definitely report back on our surroundings and also because we might not have too much to report about in terms of reward acceptance speech and all those kind of things and i certainly won't be eating anything for the lunch so you know if we're short of
Starting point is 00:02:29 We'll talk about the venue instead. I'm sorry. No, we don't want to be pessimistic, but I don't think either of us would complain if we lost to any of the other nominees. Let's just put it that way. No, not at all. It's really amazing.
Starting point is 00:02:45 It's genuinely amazing to be nominated. So all hail to the London Press Club for that. And I'm very much going to join the London Press Club in future because obviously it's a very august institution in the media. We should both very much be part of it. So I'm sorry to have left you on your own for the last couple of days, Jane. I did wake up on Monday morning.
Starting point is 00:03:07 I felt absolutely fine. I starred my emails. I always like to do so they're ready for Eve when she gets to work. And then you know that moment, we won't dwell on this too much. You know that sudden moment you get where you just think I'm in the wrong room in my house. I need to move to a different room in my house with toilet facilities. With a flush mechanism. Exactly.
Starting point is 00:03:28 Exactly. It was just like, what's that about? It just out of nowhere. It just seemed in. And I did think that I'd eaten a dodgy fish finger because I did that really silly thing on Sunday nights. Neither of the kids were here. I thought I'll just, I'll make myself something from the freezer. Because obviously I'm such a hair shirt, mother. And so I opened the freezer. The only thing that was really in there, apart from some incredibly dodgy looking samosas and obviously a large bottle of vodka with some fish fingers. And they had a january. January 24 used by date, but I honestly thought, Jane, and I'd appreciate your housewifely wisdom on this, that with frozen fish, I mean, it's been in, it's been in a deep freeze sometimes for about a decade, hasn't it, before it even gets made into a fish finger. So I thought it would be fine. So I might have given myself food poisoning with that, or it might be, you know, the dreaded. You can't catch it by saying it, but, well, I don't know. But anyway, I'm sorry that I left you in the lurch a bit, and I'm sure you've done masterful. things over the last couple of days.
Starting point is 00:04:30 Well, it's quite interesting because actually I really needed to see you on Monday because I needed to thoroughly debrief the events of Sunday night, which I haven't so far been able to do. I have bored some of the others here about it. Can I just say, is free? God, have I escaped? Have I escaped in that case?
Starting point is 00:04:46 No, because you could pause for a moment on my illness there if you chose to or we could just leap into your Sunday night. Entirely up to you. Are you feeling better? Right. What did you do on Sunday? night, Jane. Actually, just in practical terms about today's lunch, you had ordered something, hadn't you? So perhaps I could have it if you do. No. Well, I'm going to bring my Tupperware
Starting point is 00:05:10 and I'm going to take my lunch home with me and eat it at a time of my choosing in the future. But then you're dicing, you'll just be having bread rolls. You're dicing with another digestive disaster, aren't you, if you drag your shavings home from the ceremony today and then stick it in the microwave in three weeks' time. Don't do that. Even I'll eat it. No, well, Nance could have it. No, it's fine, no, I'm going to take, because it's venison, Jane. I really ordered the venison. And I won't be eating it. Seriously, I'll be having one bread roll and sparkling water.
Starting point is 00:05:38 But now I'm going to take my little tappeware box with me. Okay. Waste not hot. No, okay. Do you, because I always do this, I have a frozen farmhouse white loaf in the freezer for just these sort of eventualities. When, you know, when you're gingerly going back to solids
Starting point is 00:05:54 and the only thing you can really face is just a simple, carbohydrate. And I swear by Lukazade, actually. I do think Lukazade is the gift that can just jush up your digestive tract after an emergency incident of the nature you've more or less described. I completely agree, but because I'm not as well-stocked in my kind of prep area, so I didn't have the white loaf in the fridge, and also that just gets eaten by teens at 3 o'clock in the morning. That's why the freezer was so depleted. And I didn't And I just never buy Lukazade at all. So I did have that yearning for something sugary, sweet and fizzy.
Starting point is 00:06:36 So I had a lovely fever-free tonic. Yeah, okay. I'm just going to write on my hand. It's a middle-class Lucas Aid, darling. Buy Lucas Aid. Yeah, I normally have some in. I don't think, I think I am out of it at the moment. So I'm going to make sure I'll have a time.
Starting point is 00:06:52 Well, look, let this be a lesson to you because, yeah, I mean, I might sit quite close to you at lunch today. And, you know, and obviously, if we win the award, I'm going to give you a very, very big hug. I literally, I don't want you to. Your weekend could be dicey. Anyway, look, you've done ever so well. You've dwelt on my illness for three minutes. What did you do on Sunday night? And are you sure you haven't debriefed it already?
Starting point is 00:07:18 No, not on the podcast. Not really, because it was an event organized by the showbiz, kind of, it's a showbiz benevolent charity. It's called the Water Rats and our agent had a table there and I was lucky enough to go along on Sunday night and Fee, it was a window into a world I didn't know existed. And first of all, it's so counterintuitive to be going out on a Sunday evening. So just imagine this. I'm on my Shays Long at home. It's a Sunday, it's about a quarter past four. Liverpool are playing Manchester United on the television at 4.30.
Starting point is 00:07:56 So plenty to look forward to the Sunday. papers are scattered around. I've got the Archer's omnibus. I'm in elasticated waist clothing, but I have to get changed into a ponzi dress and go out to a do. It just didn't feel right. It did not feel right. Why didn't you just say no? Because I thought it was on a Saturday. So imagine my surprise when I realized it was going to be on a Sunday evening. But in all fairness, it's not every, it's not every night you get to share the table with Moira Stewart. and Angela Rippen.
Starting point is 00:08:29 So I'm not going to knock it. Moira's got some cracking one-liners and Angela was looking absolutely resplendent. It's quite interesting to be around Angela Rippen because now wherever she goes, she is probably the most famous person in the room and people just, they do demand she's got to do so many photographs. And it's quite an insight into what it must be like.
Starting point is 00:08:53 Anyway, an interesting night, not without incident. and more details will be forthcoming, though I suspect not on the podcast. That's all I'll say. But it is for a very good charity, so I hope lots of money was raised. Well, I don't think that you can tease our podcast audience like that. So if there's any other nugget that isn't libelous would just very mean, I think that they would appreciate dropping it in. Well, put it this way.
Starting point is 00:09:20 A Lifetime Achievement Award was given out to a man who, bizarrely, we have actually referenced on Offair relatively recently and that is the puppeteer Roger DeCauce who worked alongside Nookie Bear and he got a Lifetime Achievement Award and there was a short film of Nooky Bear's highlights played to the gathering. So there's just a little insight
Starting point is 00:09:45 into the kind of the mood in the room. It was Basil Brush's material it wouldn't be something we'd book for our do. Let's put it that way. But he's got his admirers. What's the matter, Eve? Do I see, Fee, is there a radio playing in the background?
Starting point is 00:10:04 No, it's the builders outside. Tell them to shut up. So, you're lucky. I have asked them if they cannot do their sanding for the next half an hour, because otherwise this podcast would be accompanied by,
Starting point is 00:10:21 you know, there's a terrible, that floor sanding sound is terrible, isn't it? which was going on, but I can't tell them to stop singing. No, well, you can. Yeah, it's quite, I suppose, it's after a fashion. Are you having a ballroom built? Are you doing a trump? What's happening?
Starting point is 00:10:38 Oh, no, it's not my builders. No, there's two doors down. They've just got very powerful diaphragms. They can project. God. Well done then. It's quite funny, isn't it? Because when they're on site, they are only within about two feet of each other,
Starting point is 00:10:53 but they just bellow all the time. So I've heard a lot of conversations over the last couple of days. I tell you what, I did have to confine myself to the sofa completely for the day on Monday. And obviously, because I am still vaguely intellectually viable, I couldn't watch live daytime television. So I found myself on Channel 5 watching Murder Before Evensong, which is the latest vehicle for the creative talents of the Reverend Richard Coles. and it's really good Jane
Starting point is 00:11:24 if you were hoping for a little put down there it's really good my sister said she was thoroughly enjoying it so that's too satisfied customers I just want well there we are there's a solid recommendation people so far are very disappointed by Leonard and Hungry Paul
Starting point is 00:11:40 on BBC 2 I think it is oh yes we've had a couple of emails and I did catch the last 10 minutes of it the other night and I thought all goodness I'm just not going to be able to watch this because I did really, really, really love the book. And I know other people have a much, much broader capacity for kind of embracing all different adaptations of things.
Starting point is 00:12:03 But I just, I felt that having a female narrator, and it's Julia Roberts, isn't it? I don't know why, but it just really, it just really didn't ring true for me. Because the lovely thing about it is you, you kind of hear the male voice and a quiet male voice. I mean, the male voice that we just. really want to hear more of Jane that's the thing isn't it not the shouty strong man voices so it's
Starting point is 00:12:28 a bit weird that it's Julia Roberts telling us how these young men are feeling have you seen it no and I'm kind of with you I don't think I'll bother because I thought that book was it was very unusual and very special and quite unusually for me I remember bits of that book so I and I often read quite a lot and I don't things don't always stick with me but elements of that book have And, yeah, I think it, yes, I think it's a missed opportunity. In a way, I'm just sad they did it, really. But anyway, they have. And I suppose it's good to have that kind of those, I hate the expression,
Starting point is 00:13:06 small lives celebrated in television form. Because we can't all be dashing around the countryside in flack jackets, sorting out terrorists. Some of us are just popping to the shop. Yeah, and that was the beauty of it. Yeah, yeah. So I think television's ability to convey that, I don't know, it might be, it feels it slightly diminishes the amazing descriptions as well in the book.
Starting point is 00:13:30 But people can do both. I mean, maybe lots of people will watch the TV program and think, oh, you know, I want to know more about this. I will read the book. I'm never able to do that, actually. It just has to be a kind of one-off attack on my senses, which is probably why I can't watch Jane Austen adaptations. Yes, well, you stick to your principles. We have had some emails about our, well, one I think quite generous podcaster described Thursday's podcast as gonzo podcasting.
Starting point is 00:14:01 This was our attempt to describe the behind-the-scenes events on our journey to Cheltenham and indeed what it was like in the green room at Cheltenham. Other people just said never attempt anything like that again. So I thought our descriptions of the countryside were very interesting and a lot of people were fascinated by the detail of which, Which station is the one on that line where the train changes direction and it slightly takes you by surprise, even though it's happened to you before. Hang on, Eve's got the definition of gonzo.
Starting point is 00:14:33 Denoting journalism of an exaggerated, subjective and fictionalised style, or very strange or bizarre. Yeah, well, that's probably about right. Well, there we go. Yes. But just, I suppose, in an attempt to defend ourselves, we didn't have an awful lot to go on. We couldn't. Dolly, we never have anything to go on.
Starting point is 00:14:53 No, but when we planned it and we thought, okay, we'll do the podcast on the train, I think you and I were imagining that we might be in a slightly quieter carriage, so we'd be able to do emails. So I'd printed out the emails that I wanted. You've got the ones ready that you wanted. And then we realised that actually we couldn't read out people's personal emails in a public space. No. Because that is, we were not on GDPR, were we?
Starting point is 00:15:17 We were on GWR. Oh, well, God. Thank you. I think you might be getting better. So we couldn't do that. So we did just have to chat about the strange men making a GOD zone somewhere outside Stroud and hope that people would forgive us. And also, I thought we were going to put the guest into the podcast.
Starting point is 00:15:38 So, you know, it would just be a trailer to something more exciting. I didn't actually realise that was it. So I'm sorry about that. What can we say? We're both sorry. And to the many people asking, the Penny Lancaster podcast, I did mention this. yesterday will be a seasonal treat for you sometime in the kind of armpit of December. You can enjoy it then because she was lovely.
Starting point is 00:15:59 And honestly, we've had some really nice emails fee from people just saying that they just had a lovely day. They went along, perhaps they were on their own, and they found someone to talk to, and they really enjoyed it. And it was casting all cynicism aside, it was a really lovely atmosphere in that room. And we're very grateful to everybody who rocked up and was a part of it. very much so so the people
Starting point is 00:16:21 and actually we should give them a bit of a name check maybe we can do that on the podcast tomorrow the people who came and sat through our live radio show which was quite funny Jane Austeneges
Starting point is 00:16:30 it was us at a very large table doing very serious interviews about the economy and there were lots of people because it's just in it's in the part of the Cheltenham Literature Festival site created specifically
Starting point is 00:16:44 for Times and Sunday Times subscribers and readers So there's a bar there where you can talk about all of the wine that gets recommended on the wine club by Will Lyons. You've got Suduco puzzle consoles and that kind of stuff. So there were lots of people who just come in to do some day drinking and a crossword and just found us sitting at a desk doing very serious interviews about world events, whilst also trying to do the occasional selfie in between in a handy news junction.
Starting point is 00:17:13 I mean, it was quite odd. Not to mention the elderly chap in. an all-encompassing anorak who um anyway let's um and also the man who just had his back to us doing a seducco in the corner um we hope he enjoyed his day we hope everyone enjoyed their day as much as we did um can i just briefly move on to um some emails because we've had lots of lovely ones over the last uh couple of days and thank you very much for them i just want to mention an anonymous listener who's going through a pretty horrible time and she just says um she's looking for some guidance and advice. She says, my mom died at the start of last year from cancer. She was 61 and I was 29 when
Starting point is 00:17:52 she died. And our listener, I'm just paraphrasing, so I hope she forgives me, has listened to podcasts about grief, the grief gang, grief cast, therapy works. And they do give good advice. But sometimes I yo-yo between being fine, content and proud of who I am. And then I swing to the other extreme and I just feel sad, numb and overwhelmed. She says it's like I'm in a washing machine and I feel as though I'm being thrown around by my emotions. A few friends that I thought were true and lifelong have stopped replying to my messages.
Starting point is 00:18:26 Other people are really supportive and kind and are good company, but they do have their own lives and families and things occupying their minds. She then goes on to say that she's studying for some exams which signed really, really tough. their accountancy exams she's passed three of the four but the last one is really difficult and there's so much to learn um she says revision timetables don't work for me because i immediately feel behind and not
Starting point is 00:18:52 good enough i just feel i'm sure you probably agree fee that this this woman is just asking too much of herself isn't she she's still grieving for her mom of course she is and she's just trying to put herself through these exams as well and i just i just think it sounds like too much yeah but i think it's difficult to know in those first months or years after losing somebody so important in your life, which obviously her mom was to her. I think it's really difficult to know your boundaries because they just change so massively. And that kind of grief where it changes who you are as a person because you are no longer a mother's or a father's child. And it's a weird thing to say, but I think anybody who has lost a parent,
Starting point is 00:19:40 you just, you lose something and you kind of grow something, but you don't really know what it is for quite a long time. So I think the expectation to just carry on doing what you thought you were capable of before is just really, it's a really, really tough ask. And nobody would mind if you just took your foot off the pedal. But if you're doing something like it is exams and there's a deadline and all of that kind of stuff,
Starting point is 00:20:06 it's so hard to do that Jane so I suppose you know you do push on through but don't beat yourself up about it your whole world has changed forever so you have as well yeah I mean it is tough this isn't the only email we've had recently
Starting point is 00:20:22 from someone who says as this correspondent does that her job is in a sector that's facing an uncertain financial future and I'm worried I'll be made redundant so I thought the exams would put me in good stead to find other accountancy jobs. So many people, I think, are under pressure because they're worried about, well, AI is one factor, obviously. And yeah, we are in slightly rocky economic times as well.
Starting point is 00:20:48 Well, we are. And I mean, to kind of revert to our news journalists, let's put our caps back on. The, calling the budget so far down the line, I think personally, Jane, has been a bit of a mistake. Because we're still, what are we five, five weeks away from the budget? It's November the 26th. Yeah, yeah. And usually it's happened, hasn't it, by this stage in the autumn? And I don't think you can underestimate just how choppy people feel the waters are. And I remember when the budget was announced, which was, you know, back of the end of the summer, wasn't it?
Starting point is 00:21:21 Just thinking, oh my God, we've all got to wait that long because there is, you know, they've been running a lot of flags up the pole. So will it be income tax thresholds that change? Will it be more on national insurance? Will it be something on VAT? Will there be anything about protecting jobs in sectors that might be affected by AI? Is it only going to be the wealthy? You know, there are just so many conversations being had which just add to a level of uncertainty that we are completely, I mean, AI and what it does to all of us, it just feels completely
Starting point is 00:21:52 beyond our control as individuals, don't you think? Yeah, well, we keep... So all of the other things that might be more within our control, I just think we need to know. Yeah, and I'm as befuddled as anybody. I do keep reading that if you can learn to work with AI, you are more likely to be employable than if you disregard it and are contemptuous of it. Yes, totally.
Starting point is 00:22:14 But I'm afraid I don't work with it, at least not that I'm aware. I'm sure I am doing, of course. But I'm not someone who so far has prepared for an interview by using any of those AI resources. But maybe I'm missing a trick. Gosh.
Starting point is 00:22:33 Well, I think, look, So lots of people already are. Yeah, I know, yeah. And I think it's entirely, but I think it's entirely fair to be doing that. I don't think that we should be looking at producers and researchers who are using AI as somehow cheating on the job. I think we've just got to accept that it's an entirely sensible thing to do.
Starting point is 00:22:53 And God, I've asked chat GPT things about people who I'm interviewing. I'm yet to ask them to actually, you know, write a whole interview for me. but I have found it incredibly useful and quick. I tell you what seems to have changed as well with the chat GPT is that tone with which it replies to me. I find that really weird. It's really coming on to me, Jane. Well, I occasionally get...
Starting point is 00:23:23 No, you should try it because it's so... No, no, but I think you should exactly to the point you've just made. I think all of us should be using it just to, so we kind of know where it is and how to spot the signs that other people might have used it and to work out which bits are useful and which bits aren't. I don't think we do ourselves any favours by just saying that whole thing isn't for me.
Starting point is 00:23:47 I mean, isn't it exactly the same path that we went down? You know, as parents, you know, we didn't really want to look at what might be on YouTube and we didn't want to look at maybe what the kids were looking at on their phone and we just thought, oh, we're going to carry on reading them, books and telling them things and that'll be fine. And then we woke up one day and realized it was too late. Isn't it exactly the same thing? I guess it probably is. I mean, I've always been Leonora Luddite, I think. I mean, the other day I woke up and I had had a few drinks
Starting point is 00:24:15 the night before and I only ever use my you know what speaker, the one with the name, as basically as a radio. I don't ask it to do anything else. So I asked her to play, I don't know, whatever network Times radio. And because my voice was a bit croaky, she was. whispered back to me and I thought that is what why are you doing that I just I found it really invasive and yeah just horrible it's spooky really spooky yeah I'm just not really so in exactly the same way chat GPT now thanks me for asking it a great question and kind of slightly laughs with me if I then ask a supplementary one and I started I started I was asking something actually about mortgages last night and and I and I said
Starting point is 00:25:01 something kind of quite sharp to it, and it came back with a, oh, you know, I kind of, I didn't mean to upset you. And it's kind of like, wow, wow, how do you know to do that? It was just, it is so bizarre, Jane, really, really bizarre. Can I bring in Helena, please, who sent us a really, really beautiful, beautiful picture of her amazing greyhound, just to take us back into a world that we're more familiar and comfortable with. Listening to Monday's episode about men walking alone, was reminded of when I was walking my dog. He could be reactive to other dogs so I'd cross roads if I saw another dog coming our way. I began to clock a man walking alone behind me and he would cross the road at the same time as me. But instead of walking behind me, he was crossing
Starting point is 00:25:45 to the opposite side of the road. Eventually, I'd cross the road one too many times so that he, in a light-hearted way, said that he's giving up trying to avoid walking behind me. I hadn't realise that he was making the effort to not worry me. Admittedly, I felt a little bit guilty. What a nice guy, Jane. Yeah, that's lovely, actually. I'm very thoughtful. And actually, I've got another one of that vein, but you've reminded me that Andy, who's one of our regular correspondence, has been celebrating the birth of his granddaughter, Bethany. He sent us a really lovely photograph. Absolutely beautiful, Andy. And Bethany's lovely as well. Thanks so much for telling us about her. And congratulations to everybody involved there.
Starting point is 00:26:27 has written an email with the headline Greetings from a bag carrying gay in Guildford Greetings from Guildford Less said about that a faithful night the better says Darren As a gay man I simply must rebuke Jane's comment about men holding shopping bags I have often frequented
Starting point is 00:26:44 the likes of waitros Sainsbury's and even an Aldi with a shopping bag freely waving it around up the high street Some of us simply don't mind the practicality Although a branded tote is of course environmentally much better. On to more serious matters about single men walking alone,
Starting point is 00:27:01 I do agree with your comments about this. I travel a lot, often early in the morning, and frequently find myself having to speak to women just to reassure them that I don't mean any harm. Once we share a few lines of friendliness, I can notably watch as they ease up. And when they see me again on another early morning commute, they look far more comfortable and we have a giggle.
Starting point is 00:27:23 It genuinely upsets me that I have to do this. knowing how kind and supportive I am of women kind, but I appreciate that if this small act helps them feel at ease, then I'm happy to do it. P.S., he says, got to dash. The curtain twitches are out, and they simply must know what I bought in my waitrose bag. Right, thank you very much, Darren.
Starting point is 00:27:44 That's our regular correspondent, Darren, in Guildford. And hello, Guilford. I hope you're doing okay today. Well, I think... Well, we want Darren. want all the best for Darren, definitely. We do. We do. We'll come back and see you, Darren. You can pack out the, what is it? Is it the anvil in Guildford? I can't remember the name of the. The chainsaw. It's. But it wasn't, it wasn't Guildford's fault. It was the technology surrounding
Starting point is 00:28:13 Guilford. Oh, no, the people are great. Yeah. Can I just say to Elena, you didn't tell us what your beautiful dog was called. He's a 38 kilogram greyhound and he's magnificent. I think, sadly, he's probably no longer with you due to your use of tenses. Sorry, that's Nance making a fuss there. Do you come in? What are you doing? You're standing there? Yeah, mention a great hand.
Starting point is 00:28:38 Not you. Get over it. So if you could just get back in touch. Because it would be nice to know his name. Where is Wirrell? John's a small ticking off, Jane. Oh, go on. It comes with much love from Margaret.
Starting point is 00:28:51 Hello, Margaret. I'm sorry to say that Jane's explanation to Fee's question, where is Wirill quite surprised me, Despite her regular trips to Liverpool, well, Crosby, Jane's obviously lived in East West Kensington for far too long. Do you know what? We drove through East West Kensington on the way back from Gunnersbury Park on Saturday. No wonder you've been ill. Cricy.
Starting point is 00:29:12 Well, it may be that. I left my natural environment and I'm not used to, I've been exposed to West London. And there's a very, very posh part, isn't that? of all those really beautiful mansions that have got kind of first-floor drawing rooms in the place that calls itself a village. Do you know where I mean? No. Where do you mean?
Starting point is 00:29:35 Brackenbury Village. Brackenbury Village, never heard of it. Yes. Oh, don't be ridiculous. You literally live in the next door road. Let's get back to Margaret, honestly. You're such a pretender. Wirral is indeed a peninsula.
Starting point is 00:29:48 To the east is the River Mersey and the opposite to Liverpool. To the west is the River D, and views of the north. Wales coast and on a clear day angle sea to the south is Chester and finally to the north is Liverpool Bay on the Irish Sea Yes that's quite correct Yes I mean all of that is correct Yeah and if you go do you know that
Starting point is 00:30:05 Of that amazing show I really loved it This city is ours And if they had lots of scenes in the city as ours Set in the restaurant the panoramic The panoramic And if you are in the panoramic There is a panoramic view of the whole of Liverpool And you can see right over to the Whirl
Starting point is 00:30:21 And you can even see the mouth of the centre the Mersey, which I highly recommend. So maybe Margaret has been up there, so she'll be able to back me up there. I'm very, what can I say? I'm just sorry. I'm always sorry. I live in a perpetual state of sorriness. Okay. Well, I think it was just the fact that Margaret also, she just wanted to point out it is a peninsula. Oh, it is. Because there aren't, yeah, there aren't very many peninsulas. Peninsula.
Starting point is 00:30:48 Peninsulas. Anyway, whatever's. Love to you both comes from Cater. and Rye Gates, just catching up, there was a comment about Paul Hollywood, talking first and having more presence on the Great British Bake Off. Believe me, as a long-time watcher, Prue has her voice and makes some very good, observational and witty comments, unlike Mary B, who very rarely spoke up, and we used to comment on why she was there, coming to see you in December, and really looking forward to it.
Starting point is 00:31:15 Well, that's sacrilege. Mary, Barry. I can't say that about Mary Berry. It's celebrity traitors tonight, isn't it? Now, it's Wednesday. Now, we did, I think we are okay to talk about this now. Because Claire Balding came on the program not that long ago to talk about her book, which is a novel, which is out now. What's it called?
Starting point is 00:31:35 Passengers. Pastures new. That's right. But she'd always also been on traitors, and she couldn't talk about it, could she at the time. Is that right? No, that's right. Well, I think they all sign very, very, very tight contracts, so nothing does leak out.
Starting point is 00:31:51 Right. But she can talk about it. Well, she did say you didn't, she did say to you, I think, in confidence that it hadn't been the easiest experiences. Are we okay to say that? Well, I think we'll be okay to say that now, but I'm always, I never want to kind of pass on private conversations. But I think quite a few people have noted that actually it's an awful lot harder than people imagine it might be. Because I suppose on civilian traitors, maybe they don't feel that they need to tell the public what it's like behind the scenes, whereas I think the celebrity traitors are perhaps more confident to. And I didn't realize, and I did read this in a newspaper actually, so I'm not giving away any of Claire's secrets here. But I hadn't realized quite how tightly the contestants are regulated and kept away from each other after film.
Starting point is 00:32:48 So I thought they'd all go back to the same hostelry and, you know, they'd have lots of gin and tonics and a bit of a laugh and, you know, share some showbiz stories and all of that kind of stuff. But they don't. They go back to individual rooms and they've had their mobiles taken away from them and they have to tick on a laminated sheet what they want for their dinner and then eat it on their own and they're only allowed access to a streaming service and they have to be chaperoned even if they just want to go for a fag. I mean, that's all just remarkable, isn't it? It is pretty extreme, isn't it? So presumably you could only re-enter the outside world if you had an awful, I don't know, a family tragedy or something. Well, I guess so. And that's quite, all that's quite kind of sensory deprivation, isn't it?
Starting point is 00:33:33 And it's designed to make you just focus on the game. But I would hate this. And also, they're all very garrulous people, you know, by their nature. So I think it's, I mean, you know, in the great scheme of things, I know it's not any great kind of hardship. But I think it helps explain why it works so well, actually, why people do just get obsessed about who said what and when.
Starting point is 00:33:56 Yeah, yeah. Yes, well, I certainly, I can't pretend I won't be watching. Although I do fast forward through the kind of tasks, like a bit bored. Oh, the challenges are ridiculous. Briefly. Really, really ridiculous. Rebecca, we've got to go because, you know, I've got to put on my ball gown.
Starting point is 00:34:11 Rebecca says Following on from your chat about kennels and luxury dog hotels I wanted to let you know about my newish venture I was struggling with an empty nest and so I decided having two miniature dashons of my own
Starting point is 00:34:25 Margot and Mavis great names can I say that I would open my house up to more I now have a fully licensed business in Leicestershire called Little Legs Cottage offering home from home boarding but just for dashins
Starting point is 00:34:40 It's been truly wonderful and I care for them as I do my own We go on lovely walks I bake homemade dog biscuits We have birthday parties And the ones who sleep in their owner's beds at home Do the same here It's returned my always chaotic house I've got two boys
Starting point is 00:34:58 Back to its chaotic best Sorry for I don't take greyhounds as much as I love them Thank you Rebecca at Little Legs Cottage Wow I mean that's taking luxury kennels to the next level, isn't it? I think that's phenomenal. What a service. Would you have a stranger's dog in your bed? No, I wouldn't.
Starting point is 00:35:19 Thank you. I think that's a little bit like changing another baby's nappy. You know, you just, it's going too far. It's crossing over a line. I wouldn't want that. Well, Rebecca, Fee has spoken, but I think it's great, I think. Can I just say before we go, I not only missed work yesterday, but I couldn't go to Johnny Walker's celebration
Starting point is 00:35:40 at Radio 2 and I just wanted to mention that because I know that Tiggie who's been a guest on the podcast twice now is sometimes a listener to the podcast and it would have been a fantastic evening of celebration amongst all of the old rockers chain and I know it would have been absolutely glorious and I just wanted to wish her well because I think both times when she's come on the podcast our audience have really appreciated her honesty about caring for Johnny in the last years of his life so I wanted to pass on some love back it wasn't simply that I couldn't be bothered to go no um we really do hope it went well I have seen some pictures actually on the socials and it looked very well attended as it should have been so um lovely what now Eve is what are you looking at what do you want to say on Instagram yeah I'm back on it I have I oh yeah he's reminded me I did delete Instagram yesterday but I've now I've reinstalled it why did you delete because I just thought I just want to I just want to I just really well i'm spending too much time looking at my phone so anyway i was four hours off it which is good uh anyway see i don't really post but i do lurk right i think that's the best way to be
Starting point is 00:36:52 i think that is the best way to be yeah i think you're right but i just although obviously our own instagram page for the purposes of the podcast you know we don't totally different we back that one completely jane we really can we be any more clear about that right um glad you you're feeling a bit better um and oh i'll see you for a bread roll yes in a livery hall in about 45 minutes time very much looking forward to it everyone's thinking i wish i could be there no they're probably not they're probably thinking thank god i won't be there right um we're very much hope we can reconvene uh tomorrow um lovely to talk to you glad you're feeling better see you very soon bye okay goodbye Congratulations. You've staggered somehow to the end of another off-air with Jane and Fee. Thank you.
Starting point is 00:37:53 If you'd like to hear us do this live, and we 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. Offair is produced by Eve Salisbury and the executive producer is Rosie Cutler.

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