Off The Telly - What Shall We Watch? Tearjerkers

Episode Date: June 21, 2024

In this bonus episode they hear from listeners about their favourite Tearjerker telly and what shows have left them an emotional wreck. They hear about telly like It's A Sin, Normal People, The Split and Pride and Prejudice.In Off the Telly, Natalie and Joanna talk about what they can’t stop watching, what they definitely aren’t going to bother with, and what you’re all watching at home. From new shows to comfort telly to guilty pleasures, there’s no judgement here. What’s kept us all glued to our screens this week?Self-confessed TV addicts and stars of two of the biggest shows on our screens, EastEnders and Gavin and Stacey, Natalie and Joanna are the perfect companions to your weekly viewing habits.Get in touch by sending us a message or voice note via WhatsApp to 03306 784704.Hosts: Natalie Cassidy and Joanna Page Producer: Georgia Keating Executive Producer: Richard Morris Commissioning Editor: Rhian Roberts Unit Manager: Lucy Bannister Sounds Editor: Arlie Adlington Music by MCassoOff The Telly is a BBC Studios Audio Production for BBC Sounds.

Hello and welcome to Off The Telly, What Shall We Watch? From BBC Sounds. We're back with another bonus episode where we get a chance to hear from you guys at home. We absolutely love these ones. Well, we asked you to send in voice notes about what TV shows have made you cry the most oh like how much I cried during one day

now a couple of weeks ago we heard about your favourite childhood telly do you know when James my husband was listening to that he started crying and but the listener who was talking about the magic roundabout and she said that her grandmother said see that little horse oh yes that one's for you and james listened to it and started

crying and he was like my god that's what it's all about what that grandmother said to her was just adorable it was adorable absolutely adorable i went to see inside out too at the weekend no spoilers but there's a a new character in Inside. Have you watched Inside Out? No, I've seen Inside Out, yeah. So it's all the emotions, whatever. And in Inside Out 2, there's a new character called Nostalgia. Oh, Jesus.

And she pops out. Oh, it finishes you, honestly. Well, it's going to finish you off. Talk about tear jerkers. I didn't stop crying. I don't think I can take it. Because the person now, the girl's 13, isn't it? Oh, Jesus.

And I went with Eliza who's 13. Well, I couldn't cope with it. Well, it's too much. Anyway, there we go. We're not talking about films today, but nostalgia is beautiful. This week, we're focusing on tear jerks. I don't know if I can take it. I know.

You and your crying. We asked you to send in voice notes about what TV shows have made you cry the most. I love a good cry. Oh, you love it, don't you? And it's good to get it out of your system. Right, come on. Give it to us.

Although it makes me feel right. Am I just a little bit bland? I would not call you bland. I'll tell you why I say this. Yeah. Because you love a good cry. Yeah. You love to be scared.

Yeah. You love a good laugh. Am I just a bit one-dimensional in my comedy? No, I'd say not because your career and where you've worked and what you've done and what you've dealt with and your storylines and everything you've been through, I think is enough crying and trauma and drama and unhappiness to last you a lifetime.

So if you were continuing that just outside in the normal life, I think you'd collapse. I think that's what it is. Yes. I think you've just solved it. I mean, I'm most well known for playing a Welsh character who's like really happy and I'm like this all the time and it's all really nice.

So no wonder in like my private life i love a good cry and i love watching stuff that's really scary and traumatic and whatever because when i'm on screen i'm being like oh that's really lush what's occurring whereas you when you're working you're delivering babies on the side of a ruddy sofa yeah you know you're you're running away from horrible people yeah i understand i think you're right. Yes. That's right. The yin and yang of television characters. Oh, my God.

We are. We are. We are. Get us out to Barcelona for a historical documentary. Immediately. Rob and Ryan have got nothing on us. With a wine tour a wine tasting

absolutely I really would like that you can have the art I really would like the wine tasting no I'll have both thank you sherry tasting thank you very much oh right

where did we get to I don't know I'm all over the place now I know I'm not here I'm in Venice I know I was just in Venice I'm in a gondola there's a man pushing me

and I'm paying 24 euros for a cup of espresso I've got a glassondola. There's a man pushing me. And I'm paying 24 euros for a cup of espresso. I've got a glass of red wine in one hand and a sherry in the other. That's cost you 40 euros at least. Just letting you know if you're in the square. It's a lot of money out there. So let's hear some of your voice notes. Oh, about your tear jerkers, shall we?

Yeah, let's. Hey, Nat and Jo, hope you're both well. I've been listening to your podcast regularly. I get quite excited when it comes out, so I've got a new one to listen to. I heard your plea this week around tearjerker television, and I have to say that both of you have made me cry in your acting roles and Natalie I think for you it was when you did the reading at Dot's funeral I bawled my heart out and I also

cried when you lost the baby last week I got really upset of that um and Joe for me every time I watch the scene where you're going to your wedding and you're in the car with Uncle Bryn and he reads the letter from your dad it always makes me cry it's so beautiful and so cleverly written and acted on from both you and Rob Brydon just brilliant um tearjerker television for me would have to be Call the Midwife on BBC1 it's the most feel good it's like a dose of soul warming television for me i get really excited um when the new series comes out at christmas each year i re i think i've re-watched them literally about 20 times each oh how lovely that is lovely oh i love that scene with stacy and brin oh my gosh well I just know that before we filmed it Rob did something

he tried to make me laugh so he was trying to make me laugh and then we had to go into that scene but I haven't seen that for years but because I'm watching the series now with Eva we're now on series 3 and there's loads of stuff that I didn't even know about and stuff that has made me cry and everything I didn't even know about.

I couldn't even remember, you know. Oh, it's lovely. And thank you. Yeah, Sonia's been through a tough time. Oh, my God. She had a blighted ovum last week. So that's when, you know, you think you have a baby hormonally, the test comes up and it shows that you're pregnant.

Yes. And even a blood test shows that you're pregnant, but kind of the gestational sack kind of is there, but no baby comes. Oh, God, that's just awful. So it has been quite heartbreaking to play, but I'm really pleased you've enjoyed it. How do you find it when you're filming something like that?

Do you take it home with you? Is it hard? No, I don't take it home with you is it hard no i don't take it home with me but you know you've got a responsibility that to people that have been through all of these kind of really long journeys and ivf journeys but i think what extenders does brilliantly is they kind of do an issue and they do it properly yeah so you know this has been going now for eight nine months and it's not been i'd like a baby ivf oh the baby comes yeah it you know this has been going now for eight nine months and it's not been i'd like a baby ivf oh the baby comes yeah it you know we're going through different issues that happen um and it's

quite realistic so yeah it's tough but i've had lots and lots of messages from people saying thank you for being true to what can happen and it isn't all roses all the time. Yeah. So it's been quite tiring, but I'm really pleased people have enjoyed it. You know, with Call the Midwife as well, I wasn't so much with Call the Midwife, but with, you know, do you remember One Born Every Minute? I do. I didn't watch any of that. Oh my God, I watched it.

I didn't ever sit down and watch it religiously, but whenever I caught it and it was on, I would just be in tears, just in tears. I don't want to listen to it. But it's just it was on I would just be in tears just in tears I don't want to listen to it but it's just something about I would just I was so I would not like

want to tune in to watch it because it wouldn't be my thing where I go oh I want to and so I just wouldn't but I would just get drawn into it just

I couldn't help it as soon as it would start I'd just be like that drawn straight in and then I'd just be there right there and then and then crying just crying, just crying No, it'd be on and I could hear the birth

I think turn that shit off, I can't have all that We've got a voice note now from Tony Hi Jo, hi Nat Just ringing in because you said about the TV that's a tearjacker and makes you cry Well, one for me is Russell T Davies' It's a Sin from a couple of years ago. Every time

I watch it, oh my god tears just flow every single time. One of the best dramas ever made. Tony, I'm in 100% agreement. Have you seen it? Never seen it. Right, you need to watch it. I know I do. I didn't watch it when it first came out and my mum kept saying you have to watch it joe you have to watch it and i was just like i don't

want to watch it because i don't want to sit down i know it's going to upset me i don't want to i just don't want to she said joe you've got to watch it and then i was filming shop well for less um with mel sykes and we were staying in a hotel somewhere and I chose that opportunity to watch it to start watching it I remember uh so we'd finished filming that day and then I went back to my room I got in the bath I started watching it and I just watched all of it back to back to back to back I have never cried I don't think I've ever cried so much in my life it is absolutely fantastic just I can't couldn't even I can't even put into words how amazing it is how much it just how much I learned how much it tells you how much you just sort of realize what what they all went through things I didn't even know about I mean and I and and literally from the

get-go they it is so well written and the actors were so fantastic that within about 20 minutes, I felt they were my best friends and I knew them so well. And so then as it plays out, you know them and you feel for them so much until by the end I was like, oh, no, oh, my God, no. Please, no. Just please, no. I know what it's about because I love Russell T Davies

and I follow his Instagram. Oh, God. And it's something that I've swerved, not for any reason other than, again, time as usual. It is literally heartbreaking. But it's something that I want to see. And that's the reason. I don't want to watch one.

Heartbreaking. I want to sit and watch all of it. I remember going into film the next day and my face was swollen and me and Mel started talking about it. We barely filmed because every time we talked about it, I just started crying. It is utterly heartbreaking. Heartbreaking. And so, like, educational.

Oh, God, it's a tearjerker. Amazing. Right, shall we have another voice note? Let's have another one. Hi, girls. Harley from East London here. I just want to say thank you for the podcast. You're actually the first and only podcast I've ever listened to after seeing the little videos coming up on all the episodes during the night feed so thank you very much i'm actually wanting to recommend and i think i think it could fit into your tear jerker bonus episode that you've got coming up but recommend normal people on bbc iplayer if you

haven't already seen it i really recommend it it's the one with paul mescal and daisy edgar jones i think her name is in it and it's like one day but sort of done better how kind of one day should have been because one day was fine but this is in that genre this is kind of the peak of what that genre should be and it's really emotive and i've watched it so many times and it's only been, it's only a couple of years old and I've already watched it so many times. And I really think if you liked One Day, but want something that actually has a little bit more pizzazz to it,

then I would really recommend Normal People. Thank you again. Bye. You've got it. I watched it during COVID. It's another one I've not watched. Oh God, Nat, you'd love it. I watched it during COVID. It's another one I've not watched. Oh, God, Nat, you'd love it. I watched it during COVID, and all I can say is,

people who've watched it will just know about the chain. Okay. But it's sad. I'm completely there with you as well. It's sad. All right, lovely. Yeah, let's have another one. This is going to be a depressing episode. This is basically like everything I've just cried to,

which I know because it's called Tear Jerkers. But Jesus Christ, I think I've done a lot of which I know because it's called tear jerkers. But Jesus Christ, I think I've done a lot of crying. You've had a good old cry. Good God. Hi, girls. Just listened to your bonus episode. It brought back so many childhood memories.

Loved it. And obviously Funhouse. I wanted to make a suggestion for your next bonus episode of TV series that made me cry. And it was the Netflix series Afterlife. Oh, my goodness. I laughed. I cried. Just thoroughly enjoyed it.

Ricky Gervais was absolutely amazing in it. And the ending of the series, oh, it just gave me all the feels. Oh, my gosh. Thank you for that voice note because i think you've done the undoable and you've just made nat cry can't talk about the program oh my god afterlife without crying my god it just makes my no i'm not crying you are crying no no it makes my eyes water she's well which is called crying I'm not emotional about it. But you are just crying.

Yeah. That ending. My God, that ending. I just loved every minute of it. Yeah. I think it's genius. Of course we know Gervais is funny. But my God, he captured it.

I just loved it. I loved Diane Morgan's character. Yeah. I loved her journey through it because she was really lonely. And there were times when she said, I'm just so lonely. Oh. I think what Gervais does best is just go, there you go. Yeah.

This is fucking what it is. Yeah. And I'm not dressing it up. Mm. It's shit. Yeah. And it's shit. And it doesn't get any better better and it's not going to

get any better and people say time's a healer and i don't think it is because i fucking love my wife yeah and i just think the whole thing is a masterpiece oh my god that bit where he's on the sofa and he wants to end it all and the only thing that stops him from ending it all is the dog and i watched that and i thought oh god that's that reminds me of my dad that's the sort of thing that he would do and and he just doesn't he doesn't because of the dog because he knows love the dog he's feeding and he's got to look after and then he's walking yeah and that's why you go also animals are so important to people. Yeah. So important. It was, oh my God, just, just beautiful.

Just amazing television, I think. Just beautiful. God. Amazing. Shall we have another one? Yeah. We're going to be a wreck by the end of this. Hi, Love the Pods.

This is Chrissie. Just to say that you're asking people to do a voice note on things that made them sob. And the one thing that gets me every time is the first, I'm pretty sure, yeah, it's the first series of The Split on BBC. And the main character's just found out that her husband knows about her affair. And the heartbreaking moment has kicked in when she's realised, actually, I'm going to lose him.

And she's hysterically upset and heartbroken. His wedding ring's left on the hall table near their wedding picture. And she goes to break down as a mother. There's three children in the other room. Knowing it's totally her own fault, but the realisation of the one thing she probably actually loves is about to be lost. And she goes to be hysterical

and then her child goes mum and she just stands up and goes yet coming and to me I think every mum has been at a point in their life where they just need a minute but the mum in us goes nope not right now and it gets me every time it's i think it's the last episode of series one of the split anyway take care loving what you do take care bye oh i've got to watch that because i haven't seen no i haven't seen it either but it is true isn't it as mothers yeah you certainly turn around no matter what is going on they come first don't they they do don't they yeah so however bad it is however much you need to just sit down and cry, don't they? Yeah. So however bad it is, however much you need to just sit down and cry, you don't just ever put a face on and go, right, come on.

What do you need? Yeah. Do you need another pair of jeans ordered? I lied. What do you need? No, I can't hold the chopsticks so you can make a cross for your loom bands. What do you need oh let's do one more voice note and see what's been another one yeah we've got one from sarah let's have a listen hi natalie and joanna and sarah here from preston so i'm replying to your call out for things that get

you in the gut tv that you've watched and made you cry. So mine's a bit of a stranger, I suppose, for some people. But so mine was the BBC adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, the one with Colin Firth. So I was about 12, 13, I think, when this came out and I was watching it. And I bought it on VHS. And the thing that made me cry was the last scene where Elizabeth Bennet is in the carriage with Mr Darcy and they have a kiss.

So what you've got to bear in mind is that I had hormones raging at that point. And I just loved the idea of that's how you fell in love and it all ended happily ever after. And yeah, it used to make me cry every time. Now it doesn't when I watch it, obviously. Yeah, so that's mine. Anyway, absolutely love the podcast. Keep doing it.

Thank you. Bye. Well, isn't it nice to finish on a positive note because we have had some flipping tear jerkers and that's nice to finish on one that's about true love and not about death and you don't think she was just very jealous as a raging hormonal teenager that she wasn't in the car giving him a kiss probably let's be honest yeah probably lovely voice note, though. Aw.

Thank you. Thank you. Our next bonus ep. I'm excited for this one. Are you ready, Jo? Yes. We want to hear from you about... Drumroll, please. You're really good at that.

I know, it's my thighs. You won't believe what this is. Oh, my God. Your TV crushes. Ooh! Well, can I start right now this week and say, Danny Dyer? Save it.

Save it. Save it, sweetheart. Save it for the next step. Oh, my gosh. Which character off the telly have you had the biggest crush on? Were there any scenes in particular you remember fancying the pants off a character? We want to hear about all of your TV crushes.

No judgment here, as you know. Absolutely no judgment. Oh, I'm looking forward to that one. It's going to be amazing, right? Oh, that's going to be good, isn't it? Send us a voice note on WhatsApp and we might play it in our next bonus ep. The number is 0-3-0-6

7-8-4-7-0-4 Thank you again for listening and thank you so much for all of your voice notes. We'll be back next Wednesday with more Off the Telly on BBC Sounds. Bye! Bye! Off the Telly is hosted by Natalie Cassidy and Joanna Page.

The producer is Georgia Keating. The commissioning editor is Rhian Roberts and it's a BBC Studios audio production for BBC Sounds. Do you know Powys? I did a bit of hiking there a few years ago. A village called Bly. Do you know Powys? I did a bit of hiking there a few years ago. A village called Bly. It's not on the tourist trail.

The Specialist by Matthew Broughton. The local GP has died unexpectedly. We need someone to fill the gap while we find a replacement. We brought it on ourselves. Us devils love blind. A new Limelight series for Radio 4. Help me, Doctor. Why did he choose me for this?

Or they'll be deep down in there. There's so many. They're still coming. We don't have the resources. Good luck! Mr. Dartington's a demon! Are you scared? Little girl. From the award-winning writer of Treks and Broken Colours. They were on to him.

Mystery meat. Deranged blood bank transfers. An investigation. This is dark. Hello? Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out! Get out!

Get out of here! The Specialist. On BBC Sounds.