Parenting Hell with Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe - S12 EP40: Josh is the new co-host of Strictly Come Dancing!!

Episode Date: May 22, 2026

In this episode we talk about the big news of the week - Josh Widdicombe is the new co-host of Strictly Come Dancing! Elsewhere, Rob is back from filming The Traitors and does some superb parenting. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Parenting Hell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ is a Spotify Podcast, new video episodes available everywhere every Tuesday and Friday. Please subscribe and leave a rating and review you filthy street dogs... If you want to get in touch with the show with any correspondence, kids intro audio clips, small business shout outs, and more.... here's how: EMAIL: [e-mail] Follow us on instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@parentinghell⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ A 'Keep It Light Media' Production  Sales, advertising, and general enquiries: [e-mail] Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

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but Pizza Express holiday heroes help keep everyone happy. Download your code at Pizza Express. or Redeem Within the Out. Hello, you're listening to Parenting Hell with... Alfie, can you say Rob Beckett? Rob Beckett. And can you say Josh Whittaker? That's right.

Good job. There we go. Who's that? Kim, who's the mum of Freddie and Alfie from Abingdon in Oxfordshire. Hello, Rob, Josh and Michael. This is my two-year-old. son Alfie, introducing you. I only discovered the podcast a few months ago.

Are you insane, Kim? Where have you been living? Where have you been living? Yeah. Under a rock? Yeah. I mean, what's going on? Is Abingdon not got the bloody internet?

Where you've been living under a bloody glitter ball? Oh, here we go. Binge for eight series so far. Wow. To be fair, made up for Lost Duncan. Thank you for all the laughs. I suppose we'll have to address your glittable comment, Rob. Early doors.

Ah, da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-da-chach. Pachow. Do you're the new host of... Co-host, co-host. Co-host, sorry, sorry. Yeah. Congratulations, Josh. You are the new co-host of Strictly Come Dancing.

Do you know what? When we started out in stand-up, no one foresaw that, Rob. This is very exciting, Josh. I mean, it's wild, isn't it? You've somehow become the co-host of the biggest show in British television. Probably history. Not of history, but it's possibly news at 10. News of 10.

Possibly. It's got to be the news, the 6 o'clock news. It's arguably one of the biggest of the 21st century, isn't it? I suppose, along with I'm a celebrity and Big Brother, maybe I don't know. No, I think it's the biggest really. What else would there be? You know, stuff comes and goes. It's been going 20-odd years now, isn't it?

I know, exactly, Rob. What is good as well, actually, because I was a bit worried, you know, you've not got much work on at the moment. Stuff's drying up. You're not been busy. You've been twiddling your thumbs, sat at home going, when will some bloody work come in? And, you know, I'm glad for you that it's coming.

Do you know what, Rob? It's good because I think I can fit it into my life with buffer. Absolutely. Yeah, the king of the buffer. And the king of the buffer. You'll be buffering yourself off Friday and Saturday nights in London. Sunday nights to hold caboodle. Exactly, Rob. Exactly.

Oh, dear. Are you excited? I am. It's just... I'm glad it's out there because I've been lying to people. You lied on Good Morning Britain? I didn't lie on Good Morning Britain. Okay. You did it. You actually acted like a politician on Good Morning. I evaded. I evaded questions. How did you see that? Oh, it was on, I saw it on Instagram.

We were waiting half an hour because you're late for the record because you're Mr. Saturday night. Well, I was coming from London. I was coming from London. Yeah, it's good to be left there, isn't it? For a one of you. Elstree's not in London. Is it Elstree?

Is it Elstree? Yeah, yeah. What is that one? Is that over? Is that Boran Wood near Big Brother? Yeah, yeah. I can't say it. Like North, Hertfordshire.

Did you ask to move it to Cheddar Gorge, film in there? I'm excited for you, Josh. Do you know what? I'm most surprised that you've heard of Cheddar Gorge. Do you know what it is? I feel like, I am. What is it in rocket ships where you have the thing that blast someone off and then they get ripped apart and they fall to the earth once the rocket's high enough?

Well, I don't. That's why I feel. When it comes to the BBC, that's how I feel. Ramesh on Weakest Link, you on Saturday night. If you want to show on the BBC, come and work with me for a bit and I'll boost you up there, and then you can get rid. So now you're working with bloody Emma and Jojo. Lovely Emma and Jojo.

I do love both of them, to be fair. It's a great lineup. Do you know what? This is recorded just after the announcement's come out. We had the photo shoot yesterday. Oh, yeah. I've seen the photo, Josh. I mean...

I love the photo. I love the photo. It's great. It's absolutely... You look like you all having loads of fun, and I love that. We are. Go on. I love your face.

My face is disbelieving, I'd say. I'd say the way you're holding the glittable makes you feel uncomfortable. Do you know what? I don't like the way I'm holding my glittable, because... You look. look, the suit is amazing. I'm holding the glistible.

Like, I've, I've, it's the last, it's the last go and I've got a 710 split on the bowling. And I'm about to step up. You can do this, mate. Just one bowling, you've got this. Yeah, I've seen, yeah, I think you look great in it. You've great smile. You look very charismatic, very fun, energetic suit is perfect. You look great.

But the way you hold a little ball does, it concerns me. that. Also as well, you've never held a... It's hard to pose a glittable. Do you know what, Rob? Do you know what? You've got a... They've got a little hook on it, right?

I don't want to let people in too much behind the scenes. Oh, someone get... Let us behind the curtain of the glittable. But I had to conceal the hook. Oh, so that's why you're like that to conceal the hook. To conceal the hook, you see. Right. Yeah.

There you go. Joe and Emma are managing to conceal the hook without looking absolute. Like, they're going to... smash it down Hollywood Bowl. A businessman, presumably. He spent years having to conceal the hook, hasn't it?

He's been on it like a decade. Yeah, he knows his way around the hook on it. He knows how to conceal a hook. Is his glitter ball smaller than yours, or is he just bigger than you? He's six two. Big guy, big guy, got you.

Got you. Big guy. Yeah, yeah. Love it. So Emma's the same height as me, but obviously she's going to be wearing heels. So he's going to be... Yes.

Yeah, but that's great, is it? You're the comedy turn. It's a bit of fun. I'm the comedy turn. We've already discussed, you know. It's going to be fun at Halloween, for the Halloween special. I might be the first person on Strictly to go as Damon Albarn for Icons Night, but we'll see how that plays out.

Yeah, no, absolutely no chance. I think it's good fun. Yeah. It was in the papers for a week, the rumors. And so I've had to send a lot of texts saying, don't believe what you read in the papers. but then they should have believed. Yes, but I think that's a good phrase anyway.

Don't believe what you read in the papers. It's just an unconnected point I'm making. Yeah, absolutely. But if it's coming from a man that the story's about, but the story's true, it's not great for you. I don't think any of my friends are going, I can't believe Josh lied to me. I don't think anyway.

Do you know what? I'm absolutely furious that when I texted him that article in the sun, he didn't go, it's 100% true, but please don't tell anyone. Well, because what I would say is, though, you're a bit more of a, what's say, outsiders in the betting before this all began, where when you, I think that's always, when there's rumors. I'd say I wasn't in the betting. Can I put a bet on Josh Riddlest with the host? Who? Oh, it does a podcast with Rob Beckett.

All right, yeah, have two to one. We know how that works. Yeah, so, yeah, because normally with like a football, you know, manager, a replacement, it's. Like, you know. You know who the runners and riders are. Man City now, potentially, perhaps leaving them. And he's hot. Was it Mariska?

Who is it? Yeah. Is it Mariska or maybe Tuchel after the World Cup or whatever? Yeah. No one's going, oh, I know. Neil Warnock's been. But that's really exciting. Well done.

How do you feel about it? It's a lot of pressure and a lot of attention. So I'm incredibly excited. When we've done the photo shoot as the three, it was incredibly fun. there's a real fun to the three of us. And I love that it's three because I think it just feels like a totally new idea and team. And it's really fun.

There's something for everyone there, Rob. As the producer described it, it really is the ultimate modern family, me, JoJo and Emma. And so I'm really excited. It feels weird now because it's four months away. Do you know what I mean? Oh, yeah. So are you going to sort of at house parties, practice with talking to some people? Upstairs to sort of get ready and ask out it went downstairs.

Just stand outside the toilets at houseboys. I'll go, anyway, you head on upstairs now? So where are you going to be? Do you not know yet? All I'm saying, Rob, let's not rule me out to being the head judge. That would really mix it up. Yeah. You're the orchestra of the band.

You're conducting. Poor old Dave Arch is going to have to take a step back. How do you know that guy's name? Because I'm a fan of the show. Wow, you know, that is, you do really love it, that you? I do, I do. What have your kids said? So, because this has been recorded when it's just come out.

Yeah. I've got to get them from school in a bit and tell them. Because I can't, I couldn't trust them. Oh, of course. You just simply can't trust, like not, I don't mean, you can't leave an eight-year-old and go, you simply can't tell anyone this because, you know, that's unfair. So I haven't told them. So I'm going to go and pick them up from school.

I imagine my son won't really. really, I think with my daughter, the truth is, Rob. Not until the first show and they actually realize, I think. It's not going to feel as wild. She just sees you as a human? She just sees me as a great guy. She just sees me as her rock, as dad. Not Mr. Saturday Night.

Not S-C-D-D-D. That's what she did. I was truly confident. Okay, yeah, yeah, sorry. I mean, that's so, because that's what it says in my diary for things. And now in my head it's SD. Oh, here we go. The gym are working, sort of just mugs like me, they call it strictly.

Is it SCD for all the cool kids in the know? Is it? Got Pleb's little muggles like me? Just say no, Rob. Just say no. We call Blackpool BP as well, but I don't want anyone to know. Do they? No, no.

They don't call it SCD. They call it strictly. Well, it's good to know at the end of your tour. You're going to spend every weekend in London and then Blackpool for a weekend. Do you know what? I finished my tour on Saturday. It's absolutely well. I finished my tour on Saturday.

The story in the tabloids saying that I'd been rumoured to be confirmed came out at 11pm on the Friday the day before my special on the Saturday, Rob. Yep. You've had a busy week. So you had to record your special. And you actually radio too. So at 11pm, I saw that story. I was like, well, I'm not going to sleep tonight. That's the end of that then.

This podcast has gone from parenting to basically the world's busiest man's schedule. You can talk. This has been moved for you. Because you've been here because the new job's coming on Friday. Yeah. We just returned from another job where you were uncontactable for fucking two and a half weeks. How fucking dare you? Oh, this collars too tight to laugh like that.

Yeah, fair point. Fair point. Hands up, fair point. Fair point. Yeah. Yeah, thanks for moving, guys, so I could work again. This episode is brought to you by Expedia and Visit Scotland. Some places you don't just visit.

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We know the people are great. Oh, it's glorious. I'm into the food. Are you? Talk to me. You don't think of it straight away. But when I was in Glasgow and Edinburgh, yeah, they do all the Scottish stuff, obviously. However, they also do the curry, like nowhere else I've been.

I'd say it's the foodiest country in the UK. It's so good in Scotland. I think about this a lot. I went to Loch Ness. How serene I felt on the edge of Loch Ness. I love the Highlands, Rob. It's beautiful. It's beautiful, Rob.

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I've seen my kids. I've got some actual good parenting stuff to talk about. Actual advice on parenting. I thought I did well. But we can do that in a minute because I'm still interested in this. Okay. Any more questions? So do you know what I think we need to do here?

We need to put a call out. This is a big show, right? Yeah. And whenever you're announced for anything big, the reaction is always... I'm going to get dogs of you. Rob. You're going to get dogs abuse,

even if you're the best person to host it ever, you'll get dogs abuse. So what we need to do is, this is what I'm going to do. I'm going in heavy on the comments in defence of Josh Willickham and I'm just going to really go in here.

And I want the parenting hell listeners to go in. I don't want you to get toxic. I don't need to be personal or aggressive, but we need to defend our Josh Willickam here. Just to say, we're talking hypothetically at this point as well because I haven't looked at the internet.

I'm sure it's absolutely fine, yeah. Well, I, I, I, don't know because I've deleted my Instagram app. Good idea, actually. Don't worry about the comments and he's not even looking. If there are any negative comments. I'm sure it'll be all. All absolutely fine because most people on the internet take new information pretty well

and they're really happy with change at all times. They embrace change. That's the thing about the internet. They love change. Yeah. Oh, man, I had to go and get a suit. Nice. Is that the one you were for the photo shoot?

Yeah. I think you might need more than one. Yeah, yeah, yeah. But I thought, let's deal with the photo shoot. Let's not go in. Let's deal with that. One game at a time. You know, it's all like the first year.

I don't want to be over presumptive, Rob. I bought 10 series worth. I don't want to jump to. So how many episodes is it in total? Well, it's Saturday Sunday. Saturday Sunday, but there's 13 weeks, but the first week's only one and the last week's only one. Right. But then there's also the Christmas one.

20, say 25 episodes. And you have to have a different suit in everyone or you can switch it out of it? No, I think you can, um, Accessorise. 250 suits you need. I've bought 250 suits. Walking to next and go, I need 250 suits. Yeah.

Can I have that in every colour, please? All 250 colours. And can I have the trousers, some 30 inch, some 32, just in case of having a big Christmas? Yeah, yeah. Because let's be honest, 10 years is going to take its toll on me.

Also, it's got to be a big fucking Christmas that by September you're still trying to lose his weight. By the way, yesterday, when we arrived at the photo shoot, I did realize that I look like, I am a weird looking guy, little guy, I get that. We all are, comedians, yeah? No, that's fine.

I'd say you've got a certain charm. Yeah. Me, you, I think if anyone... You know. I'd say if anyone... No, I think, they don't take this the wrong way. No, I'm going to take it right right. If me and Ramesh walked down the street

and there was other people that looked a bit like us, you might go, was that Robin Ramesh, or that, Rob, Rom, yeah. People know if they've seen you. Yeah. You've got a distinctive look and I think it's pretty sexy.

Thank you, Rob, thank you. Lean body, strong jaw, curly, yeah, big eyes. Do you know what happened, Rob? When I got to the photo shoot, I did think... Do you want a high five, by the way? You've had your hand up there for ages. I've read somewhere. I do that sometimes where it's like a...

Like you're unlocked. If you're on the, was it, if you're neurodivergent, sometimes just having your arm in the air's really comforting. Yeah. But there's suspicions that we're... are but I don't think he's true. Yeah, let's not get that.

Is this the last thing I need this week? Got enough on my plate. Sorry, go on. I'll cut you off from the hand thing. I did realise that when I turned up at the photo shoot, that I have been casted two of the most striking-looking people on British television.

Yeah, it's a tough, they are models. They both model, like, model looks, model heights, model builds, and I'd say you are a normal man. It doesn't feel like it next to them. It's horrible, in it, when you're next to feet. Please welcome the run to the litter. I worked with Maya Jama recently.

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. And you're just like, we can't be the same species. You, Jerry Hall and Maya Jama? Mind up. Me, Rommis, Jerry Hall, Jama, Miranda Hart, all in the line. Welcome to the human race. Bloody out. Bloody out.

It is weird, isn't it? what our lives have become. Because, you know, we did just start out as stand-ups driving around. And we are now like BBC One, you're doing traitors. I'm doing this. You know, what about 700 BAFTAs? You don't even turn up anymore and win BAFTAs. You can't win BAFTAs because you're doing another show that wins BAFTAs at the same time.

It is definitely, yeah, when you sort of look back, It's a sort of mental life journey. It is so weird. But yeah, it's just like incredible. And you're just like, do you know what? Like, I think this is a fair thing to say. Obviously, when this opportunity came up initially to just have the meeting, I thought, I really like my life.

Would I want to throw it into flux? Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Because it's a big fit. It's a defining thing that you're suddenly doing. Yeah. But I just thought, what an incredible thing. to experience. Do you know what I mean?

Josh, you're perfect for it. You absolutely love it. Your kids are at an age that they adore it. You're going to be so good at it because you've done, what, 12 years of live TV. You don't understand how accustomed and professional are in that kind of pressure where it's very overwhelming. You're already got that under your belt. You know how to be funny in short snippets around a big sort of structured show. You're perfect for the job. You're going to be brilliant at it. Oh, thank you, Rob.

You can build your life around it now. Well, you know, you've got that autumn. Then you've got, I think I suggest maybe once a week you ring me and I tell you what jobs not to do, you know, before you end up on some stupid other podcast or TV show. Maybe we could have, just ring me up and go, don't do that, don't do that, don't do that. Did you have a good morning Britain in the intro? They said, will he be quitting parenting health for strictly?

I was like, mate. No. If you knew how little time parents. any hell takes up in my life. If you said to me, Rob, I'm really sorry, due to working, you know, two days a week in London now. Did you do working two days a week in London for autumn? I'm going to have to quit.

I'm going to have to quit a podcast. I give 12 hours a month to. That'll be wild. Thank you all for your support in advance. I'm genuinely so excited. I can't wait. Yeah, there's nothing you need to do apart from turn off and be yourself on it every night. And the lengths I will go to to book Emma Willis for our podcast.

So really, this really is above and beyond. But I'm willing to do this so that she feels she has to come on. I've got a feeling we're going to have a lot of strictly celebrities on here. All I'm saying is he hasn't got kids, but I'd love to hear Craig Ravel Horde's view on other people's kids. Shall I get Jerry Hall on here? Yes, in a heartbeat. She's amazing.

I'd love to get Jerry Hall on here. Rich Lee Grant. We'll do that. Oh, yeah, there we go. Do a swap shop. Ross Kemp? Yes, love Ross Kemp. There we go.

Everyone was lovely. Really good. Really enjoyed it. Oh, great. Well, enjoyed meeting the people. It's quite hard work. I want to get Michael Sheen back on. Oh, Rob.

Sheenie. The web we lead. The web we lead. Weave. The web we weave. The web we weave. The web we weave. Yeah, but do you know what?

Thank you to everyone. It's nice that it's now out in the open because I have felt a bit like... You're lying to people. You're a liar. Also, you're doing that lie where they think. think you're lying, but you are lying, but you have to keep lying. Sorry, did you do traitors as well? Did I blink and you earlier? It is. No, it's a bit like...

That showbiz. Everyone's fucking lying and smiling. But it was like, you know, and would I lie to you when it's obviously Max lying? He knows he's lying. Everyone knows he's lying. But he has to go through with the lie. It felt like that. It felt like that. Yeah. But that was a bit of fun because you can't announce it. It's a bit of fun. What are you doing tonight?

So tonight, so it's just been announced. Tonight I am doing nothing. I'm staying in. I'm not spending a night away from my family for a month now, which feels insanely brilliant. We got there, Josh. Finally, back on the bedroom floor. Back on the bedroom.

I can't wait. I am the host. I've strictly come dancing and tonight I'm sleeping on the bedroom, co-host. I'm sleeping on the bedroom floor again. I think you've got some confirmed money coming in for the autumn now. treat yourself to a little floor mattress. Treat myself to a floor mattress.

Son up to enjoy the benefits of being the co-host of the biggest show on telly. Get yourself some silk pyjamas and a floor mattress. Well, Rob, tell me about parenting. Parenting, so I've had a bit of time at home with the kiddos, which has been lovely. Because before Traitors, I was absolutely slammed. A few things I want to go through. Yeah.

So on the way back from Traders, my bag was overweight, right, for the flight. Sorry. But it wasn't on the way there. you taken from traitors, Rod? What's Jerry Hall giving you? I came out of a lot of emotional baggage. No, and I was like, I've always been, right? I think it's my upbringing where there wasn't a lot of money growing up.

It's like, your bag cannot be overweight where you're weighing in. Oh my God, you can't be overweight. Anyway, so I get there and it was one kilogram overweight. They went, it's overweight. You're going to be charged. And I was like, oh, my God. I've done it, you idiot, you know, it's sort of beating myself up. And they went, oh, it's going to be £12.

And you thought, what have I been doing? For 40 years. I've been running around thinking, like, taking stuff out and putting shoes in my backpack to carry on a plane for 12 hours. Yeah. And it's 12 quid. And I'm like, what, I've got to re-balance my approach to this. 12 quid, though.

So why did it go over then? What was, what have you added? Oh, no, so basically. you have so many outfits up there because... Oh, but they get taken up before you. Yeah. So then the outfits all got mixed up where two bags were going to come down in a van, but I packed one bag to come back, but I overpacked it.

Can I ask a question about the outfits on Traders? I don't think this is a giveaway behind the scenes. Well, I wore crotchless trousers at the round table. Yeah, yeah. Have a look at those two round tables. Yeah, have a look at that, yeah. Banish this. Banish this.

Do you wear your... favorite outfits at the start. Yeah. Because you think, well, I'm unlikely to get to the end, so I'll just save the rubbish ones. Or do you save them because you want to look good at the end? So this was a discussion I had where basically you pick what you want to wear. I went for like four or five decent ones to start with. Yeah.

Saved a few for the end. Yeah. So the middle is the... The middle is. It's an iffy outfit is in the middle. I reckon episode six to eight is everyone's worst clothes. Okay. That's good.

So keep an eye out for that. It's like the worst routine of your tour. I'm not saying I was in episode. I'm not giving anything. No, no, of course. But watch, watch all the traitors, episode six to eight. That is people's clothes, they like the least. Whoever's in there at that point,

whether it's me or someone else, that is their worst clothes. Don't banish me in this. Please don't banish me in this. Anyway, right, so some parents are pirated. So it was my daughters, my eight-year-olds, first ever sleep over. they do a thing at school, which is like the year three sleepover, where all the kids do like games in the day, like team building games, then they watch a film and then they put all the gym mats on

the floor. You send them in with their like sleeping bags and a yoga mat. Similar to my bed. Yeah, pretty much. And then they all have a sleepover together and it's like the whole class year do it. And then they get a little certificate and then you pick them up on the Saturday morning at like 8.A. Amazing. Amazing. So great thing. My eldest did it, loved it. Youngest is not a fan of sleep. over's never really done a sleepover before she got she tried and didn't like it and i used to hate them i didn't do a sleepover until i was about 13 i used to find them stressful i used it wasn't i didn't like the difference i didn't like that you know you do them but i i never looked forward to them like my daughter does yeah exactly yeah so she and like she still wakes up in the night quite a lot and

comes into us and she was really worried about it bless her and we were going don't worry you know you'll you'll love it you'll be really fun you'll be exciting and she was getting all worked out and then bless her she said to me do you know what I'm best at daddy when I'm the best at worrying and I was like oh man oh no and I'm like oh god and I was and then I was like saying well yeah you only I mean you need to meet Josh Whitickam I don't think you are there's a guy I chat to at a time to week who's about to enter four months of the most worry in the history of the world yeah but it'll be right it's got a big break and I'm going to go for his diary once week to make sure he's not doing some useless podcast for

someone else for no money. Anyway, so I was chatting to her. So we kept on saying it'll be fun, it'll be exciting. And then me and Lou were like, no, actually we need to reframe this because we say, we say, look, I said to us well, like, yeah, you are good at worrying because you've got an amazing imagination. The same way as your incredible writing stories, and she's really good at writing stories and writes from the time.

The same way you're incredible writing stories is the same way why you're so good at worrying because your imagination's so brilliant. Yeah, yeah. Brilliant stories, but also it can be brilliant in a negative way. where you imagine things that could go wrong because you've got a great imagination. That's excellent parenting, Rob. That's excellent parenting, can I just say?

Thank you. Thank you. So it's a balance where you can't have one without the other. I've got a massive drive and energy and enthusiasm. However, I get over-excited, agreed to too much, leads to burnout. That'll always be a problem with my personality. And so I was saying, yeah, so you feel worried and stuff like that, but that's, you know, because you're imagination.

And then you'll have fun at the sleepover. It'll be exciting. You love it. Don't worry. And she went, don't keep saying that to be excited. I'm worrying. It's not going to be exciting. I'm not going to have fun.

And I was like, right, well, this isn't working. And I thought, well, rather than try and convince her otherwise, I said, look, I'm going to talk to you about sleepover, but not say the words, fun, exciting or worry. Yeah. Yeah. And we'll talk about that. So you're, because she was getting a bit combative because it was,

we were only saying the same things to her. Me and Lou decided to go down this route. I said, do you want to do the sleepover at school? She said, yes. You sure? She went, yes, I want to do it. Do you want to do sleepovers at your friend's house? She went, yes, I want to do that.

I don't want to be scared. I went, okay, well, if you want to do sleepovers at your friend's house, you've got to do this sleepover. So I'm not going to tell you it's fine. I'm not going to tell you it's exciting. I'm not going to tell you not to worry. I'm going to tell you this is a challenge that you can decide to accept or not. So if you want to do more sleepovers, you've got to beat this challenge,

and I know you can do it. You know you can do it, but it's going to be difficult. Here we go. This is like Michel Artetta. And at times you're going to be, you might be sad. Some swelling strings under this, Michael. North London for ever. So it may be scary.

You may be worried. It may not be fun. And that's okay because it's a challenge. And sometimes if you want to achieve something and you want to achieve the sleepover, you've got to push yourself and it'd be hard. You know, when I wanted to be a comedian, I'd go and do gigs,

but no one would laugh. And it would be difficult and a challenge are not very nice. But I knew that I was getting better and it will help me become a better comedian. And this is going to help you do sleepover. and you want to do it. I just kept on saying to her, I know you can do it.

And I was going, I, they're still saying, it's from this type motivational speaker called Eric Thomas, but I don't always agree with because it can be a bit toxic

hustle mentality. But he says, I think it's a really good phrase for when it's something that you have to do, but you have a danger of falling too far into it and overbeasting yourself. But it's like,

I can, I will, I must. So I kept on saying to her, I can, I will, must. Remember that. If you're up night late, you want to do this,

I can, I will must. And she went in and she was all nervous. And then she went, I'm not going to do the club at the end where you get my other daughter because I'll get upset if I see you. And okay, you don't need to do that.

And that was the Friday. Picked up my daughter. She was there. She'd come out and give me a big hug. And I said, you can do this. I believe in you. And then I went, I can, I will. She went, I must.

And I was like, all right. Anyway, sent her off. And then that night, me and Lou were in fucking bits. Because we're like, is this the right thing? Are we forcing her to do it? Every two seconds. Was there a discussion with a school as to what would happen if

we said to the school she's very worried and about it and nervous and they went look they all are but it's always the same they're in it together they'll come out feeling 10 feet tall we're not going to let a co-o and we'll help her through it and there's always a teacher awake to talk to them if they need to anyway so we dropped her off and then i woke up at like 4 a.m like lou was really worried and we had a couple of glasses of wine and then we're like oh maybe not too much wine in case we have to drive and get her you know what i mean so and then i woke up at 4 a m and just like couldn't you know sleep, desperate to pick her up at eight. Got there at like quarter past seven too early,

like trying to peek through the window of the hall to see if my... I was like crying and screaming. Anyway, I got there, queued up. She came out and her face, her shoulders were back, this pride in her face. She came out, jumped into my arms

and it was the best hug ever when she was so tight and she was going, I did it, I did it, I did it. And it was like celebrating a... Honestly, I celebrated more in that moment, like and seeing her achieve that and I have you know anything to do my job or a gig I've done or BAFTA

and wards and all that shit that I was like oh my God it was like and it was so exhilarating to sort of a sister as much as we could and just by reframing it gave it allowed her to accept her feelings of worry but give her a different purpose as opposed to

the only purpose being trying to convince yourself you don't feel the way you do does that make sense? Yes. Does that make sense? Yes, totally. That is such a good point. And so it was amazing. The morale in the Beckett House was... You've got to allow those feelings, right? You can't be going, no, you don't feel nervous

because if you do feel nervous, you do feel nervous. Do you know what I mean? Yeah. You've got to let those feelings happen. Yeah, because it's always that balance, though, because if your kid says, I'm scared, I don't want to do it, part of me goes, oh, you don't have to come here. Yeah.

Let's go cinema and have a treat night. But all you're doing there is almost saying to them, yeah, you are too worried to do. So she wants to do it. She does want to do it. If she said she didn't want to do it. Do you think she would now do one at her mate's house? So what we're doing now is it's really helps us with sort of reframing stuff as challenges.

So like I said to them about roller coasters for me, my challenge was to do roller coasters with you girls because they used to scare me. But I wanted to do them. So the process is challenging. So now she, her next challenge. And we've got her a tour. She's into this Moira Elizabeth YouTuber. Right. Because we're doing family YouTube time now.

they pick a YouTuber they like and then they watch it in the front room while we're about rather than than being on their iPad just scrolling in drills. So what's Moira Elizabeth do? Oh, she has squishies and dolls houses that she repaints and repairs

and she's quite fun and entertaining. She's quite a good one to be fair. Yeah, so she got a teddy for that for doing the challenge. And then my other daughter is scared of crabs. Have I told you about the crab situation? Yeah, you should give me a thousand guesses. You could have given me a thousand guesses,

is where that was going. I'd say crabs doesn't come up as much as sleepovers in the child's life. More avoidable. When she was two, we went on holiday

and we're going crab hunting and you know hermit crabs can just crawl on your hands. Yeah. I think the lady that worked at the kids

club didn't really, I think she'd be called up last minute. It was like, find crabs and let the kids hold them but it means

hermit crabs. She found just a normal crab and said like, who wants to hold it? And I'm going, well, it must be fine then because the

lady that lives in this country that works on this beach would know and basically just put a crab in my daughter's hand and it immediately attacked her. Oh my gosh. And pinched her so she hates crabs. So her next challenge is to hold a live crab. Oh my word. Well, how are you going to do that? Take down a fishmonger. Yeah, and get one that's tied up and get her to hold a crab. Oh my word. I know, but I don't know. It might be a bit intense, but that's the new thing we're doing in our house is challenges. What's Luz Challenge? I think Luz Challenge at the moment is to try to recover some sanity after a husband hasn't been present for about fucking eight months.

That's a new challenge and she's doing really well at it. And in terms of us discussing our second half of our year, right? Yes. I'm pretty, pretty empty in a good way. I think this might be the first period in parenting our history. Yeah. Where I don't think I'm going to be living a buffer free lifestyle. You've just agreed to do four months of hosting,

co-hosting, strictly come dancing. I know, but that's, yeah. But that's, yeah. But in the week, are you not working in the week? Well, I'm doing this. Yeah, and then what about your museum of? Oh, yeah, I'm doing that. We're rack and stacking them, so they'll be done by the end of June.

Okay, yeah, that's fine, yeah. And last leg? So I'm doing that, yeah. On Friday night. That's from home. The live show? No, no, no. the Zoom.

That'll be in London on the Friday. And then you do strictly on the Saturday and Sunday. And then back here to do this on Monday with some London record dates in the... Yeah. So, you know, it's up and down. You've got a massive gap of no work between now and September, haven't you? Yeah. Yeah.

So you'll be well ready. You'll be raring to go then. I'll be raring to go. I'll be ready. I'll be ready. And I've got so little for the summer holidays. And I'm like, do you know what? I'm just going to parent for the summer holidays.

It's going to be brilliant. And properly do that. Just say no to everything. Yeah. Because you've got a hit strictly. Refresh, because by the end of it, you'll be exhausted.

I'll be cha-cha-cha-chawing my way to bed, mate. Do you want some other bits that's up and to me? Yes, big time. Oh, we have my son's birthday, by the way. Oh, do you want to do that? He's fine. Because mine's about window wipers and McDonald's drive-thru. Well, let me tell you this,

and then we'll finish on window wipers. McDonald's drive-thru because that sounds fun. Oh, and I want to do a new correspondence thing called food confessions. Okay, great. You go ahead first and then we'll do that. Well, there's not a huge amount. We did his birthday. Went really well. He was just so into it. What did he do for it again?

Well, no, we've got his birthday party coming on this Saturday, so it will have happened at the time. Oh, lovely. And you're zooming in for that, yeah? I'm, we are doing digger world. I can't wait. Digger world. Is it digger land? Whatever it is. Yeah. It's the big place for the diggers.

The main cell, not the area of land. Yeah, exactly. Sorry, it's just a land. No, no, no. I want a world diggers, actually. I want a world diggers, please. I can't remember which one it is. So we've got that on Saturday.

And that's going to be a lot of fun. But he's just, he's obsessed with transport. So it's a transport-themed party. He loves trains, planes. He's like you? You love trains. I love trains. I wouldn't say I love planes.

No, no. I think trains are nice. A nice train journey is lovely. if it's done night. But those ones to Edinburgh where you're sat on the floor. Yeah, they're not ideal. No.

But do you know what? Here's an unpopular view. I love Great Western. Whenever I get on a Great Western, I'm like, oh, this is lovely. It is. It is absolutely lovely, and they're great staff,

and I have a lovely time. But anyway, he's five. Very exciting. It's basically, though, Rob, we haven't got a kitchen at the moment, so it's been quite intense. Sorry, sorry. Is Michael remix this?

from an episode from last year. Josh has got a massive workload and no kitchen. I haven't got a massive workload. I've got the week off. He's got the week off, sorry. Yeah, so I've got no kitchen. So you're all done now? You've got nothing tomorrow?

No, I've got anything tomorrow. Nice. Tell me about the McDonald's drive-thru. Yeah, it's so right. Basically, because my daughter loves hot chocolate, right? So I thought, oh, what are nice is? No. I believe in miracles.

You can't move back. Is that hot chocolate? Yeah. So I went early to the McDonald's drive-thru to get a hot chocolate for her to give her her when she came out of doing her sleepover. Yeah, well obviously we've established you had to wait 45 minutes. That's getting a skin on it.

Yeah, it's so hot. You've got ours. Has you got cream? No, no cream, just a hot chocolate. Okay, cool. So I went through a drive-thru. Pull up to the drive-thru. The voice goes,

Are you ordering on the McDonald's app? I went, no. I'm at the drive-thru, I'm not? I weren't trying to be funny. I was like, what in the inception is going on here? Yeah.

Also, I'm driving. So when could I look at the app? I'm in the... And I'm physically in the drive-for-me for me to use the app. You ordered on the McDonald's app? No, I'm at the drive-fell-law. Can I order with you?

And then it just spanned me out. and then he didn't really find it as funny as I found it. Yeah. And then I went through. And then when I got the hot chocolate, and this blew my mind, Josh, she went, sweet norah sugar? And I went,

with an hot chocolate? She went, yeah. I went, people don't do they? And she went, they do. And I thought, you greedy fat fucks. If, no, I'm not even going to say, no offense. Full offense intended. If you are putting shit,

sugar in a hot chocolate. Yeah? You need to wobble your head and have a fucking good, hard look in a mirror and sort your shit out now. That's mental. Do you know what?

It sounds good though, doesn't it? Too much, Josh. Definitely too much for you. You can't have caffeine. No, I know. I find hot chocolate a bit much for my taste. Me too.

Put sugar in it? Yeah. Come on. There's a small Leon on Tottenham Court Road. Okay. It sounds like you've been a bit disrespectful to that Leon, actually, which I mean... I go there.

If I'm doing radio, I'll go there and get my breakfast. Are you doing any more radio? I think Romish is going on holiday in... So you're back in there? I think I'm back in there. Yeah. I don't want to be giving out Romish's travel details. Well, yeah, you don't want people to know he's not at home.

No. That home buddy, home board. Was it Homebird? Yeah. He's basically agro- what's the opposite of agoraphobia. That's what Rommis has got. And again, how can I talk? I'm with him most of the time anyway.

You're with him. Even when he does traitors, you're fucking with him. And then you're having to go at other people. But it's absolutely wild. I know, I'm a hypocrite. I think me, you and Ramesh can't be having a go. Each other's for, each other for our workload. And it's consistent that we, whichever two are talking,

the hold the other one out to dry as an insane workload. I just remembered that we've got that idea for a TV show penciled as a pilot that may go to series. I know, I know, Rob. It's insane. I'm fully aware of that. What was I saying? So.

Oh, you're criticizing people for... No, the Leon, the small Leon. Oh, sorry. And it's got like, it must be... I suppose I am in there at 8am on a Saturday morning. But there's no one in there. There's someone behind the desk, but you have to go in and key into the screen

while she watches you. The key into the screen what you want. I know this is an old... It's not an order at the counter anymore. But you're encouraged to use the screen. Yeah. And then... Anyway, it's neither here and all there.

It's neither here or there. Right, I've got food confessions because I was messaging my mates about this, right? Yeah. Sometimes, if I'm really hungry and I'm a bit of a comfort eater, I've been doing things I think are unacceptable, but I think if we all share them, then the shame can go away and then we can stop doing it.

I've recently been getting, you know, when the butter's gone in the tub a little bit, it's down to the, yeah, it's around the edge rather than in the middle. Right, yeah, yeah. I've been getting breadsticks. Yeah. Wiped it around the edge to get the butter on and then just dunking it in grated cheese. Oh, my word, that sounds good. Yeah, but it's bad.

You can't live like that. I'm not saying it's not good, but you cannot continue to live like that. Well, obviously I've had the clean bill of health on my heart. My heart is absolutely perfect. Well, you've got some wiggle room to do that if you wanted to. I've got some wiggle room to do that. But no, because my cholesterol is high. Yes, I don't do that.

No, I won't be doing that. That does sound good, though, Rob. It is disgusting. Have you got a bag of grated cheese from the supermarket? You've got a bag of grated cheese because my daughter has that a lot on beans and toast. Right, yeah, yeah. I've got loads of breadsticks to the kids like it. And sometimes if I need an immediate, I'm doing that.

And I'm thinking, what you do in your life? How can you moan about putting on weight? That's so good. I'm not even using a knife. I'm wiping the stick on the butter and dunking it into communal cheese. That's disgusting. Because I can't accept to get it all. If I get it all out on the kitchen side, I'm eating it.

If I'm dunking at the fridge, I'm sorry. Can I ask whether the geography of this is? I'm all at the fridge. Are you taking the breadsticks to the fridge? I'm taking one bread stick to the fridge, standing in front of the fridge, opening the butter, dunking it, I'm eating it facing the fridge with the door open

so no one can see. I shut the fridge, go and sit down and think I'm going to go and get another bread stick and repeat. If I had it on the kitchen counter, I'd accept, this is unacceptable, this is too much. I'm sort of in Denaliating that, thinking it's not affecting my calorie intake because I didn't leave the fridge.

I'm still looking at that point. I'm still looking. I'm not eating. I do want to hear other people's ones of them because I don't know if I have something like that. that I do. Because I would just, what do I do?

I've got enough one if you want. Yeah, yeah, go on. Basically, I'll sometimes have a little treat bowl of cereal after dinner that's like, you know, healthy dessert and it might be some sort of like protein cereal,

but then with some crunching up cornflake chucked in, which is unacceptably delicious. Yeah, yeah. Load of milk, and then what I'll do is get the spoon, scoop up a load of Nutella and stick that in the fucking cereal.

Oh, my word, Rob. Move it around a bit, and I'm starting eating that with... I used to, if we ever do. I've read double cream in the fridge. I used to get crunched junk cornflakes with milk and then I'd pour double cream on top. There we go.

There we go. What should we call this? Fat fuck confessions. No, I don't know whether that's going to fly. I don't know we'll be able to get the top level sponsorship for that feature. Okay, well, let's... Fat fuck confessions brought you by Nat West. Michael going into meetings at Spotify.

We think we could get a marquee sponsor for our fat fuck confessions feature. Fat fuck confessions brought to you by Better. Better help. Yeah. Well, mate, okay, well, suggest a name for it and send in your confessions. Do you know what? The cheek of you having a go at people for having sugar in their hot chocolate. I've never said I'm not an hypocrite.

You've never said, no. I'm still. Today, having to go at people with sugar and the hot chocolate and me for my workload is the absolute unbelievable. I'm still our teteer out. Of course you are. You're still not doing the traitors. So, right, let's do some small business shoutouts. Small business shoutouts.

Dear Rob, Josh and Michael, please can I promote my, I went in quick so I could get the short one at the top. Do you see what I did there? Yeah, yeah. Please can I promote my new small business, Nile Terracotta. We are a mixed heritage family who import garden pots and decorative vases from the River Nile to the UK. Oh, wow, great. Our pots are lovingly handmade by skilled potter. as in Egypt.

Traditionally five for days at high temperatures and then carefully imported to the south coast of England, durable, frostproof and beautifully crafted, each pot is one of a kind. You can see and purchase our full range

at Garden Sage in Henfield, Sussex or online at nile terracotta.com. We deliver anywhere in the UK. Oh, Parenting Hell listeners can enjoy 10% off shopping online using the code, Parent 10. That's capital of,

They don't deliver anywhere in the UK. Because if they've got it all the way from Egypt and then they refuse to deliver to Wales, so we'll be a chip. We don't go Benfleet, I'm afraid. You'll have to collect from the Solid Hole. This is currently our side hustle, but we're working hard to make it our main hustle so we can have a better quality of life for our free boys.

Great. And go on as many holidays as you guys. Fair play, absolutely. Absolutely. Target. Yeah, I'll be honest. I'm living my dream here. Perrin in hell is my favourite podcast,

and I've listened since the beginning. Thank you both for the last solidarity. You really have no idea how much it helps. Oh, thank you, Kay. Good luck with Nile Terracotta. Yeah. Look at that. They're nice, isn't they?

Beautiful pots. Hello, you pair of comedy geniuses and Michael. Could you please give a shout out to our small family business, flourishing feet run by myself and my wife in Sleaford, Lincolnshire? Sleaford. I mean, talk about a place that will forever be associated now with the band, the Sleafed Mods, and the surrounding towns and villages. We're a mobile foot health service, helping people in their own homes with corns.

Veracus, oh man, I could do with this. Ingrowing toenails. Callis, hard skin, diabetic foot care, general foot health. We've built the business around family life or juggling kids, self-employment, the usual chaos, so your podcast keeps us laughing through the driving, paperwork and long days. You can find us on Facebook by searching flourishing feet. If you need any foot care in the Lincolnshire area, I would recommend that. because that I would love a mobile, I would love a mobile flourish of my feet.

That is from Mountaine. Is Bristol near you? Not really. Well, I went to a great shropadist there that got that bit of glass at my foot. Oh yeah, of course you did. The diatrist, whatever they are. I don't know. Apologies to the foot doctors out there.

You're a foot doctor almost, aren't you? No. Footwork doctor. A footwork doctor. Yeah, yeah, of course. Of course. Josh, congratulations. you're going to be absolutely brilliant.

Have some time off. Look after your mental health. Look after your family and enjoy it and relax. You've got ages to sort that out. Don't dress. I'm not going to. I'm going to have a lovely cup of tea. Go for it.

Decaf. With sugar. Bye.