Rob Beckett and Josh Widdicombe's Parenting Hell - S11 EP7: Zoe Ball

Episode Date: August 28, 2025

Joining us this episode to discuss the highs and lows of parenting (and life) is the brilliant broadcaster and presenter - Zoe Ball. 'Dig It' with Jo Whiley & Zoe Ball podcast:​ Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball lift the lid on the messy, everyday reality of trying to live well. Long-time friends and beloved broadcasters, they swap the studio for the sofa to catch up on everything going on in their lives — from homes and gardens to family life, health, ageing and music.New episodes every Monday and Wednesday. You can listen or watch Dig It with Jo Whiley and Zoe Ball podcast here: https://linktr.ee/digitpod Parenting Hell is a Spotify Podcast, available everywhere every Tuesday and Friday. Please subscribe and leave a rating and review you filthy street dogs... xx 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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Hello, I'm Rob Beckett. And I'm Josh Whitickham. Welcome to Parents in Hell, the show in which Josh and I discuss what it's really like to be a parent, which I would say can be a little tricky. So, to make ourselves and hopefully you, feel better about the trials and tribulations of modern day parenting, each week you'll be chatting to a famous parent about how they're coping. Or hopefully how they're not coping. And we'll also be hearing from you, the listener with your tips, advice and, of course, Tales of Parenting Woe. Because let's be honest, there are plenty of times where none of us know what we're doing. Hello, you're listening to Parenting Hell with... Right, Gabriella, can you say Rob Beckett?

Rob Beckett. Good girl. Can you say Josh Whittigone? What does he do? Try again. Josh Whittigam. That's Riddiggan. Yes, that's good, well done. Is that a South African accent? Is that South African accent I can hear? No, originally from Birmingham now, Yorkshire.

Hang on, roll back, Blair again. The mum's definitely South African. Maybe she doesn't know. Right, Gabriella, can you say Rob Beckett? Bob Beckett. Good girl. Can you say Josh Whittigam? What does Richard game? Try again, Josh. Yeah, try again, right?

South African. She's South African. Yes, that's good. Well done. Yes, that's good. Well done. No. My ears not working.

This is my three-year-old daughter, Gabriela. She seemed to quite enjoy doing this. At some point, I will have to stop listening to your podcast with her in the car. Hopefully not just yet, though. I actually hate listening to other people's children at the start of the podcast, but if you can't beat them, join them. Thanks to the pod. It's always nice to hear.

We're all muddling through together from Holly and Gabriella. Well, we're not money-free together. You're throwing shit at the other kids talking. Fair enough. No one likes other people's kids. I mean, it's an absolutely fucking wild way to start a podcast, Josh. What? You're tired.

Tired. Luckily, we've got Zoe Ball who dealt with tiredness for a whole career. She knows her way around a bit of tiredness, mate. I know we spoke about it before, but do you think you could ever do the breakfast show? No. You're just not a morning person. I'd be fine doing it and getting through it. Yeah.

But the rest of the day, you will feel jet-lacked. Yes, for five years. For five years. I've got no interest in feeling like that. You would have your head in your hands at one minute to six, and then the producer would go, you're on air, and you'd be full of beans. Well, I think I'd actually blast through. I'd actually get up, I'd have a shower, and I think what would happen is I'd actually

at 5 a.m. or whatever go, do you know what? I feel fine. I've had six hours sleep. I feel fine. And then... All my work's done at night. Yeah, it was my work done at night. Yeah, it was more, it's done at nine, and then I'd finish at nine, and then at three minutes past nine, I'd go, why do I feel so sad?

I don't want the rest of the day, because I'm just trying to stay up, and I want to eat sugar to get through, and I'd feel, it would be like having a young child forever. What is your little Josh Whitacom's treat if you're going to go to the shops and get some little sweeties to watch a film or something? What are you doing? Do you know what I've really got into recently, Rob? This isn't sweets. I've got obsessed with shreddies Okay, well like frosted shreddies No, cool's not Straight shreddies

I'm a shred head Yeah, okay Fair enough, you're waking up and having shreddies You know, I'm not waking up and having shreddies Rob When you're having shreddies After the kids are gone to bed It's a treat

Yeah But what weird? Milk? Real milk? Yeah, yeah Cow milk Semi skimmed cow So you're on the cow

but that's your treat that's like your sweet treat thinking about it now I'm going I can't wait for it later right say the kids are away and you and Rose you're in a hotel somewhere

and they're not going to do shreddies are there because no but you're all snowed in right apart from you can literally walk across the road and there's a petrol station with all the normal petrol station sweets and crisps and stuff like that

what are you getting and then you're going to go back to the room and watch a film in the bed fizzy water 50 water okay so you're asking what chocolate bar are we getting

no I'm asking you you can't get crisp If you want, you could have chewing. You've got to get ice cream there. You could have... I wouldn't go ice cream. I'd probably get a whisper. A whisper and a fizzy water.

If they've got apple ties, I love that. Oh. Do you know what it is? I always think people change as they get older, but I think I've worked out. There are just people that act like they're a nan now. Yeah. And that's fine.

And you love those little bubbles in your mouth. What are you getting from a petrol station that's so young and happening and cool? You're getting a bottle of prime. I'm having a fanta twist zero. Right, fine. You've made a fanta twist? No, I don't.

It's too sugary for my taste. And don't say there's no sugar. What I mean is, like, it's too sweet for my tastes. I'm having that, and I'm probably having steak, McCoy's, maybe some scampy fries, which I'm a little. I enjoy back of salt in a squares. There you go. You relax it into it. And then chocolate white, I'll have a furor-roche.

I might have a little pint of milk there. Sorry. You're accusing me of being a great. and you're having a Frere-a-Roshae. You've got a fucking bowl of shreddies, dry and not even frosted. Come on. No, no, Nan is knocking back steak, McCoy's.

They're fucking sad little weak tongues. Wouldn't deal with that fucking crinkled ridge? Telling me a nun's chomping through that, gummy-gummy gumgums. No, they're sucking on a whisper and choking down some fizzy water. I love a whisper. Fucking great.

It melts in your mouth. You've got to be sat there in an old people's home sucking on a whisper because your teeth don't work. And I'm going to be next to you're fucking milling on Feroa-Rosha edges. Ferreira Roche is an old person's snack. Let's put a vote up on our Instagram. What's more old person? Whisper or Ferreira Rochai.

You're struggling with a for a ro-rah-rah-rah-ha. If you ever want to do the pressure of Josh Winnicum, go forer-ra-ra-ra-ra-ro-rah-ha. If you want to be a Mancuni and do avocado, Farrah-R-R-Rashai. Yeah, Ferrar-Rosha, I think it's an old-person snack. I'd say it's one down from an after-eight. No, but I do think an after-dinner treat at home, a bowl of normal shreddies is mad. So what are you having at 10pm? Yeah.

And Lou goes. Well, when I'm being good, nothing, I'll have those 10 calorie jellies and then protein yogurt with strawberries cut up into it, a little sprinkling of granola and honey. That's my healthy little go-to. I think we've done this before. But if I'm off the fucking hook, I've got a massive bowl of milk. And in the massive bowl of milk, I'm putting all the different types of cereal I've got.

I'm talking cold flakes, that weird mess of stuff, mess of Sunrise the kids add. I've got this protein-packed cinnamon hoops. I've got protein-packed chocolate hoops. I'm crushing up for a roche in there. And I'm also putting a big fucking spoon in the Nutella. And then shoving that in the fucking bowl. We're mixing it all up and getting it down my gob while you're there sucking off a whisper. Come on, mate.

Live! That sounds awful. Tonight, I'm going to have a bowl of shreddies. You're warm enough. You know what I think's overrated? You've got the tongue of an evacuee. I think dinner's overrated. I was quite happy I've all of shreddy to have every night.

You can't just eat shreddies every night. I know, because society says I can't, and so I don't. Your shreddies for dinner, toast for lunch, porridge, breakfast. Okay, but if you could, you'd have shreddies for dinner. Toast for lunch? No, I'm not having toast. Toast for breakfast? No, I don't have toast for breakfast.

When you're having a toast then? I'm not having a toast. You love toast? I know, but I'm on a shreddy kick at the moment. Yeah, but you put toast on your off menu. You're not having toast at all day. No, not at the moment. You've gone off toast.

I haven't gone off toast. Well, you're not having it. You're not on it. You must be off it. You don't have to eat everything every day to like it. I haven't gone off pizza, but I'm not having that today. Do you know what? Because this is recorded before Zobel.

We'll ask her, what, uh, opening question, what's your late night treat? And it ain't going to be dry shredies. Exactly. Anything you want to ask Abel before we interview her? No, well, I'm interested, obviously. Her son's become a DJ. Yeah. Yeah. That's quite exciting.

I think she does Gogglebox with her son, doesn't she? Yeah, is he named Woody? Is it Woody? Woody Cook. Yeah. And she used to host Live and Kicking and the Radio 2 and Radio 1 Breakfast shows. I bet she still knows the Live and Kicking phone number.

That's a good question. Do you know it? What's happened to Trevor and Simon? 0-8-1-8-1-8-1. Who's Trevor and Simon? Trevor and Simon used to do the comedy sketches on Live and Kicking. They're fucking brilliant. We don't do duvets.

I don't know that. Oh, for fuck sake, turn that off. You know what's happened there? Your eye message went off again. No, that's not my eye message. It's a different sound. What's it saying? Updates available.

It doesn't need to tell me that with such... Yeah. You can get frosted shreddies now, you're boring old... That's what he's telling you. Do you know what? We have got a bag of frosted trellies, but I... Too much for you. You were bought by mistake and I've opened them.

I just think I don't want that. I have one to blow your socks off. No, it's too much. Your tongue might know what's hit it. I'll get a painful tongue probably. Here's Zoe Ball Here's Zoe Ball Welcome to the show

Zoe Ball Hello boys We're very excited to have you We've wanted you for ages Yeah Well it's quite a thing for me Because all my mates are like Crazy super fans

Of your podcast And talk about you incephany No podcast is quite a new thing to me Josh I will freely admit I Apart from newscast I don't

don't listen to a lot of podcasts. You've got to remember I'm sort of two generations above you. You're here to promote one. I am here to promote one. Look, I'm not really into it, but I've got one. Like me in an ice cream machine. No, do you know what? It's all new to me. I quite like watching the clips on Instagram. You know, I'd still use a fax. If I was allowed, I would still be using a fax and an old-fashioned type... What would you fax? What would be the first thing you faxed if he's allowed to fax? I would fax my agent saying, why the hell am I doing this podcast? No, I wouldn't have to. Well, thanks for joining us, Zoe. Oh, you know, I love you. You've got two kids, correct, boy and a girl?

Yeah, well, as far as I know, I often joke with them. I'm like, well, there's also Roger who lives in Tennessee. No, there are just the two. There are just the two. And you know what? If we hadn't mucked about so much, I'd love to have had more. But I feel very blessed to have a girl. How old are they? Well, Woody is going to be 25. Oh, wow. I know. It's amazing. But in my head, you're 25, sorry.

That's one of the problems. Well, yeah. And you're still using fax machines. I'm sorry. I am permanently stark in the early 90s. Isn't that a thing where you sort of see yourself as a certain age? I mean, I don't feel 28th. I feel that's my attitude sort of being long.

The best years of your life, although I think they are still to come. Come, boys. That's what I'm hoping for. I think everyone has an age that suits him. I think, Josh, your age really should be about like 58, 61 round that. It's younger than I expected you to say. I don't know. You just have the air of a cup of tea and a biscuit and a sit down and you've always wanted that even when you were young. There's the tea. Yeah, yeah. And what's always age then, Rob? Well, 28. Would you say 28? About 28, I think. What's yours, Rob? I think mine's going to be about 41 and I'm a couple of years off that. And I think that's going to change. What's going to change? in the next two years? I feel like a youngish uncle. It's my sort of... That's your peak age. As in the youngish, cool uncle, or the youngish, oh no, he's here again.

Don't get stuck next to a handsy one. He's been brought in for questioning by the police, again. No, I feel like I'm that uncle that isn't cool, but if you ended up sitting with him at a restaurant for a family do, he'd understand the things you're talking about. Yeah. but may not necessarily be in them, if that makes sense. Yeah, yeah.

It would actually be a bit embarrassing because you'd try and join in. Well, that's always going to be the danger of me at 41 as my eternal age. But then at 28, your eternal age, aren't you too tempted to carry on the night out and stuff like that, Zoe? That is a 28-year-old. Yeah, that is the danger. The danger is no boundaries. I had no boundaries at 28, and that is something that you learn as you get older.

It's like, oh, it is good to have boundaries. It is good to lower your expectations. it is good to go to sleep and not drink on a weekday and be a good parent. So, yeah, I think. So how old were you when you had kids? So I had Woody when I was 30. I'd just turned 30 when Woody was born. He was born in 2000.

And it's sort of when you look back now, you know, that's exactly when you should be having kids in your late 20s 30s because your body's ready. You've got the energy. But it was a bit of a shock. I was the first of my mates to have a kid. Were you doing the Radio One Breakfast Show? I'd left the Breakfast Show, the Radio on Breakfast Show. But, you know, Norm was DJing all over the world. Life was pretty hectic and Wu was born into that.

And we weren't ready. And he, I call him RaveMonkey. He was born into that world and he has taken the baton and loved with it. But I don't necessarily think that raising a child in that chaos is a good idea. Were you like going to Ibiza or whatever and he'd come along and it would be a bit like family on tour? Yeah, we'd go. In fact, we'd just been to Abitha this year and all our friends who've been going for about 30 years and our kids have all grown up together. There's new generation of little ones and we're all together and it sort of blows your mind.

We're like, oh my God, yeah, 25 years ago. And now the kids are going out and I'm getting up and picking them up. Oh, wow. You know, Woody was in Yeshwire and somewhere else. In fact, Woody was supposed to come out for a week and ended up coming out for 36 hours because he'd come straight out of Boon Town. And it's like, of course he's not going to make a flight on a Monday

or just when he's come straight out of Boone Town. So what you're saying is, you know, raising a child in the 90s when you're 30, married to an international DJ, had no impact on him as an adult. Absolutely, zero impact. It's actually, it went the other way. He rebelled, went the other way. Totally.

we used to joke we're like oh you know maybe he'll become a physicist and it's like of course he's not going to become a physicist he's going to be a lunatic raver more the chemist i imagine in ibiza how do you find like that kind of are you giving like be careful when you go out be careful when you go to festivals yeah of course i am and he just looks at me he did say a couple of years ago because those first initial years he was in one of those years at school and apparently you occasionally get those years in school where they're the kids are full-on party. And then you'll get a year that are quite chill and quite quiet and quite studious. I mean, all his friendship group are full-on. And they are amazing and I adore them. And they've sort of all grown up around us. But yeah, it was terrifying as parents. And we'd be calling each other going, well, I'm worried about, you know, what he's doing,

and he'd just look at us and go, you can't talk. You too. I know what you did. But it is worrying as a parent when, you know, things have changed since. we were young and we two might be different but I never rang my parents to tell them what I was okay I never rang them to say I'd landed somewhere or got somewhere in a car full of lunatics

you know driving back from Wigan and go I remember driving back from a gig once and the person driving said who's driving the car and thinking my God we're off in a die you're terribly irresponsible so when you're then telling your kids to be responsible they you know they look at you

and you say what but once you've got your own kids, you say one day you'll appreciate why I'm so worried about you. I've got this plate in the kitchen that says text me when you get there. It's like, just let me know you're alive. And Woody will do that thing, he'll wind me up. Would he live with you? No, no.

He lives in Bristol with all his mates. They're all brilliant. And they're all DJs and creatives and fantastic rave lunatics. I love them all. They're brilliant. It's Rona Week. Now until Wednesday, And the best part, we're ready to help you extend your summer. You know the saying the grass is always greener on the other side?

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Learn more at SLR.com. And ask your family eye care professional for SLR Stellas lenses at your child's next visit. How does it feel watching him DJ? Like, are you front of the dance floor, are you going for it? Is there a tear in your eye? Oh, yeah. The first time I ever saw him DJ, I was with quite a big group of his friends, my brother, some of my best mates. And he played the Greenpeace Tree at Glastonbury, which Josh, I know you'll know, Rob, I don't hate it, never went back.

But he played that and there'd been a band on opposite where he was playing, who had gone down really well, the crowd of pumping. I mean palms and pacing up and down all of us like oh please this amazing crowd let him and he came on and we were all in tears he just candle in the wind had the magic he went a little harder than that josh it was incredible and my brother nick who never cries he's the uncle you ought to be rob and he famously never cries and even nick famously i mean he's been in some horrendous situation and he stood firm famously. He was moved to tears.

We saw the sole tear around his face. I remember Norm's sister Lois was with us and she went, oh my lord, he's got it. He's got the magic. Later on, you know, I've been at a festival's where he's played and I've walked through crowds after him and they're all like, hey, what are? Brilliant set.

And people message me who've seen him play at festivals and parties and stuff. They're like, your kid, he's a great kid. He makes me very proud indeed. But financially, nightmare. We've had the various round. He's constantly... Mom, my clutch has gone.

He's, you know, he couldn't organise anything. Chaos. But he's brilliant. And how much does he, like, talk to you and Norm about DJing? Well, he talks to his dad about DJing. I mean, he doesn't want to talk to me about DJing. I know nothing about it, apart from...

Oh, I like that one. You know, when you're doing a DJ saying someone texts you on the way down to Cornwall? What's the best way to incorporate that? Exactly. Have you got any steel you down? He does rifle through my records, my CDs and stuff, though, and he does play stuff that I'm like, that's one of ours. That's one of mine, which I love. He's always taught to me about emotional stuff. He calls me. How do you do that? It's wonderful. And that happened from when he was about 15, he would be like, Mom, can we have a chat? And he's always had that. And I feel really blessed that he turns to me. And why do you think it is? is. Do you think there's things you did, or do you think it's just... Yeah, I think until that point, I'd probably massively faked as a mother in the fact that I was always working, so he always had someone amazing looking after him. Like, we had brilliant nannies

who worked with us so that Norm and I could both work by miss, you know, swimming gala's and stuff like that. We've made up for that with Nell. But, yeah, I missed quite a lot. How old is Nell? She's teenagers, isn't she? Nell's 15, yeah. There's a 10-year age gap. So are you been more present for her? childhood stuff more so than Woody's in. Well, I think, yeah, productions and things like that, I've made sure that I'm at shows, I'm at, you know, matches and stuff like that.

But it's only since giving up the breakfast show that I now do the school run in the morning and I love it. You know, she's 15, so she doesn't really want to talk. She doesn't really want you to drive her to school at any of that. You go, this is great, isn't it? Yes, Mom, I've been doing it for 10 years. I love this. But my thing is, I don't care if she's, you know, it's not a natural time for teenagers to

wake up. It's hell for them. And she's got GCSEs this year. But that was part of giving up the breakfast show. I was like, I really want to be there for her because it's going to be a tough year. And also for girls, 15 is booze and boys. It's a nightmare. It's an absolute mind-field. So is the idea that kids these days drink less? Do you think that's a myth? I think that's a myth. Yeah. From my experience. But I don't know. Is it just my children? You're the anomalies. Yeah. You see, your kids are still young, aren't you? You'll be calling me asking me for advice than years to come going so. I definitely agree with that with some school years because between my two kids, my oldest daughter's year is a bit more calmer and they're just all seem

quite quite a younger year. They're all just like got so much energy and like loud and it's sort of like a very different vibe as the whole year. It's really odd that some years fall like that. I know. And teachers, it must be hell for them. Oh yeah. Whenever I go to Nell's school because she's at the same school, a brother was at, every teacher's always like, how is Woody? And they always pull that a face of, yeah, I remember him well. Is she a different character to Woody then? Is she a bit more relaxed or she's going down that DJ route?

They're very different in gorgeous ways but very similar in others. The idea that he felt he had to live up to us and now she says I'm going to give you hell mum and dad I'm going to be worse than Woody is that you don't have to live up to anything. You could be really calm and chilled and thoughtfully.

Do you know what? The thing I love about They're both empaths. They really care about all their mates. What is an empath, by the way? I've heard this a lot online, but I'm not sure what you work with one, Rob. You work with one on a podcast. An empath, I think is someone who is very much sort of feels the mood of other people around them and reacts to that. So they're really good friends, they're really good listeners. They're always there for their friends. They always want to go that extra mile to check people are okay. If they're in a room, they'll be able to feed off your energy and work at how you feel and react to it as opposed to just being able to. which can be good and sometimes can work against you because sometimes you take on too many of other people's it's like just worry about you yeah too right i have that problem a lot do you have that josh zohy i care too much i care too much i've heard that they attract the mood hovers the empath

don't know and are you implying that's me josh i come in and just i don't think i have my energy to make or break the energy the main empath trait i have is if i walk past a failing business i feel incredibly sad. Do you have that? I can't deal with it. If I walk past an empty cafe, it depends on the business. I was quite happy Claire's accessories have stopped because that was really my life. Sorry to anyone who lost a job, but I struggled getting in and out of there on a Saturday. You're right though, because around where I am, there's a new Persian grill has opened up and it's massive. And a friend of mine's in restaurants and he always said, if you're in a town, look for the place that's busy. You know, if there's a queue or it's busy,

go there because it's good food and that's the reason and there's a Persian grill around the corner it looks well fancy there's never anyone in there and I felt a bit sad about that yesterday you're so naive you're so naive it's money laundering all these barbershops there's no one in there just people go in and out buying stuff for cash woodie's getting his hair cut five times a week it's a front it's probably not I know what you mean though So that is the negative part of that is you can get too worked up in other people's problems trying to help, aren't you? And it's like, look after you. Look after you. Yeah. To go back, you were really good at that. You talked to Woody about his emotions from kind of teenage years. That was a real connection. Yeah. And we taught, you know, because it was tough for my kids because, you know, we split up and got to Austin quite a lot went on in our lives for them to deal with, you know, as kids and to see their parents go through stuff like that. And that was really tough.

And I was really grateful that Woody from quite a young age wanted to talk to me about us getting divorced, wanted to talk to us about how our relationships worked, what were good relationships. He was fascinated by all our friends and our family and all of their relationships. And he's really astute so he could see. He's like, oh, yeah, I get it now. I get it about, you know, my dad or, you know, my brothers and things like that. And I think he did quite that to his own friends and his own life.

so he's always looking out for his mates and it's pretty good to see they do that and they party hard but they also go and do things like they build stuff in the woods and chill out and it's a good balance. It's a good balance. It's a healthy balance.

From the outside though, so it seems like, you know, obviously it's totally different inside it but like it seems like you and Norman have got a really healthy approach to the kids. I mean, it may not have always been like that but like you say, going to an event and you can stand there

with your brother, you know, Norman's sister, Norman and just enjoy Woody's performance. It has always been like that or was that taken time to work towards? Do you know what? It's Norm's family. My family split

and it was quite tough and the two sides didn't really talk. Norm's family split but they always hung out together. So at Christmas's, birthdays, the whole family would be together. His mum and his dad and their partners and I always used to think,

wow, this is like radical. You know, it's quite unusual. And I very much kind of was inspired by them doing that. Because also it just made it easier because all the cook kids didn't have to have two Christmases, two birthdays. So when we split up, we're both very lucky that there was a lot of love between us. And it was like, we've got to do this the kind way and the most important thing is that the kids are all right. And it wasn't easy in the beginning and it did take time. But I am so grateful to parent with him because he's a brilliant dad. He's great.

is fun and we share a lot of the same friends and our families are still mates and it's great we can be together for the kids birthdays stuff like that I've just been away and we spent time we're in the same place and we spent time together so it's great for our kids and they always Woody's always like putting the fun and is dysfunctional but it's a bit mad but it's so refreshing and I've got a lot of friends and family members who've had really tough toxic divorces and that is not always possible. And so I'm grateful that we've been able to make it like that. Yeah. He's a brilliant. He's also quite good at, we're quite good at calling each other out if one of us needs to lift it up a bit. It's like, oh, we're not. And we're married.

Does that impressive? Did that get easier when you divorce, so? Are you asking for a friend? I'd quite like to put the fun into dysfunctional, I think, about that. Oh, God, your girls must be so patient. I always think. I know that I've met Lou. She is very patient. No, I think you can do it subtly. And it's sort of like, I know you're cross about that. I know you're a bit frustrated with him over that or with her over this.

But why don't you just try a bit of that? We can pull each other up and it does work. Sometimes it'll be like, yeah. And you go away and think, oh, actually, yeah, you've got a point. Yeah. Yeah, I'm really grateful for that. And also now my kids give me advice on my relationships. Oh, really?

Do you that? Yeah. Like, Mom, maybe you're overreacting. Maybe you're being a bit, you know, maybe just calm down. All right, yeah, thanks. Well, because I think if you've done your job well, your children are emotionally more intelligent than you. Yeah, exactly.

And mine definitely are. I mean, to be honest with you, they were more emotionally intelligent than me at five. I've got an exciting bit of news for you, Zoe. This will blow your mind. Oh, yeah. Rob's never come to an interview having done research with a question before. I know.

What's really just rocks up. But today, he's told me he's got a question that he's researched. Well, no, it wasn't a question. Basically, I always Google how many kids people have got. I think that's the better. He always Googles who it is to double check. Who is? I'm believing something up where, like, they got, you know,

divorce last week. And you just not going, how is it? Oh, yeah. We did interview Ed Balls, and he only realized afterwards that he used to be a politician. So that was a... Yeah, but I did know how many kids he had. Good enough. And that's more important than your job.

Yeah, it's not about labels. It's about connecting with a human underneath. And we didn't connect with the human underneath for 50 minutes. No, no, no. You can't connect with a politician. They don't do they are. We're all hiding from something looking for power. Anyway, basically, I just read a thing about how when Nelly, now she's 15, 14, 15,

you'd say to her, do you want to sleep in with me, which when they're younger, kids love that. And you used to love doing that with Nilly. But she's at the age now, she's like, are there an interview? This is unbelievable research. I don't want to get into bed with you anymore, mum, because she's 14, 15, and she doesn't. Fair enough. and saying how much you missed that.

And on my side of things where me or Lou have basically the last couple of months for a number of reasons have slept with one of our daughters and it's absolutely sending us insane. Trouble in paradise. Is it rose-tinted glasses you're talking through this or is it something you really loved when they were younger? And does the size of the bed make a difference? I think the size of the bed definitely makes the difference.

People often comment like, whoa, your bed is massive. And it's like, yeah, because at some point there were four people in it. And then you had kids. A lot of fun, isn't it? Oh dear. It all went on. And also my kids, I don't know if it was the same, they'd go sideways. You'd be like, like that walking up your back, da da da da, da, da, da, that lying on your face.

But because, you know, kids now, they're in screens and phones and they're talking to me, and Nell will be talking to people on Snapchat late, sometimes if I'm on my own and it's girl's night and she's here and she's in the mood, she will climb into bed, especially, you know, because sometimes, you know, kids are still needy and it's so lovely when you're like, oh, you really need an early night. You really need a hug from your mum. And she'll get in and fall asleep so quickly because she feels safe. And that's the thing, isn't it? Kids just need to feel safe sometimes. And I'm really grateful that she'll still do that. Woody, I don't, yeah, would he'll come and climb on the bed and me, him and now will have a big hug. But he'll always be

like, no, no, I'm not sleeping in the same room as my brother. That's not happening anymore. But now we'll still do that just about. And I really, I sort of dread the day she goes off to uni. Oh, man. Oh, don't. You've got all that to come. Yeah, because that's only a few years off. It's two years, two years almost. Is it good to know that, you know, they're of a generation that won't be able to afford their own houses. So they'll probably come back. Completely will come back. And you will never get rid of them. And it'll be quite the other way that all be like, do you know what, I'll move into the garage. You just have the house. Have you thought, though, because obviously, like, you know, you've worked a lot and now you've

taken a step back. You're still working loads, but you're not doing that every morning on the Radio 2 Breakfast show, so you can have more time with Nelly and stuff. And you're like saying, in a couple of years, she's gone and you're just staring down the brown. What is it? Have you got a plan for this? Scott Mills can't last Trevor, Rob. I don't know. It's, to be honest with you, I gave up work, because she's going to do her GCSE, she's never here. She's out with her mates. I'm like, let's give her up work for you.

I don't know a lot about teenagers, but if your job is 6 a.m. till 9 a.m. It's very unlikely by the time you get awake if it's not still. They're not even awake. What did I give up for? Yeah, I have thought about it. I've been through this a bit with Woo, but I had the joy of having Nell still around.

I don't know. I've got massively into gardening. It's a bit of a cliche, but that's my happy place when I get a bit lonely or I get a bit, I'm like, go potter. I might get a job in the garden centre one day. That's sort of the dream, you know. Well, this is the question to build on some research, sleep research questions, but we are obsessed on this show with how awful it must be to host a radio breakfast show.

You must have been asked the two of you, even to do debts. I did one weekend on XFM and it was like I was just a dead. I'm not a morning person. It would end me. I'd be so miserable. on here. What is worse in terms of tiredness, the breakfast show or having a baby, like the first year of having a baby? I think the first year of having a baby. Is it? Because the thing is, first year of having a baby, it's not like you're getting your sleep anywhere else. If you do the breakfast show, you can have a nap in the afternoon, can't you? And you get paid handsomely. And it's all lulled. You do get to meet amazing people, especially on the radio two, when you get everyone. You've got to remember, Zoe, me and Rob have been paid handsomely for having kids. We've turned it into a

possible. Exactly. More people should do this. And why haven't though? But yeah, definitely first year of having a baby. Because you're never catching up, are you? You're just not catching up. And those first few days, you're so in love and you're like, great.

And then you remember, oh, hang on. And that's when you start getting a bit crabby with each other because you're like, I did last night. No, you did. No, I've had less. You know, that whole thing is quite tough. I don't know. Did you find it easier with second baby?

I found it easier with now. No, no. But you had a 10-year gap. 10-year gap. So I think, yeah, I was really grateful to do it again. Yeah, of course. But, yeah, I wasn't any better at the nights, to go honestly. And you're, I know you're not a fan of podcasts.

I know it's not your scene. But we should say that your new podcast for Joe Wiley is always at the top of the chart, Zoe. Yeah, it's early days, isn't it? I mean, I'm riding on that at the moment. I'm like, oh. No, it's not early days. It's been a month or two, hasn't it, by now? Woody was just impressed that we'd beat in Joe Rogan.

I was just thinking Sussex. Similar people. Similar shit. Just in Sussex. Just in Sussex. But we'll have that. Tell us about your podcast. Dig.

Yeah. So Dig it. It's called Dig it. Dig it. Sorry. No, don't worry. I'd do it with Joe. When I was doing the breakfast show, Joe would be on in the evening.

I'd never see her because she lives north. I live south. But we would compare notes on a lot of things. Parenting, Menopause, you know, life stuff. Should I be taking? creatine, which, of course, Rob Beckett recommended me. Have you? I know, and look at the difference.

I've got a job lot of it. I don't know if it's making any difference. I find it calms my brain down a bit, but I don't know if it's a placebo. More so than muscles, I find that it slows my brain down a bit in a way. I think, I don't know if it's proven or not. It's supposed to assist people that are neurodiverse with the speed of the brain. And for me, I found it does, I'm a bit slower and calmer when I'm having it. Yeah, I've noticed you're less quick with the jokes, actually.

The podcast got worse You just don't take a grid If I'm going to get less funny But more children, more writ Fucking stick me in heat magazine And then my comedy career Are you going to be like Sasha Baron Cohen

In a like Oh he's got rits of treads Hasn't he? I know I find it a bit scary But I think it's very much a Divorce Did you do that, sorry? Did I get ritz?

No No, I didn't I went the other way Because you can't go away kind of you see people and you're like oh oh yeah you went that way i think everyone at sort of 50 has when the kids have sort of left that sort of 50 to 68 have their second wind of new energy but they're still young enough to do something which and it might be getting ripped cycling gardening rock climbing there's something but you just got to pick your second wind carefully

so you're not too tragic basically not too tragic gardening's fine gardening's gardening and a podcast for joe wiley okay is it called dig it because of your love of gardening well so that was a thing so we both love gardening and it's helped us both through lots of stuff and we can pair notes and we just have these little chats on text about stuff and afterwards I kind of missed her in the mornings because we'd always check in and it seems like oh yeah we could do something with this and have chats about you know I actually got a message this week saying there's so much to talk about in your lives I can't believe chub rub is the subject and it's like these are exactly the things we should be talking about chububub is men and ladies have it as you

you know, with thighs rub together in the summer months. Do you know what? Chub rub has been the bane of my life. Taking creotene. I've just got a thick thigh. It doesn't matter if I'm in shape or not. I'm exercising. They will rub.

And there's nothing I've accepted my body. I've got fat nipples and my thighs rub. That's me. Lose a lucky woman. Lose a lucky gal. It's a lucky girl. Things that turn low on are very weird. Yeah.

Thank goodness. So you were chatting about chubb rub with Joe. So we were talking about. chub-rub and Joe doesn't have that. She's very live and she runs a lot and swims a lot. She's, I am literally the polar opposite. And we learned about trousers you can wear and you cook those creams you can use. So we talk about things like that. We talk about gardening. We talk about our kids. Some of our kids don't mind us talking about them. Some of our kids do. You know, I got called out already. I'm now going, I can't believe you threw me under the bus talking about

that. I was like, oh God, I'm so sorry. I'll be more diligent on that. And she went, I love it. I love it. yeah luckily ours are still young so we'd get away with it for a few more years but we talk about all the things and um i've been really enjoying it now i can almost operate the tech the reason i love podcasts is because the world can get a bit lonely at times when you're you know you're so busy and you don't always go for drinks with friends or meet up your friends but like hearing two mates chat like you and joe chatting you feel like you're in the coffee shop with you that's what's great about it is it's a proper friendship a normal conversation's not like You know, it's not too produced like, you can get that on the radio.

You can get them on the telly, and that's great, and there's a place for that. But just very loose conversation, I think it's really important because it doesn't happen enough when they're one so busy. You're absolutely right. And doing the podcast, I've now, I was listening to Angela Scanlon and Vicki Patterson doing a podcast. There's loads of other people. I'm like, oh, hang on a minute. Just women's one, though, yeah? Got something against men, have you?

We get chubb rob too. Yeah. I can send you some, apparently there's this great thing called Mega, babe that you can put on your thighs. Make them slag. I just wear my pants. I just wear quite a long sort of light. Like a Victorian.

Boxers. I wear Calvin Klein boxes that are boxer briefs that are like cycling short material that cling to your leg. Just when I thought it couldn't get less sexy, Rob's chub rub. It's the pants that rub, not my skin. So that's the thub. I am so grateful to hear this, Rob, that you understand about chub rub. It's the only pant I can wear.

If I wear any other pants, there's chub rub. And I think it's difficult for women We'll experience more chub rub Because the main underwear stops at the top of the thigh So I think we should bring out Some chub rub knickers For women

They're like like boxer shorts What are your pants like then, Josh If it's not too rude to ask Oh disgusting I imagine Covering in shit Over their knee Why front are you in? No, I'm not,

What are white fronts? How'd it? I actually Baggy Granddad ones I reckon I like a baggy boxer See he's not getting chub rub Do you know what I like Zoe And Rob will say

This is an exact kind of reference that I'd make. Palm of Violet? I buy a specific boxer short from a specific shop which is a little treat for myself because they're quite expensive but why not enjoy yourself?

I buy the brief from Sunspell the loose boxers short and they are the ones do you remember the Levi advert where the guy goes into the laundrette and washes his clothes and sits there in his boxes? It's those boxes. Wow.

Do you know what I've got respect for you? I think you can have some horrible old cheetah ones, but they're invested in yourself. Well done. I've invested in another regions. Why not? Can I ask a question, though, as a woman? Yeah, of course. What are they supporting? They're not supporting. They're not supporting anything. So what is the point? I don't like the support because I find that. I suppose the point is that they are meaning you could wash your trousers less. Because if you wore no boxer shorts, if you were just wearing jeans, it would be weird. Okay. You're just dixious flapping around in then, though, Josh, isn't it?

I don't think we need to be so graphic about that, yeah. That's what we're all thinking. No, I can't be having that, just swinging around. I didn't mean, 20 seconds ago, you were giving me a rare compliment. Yeah, but I didn't think they were that loose. You might as well just put a fucking sort of two-two round your waist. There's nothing happening downstairs with them on. I think I saw Keith Chegwin do that once.

Oh, hi, buddy. Who's the best you are? I wish I could spend all day with you instead. Uh, Dave, you're huff mute. Hey, happens to the best of us. Enjoy some goldfish cheddar crackers. Goldfish have short memories. Be like goldfish.

Wendy's most important deal of the day has a fresh lineup. Pick any two breakfast items for $4. New four-piece French toast sticks, bacon or sausage wrap, biscuit or English muffin sandwiches, small hot coffee, and more. Limited time only at participating Wendy's Taxes Extra. Can I ask a question that, I'd say vaguely relate to the topic, when you were married, how many wardrobes of short-sleeved, colourful shirts did your husband have? And did he sell them to the week costume department?

That was brilliant. Yeah, there were a lot. And would you wear them day to day or is it just an outside? It was just a performance thing. Just a performance thing. I've noticed my son does wear them as well a little bit. There were a lot. There were a lot of those.

How much were you working when you were pregnant and then how much times you did you take off and Woody was born? Because that would have been right in the midst of you being like absolutely everywhere. I had to take some time off because I was huge. You know, when people talk about being pregnant, they talk about people who just show up the front, you know, they turn sideways. You'd never know. And then there was me, it was like, beep.

And back in the telly then, they wouldn't let you be on teleprone. You weren't allowed. You weren't allowed. It was considered sickening to the people at home, wasn't it? Dear BBC. We could have to put this on off to 9 o'clock. So I had to take quite a bit of time off. People used to stop me.

I remember in M&S, because that thing right at the end of your pregnancy, I think it's a bit more acceptable women working and carrying on and stuff like that these days. And, you know, most of my friends carry on right into pretty much until they give birth. Amazing. People used to stop me because that was the only thing I could do was like wander around M&S in my slip-on shoes because I hadn't seen my feet for about four feet. months. People who stop me and say, I hope you don't mind me saying, but you are enormous. It's like, yes, that's me. That's a mental thing to say. I'm quite a big foot 10, although I'm

shrinking, I'm thinking 5 foot 9 now, but I was big, you know, four stone on me is big. So yeah, I didn't work quite a while. You put on four stone in pregnancy? Both of them, yeah. Wow. And how big were they when they were born? Not that big. He came out and he came out the sunroof because they were concerned about me getting them out. he came out and it was like, that's it? Oh, he was tiny. And Nell was really small as well. But yeah, it took a while to get all that off.

It did. There must have been a lot of pressure though, because especially with Woody that 25 years ago, where coming back from a pregnancy in a public eye, you know, you're in all the tabloids and trying to lose weight. Was that hard mentally? I remember going running along the seafront. And when I say running, it was sort of like a hobble.

Yeah. With this fantastic trainer, Steve. and I was swearing at him the whole world and the scene and he went no come on we'll get you back

we'll get you back and someone snapped the old grey waddly face I mean I went back to work quite soon afterwards because I think I was worried about not getting work again

so when people started offering I was like yeah yeah yeah I'll work and I worked all the way through the kids both of them grown up and I've kind of loved it but I think if I did it again

I might do it a bit differently it's difficult though isn't it because if you've got work coming in you don't know how long that'll love yeah of course in a fickle industry yeah so for the second with nellie you was a bit more in a different headspace with like being a mum because obviously it's a 10 year gap you've learned from 10 years with woody and i imagine you're older and more mature and understand your job and

a bit more financially secure yeah did you feel like he was doing it differently and like thinking why did i do it the other way you know definitely i found we were a lot more relaxed we were really grateful to have a little girl and to you know have our but you know Woody was and impressed, though. Because he'd been on his own for 10 years. And then suddenly there's this really cute little girl. He was livid. Absolutely livid. And they still wind each other up even today. I bought them both t-shirts that say mum's favourite because they're always like, he's the favourite, she's the favourite. And they'll both do that thing of, there's more photos of him. There's more photos of her on the side, on a celebration and stuff like that. But I quite love that

sibling rivalry. It's nature. Did you have that? With my brothers. Yeah, totally, totally, like completely tearing each other apart. My brother, Nick, famously, my dad built the boys a tree house between two pine trees. And it was pretty high up. He got like this amazing net. They had a trap door and stuff. And they had a massive Canaan Abel style fight. And my brother kicked the trapdoor thing.

And Dan fell like, oh, my word. And for a moment, we all thought he'd killed him. But he was five. And I remember Nick shut himself in the tree house. My dad, go, you get down here now. So, you know, sibling rivalry is a good thing, isn't it? It's about the survival of the fittest. And, you know, it took me a while to understand it.

And I'd always look at siblings, my friend's kids, who got it really well and be like, Woody, Nelly, why can't it be more like that? But actually, they really love each other now. But 10 year, it's such a hard age gap because Woody would just have to let her win everything for the first 10 years. And then he's 20. Yeah. It's quite an unreal. Like, there's not many 25-year-old boys and 15-year-old girls that are best friends.

Like, it's a weird kind of, like, totally different worlds, aren't they? Yeah, it was quite tough for a long time, for both of them. But I think now I'm really grateful as well that they've got each other. I lost my mum last year, and my brother, Jamie, the same mum, because I've got two brothers who are, we've got the same dad. And I was so grateful that Jamie was there with me through all of that. It was really tough time. And I think that was always my thing of, if you're lucky enough to have two or more kids,

they've always got each other no matter what happens. And that is not always guaranteed that you're going to get on. But I am so grateful that my kids have each other when Norm and I try. It's a mental. It's mum, can you deal with her? I can't take anymore. Yeah, because normally I think when parents are a bit, you know, obviously, you and Norm have had crazy lives and done mental stuff.

It's almost like I find sometimes that the kids become the people. parent almost, do I mean, where they're a bit more, but it feels like yours have just gone, no, we're going to be part of the fun as well. You know what I mean? Yeah, I think they might tell you differently. They may tell you about the times that they've had to be the parents. Yeah, but I think though, even though you, you know, I think sometimes you play it up about, you know, the 90s and that you are still like an incredibly warm, kind-hearted, like, there's like a motherly energy that comes from you as well that sort of comes through. So it's not like some people when they're a bit crazy still. It's like, because they're selfish.

It's not like that. It's just that you were party people. that really wanted kids and had kids. So you still have that energy towards them. You're not Keith Allen from the Lily Allen book. It was really sweet, wasn't it? Because she was talking about how he'd gone to see her doing a little gig at Glastonbury and how made up she was by that.

Do you and Joe Wiley, what tips has she given you specifically? How old are Joe's kids? Like, are they at the similar stages? Joe's got four kids. And I remember we worked in the same office. She goes out of the house for a run. Yeah, so her daughter, India, is in her 30s. And we worked on the same office.

Yeah, I know, you can't believe it. Honestly, you look at Joe and you're like, how? So I worked on the big breakfast behind the scenes. Joe worked on the Word. It was a company called Planet 24. This is in the early 90s. We're all in the same office. And it was the most amazing group of people.

And a lot of those people now run telly and entertainment. But don't hold that against them. No, don't. And some of them have given. and be jobs. She's loads to sound very grateful. But she worked on the word. She put Nirvana, you know, on the word. She put all those bands. So she was so effortlessly cool. Even though she, when you meet, and she's not really cool, she's actually quite shy. But India used to wander around the office. She was a little toddler.

So did she have her quite young then? She had a really young. And she sort of says they were quite an amazing company. It said, oh, look, you can bring her into work if you want. And so she did when she didn't have any childcare, she'd bring her in. And India's now really successful photographer and doing brilliantly. And then her youngest is a year older than now. But they go on holiday all together. They're an amazing family group.

She's just got grandkids yet? No, not yet. So, Wiley is a grand. Well, that's the thing for you, though. Like, you know, worried about Nelly going. Teges does go to uni, 18, which or three years away. Woody might not be far off having his own family. And then your man.

Woody's only five years off the age you were when you had him. Yeah, that's a really good point. I do look at him and I think, I think at the moment we are way off that. I feel like he has a lot of living to do. His career is just starting to take off. He went and lived in New York for a few months last year, which he loved. He's threatening to do that again.

Threatening. Love these terms of phrase. Famously doesn't cry, your brother. Threatening. Threatening to move to New York. Yeah, I think we're a way off that. But that's all you can hope for, isn't it? I really hope and pray that I get to be here when my kids have kids.

and my friend just got to be with her daughter when she gave birth and it was quite an amazing thing and I got to be with one of my children when they had a wax and I was comparing it I'm not saying which child but I was like well do you think that I would be able to be that you know and I might not be able to be in the room when that happens but I really hope I'm here to help them

You did gogglebox with Woody, didn't you? I did do Gogglebox with Woody. What's that like working with yours? Like, that's like a, you're like, that's quite a weird thing to do, isn't it? Because you're trying to entertain as a double act. I was always telling him off with saying things. I'd be like, you can't say that. You can't say this.

I mean, to be honestly, it wasn't as bad as when we did it with my dad as well. And my dad, we're like, oh, no, you actually really can't say that. Dad, you're going to get. has cancelled. But they were my favourites when it was the three of us. It was hilarious. Apart from they made us watch some pretty awful stuff to watch in front of your father or your son. Would you do race around the world? No. Do you know what? I've just started watching that with Lou and we love it. Me and Lou are up for it. And I think I'd love to do it in my kids if they are old enough as well. So you and Woody. It's difficult with small kids, isn't it? Like I'd

love to do the reason I wouldn't do it now. Oh yeah. I don't know if I'd want to leave the kids for that long. That's the problem. Three or four weeks, is it? That'll be a funny. one, wouldn't it? Race across the world, the family special. Families of four go, oh my God. Why don't they do that? Could you imagine the chaos? What'd you do it, Zoe? I think I would. I think I would. I was talking on our podcast this week with Joe about who from her kids she'd do it with. And I was thinking, Woody should do it with Norm. I was like, you should do that. It'd be a real great father and son bonding situation. I haven't put that to them yet. But Rob, you could do the first family. Oh my words. Families of four

Race across the world. You did it as well, Josh, if you're two and Rose and me look out. Jesus Christ. No, thanks. You know what? My kids would go, because we watch it with my kids and I said, girls, do you want to go like,

because they keep watching and oh, we want to go to Venice. There's no roads. It's just water. And they love it because they're seeing on different places. And then it was like, would you like to do that? I'm not getting on a bus at night. I'm not sleeping on that. And I want to do that travelling, but not the trains

and the bus thing. Also, our kids have been spoiled, they've gone on amazing holidays. They haven't really done the roughing it thing yet. Woody's done a bit of that. He travelled in New Zealand and around the place. I used to think that like, oh, my kids have never done a night bus from central London to Lewisham. No, no one should. And why should they?

It's absolutely horrendous. It's a fucking, you are playing with fire. I used to do that every night. When I worked in town, I used to get pissed up, missed the last train. Three nights in a row once. I got the night bus from. Central London to Louisville, with a McDonald's,

on a Wednesday, Thursday and Friday after work. How I survived, God knows. It made you the man you are today. Yeah, they did. Bitter, furious at your own children. Empath. I just couldn't get off the night bus. I just helping all these people.

Oh, I woke up in the bus station twice. Have you ever had that? They just park you up in the bus station. What, and they just leave you there? When I first moved to London, I lived in Clapham. Yeah. And we were near the end, but I'd fall asleep on the bus. And they'd just park the bus up and leave the door.

and they wouldn't even tell you as a kind of punishment. Quite bleak, actually, thinking about it. I fell asleep on a bus once, and I woke up, shocked, because I was about eight stops away from my stop. So I got off the bus, and then I was like, run on over to the other side to wait for the bus. Waited an hour. Same fucking bus came back.

Oh, God. I couldn't just stay on the bus. It could have stayed on it. Glory days. Glory days, Rob. Glory days. Thank you, Zoe. It's been a joy.

Oh, I've loved it. Can I say so as well, Zoe, about how lovely you are. When, before you start doing TV and stuff like that, you're always, you think, oh, I hope I meet people and they're nice, but few exceed, but you exceeded expectations have been so lovely time. I'd say you matched them for me, but there we go. Well, no, because you guys are always like whenever, when they said, do you want to do you bet, and I was like, who's it with? And they were like, it'll either be with Rob or Josh. And I'm like, I mean, and when you'd come in on the breakfast show and stuff like that, you just make things funny and a joy. So thank you.

It's a lovely job. Our job is so nice. There are some absolute twatts, though. There are some absolute hideous twat. I always say to my fellow who works in the industry as well, I'm like, so many g-h-h-hast. It's a bit like trying to go for a swim in Australia. It's lovely, but you've got to keep your wits about you.

Oh, something trying to fuck you up. Oh, thanks for having me, boys. We've got one last question, Zoe. Oh, yeah. So basically, we ask everyone this question. So with Norm, Nellie and Woody's dad. What's the one thing he does as a parent and you think, oh, my God, he's amazing.

I'm so blessed to have children with him. And what's the one thing he does that slightly frustrate you? And if he was to listen, he might go, yeah, she's got a point. That must be annoying. Okay, so the one really good thing is he will be there at the drop of a hat any time. So if, you know, one of us can't be there, he's always there. And we support each other very well like that. And he's always available in the end of a text if there's some serious parenting to be done,

which recently there has been young Nellie Cook. So that is excellent. The only frustrating thing, I suppose, is that he is always working because he loves what he does. So sometimes I'm like, oh, that's my weekend, oh, you know. But actually it works out quite well, but he loves what he does. So I think he's done more gigs this year than ever. So sometimes I like, are you actually ever going to be around?

But he does try and he's always trying to be around for the kids. I think it's a very good reflection of how you to have managed splitting up that you can manage to do that question because there's a lot of people where we've dodged that question completely. Yeah, and they're still married. You say that now, and his lawyers will be on. Digit, you and Joe Wiley, is available on where you get your podcast.

That's what they say, isn't it? That's what they say. That's what you say. And you can watch it and listen to it. What days does it come out? Oh, you can watch it because it's 2025. It comes out on Mondays, that's us answering questions. from our lovely diggers, as we call them,

the people who listen to watch. And then Wednesdays, it's asked you having a good old catch up and putting the world to rights, I would say. Something like that. Thanks for us. Yeah, Zoe. Thank you so much. Thank you, Zoe Ball.

Zoe Ball. Zoe Ball. Not much more needs to we said that, does it wrong? She's amazing, and she loves Zoe. Yeah. What an energy. Apologies if the audio wasn't great, but we had about 15 minutes of Zoe

trying to do it on a phone, trying to do an iPad. And I'd say that, we got to peak performance in that moment in time of what we could do. sound wise so apologies for that was a little bit sticky but yeah I love Zabel it's mad what crazy life she's had yeah exactly exactly I think we'd call him Norm I just want to say a fact boy slim but it is her ex-husband you can't just call that he's not his name his name is

Norman's not a cool name is it Norman Cook it's a mad name for a DJ and he had to change it up didn't he have you met him I've never met him no no no neither are we're not really on the same scene no you're not are you I don't like staying up late. He loves it. The invitation is open, Norm, if you want to come and record. We'll do it at 5am when he finishes his DJ set. All right, well, I'll see you on Tuesday.

That's got to be the opposite of like, no, I'm saying, the opposite of like early morning radio. The other hardest option is late night. Imagine starting your set at 2 a.m. in a night. God, fuck that. Fuck that. Fucking fuck. I just stood there with your USB.

I mean, it's not for the now because we should leave, but the fucking late show. Did you ever do those gigs where you do the comedy store late show? Admittedly, I only ever did 10 minutes. And you're just like, what the fuck is the point of this? Anyway, see you next week, Josh. Anyway, see you next week.