Strangers on a Bench - EPISODE 78: We Forget How To Play

Episode Date: March 9, 2026

Tom Rosenthal approaches a stranger on a park bench and asks if he can sit down next to them and record their conversation.This is what happened! Produced by Tom RosenthalEdited by Rose De LarrabeitiMixed by Mike WoolleyTheme tune by Tom Rosenthal & Lucy Railton Incidental music by Maddie AshmanEnd song : 'As You Turn Another Page' by Morgan Harper-JonesStream it here : Listen to all the end songs featured on the podcast (so far) on one handy playlist :https://ffm.to/soabendsongs————————————————————————————Instagram : @strangersonabench Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello. So it to bother you. Can I ask you a slightly odd question? I'm making a podcast called Strangers on a bench where essentially I talk to people I don't know on benches for 10 or 15 minutes. Are you up for that? Do you want to give it a go? Do you have a favourite day of the week? Favorite day of the week? Saturday. Straight in there with a Saturday. Yeah. Lovely. Can you say why? Why? Most of my children at home, we usually have a Saturday night together.

I do a bit of shopping in the morning. I work five days a week. So Saturday, I sit and have a drink, and we play music, and we do games. Oh, wonderful. Yeah, that's sort of my Saturday. When you say most of your children are at home? Well, I have three. Midder one has a girlfriend, so we may fluctuate as to whether we are in the house. That's quite fun. What's it like when your children have girlfriends, hasn't he? It's okay.

It's a strange dynamic in my house because I've got an older son who has a learning difficulty, so he's not comfortable strangers in the house. So the girlfriend doesn't come over at all times because that doesn't make my oldest son comfortable. So it's a bit of juggling and a bit of accommodating. And then you've got a third one somewhere as well? Yes, there's a younger one, yeah. So yeah, there's a 20-something and two teenagers. Oh, wow, that's a lot, isn't it?

Oh, boys. Yes. What's it been like having a child with learning difficulties? It's been tough. He had autism. Yeah. So primary school was horrific, but it was a small primary school. Maybe the teacher wasn't great, but there was dinner ladies that knew that he didn't like to eat certain food and kept him playing pasta and a fish finger back.

So, as tempting as it was to change primary schools. So, yeah, it's been tough. But I think we appear to be... appear to be over a hill and quite now that he's early 20s he made uni which was some things. Oh great, amazing. So he's been through university already, isn't you? Yes. Oh, incredible.

Looking back, do you wish, obviously now the resources are so much better for children with learning difficulties? You know, do you over think, I wish it was, you know, if it was now, it would be different or do you, how do you reflect upon how to what's changed? There were times when I really wish he hadn't been born in the year that he was. because I was blatantly told that his primary school class was so needy with other children that were undiagnosed and with other issues that if he'd been any other school year he would have got more help and it would have been easier for him.

Yes. Does anything you wish you knew before you were a parent? Oh, I shouldn't have gone clubbing so much and should have saved up all that sleep that I wasted. Going out drinking and clubbing all those nights I didn't have sleep. I was out all night. You're preparing in a way. Yes, we did all my stylish.

This is a funny question. You know, if someone doesn't have children, you might say, oh, why don't you have children? It's quite a common question to ask. Can I ask you, why did you have children? I don't know. I'm not with their dad anymore. But I didn't have children until I was 30.

and people always assumed that I would have children earlier because I worked with children and there was a bit of me I always thought that I perhaps wouldn't have children because I was always worried that I wouldn't be very good at it I was good with other people's children do you think that's quite common for people that work with kids oh god I'm good at this but if they were my own life

I work in a nursery and people's fussed oh you hold the baby now I work with children that are a year and upwards I don't really desperately want to hold your baby yeah yeah He wasn't planned. It probably just, he happened and it just, it seemed like the right time. So you're, you're working in a nursery still? Yes. Amazing. Yeah. So you've just been surrounded by children your whole life. Yeah, since I was 18. Amazing. My first job, my first and only job.

And then you just stuck at it. What of the fundamental things you think you've learned about looking after small children? It's really, really changed. Children were looked after and And they had to fit into this is how school should be. Whereas I think now, you have to remember they're little people. They're the same as us. You know, they're all the same emotions. And when I'm at work now, I try and sort of say to staff,

when they're saying, oh, you know, they should just be doing it. No, they shouldn't. There's always a reason behind why every child. There's a reason that they're behaving like that or acting like that. And when I'm with the children, I try and make sure they're acknowledged. I know you're sad, I know you're cross. Yeah. And just acknowledging their feelings a bit more

and letting them sort of have that autonomy. I think that's the really important one. That's a lovely answer. That's very lovely. How is it to take a bye to some of these kids? Because I'm guessing, you know, you spend so lot. That's a lot. I'm guessing, well, they're with you for a few couple of years?

Yeah, we take children from a year. Until four, so. Yeah, sort of four and a half. We have some children who, we've been, looked after the parents and then they brought their children. Oh my God, yes. That's how bloody old. Oh, wow.

Yeah, we have had that. Whoa. It is nice, we have families that stick with us. Yeah. You must, I mean, is there any of them you have, I don't know, any particular children that have kind of stayed with you? You know that it meant something extra to you for some reason? Yeah, sometimes.

And we've had children that have had special needs. Yeah. And you know that after a few weeks or months, you go, I can see, see a difference. You have outside agencies come in and they help you and you learn something new. And you do sort of remember that. We had a little go with some verbal and we were taught that you had to look for eye movement so the left hand would always be yes and that would be how she communicated. But watching her eyes flickered towards and going, oh gosh, wow, that works. So there are children that you still sort of think of, yeah. So you started when you're 18, so that's

A while ago. Yeah. Yeah. What's changed in being in a nurse with so now? We have to write so much. We have to write reports and observations. Yes, I know the reasons behind it, but it takes away from the playing and being with them and doing some. Sometimes when I know I've done lots of stuff that day and they go, oh, I've got to sit and record it all now.

Write it all up. What do you have to write? They have progress reports. Each child has a folder, and you have a group of key children, and you plan activities for them depending on where they are developmentally and what will push them forward to the next stage.

Does that kind of eat into the playing side? Yeah. You've always got to find that time to sit and... A play is so important, isn't it? Yeah, yeah. Why do you think play is so important? It's how they find their freedom and they learn. And I think growing up, we forget how.

to play as well. Have you forgotten how to play? No, you don't, because you play all the time? Yeah, I shouldn't do. I mean, what's your playtime when you're not in the nursery? Well, when I do silly things, I'll quick whiz down the aisle on the back of the trolley and have a little scoot. Yeah, exactly.

Is that what you do? Yeah, but no. You stand on the back of a trolley? Yeah. I love that. A little scoot on the supermarket? Yeah, you just let it right. I love that.

Superb. That's the way to do it. Anything other bits like that? My kid laugh at me because the test goes in me plays good music so I have a little dance. I suddenly realised that this isn't my house and I'm just looking a little dance where I'm You should be allowed to dance wherever you like, right? That's what you've got to take your opportunities. Is it?

Were you always as a child were you a playful person? I think so I was an only child so... You had to make it up? Yeah. And that's a... Yeah, that's a pretty quiet, shy child I think. What was it like being an only child? I always wanted a big brother to look after me and a little sister, like a baby sister,

that I could dress up and like to be a real doll. Not to read too much into this, but you think there's any connection between that and having three children? No, maybe. Although I had my oldest at 30, I didn't want him to be an only child. And because I'm an only child, we haven't got an enormous family, because there's not lots of cousins and lots of aunts. and uncles. So I gave him two younger brothers to annoy it. Fantastic. What was the atmosphere in your family home like?

When I was little, my mum did spit up when I was about five. So it was just me and my mum and dad, he was sort of present in and out. What does that mean in and out? As in... Well, he wasn't very reliable. Once they split up, I used to see him sometimes at weekends. He had a new partner who was very nice and she had three children. And between my mum and dad, it was difficult. So I think sometimes she sort of stopped some access and he didn't really push for it either.

So does that mean your relationship with your dad's been a bit complicated? Yeah, yeah, we wasn't in contact. I think as I sort of became a teenager, sort of 18, 19 and had a partner, we kind of lost touch. Did you ever regain touch? We did, yeah, sort of pockets. But he died a couple of years ago, but he wasn't in contact. I had loads of people saying, you know, you must get in contact.

If something happens, you're really missing. And to be, it sounds awful, but you can't sort of miss someone that wasn't there much. Yeah, a real father. We had similarities. We both read lots. But there wasn't, he would have been more like an uncle. Yeah, okay. There wasn't a connection of a dad.

Yeah. Did anyone kind of take his place? his place? No, no, my mum never remarried, so no, that was about it. So when he died, obviously, you hadn't seen him for a while at the time he died? No. And he just, you didn't really feel that much? No, I didn't. I suppose I sort of felt, oh, sort of, maybe not sad, but oh. Yeah. I think that's totally fair. I think there's a kind of assumption that, you know, you have to be devastated or any, you know, as you said, he hasn't been a big part of your life.

a big part of your life. No. And he left fairly early in your life. And I think even before being five, he was someone that worked lots weekends with my work. You did the old exploration marks, yeah. Yeah, what was he working on? Yeah, well, he left my mum for his secretary.

Oh, classic. Yeah. So I'm assuming it wasn't all of his work. A lot more work was involved. To be fair, I give them both said you. They both left partners. Oh, so they said to you. And yeah, they start, yeah.

I don't know my mum looked like that. Yeah. He sort of found the love of his life somewhere else. When did you learn that at the time or later? Not at five, but probably sort of at some point at primary school that she sort of unhappily throughout. Yeah, yeah, yeah. So have you always had it in for secretaries? That's why I know she was.

Yeah. So, growing up mostly just with your mum. And what kind of mum was she? Or is she? She's still alive. Oh, fantastic. Sorry, great. Yes, she is.

Good on her. She's okay. She's okay. She was all right. She wasn't the best? No, she really was the best. But I don't know that she was sort of the warmest. Okay.

Now she is and sort of with grandchildren, but I think sort of growing up. Oh, it took a while? Yeah. How did she eventually become warm? What was the process now? I don't know. I just think maybe sort of maybe in an adult. and grandchildren coming along and now being a single parent and having three children

I suppose I kind of see I mean it's just you making all the decisions day in day out and each night you shut the door and you go huh there's a washing machine breaks or the light bulb goes and all the school bits and everything it is just you yeah and it is a lot what did you want to do differently you know when you became a parent be really really open with them and fun and sort of for them to know that they can always talk to me and that nothing is off limits. Yeah. Did you feel like your mum wasn't that with you?

Yeah. Yeah, definitely. Although now, totally different, but no, growing up, no, I would never have sort of dreamed to telling my mum what I was up to or where I was going or... Yeah. Whereas now I have an 18 year. Did you sneak around as a youngster then? Does that mean?

Yeah. Do you think you were a naughty teenager? I wasn't naughty, but I did drink and I did do drugs, but I always kept it quite sort of discreetly and was never a big hassle or worry, and I worked. But, yeah, she wasn't someone that you, a mum that you could have said, oh, I'm a bit worried about this,

when I'm thinking of doing this. Who did you go to? Probably friends, yeah. Who's been the most important friend in your life, would you say? I've got a friend at work. She's also my boss. She's a couple of years older than me. So, yeah, when I started work at the nursery 18,

she was already there. Yeah, we're still friends now, still work together now. Amazing. What's it like to have a close friend who's a boss? Yeah, it's okay. Does it mean she ever have to kind of say, look. Yeah, sometimes we've had work. More reports.

Yeah, more reports. More writing. Yeah, there has been sort of moments where everyone's in line for a bit of a bollicking that day. And that's how it is. And then, you know, we're messaging or we're out for lunch at the weekend. So, yeah, we've been lucky like that. Oh, it shows that a real strength and friendship that it can handle those moments as well, right? Yeah.

That's really quite wonderful. You know, as your children get older and, you know, you've become a bit more free, is anything you're keen to do with your freedom? Oh, I don't know. I'm just quite enjoying sometimes the freedom of a day off here and there where I don't do anything and I'm not mum. Hence today, here I'm in the park with a book and, yeah, I'm asking loads of questions about you being a mum. I mean, if they all just left at some point and, you know, is it, how would you like to spend your time? I don't imagine you don't have to be at the nursery either.

What's the wildest thing that comes to your head when I say that? I've never been on holiday by myself, so maybe being, yeah, a trash. Yeah, been somewhere. Sitting looking at pretty shiny silver water like that, but somewhere. Somewhere not in South London? Yes. Has South London always been kind to you? Yes, I've always lived in South East London, yeah.

Yeah, I like it. How has it changed since you were a teenager? Oh, I think where I grew up is probably a lot poorer. There's a lot more unemployment. Now, you mean? Yeah. I think when I was younger, me and all my friends, she sort of walked into jobs all the time. Whereas now it's a lot different.

Yeah, that's tricky. Do you worry for your children in that sense? I do a bit. I've got one who's very committed to his job. He's a journalist. And I've got one who doesn't know what he wants to do, who's just about to leave school. And actually a younger one who also doesn't know what he wants to do either. What do you say?

I don't know. My middle one, he could go to uni. His grades are amazing, but there's nothing he wants to study to that degree that he wants to do for three years. I don't want to press him to do. There's nothing worse than having to be at uni for three more years and not loving it and not enjoying it. Because he's got A-levels coming up. I'm easing off and not mentioning it and just letting him sort of do his own thing at the moment. He had some football coaching, so. Yeah. Work it out in the end. Yeah, exactly. It all comes, isn't it?

Yeah. You mentioned so their dad's not around. Uh-huh. What, how, what, was that a complicated thing? Was that I mean, was that? Oh, God, does it come from there fairly? Yeah. Have you had a partner since then?

Has that been? And not a partner that I would have had around my children, no, casual things. So you've done it all on your own? Yeah. But, I mean, he's a, he's a weekend dad. They're in contact with him. And things are much better. better now. Do you think with the whole weekend dad thing, you try and make the most of that time

by, I don't know, either more treats, more action, more fun, whatever it might be. And then, of course, you know, you have to do all the kind of hard work, right? Yeah. Now, like, does that get kind of grating when... You know, the reason I'm laughing, yeah, is because, no, he comes over and sits in my house with him. Brilliant. Amazing. Okay, sorry. You know, see what you're a treat. He wasn't getting on. He'd come over and I'd go out. I'd take myself to the local pub with a book and go and have lunch somewhere. He just comes and sits at the house. Well, I mean, I suppose in a way, in a way that's kind of, maybe that's better. So at least he don't kind of have like a competition as a.

Yeah. But you've kind of found a way to, so you... We do get on. Get on. Yes, yes. How did you finally, you reach that moment after, obviously, of getting not getting on for a while? I think removing the drink and drugs from his life probably. I see. How did you do that? Well, he went to rehab and...

Everyone else comes out and rehab with a sponsor. He came out as a girlfriend. Okay, okay. I see, who he met. Yeah. Right. Yeah. And that was not great? No, it wasn't great. And it certainly wasn't what I think the children expected. Okay, yeah.

Hence why he comes to my house and they choose not to... I see. do anything with that side of his life. Yes. Can you think of anything he does well as a dad? Are you kind of happy with your choice? Yeah. They're gorgeous looking children.

Oh there you go. So well done. You chose some beauty. Yes, they're gorgeous looking children. Never. Is there anything that is part of your daily world, daily practice? Do you think only you do? Do you have any kind of part of things in your room?

in your routine it's just for you. Any kind of quirks of your set up? Any quirks? I always have a book with me. Always. Yeah, always. I like that. Wherever you go. Yeah.

Even today, see, I haven't got a big bag. Usually I would have my work bag and my book today. I only went to drop stuff off at the charity shop, but I still brought my book because I was coming back this way. And even if you went to stay in the supermarket, would you take a book? I have done, yeah, in case you need to have a little read at the bus stop. start. Yeah, I do read it.

What's been your relationship with books being like, I mean, when did it start? Oh, I love reading. I can remember being taken to the library as a child. And it had wooden parquet flooring and I can remember, well, you click, click, click, click. And my mum would get her books and then I could remember sitting on the chair while she chose her books and I'd be sitting with my books. Oh, that's lovely. So there's a kind of got a happy meal of my memory.

Yeah, I can really remember that at the library visits. And so it started then, he just not, in your hands, never stop. Yeah, yeah, I've always read. Can you think of a book or a moment reading that's kind of had a really big impact to your life? Or this is, you know, this is extra important for some reason. I don't know about particular books, but I know that when I had my first child, my mum brought me a book by one of my favourite authors called Mae Finchie, an Irish writer.

And she sort of said to me, Not that you'll have much time to read it now. And I remember I used to, in the night, I would sit and read to my oldest son. If I was reading him and he was still away, to get my reading, and I would read it out loud. Brilliant. Then I didn't feel bad that I wasn't taking any notice of him. Oh, that's wonderful. I used to sit and read out loud.

Oh, that's so lovely. Can you think of the oddest place you've ever read? I went to a concert with my mum. Look, I just went because she wanted to go and see this person in concert and I took a book and we sat at Wembley and I thought the people around me were going to lynch me because it was in the summer and it was Wembley so it's nice and like when it's so often when I got a bit bored

I sat and read some of my books. I mean, you know, concerts could be long. It was good for Richard. Oh, absolutely fair. You know what? Absolutely fair. If you're going to read it, anybody's concert, There you go. Big Cliff?

Yes. So you're not a Big Cliff Richard fan? I don't know. No. Do you have any kind of heroes in your life? Who would you not read it? At their particular thing? Oh, I'm going to see Robbie Williams.

I wouldn't read it a Robbie Williams concert. Yeah. Are you a fan or do that? I've seen Take that, yeah. I was more of a Robbie fan. I see. You just ignored the others entirely. I like someone with a little bit more oomph.

You're not a Jason Orange guy? No, definitely not Gary Barlow. Oh, you got it in for Gary? I suppose he has a bit of a Cliff Richard feel. So, yes, it's a bit kind of... It's a bit kind of straight, yeah, exactly. So you like them a bit cheeky? Yes.

You know, that makes, that makes sense. That makes sense, that does make sense, that does make sense. That does make sense. That makes perfect sense. What are you doing in your life? life when you feel most happy? Probably things like I know my children are about and we're listening to music. Do you just like to be in your house with the children there? Yeah, all's right in the world and yeah. And then you're just all together. Do you eat together a lot? Oh no, they're teenagers.

That's why when we are all in the house and everyone's sort of ready to engage. How do you feel about teenagers? Teenagers in today's world? What do you think? Bad rap really, yeah. Yeah. Do you think it's harder now than it's been before for teenagers? Yeah. I suppose, and it's a cliche thing, but phones and social media. Gosh, I used to leave the house, and my mum had no way of knowing where I was. They were going. She couldn't ring me. Yeah, definitely couldn't.

No, I've got an app on my iPad where I can track on my children. Track them all? Yeah. Do you often go, oh, why are they there? Only if they're out somewhere, like, a sporting event or somewhere where they're not local and they're getting trains back and it's late at night, that sort of thing. What do you think about teenagers and social media and what that all means? If you could press a button that meant it didn't exist, would you press that button? Oh, I don't know if it didn't exist.

I think maybe looking at my youngest who's 15. He didn't have a phone to a secondary school, but I still think if you could push it a bit further and a bit further. So let's imagine your son pre-phone and then what's the difference? Like what happens to him at that point? No, different, but I think it just makes everyone quite singular. Yeah. You can all sort of be in the same house or everyone's their own show that they're watching or doing this. And we're all guilty of it as well because I wouldn't sort of give my phone to anyone or to one like this and say, oh, check out what I've been doing.

Yeah. So it is an extension of being private. Of course. So it's kind of isolating a bit. Yeah. How do you get on with your phone? Oh. Who's on your screensaver, by the way?

Is it all three children? Do you pick a fave? It's two of them. Two of them? Two of them? Because the other one doesn't like any photo taken. Oh no. And they're just hard work to get a picture of all together as well.

It sounds like a good mission. It is a mission. It sounds like something you need to be complete. Heads are always a different way. Then the youngest is you're, and where are you putting that photo? It's not going on your WhatsApp profile, is it? Is it everywhere?

That's so funny to think about to a time when none of this has even existed. You're saying you were going out as a teenager and just off you went. I used to go out for the day on the Saturday with my friends from secondary school and we would get it. I'm so old. We'd get something called a Red Bus Rover. Oh, what's that? Like a bus ticket and it would last year all day so you could go everywhere, we were up at Oxford Street and everywhere. You just got on different buses.

Any bus you could get and you just would go wild on the buses? Yeah. shopping centres and yeah, it moved about different parks and all day. Do you remember any particularly moments on a bus? No, I remember being in a train once and the door flung open. Do my friend had to... Oh no. As it was moving?

Yeah. Oh God. Yeah. Like an action film? Yeah. Although I was out and about, I wasn't a particularly wild or daredevil child and it was horrified me the sort of what could happen. Maybe the daredevil time is yet to come.

This is quite daredevil. This is quite daredevil. Maybe this is just the start of your daredebly. If you need to approach me and I'd been walking, I might have... It's different game. Yeah, I might have gone, oh God, no, really busy. Yeah. But it's sitting down, like, I'll stay sitting down.

I don't even have to move, you know. It's quite handy that one. Have most people said yes? I mean... Are you more successful on a certain day, or...? It's a really good question. What's your favourite day of the West? What's your favourite day of the West?

Yeah. I've asked so many people now. I've just got confused about what days they are. Let's take today, for example, you're the third person that's agreed to talk to me. Okay. But I have been here for a while. He's a gate open. Yeah, I've just, you know, come straight here. But I reckon maybe four have said no. That's roughly how it goes. It's a roughly 50-50 gig. More men or women, usually. Who say yes or no. I would say the whole women are a bit more open to it.

See, I wonder, they're not a little sort of wary. I'm interviewing you now. Yeah, yeah, that's a big one. That's totally allowed. You know, oh yeah, it's always taught people with other people around. Yeah. If I am approaching someone who's on a more isolated bench, I always make sure I stand, you know, a good way away from them.

Yeah. So they don't feel at all like I'm kind of like in their space. They've got plenty of rooms. Yeah. And I kind of try and talk for as long as possible is to give them an idea that I'm a safe, meaning well person. Yeah. And hopefully if I talk along that, they can kind of see that.

Old or younger people. Oh, more or less likely? Yeah. I would say all the whole, older people are more reluctant at first. One of my favorite episodes of this has been an older Glasgow guy. Probably in this late 80s. And I had to kind of stand next to him for maybe about 10 or 15 minutes just talking to him before he kind of accepted me sitting next to him.

And eventually after he did that, he was incredibly open. He had a fascinating life. And for some people, they haven't been listened to, or why would I be interesting enough? Well, that's it. That's the whole point of this, is just like it's about anybody. I do think everyone's got an interesting life. A life of so many choices and challenges, you know, and very often the people that tell me, oh, I've gotten to say, always the ones that are kind of, you know,

exciting existence. So yeah I've had a really lovely time being able to do it and there's just such an amazing range of people just hovering around in a part it's a beauty of a public space they're just all hovering around in the same spot you know have you had any wild experiences in this park itself is this like is like a kind of have you been coming here for long? Yeah this is the park that I've brought my children to yeah for years I think I brought my youngest here when he was a few weeks old. Are there any parts of you that you feel are kind of invisible?

I think as you get older you're a bit more invisible. What do you mean by that? Well I suppose if I look at my mum she has a very sort of small friendship group so life sort of perhaps gets a bit smaller. Yeah. I suppose I wonder when I don't work full time or what will be next. And I think I've always sort of hint to my mum because she's indoors and we go and very much. And we go and visit her and she comes to us.

But otherwise she could go days without sort of seeing anybody. And I've always sort of hint to debate. Oh, you could sort of have a voluntary job. And so I do sort of wonder, you know that thing? Once you don't work, is work sort of all you've got? Is there sort of more? Yeah. So are you wondering about that for you?

Well, yeah, maybe. I suppose I look at my mum and go, oh. Yeah. I suppose if you're aware of your mum, that's a good stuff. right and then touch when you get to that point you'll be able to just do it how you want to do it have you ever thought have you ever write anything no you can write your own book oh what are we calling everyone has a story yeah yeah maybe that's what you can do oh but inspired by the man that I met on the park bay he told me to do

it and everyone started yeah that's it and then you're off my Jonathan Rossinview where And 18 books later, who I am today. Globally famous. It's inevitable. It's coming. What, have you had to, what would it be about? Oh. Go on, have you had to?

Something set in Ireland that's a little bit mythical. Oh, okay. That sort of thing. This is good. And you said he said you wanted to go for a solo holiday. I think there. I think Ireland. Reading retreat, aren't it?

I think island. So some kind of mythical bit of island? I mean, it's all mythical, really. Yeah. What would happen in this mythical setting? Let's keep going. We're going to crack it. What's going to happen?

Who knows? See, now that's something to think of, isn't it? Have you ever had a funny incident with the horse? I always try and get, you know, we're only here once, is it? Yeah. I like to make a stab in the dark. Maybe she's had this really interesting moment with the horse. or I think I asked someone about a goat the other day as well

My skirt was eaten by a goat Oh, that has happened? At London Zoo when I was little. What do you mean like? It came over in the children's petting zoo. So eating a... And so I was chewing on my skirt And I stood there calling, mommy, mommy.

The goat's eating the skirt? It's eating me. Amazing. What did your mum do? She'd race over there. Yeah, I think I had to be rescued because I wouldn't move. Oh, so that is your goat moment?

There's my goat story. Everyone's got a goat story. He's a podcast about goats. That'd be so good, isn't it? Just getting everyone's like goat story. It's so niche. It's so niche. I mean, I suppose you've done goats now.

It's complete. And the last question I ask people is always the same. You can either answer this about today or generally. What are you going to do next? Technically today, I was going to go home and muff and hoover my flag. Yes. You say technically, is it like... Yeah. Well, there is always tomorrow, isn't there? There's always... You're right. There's always another day. There's always another day for hoovering.

Yes. Enjoy yourself today. Keep reading. I've stolen your reading time. I know. So there's reading to catch up on. What are you reading? I'm reading Queen of Clubs. It's a memoir of someone who run clubs in Shoreditch in the 90s. Wonderful. Reading about someone else's been spent years. Are you the Queen of Clubs? Maybe a long time ago. Maybe that's it, maybe more clubbing.

I do, I keep looking at the ones that start early and finish at 10. Oh yeah. You should do it? That actually does sound like my strength as well, you think. Quite like a finish by 10. Yeah. There is something very nice about being out in the afternoon. I'm not at a music event.

It makes you feel I really should be doing something else, but I'm not how I'm doing this. Exactly. Perfect. Well, I really hope it all goes smoothly. you do all your special goat fun and your concerts are great thank you and thank you so much for talking to me you're very welcome I wasn't scared me that was all right wasn't it all right it was all right the three of you the heart of me our stories grow like branches from the same tree and I'm an open book

An open door No conversations of the table I'm all yours And you will find your way You're the choices that you make Just like a mind that's been made to you As you turn another day I'll be here

If the road gets tough rosary That it's all worthwhile You will find out You will find your way to do I'll be here