Table Manners with Jessie and Lennie Ware - Christmas Bites

Episode Date: December 25, 2024

So here it is, Merry Christmas! We have a bumper special episode for you today catching up with 5 glorious guests from previous episodes to see what their Christmas plans and traditions are. We’re dialling into join Vanessa Williams live from the West End, Sophie Ellis Bextor as she rehearses for her New Years Eve TV special, Richard Curtis & Emma Freud tell us all about his new film ‘That Christmas’, Tom Odell is in the midst of rehearsals for his Australian shows, and Nadine Coyle is hot footing it to the airport in a taxi to get home to Ireland for Christmas! We hope wherever you are and whatever you’re doing you all have the loveliest Christmas, thank you for joining us for all of our adventures this year, we’ll be back next week in 2025! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and a very happy Christmas to all of you. Welcome to our special Christmas edition of Table Manners. Well I hope it's all going well. I hope you've managed to avoid too many cherries or champagne before the grave is made. We have gathered together some brilliant past guests to find out how they'll be spending the festive period and hear about their Christmas traditions to see if you want to inherit any of them. For the first time, this special is going out on Christmas Day. We think it's the perfect accompaniment while you're preparing lunch.

Or maybe you're listening on your Boxing Day walk. Well, you're in for a treat because we'll be joined by the kitchen disco queen herself, Sophie Ellis-Bextor. The gorgeous Tom Adell will be dining in from music rehearsals. Film director Richard Curses will be telling us about his latest Christmas movie and we catch Girls Aloud, Nadine Quill, who's currently hot-footing it to Heathrow. But first, here's ugly Betty and Broadway star, the wonderful Vanessa Williams, who's currently starring in The West End in The Devil Wears Prada. Hi Vanessa, how are you? I'm okay, I'm okay. You're looking gorgeous. Thank you.

We've already done 52 shows already here which is incredible. Wow. Considering we just opened, we've been here for a while. How's it all feeling at the Dominion Theatre? Devil Wears Prada, how's it feeling? It's phenomenal. I mean, it's the best entrance I've ever had in my life on stage. I come up in a lift after this whole swell of a crescendo of the orchestra bringing me up and then there's a ding of the bell and everyone imagines the doors open and I get a thunderous applause every show. So it could not be any better.

I thank Jerry Mitchell for putting it in the show. How fabulous. That's quite interesting because I know that like applause is usually happened on Broadway when a star enters but we're so reserved in the UK. So it must be, well, everyone's very excited about seeing you Vanessa, but also that's quite unusual for the UK audience to give an applause, isn't it?

Yeah, it's been, again, I'm used to Broadway audiences so I get it, everyone usually gets an entrance applause. Yeah. But again, it's so dynamic with the orchestration. And it literally is like a crescendo. And then I'm wearing an incredible multicolored fur with a gorgeous suit and the glasses and I'm holding the runway in my hand with a fabulous bag. So the people that love the franchise are like, yeah, we're ready. The

people that have no idea about the story at all, but just are coming because they're bringing their daughter or whatever. They are thoroughly entertained. And and Jerry Mitchell, who is our director and choreographer, knows how to knows how to make a hit show. But she's a big star, Jesse. She's bound to get a huge, huge entrance. Vanessa, can we ask, are you going to be basting your turkey this Christmas like you do at Thanksgiving?

Oh, I wish. I don't think I'm cooking at all. We've got a show Christmas Eve, and then we've got a show on Boxing Day. And I'm in a flat, a two-bedroom flat, so you know, you've got your pans that you like and your butchers that you like, so I haven't found, I'm sure there's amazing places here. I've not done my research to find the proper thing, so I'll probably either go out or, I don't know what I'm going to do. Why are you invited for Christmas? We've got a space for you if you need one. Ah, well, thank you. Why are you invited for Christmas? We've got a space for you if you need one. Ah Thank you

Otherwise Vanessa, I do think you need to get your reservation in order ASAP I hate to break it to you, but you know, we need to get that Claridge's Reservation like done. Yeah, I know Lenny I'm still dreaming about you did a flourless chocolate cake when I came to your home that I still and you did no flour And I think it was plums or something. It was so moist and delicious that still haunts me to this day. Oh my goodness. Oh, maybe I better make you another one for Christmas. Vanessa, you're in the Dominion Theatre, which is on Tottenham Court Road. Perfect for Christmas

shopping. Have you done your Christmas shopping? And are you getting away with it this Christmas because you're not on home soil? Yes, I'm getting away with not doing it because my children came in for our opening on December 1st. So they all had their opportunity to hang out in London for a week or so, which has been great. And they had a wonderful time. I mean, there's nothing like London for the holidays.

The streets are lined with beautiful decorations and lighting and every store is just decorated to the nines. It's beautiful here. So it's like a giant Christmas market everywhere you go. Yeah, a recent guest called London the Christmas city and I really think it is. Absolutely. It's funny. I think we're all so bar-humbug. Yeah. We're like, oh, God, the idea of being in bloody Oxford Street is my idea of hell right now. It is busy. That's very- But I guess you have to be there, but at least you can just walk.

Yes. So lots of my friends have come in to see the show and then do their holidays. So I've done the Fortnum and Mason, we did the tea there because Sundays are my day off. So Sundays, I tend to have to shepherd all my friends and friends that are in the city. We went to see the Elton John at the Victorian Alpert Museum. He has this beautiful retrospective of photography, so we did that. We've done high tea, We've done high tea, you know, Selfridges and the Harrods and everything there is. So I know the crowds on Oxford Street. I have been, you know, wiggling my way through the crowds as well. Is there a Christmas tradition? On Christmas Eve, will everyone stop and have at the end of the show, you'll have a glass of champagne and maybe just a bit of a celebration and a group hug before you.

Everyone breaks up for Christmas Day. I don't know, we'll see. I mean I know my dresser Murray who's phenomenal did decorated, I snuck into my dressing room and decorated, put a tree up and all kinds of beautiful twinkle lights. So we had a Christmas jumper day so we did a big group shot of that. So it's a wonderful cast. Where did you get your Christmas jumper from, Vanessa? Prada? I wish, no. I think it was from Primark, not Prada, Primark. We like to call it Primoshay or Primarni sometimes.

Yeah, PR begins with Prada and Primark Prima are almost the same, aren't they? Before we let you go, Vanessa, so you can actually just rest, what is your favourite Christmas song? Ooh, what is my favourite Christmas song? Well, I mean, personally, I have one called December Lullaby, which I recorded for my Silver and Gold album. So I had my mom was is a well, she used to be a music teacher and she had a children's choir. So I always would have her bring a select group of kids to sing on my albums.

And then Sasha was only four at the time. So she starts it off with Listen. And then it always makes me cry because every time I hear her voice, it's like, oh, that's my little baby. And so that's, September Lullaby has, you know, her saying, la la la, la la la, la la la la la la.

So it just breaks me to listen to her sing. The traditional one, probably, I I mean Silent Night is just a beautiful, beautiful medley, melody and it's just timeless. I've sung it, my most unique time was singing it in German for Arnold Schwarzenegger when he was governor of California and Maria Schweiger called and said listen they're doing, know, Arnold is finishing his term as governor. There's a group of people that are going to fly up to surprise him. And it was me, Danny DeVito, Tom Arnold, Sylvester Szilaght. It was like the weirdest group of people on this private plane to surprise him.

And I sang Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht to him in German, which was silent and it was amazing. And I made him cry, I made him tear up and Maria's like, how did you do that? I can't make him do that, how did you do that? You made the Terminator cry, that's amazing. Can I ask one thing, Vanessa, are you wearing stilettos throughout the whole show?

I am. I change pretty much with every scene. And I have a tip that I saw on Reels, I think, on Instagram. If you put, I've got those corn socks, like those toe tubes that are cushioned. If you do your third and fourth toe together, it makes your feet more narrow and it cushions where the pressure is. So you can wear high heels all day long. So that's my tip and it actually works. So it's toes, you know, there's a pinky toe. So the one right next to the pinky toe and the third toe, take to put those together, bind them up, put your, put your

heels on and you will not feel any pressure, which is what kills you in the high heels. Wow. That's amazing, Vanessa. Thank you for that tip. All the Christmas parties everyone needs to know. So you're going to be having your flaties on on Christmas day. Yes, or bare feet.

Slippers. For sure. Vanessa, we can't wait to come and watch you in the Devil Wears Prada. Thank you so much for being on our Christmas special. You look gorgeous. Happy Christmas. And we'll see you soon and break a leg and many legs. Can't wait to see you backstage. Yeah, absolutely. Loads of love, Vanessa. Thank you.

So great to catch up with Vanessa, looking absolutely gorgeous, sitting in central London. Now we're going from one queen to another. Yep. It's time to speak to the kitchen disco queen. Well, hang on, I think she's slightly more than that. She had probably one of the biggest pop moments. She's had a big year. In 2024. Yeah. And it was right, well it was right at the end of 2023. Yeah. And then, you know, she performed at the BAFTAs this year. She has a New Year's Eve special on BBC and she's going to be in America at the same time, basically on two different screens, transatlantically,

celebrating the new year. And she puts the glamour back in the kitchen. She's the gift that keeps on giving. It's Sophie Ellis-Bexta. What are some of the Christmas traditions in your house? So we have a lot of traditions actually, and some of them I didn't realize until I was probably into like my teens that not other families were doing them. So they all emanate from the Ellis side of the family and we host Christmas every year, Richard and I, we have done

for about, must be nearly 20 years now, that everybody comes to us. And my mum is always with us, so these Ellis traditions prevail. Some of them, okay, I don't know, do you know about tree presents? See, I think this is a strange one. Yeah. Oh, you do? My friend does that on Christmas Eve. Right. So she does tiny tree presents that are about a pound, little tiny things and everyone gets a tree present on Christmas Eve.

Okay, what's your tree present? So for us it's anything that can be balanced on the branches of the Christmas tree, so not really necessarily a pound, sometimes they might be, I suppose like stocking filler-esque. Yeah diamond rings. No, no diamond rings, they could be. It's not, it's it. And every year you have to balance them and then lose some. So there's always an awkward bit when you open them, which is usually after the big meal on Christmas Day.

So we'll open them like five or six in the evening. And I've always got a couple of people where I just cannot find this very small item that I've somewhere hidden on our tree. And I think it's been my mother-in-law more often than not, and it's genuine. I haven't not got her something, but it always looks like I haven't because I can't find it. What's been your best Christmas tree present that you've given and been gifted? I think my favorites used to come from my grandpa actually. He's sadly not around anymore

but he was a very practical man so he would do quite sort of useful type gifts. So it might be a gadget for something, maybe like a kitchen gadget or something a bit useful like that. And a lot of them I still use. So I always think of him actually this time of year. He used to be a special effects man at the BBC for years and sometimes he would come to Christmas and he'd made like a homemade firework for the table. Quite bonkers but good fun. And then for giving people, well there was a year actually where I'd wrapped framed pictures of the school kids, uh, you know, they're like class photos. And so I'd done different kids for different family members. And by accident, again, Daphne, my mother-in-law opened it and went, I didn't want that one.

We're not going to say which, which child that was. She came to terms with it. It was fine. And the other tradition we have, which I don't think other people do, is whenever we do the Christmas pudding, so you set fire to it and then carry it around the house, doing a conga line, singing, "'Here Comes the Christmas Pudding' to the tune of "'He's a Jolly Good Fellow.'"

Maybe we could do that. Here comes the Christmas pudding, here comes the Christmas pudding, here comes the Christmas pudding, and so set all of us. Oh my god that sounds really fun, I like that. Yeah like you weave round the house and I like it. It's definitely odd but I like it. It's jolly. I wonder if you could do that with a trifle. Yeah, here comes the Christmas trifle. Yeah, it comes the Christmas trifle. Yeah, okay, amazing. Wow, I'm really, I feel like I may adopt some of your Christmas traditions. The Christmas tree presents, I think is a really

good one. What I used to like about it as a kid is that you got all the excitement of Christmas day and the tree present was like a little nice little, it would give you a little pep in the evening when the grown-ups had eaten a lot and they were all sitting quite quietly and you were feeling like a bit like, oh, it's like the end of, you know, all the, you know, the mad rush of excitement in the morning. And it would give you just another little, like, little thing to open. So it's quite, it's quite a nice moment. So then the kids get, they look forward to it because it's like a little fun bit. And it's sometimes quite silly things and just something thoughtful, not, it shouldn't be something crazy. It should just be something little that someone will appreciate, I guess,

or something funny. Are you doing the cooking this year? Richard does the majority. He's a much better cook than me and he's much calmer in the kitchen. I used to find it very hard to delegate and he's very good at, we all muck in. Christmas Eve we get all gathered together, we'll be chopping, peeling, but to delegate and he's very good at, we all muck in. Christmas Eve we get all gathered together, we'll be chopping, peeling, but on Christmas Day he's the guy in the kitchen with the apron. He loves it. So he's got his apron on, you've got your glitter, glittery, tinsley leotard and you'll be singing. What music do you have playing when you're cooking your dinner?

We have a Christmas playlist. It's all the songs you would expect, all the classics. My favourite, I think, is still Christmas wrapping by the waitresses. I've always loved that one. I don't know that one. Don't you? The one, Merry Christmas! But I think I was this one this year. I thought it was called. I didn't know that. Oh wow. It's like a love story. It's so funny. We always have the Charlie Brown album.

They like jazz Charlie Brown. I love that. That's what me and Sam put on when we're like wrapping presents. I love that one. Yeah, I'm very into, I never get bored of them. I love that Magic has its own Christmas radio station. So you could listen to these if you wanted to in February. I won't be, but anyway. What's the best present you've ever received?

I think Rich has done some quite thoughtful ones. He's actually very good with Christmas presents. And he once bought me, I once said when I was growing up, I remember being horrified when my stepmom said she wanted for Christmas a salad spinner. I was like, I never want to get to the stage in life where I think that that's fine. Like, I just, I remember being like, what? You just want a salad spinner? So one year he bought me a salad spinner. And when I opened it, there was a necklace inside that I'd seen in a shop that I really loved. And he'd remembered, got the necklace and hid it inside the salad spinner. That Richard is just a good guy.

He cooks. They work together, they're the best. Now on to New Year's Eve, you're having like the most mammoth New Year's Eve, bicoastal, is that what we say? I don't know, cross transatlantically. Are we allowed to know about what's happening? Absolutely. So I think the one that's occupying the most brain space in a really good way is the one that we're doing together. So the BBC, we're doing a New Year's Eve show with some of my songs and special guests, including your lovely self, which I'm so happy

about, because it's looking forward to self, which I'm so happy about, because it makes me just looking forward to it, and I'm not feeling nervous, it just feels like playing and fun. So that's gonna be pretty special, and that's about an hour's worth of music. So there's lots of things happening, lots of prep, but it's all coming together.

And then when midnight strikes in New York, I'll be in Times Square, because I'm singing on this show that's been running since the 70s called Dick Clark's Rockin' New Year. It's where the ball drops in Times Square and there's like a million people in Times Square and three tons of confetti apparently. So I'm looking forward to seeing that. I'm going to take my mum to that.

I'm my eldest boy. So I think that'll be, for me that's like a champagne cork like, but I think that the New Year's Eve show that we're doing is like, just like a real, I think it's a bit of a career moment actually. It's just really special. I feel excited about it. MS You deserve it, Sophie. You're a treasure and we're so thrilled for what's happened this year for you with Saltburn. It's an absolute tune, Murder on the Dancefloor, but it's been so nice for a new audience to be introduced to you. You did your first tour in the States, which blows my mind that that was your first tour. How long have you been making music?

I mean, I started my first gig when I was 16, which will be 30 years ago next year. Okay, so that you did your first tour in the States this year. You've got your own New Year's Eve special on BBC One. You're now, when the ball drops in New York, it's just, what's the plan for next year? Well, you know what, you know yourself, you get like special things,

but the important thing is to remember it is special. And actually, I will have another year like this one. And that's why I've been trying to really drink it in and you know I think it's it's good to remember that like what we do for a living is like it's a really twisty little road isn't it and sometimes you can find extraordinary things happening and you just got to really like just enjoy the wonder of it because it doesn't happen all the time and that's what makes it special and next year's probably gonna be like I can't think it can't top this year but I would love to just have a nice year with the new record I've put a lot into that so well you know when it's like when you're about to release new music I think that's

that's a big deal to me so yeah new album but album but probably not touring as much. It's been quite a busy year like that. Yeah, it's been great. I've had so much fun and honestly like singing with you is going to be like another highlight. I can't wait. I'm lucky to be doing it. Sophie, have you met Barry Keown at all, face to face? I have met him, yes. Yes. Did he get his willy out? Did you knock down or you kept it eye level? It was just quite funny because I was, it was about a year ago actually, I was going to sing at the,

and they were doing the premiere in LA and I was looking forward to meeting him and thinking it was gonna be funny when we say hi, but then I got into a lift and I realized he was in the lift, the kind of incognito and I thought, I just don't think now is the time. So I had to just sit there kind of giggling to myself thinking, we'll wait till we're like properly introduced, but I could just be like, hello, you're in a trap space with me now. I think it's, I mean, like what, like extraordinary thing to have. Yeah, that dance.

A big moment. Yeah. Quite exceptional really. thing to have. Yeah, that dance. A big moment, yeah. Quite exceptional really. Well, listen, I better go and try and rest my voice for tomorrow. But happy Christmas. Happy Christmas. Yes. Happy New Year. I can't wait to see you on everybody's screens on New Year's Eve and the whole of 2025. But thank you, Sophie, for joining us.

Oh, thank you so much. I had Christmas to you much. It's a lovely time. I like it. Sophie has very good Christmas traditions. Yeah, I like the tree present at the end of the day, but I don't know how that will go down with Sam. I just love that she's like, I haven't given them enough. I'm going to give them an extra present on the tree after the full day of Christmas. That's the kind of gal Sophie Elisbeckster is. Always love chatting to you Sophie and you can listen to Sophie's full episode of Table Manners. She joined us in

Edinburgh for the first show of our tour back in 2022 and it was quite raucous by the end. And do tune in to seeing us sing on BBC One on New Year's Eve. I think I'm like maybe eight minutes from 12 o'clock Mum what's your favorite Christmas movie elf? Okay. It's my favorite. Well, don't tell that to our next guest, please Because I think we might have a new favorite in our house. It's called That Christmas. It's on Netflix and it's directed by our next guest, Richard Curtis. Richard and his gorgeous wife Emma Freud joined us a couple of years ago on the podcast

for our comic relief special, where we had guests join us in the kitchen. And actually it was like the chef from Trulow, which was just really funny. And anyway. I don't remember a lot of that episode because I was on Tramadol for my slip disc. Do you remember? I remember I made very dry Marbella chicken actually. Oh it's dry Marbella chicken and Tramadol. But it's been a good it's been a good year for Richard.

He won an Oscar, no biggie. So Richard, hello, are you going to put it in your toilet like Kate Winslet does so people can practice their speeches? No, nor do I believe that she does. But it's on our mantelpiece. It's the first thing people see when they come into the house. Actually, it's funny how people don't notice it and then eventually have to say, by the way, look, my kids are on their third watch of that Christmas. It's so good. That's so sweet. I'm so happy because in the end, it took so long to make. It's quite hard to sort of remember why. You bothered doing it.

Yeah, it was like five years of work. Is that because it was animation? Does that make everything a bit harder? Animation just takes forever. But I'm so thrilled if people are liking it, and particularly you, and particularly your children. I know your mom can't be arsed to watch it. No, I haven't, I didn't know.

She actually didn't know you had a Christmas film out, Richard, because, Lenny, what are you watching at the moment? No, I'm not watching anything really, but I didn't know that there was a Christmas film that was probably because the animation. Where have you been then? Don't know,. So sorry Richard. But Richard it's really brilliant and beautiful. I think the characters are gorgeous. I wondered

whether your gorgeous daughter Scarlett was involved in some of the script because it kind of feels so like part of her voice. It's so witty. It's really funny. The thing is we've fused into one thing. I simply do what she says and think what she tells me to think these days. So it's difficult to avoid me. Well, it's working. And also, my son Spike saw it and turned to me at the end and said, Dad, do you have no imagination at all? Because it's so close to the way that we live up in Suffolk, that he just thought it was like transposition,

not actually, so we have a Christmas swim, we have a barn, we have kids who will meet in the barn. It's basically a documentary. Yeah, it's an animated documentary. So that's your tradition, a Christmas swim? Yeah, a warborswim. There is one in the village. Absolutely insane.

It's gorgeous, it happens at 11 o'clock on the beach and most of the village turn up and half the village go in, which is about 100 people, charge into the sea and about 25 seconds later they charge out again, get dressed and have a glass of mulled wine and then go off to do their Christmas lunches. I'm cracking. Emma, are you in charge of the mulled wine? Are you getting in as well? Do you know, I don't, I do cold swim. I go all throughout the year, but on Christmas Day,

I like to not because I like showing off my beautiful bikini body to my dog and my best friend. Not to all the people in the village that I live with, I get shy. Of course not. So people don't wear wet suits? No. That's very much frowned upon. They're hardcore. Oh they're hardcore.

So at the moment I think you're your top three in Netflix. You're killing it Richard. Well I'm very pleased because I am obsessed by charts. For instance, I just wrote down here because it's Christmas Just so that you know what a sad figure I am at the moment in the UK top 40 singles charts 26 of the 40 songs are Christmas songs and Wham is number one. Whereas in America 21 of the songs are of the top 40 This is this is the moment when anyone listening who might have thought, oh, I really wish I was going out with Richard Curtis, he's fantastic, are going, thank God.

No, they're not. They're thinking it would be nice going out with Richard Curtis because he spends a lot of time in his own room doing private things and therefore... Checking charts out. Checking private things. I can grow as a human being on my own. This is also innuendo led, private things growing as a human being. I think you've just made this not a family podcast, I'm afraid Richard Curtis, you disgusting man. All the good I tried to do by writing a non-squaring Christmas animated film has just gone out. At the window. But can I say something to our family?

Yeah. What is it? Is it a chick? We had four children and now we got a fifth. Oh, wow. That's a beaut. Anybody that can't see what's happening, Emma has the golden guy, the Oscar, Mr Oscar, in and she, is it hefty? Is it heavy? I've used it as a dumbbell and it really works. It's eight pounds, I think. That is quite enough of that. That's beautiful.

What did you do? What did you do after? Where did you eat after winning your Oscar? So this wasn't our finest hour. We had a lovely evening. They gave us a whole table at the Governor's Ball, which is where they give the Lifetime Achievement Oscars in November rather than in March. And there was food there, but nobody really ate the food because they were too busy wandering around other tables. Jazz halls. Yeah. And then at the end of it, we went after party and there wasn't one. And so we went back to our hotel and we sat in the bar with three people and we

had chips and Baileys because we're English. That's what you do. We had chips and Baileys for about half an hour and then we went to bed. And then at about two in the morning, I got a text from Hugh Grant who said sorry I couldn't because I'd asked him to come to our hotel room so I mean the hotel lobby so it really felt like we were in Hollywood and he said really sorry I couldn't come I was at the after party. Oh darling. What do you mean the after party?

Did you get an NFI? Not fucking invited? You weren't invited. Not fucking invited. That's for your family show. That's a liberty. They only gave out four Oscars and one of the people had already died so there was only three people they needed to ask. It was three guest lists. For God's sake. Who's in charge of the invitations?

I don't know but they're dead to me. They're dead. And they don't care. That's the point. We're so important. When I did my first film, which was a film called The Tall Guy, we had a huge party afterwards and I was surprised that I saw so few people involved in the production at the party. And it was only the next day that I was told that there'd been a private room for people involved in the film. And I thought it was odd that it was just me and my mum and the strangers. But I will, that's not kind.

We've never been cool. No, no, I'm sorry. You are the greatest hosts. I have been privy to your hosting. You are fabulous. Can you tell us, apart from the Christmas swim, what is a Freud, Curtis Christmas tradition? Because I'm sure you've got plenty of them, but a food Christmas tradition. Oh, I'll tell you food in a sec. But the biggest Christmas tradition is we always watch a Christmas

film and obviously it's Elf. So that goes down very well in our house. We haven't seen love actually since the beginning. I get texts from people saying I'm watching Love Actually and I show them to the family saying look this is what everyone else is doing but they're not having any of that. What's the big Christmas food thing? I'm mainly interested in brandy butter and I'll have that with turkey, I'll have it with sprouts, just anything. Brandy, butter. We've got, it's a lovely thing this year. And Jesse, you'll get this in about 15 years,

but my middle son is 22 and interested in cooking. And he and I, for Christmas, are cooking together. That's the dream, isn't it? And we're making a porchetta. Because we're all so Italian in our blood that porchetta at Christmas feels like the nice tradition to be embracing. This sounds really lovely and I actually think that my middle child, who is the baby that you held when you did the podcast first, he'll be my guy that's helping me.

You're not helping me at all this year. I'm working. Oh, you're doing the stuffing. I'm doing the stuffing. I'll do the helping me. You're not helping me at all this year. I'm doing the stuffing. I'm doing the stuffing. Remotely helping. I'll do whatever you need, Lenny. I will do whatever you need. You know what I said to Em was,

before we joined you, I hope they're getting on better than before. And I'm disappointed, but it's still time for rebirth, as you know, at Christmas. Absolutely. We're going to let you go, but Merry Christmas. Oh, I brought you presents. Thank you so much for coming on. I brought you presents.

I brought you presents. I wanted you to share. But we can save the presents. It's a beautiful river cafe panettone. It's the best panettone in Britain. Which panettone is that? River Cafe. It's the best panettone in Britain. Which panettone is that? River Cafe. It's absolutely... Oh! To be honest, we were given it.

But I'm now giving it to you. I'm regifting my panettone. And we'd like you to have it and really enjoy it. And I'm holding it up to the screen now. Oh, what a pity you can't have it. And congratulations on a marvellous year. And you are two of my role models and I hope by this time I'll be wearing glasses too.

Oh, God, Richard, you are always welcome. We need to just carry on this tradition of being able to see each other and congratulations on that Christmas because I really think it's just, it's heaven for everybody and I particularly loved the head teacher. The head teacher was based on Yemmy, to be honest. Thank you. She's not Miss Trunchbull. I'm trying to think of a ferocious old word, who's soft underneath.

Oh, right. And are you good at, you're not very good with snowmen or igloos? I don't know, I've never tried. For anyone who's listening, who hasn't seen it yet, when you watch it, if you every time you see the head teacher, if you think Rachel Reeves, it's a huge similarity. It's likely Rachel Reeves and also the lady that's like Griselsky in Monsters Inc. You know

the one that's like. I never tell those two apart anyway. On that note, Merry Christmas. Happy Christmas. Thank you so much. All the best for 2020. Loads of love. Lots of love. Happy Hanukkah and child beauty. Lots of love. Would you go for a cold water swim on Christmas day, mum?

No. I can positively tell you I would never ever, ever do that. Get the kids in front of Richard's new film whilst you are finishing the turkey. What's the name of it again? That Christmas. It's really so gorgeous. As opposed to last Christmas. Exactly. Now we had to invite Tom Adel to our Christmas special because he gave one

of the best gifts we've ever received this year. Oh the chocolates? Yes. The Belgian chocolates. Oh you like those? Where were they from again Tom? They were from Bruges weren't they? Yes.

In Belgium. And they were delicious. That's nice. And now, not only have you given me the gift of good chocolate, you've also given me the gift of your wife and her fantastic art, which is... Where's yours? Where is it? Well, actually, it's being exhibited in her exhibition right now.

And you bought one. Big fan of Georgina Adele. Yeah, it's absolutely amazing that you did that. She is so thrilled. And she encouraged me to encourage you to say, go and have a look at it at Soho Review. Your wonderful art is hanging up there amongst other mobiles. Well, it's not, I mean, listen, it was something that,

okay, let's just, so Tom and I bumped into each other at the Royal Academy Summer Exhibition, because that's what we do, isn't it, Tom, on our days off. We just go to... Oh, you're so cultured, darling. But you had a reason to be there, because your wife was exhibiting in there. She was doing, and so we met, and obviously me and you know each other, and I saw her work, and she's brilliant, and then she made me this beautiful mobile for my 10 year wedding anniversary which is made of aluminium but that is Georgina and she's fantastic. But on to you and Christmas. Are there any Adele Christmas traditions?

Are there any that you and your wife are creating together or inheriting from each other's families? Oh that's very interesting. I know that Georgie's mum likes to make smoked salmon sandwiches, which I really like as well, on like, you know, like white bread, like hovis or something like that. Which is like a real, they're really good. I think it's the best bread. That kind of bread is the best bread for so many things.

I agree. I feel like culturally kind of being written off a little bit in recent times by the more the sourdough and other types of more bougie hipstery bread A white slice bread is fab. Yeah, it's great. It may not have any wheat in it, but it's damn tasty Who cares? It's gorgeous and it's the best toast in my humble opinion Yeah, I agree. Particularly for baked beans, don't you think? Yes, with baked beans. And Marmite actually. And Marmite, definitely. Yeah, yeah. Or Vegumite, which is also a great condiment. Is it your wife that's vegetarian? No, we're both pescatarian.

Oh, so you're having fish for Christmas? Yeah, we'll have fish for Christmas, which is a great thing, you know. Works well with roast potatoes and vegetables. Which is your favourite fish, Tom? Probably like sea bass or salmon. I actually quite like monkfish as well, but like Georgie doesn't really like monkfish, but I like it. It's really nice. I made very nice salmon en croute the other day. So good. And it was great for a celebration. Salmon en croute, I think might be my favorite food. Yeah. It's so good.

You're at Premises which is a kind of institution for people rehearsing recording studios in East London. So what are you rehearsing for Tom? Something very spectacular I think. Well I do have a show in Sydney in... You have two? Yeah two. I feel like you've played lots in Australia Jessie. I have not and I love Australia and we have loads of Australian listeners. I've been there twice in my life and I love performing there. I love the food, all of it. Do you enjoy being there? You know I've not a bit like yourself, I haven't really spent that much time. I think I've probably been two or three times and always absolutely loved it. Like I have some family who live in Melbourne as well. So like looking forward to seeing them, but like

yeah, just looking forward to some sunshine as well not to make everyone jealous, but You're going in January aren't you? Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, it should be good. And will you do like a wine tour? Will you do some eating and drink? I've got really good Melbourne Recommendations actually. Oh really great. I have to get some of your playing in Sydney though. So we're going up to Byron we have some friends up there in in Byron, which is some meant to be really nice kind of beachy place So that would be fun. I'm looking forward to that but yeah I don't really know it that well so it's like a bit bit stepping into that unlike you know like playing in Germany

or or Belgium of course I'm not really that familiar with it so it's kind of I'm excited to take a look around you know. Have you finished your Christmas shopping Tom? I haven't started my Christmas shopping yet So you were all on Christmas Eve bloke not to defend the sort of lazy Unthoughtful and reflective man, but I do think that shopping on Christmas Eve is actually really magical Yeah, please sell it to us. It's really Christmassy and not stressful. Yeah and you could do it if you've got to go all day you can go all day but yeah it's probably not the most ideal thing but no I'm definitely gonna go this week into town but although I've gone into town quite a bit over the last

two or three weeks just for various things. It's just like, gridlocked. You can't move in central London. And also, George and I, we have our birthdays right next to each other and we had our wedding anniversary. So it's like two quite intense, this was like three weeks ago. So it was two really intense like shopping trips. Like, you know, those are two really intense things you have to buy for. And so I'm kind of like, you know, Christmas is kind of in the shadows of that. What did you do for paper anniversary? I wrote a really long letter. And what did Georgia Yeh Yeh?

An envelope. She got me two really nice pens with an inscription on it which I really like having pens. I like writing on paper like with you know handwriting I like doing that. I need to do better on paper. Yeah I really enjoy doing that. It's really calming. What is the best and worst Christmas present that you have given or received? For a little while I used to buy my sister the most annoying present I could find. I once got her a trampoline. How old was she? Which she really didn't want. And then I got her like a giant Virgin Mary from a like a stone Virgin Mary. And then also got her other thing. I've got her a few Virgin Marys actually, which she really

doesn't like and gets kind of annoyed about it. What did she do with them? Well, she had quite a few Virgin Marys in her garden. Good luck trying to find a Virgin Mary on Christmas Eve. So, yeah, that's a bit weird, but this is more like when I was a bit younger, I don't buy her weird presents anymore. I guess it used to be slightly funny. Tom, thank you so much for joining us

on our Christmas special. Go and eat some lunch. Yes. Go and do some Christmas shopping and good luck in Australia in January. I'm very jealous. If you need me to do a duet with you, I would be very happy to fly out there

and eat and drink some wine with you. Come on over. Okay, perfect. Let's just chat about this off air. We'll make something happen. Oh, it'd be great. Yeah. Nice to see you both. Happy Christmas.

And thanks for another great year of your podcasts. I appreciate them. Never stop. Tom Adell, you're a gorgeous man and I wish I was jetting off to Australia in January too. Our next guest is jetting off somewhere, but maybe not quite as far flung as Tom. It's Nadine Coyle.

Where are you, Nadine? You're on the move. I am on the move, yes. And this is a, this is the last minute flight. Do you know one of those? It's like, oh my God, I'm going to be packed up, like run like the wind. Where are you going?

Here we are. I am going to Heathrow. For a holiday? For just a little club trip, just a little quick pre-Christmas trip. Hot, cold? Cold. Okay. Ireland is always cold. Oh, you're going to Ireland. Yeah. Right. What is a Nadine Christmas special meal?

Like what's something that you're always going to have on the table on Christmas day? I start the clipping for the sides on Christmas Eve. So I will do this Christmas table, do all the stuffing and cauliflower cheese. And then we've started doing the, you know, the American sweet potato with the marshmallows on the top of Thanksgiving dish. So we started that last year. Yeah. And it was a big hit. So it's been requested again this year. That's a good idea. So that's kind of my thing besides turkey Turkey? Of course, my mum does that. My mum does the turkey and she'll do like the potatoes and we're in Ireland so

there's multiple kinds. We have mashed, we have roasted. Are you going to be in Ireland then? Yes, I'm going to be in Ireland for Christmas. What's some of your Christmas traditions that like, you know, apart from the cooking, is there any traditions that your household has? We have a huge, there's, I mean, there's quite a few of us. So we've been through the phases of my sister's, her kids, girl went off, getting everything organized for Santa. We've got this bear part. I don't know if we spoke about it the last time we met, but there is some grizzly bears that the sanctuary. It's not too far away in Donegal.

No, we did not talk about grizzly bears. We didn't talk about that. Okay. So we do this thing where a few days before Christmas, they do this lovely Santa thing and you walk around and every year I think it's a great idea. I'm like, let's go. And then we get there and I think, what are we doing walking around with grizzly bears? I feel like we're in Jurassic Park. I'm like holding on to everybody. So that's a thing we've started. I think I started it and then I'm like, what was I thinking? So we'll probably have to do that again as well. What's on your Christmas playlist?

Do you know, Ania, my little girl, made one. She made a Christmas playlist and she came on the other day and she had her iPad on her shoulder, you know, like a boombox. And she came walking on the plan, our new Christmas playlist. It's all the classic, just all of your classic Christmas songs, nothing wild or alternative. And are you drinking wine or Guinness and Bailey's? We're drinking slur. Slur?

Oh yeah, like slur. Slur, the non-alcoholic. It's the non-alcoholic slur. Which flavor? So we used to think we're being really clever, so if you mix the white and the red and you make your own rosé. So we'll be doing that again the one time a year that you try this slur. So it's a tea total Christmas? Well for the afternoon, you know, the day the day gets on. Are you a Christmas lunch or Christmas dinner? We're more of a Christmas dinner. We usually do a big breakfast,

my mum will do, and she'll make some mimosas and stuff, and do like a smoked salmon, some kind of English bagel, not bagel, muffin, English muffin vibes with eggs and some sausages. So you're never really hungry at lunchtime. So it kind of, when everybody starts to gather, we kind of aim for maybe four or five. Yeah, later on. Nadine, thank you for joining us. I hope Heathrow isn't hell on earth. And Merry Christmas. I am just following up on Heathrow.

Go on, darling. Happy Christmas. And congratulations on an amazing, amazing year. It was such a joy to see the girls perform. And I think maybe 2025, we should do a few more performances. Please, yes, please. Yeah. Well, we'll definitely see.

Thank you so, so much. We'll really see you all happy christmas that's Nadine dashing off to the airport with fabulous signal i love you Nadine you're completely bonkers so nice to hear from some of our alumni um i hope you've enjoyed our christmas special and that it's got you through the stress of getting the christmas dinner underway we'll catch company whilst wrapping those last minute presents. We'll be back next week, 2025. Thanks for listening, happy Christmas and a happy new year.

Yeah, have a gorgeous day and we'll see you in 2025. Thanks for watching!