That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Fern Britton

Episode Date: June 23, 2025

Fern Britton joins Gaby for a chat about the small things in life which bring her joy. Watching her apples grow, a cup of tea in bed, when the cats all arrive for breakfast at the same time...these are some of her favourite things. They also discuss her writing. her latest novel - "A Cornish Legacy" - and where she gets her inspirations. Remember you can watch all of our episodes, via our YouTube channel - where you can also access our extra bonus Show n Tell episode (available on Fridays) Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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It's my favourite at breakfast time and soon it will be yours too. Fern Britain, Sunday Times bestselling author. You have another one, the number one bestseller, a Cornish legacy. Do you know, what is so wonderful is, you're sitting here in front of me. And to me, you are so many things, but I'm going to say, you are oh my goodness i've gone over emotional your kindness personified and you are one of the true great television presenters that i'm in awe of no i'm i am going to but you're you're a huge bestselling author you're a massive television legend and thank goodness still going you you have been there seen it done it and you still write such warmth and it's just about

your books are all very warm. You're very warm. That's all I want to say. You can go now. Thank you. Britain is warm. Confirmed. No.

No. Oh, Gabby, I don't know what to say. That's just lovely of you. And, you know, all of us, I think, think that we're just actually probably rubbish at everything anyway, except you, darling. No, but you're not. You and I've known each other on and off a long time. But there's nothing rubbish about you. I mean, look, I was counting the books.

So this is your 11th novel. Yeah. But you've done 20 books? Oh, yes. But your short stories? Short stories. Cookery. Photography.

Yeah. You've done 20. Well, that was, gosh, how extraordinary. And a lot of that was after I left this morning and knowing that I needed to get four children through university. So I thought, well. 20 books. Okay.

I want to go, we'll talk about television and we'll talk about all of that. But when was the moment that you said, I know, I'm going to be an author on top of everything else and four children and... When I got a phone call from a publisher's going, would you write a novel? It was them. Yes. No, you're kidding me. No. How?

I know. I know. I don't know. And I thought, well, I can't. Of course I can't sit down and write a novel. I can just about write a news piece or a piece of script, you know. Yeah. And then, but anyway, I was very closely kept tethered and a warm hug from the publisher.

And the first one went out at the first book. And that was very much. 90s? Late 90s? No, it's only 17 years. Oh, 17 years ago. 17 years, whenever that is. About two weeks ago.

Yes. It feels like it, doesn't it? And anyway, so then that first one came out. And then they said, right, off you go then. Here's a contract for two. Go on, off you go and do another two. I saw it. I'm going to go back on.

So it came from nowhere? Yeah. Yeah. That's incredible. I know. I know. I've been a very fortunate person in my life that, you know, because I've never really looked for anything specific

or thought I was worth doing something. I wouldn't need to. The only thing was ever was this morning when before this morning, actually existed ITV put out for tender this program they were going to run in the mornings for a couple of hours and I was part of the

team who produced one for TVS Television South who I was working for at the time down in Southampton. I remember we both worked for TVS many years ago and so we made a pilot and we were so smug we thought

we got it and we didn't The outsiders, Richard and Judy got it. And I remember sitting back and feeling that moment of going, no, it's not us. Oh, and then thinking, oh, I think that's the one show I'm probably built for. And then, 15 years later or whatever it was, it came to me. So I've been very lucky that things have landed. And also I'm quite brave.

You know, people say, do you want to do that? And I go, oh, all right, then. With your couch to five. That's a whole other conversation. I love that. But the, I, I, I love that. I'm, that's so amazing that you're saying fortunate. I mean, you, you, you went and trained to do state management.

Yes. But then you became a continuity announcer. Yes. And now you're, so looking back on those years, you've, from 1980 to now, you've written 20 books that happened by chance the first one. You've hosted a show that you did a pilot for that years later you ended up doing. Yeah. It's incredible.

And you moved to Cornwall and Cornwall has become. now such a big part of your life. It is. And I mean, I moved to Cornwall in 1980. Bought my first house in Cornwall. 15,000 pounds, two up, two down, no running water, you know, all that stuff. And I loved that little house and it's still standing, still there. But I don't own it anymore.

And then 20 years ago, I bought the house that I'm living in now. So it's always been there. So I've always had a foot in Cornwall. And I have really lovely friends in Cornwall. And so I write about Cornwall because it becomes actually the main character in nearly all the books. And it's very capricious. It's like a naughty child. Whenever friends come down to see you, you're going, oh, it'll be lovely.

The sun is going to be shining. The water's going to be great. We'll do this. We'll do this. And they arrive in its thick fog, pouring with rain, freezing cold. No, but it's like that. It behaves like a recalcitrant child just as you want it. It's beautiful.

I mean, my daughter, my elder daughter was at university down there. And any opportunity that we could take to go to Falmouth, we did it. And Falmouth is a great university. But, no, but I meant Cornwallers. I'd never known it until your books and until my daughter moved on. No, it is gorgeous. That's why we're also, we love it so much because it also feels very mystical. You know, there's that bit where people say, oh, the veil is very thin here between us and the,

the world, you know, all that stuff. But it does suddenly go, nope, I'm going to behave very badly and poor with rain. And of course, last week was, well, half term. The weather was terrible. Everyone came down for some sunshine and then it was all raining. That's fine. It happens like that and we forgive it because it's rather beautiful. It is so beautiful and so welcoming and so magical.

And I live in a tiny little hamlet and if cars come down that we don't recognise, they must be lost. or they must be burglars. You know, that's about it. And there's lots of farmland around and cows being milked across the road. And I got Jack Dawes sitting in a little box that my friend Susie built for me on the back of the barn. It is magical. But when you talk about it, your eyes are going. Yeah, it is gorgeous.

And the lanes at the moment just full of, well, the cow parsley has just gone over. But before that, of course, was bluebells. before that was the pink champion, and now we've got yellow rape. It's like talking to Caroline Quentin. You and Caroline Quentin, because she's up the road, as it were. Well, she's in Devon. That's what I meant, up the road.

Up the road. But you're sort of like, you don't mention Devon when you're in Cornwall. You don't mention Cornwall when you're in Devon. It's just up the road and down the road. They're two different places entirely. And Dawn, of course, is down there as well, isn't she? Yeah, she's in Devon too. So, okay, let's go back.

This is about you. So the Cornish legacy. See, I love this. A lifetime of secrets. One chance to finally find her. Is that you? Well, it's my, it's an every woman. You know, we're all every woman. So that's an every woman. So in your books though, obviously they come from looking around you and the feeling, as you say, it's the, it's the main character. Cornwall is the main character. But how much of your characters, apart from Cornwall, are based on you and feelings and things you've got? through? Well, I suppose, and it's important to say that write what you know, so many of us have, you know, being divorced, found ourselves on our own moving house, you know, so many of us have found all of that. So that's a safe bet that that's going to resonate with a reader. But otherwise, truly, they are pure fiction. So you have to recall that. Apart from the book, Daughters of Cornwall,

which did very well, that was my number one. That was number one. Because that was based on the truth of my grandmother and my mum. So that was fun. But, yes, so, yes, write what you know and then build in all the fantasy. And when I first started writing, because I'd only been writing news scripts and things,

you, as a journalist, you check the facts. You check everything. And I'm thinking, oh, yes, now, I've just written that he was in a 1996 card. No, I must check that that's the Mark 4. And now I just think, oh, for heaven's sake, just make it up. Just make a lot of it up. And, you know, why are they all in this?

Why have they all gone to this place on that night? Oh, yes, it's her birthday. Yes, okay, that's her birthday. So, you know, just make it up as you go. What's so lovely is it hearing? Because, of course, that means your imagination is firing, which is really important. And at any age, and I think we sort of lose that.

A lot of people lose that as they get older. They think, no, but the inner child is there, and we've got to let our... Imaginations run wild. Yes. But also, you're creating a world for us. When we read it, we end up in your world and you're creating wonderful pictures. I have to say, I mean, they are wonderful.

So carry on. Have you got the next one? Like, you have, haven't you? You're looking at me. Oh, she's got the next one there. Yes. Yes. It wasn't so long ago, maybe six weeks ago, I was lying on the floor in my bedroom.

You know how sometimes you do. I think I'll just lie on the carpet. Yeah. Looking at the ceiling and la la la la la, la. And the whole thing popped into my head. So left of field. Oh, my word. I know.

So I'm starting that now. I'm starting the plotting, and I've written some of the first chapter just to sort of see what it flows like. You're amazing. Can we, obviously we'll come back to books, but let's go through a bit of television. I mean, recently, of course, we saw you on Celebrity Big Brother. Yes. I screamed. I did a video for them because they wanted video of people that have known.

I honestly, when it was, I couldn't believe it, but you came out of it so wonderfully and you came out as you. What was that experience like? It was absolutely surreal, completely surreal. I can take you through it if you like because it's very, in case they ask you. I wouldn't. No, I wouldn't. I choose not to. All right, that's fair enough.

So, of course, there's supposed to be all that secrecy around who's going in and it's always leaked somewhere or other. And then you get, so the night before you're actually going to the house. you're taken to London, put into a hotel room and you are not allowed to leave that room. And in the hotel, all the other people that you're going to be in there are also stuck in their rooms. And you don't know who they are. We don't really know who they are, no.

And you're assigned your own chaperone who makes certain that you don't leave the room and they take everything from you. You'll watch, your phone, books, they disable the telephone and the radio. They take everything out. So now you just have nothing. They take your books away?

Everything. You've got nothing to read? Nothing. Are you not allowed to watch television? Nope, they've turned that off in the hotel room. They just disable everything, everything. Not the radio, not the time, nothing. Can you sing?

Yes, on your own if you need to. And so that's that. And your meals are brought to you. Yes, for about 24 hours. Wow. And then the day, you know, you sleep, and then the next day you know that in the evening you're going in. And you're still in your room,

and all of your clothes are looked at, Is it going to work on camera? Is it not? So you checked for cameras? Yeah, well, you know, if you've got any stripes or anything like that. And so those are, I lost two pairs of stripy trousers, knowing that they would work on camera, but they went, no, we're taking those away. So you end up with...

You have done television for a long time. You do know these. 45 years, 45 years. Anyway, so then that gets taken away. Then all your makeup is looked at and everything is wrapped with black tape in case it's advertising. And anyway, by 4 o'clock in the afternoon, everything has been packed, unpacked, labeled, taken away.

Oh my word! You're just sitting and you're going in dress and that's it for hours, for about six, seven hours. And then the cars come and get you and then you're chauffeared in and then the madness starts. And sleeping in that great big bedroom,

19 nights I was there. And my agent, your agent, weirdly, he said to me before I went in, he said, don't worry. I don't think you'll be out first vote, but you'll probably be out the second. And I said, oh, I don't mind. That's okay. He said, no, that's absolutely fine because get it out of your head.

You're not going to win. You're not going to win. No, that's fine. Absolutely. And anyway, every eviction I was up for, and when you're up for eviction, you have to pack everything and be only in your program clothes in case you're chucked out, and then you're not chucked out.

So then they hold up. onto your suitcases to keep you up and not going to bed before you can unpack it all. And you have to not just unpack your nighty again, but hang it all back up again. And it's like by then, I don't know, middle of the night. I mean, the tricks they play on you is exhausted. Did you come out of there knowing you done the right thing going in? Actually, I was very happy doing the right thing going in anyway. Good, good.

And I sort of, because I really did need an adventure. And I had an adventure. Good for you. It was wonderful. Absolutely. We have mutual friends and we were all messaging. Oh, you know what? She's gone into it.

Oh, wow. I mean, it was just so much support and love. But going back, you know, you've done some of the most iconic TV show. Ready, Steady Cook. I remember coming on Ready, Steady Cook. And honestly, I had the best. best time. But so many of the shows that you did, what about joy and kindness and they still are? And being human. And just the whole thing about human, the humans, you know, on Reddy Steadic, not on Redis Steadicke, on this morning, interviewing people who are going to trust you with their story, which is often very painful.

I mean, you, you'd cover a complete gamut of things, wouldn't you, from the hardest to the lightest? Yeah, absolutely. And, you know, they call them making gear changes. between each conversation. But sometimes you'd work it without even put your foot on the clutch and it was a bit, you know, hop-y. But in general, it was a real privilege doing that show, and I loved every minute of it. I know you did.

I know you did. But also, can I go back to your childhood? Oh, I go back to your childhood. All those years ago. So, don't be silly. Just a couple of weeks ago. So you went and did stage management at Central. But before that, and obviously your dad was an actor.

Was there any of that? So was that how you ended up doing what you did? So there was none of that in your bones? No, not really. Because my father, I have no memory of him living with us. And he was a very sort of glamorous but distant figure. He couldn't help that. He was working and he had married again and had a son, my half-brother, and all of that stuff.

So I see now as an adult that was complicated for him And probably my mum was sort of No I don't want him too much present in your life You know fair enough So there was no sort of design To do anything Performative And in lots of ways

And I'm quite grateful for this I don't think Anything much was expected of me I was a good little girl My sister Anything was expected No not really You mean that in a good way

You don't mean... I mean in a... I wasn't pressured into... Okay, good. In a good way. Sorry, yes, that's what I mean. In a positive way. Yes.

My sister was... Well, it is very beautiful and she was good at dancing and horse riding and wanted to be an actress and she modelled a bit and she was... As a little girl,

she was my older sister and I just thought, wow, she's amazing. You know, she's got it all going. And I wanted to be her and I wanted to wear her clothes and she'd be cross with that. So it was like, no, I just sort of get on by myself, really. And I spent a lot of time on my owners when I was little.

And then friends I had were generally boys. So we did lots of sort of boy stuff. And I liked that. I enjoyed that, tearing around on bikes and building camps and things. And then it wasn't even at school when I moved to secondary school, I was not in any school plays They didn't want to audition me for school plays I don't know if that was like

Oh let her pipe down She's bound to be appalling and show offy No But I did write lots of scripts and skits and sketches Oh that's interesting Yeah end of term shows We'd always write the gags and do this and this And put those on

So I was a very good kind of entertainer In that sense Because I don't mind making a fool of myself and, you know, all that. And then, so when I got to the point at school where the careers mistress had us all lined up outside her office one at a time, the girl in front of me came out looking a bit shell-shocked.

And she said, she said, I should be a lampshade maker. What? Yeah, so we were at a very good high school for girls. Anyway. A lamp-shade. What a strange thing to say, I know, you'd make a good lump-shade maker. Yeah.

And this is 1974. But that's a very still very strange thing to say. It is very weird. I remember, but I remember it clearly, because we'd never ever talked about lampshake making. And then I went in and she said, oh yes, well, your father's an actor. I suppose you want to be an actress. Well, there's been no sign of me, you know, being asked to be in a school play or anything.

And she gave me a leaflet for the Central School of Speech and Drama. Now the Royal Central School, of course. And she said, oh, sign up for a stage management. I went, okay, so I went home. I said to Mommy, oh, look, I've got this. I'm going to go and be a stage manager. I've got to just do the interview and get in first. But, you know, and she said, oh, that's a terrible job.

Because, of course, she'd been with my father, so she knew what stage manager would have to do. And she said, that's a terrible job. You'll be asked to find an elephant at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. And you've got to just have it in ready for the evening. And I went, yeah, I can do that. She went, oh, well, okay, you'll be all right then. And I did, and I got in.

And there were only about 13 of us, I think, on the course. And a couple of hundred had applied at those days. Now there's thousands of work. Yeah, and it's such a good job. Did you enjoy it? Yes. So I would really recommend it to anybody. Really good job.

You get to really understand who you are, who actors are, how to work within the rules. It is very, very good. Lovely Will, who's looked there through the glass, who works on this. His mum did the same course as you, we think probably around the same time. Really? Yeah, well, we were tech 77s. What was your mum? Yeah, that was up.

After that was it. After that, yeah. Oh. Oh, okay. But he, but she did it for a while as well. So did you actually, were you, did you work as a stage manager? Yes, yes. Got my equity card and worked, uh, taking shows all around the country on tours

and then taking them into the West End, play them in. You've been on stage, though. I've seen you on stage now in calendar girls. Oh, Lordy, Lordy. Why do you put your hands up? Because I came to see you in calendar girls. Did I see you afterwards? Uh.

Or did you vanish? No, you did. I came with my girls. And you, because there was somebody else in the cast who'd invited me as well. Ah. Where did I see it? Was it? Oh, anyway.

Did you enjoy it? Yes, it was very... Why did you put your hands up when I said it? Oh, because I have no confidence as an actress. Oh, I thought you were wonderful. It's a lovely show, Gary Barlow's... Musical, yes. It was fun to be part of, and I loved it.

And we toured for it. months, I guess. So it was a long old time. You went everywhere, though, as well, didn't you? Yeah, and I loved that. Because that was, you know, as a stage manager, I was touring and got to know all these places. And arriving in theatres where I had stage manager, it was hilarious. And suddenly I'm in a nice dressing room, crazy. So in my heart, I feel very much a stage manager. And so all this other stuff is like, oh. But that means you're very good at organising stuff, because you do, you obviously, a good

organiser, whether, I mean, you can... I am, yes. But you have your books, you have your television, you have all of those things, you're writing, that you're able to do all of these at the same time because you're organised. Yeah, I am pretty well organised. I'm a good list maker. Oh, I hear. Yes. A list... Why does that not surprise me? No, here's a weird thing. You know what I went to in my head? That you're a good at embroidering a list. Why did that come? Are you good at embroidery? I have been known to sit and do a, you know, a tapestry cushion cover or something.

You see, you do it all. You are from, you're also, and I know I've said this to your face before, that you're somebody that's from every era. You could put you in any era, any time. And you're, you are utterly unique, Fern. You could be from the 1950s. You could be from the 2030s. You know, it's, and I mean the future 2030s.

Not the 2030s before. Yeah, yeah, I know. You could, from any... That's a lunatic. I was counting this morning how many decades I've been in. And this started in 57. So 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s, 2020s. I've been in eight decades.

Wow. How did that happen? Because I'm only 32. Yeah, no, and I'm 33. Thank you. Yeah, no, we stay. I knew that you were old to me. Yeah, yeah.

Every birthday, 33. Best way to be. Find an age and stick at it. That's very interesting. So I was a guest at somebody who was interviewing me this morning, and they were said, can you, should we discuss ageism? And I went, no. Well done.

Because I said, why? Yes. Why discuss it? Why acknowledge it? Yeah, but also why everybody's obsession. So no, we're not going to. We're sticking at 32 and 33. That's fine.

Lovely. Are your books going to be made into television shows? Oh, that's the dream, isn't it? I want you to make them into television shows. and shows. Thank you. Well, I did ask ITV and they had a look and they were like, oh, that's very nice and yes, me, I'm a... No. Oh, but that's only ITV. I mean, we can... Have you been to the BBC? No. Not yet. Go to the BBC. Have you been to any streamers? Trying. Okay, good. Well, I hope so. I hope. Is that how you write is what you write very visually because you give us visuals all the time?

Oh, good. No, I don't imagine it as a... Oh, that's a... Trust it. It's all in my head. The words. Yes, the words, love writing dialogue, love all that. What about stage play? All right. You know.

You could stage, you could write it. It would be like that sketch in Little Britain. You can write the show, be in the show, sing the music. Yes, yes, yes. I could, but then, you know, I'm getting old and a bit tired. No, you're not. You're not allowed to say that, oh word. You're not allowed to say that, oh word.

You're not allowed to say it. And you're not because you're doing Couch to 5K. Can we just talk about that, please, for a moment? So when did this suddenly happen? Well, about three years ago, I started Couch to 5K. I'd done it. I tried it before and never got through it. And then I thought, I'm going to give this another go.

And totally hooked. Just love it. Why? Why? What is it you love? Because literally, the start to finish is so, it's like one of the seasons, you know, when you don't see the daffodils and then you see them peeking. up through the ground and then it's the red yellow trumpet

and it's like that you think oh I'm just stuck in the ground and I can't you start with if anyone's listening you get a well I hope they are that'd be nice if anyone is no yes of course they're so the app is National Health Service with the BBC

and it's free that's the good download it get it on your ears and the first day is like walk for five minutes run for 60 seconds walk for three minutes run.

Oh, is that it? It's terribly, terribly simple. And that first minute is horrendous and by the end of you do six or seven of those with lots of walking in between, you feel a bit sick and puffy and think, I'm never going to do this.

And then you get to week, I don't know, in nine weeks they take you from that to be able to run 30 minutes non-stop, which you would hope is 5K. 5K is 3 miles. Now, that's it really.

I don't think I've ever run the 5K, but I can certainly run for half an hour without stopping. So you see what I mean. So it's not, you're not trying to race, you're not trying to beat yourself, you're just building up the stamina to keep going. So is this for mental health and physical health? Mental and physical and strong,

because when you're writing, you're sitting for a long time, maybe four hours, and then you need to get out. and have a walk and then I think, well, yes, why don't I put the app on and do my couch to 5K? And what makes me feel good is feeling physically strong, mentally strong, and also spiritually strong. Just the thing about running outside, I don't run on a treadmill, but running outside, you see, again, the seasons changing around you while it's going.

You know, I know the runs that I do and you get very familiar with them and you find yourself thinking, oh, I had to turn around at that lamp post before and run back again. But now I've running further and I'm getting back and, you know, you just keep going further and further. It's lovely. I said this to your face when we saw each other last week at a friend's party. But I honestly don't think, and we've seen each other over the years many, many, many times. I don't think I've ever seen you looking so happy.

I find it quite wonderful. You look happy. Thank you, darling. Do you feel happy? Yes, I really do. I really have found some sort of a liking for myself, a liking for my own company, enjoying the small and wonderful things.

Like just, you know, my daughter bringing me a cup of tea in bed, those sort of things in the morning and the pussycats all arriving at the right. time for breakfast, no one missing. How many pussy cats have you? Three is generally the number, so we still have, you know, one might pop off and another one arrives, you know. And the smallest things I enjoy watching my apples grow, and we're working towards the village

garden and produce show in July. So I've made my mint jelly. It's only ever come second. And that was only with two people in it. But anyway, and my cooking apples, they used to win, but no, they're second now. So, you know, the heat is on. You did a show about them. Didn't you do a show?

Yes. The allotment show. Great allotment challenge, yes. And that really, I loved that. And so I learned quite a lot from that. But my little garden, it is very little, but it's, you know, got the flowers going. And my friend who's brilliant, she always comes home with 20 first prizes and a silver cup, you know. And she's not very well at the moment.

and she said, while you're away, meeting you, she's going to go to my garden and cut all the flowers down. So bless her. I'm so pleased that you're so happy. I'm so pleased you've got another book on top of a Cornish legacy, which is available now, which will be another, and number one, Sunday Times number one. I mean, it's just, I love your books.

Thank you. You disappear into them, not you, one, when you're reading. Well, thank you. There you are on. on the cover of magazines looking, when people said it's always such one of a word, but you are glowing. You're glowing and you're happy,

and long may you do this. Long may you reign, Fern. You're very special. You really are, and you're a unique individual. And I hope you carry on doing telly and writing forever, please. Thank you for you for you, for ever. You're a lovely girl. No, I do.

I'm being honest. I'm being completely honest. You're very special human. Thank you for being on this. It's my pleasure. Thank you.