That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Josh Barry

Episode Date: July 7, 2025

Writer and podcaster Josh Barry joins Gaby for a chat about joy, laughter and the love of television.They're also joined by Josh's friend and carer, James (who you can also hear on Josh's own podcast, 'Beyond The Title') Josh talks about his new book - The Pop Culture Handbook - which he wrote with his nose, and his love for - and knowledge of - TV (which may well rival Gaby!) If you want to know more about Josh and his podcast follow him on instaAnd you can buy Josh's new book directly from him hereRemember you can watch all our episodes on our YouTube channel, where you will also find our bonus Show n Tell episodes as well! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've got the double act, Josh and James. Because you are a double act in my eyes. Josh Barry, you have your book out. Congratulations. The Pop Culture Handbook, Josh Barry, beyond the title, I'm going to just do this because people were here. When I say this book is heavy, just check this out. It's a heavy tome, Josh. This is incredible.

Actually, I haven't even looked it up. James, how many pages are there? 400 and something. That. That's how much he goes on, he said. I got that. So in the book, you say that you're a freelance writer for screen, stage, page. I know that you're a, you live on the Isle of Wight.

We'll talk about the Isle of Wight as well when we get to it. But you and I have known each other a very long time, Josh, haven't we? Yeah. I remember you. Do you were one of the first guests on the podcast, Josh remembers? I'm really honored to have been a guest on your podcast. I'm also very honored to have given you a quote for the book. But also what I think is so great, Josh, is that,

and we're just going to talk about it, that you haven't let anything get in the way of doing what you want to do. And Josh said he grew up with two sisters. in a normal household and he could see them doing all the things that they were doing and he thought to himself, do you know what, I want a bit of that.

Well, good for you. Actually, it's a great way to be. Do you know what? Before we carry on with the questions, I think we should explain how you and James work together. I mean, you've been working together for quite a long time, haven't you?

15 years this year, yep. How did that come about? When we left, you know, I went home in my back. He had all right. You got, you did it through an advert in the local paper. So Josh finished his master's degree.

And when he moved back from Bournemouth, all of the carers that he'd had before he went to university had all moved on. They'd all gone to university themselves or got other jobs. So Josh put an advert in the county press, which is the local newspaper. And I'd just moved. to the island.

But what an advert, though? You know, so what is it? Hello, can you, do you fancy working together? Was it that sort of that? This is what I always laugh at. This is what I always laugh at. It was very vague. It was very vague.

It was just a case of, do you want, looking for somebody to help me go to the gym and go swimming. And basically that was about it, wouldn't it? It was very vague. And that was sort of my background. So I thought, yeah, I'll give it a go. I never worked in care before. I was only 19 when I started, just literally turned 19.

So, yeah. And you've worked together ever since. Yeah. And you have an absolute understanding of each other's sense of humour. You work very closely together. And what's so wonderful is that for both of you, I feel it's a two-way thing. You know, I know some people might find it difficult to know exactly what you're saying, Josh. Oh, you.

Josh says he does. We've recorded enough things now. I knew that you should have said that. Yeah. I hear my show. But when I'm recorded. I've got an idea what I'm saying. So when you hear the idea.

the recordings, you know what you're saying? No idea, that's all. I know what you're saying. So we actually did something once where we had to transcribe a lot of stuff when we were doing a project before.

And originally we were going to do it together. And then after about five, ten minutes of the first one, Josh said, I don't even know why I'm sitting here because I haven't got a clue. I'm looking at you and then watching what you're typing to know what I've said. But you're also typed, don't you? You type with your nose?

Yeah. How do you do that? Do that. I mean, I mean, it's incredible. I think it's fantastic that you do it. But was it something, you self-taught, or does somebody teach you to do it? I don't want to have an iPhone. Self-taught on an iPhone. So it was almost like a means of you being able to have some sort of privacy to be able to use an iPhone. Obviously, when touch phones came along, you meant that you could. could sort of navigate it yourself a little bit. And then it just got to a point where you're like, I could nearly type a message. If the keys were just a bit bigger, I'd be able to get it. So we gave an iPad a try.

That was a while ago. I think it was 2014? Yeah. 2014. 11 years ago. Yeah. So up until then, obviously, all of Josh's writing work, whether it be at university or after that,

we scribed so we'd sit next to each other and Josh would speak and we just type. So very similar to how we, you know, talk with people. It's just that instead of now I repeat it, I was typing it down. So because of the technology and AI and all the other things, do you find that that is giving you more privacy? It's interesting use a word privacy. So I suppose, because you must want privacy sometimes.

Yeah. Yeah. Like we all do. Oh, I can't make it. Josh said he's able to make a phone call by himself now, which before he had to do with something like a Bluetooth headset, but where he was moving quite a lot, the headset would fall off and he would still need somebody to come back in

and put the headset back on. So now it means that you're able to, in anything you do really on your iPad, ask for some privacy and get on and do what you want, especially conversations on the phone with, like, your family and stuff. You can have normal private family conversations. we all take for granted a little bit, really? Yeah, I suppose we do, don't we?

Because, you know, we have, we take all sorts of things for granted. But you, the thing that I think is so wonderful about you. I mean, you came to see when we did talking pictures. And I remember everyone's coming up and chatting to you, talking to all sorts of people. But you make the most of every moment, don't you? You have a really very great,

but you have a very naughty outlook. Let's be honest as well. You like a good giggle. But you always. also have a very positive outlook on life, don't you? Well, so, I hope you.

Josh, how do you know it's in entertainment, especially it's, you have an availability to be able to wear a mask sometimes and be able to meet people as a version of yourself. And that's something that he's always felt like wanted to do because having that mask and being able to meet people

and putting on that, as you say, makes Josh seem more accessible in terms of conversation than what he would otherwise. How was it, so the word accessible, that's a very interesting word if we can talk about that, because how was it growing up? How were people's reactions to you?

You know, and accessibility, which I hope has got better. I know it hasn't through some of my friends who've got accessibility issues. But how has it changed over the thing? years for you. Oh, I think grown up with... Growing up with an able-bodied twin

was hard because spent a lot of time watching her do things that just wasn't able to do. And where we had some growing up watching his friends gain that

independence through him and his twin having the same friendship group and seeing them do all the things that he wasn't able to do. It was a tough one to watch them grow up, gain independence, and Josh ultimately not being able to have any. But look what you've done now.

I mean, are there times? And you just think, hey, I've gone and I'm doing what I wanted to do. Yeah. So I'm only now. We're really. how I would do it. So Josh said that when he finished university,

he didn't really know how he was going to do it. He spent the last year at university writing a biographical drama on Bill Cotton, and that was a script, and was looking to go down that sort of conventional script writing route, but then on reflection afterwards, realized that it was the interview part of that and the research part of that, enjoyed the most, so pursued that.

I think you're very nosy as well, that's part of it. You've said that to me, you've used that phrase. What I think is so incredible as well is that there will be a lot of people out there listening to this and watching this who will be in the same situation as you, who will have children in the same situation as you, and they'll be thinking, I don't know if I can do it, but I mean I think it's so important

for anyone to realize if there's a will there's a way you found a way of doing it you went off to university which I'm sure people would have said oh you know he's not going to get to university

oh he's not going to have a job you know look what you've got you've got a book out you've got a podcast how many of you've done of the podcast Over 200. I think we're about 220. That's incredible. Yeah.

You know, it's absolutely incredible. But you are, it's really important. It's really important for people in the same situation as you and young people in the same situation that can see you and can listen to you and can find out from you that anything is possible. It really is. isn't it?

Just said it sounds a lot when you say it like that but when you break it down into day by day like everybody else has to live it's manageable and anything's possible. But what I mean is that you will give people hope and I don't think I don't, I think that

there are a lot of people out there who don't know how to talk to people who have accessibility issues. I don't think there a lot of people out there who would be wary of their child going off to university or something. And it's really important that people like you have a voice. I really do think it's important. I've got the most beautiful, I've told you about him before, but Seby and he's 11.

And it's just important to his mum that you are there. It is really important. So just accept that. Accept it. Whatever you say, you're just going to have to accept it. I'm paying you a compliment. And I know you don't like a compliment. Thank you. Yeah, but I can see it like that. But it is, but also I think in the same way that, that all disability across the board and accessibility needs to be seen more. because on television

when Rose when Chris McCorsland did strictly it was really important that we saw that it was you know we were part of it

he's been on this podcast and what a lovely guy that we saw Rose Rose as a you know deaf girl she's an actress she's very successful

like she's very good actress as well brilliant actress but she and there's so many but it's more and more and more the more that it becomes

a part of everyday existence, and we meet people like you, it's important. When we had Rosie Trump and the podcast, when we had Rosie Jones on the podcast, she was talking about her disability, and the goal for her has always been to get to a point where she can do a show, be booked for a show, and not have to mention about her disability, because it's become irrelevant. Yes. Yes. And I think that's the goal, I think, for a lot of people in your situation.

Obviously, cerebral palsy is quite wide-ranging. It has a huge scope attached to it. But equally, we've always looked at everything as you can be differently abled, not disabled. I totally, that's brilliant. Brilliant. I'm going to use that. Can I tell everybody that I stole it from you. And I think you've spoken about it in your autobiography and stuff, didn't you? when you said about, you know, maybe you wouldn't have been a writer

if you could have played football, but you couldn't. Oh, wow. And here we are. But you know what? I'm really pleased. I'm really pleased you didn't play football because we wouldn't have all of your writing. And your writing is important. Where do you, okay, you've got your podcast.

You've now got, oh, I'm going to do it again. It's a heavy tone. You've got your books. You've got your podcast. What's next? What do you want to do? Is it, you still want to be a screenwriter? You want to do all of those things?

Well, I'm giving a live show. You're doing a live show coming up with someone that you know quite well. Johnny Ball. Johnny Ball. Oh, yes, you are, aren't you? Yeah. Yes, Zoe's dad. Yeah.

Zoe's dad. But also Johnny did the Terry and Gabby show, which you can. Which you came to the Terry and Gabby Show, didn't you come to the Terry and Gabby Show? No. But you came to the Big Breakfast as well. And you saw Danny Minogue. Yeah. Yes.

Yeah. Oh my goodness, gracious me. So you're doing the live show with Johnny. So how's that going to work? What are you going to be doing? Is he going to be doing numbers? He does a lot of numbers. Yeah.

I hope you're not. It's terrible. No. Trust, he hopes not, because he's terrible at maths. You're terrible. Join the club. Join the club. When do we ever need an isosceles triangle in our life?

Thank you. And we've all more calculator in our pocket these days. Yes, exactly. See, I can do that. I can do the mental arithmetic. It's the other stuff. You're like a darts player. Yeah, but also the A plus B squared.

Don't worry about it. Yeah. I'd have never needed it. No, I've only needed it. No, I've only needed to count in six years. I don't know. I've never had to do a long equation. Let's be honest.

Okay, so you've got your live show with Johnny, which is really exciting. But in the long time, is it, because you said, you know, you went to university, you had this, you had a screener about Bill Cotton, you said. You love entertainment. You love television. You're like me.

We're both obsessed with TV. You've watched everything, so have I. But you still want to be a screenwriter. Is that still something you want to do? You want to write your own dramas? But it's so hard. It's so hard. I know it is.

Hard to get into. I know. It is for me. Just realized at university as well. He was in a minority of what he enjoys to write. I like the domestic stuff. Josh likes the domestic stuff. I always say, but...

Josh always used to say when he was at university, he was an Alan Bennett surrounded by a load of Quentin Tarantaninas. I think everyone in your course, they wanted to get into writing to work in Hollywood. I want to write a Hollywood blockbuster, but that's never really been your thing, has it? you're a good old-fashioned English, British BBC drama would be. Amher, can I, have we talked about EastEnders before? No. Because I love East Enders before. I've never missed an episode.

Never, ever missed one episode. And I absolutely love it. But something like, see, I think, I mean, I want to see you, I've said this to you before as well, so it's not a surprise. But I think that you and your life would, make a brilliant drama. I really do. I think it's fantastic. You could act as yourself. You can be in it. You know, I got a e-e-e-e-drama. He's only got an E in drama. You could be, you could be yourself and it could just be, you know, your topography, your life,

I just think it would be brilliant. But, you know, everybody who says, write what you know, and that's what you've done here. So the pop culture handbook, let's go to this. So this is, it's very funny. I've just opened it up and the words are, television has always been the medium which has defined my pastime and extracurricular activity.

I didn't just like TV. I wanted to know everything about it from production to the many stars it spawned. And as I got older, the enigmatic landscape of TV management, its colorful characters and significance to the history of popular culture increasingly fascinated me.

How bizarre that that's the page I open it up and that's you and me in a nutshell, really. So let's talk about the book. I mean, it is incredible. I mean, it's... We've definitely put a lot of effort into that one for to make it look, you know, visually, like you say, it's quite big, it's quite heavy.

It's beautiful. We, you know, managed to do some nice imagery in there. It's printed nicely. We go... I got to Louis Barth. Got to give a shout to Louis Barth because he managed to supply us with some of his own photographs from the BBC.

So a lot of stuff that you can't get anymore is in here. From the old TV centre. So it's really bizarre. So I've opened it twice, right? I've opened this book twice, random opening it up. The first one was how you and I feel about television.

The next one is Chris Evans and me and Terry Wogan and it's written in here with a quote from Emma Kennedy who was also on that show who's been on your podcast and he's a huge fan of yours and it's entirely based upon

utter misplaced optimism. This is just wonderful. Comedy is your other thing though, isn't it? You love comedy. We just say this. So I said there is

It is. There's a chapter in there on comedy. There's also a chapter in there about Television Centre. And it's a good time now just to make a confession on your podcast. Go on. The night... I don't know. I don't know if you remember,

the night that it closed, they did like a three-hour extravaganza on... Across all channels. So I think it finished on BBC 4 or something, didn't it? Chris Evans was on that. Yeah. And I... Josh cried his eyes out.

Pretty much that way, for you. Do you know what? Can I tell you it was my favourite building when I was a little girl because I knew I wanted to work at Television Centre and I've told you this. But I used to drive past it where I used to get my dad to drive past it

and then I loved it. And then when it closed, I cried too. Absolutely. I totally get it. It looks lovely now. And it's a TV studio. They've still got TV studios and they've done it actually very beautifully.

But TV, you love TV. I think if we went on a sort of head-to-head of who loves TV more, and I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I think you love it even more than me. And I'm the person who loves it the most. So for you, this book, where do you see this?

So what do you want to come from this book? I mean, everybody to buy it, obviously, and to read it. And they can get it, they can buy it. Beyondthecartle.com.com. It's got all of Joshy's books on there, including that one. Lovely. And we'll put that on the Instagram post as well that we will collaborate on. So we'll put that how that's how they can get it.

But you want everybody to buy the books, to listen to the podcast. But I still, I know there is more coming from you. There's more. You're not going to just go, right. I've done my book. I'm doing the podcast. There's more. You never stop.

No. At the moment, we're really trying to focus on growing the podcast and getting to... You've had some fantastic. Yeah. Harriet, you've had Harriet Thorpe, who's always reposting your stuff,

which is lovely. So many people. But the people... So if you look back over the guests, who's the guest that you just... I mean, I'm looking at some of the photos in here. Go on. Show on.

Show off a couple of the people that you've had on. We did the last ever recorded interview with Timbrook Taylor, which Josh was very proud of. Wow. Wow, that's really quite something. Josh, you know, and I know I say every time I see you, but it's always a joy to see you. Thank you for spreading the joy.

Thank you for being such a lover of television. and everyone keeps saying that the golden age of television is over. I don't agree. I think every age of television is a golden age. It just changes. And change is okay. Change is a good thing. It really is.

And radio. I mean, you know, it's all about entertainment. You and I love entertainment. Josh and James, the double act that is Josh and James, thank you very much indeed. Thank you for being on the podcast. Thank you. Real pleasure.

Thank you.