That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Miranda Hart

Episode Date: December 20, 2021

In this Christmas special Gaby chats with comedian, writer and actressMiranda Hart. They of course talk about her hugely successful TV show 'Miranda' and talks openly about feeling anxious as the show's popularity grew. She talks about her idols Dawn French and Jennifer Saunders, how Sally Phillips was so supportive of her from the beginning and shares the story of how she got the part of Chummy in BBC One’s 'Call The Midwife'. She beams over working with Alison Janney in the movie 'Spy' and you'll also hear about the 'The Miranda Shop' which sells her own unique merchandise and supports charities who help people living with chronic illness. You can find it online at themirandashop.com. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello and welcome to that Gabby Rosin podcast, part of the A-Cast Creator Network. This week it's our Christmas special and my guest is Miranda Hart. In my eyes, one of the funniest women on our TVs. She was so generous with her time and was an absolute delight to chat to. We of course talk about a hugely successful TV show, Miranda, and how she whispers about something that she may be considering. She shares the story of how she got the part of Chummy, in BBC once

Call the Midwife. She discusses feeling anxious and how at moments during the heady days of Miranda she sometimes felt like a rabbit caught in the headlights. She talks about how she idolised French and Saunders

and how Sally Phillips was so supportive of her. She also tells me about how in awe she was of Alison Janie when she worked with her on the movie Spy, which tennis player she'd invite on a plane trip with her

and of course she tells me what makes her properly barely laugh. I also ask her about her fabulous Miranda shop, which sells her own unique and fun merchandise and supports charities who help people living with chronic illness. You can find it online at the Mirandashop.com. I love Miranda. It's as simple as that, and I do hope you enjoy this episode. Please can I ask you a favour? Would you mind following and subscribing, please, by clicking the follow or subscribe button. This is completely and utterly free, by the way. And you can also rate and review on Apple Podcasts, which is the purple app on your

iPhone or iPad. Simply scroll down to the bottom of all of the episodes. I know there have been quite a few now. And you'll see the stars where you can tap and rate and also please write a review. Thank you so much. Miranda, I've just seen a picture of you and you've put on makeup. Do you know, I thought I'm going to see if putting on makeup actually does have an effect because I don't normally wear it. And has it? And do you know, I do feel a little bit energized, yes. In makeup's sort of weird, isn't it?

Because you think, well, should I walk around permanently with looking in a mirror and going, look how fabulous I look today. But it's just my, I feel quite smooth and silky, Gabby. Do you know what? I am a complete slaphead. I have worn, and I mean slap head, not as in got no hair, but I have worn makeup from the age of 13 and I used to sneakily take it to school and put eyeliner on and then rub it off before my mum picked me up. That's how much I've always loved makeup.

And do you wear it every day? I do. And even in lockdown, just to make me feel that I was getting up, if you ever mean. Interesting. Yeah, now I started, I think it started reminding me of work. so then I took it off to feel like I was more relaxed. Yes. Do you know what? Because I take it off, when I have it off, then I'm not in. When you have it off, Gabby.

And we started. And we're off with the euphemisms. I love a euphemism. And do you know what my, so my daughters, I have told this to your face before when we were in the basement in the dressing room together. But we, as a family, we. properly love you. You know how much I love you as a person, but I really do. I think you're

phenomenal in every single way. But we, as a family, we just, we know every one of your shows off by heart. The kids absolutely do you. They think that you're a member of the family because you've always been there. But they were very upset that we were recording on a Wednesday. So we couldn't see Tuesday. Oh, Tuesday. Oh, that's so lovely to hear. Perhaps, shall I come for And then I can be really part of the family. No, don't. I can't say that to them because they would properly think. Yes, you're welcome here every day, quite frankly.

You and your mum, and your mum, because I've been watching you and your mum gardening. Oh, it's my mum the best. I wanted her to be the merryberry of gardening. Well, why hasn't that happened? Well, quite. Let's get, you know, heads will roll. Let's get on it. Yeah, but it would make sense because they've had other people and their dads.

I think we should have you and your mum. And I love that idea. Miranda, what is so amazing about you? There are lots of things. That sounds like a question. No, no. Here it goes. It's a statement.

I've heard it's not a question for me to answer. No, no, no, it's a statement. What is amazing about you is that you are alongside Madonna, you're alongside Kylie. You just need, it's just the one word, one name, and people instantly. know who you're talking about and everybody instantly has this deep love for you. Do you feel that?

Well, sort of yes and no. I think it's sort of, it's strange because people are still watching the show and sort of young kids. So people who were fans of it in the beginning I've maybe had children now and their children are sort of 9, 10 and they can start

watching it. So it's still being watched. So I get this sense of kind of now I can reflect back and be a bit further away from it, of realizing the effect it's had. And that there was just such a love for that character. And it's very moving. But I think at the time, no, I was a sort of rabbit in headlights and didn't understand what was going on. And when sort of teenagers started screaming at me in the park,

I would always look behind me and think, what's happening? What's going on? And didn't really understand. But I think, yeah, I think now in hindsight I can get a sense of the love for the show, which is just so moving every time I think about it. Isn't that funny that when you're in that moment, it's very hard to accept it. It's very hard to accept that adulation. It's very hard to accept that people are calling out your name in the park,

especially if you're, you and I have talked about the fact that we're both very shy people underneath it all, that it's sort of, oh, me, why me? Even though you know you've got that, that wit, that natural, you've got funny bones and all of that and that lovable thing, it is still the, oh, me, why me? Yeah, I think for me it was a surprise at that character, because I feel confident in my comedy. I know that some people were like, you know,

I'd done enough live shows at the Edinburgh Festival for years and years and enough gigging to know that I did get laughs and that I had, you know, some natural gifting comedy. I also knew that as many people liked me would hate me because that was a subjective nature of comedy. But I was very surprised that that character at that time was so, I just didn't think the show would be a hit at that time. There was a lot of sort of satirical comedy going on, quite dark, edgy, sort of real stuff.

and suddenly this sort of middle-aged, well, she wasn't middle-aged at that time, but galloping stupid woman comes onto the screen. And I think that for me was the biggest shock, was the success of it, that it was the sort of time for it and that people wanted it. And I don't really think it is adulation for me ever. I think it is adulation for that character. And I'm very proud that I wrote it and I wrote those characters and that on-screen family.

But I very much can divorce myself. from her, if you sort of mean. Yeah, no, absolutely. Yeah. Which is hard when people then expect you to be, to be Miranda. Galloping. Yeah, exactly. And I am naturally, I'd say not shy, but introverted, you know, I like a quiet, simple life.

So to have to kind of put on the high and let's go galloping and such fun is quite, you know, is a bit of an effort. I think because obviously it's your name and it's you front of. it and you're writing it. The people do expect the gallop... Sorry, I just go straight to the galloping. I'd go to the falling over. Well, I have to say, the galloping, I do do. Are you galloping now? I'm not galloping now in this

I'm in a sedentary position. And that would be potentially taking it too far. Although I am on an office chair, so I could very much start maneuvering about the room in a sedentary gallop on wheels. Oh, it's sedentary gallop. But I have, I think, in the

the last few years getting older started going, let's take heed my own advice, does galloping work. And boy, it does, it's very funny. It just instantly brings joy. So there are aspects of her, the army, that I sort of brought in recently, if that makes sense. Are you able to switch off then from that Miranda when you're out and about? The Miranda character as opposed to you, Miranda, heart?

Yeah, I think it took me a bit of time to understand the effect. effects of of fame and being known as a specific persona that people assume are you. So I think it took me a bit of time to adjust because I think I did become that persona for so long when I was working really hard. And then, of course, when you do chat shows and things like that, they sort of want that energy. And then taking a bit of time out and thinking, oh, actually, hang on, I've lost a bit of who I am. And now I've got, I think, a really nice balance back where I feel like I know who I am on stage and I know who I am in real life and often there's often it mixes you know that kind of character that you write that you end up calling your own name

is of course going to very much come from your soul so there are aspects and now I feel like there's a really nice mix but I did a cameo the other day and somebody replied to me and said we're really worried about you look so sad are you okay and I'm I was like, yeah, that's just the normal me, just chatting. So that's quite weird when people say, are you all right? You look just awful and so low, are you depressed? I'm like, no, I'm just chilling out and being myself. So that's kind of odd.

Yeah, it is. And actually, everybody always has an opinion anyway, don't they? Always. Yeah. And people, you know, people who don't know you say, people who don't know you say, you don't seem quite yourself. It's that, well, you don't know who I am. I am being quite, I literally being quite to myself right now. So it's an odd thing, but now I feel like it was with a bit of time away from it.

Yeah, I've got a really nice. I've got a bit of myself back after that whole kind of rabbit and headlights of fame thing. It happens so suddenly when you get a hit show like that. It's really weird. Miranda, I just have to ask you, do you have very posh air conditioning or are you in a private jet? Because I can hear something. Can you hear some what I call whirring? Yes, I can.

You can hear work. I tell you what's happening is that it seems like my laptop is about to take off in front of me. I wish I was on a private jet to spite the carbon footprint issue. That would be very nice. Who would be on it with you? Private. Oh, I love those sort of questions. Definitely a tennis player because I'm an avid tennis fan. We'd probably be going to some sort of tennis tournament. So maybe Andy Murray. Can I be on it too? I'll interview you after this and see whether you fit the bill.

I've got a few questions for you, Gabby, just to check whether you're allowed on my private jet. So I think we'll have a tennis player, we'll have a singer, can we have people who are dead? Can we have Eric Morecam? Oh, yes, yes. Yeah. So we'll have music, we'll have entertainment, we'll have tennis.

Let's have Cher. Share, share. Because she's just perfect for a private jet, isn't she? With the blonde wig that she wore. Yes. Okay, we've got Cher and Eric Morecam and your tennis player. If I'm allowed on it, can we also have Bradley Cooper for no other reason than I just like Bradley Cooper? Sure, and I'll definitely put some makeup on for that.

Okay, you're on. I'm on board with you. And maybe a bit of George Clooney, because I think. He's the sort of modern day Carrie Grant. He's just lovely. Can we just so we can just look at them both? Yeah. You see, I've gone to sports entertainment music. You went straight for the I can do.

This is why I need to leave for you and check whether you're suitable. You'll let me down. You'll embarrass me on this jet. I promise. What I'll do is, when you gallop, I do lots of jumping. I think jumping is the same as the galloping. So I will just jump in the air. Okay.

Okay. So I'll jump. You've obviously got a better pelvic floor than I have for jumping. Just don't make me. go on a trampoline. Oh no. No one over 40 should do that. Not that I'm saying, I mean, you may not be over 40. Actually, I'll tell everyone I'm 33 and I'm, I've stuck with 33 ever since I was 33 now, just sticking with that. It's, yeah, the easiest thing to do. But I was just going to say about you, so you went to Alra, the Academy of Live and Recorded Arts, and then

from there, so you started doing all the live shows and you went to Edinburgh. And it is, I mean, you said it all happened so fast for you with Miranda, but you've done it. You did loads of things building up to it. Yeah, the instant, inverted common success of the Miranda show, it was quick that how after putting six episodes out, suddenly it was being talked about.

That happened suddenly, but it was a good 15, 16 years before that for me, drudging away. So, yeah, there was no overnight success in terms of, that yeah so I I first went to the Edinburgh Festival in 1994 and it wasn't until 2009 that Miranda was on on the screen so it was a long apprenticeship and I sort of there were many times I thought oh you know is this going to happen shall I give up do I keep going but I just got enough sort of affirmation each year that that you know another job or I got an advert or an agent was interested or enough to keep going

But now I look back and I think I'm really grateful for that, that it took that long because it meant that in sort of pubs playing to 10 people in Edinburgh or whatever it was or in London, I could really hone not only my skill, but I began to hone the Miranda character. I began to develop that kind of persona. So there were oftentimes, I was like, oh my gosh, it's taking so long and I've got to go to Edinburgh again and raise them. money to do that. But it does come to good, I think. You do, you do learn a lot. And yeah, as I say, that character ended up being developed on the stand-up circuit, really. So, but was it, so was it, I might, I might have got this completely wrong, but Jennifer Saunders saw it and it was that group of people who saw you in Edinburgh and just went, ah, and head of comedy at the BBC. Is that right? I did 10 Edinburgh's. And then, after,

the 10th year I did a show at the Soho Theatre in London and that's when a television producer came to see it and she asked me to develop a show for the BBC. It wasn't, I hadn't come up with the idea of Miranda then. So she, but she had cast me before in French and Saunders and Ab-Fab. So she knew me from having seen me at the Edinburgh Festival. But the Jennifer thing was when eventually it took me about 18 months to develop the idea of Miranda and the producer had seen me and was encouraging me said you're mad to do a sitcom where you look to camera that's just not going to get commissioned

it's not what's going on and I said well I've got to do what I long to do I've got to do my sort of vision and so eventually developed that and then did a read-through in a BBC meeting room where you do you get actors and you read the script through in this sort of very bland municipal environment and it's terrifying in front of all these BBC suits and luckily Jennifer was at the BBC that day

and the producer said Joe Sardin who's the one who's been encouraging me and said to Jennifer why don't you come along because I think you'll find it funny and sit in the front row and give the room a little bit of energy and Jennifer really kindly did that and luckily did find it funny and laughed a lot

and I could see the sort of head of comedy and the commissioners all looking down the line at Jen. And so I think that really helped. I mean, I don't feel like I owe everything to Jennifer. You know, it's very much about me, Gabby. No, but I was so grateful that she did that because it was so kind of it. And obviously she'd been an absolute inspiration. She was my comedy hero.

But I love that. And it should always be about, well, we always talk about women supporting women. and I love that, that there was a woman saying, you know what, you can do this, that you had, as you said, Joe who's worked at the BBC, you had Jennifer there just going, right, I'm going to sit here at the front. And that's so important.

Do you feel that throughout you've had support? Because I know you have from the audience, we spoke to Tom Ellis recently, and the reaction after we spoke was, oh, forget Lucifer, it was all about Miranda. And it was all about wanting a Christmas, another Miranda, another Christmas special. But it was extraordinary on Twitter and on Instagram and the feedback.

Everybody, there was a proper love for the show. And so you've got the support from the audience and having the support from inside the BBC suddenly must have been, right, okay, let's do it. Yeah, and that's so lovely to hear and thank you for telling me because as you know we, as you know, we don't often hear those sort of compliments and the things that go on behind the scenes. It's really, really lovely to know that. But yeah, it has been extraordinary. And the other thing of women who support women, the other little story behind it was that Sally Phillips randomly in 1999 had an hour to spare at the Edinburgh Festival and saw, didn't know me, but saw.

my double act poster and thought, I'll just pop in there and support some women and really liked me and mentioned me to a producer who did Smack the Pony and I got to do a couple of sketches of Smack the Pony. And then, of course, I asked Sally whether she'd consider being Tilly and I'm so grateful that she was. So I have always felt really supported

and I think women in comedy have just been my peers certainly have been extraordinarily like that because we did need each other because there were so few of us. So yeah, so that encouragement all kind of developed and then yeah when it when it sort of it popped like a blusher we were talking about

makeup when it saw in the first series sort of I was like oh and so you know Joe sent me the ratings and said it's just growing every week and people are talking about it I mean yeah I was total rabbit and headlights it really wasn't until three or four later three or four years later I realized

what happened they were on to second series right so that's got to be better. Okay. So I'm just in this bubble of how to how to write it and then and then suddenly it moves to BBC 1 and it gets even bigger and the pressure gets out. So you're just in this sort of whirlwind of extremely hard work. But I am now, I just, every day I'm really grateful for the legacy of Miranda truly. I'm just, we'll never take it front of it. That's so wonderful. And I know that I can hear that that comes from the heart. You're speaking from the heart. Is Miranda now quietly just put to bed, do you think? Is it time to just say, right, I've done that?

Do you know, I do think about, I think when you create characters like that that you've lived with for a long time, they do become part of you. And they are like your friends, you know, they're your creative babies. And I do think of them from time to time, a bit like you were you would a friend you haven't seen for a while. And I think, oh, what would they be up to? And So I've definitely had some thoughts of where they might be at and what would happen with them all. And that's really fun. The circumstances just haven't quite aligned yet in terms of actually considering, let alone doing a special. But it is something that I would say that I'm now not ruling out.

Whereas a couple of years after it had finished, I would have said, no, no, I've completely ended it and that was that. But I think as the love for them is still there, the audience has continued to. grow because young audiences can watch it. And I just love sitcom. I love audience sitcom. I sort of believe in the importance of laughter even more than when I started out in my comedy career. So it's almost become more important to me.

So I'm definitely, yeah, definitely think about it. So hopefully the circumstances will align one day. Do you know what's so interesting you're saying about how laughter is important? And I talk about this all the time on everything I do. I just think that Lafair is the best medicine. And I don't think there's personally, I don't think there's enough of it on television anymore. I think the wonderful, the glorious sitcom is just,

I mean, I can't even think of any now at the moment that happen that are on. Yeah, it's weird. I mean, Ted Lassow kind of did that thing. Oh, love that. It was on Apple rather than on trust. So I don't know how many people had access to it, but that kind of blew up, I think, because it had that warmth and that positivity that the audience, studio audience, filmed in front of a live audience shows do have to have naturally because you have to write to get a laugh because you've got 300, 500 people in the room. So I think that genre of sitcom, which is lacking at the moment. There was a bit of an explosion. of it up with Mrs. Brown's voice came off to Miranda. But the thing about it is that it's really, really hard to do.

So I think people often say, it's such a shame about more kind of laugh out loud comedies or studio audience comedies. And the reason is, is because it's blooming difficult, which I find for me is a real incentive to think about maybe creating another one or do another special because, that the payoff to it, the satisfaction of it is even greater.

But that's one of the reasons, I think. It's very hard to find characters to write characters that get proper laughs. And what I find interesting is the lack of warmth generally in TV. Like there's just a lot of crime and thrillers, which are amazing and gripping. But that's why I think Ted Lasser did so well because it was so. warm and gentle and kind and good. And ultimately I think that's what's lacking. And it's odd because the people in the industry are, you know, we know people in the industry and there are some lovely good, kind, warm people. But it seems like that doesn't necessarily isn't translating into

comedy narrative at the moment. I think that it's about what they think that their boss wants, not necessarily what the audience wants. And I think the audience are crying out. Well, don't get me started on that. Or me. We could keep having a long conversation about that one. I mean, that's what I did. I said, I sort of persuaded the BBC. I mean, the head of comedy at the time, John Plamer,

was just so great to me because I said, Andrew, you know, they were both saying, a sitcom where you talk to camera in front of, are you, an audience, are you mad? What is this? 1967. And I said, well, that's the point. You know, those are my comedy heroes. And so, and if the BBC had tried to guess to create a show that young people and teenagers have watched, there is no way they would consider my script as being, you know, as a 35, 40-year-old woman.

And what I was offering them comedy-wise, they would just think, no, that's not going to appeal to that generation. And it did. So you have to write what, you have to write your vision. Don't think about the audience initially. Think about what you love. Because what you're loving and what's on your heart and what your vision is, if it's meant, it's what the world needs.

You know, there's that saying, you know, oh, I'm paraphrasing terribly, but your heart's designed, your unique purpose is what the world needs. And when those two things meet, then you've got your vocation, you've got your... But if you start writing thinking, I'm going to write this to really make people laugh and to be warm

and you're instantly just sort of taking the joy and putting too much pressure on. You just got to write you. Of course then, if it does become successful like Miranda, with the second and third series, I did start thinking, oh, I've got too much information now of what the audience is like. And I did get a bit lost with thinking, what are they going to like here and what shall I write for them? And I actually went, no, I'm not going to think about that.

I'm just going to keep with the truth of what I'm saying. No, I really agree with you. And I think what I mean about the audience is that I think that there is, there's certain things lacking in television these days. And it's as if the people who commission things forget about the fact that the audience are going to want something that's been from the heart, that is kind, that is funny, that is slightly anarchic, whatever it is. If it's somebody thought, listen, I love people falling over. Full stop, that's it.

But all of those things are so important and yet they think that, well, we've got to get, we've, I've got to make my boss happy. So we've got to tick this famous person or we've got to put this thing in here or because everybody's doing this. We've got to do that. And I think that's the wrong way of thinking of it. They should be thinking they're in that position to say, okay, here is Miranda. Oh, well, let's call it somebody completely different. Here is Joe, and Joe is saying, this is something I feel passionate about, this is something I love, I know that people are going to feel as passionate and love this as much, give this a chance. And that's who they should be listening to.

Yeah, or let's take a risk. Yes. Let's take a risk because this person has a real vision and is unique in that vision. So we might as well try it. We might as well at least do a pilot. But yeah, it's that thing of, oh, people are loving the line of duty. which is an extraordinary and brilliant show. So therefore, let's just make constant lines of duty.

It's like, well, yeah, yeah. Let's make lines and lines of duties. And it's like, well, actually, as much as I like to be completely on the edge of my seat and kind of excited by entertainment, I also want to sit back and laugh. And I also want to have a weep, put a documentary. And you've got to have everything. Yeah, completely agree with you. So to, yeah, so I agree.

the thing that I sat down with thinking of an audience was, I just want to make people laugh. That's it. There's a wonderful, there's a quote on the Miranda shop because I love your merch. Honestly, it's just joyful. But you say that you're there to jolly up your life. It's there to jolly up your life.

And that's how, and that's what I think a lot of people need. I really do. And I don't just mean because of COVID. And yes, you know, the past 18 months, two years have been extraordinary and extreme and all of that. My goodness me. Yes, we, like we said, we like the edge of your seats, thrillers, but I just want some jolly. I really do. I know. I know. And it really, I mean, you know, the phrase laughter is the best medicine sounds so trite. But it's true. It came from, it came from real

wisdom. And it, you know, it's been through since the beginning of time. It is at, it's not a hallmark cart. It's absolutely true. And, you know, I've suffered from anxiety in the past. And, I remember at school saying to people, you need to make me laugh because that will be the one thing that will get me out of this. And so we'd do something silly or we'd kind of break that pattern. I'd be instantly fine. And that's why I wrote a little book called My Miranda's Daily Dose of Such Fun, which is 365 ideas to do something silly each day, to do something jolly. Because it breaks the pattern of any negativity or stress that you're in. And your brain goes, oh, oh, we're okay, we're safe.

So it's actually really important for your... Generally, neuroscience now tells us that laughter works. It's funny because I've always... I wanted to be a comedian since the age of seven. I'm turning 50 next year. I can join the dots and see, oh, I understand why now. As an anxious child, I needed comedy and wanted to do it. It's really fun to look back like that.

It is. And even though I'm 33, I know I had the same thing growing older is that from the age of three, I wanted to be a TV presenter, and my whole thing was, I want to make people happy. And it was... Did you, that early on for you as well?

Yeah, it was about making people happy. I didn't know what fame, none of that. Because I was incredibly shy, and I knew that if you could make somebody laugh, then they'd feel better. And because it made me feel better. I loved laughing. It just cured everything for me.

You are such a ball of light and joy. You really are. Well, I feel the same. about you. Honestly, I really do. I really do. So some of the shows that you were in, actually, you know, so many of the shows you were in are changed the way that people saw television. So, you know, Vicaradhibli, I know you were in that and not going out and French and Saunders and 90 Night and Ab-Fab and all of those things. Isn't it amazing that you had a part in those? And the minute you say them, people go, oh, oh, I love that one. Oh, I love that one.

Oh, I love that one. That's a list, isn't it? That's just such a list. I know. I remember when I was first working with Dawn and Jennifer, I literally was like what, it was genuinely one of those total out-of-body experiences. I just didn't know what was happening

because I'd grown up on French and Saunders and, you know, they showed me, oh, my dream is possible. There's two women being ridiculous on television. Great, it can happen. And there I was suddenly in a room with them. And being part of, and then, you know, being part of Richard Curtis's sort of family, as it were, of work invocatively was just extraordinary. So, yeah, I was so lucky to have done the shows.

And Julia Davis, which is, who wrote 909, is of course a very different kind of humor. But people who loved that show really loved that show. It was, I mean, talk about a unique vision. These really powerful, wonderful women. I love it. Then, of course, there was Call the Midwife and your character, chummy. Just a glorious character again. And then, but that surprised people, which she shouldn't have.

It's so funny that people, so we have mutual friends and one in particular who always says, why do people say, oh, what a surprise? She can really act because she's known for comedy and she's known for singing and things. And then you said, well, actually, what do you think they've been doing all the time? And so it was like, gosh, Miranda's such a wonderful actress. Well, yes, she's an actress. You know, there's that side as well. People just sort of, it was wonderful surprise for people.

And they meant to, I think they all meant it in a very warm, loving way. But it's a joyful show. Again, call the midwife. I just love, it was lovely bubble bath telly. Oh, that was such an amazing experience to get to play that character. And of course they were, you know, after the first three series, she'd run out of the true story books. But that, it was a true story.

Chummy was a real person. And I read her entrance into Nanata's house and into midwifery in the book, in the memoir. And I was like, no one else gets to play this woman. She's, you know, yeah. It's a lovely story actually. Jennifer Worth, who wrote called The Midwife, who's writing memoirs of her experience as a midwife, sent me the book about six weeks, I think, before she died.

It might have been a bit longer, and said, this might be made into television. If it does, I'd love you to play Chummy because you remind me if I should see me on not going out. And it was quite late one night, and it was filming the next morning, and I thought, I shouldn't, I just need to switch the light off and go to sleep,

but I just need to look at where Chummy comes in. She said, I've put down the page where Chummy comes in. And it was, you know, there was this tall, ungainly woman from this upper class, extremely upper class background who's a fish out of water, who bravely followed her desires to be a midwife against all her family's wishes and plunked herself in the east end of London. And clumsily sort of found her way. I thought, this is so beautiful. This is like a sort of dramatic version of Miranda in a way. And yes, I get to do the acting that people don't think comedy is. a joy and Charmy was a joyful character. I love that story. That's so warm. You made me go

all, made all the hairs stand up. But you then do movies. And was that, was that another pinch me? Like the working with Dawn and Jennifer sort of doing films was that, that moment you go, oh my goodness me, look at me. I'm in a movie. I have to say, no offense to Dawn and Jennifer, who obviously comedy heroes, but the most out-of-body experience where I completely literally was unable to speak during a take was when I was standing opposite one of my favourite actresses of all time in Alice and Janney and for those of you who don't know Alison Janney

she was C.J. Craig in the West Wing and you just need to look up her IMD page and look at her CV and watch every movie she's in because each one is just fabulous and she's just extraordinary. But I used to watch West Wing not only because to me it's one of the best television shows ever made. But in about 1998, 1998 and 99 early 2000s, when I was thinking, is this going to happen for me?

And I'd look at Alison Janney, and there was another six-foot woman who was not inverted commas in those days, traditionally beautiful, which you apparently had to be as a woman. You had to be, you know, five foot two. And the girlfriend and the little bit on the side, whatever. Thank God that's changed.

And there was Alison. And so she just, she was just my hope kind of thing. And I remember thinking, oh my gosh, if I could just sit in the background of the West Wing and just watch her and be an extra, I'd just be. So there I was standing, doing spy, doing a scene with her. She was quite a small part in the film. And I just found myself just looking at her. And I realised where I was.

And I was staring at the actress. And I started welling up and my mouth won't try and I couldn't speak. Oh. And I just forgot my lines and said, I'm sorry. I didn't tell anyone what was happening. I think I told her afterwards. But I could barely get through the scene. I couldn't just couldn't believe what was happening.

I felt about seven years old on set. I think that was one of the highlights of my life, actually. Oh, how amazing. There are those moments. There are those moments and you will never, you'll never forget that feeling. I can sort of hear in the way you're talking about it that you go straight back there.

It's like, Oh yeah, it's amazing. And she became a friend. We got on really well and that's really nice. And that was a nice kind of a few. You can meet your heroes sometimes. And Ronnie Corbett as well I met. I still can't believe that.

My parents, I'm at my parents' house at the moment and they've got a little picture of me and Ronnie Corbett on the mantelpiece. And I walked past it and think, what? What happened there? No way. I love that they've got a picture of you and Ronnie Corbett on the mantelpiece. Well, they can't believe it either

because they remember me age, sort of, you know, five or six or whatever, watching the two Ronnie's, and all of us laughing as a family. And then there's me and Ronnie Corbett. So, yeah. We had the conversation last night about the two Ronnie's. I was showing my youngest sketches from the two Ronnie's,

and she was properly laughing. And they've been brought up on my husband and I always, we fed them, Morkman Wise, and the two Ronnie's. And we were just going through some of the sketches. And she was properly laughing. and my husband and I just sat there looking and we both welled up a bit because it's how it used to be

that family at all ages were sitting around together and we're going back to the thing about everybody laughing but we loved the fact that she was laughing at something that we laughed at when we were five and six oh that's so great that they laughed

because there's always wonder whether those yeah that sort of still appeals oh it does so that's great that you're introducing them in fact I'm going to get my niece and nephew and see whether they'll learn The scene that she loved so much is when they use words and they turn them into people's names. Oh, yeah.

Oh, my God, I'm trying to think of it. I'm going to not do it any justice at all. I'm not going to give it to any justice, but go online and have a look at the names one because it is so funny. And she started doing it afterwards. Oh, brilliant. I haven't watched them for a while, actually. I must get back.

I do that thing a lot of when somebody goes, when someone forgets their work. So they go, I'm just going into the garden to, and lots of sketches where they'd, you know, those characters where they'd guess what they were going to say. Yes, yes. Mum, the other night, she said, I'm just going to make, and I went love. Exactly. I was like, I've still got it. Still got it.

Comedy gold. Just a joy. A joy. So back to your lovely, mum. Is she up for doing more, Telly then? I think, I think she, you know, it became, it wasn't. sort of with me I mean I was I popped in and out of that show and it's called people who want to find it I think it's still on all four it's called all gardens great and small if you're

a garden lover and um she you know it became her show really she's so brilliant on camera and she's an expert gardener and became and absolutely loved it but unfortunately when a new head of channel four um appeared just at the time it was being renewed and he decided not to renew it so she would have loved to do more. And we really enjoyed filming together, actually. It was just a really nice new thing to do for our relationship. So it's fine. I've filmed her doing the odd since staying here. I've filmed her doing the odd thing in the garden. So I might put that on Instagram because we always end up having a laugh together. Oh, please do. And she can come and do mine because your own garden looked like, I mean, I'm embarrassed. My mum died 25 years ago and she

loved gardening. Your mum reminds me so much of my mum, but my mum loved gardening. She loved dogs and gardening more than any. She didn't, she said I would prefer dogs to human beings and always said that. Correct. And if she was in the garden, that was her happy place. But if she saw my garden, I can just, I'm embarrassed because there's, I've got the same thing, the IV and everything just there. And I don't, I just, I won't you, actually, yes, I will share with you how I do my flower beds to get the weeds out. And we're, and we're only have very small garden. I don't know if I should, I, I use the lawn mower.

I use the lawn mower to get the weeds up. What do you mean? Can I go over the edges of the lawn just to get the horrible bits away? We're on the side. Yes. In the flower beds. I don't do it on the flowers. I just do it on the bits that.

Absolutely. I've got an image now of you with a fly moe from which I don't know still around. I haven't got a flyman. It's a 90s, 90s, Michigan. It's a very old one. Yes, yes. An old thing. And I've got you now just angrily sort of wielding it against your ivy and everywhere and just chopping.

But it's not angry. I sing. I sing. And I do it barefoot. Oh, barefoot. Gosh. It's now becoming a health and safety issue. I know.

I know. But I couldn't be happier with this. That's so good. But can you tell the difference between a weed and a flower? Because I struggle there. I've often pulled off a lovely flower thinking it's a weed. Well, I think some of the weeds, I see, here's a thing.

I think some of the weeds are very beautiful. I've got those weeds that your mum was talking to you about, the blue ones, the little tiny weeny blue flowers in the video I was watching. And she kept saying they're rampant in the garden. Well, mine are rampant, but I think they look quite a nice rampant. Well, this is the thing, because our green fingers are not very green, We need to understand that the rampant, I love that word. It's good word.

The rampant will take over from the good, you know, it ends up taking over and kind of being, I'm going to say being mean to the other plants. To the other plants. Yes, it is. Yes, but it doesn't matter because they're pretty rampant. Okay. Okay. It's rampant, but it's pretty.

We should do a gardening show together. It's quality. You get this classic information that'll go, you'll go out there and go, I know exactly what to do now. Do you know, I was on Chelsea Flower Show once. Oh, and they, honestly, they just said, no, but because you always take pictures of flowers on Instagram. I know because I like colour. And I like, I think everything's too, too dull. So everything should be colourful and flowers.

And that's flowers. They said, do you know what they are? No, but they're just flowers. And that's why I post pictures of weeds. And the people say, it's a weed. And I go, it doesn't matter. It's a pretty rampant one. There we go.

Yeah, it's a rampant weed and I'm all about that. Love it. So can we just talk about the Miranda shop? Because how did that all come about? How did that all start? Yeah, that's been another surprise. When I went on tour in 2014 now, blimey, you know, you often do merchandise as part of your tour,

you know, something for people to take away from it like a t-shirt or whatever. or a tote, you classic tea or tote, you know. Yeah. And then I said, why don't we just sort of keep going with this? And so we created a website and just generally built it up. And it's now, in the last couple of years, it started doing really well because it's, because we now donate to charities that support people with chronic illness. And I talked about that last year in the first lockdown because I suddenly realized that the people

with conditions like M.E. And of course, now, long COVID and fibromyalgia and all those kind of invisible illnesses that keep people housebound and bedband. Lockdown is completely their normal. And so my heart suddenly went out to these people where we were all complaining about lockdowns. And I was like, they're lockdown all the time

and not seen and heard and misunderstood. And that really, I think, sadly, it showed me how many people are chronically ill. And so that kind of got it going, really, the importance of products to help people feel cozy and jolly and raise money for those charities. So, yeah, it's really fun. So I now design little logos for T-shirts and, yeah, we've got some Christmas stuff coming out on Friday, I think. So it's really fun. Well, you see, that's, again, you're going back to fun.

So in this podcast, we always talk about what makes you belly laugh, what really makes you belly laugh. I'm laughing already because I'm hoping you're going to say the thing that makes me belly laugh, which is people falling over because I think it's just a joy, a joy. But what makes you properly, properly lose it and giggle and laugh? I do agree, people falling over it is funny as long as they're not harmed. I'm just going to say that. Of course. You sound like you don't care what happens to them.

I have to always say that at the end. I think what makes me laugh is, I can't even think of anything specific, but it's, the, I think that's why people falling over is funny, because it's the in the moment, spontaneous, unexpected things that really make me laugh. So it's not, so there's nothing forced about it. It's just, it's so joyful because you just didn't expect it. So, so you know, that's why children make us laugh because they'll suddenly go, look at me and then fart. And you just, it's just, Like just those everyday surprising moments. And I love that those simple things, and they really are,

and it's that wonderful childlike humour, that still makes us as, I'm not going to, never going to be an adult, but us as adults makes us laugh. Isn't that that's what we should all be embracing? Definitely. I'm not very good at jokes. You know, I don't find sort of one-liners particularly funny. I like it to be the reality of life.

I like it to be part of the celebration of life. So yeah, someone actually did see somebody walking. It's so not funny and I'm giggling, but someone walking into a lamp post the other day. And they were fine and it was just absolutely hilarious. And the recovery was so difficult, so funny, because they were on their own. It's the whole sort of looking around.

Did anyone see? How do I deal all that? Just the awkwardness of the moment was so beautiful. Miranda, you are a joy. I really truly absolutely adore you. When we were lucky enough to be doing a charity event together, and I remember sitting in the dressing room and coming home afterwards, and we have mutual friends.

And I remember texting a mutual friend of ours and saying, I am completely in love with Miranda. I think you are genuinely, you are beautifully funny, but you're also for real and you're a joy. And thank you so much for just bringing that joy into all of our lives. Oh, thanks, Gabby. Thank you so much for listening,

and I'd love to wish you all a very merry Christmas. Coming up in the new year, the first show of the New Year, the wonderful actress Saran Jones, of course, from Dr. Foster, Vigil, and Gentleman Jack. That Gabby Roslyn podcast

is proudly produced by Cameo Productions, music by Beth McCari. Could you please tap the follow or subscribe button, and thanks so much for your amazing reviews We honestly read every single one and they need the world to us. Thank you so much.