That Gaby Roslin Podcast: Reasons To Be Joyful - Sarah Parish and Jim Murray

Episode Date: May 6, 2024

Actors Sarah Parish and Jim Murray join Gaby for a chat about all things joy! They talk about their acting work, their marriage and what makes them happy. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sarah and Jim. James. Jim. Jim. Jim. Jim. Jim. Jim. You're Jim, Darling. Jim Darling. Yeah. Well, no, you can call me Jim, darling. I would like to call you Jim Darling. You can call me Jim. JD. So it's so lovely to have both of you on this podcast because both of you, in all the jobs that you've done and in real life, you are definitely joy spreaders. So it's a proper joy to have you both here. And I don't know where to begin because between the two of you, you have done. every single show every you've done films I mean every year at Christmas every year

and the holiday comes on and my kids go don't say it they know just before you go there I know her just before yeah it's a plethora of don't I have WhatsApp

of pictures of me smoking in the holiday going we're watching it again it's on a loop I think it's on a Christmas loop it isn't it but it is it actually is I think it is officially

law that you have to watch holiday in December. Yeah, absolutely. If somebody said to me, watch it any other time, but I couldn't do it. No, you've got to watch it at Christmas. It's so, it's that weird thing. Best 19 seconds of the beginning of any film, I think. Yeah, without a show of it. Such a good film.

Then do we go to the Crown? Do we go to W1A? Do we go to where you both met and a story that we haven't shared on air, but we will share about how you both first met and that moment that I interrupted. But I don't know where to begin. Shall we begin with... Okay, I'm just going to go random W1A. Oh, let's do W1A then.

Let's do that. So, Jim Darling, we're going to go to Sarah Darling. Yes, that's okay. That's okay. But you can interact. Feel free to see. Yes, thank you. Just, W1A.

Just joyful, wonderful, glorious, and it is exactly like that at the BBC. It is exactly like that at the BBC. In fact, we filmed, I mean, all of our interiors, filmed at the BBC. And I think most of the employers, the employees of the BBC, thought we were making a documentary. They didn't find it remotely funny because we were basically just living their everyday life. John Morton, the writer, is so brilliant and so fabulous at being able to pick out the subtleties of the horror of working in an institution that big. And he did it

brilliantly, I think, and it was a joyful thing to be in. Just, I remember the re-through, I remember turning up at the re-through going, I wonder what people are going to bring to the table. know, is it going to be any good? You just can't tell from the scripts. And as soon as the young boy who plays, oh God, God, you know, the young intern in it. Hugo. Yeah, is that his name? Hugo.

I can't remember what his name is in it now. His name is Hugh. Putting Ian Fletcher now into FIFA. Oh! For real? Yeah, well, as a new show. So it's being written, I think. I don't, I mean, maybe I'm talking out of turn.

I don't know. Love that you've said that. So Ian Fletcher will continue. And I thought, oh God, probably, Chivorn could probably go with him. Because wherever Ian goes, Chivorn goes as well. That's all his PR really badly. So I'm hoping that those two characters will have another rebirth into a new series. Because it would be great.

You can put them anywhere. You can put them anywhere, really. Oh, it's just brilliant. I love that. Yeah. Shane, you won't be in it. I won't be in it. Are you sure you won't be in it?

I can't imagine that Anna Rampter would want, no. She's gone off to America. She's working for Sky. Oh, is she? She's working for Murdoch? She's working. He doesn't own it anymore. No, he's not him anymore, no.

But so many of the characters that both of you have done, I want them to come back. I mean, I know I always ask you about cutting it. I think that ship's sail. Well, I can't come back because I died. You died in it. I got run over by a bus. If people haven't seen it, don't.

Oh, yes. It is a long time ago, though. Well, people still watch that show? Yes. Do you know what? It was on the other day on one of those return drama channels. and people, it got a lot of viewers, people really liked it. Did it?

Yeah. Will we get a repeat fee? No. So cutting it for both of you and also, was it, it was mistresses? Mistresses, we used to call it. Oh, that show, but everybody was obsessed with it. Everybody loved it. And now, do you know what, if there was a show that could come back,

I think mistresses could, because it's very, if you've got those characters now, we'd all be in our 50s, all menopausal, I think there's room in the TV world for menopausal women scampering around Bristol. Actually, I think it's a really good idea. It's a great idea. It's a great idea. Speak to them.

Well, we did. I think, yeah, maybe I will. Okay. That's it, sorted. We'll get that one back. New show. Jim, for you, obviously we have to talk about it. It's remiss if we don't because the crown.

Obviously, that has ended. And I have to say, I think they ended it so beautifully. Do you? I think the finale was incredible. It was very moving. With a melda walking. With a melda, yeah. Yes, that was beautiful, wasn't it?

It was a great honour to be in that show. But it's a massive, it's a mammoth of a show. Yeah. Mammoth is enormous. But also having to play a character like Prince Andrew. Everyone else said no. That is not the case. Laurie will do it.

Was that a tricky decision? No, not at all. I jumped on that. Because, well, A, if you take out all the allegations around Andrew, especially at that time, and you just are left with a character, a real character, which is always a challenger and an interesting one for any actor, and a character that seemingly didn't have an obvious role in the royal family compared to the others. So he was a sort of floater. Excuse the...

She's a unfortunate pun. Prince Andrew, Prince Andrew the floater. So, yeah, it was great. And Peter Morgan's words and that world, and just to see where he fitted in. And, of course, the time that we were focusing on in seasons five and six was the time that Andrew was embroiled in a divorce because of Toagate.

And so it's quite funny, looking back on it. And Peter wrote him quite comedically. Toys gate's brilliant. A bit of a sort of. sort of clown, for one of a better word. And I don't often get those roles or get offered those roles. So for that reason alone, I was, yeah, I jumped at it. I mean, you've both done such massive, I mean, you've done massive shows.

Obviously, Masters of the Air, which is on, still is on. And Ed, who has worked on this. Look, he's nodding away. He loves it. It feels like it's a male show. We didn't realize at the time. Hello, no, no. I've watched it.

Have you watched it? Have you watched it? I've watched some of it, haven't I? Some of it. I do like it. I mean, it's full of good-looking young men. It's not really. It's a war thing.

Yeah. Yeah, yes, it's a war thing. And I suppose that side of it, I wasn't that keen on. But I thought the action was, I mean, it just looks spectacular. It's beautiful. Did you say hello, Tom and Stephen? Are they now... Oh, sorry, Mr Spielberg and Mr. Hanks, you mean.

Oh, yeah. Are they not just Tom and Stephen to you now? No, they're not, sadly. They were around in the periphery, and occasionally you'd have glimpses of them and they all wore cowboy hats and we were filming this They all wore cowboy hats

What, sorry? Tom didn't but all the producers wore cowboy hats I think it's, yeah like Stetsons and it was during COVID that we shot that So everybody was wearing a mask And cowboy hats There was just a sea of Stetsons and masks You know mulling around the set

And you didn't know which one was who That's so weird Why are they wearing? I don't know Where did you film it? In Buckinghamshire Oh, well, there you go. That's why.

I don't know. That's very odd. Maybe it's a sort of thing that they do. Maybe it's a state of hat. Maybe it was like a gift. You know. Yeah, I don't know. These things are littered with gifts and, you know, gestures.

On that day, it was Stetson Day. Maybe it was, yeah, maybe it was Stetson Day. Of course, yes. But it was odd. Or maybe it was a ruse to disguise Mr. Spielberg. I don't know. Oh, so they were always in plain sight. because there are loads of stetsons and masks

on sort of men of a certain age, producer type age. They could all look like Spielberg. They could all... He's very small, isn't he? He's facial. Is he? Yes, he is quite sure.

He speaks very highly if you got it. Good job, we're not doing a podcast. But it's not, and he's surprisingly small because he's such a huge man. Yeah. Great man. And his son, Sawyer, was in this show too. He played one of the roles in the role.

He is a gorgeous, gorgeous man. Oh, how lovely. And we became friends. We did a boot camp. So we all bonded. You did boot camp? We did boot camp. So you did boot camp with your Stetsons?

No, they, we didn't. The cast weren't wearing Stetons. What sort of boots? Cowboy boots. No, no. Boat camp as in military, but you know. Yeah, yeah. I was just being facetious.

Yes, you were. So what were you doing in boot camp? We were learning how to be pilots, and we were learning how to march. Well, you can fly now. Well, no. Two weeks. We needed longer than two weeks. Okay.

But what we can do is we could probably parachute out of a B-17 bomber, if required. Have you done that? Well, I've jumped off some step ladders with a backpack on a crash mat. Oh, okay. Which is just as scary. That's what the soldiers, that's all the training they had. Sorry, just. Yes.

You had two weeks training to jump off a step ladder. Part of the training, gal. Okay. Part of the training. What else did you have to do? We were given a crash course in the history of that era, of course, because a lot of people aren't taught about the American side of things. We were taught how to march.

We were taught the hierarchy of military. I was playing at colonel, so I was taught how to bark at them and what my responsibilities were. Lots of physical sit-ups, press-ups, get down, give me 20, that kind of thing. That's what Sarah says to you all the time, doesn't. Get down and give me 20. I could have gone somewhere then. Honestly, what is life like?

In the Murray Parish Household? Yeah. How does it work? Because you're both hugely successful actors. And we'll talk about your charity work in a moment, your charity that you run. But seriously, all jokes aside, when you were both acting,

do you learn lines with each? I have this wonderful picture. You go, hello, darling, hello darling. Here are my lines for today. Here are mine. Sit down. Will you be a soldier? Will you be a member of the royal family for me?

Lots of dress up. Is it like that? No, not really. We don't really help each other with life. It's really, it's the antithesis almost. It's work is work. Yeah. And family is family.

But what we do do, which I guess is in a similar vein, is when we have a self-tape. Which I think they're silly. They are silly. But to have Sarah, you know, on hand to read in another character is absolutely, you know, gives me a huge head start. Do you do the same for it? Yeah, we do. Yeah, we do.

We do. And it is, it helps that we're both actors because you immediately, you just sort of know what the other person needs in that situation. Because doing self-tapes is horrendous. And now, since COVID especially, most of our auditions are self-tapes rather than actually going in the room. So you've got to kind of get quite good at them and sort of make peace with them and go, well, this is what we do. We bicker.

We bicker, yeah. Yeah, it's quite difficult if you go, I do have a little note. Yeah. Maybe some notes. Yeah. Well, I don't want to do it that way. Well, okay.

No, you do it the way you want. That's fine. That's fine. That's fine. What happens if you've both done a self-tape and one of you gets the job and the other one doesn't of a different show?

Have we ever done that? What do you mean? No, so you're both up for something. Yeah. Oh, right. Of the same gig. No, no, no, not the same gig. You're both up for something and you're waiting for the agent.

Oh, and one gets and one doesn't. That's never kind of... No, it's never happened to. We've always just got the jobs. We just never get them. No, but we leapfrog as well, because we were... The panic always is, two actors and if they have children, is what we're going to do. If we're both on a long-term job.

And whether you have the means to have a nanny or an opera or not, you don't want to be both away from your kid for a meaningful period of time. But we've been so lucky, haven't we? We have been lucky. One works, then the other works, then it's been that for 14, 15 years. It's worked out really well, hasn't it? Since we had Ella Jane. I don't think we've ever had to turn anything down, which is good.

Because sometimes you get to a point where you go, oh, actually, there was a point where you were in Vancouver and I nearly went to South Africa. Do you remember that? And I thought, actually, you were doing something in Vancouver. It was when Nell was tiny, and I got offered something in South Africa and I thought, I'm not going to do. It's just ridiculous. You know, that's ridiculous. Yeah. Yeah.

And I think that's the only time we've ever had to turn anything down, which is good. Yeah. For that reason. Yeah. But your daughter surely then is going to want to be in the industry. She's watched both of you doing so well. Well, she sort of does. She's very good, actually.

She's a good little actor. And she's playing it. I'm doing something at the moment called Curfew, a series of Paramount. And she... Are you both in Curfew? No. Just me. And she's got a part of playing my daughter in it.

Oh! I know. It's only a tiny part. It's just a two-seat. It's got one scene, really. It's an important scene. It's an important scene. And I said when I was in the read-through, I remember this part. I could see this part. It was a 14-year-old girl who needed to look like me. And I thought, well, Nell's 14. She looks like me. So I put her forward. And they were like, well, she'll have to put herself on tape, obviously.

So I put her on tape. And she did really well, didn't she? She did. She was good. She got the job. So she's coming to film on Friday. That will be her first proper filming job. Oh, my word. Yeah. But she's not. Just going back to your point, Gabby, yeah, you would think.

She's not enamored of it. Somebody said to her the other day, do you want to be an actor when you grow up? She gets that, asked that all the time because of us too. And she said, no. She said it very match for family and said, why not? She didn't realize I think I was in the other room, but I could hear the conversation.

And she said, well, because of mummy and daddy. And I thought, well, this is interesting. And the person went, what do you mean by that? And she went, well, they just moan all the time. I don't want that. So she hears all the negging. She just hears all the necking. It's like, oh, I didn't get that job.

Oh, they got that job. Oh, they got that. They're only paying me that. I've only got two weeks' rehearsal. She doesn't want that. I was very grateful for any acting job. So did you two meet then working together? Because you had worked together.

So was that how you met? We did meet. We had met before, hadn't we, at party. We didn't really take to each other. Didn't like each other, no. like each other, no. And I was trying to say, you're now wife up with your friend,

and I didn't know. Yes, that's right. Yeah, weren't you? Yeah. Who was that Johnny? Johnny, yes. So I, Sarah and I were out, and I suddenly spoke to her,

and I was in a show with Johnny, and I called her up. You've got to meet this guy. Actually, I texted her and said, so I've got the perfect guy for you. He's absolutely perfect. You two should be together. And then she didn't answer.

I was like, it's really weird. So then I sent her another message. So I phoned her. She said, oh my God, speak right now. Why? I'm with someone. I went, who was? I'm literally with some.

I mean, he's in the bedroom. He's in the bedroom. Who? I can't tell you now. I went, well, I've got somebody that I'd love you to me because I think you should date him. Men throwing them towels at her. Johnny, and he went, oh.

Okay, I'm with his friend. He's in the bedroom. His best friend. And there we go. A good friend of mine, Johnny. I didn't know that until many years later. It was so funny. I remember that.

Johnny always said I should never tell you. It's funny. I love that. Yes, Johnny and I would have been quite a good match. I think you would. I love Johnny. Johnny is adorable. You would have been a good match.

We would have been all right. It's not too late. So he's married. And you're married. Sorry, that's true. Yes. And you've got. Yeah.

So you met on the show. So we met properly on the show. We'd met about a month before a party. I think it was one of those. ITV parties, wasn't it? One of those. And we didn't really take to each other. I can't remember why.

And then the re-through of cutting it series four happened. They put us next to each other. And he walked in. I was like, oh, Christ, that guy. You said it was when I was playing pool. No, no, no, no, that's when I fell in love with you. That's when I fell in love with you. Paul, Gary.

Oh, okay, sorry. It's as a family show. You might not remind you. Oh, my word. Okay, you were playing pool in the class. That was when I first fancied you. No, when you walked into the reetter, I was like, oh, oh, Christ, it's him. And then we got on really well.

And then we were all used to live in Manchester for the entirety of each series. And we were always put in blocks of flats next to each other. And our flats were on the same floor, weren't they? And I remember you came and knocked on my door on day three at one o'clock in the morning and said, have you got any sugar? There's a line. You were somebody. But, and I said, well, that's very odd you should ask.

Because yes, we all got given a huge hamper, didn't we, three days ago? and in the hamper was a giant bag of sugar. So have you got through that whole bag? Yes, I had a friend staying with me who had six sugars in his tea. You were very sweet. You went, oh, no, I'm just bored. I just wanted to come in there. How many years ago then?

How long have you been doing? That was 20 years ago. 20 years ago. Oh, no, 20 years ago. 20 years in November. Gosh, that's a long time, isn't it? I didn't even realize it was 20 years. It was 20 years ago.

We looked great. We look great. You don't know any different. You absolutely don't make any different. Okay, so let's now talk about in real life. Then we're going to go back to the shows that you're currently both working on as well. We've talked about curfew. We're going to talk about piglet.

Piglets. Yeah, we're going to talk about your podcast. Yes, my podcast. Yes, we're going to talk about all of that. But let's talk about your charity work, the Murray Parish Trust. The work that you do is phenomenal and you've raised so much money. How's the charity going? Tell me all about the charity.

Go on. The reason why Sarah's looking at me, I think, is because like work, we sort of leap, leapfrog and we hand the reins back and forth depending on who's got the time. And because Sarah's filming at the moment, I don't start filming. I start a new job next week. So I'm currently in, not in charge. In charity mode. In charity mode, yeah, exactly. And we're doing, we're just about to scale up again.

Oh, my word. In as much as we're looking for more stuff. How many? Do you have many staff? Well, it sounds grand. many part-time staff, as these charities tend to do, so people that can give three days here or two days there. But we have two, one full-time staff member, Sam,

and the rest, you know, sort of piecemeal come and go. And they're great and they're fabulous. And it is because of them that we are where we are. I mean, honestly, they're brilliant. But what we're doing at the moment is we're scaling up. And we're going back to, we've just finished, or just about to finish another major campaign, which is to raise money for an I-MRI scanner,

which is an interactive MRI scanner and theater around it. So it means that children who have either head injuries or cancer can go into this scanner and then be operated on straight after. Because what happens traditionally is, say, a child has a brain trauma or a growth that needs operating on. They operate and then they put the skull back together, quite graphic, and then they have to wait a number of months, and quite often the brain moves.

So from the IM, basically what happens is a child will have an MRI scan at one end of the hospital. By the time they're taken to the theatre, the brains move slightly. So the surgeon, when they're operating, goes, oh, I don't know whether that's good tissue or bad tissue. So this I know, this IMR means that they're on the hospital bed and they can just put them in and out to the MRI scanner. So they can get a growth out in one go. At the moment, children are having like 12.

So if you think about the convalescing time from a major surgery like that is months. So they go, well, we've got a bit out, and then we're going to have to stitch them back up and wait three months and then go back in. And this process has a huge effect on the child. But they can do it all in a much more truncated period of time because of this incredible piece of kit. So we've just finished that.

just about to finish that and we're going, what should we do next? And I think next we're going back to, I know this is a very... Sorry, you've just finished that. Yeah, we're just about to finish. We've done that one. Raising money for that. That's phenomenal. Yeah, that's great.

Where is it going to be? Southampton University Hospital, which... And it will be on offer for children across the whole of the South of England. It'll be the only one in the south outside Grey Ormond Street. I think there's five in the country. Yeah. So... Do you not realise how immense this is what you've raised? raise money for. This is incredible.

Because you work with it every day. Me hearing that. I just want to... I actually... I feel emotional because I just... You're going to save so many lives. It will change a lot of lives. Yeah. Hopefully. Hopefully that's the plan. Well, it definitely will. I think the trauma that children go through, I think, who have brain tumor. It's just that constant

having to go back to get more out, to get more out, to get more out. And for the parents and the child, it's so traumatic. And to be able to do it all in one go. It also increases their chances of survival as well. Yeah. And it says the NHS so much money. But that's incredible. Congratulations for, there must have been a vast amount of money that you raised for that.

That was a couple of mill, I think, wasn't it? It was 2.5. Wow. Just the caveat, we do that in partnership sometimes with other charities. Who did we work with on that one? We worked directly with the NHS on this one. Yes, we do. That's incredible.

And you see you're on to the next thing as well. The next thing is it's quite a seismic shift for us. Instead of raising funds for vital pediatric facilities, which is our current strapline, we are raising funds for the mental health and well-being of sick children and their families. Because we found when our first daughter, Rela Jame, was poorly in hospital, they were great, and that's why we've started this charity in the first place. But there was nothing, and there still isn't, for the mental health and well-being, of kids, if they're old enough to understand what's going on,

or family and siblings. And you can imagine the trauma that you potentially carry from those horrible incidents that, you know, if you're unlucky enough to be hit with them, can have lifelong, life-changing effects on you, psychologically. Of course, of course. So we're raising funds.

It can be anything from, I don't know, in hospital therapies, drama therapy, art therapy, nature therapy, funding counsellors, psychotherapist, to building rooms within hospitals that where you can go and be told, good news, bad news, whatever it is, all these enhancements, so the NHS call them, which are integral to the future health and happiness of anyone who suffers any of these things that we did and, you know, terribly sick children or, God forbid, the passing of a child, they need mental support. So we're trying to plug that gap as much as we can. That is incredible. Yeah, I think so. And

Also, we're kind of reaching out a little bit further. In the past, we've predominantly worked with Southampton because that's where Ella Jane was, and we felt a real connection there. And we've been going for 10 years now. For 10 years, we've raised a lot of money for Southampton, and it feels the right time now to kind of go a little bit further out. We're going to national, aren't we? Yeah, going to go national.

We're going to go to Bristol. And we're going to help people, help smaller charities be able to... Well, we've grown up, and we feel like we can probably help as much with not just mentoring and advice, but also financially. So we can help charities that we used to be, small kitchen table charities

who go, we need four and a half grand for this or 40 grand for this, whatever it is, but we don't know where to begin. Come to us, we may help you raise it, depending on if it fits our remit,

and we'll certainly help you with advice and experience. And I think charities should do that a lot more than they do. It's not just about money. It's about experience. Working together. It's a tough.

It's a tough. And helping the smaller charities get on their beach, you know, and get going. Because some of those smaller charities are life-fitting. Well, that's where you were in the very beginning. The Charities Commission, you know, I don't want to get political, but they sometimes don't make it very easy to run a charity. And people have a lot of giving and a lot of love. And there's a lot of magnanimity still left in the world and positivity and joy.

And people want to be able to funnel that. You know, charitable endeavours are that. But to set it up and to navigate. the system isn't easy. They don't make it easy. So we can maybe help with that. If people want to find out more, where do they go? Just go to our website, mariparish trust.com.

Just incredible the work that you do is congratulations, both of you. But no, and I know it means everything to you. It really, really does. Back to the crazy world of... Show business. Yeah. Show business. What is piglets?

You came in and said, I'm doing piglets. Piglets. It's a brilliant name. In my head, I've got everything from Winnie to a farm show. The arts of farm show is Sarah Parrish breeding pigs. I'd love that. Oh, do it. Do you know what?

I would love that. Let's talk about that later. No, piglets is by the people who created Green Wing. Do you remember Green Wing? Yes, yes. So it's a kind of crazy off-the-wall, slightly absurd comedy about a police academy, hence piglets. Oh!

I'm there. already. It's very, very funny. It's myself and a great actor called Mark Heap. I love Mark. He's lovely. He's very, very funny. The Ed made a face again behind you. Yeah, he works on the show. Jess. Yeah, he's great.

And we run the Police Academy. I'm there. I'm there. It's brilliant. Eight very funny students. And it's, yeah, it's just really funny. I did that at the beginning of the year and I think that comes out, I'm hoping that comes out in July. Are you allowed to show Gabby, or is Gabby allowed to show

listeners, your character. Oh, my character. Do the look. I can't know. It's on my phone. Oh, it's on your phone. I can't be able to find it. I'll have to send it to you.

It's a look. It's a disguise. It's a strong disguise. So will we not know it's you? Do you know what? I have shown it to some people. As her husband, I hope not. It's not my, it's not a glamorous part.

Oh, Jim's face says it all. It's brilliant. It's great. I think it's going to be really funny. I hope it is. It's very off the wall. But the, kind of humour that we sort of need right now.

We need it. We need it. We need it. Scipism. And actually for both of you, you both, especially, you're great in comedy because you do it. I love the way you play comedy because there are some people who play comedy because they play it for the last. But you just do it. Straight, yeah.

Straight. And it's so funny. I love it. I love it. I love comedy. It's just such a joy to be in. And I think it's harder than drama in a way. It's harder to make people off

and it's harder to believe in what you're doing with comedy and you have to believe it to make it funny. You know, if you're just doing it for the laughs, it's never funny. You have to absolutely believe it. I mean, this one really is out there. It's sort of the polar opposite from WNA, really, which was very dry and discerbic.

And this is just really, really silly. Oh, I love silly. Oh, we need it so much. Every time we hear the news, we need silly. Yeah, exactly. So you've got curfews and piglets. So curfew, I've nearly finished, and that will probably come out at the end of the year.

Curfew and piglets. And piglets. Right, okay. And then both of us were in a fabulous new Netflix series called Geek Girl, which is based on a series of books, sort of teen books, aren't they? I never read them. Well, I did neither because we're not teens anymore.

They like to think we are. We're actors, we should research our material. But you're both in this, and you knew your characters very well. Yeah, very well. Very well. But this series of books was quite successful, I think. Very successful. And God optioned.

Ollie Small was the writer. Yeah, that's right. And we were both cast in it. But we didn't, we don't have any scenes together, unfortunately. Well, separately. Yeah, he's the headmaster of the school. So all his scenes were in the school. And I run the model agency, so all my scenes were in the model agency.

We were cast separately. People will probably think we'll come as a two-for-one offer. But that wasn't the case. Does it ever happen? It's a good idea. Did people ever book you as a two-for? A tufa. A tufa.

Is that what it is? No, but you know what? Bless my agent, actually. I remember when they offered me geek girl, she went, I'm not sure because I think it might, they might just be going for a bit of stunt casting. Oh, yes. I said, who cares?

Let's do it. So when does this, when does geek girl? That's coming out really soon. But I'm, listen, I'm the headmaster, but I'm, you know, he's like in a scene and up, you know. It doesn't matter. Julian. Julian.

Julian, yes. And I'm a creepy man. So it comes out at the end of me. May. Oh, very soon. Is that right? May or June or something? I think you said end of May, didn't you?

I know, but I might have been something. Did you make it up? No, I never make it up. I get confused sometimes. I'm now going to look up because I've got a list of the other things that you're doing. So we've got industries coming back. Yes, so this is the third series. And I think it might, I don't know whether it would be the last one, but I've got a feeling

that now Marissa. Arabella. Whatever. Yeah, her. Amy Winehouse. Amy Winehouse. She's just played Amy Winehouse. Harry Laughty is in the new Joker film.

Mahala, I can't say. They're all going to be huge stars. And I think they were optioned for three, but I'm not sure. So I've got a feeling it might be the last industry. And I don't know when it's coming out. It's coming out this year fairly shortly, I love it. You've been this busy?

It's filth, though. It's filth. You think it's, I mean, it is a bit rude. Have you seen it? I love it. I love it. It is so good. It's brilliantly written, I think. It's fabulous, yeah.

And those three actors, it was lovely to see them straight out of drama school and going into those parts. And over the course of five years it's been now since it started, they've just, they've gone stratosphere. They're good actors, they're great. They're insanely good, yeah. And they're still really close and really good mates. Yeah, it's lovely.

That is love. I know. But Jim, you're also going to be with, well, with Sarah's old. friend, Kate. Kate Winslet. Well, I'm filming, I forgot to mention this when I came in. I've just remembered it. That's how cloth-headed I am.

I'm about to do a thing. They're doing a massive sweeping drama about Gandhi. Oh, are you in that? I'm in that, yes. I've read about it. Yeah. I'm playing General Jan Smuts, who, for the story amongst us we'll know,

was a big looming figure in South Africa, about 100, just over 100 years ago, became Prime Minister, and during Gandhi's time, The early years of Gandhi, he was the sort of the antithesis of Gandhi's progressive movements. He was the one that was constantly blocking and putting him in prison and trying to make the Indians kick them out of South Africa. So playing him. And then, yes, another general, another general, oh, no, he's a colonel that one.

Having a slew of military roles, I don't know why this is. I'll take it, but I don't know why it is. So that's not the one with Kate, Winston. No, the one with Kate is a thing called Lee. It's a film called Lee. That's going to be great. Coming out in the autumn, I think. And that's about Lee Miller, who was a vogue fashion model in the 1930s at New Yorker.

And then she stepped over the Rubicon and became a photographer and became one of the most prolific war photographers in the Second World War. She was the one who famously took a photo of herself in Hitler's bath in his apartment in Berlin, just after the troops went in, the Allied troops went in. Oh, my word. And she took some of the first imagery in the concentration camps before they were all cleared out. And is Kate playing that part? Kate's playing her, yeah.

Oh, that's got Oscar written all over it. I think, well, it's a, yeah, she's great in it. Like, she isn't everything. And who are you in this one? I am, who am I in that one? Another. Oh, another. Oh, I see.

Oh. So I play a dastedly American colonel that tries to stop a getting to the front line. and fails, obviously. So that means you're going to be, you're going to be in Hollywood when the Oscar ceremony is happening, then you'll all be invited. Well, maybe, I don't know,

maybe it only goes so far down the call sheet. I don't know, we'll see. No, you'll be there. You've been there? No, I don't think Sarah would, yeah, yeah. You don't mind Gabby's just coming because she's getting. She said it on the podcast, so it's...

When I was little, I used to practice my Oscar speech. You must have. Did you? Well, it hasn't, didn't everybody? You did? Yes, I did. You must have. Exactly.

I don't think I have yet. Who would you like to thank? Yes, who would you thank? No, no, this is about you two. I'm just turning with the tables. But you've been to the Oscars. I've been to the Globes, Golden Globes. Because Blackpool, that thing I did.

Yes, a year ago. With David Tennant and David Morrissey. That was out for Gold. Well, you and David Tennant, are you sure you're not actually married to David Tennant? Five times I work with him. I know. It's ridiculous. But Jason Watkins, I'm.

I'm on number three now with him. Are you? Three times. I've worked with him, yeah. Can I just say? How much you love Jason? No, no. Just don't listen to this, Jim.

Okay. I love David Tennant. I love Jason and I love Jim. I know. You're very lucky. I'm a very lucky girl. Oh, they're three really decent good. Yeah, they are.

That you're not listening, are you? Not in that order. Good. I love Jim. I love David. I love just. There you go. Lovely, lovely people.

Yeah, I've worked and married some, well, only marry you, but yeah, I've worked with some lovely, lovely, lovely guys. David Morrissey was brilliant. They've all been brilliant. They've all been very lucky. Yes, David Morrissey's lovely as well. Brilliant man. Yeah, and great actor.

And they're all brilliant actors as well. Okay, so you've been to the Golden Globes. Have you done the Globes or the Oscars? I've done the, what have I done? Bafters. The Bafters, you both been. Oh, yeah, went to the Oscars. Yeah, you're both.

I don't think, I've certainly not been to the Oscars. You were invited to. I was invited. I was invited. The Emmys. The Emmys and the crown, you're always getting. If you're in the crown, you know, there's constantly invites come through the door. But some of the time they say, yes, come to the, come to the Sago, come to the Golden Globes.

Here's your ticket. We might stretch to a hotel, but you've got to get yourself to L.A. Oh, okay. And also, Andrew wasn't, you know, it wasn't a huge role. Can I just, I just, I just, you said invitation everywhere. Do the cast of, what happens if you get invited to Bucking in a palace now? No. Well, it's not.

Well, no, I don't think it will. Well, you're not going to get an invite to buggy to buggy. King Palace? Ever again? No, but I've never had one. Wow. What? Because he's played Prince Andrew, you know. I've wondered. Well, I spoke to Dominic about this and he

doesn't think that, you know, he thinks they're above it. He thinks that... What, they don't watch it? Well, they're not going to judge you. Do you think they do watch it? They do watch it. Oh, they do watch it?

Yeah. How do you know they watch it? Because I know somebody who... Who knows somebody. Who knows somebody. Who knows somebody in the royal family. Do they wear a crown? person you know?

No, they don't wear a crown. Okay. But the person they... They know, might. Well... Careful, Jim, careful. Anyway, is it in the royal family. And yeah, they watch it.

I love that. This person watches it. I love it. I love the fact that they might all sit down in one of their little sitting rooms and watch it. Little. I think one of your future guests that we're talking earlier... I think some of them might...

She definitely watches it. Camilla, I think... Isn't it in the papers that Camilla watches it? Does she? Yeah, it's in the papers. I don't know that. She's not a... personal friend of mine?

I don't know. Just for the camera. Somebody made a programme about my life. I'd watch it. Yeah. Of course. Of course they watch it. Yeah.

Of course they do. Now, strangely, to salmon fishing. Lovely segue. Yes, but you've done, because you make the show about fishing. I did make a couple of seasons of a show with Robson. With Robson. And then...

Robson Green. Robertson Green. And then we've stopped that now. And there may be some, there may be something else happening, but I can't say too much yet. Because it's not quite over the line. But yes, watch this space. It might be to do with fishing. It might be to do with fishing.

Oh, it's to do with fishing. It's to do with fishing. Yes, it is definitely to do with fishing. And it has another name in it. It's very exciting. But it's not, no. You're not allowed to. The ship that Robston and I were sailing, that has come into port and will remain there.

Okay. But you're doing a, you're doing a salmon podcast. So a podcast called The Last Salmon, which isn't about angling. It's about the, because the Atlantic salmon, which is a species very close to my heart, it has become endangered. Yes, yes. And seemingly, a lot of people don't know that. And if they do, they don't know why.

And it's all connected with the state of our rivers and climate change and trawling. And of course, it's all very topical. Overfishing. Overfishing, exactly. So I wanted to do a. podcast with Dara Wheeland, fantastic Irish podcaster, trying to create awareness around this. So we pulled on scientists, famous anglers, you know, advocates, activists from all across the globe. So we've had Yvonne Schuynard, the founder of Patagonia. He was our recent guest,

guest, poor White House on, obviously, Charles Clover, who heads up the Blue Marine Foundation and wrote the end of the line, a bunch of scientists. Just, just, the whole gamut of really fascinating people to tell us and to share with the audience A, what's going on with the salmon and B, what can we do? I was just going to say, can we turn it around? We have to offer hope.

Otherwise, it's just another doom mongering. But it's all being over-farmed and then too many rubbish things being put in. There's aquaculture. People are going, God, is that all the salmon that I eat? Is that coming from these nasty farms? Yes, it is. What can I do?

Well, don't eat it or eat something else or a lobby for a change. So, yeah, there's a lot that we can do But the first step is creating awareness Because... Oh, fantastic. You two want to make a difference, don't you? You really do.

We do. With your acting, with your charity work, with the stuff that you do, you're very passionate, you really do care. Life's short, isn't it? And you want to leave a legacy. You want to... There's no point, really, is there, of being here

unless we leave something. We leave something good for every... Otherwise, there's no point, I don't know. I think with us, I think probably, you know, you'd have to ask a therapist this, but I think one of the reasons the main driver for both of us wanting to help,

which is basically what it is, or elevate the joy, is because of Ella Jane, you know, losing our first daughter, you, I can't explain it other than you do, when something like that happens, you have two choices and you either sink into an irrecoverable black hole and, you know, your life is nimbled,

never going to be the same or you use it and the energy that comes from it and the and the and the emotion that comes from it and you try and turn it inside out and use it as a as a driving force it's weird i can't explain it it's it's it's this indescribable force that's within you almost on a daily basis that you just go that happened to us it was incredibly traumatic tragic horrible but it just wants me, it just pushes me to do something, to change something, because it's amazing how easily, I always say this to people, you can change something, one person is all it takes. We've both done it, haven't we? Outside the Moray Parish Trust, you just go, maybe if I just push a little bit this way, a bit more, a bit more, and lo and behold, change happens.

It's amazing how much power we have. And I don't mean us, Sarah and Jim, I mean people. Absolutely. I think, you know, anyone that I've spoken to, who has lost a child at a very young age or has lost a child, let's just put it that way, that they do say, I feel differently about life, but I want to make life better for others

because of what we've been through. And there is no one that can understand how you feel, apart from other people who've gone through it. But the fact that you're trying to turn it around and make, as you just said as well, life's too short, you know, to make a difference for so many people. But it's not, like I said, it's not just the charity work or the work that you do with other charities as well

because you both work with other charities. But it's also the work you do on screen and we all need that. As somebody who is avidly, I love television and I love film, all the stuff that you've been talking about, it just is what we need. We need escapism from the craziness that's going on. But also we all need to laugh, we all need to cry,

we all need to do all of those things, and you two do it. And apart from anything else, you are without a doubt two of the nicest people that anybody could wish to be around. So thank you both so much for being on the podcast. Thanks for having us. Thank you. Thank you.