Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Bridget Christie (Part One)

Episode Date: December 16, 2025

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with the wonderful Bridget Christie, comedian, actor and writer.Bridget has won a huge following through her acclaimed stand-up shows and memorable TV appearances on Taskmaster and Have I Got News for You. More recently, she wrote and starred in the brilliantly funny Channel 4 comedy-drama The Change.Bridget also shares her fascinating origin story, from growing up with eight siblings and leaving school at 15, to finding her way into stand-up comedy after struggling to land acting work. It turned out to be a very good decision, leading to critical acclaim across live comedy, radio and television, as well as winning the Edinburgh Comedy Award.If you haven’t seen Bridget live yet, the good news is she’s heading out on a brand new tour, Jacket Potato Pizza, starting in January 2026 and running through to May. Tickets and dates are available at https://bridgetchristie.co.uk.It’s a warm, funny and genuinely joyful conversation with someone Emily and Ray instantly adored, and a woman who clearly has a very special bond with dogs too.Follow Emily:InstagramXWalking The Dog is produced by Will NicholsMusic: Rich JarmanArtwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

If I had a pound for every time I'd been told to clear my diary and then not got a job, I would have at least 10 phone. This week on Walking the Dog, Ray and I went for a stroll with the wonderful comedian, actor and writer Bridget Christie. Bridget has won a legion of fans due to her hugely popular stand-up shows, along with her memorable TV appearances on everything from Taskmaster to Have I Got News for You. And more recently, she wrote and starred in the brilliantly funny comedy drama series The Change on Channel 4, which, by the way, I absolutely love. Bridget has also got a fascinating origin story. She grew up with eight siblings, left school at 15, hung out with a biker gang, and eventually ended up going into stand-up, mainly because she was finding it tricky to get acting jobs.

But becoming a comedian turned out to be a very good decision because she's gone on to win critical acclaim. for her live comedy, along with her radio and TV work, and she's also nabbed herself an Edinburgh Comedy Award. If you haven't seen Bridget Live yet, and I have several times, and I really urge you to see her, the good news is she's about to embark on a brand new stand-up tour, Jacket Potato Pizza. It kicks off in January 2026 with dates booking through to May, so do get your tickets now at bridgetchristy.co.uk. Ray and I had such a lovely time with Bridgett. She's one of those people who you sort of instantly bond with. She has a very warm, genuine energy that makes you feel as if you've known her for years.

And Ray was absolutely won over by her too, mainly because she could not stop cuddling him, even after he'd had a rather messy toilet break. So frankly, I can't recommend Bridget enough, both as a comedian and a human being. And let's throw in Dog Whisperer too while we're at it. Really hope you enjoy our chat. I'll stop talking now and hand over to the brilliant woman herself. Here's Bridget and Ray Ray. So...

Sweetheart. Shall we get walking, Bridget? Yeah, let's walk. It's gone a bit nippy, isn't it? I say walk, but as you can see, Ray is not doing much walking. No, but he's... And he's shivering a bit as well, isn't he? I know, and you're making it sound a bit pathetic.

Oh, no, he's a big, tough boy, but... Oh, these are proper dogs. He is shivering. These big, I would like a dog, but I've got three cats. Oh, I want to hear about your cats. Oh, they're great. They're all siblings. The two boys fight the girl, or the girl fights the boys. Yeah.

But I can't imagine not having a pet, no. I don't think I would ever not have a pet. Really? No. I don't think so. Well, do you know, that's interesting, because your kids, are they getting close to leaving home age? Stop. One has left. university

and that was tough the buildup to him leaving was worse than him that well I did cry in the car on the way home sobbed sobbed and sobbed because you know when you have kids no one tells you

that they're going to leave and to prepare for it they don't though but you know what I think is interesting you don't think they're ever going to leave sorry I think it's really interesting because what animals represent which I really

like is a beating heart in the home yes oh yes do you know what I mean yeah someone alive something alive is it's true though isn't it you need something alive in that you do although my cats the boys are they're big so that they're five and a half kilograms or something each tell me about the cats and when they're walking around it sounds like there's a person in the house oh I quite like that yeah which is both frightening and comforting but sorry what did you say tell me what I want to know about the cats how many well three and then there's a stray who comes in which I've named Brian at Brian Blessed because he's got this massive beard and he's

been coming in for about eight years but he won't come in the house I can't get near him and I don't know what's going on there really I don't know how to manage the situation I've tried to catch him so that I can get them down to the vets to get scanned and you know have his flea treatments and whatnot but I can't get near him and then I thought you know what well he doesn't if if you can't get near him he doesn't want to be caught and that's like how I talk about men I just accept some of them don't want to be caught and I can and as long as you know that you were a pursuer or a waiter because I and my friends say

because I've been single for four years, right? And I'm really, really very happy with that. But why don't people accept that we're happy? I don't know. People say to me a lot of the time, they say, I think that although it's got to the stage where it's quite insulting, they stop asking after a while. What asking you out?

No, no, stop asking like, oh, I used to, my heart would sink if they'd get, and it comes from such a well-meaning place. Yes. But it would be any man news. like that's what they say any man news any um exciting people

on the scene and I was like what men would you like news about Donald Trump or I mean it's just they say any man news any yeah and again it comes from normally place but it just I think the thing I struggle with

sometimes is this slight idea that my life's not finished that actually there's something unfinished about me. Do you know what I mean, that you're not, you haven't got the full stop? Yeah, I mean, that to me is absolutely crazy. I mean, I think it's interesting when you,

you know, it's like a couple or a family of four. That's how loads of things are structured in society and, you know, meals and holidays and things like that. But even when I was really young, I spent lots of time by myself. I used to go on holiday on my own. I would go to the cinema and music gigs on my own. I actually, I really do love being on my own.

And you know what? I'm the youngest of nine children. And I wonder if, no, because loads of people enjoy being on their own, don't they? Like only children like being on their own. I just really value quiet alone time. I think I value it so much, but I'm worried that what's happened now happen now is that because I do spend quite I really like it I'm really not I've become

a sociopath well it's not that I'm anti-shirt I love people and I love seeing people and I love socialising but I I find now that I have a time limit on it yeah and massive groups of people I'm finding very stressful actually and I don't know if that was after lockdown or just because my life is my my life tends to be working a lot of nights yeah digging and you know writing in the day so and obviously I've got my lovely daughter at home so when she gets home it's the two of us yeah but I really really value that and I don't want to be surrounded by people all the time and I don't need to be with someone either and I'm not I'm not looking out you know

towards my future thinking imagining that there's somebody else in it yeah but I isn't someone in it I think that's an interesting thing you know when you I only realize now how true that is particularly in you know we're similar generation I imagine when you're grown up as a woman you're raised to believe, you know, they always say, don't they? Men are taught to be somebody, women are taught to find somebody. Yeah. And it's so indoctrinated in people that it's like, well, you haven't completed your mission. No. Where, do you know what I mean? And even that stuff like sex in the city, which seemed harmless and fun, it's really toxic, I think. Yeah, I, and also the idea that you have to explain why you don't want to have children. Yeah. You know, that's

bizarre. I don't think men ever get that at all. No. But I think it's seen as somehow a bit unnatural or odd. Yeah, something a bit off. Yeah, I don't have kids. No. And I think, but it's interesting because people often say, do you, do you have kids and then they'll say, why don't you have kids? Yes, but no one says why have you got kids? Why did you do that? Why would you put yourself through that? Well, Lee Mack often says to me, because I said to Lee Mack. Why aren't you on social media? And he says, why are you asking me why I'm not doing something? He said, I wouldn't say to you, I should be, why are you on social media? And he's right. And it's the same thing, isn't it? I want to know a bit more about your origin story, because

I'm fascinated by your childhood. It just seems, well, I want to talk about the change, because I'm obsessed by the change. I mean, look, you were pushing it an open door in every respect. But I want to go back, because I think it's connected a lot, your brilliant series to change. I can see so much of you in it just in terms of aspects of that character, but also, anyway, we'll go into how I can see aspects of you and that. But, so you grew up, it was in Gloucestershire, wasn't it? It was in Gloucester, town. Yeah, yeah.

And your dad, Peter? Yeah. Mum, Mary. Yes. I like them. I knew they were biblical. Yeah. So were they good old Irish Catholics? They certainly were. I kind of love them. Yeah. Would I have loved them?

Yes. Everyone did. Really? Yeah, everyone did. Yep. And Peter, did. Peter, did work for at Wall's ice cream. Did, yeah. For, there was a factory in Acton. That's where my parents met. So they're actually from very, very near to each other in Ireland. So my dad's from Boyle in Ross Common. And my mum's from the next county, Sligo. leachrum that sort of you know north yeah west and but they met in Acton in a pub that they both worked in yeah don't thread in their do-do no I did that yesterday and it made me so angry in my trainers it made me absolutely furious that's the good thing about Ray he

couldn't do poos like that have you tried can you see Bridget that he's quite a sensitive soul Oh god, you're such a thinking, such a puppy. You're a little sensitive soul. He doesn't like the extrovert dogs. They frighten him. Yeah. Well, they're a bit annoying, aren't me, extrovert dogs? So, yes, they met, and then they had two children in London,

and then they moved to Gloucester, where they would have a better, you know... Yeah, standard of living. But a much better standard of living. And then they had seven more in Gloucester. So there are nine of you in total? Wow. Yeah, that's a lot, isn't it?

Are people often surprised? Isn't it interesting that now people must go, wow, let me hear about that. At one stage, that would have been perfectly normal. At one point in history. Exactly. I mean, I thought it was normal until I went round to my friend's houses and their houses were really quiet and tidy. No one was fighting over first.

food or nine what sort of impact does that have on you I think it must be pretty amazing to have that many siblings I suppose because if there's 11 people in your house and also all my siblings are very clever very individual very funny very funny actually and so I suppose you're fighting for space I mean I I'll never really, someone just emailed me the other day actually asking me if there was a, you know, a book in me. But I suppose, I don't know, I don't know. I don't know if I ever would write a biography. I don't know. Well, you've written a brilliant book, which I loved.

But it wasn't an autobiography. It's nothing about me, is it? Yeah, really. But then I think it was such a great book that you came. through sometimes you don't need to say I was born or not exactly and I actually don't like those books no I like books whether your persona can't you know you came come out of the page through your writing that's you isn't it oh yeah so um so I'm loving this house this house yeah that you grew up in

was it noisy yeah and obviously noisy yeah and was was money tight when you were growing up yeah it was But we had very good food. Mum would have these memories of just coming home and seeing underneath the front, coming home from school, so being little, you know, in infant school or something, and being, you know, I don't know, five, six, seven, eight.

And seeing the flickering from the fire under the front door. I mean, it was a semi-detached, but in those days, everyone had open fires and, you know, I think gas fires came in in the 80s a bit, didn't they, late 70s, 80s? but um and then you know there would be a lovely big stew on the go or you know i think their order weekly order was something like 70 points of milk three sacks of potatoes and five boxes of corn flakes it's not something of a fairy story go down to the woods jack and get

70 points of milk i mean there was 11 people in the house so that is going to be a lot of milk And, you know, cereals, you know, when kids get in, we'd have a bowl of cereal, maybe before dinner or... And, yeah. Does it make you more well-adjusted growing up in a big family, do you think? God, I don't know if you can say that. I would say that it maybe makes you more... It makes you more independent. Yeah, maybe that's what I mean.

Yeah. Maybe I think of those two things as a... That says a lot of them. But yeah, it probably does. Because you and your siblings all actually individuated, I get the sense, at quite a young age. Very much sure. Parents were comfortable with you saying, right, we're going off to do.

Everyone left home quite young. Yeah. So, you know, to do their own thing. And I think it... That's quite a sign of good parenting, I think. Yeah. They never, um... Not hands off.

were not pushy parents, you know. So we all just did what we wanted to do in life, if you know what I mean. I think they just, well, my memory was said that, you know, you don't own your children, you just borrow them and then you have to give them away. Yeah. And your mum, was she a nurse at one point? She was. Yeah, she was a nurse.

And then she worked in a care home for the elderly. yeah what a lovely woman I know and I used to she used to cycle I used to go to the front bedroom window the little bay window and then she would cycle to the up the road and then turn around before she and I would wave I would wave I always remember that um yeah but she died in 1997 yeah that's tough because you were pretty young to lose your mom you were 26 or something yeah that is pretty young Do you think you dealt with it at the time or is it something that hits you in waves as you get older where you, for example, when you have kids and you think, I miss my mum now and... Well, do you know what? I thought that I had processed it and then Carriad Lloyd asked me to do the grief cast and I was just washing up in the kitchen and I thought, oh I've got Carriads, a podcast. cast tomorrow great and then I was at the kitchen sink and I just burst into tears

and I said to her I'm so sorry but I can't come I can't do it and I've realized there's just no way I can talk about I mean I'm just not ready I get it and I hadn't thought about it yeah I hadn't thought about speaking about that at all so maybe I maybe I hadn't properly processed it because if I had maybe I'd be more up for the podcast but yeah just realized that um so did you not do it no i didn't do it and she would have understood and i think you have she did so take care because she's been through it and you have to take care i did her podcast and i lost my sister and my both my parents which was a bit hideous but it was in it i mean they didn't all die and want but my sister died and then both uh my parents

started like very shortly afterwards so it was one of those things though but i know what you mean you think you've dealt with it and then I was sitting in a restaurant we've done this radio show I was doing Frank Skinner High right with and it was so I was always just remember I was feeling embarrassed because I just I don't know what it was but at the menu started swimming and I started crying

and I couldn't stop it was like a tap had gone on it would have been triggered by something I'm not I don't know what it was but I And everyone was going, what's going on? What's wrong? Yeah. But it comes at you, doesn't it? And then I said something, and I've said this since, and I remember I said, it will always be about one thing. You never have to ask what it is.

Like if ever I cry now, it's always really about my sister. And I think with your mum, I think it's a life interrupted, isn't it? That's what's tough. It's very surreal. It's very tough. You never really expect, even though she was ill. You just can't prepare for the, like, the brutality of death, like, how it's, I don't understand. We don't, I feel sometimes that humans are so un-evolved still, because we, we, in the way that we, I mean, some cultures are much better at dealing with death than we are. But in the way that we just completely avoid preparing for and speaking about and dealing with death in a healthy way.

and I really think that unless we I think that well we don't tell kids about it do you well I think to live well is to understand death and the cycle of life really and I think once you I think that if everyone could realise that how little time they had here there's a saying isn't there

well it's very cliched but all these things you know these greetings you know live every day if it was your last and all things like that. I mean, because, I mean, it just, it goes in the blink of an eye. Yeah. I mean, I remember my kids, I remember being pregnant. I remember giving birth.

I remember like loads of minute details. Yeah. And now I have a, you know, I have a son who's left home. And it's gone, honestly, like, like the blink of an eye. Like the blink of an eye. And then the next 18 years are going to go. And then I'll be really facing down the barrel of death if I'm still alive. But I don't think it's morbid.

Why don't you let line bikes in, Ranger? We need to tell somebody else. We need to take the Ranger to task, but we're not good enough for the likes of him. No. I don't know if he'd have us in his cabin. Do you? It feels not very friendly. I'm fascinated.

Look how needy we are. I know, but in Clissons Park, they stop and chat if you wave. Unbelievable. I'm never coming here again. I actually hate this park now. I do. I hate the park. We should say we're in Regent's Park.

Are we allowed to say what happened? Yes. Bridget had an incident when she arrived. Yeah. Because that makes it sound like she's incontinent. Yeah, she's not. Bridgett's had one of her incidents. I've had one of my episodes.

So, and a line by. You weren't allowed to park it, were you? No, I wasn't, no. So, guess what? It took me seven minutes to cycle from Camden Tube to the venue that we were supposed to meet at. And then it took me 10 minutes to cycle to a line bike park. Yeah. And then it took another 10 minutes to walk back to meet you.

Oh, but I'm glad we met because I really like you. Right, come on, let's go up here. Come on, let's go up here, Raymond. No dogs. But you know what? I'm going to risk it. It just looks like you've got a little, like, jumper on your arm. So, all right, Bridget.

So, yes. I want to know more. Ask me anything. We were talking about your childhoods. We were. And I'm interested to know, which is a question I'm sure you get asked a lot, about the sort of funny gene or the look at me gene or whatever you want to call it. Oh, yeah.

Well, did you always have that, do you think? Oh, God, yeah. Did you? Awful. Oh, I am an awful look at me, praise me, it's childish, idiot. Or let's avoid the horny-handed sons of toil. They'll ruin us podcast. Were you?

Yes. But I think, but I was ignored a lot. Yeah. And I was the little one. And no one really cared what I, not no one cared. I was the little one, you know. And I had to, I suppose, fight, you know, for my two minutes. Yeah.

You know, there's a lot of people talking. That's 11 people in the house. It's like Big Brother. It's like Big Brother. It's like growing up in the Big Brother house. I don't know. I always kind of knew what I wanted to do. I wanted to be a performer.

It was a very creative household. Everyone was very creative, you know. We made our own fun. And you left school when you were pretty young, aren't you? Very young, yeah. Were you 15? Yeah. Well, my birthday's in August, so I would have been 16 in the August,

so I left in the June or whatever. And I lied about my age and got a job. Like the Gloucester Citizen? Yes. And how was that? I loved it, actually. I, I, um, even though I left school young, I always loved writing and, you know, being around.

So we, what were you like editorial assistant? Yes. Or something. So, like, it seems quite young now to be working at a paper. Fifteen, sixteen. Yeah, it was. But I, this is what I say to people as well, you know, when they say, Well, think of, you're upset that your son has left and he's 18, but you were younger.

They had ten others that they could comfort themselves with. Well, no, because I was the little one, wasn't I? So I was the last to go. Yeah. But I think that being the youngest of nine, I think I grew up very quickly. I remember people, you know, I was quite a mature child because I was always around adult conversation. you know, my siblings wouldn't censor themselves because I was around.

Really? No. So I was, you know, part of the conversation, you know. And I remember actually when the girls, my sisters would go out on the weekend. Mum would come into our bedroom and there would be, you know, I don't know, five or six girls on a bed

and mum all chatting about the night before. I know. Yeah, so. I love that. Yeah, yeah. It was great. Yeah. I really do.

I um yeah that because I don't have we were talking earlier about being on our own and really enjoying that but actually last night I was so now I've got a bit of a cold we've all got colds haven't we at the moment and um it just felt like there wasn't very many people in my house and I like I know you know I know but then But then if it was full, I'd be like, oh, God, can everyone go away for a few days? And also it's that community thing. Like, I am going to move to Stroud when my daughter goes to uni, I expect. I mean, that is my plan at the moment.

And Stroud's beautiful, isn't it? Well, you know, I tried to move there in the 80s with my ex-boyfriend, Kev. But we were even priced out back then in, like, 1989 or something like that. The finance bros turned up to Stroud yet. Well, you know, a load of artists moved in and... I thought of it as a very arty, sort of, you know, quite hamstery almost. It's a fantastic... I love it so much. But I was saying that I don't have, like, my village in London.

Oh, gosh, this way. You know, people talk about your village and your... Because we've met in Regents Park today, but you actually live more north. Yes. Don't you? I do, yeah. I do. I actually, I wouldn't live...

anywhere else in London, I love the area of London that I live in. So if I was going to move from there, it would be to Stroud. Because I do miss my sisters a lot, actually. I'm going to put Ray down here, Richard. Ray's not allowed to be around here, is he? I think they weren't noticed. Ray, you've got my mic in your bottom. Help.

Uh-oh. It's because he needed this. He needed. Do you need a poo? Oh, is he having a little... Come on, Ray! follow Bridget look at his tail come on sweetheart follow Bridget where's Bridget going yay let's go through here follow Bridget where is she there she is

come on he looks like he's got Labutans on look at him what is he by the way he's an Imperial Shih Tzu wow what a name God what a what a fantastic name Imperial Shih Tzu look his little leg cock he is the cutest thing actually, I can hardly bear it. Hey, Ray. And why Ray? Well, I called him Raymond because I like, they're sort of, like men who are in the Sweeney. I like those old seven-seed.

You know what I mean? Yeah, with a leather jacket smoke too much. Do you know what I mean, Bridget? Oh God, and Minder. Dennis Waterman. And who was the guy? Who played Arthur Daly, George Cole. George Cole.

I would have married George Cole. The idea of having made it was if for men in that generation was you bought a Daimler. They all had a damler. And a sheepskin jacket and a cigar. Do you know, these... Right.

You know, I love being single. Yeah. If, Alistair Sim, George Cole, or who's my other... They don't build them like that anymore. You know, who's the one that did... Oh no. Do you know, I hate the menopoles so much.

much. I know, but what we have to do is help each other. The third man, right. The third man looks like Alastair Sim. Yeah. And he's one of the greatest British actors of all time. Can you think of anything he's been in? The man in the white suit. Oh, bridge. The man in the white suit. Alec Guinness. Oh, you mean the actual third man? Yes. As in the film. Yes. Okay. So yes. Well, when you said the third man. Third man. I thought you meant he's the third most good looking at all the lines. I did mean both. I thought you meant he's third on my list. He was. Well, no, he's number one on my list. The Graham Green third man. I understand what this now. Oh, Alec Guinness. Oh, that's getting a bit too ripe for my taste. David Niven, ripe. Yeah, I don't know. He's a bit, David Niven, love. So, listen, I could talk to you about the men you fancy. Okay. They're all dead. Which is something you might want to bear a mind if you're interested in Fidgett. They're all dead.

Can I say something about that, though? I am much more comfortable having fantasies about dead men than ones that are alive. Because I know nothing's going to happen, and so I don't have to. 100%. Well, I feel I like, I feel the dead of my community, because so many of my family, I do. I sometimes feel those are my people. and I don't fear, you know how you're meant to fear it? I don't fear it at all.

Neither do I. At all. I'm not frightened of it at all. No, in fact, I had a kidney stone and I thought I was dying. I don't know if you've ever had one. No, I haven't. My God. I thought my appendix had burst and I was slowly poisoning myself to death.

I was on the ground, collapsed for half an hour. And I thought, get your breathing sorted out. You're not going to get to hospital in time. I don't know what this is, but I might. be dying. I noticed how dirty my floor was and then it passed and what it was was a kidney stone which I actually I've seen them on a like microscope it's like a piece of ice like because they're jagged you know because it's a hard like crystallised and I had accepted and I thought about my life and the only thing that I regretted was that I haven't really done anything

worthwhile or to help people and I was like what a waste of of a life and that made me think yeah you know what maybe you should have a think about that because if you are on your deathbed you don't want to be going literally what did I do yeah what did I do and what a waste yeah I know what you mean it's not but it's not bad thing to have those moments is it because it just those sort of slight it's only a kidney stone it's not like I was actually facing death or you know yeah but I don't didn't know that at the time though no and to be fair I then looked up on a scale of 1 to 10 how bad is a kidney stone and it was above getting shot having children

no it genuinely you imagine passing a yeah like a jagged stone through your it must have been agony I mean it was worse than childbirth and what about getting short I didn't feel it actually when I got shot at all. I was like, is that all you've got, mate? You never talk about that period in your life enough. Oh, Raymond. We've got similar brains. We go off on tangents and I like that. You were asking me why he was called Raymond. And I said, because I like those old-fashioned names like Raymond. But I tell you what else. It's a big detail. Yeah, but I like detours. Detours is, I don't see them as detours. I see them as necessary. Yeah, they are. And, you know,

there was another thing my sister my late sister was called rachel and when we we grew up in australia and everyone knew they shortened everything they used to call her ray and so i thought it was a lovely way to give a nod to her without being too weird yeah like for my nieces so we just it's my i know that there's a you know so yeah it's a nice little thing and then not everyone gets that version some people who i don't think could who would feel uncomfortable with that Oh well if you just met someone briefly and they've said why is your dog called Raymond that some somebody really feel that's a lot. They maybe don't want to talk about that. So that's what I was talking about earlier. Why are people so closed off? Yeah. When it comes to death, thinking more deeply about things. If I, if I, okay, look, I'm not my mates are going, go on the date, go on a day, I'm not going on dates. I think if I meet someone naturally, that's one. thing, but I'm not going to pursue it. But if I did go on a date, which I'm not going to, and they, whoever they are, was like a bit uncomfortable if I started talking about death

or something on a deeper level, I wouldn't see them again. I wouldn't see them as a friend again. If a friend was uncomfortable with that, I would think, I'm not sure you've done the necessary work on yourself. No, but don't you find as well as you get older? your circle becomes much smaller. And the people that are draining you and sort of, you suddenly think, oh my God, I've just realised that no one never,

I'm always the person who gets in touch with people. And then if you stop doing it, then... Yeah. But that's a good thing to find out. Oh, it is. You've got to have a cold. You've got to have a cold. I've had a few.

Have you had a few? Oh, I've had some major coals. I think everyone does, don't they? And you know what's great? Is that the people that I have in my life now, And there's, we should say there's a difference between time running away and you sometimes don't get around to seeing people, but yeah, what I'm now into, and all my friends I can say this all, my close friends, they're low maintenance people. Yes. In terms of, if I don't respond to them in two seconds, that's fine. There's no drama. Yeah. It's like, oh, M's just forgotten, I'll chase her up. Yeah. What I realized it became the absolute deal breaker for me is people who made me feel permanently guilty and like I was a terrible. I was a terrible. friend you know that yeah and listen it's nothing personal it's just our two personalities aren't going to work no I can't it's that sort of why hasn't you

applied to my text it's like more maybe I just forgot yeah our lives are so hectic as well aren't they it's just come here right so everyone chill out a little bit you know I hate drama can you call these the moaning men of Ports or women. I can't everyone just chill out more. No, but genuinely that just calm down. When I see like people shouting or like head up, I'm like just calm down. Also because the only person that you're affecting is your, like a big thing for me at the moment is, you know, I don't want like keeping your blood pressure down, not having a stroke, things like that. So it's actually becomes really important to have these coals and to surround yourself by people who are

calm and easygoing and hey well that's why i love will my producer you can tell he's got calm energy he has got calm he's also got very good glasses oh he has and a lovely scarf and cords great cords oh i think he's going down well he's blushing but you know he's got a calm energy and that's what i need to be around calm people because then that makes you calm it does Like if you're around sort of spiky, spikiness is what I don't, I struggle with. And Ray's very calm. Oh, look at him, Bridget. Let's put him down.

Oh, sweetheart. So one thing that... I'll tell you when I first became aware of you was when I saw your show. Sounds like I've been stood in your garden for years. You have actually. And I was like, oh, look at that. That needs a trim. Do you know what?

How long has she been out there for? Bridgett again. Still out there. I was doing the radio show I used to do with Frank Skinner and we used to do it from Edinburgh every year and they it was very nice actually they would pay us to go down there and because I wasn't doing a show because I'm not a comic I would just go and see all the shows and talk about them and I went to see your show I think it would have been about 2009 it was my Daily Mail hell and I would look through this big book of shows to

see it was a physical book then and I looked through it and I thought that is a bit of me. I'm going to see that. Wow, that's such a long time. And I just loved it. Thank you. So I was a fan from that moment. Really? Yeah. My Daily Mail got me. In that funny, flat, long room. Yeah. But this was, what was, because you'd been an actor, hadn't you, for a long time? We should say why you did the show, because you'd wanted to be an actor, but I love what you said, you didn't get any parts. I still haven't. I'm 54. I've been in this business since. 93, I went to drama school in 93. You know, Jen Bristam, she finds this, the funniest thing she's ever heard.

I have still not ever got a part from one audition. Not one. The only reason I got Linda was because I had to bloody write the thing and cast myself. So the first acting part you've got is the change. Is it 50 in the change, which I wrote and cast? Honestly, my entire career, this is all I've done. Kevin Eldon,

he was a friend, had a part in his, because he asked me to, didn't audition. Ghosts, Jim Howick asked me a friend, didn't audition, and then the change. That's all I've done.

Why do you think, no, because you're a brilliant actress, so why do you think that was? Was it to do with you not selling yourself at the audition? I have this conversation pretty much weekly with my agents. What do you think?

What do you think it is? I think that some auditions I've done have been absolute dog shit. And then others, I've gone out and this does sound arrogant, but it's not meant to. It just means that on that day, the chemistry was good. I got on with the people in there where casting directors have gone,

make you know clear your diary and then I have I've never if I had a pound for every time I'd been told to clear my diary and then not got a job I would have at least 10 time let's sit on the bench for a bit shall we yeah this is I just can't get through on the work's bench I stopped going to auditions for a while and then I thought oh no after the change I'll start going again still haven't got anything um I can so that's for the life of me get a job from an audition and it does make me really do you think you get performance anxiety no i just think they change that i think a lot of the time they know who they want anyway and they're just seeing some people because they've got to be seen to see some people or they think or they just

go for the safe option i mean i'm not really known i just need to get like about three to five jobs acting jobs so that people then go, oh, she's not just doing stand-up then. I really hope you love part one of this week's Walking the Dog. If you want to hear the second part of our chat, it'll be out on Thursday, so whatever you do, don't miss it. And remember to subscribe so you can join us on our walks every week.