Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Charlie Hedges (Part One)

Episode Date: September 23, 2025

Emily and Raymond are joined by Radio One presenter and DJ, Charlie Hedges, for a Central London stroll.Charlie's incredible career actually started at 13 when she became a young reporter for an Essex based magazine, and she's gone on to interview everyone from Chris Martin to Justin Timberlake. Charlie is one of the most loved presenters on Radio One, through her show with Ricky and Melvin, Dance Anthems, and the Live Lounge. She's also hugely in demand for her DJ sets at festivals and in clubs around the world.Charlie's also a Mum, to her adorable daughter Summer, and currently presents the CBeebies Parenting Helpline Podcast, which offers expert advice and support for parents, as well as plenty of funny stories.Follow Charlie on Instagram hereFollow Emily: Instagram - @emilyrebeccadeanX - @divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Will NicholsMusic: Rich Jarman Artwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Oh, there we go. Oh, okay, of course, yeah, ways. Not on me, yeah? No, not on you. He won't be on you, I promise. Small gentle. This week on Walking the Dog, Ray and I took a central London stroll with Radio 1 DJ Charlie Hedges. Charlie is, of course, one third of the hugely popular radio trio, Ricky Melvin and Charlie,

and she's also very much in demand for her DJ sets at festivals and clubs all over the world. Charlie's first reaction when she saw Ray was to burst out laughing, and to be fair, he is a little weird looking. But within minutes, she decided to completely fall in love with him, and I think it's fair to say, an unbreakable bond was formed. We had such a lovely chat with Charlie talking about her childhood, growing up in Essex, with her cab driver dad,

who ended up helping her break into showbiz, because every time he'd have a passenger in his cab who's in the industry, he'd tell them about Charlie's ambitions and it was through one of these chats that she finally ended up at Kiss FM. She's since gone on to become one of the most well-loved DJs on Radio One through her show with Ricky and Melvin,

dance anthems and the Live Lounge and she's also got some brilliant stories because she's interviewed everyone from Justin Timberlake to Chris Martin who just FYI she chatted her about pedicures. Charlie is also a mum to her adorable daughter Summer and she currently presents a very popular podcast on parenting called the CBB's Parenting Helpline podcast, which offers expert advice and support on parenting as well as plenty of laughs.

So I really recommend you give that a listen. Ray and I absolutely love Charlie. You can often tell a lot about someone when you get caught in a downpour, and Charlie not only seem to find it hilarious and oddly joyful. She also helped find us a tree to Hudlunder and snuggle Ray to keep him warm. So frankly, Ray would happily walk with this woman to the ends of the earth. Although, to be honest, the snail's pace he walks at pretty much feels like you're doing that anyway. I really hope you enjoy our chat. Here's Charlie and Ray, Ray. Come on Ray. This is so nuts, by the way.

Sorry, this is really funny. Shall we put his lead on Charlie? Yes, please. The only, I mean, I'm not putting it on you. I mean, you can if that's the sort of thing you're into. I don't know what I'm signing up for it. Someone told me you were going to chat to me about my life, not some weirdness. Come on. Guys, just to confirm, the dog is on the lead and not on me. He's on the lead. Come on, Ray. Come on, Ray.

How old is Ray? How dare you? This is too funny. He is. He is. He's pushing nine. Did they? You're a cutie. In dog years?

I do miss having a dog. Do you? Yeah, he's a chihuahua. Well, we're going to talk about that. about that. I do like I'm an animal person. I can really see you with a chihuahua. Yeah, I used to have one and she. Hello, thank you. I don't get them compliments when they come into work. Ridge, I need to make more of an effort. He doesn't say nice to help.

Bloody cheek. That was the security god at the BBC because we're outside Charlie's workplace of BBC which is very exciting. Do you still, I always get a bit of a thrill outside the BBC. Oh yeah. Do you still get that child? Every single day, every single day. Like, you think about the amount of people that have been in this building, let alone broadcasts from there. So, yeah, this is, this is the dream. Literally the dream. Come we go, let's just sort of town. Come on, Raymond. Let's go. Let's go and talk some rubbish. Because you're going to be bored of me by the end of this.

I think already you're very much his kind of person, time. Am I? Yeah, I just think you're, I'll tell you what I think of you already. Come on. I'm a nutter. I think you're quite a sort of, you've got, there's a warmth about you. Thank you. And he likes warm people. Well, do you know what?

Dogs, especially dogs, all animals I think, but actually I think dogs are very good at telling, well, at telling people's personalities, I'd like to say. I used to have a chihuahua and when I was dating at the time, the bark said it all. They're like, nope. Nope. Oh really did your dog not like her? No, no, no, no. The partner at the time.

No, it was the dog barking followed by my dad barking to try and get rid of people. Now he's seen a bollard. What does he normally do with bollard? Is this a, oh, there we go. Oh, okay, of course, yeah, he's doing. Not on me here. No, not on you. He won't be on you, I promise.

Poor gentleman who had to sit down by his car. I'm sorry. Nice car as well. That could have been embarrassing, couldn't it? couldn't it? Who was cleaning that one up? So what was your Chihuahua called? She was called Rosie. Oh Rosie. I only had her a couple of years, bless her. Yeah, she didn't...

She wasn't around very long, which is really sad. But I've always grown up with animals. I was a big horsey person when I was a kid. So I used to go horse riding. That was from my age... age five. Up until about 14. And this is growing up in Essex? Yep. In Essex, yeah. And where are it specifically? Essex did you grow? So I was, I'm originally from Dagenet originally, went to primary school there, secondary school I went to Rainham and then I moved, yeah, I've just moved a tiny bit out.

But yeah, always Essex born and bred. My family are all East London based. And we'll pick him up for a bit so he doesn't slow his staff. You're too slow. He can be slow. We're following his lead. Yeah. So yeah, always Essex based. I love Essex. Really? Yeah, yeah, I love it. And is that where you're all? folks are from originally as well so mum and dad's honest free to read that here thank you my my mum and dad are all from well family from East London and then just gradually moved out to Essex over the years so yeah we're all at Essex based still I already quite love the sound of the hedges can I

tell you why because your dad is a London black cab right yeah yep and he it sounds like I mean there's just cliched idea let's be be honest of the London black car driver, a very friendly, bubbly, warm. Oh my god, all of the above. Really? Yeah. Yeah, yeah. My dad's... What does he say if I get in this cab? Hi there, mate. Can you... I wouldn't say, mate, but let's pretend I would. Can you take me to High Go? He would say, absolutely. Then he's got this thing, right, where I think it's like a 30 second rule that he's got. And basically, when someone gets in, he starts chatting to him, ask them who they are, what they do, blah, blah, have a nice chat.

But if within those 30 seconds, he gets the vibe that they just, leave. to chill or like do some work then he he puts the radio on stop chatting he's very good with people my dad yeah he's all of the above what he said he's charming he's he's just a lovely lovely lovely person and he knows he's where around London at the back of his town which over the years has been really helpful I was gonna say I wonder when you were grown up did you ever have a thing where your dad would give you a lift sometimes and people would think she's a bit flash getting out of her black hat or like well Some 10 year old's party.

Do you know what? He was the dad back in the day at school that used to come and pick us all up. And that sort of continued right up until, well, to be honest, up until now. But every Thursday, when I was at college and uni, every Thursday he'd come and pick me, all my girlmates up from London, drop us all back home. He was that parent that just made sure everyone got home okay. But yeah, I had the right touch growing up. It was the best.

It was the best. And was your mum, was she a homemaker or did she work? So my mum had a cleaning business at one point, but that didn't start that until I think we was maybe at secondary school, me and my brother. So yeah, she was at home with us. And yeah, I mean, I know everyone says it about their parents, well not everyone, but my mum and dad are, Jesus, thank God for them because they, yeah, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they, they. They do so much for me. They always have done. They've always, I don't know, just put me and my brother first really, which I'm so grateful for. Now I've got a little them as well. Oh, good, I didn't have a wee. Excuse me, guys. He will do a lot of whys. I mean, don't we all? I've got a child. We might have to do a couple of pit stops.

I think he cocks his leg more than most other dogs though. I don't do that, by the way. FYI, I don't do that. That's not what I've heard. Should we go this way or that way? Let's go this. We're in Portland Place now, near the BBC, and this is where all the posh doctors are as well now here, isn't it?

I'm finding it very weird, by the way, that you are interviewing me because it's normally me, it's normally me doing the chatting, and I'm finding it quite weird, me not asking more about you. Am I allowed to do that? Yeah, we can do that. You can, but that is... That is... Oh, it's very relaxed.

Okay, good. Very Celtic and organised. And what I would say, I think that's an interesting thing, is that, yeah, the energy feels, it's like, oh, this is weird. Because you do do interviews, obviously, but on a daily basis, you know, that's your job, isn't it? And you're constantly chatting to people. So, yeah, I can see it's a little, it's sort of, how does it make you feel just a bit? I just find it really embarrassing talking about myself all the time. I don't ever do that.

That's why I like, that's why I do my job, because I get to, like, you're doing now, get to meet other people and talk about their lives. I don't even mean, rabbit in on. And we're, so this is quite weird. We're nosy as well, so we like to find out about people. Yep, exactly that. So I want to know, Hedges Towers.

Yes. Was it, what was your other sort of energy in your house like growing up? Music. Really? I don't want to say loud it wasn't loud but it was just led by music like very rarely had the TV on Always conversations going on we're a really really close family and you know what a lot of just laughter and fun and Love to be honest that's what that's when you know I mentioned my mum and dad earlier, but I feel like I I was brought up in such a

I like Why was he getting angry? He was angry at the pedestrians that man It's the wrong day to do that. Let's go here. Yeah, I just growing up, I just felt really lucky and I do now because it was just such a happy home. That's like probably a really boring answer, but it was the truth. It's just happy and loads of music. Did you have any siblings?

I've got a younger brother. He's three years younger than me. So we've always been super close and still are. Yeah, it was the best thing ever. And were you, a sort of well-behaved kid, were you quite... Yeah, I was. Were you? I was a really shy kid outside of my household actually, which is one of the reasons why my

mum and dad, you took me to the stables in the first place to start horse riding just so that it would maybe bring me out of my show a little bit more, but in, you know, in a nice environment. So I was a really, really shy kid. Even now, to be honest, like a lot of confidence. of mine is masked by yeah I'd over the years just knowing how to control it but I still go red all the time I was that kid at the back of the class that legit I would keep my fingers crossed the whole time go please don't ask me a question because I'd

die my French teacher in my secondary school he was so nice with like our class it was literally just like a big there was a big gap in the middle and all the tables would be around the outside so everyone could see each other it used to go around the class one by one by one getting everybody to speak in French but he knew that I would be dying inside so he'd always wait until the cast finish and then let me do what I need to do and yeah speak to him after I'll never forget that because yeah growing up it it weren't fun I was I was embarrassed a lot of the time and do you think yeah it's interesting that sort of self-consciousness sometimes you know it's linked to a sort of fear of failure or messing it up or getting do you know what

mean yeah I don't really know where it came from I just think I was just naturally a shy kids and over the years I've just sort of again having my family behind me just push myself and yeah just had to get on with it we're just getting to a busy road now so should we cross here Charlie yes let's do it oh we don't think this is oh we're gonna go we were gonna walk into traffic trying to get me cute who are you sorry sorry Ricky and Melvin you're gonna need me Remember? Oh no, you are cute.

Right, we've crossed the road now and we're heading into Regent's Park. And it's not raining. Oh, see us. Good. Well, we'll turn up here because there's a nice little coffee place not far from here. Lovely. And I think the least I can do is buy you a coffee, Charlie Hedges. So, yes, we were talking about your family and just that sort of shyness you felt growing up,

which by the way, I don't think it's that unusual for performers and people. performers and people that go on to do your kind of work because you find it a lot with comics sometimes yeah that i think what you often get they're very shy and then being on stage is a great way of sort of processing that yeah and it gives them the opportunity and i wonder if performing does this for you and particularly things like dj which require a lot of here i am everybody yeah yeah Yeah, yeah. I think it's almost like it gives you, it legitimises you stealing focus. Yeah. I think, I think you're foot on really and I just think I've just found ways of managing like that. Yeah, the shyness, the anxiousness and a lot of people that find out this about me, like I'm telling you now, they're like, we'd never think you were nervous.

We'd never think you were embarrassed. And I'm like, God, sometimes I'm dying inside. But I can go and play at a festival. Like this year in Malta, there's like 50,000 people. I can go and do that. And yeah, I'm bricking it, but it's, you know, it's my job. I love it and I'll get on with it. But then if you put me in front of 10 people that I've got to go and talk to at a college, for example,

I'm like, it's the worst. I love doing it. But in terms of nerves, oh my God. I don't know what, yeah, I don't know what it is. But I suppose there's more, it's so surreal in a way when you're out doing those big gigs. It's almost, it's almost like you're able to detach yourself. Yeah, it's like it's not me. Sometimes I come off a stage at a festival or even in clubs, whatever.

Sometimes I've come up and go, bloody hell, thank God for a video, because I genuinely wouldn't have believed that it's just happened. It's a weird feeling. It's a weird feeling. Looking back at some of the stuff, yeah, it's nuts really. We've got two doggies coming up here. So what's the deal? Does Ray normally make friends?

Do we need to introduce? Yeah, shall we? Let's see what happens. I don't know. They might not think he's quite good, isn't it? Hi, everybody. Meet Ray. He's cute.

Raymond? Yeah. Yeah, boy. What's yours called? Chai. Chai. And what's chai? Chai is Maltese.

Maltese, Raymond's a Shihu. Chai is a chitzu. He's very good at yoga. Yes, he is. He is very good. Child loves a yoga. Who's this one? Millie.

Oh, Millie. Is Millie? Labradoodle and Popper Spaniel. Hooray. It's lovely to meet you all. Thanks for letting us stop for a little chat. Bye, bye, chat. Oh, I've really fallen for Chai.

This is what happened. I'm pleased to me. Hi, everyone. Bye-bye. Oh, brilliant. Oh, so nice to meet you. Oh, it's starting to rain a bit. It's all right.

It's hair washing my money. I'll take it. I can't put it up, Molly. Oh, God. So you're not allowed dogs in here. Oh, gosh. Oh. And this place is crawling with wardens.

Okay, so we're going to... Hang. So what's the rules you have to hold him? We're going to risk taking them in with the wardens. And what I'm going to do is... You're going to pass in to me, aren't you? Yeah. I mean, I could put them in my bag.

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God, I just snorted, sorry. Where's she going? She's going in the bush. Can I just say you're not being very discreet about this? Push! Did you ever get bush pushed as a school kid?

No. I was always a tiny one. What's bush push? Literally someone would... I hope that's not what I think of it. Well, what do you think it is? No, people just used to push in the bush. Lovely.

We had a thing when I got to university called Bush Victim. And I can remember thinking, what is this? What is that? They all started saying. Okay, bush victim, bush victim happening at midnight. And I thought, I thought, what is this, bush victim? And then everyone would gather stop pointing. And then they suddenly started shouting,

Bush victim. And someone, it was like a foxhunt. Someone would get a five minute head start and have to run while everyone chased after them and threw them into these bushes. Oh my God. It was literally fox hunting. I mean, not literally, but it may as well be. What the heck?

Right, we're in Regent's Park. So hang on, are we clear now then? do you think we're okay? Because you've picked him up and we're good, so we're not breaking any rules. I'd just say he's an emotional support animal. Who for for me? Yeah. They won't question us.

So, shy Charlie, I think I would have really liked shy Charlie. But I would have thought, I probably would have fallen for the idea that you were confident. Do you know what to mean? Because sometimes you can give that impression. can't you when you're masking as you say and it is a form of masking when you're growing up yeah i mean yeah like i said i just just is where it is i'm never going to change i've definitely i've obviously got more confident over the years but it's in me to be like that and to do this again it just yes it's my personality i wouldn't it would have been nicer i think growing up not to have

been as shy because it just would have made life a little bit easier but yeah but on the first side quite nice to have people in this industry who aren't what I'm going to call monstrous show-offs. No name shall be mentioned. So do you, when did the interest, as you say, your parents played a lot of music when you were growing up? Yeah. Oh, it's raining, Charlie. I mean, I don't mind. Oh, I'm really sorry. I need to wash my hair tomorrow, so I'm getting the free one technically. I'm hoping it's just a brief thing. I don't mind. If you don't. Well, I've just heard Dunder. Lovely. I mean, again. We're just carry on walking.

There's some lovely trees. Well, the coffee shop's nearby. Yes, all right. So once we get to that, we can shelter of it. So the music was obviously, as you said, it was a big thing in your household when you were growing up. Did you think I want to be involved in music somehow? Yeah, from like early on.

Really? My mum and dad always had the radio on. Like I said, always had music. So I knew for sure. I was obsessed with radio, to be honest. from a kid. Did you do that thing in pretending to be a DJ? Yeah, did you?

DJ, like radio presenter, that was me. Inside, like at home, that was who I wanted to be. I also loved writing, so I thought, you know, maybe that would come into play at some point, which is I studied at High Low College. I did a BA Honors in Journalism. That was whilst I started my first radio job, really. But you didn't just do that,

because when you were 30, you did something extraordinary. You wrote to a magazine called Maked Tongue. You've done your research, this is nuts. Yeah. In an Essex-based magazine, I won't ask much about Maked Tong, but I just hope the hedges were okay with this. So it's actually not what you think. As you said to your parents, I imagine at the time.

Yeah, my dad used to take me there back. So it was an incredible magazine where they used to go to live gigs and interview bands and it was just brilliant it was so good and they was advertising for an assistant no there was actually advertising for a journalist to come and join the mag not a 13 year old not a 13 year i was like well said that i'm going to um i'm going to message them so i i did and they came back and went do you know what just come come along come and like see what we do and i just sort of shadowed them and then this is where my dad comes into play because he being the London black cabby that he is and talking to everyone.

Weirdly enough around that time, my dad's picked up some interesting people, of course, anyway, but he started picking up like a lot of, I hate the word celebrity, but like a lot of known people, for example. Yeah, high-proseful people, yeah. And he would tell him that his daughter was writing for a magazine or working for a magazine and asked him if I could interview him. and I got my first piece published in the magazine when I was 13 and one of those people was the presenter of the breakfast show on Kiss at the time, Kiss FM and that was my

in to radio because I went to the station I interviewed them off the back of that we all got on really well and then they allowed me to come up in my school holidays and just do some work experience with them so that was my my first in really which is nuts but you're saying it quite sort of an almost like matter of fact like it's part of your biography but that is quite unusual yeah yeah to be 13 years old yeah and to to sort of have that initiative i suppose and and even think about getting a job like that i mean like a proper career job yeah yeah and and a lot of like all my breaks at school when i was at my secondary school were taken up by me calling people's PAs or managers during the 15 minutes that I had at 11 o'clock every morning.

So in the lunch break were you calling up sort of agents and PRs about celebrities to interview then? One of my teachers used to bless her Mrs Roots, she used to let me sit in the room, use my phone and try and bag interviews for the magazine. Who did you ring? Do you remember? Do you know what? I remember one of them was, do you know, Jonathan Wilkes? Yeah. It's Jonathan Wilkes and Robbie Williams. They were friends, yeah, yeah.

Sorry, that's very rude calling him the Robbie Williams friend. No, he was also a singer at his. For sure, and my dad had picked him up at the time. Though I remember trying to get hold of him for ages and age and age, but also, again, Brickening it, because I'm like, oh god, when... But how many were 13, were you like, hello? Yeah, because what'd you say? I didn't even know what I was talking about.

Hi, it's Charlotte. And then you can hear the right one, the school bell ringing. wrap it up you got maths you're not wearing correct uniform you're not allowed with mobile phones in class so yeah that is legit what i used to do did jonathan wry knew about that i forgot about that did jonathan malks say yes do you know what he said yes when he was in the cab but for whatever reasons probably schedules you know what it is you know what it's like um we i never did get to interview actually which is which is a shame um yeah so that that didn't happen but the kiss one did I'm trying to think who else.

I used to just do loads of reviews of bands, which was amazing. Because again, musically, I'm a big dance head, but actually I'm a big indie fan as well. We keep seeing this van. I thought I said naughty. Do I think they're following us? It's a van. How many called Norton's? Whenever I keep seeing the same van or something or person.

What, have we seen them more than once today? Yeah. Oh, here's the cafe. Oh, this is cute. I've never been here. I didn't even know it's here. I love the cafe. Right, let's get a coffee.

What do you want? I'll get them. No, don't be. No, we'll get it, babe, won't we? You sure? It's our treat. Well, thank you very much. I don't know if he's allowed in.

Do you want me to sit out here with the dog? I think he might be a hard. Can we hold him just if we order? What do you fancy? I'm just considering whether I need more coffee in my life right now. So I think I might just go for like a peppermint tea please, if that's okay. That's a nice idea. Thank you.

I might go. Yeah, I want three coffees. I'm having less enough. Yes enough. Ice. Hey. Late maybe. Come on Ray.

Look at him, bless him. Gets these exercises in. You should have a step count on Ray. Oh yeah. A little watch. Do you know when I first got a dog, I had all these fantasies about, we'll go running through the hills together and it'll get me outside. Look at him.

What's wrong with him? I would like to see how many steps he's done now today. Oh look at that. I like those wolf dogs. Oh, that is a big dog. He's a big dog. I think I could ride that. I'm not even joking.

He's like one of those dogs on those wolf jumpers. You don't really see them in the wild. Beautiful dog. You only see them in the market on the jumpers. I don't actually see them in the park. I've honestly, I've ever seen those dogs on a sweatshirt. Also, how much do you feel like you need to go for a run right now? The amount of runners, I feel so unhealthy.

It's so true. Come on, Ray. Yeah, so we were talking. Talking about 13 year old Charlie ringing up celebrity PRs and Jonathan Wilkes in her school lunch breaks saying can I have an interview with you please for my magazine do you think that sort of I suppose it is tenacity and initiative and all that kind of stuff does that come from your was it instilled in you did you just watch yeah yeah definitely Again, my mum and dad have always worked so hard.

And from a young age, yeah, they've always, it's going to weird, isn't he? Yeah, they've always supported me. They've always pushed me, but, you know, in a positive way. So I've always had this fire in my belly. Like, I kind of know what I want. And it's not a case of, and I'm not saying that in like a sport way. I mean, in terms of my career, I'm like, this is my focus. this is what I want to aim for

and I'm going to keep going until please God I get it. So yeah that has been with me from an early age which is exciting because there's so many I'm definitely like a mood boardy person and a goal person but there's so many things over the years

that I've managed to tick off which is just bloody nuts like I remember when I got a call sorry I'm jumping the gun here but I remember when I got a call to say that I was starting on the live lounge and I'm not even joking like that show back in the day was the show that I used to listen to so when I tick that off the board I'm like right okay this is getting ridiculous now what do I need to ask for next because this is nuts what do I need to do to get to the next goal but some people would say

and I suppose that's why with mood boards the mood board is only as good as the person creating the mood board so a lot of people can create mood boards and then if they you sit there vaping and playing candy crash. None of, you're not going to be presenting the live lounge, are you? Well, I mean, maybe you will, but. No, you won't. You absolutely won't, Charlie. So that's my point is that what I think the mood board is,

is essentially a to-do list for driven people. Yeah, I just, I've always, I'm a, a person that likes to visualize what I want. So it's like, okay, where do I see myself in the next five years? is like what do I see myself doing what do I actually want write it down let's try and work out how we get there if there's nose along the way then call there's always been nose more nose than than yeses obviously because that's how are you at handling rejection I'm quite bad at it um when I was younger again I was quite I still am sensitive but I was quite a sensitive little soul but so I would probably be upset but you know again I have my family there to

pick me up and go this is life let's go again let's let's find another another way in so yeah in a way I think you need to have a lot of rejection so then appreciate what you get but you only appreciate it afterwards because some of those rejections I don't know if you've got them I have things that happened in my teens or where it's still I wake up and it bothers me not because of how things turned out very happy with how things turned up but just Just that feeling is very visceral, isn't it? And you feel everything much more when you're younger. You do.

But again, I've got to the point, which I don't know when this sort of kicked in, but I'm very good at going, okay, stop. That isn't going to happen or it's not good for now. And I almost blank it out and pretend it's not happened and just move on. I'm very good at going, yeah, okay, boom, done. On to the next thing. Really? Yeah, because I just... So you're quite practical, aren't you?

I've always been... Mentally practical? I am, yeah, I am, but I've always been a big worryer and I think over the years just bloody got me nowhere. I've just worried so much, I've worried about worrying and it's just not got me anywhere. So what do you say, what's the hedge's way then? What do you say to yourself? If you're obsessing, you know, it's like overthinking, like, thinking about something.

Do you just say like, stop or something? Yeah, in my head, I'm like, right, I need to pack it in. Normally my mum says you pack it in. just stop because you're going too far just focus move on simple as that we all need a Mrs Hedges in our life yeah yeah we do yeah we do are your parents still together yeah yeah they're being married oh god they're going to kill me for not knowing this but it's like 45 years I bet your dad does a good barbecue no no he's pants it's my brother my brother's on the barbecue yeah does your yeah but your dad does know about roads yeah well yeah I mean

what would you rather I think I'd rather the the rating world I don't know I do love my food sorry dad so tell me about so kiss yeah started as you say it's kind of as a result of your dad yeah my god 100% he had someone in his cab and said look you know who happened to work at kiss yep was a DJ at kiss and he said look if you could give my daughter some work experience and this person followed through well it was initially it was just can she come up and interview you so they gave me the interview

and then I just said look would you mind if I popped in during school holidays like the odd day so I don't want to be a pest but is there time for me to do that and they said yes so I think I used to go up on a I can't remember I used to come up on a Sunday every now

and again and then that sort of continued right through oh he's another dog Oh yeah, what is that? Is that a retriever? Yes. Very sweet. Lovely golden retriever, Ray. Yeah, that continued right up until me finishing college and starting uni.

And it was about a week before I started uni that I got a call from the breakfast show at the time saying that they needed a runner. And did I want to come and work on the breakfast show? I didn't want to obviously turn my degree down and just not do that. So I used to do both. I used to get up, get into breakfast, I think, about half four in the morning. And this is at KISS. This is at KISS, yeah, half four, drive there, finish a breakfast show at 9, drive to Harlow, straight after for...

To college. Yep, and then... And you were there to... I was there for three years. But you were there to sort of, you know, end of the day. Oh yeah, six, six at night, drive home, go again. Yeah. Yeah.

It was a lot of fun. It was a lot of fun. fun again that but again it's pretty it's pretty unusual I would say you know as a student to be getting the in it to work at 4 30 in the morning and then doing the full day I mean partly I went to university as I thought great I don't have to work for three years but you're willingly getting up at half four in the morning so that that sort of separates you a bit wouldn't you say from the average again mentioning one of my tutors at uni I can't remember how long into me starting my degree it was it was a

it was a good few months and I remember him calling me and saying I don't think you're going to be able to do both I don't think you're going to pass and be able to work on a breakfast show and so I'm just giving you heads up and I was like at the time I was furious I'm like no bloody am and he didn't even know about the 13 year old phone call to Jonathan will no but he was you know, he was trying to help me out. Yeah. He was doing it in a lovely way and he was trying to be caring. But I thought, no, I want to do both.

So, yeah, again, I just was like, right, I'm doing it. I will pass. I will get what I need to get. And I did, yeah, I was there for three years. But again, half, like, it's funny because the uni experience for me, again, only from, like, friends going to uni and people that I knew, uni was like a lot of party in a lot of this and the other but I never really got involved in all that because I couldn't because you were working yeah because I was working which I wouldn't

change it for the world but yeah so you um you kept yourself tidy is how I like to put it yeah do you know what I mean just in terms of you weren't sort of having that wild experience I think it was wrong I went out but it wasn't I couldn't go I couldn't go nuts come on Go on Ray. Do you like going on the grass? Oh let's have them to have a little run. Go on Ray, off you go. I want you to show Charlie how you can run. Do you have a race?

Let's go. And we've got our new producer Will starting today. So Will's going to race. No, but I want, I want to sell Ray to him. So he doesn't just think he's a lung. Will's like, right now I'm not taking the job. Come on Ray. Come on Ray.

how you run. Show Charlie how you run. Let's go. Come on, let's go. Look at this Charlie. Yeah! Come on! Woo! Good-bye! Yes, Ray. Tell you what, Ray still struts. That's a good run. Do you know what? Have you look at him. Look at the twerk, Charlie. Let me change positions. Off you go, Ray. Oh my god, that is a twerk in a half. Oh, you've got gold bits in your hair. I have this bits of tinsel. Do you know that? Merry Christmas. So good. Thanks. They're just like little accent.

Was that for one of your Walter gigs or something? Do you know what? Initially, it was for a festival I did last year and then I just keep going back and getting them redone. Doesn't it nice? I just keep it in all time now. Oh, I love it. Get some. No, I couldn't. Not at my age, dear. Don't be stupid. Of course you can.

Oh, I like that attitude. You're right. Of course you can. Come on, Ray. Oh, Ray, there's a cigarette there. It's so retro. Ray, use the bin, please, after you've had a siggy. I know, we don't want that. It's so funny.

This is the best day ever. Honestly, I've needed this so much. I can't even tell you. Not for the podcast, but geez. Yeah, this is a... What a highlight. 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.