Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Flo and Joan (Part One)

Episode Date: January 27, 2026

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with musical comedy duo Flo and Joan, aka sisters Nicola and Rosie Dempsey.They chat about growing up in Portsmouth in a vicarage, what it’s really like performing together as sisters (including a little sibling disagreement), and the viral video they made back in 2016 that helped launch their comedy career, leading to appearances on Live at the Apollo and the Royal Variety Performance.Flo and Joan also talk about their critically acclaimed live shows, and the good news is they’re heading back out on tour later this year with Flo and Joan with Feeling, kicking off in September. Tickets and dates are available at https://floandjoan.com.It’s a warm, funny and family-feeling walk with two brilliantly talented performers who instantly won over Ray, leaving Emily feeling slightly surplus to requirements (at least until it was time to pick up the poo).Follow Emily:InstagramX Walking The Dog is produced by Will NicholsMusic: Rich JarmanArtwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Our stepdad was a priest which made it even worse. So our slight attempts at sabotage were putting pictures of Satan on his desktop before people came into his meetings. Yeah, the devil's going to get you on like the screensaber and stuff. Homerset with his bum hanging out. Yeah. This week on Walking the Dog, Ray and I went for a stroll with musical comedy duo Flo and Joan, otherwise known as sisters Nicola and Rosie Dempsey.

So full disclosure, I turned up a couple of minutes late, which is very bad form for a host. But luckily, the girls fell so instantly head over heels in love with Ray. I didn't think they even realised. And Ray fell in love with them right back. Frankly, I was surplus to requirements. However, we did end up having the loveliest walk chatting about their childhood in Portsmouth, where they grew up in a vicarage, how they navigate performing together as sisters. At one point, by the way, they had a minor sisterly disagreement during the podcast, which I absolutely loved.

And we also talked about the viral video they made back in 2016, which really helped kickstart their comedy career. And has led to them appearing on shows like Live at the Apollo and the Royal Variety Performance. They're also known for their critically acclaimed live shows. And the good news is they're set to go on tour at the end of this year with Flo and Joan with Feeling, which kicks off in September, so do make sure to book your tickets now at floanjone.com. Ray and I loved our walk with Nicola and Rosie, partly because they're hilarious company,

but also because they made Ray and I feel very much like part of the family, although they made it very clear when it came to picking up his poo that I was very much on my own. And to be honest, I can't say I blame them. I really hope you enjoy our chat. I'll stop talking now, so you can hear from the fabulous women themselves. Here's Flo and Joan and Ray Ray.

Come on. What is sassy little block of dog? Isn't he sassy? He's got his own highlights. Yes. He's got a sort of ombreie thing going on. Aubre ponytail. He's got a lot of money for that in these areas of London.

I have started spending more money on Ray's hair than mine. I'm not going to lie. Right, come on Ray. You're technically not meant to be in this area, I don't think. It says no dogs. do you have to sorry just one more question on the hair do you have to cut it

yes I have he has a groomer who's called dog on fabulous they always have these kind of names don't know yeah there must be a cat groomer now called Pussy Palace

yeah there must be if there isn't there should be it's a great idea copyright it now just in case yeah that's a really good idea you know

yeah the old Lily Allen techniques or a Brazilian parlor. Yeah, just go to just go to us. Oh, was Ray doing a poo-poo? Okay. Get that out, you're Ray.

Right, that's a little embarrassing. So early on the first day. You should make your guest pick it up. You're a humbling experience. You promote our things and then we pick up your dog shed. I think that's fair enough. Right, come on, Ray. We're just going to pick this up.

I like the way they try and make poo less disgusting by making the poo, decorating the poo bags with cartooned four-prints. So I am with the very wonderful, Flo and Joan, but I'm not going to call you Flo and Joan, because those aren't your real names. Your real names are Nicola and Rosie. You like that I'm telling you all about yourself.

It's good to be reminded. Yeah. When you're having a small crisis of confidence who am I, what am I doing, where am I? It's nice for someone to say, you are Flo and Joan, but you're not really Flore and Joan. Your names are actually Nicola and Rosie. Oh yeah, I do remember that. And we're in Regents Park and you've met Ray already.

who I think has, I think he's landed rather well with you. Would that be fair to say? I think a third sibling, energy very much so. Maybe a middle sibling, sort of a nonchalant middle sibling. I think so. Doesn't need to get involved. He's like in your strides as well. Sometimes we have very big men on this podcast.

That sounded a bit strange. You know what I mean? And they take big strides. And the thing with big men, is they don't realise how much faster they walk than the likes of me and Ray. I was told that the faster you walk, the more scared you are, because it's an animal instinct. Alastair Handel's terrified.

It's a safety walk. Get to your next safe space quickly so you don't get bitten in the desert. Interesting. That's just one theory. I do notice as well who sort of slows down for Little Ray. I think to me, and I will tell you a lot about a person, I think, of you're more considerate the people that you're, like you're thinking about who you're with and who you're around instead of just bombing off down the road.

Oh, he's just blocks you, I'm sorry. Not at all. So girls, this is so exciting. We're in Regent's Park. We should say the tree cutting today, which isn't ideal for a podcast. No. So if you do occasionally hear a goose. Go on, girl.

There's also, there's also quite main character. energy geese in this park as well. Sort of flow and Joan in a different life. Yeah, I think so. The two arsacat geese. So you two are obviously sisters and you don't have a dog. I'm interested, did you...

Well, did neither of you have pets currently? Not at the moment, no. Not at the moment, but grew up with two golden Labradores. Did you? Yes. Yeah. Oh, you've just justified your presence on this podcast. We had a cat first.

Oh. I always think that's like one of the panellists on mock the week. Yeah, it just doesn't stop. And the other one is really trying to get a word in Edgway. That's a woman. Yeah. That's the woman on mocked the week. And then the man is going, let me say my funny thing.

And she, in a minute, she's going to say one devastating thing, and he'll shut up for the rest of the afternoon. No, what he'll do is repeat what she says. That's Aditya. And pretend that he said it. So two Labrador's and this is in Portsmouth am I right in thinking. Yeah, I grew up in, well when we were in Cusham in the city of Portsmouth. Is that the campus of this city?

Yeah, sure. City life. Mum had a cat. Yeah. Polly. Yeah. Is this Alison? Alison.

Okay, we're done a deep dive here. This is stressful. Oh, lovely mother. I'm weird. I will search my guess. I don't just turn up and go, hey, how are you? How are you? I'm excited to see what are the secrets you know.

Yeah, I feel like we don't tell people a lot of stuff. So the fact that you've even got our mum's name is quite stressful to me. Listen, I don't know what else is buried on the internet. Do you reckon it's a single L or a double L? I'm old school though. I do do my research. I know it's no longer fashionable. I think it's good.

I'm glad that you do it. Fistidious. But I promise it won't be like Frostnix. Go on, give us your worst. So Alison, well let's get this out the way because I do know the names. I'm going to see if I remember them. Yeah. your mom. Your dad Barry, who sadly no longer with us. How do you know that? This is horrible.

I hate this. Can I go home? I'm going to walk into a bush and you'll never see me again. This is what life used to be like when people prepared for interviews. It's more that I don't remember saying it. So I'm like, what drunk person has got this out of me? Give us more. On a night out. And stepdad, Terry. Yeah, yeah, yeah. That's incredible. So your mom had, well, so you were telling me about your mum had a cat is that right yeah they called her Polly because she used to sit on our dad's shoulder I think like a parrot is the I didn't know that yeah I think that's the story that we were told and tell me about the dogs as well the dogs we got them when our mom told when

our mom and our stepdad told us that they were getting married we said they we were like 10 and 12 maybe eight and nine yeah whatever we said you can only get married if we can have a dog if you take us to Disneyland Park no I think they took us to parrot because we never sort of did holidays like that and we weren't the happiest about the new the new um you wouldn't be the new nuptials sure not a good age I'd say yeah it's really difficult and you lost your dad when you were pretty young yeah yeah yeah and as far as we were concerned there was only one dad and no one would ever come on the scene and we had a lovely life with mum it was all ticking along

very nicely and then some beast comes along who is how I a very loved member of our family. I think everyone goes through that kind of phase. I remember when my mum started going out with someone, she's divorced my dad. And my sister and I reacted by putting drawing pins in their beds. Which was, it was, and then it was just never mentioned. My mom just quietly got rid of the drawing pins.

That's very funny. You get one of those next time. Our stepdad was a priest, which made it even worse. So our slight attempts at sabotage were putting pictures of Satan on his desktop before people came into his meetings. Yeah, the devil's going to get you on like the screensaber and stuff. Homersitting with his bum hanging out. Yeah.

What you thought was genius? Again, I like this because I feel very seen. I always feel people are shocked and I tell them about the drawing things. I mean, there were worse things we left in there. Yeah. I can't go into that. But, yeah, I, and how did your mum and your stepdad deal with it? Did they just never, we shall never speak of this again?

Well, to bring full circle, we got a dock. Yeah. Maybe this will stop them. I think it was, it was very much, here's something to entertain you. And we did also, the house that he, the house that we had to move to, because of his job, had a garden. So it was nice to have a dog. Like a big garden.

And like, it was in the country. so there were lots of like it was conducive to dog walking whereas we were in the city before and that was less accommodating for a large dog and this when you say the house you had to move to your stepdad was a C of a vicar is that right yes so you moved into a vicarage we did yes we did which is entirely embarrassing for a 10 and 12 year old again like when you're 10 and 12 years old you've just moved school you've just had to move out of your the home that you were brought up in away from all your friends there's one bus an hour and all that sort of stuff and on top of that your step and on top of that your step and on top of that your step and you're step dad's a bicker and he'll pick you up from school actually he was pretty good at taking the dog collar off but every now and again you'd be like oh for god's sake and we should say even though this is a dog based podcast we're talking about dog collar he didn't he didn't wander around in the collar wasn't raised well specialist interest on a leash um yes i can see that actually guys because anything that signifies difference is just as my youngest niece would say say cringe. Yeah, as a teenager as like a young teenager where you've got enough

going on as it is and then sort of the uprooting and all of that but like in a grand scheme of things you just you do just get on with it like he was like it was all fine really yeah it was all fine yeah now now looking back at the place that we used to live that this is the kind of place where people dream to live now yeah because it's in the countryside and just on the commuter belt but at the time it was it was it was it was hellish yeah for children two children. We used to go on these incredible country walks that we'd have to get dragged on. And now I go away for weekends to go on these country walks. At the time it was horrible.

We were just city kids and we liked being busy and been out with our friends and you just couldn't do that as much. Well, I think children have very bad taste. When we were kids, we lived in this sort of incredibly beautiful, mock got got got a got into a nice, beautiful mock gothic sort of gated village thing and we used to say why come in a nice modern house on our friends yeah we would have said that all the time yeah well I just wanted to spin a two up to you down something simple just on a busy street where you couldn't park all your friends are around you you could walk to school well again that's because that singles you out the vicarage everyone

knows that's a it's got sort of a story attached to it yeah everyone knows it's not just anonymous Harry Potter house or whatever. Yeah, it's exactly that. Keep dogs on a lead in this area. We can do that, can't we girls? I think you'll manage. You've said before that people often say, oh, what's it like working with your sister?

It must, you know, that's such a common thing. So I'm nervous to ask that, because it's a cliche. But I am interested in your dynamic, I suppose, growing up. we didn't really we weren't friends growing up I don't think until we both went away to university we really interacted with each other other than to like have a fight over who was sitting in the front seat or who got to watch what they wanted on TV like but I think that's sort of similar for a lot of siblings like when you're we're both just very different and didn't cross over particularly and then it was only when we went to uni that we realized that there were things that

we had in common that we hadn't found in the people that we'd met at uni and stuff and and then you sort of bond over that, would you say? Yeah, yeah, definitely. And there's two years between you, is that right? Yeah. Correct. And I'm going to start saying allegedly after every correct fact you say, because I don't like that you've got so much stuff right so far.

I'm interesting. Does that genuinely make you feel slightly nervous that I know things about you? No, no, no, no. Oh, good, okay. I do think it's interesting because I feel like we're quite closed books and we don't really, we don't, would you say, I don't think we are like, we're not particularly, forthcoming with general fact about ourselves.

So when people find them, I'm like, oh, okay. You're going to change today. I know I don't like it. No, it's fine. I wonder, how do you know our dad was called Barry? Yeah, I don't remember ever saying that. I don't think we've ever talked about it. Did you go into like a census or something?

I just, I just know these things. I have my ways, girls. You have a mutual friend somehow. Yeah, who's, I don't think we've ever told Julian this. How, who knows? Julian is their manager who's a friend of money. Can I say Julian did not say it, divulge any information?

I don't even know, yeah. I'll be sending a sternny. stern email yeah exactly um so you're saying you weren't that close but comedy is obviously what you do now and you're both very talented at it but was that something that you did sort of bond over did you watch the same things make you laugh or was there a sense of comedy being a currency i suppose in your household our family quite silly yeah my mom's got a lot of sisters and they were silly and very funny and I suppose that growing up you were like we did we were watching similar things like we were watching we were saying the other day we

watched my forgot how funny my wife and kids was on yeah on trouble yeah we laughed at TV together yeah and then you learn each other's rhythms like when you have the same experience you have the same cultural reference points and you have the same I have the same I have I actually I'm gonna say I have a sister because she's sadly no longer with us but I always used to say I had. And then I thought, no, your sister's still always your sister. Yeah. But I have a sister and she and I, I felt we spoke a weird language which only we were literate in.

Yes. Which is sort of weird reference points to, you know, the drawing pins in the bed. You know, I don't know if you had this weird. Oh, it's a bit of a fill in the name. Yeah. You know, with some family friend or something. Yeah. And I wonder even if you were saying you would.

quite different people it sounds like but that is such a bonding thing that that there's only sort of one other person alive who's literate in that language yeah yeah i definitely notice it now like obviously now more than ever because we spend so much time together that you either spend time in a group of friends or when we go home you can see like sort of family members or whoever they just feel ever so slightly on the outside because you're you're just used to converse in the way that you converse with the reference points and with the life experience and blah blah and so as soon as you

end up in a group with other people I think it is a little bit obvious sorry guys Rachel what's going on here get on the back of the goose oh look at little quiff what did you want to see you there that was really

no it's all right darling he has very knows his own mind about what direction he wants to go in this energy come on What is it, guys? He doesn't want to go up this way. Why don't you like that way?

He only wants to go where he's not allowed to go. Yeah. Let's go back to that Aussie Gardner. Yeah. What do you think this is? Is this a way of saying, oh, he's going over to Nicola? Oh, no, he's going.

Yeah, that's all it is. This is just a wee in a bush. I love the way that they, him choosing where he's going to we. Yeah. It's like he's browsing in Zara. It's like, should I go for that. It's a bit like a public toilet though, isn't it?

Where you still do, I'm looking at a couple, go, oh, that's a bit of a messy leaf. Let's go to the next. Come on, Ray. No, we can't be stopping every second. Sniff them leaves. Yeah. That's the joys of the day for a dog, though, surely. Well, yes.

What different smells today? I was reading that that's really important you let them sniff, because they get so much stimulation and dopamine from it. It's the equivalent to like a two-mile walk or something. Really? Just sniffing for 10 minutes. Imagine. Come on, Ray.

Almost feels a bit perverse watching him have his high moments of the day. Sorry. You sniffing piece. Yeah. Okay, you're being a little bit silly, Billy now. I'm going to pick you up. That was sort of his way of saying I've had enough. So the dog, by the way, I should get back to the dog.

Were either of you more sort of. bonded to the dog? Yes. We had two. Oh, two dogs I should say, yeah. And I think we both bonded to a different money. We got Lucy first and Lucy was actually a gift from the parish and that sounds extremely embarrassing to say out. I think it was sort of a welcoming gift and also the parish. They are big farmers and I got the impression that thoroughbreds. If you're going to have a Labrador, we know the breeder. We'll find the good. It felt, like that they're sort of offering to sort of welcome us into the church. I love that gift from the parish.

It's like Putin when he, I think it's the Japanese. Who was it who gave him a, there was an Akita or a husky or something? He got given by a world leader. Yeah. It feels a bit like if you're going to have a dog, we will tell you what kind of dog that we would like you to have because you're sort of very visible in this village. Yeah, if the priest is going to have his Labrador. We don't want these city kids picking out some ugly old thing.

Mongrel. We're going to choose your dog for you. but she was so it's Lucy and Lucy first we had Lucy for a few years yeah and and we loved Lucy Lucy actually had really short legs yeah for Labrador much like us yeah me too really felt right I don't you ever get a dog with short legs I don't want some with it showing me up I don't I get jealous of a dog so we had a little rattling around in size zero and then we got Amber I was actually thinking this morning because a new dogs would come I can't remember why, because we had a fairly busy life,

I can't remember why mum thought it was a good idea to get a second one. I think we might have begged them, or maybe the company. It's the wrong era. I think the person who, there was someone in the village who'd had a litter. Oh, is that right? And we had probably begged for one. Just wanted that puppy feeling again. Yeah, I wanted the puppy feeling a little friend for Lucy.

Yeah. Look at these five. There's a large group of, what would you say, there are these people? led by a world dressed, I reckon, something to do with the university. Study group. Study group. The man has definitely got the feeling of PhD. Yeah, PhD, but maybe like a visiting group from a European university.

Yes, I think that's probably true. I wanted to ask about growing up in the vicarage as it were, which we've talked about, did that give you a slight sense with your stepdad being a vicar of having a having to be on a bit. Do you know what I mean, like having to be on brand and representing the vicarage? A little bit, but I think we almost did the opposite. In rebellion, we'd sort of dress a bit of scabby.

It coincided perfectly at the age where if you're going to rebel, you're going to rebel. And we probably didn't need an excuse, but when they got married, we were like, okay, let's go. Like, we weren't particularly rebellious or badly behaved kids. So we didn't badly behave. No, we weren't at all.

We were extremely obedient, I would say, and respect. I think we were really respectful of the people in the village, but we knew we weren't like them, I think, because they were sort of, I would also describe them as thoroughbreds. Yeah, right, you were a bit more feral. Yeah. So I think we were like, they sort of invite us to dinner parties and things and be really hospitable.

So we learned, I think we learned how to do dinner party chat, and be nicer. I think we don't like to be. Should we head back in this direction just down that way, as it were? Sorry, you were saying about the vicarage, which I'm upset. I'm glad you were, because I'm not. Well, I think I'm just interested in that sense of, presumably there were dinners and lunches and faiths.

It's definitely like, fates coming out your bloody ears. We hated going to those. Really? Yeah, awful. You're just like, you're a 14-year-old and you don't want to spend your Saturday afternoon, like selling whatever you do at a fate jam sponges or whatever like you there was very much a feeling of you had to be visible as the family like you had to yeah a bit like being an MP's kid in some ways I guess like in that you less glamour and not the salary for sure but like the

the feeling of like we'd have to go to church and we don't want to go to like we didn't want to go we didn't want to be there that was difficult because we also didn't we didn't believe in it, but you'd have to show face. We went to, like, Catholic school and stuff. Like, before they got married, we had gone to, like, church schools and stuff. So it wasn't, like, we were suddenly being dropped into a completely foreign world. Like, you had a understanding of it. But again, like, if we were, like, a lot younger, like, pre-10, then it probably wouldn't

have been such a big deal. Or if we were older, it wouldn't have been such a big deal. But it just, like, was slap bang in the middle of us becoming teenagers, where you don't want to do anything that your parents want you to do anyway. Yeah. Mum was pretty good at, I think, seeing that. Mum and Terry are both good at seeing, like, if we didn't want to do something, or they'd be like, you can just come for 10 minutes and then you can go home and watch TV or whatever.

They were kind with driving us to friends' parties at stupid o'clock in the morning. Yeah. Because they knew that it wasn't the easiest. So they were kind in, like, they didn't force us to be at anything. No. We've established that you two were a little bit different. Who's the sort of when you were growing up? Well, people used to say to me and my sister a lot,

because I guess we were very different. I mean different to each other? Yeah. You're weird, I know. You're weirdos. So my sister are a little bit weird. We were different to each other, and we shared a room for a while, and you could sort of see we had this curtain down the middle

since I was fighting at night. But if you looked on either side, it would tell you, it was really fascinating, how, different we were in that mine was all books like the naughtiest school girl in the school and glittery sort of horses and uniforms and lipsticks and Henry the eight yeah and my sisters was very sort of she was very into Sherlock Holmes and it was all much more I suppose refined she used to listen to Handel and she played the trumpet and so I'm thinking who's the

How did it break down between you two? That's what I'm kind of saying. So yeah, what were your... Where were your points of difference? I did music, you did sport. Yes. Rosie didn't read a book until she went to study English literature at uni. That's not true.

I read poetry. Okay, yeah, yeah, yeah. But the fun stuff. Yeah. Not the traditional William Wordsworth. So you were more sort of emo, Nicola, sometimes, were you? You were, yeah. You were, yeah.

Like black eyeliner, big baggy trousers. You did the Gothic era for sure. I went got goth, but like not, I wasn't listening to the goth music, but I aesthetically was a goth. Yeah. You were essentially, probably you were essentially the cooler out for two of us because you didn't follow mainstream. I was a bit more, yeah, sporty, did a lot of dancing. I wasn't so good at musical or I wasn't so, I was okay. I think, I had other things to do instead.

You were a lot more studious, so I think it suited you to progress in those instruments. I'm crossing the bridge now. So you both went to university and Nicola you did music, is that right? You're going to freak out if I know that. No, I can't afford it. What you need to go to? You could take an easy guess at music. Okay, I did music.

And you did English? Correct. I won't tell you I know which universities because you might have heart failure. They shut down my music course now, so it doesn't really worry. Cardiff and Queen Mary. Correct. That's so impressive. Thank you for doing your research.

Yeah, it's so nice. And so at that point, are you thinking... I mean, presumably you're not thinking you're going to end up working together in the way that you do. Not a clue, no. Still lived really different lives. Yeah. Yeah. But you had a change in what you wanted to do.

Yeah, I didn't, I wasn't really getting on in, I finished the degree, like I got my degree or whatever, but I didn't particularly enjoy it. But while I was there, I think a bit before I left and then, but whilst I was at Cardiff got really into comedy and watching it and those kinds of things, like really, particularly American comedy. And I'd researched that the shows that I liked, so many of the people went to this place called Second City in Chicago. So I decided to, I finished uni, worked in a supermarket for like 18. months, saved money and then moved to Chicago to go to Second City. That's quite bold, though, isn't it? Yeah, it's a bit mad. There was sort of no, the only indication I had that I might not be insane was there

used to be a show on Radio 7, which I don't even know if that's a thing anymore, called News Jack. And they accepted open submissions from anyone could send stuff in. It was like a satirical show, I think. And I sent one, like, page of jokes in. And they, the first one I sent in, they took my first joke. So I was like, okay, well, I can't be crazy because I've written a joke and I've been paid £18 by the BBC and it's got out on the radio.

So I think that was just like the first, like, you're not. I wasn't insane to be thinking maybe I could do comedy. So yeah, I just went out to Chicago and started doing that. And then while I was out there, you'd finished uni and also working in a pub. Yeah, I went home and worked in a pub. I didn't mean what I was doing. I was going to go travelling and didn't do that. I was just so aimless, I had no idea.

But I'd been doing these classes in, like, they do improv and sketch and write, like, every, all of this kind of stuff. And was, like, would FaceTime home or whatever, and said to Rosie, like, I think you'll really enjoy it. Like, Rosie was a very good actor and did a lot of, like, youth theatre and stuff like that. And was like, I think you'd really enjoy this. And then she followed out. I thought, so it was Toronto. I started in Chicago. And then you went to Toronto.

I was only in Chicago for a little bit, and then was in Toronto for two years, three years. years and you were both so you both at that point were you living together in Toronto then yeah yeah I only went out to visit you for a little bit and then was like oh it's quite a nice life here I could stay yeah I was doing some of the second city courses as well I was like it's nice out here it's it Toronto's a lovely city and everyone was so friendly and lovely so I just kept my summer wardrobe and then gradually built it into a very winter wardrobe and then got eventually got a visa yeah and

I think when you first certainly came on my radar, and I remember you coming on a lot of people's radar, was when you posted this song about 2016. Yes, yes. And it kind of went viral. It went like old-fashioned viral. I remember we put it up. I was talking to a friend about this the other day.

We were in Second City doing like a rehearsal for something. And Second City, we should explain, is the sort of comedy... Like training ground, I guess. That you were doing in Toronto. Yes, yeah, yeah. We were just in one of their rooms rehearsing for something, whatever. We put the video up in the morning. We'd never done a video or anything before.

No. I don't know what made us think about it or be like, should you write a song about 2016? It's been really bad. It had a short shelf life as well. And we weren't doing loads of gigs. We were so new, so we were like, it needs to live somewhere because it won't live on the stage in Toronto.

So we put it on our, on Facebook. We didn't have Instagram at that time. Facebook was the only thing. I don't think. I don't think Instagram was a thing. It was Facebook Lives. You remember that? It was a big thing.

It was that. And we put it up and went on about our day, looked at it in like the break of rehearsal or something. And it had like quite a few, like more views on it than anything we'd put up before because we put like three things up. And then it got to a point where our friends were like refreshing the video and it was going up by like 10,000 views every time we pressed it. So yeah, it went kind of old-fashioned viral.

And it featured, you know, it's a really great song because you do look back. on that and if anyone's forgotten it was a really shitty year it's appalling just because it was David Bowie Prince died Alan Rickman died Victoria Wood died Carolina Hearn yeah lots of comedy like cultural legends and that was the beginning of Trump yeah beginning of Brexit it was yeah yeah so it came at once and a little brains felt overloaded so just turned it into the song yeah I'm just picking Ray up whilst these geese are doing their thing what's really like with them Well, he's super gentle, but I think they might see him as prey.

I could see him being picked up in the closing of birds. We don't want the birds picking you up. Oh God, how do you feel about birds? I'm a big fan. Yeah, you love birds. I don't love them. I'm not going to buy one, but... One thing about Nicolet is she loves birds.

Yeah, put that piece of information on the internet. You're quite good at spotting them. Knowing the, you sort of know, you know quite a lot of brands of birds. I absolutely do not. You do, don't, you used to know. So when that went viral, how did you feel about that? Because I've got to be honest, I think, I remember there was one, Ray went viral not wrong ago, just a stupid picture of his haircut.

You know when something, it got like 8 million views or something. Right. And I've got to be honest, I felt really uncomfortable with it. Yes. Yeah. It was a weird thing because it's why you think, well, that's why you're on social media. You get your 8 and 9 million views.

I felt kind of a bit overwhelmed and exposed, which sounds ridiculous. I know. It's happening to people every day, but... Yeah. Did you relate to that at all, or did you feel 100% happy and this is great and this is a good thing? It definitely felt weird, but I think the good thing about that time is...

I think the best thing that happened... Oh my God. The best thing that happened to us in that time is it blew up, and then a few days later, out a gig. It was like nine people in the audience and no one in the audience had a clue that we'd put a video up. So it's just an immediate way of being like, yeah, your comedians, you go out, your work is on stage and that's where you get your loyalty. And now we don't, we don't flirt with social media too much because it is, I feel weird if a video goes up, sometimes we have to

put something out for a promo or the company is just like, can you pop this out, you've got a thing or whatever and you'll just post it but my notifications are turned off I don't look at any of that I just let it do its business and know that that's our personalities are not posters when it doesn't really work for how I enjoy how I enjoy my day does not involve posting a video I think it taught I think I can speak to you in this but I think it taught like a very very valuable and early lesson of the first time you see a comment from someone you don't know and it's not nice and being like oh that feels

horrible I'm not going to look at that anymore and I think that was like obviously like things slip through or whatever but in general it was in a good way of being like that made me feel horrible and I don't I don't know who that person is and I don't want to see stuff like that and so yeah like turning off notifications and not read like it was a good way to early on be like I don't like it I don't want to see it and therefore I'm not going to engage in it like I don't think we never replied to anything we very very rarely replied to anything I'll bear that in mind can I hit you up and ask you to collab on this

No, no, no. Oh, I get, cricking. We'll see that. Like, in people you don't know. Yes. It freaks me out. The whole thing. It feels like someone takes, it feels like your thing has been taken away from you and it doesn't belong to you anymore.

Yeah. And you're the thing to ogle at. You'll become a sort of a circus event. And like a machine where people want more of that. Like, oh, I don't really like that. I don't want it. Why are you trying to talk to me? I don't, I don't know you.

But then the fine line of also, if you like something or, if you like something or, if something's speaking, I don't know, we put up a video about your past was not arriving at time Christmas because we love the song and it felt the time was right and we love playing the song. So it'd be lovely to put this out. If I was a fan of what we did, I would like to see that song at this time of year. It makes sense. So it's that fine line of like opening up yourself and then closing it a little bit and how much you let in and out. Yeah.

I think it's those like big time viral things that that's when it feels weird. But yeah, when it's just like it goes a little bit beyond your general circle and then not much fair that that feels quite nice. Who's the more sensitive to criticism? Because that's part and parcel of what's that? Nicola. That's why I can't read, I don't read and look at stuff because I can get irrationally angry very quickly. I can feel misunderstood very quickly. And I don't like it.

I don't like people having an opinion of me and being able to say. No. And so again, are you more dark and complicated? No. Yes. No, I say that as the dark and complicated one of my. I think you're all so sensitive. You can like, you're rationalising.

If someone like something weird online, it's so absurd. I find us being alive, absolutely absurd. Humans are fruits. I can't make sense of it, so why should I try? Yeah. So, yeah, I can giggle it off. If anything, bring on the comments, guys. Don't say that.

Give me a giggle. Don't say that. 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.