Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Kelvin Fletcher and Liz Fletcher

Episode Date: October 10, 2022

This week Emily and Ray headed to the Peak District to take a stroll with Kelvin Fletcher, Liz Fletcher and their cavapoochon, Ginger. They chatted about how they manage being parents of four, farmers and performers! They also discuss their new book, Fletchers on the Farm. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

I've got a friend who's got a house in Suffolk and he has an owl. Sort of, you know, as you do, you just get... And I said, I've had to say to it. As you do, well, you don't really. I said, that's not really a thing that you do, is it, just get an owl. That is still quite a rarity. You know, he lives in Suffolk and as you do, you get an owl. Something must do in Southwark.

What? This week on walking the dog, I took Raymond to the beautiful Peak District to stroll with Kelvin and Liz Fletcher and their gorgeous cabapouchon, Ginger, Kelvin was, of course, a long-running star in Emmerdale. He went on to win the Strictly Trophy in 2019. But he and his wife, Liz, who's an actor and voiceover artist, have become a much-loved TV couple after they decided to buy a farm and share their experiences with us on the BBC series,

Kelvin's Big Farming Adventure. So they gave Ray and I a tour of their 120-acre farm, and we honestly had the best time hearing about their life together, how they managed to juggle being farm owners, parents of four kids and performers. Raymond and I adored them. We're moving in. We're not Fussy, the pig style, do. And I know you'll love them too.

Do check out their brilliant new book, Fletcher's on the farm, Mud Mayhem and Marriage, a memoir about their lives, their love story, and their farming adventure. I'll shut up now, so you can hear from this fabulous couple themselves. Here's Kelvin and Liz Fletcher and Ginger and Raymond. Oh, and a lot of sheep and pigs. Ginger, we're going.

We're going. Wait there. Wait there. Liz, are you going to lend me some wellies? Yeah, which one? Try these green ones. You can have these green ones here. We're a size three. And then we've got, I think these are a seven here.

Perfect. The producers are size seven. Of course you can. You have to be prepared to walk, my love. You see where Grandin is. You see where Grandin is, ma'er. Should you top jeans into wellies? Yeah, because if you're starting in a load of mud,

you're not going to compromise your jeans. Your jeans are you? You see? Compromise. Compromise. It's compromise. You don't compromise. Your farmer's overalls.

I've got flowery ones if you want them instead. I quite like them. Oh, hoarse boots. Do we need a coat? No. No, it's quite well. So we don't normally put our dog on a lead. No, I won't put it right.

I've never taken the dog for a walk, if I'm honest. Because, well, I think she just runs a, she's just got the free-for-all. Well, I'm calling this free-for-all with the dog. brief rule with the dog, Liz, instead of walk with the dog, walking with the dog. Well, yeah. Liz, I don't mean to alarm you, but your son is rattling the car door. What he fancies a drive? Yeah.

I mean, I know they're quite fast in the country, but your son is about to climb into the driver's seat of a four by four, Kelvin. Our children are feral. Yeah. Do you want that, Liz? They drive tractors at her, you know. Kelvin, Fletcher, has, this has never happened before. Oh, no. I tell a lie, Ross Noble, are you familiar with him, the comic?

Yeah. That's the only time this has ever happened. I'm going to call it first, though. I've been handed a warm drink in a flask at the beginning of the Walking the Dog podcast. You've not tasted it yet. Law your standards, maybe. I'm not the best at brew making. Right, we'll go this way, I think.

Because you wait with granddad and then meet us around the back, yeah? You're going to meet us at the back? No, you're going to meet us at the back, mate. Okay? Meet us there with your back. Listen. Dad, Milo, Grandin's going to get the hammer with you.

Where have you put your hammer? Come on, he's got your special hammer. He's got you a Milo hammer. Oh. So cute. I hate letting him down like that. He's just got into building. All he does, he gets a hammer,

and he just bashes the pig house. And he says, Mom, I'm building a house for us. I'm like, oh. Well, that's enough about Kelvin. What about your kids, sir? Oh, that's where he gets it from. Oh, so we've had to leave one of your little boy Milo at home, but I just think that was very well handled.

That was an example of very good parenting from the two of you there. Well, it doesn't always go quite as smoothly as that, does it? Not really, but... In fact, I'm just thinking, is it worth going this way, darling? Yeah, we should go up the lane, yeah. Yeah, sorry. Yeah, it doesn't normally go as smooth as that. As any parent will tell you.

I haven't put Ray on a lead as you can see. He's alright, he's fine. What do you think, guys? He's alright. He doesn't look the mischievous type. You give a little command and he'll just stay around. Heal. Have you trained him?

Have I trained him? Or is he just, you know. Ginger, come on. Do you do training sessions? No, I said, I've heard to call it manipulation, really. I could have manipulate him. Oh, this is lovely. Well, I'm going to formally.

I'm so thrilled to be here. I'm in the beautiful Peak District with the fabulous Liz Fletcher and Kelvin Fletcher, the Fletcher's. I'm with the Fletchers. And introduce us to your beautiful dog. This is Ginger Fletcher. What should be a ginger Fletcher? Ginger Fletcher, yeah, the Cavafouchon. The Cabapouchon.

She's two years old now. The two and a half grand mongrel. grand mongrel I like to call it. It was probably pre-lockdown £500 but... We were the typical lockdown. We were the lockdown puppet, let's buy a puppy. Yeah. Kids I love it, let's get them a puppy. After one week... You go to the kennels. In the minute you kind of go to the kennels, all my friends were telling me, you'll come home with one. No, no, we're just going to lock in, you'll come home with one. No, no, we're just weighing it up. We're just going to look in. We came home in one.

And it was the most mischievous one. There was a real cute, fluffy little thing. I don't even know what breed it was. It was so, it looked so well behaved. It was a yorky poo. A yorky poo. Yeah. And I said, Liz, let's take him.

He looks, you know, he just a little bit of a loner, but pretty quiet as well. Let's give him a good home. And there was one that was bouncing around, causing havoc. And that was ginger. They didn't say that, actually. They didn't they said, forget what breed you want. Just look at the dog's temperament and see what you want.

Raymond. I love his short strides. He takes 20 strides to our one, doesn't he? Has he been on a farm before? He has, but you know what? I think he's... Come on, Ray. Kelvin, can you call Ray? Raymond, come on, mate.

Come on, Ray. Oh, should we see where he goes to? Come on, Ray. Come on, lad. Come on, Ray. Let's see which of the three of us. Yes. Come on, mate.

Come on, Ray. Come on Ray. Oh, he knows. He knows. You know, it's the first time that's ever happened. Come on, Ray. Let's go. It's like a bit of an armwork out for you, I guess.

Is it like, do some curls? Keep holding Ray like that. So, so you ended up getting ginger because you just felt now was the right time, basically. Yeah, we, to be honest, we didn't do it in the most ideal of scenarios. We were renting quite a small two-bedroom house at the time. We'd just moved from Oldham and we were hoping to move to where we are now.

And during that hiatus we'd sold our house really quick in Oldham and we'd not quite completed on the farm. So we had about a six or seven month spell and needed somewhere to live. So we were renting somewhere. And so we had obviously two kids. Marnie was, what was Manny four years old? Five years, four or five? Three, four, yeah. Milo was two or, yeah, one or two.

Yeah, one or two. So chaos already. And then, yeah, we decided to go and get a puppet. So I'd grown up with dogs. My mum was obsessed with animals and dogs. And so we've always kind of had a family pair. Is this Karen? Karen, yes.

Karen and Warren. Yeah. But I wasn't really a dog person. I could kind of take her leave him. I wasn't really. You know, when you walk through the park, you see a dog. I wouldn't stop and say, what breed is it? Oh, it's gorgeous.

I was just, oh, nice dog and carried on. Well, I just wasn't really a massive dog or pet person and I don't think you was either. Were you this? No, I wasn't. We, I grew up with cats, which I always thought was really cruel because I'm highly allergic to them. And my mum and dad always had a cat. Who I've just met by I say? And are absolutely fabulous.

Go on, your mom and dad. They always had a cat. So I spent my whole childhood sneezing. So I was fully over animals when I left home. I was like, I don't want any animals. I don't want any fur anywhere. and so yeah and then I don't know what happened I became obsessed with this dog breed and then it was like my phone was giving me notifications to say get a dog and everywhere I looked there was a dog

or then when we moved we started doing all the park walks and then we did start asking people yeah what breed is that and we heard like the poodle breed was quite many but the poodle breed in particular was quite good with with with children and obviously we want a dog that was going to be good with the children, not too big, kind of like a mid-size, maybe even small size, something that would hopefully be pretty good on a farm. You weren't tempted to get a sheep dog then? Not really, no, but now we're kind of here

and we've got sheep, I feel like it's the accessory I need. I really do want a sheep dog. When I have a sheep dog, they mull everywhere. So you're both from a similar part of the world. Well, the same part of the world, really, aren't you? Yeah, Oldham. And you both grew up in Oldham. And Liz, what was your...

Tell me a bit about... I mean, I've met your lovely parents. So, I think you need to go to the little. I'll put you down here. Tell me about your childhood. So I've got two older brothers, and we grew up on a cul-de-sac. Would you call that a cul-de-sac?

Where I left? Which gate we're going to go through? Go through this one. Should go down the other way, babe? Down which way? We'll come up that way. Through the forest. Yeah, yeah.

Are you a sheep? No, they're our sheep in this field here. Oh. So when you first drove in, that's kind of, that's where our farm starts. So when you look up here, we're everything to the horizon, and then down the bank as well, if you kind of follow where these haybells are, if you continue, it goes down into some woodland. So when we're all this way.

So we've got our sheep in the horse paddock actually at the minute. So we're trying to graze off some of that paddock, so we're using the sheep at the minute, and then we kind of rotate the grazing. Quite a poignant time at the minute in the farming calendar, and sheep farming calendar, because these are the ewes or the females, they're getting ready for tupping, so they're getting ready for breeding. Oh, Ray, I don't want you to listen to this. It's a bit X-rated. And then, yeah, so we're wanting them to be in the best condition they can be. And then on the 5th of November, bonfire night.

Is that a big night in the tapping calendar? That's the night. That's an awesome romantic night of the season. You say romantic. It's graphic. I call it. That's when you've got to watch the pickup artist. Is that when the pickup artists come out?

Just in November, the pickup sheep. Well, because of the sheep's gestation period, it's just four months, I think. Basically, a November the 5th release. I don't like release. We'll give you a... I don't like it. I don't like it. We'll give you an April feels lamp.

That's the... That's the equation. Bonfire night, send him out. The top will serve the women. That's what they say. So we've got one top, he'll serve. We bought 20 at the weekend and we've got 17 there plus the Cotswales. So he'll serve 37 mules, the mule breed.

So our Texel will serve 37 mules. I don't like serve. I know you've got to say it. What would you like me to say? What would you say? Entertainment. Entertain. So the Texel of entertain 37 mules.

He's beautiful. is it? And then the Angus, our Cotswaltup, will serve about eight. Oh, is it eight? Yeah, he's got three more. He's got his hands full. So yeah. Right, let's go this way. Come on then. So your parents were, your dad was an electronics engineer. Is that right? Yeah, he was an electronics engineer, a lecturer. My mom was a solicitor for the CPS. I had two older brothers. and we grew up on this little street where it was like a new estate that had been built with a school on it so it was full of young kids our age so it was the best place to grow up because we all just played it was a whole school just played out on the streets and and it was one of them where you wait for the the lampposts to go out you know the light and then you know you've got to go in oh you'd hear your mum going see he's ready you could hear her you know This is kind of our temporary sheep handling area so we bring all the sheep in this section to section them off so you'll see the way of there we weigh the lambs when they're at a certain weight between 14 50 kilo we take them to market and

and this is a foot bath here so they run through here to keep the foot fresh feet fresh well sheep farmers will tell you feet are the biggest problem of sheep so a lot of them can get foot rot. What do you think they'll make of raid a sheep? Well they've never seen anybody like ray before have they? So I mean, he's very regal looking. He's got a lot of class about him. I must admit, a lot of class. So we were talking about your respective starts in life and you were saying, Liz, your family,

would you describe it as, I suppose, your background in terms of, it's quite sort of middle class or? Oh, it was very working class, but education was key. Yeah. My mum was originally from Withingshaw. Oh, really? was from a place called New Mawston and really working class but it was all about learning education and that was that we didn't really go on every holiday we went on was a you know it was more

like a school trip my dad built his own boats and we would all drive up to Hollyhead where we'd all get on this boat and our summers would be sailing around rivers and seas somewhere but not in a luxurious way we were like surviving we were sent into fields to steal corn from the buscraft yeah it was interesting that sort of you've slightly recreated that for your kids well yeah you know what you mean they're not pampered or protected so well yeah I used to hear Liz talking about her upbringing like that going polling is it when you're going old pothole in yeah and climbing mountains with a dad and sailing across you know across the Irish sea and I were like God my upbringing was never like that

I was completely opposite. I mean, if Liz is to saying that she was working class, then I was far beneath that my upbringing was, was, you know, education wasn't really the theme of our house, so you know, it was more about just love. Not, not Liz's wasn't love. We wasn't the educated type, so, you know, we just had big cuddles and, you know, my dad, I could spell better than my dad, you know, it was a case of just work, work ethic was key. So regardless of what we were doing, my dad was a mechanic, my mum had a couple little jobs part-time and kind of running the household as well. So our whole mantra was just strong work ethic, whether that means going to as an apprentice,

the thought of university was, I mean no one in our family had ever been to university, you know, college, a lot of law university. So my brother Dean was the first person that went to uni. But I used to love Lizzie's tales and stories about that just adventure and I always kind of said, if I was, If we have children one day, then I'd love to do the same. I want to go on trips where we go camping and make campfires and learn about nature and all these different things and kind of stuff that I maybe didn't do as a kid. And it's like a hybrid, is it?

Every generation, you take all the best things from your respective families and you kind of do that with your own, really. You try and forget the things that you didn't like and then do all the things that you did like. And we're both lucky enough to have, you know, a lot of stuff that we absolutely loved about our parents. But they were very different, really. So you grew up fairly close to each other. Yeah, within... Doors away from each other, really? Yeah, and we were both born in Royal Audum Hospital.

Yep. Liz, a year earlier than me, the Cougar. You never let me forget that. And yeah, we grew up in older and, you know, both had a really happy, lovely, full childhood. I grew up in a town, well, in an area of Oldham called Durka, which was, I guess, a, you know, a... I guess a maybe a bit rough around the edges, but great people, great sense of community. Just typical olden for me. Great characters, you know, you'd do anything for anybody. And that would just kind of throughout, inherent throughout the community.

And that's why we're still, to this day, yes, we don't live in autumn anymore, but just very proud oldeners. And I guess like any town, not just a northern town. There's something I've just been reading the brilliant book that you two have just written, and it's about to come out very excitingly. and there was a really touching thing which Kelvin had mentioned is which I loved which was he it just tells you everything about his family in a lovely way and just that aspirational thing where Kelvin you were talking about how you'd moved house and your parents had done slightly better and they moved to a slightly nicer house but there was a beautiful detail about the double glazing

was it to make it look as to make it look like you got double glazing back then single glazing and then When you was first getting double glazing, there was kind of the leaded pattern of the diamond shape. So we, the cheap way, doing it if you couldn't afford double glazing, which we couldn't on the single pain. I remember helping mum and dad put the trace of paper behind and then on the outside my dad stuck lead piping, if you like, in the shape of, on the outside, aesthetically, it looks like we've got double glazing. And, you know, it's that sort of pride where, you know, your appearance, at mom and dad, we always had an amazing, beautiful home, tidy, clean, you know, it was just that, just sense of pride. we didn't have an awful lot but that didn't really matter and just from a young age I kind of just valued and respected the things that you did have you had to kind of look after and looking back now you know I just moments like that I think I'm just really proud of

moment the way they kind of went about themselves and that kind of yeah I don't know just what I don't know what it represents but I'm you know that's why I'd mentioned it's something I'm quite proud of and I certainly don't shy away from anything like that things are very different then. I mean, you know, Kelvin seems to think that my family are of some sort of, you know, I don't know, like we weren't in any way struggling for anything, but we were. And I think back then everyone, it was different in the sense that everyone did their own thing, didn't they, to the house. My dad built the garage himself. My dad, you know, fitted everything in our house. He put us a block paving drive down. And I think back then people would just do it.

themselves as now, people seem to get someone into it, don't they? And I often say to my mum and dad, how do you feel seeing us now that things seem a lot easier? Everyone's heating, you know, my dad, I think he put our heating in and it never worked until the day they sold the house. It was always, you know, thinking, you know, clicking when he put it on or one radiator wouldn't come on. And I often think what they think about us, where things must seem a little easier in some respect, where there's someone that can come and fix it. for you. Yeah. Come on Ray. Show Liz and Kelvin how you run. Come on. Come on. Oh look at him. Look at him. He's so happy in the grass, guys. So tell me about the first meeting

because you two, it's safe to say it was an early romance. It wasn't quite a romance when you met, but you met at primary school. Am I right in thinking that? Yep. Primary school, yes. So when Kelvin moved to our estate, he obviously then had to start the school that was on the local school. And he was eight years old. Were you eight? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I remember his first day, like it was yesterday. And it was exciting if someone started, because everyone on the street, we were all, you know,

we were there from day one, a lot of us. So in school, when you got a new bit, it was like the most exciting thing possible. And I remember Kelvin coming in and being introduced by Mr Quinn. And he said, this is Kelvin Fletcher, the new boy. And you had those curtains with an undercut. Do you remember the undercut? Undercut, yeah, I remember the undercut. Big smile, little...

Goofy teeth. Goofy teeth. And yeah, me and my mate got super excited about it. We were like, we're going to be his best friend whether he likes it or not. Do you remember that, Kelvin? Do you remember Liz? from that time being quite as vividly as Liz recalls, if I'm honest. It's a bit worrying actually, isn't it?

It was on a bit of a blur really. I just remember the moment of us leaving that transition of being told that you're moving away from your child at home, broke out hearts, me and my brother Dean, Braden was born, that we were absolutely crushed because it's all we knew and living on Evelyn Street in this little terrace was just our life and I guess as kids, you know, everything's magnitude in such a way that it's a lot. And he's just like, that's what we're going to do. We're not going to make any more friends. What about our friends here?

And as parents, he, mom, dad, trying to reassure us. And so we arrived to Thorpe, and we thought, oh, here we go. These are all going to be posh kids. And I mean, it was still old. I mean, it wasn't like we're, you know, moving up classes kind of in any way. But it was just more of, just the unknown. And as kids, it kind of scares you a little bit.

But the school was fantastic. And yeah, I met Liz and a mate. And I quite quickly found a little bit. a good group of boys and girls and my feelings are feeling a bit worried that I weren't going to make some new friends quickly vanished and within a couple of weeks I had a new set of mates really so oh he's got a twig stuck on him oh look at him he's got a twig stuck in his hair you know you want to watch the um buzzers around here with Raymond oh yes they'll have him come on

the laughing for breakfast you know to see Raymond picked up and just sweep out I am see Raymond at 60 feet in the air flying across the peak district. Do you know, I'm so paranoid about that. He's buzzard bait right there. I've got a friend who's got a house in Suffolk and he has an owl. Sort of, you know, as you do, you just get, and I said, I've had to say to it. As you do, well, you don't really.

That's not really a thing that you do, is it, just get an owl. That is still quite a rarity. You know, he lives in Suffolk and as you do, you get an owl. What? That again. Just randomly gets an owl. Okay, I think we're establishing when I went to Hogwarts. This is what happened here basically.

Come on. Come on, Ginger. So what, how would you describe, were you both destined to be performers, if you like, from a young age? What sort of kids were you? Were you, maybe you can describe each other? How's a camp little show off? So maybe I was destined for the stage. Liz, is that true?

That is true, yeah. I wasn't, I wouldn't show off like those irritating kids who just, I was confident and I was, I wasn't really, I was very good at sport. You were easy to be around girls. You had that very feminine side to you, didn't you? You were comfortable around women. Yeah, I think I was, the great, and I always say it, the great thing about drama, I started drama as a six or seven year old with,

No aspirations to be an actor. It was more of just people went to scouts. They went to play football. They play cricket. It was just another hobby. So there was an area, obviously, where we grew up in Oldham Theatre Workshop was quite a well-known drama club, drama workshop, if you like. So I just went along there like every other kid in the area, almost as a bit of a youth club, just something to do. And what drama does do, what performing arts I think does fantastically with young people is just work on their confidence and their ability to mix with different people.

of different ages, different backgrounds, and it's a real leveller. And again, you know, you don't necessarily have to want to be an actor. It's just a great place to build yourself confidence and build your kind of ability to mix and not judge and kind of, for me, I think every young person, I think it should be in the school curricular, you know. I just think it's a great way to, has a great foundation for young kids. It can teach them an awful lot about themselves and about other people as well, really. And Liz, you did the same, didn't you?

Because you were a child performer as well. I was a child performer, but I, and I did loads of performers as a child, and singing and dancing. It wasn't until kind of my teens that, you know, I'd done some professional work as a young girl, but then when I kind of got to 16, the work was kind of not as regular. So I was on one job, then off a job, then on a job.

and that's when I kind of lost all faith in it really, thinking, how can you live off this? And with my family being so educated, that's when I sort of thought, right, do you know what, I'm just going to concentrate my GCSEs, I'm just going to try and think of a job that I can do that's more reliable. And I did that.

I tried hair and beauty. I was absolutely terrible at that. In the end, I was just going to college for a social. It was just to just met some of the best people. Paul. Well Kelvin how would you have described Liz? Shy. I wasn't a show off. Yeah, she was not and I'm still not now. I'm not um she had the minerals and just sometimes a little bit reluctant to kind of show them. I'm not like full on. I'm a little bit reserved sometimes and then I'll just be there when I need to be you know

shine when you need to but I'm not one that likes to be the centre of attention all the time. Liz was always stood out to me always even as a young kid, even at school because there was just something quite mysterious about her. There's a little bit more to meet the eye really.

And she was yeah, beautiful, cute little kid and funny. The one thing is what about Liz has got an amazing smile. She's going to. A big, you know, a big beautiful smile and she can't help but like her. And then there was always that little bit more she seemed to be a little bit

just a bit interesting oh here we go that's nice Liz oh here we go this is a bit tight this section is he very very you got your part in Emmerdardale when you were relatively young Kelvin so you weren't take you were presumably I get the sense you kind of you almost lost touch for a bit didn't you yeah well I left school a year before Kelvin and so by then when I've gone to senior schools you know Didn't want to hang around with the boy that was at primary school still. Everyone seemed older and, you know, you're looking up to people that are in sixth form and thinking, oh, I can't wait to be that old. So Kelvin kind of got forgotten.

And people didn't play out on the street as much then, did they? The whole group. One of our friends went to a completely different school and we all just kind of separated, really. And then when Kelvin finally started that same school, we were so far apart that it didn't need it. Well, if it were up to me, we'd still be friends, but you just proper kick me into touch. So I'd no choice other than to get some new mates. Liz, this is absolutely savage. So, I mean, yeah.

Well, I was on a way. I didn't do it on purpose. We did kind of go our separate ways throughout kind of secondary school, certainly. And then finishing school, I was, as you said, when I got Emmettel, so I'd moved to Leeds, I'd done quite a lot as a child actor and then I'll maybe go up this way. And then I was from being kind of 16, 17 years old, once I've been established at Emendor for quite a few years, I was then working in Leeds and I moved to Leeds. So I didn't see a list for years, probably a good,

six, almost 10 years. And then we kind of remet in. Well, we only kind of started, we did a school play together. And even then I wasn't really aware, like, you know, taking him in. Oh, Kelvin, this is awful. This is awful. I'm so sorry. She just said, I wasn't taking him in. I mean, that is absolutely gutting for you.

It's just soul destroying, isn't it? Oh, gosh. You does say I'm a bit cold sometimes, because do we're warming up now and again. I call Liz the Ice Queen. No, but you know, they have the lover and the loved, is that expression. I've never heard of that. So the idea is that through every relationship, that changes. You might go through a period where you're the loved and you're,

the lover or the kisser and the kissed is the other way looking at it it's getting mudder here this is where oh is it here where the bluebells grow this start here as well yeah yeah we get at this most amazing for literally only a couple of weeks this just this section where all the bluebells grow and then one day we saw that there was five deer's just sitting there in the midst of all these bluebells this is stunning right look at this Calvin used to make me do this walk like eight months pregnant pretending we were finding dinosaurs and I'd be going, Calvin, with the kids he'd go be your eight, come on up this big hill. Wouldn't you?

Give it some context. I didn't say we're going to go look for dinosaurs like it, we just mean you. People were thinking we're crazy, like we did it with our children. Yeah, with our two young children. Kelvin should take me out when I was heavily pregnant and said, come on, let's go look for some dinosaurs. So let's go back to this point of which Calvin's foraging out of career at. on TV and

Liz you're still yeah well Kelvin was in a job that you know he was doing episodes every day pretty much working most days as my jobs were musical theatre so you do your run and then it ends

then you go back to do something else and then you know eventually you're not 13 anymore you're then into the next stage bracket and then it seems a little you're still figuring yourself out the casting changes a bit and the jobs change,

and then you start thinking, oh God, I better do something that's sensible. And that's what I did. You started university, you missed a big bit. I thought you started in, fashion was your thing.

I did the hair and beauty, which I was terrible at. And then I got chatting to a friend one night who was studying fashion buying. And I thought, oh God, that sounds amazing. Fashion buying, like, as a job. I'd do that anyway.

Imagine getting paid for it. So then I went to university, studied that. So I studied all the marketing side of it and the buying logistics and that. And had an amazing time at university. And in my last year, that's when I met Kelvin in my final year at uni. And he changed a bit, little Kelvin, hadn't he? Oh, well, he was now 5'8 foot 8, musly, tight T-shirts.

Oh, was it, a bit gone all handsome? Two tickets to the Gonshow. You were cool, actually. You were... Did he have a makeover? He did a bit. It's funny that he says he thought... I didn't know any one, by the way.

Well, you did change, you know. As we all saw on TV. The whole nation watched him change, but... Puberty. Well, yeah. Did you think... I didn't think that when I saw you, though, Calvin. I think, oh, puberty's done him well.

Fancy him now. When we met, I was still, I guess, first and foremost, as a... an actor and then Liz had ventured you just graduated from university so he was a fashion by you was working as well I was still training when I met you but yeah we're in a complete different career pass really at that point yeah and but we just seem to reminisce well it's funny that all my boy mates were Kelvin's mates but I never saw Kelvin with them when I was out with them or when I'd meet

them or and it was just this one night in the pub that he was out And my friend said, hey, Kelvin Fletcher's over there. And then we got chatting and Kelvin made a joke. And this was the turning point. I laughed out loud at this joke. It was so funny that I can't remember what the joke was. But I remember in that moment thinking, oh my God, Calvin Fletcher's just made me laugh.

And were you thinking, Kelvin, oh, I really like her? Yeah, I think I just thought she was, Really cute is little Liz I used to kind of hang around with when I was a kid. I think my first ever kiss. So there's a lot of history there and we were kind of in our 20s and just went on a few dates and it kind of went to there. You're suggesting there's a whole lot of history. You've put out loads of it. It's there, Calvin. That was just in the pub.

I had that moment and then went off and never thought of him again really until I got this text message. off this random number that said what would you give me out of ten and there'd been this this joke going on at the night that this guy had said what would you give me out of ten to all the girls that was his chat-up line to all the girls so we were all joking about it it was much funnier on the night than it was when you tell it and then I got this text saying what would you give me out of ten I thought oh no that guy's got my number and me my friend spent about two solid weeks just pranking this number trying to

just work out who this voice was. And we'd block our number so they wouldn't know it was us. And we'd just let them say, hello, hello. We're like, just don't know who it is. Just can't get to the bottom of that voice. And then we finally put it to bed.

We didn't know who it was. And then this one night, we were out in a club called One Central, which was where all the, it was like a cool club. It was the club of the day. And everyone was all, like, dressed up to the night.

You know, low belts were in, crop tops were in, big hoops were in. Maybe a waistcoat or maybe... Yeah, waistcoat, yeah. Maybe the two of scars. I'm feeling it, Liz. And then my friend spotted this guy across the barn. She said, oh my God, that guy's gorgeous. And I looked at his mate.

I went, he's with my mate, Kelvin. Let's go and speak to them. So as we went over talking to Kelvin, he said, did you care text a few weeks ago? Am I doing this any justice here, Kelvin? If you relay this story, it would be so romantic. It would be so much better. You're missing out some vital detail.

You've never been in one for detail. You've never been one for great context. So if I was listening to this for the first time, I'd be thinking, I'm completely lost. I've just heard big hoops or cropped up, nightclub, and what do you rate me out of ten? What's happening?

Go on, how would you tell this story? You pick it up for me then. We're too far in now. Will you pick it up? People will just fast forward with this clip. Yeah, but Calvin, here's the thing. We need these details. We were talking about this in the kitchen.

Okay. And basically, Liz and I were saying, I mean, we could probably spend a three-hour phone call discussing the exact way we were wearing blasher, let's say, on the night we met someone. And you would say, yeah, we're all right. That would be it. That is so true, yeah.

Well, what more do you need? So, but after you met this night, what I like from reading about this, your meeting and your book, is that I feel neither of you tried to be cool. You know, when you meet someone and there's that thing of all, I won't call them for four days,

or you were both just like, okay, let's see each other. You're working today, you know, it was quite full on after that, wasn't it? Yeah, it was smitten. I was, uh. Yeah, you were like, I'll see you tomorrow.

Yeah. Well, I guess a lot of guys as well would probably tell me that's too keen. Would they? But, well, I like her. And as well, on that lunch date, you then asked me out that same night. So you've got two, you got two dates in? It was great. And then I went and met, I think I had a couple of beers with my dad.

I was in the pub and I was like, Are you missing me? No, I just thought, I really want to see her again. So I was text again, so listen, you want to go for a beer tonight as well. And that was it. I was looking at Selfages at the time, and he rang the phone and I've got a Selfage's voice. So I was like, I did have a salvages.

I did go. So I was like, hello, Selfages. That's just exactly the same voice. No, it was a bit, it was, I'm not as old now, am I? So it's probably a boister than that. And he went, eh, it's Kelvin. I was like, oh my God, he's rang the till phone. That, do you know what?

Impressive. Yeah, that is keen actually. I should have been a red flag, really. Again, no context, no context again. Absolutely, no context, no detail. Go on, give the details. Go on, give the detail. You was working on the shop floor at Selfridges.

I said I was working on many different concessions in the female department. You was working on one particular concession. Should I say the name? Yeah. Was it? No, it wasn't actually. It was Vicki Martin. Yeah.

So I knew she was thinking there. So then I rang through Main Selvages switchboard, then asked to be put through to Vicki Martin. Oh, I didn't know any of this. And then, because that's pretty romantic. How does he know my work number? How has he gone to that trouble? And I just thought I'd be a little bit different. So then, hello, can somebody answered?

Did you ask to Liz Marisland? Can I speak to the last to the last? was Masland and then say she's on Vicki Martin? None asked to keep up through to Vicki Martin originally. And then I must have got one of your colleagues and they say, yeah, I'll just get her two minutes. What's it regarding? I was just to purchase them there last week. Yeah, bum. Then you come on, hello.

Do you know what I like? He's getting very pox when he's ringing the store. He's going to have purchased. I bought some at last week and I want to bring it back. He's all that. I purchased the nicer in your concession last week. I couldn't give that detail. I didn't know you did all that. I thought you just rang straight through.

Well, now you know, don't you? And from then on that was it. You two were together. Hocked. Because I feel you sort of hit this point in your life where you thought something's not right about my career and my life and where I'm going. Yeah, well, I have this theory that is

if you're into archetypes and, you know, fate or what have you. Some people don't believe it. But I have this theory that every seven years, if you're not on the right path, then chaos will come into your life and force you off onto the right path. If you're on the right path, nothing happens. You just sail through. But it's funny that when I look back, I was 21 when I met Kelvin and then little did I know that that was going to be a big transition into my life and career and then fast forward to being 28 which is the other seventh year I then decided to just completely change my career and get back into acting and it's

funny that if I hadn't met Kelvin I often wonder would I have done that would I have what would I be doing now if I'd met a I don't know a builder a doctor whatever I'd met if would I be doing it do you think that you're kind of revisit into acting was in your mid-thirt, when was it, mid-20s, was probably because of me because I was... Well yeah, because I've been so out of the acting world by that point that he wasn't even going to cross my mind. It was just, I was going to be a fashion buyer and do all that.

And it wasn't until then I was introduced to you. And then seeing your job and then mixing with your friends, mixing your circles, I thought, oh, I really missed that. And, you know, we would do scripts together. Can I draw commission then on your acting work? I'm just thinking. I'm just thinking a little bit of a kickback here. I think sometimes if you see like you with Kelvin, if you see someone just a flash of them, the passion that they have, that can be very inspiring I think. Yeah, exactly and you just know within yourself if what you're doing feels a drag or feels, I remember being in a point of my job, it became groundhog and and then you're doing, you know,

then you start seeing things and then you start it's like the law of attraction then things start your thoughts change and then things start coming to you and then from then that was over 10 years ago yeah i've not stopped working although jobs here and there still a very much job in actress i find it interesting but i've never looked back that one of the ways in which you really have earned a great living is voice work yeah and what i find interesting is you're talking about the right thing will come to you and you were saying how you like the attention but you don't need it. Sometimes you're a bit shy, Calvin was saying.

And I think isn't that interesting that in a way you probably found that's perfect for you because... It's a perfect job for me. You get to do your thing. Yeah. But you don't feel the constant white heat of focus. Yeah, exactly. Whereas you're probably a bit more drawn to that white heat.

Yeah. Yeah. That's a great. And I've thought that before I've had this discussion on my friend before, you couldn't have attracted a better job for me where I can just be in a booth in my own time, in my own zone. And then, you know, no one knows it's me, but then Kelvin can just have all eyes on you. Yeah, we always have this, we're very different in sense of,

it's probably maybe to my detriment and sometimes to our detriment in a sense that you just like that easy work life, as one, I guess, kind of should. You know, you want to live, you don't really easy, but. No, easy, you know, you want things whereas I like the, of just absolutely exhausting myself and I have so many different jobs or roles or responsibilities essentially and I quite like that chasing something and just pushing and working hard and at times just finding that balance isn't it and I think that's why it works because you still want to work hard but you kind of

work out complete balance I I sort of relate to that because I think oh uh oh can we explain what's happened better I can't believe she's just done that What the hell is going on with your pigs? You grumpy old thing. So she is an attention seeker. So you want feeding dear? Piggy. What's piggy cut?

We're not named these. These are our gilts. Come here, ginger. Ginger, ginger. It's fine. Do you want to feed the pigs? Yeah. Oh, she's not happy.

Right, babe, you go and get the bucket and get some feed and I'll fill that bucket back up. it back up. Piggy! So these are gilts. These are 18 months old. These are Oxford Sandy and Black. They're a native breed, a rare breed pig.

And they've not had any piglets yet. So they'll be having their first litter beginning of next year. So we're about to get them in, get them in pig soon. Hey, hey! Do you find it difficult? You know what I mean? Two. Knowing?

No, I don't. And you know what's fascinating is that now, since, kind of living here and getting an understanding of a farming life of where your food where the food and our plates comes from I've got such a better understanding and an appreciation for it really you know like many consumers I was always kind of inevitably searching for the cheaper food you know and I've suddenly realized the hard work that goes in the processes if it's so cheap then there's there's been a compromise somewhere whether that's the animal the farmer or whatever it is and I just don't think it's right it's not fair. Their quality of life. Yeah, exactly.

So yeah we, our animals live outside. Normally the pigs are in the woods. They're, they've just been brought with repairing some fencing. But we've kind of purposely picked a breed that is that is not farmed in today's world because it's not kind of seen as the most profitable. We've picked a more of a native breed that we're doing things a little bit more kind of old school really. But yeah, getting an understanding of raring an animal from birth to kind of, you know, to its last days. And they're taking great pride in that. And I think it's great for kids to understand where the food comes from. So many kids nowadays are eating, whether it be chicken or pork, bacon,

and no connection as to where it's come from, really. So it's fascinating. Shall I feed the pigs? You can feed the pigs, yeah. We're going to feed you, pigies. Come on, Ginger. Ginger's eating the pig too. Is that all right?

Oh, not really, no. So if you get the bucket, Come here, Ginger. She's even worse. Feeding the pigs. Just evenly. Because some of them are a bit bossy, so you've got to make sure they're...

Okay, I'm going to feed the pigs now. Yeah. Spread it evenly throughout the whole trough. Guys. Go on, just straight on to them. Oh, God. Oh God. Oh God.

Oh, God. Oh, God. Oh, God. It went all over its nose. Ginger. Sit. Sit. Is this like Paris Hilton on the simple line?

I think I'm doing really well. That's it. That's a very evenly. Get out the way. Well done. It's so elegantly done. It's fine. It's the bigies.

There you go. Oh dear. Oh dear. I love feeding the pigs. Look at them. Pigies. I want to talk about the farm. about the farm generally because obviously it's so incredible being here I feel like

I feel like I know this place because I watched your brilliant BBC series which was out earlier this year and it essentially showed you decided to buy a farm can I establish and then the BBC came and filmed it pretty much off just after you've moved here yeah it's Kelvin quite an impulsive person in terms of decisions I mean, I know you'd both been talking about it, but at that point, he'd finished strictly, hadn't he? And then Kelvin was like, I think we should buy a farm. Impulsive in a way, but also, you know, an absolute sucker for detail.

So he didn't just say, hey, let's buy a farm, and then we had no idea what a farm exists. You know, he knew every single blade of grass on here before we'll go around the floor. We made this decision. Buying a farm isn't as simple as buying a house. And that's complicated. I'm impulsive in the nature that if we get an idea and I like, I want to do something, then that's it. That's what I'm doing.

That's what we're doing. So if I make a decision then. I have to agree. No, not necessarily. We're not just doing it. But big decisions. Big decisions. I'll sit on them for a while.

But once I've said it's in my first. heart, it's in my gut, that's what I want to do. Regardless what that decision is, then I'm doing it. And, you know, and I guess coming to a farm, I suggested it to you was a little bit like, well, I don't know, living in the countryside, might be a thing, might not. And then the more I was kind of determined and passionate about it, the more I explained to you how it would be and what it would look like, the both kind of brought into that dream and that was it. That's how it all kind of came about. So I'm very determined. that sense and you don't do things by half so do you because I remember reading

that you were doing a play as a kid and you decided to get an actual rat and that told me a lot about you because very few kids as a small child would take method acting to that extent where you'd actually get a rat and just that detail it's funny how that one detail can tell you so much about someone that I can start seeing other stuff in your life and think you don't just think oh well maybe get a couple of sheep you know it's you're quite an all-nothing person Calvin's very exciting to be with it he doesn't like to just plod on there's always something and he says it himself he's always chasing the next step and so

the farm if we're getting the farm it's going to have to be the best we can do with the farm it's never just going to tick over you'll have a master plan and he'll make a master plan until it's where we want it I guess would you say yeah that's yeah it's not if you're gonna do something you would just do it right don't you do it to the best of your ability or you exhaust yourself exhaust your own resources your exhaust your own time effort whatever that requirement is whether it's strictly or a dacting job or you're finishing at the National Theatre you know in London so I was commuted every single day because family

dynamic that felt like the best balance. We just had twins and it meant me getting a train to London every day, six days a week for the first, you know. Now some people that would be like, there's no way I would do that. There's no way I would exhaust myself like that, but I felt like I didn't really have a choice and to keep the balance of everything else, that was the logical thing to do. So those sort of big challenges and pushing yourself like, it just seems to be, I just seem to find myself in those situations where I don't see it really any other way? I think together we think anything's possible like in a sense that someone might say oh that's a three hour drive not going to do it. We're like oh it's three hour drive we'll just

we'll just do it. Anything you can go anywhere you can be anything you can there's no end to there's not a problem we'll find a way if it's something that you want to do you find a way and I think we both have that although Kelvin has a different way of going around it than I do both of us have that in common that you can do anything if you really put your mind to it and I think that's probably why all these decisions that Kelvin makes or ideas that you have ultimately together we make but ultimately we have that same view and that's why it works otherwise it wouldn't work I don't want to go to America I don't want to do this and we slot all in together as a family and Kelvin has you know I'm the I'm the

care of the family. I look after everyone, make sure everyone's happy and Kelvin might think how to push the family on and be better and together and together and then it just works. We have our ways. Neither of you are risk averse though which is what I think probably is another reason why it works. When you have all these crazy things going on like being offered strictly and then you're pregnant with twins and then we're getting a farm and then Kevin happens you're always it's fine. I get the impression you've always said, you've always said, you've always said, we'll make it work.

Yeah, that's exactly what I say. Yeah. You'll have a little bit more caution than I would naturally, which I think is right. It's a good balance. Liz will be sometimes a bit pragmatic. That's why you don't have 3,000 pigs. Do you know what I mean?

You need someone to stop you getting 3,000 pigs. I need raining back sometimes and Liz is good at that. She's very much, she calls it. I say you being negative. Liz will just say, I'm being realistic. That is it. But none of us, I think for me, we've got just a real enthusiasm for life, really,

and sense of variety. And, you know, You know, my own brother is the decisions I make on a weekly basis, would he would have to contemplate those for months and even years on end. The thought that some of the things we've done, he just would blows his mind because he just can't take those risks. I don't really deem them as a risk. And if they are a risk, then, and I come up short, I've failed. I've failed millions of times. I've got no absolute zero fear in failure.

I'll do my best to not fail, but if I fail, I fail. and back to the drawing board and that's as simple as I say every aspect of life first and foremost is your family and that is my biggest and I don't want to take any risk for my family as such but certainly everything else

is just for me just part of life and I always very confident in my own ability in our abilities, joint efforts and I never set out to fail but I also prepare to fail or to come up short and that's just part of life

and big decisions big changes, big change, don't really scare me so. And you've got, I lose track of how many kids you've got, you've got four now, haven't you? Currently, yeah, we're currently. We've just had a text of a mom, can you come back now?

Sorry, Mom, we're coming. Hang on. We've got four kids. Here's a question. I always ask people this. What do you most hope people would say about you? Kind of when you leave the room? As long as he says something nice,

then that's fine, as long as he don't say, oh God, she's terrible or she's a... What do you worry that they'd say? That she's awful. I think anyone's worry would be that, wouldn't it? Oh, she's awful. God, I can't speak to her again. She's boring.

That would be the worst to be called boring. I would not want to be called that. That is one thing I'm not. That's not going to happen. Yeah. Kelvin, what about you? What would you most hope your mates and stuff would say about you?

I've got like two sides. First of all, I guess the most natural instinctive feeling is just to be liked. I just want people to think that he's a nice guy. He's normal. He doesn't take himself too seriously. And they feel that he is in my company really. And I would never judge anyone.

I always feel that, you know, the same, if I met somebody on the school run or I met the prime minister, that they would both say the same thing about me. That would be my hope. But then part of me thinks, I don't bloody bother what people. are saying about me because with all your respects I'm living my life and if I long as I go about it in the right way and they would never want to cause anybody

any harm but you know what their opinion of me and I've kind of had to become that because of being an actor I've had so many negative things said about me without the meme of meeting me just a perception of being an actor or being he must be on TV he must be you know he's been his showbiz so I bet he's right be getting I bet is this I bet is that people have so often already made a judgment on me that I kind of lose wanting to impress them And I've met so many people in the past have said, I didn't think you'd be like this.

I actually thought you'd be. And I'm like, well, more fool you for making that, you know, preconceptions straight away. So, yeah, part of me, and I hate admitting that, sometimes just thinks, oh, I'm not really bothered what people think of me. But my instinct is always, you know, I hope people like me. See, I'm reserved easy.

We all want to be like, don't we? You know, let's face it. We do not want to be disliked, isn't it? We don't want to be like, but then... You don't want to leave a room and have a bad comment about you. I mean I'd love to ask your dad maybe it's an age thing I'm approaching 40 I mean you ask you dad that same question that I don't would care what people say about me do you think he would probably would yeah and fair play to him yeah oh oh my mum's in here

the twins are here let me rescue my mum oh all right let me get me we're gonna do all the good boys with the twins yeah we'll do this ready for the perfect sign off then interrupted as by my cheek. This has been so lovely and I wanted to say I don't know you but I feel like I do because it's a really weird vibe when you're here but you come and see the Fletcher's and you basically feel like you're in the family. It's hard to explain there's just a very sort of welcoming energy here. Well that's one thing we do like we like to make people feel welcome we like to if we're going to entertain we like to entertain everything will be done properly in that respect wouldn't it?

Yeah, I don't know. I just see ourselves as very normal. We're no different to our friends and our friends are, you know, from all different backgrounds. But you're also, you know, I love that you're at the Olivier's you were saying and you're at the Olivier's and you spent the entire night on your phones looking at a live feed, turning down drinks with Jason Manford. And we're looking at our CCTV cameras. To see whether the sheep had land, then. Yeah. Oh, it's the sheep? Yeah. And what had happened? They had land.

They had lambed, yeah. And your brother had to deal with it. I was panicking, yeah. And there was basically three lambs in a pen, two ewes. They'd taken a lamb each and one lamb in the middle, so it'd been kind of, you know, not kind of, it didn't have a mum. And it'd been abandoned, been rejected.

So I was ringing out my brother saying at midnight, like bade and get over to my house and try and sort the sheep out. And he's like, well, what do I do? I said, I don't know. Just use your instinct. He's like, what do you mean? What do you go with? So it was a bit chaotic.

It was it crazy. So yeah, he eventually got there and then in the morning we got up early and we rushed back didn't we? But yeah, it was a bit, it was a scary, scary old time, wasn't it? What's the thing that surprised you most about farming? The thing that you weren't expecting. How much I love it actually? if I have to say anything and genuine interest and a passion for it because when we moved here I did have my reservations and your heels well yeah oh heels have long gone now but I've with I think you have to admit I've fully got into it haven't I yeah as I didn't think just looking at you there in wellies breastfeeding you look gorgeous you've got a lovely knit on albeit it's been trashed in that little walk but But that for me just says an awful lot of where you are and where you come from.

Well, yeah. And I knew, I said to you dinner, I said, Liz, trust me, it'll be the best decision we ever make. That is true. So my question to you is, was I right? On the only time in our entire lives, you were right. it. Your book is so brilliant and I really recommend

people go and buy it because it was so good. Was that always your intention to write it or was it the show that inspired you to write the book? Yeah, we've had a great response on the show. Yeah, I think it was a bit of both. It was something I think we'd always certainly to do a book.

Kyle will sound self-indulgent when you say that. We'll do a book. You think that people are just going to be interested in your story. But I think inevitably as an actor, maybe that's always somewhat on the cards. Not together. We never thought it would be together. But I always thought I'd do a book more of just the random situation I found myself in. So then you end up writing a book with your wife.

It's about being on a farm as to why you came to that decision. And then going right back to the start, as how you met and everything like that. Well, it's funny because we talk about fate and Kelvin's seventh year was this move into the farm. That was his. we were all guns blazing going to America and it didn't happen and that was his year of chaos who's this?

This is David. Hi, Dad. We've seen that we're recording and rather than just pull up in the ample space we've got over there he'll still decide to drive right through. Hi David! Yep.

Nice to see you. Has he got anyone in there with him? Oh, he's got the kids in with him. I've so loved walking with you guys. It's been so lovely and I love your farm. So I have to come again and visit you. Hey!

Hello! Oh gosh, Ginger wants to see you. Ginger down. Ginger. This is Mani, our daughter. Hi, Marnie, I'm Emily. Hello, and this is Raymond. What do you think of Raymond?

He's a bit silly, isn't he? Do you think he's a bit silly? Yeah, I know. I know he is. Raymond, have you had a nice time with the Fletcher's? We've loved having you. Have you enjoyed it, Raymond, me? Raymond. You enjoyed it, lad. Oh, what's that, guys?

That's a lawnmower. That's a random thing. And that's the soundbite. This is called, when a girl from North London comes to the country. I don't think you've managed to get through a sentence without being disrupted by something random, have you? If it's not the schoolchildren or the barking dog or falling over,

It's a robotic lawnmower. I'm going to say goodbye. I don't want to. Stay. Hey, you've come and live here for a few days. We've loved having you. Yeah, we've got the cottage. You could be our first guest.

Yeah. Do you want to be our first guest? Can I move in with Raymond? Should we stay for a bit? Yeah, we do that. Would you like that? Okay. Say goodbye.

Goodbye, Ray. Thank you. I love that. Goodbye, Ray. I have loved that. I really hope you enjoyed listening to that. And do remember to rate, review and subscribe on iTunes.