Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Lucia Keskin (Part One)

Episode Date: February 3, 2026

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with the brilliantly talented comedy actor and writer Lucia Keskin, best known to many as Chi, the star and creator of the BAFTA-winning BBC series Things You Should Have Done.Emily first discovered Chi through the show and was instantly blown away by its originality and warmth. Series two is out now on BBC iPlayer, and Lucia talks about creating the series, growing up in Margate with her mum and hands-on grandparents, and why she considers herself a bit of an old soul. They also chat about Chi’s journey into comedy, including how a video of her opening her GCSE results helped kickstart her career online.Lucia also speaks movingly about losing her beloved Pomeranian last year, and how spending time with Ray brought unexpected joy. There’s a gentle discussion of pet loss in this episode, so just a heads up for listeners.It’s a funny, heartfelt and wonderfully open conversation with one of the most exciting voices in British comedy right now. Ray fell completely in love with Chi, and may already be planning a move.Follow Emily:Instagram XWalking The Dog is produced by Will NicholsMusic: Rich JarmanArtwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So it doesn't sort of feel like, I used to say like I'd rather meet Diane Morgan and meet my dad. And luckily I did. This week on Walking the Dog, Ray and I went for a stroll with the brilliantly talented comedy actor and writer Lucia Keskin, who's best known for being the star and creator of the BAFTA-winning BBC series Things You Should Have Done. I first came across Chi, which is how most people know her as that's her character's name in the show, after watching the first series of things you should have done and I was genuinely blown away by it the second series is out now on BBC IPlayer

so I really urge you to get involved because it's just so hilarious and original it's just a thing of total joy and you will absolutely love it I've actually been keen to get Chi on this podcast for a while but I knew she'd lost her beautiful Pomeranian last year so I wanted to wait until she felt up to a walk with a dog She actually said it gave her a lot of joy getting to spend time with Ray.

The two of them were quite honestly all over each other. But we obviously discussed themes of pet loss in this episode, which she speaks about very movingly, so I'm just giving you a heads up on that. We also had a really interesting chat about Cheez's childhood growing up in Margate with her mum and her very hands-on grandparents, which is partly why she thinks she's a bit of an old soul. And frankly, I was delighted by this,

because it meant she got all my old school references. We also talked about what it was like sort of growing up in public as a very high profile comedy content creator online and how a video of her opening her GCSE results, and yes, she failed a lot of them, kind of helped kickstart her comedy career. Ray and I honestly adored she, and I know you will too. The best news is she fell so in love with Ray.

She's already been in touch inviting him to stay with her. and he's already asked me to pack his bags. Just FYI, there was no mention of my name in this invitation. Really hope you enjoy our walk. I'll stop talking now and hand over to the brilliant woman herself. Here's Chi and Ray Reh. I just can't get over how much I really love him. By the way, can I just say, Luccia is not talking about my producer.

He's happily married. Luchia's in a relationship? Yeah, yeah. She is referring to my dog, Raymond. Absolutely. Imagine if you started the podcast by saying that to my producer. Yeah, and just constantly picking him up. I mean, I love him, but in a professional way.

Come on, Raymond. Oh, Ray. Chee, do you want to take him? Please. He does sometimes just stop randomly. That's the best dogs do, don't they? Really? They're so little.

Pia was the same. She would just walk in, you know, at her very own in her own world. She took me on walks basically. Let's get away from these noisy men. I don't know if they're men but I'm afraid I'm going to assume the worst. There you probably are, aren't there? Raymond! What are you doing? Come on baby. Come on. Maybe we're going this way. What have I heard? He is so similar to Pia. Let's cross over to you. Do we cross? I love Regents Park. It's so nice. It's so nice. I used to take

here for walks here. Once you get away from that silly noise this way Rayway we're going in the park. Do you want to sniff there? Our wheeze. Even when they go to the toilet it's just so beautiful. Again another way we're saying that to my dog not to the producer who released himself before arriving today. I'm sure it is very beautiful when you go. He's like star isn't he like I can imagine. I can imagine. and you get like... People can't believe him to. Because he's so odd looking.

He is just a little angel. Is he very good friends of Bobby? So we should explain Bobby is Diane Morgan. Her dog and Bobby and Ray are really good friends. Bobby's so cute as well, isn't he? Bobby's lovely. And Ray and Bobby are quite similar in some ways. Well, they're really good friends.

And I think it's because they've got a very similar temperament. They are. He's very like sort of very well behaved as well, isn't all? Do you know what they like to do? We often meet up and we have a particular hotel we meet up and sounds sleazy but bear with. That sounds like the perfect day. And then we go up the stairs so they like running on carpeted corridors. Oh my God. So we walk around the hotel repeatedly just letting them run together around the corridors on the carpet and then Ray once, I've never seen Diane laugh so much. There were two gentlemen, a couple, I think, in the room and they just had the door open

waiting for housekeeping. They had towels around their waist and Ray ran into the room. Did he? And they went, what's going on? And I couldn't go in because they were half clothed. So I couldn't go and retrieve him and he just had his paws on the floor going, ah, looking at me as if to say, this is fun. Is this for us?

Yeah. And I don't know what to do. You are such a little funny little doggy, aren't you? Oh, he loves that, T. I just love them. I think I've realised what my true calling is. I just want to, like, look after celebrity dogs. Les me, give you more slack on the lead.

I'm worried it's being... What's more slack? Do you want more slack? She is doing a rare thing, which is she's actually walking the dog. Normally on this podcast, we call it Walking the Dog, but they very rarely get involved with people. Really? Come on, Rayne.

How can people not get involved with Ray? You can pull him to you a bit. Come in, good boy. He really responds to you. He's such a little angel. I'm so thrilled you've done. You're doing this podcast. I'm so honestly, one of the only podcasts I've ever listened to.

And one of the only books I've read. Oh, my book? Yeah, your book. So honestly, so, so happy to be here. This has made me so happy. Well, you know, I will talk about how I got. got to know about you and wormed my way into your life. But firstly, thank you so much for being here today.

Thanks so much for having me. And we've met up with Ray. And I really appreciate you doing this as well, because I know. Oh, wait. Are you stopping? Come on, my girl. Come on, darling.

Come on. Good boy. I'll take him, Cheat. Because you feel bad about pulling him, whereas I have no such concerns. I'll just wait. Come on, maybe. Good boy. There we go. I was going to say, partly why I really appreciate you doing this, and why I sort of resisted asking you too much before, was because I know you had a dog

who you absolutely adored called Pia. A little Pia Paloma Faye. And you lost her, didn't you? I did a year ago. Oh gee, that must have been so heartbreaking. It was, it was honestly just, you know, like with the worst day, of your life. It was the last day of my life. It was so bad. It was like, well, it's just like losing, like, when I lost my granddad, it's the same, oh God, same type of thing. It's just, uh, look, does he like the little birds? We're going to cross the bridge here. Love it. But yeah, just, uh, just horrible, absolutely horrible. And she was a little Pomeranian.

She was a little Pomeranian. She was so, so, she was just, she was like, right. She was like a female array. She was so cute. She was like, so like well-tempered. Like she wouldn't hurt anyone. She wouldn't, you know, never, never bit anyone, never. She just wanted to cuddle and play and eat. She loved food. Yeah, she was a little angel. And what happened to you, if it's okay to ask? She basically, we don't, it's a, it's a weird situation. She, I got her. She was pretty young when she died, wasn't she? just missed her to third birthday. It's so sad. She was so young. She would have been four, like two days ago. Oh, I give it a hard. It's so sad. Oh, Pia, we do this in memory of you. We love, we love Peter. But you would have loved Pia. You would have loved her so much.

But yeah, she had, she, when I got her, because she was my cousin had a Pomeranian, basically, Enzo, her brother. And they're like identical, which is lovely because I still get to see him. It reminds with Pia and I loved him so much that I wanted to get the exact same dog and so the breeder that they got from they got Enzo from had a puppy and they couldn't they couldn't the person was meant to have it dropped out or something so it was like didn't have a home yeah it was like you know didn't have someone to and so I was like oh I need to get it I need to get it got her fell in love she was absolutely adorable One thing the breeders said was, she said, be very careful with the jabs you give them because they're so small.

Make sure they don't have the lepto jab, whichever jab that is. And so I was like, oh God, okay. But took her to the vet for just normal things. And the vet was like, well, she needs this, this, this, this and this. And I said, well, the breeders told me not to have this. And she went, well, I think they should have this, this and this. And I'm the vet. and I was like, yeah, you are the vet,

I should probably listen to you. And so I just let her have whatever. She was fine, and then booster jabs come around. And I again just thought, well, the vet knows what they're talking about. I'm always just going to listen to the vet. And it was like a week after that, she started having this weird twitch in her arm. It was so weird.

And obviously told the breeder, and she was like, well, it's that jab. It's most likely the jab. And then she's later got diagnosed, She lost eyesight. It was really strange. Lost eyesight. She got referred to a neurologist up in Hampshire. They did a test on her brain. It was, you know what the weirdest part is?

It was like one of the best days of my life because I was doing Mandy. And I was so excited to have done because I love her so much. And so I was doing that. I couldn't take Pia up. My mum and my cousins drove up to Hampshire to take Pia up for this brain scan. And I was thinking it'll be fine. It would just be... And anyway, on my way back,

my mum just called me crying, saying, like, it's so, like, so bad. They've done a scan, and they said they can't believe this dog is still walking because she had a... like, this big lesion on her brain that was a form of meningo encephalitis.

It's like encephalitis for a dog. And it's, like, autoimmune disease, and there was no cure for it. So it was basically sort of... She needed to have suppression of the brain. And they said, you know, it could work, it could not work. She seemed to have doing well considering how bad it is. So there's always, you know, a chance.

But they basically, I didn't have high hopes. But they did, she done steroids straight away. Right. And it was fine. She did really well for a few months. And she was alright for a bit. and then she started, then it was like it would go a few months and she'd have seizures again. I'd have to, I was like taking her up into emergency vets in London like every other week

overnight, which was just an absolute pain in the ass. But thank God for pet insurance. Honestly, best thing I ever did. But then I was up in Hampshire every other month just to try and, you know, keep up her treatment. and it just got to the point where it was like last year she was having the treatment and then the time that she'd be fine was getting shorter and shorter

and it was getting where she couldn't really see she had to have her eye out, she had her eye removed and it just kind of got where I felt she wasn't really all she cared about was food because the steroids she couldn't... She didn't have much of a life

at that point. She didn't bless her and it was like it was really really... hard for me because I was constantly obviously worrying every I couldn't go out leave her I didn't want to leave her I couldn't like you know it was constantly grieving but not be able to grieve because I didn't know when when or what was going to happen with her and it just got to a point where she was like eating wires because she was so hungry from the steroids I was like I can't like this isn't fair on her so I had to get out put down it was just like it was horrible

but it was sort of the only way that It was like relief that she could be at peace. Yeah, sometimes. And I don't have to worry about her, you know, having a horrible accident or dying in pain. That's what I didn't. That sort of moral responsibility you have with animals because they can't advocate for themselves. And I just keep thinking, yeah, but we'll keep trying. Like there's, there'll be, you know.

Yeah. But you know. You do. You know, I know this sounds a weird comparison, but I do think relationships with animals are similar. You know, they're part of our family. their companions and I sort of I know this sounds weird but I remember my mum said to me yeah I'm ready now you know when she had motor neurone disease and you know what I want to make it absolutely clear there was no dignitas involved and everything was above board she died of natural

causes but you know what happens is when a patient says that the hospice or whatever readies themselves for that so maybe what they're doing is just giving her the kind of palliative care that will make her comfortable rather than actively trying to aggressively, yeah, exactly. And I think there's a real power in that, you know, to have that as a human being to say, okay, I'm done with this. You know, I'm ready. Animals don't have that power.

They have to just trust you. Yeah. And it's so hard because you don't want to, you know, the first thing I felt like a few days after is, oh God, have I killed my dog? Did she have more time? Is it? But then, like, I thought she just wasn't getting better. just getting worse but you still have that thing of but was it is there any chance some

cure would have come along but also there's a thing probably enough i was watching david badille's documentary called cat man yeah which you know loved david known him half my life um he's a cat fan still have respect for him can't all be like us too and he was chatting to rickie jvace on this so just about that advocating for animals and the heartbreaking nature of when you lose them and yeah I think it was Ricky was saying on it you know there's something the fact in a way that you bear the weight of that responsibility and the animal doesn't know they're dying it's like you know in some ways it feels like you're shouldering that you know it but they just think I'm getting lots of kisses and I'm

going to sleep isn't this lovely you know it's good to think that way I think yeah it's like it's true like Pia just had a lovely couple of quality streets and then I suppose yeah because chocolate wouldn't matter at that point. No, they get to try it for the first. I mean, annoyingly, Pia did end up at one point eating a whole box of placado sticks that she found, so she had tried it sort of a few years before, but she definitely enjoyed the last few, but I was, she, it's so fast, I was worried she was going to die from choking before she died from being put down, but bless her, she was...

Well, I really appreciate, given all you've been through, it's so lovely that you were, I'm so relieved that you... Oh, I still just love dogs. Any time to be around him. And I think you've really taken a shine to Ray. I absolutely love him. Really? He's a little, he's just so funny.

He's such a little character. I love his little middle party. He's so cute. He love you, Ray. He has a slight Bob as well. My best friend, Jane, says he looks like Anna Winter. He does. And a little bit Claudia as well.

He's sort of like, he is the fringe. Like he hasn't got the fringe. He is the fringe. He's definitely got emo energy. If you put him in front of Claudia's forehead He could do the same job. Beyond Freighters way. You can't. You can't. You good little Claudia, we call you good. You're a faithful. Oh, a little faithful. So talk me through, she, we've got lots to talk about today including Your brilliant show, things you should have done, which I'm obsessed with. Oh, I'm so pleased you like it. And we'll talk about that because season two is up currently on BBC Eye Player. Yeah.

And, but I want to go back to your childhood a bit. Yep. Because is it, am I right thinking you grew up in Margate? Yeah, yeah, yeah. And, oh, look at that dark. They're beautiful, aren't they? Goose, I'm sorry, not dark. Is it goose?

I think they're all ducks. I'm terrible with names of birds. Hello! Does Ray like the birds? No, I think that's the other team actually. Do you? Good for you, Ray. Do you like the birds?

You prefer your own? What do you think about the birds, Ray? I'm just not into it. Well, because he doesn't have any sort of prey drive. He doesn't sort of chase them or he just thinks. I love that about him. Yeah. He is so special.

He's not aggressive. So talk me. I want to go back. Margate with you, your mum. Yep. And is your dad on the scene or? Dad's not on the scene, never been on the scene. Right. My and granddad were like that part. That makes a lot of sense to me about you. Yeah, that is, that's why. You're a nan child. I am. I'm such like elderly young person. Nan children have brilliant references. Like they'll say things like, I'm off to spend a penny instead of going to the living.

Do you know what I mean? Yeah. Referencing sort of... They're always quite sophisticated and precocious nan children. Absolutely. And so your nan and granddad and then your dad... Just never met him, so it wasn't ever...

It's not, it was one of the things it was like he didn't like come and then leave, never met him. So it doesn't sort of feel like... I used to say like I'd rather meet Diane Morgan than meet my dad. And luckily I did. Do you think he... Now that you've got a profile and... You're in, there are articles about you and, you know, you're a bit of a name, I suppose. And do you think he's aware of you now?

I suppose that's interesting. He was always, I mean, still sort of, as a kid, had a, you know, spoke to him on Facebook and stuff like that, but just never, because I never, it was just didn't feel like, you know, that missing piece of me. Because I'd never, I'd never had it. I'd always just been my mum, my nann, granddad, like my auntie, who you met at the screening, which was they absolutely loved you. Obsessed with them. But, yeah, so that just was what it was for me. So it didn't ever feel like people sort of say like, oh God, I'm sorry,

but it's like, I don't feel, that's not sort of sad to me because it's just never been a thing for me. Do you know what? I think there's a lot of truth in that, and I do think I had a slightly different situation where I had a dad who was very much in my life and then disappeared and then kept reappearing and disappearing. Look at this dog. Hello.

We've come across another Shih Tzu. What's this Shih Tzu called? What's the name? Hello. Jackie, this is Raymond. Hi, Jackie. Raymond, do you like Jackie? Hello.

Hello. Oh, you are so cute. He's nine. Hello, baby girl. How old's Jackie? He's five. Jackie. Jackie.

I'm sorry. That's all right. They're beautiful. They're such lovely dog shitsos, aren't they? Jackie, it was lovely to me. They're so chilled out, aren't they? They're so chilled. Just like little hello and then, you know, get on with your day.

Bye, Jackie. Bye, Jackie. You too. Lovely to meet you. I was going to say, we were just talking just now about your dad and I was just going to say, you know, I had a slightly different situation. I had a dad who had been very much part of my life and then disappeared and then would reappear and then would disappear,

and then would disappear. and then we disappear. I think that's harder. It was so much, I mean, I can't say it was harder, but I can imagine it would have been because you're having something taken away and then back and taken away. It gives you a permanent, what I would call, yes I've done therapy, the permanent presence of absence. Yeah, of course.

You know. It's something constantly being taken. And I think in your case, I'm wondering if, you know, that worked certainly for you better because you could then invest in your committed family. Committed family. Yeah, exactly. And it wasn't any, it just didn't feel like something. Like I still sort of, as, you know, as, when I was a kid,

I'd sort of be jealous of friends that would, you know, run up to their dad and things like that. So that was, but it also wasn't like, oh, I've experienced that and it's gone. It was just, you know, I had my granddad and he was like my dad. He was great. So that was sort of, I just basically had to share him with my mom and auntie. But then that made me now feel like a six-year-old. Yeah. And did you have animals growing up with...

I never had any animals. My mum was never... She was always a bit... I think she got chased by a dog as a kid and it scared her. So she was always a bit scared of, like, pets. And I think it just rubbed off as me as a kid being a bit scared of cats and dogs. But I always always loved them.

I really wanted one. But it was like, if like, I went around someone that had a cat or a dog, I'd be like, can I wait here? And then I just was so like, all I wanted was to get over. because I loved them so much and then met but like decided to invest in my friend's dog once she had a farm the look is good what is it she it's kind of it's very good it's kind of like it's very good it's like sort of producing for X factor in 2009 you've nailed it I can't

beat that it's kind of a kind of a chunky booed isn't it a chunky boo and a sort of, I mean the producers absolutely lost it, that description which tells you how accurate it is. I'm loving the look anyway. So, you've established no animals on the scene, but a love of animals. Yep, and I invested in my friend's dog once. She had a farm. She had all these animals. I was like, this is how I'm going to get over. You know, just a dog jumping up with me and me not being scared. Hello? And I did. And ever since that day, I became a fanatic. I was like, I need a dog.

And begged my mum every day and she was like, you'll get one when you move out. And it's the first thing I did when I moved out, I got a dog. Talk to me about what did your mum do when you were growing up? Did she work? She just lots of different things really. She used to be a hairdresser. And then she, for most of my life, I feel like every mum was a hairdresser at some point. And then for most of my life she worked in a nursery as like a Senko for children with like special needs.

Oh lovely. So she's obviously a really decent part. I always think that. I know that's a sweeping statement but I just think if you're drawn to that line of work. Exactly. She was she did that most of my childhood. Yeah. And then she late like just before she retired she just because she just wanted to. Well where you're going to get trodden on by that silly runner? Oh, silly runners. I really dislike packs of runners. Oh, and that's silly man. Why are you running? He nearly trod on Ray.

A little Ray. Ray, what a silly, Billy. He's doing a wee. What were you like as a kid, she? I know it's kind of hard to describe yourself, but... That's just really odd. Are you? Really weird.

Yeah, a really weird child that sort of... I'd rather... I'd spend... It's rather, I'd put off going out with friends just to stay in with my nana granddad and watch comedy. That was sort of my idea of a lovely night out was just that. And it's sort of, you know, they'd say, like, my family, like, she'll find, she'll grow out of it and she'll end up, you know, trying to leave us and go out to parties. I just never did. I never did.

I always would rather do that New Year's Eve. I used to say, I'd rather be here. Just watching it on the telly, yeah. And it was just that they're the best time. And what sort of things would you be watching? All sorts. It's sort of what got me into it from stuff like my grandad. My nan loved musicals, things like that, old stuff.

My granddad loved comedy. So it was like, he'd be, you know, Harry Enfield, Tony Hancock, all sorts. And then when he was dying, it was Diane Morgan. And that was what got us through it was her. Oh. Which was so lovely. And so you weren't, that's interesting, you, at school then, were you, what was your sort of gang? Did you have a gang or were you a bit of a loner?

I did have a lot of friends, but I'd sort of, just occasionally sort of, like, been a group of friends. But I'd still sort of feel weirdly like the odd one out. Even though they, you know, they weren't make me feel like that. I just felt like it, I'd occasionally just sort of go off on my own just for some, You know, I'm like, you know, you just think I just can't need to be away from the madness a bit sometimes. So it was like I had them if I needed them, but a lot of the time I'd just sort of other, I barely went to school in the end. I just hated school. Really?

Yeah. Just wasn't for me. And were you always, I mean, you watched a lot of comedy. Would you say people would have described you as, oh, she's really funny? I think probably, yeah, but also just like mental. Like, you know, just like they'd probably describe me as weird. Like, I used to just dress up as my teachers and stuff. Did you?

Yeah. What do you mean what in the context of? Right, it would be like World Book Day and I'd come as like my drama teacher or something. How did that go down? Did they like it? It was like, you know, everyone else would be like, well, why we didn't think of that? That's so good. But then my teacher would be like, that's so weird.

And then it, when I went to musical theatre college, did the same and that was more successful there because they were like wow this is really you know so there was probably a sense as well it's interesting that that you were maybe sort of pushing the line a bit further in terms of what kids would deem funny that's quite sophisticated you know because most kids i always just try and do like weird stuff and weird people out yeah let's go here In a little way. Come on, Ray, there's two little dogs. They look like Norfolk's or something.

They're like proper Coronation Street dogs, don't they? Yeah, I love those. They're like Canballo. See, look at all your references, Chi. I know. I'd love that you have all these references. Makes me feel young. I can't pretend 924.

Hello, little. He's so cute. Hello, darling. Are you a little Brussels. That's a Brussels. That's a Brussels. That's a Brussels. So, you're here, Brussels.

What's the name? Lottie. Oh Lottie, the Brussels and a border. What's the border called? Jim, the border. Lovely. Oh, that is lovely. And Lottie.

This is Raymond, the Shih Tzu. Oh, you're so sweet. You're teeny. He's so small, isn't he? Yeah. You're a good boy, aren't you? Oh, you? Look at Lottie.

She's ever so sweet. Lott is quite big for Brussels. Yeah, she's so sweet. They're lovely dogs, though. dogs though my friends have got two of them and they're beautiful dogs aren't they? They're lovely, I didn't know anything about them. Yeah. Because I'd had border terriers and then before that I'd had as a child I had Whippets. Oh yeah. It's a big difference because they're much more cuddly than a border. Yes. I mean a border would get on your bed.

Exactly. Oh well it's lovely to meet you. We'll be meeting you. Take care. You too. Thank you. She is now carrying Ray, by the way, and she seems very fine with this. Love it. So light. Oh, he loves that.

He's his favourite. He likes. He loved that. It's natural state. It's great, isn't it, the little dogs? I love the little dog. I mean, I love all dogs, obviously. Because he's raised, so he feels safe.

She's like being elevated. They like to see, it can see more, can't they? I once realised how short my dog was when I had peer and thought, I need to sort of get my, I feel like, I can't, funny look after until I've realised what it's like being that short. So I put myself down at that level and I really realise sort of how little you see. Yeah what the world is like from their perspective. Yeah you just it's just feet. Yeah. And so. Isn't it Ray? So I'm getting this impression of little chi. Yep. Quite shy. Very shy. Yeah. I was so shy. And not, is it fair to say

not massively academic? I was as, growing up, I always was quite good at, like when I first got into it, good at stuff, like English and maths, but then just really lost interest. Like, I feel like, if I put my mind to it, I could have been all right, but I just, it went out the window because I just had no interest in it when I realised, you know, things I actually liked.

And I wonder if that's sometimes true of people, who do find the thing that they feel passion for. Yeah, quite young. And you were, I want to say, how old were you? Were you 16 when you started posting regularly your videos online? Pretty much, yeah. Or it was just when I failed all my GCSEs, that I thought, well, I might as well, I'd might as well,

I'd most post me just failing. And when would that have been? That was in... I reckon probably about 2017. So terrifyingly recent. You know, that's when I started this podcast. She was failing her GCSEs when I started this podcast, just so everyone's aware there, just to give you some context, how old that makes me feel. So, that that was nearly 10 years ago.

I was interviewing Alan Carr when you were failing your GCSEs as the first guest on this podcast. So you posted this video, which obviously a lot of people would have seen, and it's on she's YouTube channel. Yeah, but then, yeah, at the time, obviously, it was just friends and family that saw it. My mom was absolutely horrified that I decided to do that. I was like, I'm getting people, mum friends come up to me and ask about it and it's so embarrassing. And what did you say in this video? I just opened the paper sort of with it. And you genuinely hadn't opened it before. I hadn't opened it but I was like there's nothing to lose really.

I know I'm not going to get very good results but I have no, you know, feeling of, you know, I don't care because it wasn't something I wanted to do. I knew I wouldn't need them. And to just thought, just open it, it'll be a laugh, won't it? I'd get none. And I didn't really get any at all. I didn't. And so I just thought, well, I'll post it. I'll make people feel better about themselves, won't it? And it did.

It weirdly just kept, more people kept seeing it. And you'd get sort of kids, go, oh, well, I feel a bit better about it now. But you'd also get people say, oh, my teacher played this in school and what not to do. That embarrassing. I just didn't care because it wasn't something that I was passionate about, you know, just wanted it to, I'd rather turn it into something funny. And did you, when you started, presumably, did that get much more attention than you had envisaged? Like, did you get a lot more downloads and likes than you thought? Yeah, it was, it was a weird one.

It sort of, I put that up and then I kept doing loads of different videos, trying to sort of find my niche. And it sort of grew over time in that video. I think because every sort of term when that would come around, it would get pushed. And it took about a year, I think, before it become properly, like the next year round of juicy as the opening. I think then it's sort of the more people found it because it was, you know, like a seasonal thing, I suppose. And then presumably when COVID hit, you were in a situation where you'd been posting these videos online. And some of them have been doing were very well. Yeah.

But then there was probably a sense of, right, I really can commit a bit more to this now. Yeah, yeah, because you're trapped at home in, presumably your bedroom at your mum's. Yeah, just in a tiny bedroom. But it was like, COVID for me was just like, oh, everyone's just doing what I'm doing now. Because I'd always, I felt like I was in lockdown always because I'd just sit at home and make videos. Do you mind carrying him, are you sure? Love carrying off. Oh, good.

Does he like it? Yeah, he loves it is his favourite. He feels he's involved and part of it. But he's not having to exercise. I love that. It's your dental way, what you got your friend, gee? Oh, I love you. He's so sweet.

So, I was going to say, yeah, lockdown. I don't want to say lockdown was good to you. COVID was good to you, but. It was sort of great for me work-wise, because it's sort of all kicked off, but awful because it's when my granddad got ill. So much death, isn't there? Constant death.

But it was when I read your book. Really? Yeah. Which I loved. Gee, that's so lovely. That makes me happy that you read my book. I hope it was the help in some small way. I mean, it's partly inspired why I got a dog.

Oh. Because, you know, it does. My granddad died and I was like, oh, I need to get a dog. Because it helped with the grief. It really does. Yeah. It really helps with grief. It was like a little...

And does your, with your granddad, did he die? was that related to COVID? It was, well, we thought it was at first. He had a sort of, kept getting out of breath. And they thought his lung was, like, was filled with fluid. And they did a biopsy and they realized he had mesothelioma from asbestos, lung cancer from asbestos. Which was, uh, so he basically got it when he worked in America. So it was sort of like.

Isn't that awful? Yeah, he would have been. He was very healthy. He would definitely, I think he would have lived. Yeah. You know, he was very good, young for his age, but it was work. Oh God, there's another runner. I'm terrified.

I really hope you loved 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.