Walking The Dog with Emily Dean - Tom Basden (Part Two)

Episode Date: May 21, 2025

We’re back on Hampstead Heath with the brilliant actor, writer and comedian Tom Basden! In this part of our chat, Tom tells us all about his new film - The Ballad of Wallis Island - which follows how old tensions resurface when former bandmates who were former lovers reunite for a private show at the island home of an eccentric millionaire.Tom tells us all about the surreal gig that helped to inspire him and long time collaborator Tim Key to write the film - and how Tim slid into Carey Mulligan’s inbox to ask her to be in the film. Raymond also had a bit of an embarrassing moment - which Tom handled with absolute class! We also find out the most controversial way to cut a Schnauzer’s beard… You can catch The Ballad Of Wallis Island in cinemas in the UK from 30th MayFollow @tom.basden on Instagram Follow Emily: Instagram - @emilyrebeccadeanX - @divine_miss_emWalking The Dog is produced by Faye LawrenceMusic: Rich Jarman Artwork: Alice LudlamPhotography: Karla Gowlett  Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to Part 2 of Walking the Dog with writer, actor and comedian Tom Bazden. Do go back and listen to Part 1 if you haven't already and do go and catch Tom's brilliant new film, The Ballad of Wallace Island, co-starring Kerry Mulligan and Tim Key at a cinema near you. I also really urge you to check out Tom's genius sitcom about family life. Here we go on BBC Eye Player, because it's honestly a thing of total joy. And do give us a like and a follow so you can catch us every week. Here's Tom and Ray Ray.

I want to talk about your latest project, which is a film I've been lucky enough to see, and I absolutely love it. It's called The Ballad of Wallace Island, and it's you and your long-time collaborator, Tim Key. Yep. And it was based on a short film that you guys had originally, I think you won an award for it, didn't you? Yeah, well, we were nominated for a BAFTA, yeah, 2008, I think. And it's such a lovely simple premise, which... which is this guy, you know, the ultimate eccentric millionaire, if you like,

who's a lottery winner. And your character is a slightly complicated brooding muso. Yeah. And he's booked to play this gig. Well, what he thinks is going to be a proper gig. Yeah. But it turns out it's not. Yeah.

It's a bit more of an exclusive gig. Yeah. Just for Tim Key's character. And I really loved it. I think I especially loved the relationship between you and Tim and it. And I wanted to know what inspired you originally to come up with this idea.

Was it based on the idea of, you know, what would it be like if you were hired to do a gig by someone and it was just for them? Or was it inspired by the characters? I think, do you know what? I don't know that... Tim and I have been talking about, trying to work out what the specific inspiration was, or even which one of us came up with the idea.

And I think we probably luckily can't quite remember either of those things. But I think at the time, we were, we've made a couple of other short films, and they were all about strangers. There were two people meeting for the first time. Yeah. And that felt, and that's just a very nice way to sort of get into a comedy story where you've, you know, you've got two people who are kind of forced together. Yeah. and it's difficult and they're very different. And this felt like a very good, an immediate story

that you have a kind of fan and a musician. And, you know, the musician's being paid to be there, so he has to be kind of civil. And the fan is just completely unbearable. So there was a kind of, there's a, there was a good sort of comic dynamic to that that attracts us to it. I think the other thing is, it might be that we'd just done a gig,

which is, again, going back to really, Rick Edwards, I think he was the one who got us this gig, which was like a, it was a private gig, a private comedy gig at this big house for this very wealthy family. Oh really? Yeah, and it was me and Tim, Alex Horn, Joe Wilkinson and Rick, and we did this gig and they sort gave us golf buggies to drive around their estate on and stuff. I'm actually doing Joe Wilkinson is what I really love it. Yeah, that was great.

I mean it was a really, really funny weekend doing it. And we just, we did this stand-up show for them in the their sort of, I guess, what you'd call a drawing room. Yeah. With maybe eight of them after dinner, sat on chairs and sort of watching this show. And then they'd say things like, oh, no, bring the other one back. We like the other one. And things like that, right?

And I think there was a point where Tim had not long been doing his poems. And I think he came out to do another set. And one of them went, oh, no, really? Right. So I think we've just done this absolutely crazy. like private, private gig. So I think that, that was in our minds as well, that we just sort of, you know,

we're reflecting on that and how funny and absurd it was. I love the idea of you coming out. And I'm going, oh, no. Yeah, but it's funny, though, isn't it? It's like, you know, they're very wealthy people who obviously had never seen live comedy. And they're like, yeah, get a bit of that. Let's have a bit of that.

Why not? Like a jazz band. And then they're kind of basically thinking they can give us requests. Well, it's also sort of, how one imagines you would have been treated in a sort of Tudor court. Yes. This does not please me. Move on.

Yeah, yeah, yeah, exactly. How extraordinary. What an experience. It just shows you as well. You know, you never believe this at the time, but it is always those experiences, which at the time, I'm sure when you were standing there was slightly mortifying and horrific,

that go on to inspire you to write your best stuff. Yeah, I think that's right. It's also just things that just suddenly feel very, like a raw somehow. Like, you know, just take you out of your comfort zone. And you're like, well, that's interesting that that's happened. And so there's obviously something in that experience that's worth kind of digging into a bit.

And in this movie, you added an extra element, which I love because I adore her. Kerry Mulligan is in it. Yeah. She plays your love interest from the past. That's right. And she got involved. Is there a...

Marcus Montford connection. Not really. Because that's her partner, isn't it? Yeah, Marcus went to my school. But he's a good, like, eight years younger than me, I think. So I never knew Marcus at school. But did Tim email her? Tim emailed Carrie.

Tim had Kerry's email because she'd asked him to host a charity gig. Yeah. And he'd said no, which is a good move. Here's Tim. Yeah, exactly. But he kept her email obviously and then you know however many years later You must have been so thrilled when she said yes. I mean it was it was it was crazy because at the time we'd written this script and we and we you know Tim and I were really happy with it. We're like I think I think this is I think this is good

I think this kind of delivers on the short and actually does something a lot better and we we were really we were struggling to find any interested in doing it you know our producer was was getting was getting a lot of nose from film for BFI etc and and we just felt like you know we'd sort of Tim and I would occasionally just get drunk and sort of wonder if we could just use you know just sort of take out alone and just make the film ourselves and things like that I mean luckily we never came to that yeah because I heard you on a podcast a few years about saying I've given up on films right there's no point it's

It's just too hard to get it made. I mean, I guess this goes back to my sort of pessimistic nature. But, you know, this is what was great about working with Tim, is that Tim is a real idealist, and I think I'm a realist. And Tim was like, well, the script's really good. And I think it's really funny, so it'll get made. And I was like, with respect, I don't think it works like that. I think the quality of the script is quite low down the list of reasons why things happen.

Yeah, that's true. Look at this one. Oh, he's swimming. been for a swim just gave us a little soak. Not for Raymond the old... I'm just going to... I've got something awful has happened Tom. What's that?

I've just discovered he might have what I refer to as a dangly bit. Okay, yes. So if you wouldn't mind averting your... No, don't go near lovely Tom. That's so I don't mind. It's not... It's at the back, isn't it? It is at the back.

Yeah, that's all right then. Please, you're all right, then. Don't be silly. Oh, Raymond, this is a little bit... But you know what... It happens to all of us, Raymond? You've got... kids, so I suspect you're used to this, aren't you?

I'm used to a lot worse than this, don't worry. Yeah. There you go, Ray. I'd definitely take a dangle bit over some of the stuff. This is the problem with Shih Tzu's. Clues in the name. What, um, do you, are you ever tempted to trim his, um, his rear end? He does, he does get his undercarriage trimmed.

Yeah. Oh dear. Is it? Is it? Is it the fall? Have you got a tissue fae? Oh, it's bad. All I will say is don't shake my hands afterwards. No.

I've managed to avoid the worst of it, I think. Raymond is so calm while you're doing this. So you're just going to have to avoid him because he will smell. No, that's all right. Is it a case of dunking, dunking his bottom half in something? Yes, that would really help. That would help everything. I would offer to help, but I really don't want to is the problem.

And also, I don't know what I could do. Do you know, I don't blame you. Faye, can I suggest you give this water bottle a little clean? Yeah, that's done the trick actually. It's all gone. I cannot apologise enough for that. Don't be silly. Awful.

I'm glad it happened with you. Honestly, I think this is a victimless crime. I think Raymond didn't really know who's doing it. Do you know, I feel really relieved that happened with you? Do you think some people would have freaked out? Yeah, I just feel you're quite laid back and you don't mind. Whereas some people, I would have felt ashamed. Oh, can you pour some water over my hands?

I think all the poo's gone now. Have you ever had anything like that with your kids? I'm trying to think. I mean, I definitely had, like, I've had their poo on me. I'll tell you what I did have once. My son was little. We were in a friend's garden. And he said he needed the loo.

And so I just took him to the corner, like to we against a bush. And then he just shat into my lap, because I stood directly behind him. And then I was like, well, you really really. need to specify what kind of lure you needed there. And then I just had to, you know, I couldn't really go home. It was sort of, we were quite a long, you know, we've been, we've driven a long way to see these friends. I just had to just, you know, live with that for a while. Oh,

sorry about that. It's all right. Brief stop off at Shit Island. And we'll return to Wallace Island. Very good. And bit partridge, but I'm okay with it. I'm absolutely fine with it. So you got Kerry Mulligan as you say to work with you and presumably that just made everything so much easier to get off the ground and get financing. I think because Kerry, because obviously you send people a script and you're like well they might not read it and then if they do they're going to you know it'll be one of like a whole pile of scripts that you know that Carrie Mulligan's getting and she sort of read it quickly and was like well I really love it I want to do it and and and I think it just gave us this renewed confidence in the whole thing that we were like well

Well, if Kerry wants to do it, you know, Carrie's reading a lot of scripts and her agent's reading a lot of scripts on her behalf, and they both think it's great, and they both really want to do it. So, like, you know, hopefully that's just going to make a huge difference, both to convincing other people that the film's worth making, but also just sort of getting a bit more momentum behind it. Absolutely. Because I think that's the thing with films that, you know, when I had said previously I've sort of given up on them, and I had a bit, that it is, it is. It does seem to be a momentum game. And that is just completely out of your control. Yeah. And if you've got a script and after a year or two,

for whatever reason, the momentum starts to seep away and nothing's happening, it's just really hard to get that back, I find, or have found. I have to say, one thing I really loved about this film, I love all the performances, but I really loved, the sort of story, if you like, between your character and Tim's character. Yeah. Because you, as I say, are this kind of complicated, dark brooding musician.

Yeah. Who's obviously built up. You know those people that you can tell is built up defences? He's got massive walls up. Yeah. And Tim is kind of almost joyfully simplistic his character. Yeah. But it was interesting because a lot of people have said, oh, he described Tim's character as, oh, he's irritating.

he's cringe making. It was really weird. I had a very different reaction. I found him incredibly sympathetic. And I think the reason I liked him is because I really recognised that person. It felt very real to me is that we've all met those people. We've probably all been that person

who's so eager to please their sort of filling silences all the time with kind of silly aphorisms and idioms and podcasts. Yeah. For sure. Do you know what I mean? And it becomes his character

is based on, I'm going to say a lot of silly things. No, completely. And I think it's very much, you know, traceable back to our coward's days of writing sketches and sort of writing characters who were a bit like some of our parents' friends who just kind of go into a room and sort of, you know, we'll just go

dum-da-dum-d-d-dom now then, what am I doing? And they just can't help themselves. They just, they have no internal monologue. It all comes out. But I think going back to your thing about like that character being irritating I think one of the things that

that I think something that I've really really noticed when watching the film you know later is that it's kind of all about the way that Charles has received by the people so at the start Tim's character is incredibly irritating

to Herb his herbs like worst possible person to be spending time with because as you say he's this very guarded quiet guy who just wants to be left alone and and Charles cannot leave people alone and then as soon as as Nell arrives which Carrie's character I think you suddenly start to enjoy Charles and see how wonderful he is because she just finds him really entertaining yes that's very true you see him through her eyes and maybe that's why he starts to be a more sympathetic character because she's viewing him through much more forgiving benign eyes.

Because why wouldn't you? Yeah. Do you what I mean? It's like the thing about sort of people who are, people who mean well, but are annoying. It's like, but just choose not to find them annoying and it's fantastic. Yeah. That's very true because by the end of the film, you end up, well, you end up liking both of them because I don't want to spoil it, but your character, there's a final act of really immense generosity. And it makes you feel, it just, I came.

It was such a lovely feeling about humanity after watching that film. Do you know what I mean? Having also laughed a hell of a lot. So I so recommend everyone watches this film because it's honestly brilliant. I cannot let you go. We're not far from your house. Let's just wait there. I cannot let you go because I love talking to you.

I cannot let you go without discussing, here we go, your sitcom. Oh, yeah. Which if you haven't seen this, It's all the episodes currently, I think Series 2 is all on I-Player. I think it's all on I-player. I hope that it's all on it out there. Series 1 and 2 are all on eye-player. Oh, is that a schnauzer?

That's a mini-snowser, yeah. That's very similar to Josie, our first one. Oh, it's very sweet. Quite a stark haircut, they've got it. You sound like you don't approve, fantastic. Quite, I think, well. Let's see what Raymond gets on with the schnauzer, Tom. Hello.

Oh. I think within the schnarser community, I think it is quite frowned upon to cut the beard. Is it? Yes. You want that kind of like barrely beard at the front and to sort of give them a more, a more sort of closer cut around the mouth is not the done thing. Oh, that's for ball. Come on, Ray. So here we go is...

so wonderful and it's it's a sitcom based around this family of the jesops yeah and it reminded me not not that it was derivative in any way but it just you know when you see something and you think oh i like this because it's making me giving that warm feeling that i get with something like modern family yeah and also outnumbered had that where you're sort of dancing a bit close to the watershed which i which i like yeah yeah yeah that's where the comedy lies that you think well this is a BBC one. Oh, it's a sitcom. It's 8 o'clock. Yeah. But actually, it's much closer to the edge. Yeah. And it feels more real because it reflects family life.

But there's such brilliant characters, and it's wonderful Catherine Parkinson. Alison Stedman, who's just absolutely eating up that part. And she says such brilliant things. I'll tell you when it had me. I don't know if it's episode one or episode two, but there's a brilliant thing where the daughter, the granddaughter is eating. cereal in the afternoon. And the mother comments on this and says, oh, you're having cereal in the afternoon. And Alison Seven says, I know, it's PC gone mad.

Right, yeah. It just appealed to me on so many levels because it was not understanding what that PC gone mad meant. Yeah. And obviously the way she delivers those lines is, you know. Yeah, I mean, that's the thing about Alison, is that you can slightly give her anything

because she's so funny. and she's just wonderful. She's honestly the nicest person I've worked with. And when you decided to do that, did it come from the premise of, oh, I want to write a sitcom about a family? Yeah, do you know what? I think what it came from actually

was I'd made a pilot before that with the BBC, which didn't get picked up, but people liked it, but it didn't get made, which was where I played a sort of Bear Grills-type TV presenter. and I went on this kind of adventure and it all goes wrong and it's a lot of him talking to camera and you're sort of watching both the sort of show bits of the show but all of the behind the scene stuff where the character and the cameraman are sort of like arguing and working out what they need to do and the feedback I got from from people who saw it was like it was just too much about telly and it

It was maybe an audience wouldn't kind of care about that. Fair enough. So what excites me about it, though, was I realised that you could do something like that. But from within the point of view of the family and basically have a cameraman inside the family who is a family member and is interacting with their own family.

And I think when I kind of, when I sort of hit on that idea, I suddenly really wanted to write a family sitcom, having never written one before or even really wanted to. I'd been a fan of modern family and shows like that. But I hadn't really felt like I had an idea or a way into it before. There's certainly something about the family sitcom where, you know, as you say, it's all about it feeling real and it feeling like you kind of completely buy the relationships.

And I think the really helpful thing about that sort of mockumentary style or sort of, you know, camera within the family format is it just gives it all so much organic realism. Yes, it fit. Well, we should say as well, yeah, because the premise is that it's the teenage son who's filming them all. And you think, well, he would be doing that because kids are always filming stuff. Yeah, so my nephew does that. Yeah. Has been, has done that when the family go on holiday, he does that. And it makes, what I like about that is it makes.

if a family member was filming, you would forget about that. And that's why it makes the fact that they're not always on. Like you would be if there was a Netflix crew in the house. It makes it feel much more authentic. They're being real. Yeah, but also they can talk to him. And there's a sort of, you know, the mockumentary trope has kind of, it's sort of lost a lot of meaning now.

And if you, you know, you watch like later series of modern family. just put the camera wherever they want and they never refer to it or like no they don't sort of observe the rules of it if you like no they don't so it's just a kind of a way of having a cake and eating it whereas i think you know what i like about about our way of doing it is that the cameraman is interacting and talking and pointing things out yeah and they're sort of like they're saying like well don't film this you know they're kind of embarrassed that some things are going to be on camera because you would be there's a not is that another schnauzer it is What's going on? Why do we keep seeing schnauzers?

I think they know I'm here. This one's got the beard, you see. Oh, the beard. Yeah. This one's had a better cut. Let's have a look, yes. Yeah. Yes. Yeah, you see what I mean?

Lovely schnauzer. Yeah, leave that little. It's like a sort of hoover attachment feel. You want to leave that. Yes. And you're in that, and I love your character in that. Oh, thanks. Because he, I don't love him.

He's awful. Yeah, he's an idiot. But what I like is as soon as you came in, and he was wearing this horrible sort of, I'm going to call it Caramac coloured leather jacket. Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm very proud of the costumes in that show. And it's got that slight sort of rounded collar detail.

And it's, and I thought, I know everything. A pleated gusset as well. Yeah. I know everything about this. I know who he is. Yeah. But, no, it's such a brilliant show, honestly. And I urge everyone to watch it.

And I wondered, when you're, writing stuff like that. What's going to, what's happened here, Tom? She's shouting at the crows, is what's happening. No, but she's not going to. Oh, hang on, I can't tell. No, look, this dog has gone nuts. Can we hide away?

Because this dog is a bit mad. Can you see Tom? Yes, I can actually. She, he doesn't have any recall. She's saying Tessie. Okay, yeah. Where's Tessie gone? Is that, you got that is like Livy all over again?

It's another Livy. It's a classic. Okay. I mean, have we not been through Livy already? Oh, Tessie's taking the shit now. But look, she's also taking Tessie on a very particular path away from everybody. So that's helpful. Look at the crows all marching in formation like that. Fascinating, aren't they?

They're so clever the crows. If you eat in the cafe, you know, the running track, if you turn your back, the crows come and eat your food. Do they? Yeah. They just come and land on your table and start eating your pasta. Are they the most intelligent of all birds? That's what I hear one here.

I'm glad I do you think I would know the answer for it. I don't know. Yes, why not? Well, they have an incredible memory, don't they? Right, yeah, I guess so. They are definitely clever, crows comparatively. I think also it's, you know, it's a bit of a rose gallery bird, so I think a lot of them are thick of sheer.

So crows do well. I had Jeremy Paxman on this podcast once, and he had a dog called Derek. which I loved and he did not like crows. Really? Yeah. It turned out I found his weakness because I don't think you can't imagine he's a man that would be frightened by many things. You think he's scared of crows?

He was scared of them. Wow. He said they're horrible creatures. Oh look Tom's carrying rain and he's sleeping. You're actually very good with dogs Tom. I really want a dog. Yeah. You're very gentle person I think.

I well I think my first dog, Josie, I just irritated the hell out of her because I was quite young and I just wanted to sort of I was up in her grill and she didn't like that. You know how dogs, some dogs just hate kids

because they just, they don't fucking leave them alone. And I was like that. It's not like comics. They can be like that. Yeah, it's true. And I think, I imagine you're very good with big personalities

because, which you do have to work with in this industry. And I think you've got an incredibly calm energy. Thank you. You know, I try. Do you think that's true? I don't know. I think I can get anxious and I can get in a bit of a, I can, yeah, I mean, I can get a bit wound up and I can, I can also get a bit sort of, um, tetchy, I think. But like, yeah, I think I'm pretty calm. I tend to think that like, even though I'm pessimistic by nature, I do, I do tend to think that like things will probably be okay one way or the other. Like I try not to take it that seriously. particularly when you're making something that should be fun.

Like the idea is it should be enjoyable to do it and people should enjoy watching it. You know, I try and keep that in my mind while I'm doing it. Otherwise, you may as well be estate agents or something. I don't imagine you falling out with people very often. No, I don't think I do really. I try and avoid that. How are you at confrontation?

Not great. I mean, I think I've probably got better at it as I've got older. But I find it very, I find even the thought of it. It's quite terrifying actually. I try and avoid it. And I just sort of quietly seize. I think generally, like my wife's been very helpful with this. Like if ever I've been really angry about something,

what I might do is like, I might do is like write an email, like write exactly how I feel in an email and then not send it and then leave it two or three days and then I'm over it. Do you know what? The secrets that our draft folders hold. Yeah, but it's a really good way to do it as long as you don't send it. 100%. I do exactly the same. And do you find when you look back on them, you sort of cringe at your own outrage? Oh god yeah. I mean I think if I'd sent some of these, I'd be absolutely mortified. What an idiot.

Like, I think when you're angry, when you're in the real sort of the tornado of it, you're just not thinking straight. Yeah. And you kind of, you know, you really exaggerate like how bad things are because to make sense of your anger. Do you think also I notice I revert to the language, very formal language, like a sort of Victorian dowager. Yeah, yeah, for sure.

And I sort of say, I was most inconvenienced. I would like to hear your response to this. forthwith, which I would never say normally. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's really strange, isn't it? And I think it's, um... Well, it's the, it's the kind of, it's the performance of, of, of, of being upset as well. It's the thing that when you look back at it, you're like, God, it's, there's so much

theatre in that, you know, and actually like, with, with people that you work with, with people that, that you really do need to have a good relationship with them, you know, so much of it is about, about getting past that or sort of not in, some way invoking that, the theatre of being upset with each other because it's, you know, it's so hard to have a good relationship again once you've done that. Also, I imagine because you're working with actors, and I suppose you have to be sensitive as well because actors and comics are different beasts. And, you know, if you're rewriting something or you think a line needs to change purely because it's funnier, a comic is maybe going

to be more tolerant of that. Yeah. And I understand that a bit more. Yeah, yeah, yeah. You know, I wonder if... Well, that's very true. And it's something that, you know, it is difficult that. The relationship between the writer and the cast, particularly when you're in something,

is a hard thing to navigate because some actors hate it. They hate sort of... They hate a writer kind of... coming and giving them a note. They don't mind the director doing it, but the writer coming to sort of clarify exactly what they meant by a certain line, it can be very unwelcome sometimes. And they're well within their rights to feel that way. And you can't really sort of, you know, pull rank and say, well, I'm sorry, but here's how you should say it, so this is happening. So that that can be tough and like, you know, I'm lucky that with the people I've worked with,

both on like plebs and here we go and other stuff, um, the, The cast are either comedians who just want to know what the funniest version is. They're like, oh, I see that, yeah, that's funny like that, let's do it like that. Yeah. Or they're actors who are really generous and really care what I think about it and want to know that they're getting it right. Or you have someone like Alison Stedman who is so drenched in comedy. Completely.

Well, that's right. Her instinct would always be to go for the funny, wouldn't it? Completely. I mean, yeah, that's exactly it. With someone like Alison or Catherine or Jim, they've done so much. that like generally I try and get out their way because their instincts are so good, they're so funny, they're so characterful that often what they're doing is going to be better than what I had in mind

or, you know, the way, the precise way it's written in the script, say. But I think that's the other thing about, you know, when you come to the point you're filming something is you have to like accept that it's, a different part of the process. It's not just about getting your meat puppets to make the script happen. It's a different thing. It's a different creative part of the project now. And the script, you know, you have to slightly leave that with the director and you find the thing that works when you're filming. Oh, well Tom, we've reached the end of the road. We have. I sound like I'm sacking

you. I know, but I've enjoyed the opportunity and... Have you enjoyed it? Yeah, have actually. Have you? Yeah, very much. It's been great. And I think you've been so lovely with Raymond.

Thank you. Sometimes people who don't... How about them are you? Just if we're getting a full review. Do you know, I think you've been brilliant. Oh, good. And what I would say is you've really surpassed my expectations. Oh, yeah.

Certainly on the dog front. Good. Because often people who don't have... have dogs, they're very tolerant. I'd say they're dog tolerant. Whereas I really felt with you that you connected with him and were very sweet with him. Well, I mean, how could you not be sweet with Raymond?

He's a lovely dog. Well, how could you not be sweet with Tom Bastert? Well, yes, the follow-up question. We heart Tom Buston. Well, I congratulations on your brilliant film. Thank you. And the film is going to be out from the 28th of May. That's it.

And please go and see it, because I should say also, I think it's one of those films you really be so great to see in the cinema, just because it's filmed in Wales. Yeah. And I do think the Welsh tourist board should be paying your money because... I know, I agree. It looks so spectacular. I mean, the director and the cinematographer have done an incredible job with the look and feel of it all.

So yeah, it's a very beautiful film, I think. Well, so have you, Tom Bazden. I think you hide your light under a bushel and I'm not having it anymore. Take your shears to that bushel, by all means. Well, I'll be doing it to Raymond's... to Raymond's bushel. Tom Boston, it's been an absolute joy. Thanks, Emily. It's been a lot of fun.

Bye, Tom. Bye, Raymond's. Good luck, mate. Good luck. Well, I mean, you know, just with the inevitable, you know, downstairs haircut that's coming. You may not like it. I really hope you enjoyed that episode of Walking the Dog. We'd love it if you subscribed.

And do join us next time on Walking the Dog wherever you get your podcasts.