Angela Scanlon

Radio Two DJ, TV Presenter, Podcaster and all-round legend Angela Scanlon is here! It’s a wonderful, evocative episode about growing up in 90’s Ireland, from the experience of social and economic explosion to the delight of sitting on the carpet at home scoffing jelly.  There’s also a brilliant passage where Angela talks about being an Irish country dancing girl at the time when Riverdance went global and suddenly became cool! Angela has recently launched a brand new podcast called ‘Gift List’ where she speaks to well-known people about the art of giving and receiving gifts. Episode one with Louis Theroux is available right now.  And if you don’t already, you should catch Angela and Vicky Pattinson’s podcast - Get a Grip - where they get stuck into whatever issues come their way. They do new episodes every Tuesday and Thursday. Goodbye from us all. We’re off to get all nostalgic and watch Riverdance videos and who knows, maybe have a go ourselves.  Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to September's Moments of the Month. In case you’re new here, this is a compilation show with a little flavour of each guest we’ve enjoyed this month, but not the whole show. Then if you like the taste of any of them you can double-back and listen to the whole episode. It’s a good way to discover someone you would never have thought of clicking on before.  In this episode you have Taskmaster's Isy Suttie, you have SNL's George Foreacres, you have the Irish comedy star Catherine Bohart and British Comedy Acting National Treasure Ralf Little. That’s a little taste of what October was like. All of those shows are available in full right now, so if you got a taste for it, go and get some more. Thanks as always for listening and there will be a new show, as usual, this coming Wednesday.  Goodbye to YOU. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Comedian Tez Ilyas, from Man Like Mobeen (among many other things) has arrived in the studio with his Five Brilliant Things!  You can hear Tez eulogise about his wedding, his nieces and nephews, Istanbul and the joys of a big old wet-ass pudding. Yum.  Tez is currently on tour! He’s doing his latest show ‘Tez Things I Hate About You’ up and down the country and you can find out the dates and book tickets by going to https://tezilyas.com. You can also watch his specials there and, er, also look at some pictures of him. There’s your lot. ‘Ave it.  Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of Britain’s favourite actors, from The Royle Family, Two Pints of Lager, Death in Paradise and so, so much more - Ralf Little has brought his Five Brilliant Things in to the studio and this one’s a cracker! Ralf has found himself in some extraordinary situations thanks to his acting, and each of the Brilliant Things he talks about prompts another fantastic yarn told with such fluency and charm: From a game of five-a-side with an England Football Legend, to flying around the globe and finishing off in a remarkably heart-felt and moving end place for the show. Recommend!  Ralf is next starring alongside Simon Pegg, Amanda Abbington and many other big names in the hotly anticipated Channel 4 mystery thriller ‘Hunting Alice Bell’.  The six-part series written by David Baddiel will be on C4 this Autumn so keep your eyes on that, or catch it on Channel 4’s on demand by going to channel4.com  That is everything we have for you this week, hope your umbrellas have stayed intact, please stay warm, dry and full of toast.  Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Current Taskmaster contestant and musical comedian Isy Suttie is here and you’d imagine that she would have oodles of brilliant things…and she does! Adrian Mole features for the first time ever on the show, and Isy talks through the unbeatable feeling and potential that comes with a brand new ball of wool (that ends up in a tale of tragedy turned triumph regarding a dinosaur cardigan…). It’s a feel-good show with a strong vein of craft running through it. There’s only one mention of nose hair too.  Isy is one of the contestants in the latest series of Taskmaster! You can watch it on Channel 4, or on their catch-up, or look for clips on social media. To keep up to date with all of Isy’s upcoming projects and exciting plans, follow her on Instagram where she’s @IsySuttie.  That’s all! Toody doody doo!  Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the leading lights of Irish comedy: it’s Catherine Bohart and she brings bucketloads of her trademark charm and wit into the podcast studio.  I mean it’s worth coming for the Hockey Smut alone. Catherine wrestles with her new found passion for racy Ice Hockey fantasies. We then take a violent turn into the less racy but arguably healthier world of porridge. And you won’t want to miss Catherine trying to explain to Russell the art of Irish hospitality - working like a dog then pretending that it was nothing.  Catherine has extended her latest tour ‘Borrowing Trouble’ and you should for sure go and get a ticket and get involved. She’s got a handful of dates across the UK and Ireland and you can find them all, and book tickets by going to https://www.catherinebohart.com/  You can also find there videos, podcasts and all those other things that you might quite rightly expect to find on a comedian’s website.  Thank you for your indulgence, it has been noted. TO THE SPURTLE! Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Welcome to September's Moments of the Month. In case you’re new here, this is a compilation show with a little flavour of each guest we’ve enjoyed this month, but not the whole show. Then if you like the taste of any of them you can double-back and listen to the whole episode. It’s a good way to discover someone you would never have thought of clicking on before.  First up we’ve got the vintage star of stage and screen, comedian Brian Conley. Then we had one of the best one-liner comics in the business - Mark Simmons. Following that was one of the most fascinating and quirky comedians on the circuit - Alisdair Beckett King. Then Russell sat down with the pop icon Natasha Bedingfield. And lastly it was the legend of British comedy, reflecting on his life on stage and trying to change the world - Alexei Sayle. So there we go! That’s a little taste of what September was like. All of those shows are available in full right now, so if you got a taste for it, go and get some more. Thanks as always for listening and there will be a new show, as usual, this coming Wednesday.  Byeeee! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

He’s one of the breakout stars of SNL UK and a sketch and comic actor of the highest calibre - it’s George Fouracres!  George’s Brilliant Things are signs of an inquisitive and sideways brain, for example ‘roads’ are definitely brilliant but maybe the rest of us take them for granted? Likewise the month of September. It’s not for everyone but George makes a bloody good case as to why it’s A Brilliant Thing. Please have a delve around, audio-wise and enjoy what is definitely in our top three Midlands-focussed episodes of the show.  George is starring in the latest season of SNL UK on Sky right now, so if you’ve got Sky then get involved, and if you haven’t…well…you could get it? Or you can enjoy the clips across social media of all kinds.  For all of George’s other work, you can keep up with him by following him on the old Instagrams, where he’s @fowerairkers  And that, as the old saying goes, is that. Hope you have a lovely week and make sure to take advantage of all of those lovely opportunities that come your way. Xxx Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

One of the forefathers of modern British Stand-up comedy, Alexei Sayle sits down with Russell to talk through his brilliant things and they show sides to Alexei that demonstrate the forces in him that make him such an interesting voice; nobody else has chosen both a poem and a gun among their brilliant things! It’s a fascinating interview, not taken in a rush, that goes from demonstrations to Alexei’s formative years and his ill-fated experiments in Hollywood.  Alexei’s latest book is called ‘How I’ve Tried to Change the World (by walking down the middle of the street shouting’)’ - and as you will have heard in the show, it’s a record of his life through the various demos he’s attended. It’s written with his trademark beautiful prose style and humour and it’s definitely a cracking read.  You can order it in hardback by clicking here. Or use your local independent bookshop. That’s it for today. Toodle-pip!  Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

The pop megastar is in the studio and her brilliant things are as wholesome as you might hope; a swim through the importance of connecting with nature, the vitality of comedy and there’s a fascinating chat about the creative process. Oh! And chocolate. Natasha’s new single ‘Dot Dot Dot’ is out now and it’s an absolute banger; the kind of upbeat, optimistic pop that has earned Natasha a place among the greats. You can hear it, buy it and find so much more music at natashabedingfield.com  You can also follow Natasha on Insta where she’s @natashabedingfield. Enjoy these final late summer days, listen to some music, walk your dog unless you don’t have a dog in which case steal a dog and walk that dog. Bye! Producer: Dan Atkinson Line Producer: Daisy Knight Exec Producer: James Taylor Composer: Fat Lady Music Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices