Podcasts about Covent Garden

This week on Skip the Queue, we're stepping into the turret and turning up the tension, as we explore one of the UK's most talked-about immersive experiences.Our guest is Neil Connolly, Creative Director at The Everywhere Group, who have brought The Traitors Live Experience to life. With over 10 million viewers watching every betrayal, backstab and banishment on the BBC show, expectations for the live version were nothing short of murderous.So, how do you even begin to transform a TV juggernaut into a thrilling, guest-led experience? Let's find out who's playing the game… and who's about to be banished…Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on LinkedIn. Show references: The Traitors Live website: https://www.thetraitorslive.co.uk/Neil's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/neil-connolly-499054110/Neil Connolly is a creative leader of design and production teams focused on development, production and installation of live theatre, entertainment, multi-media and attractions for the themed entertainment industry worldwide.Neil began his career as a performer, writer, producer & artist in Londons alternative theatre/art scene. It was during this time Neil developed a love and passion for story telling through the platform of interactive playable immersive theatre.Having been at the vanguard of playable & immersive theatre since 2007, Neil had a career defining opportunity in 2019 when he devised, wrote & directed an immersive experience as part of Sainsbury's 150th Birthday Celebrations. Making him the only immersive theatre & game maker in the world to have HRH Elizabeth Regina attend one of their experiences.In a distinguished career spanning 20 years, Neil has brought that passion to every facet of themed entertainment in the creative direction and production of attractions such as; Handels Messiah, Snowman & The Snowdog, Peppa Pig Surprise Party, Traitors Live, The Crystal Maze Live Experience, Tomb Raider Live Experience & Chaos Karts, an AR go-kart real life battle. Other clients and activations include: Harrods, Sainsbury's, Camelot/The National Lottery, Samsung, Blenheim Palace, Land Rover and Warner Brothers.Neil has worked across 4 continents for many years with private individuals; designing, producing and delivering live entertainment on land, sea & air. A world without boundaries requires freethinking.Neil is currently working with Immersive Everywhere on creative development of show and attraction content for projects across U.K, Europe, North America & Asia. Transcriptions:  Paul Marden: This week on Skip the Queue, we're stepping into the turret and turning up the tension as we explore one of the UK's most talked about immersive experiences.Paul Marden: Our guest is Neil Connolly, Creative Director at The Everywhere Group, who've brought The Traitor's live experience to life. With over 10 million viewers watching every betrayal, backstab and banishment on the BBC show, expectations for the live version were nothing short of murderous. So how do you even begin to transform a TV juggernaut into a thrilling guest-led experience? Let's find out who's playing the game and who's about to be banished.Paul Marden: So, we're underground. Lots of groups running currently, aren't they? How did you make that happenNeil Connolly: Yeah, so now we're two floors under us. There's a lower basement and some other basement. So the building that we are in, there's a family in the 1890s who owned all of the land around Covent Garden and specifically the Adelphi Theatre.Paul Marden: Right.Neil Connolly: And they wanted their theatre to be the first theatre in the UK to have its lights powered by electricity. So they built their own private power station in this building. Like, literally like, all this, this is a power station. But unfortunately for these the Savoy had taken to that moniker, so they quickly built their important institution. The family had this building until the 1980s when the establishment was assumed through the important UK network.Neil Connolly: And then it was sat there empty, doing nothing for 40 years. And so the landlord that is now started redeveloping the building 10 years ago, added two floors onto the top of the building. So now what we're in is an eight-storey structure and we've basically got the bottom four floors. Two of which are ground and mezzanine, which is our hospitality area. And the lower two floors, which are all in the basement, are our experience floors. What we're looking at right now is, if you look off down this way to the right, not you people on audio, but me here.Neil Connolly: Off this side is five of the round table rooms. There's another one behind me and there's two more upstairs. And then I've got some Tretters Towers off to the left and I've got my show control system down there.Neil Connolly: On the floor above me, we've got the lounges. So each lounge is connected to one of the round table rooms. Because when you get murdered or banished, one of the biggest challenges that I faced was what happens to people when they get murdered or banished? Because you get kicked out of the game. It's not a lot of fun, is it? Therefore, for me, you also get kicked out of the round table room. So this is a huge challenge I face. But I built these lounge concepts where you go— it's the lounge of the dead— and you can see and hear the round table room that you've just left. We'll go walk into the room in a while. There's lots of interactivity. But yeah, super fun. Neil Connolly: But unfortunately for these the Savoy had taken to that moniker, so they quickly built their important institution. The family had this establishment until the 1980s when the establishment was considered through the important UK network.Paul Marden: Yeah. So we've got 10 million people tuning in to Traitors per episode. So this must be a lot of pressure for you to get it right. Tell us about the experience and what challenges you faced along the way, from, you know, that initial text message through to the final creation that we're stood in now.Neil Connolly: So many challenges, but to quote Scroobius Pip on this, do you know Scroobius Pip? Paul Marden: No. Neil Connolly: Great, he's amazing. UK rapper from Essex.Neil Connolly: Some people see a mousetrap and think death. I see free cheese and a challenge.Neil Connolly: There's never any problems in my logic, in my thinking. There's always just challenges to overcome. So one of the biggest challenges was what happens to people when they get murdered or banished. The truth of the matter is I had to design a whole other show, which happens after this show. It is one big show. But you go to the Lounge of the Dead, there's more interactivity. And navigating that with the former controller, which is O3 Media and IDTV, who created the original format in the Netherlands, and basically designing a game that is in the world and follows the rules of their game with some reasonable adjustments, because TV and live are not the same thing.Neil Connolly: It takes 14 days to film 12 episodes of The Traitors. Paul Marden: Really? Okay. Neil Connolly: So I was like, how do I truncate 14 days of somebody's life down into a two-hour experience and still deliver that same impact, that same power, that same punch?Paul Marden: Yep.Neil Connolly: But I knew from the beginning of this that it wasn't about time. There is a magic triangle when it comes to the traitors, which is time, space, atmosphere. And time was the thing that I always struggled with. I don't have a Scottish cattle show, and I don't have two weeks. No. So I'm like, 'Cool, I've got to do it in two hours.' So our format follows exactly the same format. We do a breakfast scene, then a mission, then a roundtable banishment, then there's a conclave where the traitors meet and they murder somebody. And I do that in a seven-day structure, a seven-day cycle. But it all happens within two hours around this round table.Neil Connolly: I'm the creative director for Immersive Everywhere. We're a vertically integrated structure in the sense that we take on our own venues. So we're now standing in Shorts Gardens in the middle of Covent Garden. So we've leased this building. We've got a lease that is for a number of years and we have built the show into it. But we also identify the IP, go after that ourselves, we capitalise the projects ourselves. We seek strategic partners, promoters, other people to kind of come involved in that journey. But because we're also the team that are licensing the product, we are also the producers and I'm the creative director for that company. So I developed the creative in line with while also getting the deal done. This is incredibly unusual because other producers will be like, 'Hey, I've identified this IP and I've got it.' Now I'm going to approach a creative agency and I'm going to get them to develop the product. And now I've done all of that, I'm going to find someone else to operationally put it on, or I'm going to find a venue to put it on in, and then I'm going to find my ticketing partner.  But we don't do that. We have our own ticketing platform, and we have our own database, so we mark our own shoulders.Neil Connolly: As well as other experiences too. Back, we have our own creative industry, we are the producers, we are the female workers. So we cast it, we hire all the front of house team, we run the food and beverage, we run the bars. The operations team is our operations team because they run the venue as well as the show at the same time. So that's what I mean. We're a vertically integrated structure, which means we do it, which makes us a very unusual proposition within... certainly within the UK market, possibly the world. It makes us incredibly agile as a company and makes us to be able to be adaptive and proactive and reactive to the product, to the show, to the market that we're operating in, because it's all under one roof.Neil Connolly: This show started January 24th, 2023. Right. It's very specific because I was sitting on my sofa drinking a lovely glass of Merlot and I had just watched... UK Traitors, Season One. Yep. Because it came out that Christmas. Immediately I was like, 'Oh my God, this is insane.' And then I got a text message that particular night from our head of licensing, a guy named Tom Rowe, lovely man. And he was like, Neil, I'm at a licensing event with some friends of mine and everyone's talking about this thing called Traitors. I've not watched it. Have you watched it? Sounds like it might be a good thing. And so I sat back and drank my Merlot. And about five minutes later, I text him back and I was like, Tom, get us that license.Neil Connolly: And then I sent him a bunch of other details of how the show in my head would work, both from a commercial standpoint, but also from a creative standpoint, because I'm a commercially minded creative. Right. So I instantly took out my notebook and I started writing down exactly how I thought the show was going to do, the challenges that we would face and being able to translate this into a live thing. But I literally started writing it that night. And then he watched the first episode on the train on the way home. And then he texted me the next morning and he was like, 'I love it.' What do we need to do? And I was like, 'Get us in the room.' Two days later, we were in the room with all three media who own the format globally.Paul Marden: Okay.Neil Connolly: So we sat down and then they came to see one of our other shows and they were like, 'Okay, we get it now.' And then that was like two and a half years of just building the show, getting the deal done and facing the myriad of challenges. But yeah, sometimes it just starts with the text message.Paul Marden: So they get to experience all the key parts of the TV.Neil Connolly: All the key beats. Like right now, I'm holding one of the slates. They're not chalkboard slates. Again, this is... Oh, actually, this is a good challenge. So in the TV show, they've got a piece of slate and they write on it with a chalkboard pen. This seems so innocuous and I can't believe I'm talking about this on a podcast.Neil Connolly: Slategate was like six months of my life. Not in its entirety, but it was a six month long conversation about how we do the slates correctly. Because we do... 48 shows a day, six days a week. And those slates will crack. They will bash. And they're kind of a bit health and safety standards. I was like, can't have them. Also, they write on them with chalk pens, white ink chalk pens. But in the TV show, you only do it once a night. Yeah.Paul Marden: And then you have a producer and a runner.Neil Connolly: They just clean them very, very leisurely and set them back for the next day. And I was like, no, I've got to do a whole bunch of roundtable banishments in two hours. So we talked a lot about material, about style, literal viewership, because if you take a seat at the table. Yeah. If you're sitting at the table here, you'll notice that we've got a raised bit in the middle. If I turn mine around, the other person on the other side can't see it. So I was like, 'Okay, cool.' So we had to do a whole bunch of choreography. But also, the room's quite dark. Yes. At times, atmospheric. Yeah. In that magic triangle time-space atmosphere. So anything that was darker, or even that black slate, you just couldn't read it. And then there was, and then I had to— this is the level of detail that we have to go into when we're designing this kind of stuff. I was like, 'Yeah, but I can't clean off these slates with the white ink because everyone will have to have like a wet cloth chamois. Then I've just got loads of chamois around my venue that I just don't need.' And so then we're like, 'Oh, let's use real slates with real chalk.' And I was like, 'No, because dust will get everywhere.' I'll get chalk just all over my table. It'll just ruin everything. It'll ruin the technology that's inside the table because there's lots of hidden tricks inside of it. Paul Marden: Is there really? Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Neil Connolly: There's loads of hidden tricks inside the table. So after a while, going through many different permutations, I sat down with Christian Elenis, who's my set designer and my art director. And we were, the two of us were nearly in tears because we were like, 'We need,' and this only happened like.Neil Connolly: I would say two, three weeks before we opened. We still hadn't solved how to do the slate, which is a big thing in the show. Anybody who's seen the show and loves the show knows that they want to come in, they want to write somebody's name on the slate, and they want to spell the name incorrectly.Neil Connolly: Everyone does it on purpose. But I wanted to give people that opportunity. So then eventually we sat down and we were like, Christian, Neil. And the two of us in conversation went, why don't we just get a clear piece of Perspex, back it with a light coloured vinyl. And then Christian was like, 'Ooh,' and I'll make it nice and soft and put some felt on the back of it, which is what I'm holding. And then why don't we get a black pen? And we were like, 'Yeah,' like a whiteboard marker. And then we can just write on it. And then A, I can see it from the other side of the table. Thing one achieved. Two. Every marker pen's got an eraser on the top of it. I don't know why everyone thinks this is important, but it is. That you can just rub out like that, and I'm like, 'There's no dirt, there's no mess, and I can reuse this multiple times, like dozens of times in the same show.' And I know that sounds really weird, but that's the level of design I'm going to need.Paul Marden: I was just about to say, and that is just for the chalkboard. Yeah. Now you need to multiply that. How many decisions?Neil Connolly: How many decisions in each game. But also remember that there are eight round tables in this building. Each round table seats 14 people. And we do six sessions a day. So first ones at 10 a. m. Then we do 12, 2, 4, 6, and 8 p. m. So we do 48 shows a day, six days a week.Paul Marden: I love the concept that these are shows. This is not this is not visitor attraction. This is theater repeated multiple times a day for multi audience is concurrently.Neil Connolly: And I've just spent five minutes describing a slate to you. Yeah. But like, I haven't even got— it's like the sheer amount of technology that is in the show. And again, theatrical, like, look above our heads. Yeah. You've got this ring light above every seat. It's got a pin light. There's also microphones which are picking up all the audio in the room, which again is translating to the lounge of the dead. Every single one of the round table rooms has four CCTV cameras. Can you see that one in the corner? Each one of them is 4K resolution. It's quite high spec, which is aimed at the opposite side of the table to give you the resolution in the TV. In the other room. Then you've got these video contents. This is constantly displaying secret information through the course of the show to the traitors when they're in Conclave because everyone's in blindfolds and they took them off. They get secret instructions from that. There's also a live actor in the room. A live actor who is Claudia? They're not Claudia. They're not pastiches of Claudia. They are characters that we have created and they are the host of The Traitor's Game. Right. They only exist inside this building. We never have them portrayed outside of this building in any way whatsoever.Neil Connolly: They are characters, but they live, they breathe— the game of Traitors, the world of Traitors, and the building that we have designed and constructed here. And they facilitate the game for the people. And they facilitate the game for the people. One actor to 14 people. There are no plants, even though everyone tries to tell me. Members of the public will be convinced that they are the only person that's in that show and that everyone else is a plant. And I'm like, no, because that would be insane.Neil Connolly: The only actor in the room is the host.Paul Marden: 14 people that can sit around this table. How many of them are in the same group? Are you with your friends or is it put together where there are other people that you won't know in the room? If you book together, you play together.Neil Connolly: Yes. Okay, so if you don't book 14 people... Ah, we also capped the number of tickets that you can purchase to eight. Right. So you can only purchase a maximum of eight tickets unless you do want a full table of 14, at which point you have to then purchase a VIP package because you are booking out a whole table for yourselves. The game doesn't work if there's less than 10 people at the table. So there has to be 10, 11, 12, 13 or 14 people sat at a round table for the show to actually happen, for it to work. By capping the number of tickets that you book for eight, then that guarantees that strangers will be playing together. And that is the basis of strangers. Yeah, yeah. Like, you need to be sat around a table with people you know, you don't know, that you trust and you don't trust. Yeah. Fact of the matter. And do you see people turning on the others in their own group? Every single time. People think genuinely, and I love this from the public, you would think that if you're turning up as a group of eight and a group of four and a group of two, that the bigger group would just pick everybody off to make sure that someone in their group gets through to the end game.Neil Connolly: I'm sure they think that and they probably plot and plan that before they arrive on site. As soon as this game starts, gloves are off and everyone just starts going for each other. We've been open nearly two months now. I have seen, like, children murdered of their mothers.Neil Connolly: Husbands murder their wives, wives murder their husbands. I've seen, like, three generations—like, we get, because it's so intergenerational, like our lowest, the lowest age that you can play this is 12. Right. And then it's upwards. I've seen three generations of family come in and I've seen grandkids murder their own nan.Neil Connolly: Absolutely convinced that they're a traitor. Yeah, yeah, yeah. 100%. Or they banish them. Like, it's just mental. I've also seen nans, who are traitors, murder their grandkids.Neil Connolly: Like, and this is in a room full of strangers. They're just like, 'No, I'm not going to go for Barbara, who I met two hours ago in the bar. I'm going to go for my own grandson. It's mental.'Neil Connolly: The very, very first thing that I always think about whenever I'm creating an experience or whenever I'm designing a show is I put myself in the position of 'I'm a member of the public.' I have bought a ticketNeil Connolly: What's the coolest thing that I am going to do for my money? What is my perceived value of my ticket over actually what is the value of that ticket? I wanted to give people the experience of knowing what it was like to be sitting in one of these chairs at this table and feeling their heart. The pounding in their chest and I mean, the pounding in their chest, that rush of adrenaline from doing nothing— from sitting in a chair and all you were doing was sitting in a room talking to people and your heart is going.Neil Connolly: Because you're either being accused of being a liar. And trying to defend against it. And trying to defend against it. Or you actually are lying and you're trying to whittle your way out of it. And that feeling is the most alive that you will ever feel. Not ever. Like, I'm sure they're... No, no, no. But, like, give people that opportunity and that experience, as well as, like, access to the world of traitors and the law and everything else. But also, it's like any other theme park ride. People go on roller coasters because the imminent fear of death is always there. Yeah. And you feel alive. You're like, you've got such a buzz of adrenaline. Whereas, arguably, we do exactly the same thing as roller coasters, but in a much more longer-drawn format and multiple times. Yeah. And people do feel alive. When people walk out of the show, you see them go upstairs to the bar, and they are... Yeah.Paul Marden: You've said to me already that you don't use the word 'immersive,' but you know, I'm, I'm, I'm sat. The company is called 'immersive' everywhere. I'm sat behind the scenes. Okay. I'm sat in the room and the room is hugely convincing. It's like the highest fidelity escape room type experience that I've ever sat in. It feels like I'm on set, yeah, yeah. Um, I can totally believe that, in those two hours, you can slip. I sat on a game. It was only a two-minute game at iApple, but I was being filmed by one of the team. But within 30 seconds, I'd forgotten that they were there because I was completely immersed in the game. I can believe that, sitting in here right now, you could forget where you were and what you were doing, that you were completely submerged in the reality of the land that you're in.Neil Connolly: Yeah, 100%. Like, the world does not exist beyond these worlds. And for some people, like, I have my own definition. Everyone's got a different definition of what immersive is. I've got my own definition. But... I can tell you right now, as soon as people enter this building, they're in the bar, they're kind of slowly immersed in that world because the bar is a themed bar. It's done to the same, like we designed and built that bar as well. But as soon as they start descending that spiral staircase and coming into the gameplay floors, into the show floors, they just forget the rest of the world exists. And especially when they sit down at this table, it doesn't matter. I'm sat next to you here, but you could be sat at this table with your loved one, strangers, whatever. The gloves come off and just nothing exists apart from the game that you're about to go through.Paul Marden: You've been open now for a couple of months. More success than you were anticipating, I think. So pre-sales went through the roof? Yes. So you're very happy with the results?Neil Connolly: Yeah, yeah, we were. Yeah, well, we still are.Neil Connolly: We were very confident before we'd even started building the show, like the literal structural build, because we did very well. But then that set expectations quite high because I had a lot of people that had bought tickets and I was like, 'OK, I need to put on a good show for these people. And I need to make sure that they get satisfaction relative to the tickets that they bought.' But I don't feel pressure. I do feel anxiety quite a lot. Creatively? Yeah. I mean, I meditate every day.Paul Marden: But you've created this amazing world and you're inviting people into it. And as a creative, you're opening yourself up, aren't you? People are walking into the world that you've created.Neil Connolly: Yeah, this was said to me. This is not something that I came up with myself, and I do say this really humbly, but it was something that was said to me. It was on opening day, and a bunch of my friends came to playtest the show. And they were like, 'Oh, this is your brain in a building.'Neil Connolly: And I was like, 'Yeah, I hadn't thought about that.' But yeah, it is my brain in a building. But also that's terrifying, I think, for everybody else, because I know what happens inside my brain and it's really quite chaotic.Neil Connolly: But, you know, this I am. I'm so proud of this show. Like you could not believe how proud I am of this show. But also a huge part of my job is to find people that are smarter than me at the relative thing that they do, such as the rest of my creative team. They're all so much smarter than me. My job is vision and to be able to communicate that vision clearly and effectively so that they go, 'I understand.' The amount of times that people on the creative team turn around to me and go, 'Neil, that's a completely mental idea.' If people are saying to me, 'No one's ever done that before' or 'that's not the way things are done.'Neil Connolly: Or we can do that, but we're going to have to probably invent a whole new thing. If people are saying those things to me, I know I'm doing my job correctly. And I'm not doing that to challenge myself, but everything that I approach in terms of how I build shows is not about format. It's not about blueprints. It's not like, 'Hey, I've done this before, so I'm just going to do this again because I know that's a really neat trick.' I go back to, 'I made the show because I wanted people's heart to pound in their chest while they're sitting in a chair and make them feel alive.'Paul Marden: Is that the vision that you had in your head? So you're articulating that really, really clearly. Is that the vision that you sold to everybody on, not maybe day one, but within a couple of days of talking about this? No, it was day one.Neil Connolly: It was day one. Everyone went, that's a completely mental idea. But, you know, it's my job to try and communicate that as effectively and clearly as I can. But again, I am just one man. My job is vision. And, you know, there's lighting design, sound design, art direction, there's game logic. We haven't even gotten to the technology of how this show works yet, or how this room works.Neil Connolly: Actually, I'll wander down the corner. Yeah, let's do that. But, like, there's other, like, lots of hidden tricks. Like, this is one of the games, one of the missions. In the world and the lore of the show, the round table is sacrosanct.Paul Marden: Yes.Neil Connolly: Traitors is the game. The game is in other people. I can do so many missions and there's loads of missions and they're really fun in this show. But the game is in other people. It's in the people sat on the other side of the room. But also I wanted to do a thing where people could interact directly with the set. And so I designed one of the missions to be in the round table itself.Neil Connolly: So there's a course of these moon dials, which you basically have to align through the course of it. And there are sensors built into the table so that they know when they're in the correct position. How you find out the correct position is by solving a very, very simple puzzle and then communicating effectively to a bunch of strangers that you just met.Neil Connolly: And the sensors basically read it all. And when that all gets into position, the lights react, the sound reacts, the video content reacts, the whole room reacts to you. So I wanted to give people something tangible that they can touch and they make the room react to them. Yes, it's. I mean, I've designed, I've got background in escape rooms as well, right? Um, so I've done a lot of that kind of stuff as well. So I wanted people to feel in touch, same, but like, there's more tangible props over here. Um, yeah, that is a model box of the room that we are stood in, yeah. Also, there's an exact replica of it on the other side of it. There are very subtle differences between it, and that informs one of the missions. So that is two model boxes in this roundtable room. There's one of these in every single roundtable room. So there's 16 model boxes of the show that you're stood in on the set. And again, theatre. It's a show. But it's one of the missions, because I wanted people to kind of go, 'Oh, there's a live actor in front of me.' I'm having fun. Oh, look at all these lights and all the sound. Oh, there's a model box over here. That's in theatre land and blah, blah, blah. But that is also a really expensive joke. It's a really expensive joke. And there's other, like, lots of hidden tricks.Neil Connolly: Let's go look at backstage. Yeah, yeah, yeah, absolutely.Neil Connolly: I say backstage, like how we refer to it or how I always go. I use 'I' and 'we' very interchangeably. Like right now you're on the set. Like you're on the stage. Yes. We're just wandering around a long corridor. There are round table rooms off to either side. But like, you know, there's a green room upstairs where the actors get changed, where the front of house team are, where the bar team all are. But as soon as they go out onto the show floor, they're on stage—yes, completely. We'll very quickly have a look at the gallery—yes, show control. Hi, Robbo. Do you mind if I stand in your room for the purposes of the audio? I'm talking to the technical manager, Thomas Robson. We're recording a podcast.Paul Marden: Robbo, oh yeah, okay. My mind is absolutely blown. So you've got every single room up on screen.Neil Connolly: Yeah, so that's great. There's 164 cameras—something like that. But every roundtable room has four cameras in it. Each camera is 4K resolution. So we've got cameras on all of them. We've got audio into those rooms. That's two-way, so that if show control needs to talk directly to them, they just press a button here and they can talk directly to the room itself. Mainly just like, stop misbehaving, we're watching you.Neil Connolly: We've then got cameras into all of the lounges, all of the show spaces, all the front of house, all of the bar areas, the mezzanine and back of house. And then you've got QLab running across all of the different shows. We've got backups on all of these screens. So if one... of the computers goes down, we can very quickly swap it in for a backup that's already running. We've got show control, which is, there's a company called Clockwork Dog, who, they're an amazing company. What COGS, their show control system, is doing is pulling in all of the QLab from sound, all of the QLab from lighting, and also we built our own app. to be able to run the show. So there's a whole logic and decision tree based on the decisions that the public do through the course of the game. So yes, there is a beginning, a middle, and an end in terms of our narrative beats and the narrative story of the show that we're telling people. But also that narrative can go in. Hundreds of different directions depending on the actions and the gameplay that the people do during the course of the show. So, you haven't just learned one show— you have to learn like You have to learn a world, and you have to learn a whole game.Neil Connolly: Like, there's the server, stacks, which we had to build. You had to network and cable the entire building. So we have built an entire new attraction, which didn't exist before. And also we're pulling in information from the front of house system which is also going into the show itself because again, you put your name into the iPad when you arrive on site and then you tick a box very crucially to say, 'Do you want to be selected as a trader? Yes or No.' Because in the game, it's a fundamental rule. If you say no, you cannot be selected as a traitor by the host during traitor selection. That doesn't mean you can't be recruited.Paul Marden: By the traitors later on in the game. So you could come and do this multiple times and not experience the same story because there were so many different pathways that you could go down.Neil Connolly: But also, the game is in other people. Yes. The show is sat on the opposite side of the table to you because, like, Bob and Sandra don't know each other. They'll never see each other ever again. But Bob comes again and he's now playing against Laura. Who's Laura? She's an unknown quantity. That's a whole new game. That's a whole new show. There's a whole new dynamic. That's a whole new storyline that you have to develop. And so the actors are doing an incredible job of managing all of that.Paul Marden: Thanks, Robbo. Thank you. So you've worked with some really, really impressive leading IP, Traders, Peppa Pig, Doctor Who, Great Gatsby. What challenges do you face taking things from screen to the live experience?Paul Marden: Challenges do I face? We're wandering here.Neil Connolly: So we are in... Oh, we're in the tower.Neil Connolly: Excellent. Yep, so we're now in Traitor's Tower. Good time for you to ask me the question, what challenges do I face? Things like this. We're now stood in Traitor's Tower. Paul, let me ask you the question. Without the show lights being on, so we're just stood on a set under workers, what's your opinion of the room that we're stood in?Paul Marden: Oh, it's hugely impressive. It feels like, apart from the fact you've punched the fourth wall out of the telly, it does feel like you're on set.Neil Connolly: It's a really faithful reproduction of the set. So that's kind of one of the challenges is managing the public's expectations of what they see, do and feel on site. So that I don't change the show so that people come and play the game that they're expecting to play. But making reasonable adjustments within that, because TV and live are two very, very different things. So first and foremost was making sure that we get the format right. So the game that people play, which informs the narrative of the show and the narrative structure of the show. Breakfast, mission, round table, conclave. Breakfast, mission, round table, conclave. I've designed a whole bunch of new missions that are in this, taken some inspiration from missions that people know and love from the TV shows, whether that's the UK territory or other territories around the world. And also just other stuff is just clear out of my head. So there's original content in there. paying homage and respect to the world that they've built and allowing ourselves to also play and develop and build out that world at the same time. Other challenges.Neil Connolly: This is not a cheap project. No, no. I mean, the production quality of this is beautiful. Yeah, yeah, thank you. It is stunning. When people walk in here, they're like, 'Oh my God, this is... High end.' I am in a luxury event at a very affordable price.Paul Marden: Thank you. And then we're going back upstairs again. Yes. And in the stairwell, we've got the crossed out photos of all of those that have fallen before us.Neil Connolly: No, not quite. All of the people that are in this corridor, there's about 100 photos. These are all the people who built the show.Neil Connolly: So this is David Gregory. He's the sound designer. This is Kitty, who is Immersive Everywhere's office manager. She also works in ticketing. That is Tallulah and Alba, who work in the art department. Elliot, who's our lighting designer. So all of these people are the people who brought the show to life.Paul Marden: Amazing.Neil Connolly: And we wanted to pay homage to them because some of them gave years of their lives to building the show from literally the inception that I had in 2023. Through to now and others are the people who literally spent months of their life underground in these basements building hand-building this set and so we wanted to pay homage to them so we got all of their photos we did the iconic red cross through it yeah and we stuck them all up in the corridor just because we thought it'd be a nice thing to do.Paul Marden: You're in the business of trading and experiences and that ranges from art exhibitions to touring shows. There's always going to be a challenge of balancing innovation and profitability. What is the formula? What is the magic formula?Neil Connolly: I believe, first and foremost, going back to what I was telling you earlier about us being a collaborative organisation. We are not a creative crack that has been used for the show. We are also the producers of the show. And to make my point again, I'm a commercially minded creative. So I actually sit down with the producers and go, 'Okay, cool.' There are 112 seats in the show.Paul Marden: Yep.Neil Connolly: Therefore, how many shows do we need to do per day? How many shows do we need to do per week? How many shows do we need to do per year? Therefore, let's build out a P &L. And we build a whole business plan based around that.Paul Marden: By having everybody— that you need in the team— makes it much easier to talk about that sort of stuff. It makes it much easier for you to design things with the end result in mind. You don't have a creative in a creative agency going off— feeding their creative wants without really thinking about the practicalities of delivering on it.Neil Connolly: Exactly. So you've got to think like, literally, from the very, very beginning: you've got to think about guest flow. You've got to think about throughput. You've got to think about your capacities. Then you've got to basically build out a budget that you think— how much, hey, how much really is this going to cost? Yeah. Then you build out an entire business plan and then you go and start raising the money to try and put that on. And then you find a venue. I mean, like the other magic triangle, like the traitor's magic triangle is, you know, time, space, atmosphere. That's how you do a show. Like with my producer's hat on, the other magic triangle is show, money, venue.Neil Connolly: The truth of the matter, like I make no bones about it, I can design shows till the cows come home, but I'm always going to need money to put them on and a venue to put them in. Also, I want to stress this really important. I use the words 'I' and 'we' very interchangeably.Paul Marden: It's a team effort.Neil Connolly: You can see that in that corridor. I am not a one-man band. I am the creative director of a company. I am a cog that is in that machine, and everybody is doing... We are, as a team... I cannot stress this enough. Some of the best in the business are doing what we do. And everyone is so wildly talented. And that's just us on the producing side. That's immersive everywhere, limited. Then I've got a whole other creative team. Then we've got operations. Then we've got... It's just mad. It's just mad, isn't it? This is a job. Who would have thought, when you were at school, this was an opportunity? Not my principal or my maths teacher.Neil Connolly: So, sorry, just to balance the kind of economies of scale. That was the question, wasn't it?Paul Marden: Well, we were talking about what is the formula for making that an investment, but you know, the authority here is the effort you've put in to do this feels high, but at the same time, you have to find this thing. There is a lot of investment that goes into the front.Neil Connolly: But that comes back to creatives. Caring and I'm not saying the creatives don't, but I care. I care about building businesses. Yeah, not necessarily like building my own CV, like there's so many projects that across our desks. I'll be like, 'Yeah, that'd be really fun to work on.' But do I think that I can make that a touring product? Can it be a long-running location-based entertainment sit-down product? Can it be an art shop? Like you've kind of got a balance with what do you think is just creatively cool versus what can we do as a company that is a commercially viable and financially stable product? And so all that comes through in terms of the creative, but also in terms of the activities of how we run the building, how this model realizes. Because if you think about it, let's make Phantom of the Opera run in the West End. Yes. The show is very obvious, with many casts on a room, away, fruit team away, terrace, it's a big activity. If they haven't sold half that away, they have to use the whole show and play all those people.Neil Connolly: But if they haven't sold half that away from one of my shows... I only have to activate four of my rooms, not eight of them. Therefore, I don't have to call in four actors. I don't have to call in a bunch of the other front of house team and I can scale in the operations on the back. It's an entirely scalable process. Flexible, yeah, yeah, yeah. Oh, 100%. But also, like, we've got eight rooms here. If we decide to take this to another territory, and that territory demands a much higher throughput, then instead of eight rooms, I can do 20 rooms, 30 rooms. As long as we know that the market is there to be able to kind of get people through it.Neil Connolly: I love this show and I'm so proud of it. The main reason why I'm proud of it is when the show finishes, let's go into one of the lounges. Have you been into one of the lounges?Paul Marden: I've had a nose around a lounge.Neil Connolly: There are different shapes and sizes. We won't go into that one. We'll go into this one down here. That one, that one. It's always such a buzz when you're stood in the bar and the shows kick out, and you see tables and tables of 14 people going up into the bar.Neil Connolly: Area and before they've even gotten a drink, they will run straight over to their friends, families, strangers, whoever they were playing with in that table of 14, and instantly be like, 'Right, I need to know everything that was going on inside your head, your heart, and your soul over the last two hours of my life because this was my experience.'Neil Connolly: And they'll just go, and they'll be like, 'And this is what I was thinking.' And then I thought it was you because you did this and you touched your nose in a weird way. And then I thought you were sending secret signals. And then everyone's like, 'No, that's not what I was doing.' I was just trying to be a normal person. And they were like, 'Well, why did you say that thing?' It sounded super weird. And they're like, 'That's just what I do.' And it's just totally mental. And then they all get a drink from the bar. And we call it the bar tab chat.Neil Connolly: It's another revenue stream.Neil Connolly: I do talk about this like it's a show. And it is a show. You've walked around, do you think it's a show? Completely. I talk to established houses all the time. Like, you know, the big theatres of the land. Organisations that are national portfolio organisations who receive a lot of Arts Council funding. The thing that they want to talk to us about all the time is new audiences. They're like, 'How do I get new audiences through my door?' What can I do? And I'm like, 'Well, firstly, make a show that people want to go and see.'Neil Connolly: Again, they're like, 'But I've got this amazing writer and he's a really big name and everyone's going to come because it's that name.' And I'm like, 'Yeah, that's wicked. That's cool.' And they can all go pay reverence to that person. That's really wonderful. Whereas when you look at the attractions landscape or the immersive theatre landscape or like anything like... Squid Game, or The Elvis, Evolution, or War of the Worlds, which has also laid reality, or any of that kind of stuff, across the landscape, it is nothing but new audiences. Yeah, yeah, yeah. It is nothing but actual ticket-buying audiences.Neil Connolly: And they come from all different walks of life. And what I love is that they do come in to this experience and we hit them with this like secret theatre.Neil Connolly: And they're like, 'Oh my God.' And often it's a gateway to them being like, 'Oh, I didn't realise that.' Maybe I'll go see a Western show or maybe I will go to the National Theatre and see something. Because that's the level of archery. Because those organisations, I love them and I've worked in a few of them, but those buildings can be quite austere, even though they're open and porous, but it's still very difficult to walk through that threshold and feel a part of it.Paul Marden: Whereas coming in here, coming into an event like this, can feel like a thing that they do.Neil Connolly: Because it's the same demographic as theme park junkies. People who love going to theme parks love going to stuff like this because it's an experience, it's an otherness, it's an other nature kind of thing. Because modern audiences want to play and do, not sit and watch. But we all exist in the kind of same ecosystem. I'm not taking on the National Theatre.Paul Marden: Gosh, no. I always talk about that. I think the reason why so many attractions work together in the collaborative way that they do is they recognise that they're not competing with each other. They're competing with sitting on your backside and watching Netflix.Paul Marden: Yeah, yeah.Paul Marden: Our job for all of us is to drag people away from their screens and drag people off of their sofas to do something. And then that's the biggest challenge that we all face.Neil Connolly: I think then that kind of answers the question that you asked me earlier, which I didn't answer. And I'm very sorry.Neil Connolly: is about identifying different pieces of IP. Like, yes, we largely exist in the world of licensing IP. And how do we identify that kind of IP to be able to translate? Not just how do we do it, but like, actually, how do we identify the right thing that's going to... How do you spot the winner? Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And that is one of the biggest challenges to your point of we're talking directly to people who consume arts, culture and media and technology in a slightly more passive way, whether that's just at home and watching Netflix and then bringing that to life. In a very, very different way. If you have a very clear marketing campaign that tells people what it is that they're buying and what they're expected to see or do on their particular night out, because that's what modern people really care about, what they do with their money. Yeah. And they want to have a good night out. And I'm in the business of giving people a good night out. We also happen to be murdering a lot of people in the course of the show.Neil Connolly: Still a good night out. Still a good night out. But I'm in a place where the dead sit. Yeah, exactly. Lounge of the dead. And like, you know, this is a really cool space. Oh, it's just beautiful. You know, we've got the telephone really works. There's lots of information that comes through that. The radio works, that does different things. The TV screen on the wall, that has the actual live feed into the round table room that you've just left. And there's other little puzzles and hints and tricks in this room, which means that after you've been murdered or banished and you come to the Lounge of the Dead, you're still engaged with the game to a degree. You just don't directly influence the outcome of the game. But you're still involved in it. You're still involved in it. It's super fun. Oh, and you can have a drink in here.Paul Marden: I don't let people drink in the round table. Even more important. What's this?Neil Connolly: The dolls, the creepy dolls. What this is, this is the void. Creatively speaking, this is where all the gold goes when people win or lose it. And the creepy dolls are from the TV show. Ydyn nhw'r un gwirioneddol o'r sioe? Felly, gafodd studio Lambert, sy'n gwneud y sioe tebyg, llawer o brops o'r sioe tebyg i ni eu rhoi ar y ddispleiddio yma. Felly, mae gennych chi'r Dolls Creepy o'r lles 3 yno. Rydyn ni'n mynd i fyny. Yn ôl yma, mae'r peintiwch Deathmatch.Paul Marden: Which is from season three.Neil Connolly: And they get the quill and they write the names and got the quill upstairs. We've also got over here, the cards that they used to play the death match with. Excellent.Paul Marden: So you began your career in theatre. How did that evolve into the world of immersive live experiences?Neil Connolly: Life story. I am the son of a postman and a cook. And if you haven't noticed already, I'm from Ireland. There was no theatre in our lives, my life, when I was growing up. And I stumbled into a youth theatre. It's called Kildare Youth Theatre. And the reason why I joined that is because there was a girl that I really fancied.Neil Connolly: She had just joined this youth theatre and I was like, 'Oh, I'm gonna join that as well' and that kind of opened the world of theatre for me. At the same time, I then got spotted by this guy, his name's Vijay Baton, his real name's Om, but he converted to Hare Krishnanism in the 90s. And he set up a street theatre company in Ireland. He just taught me street theatre. So he taught me stilt walk, he taught me juggling, he taught me how to build puppets. And so I spent years building puppets with him and going around Ireland doing lots of different street theatre while I was a teenager. And doing street theatre and doing my youth theatre and then kind of all of that kind of came to a head when I had to decide what I was going to do with my life. I applied to go to drama school. And I applied to two drama schools. One was Radha. Didn't get in. Didn't even get an audition. And the other one was Rose Bruford. And they took me. And the reason why they took me— I probably wasn't even that good. But on the day that I was auditioning to get into Rose Bruford was the same day as my maths exam for my final exams at school. You call them your A-levels, we call them the leaving certificate.Neil Connolly: And while all of my friends were back in Ireland doing their maths exam, I was in an audition room pretending to be a tree or the colour black.Neil Connolly: Who knows? And they kind of went, 'Well, if I fail my maths exam, I don't get into university in Ireland.' Like, it's just a blanket thing. And so I was like, 'I literally sat across the panel' and I was like, 'eggs, basket.' And they were like, 'cool.' So they let me in based off of that. So I got a classical training. Then what happened is I came out of university. I was living with two of my friends, Natalie and Joe. And we had our own little production company called The Lab Collective. And we just started making shows. In weird ways, we joined a company called Theatre Delicatessen. Let's get away from this. Yeah, yeah, yeah.Neil Connolly: So Theatre Deli was a company set up to take over disused spaces in London and convert them into art spaces.Neil Connolly: Basically legalised squatting. It's the same as like a guardianship. But we weren't living in the buildings. We were just putting on shows and we put on art shows, we put on theatre shows. We did Shakespeare for a while. We wrote our own work and we just did lots of really, really cool stuff. And I worked in music festivals, classically trained actor. So I was trying to do shows. I did a lot of devising. I also joined an improvisation group. And kind of through all that mix, like those years at Delhi, which was making these weird shows in these weird buildings, were very, very formative years for us. The Arts Council wouldn't support the kind of work that we were making. We were like, 'Cool, how do we get space?Neil Connolly: How do we get or make money to support ourselves? And what are the shows? There's the magic triangle all over again. Space, show, money. And that's your apprenticeship, I guess, that brings you to here. Yeah, yeah, yeah. And like, again, I make no bones about it. 10 years ago, I was selling programs on the door of the Royal Festival Hall while doing all of that stuff. So in one of the Theatre Daily buildings, we did a show called Heist, which is you break into a building and steal stuff. That's what the public do.Neil Connolly: And a bunch of us did that. I mean, it's so much fun— kind of doing it. And off the back of that, somebody else basically tried to chase down the crystal maze. And then they went away, and then they called me up and they were like, 'Hey, I've got the rights. Do you want to make the crystal maze?' And I was like, 'Yeah, sounds like fun.' So I got involved with that, did that for a while. And then, from there, this is the end of a very long story. I'm so apologised. Yeah, from there, all of those different things that I've done through the course of my life in terms of operations, designing experiences, being a creative, understanding business.Neil Connolly: Building a P&L, building a budget, talking to investors, trying to convince them to give you money. All of that stuff kind of basically came together. And over the last few years, like the wildest ride is that pre-2020.Neil Connolly: We were just a bunch of people doing a bunch of weird things, making weird shows and weird attractions in kind of different ways. And then that year happened. And I don't know what happened, but literally every single major studio, film, TV production, game designer, licensor in the world, suddenly just went— brand extensions, world extensions, and they all just started calling us. And they were like, 'Hi, I've got this thing.' Can you develop it into a thing? Because I need to extend my brand or I want to build a world and extend that for the public. And we were like, 'Yeah, okay, cool.' And we were just lucky, serendipitously, to be in the right place at the right time. To be those people that people can approach. And we're always, we're very approachable.Neil Connolly: As you can tell, I talk a lot. And, you know, so the last five years, it's just been a mad ride.Paul Marden: So look, Neil, it's been amazing. I have had the most fun. Last question for you. What's next? Are you putting your feet up now because you finished this? Or on to the next? Neil Connolly: Very much on to the next thing. So we're already in production with our new show, which is called Peppa Pig Surprise Party. And that is opening at the Metro Centre in Gateshead next year. Oh, how exciting is that? It's very exciting.Paul Marden: So quite a different demographic.Neil Connolly: The demographic for Peppa Pig is two to five year olds. It's been a really fun show to design and create. To go back to a question that you asked me very early on, there is no blueprint, there is no format. I have embraced the chaos tattooed on my arm. And always when I approach things, any new show or any new creative, I am thinking of it from a ticket buying perspective: 'I have paid my money.' What is the coolest thing that I can possibly do with that money? And so therefore, I'm now looking at families and, like, what's the coolest thing that they can do for that ticket price in the world of Peppa Pig?Paul Marden: Let's come back in the new year, once you've opened Peppa Pig, let's go to Gateshead and see that. That sounds pretty awesome to me. I reckon there's a whole new episode of Designing Worlds for two to five-year-olds that we could fill an hour on.Neil Connolly: Oh yeah, 100%. It's a totally different beast. And super fun to design.Paul Marden: Oh mate. Neil, it has been so wonderful having a wander around the inside of your crazy mind.Paul Marden: If you've enjoyed today's episode, please like it and leave a comment in your podcast app. It really does make it so much easier for other people to find us. This episode was written by Emily Burrows from Plaster, edited by Steve Folland, and produced by Sami Entwistle from Plaster and Wenalyn Dionaldo. Thanks very much. See you next week.  The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

What's happening pals. Got a special bonus episode for you here, recorded live at Topologie's flagship store in Covent Garden.Topologie are a French brand that take inspiration from climbing culture, creating modular bags, phone slings and accessories that balance function and design. They asked me to come down and host a live My Own Garms session with a few brilliant guests to talk about creativity, community and the things we carry.You'll hear from:Lawrence Midwood, Creative Director at Topologie and former Y-3 designer, talking about process, collaboration and how design actually happens.David Keyte, Co-Founder of Universal Works, on craft, heritage and why physical stores still matter.Cara Hayward, Fashion Director at Gaffer, on styling footballers, print magazines and finding her lane in the industry.Nectar Woode, singer and songwriter, on honesty in her music, community, and the road to her biggest headline show so far.Big thanks to Topologie and Sane Comms for inviting me down, and to everyone who came out on the night.

October 1956: the Bolshoi Ballet lands in London with 80 tons of scenery, KGB minders in tow, and a troupe led by Galina Ulanova and Maya Plisetskaya. Covent Garden reels at their scale and power – 45 minutes of applause, queues in the rain, a stage too small for their vast sets. Meanwhile, across Europe, the Hungarian Uprising explodes. Ballet, politics, glamour, tanks — three weeks that shook London and rewrote the story of British ballet.

Join Kevin as he takes you on a fascinating tour of this historic city. He'll show you where to eat, drink, sightsee, shop and stay all in a day! (links to each below)Eat: Petersham Nurseries La Goccia – 27 King Street, Covent Garden, London. Mains £25–35

Новости на радио «Русские Эмираты» в Дубае:- С 14 по 26 октября в театре New Covent Garden в торговом центре Mall of the Emirates в Дубае состоятся гастроли «Снежного шоу Славы» – спектакля, который покорил миллионы зрителей по всему миру!- В следующем месяце в Дубае начнет принимаать Tattu Sky Pool – расположенный на высоте 310 метров над землей, он станет самым высоким инфинити-бассейном в мире.

Όταν η Μαρία Καλλας ανέβαινε στη σκηνή, ήταν απόλυτα υποταγμένη στον συνθέτη. Ο πρωταρχικός σκοπός ήταν ένας: να μεταμορφωθεί στην εκάστοτε ηρωίδα και να βιώσει το δραματικό πεπρωμένο της. Η κορυφαία τραγουδίστρια του 20ού αιώνα όμως δεν έδωσε μόνο φωνή στις παρτιτούρες. Αγάπησε βαθιά τις γυναίκες που τραγούδησε και υποδύθηκε. Ταυτίστηκε μαζί τους σε τέτοιο βαθμό που ακόμα και σήμερα, 100 χρόνια από τη γέννησή της, πανεπιστήμια σε όλον τον κόσμο ερευνούν την ψυχοπαθολογία της σχέσης που ανέπτυξε μαζί τους. Η απλοϊκή εξήγηση είναι ότι οι σκοτεινές περιοχές της φωνής της Κάλλας ταυτίστηκαν ανατριχιαστικά με τις σκοτεινές προσωπικότητες της όπερας κι έτσι οδήγησαν το εκφραστικό εύρος του λυρικού τραγουδιού σε αδιανόητα ύψη. Η πιο σπαρακτική ερμηνεία, όμως, παραμένει η σκέψη ότι ένα κορίτσι με συναισθηματικά στερημένο ψυχισμό και παιδιόθεν ματαιωμένο κατάφερε να ζήσει τα μεγάλα συναισθήματα, να υποκύψει στα ανίκητα πάθη, να αγαπηθεί και να δικαιωθεί μόνο μέσα από την τέχνη της, σαν την ηρωίδα της, την Τόσκα. Μιλούν: Γιώργος Κουμεντάκης - Καλλιτεχνικός διευθυντής ΕΛΣΈλενα Ματθαιοπούλου - Δημοσιογράφος, δημόσια ομιλήτρια και συγγραφέαςΒασίλης Λουρας - Δημιουργός του νέου ντοκιμαντέρ «Μαίρη, Μαριάννα, Μαρία: Τα άγνωστα ελληνικά χρόνια της Κάλλας»Άρης Χριστοφέλλης - Λυρικός καλλιτέχνης, μουσικολόγος και μελετητής του έργου της ΚάλλαςΈρευνα-παρουσίαση: Ματούλα Κουστένη Πηγές - Βιβλιογραφία:«Η άγνωστη Κάλλας», Νίκος Πετσάλης-Διομήδης (εκδόσεις Καστανιώτη)«Μαρία Κάλλας, η ελληνική σταδιοδρομία της», Πολύβιος Μαρσάν (εκδόσεις Γνώση)«Μαρία Κάλλας: Οι μεταμορφώσεις μιας τέχνης», Βασίλης Χ. Νικολαΐδης (εκδόσεις Κέδρος)«Prima Donna: The Psychology of Maria Callas», Paul Wink (Oxford University Press)«Μαρία Κάλλας: Γράμματα και αναμνήσεις», Τομ Βολφ (εκδόσεις Πατάκη)«Casta Diva, Μαρία Κάλλας: Η κρυφή ζωή της», Spence Lyndsy (εκδόσεις Παπαδόπουλος) Ηχοληψία - μείξη ήχου - μουσική επιμέλεια: Φαίδωνας Κτενάς Η σειρά podcasts «Μαρία για πάντα» πραγματοποιείται σε συνεργασία με την Εθνική Λυρική Σκηνή. Φωτογραφία: Η Μαρία Κάλλας κάνει πρόβες για τον πρωταγωνιστικό ρόλο της στη «Μήδεια» στο Covent Garden του Λονδίνου. Φωτ.: John Franks/Keystone/Hulton Archive/Getty Images/Ιdeal Image Στην GNO TV της Εθνικής Λυρικής Σκηνής είναι διαθέσιμο δωρεάν το βιντεο-ρεσιτάλ με τίτλο «Το ρεπερτόριο που ποτέ δεν ακούσαμε… H Μαρία Κάλλας στην Ελλάδα, 1937-1945» σε καλλιτεχνική επιμέλεια και παρουσίαση Άρη Χριστοφέλλη. Ερμηνεύουν οι καταξιωμένες και οι νεότερες μονωδοί Φανή Αντωνέλου, Βασιλική Καραγιάννη, Νίνα Κουφοχρήστου, Μαρία Κωστράκη, Βιολέττα Λούστα, Χρύσα Μαλιαμάνη, Άρτεμις Μπόγρη και Μαίρη-Έλεν Νέζη, αποδίδοντας έναν μοναδικό φόρο τιμής και παραδίδοντας στο παγκόσμιο κοινό αλλά και στις επόμενες γενιές ένα οπτικοακουστικό ντοκουμέντο που καταγράφει χρονολογικά και με κάθε ιστορική λεπτομέρεια το «ελληνικό» ρεπερτόριο της Μαρίας Κάλλας. Μπορείτε να το δείτε εδώ.

Step inside Covent Garden's beating heart with this week's episode of The Go-To Food Podcast, where we sit down with Will Palmer and Ian Campbell – the masterminds behind London's legendary wine bar 10 Cases, the seafood temple Parsons, and the ever-buzzy Baudry Greene These two friends-turned-restaurateurs didn't just build businesses, they created a street corner empire that has shaped how London eats and drinks. And their story? It's as intoxicating as the wines they pour.From the genius simplicity behind the 10 Cases name – only ever buying 10 cases of a wine and moving on once it's gone – to the unforgettable proposal that unfolded at the very table where we recorded, Palmer and Campbell reveal the mix of romance, chaos, and grit that comes with running some of the capital's most beloved spots. Expect tales of burnt toast experiments, staff dramas, and the exact moment Jay Rayner's stinging review became the tough love they needed.But this isn't just a nostalgia trip. The duo dive into the hard truths of hospitality: how to keep wine lists fresh, why chasing percentages is a trap, and why value – not markups – has been their secret weapon for 14 years. Along the way, you'll hear about the scallop slider so good it nearly stops the interview, the cocktail that reinvents a Negroni, and the young drinkers still hungry to learn despite the headlines of wellness and sobriety. Whether you're in hospitality, a wine obsessive, or just someone who loves a brilliant behind-the-scenes story, this is an episode not to miss. Pour yourself a glass, settle in, and discover how two mates with no master plan ended up creating a corner of Covent Garden that Londoners can't stop talking about.--------Please leave us a great rating and a comment and share it with your friends - it really helps us grow as a show.If you're in the industry and are looking for the greatest POS system in the world than look no further -as Blinq are tearing up the rulebook—no long-term contracts, no hidden fees, and no per-device charges.Just £69 a month for unlimited devices and 24/7 UK-based support that's always there, in person when you need it.Built for hospitality, by hospitality, blinq is the fastest, easiest POS system on the market—so intuitive, anyone can use it. And while others take weeks to get you up and running, with blinq, you're live in just 2 hours.Join the hospitality revolution today & use the code GOTOBLINQ to get your first month free - https://blinqme.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to a very special live edition of the Women Authors of Achievement Podcast, hosted for the first time in UK, right here at the Amano Hotel Skybar in London, overlooking Covent Garden. My guest today is Nikki Trott, strategist, podcast host and author of her new book Sacred Business. Her story bridges two worlds: the ambitious drive of London's fashion and branding industry, and the expansive, intuitive energy she discovered in Berlin.Nikki started out leading global fashion and lifestyle campaigns, working with big names across London and New York. But at some point, success as she knew it started to feel off. Thats when she made a radical choice, she left it all behind to follow a different kind of calling.In this conversation, we talk about what it means to walk away from conventional success, how Berlin helped her reconnect with her intuition, and why business can, and should, be an expression of who we are at our core.If you're in a moment of transition or simply craving more purpose in your work, hear this episode!Read more about the Women Authors of Achievement (WAA) Podcast via waa.berlin/aboutFollow us on Instagram & find us on LinkedInSubscribe to our newsletter via waa.berlin/newsletter ★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

M&S launches a dedicated resale shop on eBay (with Reskinned), the ONS delays July retail sales to 5 Sept, TikTok Shop's GMV Max becomes the only supported campaign type, Sainsbury's begins a facial‑recognition trial, Lush closes UK stores for a day in solidarity with Gaza, and Charlotte Tilbury drives experiential shade‑matching at John Lewis and Café Airbrush in Covent Garden. Simone Oloman joins to decode what matters for operators—right now. Show notes / references:In this UK edition of Five Things Friday, Alex and Simone Oloman cover six moves reshaping trading plans this month:Resale goes mainstream: M&S × eBay launches an official pre‑loved shop, powered by Reskinned—a cleaner, scalable route to circularity than DIY platforms. Operators: track supply inflows, voucher economics, and re‑commerce margin mix. Marks & SpencerDemand sensing > lagging KPIs: The ONS delayed the July 2025 retail sales release to 5 Sept for quality assurance; combine official series with real‑time social/returns data for better buys and markdowns. Office for National StatisticsSocial commerce hardens: TikTok Shop Ads → GMV Max only. Expect heavier automation; ensure attribution and returns accounting are wired for campaign‑level ROAS and net‑margin truth. TikTok For Business+1Safety vs privacy: Sainsbury's begins an 8‑week facial‑recognition pilot in Sydenham (London) and Oldfield Park (Bath); union support vs privacy‑rights pushback—governance, DPIAs, and signage matter. corporate.sainsburys.co.ukbigbrotherwatch.org.ukBrand activism with teeth: Lush shut UK shops, website and factories for a day—authenticity is an operational decision, not a slogan. Budget for impact and community response. LushExperience = acquisition: Charlotte Tilbury turns shade matching into a moment (John Lewis photo‑booths; Café Airbrush at Covent Garden). High‑touch, low‑friction sampling feeds CRM and lifetime value. British Beauty CouncilTheIndustry.beautyChapters / timestamps (mm:ss)00:00 – Welcome & format (fast 15)00:58 – M&S × eBay resale (why it's smart, how it scales)02:14 – ONS delay & the case for live demand signals03:50 – TikTok Shop GMV Max: what marketers must change04:32 – Sainsbury's: facial‑recognition pilot (safety vs privacy)06:05 – Lush: one‑day UK closures; what “authenticity” really costs06:55 – Charlotte Tilbury shade‑match activation (John Lewis)09:19 – Café Airbrush & Covent Garden Big Beauty10:00 – Wrap, next week teasers & CTAsShow notes / references:• M&S launches resale on eBay (Reskinned partnership): https://corporate.marksandspencer.com/media/press-releases/ms-launches-resale-ebay-give-clothes-another-life• ONS: July retail sales release delayed to Sept 5 (quality assurance): https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-statistics-office-delays-retail-sales-data-release-by-two-weeks-2025-08-19/• TikTok Shop Ads — GMV Max migration (official help): https://ads.tiktok.com/help/article/gmv-max-migration-tiktok-shop-ads• Sainsbury's facial‑recognition pilot (Sydenham & Oldfield Park): https://www.computing.co.uk/news/2025/sainsbury-s-begins-facial-recognition-trial-to-combat-shoplifting• Lush closes UK stores in solidarity with Gaza: https://www.theguardian.com/business/2025/sep/03/lush-closes-all-its-uk-stores-in-protest-over-starvation-in-gaza• Covent Garden — Big Beauty (4–14 Sept): https://www.coventgarden.london/experience/things-to-do/big-beauty-at-covent-garden/• Charlotte Tilbury pop‑up / shade‑match activations: https://theindustry.beauty/charlotte-tilbury-turns-covent-garden-into-cafe-airbrush-celebrating-complexion-launch/

It's Rosebud's second birthday, and we're celebrating with another conversation with our very first guest: Dame Judi Dench. This time, it's been recorded in front of an audience, at the Concert Artists' Association in Covent Garden, London. Dame Judi treats us to some more stories from her amazing career. She tells Gyles about working with Tommy Steele, Johnny Depp and Clint Eastwood. She tells Gyles about having Eric Morecambe over for lunch. She talks about Macbeth and Twelfth Night and gives us some speeches from those plays - which will stop you in your tracks. We're extremely lucky to hear from this legendary actress once more. And we're extremely lucky to have been able to give you Rosebud for the past two years! Enjoy this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

durée : 01:58:37 - Sir Thomas Beecham l'excentrique - par : Christian Merlin - La vie musicale britannique n'aurait pas été la même sans lui. Chef d'orchestre, mécène et producteur, il créa la saison lyrique de Covent Garden, fonda le London Philharmonic et le Royal Philharmonic et fit connaître Strauss et Sibelius en Grande-Bretagne, avec une excentricité très anglaise. - réalisé par : Marie Grout Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

durée : 00:28:08 - Sir Thomas Beecham l'excentrique (4/4) : Sir Thomas n'en fait qu'à sa tête - par : Christian Merlin - La vie musicale britannique n'aurait pas été la même sans lui. Chef d'orchestre, mécène et producteur, il créa la saison lyrique de Covent Garden, fonda le London Philharmonic et le Royal Philharmonic et fit connaître Strauss et Sibelius en Grande-Bretagne, avec une excentricité très anglaise. - réalisé par : Marie Grout Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

durée : 00:28:37 - Sir Thomas Beecham l'excentrique (3/4) : Le Royal Philharmonic Orchestra - par : Christian Merlin - La vie musicale britannique n'aurait pas été la même sans lui. Chef d'orchestre, mécène et producteur, il créa la saison lyrique de Covent Garden, fonda le London Philharmonic et le Royal Philharmonic et fit connaître Strauss et Sibelius en Grande-Bretagne, avec une excentricité très anglaise. - réalisé par : Marie Grout Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

durée : 00:28:06 - Sir Thomas Beecham l'excentrique (2/4) : Le London Philharmonic Orchestra - par : Christian Merlin - La vie musicale britannique n'aurait pas été la même sans lui. Chef d'orchestre, mécène et producteur, il créa la saison lyrique de Covent Garden, fonda le London Philharmonic et le Royal Philharmonic et fit connaître Strauss et Sibelius en Grande-Bretagne, avec une excentricité très anglaise. - réalisé par : Marie Grout Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

The anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and the Achilles tendon captures much of our ankle attention. As JOSPT Insights listeners know, there's plenty more to the ankle than the ATFL. Today, Liz Bayley shares her approach to diagnosing, managing and ideally, preventing ankle pain in active people. Liz covers diagnosing the problem, where imaging fits, and how to support return to function, including high-level sport. Liz is a former professional dancer, who now works as a dance-specialist physiotherapist. Her clinic is in London's West End, in close proximity to the freelance professional and student dancers she works with, at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and on 'Matilda The Musical' in Covent Garden. ------------------------------ RESOURCES Lateral ankle ligament sprains clinical practice guideline: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2021.0302 Updated model of chronic ankle instability: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31162943/ Predictors of chronic ankle instability: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26912285/ Intrinsic foot muscle training systematic review: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35724360/ Neuromuscular electrical stimulation for foot intrinsic muscles: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35142810/

durée : 00:28:05 - Sir Thomas Beecham l'excentrique 1/4 Mécène et chef d'orchestre - La vie musicale britannique n'aurait pas été la même sans lui. Chef d'orchestre, mécène et producteur, il créa la saison lyrique de Covent Garden, fonda le London Philharmonic et le Royal Philharmonic et fit connaître Strauss et Sibelius en Grande-Bretagne, avec une excentricité très anglaise. Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

Good news for Eliza and Mrs Higgins, the cats who live in St Paul's Covent Garden

Its been a year since our live podcast with Clare Pooley so I thought I'd give it another spin, to entice you to come to our next live podcast event at Club Soda Monday 8 Sept in LondonDitched the booze and want to inspire others?Connection is key Incredibly, The Sober Club is 6 years old in September, and to celebrate we're having a gathering and podcast recording at Club Soda in Covent Garden on Monday 8 Sept 7.30 Because the club is so focused on the 'holistic' approach to sobriety I thought we'd make it a Wellbeing in sobriety event, and so I am jacking up some specialguests and hopefully goody bags, and I would love to hear your top tips for wellbeing too.⁠⁠https://www.tickettailor.com/events/clubsoda/1798978⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.thesoberclub.com/events/⁠⁠Mind, Body, Freedom: Celebrating 6 years of The Sober ClubAn inspiring evening of connection, conversation, and clarity. One confirmed guest is Sarah Holland who is an EFT expert, she will share a really effective tapping technique that really works for reducing anxiety.I know its a long way for some, I know its a school night, but come if you can, its amazing to be in a room with like minded people.  You will leave with some inspiring ideas for what REALLY works when it comes to regulating your nervous system.https://www.thesoberclub.com/events/New to Sobriety? Sober Curious?Check out The Sober Club, for low cost support, accountability, inspiration, connection and a whole host of content on holistic living. Membership includes and online course Get the Buzz without the Booze, our private non judgemental community online and regularzoommeetings, plus a whole library of exclusive wellbeing contentIf you want to support the work go to www.buymeacoffee.com/janeyleegraceThank you for listening! Please share, rate and reviewIf you're struggling, always reach out, tell someone you're doing this! @janeyleegrace Ditched the Booze and want to inspire others?Janey offers holistic sober coachtraining, ournext course starts October 18-19, email Janey for a chat to see if its right for you – janey at janeyleegrace.com Supplements for recoveryThe BEST Magnesium blend ever is the blend from Clive – if you use this my link for everything you buy, a bitgoes into our Sober Club giveback fund If you can afford it,also get Vit D3, Amino Acids and Iodine (if you're menopausal)⁠⁠https://clivedecarle.ositracker.com/315625/11489⁠⁠ Check out my new Substack, you can be a free subscriber or paid for some juicy extras Sobriety Rocks…& TheWooWorksFollow Janey on socialmedia@janeyleegrace

Opera singer Freddie de Tommaso is only 32 but he's already a star and about to play a lead role in Tosca at the Royal Opera House in Covent Garden. From there he travels to New York to sing in La bohème at The Met before his role debut in Verdi's Luisa Miller in Valencia. In this episode of 20 Questions, Freddie takes us behind the scenes of his success, explains how he sprang to fame, speaks of his days playing rugby, explains why body-building helps his voice, reveals how much he can bench press, reflects on the role of looks in modern day productions and the greater power of the director, and remembers a childhood growing up in Tunbridge Wells where his late father ran a fine dining Italian restaurant. 

Paul Weller has just covered it on his new album. Morrissey played it to Noel Gallagher who took the idea and ran with it. What explains the enduring appeal of a record that stalled at number 22 all those years ago? Actor/musician Brian Protheroe doesn't know but he's certainly grateful that it's being reissued once again. His story takes us back to:…the days when young musicians hitch-hiked to London…the way the sun shone on the day “Sgt Pepper” came out…when Soho was a village and an out of work actor could afford to live in Covent Garden…when being dumped by a girl could inspire that actor to diarise his daily routine…when the jazzman who played the solo on the record couldn't remember it for “TOTP”…how it feels to take your grandson to Abbey Road to watch your album being remastered.Pre-order the Chrysalis Red reissue of the first Brian Protheroe album: https://brianprotheroe.lnk.to/PNBFind out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

After a weekend at The Wellness Way festival I am reminded again of the importance of the holistic approach, great to give a talk on holistic sobriety and meet Barbara O'Neill, and then to come back to concerns from clients around weight loss jabs! I thought I'd re-run an interview with author and NLP practitioner Caroline Thywhitt on her great book The Mindset Diet https://amzn.to/3HxLf6mDitched the booze and want to inspire others?Join for a free non salesy webinar on Thursday August 21st at 7.30pm Its a great way of exploring what you want for the future, often quitting alcohol gives us a newsense of purpose.  There are so many different ways of using the skill sets offered in this comprehensive training,and we will talk through them and answer any questions.  Lots of people do the training because they want to lay the foundations for their own wellbeing, and while it is a biginvestment, several packages of coaching and wellbeing trainings would amount to far more, and you get biz skills included.Feel free to share with colleagues and friends, its free but you do need to registerRegister ⁠⁠HERE⁠⁠Connection is key Incredibly, The Sober Club is 6 years old in September, and to celebrate we're having a gathering and podcast recording at Club Soda in Covent Garden on Monday 8 Sept 7.30 Because the club is so focused on the 'holistic' approach to sobriety I thought we'd make it a Wellbeing in sobriety event, and so I am jacking up some specialguests and hopefully goody bags, and I would love to hear your top tips for wellbeing too.⁠https://www.tickettailor.com/events/clubsoda/1798978⁠⁠https://www.thesoberclub.com/events/⁠Mind, Body, Freedom: Celebrating 6 years of The Sober ClubAn inspiring evening of connection, conversation, and clarity. One confirmed guest is Sarah Holland who is an EFT expert, she will share a really effective tapping technique that really works for reducing anxiety.I know its a long way for some, I know its a school night, but come if you can, its amazing to be in a room with like minded people.  You will leave with some inspiring ideas for what REALLY works when it comes to regulating your nervous system.https://www.thesoberclub.com/events/New to Sobriety? Sober Curious?Check out The Sober Club, for low cost support, accountability, inspiration, connection and a whole host of content on holistic living. Membership includes and online course Get the Buzz without the Booze, our private non judgemental community online and regularzoommeetings, plus a whole library of exclusive wellbeing contentIf you want to support the work go to www.buymeacoffee.com/janeyleegraceThank you for listening! Please share, rate and reviewIf you're struggling, always reach out, tell someone you're doing this! @janeyleegrace Ditchedthe Booze and want to inspire others?Janey offers holistic sober coachtraining, ournext course starts October 18-19, email Janey for a chat to see if its right for you – janey at janeyleegrace.com Supplements for recoveryThe BEST Magnesium blend ever is the blend from Clive – if you use this my link for everything you buy, a bitgoes into our Sober Club giveback fund If you can afford it,also get Vit D3, Amino Acids and Iodine (if you're menopausal)⁠https://clivedecarle.ositracker.com/315625/11489⁠ Check out my new Substack, you can be a free subscriber or paid for some juicy extras Sobriety Rocks…& TheWooWorksFollow Janey on socialmedia@janeyleegrace 

Paul Weller has just covered it on his new album. Morrissey played it to Noel Gallagher who took the idea and ran with it. What explains the enduring appeal of a record that stalled at number 22 all those years ago? Actor/musician Brian Protheroe doesn't know but he's certainly grateful that it's being reissued once again. His story takes us back to:…the days when young musicians hitch-hiked to London…the way the sun shone on the day “Sgt Pepper” came out…when Soho was a village and an out of work actor could afford to live in Covent Garden…when being dumped by a girl could inspire that actor to diarise his daily routine…when the jazzman who played the solo on the record couldn't remember it for “TOTP”…how it feels to take your grandson to Abbey Road to watch your album being remastered.Pre-order the Chrysalis Red reissue of the first Brian Protheroe album: https://brianprotheroe.lnk.to/PNBFind out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Paul Weller has just covered it on his new album. Morrissey played it to Noel Gallagher who took the idea and ran with it. What explains the enduring appeal of a record that stalled at number 22 all those years ago? Actor/musician Brian Protheroe doesn't know but he's certainly grateful that it's being reissued once again. His story takes us back to:…the days when young musicians hitch-hiked to London…the way the sun shone on the day “Sgt Pepper” came out…when Soho was a village and an out of work actor could afford to live in Covent Garden…when being dumped by a girl could inspire that actor to diarise his daily routine…when the jazzman who played the solo on the record couldn't remember it for “TOTP”…how it feels to take your grandson to Abbey Road to watch your album being remastered.Pre-order the Chrysalis Red reissue of the first Brian Protheroe album: https://brianprotheroe.lnk.to/PNBFind out more about how to help us to keep the conversation going: https://www.patreon.com/wordinyourear Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Very Rev Dr Mark Oakley is Dean of Southwark. He has held many ecclesiastical roles, including Rector of St Paul's Covent Garden, then Chancellor at St Paul's Cathedral. He is deeply interested in poetry, is a prolific writer and has a PhD in English literature. A turning point for Mark as a young minister in his twenties was his work with young men dying from HIV/AIDS. In this conversation we explore the role of poetry and metaphor in Mark's ministry and find surprising resonances between our areas of practice. 

Ever tried an AF comedy night?  Janey chats to MartynDavies, from Sober is Fun, promoter of the first alcohol free comedy club, he shares his powerful story and chats all things sobriety and humour.Connection is key Incredibly, The Sober Club is 6 years old in September, and to celebrate we're having a gathering and podcast recording at Club Soda in Covent Garden on Monday 8 Sept 7.30 Because the club is so focused on the 'holistic' approach to sobriety I thought we'd make it a Wellbeing in sobriety event, and so I am jacking up some specialguests and hopefully goody bags, and I would love to hear your top tips for wellbeing too.https://www.tickettailor.com/events/clubsoda/1798978https://www.thesoberclub.com/events/Mind, Body, Freedom: Celebrating 6 years of The Sober ClubAn inspiring evening of connection, conversation, and clarity. One confirmed guest is Sarah Holland who is an EFT expert, she will share a really effective tapping technique that really works for reducing anxiety.I know its a long way for some, I know its a school night, but come if you can, its amazing to be in a room with like minded people.  You will leave with some inspiring ideas for what REALLY works when it comes to regulating your nervous system.Ditched the booze and want to inspire others?Join for a free non salesy webinar on Thursday August 21st at 7.30pm Its a great way of exploring what you want for the future, often quitting alcohol gives us a newsense of purpose.  There are so many different ways of using the skill sets offered in this comprehensive training,and we will talk through them and answer any questions.  Lots of people do the training because they want to lay the foundations for their own wellbeing, and while it is a biginvestment, several packages of coaching and wellbeing trainings would amount to far more, and you get biz skills included.Feel free to share with colleagues and friends, its free but you do need to registerRegister HEREI'm going to be speaking at the Wellness Way festival with the amazing Barbara O Neill I'll be talking on Saturday 9th August 1-2 pm on the Deep Dive stage – about how tolive an amazing and liberated Alcohol Free Life!Tickets available athttps://www.thewellnesswayfestival.com/ticketsUse my code JANEYLEEGRACE15 for 15% off tickets!https://www.thesoberclub.com/events/New to Sobriety? Sober Curious?Check out The Sober Club, for low cost support, accountability, inspiration, connection and a whole host of content on holistic living. Membership includes and online course Get the Buzz without the Booze, our private non judgemental community online and regularzoommeetings, plus a whole library of exclusive wellbeing contentIf you want to support the work go to www.buymeacoffee.com/janeyleegraceThank you for listening! Please share, rate and reviewIf you're struggling, always reach out, tell someone you're doing this! @janeyleegrace Ditchedthe Booze and want to inspire others?Janey offers holistic sober coachtraining, ournext course starts October 18-19, email Janey for a chat to see if its right for you – janey at janeyleegrace.com Supplements for recoveryThe BEST Magnesium blend ever is the blend from Clive – if you use this my link for everything you buy, a bitgoes into our Sober Club giveback fund If you can afford it,also get Vit D3, Amino Acids and Iodine (if you're menopausal)https://clivedecarle.ositracker.com/315625/11489 Check out my new Substack, you can be a free subscriber or paid for some juicy extras Sobriety Rocks…& TheWooWorksFollow Janey on socialmedia@janeyleegrace 

I was walking along a stretch of my favourite canal path about a month ago with the barking machine and my good friend, documentary photographer Giles Penfound, when we encountered Dale Thomas running toward us. Usually, runners are reasonably head-down and on a mission, except Dale wasn't.  He wore a running top promoting the Ollie Young Foundation and was happy to stop briefly to talk about the cause. What came from our ten-minute chat convinced me that he had several human stories to share. And while he's not a photographer, Dale is certainly an encounter, and I'm always championing encounters as those magic, serendipitous moments where we connect, maybe make a portrait, and talk about life. So, Dale is today's guest, with a story about community, a race across the desert that, in many ways, saved his life, and an outlook shaped not by medals or miles, but by a belief that life is for living, fully, curiously, and with your family never far from your heart. Also from the mailbag, Johann van der Walt, artisan camera bag maker and, frankly, my new best friend, and like London buses, another Johan appears! Johan Rispling is here to ask whether photographers are secretly moonlighting as painters, poets, or pianists, and Andrew Scriven checks in from Andalusia via Covent Garden. Links to all guests and features will be on the show page, my sincere thanks to Arthelper, who sponsor this show, plus our Extra Milers, without whom we wouldn't be walking each week. WHY: A Sketchbook of Life is available here.

Incredibly, The Sober Club is 6 years old in September, and to celebrate we're having a special wellbeing gathering and podcast recording at Club Soda in Covent Garden on Monday 8 Sept 7.30 https://www.thesoberclub.com/events/Mind, Body, Freedom: Celebrating 6 years of The Sober ClubAn inspiring evening of connection, conversation, and clarity. One confirmed guest is Sarah Holland who is an EFT expert, she will share a really effective tapping technique that really works for reducing anxiety.I know its a long way for some, I know its a school night, but come if you can, its amazing to be in a room with like minded people.  You will leave with some inspiring ideas for what REALLY works when it comes to regulating your nervous system.Ditched the booze and want to inspire others?Join for a free non salesy webinar on Thursday August 21st at 7.30pm Its a great way of exploring what you want for the future, often quitting alcohol gives us a new sense of purpose.  There are so many different ways of using the skill sets offered in this comprehensive training, and we will talk through them and answer any questions.  Lots of people do the training because they want to lay the foundations for their own wellbeing, and while it is a big investment, several packages of coaching and wellbeing trainings would amount to far more, and you get biz skills included.Feel free to share with colleagues and friends, its free but you do need to registerRegister HEREI'm going to be speaking at the Wellness Way festival with the amazing Barbara O Neill I'll be talking on Saturday 9th August 1-2 pm on the Deep Dive stage – about how tolive an amazing and liberated Alcohol Free Life!Tickets available athttps://www.thewellnesswayfestival.com/ticketsUse my code JANEYLEEGRACE15 for 15% off weekend tickets!Connection is key https://www.thesoberclub.com/events/New to Sobriety? Sober Curious?Check out The Sober Club, for low cost support, accountability, inspiration, connection and a whole host of content on holistic living. Membership includes and online course Get the Buzz without the Booze, our private non judgemental community online and regular zoommeetings, plus a whole library of exclusive wellbeing contentwww.thesoberclub.comIf you want to support the work goto www.buymeacoffee.com/janeyleegraceThank you for listening! Please share, rate and reviewIf you're struggling, always reach out, tell someone you're doing this! @janeyleegrace Ditchedthe Booze and want to inspire others?Janey offers holistic sober coachtraining, ournext course starts October 18-19, email Janey for a chat to see if its right for you – janey at janeyleegrace.com Supplements for recoveryThe BEST Magnesium blend ever is the blend from Clive – if you use this my link for everything you buy, a bitgoes into our Sober Club giveback fund If you can afford it,also get Vit D3, Amino Acids and Iodine (if you're menopausal)https://clivedecarle.ositracker.com/315625/11489 Check out my new Substack, you can be a free subscriber or paid for some juicy extras Sobriety Rocks…& The WooWorksFollow Janey on socialmedia@janeyleegrace

'Dying for Sex' and ‘Catastrophe' star Rob Delaney joins the show. Over iced coffees and schnitzel, Rob tells me about getting sober in his twenties, his surprising start in musical theatre, and life as an American raising three kids in London. We also talk about his role opposite Michelle Williams in Hulu's ‘Dying for Sex,' what gets harder (and easier) with age, and why he finally walked away from social media. This episode was recorded at Brasserie Max at the Covent Garden Hotel in Covent Garden, London. Want next week's episode now? Subscribe to Dinner's on Me PLUS. As a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early, but you'll also be able to listen completely ad-free! Just click “Try Free” at the top of the Dinner's on Me show page on Apple Podcasts to start your free trial today. A Sony Music Entertainment & A Kid Named Beckett production. Get 15% off your Saily plan with the code ⁠⁠⁠dinnersonme⁠⁠⁠. Just download the Saily app or head to ⁠⁠⁠https://saily.com/dinnersonme⁠⁠⁠. Stay connected — and don't miss your dinner reservation. Stay connected — and don't miss your dinner reservation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

This week on Everybody in the Pool, we're continuing Storyteller Summer with a stand-up comic who proves you can turn any job into a climate job — even one that usually involves jokes about socks.Our guest is Stuart Goldsmith, a veteran stand-up comedian and host of The Comedian's Comedian podcast, who now focuses almost entirely on the climate crisis. But instead of lectures or charts, Stuart brings humor, humility, and a healthy dose of self-deprecation to a topic that's often overwhelming.We talk about:The long, strange road from Covent Garden street performer to climate comedy evangelistWhy “the problems are the material” — especially when it comes to eco-anxietyThe art of bombing (a lot) while trying to make ocean acidification funnyMaking your own hypocrisy the butt of the jokeWhy climate storytelling needs more action and less guiltAlso: sticky jokes, snow leopards, tariff metaphors, LinkedIn mic drops, and the surprisingly dark comedy of unaffordable insurance premiums.This is climate storytelling at its smartest and most disarming. (And if you're hiring a climate comic, please drop this man a line — his American clients have all fled!)LINKS:Website: https://www.stuartgoldsmith.comInstagram: @stuartgoldsmithcomedyLinkedIn: Stuart Goldsmith (but only if you're a decision-maker!)All episodes: https://www.everybodyinthepool.com/Subscribe to the Everybody in the Pool newsletter: https://www.mollywood.co/Become a member and get an ad-free version of the podcast: https://everybodyinthepool.supercast.com/Please subscribe and tell your friends about Everybody in the Pool! Send feedback or become a sponsor! in@everybodyinthepool.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

British Olympic diver Tom Daley joins the show. Over fresh pasta, Tom tells me about becoming an Olympian for the first time at age 13, his special relationship with his late father, and becoming a dad with his partner ‘Milk' screenwriter Dustin Lance Black. This episode was recorded at Bancone in Covent Garden, London. Want next week's episode now? Subscribe to Dinner's on Me PLUS. As a subscriber, not only do you get access to new episodes one week early, but you'll also be able to listen completely ad-free! Just click “Try Free” at the top of the Dinner's on Me show page on Apple Podcasts to start your free trial today. A Sony Music Entertainment & A Kid Named Beckett production. Get 15% off your Saily plan with the code ⁠⁠dinnersonme⁠⁠. Just download the Saily app or head to ⁠⁠https://saily.com/dinnersonme⁠⁠. Stay connected — and don't miss your dinner reservation. Stay connected — and don't miss your dinner reservation. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

On 29 August 1923, the BBC officially launched SB: Simultaneous Broadcasting.  They'd been testing SB for months, via crossed lines and cross conversations with the General Post Office. It would dramatically change the shape and big idea of what broadcasting was and could be. Using landlines, they linked stations - so a Covent Garden concert could be heard nationally for the first time, as other stations gave over the schedules to big concerts, or news bulletins, or... whatever London wanted. Generally speaking. Yes, other stations could take over too - Birmingham or Glasgow might offer a concert of play. But questions were asked, even back then, of whether listeners would prefer their regular local programming, or news/concerts from the capital. Oh but we can provide you big stars, said the Programme Department. It's a move forward. But a move backward for local programming, alas - even if it was pitched to them that they could enjoy a night off. Hmm... As we explore and unpack that, we also welcome a guest - Mary Englsh, who began at the BBC in 1973 as a studio manager, wrote for The Two Ronnies, and nearly bled over Margaret Thatcher thanks to an editing accident. We hear from her, including the timely observation that the BBC perhaps win trust by "broadcasting their defeats". (In the week this podcast lands, the BBC has broadcast two of their defeats - with news reports about their Gaza documentary and Gregg Wallace. Would another channel amplify their failures quite so much? Should they? Answers on a postcard...)   SHOWNOTES: Original music is by Will Farmer.  Paul's recent talk at the Early Recordings Conference, on the earliest BBC recording and what happened to it: https://youtu.be/JdJVGhPKtjM Our Substack: paulkerensa.substack.com Paul at Camden Fringe with An Evening of (Very) Old Radio, in August 2025 - come! https://camdenfringe.com/events/an-evening-of-very-old-radio/ Paul on elsewhere on tour: www.paulkerensa.com/tour. Our walking tour of old BBC sites, 9 Aug and 6 Sept 2025 - come! https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/pks-walking-tour-of-old-bbc-and-pre-bbc-buildings-pwyw-tickets-1401875560539   This podcast is nothing to do with the BBC. Any BBC copyright content is reproduced courtesy of the British Broadcasting Corporation. All rights reserved. We try to use clips so old they're beyond copyright, but you never know. Copyright's complicated... Comments? Email the show - paul at paulkerensa dot com. Do like/share/rate/review this podcast - it all helps. Support us on Patreon (£5/mth), for bonus videos and things - and thanks if you do! ...Latest Patreon video is an even deeper dive into the Sykes Report - we read the lot (well, most of it): https://www.patreon.com/posts/vid-1923s-sykes-132182661 Next time: Episode 103: Aug/Sept 1923 - Rob Roy and the first cat on radio! More info on this broadcasting history project at paulkerensa.com/oldradio  

Skip the Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them increase their visitor numbers. Your host is Paul Marden.If you like what you hear, you can subscribe on iTunes, Spotify, and all the usual channels by searching Skip the Queue or visit our website SkiptheQueue.fm.If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review, it really helps others find us. And remember to follow us on Twitter  or Bluesky for your chance to win the books that have been mentioned in this podcast.Competition ends on 23rd July 2025. The winner will be contacted via Bluesky. Show references:  Sam Mullins, Trustee at SS Great Britainhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/sammullins/https://www.ssgreatbritain.org/ Transcriptions:  Paul Marden: What an amazing day out here. Welcome to Skip the Queue. The podcast for people working in and working with visitor attractions, I'm your host, Paul Marden, and today you join me for the last episode of the season here in a very sunny and very pleasant Bristol Dockyard. I'm here to visit the SS Great Britain and one of their trustees, Sam Mullins, who until recently, was the CEO of London Transport Museum. And I'm going to be talking to Sam about life after running a big, family friendly Museum in the centre of London, and what comes next, and I'm promising you it's not pipes and the slippers for Sam, he's been very busy with the SSGreat Britain and with other projects that we'll talk a little more about. But for now, I'm going to enjoy poodling across the harbour on boat number five awaiting arrival over at the SS Great Britain. Paul Marden: Is there much to catch in the water here?Sam Mullins: According to some research, there's about 36 different species of fish. They catch a lot of cream. They catch Roach, bullet, bass car. Big carpet there, maybe, yeah, huge carpet there. And then your European great eel is here as well, right? Yeah, massive things by the size of your leg, big heads. It's amazing. It goes to show how receipt your life is. The quality of the water is a lot better now. Paul Marden: Oh yeah, yeah, it's better than it used to be years ago. Thank you very much. All right. Cheers. Have a good day. See you later on. So without further ado, let's head inside. So where should we head? Too fast. Sam Mullins: So we start with the stern of the ship, which is the kind of classic entrance view, you know. Yeah, coming up, I do. I love the shape of this ship as you as you'll see.Paul Marden: So lovely being able to come across the water on the boat and then have this as you're welcome. It's quite a.Sam Mullins: It's a great spot. Isn't it?Paul Marden: Really impactful, isn't it? Sam Mullins:  Because the amazing thing is that it's going this way, is actually in the dry dock, which was built to build it. Paul Marden: That's amazing. Sam Mullins: So it came home. It was clearly meant to be, you know,Paul Marden:  Quite the circular story.Sam Mullins:  Yeah, yeah. Thank you. Paul Marden:  Thank you. Wow. Look at that view.Sam Mullins: So that's your classic view.Paul Marden:  So she's in a dry dock, but there's a little bit of water in there, just to give us an idea of what's going on. Sam Mullins: Well, what's actually going on in here is, preserving the world's first iron ship. So it became clear, after he'd come back from the Falklands, 1970 came back to Bristol, it became clear that the material of the ship was rusting away. And if something wasn't done, there'd be nothing left, nothing left to show. So the innovative solution is based on a little bit of science if you can reduce the relative humidity of the air around the cast iron hull of the ship to around about 20% relative humidity, corrosion stops. Rusting stops. It's in a dry dock. You glaze over the dock at kind of water line, which, as you just noticed, it gives it a really nice setting. It looks like it's floating, yeah, it also it means that you can then control the air underneath. You dry it out, you dehumidify it. Big plant that dries out the air. You keep it at 20% and you keep the ship intact. Paul Marden: It's interesting, isn't it, because you go to Mary Rose, and you go into the ship Hall, and you've got this hermetically sealed environment that you can maintain all of these beautiful Tudor wooden pieces we're outside on a baking hot day. You don't have the benefit of a hermetically sealed building, do you to keep this? Sam Mullins: I guess the outside of the ship is kind of sealed by the paint. That stops the air getting to the bit to the bare metal. We can go down into the trigger, down whilst rise up.Paul Marden:  We're wondering. Sam, yeah, why don't you introduce yourself, tell listeners a little bit about your background. How have we ended up having this conversation today.Sam Mullins: I'm Sam Mullins. I'm a historian. I decided early on that I wanted to be a historian that worked in museums and had an opportunity to kind of share my fascination with the past with museum visitors. So I worked in much Wenlock in Shropshire. I worked created a new museum in market Harbour, a community museum in Leicestershire. I was director of museums in St Albans, based on, you know, great Roman Museum at Verulamium, okay. And ended up at London Transport Museum in the 90s, and was directed there for a long time.Paul Marden: Indeed, indeed. Oh, we are inside now and heading underground.Sam Mullins: And you can hear the thrumming in the background. Is the dehumidification going on. Wow. So we're descending into thevery dry dock.Paul Marden: So we're now under water level. Yes, and the view of the ceiling with the glass roof, which above looked like a lovely little pond, it's just beautiful, isn't it?Sam Mullins: Yes, good. It sets it off both in both directions, really nicely.Paul Marden: So you've transitioned now, you've moved on from the Transport Museum. And I thought that today's episode, we could focus a little bit on what is, what's life like when you've moved on from being the director of a big, famous, influential, family friendly Museum. What comes next? Is it pipe and slippers, or are there lots of things to do? And I think it's the latter, isn't it? Sam Mullins: Yes. Well, you know, I think people retire either, you know, do nothing and play golf, or they build, you know, an interesting portfolio. I wanted to build, you know, something a bit more interesting. And, you know, Paul, there's that kind of strange feeling when you get to retire. And I was retiring from full time executive work, you kind of feel at that point that you've just cracked the job. And at that point, you know, someone gives you, you know, gives you a card and says, "Thank you very much, you've done a lovely job." Kind of, "Off you go." So having the opportunity to deploy some of that long term experience of running a successful Museum in Covent Garden for other organisations was part of that process of transition. I've been writing a book about which I'm sure we'll talk as well that's been kind of full on this year, but I was a trustee here for a number of years before I retired. I think it's really good career development for people to serve on a board to see what it's like, you know, the other side of the board. Paul Marden: I think we'll come back to that in a minute and talk a little bit about how the sausage is made. Yeah, we have to do some icebreaker questions, because I probably get you already. You're ready to start talking, but I'm gonna, I'm just gonna loosen you up a little bit, a couple of easy ones. You're sat in front of the telly, comedy or drama?Sam Mullins: It depends. Probably.Paul Marden: It's not a valid answer. Sam Mullins: Probably, probably drama.Paul Marden: Okay, if you need to talk to somebody, is it a phone call or is it a text message that you'll send?Sam Mullins:  Face to face? Okay, much better. Okay, always better. Paul Marden: Well done. You didn't accept the premise of the question there, did you? Lastly, if you're going to enter a room, would you prefer to have a personal theme tune played every time you enter the room. Or would you like a personal mascot to arrive fully suited behind you in every location you go to?Sam Mullins: I don't know what the second one means, so I go for the first one.Paul Marden: You've not seen a football mascot on watching American football or baseball?Sam Mullins: No, I try and avoid that. I like real sport. I like watching cricket. Paul Marden: They don't do that in cricket. So we are at the business end of the hull of the ship, aren't we? We're next to the propeller. Sam Mullins: We're sitting under the stern. We can still see that lovely, gilded Stern, saying, Great Britain, Bristol, and the windows and the coat of arms across the stern of the ship. Now this, of course, was the biggest ship in the world when built. So not only was it the first, first iron ship of any scale, but it was also third bigger than anything in the Royal Navy at the time. Paul Marden: They talked about that, when we were on the warrior aim the other day, that it was Brunel that was leading the way on what the pinnacle of engineering was like. It was not the Royal Navy who was convinced that it was sail that needed to lead. Sam Mullins: Yeah, Brunel had seen a much smaller, propeller driven vessel tried out, which was being toured around the country. And so they were midway through kind of design of this, when they decided it wasn't going to be a paddle steamer, which its predecessor, the world's first ocean liner, the Great Western. A was a paddle steamer that took you to New York. He decided that, and he announced to the board that he was going to make a ship that was driven by a propeller, which was the first, and this is, this is actually a replica of his patent propeller design. Paul Marden: So, this propeller was, is not the original to the show, okay?Sam Mullins: Later in its career, it had the engines taken out, and it was just a sailing ship. It had a long and interesting career. And for the time it was going to New York and back, and the time it was going to Australia and back, carrying migrants. It was a hybrid, usually. So you use the sails when it was favourable when it wasn't much wind or the wind was against. You use the use the engines. Use the steam engine.Paul Marden: Coming back into fashion again now, isn't it? Sam Mullins: Yeah, hybrid, yeah.Paul Marden: I can see holes in the hull. Was this evident when it was still in the Falklands?Sam Mullins: Yeah, it came to notice in the 60s that, you know, this world's first it was beached at Sparrow Cove in the Falkland Islands. It had lost its use as a wool warehouse, which is which it had been for 30 or 40 years. And a number of maritime historians, you and call it. It was the kind of key one realised that this, you know, extraordinary, important piece of maritime heritage would maybe not last too many war winters at Sparrow cope had a big crack down one side of the hull. It would have probably broken in half, and that would have made any kind of conservation restoration pretty well impossible as it was. It was a pretty amazing trick to put it onto a to put a barge underneath, to raise it up out of the water, and to tow it into Montevideo and then across the Atlantic, you know, 7000 miles, or whatever it is, to Avon mouth. So it's a kind of heroic story from the kind of heroic age of industrial and maritime heritage, actually.Paul Marden: It resonates for me in terms of the Mary Rose in that you've got a small group of very committed people that are looking to rescue this really valuable asset. And they find it and, you know, catch it just in time. Sam Mullins: Absolutely. That was one of the kind of eye openers for me at Mary rose last week, was just to look at the kind of sheer difficulty of doing conventional archaeology underwater for years and years. You know, is it 50,000 dives were made? Some immense number. And similarly, here, you know, lots of people kind of simply forget it, you know, it's never gonna, but a few, stuck to it, you know, formed a group, fund, raised. This is an era, of course, you know, before lottery and all that jazz. When you had to, you had to fundraise from the public to do this, and they managed to raise the money to bring it home, which, of course, is only step one. You then got to conserve this enormous lump of metal so it comes home to the dry dock in which it had been built, and that has a sort of fantastic symmetry, you know about it, which I just love. You know, the dock happened to be vacant, you know, in 1970 when the ship was taken off the pontoon at Avon mouth, just down the river and was towed up the curving Avon river to this dock. It came beneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge, which, of course, was Brunel design, but it was never built in his time. So these amazing pictures of this Hulk, in effect,  coming up the river, towed by tugs and brought into the dock here with 1000s of people you know, surrounding cheering on the sidelines, and a bit like Mary Rose in a big coverage on the BBC.Paul Marden: This is the thing. So I have a very vivid memory of the Mary Rose being lifted, and that yellow of the scaffolding is just permanently etched in my brain about sitting on the carpet in primary school when the TV was rolled out, and it was the only TV in the whole of school that, to me is it's modern history happening. I'm a Somerset boy. I've been coming to Bristol all my life. I wasn't alive when Great Britain came back here. So to me, this feels like ancient history. It's always been in Bristol, because I have no memory of it returning home. It was always just a fixture. So when we were talking the other day and you mentioned it was brought back in the 70s, didn't realise that. Didn't realise that at all. Should we move on? Because I am listening. Gently in the warmth.Sam Mullins: Let's move around this side of the as you can see, the dry dock is not entirely dry, no, but nearly.Paul Marden: So, you're trustee here at SS Great Britain. What does that mean? What do you do?Sam Mullins: Well, the board, Board of Trustees is responsible for the governance of the charity. We employ the executives, the paid team here. We work with them to develop the kind of strategy, financial plan, to deliver that strategy, and we kind of hold them as executives to account, to deliver on that.Paul Marden: It's been a period of change for you, hasn't it? Just recently, you've got a new CEO coming to the first anniversary, or just past his first anniversary. It's been in place a little while.Sam Mullins: So in the last two years, we've had a, we've recruited a new chairman, new chief executive, pretty much a whole new leadership team.One more starting next month, right? Actually, we're in July this month, so, yeah, it's been, you know, organisations are like that. They can be very, you know, static for some time, and then suddenly a kind of big turnover. And people, you know, people move.Paul Marden: So we're walking through what is a curved part of the dry dock now. So this is becoming interesting underfoot, isn't it?Sam Mullins: This is built in 1839 by the Great Western Steamship Company to build a sister ship to the Great Western which was their first vessel built for the Atlantic run to New York. As it happens, they were going to build a similar size vessel, but Brunel had other ideas, always pushing the edges one way or another as an engineer.Paul Marden: The keel is wood. Is it all wood? Or is this some sort of?Sam Mullins: No, this is just like, it's sort of sacrificial.So that you know when, if it does run up against ground or whatever, you don't actually damage the iron keel.Paul Marden: Right. Okay, so there's lots happening for the museum and the trust. You've just had a big injection of cash, haven't you, to do some interesting things. So there was a press release a couple of weeks ago, about a million pound of investment. Did you go and find that down the back of the sofa? How do you generate that kind of investment in the charity?Sam Mullins: Unusually, I think that trust that's put the bulk of that money and came came to us. I think they were looking to do something to mark their kind of, I think to mark their wind up. And so that was quite fortuitous, because, as you know at the moment, you know, fundraising is is difficult. It's tough. Paul Marden: That's the understatement of the year, isn't it?Sam Mullins: And with a new team here and the New World post COVID, less, less visitors, income harder to gain from. Pretty well, you know, all sources, it's important to keep the site kind of fresh and interesting. You know, the ship has been here since 1970 it's become, it's part of Bristol. Wherever you go in Bristol, Brunel is, you know, kind of the brand, and yet many Bristolians think they've seen all this, and don't need, you know, don't need to come back again. So keeping the site fresh, keeping the ideas moving on, are really important. So we've got the dockyard museum just on the top there, and that's the object for fundraising at the moment, and that will open in July next year as an account of the building of the ship and its importance. Paul Marden: Indeed, that's interesting. Related to that, we know that trusts, trusts and grants income really tough to get. Everybody's fighting for a diminishing pot income from Ace or from government sources is also tough to find. At the moment, we're living off of budgets that haven't changed for 10 years, if we're lucky. Yeah, for many people, finding a commercial route is the answer for their museum. And that was something that you did quite successfully, wasn't it, at the Transport Museum was to bring commercial ideas without sacrificing the integrity of the museum. Yeah. How do you do that?Sam Mullins: Well, the business of being an independent Museum, I mean, LTM is a to all sets of purposes, an independent Museum. Yes, 81% of its funding itself is self generated. Paul Marden: Is it really? Yeah, yeah. I know. I would have thought the grant that you would get from London Transport might have been bigger than that.  Sam Mullins: The grant used to be much bigger proportion, but it's got smaller and smaller. That's quite deliberate. Are, you know, the more you can stand on your own two feet, the more you can actually decide which direction you're going to take those feet in. Yeah. So there's this whole raft of museums, which, you know, across the UK, which are independently governed, who get all but nothing from central government. They might do a lottery grant. Yes, once in a while, they might get some NPO funding from Ace, but it's a tiny part, you know, of the whole. And this ship, SS Great Britain is a classic, you know, example of that. So what do you do in those circumstances? You look at your assets and you you try and monetise them. That's what we did at London Transport Museum. So the museum moved to Covent Garden in 1980 because it was a far sighted move. Michael Robbins, who was on the board at the time, recognised that they should take the museum from Scion Park, which is right on the west edge, into town where people were going to be, rather than trying to drag people out to the edge of London. So we've got that fantastic location, in effect, a high street shop. So retail works really well, you know, at Covent Garden.Paul Marden: Yeah, I know. I'm a sucker for a bit of moquette design.Sam Mullins: We all love it, which is just great. So the museum developed, you know, a lot of expertise in creating products and merchandising it. We've looked at the relationship with Transport for London, and we monetised that by looking at TFL supply chain and encouraging that supply chain to support the museum. So it is possible to get the TFL commissioner to stand up at a corporate members evening and say, you know, you all do terribly well out of our contract, we'd like you to support the museum as well, please. So the corporate membership scheme at Transport Museum is bigger than any other UK museum by value, really, 60, 65 members,. So that was, you know, that that was important, another way of looking at your assets, you know, what you've got. Sometimes you're talking about monetising relationships. Sometimes it's about, you know, stuff, assets, yeah. And then in we began to run a bit short of money in the kind of middle of the teens, and we did an experimental opening of the Aldwych disused tube station on the strand, and we're amazed at the demand for tickets.Paul Marden: Really, it was that much of a surprise for you. And we all can talk. Sam Mullins: We had been doing, we've been doing some guided tours there in a sort of, slightly in a one off kind of way, for some time. And we started to kind of think, well, look, maybe should we carry on it? Paul Marden: You've got the audience that's interested.Sam Mullins: And we've got the access through TFL which, you know, took a lot of work to to convince them we weren't going to, you know, take loads of people underground and lose them or that they jump out, you know, on the Piccadilly line in the middle of the service, or something. So hidden London is the kind of another really nice way where the museum's looked at its kind of assets and it's monetised. And I don't know what this I don't know what this year is, but I think there are now tours run at 10 different sites at different times. It's worth about half a million clear to them to the museum.Paul Marden: It's amazing, and they're such brilliant events. So they've now opened up for younger kids to go. So I took my daughter and one of her friends, and they were a little bit scared when the lights got turned off at one point, but we had a whale of a time going and learning about the history of the tube, the history of the tube during the war. It was such an interesting, accessible way to get to get them interested in stuff. It was brilliant.Sam Mullins: No, it's a great programme, and it was doing well before COVID, we went into lockdown, and within three weeks, Chris Nix and the team had started to do kind of zoom virtual tours. We all are stuck at home looking at our screens and those hidden London hangouts the audience kind of gradually built yesterday TV followed with secrets of London Underground, which did four series of. Hidden London book has sold 25,000 copies in hardback, another one to come out next year, maybe.Paul Marden: And all of this is in service of the museum. So it's almost as if you're opening the museum up to the whole of London, aren't you, and making all of that space you're you. Museum where you can do things.Sam Mullins: Yeah. And, of course, the great thing about hidden London programme is it's a bit like a theatre production. We would get access to a particular site for a month or six weeks. You'd sell the tickets, you know, like mad for that venue. And then the run came to an end, and you have to, you know, the caravan moves on, and we go to, you know, go to go to a different stations. So in a sense, often it's quite hard to get people to go to an attraction unless they've got visitors staying or whatever. But actually, if there's a time limit, you just kind of have to do it, you know.Paul Marden: Yeah, absolutely. Everybody loves a little bit of scarcity, don't they? Sam Mullins: Should we go up on the deck? Paul Marden: That sounds like fun to me.Sam Mullins: Work our way through.Paul Marden: So Hidden London was one of the angles in order to make the museum more commercially sound. What are you taking from your time at LTM and bringing to the party here at the SS Great Britain?Sam Mullins: Well, asking similar, you know, range of questions really, about what assets do we have? Which of those are, can be, can be monetised in support of the charity? Got here, Paul, so we're, we've got the same mix as lots of middle sized museums here. There's a it's a shop, paid admission, hospitality events in the evening, cafe. You know that mix, what museums then need to do is kind of go, you know, go beyond that, really, and look at their estate or their intellectual property, or the kind of experiences they can offer, and work out whether some of that is monetisable.Paul Marden: Right? And you mentioned before that Brunel is kind of, he's the mascot of Bristol. Almost, everything in Bristol focuses on Brunel. Is there an opportunity for you to collaborate with other Brunel themed sites, the bridge or?Sam Mullins: Yeah. Well, I think probably the opportunity is to collaborate with other Bristol attractions. Because Bristol needs to. Bristol's having a hard time since COVID numbers here are nowhere near what they were pre COVID So, and I think it's the same in the city, across the city. So Andrew chief executive, is talking to other people in the city about how we can share programs, share marketing, that kind of approach.Paul Marden: Making the docks a destination, you know, you've got We the Curious. Where I was this morning, having coffee with a friend and having a mooch around. Yeah, talking about science and technology, there must be things that you can cross over. This was this war. This feels like history, but it wasn't when it was built, was it? It was absolutely the cutting edge of science and technology.Sam Mullins: Absolutely, and well, almost beyond, you know, he was Brunel was pushing, pushing what could be done. It is the biggest ship. And it's hard to think of it now, because, you know, you and I can walk from one end to the other in no time. But it was the biggest ship in the world by, you know, some way, when it was launched in 1845 so this was a bit like the Great Western Railway. It was cutting edge, cutting edge at the time, as we were talking about below. It had a propeller, radical stuff. It's got the bell, too,Paul Marden: When we were on, was it Warrior that we were on last week at the AIM conference for the first. And warrior had a propeller, but it was capable of being lifted, because the Admiralty wasn't convinced that this new fangled propeller nonsense, and they thought sail was going to lead. Sam Mullins: Yeah. Well, this ship had, you could lift a you could lift a propeller, because otherwise the propeller is a drag in the water if it's not turning over. So in its earlier configurations, it was a, it was that sort of a hybrid, where you could lift the propeller out the way, right, set full sail.Paul Marden:  Right, and, yeah, it's just, it's very pleasant out here today, isn't it? Lovely breeze compared to what it's been like the last few days. Sam Mullins: Deck has just been replaced over the winter. Paul Marden:  Oh, has it really. So say, have you got the original underneathSam Mullins: The original was little long, long gone. So what we have replaced was the deck that was put on in the in the 70s when the ship came back.Paul Marden: Right? You were talking earlier on about the cafe being one of the assets. You've done quite a lot of work recently, haven't you with the team at Elior to refurbish the cafe? What's the plan around that?Sam Mullins: Yeah, we're doing a big reinvestment. You always need to keep the offer fresh anyway, but it was time to reinvest. So the idea is to use that fantastic space on the edge of the dock. It's not very far down to where the floating harbour is really well populated with kind of restaurants and bars and an offer, we're just that 200 meters further along the dock. So perhaps to create an offer here that draws people up here, whether they visit the ship, you know, or not. So it's money, it's monetising your assets. So one of the great assets is this fabulous location on the on the dockside. So with early or we're reinvesting in the restaurant, it's going to go in the auto into after some trial openings and things, Paul, you know, it's going to have an evening offer as well as a daytime offer. And then it's been designed so the lights can go down in the evening. It becomes, you know, an evening place, rather than the museum's all day cafe, yes, and the offer, and obviously in the evenings would similarly change. And I think our ambition is that you should, you should choose this as the place to go out in the evening. Really, it's a great spot. It's a lovely, warm evening. We're going to walk along the dockside. I've booked a table and in the boardwalk, which is what we're calling it. And as you pay the bill, you notice that actually, this is associated with Asus, Great Britain. So, you know, the profit from tonight goes to help the charity, rather than it's the museum cafe. So that's the,Paul Marden: That's the pitch.Sam Mullins: That's the pitch in which we're working with our catering partners, Eli, or to deliver.Paul Marden: Andrew, your CEO and Claire from Eli, or have both kindly said that I can come back in a couple of months time and have a conversation about the restaurant. And I think it would be rude to turn them down, wouldn't it?Sam Mullins: I think you should test the menu really fully.Paul Marden: I will do my best. It's a tough job that I have. Sam Mullins: Somebody has to do this work. Paul Marden: I know, talking of tough jobs, the other thing that I saw when I was looking at the website earlier on was a press release talking about six o'clock gin as being a a partnership that you're investigating, because every museum needs its own tipple, doesn't it?Sam Mullins: Absolutely And what, you know, I think it's, I think what people want when they go to an attraction is they, they also want something of the offer to be locally sourced, completely, six o'clock gym, you know, Bristol, Bristol beers. You can't always do it, but I think, I think it's where you've got the opportunity. And Bristol's a bit of a foodie centre. There's quite a lot going on here in that respect. So, yes, of course, the museum ought to be ought to be doing that too.Paul Marden: I was very kindly invited to Big Pit over in the Welsh Valleys about 8 or 12 weeks ago for the launch, relaunch of their gift shop offering. And absolutely, at the core of what they were trying to do was because it's run by Museums Wales, they found that all of their gift shops were just a bland average of what you could get at any of the museums. None of them spoke of the individual place. So if you went to big pit, the gift shop looked the same as if you were in the centre of Cardiff, whereas now when you go you see things that are naturally of Big Pit and the surrounding areas. And I think that's so important to create a gift shop which has things that is affordable to everybody, but at the same time authentic and genuinely interesting.Sam Mullins: Yeah, I'm sure that's right. And you know I'm saying for you is for me, when I when I go somewhere, you want to come away with something, don't you? Yes, you know, you're a National Trust member and you haven't had to pay anything to get in. But you think I should be supporting the cause, you know, I want to go into that shop and then I want to, I want to buy some of the plants for my garden I just seen, you know, on the estate outside. Or I want to come away with a six o'clock gin or, you know, whatever it might be, there's and I think, I think you're more likely to buy if it's something that you know has engaged you, it's part of that story that's engaged you, right, while you're here. That's why everyone buys a guidebook and reads it afterwards.Paul Marden: Yeah, it's a reminder, isn't it, the enjoyable time that you've had? Yeah, I'm enjoying myself up on the top deck. Sam Mullins:  But should we go downstairs? The bow is a great view. Oh, let's do that. I think we might. Let's just work our way down through.Paul Marden: Take a sniff. Could you travel with these smelly passengers? Oh, no, I don't think I want to smell what it's like to be a cow on board shit. Sam Mullins: Fresh milk. Just mind yourself on these companion, ways are very steep now. This is probably where I get completely lost.Paul Marden: You know what we need? We need a very good volunteer. Don't we tell a volunteer story? COVID in the kitchen. Wow. Sam Mullins: The Gabby.Paul Marden: Generous use of scent. Sam Mullins: Yeah, food laid out pretty much based on what we know was consumed on the ship. One of the great things about the ship is people kept diaries. A lot of people kept diaries, and many have survived, right? You know exactly what it was like to be in first class or in steerage down the back.Paul Marden: And so what was the ship used for? Sam Mullins: Well, it was used, it was going to be an ocean liner right from here to New York, and it was more like the Concord of its day. It was essentially first class and second class. And then it has a founders on a bay in Northern Ireland. It's rescued, fitted out again, and then the opportunity comes take people to Australia. The Gold Rush in the 1850s. Migration to Australia becomes the big kind of business opportunity for the ships. Ships new owners. So there's more people on board that used to it applies to and fro to Australia a number of times 30 odd, 40 times. And it takes, takes passengers. It takes goods. It does bring back, brings back gold from because people were there for the gold rush. They were bringing their earnings, you know, back with them. It also brings mail, and, you know, other. Kind of car goes wool was a big cargo from. Paul Marden: Say, people down and assets back up again.Sam Mullins: People both directions. Paul Marden: Okay, yeah. How long was it taking?Sam Mullins: Well, a good trip. I think it did it in 50 odd days. Bit slower was 60 odd. And the food was like this. So it was steerage. It was probably a bit more basic. Paul Marden: Yeah, yes, I can imagine. Sam Mullins: I think we might. Here's the engines. Let's do the engines well.Paul Marden: Yes. So now we're in the engine room and, oh, it's daylight lit, actually. So you're not down in the darkest of depths, but the propeller shaft and all of the mechanism is it runs full length, full height of the ship.Sam Mullins: Yeah, it runs off from here, back to the propeller that we're looking at. Okay, down there a guy's stoking the boilers, putting coal into into the boilers, 24 hour seven, when the engines are running. Paul Marden: Yes, that's going to be a tough job, isn't it? Yeah, coal is stored in particular locations. Because that was something I learned from warrior, was the importance of making sure that you had the coal taken in the correct places, so that you didn't unbalance the ship. I mean,Sam Mullins: You right. I mean loading the ship generally had to be done really carefully so, you know, sort of balanced out and so forth. Coal is tends to be pretty low down for yes, for obvious reasons.Paul Marden: So let's talk a little bit about being a trustee. We're both trustees of charities. I was talking to somebody last week who been in the sector for a number of years, mid career, interested in becoming a trustee as a career development opportunity. What's the point of being a trustee? What's the point of the trustees to the CEO, and what's the benefit to the trustees themselves? Sam Mullins: Well, let's do that in order for someone in the mid part of their career, presumably looking to assume some kind of leadership role. At some point they're going to be dealing with a board, aren't they? Yes, they might even be doing, you know, occasional reporting to a board at that at their current role, but they certainly will be if they want to be chief executive. So getting some experience on the other side of the table to feel what it's like to be a trustee dealing with chief executive. I think he's immensely useful. I always recommended it to to my gang at the Transport Museum, and they've all been on boards of one sort or another as part of their career development.Sam Mullins: For the chief executive. What's the benefit? Well, the board, I mean, very directly, hold the chief executive to account. Yes, are you doing what we asked you to do? But also the wise chief executive recruits a board that's going to be helpful in some way or another. It's not just there to catch them out. Yeah, it's it's there to bring their experience from business, from IT, from marketing, from other museums into the business of running the place. So here we've got a range of Trustees. We've been we've recruited five or six in the last couple of years qquite deliberately to we know that a diverse board is a good board, and that's diverse in the sense not just a background, but of education, retired, still, still at work, young, old, male, female, you know, you name in.Paul Marden: In all of the directionsSam Mullins:  Yeah. So a diverse board makes better decisions than one that just does group think all the time. It's, you know, it's a truism, isn't it? I think we all kind of, we all understand and understand that now and then, for the trustee, you know, for me, I particularly last couple of years, when the organization has been through huge changes, it's been really interesting to deploy my prior experience, particularly in governance, because governance is what it all comes down to in an organisation. You do learn over the course of your career to deploy that on behalf, you know, this is a great organisation, the story of Brunel and the ship and and, you know, his influence on the railways. And I travel down on the Great Western railways, yeah, the influence of Brunel is, you know, is enormous. It's a fantastic story. It's inspiring. So who wouldn't want to join? You know what in 2005 was the Museum of the year? Yes, I think we'll just go back there where we came. Otherwise, I never found my way.Paul Marden: Back through the kitchen. Sam Mullins: Back through the kitchen. It looks like stew is on the menu tonight. You've seen me at the mobile the rat.Paul Marden: And also the cat up on the shelf. He's not paying a lot of attention to the ratSam Mullins: Back on deck. Paul Marden: Wonderful. Yeah. So the other great endeavor that you've embarked on is writing, writing a book. Tell us a little bit about the book.Sam Mullins: Yeah, I've written a history of transport in London and its influence on London since 2000 since the mayoralty, elected mayoralty was, was started, you know, I was very lucky when I was running the museum where I had kind of one foot in TfL and one foot out. I knew lots of people. I was there for a long time, yes, so it was, it was easy to interview about 70 of them.Paul Marden: Right? I guess you've built trust levels, haven't you? Yeah, I don't mean that you don't look like a journalist walking in from the outside with an ax to grind. Sam Mullins: And I'm not going to kind of screw them to the Evening Standard, you know, tomorrow. So it's a book based on interviews, oral reminiscences. It's very much their story. So it's big chunks of their accounts of, you know, the big events in London. So what was it like to be in the network control room on the seventh of July, 2005 when the bombs went off? What was it like to be looking out for congestion charge the day it started? Yep. What was it like to kind of manage the Olympics?Paul Marden: You know? So you're mentioning these things. And so I was 10 years at British Airways. I was an IT project manager, but as well, I was a member of the emergency planning team. Yeah. So I got involved in the response to September the 11th. I got involved in some of the engagement around seven, seven, there's seminal moments, and I can, I can vividly remember myself being there at that time. But similarly, I can remember being there when we won the Olympics, and we were all sat in the staff canteen waiting to hear whether we'd won the Olympics, and the roar that erupted. There's so many of those things that have happened in the last 25 years where, you know, you've got, it's recent history, but it's real interesting events that have occurred that you can tell stories of.Sam Mullins: Yeah. So what I wanted to get in the book was a kind of sense of what it was like to be, really at the heart of those, those stories. And there are, you know, there are, there are people in TfL who made those big things happen? Yes, it's not a big, clumsy bureaucracy. It's a place where really innovative leadership was being exercised all the way through that 25 years. Yes, so it runs up to COVID, and what was it like when COVID struck? So the book's called Every Journey Matters, and it comes out in November.Paul Marden: Amazing, amazing. So we have, we've left the insides of the ship, and we are now under, what's this part of the ship? Sam Mullins: We're under the bow. There we go, and a bow spread that gets above our heads. So again, you've got this great, hulking, cast iron, black hull, beautifully shaped at the bow. Look the way it kind of tapers in and it tapers in and out.Paul Marden: It's a very three dimensional, isn't it? The curve is, is in every direction. Sam Mullins: Yeah,it's a great, great shape. So it's my sort of, I think it's my favourite spot. I like coming to look at this, because this is the kind of, this is the business, yeah, of the ship.Paul Marden: What have we got running along the front here? These these images in in gold.Sam Mullins: This is a figurehead with Victoria's Coat of Arms only sua Kim Ali points on top with it, with a lion and a unicorn.Paul Marden: It's a really, it's not a view that many people would have ever seen, but it is such an impressive view here looking up, yeah, very, very cool. And to stand here on the on the edge of the dry dock. Sam Mullins: Dry Docks in to our right, and the floating harbor is out to our left. Yeah.Paul Marden: And much going on on that it's busy today, isn't it? Sam Mullins: Yeah, it's good. Paul Marden: So we've done full loop, haven't we? I mean, it has been a whistle stop tour that you've taken me on, but I've loved every moment of this. We always ask our guests a difficult question. Well, for some it's a difficult question, a book recommendation, which, as we agreed over lunch, cannot be your own book. I don't think, I think it's a little unfair Sam Mullins: Or anything I've ever written before.Paul Marden: Yes, slightly self serving, but yeah.Sam Mullins: It would be, wouldn't it look the first thing that comes to mind is, I've actually been reading my way through Mick Herron's Slow Horses series, okay, which I'm a big fan of detective fiction. I love Ian Rankin's Rebus. Okay, I read through Rebus endlessly when I want something just to escape into the sloughhouse series Slow Horses is really good, and the books all have a sort of similar kind of momentum to them. Something weird happens in the first few chapters, which seems very inconsequential and. Suddenly it turns into this kind of roller coaster. Will they? Won't they? You know, ending, which is just great. So I recommend Mick Herron's series. That's that's been the best, not best, fiction I've read in a long time.Paul Marden: You know, I think there's something, there's something nice, something comforting, about reading a series of books where the way the book is structured is very similar. You can, you can sit down and you know what's going to happen, but, but there's something interesting, and it's, it's easy. Sam Mullins: It's like putting on a pair of old slippers. Oh, I'm comfortable with this. Just lead me along. You know, that's what, that's what I want. I enjoy that immensely.Paul Marden: And should we be? Should we be inviting our listeners to the first book in the series, or do they need to start once, once he's got his, got his, found his way? Sam Mullins: Well, some people would have seen the television adaptation already. Well, that will have spoilt the book for them. Gary Oldman is Jackson lamb, who's the lead character, okay, but if you haven't, or you just like a damn good read, then you start with the first one, which I think is called Sloughhouse. They're all self contained, but you can work your way through them. Paul Marden: Well, that sounds very good. So listeners, if you'd like a copy of Sam's book, not Sam's book, Sam's book recommendation, then head over to Bluesky and repost the show notice and say, I want a copy of Sam's book, and the first one of you lovely listeners that does that will get a copy sent to you by Wenalyn. Sam This has been delightful. I hope listeners have enjoyed this as much as I have. This is our first time having a @skipthequeue in real life, where we wandered around the attraction itself and hopefully narrated our way bringing this amazing attraction to life. I've really enjoyed it. I can now say that as a West Country lad, I have actually been to the SS Great Britain. Last thing to say for visitor, for listeners, we are currently midway through the Rubber Cheese Annual Survey of visitor attraction websites. Paul Marden: If you look after an attraction website and you'd like to share some information about what you do, we are gathering all of that data together to produce a report that helps people to understand what good looks like for an attraction website. This is our fourth year. Listeners that are interested, head over to RubberCheese.com/survey, and you can find out a little bit more about the survey and some of the some of the findings from the past and what we're looking for for this year. Sam, thank you so very much.Sam Mullins: Enjoyed it too. It's always good to rabbit on about what you do every day of the week, and being here and part of this really great organisation is huge privilege.Paul Marden: Thanks for listening to Skip the Queue. If you've enjoyed this podcast, please leave us a five star review. It really helps others to find us. Skip The Queue is brought to you by Rubber Cheese, a digital agency that builds remarkable systems and websites for attractions that helps them to increase their visitor numbers. You can find show notes and transcripts from this episode and more over on our website, skipthequeue fm. The 2025 Visitor Attraction Website Survey is now LIVE! Dive into groundbreaking benchmarks for the industryGain a better understanding of how to achieve the highest conversion ratesExplore the "why" behind visitor attraction site performanceLearn the impact of website optimisation and visitor engagement on conversion ratesUncover key steps to enhance user experience for greater conversionsTake the Rubber Cheese Visitor Attraction Website Survey Report

“They told me I'd never make it in recruitment.”Jason Connolly's career started with magic tricks and ended in million-pound billing months—but only after surviving a toxic police department, a mountain of self-doubt, and a manager who swore he'd fail.In this raw and riveting conversation, Jason sits down with Susanna and Tiarna to talk about the truth behind career pivots, burnout, and what it really takes to succeed in legal recruitment. From busking in Covent Garden to founding one of the UK's most people-focused recruitment firms, Jason proves that resilience, mentorship, and a little unfiltered honesty can change everything. If you've ever questioned your path or been underestimated, this episode is for you.Must-Hear Insights and Key MomentsFrom Magic to the Met – Jason shares his unconventional beginnings as a magician and Virgin Atlantic crew member, and how a random police application changed the course of his life.Why the Police Almost Broke Him – Jason opens up about the trauma, institutional dysfunction, and discrimination he faced during his time as a police officer—and how it nearly cost him his self-worth.The Recruitment Rebuild – After leaving the force, Jason reveals how self-study, podcast binging, and a refusal to quit helped him go from billing zero to becoming the top recruiter in his agency.The Birth of JMC Legal – Jason shares the real story behind starting his firm, mentoring trainees to MD level, and the painful lessons learned from hiring mistakes and toxic management cultures.Feedback, Pressure, and Real Talk – The trio dives into why feedback is non-negotiable, how to lead without ego, and the “pressure cooker” reality of recruitment culture—and how to survive it.Words of Wisdom: Standout Quotes from This Episode“The worst thing you can say to me is, ‘You can't do it.' That's my fuel.” – Jason Connolly“I didn't need recruitment to save me—I needed it to test me.” – Jason Connolly“I don't care what your degree says. If you've got grit, I'll teach you how to bill a million.” – Jason Connolly“The recruiter's opinion doesn't matter. It's about understanding what the candidate really wants.” – Jason Connolly“Feedback isn't an insult. It's a gift. But only if you're brave enough to take it.” – Susanna Gray“It's not about KPIs. It's about mentoring people into the version of themselves they don't believe in yet.” – Jason Connolly“Sometimes the most powerful thing a recruiter can do is hold up a mirror.” – Tiarna McCormack“You don't need a script—you need emotional intelligence.” – Susanna Gray“Success is being unhinged in your pursuit, but grounded in your values.” – Jason Connolly“Legal recruitment didn't need more ex-lawyers. It needed more heart.” – Jason ConnollyFollow The Counter Offer:⁠⁠⁠⁠Susanna's LinkedIn⁠⁠Tiarna's LinkedIn⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠LinkedIn Podcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠TikTok

In this episode we throw a line out to catch the fish below the ice and delve deep into the mind of the great Barry Andrews. We discuss XTC, Shriekback, the new album Monument and the significance of the 'Tiny Green Garden Sticks' from Covent Garden. You can purchase the new Shriekback album from this website: https://www.shriekback.com/store Video version of this interview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBcBiS30Jas&t=37s   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100063297726030 Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@KnownPleasuresPodcast Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/knownpleasurespodcast/ Twitter: @pleasuresknown The Known Pleasures Theme Song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dvn2bfFxC-0

Children's writer and academic Katherine Rundell is the multi-million selling author of adventure stories including Rooftoppers, The Wolf Wilder and The Explorer which won the Costa Children's Book of the Year. Impossible Creatures, the first of a five book series, was named Waterstones Book Of the Year in 2023. Her biography of the 17th century poet John Donne was a non-fiction bestseller and she became the youngest ever winner of the £50,000 Bailey Gifford Prize. At the age of 36, Katherine Rundell was named author of the year at the 2024 British Book Awards. Talking to John Wilson, Katherine Rundell recalls Saturday morning bus journeys from her home in south London to Covent Garden where her father would take part in amateur dance classes. Along the route of the 176 bus he would point out cultural landmarks and helped instil in Katherine a lifelong love for the city. She also explains how her father's job as a civil servant took her family to live in Zimbabwe when she was a child, an experience that fuelled her imagination and fascination with the natural world. She also remembers the profound loss she felt at the death of her foster sister, and reveals that much of her writing for children has been driven by this tragedy. She chooses the Chronicles Of Narnia series of books, especially The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe, by CS Lewis as a huge influence on her own fantasy writing and the poetry of John Donne which she describes as her "greatest literary passion". Katherine also reflects on the importance of encouraging children to read and the current state of children's publishing. Producer: Edwina Pitman

This was a pleasing Friday crossword - the grid looked daunting, and the clues were definitely on the hard side (Mike in particular wallowed in the bottom third of the grid), but it was overall a great end to the work week. We have deets inside, as well as a delectable Fun Fact Friday™️ segment, so check it out now! Show note imagery: The stunning ROYALOPERAHOUSE, in Covent Garden, London.We love feedback! Send us a text...Contact Info:We love listener mail! Drop us a line, crosswordpodcast@icloud.com.Also, we're on FaceBook, so feel free to drop by there and strike up a conversation!

Russia's brightest ballet star, Rudolf Nureyev, evaded his KGB minders and defected from the USSR on 16th June, 1961. According to feverish newspaper reports, the dancer dashed towards the barrier, proclaiming in English, "I want to be free," and was swiftly escorted to the airport police station, marking the start of his life in the West. His defection, while fraught with personal sacrifice - including a potential permanent separation from his family and homeland - became a major propaganda victory in the Cold War, highlighting the repressive nature of the Soviet regime. In this episode, The Retrospectors reveal how Nureyev's uncompromising dedication to artistic freedom clashed with Soviet norms; discover what his groupies used to chant outside the Stage Door in Covent Garden; and uncover Jerome Robbins' succinct description of his awesome talents… Further Reading: • ‘How Rudolf Nureyev danced to freedom' (The Guardian, 2014): https://www.theguardian.com/stage/dance-blog/2015/dec/14/rudolf-nureyev-dance-to-freedom-bbc-documentary-film • 'Rudolf Nureyev: from small steps to one giant leap' (Financial Times, 2015): https://www.ft.com/content/9fab8b22-9ce2-11e5-8ce1-f6219b685d74 • ‘Margot Fonteyn & Rudolf Nureyev Pas de Deux in LE CORSAIRE' (1962): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=79IYUS63agQ Love the show? Support us!  Join 

Welcome to Episode 5, Series 13 of Spill The Tea with Womenkind Collective!We're diving deep into the conversations that matter—exploring the real, raw, and often overlooked topics affecting our health and well-being. This week we are talking about how our hair changes during menopause and mid-life with the wonderful Paul Windle of Windle Lab London. Paul has over 35 years industry experience and is one of the UK's most respected hairdressers, who is now on a mission to help people struggling with the changes in their hair as they age, he has founded Windle Lab, a range of products specifically aimed at mid-life hair, with the help of his team they are helping hundreds of women, from hair loss and thinning, changes in colour and texture to hair becoming dehydrated and difficult to handle. We visited his Covent Garden salon in London where we were treated to a treatment and a cut and style, we had just the best conversation with Paul, we took a trip down memory lane to when we were all hairdressing in the 80's and 90's and how hairdressing and hair care has changed, through to busting hair myths and discussing how you can care for your hair and get your locks healthy again. We have an exclusive Windle Lab product discount code for you to use: WOMENKIND10.So, grab a cuppa and listen to Paul's wonderful words of hair wisdom. We continue with our Book Collective book for the series, How To Kill A Witch. A Guide For The Patriarchy. By Claire Mitchell and Zoe Venditozzi, we read chapters 3 & 4, where we learn about the horrors of the torture that was endured by those suspected of witchcraft. You can join in with our Book Club, send us a DM or voice note with your thoughts on the book. There's some weekly inspiration to give you some good news stories that you might have missed, and there's a beautiful quote to send you off for the week with.It's an episode brimming with chat and all the usual sweary shenanigans! So, go and get the kettle on and settle in for our weekly collective chat while we spill the tea! If you've enjoyed our Podcast you may like to consider buying us a Ko-Fi at https://ko-fi.com/womenkindcollectivepodcastHere you can find updates, photos and some inclusive content we won't post anywhere else and your donation will help us ensure we continue to bring you great quality of content and sound.You can watch the full interview on our YouTube channel: Womenkind Collective. Paul Windle & Windle LabsTo buy products or book an appointment: www.windlelondon.comI: @windlelondon Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode 152 of the UK Travel Planning Podcast, guest Kristen Gonzalez shares her eight-day family adventure through England with her husband and parents in their late 70s, highlighting their experiences in London and the Cotswolds during April. She details their thoughtful planning process, excellent transportation arrangements with XFA Cars, and memorable tours including Go Cotswolds excursions  (enter code UKTAVPLAN for a 5% discount for our UKTP community) and a Seven Sisters coastal day trip from London.• Choosing the Cotswolds and London combination to showcase diverse aspects of England• Using private transfers instead of driving or navigating train connections• Taking two different Go Cotswolds tours to maximise exploration of picturesque villages• Staying in Covent Garden as the perfect London base with excellent dining and entertainment options• Finding the ideal balance between scheduled tours and free time for spontaneous exploration• Enjoying unique experiences like a historic Royal Pub tour, afternoon tea on a bus, and Tower Bridge's glass floor walkways• Discovering Mr. Fogg's Society of Exploration for cocktails and small plates in London• Visiting the Seven Sisters cliffs and Brighton on a well-organised day trip from LondonKristen also offers invaluable tips for travel planning, particularly on booking ahead. Tune in for practical advice, inspiring stories, and plenty of laughs to help you plan your own perfect UK getaway!⭐️ Guest - Kristen Gonzalez

Speaking from London's Old Bailey, we're joined by The London Standard's courts correspondent, Tristan Kirk, with the latest on the major hack of the UK's justice system by cyber criminals.And in part two, we learn about the new Guinness micro brewery which will be coming to London's Covent Garden. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 171 Chapter 30, EMS Analog Synthesizers. Works Recommended from my book, Electronic and Experimental Music  Welcome to the Archive of Electronic Music. This is Thom Holmes. This podcast is produced as a companion to my book, Electronic and Experimental Music, published by Routledge. Each of these episodes corresponds to a chapter in the text and an associated list of recommended works, also called Listen in the text. They provide listening examples of vintage electronic works featured in the text. The works themselves can be enjoyed without the book and I hope that they stand as a chronological survey of important works in the history of electronic music. Be sure to tune-in to other episodes of the podcast where we explore a wide range of electronic music in many styles and genres, all drawn from my archive of vintage recordings. There is a complete playlist for this episode on the website for the podcast. Let's get started with the listening guide to Chapter 30, EMS Analog Synthesizers from my book Electronic and Experimental music.   Playlist: MUSIC MADE WITH EMS ANALOG SYNTHESIZERS   Time Track Time Start Introduction –Thom Holmes 01:34 00:00 1.     Delia Derbyshire, “Dance From ‘Noah' " (1970). Composed for a television program. Used the EMS VCS3. 00:55 01:44 2.     Selections from the demonstration disc, EMS Synthi And The Composer (1971). Excerpts from Harrison Birtwistle, “Medusa,” Peter Zinovieff, “January Tensions,” and Tristram Cary, “Continuum.” 06:15 02:34 3.     Peter Zinovieff and Harrison Birtwistle, “Chronometer” (1971–2). Featured both the EMS Synthi VCS3 and modified sound recordings of the ticking of Big Ben and the chimes of Wells Cathedral clock. 24:23 08:48 4.     Mike Hankinson, “Toccata And Fugue In D Minor” (Bach) (1972) from The Classical Synthesizer. South African record realized using the Putney (EMS) VCS3. 07:04 33:06 5.     Electrophon, “Arrival of the Queen of Sheba” (1973) from In a Covent Garden (1973).  Electrophon Music was described as the studio where the electronics were recorded and produced in the UK by Radiophonic musicians Brian Hodgson, Dudley Simpson. A variety of synthesizers were used including the obscure EMS Synthi Range, a multi-effect instrument. 03:04 40:10 6.     The Eden Electronic Ensemble, “Elite Syncopations” (Joplin) (1974) from The Eden Electronic Ensemble Plays Joplin. Realized using the EMS VCS3 and Minimoog synthesizers. 04:53 43:12 7.     Peter Zinovieff, “A Lollipop For Papa” (1974).  Realized with the EMS Synthi AKS. 06:26 48:04 8.     Peter Zinovieff and Hans Werner Henze, “Tristan” (Long Section) (1975). Tape accompaniment realized with the EMS Synthi AKS. 07:40 54:40 9.     J.D. Robb, “Poem of Summer” (1976) from Rhythmania And Other Electronic Musical Compositions. Realized using the EMS Synthi AKS. 02:04 01:02:18 10.   J.D. Robb, “Synthi Waltz” (1976) from Rhythmania And Other Electronic Musical Compositions. Realized using the EMS Synthi AKS and Synthi Sequencer 256 (digital sequencer). 01:52 01:04:24 11.   Bruno Spoerri, “Hymn Of Taurus (Taurus Is Calling You!)” (1978) from Voice Of Taurus. Realized using a host of equipment, including a few EMS instruments: EMS Synthi 100, EMS VCS3, EMS AKS, EMS Vocoder 2000, Alto Saxophone with EMS Pitch-to-voltage Converter & Random Generator, plus the Lyricon, Prophet-5 Polyphonic Synthesizer, ARP Omni & Odyssey, Minimoog, Moog Taurus Bass Pedal, RMI Keyboard Computer, Ondes Martenot , Vako Polyphonic Orchestron, Bode Frequency Shifter, AMS Tape Phase Simulator, Echoplex, Roland Echo, Roland Rhythm Box, Bruno Spoerri. 02:48 01:06:16 12.   Henry Sweitzer, “Open Windows” (1979) from Te Deum.  Realized with the EMS Synthi AKS. 11:11 01:09:02 13.   Eduard Artemyev, Yuri Bogdanov, Vladimir Martynov, “Le Vent Dans La Plaine,” “Io Mi Son Giovinetta,” and “Why Ask You?” (1980) from Metamorphoses. Composed and realized using the EMS Synthi 100, a large synthesizer unit combining several EMS3 models and connecting circuitry. 08:38 01:20:14 14.   Jean-Michel Jarre, “Les Chants Magnétiques,” (side 1) (1981) from Les Chants Magnétiques. Portions realized with the EMS Synthi AKS, EMS Synthi VCS3, and EMS Vocoder 1000. 17:58 01:28:52 15.   Alessandro Cortini and Merzbow, “AAMC” (2017) from Alessandro Cortini And Merzbow. Recent recording with all sounds realized using a vintage EMS Synthi AKS. 04:49 01:46:40   Additional opening, closing, and other incidental music by Thom Holmes. My Books/eBooks: Electronic and Experimental Music, sixth edition, Routledge 2020. Also, Sound Art: Concepts and Practices, first edition, Routledge 2022. See my companion blog that I write for the Bob Moog Foundation. For a transcript, please see my blog, Noise and Notations. Original music by Thom Holmes can be found on iTunes and Bandcamp.  

Štefan Margita vystupoval v Metropolitní opeře v New Yorku, v milánské La Scale, londýnské Covent Garden či pařížské opeře. Pro své rozloučení s velkými divadelními produkcemi si ale vybral Národní divadlo. „Mám pocit, že tam toho musíme dokazovat víc než kdekoli ve světě, protože jsme tam doma,“ říká v pořadu Alex a host.

Choreographer Sir Wayne McGregor is one of the most acclaimed, innovative and influential figures in contemporary dance. His works are often the result of creative collaborations with artists, musicians, filmmakers, or with scientists to explore technological issues. In 2006 he was appointed as Resident Choreographer at the Royal Ballet. He has created more than 20 new works at Covent Garden in that time, including Chroma, set to music by Joby Talbot and The White Stripes, and Woolf Works, a full-length ballet based on the life and writings of Virginia Woolf. More recently, McGregor brought the post-apocalyptic vision of Margaret Atwood to the stage in his ballet MaddAddam, based on the writer's acclaimed trilogy of novels. He has worked as a movement director on films including Harry Potter Goblet Of Fire and Mary Queen Of Scots, collaborated with bands including Radiohead and Chemical Brothers, and choreographed the virtual concert, ABBA Voyage. In October 2025, Somerset House in London will mount a landmark exhibition dedicated to McGregor's trailblazing collaborations that have radically defined how we think about performance, movement, and the body. Having won numerous awards, including two Oliviers, Sir Wayne McGregor was knighted in 2024.Wayne McGregor talks to John Wilson about his childhood in Stockport, where he took dance classes and was inspired by John Travolta's moves in Saturday Night Fever. He recalls the house and techno music of the late 80s when he was a student, and how the freedom of expression he felt on nightclub dance-floors informed his style of choreography. Whilst living in New York after leaving university, Wayne came across an open-air performance by the legendary American choreographer Merce Cunningham, whose company was dancing to live music conducted by the avant-garde composer John Cage. It was a chance encounter that had a profound impact on McGregor. He also discusses how science and technology has been a major thematic influence on much of his work in recent years, and how AI has been used to create new works through analysis of physical movement and artistic expression.Producer Edwina Pitman

The anterior talofibular ligament (ATFL) and the Achilles tendon captures much of our ankle attention. As JOSPT Insights listeners know, there's plenty more to the ankle than the ATFL. Today, Liz Bayley shares her approach to diagnosing, managing and ideally, preventing ankle pain in active people. Liz covers diagnosing the problem, where imaging fits, and how to support return to function, including high-level sport. Liz is a former professional dancer, who now works as a dance-specialist physiotherapist. Her clinic is in London's West End, in close proximity to the freelance professional and student dancers she works with, at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance, and on 'Matilda The Musical' in Covent Garden. ------------------------------ RESOURCES Lateral ankle ligament sprains clinical practice guideline: https://www.jospt.org/doi/10.2519/jospt.2021.0302 Updated model of chronic ankle instability: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31162943/ Predictors of chronic ankle instability: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26912285/ Intrinsic foot muscle training systematic review: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35724360/ Neuromuscular electrical stimulation for foot intrinsic muscles: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35142810/

Our featured interview tonight is with Simon Bosko from the YouTube Channel London Calling with Simon. He also produces the LCS Briars line of handmade pipes. London Calling has over 9,000 subscribers and over 2,000 videos. In his pipe making, Simon focuses mainly on 9mm filter pipes in both classic shapes and artistic styles. Simon has lived in London his entire life. He bought his first pipe, which was a Butz-Choquin at the Segar and Snuff Parlour in Covent Garden. At the top of the show in our Pipe Parts segment, we will have Brian's last discussion on the fallout of the STG buyout of Mac Baren and Sutliff with the mass discontinuation of tobaccos.

We did it! (they did it!) Newcastle United are the 2025 Carabao Cup winners, and in some style... Grab your headphones and enjoy a weekend in stereo in London. From King's Cross, to Covent Garden, to Wembley, to Dreamland. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We did it! (they did it!) Newcastle United are the 2025 Carabao Cup winners, and in some style...Grab your headphones and enjoy a weekend in stereo in London. From King's Cross, to Covent Garden, to Wembley, to Dreamland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hello! Andrew and Aaron have spent the afternoon in Covent Garden - but was it as good as two years ago? Or was it different? And is that a good thing. Owen Younger from the newsdesk at Chronicle Live also joins us to share his experience of travelling to London via the supporters bus! https://nordvpn.com/toon Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Join us as we share highlights from our unforgettable winter trip to London! From navigating the iconic Tube to staying at one of the city's best hotels, this episode is packed with tips and stories:

Marianela Núñez is a Principal dancer of the Royal Ballet and Opera. Born in Argentina in 1982, Marianela knew she wanted to be a ballet dancer from the age of five and joined the Teatro Colón Ballet School in Buenos Aires when she was eight.She dedicated herself to becoming a professional ballerina and had the full support of her parents despite having to leave home at fifteen to join the Royal Ballet in the UK. After spending a year at the Royal Ballet School and learning English from watching episodes of Friends, she joined the corps de ballet and worked her way up the company to become Principal Dancer. She has danced the lead roles in the ballet repertoire on the London stage and around the world as a guest artist. In 2018, she celebrated her 20th anniversary with the Royal Ballet with a performance of lead roles in Giselle, The Winter's Tale, Manon, Marguerite and Armand, and Swan Lake in her anniversary year. Director of The Royal Ballet Kevin O'Hare called her “one of the greats of her generation”. Marianela has many awards for her dancing including the Laurence Olivier Award for Outstanding Achievement in Dance in 2013. She lives in London with her two cats.DISC ONE: Adíos Nonino (“Goodbye Grandad”) - Astor Piazzolla DISC TWO: Hoy Puede Ser Un Gran Dia (“Today Could Be a Great Day”) - Joan Manuel Serrat DISC THREE: Dancing Queen - ABBA DISC FOUR: Don't Stop Me Now - Queen DISC FIVE: Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, TH 13 / Act 1: 8a. Pas d'action: Introduction (Andante) - Adagio ("Rose Adagio") Performed by The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Mark Ermler DISC SIX: Adam: Giselle / Act 2: Lever du soleil et arrivée de la cour. Performed by The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Richard Bonynge DISC SEVEN: Count on Me - Bruno Mars DISC EIGHT: I Can See Clearly Now - Johnny Nash BOOK CHOICE: The Collected Works of Jorge Luis Borges LUXURY ITEM: A cashmere blanket CASTAWAY'S FAVOURITE: Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, TH 13 / Act 1: 8a. Pas d'action: Introduction (Andante) - Adagio ("Rose Adagio") Performed by The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, conducted by Mark Ermler Presenter Lauren Laverne Producer Sarah Taylor