Podcasts about Grange Hill

What if the most transformative thing you can do for your writing craft and author business is to face what you fear? How can you can find gold in your Shadow in the year ahead? In this episode, I share chapters from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words. In the intro, curated book boxes from Bridgerton's Julia Quinn; Google's agentic shopping, and powering Apple's Siri; ChatGPT Ads; and Claude CoWork. Balancing Certainty and Uncertainty [MoonShots with Tony Robbins]; and three trends for authors with me and Orna Ross [Self-Publishing with ALLi Podcast]; plus, Bones of the Deep, Business for Authors, and Indie Author Lab. This show is supported by my Patrons. Join my Community at Patreon.com/thecreativepenn  Joanna Penn writes non-fiction for authors and is an award-winning, New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of thrillers, dark fantasy, and memoir as J.F. Penn. She's also an award-winning podcaster, creative entrepreneur, and international professional speaker. What is the Shadow? The ‘creative wound' and the Shadow in writing The Shadow in traditional publishing The Shadow in self-publishing or being an indie author The Shadow in work The Shadow in money You can find Writing the Shadow in all formats on all stores, as well as special edition, workbook and bundles at www.TheCreativePenn.com/shadowbook Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words The following chapters are excerpted from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words by Joanna Penn. Introduction. What is the Shadow? “How can I be substantial if I do not cast a shadow? I must have a dark side also if I am to be whole.” —C.G. Jung, Modern Man in Search of a Soul We all have a Shadow side and it is the work of a lifetime to recognise what lies within and spin that base material into gold. Think of it as a seedling in a little pot that you're given when you're young. It's a bit misshapen and weird, not something you would display in your living room, so you place it in a dark corner of the basement. You don't look at it for years. You almost forget about it. Then one day you notice tendrils of something wild poking up through the floorboards. They're ugly and don't fit with your Scandi-minimalist interior design. You chop the tendrils away and pour weedkiller on what's left, trying to hide the fact that they were ever there. But the creeping stems keep coming. At some point, you know you have to go down there and face the wild thing your seedling has become. When you eventually pluck up enough courage to go down into the basement, you discover that the plant has wound its roots deep into the foundations of your home. Its vines weave in and out of the cracks in the walls, and it has beautiful flowers and strange fruit. It holds your world together. Perhaps you don't need to destroy the wild tendrils. Perhaps you can let them wind up into the light and allow their rich beauty to weave through your home. It will change the look you have so carefully cultivated, but maybe that's just what the place needs. The Shadow in psychology Carl Gustav Jung was a Swiss psychologist and the founder of analytical psychology. He described the Shadow as an unconscious aspect of the human personality, those parts of us that don't match up to what is expected of us by family and society, or to our own ideals. The Shadow is not necessarily evil or illegal or immoral, although of course it can be. It's also not necessarily caused by trauma, abuse, or any other severely damaging event, although again, it can be. It depends on the individual. What is in your Shadow is based on your life and your experiences, as well as your culture and society, so it will be different for everyone. Psychologist Connie Zweig, in The Inner Work of Age, explains, “The Shadow is that part of us that lies beneath or behind the light of awareness. It contains our rejected, unacceptable traits and feelings. It contains our hidden gifts and talents that have remained unexpressed or unlived. As Jung put it, the essence of the Shadow is pure gold.” To further illustrate the concept, Robert Bly, in A Little Book on the Human Shadow,uses the following metaphor: “When we are young, we carry behind us an invisible bag, into which we stuff any feelings, thoughts, or behaviours that bring disapproval or loss of love—anger, tears, neediness, laziness. By the time we go to school, our bags are already a mile long. In high school, our peer groups pressure us to stuff the bags with even more—individuality, sexuality, spontaneity, different opinions. We spend our life until we're twenty deciding which parts of ourselves to put into the bag and we spend the rest of our lives trying to get them out again.” As authors, we can use what's in the ‘bag' to enrich our writing — but only if we can access it. My intention with this book is to help you venture into your Shadow and bring some of what's hidden into the light and into your words. I'll reveal aspects of my Shadow in these pages but ultimately, this book is about you. Your Shadow is unique. There may be elements we share, but much will be different. Each chapter has questions for you to consider that may help you explore at least the edges of your Shadow, but it's not easy. As Jung said, “One does not become enlightened by imagining figures of light, but by making the darkness conscious. The latter procedure, however, is disagreeable and therefore not popular.” But take heart, Creative. You don't need courage when things are easy. You need it when you know what you face will be difficult, but you do it anyway. We are authors. We know how to do hard things. We turn ideas into books. We manifest thoughts into ink on paper. We change lives with our writing. First, our own, then other people's. It's worth the effort to delve into Shadow, so I hope you will join me on the journey. The creative wound and the Shadow in writing “Whatever pain you can't get rid of, make it your creative offering.” —Susan Cain, Bittersweet  The more we long for something, the more extreme our desire, the more likely it is to have a Shadow side. For those of us who love books, the author life may well be a long-held dream and thus, it is filled with Shadow. Books have long been objects of desire, power, and authority. They hold a mythic status in our lives. We escaped into stories as children; we studied books at school and college; we read them now for escape and entertainment, education and inspiration. We collect beautiful books to put on our shelves. We go to them for solace and answers to the deepest questions of life. Writers are similarly held in high esteem. They shape culture, win literary prizes, give important speeches, and are quoted in the mainstream media. Their books are on the shelves in libraries and bookstores. Writers are revered, held up as rare, talented creatures made separate from us by their brilliance and insight. For bibliophile children, books were everything and to write one was a cherished dream. To become an author? Well, that would mean we might be someone special, someone worthy. Perhaps when you were young, you thought the dream of being a writer was possible — then you told someone about it. That's probably when you heard the first criticism of such a ridiculous idea, the first laughter, the first dismissal. So you abandoned the dream, pushed the idea of being a writer into the Shadow, and got on with your life. Or if it wasn't then, it came later, when you actually put pen to paper and someone — a parent, teacher, partner, or friend, perhaps even a literary agent or publisher, someone whose opinion you valued — told you it was worthless. Here are some things you might have heard: Writing is a hobby. Get a real job. You're not good enough. You don't have any writing talent. You don't have enough education. You don't know what you're doing. Your writing is derivative / unoriginal / boring / useless / doesn't make sense. The genre you write in is dead / worthless / unacceptable / morally wrong / frivolous / useless.  Who do you think you are? No one would want to read what you write. You can't even use proper grammar, so how could you write a whole book? You're wasting your time. You'll never make it as a writer. You shouldn't write those things (or even think about those things). Why don't you write something nice? Insert other derogatory comment here! Mark Pierce describes the effect of this experience in his book The Creative Wound, which “occurs when an event, or someone's actions or words, pierce you, causing a kind of rift in your soul. A comment—even offhand and unintentional—is enough to cause one.” He goes on to say that such words can inflict “damage to the core of who we are as creators. It is an attack on our artistic identity, resulting in us believing that whatever we make is somehow tainted or invalid, because shame has convinced us there is something intrinsically tainted or invalid about ourselves.” As adults, we might brush off such wounds, belittling them as unimportant in the grand scheme of things. We might even find ourselves saying the same words to other people. After all, it's easier to criticise than to create. But if you picture your younger self, bright eyed as you lose yourself in your favourite book, perhaps you might catch a glimpse of what you longed for before your dreams were dashed on the rocks of other people's reality. As Mark Pierce goes on to say, “A Creative Wound has the power to delay our pursuits—sometimes for years—and it can even derail our lives completely… Anything that makes us feel ashamed of ourselves or our work can render us incapable of the self-expression we yearn for.” This is certainly what happened to me, and it took decades to unwind. Your creative wounds will differ to mine but perhaps my experience will help you explore your own. To be clear, your Shadow may not reside in elements of horror as mine do, but hopefully you can use my example to consider where your creative wounds might lie. “You shouldn't write things like that.” It happened at secondary school around 1986 or 1987, so I would have been around eleven or twelve years old. English was one of my favourite subjects and the room we had our lessons in looked out onto a vibrant garden. I loved going to that class because it was all about books, and they were always my favourite things. One day, we were asked to write a story. I can't remember the specifics of what the teacher asked us to write, but I fictionalised a recurring nightmare. I stood in a dark room. On one side, my mum and my brother, Rod, were tied up next to a cauldron of boiling oil, ready to be thrown in. On the other side, my dad and my little sister, Lucy, were threatened with decapitation by men with machetes. I had to choose who would die. I always woke up, my heart pounding, before I had to choose. Looking back now, it clearly represented an internal conflict about having to pick sides between the two halves of my family. Not an unexpected issue from a child of divorce. Perhaps these days, I might have been sent to the school counsellor, but it was the eighties and I don't think we even had such a thing. Even so, the meaning of the story isn't the point. It was the reaction to it that left scars. “You shouldn't write things like that,” my teacher said, and I still remember her look of disappointment, even disgust. Certainly judgment. She said my writing was too dark. It wasn't a proper story. It wasn't appropriate for the class. As if horrible things never happened in stories — or in life. As if literature could not include dark tales. As if the only acceptable writing was the kind she approved of. We were taught The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie that year, which says a lot about the type of writing considered appropriate. Or perhaps the issue stemmed from the school motto, “So hateth she derknesse,” from Chaucer's The Legend of Good Women: “For fear of night, so she hates the darkness.” I had won a scholarship to a private girls' school, and their mission was to turn us all into proper young ladies. Horror was never on the curriculum. Perhaps if my teacher had encouraged me to write my darkness back then, my nightmares would have dissolved on the page. Perhaps if we had studied Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, or H.P. Lovecraft stories, or Bram Stoker's Dracula, I could have embraced the darker side of literature earlier in my life. My need to push darker thoughts into my Shadow was compounded by my (wonderful) mum's best intentions. We were brought up on the principles of The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale and she tried to shield me and my brother from anything harmful or horrible. We weren't allowed to watch TV much, and even the British school drama Grange Hill was deemed inappropriate. So much of what I've achieved is because my mum instilled in me a “can do” attitude that anything is possible. I'm so grateful to her for that. (I love you, Mum!) But all that happy positivity, my desire to please her, to be a good girl, to make my teachers proud, and to be acceptable to society, meant that I pushed my darker thoughts into Shadow. They were inappropriate. They were taboo. They must be repressed, kept secret, and I must be outwardly happy and positive at all times. You cannot hold back the darkness “The night is dark and full of terrors.” —George R.R. Martin, A Storm of Swords It turned out that horror was on the curriculum, much of it in the form of educational films we watched during lessons. In English Literature, we watched Romeo drink poison and Juliet stab herself in Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet. In Religious Studies, we watched Jesus beaten, tortured, and crucified in The Greatest Story Ever Told, and learned of the variety of gruesome ways that Christian saints were martyred. In Classical Civilisation, we watched gladiators slaughter each other in Spartacus. In Sex Education at the peak of the AIDS crisis in the mid-'80s, we were told of the many ways we could get infected and die. In History, we studied the Holocaust with images of skeletal bodies thrown into mass graves, medical experiments on humans, and grainy videos of marching soldiers giving the Nazi salute. One of my first overseas school field trips was to the World War I battlegrounds of Flanders Fields in Belgium, where we studied the inhuman conditions of the trenches, walked through mass graves, and read war poetry by candlelight. As John McCrae wrote: We are the Dead. Short days agoWe lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,Loved and were loved, and now we lie, In Flanders fields. Did the teachers not realise how deeply a sensitive teenager might feel the darkness of that place? Or have I always been unusual in that places of blood echo deep inside me? And the horrors kept coming. We lived in Bristol, England back then and I learned at school how the city had been part of the slave trade, its wealth built on the backs of people stolen from their homes, sold, and worked to death in the colonies. I had been at school for a year in Malawi, Africa and imagined the Black people I knew drowning, being beaten, and dying on those ships. In my teenage years, the news was filled with ethnic cleansing, mass rape, and massacres during the Balkan wars, and images of bodies hacked apart during the Rwandan genocide. Evil committed by humans against other humans was not a historical aberration. I'm lucky and I certainly acknowledge my privilege. Nothing terrible or horrifying has happened to me — but bad things certainly happen to others. I wasn't bullied or abused. I wasn't raped or beaten or tortured. But you don't have to go through things to be afraid of them, and for your imagination to conjure the possibility of them. My mum doesn't read my fiction now as it gives her nightmares (Sorry, Mum!). I know she worries that somehow she's responsible for my darkness, but I've had a safe and (mostly) happy life, for which I'm truly grateful. But the world is not an entirely safe and happy place, and for a sensitive child with a vivid imagination, the world is dark and scary. It can be brutal and violent, and bad things happen, even to good people. No parent can shield their child from the reality of the world. They can only help them do their best to live in it, develop resilience, and find ways to deal with whatever comes. Story has always been a way that humans have used to learn how to live and deal with difficult times. The best authors, the ones that readers adore and can't get enough of, write their darkness into story to channel their experience, and help others who fear the same. In an interview on writing the Shadow on The Creative Penn Podcast, Michaelbrent Collings shared how he incorporated a personally devastating experience into his writing:  “My wife and I lost a child years back, and that became the root of one of my most terrifying books, Apparition. It's not terrifying because it's the greatest book of all time, but just the concept that there's this thing out there… like a demon, and it consumes the blood and fear of the children, and then it withdraws and consumes the madness of the parents… I wrote that in large measure as a way of working through what I was experiencing.” I've learned much from Michaelbrent. I've read many of his (excellent) books and he's been on my podcast multiple times talking about his depression and mental health issues, as well as difficulties in his author career. Writing darkness is not in Michaelbrent's Shadow and only he can say what lies there for him. But from his example, and from that of other authors, I too learned how to write my Shadow into my books. Twenty-three years after that English lesson, in November 2009, I did NaNoWriMo, National Novel Writing Month, and wrote five thousand words of what eventually became Stone of Fire, my first novel. In the initial chapter, I burned a nun alive on the ghats of Varanasi on the banks of the Ganges River. I had watched the bodies burn by night on pyres from a boat bobbing in the current a few years before, and the image was still crystal clear in my mind. The only way to deal with how it made me feel about death was to write about it — and since then, I've never stopped writing. Returning to the nightmare from my school days, I've never had to choose between the two halves of my family, but the threat of losing them remains a theme in my fiction. In my ARKANE thriller series, Morgan Sierra will do anything to save her sister and her niece. Their safety drives her to continue to fight against evil. Our deepest fears emerge in our writing, and that's the safest place for them. I wish I'd been taught how to turn my nightmares into words back at school, but at least now I've learned to write my Shadow onto the page. I wish the same for you. The Shadow in traditional publishing If becoming an author is your dream, then publishing a book is deeply entwined with that. But as Mark Pierce says in The Creative Wound, “We feel pain the most where it matters the most… Desire highlights whatever we consider to be truly significant.” There is a lot of desire around publishing for those of us who love books! It can give you: Validation that your writing is good enough Status and credibility Acceptance by an industry held in esteem  The potential of financial reward and critical acclaim Support from a team of professionals who know how to make fantastic books A sense of belonging to an elite community Pride in achieving a long-held goal, resulting in a confidence boost and self-esteem Although not guaranteed, traditional publishing can give you all these things and more, but as with everything, there is a potential Shadow side. Denying it risks the potential of being disillusioned, disappointed, and even damaged. But remember, forewarned is forearmed, as the saying goes. Preparation can help you avoid potential issues and help you feel less alone if you encounter them. The myth of success… and the reality of experience There is a pervasive myth of success in the traditional publishing industry, perpetuated by media reporting on brand name and breakout authors, those few outliers whose experience is almost impossible to replicate. Because of such examples, many new traditionally published authors think that their first book will hit the top of the bestseller charts or win an award, as well as make them a million dollars — or at least a big chunk of cash. They will be able to leave their job, write in a beautiful house overlooking the ocean, and swan around the world attending conferences, while writing more bestselling books. It will be a charmed life. But that is not the reality. Perhaps it never was. Even so, the life of a traditionally published author represents a mythic career with the truth hidden behind a veil of obscurity. In April 2023, The Bookseller in the UK reported that “more than half of authors (54%) responding to a survey on their experiences of publishing their debut book have said the process negatively affected their mental health. Though views were mixed, just 22%… described a positive experience overall… Among the majority who said they had a negative experience of debut publication, anxiety, stress, depression and ‘lowered' self-esteem were cited, with lack of support, guidance or clear and professional communication from their publisher among the factors that contributed.” Many authors who have negative experiences around publishing will push them into the Shadow with denial or self-blame, preferring to keep the dream alive. They won't talk about things in public as this may negatively affect their careers, but private discussions are often held in the corners of writing conferences or social media groups online. Some of the issues are as follows: Repeated rejection by agents and publishers may lead to the author thinking they are not good enough as a writer, which can lead to feeling unworthy as a person. If an author gets a deal, the amount of advance and the name and status of the publisher compared to others create a hierarchy that impacts self-esteem. A deal for a book may be much lower than an author might have been expecting, with low or no advance, and the resulting experience with the publisher beneath expectations. The launch process may be disappointing, and the book may appear without fanfare, with few sales and no bestseller chart position. In The Bookseller report, one author described her launch day as “a total wasteland… You have expectations about what publication day will be like, but in reality, nothing really happens.” The book may receive negative reviews by critics or readers or more publicly on social media, which can make an author feel attacked. The book might not sell as well as expected, and the author may feel like it's their fault. Commercial success can sometimes feel tied to self-worth and an author can't help but compare their sales to others, with resulting embarrassment or shame. The communication from the publisher may be less than expected. One author in The Bookseller report said, “I was shocked by the lack of clarity and shared information and the cynicism that underlies the superficial charm of this industry.” There is often more of a focus on debut authors in publishing houses, so those who have been writing and publishing in the midlist for years can feel ignored and undervalued. In The Bookseller report, 48 percent of authors reported “their publisher supported them for less than a year,” with one saying, “I got no support and felt like a commodity, like the team had moved on completely to the next book.” If an author is not successful enough, the next deal may be lower than the last, less effort is made with marketing, and they may be let go. In The Bookseller report, “six authors—debut and otherwise—cited being dropped by their publisher, some with no explanation.” Even if everything goes well and an author is considered successful by others, they may experience imposter syndrome, feeling like a fraud when speaking at conferences or doing book signings. And the list goes on … All these things can lead to feelings of shame, inadequacy, and embarrassment; loss of status in the eyes of peers; and a sense of failure if a publishing career is not successful enough. The author feels like it's their fault, like they weren't good enough — although, of course, the reality is that the conditions were not right at the time. A failure of a book is not a failure of the person, but it can certainly feel like it! When you acknowledge the Shadow, it loses its power Despite all the potential negatives of traditional publishing, if you know what could happen, you can mitigate them. You can prepare yourself for various scenarios and protect yourself from potential fall-out. It's clear from The Bookseller report that too many authors have unrealistic expectations of the industry. But publishers are businesses, not charities. It's not their job to make you feel good as an author. It's their job to sell books and pay you. The best thing they can do is to continue to be a viable business so they can keep putting books on the shelves and keep paying authors, staff, and company shareholders. When you license your creative work to a publisher, you're giving up control of your intellectual property in exchange for money and status. Bring your fears and issues out of the Shadow, acknowledge them, and deal with them early, so they do not get pushed down and re-emerge later in blame and bitterness. Educate yourself on the business of publishing. Be clear on what you want to achieve with any deal. Empower yourself as an author, take responsibility for your career, and you will have a much better experience. The Shadow in self-publishing or being an indie author Self-publishing, or being an independent (indie) author, can be a fantastic, pro-active choice for getting your book into the world. Holding your first book in your hand and saying “I made this” is pretty exciting, and even after more than forty books, I still get excited about seeing ideas in my head turn into a physical product in the world. Self-publishing can give an author: Creative control over what to write, editorial and cover design choices, when and how often to publish, and how to market Empowerment over your author career and the ability to make choices that impact success without asking for permission Ownership and control of intellectual property assets, resulting in increased opportunity around licensing and new markets Independence and the potential for recurring income for the long term Autonomy and flexibility around timelines, publishing options, and the ability to easily pivot into new genres and business models Validation based on positive reader reviews and money earned Personal growth and learning through the acquisition of new skills, resulting in a boost in confidence and self-esteem A sense of belonging to an active and vibrant community of indie authors around the world Being an indie author can give you all this and more, but once again, there is a Shadow side and preparation can help you navigate potential issues. The myth of success… and the reality of experience As with traditional publishing, the indie author world has perpetuated a myth of success in the example of the breakout indie author like E.L. James with Fifty Shades of Grey, Hugh Howey with Wool, or Andy Weir with The Martian. The emphasis on financial success is also fuelled online by authors who share screenshots showing six-figure months or seven-figure years, without sharing marketing costs and other outgoings, or the amount of time spent on the business. Yes, these can inspire some, but it can also make others feel inadequate and potentially lead to bad choices about how to publish and market based on comparison. The indie author world is full of just as much ego and a desire for status and money as traditional publishing. This is not a surprise! Most authors, regardless of publishing choices, are a mix of massive ego and chronic self-doubt. We are human, so the same issues will re-occur. A different publishing method doesn't cure all ills. Some of the issues are as follows: You learn everything you need to know about writing and editing, only to find that you need to learn a whole new set of skills in order to self-publish and market your book. This can take a lot of time and effort you did not expect, and things change all the time so you have to keep learning. Being in control of every aspect of the publishing process, from writing to cover design to marketing, can be overwhelming, leading to indecision, perfectionism, stress, and even burnout as you try to do all the things. You try to find people to help, but building your team is a challenge, and working with others has its own difficulties. People say negative things about self-publishing that may arouse feelings of embarrassment or shame. These might be little niggles, but they needle you, nonetheless. You wonder whether you made the right choice. You struggle with self-doubt and if you go to an event with traditional published authors, you compare yourself to them and feel like an imposter. Are you good enough to be an author if a traditional publisher hasn't chosen you? Is it just vanity to self-publish? Are your books unworthy? Even though you worked with a professional editor, you still get one-star reviews and you hate criticism from readers. You wonder whether you're wasting your time. You might be ripped off by an author services company who promise the world, only to leave you with a pile of printed books in your garage and no way to sell them. When you finally publish your book, it languishes at the bottom of the charts while other authors hit the top of the list over and over, raking in the cash while you are left out of pocket. You don't admit to over-spending on marketing as it makes you ashamed. You resist book marketing and make critical comments about writers who embrace it. You believe that quality rises to the top and if a book is good enough, people will buy it anyway. This can lead to disappointment and disillusionment when you launch your book and it doesn't sell many copies because nobody knows about it. You try to do what everyone advises, but you still can't make decent money as an author. You're jealous of other authors' success and put it down to them ‘selling out' or writing things you can't or ‘using AI' or ‘using a ghostwriter' or having a specific business model you consider impossible to replicate. And the list goes on… When you acknowledge the Shadow, it loses its power Being in control of your books and your author career is a double-edged sword. Traditionally published authors can criticise their publishers or agents or the marketing team or the bookstores or the media, but indie authors have to take responsibility for it all. Sure, we can blame ‘the algorithms' or social media platforms, or criticise other authors for having more experience or more money to invest in marketing, or attribute their success to writing in a more popular genre — but we also know there are always people who do well regardless of the challenges. Once more, we're back to acknowledging and integrating the Shadow side of our choices. We are flawed humans. There will always be good times and bad, and difficulties to offset the high points. This too shall pass, as the old saying goes. I know that being an indie author has plenty of Shadow. I've been doing this since 2008 and despite the hard times, I'm still here. I'm still writing. I'm still publishing. This life is not for everyone, but it's my choice. You must make yours. The Shadow in work You work hard. You make a living. Nothing wrong with that attitude, right? It's what we're taught from an early age and, like so much of life, it's not a problem until it goes to extremes. Not achieving what you want to? Work harder. Can't get ahead? Work harder. Not making a good enough living? Work harder. People who don't work hard are lazy. They don't deserve handouts or benefits. People who don't work hard aren't useful, so they are not valued members of our culture and community. But what about the old or the sick, the mentally ill, or those with disabilities? What about children? What about the unemployed? The under-employed? What about those who are — or will be — displaced by technology, those called “the useless class” by historian Yuval Noah Harari in his book Homo Deus? What if we become one of these in the future? Who am I if I cannot work? The Shadow side of my attitude to work became clear when I caught COVID in the summer of 2021. I was the sickest I'd ever been. I spent two weeks in bed unable to even think properly, and six weeks after that, I was barely able to work more than an hour a day before lying in the dark and waiting for my energy to return. I was limited in what I could do for another six months after that. At times, I wondered if I would ever get better. Jonathan kept urging me to be patient and rest. But I don't know how to rest. I know how to work and how to sleep. I can do ‘active rest,' which usually involves walking a long way or traveling somewhere interesting, but those require a stronger mind and body than I had during those months. It struck me that even if I recovered from the virus, I had glimpsed my future self. One day, I will be weak in body and mind. If I'm lucky, that will be many years away and hopefully for a short time before I die — but it will happen. I am an animal. I will die. My body and mind will pass on and I will be no more. Before then I will be weak. Before then, I will be useless. Before then, I will be a burden. I will not be able to work… But who am I if I cannot work? What is the point of me? I can't answer these questions right now, because although I recognise them as part of my Shadow, I've not progressed far enough to have dealt with them entirely. My months of COVID gave me some much-needed empathy for those who cannot work, even if they want to. We need to reframe what work is as a society, and value humans for different things, especially as technology changes what work even means. That starts with each of us. “Illness, affliction of body and soul, can be life-altering. It has the potential to reveal the most fundamental conflict of the human condition: the tension between our infinite, glorious dreams and desires and our limited, vulnerable, decaying physicality.” —Connie Zweig, The Inner Work of Age: Shifting from Role to Soul The Shadow in money In the Greek myth, King Midas was a wealthy ruler who loved gold above all else. His palace was adorned with golden sculptures and furniture, and he took immense pleasure in his riches. Yet, despite his vast wealth, he yearned for more. After doing a favour for Dionysus, the god of wine and revelry, Midas was granted a single wish. Intoxicated by greed, he wished that everything he touched would turn to gold — and it was so. At first, it was a lot of fun. Midas turned everything else in his palace to gold, even the trees and stones of his estate. After a morning of turning things to gold, he fancied a spot of lunch. But when he tried to eat, the food and drink turned to gold in his mouth. He became thirsty and hungry — and increasingly desperate. As he sat in despair on his golden throne, his beloved young daughter ran to comfort him. For a moment, he forgot his wish — and as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed his cheek, she turned into a golden statue, frozen in precious metal. King Midas cried out to the gods to forgive him, to reverse the wish. He renounced his greed and gave away all his wealth, and his daughter was returned to life. The moral of the story: Wealth and greed are bad. In Charles Dickens's A Christmas Carol, Ebenezer Scrooge is described as a “squeezing, wrenching, grasping, scraping, clutching, covetous, old sinner.” He's wealthy but does not share, considering Christmas spending to be frivolous and giving to charity to be worthless. He's saved by a confrontation with his lonely future and becomes a generous man and benefactor of the poor. Wealth is good if you share it with others. The gospel of Matthew, chapter 25: 14-30, tells the parable of the bags of gold, in which a rich man goes on a journey and entrusts his servants with varying amounts of gold. On his return, the servants who multiplied the gold through their efforts and investments are rewarded, while the one who merely returned the gold with no interest is punished: “For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.” Making money is good, making more money is even better. If you can't make any money, you don't deserve to have any. Within the same gospel, in Matthew 19:24, Jesus encounters a wealthy man and tells him to sell all his possessions and give the money to the poor, which the man is unable to do. Jesus says, “It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.” Wealth is bad. Give it all away and you'll go to heaven. With all these contradictory messages, no wonder we're so conflicted about money! How do you think and feel about money? While money is mostly tied to our work, it's far more than just a transactional object for most people. It's loaded with complex symbolism and judgment handed down by family, religion, and culture. You are likely to find elements of Shadow by examining your attitudes around money. Consider which of the following statements resonate with you or write your own. Money stresses me out. I don't want to talk about it or think about it. Some people hoard money, so there is inequality. Rich people are bad and we should take away their wealth and give it to the poor.  I can never make enough money to pay the bills, or to give my family what I want to provide. Money doesn't grow on trees.  It's wasteful to spend money as you might need it later, so I'm frugal and don't spend money unless absolutely necessary. It is better and more ethical to be poor than to be rich. I want more money. I read books and watch TV shows about rich people because I want to live like that. Sometimes I spend too much on things for a glimpse of what that might be like.  I buy lottery tickets and dream of winning all that money.  I'm jealous of people who have money. I want more of it and I resent those who have it. I'm no good with money. I don't like to look at my bank statement or credit card statement. I live off my overdraft and I'm in debt. I will never earn enough to get out of debt and start saving, so I don't think too much about it. I don't know enough about money. Talking about it makes me feel stupid, so I just ignore it. People like me aren't educated about money.  I need to make more money. If I can make lots of money, then people will look up to me. If I make lots of money, I will be secure, nothing can touch me, I will be safe.  I never want to be poor. I would be ashamed to be poor. I will never go on benefits. My net worth is my self worth. Money is good. We have the best standard of living in history because of the increase in wealth over time. Even the richest kings of the past didn't have what many middle-class people have today in terms of access to food, water, technology, healthcare, education, and more. The richest people give the most money to the poor through taxation and charity, as well as through building companies that employ people and invent new things. The very richest give away much of their fortunes. They provide far more benefit to the world than the poor.  I love money. Money loves me. Money comes easily and quickly to me. I attract money in multiple streams of income. It flows to me in so many ways. I spend money. I invest money. I give money. I'm happy and grateful for all that I receive. The Shadow around money for authors in particular Many writers and other creatives have issues around money and wealth. How often have you heard the following, and which do you agree with? You can't make money with your writing. You'll be a poor author in a garret, a starving artist.  You can't write ‘good quality' books and make money. If you make money writing, you're a hack, you're selling out. You are less worthy than someone who writes only for the Muse. Your books are commercial, not artistic. If you spend money on marketing, then your books are clearly not good enough to sell on their own. My agent / publisher / accountant / partner deals with the money side. I like to focus on the creative side of things. My money story Note: This is not financial or investment advice. Please talk to a professional about your situation. I've had money issues over the years — haven't we all! But I have been through a (long) process to bring money out of my Shadow and into the light. There will always be more to discover, but hopefully my money story will help you, or at least give you an opportunity to reflect. Like most people, I didn't grow up with a lot of money. My parents started out as teachers, but later my mum — who I lived with, along with my brother — became a change management consultant, moving to the USA and earning a lot more. I'm grateful that she moved into business because her example changed the way I saw money and provided some valuable lessons. (1) You can change your circumstances by learning more and then applying that to leverage opportunity into a new job or career Mum taught English at a school in Bristol when we moved back from Malawi, Africa, in the mid '80s but I remember how stressful it was for her, and how little money she made. She wanted a better future for us all, so she took a year out to do a master's degree in management. In the same way, when I wanted to change careers and leave consulting to become an author, I spent time and money learning about the writing craft and the business of publishing. I still invest a considerable chunk on continuous learning, as this industry changes all the time. (2) You might have to downsize in order to leap forward The year my mum did her degree, we lived in the attic of another family's house; we ate a lot of one-pot casserole and our treat was having a Yorkie bar on the walk back from the museum. We wore hand-me-down clothes, and I remember one day at school when another girl said I was wearing her dress. I denied it, of course, but there in back of the dress was her name tag. I still remember her name and I can still feel that flush of shame and embarrassment. I was determined to never feel like that again. But what I didn't realize at the time was that I was also learning the power of downsizing. Mum got her degree and then a new job in management in Bristol. She bought a house, and we settled for a few years. I had lots of different jobs as a teenager. My favourite was working in the delicatessen because we got a free lunch made from delicious produce. After I finished A-levels, I went to the University of Oxford, and my mum and brother moved to the USA for further opportunities. I've downsized multiple times over the years, taking a step back in order to take a step forward. The biggest was in 2010 when I decided to leave consulting. Jonathan and I sold our three-bedroom house and investments in Brisbane, Australia, and rented a one-bedroom flat in London, so we could be debt-free and live on less while I built up a new career. It was a decade before we bought another house. (3) Comparison can be deadly: there will always be people with more money than you Oxford was an education in many ways and relevant to this chapter is how much I didn't know about things people with money took for granted. I learned about formal hall and wine pairings, and how to make a perfect gin and tonic. I ate smoked salmon for the first time. I learned how to fit in with people who had a lot more money than I did, and I definitely wanted to have money of my own to play with. (4) Income is not wealth You can earn lots but have nothing to show for it after years of working. I learned this in my first few years of IT consulting after university. I earned a great salary and then went contracting, earning even more money at a daily rate. I had a wonderful time. I traveled, ate and drank and generally made merry, but I always had to go back to the day job when the money ran out. I couldn't work out how I could ever stop this cycle. Then I read Rich Dad, Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki, a book I still recommend, especially if you're from a family that values academic over financial education. I learned how to escape the rat race by building and/or accumulating assets that pay even when you're not working. It was a revelation! The ‘poor dad' in the book is a university professor. He knows so much about so many things, but he ends up poor as he did not educate himself about money. The ‘rich dad' has little formal education, but he knows about money and wealth because he learned about it, as we can do at any stage in our lives. (5) Not all investments suit every person, so find the right one for you Once I discovered the world of investing, I read all the books and did courses and in-person events. I joined communities and I up-skilled big time. Of course, I made mistakes and learned lots along the way. I tried property investing and renovated a couple of houses for rental (with more practical partners and skilled contractors). But while I could see that property investing might work for some people, I did not care enough about the details to make it work for me, and it was certainly not passive income. I tried other things. My first husband was a boat skipper and scuba diving instructor, so we started a charter. With the variable costs of fuel, the vagaries of New Zealand weather — and our divorce — it didn't last long! From all these experiments, I learned I wanted to run a business, but it needed to be online and not based on a physical location, physical premises, or other people. That was 2006, around the time that blogging started taking off and it became possible to make a living online. I could see the potential and a year later, the iPhone and the Amazon Kindle launched, which became the basis of my business as an author. (6) Boring, automatic saving and investing works best Between 2007 and 2011, I contracted in Australia, where they have compulsory superannuation contributions, meaning you have to save and invest a percentage of your salary or self-employed income. I'd never done that before, because I didn't understand it. I'd ploughed all my excess income into property or the business instead. But in Australia I didn't notice the money going out because it was automatic. I chose a particular fund and it auto-invested every month. The pot grew pretty fast since I didn't touch it, and years later, it's still growing. I discovered the power of compound interest and time in the market, both of which are super boring. This type of investing is not a get rich quick scheme. It's a slow process of automatically putting money into boring investments and doing that month in, month out, year in, year out, automatically for decades while you get on with your life. I still do this. I earn money as an author entrepreneur and I put a percentage of that into boring investments automatically every month. I also have a small amount which is for fun and higher risk investments, but mostly I'm a conservative, risk-averse investor planning ahead for the future. This is not financial advice, so I'm not giving any specifics. I have a list of recommended money books at www.TheCreativePenn.com/moneybooks if you want to learn more. Learning from the Shadow When I look back, my Shadow side around money eventually drove me to learn more and resulted in a better outcome (so far!). I was ashamed of being poor when I had to wear hand-me-down clothes at school. That drove a fear of not having any money, which partially explains my workaholism. I was embarrassed at Oxford because I didn't know how to behave in certain settings, and I wanted to be like the rich people I saw there. I spent too much money in my early years as a consultant because I wanted to experience a “rich” life and didn't understand saving and investing would lead to better things in the future. I invested too much in the wrong things because I didn't know myself well enough and I was trying to get rich quick so I could leave my job and ‘be happy.' But eventually, I discovered that I could grow my net worth with boring, long-term investments while doing a job I loved as an author entrepreneur. My only regret is that I didn't discover this earlier and put a percentage of my income into investments as soon as I started work. It took several decades to get started, but at least I did (eventually) start. My money story isn't over yet, and I keep learning new things, but hopefully my experience will help you reflect on your own and avoid the issue if it's still in Shadow. These chapters are excerpted from Writing the Shadow: Turn Your Inner Darkness Into Words by Joanna Penn  The post Writing The Shadow: The Creative Wound, Publishing, And Money, With Joanna Penn first appeared on The Creative Penn.

Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.Joining Tim this time for a Special Assignment is writer Richard Marson, author of the definitive history of Children's BBC Box Of Delights - not to mention Doctor Who Magazine veteran and former Blue Peter Editor - Richard Marson, We'll be hearing some of the stories behind the making of Jackanory, Play School, Multicoloured Swap Shop, Grange Hill, John Craven's Newsround and Blue Peter as well as our own memories of watching the shows as younger viewers - including which Kenneth Williams story was wiped before it could be repeated, the shocking truth about Hamble's Cage, the betting odds on who would 'win' out of Giant Pandas and Giant Hogweed, and the uninspiring saga of The Caring Binmen.You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org/.If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. Do not try throwing it over on a fork.

Episode 95 (11/12/25) – On this week's show: Greg talks about what it's like to go back to work on a building site as a 46 year old hod carrier, Barry talks about his parasocial relationship with a fellow podcaster, Greg attempts to do a séance (having seen Barry do loads of them), the next episode of our ChatGPT-generated radio play The Depot, Eminem sampling Chas and Dave, the inventor of ‘rock em sock em robots' and some new Christmas toys for 2025 Barry tests Greg to see if he knows any of the BBC's shortlist of top music artists for 2026, the excitement of having an advent calendar as a kid (and as an adult), an impression of Roland from Grange Hill, another seance with the original seance man (Barry), recommendations, Future Greg and a whole lot more!

Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.Joining Tim this time is musician, comedian and writer Mitch Benn, who's tuning in that mysterious extra button on his television in search of any trace of Channel 4's pre-launch promotional trailers, Imagination by Belouis Some, Space Sentinels, Simon Dutton's turn as The Saint, How To Be A Complete Bastard by Adrian Edmondson and The Six Million Dollar Man's toy adversary Maskatron. Along the way we'll be profiling the ubiquity in popular drama of the Glen Matlock Face, finding out How To Be A Complete Bastard In Space, considering whether Astrea from Space Sentinels is 'above' pants and waiting eagerly for the repeat broadcast of Three Women Including Juliet Bravo singing that W-O-M-A-N song.You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org. You can also find Mitch on Looks Unfamiliar talking about Nobody's House, Don't Stand So Close To Me '86 by The Police, Cyborg and Muton, Orion, Two Stage Self-Assembly Ice Cream Cones and Get Stuffed here, 54321, Logan's Run The Series, Matchbox Zoomy Balloonies, Action Man's Atomic Man and Bullet Man, King Swamp, and fifties nostalgia in the seventies here, Monday Morning 5.19 by Rialto, The Laughing Prisoner, Oh Baby by Rhianna, Pocketeers, O.T.T. and the original pre-Geoffrey incarnation of Rainbow here, and Star Turn Challenge, evil Grange Hill teacher Mr. Hicks, Striker, Lines by The Planets, Night Raven and the rise of international celebrities acting in pop videos here, Stars by Hear'n'Aid, Into Infinity, The Humanoid, A Man Called Sloane, BusyBodies and The Kids Are Alright by The Pleasers here and No Memory by Scarlet Fantastic, The Flipside Of Dominick Hide, The Deceivers, Eureka!, Lady Sovereign and Jentina's feud and Mego Pocket Heroes here.If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. Don't be a complete bastard with it.

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Julia Goodman aka Mrs Pearson. Julia tells us how she practically gave herself a part in a Shakespeare play at the age of 6; how her own life mirrored what Mrs Pearson was going through on Grange Hill and how Mrs Pearson's hair ruined the continuity on Grange Hill!

Tim Worthington has a new book out called The Golden Age Of Children's TV - all about the best, worst and most just plain baffling shows you grew up with in the sixties, seventies and eighties - and the lines are open now for an hour of fun, facts, laughs and thrills. If you're a fan of The Adventure Game, Martin Ruddock will be taking your calls and offering a few hints and tips on how to beat the puzzlers and make it across the Drogna Board. They're The Monkees, but Paul Whitelaw will be in the studio for a look at what you can look forward to when Micky, Davy, Mike and Peter take over your television. Ste Brotherstone will be joining us with a few ideas of how you can stay top of the class for the new term at Grange Hill, Danny Kodicek has the long and short on Big John Little John, and Juliet Harris will be coming to us live from Teddington as she meets the stars of The Sooty Show. So if you want to join in the fun - or just swap a copy of Grange Hill Graffiti for a copy of Drogna on the BBC Micro - ring the show now!You can get The Golden Age Of Children's TV in all good bookshops, and from Waterstones here, Amazon here, from the Kindle Store here and directly from Black And White Publishing here. - and if you want to know more about what you can find in it, head for timworthington.org!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Jade Williams aka Zoe Stringer. Jade tells us how joining a local dance school at a very early age led to a lifetime career; why she thought her cohort felt like outsiders at Grange Hill and why she only appeared in 9 episodes of her second series before disappearing completely!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Cerrie Burnell aka Miss Green. Cerrie tells us how she discovered a passion for acting from a very young age; what it was like being a children's TV presenter on CBeebies and why the part she ended up playing on Grange Hill was very different to the part she auditioned for!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Alison Bettles, Ruth Carraway, Fiona Lee-Fraser and Lisa York - four former Grange Hill cast members who recently appeared in a new play called 'Lavvies'. Lavvies was written and directed by Ruth Carraway. The ladies discuss how they were feeling on opening night; the things that didn't go according to plan; the things that went really well and what they have gained from this experience.

In this nostalgia-drenched episode of Beat Motel, Andrew Culture and voiceover man extraordinaire Martin Whiskin hurl themselves headfirst into the deep, murky swimming pool of school memories—and promptly slip on a Verucca sock.Expect less of a structured discussion and more of a chaotic ramble through:Drinking out of pickle jars, Nutella jars, and possibly things we shouldn't mention.Childhood trauma via public service announcements that were more “accidental snuff film” than “safety first.”Rollerskating on dodgem floors, fights over tractors, and smoking on tractors.The weird tribal warfare between grunge kids and ravers (spoiler: bomber jackets were tactical gear).And yes, a deep dive into why the f**k “Funkytown” played on a school jukebox every single day.We also spin some musical back-to-school picks, featuring the Replacements, Pop Will Eat Itself, Ramones, Red Hot Chili Peppers (Martin is very sorry), Despond, and Ganja Kru. There's even a serious attempt to connect jungle music to GCSE coursework. God help us.Plus: We try to remember what Grange Hill was called, and forget everything else in the process.This one's for the misfits at the back of the classroom. Probably the only podcast episode where you'll hear the A-Team theme, tales of aristocratic mastering engineers, and the sentence: “Did your mum ever bring home 200 dead man's harmonicas?”#### Marf's Riff- Despondent - Confined#### Andrew's Riff- Blackbraid - And he become the burning stars### Marf's track choices1. Pop Will Eat Itself - Karmadrome2. The A-Team TV Theme Tune3. Red Hot Chili Peppers - They're Red Hot4. Super Sharp Shooter - The Ganja Kru### Andrew's track choices1. The Replacements - Fuck School2. Ski Sunday theme tune3. The Ramones - Rock and roll high school4. Lipps Inc. - FunkytownEmail us - beatmotel@lawsie.com

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Richard Drew - the Art Director on Series 15 of Grange Hill and the first crew member to appear on Sausage On A Fork. Richard tells us about his route into becoming an Art Director and Production Designer on television; how really small details in set design that might only be on screen for a few seconds are vitally important for a scene and that he is the previous owner of a vehicle that appeared in all three series of one of Britain's favourite sitcoms from the last 20 years!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by John Holmes aka Gonch Gardner. John tells us how missing the initial auditions for Gonch actually helped him get the part; what it was like recording the follow-up single to Just Say No and how his career since appearing in Grange Hill involves something Gonch Gardner loved to do!

This week on Heavy Metal Tones (Episode 236), we dive into the wild, virtuosic world of The Aristocrats. Known for their boundary-pushing fusion of rock, metal, and jazz, the band takes us on a playful yet masterful ride with their instrumental storytelling. At the heart of the journey? One duck's epic adventure — from the frozen reaches of Antarctica all the way to the bustling streets of New York. Expect jaw-dropping musicianship, quirky twists, and that unmistakable Aristocrats humour woven into their sonic voyage.Here is as I promised the complete story of DUCK it s a trip an half and no mistake.https://the-aristocrats-band.com/duck/Grange Hill please tell me you don't hear this on the track Sitting On the Duck of the bay as I think I'm going nutshttps://youtu.be/BE7gAEsI0XY?si=GCm9Y7oOAuTEu3Q1 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Alison Bettles, Ruth Carraway, Fiona Lee-Fraser and Lisa York - four former Grange Hill cast members who will be appearing in a new play called 'Lavvies'. Lavvies is written and directed by Ruth Carraway who after putting the play on in New Zealand to great acclaim, has decided to put the play on in England now that she is back living here . The ladies discuss why they have decided to take part in the project and how easy (or difficult) it has been to jump back into acting! As the play is set in the toilets of a nightclub, we also talk about the favourite nightclubs we used to frequent and which songs remind us most about our clubbing days!

Recorded for release W/C 7th July 2025 This week Lee McDonald (Zammo from Grange Hill) talks about the dangers of dun exposure alongside Dermatologist Emma Wedgeworth, Jacky Fellows lets us know about PrintFest 2025, Richard O'Connor tells us about a book signing for his release of Paranormal Black Country, Dame Laura Kenny talks about the Missing Millions of job roles for Women in history  and Cara Bright of Compton Care shares news of how you could take part in Swim for Compton.

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Georgia May Foote aka Alison Simmons. Georgia tells us how she was asked to audition for Alison after several auditions for another character in Grange Hill; how she played two different characters in six months on Coronation Street and how she really felt about being dressed as Ugly Betty during Tigger's dream!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Joanne Boakes aka Anita Unsworth. Joanne tells us how she told a little white lie when she was auditioning for Grange Hill; how being in Grange Hill gave her something to focus on after a tragedy in her personal life and how she wishes there had been more to the story of Anita and an unseen character who has become part of Grange Hill folklore!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Jonny Dixon aka Mooey Humphries. Jonny tells us how he attended a Drama Club with a fellow Grange Hill actor years before they were in Grange Hill; how he has made the transition from on-screen work to off-screen work and how he hopes Mooey has turned his life around since being excluded from Grange Hill!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Sean Carnegie aka Lee Johnson. Sean tells us how the parent of one of his future Grange Hill co-stars persuaded his Mum to let him try acting; what it was like getting a bucket of mud poured over his head and how he can't remember anything about the time he went back to Grange Hill to play a different character!

Tim Worthington has a new book out called The Golden Age Of Children's TV - all about the best, worst and most just plain baffling shows you grew up with in the sixties, seventies and eighties - and the lines are open now for an hour of fun, facts, laughs and thrills. Juliet Brando will be getting out her binoculars for a look at some of Britain's disappearing wildlife in Orm And Cheep. If you're a fan of Press Gang, Stephen O'Brien will be dropping by with a few hints and tips on how to start your very own Junior Gazette, and Steve O'Brien will be bringing along a few of the ornaments from Emily's shop window in Bagpuss. John Rain has a few playground moneymaking ideas for the new term at Grange Hill and Tim Worthington will be taking Paul Abbott for a look behind the scenes at The Magic Roundabout. So if you want to join in the fun - or just swap a copy of the Grange Hill ZX Spectrum game for a copy of We'll Help, Mr Rusty! - ring the show now!You can get The Golden Age Of Children's TV in all good bookshops, and from Amazon here, Waterstones here or directly from Black And White Publishing here - and if you want to know more about what you can find in it, head for timworthington.org!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Tom Hudson aka Baz Wainwright. Tom tells us what it was like filming the swimming pool rescue scenes in Grange Hill; how his current career enables him to travel the world playing with toys and what it was like joining one of the U.K.'s most legendary Soap Opera families!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Kerry Binns aka Lucy Pearson. Kerry tells us how, despite coming from a musical theatre background, she landed a part in Grange Hill; how learning yo-yo tricks as a child became an advantage as an adult and why a growth spurt meant a co-star had to use an unusual prop when filming Grange Hill!

#357 Shamgel - Richard wonders if the man who wrote the Grange Hill theme might have been hoodwinking us all along. His guest is the formidable Dragon, Deborah Meaden. Rich is hoping he can get an investment of at least £50 million and pitches some ideas, whilst they also discuss being thrown into Murder in Successville, being parodied by Harry and Paul, ethical business, whether the Dragons are friends, where Meaden can save Cheddar caves and how Richard has become an (arguably more successful) business owner than Deborah. Plus what it's like to be a child prodigy who turns their back on their skill, what Rich missed out on at Butlins Minehead and why a Dragon should never back time travel.SUPPORT THE SHOW!Support the CAN I HAVE MY BALL BACK KICKSTARTERWatch our TWITCH CHANNELBecome a badger and see extra content at our WEBSITESee details of the RHLSTP TOUR DATESBuy DVDs and Books from GO FASTER STRIPE Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Alex Lowe aka Simon. Alex tells us how he almost got the part of a classic Grange Hill character; how, despite working with some of the biggest names in British acting, he still gets star struck and how he is embarrassed about playing the character who says one of the most memorable lines in British comedy!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Tracey Murphy aka Claire Sullivan. Tracey tells us how - as a shy eight year old - acting was something she didn't really want to do; what it was like working with some of the biggest names in acting and why she refused to take any of Claire's outfits when she left Grange Hill!

This episode is proudly presented by our friends at Betovo!Welcome back to another episode of The Criminal Connection Podcast.Today, the Podfather welcomes Actor, Writer, Producer, Perry Benson!Join us as the Podfather chats with the incredibly talented character actor, Perry Benson. Known for his dynamic performances across both television and film, Perry shares his unique journey into acting and stories from his extensive career. From working on Benidorm to meeting Jack Nicholson and everything in between.Hear it all here on The Criminal Connection Podcast.Now sit back and relax, we'll see you on the other side!Big thank you to our sponsors:Superstar Speakers - https://www.superstarspeakers.co.uk/ - Get 15% off all products using code CCP123Fragrance Du Bois - https://fragrancedubois.com/discount/CCPOD10 - Get 10% Off using code CCPOD10 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Sally Anne Marsh aka Cecile Lefevre. Sally tells us how Cecile was able to fulfil one of Sally's own dreams; what it was like singing on one of 1991's biggest dance records and exactly how old she was when she was playing an 18 year old on Grange Hill!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Kate Bell aka Kelly Bradshaw. Kate tells us how her character went from someone who just had the occasional line to someone who was involved in one of Grange Hill's most controversial storylines; what the sleepover in the Science Museum was really like and how her she might not have been the best choice to be part of the skating and skiing storylines!

Tim Worthington has a new book out called The Golden Age Of Children's TV - all about the best, worst and most just plain baffling shows you grew up with in the sixties, seventies and eighties - and the lines are open now for an hour of fun, facts, laughs and thrills. School's out but Emma Burnell is here to take the register for another term at Grange Hill. Mark Thompson will be dropping by to explain why they keep talking about 'bins' in Running Scared. Send in your puns for Al Kennedy, who'll be giving out prizes to any that could work as a Count Duckula episode title. Justin Lewis will be joining us for a live link-up with Emu's Broadcasting Company, and Genevieve Jenner will be going behind the scenes for a look at how they make Faerie Tale Theatre. So if you want to join in the fun - or just swap a copy of You Know The Teacher (What A Smash-Head) for a copy of Count Duckula 2 Featuring Tremendous Terence - ring the show now!You can get The Golden Age Of Children's TV in all good bookshops, and from Amazon here, Waterstones here or directly from Black And White Publishing here - and if you want to know more about what you can find in it, head for timworthington.org!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Rebekah Joy Gilgan aka Fran Williams. Rebekah tells us how she got the part of Fran despite having no previous acting experience; how she became a successful businesswoman after moving back up north and why she might not appear to be 100% during the baseball episode of Grange Hill!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Ian Congdon-Lee aka Ted Fisk. Ian tells us which part he originally auditioned for; what it was like being part of one of Grange Hill's most controversial storylines and why he thought everyone was at risk of getting sacked during filming on The Isle of Wight!

Former Conservative Chancellor Sir Sajid Javid is Today's latest Christmas guest editor.Sir Sajid's key theme for the programme is Artificial Intelligence - but he also revisits his favourite childhood TV show, Grange Hill. He speaks to Nick about his guest edit.GET IN TOUCH: * Send us a message or a voice note via WhatsApp to +44 330 123 4346 * Email today@bbc.co.ukBetween now and the end of the year we're bringing you extended interviews with the Today programme's Christmas guest editors, so hit subscribe on BBC Sounds to make sure you get an alert every time we release a new episode.The Today Podcast is hosted by Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson who are both presenters of BBC Radio 4's Today programme. Amol was the BBC's media editor for six years and is the former editor of the Independent, he's also the current presenter of University Challenge. Nick has presented the Today programme since 2015, he was the BBC's political editor for ten years before that and also previously worked as ITV's political editor.

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by John Drummond aka Trevor Cleaver. John tells us how he originally auditioned for another iconic character in Grange Hill; how he his still friends with one of his fellow cast members almost 40 years after meeting him and what it was like filming the scenes when Trevor had drifted out to sea!

So here we are at Episode 13 of Fireside Chats, our Sidehustle Podcast with Nick and Becca. Today's topic: Children's TV shows from the 70s and 80s.   Snoopy, Captain Caveman, Grange Hill, Scooby Doo, Double Deckers, and plenty of other things that will give you a ‘memory unlocked'!   #tricres #fyp #businesscoaching  #kickassculture #coachtraining  #entrepreneur #sme #consulting #businesscoaching #business consulting Find the whole podcast at: https://tricres.com/podcasts/   Subscribe to Tricres! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCX0EUHMC2CckN6amdXL2F3Q?sub_confirmation=1   If you're a coach or consultant, subscribe to hear our podcasts and get into the heads of business owners and gain their insights and drives.   Join our family and community of business coaches & consultants.   If your passion is about making it happen for SMEs you need to listen to our podcast with business owners around the world! ---------------------------------- Want to join us for our next Intake Session? Find out more and sign up for our free event here: https://readytojoinbrilliantbusinesscoaches.scoreapp.com

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Belinda Crane aka Lucy Mitchell. Belinda tells us how she first took direction at the age of just three years old; how, like her brother, she had no idea she was acting on Grange Hill with someone from one of her favourite films and what it was like being given a role in one of Grange Hill's most hard-hitting and controversial storylines!

With Christmas well and truly on the way, we jumped at the chance to revisit a classic Christmas conversation from the WWQT archive - so sit back, pop open some mince pies and let's dive in!Today we look back at a chat with the legendary cast of Grange Hill, aka Lee MacDonald, Alison Bettles, Mark Baxter and Linda Magistris. They reminisce about their time on the legendary TV show, discuss what life became after the final school bell rang, from navigating fame to forging new careers - all with some festive cheer sprinkled in. Enjoy!For all the latest news, click here to follow us on Instagram!***Please take the time to rate and review us on Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your pods. It means a great deal to the show and will make it easier for other potential listeners to find us. Thanks!*** Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

AJ and Andy look back over the first series of Secret Army ahead of their exploration of series two. Andy shares memories of Clifford Rose while AJ teases content from a forthcoming interview with Jan Francis. They also consider their favourite directors, writers, regular characters and guest stars and reveal choices sent in by listeners.  As a piece of bonus content in the final 20 minutes AJ interviews Abigail Brown who played the farmer's daughter in the first episode of Secret Army before becoming a regular on Grange Hill. If you enjoy this interview please consider donating to one of her charities: Shelter or the NSPCC. If you would like to get in touch with us about this episode or have comments about the Series 2 episodes Russian Roulette or Lucky Piece (we've already recorded The Hostage) then please tweet us at @secretarmypod or email us (or send a voice-note): secretarmypod@gmail.com Thank you for coming down the line with us! Andy & AJ

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Melanie Joseph aka Lauren Phillips. Lauren tells us how a remark about being a star in the sky led to her becoming a child actor; how difficult it was filming some scenes in Lauren's most controversial storyline and how preparing for another storyline in Grange Hill led to a revelation that helped Melanie in her current career!

Looks Unfamiliar is a podcast in which writer and occasional broadcaster Tim Worthington talks to a guest about some of the things that they remember that nobody else ever seems to.Joining Tim this time is musician, comedian and writer Mitch Benn, who's hoping to prove that he doesn't have no memory of No Memory by Scarlet Fantastic, The Flipside Of Dominick Hide, The Deceivers, Eureka!, Lady Sovereign and Jentina's feud and Mego Pocket Heroes. Along the way we'll be revisiting the genre of Do We Have To Goth, recounting a slightly wrong version of the invention of crisps, trying to make out an individual audible guitar on any given eighties synth duo hit and assessing whether the overall quality of Jor-El action figures is dependent on how straight their legs are.You can find more editions of Looks Unfamiliar at http://timworthington.org. You can also find Mitch on Looks Unfamiliar talking about Nobody's House, Don't Stand So Close To Me '86 by The Police, Cyborg and Muton, Orion, Two Stage Self-Assembly Ice Cream Cones and Get Stuffed here, 54321, Logan's Run The Series, Matchbox Zoomy Balloonies, Action Man's Atomic Man and Bullet Man, King Swamp, and fifties nostalgia in the seventies here, Monday Morning 5.19 by Rialto, The Laughing Prisoner, Oh Baby by Rhianna, Pocketeers, O.T.T. and the original pre-Geoffrey incarnation of Rainbow here, and Star Turn Challenge, evil Grange Hill teacher Mr. Hicks, Striker, Lines by The Planets, Night Raven and the rise of international celebrities acting in pop videos here and Stars by Hear'n'Aid, Into Infinity, The Humanoid, A Man Called Sloane, BusyBodies and The Kids Are Alright by The Pleasers here.If you enjoy Looks Unfamiliar, you can help to support the show by buying us a coffee here. If you want to throw in a slightly incorrect re-enactment of the invention of coffee too that would be very much a welcome bonus.

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by David Crane aka Barry Timpson. David tells us how a stint of child modelling led to him becoming a child actor; why he had to leave acting and how he had no idea that while he was on Grange Hill, he was acting alongside someone who was in a film he had seen countless times!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Carl Saxton-Pizzie aka Raju. Carl tells us how watching a classic children's television programme led to him joining a dance and drama school; how he was shocked to find out that he was not asked to stay on at Grange Hill and how his career in later life is very similar to what he would have expected Raju's to be like.

Every British actor has to pass through Casualty, 'The Bill', 'Doctors' or 'Holby City' at some point in their career, today's guest did all three back to back and then got his first break through with a regular spot on 'Grange Hill' and all of this without going to drama school... He broke into film with 'Tormented' and 'Centurion', following this with George Clooney's 'Monuments Men' but you may know him best for the hit show 'Riviera' or Apple TV's 'Foundation'. We chat about his near misses, not getting distracted by other actors trajectories and almost getting to work with Sir Anthony Hopkins in Amazon Primes 'Those About to Die'. - Host - Actor/Writer ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Elliot James Langridge⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ Please contact (Scott Marshall Partners) - We are sponsored by ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠BetterHelp⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ providing you access to the largest online therapy service in the world. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Get 10% off⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ your first month at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠betterhelp.com/lifeinfilm⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ - 'Those About to Die' is on Amazon Prime now. - Thank you to our guest Dimitri & his team at R&CPMK. Thank you as always to our sponsor BetterHelp - If you enjoyed this episode, please review and follow us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Spotify⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Apple Podcasts⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ and ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠You Tube ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠etc and please share. It makes a huge difference. - Join us on ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Twitter⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Tik Tok⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠, @LIFEINFILMpod & For early and uncut episodes check of the ⁠⁠Patreon⁠⁠ at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠patreon.com/Lifeinfilmpodcast⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ -

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Sonya Kearns aka Chrissy Mainwaring. Sonya tells us how she was very proactive in finding a stage school at a very young age; how her own artistic talents were nothing like Chrissy's and what it was like being at the centre of one of Grange Hill's most controversial storylines!

Skanking and spitting bars from the arse-end of nowhere, DeadBeat At Dawn are Yorkshire's punk/ska/hiphop crossover beasts and they've lent us one of their vocalists. Aaron, to give us the lowdown.We discuss surviving the doldrum years of Ska, the international Ska scene, touring with some legends and borrowing lyrics.Post apocalyptic movies, old UK television shows about high school and a rumble with a singer from down under are also chatted about.Tom's watched a film he'd like to recommend, Niallism's burnt his head off, there's a social experiment that Tom's carried out on himself and everything else you've learned not to hate and just put up with.Music this week is by: Polysics, The Bad Ups, Bad Religion, The Carolyn and Off With Their Heads

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Lorraine Woodley aka Carlene Joseph. Lorraine tells us what it was like being cast as part of a mixed race family in a children's programme before Grange Hill; how her beliefs aligned with Carlene's during her time on Grange Hill and what it was like working with two children's television legends on Chucklevision!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Margo Selby aka Julie Corrigan. Margo tells us what it was like filming her famous swimming pool scene; how she requested one of her storylines in 6th Form and how a fellow actor on Grange Hill inspired her to take up her current profession!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by John Pickard aka Neil Timpson. John tells us what it was like to play a bully on Grange Hill; what it was like playing his real life brother's brother on Hollyoaks and whether he was more like Neil Timpson or David Porter from 2 Point 4 Children!

In the latest episode of Sausage On A Fork, we're joined by Colin Ridgewell aka Colin Brown. Colin tells us why he shared the same first name as his character; how he met two comedy legends in BBC Television Centre and why he ended up being in eight series of Grange Hill!

Step back in time with us as we embark on a journey down memory lane to revisit one of the most beloved and iconic television series of the 20th century - Grange Hill. Join us in this special episode as we delve into the history, impact, and enduring legacy of this groundbreaking British drama series that captivated audiences for over three decades. We kick off our exploration by tracing the origins of Grange Hill, from its inception in 1978 by Phil Redmond, the creative mind behind other seminal British dramas like Brookside and Hollyoaks. Set in a fictional London comprehensive school, Grange Hill revolutionised children's television by tackling gritty and controversial issues that were often considered taboo for its target audience. Explore the groundbreaking impact of Grange Hill on British television and society as a whole. From its portrayal of issues such as bullying, drug abuse, and teenage pregnancy to its diverse and inclusive cast, Grange Hill challenged stereotypes and sparked important conversations about the realities of adolescence. No discussion of Grange Hill would be complete without paying homage to its iconic theme tune and memorable musical moments. From "Chicken Song" to "Just Say No," we celebrate the infectious tunes that became synonymous with the series and left an indelible mark on popular culture. Despite bidding farewell to our screens in 2008 after an impressive 30-year run, the legacy of Grange Hill lives on in the hearts and minds of fans old and new. Reflect on the lasting impact of the series on television, education, and the lives of those who grew up watching it. Join us as we bid a fond farewell to Grange Hill, celebrating its timeless appeal and the cherished memories it continues to evoke. Whether you're a lifelong fan or discovering the series for the first time, this episode is sure to reignite your passion for one of the most iconic shows in British television history. Talk2TheHand is an independent throwback podcast run by husband and wife, Jimmy and Beth. Obsessed with 90s nostalgia and 90s celebrities, we'll rewind the years and take you back to the greatest era of our lives.   New episodes bursting with nostalgia of the 90s released on Tuesdays. Please subscribe to our podcast and we'll keep you gooey in 1990s love. Find us on Twitter @talk2thehandpod or email us at jimmy@talk2thehand.co.uk or beth@talk2thehand.co.uk

Listen in this week as we laud our mediocre achievements, and to celebrate them what better way could there possibly be than chatting about the Top 5 Celebrations.  It may have taken four hundred episodes to do so but the Dads finally sat down together in the man cave to watch director Mark Jenkin's ENYS MEN (2022). A kind of twisted lovechild of David Attenborough and H.P. Lovecraft, the film is set in 1973 on an uninhabited island off the Cornish coast and follows a lone woman, played with haunting subtlety by Mary Woodvine, as she observes a rare flower in the shadow of an ancient stone monument. A study in solitude, where the most dialogue you'll get is the scribbling of ‘No change' in a ledger, which becomes increasingly ironic as everything on screen suggests otherwise, ENYS MEN is a film that both marvels at and fears the power of nature. It looks stunning of course, filmed on 16mm Kodak Film giving it an authentic feel of the era, almost lending a kind of found footage or documentary quality but also being dreamlike and cinematic, and the sound design helps to strengthen the sense of foreboding. That being said this is not going to be everybody's cup of tea, with the director's debut BAIT a far more traditional offering in terms of plotting and pacing than this more avant-garde follow-up.Theme tune aside, Sidey sees nothing of value in this week's kids tv choice as we look at classic children's drama GRANGE HILL. We look at the first episode which features wallpaper almost as mind-bending as this week's film was. Stuff I remember from Grange Hill which traumatised me: the kid who fell off the multi-storey car park, Zammo getting into a fight at the zoo and falling into the sea lion enclosure, Michael Sheard's terrifying Mr Bronson and of course,  Just Say No when Roland discovered Zammo slumped against a wall in the back room of an amusement arcade, surrounded by drug paraphernalia, his eyes fixed in a dead-eyed stare. Good stuff, We love to hear from our listeners! By which I mean we tolerate it. If it hasn't been completely destroyed yet you can usually find us on twitter @dads_film, on Facebook Bad Dads Film Review, on email at baddadsjsy@gmail.com or on our website baddadsfilm.com. Until next time, we remain... Bad Dads