Podcast appearances and mentions of Sue Perkins

SERIES 7: Better With Age. It takes courage to reinvent yourself professionally, yet it becomes a necessity for many people over 50. Bestselling author Kathy Lette and publishing exec Jane Curry share their hilarious experiences of pushing through career blocks and tiresome ageing stereotypes. Brought to you by Australian Seniors, in partnership with RSPCA. Join Jean Kittson for the seventh season of DARE: The Time of Your Life (formerly Life’s Booming), called Better With Age. Australians are actually living longer, healthier lives, and reshaping what older looks like. So in this series, we are chatting with over 50s who are rewriting the ageing rule book, from career pivots to second acts. This episode celebrates the Reinvention Generation, and explores how we can continue to push through career blocks and debunk tiresome stereotypes as we age. Is it because that's just how we're wired? Or is it to prove that our best work is still ahead? Kathy Lette is an internationally bestselling author of more than 20 books, which have been translated into 20 languages. Her latest bestselling book, The Sisterhood Rules, takes readers on a rollercoaster ride that proves that from pain comes healing, from honesty comes forgiveness, and that nothing is more important than your sisters. Jane Curry is a highly experienced publishing executive, and managing director of Simon and Schuster, Australia and New Zealand. Jane is also the founder of Ventura Press, which she established to champion older female (and male) authors. Watch DARE: The Time of Your Life on YouTube Listen to DARE: The Time of Your Life on Apple Podcasts Listen to DARE: The Time of Your Life on Spotify For more information visit seniors.com.au/podcast Produced by Medium Rare Content Agency -- TRANSCRIPT Jean Kittson: Welcome to a new season of DARE: The Time of Your Life, formerly Life’s Booming, brought to you by Australian Seniors, in partnership with RSPCA. Hello I'm Jean Kittson, and this season is called Better With Age. We're flipping the script and showing how ageing is NOT a dirty word, rather it’s your time to live your life to its fullest. Australians are actually living longer, healthier lives, and reshaping what older looks like. So in this series, we are chatting with over 50s who are rewriting the ageing rule book, from career pivots to second acts. This episode celebrates the Reinvention Generation, and explores how we can continue to push through career blocks and debunk tiresome stereotypes as we age. Is it because that's just how we're wired? Or is it to prove that our best work is still ahead? To help us answer such questions is Jane Curry, a highly experienced publishing executive and newly-appointed managing director of Simon and Schuster, Australia and New Zealand. Jane is also the founder of Ventura Press, a company she started as a way of championing older female authors, many of whom only turned to writing later in life. And joining Jane is the fabulous author and beloved friend Kathy Lette. Her career has pushed boundaries from the get go, when she left school at 16 to write her debut novel, Puberty Blues. It had parents wringing their hands while teens lapped it up. And it was later turned into a movie and a TV series. She's gone on to pen more than 20 bestselling books, including her latest, the Sisterhood Rules, which has topped bestseller lists worldwide, and it's funny, fabulous and always empowering. Jane, Kathy, it's wonderful to have you both in the studio to speak about yourselves and your work. Kathy Lette: …and about you and your amazing work and your incredible life. Jean Kittson: Oh, do go on! Kathy Lette: My comic goddess right here before us, Jean. Jean's broken so many boundaries with her comedy. Jean Kittson: Oh Kathy, you’re amazing, and she's a long, long time beloved friend. And as you, in your words, you are my human wonder bra… Kathy Lette: …uplifting and supportive. I'd also say we are each other's big pair of knickers. We've got our asses covered. Jean Kittson: Mm-hmm. That's right. I can always, I mean, Kathy's the best friend you could possibly have. And don’t we all need… Kathy Lette: …Ditto. Jane Curry: …Don’t we all need female friendships, they keep us all going. Jean Kittson: You, Kathy. Kathy Lette: Yes. Jean Kittson: On a more serious note about, you have covered, you have written about all aspects of life from puberty to marriage, childbirth, menopause. Often based on your own experiences, you've inspired and entertained and soothed millions of readers, including your latest book, the Sisterhood Rules, which I absolutely love and should be a manual for any woman breaking up or any older woman wanting a bit of spice in her life, really. Kathy Lette: Haha, great, ha ha. Jean Kittson: But, um, when your previous publishers said to you. That nobody wants to read about middle-aged women. And they dropped you after 19 books in 17 languages. Kathy Lette: Yes. Jean Kittson: Bestsellers. Kathy Lette: Mm-hmm. Jean Kittson: And you went on to write the Revenge Club, another bestseller. I mean, how did you do that? Kathy Lette: I went to see my agent and said, I wanna write a book about four middle-aged women who take revenge on the men who've sidelined them and ruined their careers. And he was like, yeah, I dunno. Yeah, middle-aged women just aren't that sexy. And then I went to see my publisher at the time and my publisher was like, Hmm, middle-aged women. We know they exist, but nobody wants to go there. Jane Curry: Oh my goodness. Kathy Lette: And I looked at books written about women my age, like Anita Brooklyn novels, for example. And there was about sad, depressed, lonely women who wilt away and die in their flats and get eaten by their cats. Now I don't know any women like that. All my women friends are like Jean. They're swinging off a chandelier with a cocktail between their teeth. But when they, when they first said that to me, then my publisher dropped me. I thought, gosh, maybe I have passed my amuse-by date. And just for a moment, I did, I did have a real crisis of confidence. But then of course I'm an Aussie girl and we, Aussie girls are made of stern stuff Jane Curry: Dig deep. Kathy Lette: So I thought, nah, he's wrong. They're both wrong. So I got a new, I got a gay agent and I got a new publisher, Bloomsbury, and the book went to number-one on the bestseller list, which was the best revenge. It's called the Revenge Club – success! So yeah, it was so exciting. And also, I love writing about women this age because our hinterland is huge. You know, we've had the marriages, the divorces, the breakups, the promotions, the back stabs. We've raised the kids. We've looked after our aged parents as Jean did so, so devotedly. We've got so much to talk about and so much to share, and so much wisdom. Just at the time, society hands us the old invisibility cloak and puts us out to career pasture. It's not just me imagining that we, women my age, are given the cloak of invisibility. A few years ago, MI5 said they wanted to hire middle-aged women as spies because nobody sees us. Jean Kittson: Oh. Kathy Lette: Soak that up. And I remember the governor of the board of the Bank of England. He said, not long ago, that the economy was going through a menopausal phase. Sluggish. Jean Kittson: Oh. Kathy Lette: And I was like, tell that to Oprah Winfrey and Nicole Kidman, and Cate Blanchett… Jane Curry: Michelle Obama… Kathy Lette: …all the other people. Michelle Obama, all these other menopausal and postmenopausal women. So the sexism is sewn into our psyche. We really have to fight hard against that. And thanks to Jean and others of our generation. We've taken the stigma out of menopause. But the next big feminist hurdle for us is sexist ageism, because we get treated in a different way to men our age and, and we really have to rail against it. Because we're now prime, we're in the peak of our productivity. Jane Curry: But also we've all had to witness when the BAFTAs was on, every time we see these women who are completely transformed because they're not allowed to age in public. Kathy Lette: Mm. Jane Curry: So that's the standard. Yes. I mean, we are fortunate in where we're in the book business, so it's brain first in our business and always has been. Kathy Lette: Better to be witty than pretty. Jane Curry: Yeah, yeah – witty than pretty. And I remember a friend of mine who is actually a cosmetic surgeon, he said to me that it, you know, it's the women who are, have always been beautiful, that have had that sense of power when they walk into a room and they turn heads because of their beauty, they're the ones that find it harder to age. Kathy Lette: Well, it's a diminishing asset. Jane Curry: Yes. So whereas, you know, when you're in the book business as I've been, and Kathy, the entertainment book, um, you know, women of letters, we do have that our brain is our superpower. Kathy Lette: Yeah, yeah. Jane Curry: And then what we look like comes after that. Yes. Jean Kittson: It's hard to fight it though, isn't it? Kathy Lette: It is hard to fight it, Jean Kittson: …especially when you are performing and… Jane Curry: Oh yes. Well, in this new job I've just got, I got tapped on the shoulder to run Simon Schuster. So the first thing I found was all the, the settings on Zoom and teams. Because I’m reporting to the UK and I'm having meetings in the US all the time and sometimes I first thing in the morning, like 7.30 in the morning. So I'm like, where's the filter. Jean Kittson: Where’s the sparkle wand! Jane Curry: You know, we used to laugh when I worked at Macmillan. You know, we used, you know, there's fabulous filters that Jackie Collins had on all their photographs. Kathy Lette: Oh my gosh, yes. In fact, I've had lunch with Jackie Collins a few times with Joan Collins. Joan and Jackie, I mean, the double whammy. Jean Kittson: Yes. Jane Curry: Talk about sisterhood. Kathy Lette: Sensational broads. But, um, Joan Collins will move everybody around the table till she's got the right lighting. And isn't she clever? You know that when you do, when you're filming, they have that big silver thing that reflects the [light], why can't we have a dress made out of that? Jean Kittson: Well, why can't we! Kathy Lette: Or shoes? Jean Kittson: Because we don't care, Kathy. We don't care. Kathy Lette: We don't care. Jane Curry: Often we’re rushing from one thing to the next. Kathy Lette: Don't care. We don't care. But Jean, see, Jean and I don't do, don’t do any of that Botoxing stuff. Jane Curry: No. Nor do I. Kathy Lette: I think men should just read between my lines, the books, the babies, the hours of fun-loving flirtation. But it does get hard to resist it whenever all the other women… Jane Curry: …I think that's the thing when… Kathy Lette: …look much younger Jane Curry: that, right, what they call in the, you know, in data they call it benchmarking. So like any set of data figures in my world, you know, you benchmark against what was the bestseller. And so it's sort of benchmarking when you're talking about sales and all of that. But it's benchmarking with what we look like. So you sort of benchmark against, we, I think we're very critical of ourselves, because you look at another woman who's the same age and they've had the facelift and they've had everything done. And then look, I momentarily worry about it. And then honestly, you, I look at my to-do list and I think, no. Jean Kittson: Yeah, and I've got two daughters, so I don't want to be that role model. I've always said it's not what you look like, it's what you feel like, you know? Kathy Lette: Yes. Keep the lights low. Greatest beauty aid known to woman for all time. You know, what's happened in Hollywood, the pediatric, um, technicians there. The doctors noticed that the babies were not hitting their developmental milestones. And they were saying, is it because they're, they're having too much, um, carcinogens in their smoked salmon? I'm thinking, no, it's Botox. Because babies look at your face, like when you go, I love your little baby. The baby goes and you go, ah… If you've had Botox and you're going, ‘I love you’, and the baby's going, ‘uh’, you’re going, ‘uh’. They're not learning anything. Jean Kittson: Absolutely. Jean Kittson: You should write a research paper on that. They should do it. Kathy Lette: This is hysterical, isn't it? I know. Jean Kittson: I was told not to go, I mean. Not to go grey because I wouldn't, in the gig economy, I wouldn't get work. Apparently the research shows that if you, that men don't like actually working with women with grey hair. Kathy Lette: …Because it reminds them of their mothers, is it? Jean Kittson: …Maybe they feel that they… Kathy Lette: …it's ageing them… Jean Kittson: Have to defer or - No, not defer… Kathy Lette: …but they can have grey hair. Jean Kittson: They can have grey hair. So there are some interesting facts their. Kathy Lette: I was gonna say, part of the problem is that we never see women who look like us. 85% of people on British and Australian television over 50 are men. So the women just get immediately sidelined and put out to career pasture when they get one grey hair and one wrinkle. We should be saying, we wanna see ourselves reflected. Don't, don't disappear us. Jean Kittson: You know, Jane, you would see, um, this in the industry. You've seen this before. What happened to Kathy? Have you? Jane Curry: Oh, yes, because a lot of decisions are made on data. You know, they'll say, oh, and particularly I think people got very frightened when social media arrived. They got very frightened that they had to chase people with massive Instagram following. Oh, yes. And then there was this sort of Sally Rooney phenomena where everybody wanted a ‘Normal People’. And that was that emerging, you know, Kathy Lette: Irish writers… Jane Curry: …Irish and, and all that sort of coming of age story that, and we are, we are just, we move as a pack, the publishing industry. So once there's one Normal People, you can guarantee the next year there'll be 10 Normal People. And that's a book for people that haven't read it, that was published by Sally Rooney. It was a debut novel and you know, it was one of the zeitgeist novels. Kathy Lette: She became a publishing phenomenon. Jean Kittson: In terms of ageism in comedy, it's just a general feeling that I think women, first of all, women in comedy has been really hard from the start and you really have to push and it's a much more sort of natural environment for men because they're confident and some, some comedians can go on and and not even have thought about what they're going to say, they're just so confident. Kathy Lette: Yeah. Jean Kittson: When I was starting out in comedy, I would be starting out with other, the few women that were around in the 80s and we'd be in pubs and we'd go on stage and everyone would be drinking and eating their pizza, and no one would listen and the women would come off and going, oh my God, I'm just not funny. I haven't got good material. I stink. I can't do this. The men would go out there and they would get exactly the same reaction. People are just drinking and they'd come back and they'd go, that audience wouldn't know a joke if it was up them. They're just so freaking hopeless, and they'd just blame the audience and women would blame themselves, and I don't know where that comes from, but I think it can become more pronounced as you get older and there's slowly, more and more diminishing things that happen to you Like walking into a butcher and the butcher saying, hello, young lady, and you think I'm too, I'm too young to be called a young lady. You know, I not old enough. That's something that they would say to your grandmother, Hello, young lady, and expect you to like that. Expect it to be a compli–– Jane Curry: …A pat on the head. Jean Kittson: …Yeah, a pat. It's so patronising. Kathy Lette: Yeah. There's also this, it's an inbuilt prejudice against women that were not funny, and I, I was at a dinner party in London once and, and the hostess made a really good joke and the husband and men didn't pay any attention. The husband just went, oh, you know, embarrassing women can't tell jokes. And I was like, that's because we marry them. It made everybody laugh at him and that did take away his power. So just lean into that, that verbal ability that women have, you know, we’re more verbally dexterous. So use it like, develop what I call the black belt and tongue-fu! Quiplash, you know! Jean Kittson: Yeah, that's fantastic. Don't censor. Good comeback. Kathy Lette: Yes. Yeah. Good comeback. Jean Kittson: I know, I think we are getting stronger and we shouldn't, we shouldn't, um, suppress our strength as we probably have to keep peace, you know, with the family. That's right. With our work to balance everything. Yeah. You suppress a lot of who you are. Jane Curry: My eldest always says to me. Mum, you're overthinking. And that's the best mental health advice or whatever we do. We do overthink, Kathy Lette: But I think women should just or never go… You're underdressed if you go out at night without a couple of good one-liners tucked up your trouser leg. Jane Curry: That's really good advice. Kathy Lette: Because if, if you whack it back… Jane Curry: yes, Kathy Lette: …and make other people laugh at them, you completely take away their power. Jean Kittson: Well, you've got so many good one-liners, so you're like a one-liner factory. Jane Curry: I've got, I've gotta lift my game. Jean Kittson: Ah, yeah, exactly. So do I. So when your publishers said that ridiculous thing that nobody wants to read about middle aged women… Kathy Lette: …mm-hmm… Jean Kittson: Did you ever doubt yourself and think that I might have to reinvent myself in any way? Kathy Lette: I did. I, just for a moment, I lost confidence and I thought maybe I have passed my amuse-by-date. But then I looked around at my own female friends and I thought, they're so wonderful. They're all, you know, swinging off a chandelier with a toyboy between their teeth. I wanna write about these women. But I think as a writer, I'm always reinventing because I cannibalise my own life. My mother's a teacher and I think I've got a bit of her teacher gene that I always write the book I wish I'd had when I was going through something. So from, to the girls in Puberty Blues, you know, to teach them that they were more than a life support system to, to a pair of breasts, you know, to girls dating and, and then to motherhood and, and marriage and divorce and menopause, and raising an autistic child, raising a teenager, you know, now this post-menopausal second act. So I'm always reinventing because I'm, I'm changing. You know, women are used to change. We've got so much change going on in our lives. So, yeah, I think it comes naturally to women. So if you are reinventing yourself post menopause, you know, it's just, it's almost like situation normal. We're always constantly changing. And even divorce, I don't see divorce as a failure. I just see it as a change. Jean Kittson: Yes. Kathy Lette: You know, life is long from honeymoon to tomb to be like 80 years so, just if you need to reinvent, you know it's okay, and it comes more naturally to women. So don't be afraid of change. Change is good. But I would say women this age, this is a coming of age time. Jane Curry: Yes. Kathy Lette: Because we're the first generation who are economically independent. We've got the, the rock of fuel of HRT, we've got the chutzpah and the the courage to say what we are thinking. We are reinventing ourselves, having a sensational second act. Because I always say this time of your life, for women, is the best because post menopause, you know, you've, you've got no, you don't have to worry about period cramps or pregnancy scares. You've got all that tampon money to spend, you know… Jean Kittson: …and kids are grown up. You've got all that crystallised experience, as they call it. Kathy Lette: Yeah. I wanna know what you think of this, Jane. Because I accidentally invented – I hate the term – chick lit… Jane Curry: …I know what you're going to say… Kathy Lette: …I accidentally invented it in the 70s with Puberty Blues.. Jane Curry: Yes. Yes. Chook-lit. Kathy Lette: And then, then when I wrote Mad Cows and Fetal Attraction, I sort of invented Mummy-Lit. Jane Curry: Mm-hmm. Kathy Lette: And then when I wrote Nip and Tuck, that was nip-lit. And I'm like, I need a new genre for women our age. And I, and I thought, well, post 50, you get that fabulous, ‘Oh, feck it I'm 50’ gene, where you no longer care what people think about you. So I was thinking. What about, I-don't-give-a-s***-lit? Mm-hmm. Jane Curry: That's brilliant. Jean Kittson: Oh, good. You got the tick from a publisher! Kathy Lette: Wouldn't that be a good. And imagine we’re at Booker Prize and they go, ‘And now in the genre of I-don't-give-a -s***-lit. Yeah. Jane Curry: You know, in Hollywood, all the entertainment [industry] is catching. If you think of the Thursday murder club, that was Richard Osmond, of course, he's an older man, so he can get away with it. But you know, the adaptation with Helen Mirren and you know, those amazing actors. So Kathy Lette: Yes Jane Curry: So there is starting to be balanced… Kathy Lette: But that's even older. That's, that's when they're in the retirement home. I'm talking about this moment. Yeah, just postmenopausal, where we're the publishers are saying it's not sexy, it's not attractive. It's right when you're older, for some reason there's a jump to the Judi Dench. Jane Curry: It’s called the silver dollar then. Kathy Lette: Yeah. Jean Kittson: Oh yes. The silver dollar. Kathy Lette: Well, what about the postmenopausal dollar? Yes. You know who thinks reading books? It's women our age. Jane Curry: Well, actually, I always say to any publisher, go to a writer's festival. It's all women, of a certain age. Our age Jean Kittson: Over 50. Jane Curry: Over 50. Yeah, filling the audience. Jean Kittson: Yes, Kathy Lette: I'm on book tour right now for the sisterhood rules and I'm going around the country. It's been to Perth. I've been doing them in Sydney and Melbourne, and I'm about to go up, up to Queensland and I meet, I get to meet the readers, which is so fabulous. It's my favorite thing. Wonderful. And they're, they're women of a certain age. They bring me up little, little kind of anecdotal, doggy bags, a little story they've saved up for me about who their husband had an affair with or how they got revenge or whatever it is. And they're so funny and they sometimes they cry as well. Yeah. They'll have a cry and they'll tell me something very personal that's happened to them. And we have a hug and they're all so interesting. I wanna go out on a girl's night out with all of them all the time. Jane Curry: Yes, we be… Kathy Lette: …and yet they're written off. Jane Curry: Yeah, I was thinking a lot about it getting ready this morning and yeah, as, as you get older, you look back at how society's structured and it is so sort of primally structured around power and money and… Kathy Lette: …which has predominantly been male… Jane Curry: …which is predominantly male. So I've, so then I thought, so you've got, as a woman, you've got two ways of doing that. You can either become, marry into that and become the trophy wife and be terrified that they're going to leave you. So there's that way of attaching yourself to money or there's the other way of doing it, which is the way I did it, was to make it yourself. Kathy Lette: Yes, exactly. So always a better option. Jane Curry: So that was my option. So that's why I've sort of admired those other women from afar because I've never been part of their world. Even at university, I was never part of that world. I, we as, women, have to decide very early on, I think it's innate, I don’t know whether you make an actual decision, how you're gonna fit around that, those two binaries, power and money. But as women. It's not naturally given to us. So we have to decide. Even in the corporate world, that means we've got to constantly keep up with that. Kathy Lette: …Appearances. Jane Curry: …Appearances or… Kathy Lette: …Trophy mustn't be tarnished. Jean Kittson: Well, that's right. That's right. It's a big role to fill for the whole of your life. Trying to live up to that. Yeah. Sorry. There was a billboard saying, um, many years ago, which was a brilliant billboard saying, which I had a picture of a young woman, don't marry a millionaire. Become a millionaire. Kathy Lette: But when I, when I give talks in schools to girls, which I do often, I always say to them, choose your partner carefully. Because if you wanna be an alpha, alpha female in having a big career, if you choose an alpha man, guess who's gonna be the one who has to pull back when the child's sick or whatever. But if you choose a beta male, someone who'll adore you, not bore you and do all your chores for you, who wants to put you on a pedestal and will probably polish it while you're up there. You know, you've gotta have a much bigger and better and more satisfying career. So just, I've, I've been married to two Alphas whom I adore, but I've, I've now gotta beta boyfriend and beta’s, beta’s better. You know, like my fa— The women who are very successful in British television, for example, Sandy Toksvig, Sue Perkins, Claire Balding, are all gay. What do they have wives? Yeah, wives, and I've kind of got a male wife now and it, and it's fabulous. I highly recommend it. Jean Kittson: That's a really good, Jane Curry: That's funny because Kathy's just in from Perth. I'm just in from Brisbane. My overnight bike from Brisbane is just on the floor of my bedroom, just and so yeah, that's, we don't have wives. Kathy Lette: No, that's what need Jane Curry: We need, we need the backup. Jean Kittson: Yes. So what would you say to people or at who are already over 50 and who are confronting this ageism? I mean, how do, how do they manage it? What should, because the confidence… I'll tell you a quick story. A friend of mine's a teacher and she retired. She was a brilliant teacher, still is. She was doing some casual work and she, uh, went to the person organising the casual work at the, at the secondary college. She'd been working. At for 20 years and said, I'm really liking the casual work. You know, any casual work you can throw my way, that'd be good because I'm finding it hard to live on the pension. And he said, ‘Ah, I don't know. There's a lot of younger casual teachers around and they've got more longevity and productivity than you have.’ You don't need productivity and longevity to be a good teacher. Kathy Lette: No. Jean Kittson: For a developing mind. Kathy Lette: She needs to teach him that lesson. I hope she got up on the table and tap danced. Jean Kittson: You used to say, Kathy, in television, it doesn't matter what you, um, uh, what age you are, as long as it, you don't look at, that's what the producers used to say. Kathy Lette: Oh, yes. They're saying you've passed your use by date. Well, guess what? Tesco, a big supermarket chain in Britain, just took use-by dates off the food, because they said, make up your own mind. And I think the same should be done for women. Jean Kittson: Exactly. Kathy Lette: Take our use-by date off, judge us on our performance and our enthusiasm and our flexibility and our knowledge and our… Jean Kittson: Exactly. Kathy Lette: …sense of humor. And we're, we're individuals. You know,. what you have to do to survive the second act is go a lot of girls' nights out, a lot of laughter and, and sisterly camaraderie and um, strength in numbers, you know, and just boost each other up, give each other work. Like really put the, put your hand down and, and pull women up behind you. Jane Curry: Yeah. Kathy Lette: But in this, in the Sisterhood Rules, I've put lots of rules in the beginning about sisterly solidarity, like love and loyalty and sticking to each other like a nylon dress in a heat wave. And it also encouraging women to think big, like don't tell men you want their seats on the bus. You want their seats on the board. Like, think big. We're too, we don't have big enough ambitions for ourselves. Husbands come and go, but um, the sisterhood lasts forever. That's the most important rule I will share with you. Jean Kittson: I agree totally. It's really important to have people you can ring up when you're feeling really down and just have a chat with them and then they lift you up and that's so important. And I, I wonder if you'd want to talk about when you gave up publishing — I mean, when you left your job and opened your own publishing company, did you have a mentor then or, well, who was supporting you? Jane Curry: Amazing timing to ask me that. because I'm just about to go to the London book Fair and I got my first job in publishing in London and my boss, who must be now in her eighties, is still an absolute mover and shaker. Kathy Lette: What's her name? Jane Curry: Kit Van Tulleken. She's the mother of the Van Tulleken twins. Kathy Lette: Great name. Jane Curry: The Van Tulleken twins. Who are those… They're doctors that sell millions of copies of their books. Twins, identical twins. Jean Kittson: Oh, you've written about twins. Kathy Lette: Yeah. Jane Curry: Yeah. So they, she had the corner office when I was literally sitting in a corridor at about age 22 or 23, and there she was in the corner office and her two boys would come in after school. And I just looked up and thought she was my absolute role model. Kathy Lette: Oh, great. Jane Curry: And I'm seeing her in the London book fair. Kathy Lette: Nice. Jane Curry: And then I think it's important for other women who are, you know, working. I have a coach, I have a business coach, so I see her once a month and she sorts my head out – not a psychologist, but business wise. So where we have our natural weaknesses and we, you know, she'll always say you've – she's the ones that send, sends me those texts when I'm saying, I've got this difficult discussion, or I, you know, or different, you know, different emotions that you're taking to meetings just to take the emotion out of it and rely on the business. So I think that's important for people as who are working, because we are older, so we do have the capacity to sort of resource ourselves. So rather than have a cleaner, I'd rather have a business coach. Jean Kittson: Yeah. Oh, absolutely. That's such a good… Kathy Lette: …To clean out your, your, your brain. Yes. We do a lot of mentoring in England to younger women through the Women of the World Festival. We mentor young girls at school. We go in the wheel, we go, you know, the, you know the millennial wheel? Jane Curry: Oh yes. Kathy Lette: And we're in different pods and we go around in a pod with a group of girls, and then the next time we get off and get in another pod. So it's, we make it fun, but it's also very helpful for them And it's good for me. I learn a lot from them as well. Jane Curry: Yeah. One of the things I've learned going back into corporate after about 10 years of running my own business is, you know, the young women that we employ, you know how they're much more in their power than I ever was at that age. Jean Kittson: Oh, definitely. Jane Curry: When I was getting divorced, my lawyer turned around and said, are you okay? And I said, yes. I think looking at the kangaroo and the emu on the coat of arms thinking, how on earth did I end up here? Um, but then I said afterwards, I said, how do you do that every day? And he said, take the emotion. There's no emotion in it for me, Jane. I take the emotion out of it. And I've always remembered that advice. So take the emotion out of things. Even the most difficult business transaction, you know, when you've, particularly in publishing, you're dealing with creative people, you know, but take the emotion out of it. Look at the bare bones of the business transaction. Put the emotion in at the beginning and the end. But when it comes to actually achieving an outcome that is to the satisfaction of both parties, take the emotion out of it. So, channeling my divorce lawyer! Kathy Lette: When I got divorced, I remember saying – I knew they charged by the hour – so I used to go in and say, no adjectives, no adverbs, no anecdotes. Just get straight to the facts! But getting back to the mental thing, I just like to say that I, I do wanna encourage all women to always help other women. And when I published, when I wrote Puberty Blues as a teenager, that was rejected by about 10 publishers. Then I saw Anne Summers had written a piece in the paper about, um, gang rapes in Queensland or something. I thought she'll get this surfy brutality that goes on, and I sent her some of the manuscript and she sent it to a small feminist publishing group called McPhee Gribble in Melbourne. And the rest is history. So that was an absolute perfect example of the sisterhood supporting each other. Jean Kittson: And getting it, understanding each other. Kathy Lette: Understanding each other. That's right. Jean Kittson: And what they're going through and the importance of talking about it. Kathy Lette: We just need more women in power. Why can't, why can't women just run the world just for a year? We say to the men, go play golf. Do whatever you like. Just go for a year, just let us take over. We can't do a worse job than you've done and see what we could achieve. Jane Curry: Well, fortunately COVID has given us flexible work conditions. We couldn't get it beforehand, but most of my staff now, we've got nearly a hundred people and it's fantastic. So we've got lots of young mothers on the payroll. Jean Kittson: Oh that's great Jane Curry: And they work, you know, it's great. I've re and I think it took COVID to allow the bosses… Kathy Lette: Yes. Jane Curry: …the patriarchy, to see that working from home is, it can work. Kathy Lette: Because that's another big sexist trope. You know, that society expects women to raise children as though we don't work as well. Jane Curry: That's why I started my own business. Yes. Because when I told my boss I was expecting. The very first thing he said to me was, well, you can't work part-time. That's what he said to me. And I was the managing director at the time, and I actually miscarried that baby. So it gave me a little window to get out from under. So that's when I went to Macmillan because Ross Gibb, who's just retired from publishing, he said over lunch at Machiavelli's – because publishing still has a few lunches – I told him the story and he said, Jane, you can work part-time for me. He's lovely any day. Kathy Lette: He lovely. He was my publisher for a while. Jane Curry: So that's why I went to Macmillan. Because people say, why did you go from being a managing director to being a publisher? And I did that because Ross said, you can work for me any day. He saw the value of female talent. Kathy Lette: Yeah. Yes. Jane Curry: So I had a fantastic year, few years. What about seven years at Macmillan whilst I had my two boys. I'm like, Kathy Lette: See, revenge, revenge! Fabulous. I think the reason women are drawn, I've them… Jean Kittson: …outlive them! Kathy Lette: I think the reason women are drawn to revenge is it's sweet, but totally non fattening – fabulous. Jane Curry: It is, it is. So Ross Gibbs – we do have our allies. Kathy Lette: We do, we do. And it's been important to say that… Jane Curry: …yes… Kathy Lette: …that of course there are great men who do support us and want the best for us. But we need more, we need more men, at the barricades. I've been saying the same feminist things – Jean and I have been saying the same thing through our comedy since we were teenagers, and we still don’t have equal pay. So we need men to get on the barricades with us and say, enough, you know, we, we need equality, we need it now. And I often say, some men challenge me when I'm on tour and they'll say, you know, you feminists are asking for too much. And I'm like, are we, are we really asking for too much equal pay? We'd like men to help us more around the house, which is in their interest. Is it scientifically proven? No woman ever shot a husband while he's vacuuming. We'd like them to do the odd sensitive thing with snow peas in the kitchen, because the weight to a woman's heart through her stomach. Not aiming too high. Jane Curry: Because I've got boys who are now in their 20s, so I've looked at it through that, you know, men's mental health, they don't want to always be the strong and the tough ones. Kathy Lette: No. Feminism works for men as well. Jane Curry: Yes. That's the thing. Exactly. They're allowed to have emotions… Kathy Lette: …and not have the pressure to be the breadwinner and all of that. Jane Curry: Yeah. So I see it, you know, having raised boys as a feminist, you know, to make sure that we can have open discussions. And, yeah, I'd like to think that they're well on the way to being good allies. But yeah, it is a brutal world out there. So I just think we do have to look out for each other and I'm really thrilled to be working with young women, again. Jean Kittson: To sum up this fantastic conversation, which could go on for hours, um, how would you, uh, what is the main message you like to say to people over 50 who are confronted by ageism or sexism, and how do they find it in them, the courage to stop that voice going, maybe I am too old. Kathy Lette: Well, I would say carpe diem, like there's no tomorrow. You know, tempus is fugiting – if not now, when, and you know. One of my mottoes is adventure before dementia. Not that I'm making light of that terrible disease, but you never know what's around the corner. So there's no time to waste. Be… have as much fun and frivolity. Be as outrageous as you can possibly be because you know, this is your last big hurrah. You know… Jean Kittson: Be assertive now! Kathy Lette: Yes, don't have any qualms. Just, you know, tap dance on that tabletop. Jane Curry: When I've had moments of self-doubt, I get moving. Not necessarily tap dancing, but get active, lift weights, go to the gym, run, walk the dog – dark clouds, gather. That's what I'd say if I was in that frame of mind and wondering how the world was going to greet me, I'd take the world on and get active, get those endorphins flowing. Because then you feel so much better. Kathy Lette: And also lean into the sisterly comradery. Jane Curry: Yes. Kathy Lette: Go out with your girlfriend as often. Which Jean and I do. Jean Kittson: Yes. Find beautiful women like yourselves and ring them up or have a glass of champagne. Kathy Lette: Yes. The human wonder bras uplifting, supportive, and make each other look bigger and better. Which is what Jean has done for us today. Thank you. Jean Kittson: Oh no, you two have, you've both been fantastic been great fun. Thank you so much. What a great conversation. Kathy Lette: Thank you Jean. Jean Kittson: Thanks. Kathy Lette: Sisterhood rules. ALL: Sisterhood Rules! Jean Kittson: Thank you to Kathy Lette and Jane Curry. You've been listening to DARE: The Time of Your Life, brought to you by Australian seniors. Please leave a review and share this show with someone you know. Visit seniors.com au/podcast for more episodes. I’m Jean Kittson. Thank you. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode Sue checks out a fiendish Church-eating fungus, the mad lifecycle of Marine Midges and a potential orgasm fungus.This is episode 2 of series 5 of Nature Table - Miraculous Marine Midges and Church-Eating Fungus.‘Sue Perkins' Nature Table - possibly the funniest “natural science” series, ever.' Pick of the Week, The TelegraphRecorded at the Natural History Museum, this episode of Sue Perkins' ARIA-winning ‘Show and Tell' wildlife comedy features special guests: comedian Sara Pascoe, the Natural History Museum's Queen of flies Dr. Erica McAlister and Fungarium Collections Manager at Kew Gardens, Lee Davies.Nature Table has a simple clear goal: to positively celebrate our planet's wonderfully wild (and funny) flora and fauna in a fun accessible way... whilst always having a giggle.Hosted by: Sue Perkins Guests: Sara Pascoe, Dr. Erica McAlister, Lee Davies and Elizabeth. Written by: Jon Hunter and Jenny Laville. Additional material by: Jade Gebbie. Researcher: Catherine Beazley Executive Producer: James Robinson Sound Editor: Jerry Peal Music by: Ben Mirin Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls & Caroline Barlow Producer: Simon NichollsA BBC Studios Production for Radio 4.

Clive Anderson is joined by a giggle of comics or should that be a brace of jokers in the Loose Ends studio this week. Fawlty Towers creator John Cleese recalls being told his nascent sitcom - 50 years old this year - would fail if they didn't "get it out of the hotel more". Sue Perkins describes the urge to get out on a stand up tour again after a decade presenting shows from Great British Bake Off to Just a Minute, her show is called The Eternal Shame of Sue Perkins - what could be so embarrassing? Judi Love is on our screens practically daily - on ITV's Loose Women or shows from Taskmaster to The Wheel but she too is drawn to the stage - what gives? Meanwhile Hugh Dennis is not on tour, but he's on stage, as Rev Chasuble in the National Theatre's production of The Importance of Being Earnest - he may not be planning to go all churchy but he does feel right at home in clerical garb. With music from Editors front man Tom Smith with a track from his forthcoming album There Is Nothing In The Dark That Isn't There In The Light and from Natalie Duncan Trio with her new single Breakaway before her London Jazz Festival gig.Produced by Olive Clancy

Mel Giedroyc is Gyles's special guest on this episode; and she talks about her amazing family story. Her father and his family were taken from Eastern Poland to Siberia by the Russians in 1939 - Mel's grandfather was shot, but her grandmother, dad and aunts made an extraordinary journey and eventually reached London, where Mel's father settled and met her mother. It's a fascinating, moving and sometimes shocking tale, and a very special edition of Rosebud. Mel also talks about meeting Sue Perkins at Cambridge, about being flashed at in Italy, and about her love of walking holidays. Mel Giedroyc is the host of the brilliant Where There's a Will There's a Wake podcast, in which guests plan their perfect funeral and talk about the manner in which they're going to meet their maker. It's a surprisingly uplifting podcast about death and is highly recommended. Enjoy this. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It's mostly lollipops, ribbons and cakes for Clive Anderson this week as he meets Bake Off host Mel Giedroyc, Jane Austen improviser Rachel Parris and Romantic Novelist Mike Gayle (the only man to win the Romantic Writers Association's top award). But not all....Mel Giedroyc's new podcast - and she emphasises it's a comedy one - is taking over from Kathy Burke on Where There's a Will There's a Wake - all about death, funerals and everything in between. She reveals how she and Sue Perkins met and unsurprisingly enough it was love-friends at first sight. Rachel Parris is taking Austentacious, her improv show based on Jane Austen, on the road and to Edinburgh Fringe again. She explains why nothing quite hits the spot like Jane. But she's also written a novel based on the romance between Pride and Prejudice character Charlotte Lucas and Mr Collins. And reader, Eliza Bennett does not come out of this well. Mike Gayle is the only man the Romantic Writers Association has bestowed its Outstanding Achievement Award upon and is a bestselling novelist. He describes his favourite reader letter from when he worked as an Agony Uncle for Bliss Magazine back in the day.All accompanied by the glorious sound of Debbie Wiseman's music for the TV series Wolf Hall, played by the composer herself with the Locrian Ensemble of London, soprano Grace Davidson and Alec Harmon on Cor Anglais.Presented by Clive Anderson Producer Olive Clancy

We're really delighted that Sue Perkins is our guest on Rosebud this week, and this is a special conversation. Gyles and Sue have known and worked with each other for years on shows like Radio 4's Just a Minute, which Sue now hosts, so this conversation about Sue's first memories, family history, childhood and student days is intimate, honest, and at times very moving. Sue tells Gyles about her childhood, growing up in a close but slightly sheltered family in south London. She tells Gyles about being left-handed, about playing the flute and about her first boyfriend. She talks about how she defied her teachers' predictions by getting a place at Cambridge, and about the life-changing friends she made there. She talks about coming out and about finding herself. Thank you very much to Sue for your warmth, your wit and for your wonderful stories. Cue the music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

We're really delighted that Sue Perkins is our guest on Rosebud this week, and this is a special conversation. Gyles and Sue have known and worked with each other for years on shows like Radio 4's Just a Minute, which Sue now hosts, so this conversation about Sue's first memories, family history, childhood and student days is intimate, honest, and at times very moving. Sue tells Gyles about her childhood, growing up in a close but slightly sheltered family in south London. She tells Gyles about being left-handed, about playing the flute and about her first boyfriend. She talks about how she defied her teachers' predictions by getting a place at Cambridge, and about the life-changing friends she made there. She talks about coming out and about finding herself. Thank you very much to Sue for your warmth, your wit and for your wonderful stories. Cue the music. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Ray O'Leary is a comedian and writer. The Kiwi comic known for his deadpan delivery and iconic grey suit, Ray has been nominated two years running for Best Male Comedian by the New Zealand Comedy Guild, and in 2022 he picked up a win for Best Joke and Best TV Comedy Performance, after being nominated for Best TV Comedy Performance the previous three years. Additionally, he has been twice nominated for New Zealand Comedy Festival's prestigious Billy T James Award. His razor-sharp wit has seen him perform across both sides of the Tasman and tour sold-out runs in Christchurch, and Auckland & Wellington as part of the New Zealand Comedy Festival. He has also performed alongside top comedic talent including Flight of the Conchords and Rhys Darby. Ray is a staple on Australasian television screens and can be seen on Ten's Have You Been Paying Attention?, Thank God You're Here, Cheap Seats, and SBS' Patriot Brains, hosted by the UK's Bill Bailey and Sue Perkins. He is a regular writer for Cheap Seats, Have You Been Paying Attention? and in NZ, Ray regularly appears and writes for 7 Days, Have You Been Paying Attention and much more. Ray can be heard on the philosophy podcast Socrates Walks Into A Bar, which won Best Comedy Podcast at the NZ Podcast Awards in 2022. He was also a regular on The Spinoff's hit Dungeons and Dragons podcast Waterdeep Mountain High. In 2023, Ray made his Australian debut to sold out audiences with his new show, Everything Funny All The Time Always and was nominated for Best Newcomer at the Melbourne International Comedy Festival. Ray continued a string of sold out shows throughout New Zealand and added to his TV credits as a contestant on season 4 of Taskmaster NZ. In 2024, Ray returned to the live stage, touring the UK with Melanie Bracewell and followed up with his new show, Your Laughter Is Just Making Me Stronger, throughout Australia, New Zealand and Edinburgh Fringe Festival. He is currently touring his new show throughout the UK, Australia and New Zealand. ‘Laughter? I Hardly Know Her' is sure to be another smash hit for the comedy legend in the two-piece suit and then, he can get back to passing on the message he promised to keep. We chat about being a part of the new wave of NZ comedy, Thank God You're Here, his magical suit, moving to Australia, jealousy and insecurity, success, working in prison correction policy, Wil Anderon's kindness, nerves & anxiety, his comedy voice and his master's in philosophy. Check Ray out on: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rayolearycomedy https://www.facebook.com/rayolearycomedy https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCjNiWfFOMy0K9Ukzo5RAwrA  Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@rayolearycomedy  X/ Twitter: https://x.com/rayolearycomedy Comedy tickets: https://www.livenation.com.au/ray-o-leary-tickets-adp1406844 ------------------------------------------- Follow @Funny in Failure on Instagram and Facebook https://www.instagram.com/funnyinfailure/ https://www.facebook.com/funnyinfailure/ and @Michael_Kahan on Insta & Twitter to keep up to date with the latest info. https://www.instagram.com/michael_kahan/ https://twitter.com/Michael_Kahan

Nick and Angela welcome one of their favourite comics to Dish HQ. Broadcaster, comedian, writer and conductor Sue Perkins was born in South London. A Cambridge University graduate, Sue's journey into comedy began when she joined the prestigious Footlights, where she met her friend Mel Giedroyc. The duo quickly made a name for themselves, hosting Channel 4's Late Lunch and Light Lunch in the nineties, while also writing for the legendary French & Saunders and, later, Absolutely Fabulous in 2003. Her biggest TV job to date came in 2010, when she and Mel cohosted The Great British Bake Off for seven wildly successful series. Outside of television, Sue's broadcasting credentials include hosting Britain's best-loved radio comedy Just A Minute on BBC Radio 4. You can watch her new TV show Chess Masters: The Endgame on BBC iPlayer and listen to her new podcast Mel and Sue: Should Know By Now on Audlibe.  Nick pours Sue a Botivo, a non-alcoholic aperitivo, to start, while Angela prepares a mouthwatering Malaysian prawn laksa curry. The experts at Waitrose pair this with a La Val albariño and for dessert Angela makes Sue her favourite black forest gateau. Nick and Angela are (in their words) giddy at the sight of Sue Perkins sitting opposite them and our trio collapse into fits of laughter throughout this conversation. Sue loves to cook and recounts her best and worst food moments. She also talks about the time she met a shaman in a hot tub, and listen out for her incredible response to the End of Show Question. You can now watch full episodes of Dish on YouTube  All recipes from this podcast can be found at waitrose.com/dishrecipes A transcript for this episode can be found at waitrose.com/dish We can't all have a Michelin star chef in the kitchen, but you can ask Angela for help. Send your dilemmas to dish@waitrose.co.uk and she'll try to answer them in a future episode. Dish is a S:E Creative Studio production for Waitrose Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Scott Bryan and Hayley Campbell join Leila Nathoo to talk about Adolescence, Fear, A Cruel Love: The Ruth Ellis story and Chess Masters: The Endgame.

Sue Perkins and Katherine Denkinson return as Samantha Cookes (aka Carrie Jade Williams) has her day in court. After spending 8 months in a prison cell, on 19th February 2025 Samantha went before a judge..but the hearing ended abruptly after a surprise interruption.To keep up with the podcast, follow us on social media @carriejadepod and If you have a story to share, email us at carriejadedoesnotexist@gmail.comIf you need support, here are some resources:For mental health support: https://www.mind.org.ukFor mental health support, call the Samaritans: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sue Perkins challenges Tony Hawks, Ian Smith, Zoe Lyons and Charlotte Ritchie to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation. Subjects include Getting Butterflies, Bottling it, and a Desire for Revenge.Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Sound Editor: Marc Willcox Producer: Rajiv Karia An EcoAudio certified production.A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4.

Sue Perkins and Katherine Denkinson are back with a short update on Samantha Cookes (aka Carrie Jade Williams). Since her arrest on July 12th this year, Samantha has been awaiting the details of her charges and now Kat and Sue have more information to share on what's next for Carrie Jade. Sue and Kat would like to ask listeners not to publicly speculate on her guilt, or post anything that could prejudice the outcome of the trial.To keep up with the podcast, follow us on social media @carriejadepod and If you have a story to share, email us at carriejadedoesnotexist@gmail.com Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this first episode of a new series, ducks' super vaginas and a meteorite that's the key to how life on Earth started wow the team.For this new series of Sue Perkins' ARIA-winning ‘Show and Tell' wildlife comedy, Team Nature Table have recorded at the Natural History Museum, Kew Gardens – for some botanical specials – and London Zoo.Starting the series off, we're at the Natural History Museum. Sue is joined by special guests: comedian Desiree Burch, science writer Jules Howard and the NHM's curator of meteorites Dr. Natasha Almeida.Our varied subjects include: Dogs, a meteorite that can explain how life started on Earth, Ducks' vaginas (with Sue studying one up close courtesy of a VR headset) and moon rock.Nature Table has a simple clear brief: to positively celebrate and promote the importance of all our planet's wonderfully wild flora and fauna in a fun and easily grasped way... whilst at the same time having a giggle.Hosted by: Sue Perkins Guests: Desiree Burch, Natasha Almeida & Jules Howard Written by: Catherine Brinkworth, Jenny Laville & Jon Hunter Additional material by: Christina Riggs & Pete Tellouche Researcher: Catherine Beazley Executive Producer: Richard Morris Sound Recordist & Editor: Jerry Peal Music by: Ben Mirin Production Coordinator: Sarah Nicholls Producer: Simon NichollsAn EcoAudio certified production A BBC Studios Audio Production for Radio 4

Greg Jenner is joined by Professor Bill Sillar and comedian Sue Perkins to learn all about the South American Inca empire. At their height, the Inca controlled a vast territory from their base in Peru, one that stretched down the mountainous west coast of the continent, from Ecuador all the way down to Argentina. But the empire barely lasted for a century. Beginning in the mid-15th century, it fell in the 1530s with the arrival of Spanish conquistadores, led by Pizarro. This episode goes beyond famous sites like Machu Picchu and explores all aspects of Incan life, death – and taxes! Along the way, it takes in social and family structures, food and drink, religious practices, art and architecture. [The podcast version of this episode has been edited slightly to amend an incorrect reference to the weight of the stones carried from Cuzco to Ecuador]This is a radio edit of the original podcast episode. For the full-length version, please look further back in the feed.Research by: Andrew Himmelberg Written by: Andrew Himmelberg, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Caitlin Hobbs Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse

In the past few months Kat Denkinson and Sue Perkins have uncovered all kinds of evidence from victims of Carrie Jade's antics, but there are still some stories which have not yet been told. In episode 8 they take a deeper look at her past and fill in some of the blanks in the story of her life in Ireland. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Jodie Lancet-Grant is the author of The Pirate Mums and The Marvellous Doctors for Magical Creatures. and The Legend of the Wild West Twins, The Pirate Mums made history as the first book with a two-mum family to be read as a Cbeebies Bedtime Story, when it appeared in 2021, read by Sue Perkins. In her day job, she is Associate Publisher at Bluebird, Pan Macmillan, where she commissions high-profile non-fiction books. Jodie is the chair of judges for the Polari Prize for Children's Books, which celebrates LGBTQ+ books and creatives. She lives in East London with her wife and their twin daughters.  Support the Show.Thank you for listening. If you enjoyed this podcast, please support us by subscribing to our channel. And if you are interested in the books we have featured, purchasing from our online bookshop Bestbooksforschools.comIn the Reading Corner is presented by Nikki Gamble, Director of Just Imagine. It is produced by Alison Hughes.Follow us on Youtube for more author events YouTube.com/@nikkigamble1For general news and updates, follow us on Twitter @imaginecentreFull details about the range of services we provide can be found on our website www.justimagine.co.uk

2022 Carrie Jade Williams disappeared after the lies she told unravelled online. Then, 4 months after our last episode, an email “I've just come across your podcast as this woman has been in our community...she has been exposed as a fake person yesterday…"Sue Perkins and Katherine Denkinson are back with an update on the mysterious life of Carrie Jade Williams and her multiple identities, as the investigation continues to uncover the ramifications that Carrie's lies are having on families. Kat and Sue discuss how the increasing costs, pressures and problems relating to childcare provision might be allowing Carrie to continue to tell her bold lies, with a new identity.To keep up with the podcast, follow us on social media @carriejadepod and If you have a story to share, email us at carriejadedoesnotexist@gmail.comIf you need support, here are some resources:For mental health support: https://www.mind.org.ukFor mental health support, call the Samaritans: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode, Greg Jenner is joined by Professor Bill Sillar and comedian Sue Perkins to learn all about the South American Inca empire. At their height, the Inca controlled a vast territory from their base in Peru, one that stretched down the mountainous west coast of the continent, from Ecuador all the way down to Argentina. But the empire barely lasted for a century. Beginning in the mid-fifteenth century, it fell in the 1530s with the arrival of Spanish conquistadores, led by Pizarro. This episode goes beyond famous sites like Machu Picchu and explores all aspects of Inca life, death – and taxes! Along the way, it takes in social and family structures, food and drink, religious practices, art and architecture.Research by: Andrew Himmelberg Written by: Andrew Himmelberg, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner Produced by: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow and Greg Jenner Audio Producer: Steve Hankey Production Coordinator: Caitlin Hobbs Senior Producer: Emma Nagouse

Now wait a minute. We can feel the Internet quaking with excitement over today's guest. We're thrilled to welcome none other than Felicia Day to The Carriage House! You know Felicia from her many TV appearances on everything from BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER to EUREKA to SUPERNATURAL to MST3K. You can hear her most recent project, a hilarious fantasy-humor original podcast, THIRD EYE, on Audible! Felicia joins us to give advice on transitioning out of a teaching career, how to know when you've met the right person, and how to deal with a cackling hag at work. Did you miss Lonely Hearts Live this past weekend? Well first of all, shame on you, but second of all it's still available to stream! Don't miss all the fun we had with our special guests Sue Perkins and Jason Mantzoukas! Stream at askronnalive.com February's AR Social Club cocktail is a REAL treat, pardon me, filled with citrus and sunshine. Join us for March and end winter on a high note! arsocialclub.com Sponsors: Get exceptionally high quality essentials at a price within reach with Quince. Go to quince.com/ronna for free shipping and a 365 day return window! Need convenient and affordable therapy? BetterHelp can help! Go to betterhelp.com/ronna for 10% off your first month. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Ronna's a bit under the weather today, so do forgive her weak voice. She caught something while she was in New York last week, but she couldn't be more excited to join (Bryan) for this week's spectacular guest. Joining us in The Carriage House is Amanda Hirsch! She's the host of the fabulous podcast NOT SKINNY BUT NOT FAT, your home for everything pop culture, celebrity gossip, and reality TV recaps. Amanda helps us give advice on dealing with a valued employee's VERY presumptuous wife and how to politely tell your family you're not staying with them when you visit. It's this week! Tickets are on sale for our Lonely Hearts LIVE Show happening this Saturday, February 10, at 5pm ET / 2pm PT. We've got an incredible lineup of special guests including the incomparable Sue Perkins and the hilarious Jason Mantzoukas. Let's be real: you do NOT want to miss this! askronnalive.com We're flying south for the winter for this month's AR Social Club cocktail....real Bird of Paradise territory, excuse me. We can't WAIT to share it with our members. Missing out? You are if you're not a member! Join us for March at arsocialclub.com  Sponsors: Blueland is on a mission to eliminate single-use plastic by reinventing cleaning essentials to be better for you and the planet. Go to blueland.com/ronna for 15% off your first order. Thrive Market is our go-to for all of our grocery and household essentials because they carry brands with the highest quality ingredients and sourcing methods. Go to thrivemarket.com/ronna for 30% off your first order plus a FREE $60 gift! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We're having a little break for Christmas, but to keep you entertained over the festive period, here's a blast from the gigcast past. Jen's chosen a cracker - pun intended - from 2017, just as we were about to launch the podzine. In it, the Boss - Sarah Millican - and Mick, play host to Sue Perkins, Zoe Ball and Cariad Lloyd.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/standardissuespodcast. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Here's the first episode of another podcast from the producers of The Moon Under Water. Carrie Jade Does Not Exist is the story of how one woman, who took on over six different identities, infiltrated the lives of vulnerable people, and lied her way into gaining their trust. Sue Perkins and journalist Katherine Denkinson will tell the story of how Carrie built up a picture-perfect persona and scammed her way into the literary world until she finally got tangled up in her very own web of lies. Listen to the full six-part series wherever you get your podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2022, Carrie Jade Williams disappeared out of sight. After years of travelling around Ireland befriending and then scamming vulnerable women, Kat's investigation came out and Carrie Jade's house of cards fell apart. So... where is "Carrie Jade" now? In this episode, Sue Perkins and Katherine Denkinson speak to some of the people who knew Carrie Jade the best and then they try to hear her side of the story...To keep up with the podcast, follow us on social media @carriejadepod and If you have a story to share, email us at carriejadedoesnotexist@gmail.comIf you need support, here are some resourcesFor mental health support: https://www.mind.org.uk For mental health support, call the Samaritans: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help For child loss: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/ For grief support: https://www.griefencounter.org.uk/get-support/support-services/helpline/ For more information on Huntington's: https://www.hda.org.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Sue Perkins and Katherine Denkinson delve into Carrie Jade's mysterious life to find out what compels a compulsive liar and investigate the ramifications that Carrie's lies had on the people who once trusted her.To keep up with the podcast, follow us on social media @carriejadepod and If you have a story to share, email us at carriejadedoesnotexist@gmail.comThe finale of Carrie Jade Does Not Exist comes out on Thursday 30th November. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

While the ladies are taking a little break, we've got a brand new podcast to keep you company! Carrie Jade Does Not Exist is the story of how one woman, who took on over six different identities, infiltrated the lives of vulnerable people, and lied her way into gaining their trust. Sue Perkins and journalist Katherine Denkinson will tell the story of how Carrie built up a picture-perfect persona and scammed her way into the literary world until she finally got tangled up in her very own web of lies.Listen to the full six-part series wherever you get your podcasts! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

So far we've met Lucy Fitzwilliam the therapist, Carrie Jade the activist, Lucy Hart the au pair, Claudia Bronwyn the bridesmaid, and Rebecca Fitzgerald the autism therapist. But before all of these identities, there was just one woman, Samantha. In this episode, Sue Perkins and Katherine Denkinson uncover the true story of Samantha Cookes, a woman whose life was changed by an unimaginable tragedy.To keep up with the podcast, follow us on social media @carriejadepod and If you have a story to share, email us at carriejadedoesnotexist@gmail.comNew episodes on Tuesdays & ThursdaysIf you need support, here are some resourcesFor mental health support: https://www.mind.org.uk For mental health support, call the Samaritans: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help For child loss: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/ For grief support: https://www.griefencounter.org.uk/get-support/support-services/helpline/ For more information on Huntingtons: https://www.hda.org.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

When Lucy Hart, a smiley 26-year-old from the UK arrived in Tullamore Ireland in 2014, she seemed like the perfect au pair. But the truth behind Lucy's life before she became an au pair spanned two countries, three children and a long history of lies.In this episode, Sue Perkins and Katherine Denkinson hear stories from the women who hired Lucy to look after their children and dive deep into a story stranger and darker than anybody could have predicted to investigate the woman behind the identity of Lucy Hart.To keep up with the podcast, follow us on social media @carriejadepod and If you have a story to share, email us at carriejadedoesnotexist@gmail.comNew episodes on Tuesdays & ThursdaysIf you need support, here are some resourcesFor mental health support: https://www.mind.org.uk For mental health support, call the Samaritans: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help For child loss: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/ For grief support: https://www.griefencounter.org.uk/get-support/support-services/helpline/ For more information on Huntingtons: https://www.hda.org.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Who would you entrust your children with? How would you feel if you found out that the woman looking after your kids wasn't qualified to provide the therapy she claimed to be an expert in?In this episode, Sue Perkins and Katherine Denkinson meet Lucy and Rebecca, mysterious child therapists who moved to small towns in Ireland claiming to be therapists for disabled children. But Lucy and Rebeca weren't who they said they were, and the story behind the 'therapy' they provided was much darker than anybody could have predicted.To keep up with the podcast, follow us on social media @carriejadepod and If you have a story to share, email us at carriejadedoesnotexist@gmail.comNew episodes on Tuesdays & ThursdaysIf you need support, here are some resourcesFor mental health support: https://www.mind.org.uk For mental health support, call the Samaritans: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help For child loss: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/ For grief support: https://www.griefencounter.org.uk/get-support/support-services/helpline/ For more information on Huntington's: https://www.hda.org.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In 2021, Carrie Jade Williams posted a video saying she was being sued by her AirBnB guests for the disability aids in her home. She went viral on TikTok, won a prestigious literary essay competition, and branded herself as a disability activist living with Huntington's Disease. But Carrie Jade wasn't who she said she was.In Episode 1, Sue Perkins meets Katherine Denkinson, the journalist who uncovered the astounding truth behind the real life of Carrie Jade Williams. Then they dive into an online rabbit hole to learn about the twists, turns and outrageous lies behind that video and Carrie Jade's life.To keep up with the podcast, follow us on social media @carriejadepod and If you have a story to share, email us at carriejadedoesnotexist@gmail.comNew episodes on Tuesdays & ThursdaysIf you need support, here are some resourcesFor mental health support: https://www.mind.org.uk For mental health support, call the Samaritans: 116 123 https://www.samaritans.org/how-we-can-help For child loss: https://www.childbereavementuk.org/ For grief support: https://www.griefencounter.org.uk/get-support/support-services/helpline/ For more information on Huntingtons: https://www.hda.org.uk/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Ham Hand versus Suncream Armpit - It's another compilation of favourite answers to classic EQs and this one has a star-studded cast of funny people musing over whether they want pig meat digits or a protective layer of screening shooting out their armpit nozzl, including Adam Buxton, Sue Perkins, Mr and Mrs Coren-Mitchell and Rebecca Front. Which would you choose? (rhetorical)SUPPORT THE SHOW!Come and see us live GIGSWatch our TWITCH CHANNELSee extra content at our WEBSITE Become a member at https://plus.acast.com/s/rhlstp. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Carrie Jade Does Not Exist is the story of how one woman, who took on over six different identities, infiltrated the lives of vulnerable people, and lied her way into gaining their trust. This six-part series hosted by Sue Perkins and journalist Katherine Denkinson will tell the story of how Carrie built up a picture-perfect persona and scammed her way into the literary world until she finally got tangled up in her very own web of lies. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Gang, it's Sue Perkins on this week's episode of the Taskmaster Podcast! Ed and Sue talk Fish Sausages/ Cakes, Sue's moment of genius bursting the balloon and why she loved being in a team with life long friend Susan Wokoma. Watch all of Taskmaster on All 4www.channel4.com/programmes/taskmasterVisit the Taskmaster Store for all your TM goodies!taskmasterstore.com Visit the Taskmaster YouTube Channelyoutube.com/taskmaster Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

It is easy to be envious of Mel Giedroyc's career. A comedian, actress and a TV presenter who is never off the telly and with good reason, because audiences love her and rightly so. With her long term partner in comedy, Sue Perkins, they presented the original Great British Bake Off to crown their everlasting careers but perhaps the most irrefutable proof of Mel's success is that she is not on Twitter. Mel G has been there, done it all and is a perfect guest to get her Take on life.

Now wait a minute. We're just getting right into it this week since you'd all rather spend the hour with our guests than with us, pardon me. Joining us in The Carriage House are none other than our DEAR friends Naomi Ekperigin and Andy Beckerman! If you're not listening to their smash hit podcast COUPLES THERAPY, then we don't know what you're doing with your life. Naomi and Andy help us give advice on competing wedding dates, dealing with a friend who asks you for more than you can handle, and what to do when you've been in love with your best friend since 7th grade. How amazing is this episode? Andy gives it 10/10 Yentls! By popular demand, our London LIVE show streaming has been extended! If you missed it in person, you can still watch our incredibly fun evening with Sue Perkins, Edd Kimber, and Gearóid Farrelly through Friday July 28 at 11:59pm UK time. Go to askronnalive.com for details! Does your summer need some glamour? We can help! We're still accepting members for August's AR Social Club. Become a member to get a fabulous curated cocktail delivered to your doorstep every month or, if you just want to dip your toe in, buy a one-off box to see what you're missing. arsocialclub.com Sponsor: How many subscriptions have you signed up for and completely forgotten about? If you're like us, A LOT. Rocket Money can help! Go to rocketmoney.com/askronna to find and cancel unwanted subscriptions today. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Now wait a minute. Ronna's Ashkenazi sneeze reflex is tingling, and (Bryan) is jet lagged like you wouldn't believe, but we've got a FABULOUS show this week. Joining us in The Carriage House is none other than actor, writer, and comedian Connor Ratliff! You know Connor from his smash hit podcast DEAD EYES about being fired by Tom Hanks. He's also got not one, not two, but THREE shows coming up at the Edinburgh Fringe this August based on his delightfully quirky creation THE GEORGE LUCAS TALK SHOW. Catch it on YouTube. Connor helps us give advice on dealing with a newly discovered family secret and how to get a partner to break a terribly annoying phone habit. It's almost here! Ronna (& Bryan) will be LIVE in London THIS FRIDAY 14 July! Join us at Kings Place at 19:30 for fun, advice, games, and prizes with special guests Sue Perkins, Edd Kimber, and Gearóid Farrelly. Can't make it in person? Don't worry! You can also stream the show at your convenience from home until 21 July. All information at askronnalive.com The dog days of summer are fast approaching, and there's no better way to refresh yourself after a hot day than with a spectacular cocktail creation from AR Social Club. We've got an incredible drink planned for August, and you won't want to miss it. arsocialclub.com Sponsor: Find doctors in your area on your own schedule and who take your insurance. It's a snap! Go to zocdoc.com/askronna to download the app today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sue Perkins and Dr Lucy Worsley join Greg Jenner to discuss the life of world-famous novelist, Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie is arguably the greatest ever crime novelist but her work has also permeated film, theatre and television over the past century. Christie also lived during an extraordinary period of modern history. Her life encompassed the end of the Victorian era, the two world wars and ended at the age of 85 in 1976. There was also much more to Christie the person: from unexpected sporting hobbies to a romantic life that had its fair share of heartbreak and harmony; her life off the page is as interesting as her novels are on it. For the full-length version of this episode, please look further back in the feed. Research by Jessica Honey Written by Emma Nagouse, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Jessica Honey and Greg Jenner Produced by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner Assistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow Project Management: Isla Matthews Audio Producer: Steve Hankey

Of thee we sing! What better way to celebrate Independence Day than by counting down the days until we go back to the place we broke away from? We're just ten short days away from Ronna (& Bryan) LIVE in London, but until then, we've got a STELLAR Carriage House Catch-Up this week. After some top notch Austria travel advice (Ronna's got you covered if you ever visit, excuse me), we give advice on a roommate situation that needs to be heard to be believed and on working to accept yourself after pandemic weight gain. It's coming! July 14th in London at 19:30. Join us for our first ever LIVE and IN-PERSON event at Kings Place. We'll be joined by special guests Sue Perkins, Edd Kimber, and Gearóid Farrelly, pardon me, and we've got advice to give and prizes to give away. You won't want to miss it! And if you can't be there in person, you can still stream it from home! Go to askronnalive.com for all the details. Summer's in full swing, and there's no better way to class up your summer barbecues than with a top notch bar to impress your guests. Join AR Social Club for August to ring in the dog days of summer right. arsocialclub.com Sponsor: Rocket Money helps find and cancel unwanted subscriptions that you may not even know you have! Go to rocketmoney.com/askronna to get started today! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Recorded live on stage in London, Trish and Lorraine chat to TV presenter and therapist Anna Richardson about turning 50, getting over her break up with Sue Perkins and finding love with a new man. She also shares her wisdom and professional advice on a host of midlife dilemmas - but you'll have to listen in to find out what made the audience gasp! Plus! Travel special: Join Lorraine and Trish gadding about on their girls getaway in Brighton, in partnership with Sawdays. Check out our dedicated midlife travel site here.Contact us: hello@postcardsfrommidlife.comFollow us on Instragram: @postcardsfrommidlifeJoin our private Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/681448662400206/Listen to Anna Richardson's new podcast, It Can't Just Be Me, here: https://link.chtbl.com/AnnaIf you enjoyed this episode we would really appreciate it if you would rate and review us subscribe, or simply spread the word! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The lovely Sue Perkins joins Margaret Cabourn-Smith this week to talk about her crushes - from  high-kicking, back-flipping martial artists to wise-cracking Marion Ravenwood - Indiana Jones's brilliant love interest in Raiders of the Lost Ark.  It's a brilliant, funny and occasionally moving conversation - hope you love it as much as we do.  As always, do feel free to get in touch on Twitter and don't forget to follow us on Substack - @crushedbymcs or crushedbymcs.substack.com We love to hear from you!  Til next time, Team Crushed xx

Broadcaster and Comedian Sue Perkins on taking hallucinogenics in Bolivia, being diagnosed with ADHD and a brain tumour and why you should shake yourself out of your comfort zone in middle age.

Sue Perkins and Dr Lucy Worsley join Greg Jenner to discuss the life of world-famous novelist, Agatha Christie. Agatha Christie is arguably the greatest ever crime novelist but her work has also permeated film, theatre and television over the past century. Christie also lived during an extraordinary period of modern history. Her life encompassed the end of the Victorian era, the two world wars and ended at the age of 85 in 1976. There was also much more to Christie the person: from unexpected sporting hobbies to a romantic life that had its fair share of heartbreak and harmony; her life off the page is as interesting as her novels are on it. Research by Jessica Honey Written by Emma Nagouse, Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow, Jessica Honey and Greg Jenner Produced by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner Assistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow Project Management: Isla Matthews Audio Producer: Steve Hankey You're Dead To Me is a production by The Athletic for BBC Radio 4.

Sue Perkins challenges Paul Merton, Felicity Ward, Ivo Graham and Josie Lawrence to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation. The long-running Radio 4 national treasure of a parlour game is back for a new series with subjects this week ranging from The Letter Q to Chaise Longue. Production co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow Sound editor: Marc Willcox Producer: Rajiv Karia A BBC Studios Production

Eleanor Morton talks cartoon crushes, actors who weren't problematic in the 80s but sure are now, and the Yeo Valley Yoghurt Boys with fellow crush addict Margaret Cabourn-Smith. We had an absolute blast in The Swallow Theatre at Machynlleth Comedy Festival.  We gained a beautiful embroidered logo from the lovely @purplestrawbs1 (follow her on Twitter for some gorgeous embroidered love of Taskmaster and Three Bean Salad); found a jar of pickle that went out of date three years ago; and gave a dog some merch.  r In fact we liked it so much we've just signed up to do another live show later in the year at the London Podcast Festival in September.  We will share a booking link when it's live. Margaret's Twitter woes continue - she's still locked out of her account, so do follow us on @crushedbymcs on Twitter, or give in to peer pressure and come and join the cult gang on Substack.  We have some great guests coming up in the next few weeks including Sue Perkins and Nish Kumar - so if you haven't already, hit the subscribe button and make sure you don't miss it.  Til next time! Team Crushed xx

Sue Perkins challenges Gyles Brandreth, Lucy Porter, Ria Lina and Rhys James to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation. The long-running Radio 4 national treasure of a parlour game returns this week with subjects ranging from Rap Battles to Prawn Cocktail. Production co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow Sound editor: Marc Willcox Producer: Rajiv Karia A BBC Studios Production

Today we are revisiting a brilliant chat with icon Sue Perkins. We're talking Harry Styles, leaving bake off, navigating identity politics around the dinner table and drunkenly sliding into Nicola Sturgeon's DM's. Plus, why was Sue Perkins cradling a hedgehog on Hampstead Heath at 5am?You can register here to watch our interview marathon with the likes of Jessie Ware, Joe Lycett and Daniel Foxx for FREE!

Today we are revisiting a brilliant chat with icon Sue Perkins. We're talking Harry Styles, leaving bake off, navigating identity politics around the dinner table and drunkenly sliding into Nicola Sturgeon's DM's. Plus, why was Sue Perkins cradling a hedgehog on Hampstead Heath at 5am?You can register here to watch our interview marathon with the likes of Jessie Ware, Joe Lycett and Daniel Foxx for FREE!

Sue Perkins challenges Paul Merton, Desiree Burch, Tony Hawks and Jan Ravens to speak for 60 seconds without repetition, deviation or hesitation. The long-running Radio 4 national treasure of a parlour game is back for a new series with subjects this week ranging from Alan Shearer to Westminster Abbey. Production co-ordinator: Caroline Barlow Sound editor: Marc Willcox Producer: Rajiv Karia A BBC Studios Production

Continuing our series of cultural highlights from the Intelligence Squared archive, we revisit the event The Power of Poetry, which saw actors Helena Bonham Carter and Jason Isaacs bringing the words of the great poets alive onstage. The event also featured William Sieghart telling the extraordinary story of his bestselling book, The Poetry Pharmacy, award-winning author Jeanette Winterson and presenter, comedian and writer Sue Perkins. ... Did you know that Intelligence Squared offers way more than podcasts? We've just launched a new online streaming platform Intelligence Squared+ and we'd love you to give it a go.  It's packed with more than 20 years' worth of video debates and conversations on the world's hottest topics. Tune in to live events, ask your questions or watch back on-demand totally ad-free with hours of discussion to dive into for just £14.99 a month. Visit intelligencesquaredplus.com to start watching today.  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Greg Jenner is joined by Prof Ebru Boyar and special guest Sue Perkins as they travel back 500 years to explore the Ottoman Empire. They take a look at the cultural richness and diversity of Istanbul through the ages, from law and order to what your sartorial choices said about you. Why was physical proximity to the throne vital for a son of a sultan and what surprising activity used to be enjoyed by the fearsome Ottoman Soldiers? They'll even take you to a Grand Circumcision Festival! You're Dead To Me is a production by The Athletic for BBC Radio 4. Research by Claudia Treacher and Genevieve Johnson-Smith Written and produced by Emma Nagouse and Greg Jenner Assistant Producer: Emmie Rose Price-Goodfellow Project Management: Siefe Miyo and Isla Matthews Audio Producer: Abi Paterson