This week's guest President is the wonderful Jenny Seagrove, acclaimed stage and screen actor, passionate animal welfare advocate!
So pull on your walking boots and join us for another ramble as President Seagrove guides us through three destinations selected entirely at random by Tony's enchanted bingo machine, a device that continues to demonstrate a remarkable ability to connect the seemingly unconnectable. Above it all hovers the omniscient voice of Sir Stephen Fry, keeping watch over proceedings as we set off into the unknown.
Our first stop is 367: Clubs. Now there's a challenge, because Jenny has never been especially fond of rules. Clubs, committees and organised membership schemes all seem suspiciously restrictive to a woman who prefers to make her own path through life. Nevertheless, what begins as a discussion about astronomy and stargazing soon takes an unexpected turn toward Everton Football Club and the extraordinary legacy of the late Bill Kenwright, Jenny's beloved partner. Along the way we ponder what clubs really mean: communities, shared passions, and the people whose influence can be felt long after they've left the room. It's all dangerously close to anarchy, which naturally suits the Rambling Club perfectly.
Next, we're off to 599.7: Wolverines. Fortunately, this turns out to be rather less niche than it first appears. Born in Kuala Lumpur and raised amidst the landscapes and wildlife of Malaysia, Jenny brings a lifelong love of animals to the conversation. Before long we're wandering through jungles, discussing remarkable encounters with creatures great and small, and hearing tales from a life spent championing animal welfare. There's also the small matter of Jenny once playing a nanny who turns into a tree, because this is the Rambling Club and such things must be accepted without question. Founder of the remarkable Mane Chance Sanctuary for rescued horses, Jenny speaks movingly about the animals she has cared for over the years, while somehow also finding time to extol the underrated pleasures of keeping chickens.
Our third and final destination is 819: Literature and Rhetoric (Not Used). Here we find ourselves deep in the world of theatre. Jenny recalls playing Gertrude opposite a Hamlet portrayed by Sir Ian McKellen, requiring audiences to exercise a healthy degree of theatrical imagination. From Shakespeare we move to Chekhov, discussing the challenge of bringing great texts to vibrant life, and whether questions of age, gender and convention really matter when it comes to casting. Which naturally leads to Jenny's long-held dream role: Malvolio. The Rambling Club can think of few people better suited to torment yellow stockings into theatrical immortality, and sincerely hopes somebody is taking notes.
And then it's back to the Presidential shed, where the chickens are roaming freely, the bingo machine is pretending innocence, and the rules, if there ever were any, have once again been quietly ignored.
Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club is a free-associating conversation, involving very special guests. It drops every Friday on every podcasting outlet known to man. We’d love it if you came along for the walk. If nothing else, it’ll help you get your steps in!
Presented by Paul Carmichael & Allan Lear
Music composed and performed by Michael Livesley & Andy Frizell
The voice of Pwfthhh- Michael Livesley
Series Researcher- Soula Carmichael
Series Producers- Erica Lear and Mark Hutchinson
Producers- Alan Dyebing & Stuart Morris
Series Executive Producer- Mark Strickson
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Official Website- www.tonyslattery.com
Twitter/X: @SlatteryLive
Instagram: tony_slattery_official
BlueSky: @ramblingclub
Jenny's Instagram: jseagrove2
Jenny's X: @springmeister
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