This week’s guest President is the splendid Paul Bazely, the actor best known to many as Troy Ramsbottom in Benidorm, but whose career has taken him everywhere from Doctor Who and Black Mirror to Pirates of the Caribbean, Star Wars and the National Theatre. He’s also a man who, as we shall discover, should probably be kept away from superglue and flat-pack furniture.
Tony’s enchanted bingo machine is warmed up, Sir Stephen Fry is standing by to provide his usual authoritative narration, and we’re off into the great outdoors for three rather unexpected destinations.
Our first number is 684 — Furniture and Home Workshops. Paul has always fancied himself as a bit of a carpenter, but enthusiasm and practical ability are, sadly, two very different things. There are childhood memories of his Uncle Ted’s shed, a spectacularly unsuccessful attempt to build a cardboard robot, and the small matter of becoming superglued to ones own decking. We also discover the perils of assembling a trampoline on Christmas Eve, why flat-pack furniture is really an elaborate test of a relationship, and why one should always have somebody nearby who can bring tea while ignoring the screams.
Our second destination is 387 — Water, Air and Space Transportation. From childhood dreams of travelling into space to the sobering prospect of spending years in what amounts to an airport on Mars, Paul has some thoughts on the future of humanity beyond our own planet. But he would much rather be near the sea, where swimming in cold water has become one of life’s great pleasures. Along the way, we talk about growing up in south-east London, discovering Manchester, and why there is considerably more to British culture than the South-East.
Finally, we arrive at 823 — English Fiction, which gives us an opportunity to talk about the craft of acting, the importance of finding the truth in a character, and the particular genius of British drama when it turns its attention to ordinary lives. Paul explains how a single detail from a writer can unlock an entire character, why even a pirate fighting mermaids is still a human being having a difficult day at work, and why the domestic worlds of Pinter, Chekhov and Shakespeare can contain absolutely everything.
So pull on your gloves and join us for a ramble through carpentry, space travel, the North, the mysteries of acting and the remarkable things that can happen when you let your imagination run away with you.
And then, as ever, it’s back to the Presidential Shed, hopefully without anybody having to be prised off the decking.
Paul's new podcast, A Life with Paul Carmichael, is out now on every podcast app!
iTunes-> https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/a-life-with-paul-carmichael/id6819710823
Spotify-> https://open.spotify.com/show/1aUTKyq2vZ1v9BGTEZCAmB?si=2Fc39XxgRsqzlhH6uaOb-Q&utm_source=copy-link
Presented by Paul Carmichael & Allan Lear with Sir Stephen Fry as the voice of the Bingo Machine.
Special Guest President: Paul Bazely
Music composed and performed by Michael Livesley & Andy Frizell
The voice of Pwfthhh- Michael Livesley
www.michaellivesley.com
Series Researcher- Soula Carmichael
Series Producers- Erica Lear and Mark Hutchinson
Producers- Alan Dyebing & Stuart Morris
Executive Producer- Mark Strickson
Join the rambling club and receive your club membership card, badges, exclusive content and access to early release episodes, an exclusive extra podcast you won't hear anywhere else and exclusive club-only perks!
www.patreon.com/SlatteryLive
Official Website- www.tonyslattery.com
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© Fanfaronade Productions 2026
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