Tales from the Celebrity Trenches

Best-selling author and legendary journalist Tony Parsons has spent 50 years in the trenches of celebrity, journalism and pop culture…and he’s got the stories to prove it.He joins Jamie to go right back to the beginning from answering an advert looking for “young gunslingers” at the NME to interviewing the Sex Pistols, Bowie, Fleetwood Mac and countless other icons during the most chaotic years of rock ’n’ roll.Tony tells us about his friendship with George Michael including the surprisingly generous deal the star insisted on giving him and reflects on what made George such a special person.He also talks about the phenomenal success of ‘Man & Boy’, the highs and lows of a career that has seen him become a multimillion-selling author and why even huge success doesn’t always mean you’re set for life.Tony lets us into what his new novel ‘Man & Dog’ has in store for us and why a dog could just change your life for the better.Welcome back to the celebrity trenches!

In honour of Beyoncé selling a commemorative bee box for over $900, Jamie East and Alice Brine dive headfirst into the bizarre world of celebrity merch. Who’s tried flogging the best, weirdest, & downright vile items to the fans over the years? You’ll be AMAZED by this.Also on our cultural radar - we unpack the new Netflix documentary about Olympic breakdancer ‘Raygun’. Was she the victim of online trolls or was under-performing at the world’s biggest sporting event too much of a culture shock for her?Also, Jamie has a LOT to say about ITV’s latest Saturday night TV show ‘The Box’, & starts his one-man campaign to bring back a Saturday night classic TV show!In fashion news, Harry Styles appears to have jacked Jamie’s look (no, really) and Alice discovers that arguing with Sydney Sweeney’s fans on the internet is a full-time job.Another week, another absolute state in the celebrity trenches. Welcome back trench dogs!

Jamie East and Alice Brine are back in the trenches with a preview of the Celebrity Traitors cast, and their predictions on who’s gonna smash it on the show. Plus, a revealing game about which one of the contestants Jamie or Alice could get on the phone in 30 seconds! Think: a showbiz ‘six degrees of separation’ with some VERY surprising results…!We preview Netflix’s latest reality TV show based on Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory. The big golden ticket prize? Unlimited money for life - but how much is that then? Also, how do we feel about OG Wonka film actor Gene Wilder’s voice being brought back by AI? And are we finally going to get some answers about the infamous milking of a giraffe?!Hollywood polymath Tom Hardy has got all bases covered: movie star, Jiu Jitsu fighter and now has a new career to share with us. Hands-up if you know what it is! Could Alice correctly guess what it was?!Jamie delves deep into his vault of classic showbiz stories to tell us about the time he ended up on the wrong side of Jeremy Clarkson. Oh, and we HAD to mention Vin Diesel’s truly *unforgettable* tribute to the late great Dolly Parton.Finally, Alice has unfinished business with Sydney Sweeney who recently tried wing-walking (standing on the wings of a biplane) while flying over Kent. Is Alice is just jealous? Or is wing-walking the new go-to celeb trend? YOU decide!All this, plus your Trench Dog voice notes, questionable questions and the usual showbiz tittle-tattle.Summer’s over, it's time to head back to the celebrity trenches!

This week Jamie East and Alice Brine dive head-first into the how’s, why’s & rumours surrounding Harry & Meghan (AKA The Sussexes’) planned return to the UK.Frank Ocean’s seminal album ‘Blonde’ turns 10, prompting a very important question: “which celebrities and artists just GET IT RIGHT every single time?” Frank, obvs. Jamie wants to tell you why!Also, are pop stars actually just glamorous content-making machines now? We ask whether artists are reinventing themselves because they want to… or because our attention-span is so short we get bored of them more easily?!Finally, we’re going BACK TO THE 90s! Hot on the heels of Jamie’s imaginary old skool dating TV format “Knocked-Up In The 90s” (listen back to last week’s show for the full story) you’ve been sharing your 90’s dating memories with us! (Or sometimes just wishing you were around then!) Think: phone numbers scribbled on toilet roll, spin the bottle, the dread of someone other than your date picking up your call on the family landline, and er, pagers. No really.All that, your HOT TAKES and plenty of trench dog chaos. Welcome back to the Celebrity Trenches!

The Beckhams are back in the trenches! Journalist and author Alison Boshoff joins Jamie and Alice to talk about her new book ‘Brand Beckham’, lifting the lid on David and Victoria and all the family drama that has had everyone watching VERY closely!Are the Beckhams the ultimate celebrity brand? Or has the whole thing become one giant family group-chat gone wrong? We talk Brooklyn, THAT first wedding dance & the fallout!In other news, Netflix has unleashed ‘Let’s Marry Harry’ and we have QUESTIONS! What makes 20 women want to compete to marry Harry Jowsey? Is this a new low for dating shows? Or is this just reflecting the “princess treatment” that some young men view as the new normal? Jamie and Alice share their hot-takes on the chaos, controversy and what the show says about the state of modern dating.Plus, we’ve all your listener’s comments & voice-notes as usual!It’s your Celebrity Trenches Weekly Dispatch! Let’s go!

Tom Holland and Zendaya hosted a secret private party to celebrate their wedding (after getting married earlier this year) at a posh hotel, but are they also the nicest couple in Hollywood? Jamie has met them IRL (his story is WILD!) and he has a theory about how they’ve managed to be the biggest stars in the world AND survive the celebrity machine without completely losing the plot!Meanwhile, has Raye finally found the husband she’s been singing about? A rollercoaster, Michael B. Jordan and quite a lot of phone footage has us asking: Is this the soft launch of Hollywood’s hottest new couple?One very lucky New Yorker discovers she’s been living in a mega star’s old apartment AND has been receiving their mail, leading to one of the strangest celebrity meet-ups we’ve seen in a while!Plus, Will Ferrell’s musician son Magnus has a song out, and it’s actually alright. So where do we stand on nepo babies? Is being “born lucky” enough to get you “through the door” to global fame? Or do you actually have to be good to survive?Buckle up, it’s your Celebrity Trenches Weekly Dispatch!

Welcome back, Trench Dogs, as we unveil this week’s incoming meteorites of news on our celebrity radar!Alice and Jamie dive headfirst into Ariana Grande’s sudden announcement that she’s taking a step back from public visibility after her ‘Eternal Sunshine’ world tour. Could anyone have predicted this? Do we underestimate the toll it takes being in the public eye?We react to Bruno Mars’ “audio-only" tickets sold for his recent Wembley gigs - where you can hear the gig, but can't see the stage OR sometimes even the screens! Is this the answer for budget-conscious gig goers? Or is it trading on the goodwill of super-fans who’ll do anything to see their idols?Elsewhere, classic 90s teen movie ‘Clueless’ is returning to our screens as a TV series, complete with Alicia Silverstone! Can a modern reboot ever live up to the iconic original? (I'm sure you can guess Jamie’s thoughts) Which reboots have worked? Which didn’t? Or is it just better to rewatch the classics we know & love?Holiday mode is still very much activated, so Jamie’s live from Cornwall, Alice is in her flat. Plus, she’s got a great take on a certain celeb who Alice thinks is one of the most honest celebs on socials at the moment!In other news, we cover making celebrity friends for life in the smoking area backstage at the Brit Awards years ago (who did Jamie befriend? How many tickets did he blag from them?). Plus, we can’t wait for Luke Littler’s new Netflix darts show. Could Jamie or Alice beat Luke at darts? You’ll have to listen to find out!It’s the Celebrity Trenches Weekly Dispatch - open for business! Go get it!

This week, Alice and Jamie take a look at Tyra Banks’ new gig on ‘Project Runway’ (and her past on ‘America’s Next Top Model’). Is she now officially back in fashion? Or is Banks still in need of some runway redemption? YOU decide!Meanwhile - Is TV dead? Holly Willoughby’s back! She returns to our screens on Youtube. Is this the beginning of the end for TV as we know it? Or is starting your OWN channel the only way celebs can be in control of their careers?Elsewhere, the legendary singer of “Total Eclipse Of The Heart”, Bonnie Tyler, will have her funeral live-streamed for her fans across the world. Is saying farewell to your fave celeb just more “content”? Or has it become the done thing to do for “celebrity send-offs”?In other news, we talk about why influencers don’t make good TV hosts, why being a red carpet reporter is one of the hardest gigs in showbiz, Alice has an idea for what Claudia should do next, & Jamie takes us through his highlights of Latitude festival!Finally, as it’s summer, we’ve recorded this week’s episode at home - so if you watch us on Youtube you can be nosey & see what Jamie & Alice’s houses look like! Trench-dogs assemble!Follow us on Instagram @celebritytrenches Email us via hello@celebritytrenches.comOr WhatsApp us on 07796657512, starting your message with ‘Trenches’New episodes each & every Wednesday!Hosts: Jamie East and Alice BrineProducer: Phil Stocker