How To Be 60 with Kaye Adams

Karen's calling in from sunny Puglia, and after last week's second-hand pyjamas confession, the internet has voted: for once, it's Team Kaye. What follows is a spirited defence of "vintage" nightwear, the wearing of pants underneath it, and whether any of it is, frankly, minging.Plus crepey skin, why loud bars now feel like punishment, un-labelled moving boxes, and a lovely summer read: Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin. Look ahead to Friday's guest, Donna Lancaster, and catch Kaye and Karen live at the Fringe, 7th–9th August.

For her 70th birthday, Gail Rice booked a male escort. It was a toss-up between that and a skydive, and she went with the one that scared her more. But it was never really about sex. The Canadian-born psychologist tells Kaye and Karen why she needed what she calls a battery jump, the first encounter that was a disaster, the refund she asked for and got, and the thing that was actually brave, which had nothing to do with the escort. She has since turned it all into writing and a cabaret that terrifies her. See Kaye and Karen live at the Edinburgh Fringe, 7th to 9th August, 2:45pm at the Museum. Tickets via the Gilded Balloon or the official Edinburgh Festival Fringe website.Get in touch at podcast@htb60.com

On this week's Midweek Catchup, Karen's back in Puglia on the annual trip, exactly a year on from the news that changed everything, this time with a cocktail in hand and second-hand Ralph Lauren pyjamas (£12, gusset thoroughly interrogated). Kaye runs Race for Life alongside Dame Kelly Holmes and films the road instead of the finish. Plus, we're coming to the Edinburgh Fringe, 7-9 August at Gilded Balloon. Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.com.

Bestselling novelist Jane Green had it all. E18 New York Times bestsellers, over 10 million books in print, the beautiful homes, the blended family, the loving husband. And then, piece by piece, she lost most of it: the marriage, the financial security, the career status, and for a while, herself.This week Kaye and Karen sit down with one of the original queens of chick lit for a remarkably honest conversation about menopause, the empty nest, a crumbling marriage, the shame we lock away for decades, and what it takes to find your way back. As Jane puts it: you spend so much of your life wanting to be chosen by the right people, and then you reach a point where you no longer need to be chosen and realise you're allowed to choose. It's a glorious thing.Jane's memoir, Rewilding, is out now. Part memoir, part battle cry for any woman who's ever felt invisible in her own story, it's all about rediscovering the fearless, brave little girl you once were.🎭 See Kaye and Karen live at the Edinburgh Fringe — 7th, 8th and 9th August. Grab your tickets here:https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:7161/📩 Got something to say?

Kaye's spent £120 on running shoes she may never run in, Karen might finally be selling the camper van, and a "blackhead" turns out to be something else entirely. Then comes the row that splits the nation: is Kaye's kitchen pine or oak? Plus a look ahead to Friday's guest, bestselling author Jane Green.

On this week's episode, Pauline Campbell got in touch herself and said she'd be a good guest. She was right. Told at 15 by a teacher she wasn't capable, Pauline believed it for years. Until she didn't. In her mid-30s she started driving between a council job and a full-time law degree, qualified as a solicitor, and hasn't stopped since. Now 61, she's a legal hero, a pro bono Windrush advocate, a published author, and the owner of an accent she refused to lose even when a judge pointed it out in court.Pauline talks about silent strength, the parents who held back so their children could fly, why shedding your skin to fit in makes you less not more, and the erotic novel she wrote after a suave barrister told her it was always a pleasure, never a chore. Plus Karen forgets the email address. Again.Pauline's book Lefty Lawyer: Speaking Truth to Power is out now from Waterside Press. Her memoir Rice & Peas and Fish & Chips is also available. Find out more at paulineecampbell.com.How To Be 60 is at the Edinburgh Fringe, 7-9 August, Gilded Balloon at the Museum: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:7161/Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.com.

On this week's Midweek Catchup, Karen turns up in cut-off trousers she hacked herself and sandals that have been in the garden all week. She gets her nails done and the woman has to scrape the muck out on a bit of kitchen roll. Kaye's been to a glamorous event in London surrounded by 26-year-olds and her hearing aid starts whistling. She doesn't say a word. They check the air conditioning. Plus doggy goggles that don't work, the Joy of Sex drawings that put everyone off, and Kaye's knee falling out at 3K in trainers from the last century.How To Be 60 is at the Edinburgh Fringe, 7-9 August, Gilded Balloon at the Museum: https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:7161/Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.com.

On this week's Midweek Catchup, Kaye Adams and Karen MacKenzie mark the death of Scott Hastings at 61, six months after he joined How To Be 60 to talk about losing his wife Jenny. Karen also opens up about starting counselling, and why "how are you?" is a question people only ask when they want the easy answer. Plus a David Tennant selfie, the great kitchen debate, and a teddy bear made from a mink coat.Whether you're processing something big yourself, or just tired of saying you're fine when you're not, this one is for you.Get in touch with your thoughts at podcast@htb60.com and book tckets for the Fringe show on the 7/8/9 August at https://tickets.gildedballoon.co.uk/event/14:7161/