Park Date

Location: The Bill Murray and Prebend St ParkLondonGuest: Dec MunroPlease welcome Mr Comedy - Dec Munro - to the podcast. Some of you might know I scratched my itch to do stand up comedy last year and it would not have been possible without the kindness and enthusiasm of this guy. He really did give me the confidence to get on stage that I'd been craving for years and is, like my mum(!), a brilliant teacher.Dec has taught and advised so many people how to do comedy better and not just idiotic wannabes like me but actual famous comics too - directing shows by Stuart Goldsmith and Lara Ricote to name just a couple. We spoke about his teaching and his directing and what makes good live comedy.And Dec also gave us a look behind the curtains at the Bill Murray pub - the ground zero of the London comedy scene which has witnessed performances from anyone who's anyone... and me. He told us about how he and his friends at Angel Comedy together opened this amazing venue. Dec was very sweet in this podcast - asking me questions and even saying that he's had requests to do something like this before but felt like Park Date was the right podcast to spill the tea on. So thanks for talking Dec and see you soon.Find out more about Dec here and if you're a comedian in need of a director or a person who wants to learnt he dark arts of stand up, I urge you to get in touch. He didn't pay me to say that - but Dec I'll forward my bank details if you want to. As always GRAZIE to Lucia Scazzocchio, Luke Jones (do listen to his brilliant podcast https://southgirlproductionmusic.com/category/podcast-production/), Rosie Wilby (https://www.instagram.com/breakupmonologues/?hl=en) and Mae-Li Evans for encouragement, production support and advice. There would be no podcast without these people. THANKS GUYS. Park Date is about mixing the silly with the serious so do listen out for the original comedy we're slotting in between and after the interviews (which are hopefully pretty funny themselves). Do review, subscribe and like. Namecheck as many trees as possible in your reviews and make them as surreal as possible - I have a very nice prize to give out to the writer of the funniest review.Please follow us on socialsInstagram @parkdatepodcastTwitter @parkdatepodcastMore about Christopher Instagram @christopherbeanlandTwitter @chrisbeanlandchristopherbeanland.com

Location: Kings Heath ParkBirmingham, UKGuest: Andy HowlettIt's time for another new episode of Park DatePlease welcome Andy Howlett. Now this is something a little different... we recorded this chat for my When Harry Met Telly podcast series about the infamous film Telly Salavas Looks At Birmingham. We'll still do something with that... but I thought in the meantime you might like to hear the full chat between Me and Andy.Well we recorded in a park so I think it counts! It was in Kings Heath Park, south Birmingham - famous as the location of the BBC Gardener's World garden and where I used to smoke ciggies with my girlfriend Anna (hi Anna!) a lot of years ago.Andy tells me about his amazing film Paradise Lost, about the brutalist library in Birmingham and the Paradise Circus complex that obsessed me too and features in my novel The Wall in The Head. We talk about films, the city, skating and public space.http://andyhowlett.co.ukAs always GRAZIE to Lucia Scazzocchio, Luke Jones (do listen to his brilliant podcast https://southgirlproductionmusic.com/category/podcast-production/), Rosie Wilby (https://www.instagram.com/breakupmonologues/?hl=en) and Mae-Li Evans for encouragement, production support and advice. There would be no podcast without these people. THANKS GUYS. Park Date is about mixing the silly with the serious so do listen out for the original comedy we're slotting in between and after the interviews (which are hopefully pretty funny themselves). Do review, subscribe and like. Namecheck as many trees as possible in your reviews and make them as surreal as possible - I have a very nice prize to give out to the writer of the funniest review.Please follow us on socialsInstagram @parkdatepodcastTwitter @parkdatepodcastMore about Christopher Instagram @christopherbeanlandTwitter @chrisbeanland

Location: Hyde Park (aka Woodhouse Moor)Leeds, UKGuest: David EllisIt's time for another new episode of Park DatePlease welcome David Ellis. David and I chatted about what makes a liveable city and how transport clicks together, from biking to trains. We talked before I did a book talk in Leeds, which I always love to do.And some uni memories came flooding back - I lived here for 3 years while I was studying. Thanks to David for being a great book talk host. And thanks Jack and the brilliant Hyde Park Book Club where I've done two talks now. I will have another book out next year and will be back at HPBC I'm sure :)As always GRAZIE to Lucia Scazzocchio, Luke Jones (do listen to his brilliant podcast https://southgirlproductionmusic.com/category/podcast-production/), Rosie Wilby (https://www.instagram.com/breakupmonologues/?hl=en) and Mae-Li Evans for encouragement, production support and advice. There would be no podcast without these people. THANKS GUYS. Park Date is about mixing the silly with the serious so do listen out for the original comedy we're slotting in between and after the interviews (which are hopefully pretty funny themselves). Do review, subscribe and like. Namecheck as many trees as possible in your reviews and make them as surreal as possible - I have a very nice prize to give out to the writer of the funniest review.Please follow us on socialsInstagram @parkdatepodcastTwitter @parkdatepodcastMore about Christopher Instagram @christopherbeanlandTwitter @chrisbeanlandchristopherbeanland.com

Location: Cannon Hill ParkBimringhamGuest: Catherine O'FlynnIt's time for another new episode of Park DateThis time, well what can I say? Catherine O'Flynn rightly won the Costa First Novel Award for her exceptional debut What Was Lost. The News Where You Are was even better. Honestly I would love to write a screenplay or a TV version of these books, they are just so, so good and I can imagine them bursting into life on screen.So it was an absolute honour to spend an hour with Catherine talking about her work and about Birmingham, and you know what? She is an absolutely lovely as well. Meeting the people whose work you love and then they're also so kind and generous - priceless.Catherine, I'm so sorry for keeping you out in the cold for this one in Birmingham's Cannon Hill Park! We chatted before we did a cool event at Mac showing some classic Birmingham TV shows. And of course we talked about these and about Cliff Richard hover crafting under Spaghetti Junction and Telly Savalas's Looks At Birmingham too.I'll be back at Mac doing another 'Brum on Screen' in November at Square Eyes TV Festival, this time with another special surprise guest. Keep your eyes peeled for more info soon!Find out more about what Catherine is up to here: http://www.catherineoflynn.comAs always GRAZIE to Lucia Scazzocchio, Luke Jones (do listen to his brilliant podcast https://southgirlproductionmusic.com/category/podcast-production/), Rosie Wilby (https://www.instagram.com/breakupmonologues/?hl=en) and Mae-Li Evans for encouragement, production support and advice. There would be no podcast without these people. THANKS GUYS. Park Date is about mixing the silly with the serious so do listen out for the original comedy we're slotting in between and after the interviews (which are hopefully pretty funny themselves). Do review, subscribe and like. Namecheck as many trees as possible in your reviews and make them as surreal as possible - I have a very nice prize to give out to the writer of the funniest review.Please follow us on socialsInstagram @parkdatepodcastTwitter @parkdatepodcastMore about Christopher Instagram @christopherbeanlandTwitter @chrisbeanlandchristopherbeanland.com

Location: St Mary's Church Yard Moseley, BirminghamGuest: David BaldwinMERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYBODYAnd Happy holidays wherever you are in the worldDavid Baldwin and I experienced something of A Christmas Carol car crash moment when we both found ourselves killed in surreal circumstances in the run up to Christmas. TEARS PLEASE. A film projector fell on his head and a bucket of prickly pears fell on mine.But it's not all bad because we came back from the dead as two grumpy ghosts of Christmas past. We rose from our slumber in St Mary's Churchyard in Moseley on the eve of Christmas and decided to have a little haunted chat about this and that as we strolled betwixt trees and grave stones on a misty and frosty December night. We reflected on Telly Savalas's incredible true life ghost story Then we went for a curry at Kebabish.Enjoy the holidays and cuddle your loved ones. Hope you all had a great 2023. Park Date was very touched to be nominated twice for Best Comedy and Best Books podcast in the UK Independent Podcast Awards this year.We'll be back with more cracking episodes in the New Year. Peace x As always GRAZIE to Lucia Scazzocchio, Luke Jones (do listen to his brilliant podcast https://southgirlproductionmusic.com/category/podcast-production/), Rosie Wilby (https://www.instagram.com/breakupmonologues/?hl=en) and Mae-Li Evans for encouragement, production support and advice. There would be no podcast without these people. THANKS GUYS. Park Date is about mixing the silly with the serious so do listen out for the original comedy we're slotting in between and after the interviews (which are hopefully pretty funny themselves). Do review, subscribe and like. Namecheck as many trees as possible in your reviews and make them as surreal as possible - I have a very nice prize to give out to the writer of the funniest review.Please follow us on socialsInstagram @parkdatepodcastTwitter @parkdatepodcastMore about Christopher Instagram @christopherbeanlandTwitter @chrisbeanlandchristopherbeanland.com

Location: Tashkent, UzbekistanGuests: Nicola Chilton, Maik Novotny and many moreIt's time for another new episode of Park DateOk I thought I'd try something different and record some on the hoof meanderings while I criss-crossed the Uzbek capital of Tashkent with some fellow fans of Soviet modern architecture and design. Then we head out of town to see the weirdest thing I've possibly ever seen - a USSR science project helmed by a 20 storey high sunscope on a mountainside in the desert. A bit fell off and nearly killed me. What a trip.As always GRAZIE to Lucia Scazzocchio, Luke Jones (do listen to his brilliant podcast https://southgirlproductionmusic.com/category/podcast-production/), Rosie Wilby (https://www.instagram.com/breakupmonologues/?hl=en) and Mae-Li Evans for encouragement, production support and advice. There would be no podcast without these people. THANKS GUYS. Park Date is about mixing the silly with the serious so do listen out for the original comedy we're slotting in between and after the interviews (which are hopefully pretty funny themselves). Do review, subscribe and like. Namecheck as many trees as possible in your reviews and make them as surreal as possible - I have a very nice prize to give out to the writer of the funniest review.Please follow us on socialsInstagram @parkdatepodcastTwitter @parkdatepodcastMore about Christopher Instagram @christopherbeanlandTwitter @chrisbeanlandchristopherbeanland.com

Location: Beverly Hills ParkLA, USAGuest: Raziq Rauf (and his son!)It's time for another new episode of Park DatePlease welcome my friend and brilliant music journalist and now running writer Mr Raziq Rauf (and his son Alexander!)We messed about outside Beverly Hills Police HQ recreating shots from Beverly Hills Cop then hung out in Beverly Hills Park to talk about Raz's mission to save the butterflies of LA and stalking Ben Affleck on the TMZ tour. Alex lost some colouring pencils along the way - can you look out for them, thanks.Cheers to the Beverly Hilton for their help on this one. They were filming Minx in the pool when I was there - you should go and watch it. Hoping to have Ophelia on the podcast one day :)Raz's Substack: https://runningsucks.substack.comAs always GRAZIE to Lucia Scazzocchio, Luke Jones (do listen to his brilliant podcast https://southgirlproductionmusic.com/category/podcast-production/), Rosie Wilby (https://www.instagram.com/breakupmonologues/?hl=en) and Mae-Li Evans for encouragement, production support and advice. There would be no podcast without these people. THANKS GUYS. Park Date is about mixing the silly with the serious so do listen out for the original comedy we're slotting in between and after the interviews (which are hopefully pretty funny themselves). Do review, subscribe and like. Namecheck as many trees as possible in your reviews and make them as surreal as possible - I have a very nice prize to give out to the writer of the funniest review.Please follow us on socialsInstagram @parkdatepodcastTwitter @parkdatepodcastMore about Christopher Instagram @christopherbeanlandTwitter @chrisbeanlandchristopherbeanland.com

Location: Dorothea Neff ParkVienna, AustriaGuest: Marvin MangalinoIt's time for another new episode of Park DatePlease welcome Marvin Mangalino. Marvin reminded me of 90s cartoon hero Rude Dog from Rude Dog And The Dweebs. He's a cool dude who runs a bike clothing brand called BBUC and opened one of Vienna's coolest hotels which is crammed with retro stylings and is called Brillantengrund. We went inside to take a look - a first for the show! We had a great chat in one of my favourite cities - Vienna!DANKE Helena and everyone at Visit Vienna who helped with this episode.As always GRAZIE to Lucia Scazzocchio, Luke Jones (do listen to his brilliant podcast https://southgirlproductionmusic.com/category/podcast-production/), Rosie Wilby (https://www.instagram.com/breakupmonologues/?hl=en) and Mae-Li Evans for encouragement, production support and advice. There would be no podcast without these people. THANKS GUYS. Park Date is about mixing the silly with the serious so do listen out for the original comedy we're slotting in between and after the interviews (which are hopefully pretty funny themselves). Do review, subscribe and like. Namecheck as many trees as possible in your reviews and make them as surreal as possible - I have a very nice prize to give out to the writer of the funniest review.Please follow us on socialsInstagram @parkdatepodcastTwitter @parkdatepodcastMore about Christopher Instagram @christopherbeanlandTwitter @chrisbeanlandchristopherbeanland.com

Location: Geraldine Mary Harmsworth ParkLondon, UKGuest: Simon CalderSimon is one of the great travel journalists and he took time out of his busy travelling schedule to talk in the park outside the Imperial War Museum in London. We saw a Tibetan Peace Garden and a Soviet War Memorial and a section of Berlin Wall! And we talked about planes, trains, exotic destinations and a life on the road.Thanks Simon!AND I bring news that Park Date has been shortlisted for not one but TWO awards at the 2023 Independent Podcast Awards on Oct 30. Best Books podcast and Best Comedy podcast! We could not have done this without you, our loyal listeners, so THANKS from the bottom of my heart - Chris xAs always GRAZIE to Lucia Scazzocchio, Luke Jones (do listen to his brilliant podcast https://southgirlproductionmusic.com/category/podcast-production/), Rosie Wilby (https://www.instagram.com/breakupmonologues/?hl=en) and Mae-Li Evans for encouragement, production support and advice. There would be no podcast without these people. THANKS GUYS. Park Date is about mixing the silly with the serious so do listen out for the original comedy we're slotting in between and after the interviews (which are hopefully pretty funny themselves). Do review, subscribe and like. Namecheck as many trees as possible in your reviews and make them as surreal as possible - I have a very nice prize to give out to the writer of the funniest review.Please follow us on socialsInstagram @parkdatepodcastTwitter @parkdatepodcastMore about Christopher Instagram @christopherbeanlandTwitter @chrisbeanlandchristopherbeanland.com