Tony Slattery's Rambling Club

This week's guest President is none other than the legendary Peter Purves, actor, broadcaster, presenter, teacher, explorer of television history, and one of the most familiar and beloved faces in British broadcasting. From travelling through time and space with the First Doctor Who to surviving the organised chaos of Blue Peter, Peter has accumulated enough stories to keep the Rambling Club supplied for several series!So lace up your walking boots and join us as President Purves leads us through three destinations selected entirely at random by Tony's enchanted bingo machine. As ever, the omniscient voice of Sir Stephen Fry keeps a watchful eye on proceedings while the rest of us do our best to stay on the path.Our first destination is 370.9: The History of Education. Peter originally trained as a teacher, which raises the obvious question: how did a future television legend find himself standing at the front of a classroom? Then we're transported back to the golden age of Blackpool, a town boasting no fewer than seventeen theatres, where young performers could learn their craft by doing it. Peter reflects on the education that shaped him, why he ultimately left teaching behind, and how the lessons he learned never really stopped proving useful. Next, the bingo machine delivers 070: Journalism. This leads us to an unforgettable encounter with the great Louis Armstrong, whom Peter found himself sitting remarkably close to at precisely the right moment. Peter recounts how he was rather cleverly hoodwinked into attending the first screening in sixty years of two long-lost episodes of Doctor Who, stories he had originally appeared in alongside William Hartnell. Naturally, this opens the floodgates for memories of his time aboard the TARDIS, working on one of television's most enduring programmes, and what it was like helping to shape those pioneering early adventures.Our third and final destination is 636: Animal Husbandry. Peter's lifelong affection for dogs immediately takes centre stage, and we're soon strolling across the Derbyshire hills with his first canine companion, the much-loved Rusty. Another dog who played a significant role in his life was Petra, the famous Blue Peter dog. How exactly did a television superstar end up moving in with the Purves family? Tales of live television and the formidable influence of the legendary Biddy Baxter await. Finally, the conversation brings us right up to date with Peter's latest venture, The Peter Purves Podcast, where he continues to share stories, memories and reflections from an extraordinary life and career. If this episode leaves you wanting more Peter Purves, and it certainly will, you'll know exactly where to go.Then it's back to the Presidential shed, where the dogs have settled by the fire, and somewhere in the distance a Blue Peter badge is probably being awarded to somebody for surviving the ramble.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 LearMusic 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 Series 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.comTwitter/X: @SlatteryLiveInstagram: tony_slattery_officialBlueSky: @ramblingclubPeter's Facebook: Peter John Purveswww.peterpurves.netAnd check out The Peter Purves Podcast. It's a wonderful show!

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 LearMusic 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 Series 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.comTwitter/X: @SlatteryLiveInstagram: tony_slattery_officialBlueSky: @ramblingclubJenny's Instagram: jseagrove2Jenny's X: @springmeister

Welcome, one and all, to Series 2, Episode 1 of Tony Slattery's Rambling Club!The shed has survived another winter, the kettle is cautiously optimistic, and Tony's enchanted bingo machine has spent the break quietly plotting new ways to confuse everybody. With Sir Stephen Fry once again watching over proceedings from his omniscient vantage point, a brand-new series of rambling adventures begins.And what a way to start.Our first guest President of the new series is Pete Bennett — musician, actor, Tourette's campaigner, and, of course, winner of Big Brother. Pete arrives at the shed with a lifetime of stories, an infectious enthusiasm for life, and a willingness to follow the ramble wherever it may lead.Our first destination is 211: Concepts of God. Nothing too challenging for the opening episode, then. What exactly do we mean when we talk about "God"? Before long we're discussing the Gaia Hypothesis, the curious relationship between belief and manifestation, and whether the universe is perhaps a little stranger than we often give it credit for. Along the way, magic mushrooms make an appearance, philosophical certainty departs the building entirely, and a compelling case emerges that Pete was somehow pre-determined to win Big Brother long before he ever entered the house.Next, the bingo machine deposits us at 591: Zoology. This proves considerably more chaotic than expected. Pete's love of dogs leads to a heartfelt discussion about what our canine companions can teach us about loyalty, trust and living in the moment. From there, the conversation takes flight with the proposition that pigeons may actually be superior to human beings in several important respects. Matters deteriorate further when the ramblers attempt to establish how a doorknob, a mouse and a spider can become hopelessly confused with one another, often with alarming consequences.Our third and final destination is 702: Miscellaneous (The Arts). Raised by musicians, Pete grew up surrounded by creativity, making this the perfect opportunity to explore his remarkable and eclectic career. We discuss music, performance, acting, and the joys of men wearing make-up long before it became fashionable to debate such things. The conversation also turns toward the recent controversy at the BAFTAs, before widening into a celebration of artistic expression in all its forms and the many unexpected roads a creative life can travel.And then, with the first ramble of the new series complete, it's back to the Presidential shed. The machine is still humming, the biscuits remain under threat, and Series 2 is officially underway.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 LearMusic 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 Series 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.comTwitter/X: @SlatteryLiveInstagram: tony_slattery_officialBlueSky: @ramblingclubPaul's Twitter: @PaulCarmichaelV

Stand by for a whole host of stars who will be joining us in the Rambling Club shed.Series 2 begins this Friday at 5 to 5!

This is a very special meeting of Tony Slattery’s Rambling Club. It’s Christmas Day, and we find ourselves once again in the company of our much-loved and much-missed President, Tony Slattery. His absence is felt, of course — how could it not be? — but so is his presence: in the laughter, the mischief, the curious turns of thought, and the unmistakable warmth that shaped this club from the very beginning. Today’s ramble is offered with affection, gratitude, and a quiet smile, just as Tony would have wanted.And so, gloves on, collars up, we set off as normal, guided by Tony’s enchanted bingo machine and the familiar rhythms of the club. The shed door swings open, Sir Stephen Fry’s omniscient voice settles in above us, and the ramble begins.Our first destination is 702: Fine and Decorative Art. Almost immediately we’re into the strange and wonderful world of surreal bingo, followed by recollections of Tony breaking a priceless ornament on television — an act that somehow manages to be both horrifying and completely inevitable. From there, the conversation drifts into the long and symbiotic relationship between art and religion, before taking a diarist’s turn toward Samuel Pepys, proving once again that no subject is ever truly finished, only temporarily paused.Next, the bingo machine whirs and delivers us to 621: Applied Physics — a category that sounds orderly enough until it isn’t. Before we quite realise what’s happened, we find ourselves stumbling into the Whose Line Is It Anyway? studio, encountering a dentist with an infamous skull structure, and grappling with the very real dangers of misremembering the words to the Lord’s Prayer. Physics, it turns out, is less about equations and more about consequences.And then, as always, we drift back toward the shed — a little wiser, a little warmer, and grateful for the company. On Christmas Day especially, this feels like exactly where we’re meant to be.Presented by Tony Slattery, Paul Carmichael & Allan LearMusic 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 Series 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.comTwitter/X: @SlatteryLiveInstagram: tony_slattery_officialBlueSky: @ramblingclubPaul's Twitter: @PaulCarmichaelVPaul's Bluesky: @paulcarmichaeluk© Fanfaronade Productions 2025

This Christmas, we are honoured to share a very special recording: Tony Slattery’s reading of The Tell-Tale Heart.Recorded in December 2024, this was the final performance Tony ever gave. It stands as a profound testament to his extraordinary gifts as an actor — his musicality with language, his emotional precision, and his instinctive understanding of character and rhythm. In this recording, Tony brings a rare intimacy and control to the piece, guiding the listener deep into its fractured psyche with clarity, menace, and compassion.The Tell-Tale Heart, written by Edgar Allan Poe and first published in 1843, is one of the most enduring works of Gothic literature. A study of guilt, obsession, and the unreliability of the human mind, it unfolds as a confession from a narrator who insists on their sanity while revealing the very madness they seek to deny. Its power lies not in spectacle, but in voice — making it uniquely suited to a performer of Tony’s calibre.To hear Tony inhabit this story is to be reminded of his command of language and his fearless emotional intelligence. This is not simply a reading, but a performance of rare stillness and intensity — one that lingers long after the final line.We present this recording with love, gratitude, and deep respect, in memory of our friend Tony, and in celebration of a remarkable artist at the height of his craft.

Would you believe it? Our Presidential shed door barely has time to creak before it bursts open, and in strides Stewart Pearson, uninvited, overconfident, and radiating an alarming quantity of managerial nonsense. There is bafflement. There is bullshit. There are hand gestures. And then — mercifully — the penny drops. It’s not Stewart Pearson at all, but Stewart Franklin in human form: the brilliant character actor Vincent Franklin, star of The Thick Of It and currently lighting up screens in The War Between The Land and The Sea.Once order is restored (and the shed has been reassured it is not about to be “restructured”), we pull on our coats and set off on another ramble. President Franklin guides us through three destinations selected, as tradition demands, by Tony’s enchanted bingo machine — a device that appears to enjoy irony almost as much as Sir Stephen Fry enjoys observing us from his omniscient perch above proceedings.Our first destination is 424: English and Old English. Accents emerge immediately, as they always must. From Dickensian voices to the rhythms of everyday speech, we wander into why we write at all, how language shapes character, and what it means to build a life as a character actor — inhabiting voices that feel ancient, borrowed, or stubbornly your own. Somewhere along the way, Old English peers in, looks unimpressed, and leaves again.Next, we head into the unexpectedly rich territory of 060: General Organisation of Museology. This opens the door to captivating ancient places, the strange afterlives of buildings, and the lasting echoes of the dissolution of the monasteries. Chickens are blessed. Pigs are drowned. History proves itself to be a practical, messy business. From there, the conversation takes a sharp turn into how The Thick Of It was actually made — the precision beneath the chaos, and the craft required to make confusion feel terrifyingly real.Our third and final stop is 777: Photography and Photographs. President Franklin reveals that he doesn’t let the grass grow under his feet, having recently completed a City & Guilds qualification in Photography. Images, framing, and the act of really looking lead us naturally into the rehearsal room, and finally to the quiet, enduring importance of language — particularly the words of Alan Bennett, and why they demand attention, patience, and absolute respect.And then it’s back to the Presidential shed, where the jargon has been cleared away, the history filed (badly), and Stewart Pearson has finally been escorted from the premises — at least until next time.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 LearMusic 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 Series 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.comTwitter/X: @SlatteryLiveInstagram: tony_slattery_officialBlueSky: @ramblingclubPaul's Twitter: @PaulCarmichaelVPaul's Bluesky: @paulcarmichaelukVincent's Instagram: @vincentfranklinVincent's Twitter: @vincentfranklin© Fanfaronade Productions 2025

Would you credit it? Our guest President this week is the ever-excellent Daniel Hill — actor, sitcom stalwart from Waiting For God, and a man forever entwined with one of Doctor Who’s most tantalising “what might have been” stories: Shada.Pull on something warm and set off with us on another leisurely ramble as President Hill takes the helm, steering us through three destinations drawn entirely at random by Tony’s enchanted bingo machine — a device that hums with quiet menace and occasionally appears to choose subjects based on personal grudges. As always, the calm, all-seeing narration of Sir Stephen Fry hovers reassuringly overhead, like a benevolent weather system.Our first port of call is 992: History. Naturally, this raises the all-important question: if you could time travel, where would you go? For President Hill, the answer is unequivocal — Ancient Rome. What follows is a vivid wander through emperors, architecture, spectacle, and the sheer logistical horror of togas, as we wonder whether history is best observed, corrected, or left firmly alone.Next, we find ourselves veering sharply into 632: Plant Injuries & Diseases, a subject that immediately puts Paul on edge. Childhood trauma resurfaces in the form of a nightmare involving Triffids at the tender age of six — an image that has never truly loosened its grip. Daniel, however, holds the stronger hand this time, recounting a very real-life encounter with a plant that came alarmingly close to blinding him. Botany, it turns out, is not to be trusted.Our third and final destination is 753: Symbolism, Allegory, Mythology & Legend, which opens the doors wide for tales of scarves, Time Lords, and television history that slipped through the cracks. It’s time to talk Tom Baker. As the guest star of the infamous, unfinished Doctor Who story Shada, President Hill shares memories of what was planned, what was filmed, and what was ultimately thwarted by circumstance — alongside whispered legends of fearsome BBC commissioners and the peculiar atmosphere of a production that never quite reached the screen.And then, inevitably, it’s back to the Presidential shed, where history is rewritten, plants are viewed with suspicion, and unfinished stories continue to haunt the corners — much like Shada itself.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 LearMusic 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 Series 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.comTwitter/X: @SlatteryLiveInstagram: tony_slattery_officialBlueSky: @ramblingclubPaul's Twitter: @PaulCarmichaelVPaul's Bluesky: @paulcarmichaelukDaniel's Instagram: @danielhillactor© Fanfaronade Productions 2025

Would you believe it? Our guest President this week is none other than the marvellously versatile actor — and EastEnders legend — Ian Reddington!Grab your gloves and join us for another invigorating wander as President Reddington guides us through three destinations selected entirely at random by Tony’s enchanted bingo machine, which continues to function despite no confirmed evidence of a maintenance check since 1983. As ever, the omniscient voice of Sir Stephen Fry keeps a benevolent (and occasionally judgmental) eye on proceedings.Our first stop is destination 323: Civil and Political Liberties. Are liberties truly civil these days, or simply in need of some? President Reddington shares tales of artistic freedom, the curious dance between authority and expression, and the small rebellions actors must occasionally wage — all while Tony attempts to determine whether “liberty” has a postcode.Next, we ramble toward 391: Costume and Personal Appearance. President Reddington has worn more wigs than the rest of the Club combined, and that’s before we even start on his tenure in Soapland. Together we ponder the transformative power of costume, the hazards of badly secured beards, and the eternal mystery of why stage shoes never fit actual human feet.After that, we’re on to our third and final destination — 129: Origin and Destiny of Individual Souls. A nice easy one to round things off. President Reddington muses on character, identity, and what it means to step into someone else’s soul for a living, while Paul and Allan try (and fail) to keep the conversation philosophical rather than metaphysical… or dermatological.And then it’s back to the Presidential shed, where the kettle is on, the biscuits are defensive, and Tony insists the wind is whispering his name again.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 LearMusic 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 Series 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.comTwitter/X: @SlatteryLiveInstagram: tony_slattery_officialBlueSky: @ramblingclubPaul's Twitter: @PaulCarmichaelVPaul's Bluesky: @paulcarmichaelukIan's Facebook: Ian Reddington© Fanfaronade Productions 2025