Two Cups of Tea

A special show and a chance to meet Wendy Mitchell; an absolutely inspirational woman and author of Somebody I Used To Know, the best-selling autobiography about living with early onset Dementia. If there’s anyone with Dementia in your life this is a required listen. She talks with such resounding clarity and insight about her own condition and is still so upbeat. It was a privilege just to talk to her.

We’ve been away for a bit cos life has a habit of getting in the way… but we’re back with a VERY special show. Today’s guest is a creative hero of my childhood and I suspect many of yours too. A regular feature of Vision On with Tony Hart, Eureka, Jigsaw and various other TV appearances, today’s guest is designer, inventor, artist, performer and explosives afficionado… Wilf Lunn! Brace yourself... don't say you weren't warned!

One of the most extraordinary life stories I've ever heard. Born in 1938 in Budapest, Hungary, Peter was only a young child when he was separated from his parents when war broke out. A Jewish boy under the heel of the Nazis and then, after the war, the Communist regime, he went on to play a role in the attempted Hungarian revolution of 1956. He speaks with incredible honesty and vivid detail about how those events unfolded and goes on to speak of his time as a refugee in Britain before becoming a teacher and then joining the BBC World Service. Lovely man and an incredible life.

Born in 1944 in the USA, she was raised in a place called Daylight, Tennessee. Her father was a fire and brimstone Preacher and they started out in a two room shack next to a snake-filled creek. From here, came a turbulent upbringing, four wildly different husbands and, against the odds, gaining admission to a prestigious, Ivy League university. She even talks candidly about her short spell in a psychiatric hospital when she was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder. 

David’s Story. He’s warm-hearted, an irrepressible enthusiast and one of life’s true innocents. His life story is fascinating, starting in 1937 in Hartlepool. His tales feature overcoming a disability, a musical youth, a brushmaking apprenticeship, hospital radio, rubbing shoulders with showbiz royalty; Bud Flanagan, Norman Wisdom and even playing onstage with Old Mother Riley. He also talks movingly about about the very recent loss of his wife of over 50 years, Hazel. 

AVAILABLE NOW: Phyllis’s Story. She’s not royal and she’s not getting married today, but her life story is a brilliant one, starting in 1925 in Clerkenwell. The daughter of Irena and Vito, two loving Italians who settled in London; her tale features pies delivered by pulley, ice cream barrows, burning slippers, 10 Downing Street, headless catholic statues and a bargain wedding cake. Brilliantly, she also used to leave little notes in the pockets of the Sailors Uniforms she manufactured during WW2.

Brian’s life story is utterly compelling, starting in 1931 in Guatemala at the foot of a volcano. Raised amongst the Mayan Indians, his tale features deadly snakes, surfing on molten lava, adventures on cruise ships, the Guatemalan elections, hidden crocodiles and not just one but TWO pet monkeys! 

Lilian Clark (98). Her life story is fascinating, starting in 1920 in South Shields. A proper Geordie, her tale features Jam & Bread at the beach, icebound ships, ha’penny bike rides, gold bricade, a perfect wedding day and a husband named Hubert.