Blank Podcast with Giles Paley-Phillips & Jim Daly

Vicky McClure is a Bafta award-winning actress and presenter. Best known for her roles as DI Kate Fleming BBC's Line of Duty and Lol in Shane Meadows This Is England film and subsequent series on Channel 4. In 2019 she made a very personal documentary called Our Dementia Choir, which showed the powerful and positive impact music has on those with all different types of dementia. Vicky tells us about her early days of performing and moving from her original love of dancing into acting and the TV workshop in Nottingham that really helped to craft and hone her craft. We discuss those difficult moments in carving out a career in acting and that you don't always have to have had a formal drama school education to succeed. Vicky talks about her time working with Shane Meadows and the process of preparing for roles in films like This Is England and she tells us about the joys of being in an acting family on shows like Line of Duty, and how that collaboration is what makes acting so special. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Miranda Raison is an actor known for her many theatre, television and film roles, with an extensive back catalogue of performances, including appearances on Spooks, Doctor Who, Silk and Spotless on Canal+ amongst others. She spoke to Giles and Jim about getting into acting, expanding into voice over work, speaking French and by association Jim's terrible French skills. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mathew Horne is a British actor, comedian, and writer. Best known for his work with Catherine Tate and for playing Gavin in Gavin and Stacey, Mathew has been a prolific stage and screen actor, most recently playing Raymond in Rain Man. We talked to Mathew about his career where he initially started in comedy whilst studying at Manchester University, and how that eventually led to a now, 20-year collaboration with comedian Catherine Tate. Mathew tells us about ambition never being at the heart of what he does, his lack of jealousy towards fellow creatives, and what he does to prevent that. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Troy Townsend is Head of Development for Kick It Out, football's quality and inclusion organisation. A key part of Troy's work is addressing gaps in representation across all areas of the game and includes delivering equality and diversity workshops to English Football League (EFL) and scholars with the League Football Education (LFE). We talked to Troy about his early life and how the lack of encouragement and supportive role models in his life at that time lead him to stop pursuing a playing career in football. Troy opens up about the loss of two huge figures in his life, his son Kurtis, who tragically died aged just 19 and his best friend Steve Browne, who he worked with for some 15 years or more. These two extremely difficult moments in his life leading him to question his own existence and experiences he is only just beginning to be open about. We also discuss Troy's work with Kick It Out and the everyday challenges that his work brings. (TW: This episode contains discussions on suicide and bereavement) Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Jill Halfpenny is one of the most recognisable faces on British TV. Her notable roles include Rebecca Hopkins in ITV soap opera Coronation Street; Kate Mitchell in BBC One soap opera EastEnders; Izzie Redpath in Waterloo Road; and Diane Manning in In The Club. She won the second series of the television dance contest Strictly Come Dancing in 2004. Jill talked to Giles and Jim about auditions, self doubt, following your gut feeling and getting a book of poetry from Ken Loach.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Harry Lawtey is a British actor most recently seen in HBO/BBC series Industry We talked to Harry about his early life living in Cyprus and moving to London on his own to study acting and performance and how it was hard to be away from home. Harry tells us about working on Industry and learning more about the finance industry to prepare for the role. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Sophia Myles is an actor known for her roles inThunderbirds, Isolde in Tristan & Isolde, Darcy in Transformers: Age of Extinction, Erika in Underworld and Underworld: Evolution and Freya in Outlander. We spoke to Sophia about her early life growing up in Notting Hill and being the daughter of a vicar. Sophia spoke candidly about her life and work as an actor and opened up about her mental health and how she is trying to come terms with the effects it has had on her wellbeing. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Mike Fenton Stevens is an actor, comedian and podcaster. He is best known for being a founder member of The Hee Bee Gee Bees and the voice behind the Spitting Image 1986 number 1 hit "The Chicken Song". He was a prominent member in the birth of the alternative comedy scene in England in the 180s and also starred in KYTV, its Radio 4 predecessor, Radio Active and Benidorm as Sir Henry since Series 4 which was first broadcast in 2011, and as an anchor on 3rd & Bird on CBeebies. Mike chats to Jim and Giles about his established career, how he dealt with blank moments and plenty more in between. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Stephen Fry is a writer, comedian and actor. A prolific career spanning some over 35 years, Stephen Fry has become an icon of British TV, film and literature and a genuine national treasure. We caught up with Stephen while he was in LA and began our conversation by talking about America and how it has changed since the time Stephen spent there filming his documentary series 'In America'. Stephen shares his ideas and thoughts around the role of art and how realism has been somewhat sidelined by fantasy and he tells us about how at the age of 63 whether he still feels able to influence and have open discussions with those who have opposing views. Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Hayley Tamaddon is an multi-talented actor, who is best known for her TV roles as Del Dingle in Emmerdale, Andrea Beckett in Coronation Street and as Calista in Shameless but has performed on stage in many huge productions. She spoke to Giles and Jim about how she landed her first big roles in theatre and the graft it took to get there. She also described being thrust into the fame spotlight after landing that role on Emmerdale and the perils of social media, how in particular she strives to keep her social presences so positive.  Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/theblankpodcast.   See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices