Blank Podcast with Giles Paley-Phillips & Jim Daly

Fred Sirieix is a presenter, TV personality and maître d'hôtel, best known for his work on Channel 4's First Dates, BBC's Remarkable Places to Eat, Snackmasters and ITV's Gordon, Gino and Fred's Road Trip. We talked to Fred about his early experiences with food and making his way in the industry, going from training to be a chef to working front of house. Fred tells us about his difficult moments when his career wasn't quite going the way he wanted and the beauty of connecting and talking to all walks of life in the service industry. 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

Sian Harries is a writer, comedian and actress. Sian has written for both television and radio. She co-wrote both Greg Davies's Man Down for Channel 4 and 2018 sitcom, The Tourist Trap, starring Sally Phillips, for the BBC. Known by her closest friends as The Giggler, we spent almost the entire podcast laughing at everything from school plays, live comedy performances and terrible names for super villains. We also discussed collaboration min comedy and putting your trust in others when it comes to creative decisions. 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

Charlotte Hawkins is our special guests for this Christmas eve episode! Charlotte is a television and radio presenter, newsreader and journalist, currently getting up at stupid o'clock to brighten our mornings on Good Morning Britain on ITV. She also hosts a show on Classic FM and talks to Giles and Jim about her love of Classical Music. She also discusses how she got into news and she and Jim swap stories about the joys of working in local news and Fred Dinenage. She also talks about how she deals with Twitter trolls and the trials and tribulations of working on live news television.  Merry Christmas everyone, thanks for all your support in 2020, we hope you have a wonderful festive time and well see you again in 2021. 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

Naomi Wilkinson is a television presenter, actress and producer, best known for her work in children's televsion on Cbeebies and Channels 5's milkshake. We started our chat by talking to Naomi about her time working at Butlins as a a Red Coats and how that was in someways a launchpad for her career in presenting. She admits that being a presenter on children's TV was always the dream job having watched shows like Choc A Block and Play Away as a child. We chatted about the challenges of working freelance and still being able to carve out a traditional television career in the digital age. 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

Kevin Day is a national treasure and one of the Uk's most recognised and well known standup comedians and comedy writers. Kevin came to prominence in the British alternative comedy stand up scene of the late eighties and early nineties, and quickly was MCing The Comedy Store. He has gone on to tour extensively, play the Edinburgh Fringe almost every year since the early 90s and write for multiple shows including Have I Got News For You and League Of Their Own. Kevin talks to Giles and Jim about a range of topics, including how he got over stage fright minutes before the first run of an Edinburgh show after an absence from comedy, the grief of losing his mum and the changes he has witnessed in the UK comedy scene over the past 30 years. 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

Ian Rankin is a multi-award winning novelist and writer. Best known for his novels based in Edinburgh starring DI John Rebus and in more recent years DI Malcolm Fox, Ian Rankin has regularly contributed to BBC Arts Review and several documentaries for Channel 4 and BBC Four. We talked to Ian from his flat in Edinburgh and began by chatting about his first tools for writing, including the jotting pads from the school equipment cupboard. Ian tells us about feeling like a bit of an outsider growing up wanting to be a writer instead of learning a trade. We talk about the challenges of working in isolation and we talk about Ian's passion for music and being a front man in a band. 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

Emma Kennedy is a writer, comedian, actress and Lego guru. Originally trained as a solicitor, Emma moved into acting and live performance and then onto writing. Her books include The Tent, The Bucket and Me, which went on to be adapted in a BBC Series called The Kennedys. In 2012 Emma won Celebrity Masterchef. We started our conversation with Emma and Giles comparing Lego sets, a passion for them both. Emma tells us about her accidental move into acting and how writing has always been her first passion. Emma gives us some wonderful tips on becoming a writer and how as creatives we have to consider ourselves as small businesses. 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

Janet Devlin is a Northern Irish singer-songwriter who competed in the eighth series of X-Factor in 2011 where she finished in fifth place. Devlin's debut album was released in 2012 and her second studio album Confessional was released this year.  Jane is incredibly open about her career in the music industry and all the ups and downs that has brought her so far, including her struggles with alcoholism and addiction and getting screwed over by record labels. She talks honestly and candidly with Giles and Jim about all sorts of blank moments in this epic episode. 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

Laura Whitmore is a radio broadcaster, TV presenter, writer and podcaster. Laura's first big gig was presenting for MTV, which led to her then presenting on ITV's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here! More recently Laura has presented her own show on Radio 5Live, as well as being the presenter for ITV's Love Island and team captain on Celebrity Juice. Laura also presents many podcasts including Cast Away, a podcast about podcasts. We spoke to Laura from her home in London and started by chatting about studying journalism, and her experiences in both Dublin and Boston, US. Jim and Laura discuss thinking in shorthand and what led her into presenting. We touch on the press and how a lot of people are really starting to switch off from the clickbait style of modern mainstream journalism, and in particular the print media and how podcasts have really helped to allow guests and presenters to express themselves and be more comfortable and candid. Laura gives us her advice on dealing with her own blank moments and how imposter syndrome is often something she has to deal with. Get BLANK Podcast merchandise here: https://www.podcastmerch.co.uk/blank Buy us a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/blankpodcast 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

Legendary radio and television presenter Nicky Campbell has been a mainstay of British broadcasting for decades. He has presented the BBC Radio 5 Live breakfast programme since 2003, BBC One's Sunday morning show The Big Questions since 2007, and Long Lost Family on ITV since 2011. He presented the game show Wheel of Fortune from 1988 until 1996, and the consumer affairs programme Watchdog from 2001 to 2009. He joins Giles and Jim to chat about his established career, the ups and downs of live broadcasting, dealing with Twitter trolls and idiots in real life with fruit salads.  Get BLANK Podcast merchandise here: https://www.podcastmerch.co.uk/blank Buy us a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/blankpodcast 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