

Josh Smith's Great Chat Show
Next Chapter Studios
Josh Smith’s Great Chat Show is a podcast built on one simple belief: connection comes first.
After decades as a journalist, Josh Smith has sat down with some of the world’s most recognisable faces - from Jennifer Aniston to Timothée Chalamet - and one thing has become clear: great conversations don’t just happen. There’s an art and a science to a great chat - and when you understand it, a whole world of connection opens up.
Each episode is a warm, inviting sanctuary where actors, artists, athletes, and politicians drop their guard and genuinely open up - creating space for laughter, honesty, and the kind of moments that spark conversations in your own life.
Because when connection comes first… everything else follows.
Alright then - fancy a chat?
After decades as a journalist, Josh Smith has sat down with some of the world’s most recognisable faces - from Jennifer Aniston to Timothée Chalamet - and one thing has become clear: great conversations don’t just happen. There’s an art and a science to a great chat - and when you understand it, a whole world of connection opens up.
Each episode is a warm, inviting sanctuary where actors, artists, athletes, and politicians drop their guard and genuinely open up - creating space for laughter, honesty, and the kind of moments that spark conversations in your own life.
Because when connection comes first… everything else follows.
Alright then - fancy a chat?
Episodes
Mentioned books

Jul 19, 2022 • 44min
Ep 57: Dina Asher-Smith
There’s fast, and then there’s World Champion sprinter Dina Asher-Smith who joins us today! Not only is Dina the reigning world champion in the 200 metres, she is the fastest British woman ever who currently holds the British records in the 100m, 200m and the 4x100m relay. And alongside her gold medal at the 2019 World Athletic Championships, she has won four other world championship medals and two bronze medals at the Olympic Games. This athlete knows her way around a podium, and how to get into a winning mindset. I was so excited to talk to Dina; I’vefollowed her career for the longest time, and today she talks to us as she gears up to defend her World Championship title and head off to the Commonwealth Games all the way in… Birmingham! In this episode Dina shares the lessons she has learnt from working with a sport psychiatrist - something we can all learn a lot from - and talks about the impactmental health has on performance. Dina also shares some powerful words on the work that needs to be done to create true equality in sport - particularly around research - as barely any studies are done on women in sport, and they are simply seen as ‘little men’ as Dina puts it, meaning the same theories on male sports stars are just placed on women. If that isn’t sexist I don’t know what is?!? Plus, Dina talks about why it’s important to talk about periods and sporting performance and we certainly need more candid conversations around that topic! I am so inspired by Dina’s incredible mindset and hope you will be too! I also hope you keep on listening and finding the power to Reign in your own lives. If you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxxP.S. I am so proud that this episode of Reign with Josh Smith - which celebrates our inspirational female sporting stars - is brought to you thanks to my friends at Pandora, who are the Official National Jewellery Sponsor of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.This summer of sport is all about encouraging women and girls everywhere to feel empowered and motivated to be the person they want to be. Just like these inspirational female athletes you’re hearing from in these episodes, YOU can achieve anything - whether it’s in sport, your career or any of your life goals. Get out there, be fearless and write your own story. And with Pandora, there’s always a piece of jewellery you can create or customise to help tell that story. Just head to pandora.net or your nearest store, now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 12, 2022 • 36min
Ep 56: Elena Rybakina
I am screaming with excitement! Prepare to welcome the 2022 Wimbledon Women's Champion, Elena Rybakina! For this exclusive interview I caught up with Elena the day after her Wimbledon win, where she beat world number two Ons Jabeur, coming back from a set down to make history as the first ever player from Kazakhstan to win a grand slam tournament.At 23 years old she also became the youngest winner of the title since Petra Kvitova in 2011 and as the 23rd seed, Elena is the second-lowest ranked female player in the Open Era to win Wimbledon. She is the definition of a game changer who never, ever gives up, and there couldn’t be a better guest to join us for this series of special episodes that celebrate incredible female athletes! Elena chats to me from just outside the Wimbledon grounds (you can even hear the Centre Court crowds cheering for the men's final!!!) telling me about her journey to the top of women’s sport; from following her sister to tennis camp to the tough times that made her a champion, to lifting the Wimbledon trophy. This is an amazing look at the real person behind the athlete. Elena tells me about the nerves she had before and during the final, how she managed to dig deep and find a positive mindset to win and what it means to become a history maker and a role model overnight. Elena also talks about her goals for the rest of the season and adjusting to new-found attention following her win. She is the new queen of tennis and I hope you are as inspired by Elena’s mindset as I am. I also hope you keep on listening and finding the power to Reign in your own lives. If you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxxP.S. I am so proud that this episode of Reign with Josh Smith - which celebrates our inspirational female sporting stars - is brought to you thanks to my friends at Pandora, who are the Official National Jewellery Sponsor of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.This summer of sport is all about encouraging women and girls everywhere to feel empowered and motivated to be the person they want to be. Just like these inspirational female athletes you’re hearing from in these episodes, YOU can achieve anything - whether it’s in sport, your career or any of your life goals. Get out there, be fearless and write your own story. And with Pandora, there’s always a piece of jewellery you can create or customise to help tell that story. Just head to pandora.net or your nearest store, now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jul 5, 2022 • 35min
Ep 55: Nikita Parris
It’s coming home, it's coming home, football's coming home and our Women's England team are (hopefully) about to win the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022! And today, ahead of the competition kicking off. we are joined by England star, Nikita ParrisNikita has come a long way from a homemade football pitch in Liverpool, to the top of women's football playing for the likes of Manchester City, Everton, French team Olympique Lyonnais and Arsenal - which is her current club. Nikita has also held the record as all-time leading scorer in the Women's Super League along with winning multiple leagues and the UEFA Women's Champions League, Nikita was named the FWA Women's Footballer of the Year in 2019. Nikita is truly one of the game's greats. Nikita joins us from the middle of the England training camp for the Women's Euros and opens up about moments that have made her the athlete she is today, how mental health impacts her performance and why it needs to be spoken about more in the football world. Plus Nikita talks about the work we need to do to achieve gender equality across sport, why she thinks it’s time we stop comparing mens and womens football, and she shares some inspirational words on how she has become the representation in sport she desperately needed growing up. It’s impossible not to be inspired listening to Nikita so I truly hope you love this episode too - it made me want to run to the gym stat!. I hope you keep on listening and finding the power to Reign in your own lives. If you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxxP.S. I am so proud that this episode of Reign with Josh Smith which celebrates our inspirational female sporting stars is brought to you thanks to my friends at Pandora, who are the Official National Jewellery Sponsor of the UEFA Women’s EURO 2022.This summer of sport is all about encouraging women and girls everywhere to feel empowered and motivated to be the person they want to be. Just like the inspirational female athletes you’re hearing from in these episodes, YOU can achieve anything - whether it’s in sport, your career, or any of your life goals. Get out there, be fearless and write your own story. And with Pandora, there’s always a piece of jewellery you can create or customise to help tell that story. Just head to pandora.net or your nearest store, now! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 30, 2022 • 39min
Ep 54: Joey King
I am beyond excited to be joined on this week’s episode by Joey King, not only because I have wanted her on the podcast for the longest time but she is now starring in one of the most on-brand Reign movies of all time… The Princess! The Princess, which is out on Disney+ and Hulu, follows a medieval princess who refuses to marry her evil suitor (played by Dominic Cooper), a hot but complex chap who is determined to take her father’s throne. But when she’s locked up in a tower they soon realize they have taken on the wrong royal - this princess can fight! She’s the badass princess we have always needed and kicks her enemies and sexim in the balls at the same time. The definition of YASSS QUEEN! You’ll probably remember Joey from her breakout role as Elle in the mega Netflix trilogy, The Kissing Booth opposite Jacob Elordi - who wasn’t obsessed with those movies? And you may also remember her from the true crime TV show, The Act where she played Gypsy, a girl trying to escape her overprotective mother (played by Patricia Arquette). The role made Joey an Emmy and Golden Globe nominee. As if we needed more proof that this girl has serious RANGE! Next up Joey will be starring alongside Brad Pitt and Sandra Bullock in another high action blockbuster, Bullet Train, a role Joey landed on her 21st Birthday. There’ss a funny story about that coming up in this episode - prepare yourselves! Elsewhere in this episode Joey talks about her rollercoaster with confidence, reflects on her relationship with body image and calls out the sexist double standards between male and female actors, which she has experienced herself. I loved Joey’s honesty, she does not hold back! And I know you are going to take so much away from this chat. I also hope you keep on listening and finding the power to Reign in your own lives. If you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 28, 2022 • 44min
Ep 53: Marli Siu
Who else was absolutely obsessed with Dolly Alterton’s memoir, Everything I Know About Love? And is equally obsessed with the BBC adaptation of the show? Well prepare yourselves because in today’s episode we are joined by the show’s star, Marli Siu. The story follows Maggie (Emma Appleton) and her three friends, Birdy (Bel Powley), Amara (Aliyah Odoffin) and Marli’s character Nell, who whilst living in a London house share go through the ‘grubby stage’ of their twenties together. From the breakups - both in relationships and friendships - and all the house parties and regrettable decisions in between. I loved Marli’s character Nell so much - she was so relatable, right? In case you haven’t seen it yet - spoiler alert, Nell is a young teacher and the blunt advice giver of the group who leaves her ‘stable seeming’ relationship for a new independent life which sees her sleep with her boss and make some decisions she might regret in later life.Today Marli shares some hilarious behind the scenes secrets from filming the show - from the sheer amount of eating they did, to downing grape juice moonlighting as wine - and some very relatable stories from her own house share experiences. She also talks about having to film a masturbation scene over Skype and why that is so important that is shown on TV. Marli also reflects on her Scottish-Chinese heritage, and how being mixed race affected the way she saw herself, and talks about how losing her father and experiencing grief was a coming of age moment for her. I loved talking to Marli so much - she’s so open and funny - and I hope you fall in love with her too! I also hope you keep on listening and finding the power to Reign in your own lives. If you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 21, 2022 • 35min
Ep 52: Olive Gray
This episode is all about being true to yourself in a world that tells you to conform, as today we are joined by the star of the new dramatisation of the record breaking game, Halo, it’s Olive Gray!Olive started their career at the age of 10 in The Story of Tracy Beaker (which we were all obsessed with, right?!?) before starring in the BAFTA nominated TV drama, Save Me, playing a teenage victim of sex trafficking, opposite Suranne Jones and Lennie James.And now Olive is playing Commander Miranda Keyes in Halo, which lands on Paramount+ this week after selling more than 82 million copies worldwide, and grossing more than 6 billion dollars as a computer game. Get ready for Olive’s GCSE Bitesize breakdown about Halo in this episode, so if you aren’t familiar with the franchise already - we got you!Aside from talking about their breakout role in the franchise, Olive talks about identity: from their racial identity, to being part of the LGBTQIA+ community, to their pronouns, and having ADHD. We need more open and honest conversations about all aspects of our identity, and in particular neurodiversity, so I hope you either feel seen, understood or enlightened by this episode.I also hope you keep on listening and finding the power to Reign in your own lives. If you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 14, 2022 • 33min
Ep 51: Isis Hainsworth
This episode is for everyone who is struggling to love themselves, or has been on that journey as we are joined by the new Queen of Scots, Isis Hainsworth. You may have recently seen Isis in the Netflix movie, ‘Metal Lords’, which is brought to us by the creators of ‘Games of Thrones’, no less! If you haven’t seen it yet, think of it as School of Rock meets teen drama. Isis plays the cello-playing teen, Emily, who, whilst struggling with her mental health and feeling like the school outsider, befriends two other high schoolers (Jaeden Martell and Adrian Greensmith) who invite her to join their heavy metal band, in order to win the school Battle of the Bands competition. You will love it! Isis is the definition of booked and busy at the moment, as she will soon be seen in the BBC and Netflix thriller-horror, drama series ‘Red Rose’ which takes inspiration from movies like ‘Get Out’ and ‘Scream.’ Prepare to hide behind your sofa! And later this year she will also star alongside Billie Piper, Andrew Scott and Bella Ramsey in the Lena Dunham directed, medieval coming-of-age comedy, ‘Catherine Called Birdy.’ We love an historical foray on Reign so I can’t WAIT to see this! Today we get to know Isis as she takes us back to the very beginning, and talks to us about the journey she took to the big screen, from growing up in Scotland where she had dreams of becoming a dancer, to treading the boards on the West End. Isis also opens up about dealing with dyslexia, and using it as her superpower after feeling ‘othered’ at school, and shares some amazing advice about processing and dealing with mental health issues, which I think you will love! I love what Isis has to say about becoming your own ally, and I hope it will inspire you to be your own best friend too. I also hope you keep on listening and finding the power to Reign in your own lives. If you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

Jun 7, 2022 • 39min
Ep 50: Emma Pasarow
If you haven’t seen Netflix's new movie Along for the Ride yet and are as obsessed with teen romantic movies as I am, prepare to fall in love with the movie and its star, Emma Pasarow who joins me today! Along for the Ride - based on the book by Sarah Dessen, the much loved author of To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before - follows Emma’s character, Auden, who in the summer before college meets the dreamy, yet mysterious Eli (played by the equally dreamy Belmont Cameli). Whilst Auden spends the summer away from her somewhat intense Mum (played by the legendary Andie MacDowell) with her Dad (played by another romcom legend Dermort Mulroney) and Stepmom (Kate Bosworth), in a sleepy seaside town, the two insomniacs bond during night time excursions and Auden ditches books to find a new carefree way of life. It’s beyond cute and so is Emma! Today Emma talks about the wild circumstances that led to her jetting off to film Along For The Ride, her first movie role (can you believe?!) and open up about her journey with social anxiety, something that is so rarely spoken about. Plus, she tells me about how journaling has helped her process her mental health, something which I was inspired to take up after this candid chat with Emma, who is a star of the future. We love to support the future queens on this podcast! It was so inspiring to hear Emma talk so openly and honestly about the struggles she has overcome with anxiety, so I hope this helps you in the tougher moments you might face. I also hope you keep on listening and finding the power to Reign in your own lives. If you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 31, 2022 • 32min
Ep 49: Joe Locke
Heartstopper fans, if you loved Charlie as much as I did this episode is for YOU, as today we are joined by the man himself, Joe Locke. And he’s even greater in real life, if you can believe it!Joe beat 10,000 hopefuls to win his first ever on-screen role as Charlie in the hit Netflix show, which follows his character as he falls for the school jock, Nick, played by Kit Connor. If you haven’t seen it the show - WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN - it’sbased on the graphic novels by Alice Oseman, so get onto Netflix right now because it will make you feel all the feelings, and its a joyful celebration of queer love that is beyond needed on our screens.In this episode Joe joins us from his family home on the Isle of Man where he is currently juggling overnight fame with revising for his A-Levels, and talks about his journey from island life to the set of a Netflix hit show and the lifetime friendships he built working on it.Joe also talks about feeling like an outsider - much like Charlie does in the show - and how we need to rethink viewing that as a negative thing, and I couldn’t agree more! He also chats about tearing up the rule book about what a leading man should be and look like, and he shares his thoughts on coming out.Like so many of you, this show means so much to me so I hope you love listening to this episode with Joe as much as I did talking to him. I also hope you continue to listen and find the power to Reign in your own lives. If you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

May 24, 2022 • 38min
Ep 48: Kit Connor
If you sobbed, smiled and adored the Netflix hit show, Heartstopper as much as I did, prepare yourselves because today we are joined by one of the show’s stars, Kit Connor.After getting his break starring as the teenage Elton John in Rocketman, Kit hit the big time this year when he landed the role of Nick in Heartstopper.Based on the graphic novels by Alice Oseman, the show follows a coming of age romance between two teenagers, Nick and Charlie, played by Joe Locke (who you will also be hearing from VERY SOON). And if you haven’t seen it and are wondering what all the fuss is about, race to Netflix right now because the show is a heartwarming and joyful portrayal of queer love and we literally LOVE TO SEE IT!Today, fresh from the show’s huge success - Kit takes us back to the very beginning of his Heartstopper journey from auditioning for the role, to stepping on set for the very first time, and the self doubt that came along for the ride.He also talks about his epic relationship with his co-star Joe, and how much that friendship helped him both inside and outside of the show, and why he refuses to adhere to the traditional expectations of what it means to be masculine.Kit also opens up about feeling proud of his sexuality and why he doesn’t feel compelled to label himself publicly because NO ONE has the right to know anyone else’s sexuality - is he right or is he right?!?I love what Kit has to say about feeling empowered by being surrounded by so many proud queer people and bringing these important storylines to life, so I hope you love hearing from Kit as much as I did. I also hope you continue to listen and find the power to Reign in your own lives. If you love this episode, please get in touch (follow me across social media @joshsmithhosts), I love hearing from you. Love, Josh xxx Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices


