Walking The Dog with Emily Dean

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with Nick Knowles, Nick takes us behind the scenes of DIY SOS and explains just how much work, care and love goes into creating the transformations we see on screen.

He talks about the people and communities at the heart of the programme, why the show has remained so important to him after 26 years, and what it’s like being there when months of planning and hard graft finally come ...

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with Nick Knowles, who has been at the helm of DIY SOS for an incredible 26 years, or, as Emily prefers to call it, Time for My Weekly Cry.

Nick grew up on a council estate in West London, left school at 16 and spent the next few years doing just about every job imaginable. He tells Emily how he eventually blagged his way into television with the help of some questionably acquired BBC letter...

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with Caitlin Moran and Luna, Caitlin turns her attention to something many of us could probably use a little more of right now: hope.

Her new book, How to Be Hopeful, grew out of a search for ways to feel more optimistic about the world without simply ignoring everything that’s wrong with it. Caitlin shares some of what she discovered along the way, and why seemingly small things -...

This week Emily and Ray take a North London stroll with columnist and bestselling author Caitlin Moran and her adorable cockapoo, Luna.

Caitlin chats about her extraordinary childhood growing up as the eldest of eight children on a council estate in Wolverhampton, largely educating herself through books from her local library, and the remarkable start to her career which saw her become a published novelist and award-winning jour...

In part two of Emily and Ray’s chat with the wonderful Harriet Kemsley, Harriet opens up about motherhood and how having her daughter gave her a sense of self-worth and confidence she’d never really experienced before. It’s a beautifully honest and moving conversation about how becoming a parent changed the way she sees herself.

Harriet also talks about her rise through comedy, her experience appearing on Last ...

This week Emily and Ray head to South London to meet the brilliantly funny Harriet Kemsley and her beautiful Cavapoo, Sunny.

With torrential rain putting a stop to the planned walk, Harriet welcomes Emily and Ray into her home instead, where things get off to a slightly chaotic start when a questionable-looking cashew milk coffee leads Emily to secretly send a photo to ChatGPT to check it’s safe to drink.

Once the coffe...

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with the fabulous Shazia Mirza, there’s plenty more from one of Britain’s most distinctive and brilliantly funny comedians, as Shazia reflects on her life, career and the experiences that have shaped her comedy.

If you haven’t already, do go back and listen to part one, where Shazia talks about growing up in Birmingham, secretly pursuing stand-up while working as a scie...

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with the fabulous comedian Shazia Mirza.

Emily and Shazia actually go back a long way, as when Shazia first decided to pursue comedy, she took performance lessons with Emily’s late mum, an acting teacher who became a great friend and source of encouragement. This is Shazia’s first meeting with Ray, though, and despite admitting she’s usually a little nervous around dogs, it...

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with the wonderful Fay Ripley and Apple, Fay looks back on the huge success of Cold Feet and the incredibly difficult decision she made to walk away from the show at the height of its popularity.

She also tells Emily the story of how she met her husband, actor Daniel Lapaine, recalls a rather unpleasant encounter with a very famous actress, and reveals why her friendship with David Baddi...

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll across North London’s Parliament Hill with the wonderful Fay Ripley and her very smartly dressed dog, Apple, who arrived wearing a bow tie especially for the occasion.

Fay chats about her childhood growing up in Surrey, her brilliantly named dad Beverly and the three attempts it took before she finally got into drama school. She also looks back on some of the more unusual jobs she had ...

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with the wonderful Laura Aikman, Laura delves into her role in the acclaimed BBC drama This City Is Ours and gives us a tantalising tease about what we can expect from her in the new series of Line of Duty.

Laura also talks about a very different side of her life away from acting: her work as a volunteer for the mental health support service Shout. Since 2022, she’s taken hundreds ...

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with the wonderful Laura Aikman and her brilliantly named French bulldog, Eric Cantona.

Laura is perhaps best known to millions of Gavin & Stacey fans as Smithy’s formidable girlfriend Sonia, but her acting career stretches back much further. She chats to Emily about growing up in Hertfordshire with an actress mum and stuntman dad, becoming a child actor herself, and playing Anthon...

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with the wonderful Gaby Roslin, Gaby looks back on the extraordinary success of The Big Breakfast and the whirlwind of suddenly becoming one of the most recognisable faces on television.

She also talks warmly about her friendship with Chris Evans, what made their partnership work, and the memories they still share from one of the most exciting and unpredictable periods of her career.

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This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with one of the nation’s best-loved TV and radio presenters, Gaby Roslin.

Gaby chats about growing up with her beloved staffie Bazooka, dreaming of becoming a television presenter from a very young age, and the early children’s TV jobs that eventually led to her big break co-hosting The Big Breakfast with Chris Evans.

She also looks back on a remarkable career that has seen he...

In part two of Emily and Ray’s walk with the wonderful Jake Bhardwaj, Jake takes us behind the scenes of the day Prince Harry came on Joe Marler Will See You Now, from finding out one of the most famous men in the world was going to be a guest to what he was actually like when the microphones were switched on (and off).

Jake also talks about his own fascinating career shift, having spent years behind the scenes producing c...

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with comedy creator, writer, actor, producer and quizmaster Jake Bhardwaj.

You might know Jake from the hugely popular podcast Joe Marler Will See You Now, which he co-hosts with Joe Marler and has recently welcomed guests including Prince Harry. He’s also been hosting the behind-the-scenes content for Saturday Night Live UK and recently popped up in the new Diane Morgan series Ann Dro...

In part two of Emily and Ray's walk with the wonderful Alfie Dundas, the conversation delves deeper into Alfie's time at Eton, the expectations that came with his upbringing, and why he eventually decided to walk away from a successful career in the tech industry to pursue stand-up comedy instead.

He also talks about his debut Edinburgh show, First Class Panic, and the experiences that inspired it, as well as what it's really li...

This week Emily and Ray take a stroll with one of comedy's fastest-rising stars, Alfie Dundas.

With more than 100 million views across social media, Alfie has quickly built a huge following for his brilliantly observed comedy. But away from the internet, Emily discovers the story behind the jokes, from growing up in London as the grandson of a Marquess, to his years at Eton, studying economics at university, and the decision to ...

In part two of Emily and Ray's chat with the wonderful Sarah Hadland, Sarah looks back on the extraordinary success of Miranda, the friendships that came from the show, and what it was like being part of one of Britain's most beloved sitcoms.

She also talks about taking on Strictly Come Dancing, the confidence the experience gave her, and why she's still happiest when she's performing, whether that's on stage, on screen or in fr...